Summer fight club

Summer is setting in and the temperature is rising rapidly every day, sending warning bells to all reminding them to start taking precautions against heat-waves and summer related woes. lets setup a summer fight club in homeopathy, where we have wonderful remedies to deal with every health issue, pertaining to summer.

In the summer fight club few new homeopathy weapons has been introduced which just kills its opponent called as “the Summer health issues”

Summer fight club

Let me narrate a few interesting cases being solved during previous summer season. There are different specific rubrics related to summer related diseases in our repertory.  My emphasis in the cases explained below are – how to apply those rubrics in clinic; when to consider or not to consider those rubrics and how I analyzed acute cases and special season rubrics in my clinic.

Summer fight club CASE 1

A 15 year old boy came to my clinic with  severe pain in his abdomen and loose motions with mucus and blood. On enquiry, he stated that every summer he suffers from dysentery. On further investigation, he told that the previous night he drank beer and after that the problem started.

Rubrics selected were

1. Rectum dysentery – season summer
2. Generals – Food and drinks Beer agg

After repertorising, I knew Kali.bi as common remedy, but I was unable to find rubric dysentery summer agg in complete repertory. I recollected that I once read that point in Phatak Materia Medica. When I referred to the PMM I found that symptom ‘PERIODICAL DYSENTRY EVERY YEAR, IN SUMMER’ under Kali bi…

With this analysis, I confidently prescribed Kali.bich 200. The boy was successfully cured.
Efforts will always be fruitful when the remedy is correct and Results will be positive.

Note: Podophylum is specific remedy for summer diarrhoea, but it (diarrhoea) is always painless,profuse,offensive.

Comments:  Sometimes it is difficult to find rubrics in repertory or often it takes more time searching a particular rubric. In acute cases of emergent nature, not much time is available for thorough search/ analysis and prescribe later (That option is available in CHRONIC cases, but not in acutes). To treat acutes, the golden rule is we must have sound knowledge and command over Materia Medica. 

Summer fight club CASE 2

Once a 9 year old kid  came to me with the complaint of coryza and diarrhea.. When enquired, I was informed that after playing in the ground for some time, the boy relaxed in the AC room and the problem started with coryza and diarrhoea developed after that.

Rubrics selected were

1.Nose – coryza- accompanied by diarrhea   
2.Generals PERSPIRATION suppression of perspiration, complaints from

On combining these two rubrics I observed that there were 15 remedies common.

I added one more rubric to the chart NOSE – CORYZA- ACCOMPANIED BY DIARRHEA ,IN SUMMER; in

Dulcamara single remedy in Phatak  repertory 
Reference:  In Phatak Materia Medica it is given in bold letters that BEING CHILLED WHEN HOT

Prescribed Dulcamara 6 in repeated doses

RESULT : He got well in a few days 

It is really very tough to identify the right remedy that has the strongest symptom when we find that there are more common remedies available after repertorisation. Therefore, it is important that we should be aware and identify in which remedy these symptoms are more specific and highlighted.  In this regard, degree column of repertorisation chart will help to certain extent.

summer fight club

CASE 3

One day, a middle aged woman came to me with severe dry cough. During discussion, she informed that with severe dry cough she gets woken up at night and that the cough compels her to sit in the bed, and cough subsides after sitting. This was the only   information I could extract from her at that point of time.

Rubrics selected 

1. Cough Dry
2. Dry cough night
3. Cough sleep wakens from
4. Cough sit up must

There were 15 remedies matching with these rubrics
Then I tried to search for more norrow rubric
COUGH SEASON SUMMER agg

Single remedy SANGUINARIA ( Hering guiding symptoms). And to my surprise Sanguinaria included in all four rubrics.. I asked a few confirmatory symptoms before prescribing remedy. Then I came to know that the patient gets head ache as if eyes were pressing ..

This symptom confirmed me to prescribe 
sanguinaria canadensis 200c.

Result: 

Cough completely cured and she got much relief in head ache as well.

when symptoms are more general, it’s not wise to select more narrow rubrics, even if single remedy exist in that rubric

summer fight club

Ex. COUGH SEASON SUMMER Agg, sanguinaria is a single remedy,  but we can’t take this rubric directly.. Because every summer  cough doesn’t belong to SANGUINARIA..

(May be If patient specifies strongly that ‘ IN EVERY SUMMER I GET THIS COUGH’ ,in that case we can give more importance to this rubric, because if any symptom which  directly comes from patient and exactly matches in materia medica, we can give first preference to that rubric ) In this case patient didn’t specify that.

In this type of cases, it is better to take all General rubrics in broader sense, and need to compare all remedies which come prominently on repertorisation chart with SPECIFIC NARROW  RUBRIC. If any highlighting remedy in the chart matches with narrow rubric, then we can prescribe that remedy without any doubt, as I prescribed in this case.

CASE 4

One year old kid in his  dentition  period landed with offensive  green diarrhoea in summer season.. No specific time modalities and did not get much information other than this. I tried to repertorise in my synthesis android version. I took broad  rubrics.

Analysis:
RUBRICS SELECTED ARE:

1.RECTUM Diarrhea summer
2.RECTUM Diarrhea dentition during
3.STOOL Green
4.STOOL offensive

After repertorisation podophylum,  psorinum, Bry, sul.acid, acon, China,cuprum, kreos are covering all four rubrics..  
I further tried to search with more narrow rubric.

RECTUM DIARRHEA SUMMER CHILDREN in
Single remedy CUPRUM is there..And interestingly cuprum was covering all above 4 rubrics as well…  I almost decided to give CUPRUM to that patient,  but to make sure I asked patient’s mother to recollect any specific symptom and describe the type of stool more accurately. After a while she told me ‘THERE IS A GURGLING In stomach and passing very offensive profuse stool at once

This single point was enough for me to prescribe  PODOPHYLUM  , and podophylum covering remaining rubrics as well.  

PODOPHYLUM IS ONE OF THE MAIN REMEDIES IN SUMMER DIARRHOEA

Results : A single dose of Podophylum 200 cured that boy instantly.

Comments:  In Boger Synoptic Key it is given in BOLD letters  under podophylum 
” GURGLING THROUGH BOWELS, THEN PROFUSE , PUTRID STOOL GUSH OUT PAINLESSLY.  summer diarrhoea.” if we get this type of bold letter symptoms  then u don’t even need to repertorise the case. 

In this case that single drug narrow rubric won’t stand out  in the presence of this strong symptom.

In croton tig. although, we have gushing,profuse diarrhea and aggravation after eating or drinking same as podophylum, but there are marked distinguishing features, such as offensiveness of stools. And the time aggravation in podophylum morning 6AM to 12 noon (NM CHOUDHURI)

CASE 5

Last year summer my uncle called me and told me that he was suffering from vertigo since the summer started (One month) He visited many allopathic doctors, but no allopathic medication helped him much. His main symptom was that he gets vertigo especially when lying and he gets lots of perspiration, after perspiration he gets complete relief.

Main Rubric 

1. Vertigo perspiration amel
   ( Nat.sulf single remedy in phatak repertory)
   Next rubric
   Vertigo lying agg
   ( Nat.sulf is there)
   I prescribed Nat.sulph 200…

RESULTS:
Just in two days he got complete relief from his problem.

COMMENTS:  In vertigo summer Nat.sulph does not exist, and Nat.sul is specifically for damp weather remedy, but, still I selected Nat.sulf, because main grand symptom exactly matching with rubric.
I focus on those points which are more peculiar in the case. That always leads to travel in right direction to reach remedy.

CASE 6

40 years old lady came to my clinic and complained that in every summer she gets severe burning sensation in feet and she feels some sand like sensation in toes.
Not asked any questions further, because she stressed three times that sand sensation beneath the toe. I started searching for that sand rubric ,because that appeared more specific for me. 

EXTREMITIES SAND on Toe sensation
LYCOPODIUM ( remedy in Hehnemann chronic diseases)
Further rubrics:
EXTREMITIES Heat burning 

General season summer agg..

All these symptoms were clear cut and specific symptoms, which I could know from the patient without any questions put to her.

I prescribed Lyco 30 for 3 days.

Result:  Condition admirably improved in just one week.

Comments:
Specific Symptom which directly comes from patient without asking anything needs to be given more importance, especially when the patient repeatedly says something. Even if for that particular symptom, single drug does not match with rest of the symptoms in any way, then also it is always better to start treatment with that more striking single specific symptom remedy. That remedy either cures the patient or at least opens the case for next appropriate remedy for the patient .

Summer fight club CASE 7

A 15 year old boy came to clinic with diarrhoea and  eruptions  on skin. He was unable to explain much about diarrhoea..  On repeated queries, he admitted that he regularly takes wine, from his father’s stock. 

Rubrics selected were

1. RECTUM Diarrhea summer   accompanied by eruptions ( hupericum single remedy  in haring guiding symptoms
2. General food and drinks wine desires
   I prescribed HYPERICUM 200

RESULT: Initially eruptions aggravated, diarrhoea controlled…. within 15 days, eruptions also vanished.

Some patients don’t open up much. It is very difficult to prescribe remedy without thorough enquiry and understanding the problem in its entirety, especially when there are more patients waiting. Then repertory is the only available help on which one has to depend . If you get any single drug rubric, it is better to start with that remedy due to lack of sufficient time for thorough analysis.

summer fight club

There are many remedies under “desire for wine” and HYPERICUM has least marks. But if you open BORIECKE, first sentence under STOMACH  Is CRAVING FOR WINE. Kids drinking wine although unusual in India and it’s not just like it to be called craving. 

Summer fight club CASE 8

Last year summer, a 30 year gentleman came to me with the problem “Asthama”. He said that he was suffering from Asthama for last many years and that he was taking allopathic medication and was happy with that. His present problem was, he got sudden  dyspnoea after taking cold faluda . He was feeling chilly. Thristless. Restlessness and he wanted immediate relief ..His allopathic doctor was out of station and that was the reason why he came to my clinic since his house is near to my clinic.

RUBRICS SELECTED

1.RESPIRATION  ASTHMATIC cold after taking Summer in  ( Ars(kent), Art.nit (phatak)) 2.Mind carried desired  carried desired to be FAST

1. STOMACH  THRISTLESS
2. Mind restlessness 

After repertorisation I selectyed Ars.Alb as prominent remedy.. In this type of cases, I don’t even repertorise the case  often and   I prescribe Ars. Alb 200

Result: 

He didn’t report back to me the result. I thought ‘these Arsanicum patients never report back after getting well.’

After a couple of days, I went to a shopping mall nearby with my friend, where I saw him. I told my friend that he was that Arsanicum patient, “Arsanicum patients never come back when their work was done”. My friend didn’t believe, I told her that I would show her the demo, and asked her to just follow me. She agreed.

When I  stepped towards him and tried to wish him, he turned his head to the other side.. I further moved close to him and said ‘Hi.. How are you feeling now?’

He Said :

“Madam your medicines made me worse. I suffered a lot for two days . Then I went to my regular doctor who I gave some medicines and after that I got abit relief ,but still I am suffering a lot, especially in the night time.”

summer fight club

I advised him to please visit my clinic the next day.  With a sarcastic laugh he replied that he can’t. I insisted that he should visit my clinic the next day sharp at 11 am and that I would be waiting for him.

After the conversation with him, I realised that he was not at all an Arsanicum person.  HE WAS MORE BOLD AND STRAIGHT

My friendly invitation made him come to my clinic next day morning . I, in all sincerity, took his whole case history with much interest and passion. During noting down the case history, I came to know that he developed Asthama after SLEEP ON CLOD FLOOR (Tiles).  He never got complete cure after that. He gets dyspnoea at mid night and cough starts and continues till morning 

These two symptoms are main symptoms of Nux vom.
In Allen’s key notes it is given Ailments after sitting on cold stone. This symptom is very strong for Nux.vom.
And his symptoms in totality matched with Nux.vom

Prescribed  him Nux.vom 0/1 for 15 days

He got relief just  after one dose. He completely got relief from all his problems in just two months. I enhanced potency upto 0/3, further I gave SULPHER 1M, One year passed, he is free from all troubles

Comments:

Never be over-confident and never be prejudiced.  Whenever it is possible, try to take complete and thorough case history. Sometimes it is not possible to take the entire case history because of rush of patients, but remember, first time if you miss the right drug, then second time you must take case history once again even if there is heavy rush of patients.

What is pecular symptom?
As I told you in case 6, if you get more striking peculiar symptom with single drug rubric, you need to give first preference to that

Example

1. EXTREMITIES SAND on Toe sensation
   LYCOPODIUM ( remedy in Hehnemann chronic diseases)
   This is very rare , so we should give importance to that, and we should keep in mind from which source book that rubric exists and verify that

2.RESPIRATION  ASTHMATIC cold after taking Summer in  ( Ars(kent), Art.nit (phatak))

This rubric has only two remedies given by kent and phatak,  highly reliable..But this is not peculiar symptom. Usually every Asthama patient gets attack after taking anything cold whether it be summer or winter, we should not depend on this as a strong symptom unless patient says 
“IN SUMMER ONLY COLD DRINKS AGGRAVATE  MY ASTHAMA, in other seasons cold drinks won’t affect me”

Finally what I want to convey is we need to understand rubrics, materia medica  and patient’s language properly and everything should sync with each other.

Dr. Madhuri Balivada

— DR.Madhuri Balivada

LET’S MAKE HOMEOPATHY GREAT AGAIN

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