Case 1
An elderly gentleman was suffering from a Chronic Prostatic Induration for a very long time. He is a known Diabetic and Hypertensive. He came to my clinic with an acute urinary problem. He complained that there is a burning pain during urination in the bladder, whenever he tries to pass urine it always comes in drops. His sonography showed lot of retention post void in the bladder (190ml), while passing the urine it was extremely painful to him. He was constantly feeling that there is some part of the urine always remaining in the urethra and urging to urine is constant. Even after passing the urine he had an urge immediately, in the night he had to wake up at least 5-6 times and during the day he was passing at least 12-14 times urine. He was extremely tired of going for urine repeatedly as this disturbs his sleep and also makes him weak.
His routine urine showed that there was presence of gravel and white sediments, there was about 5-10 pus cells, the weight of his prostate gland was 45 gms in sonography.
He was a known smoker and he suffered from a smoker’s cough and sometimes he will spit out lot of sticky expectoration which was white in colour. He complained of weakness in the legs and he said that he cannot walk more neither he can stand more for sometimes. In the night he was sleepless but during the day he was quite sleepy. His pulse was weak.
I found no other peculiar mental symptoms which I can prescribe on. But for his age he said that he is quite active and he never wanted to waste his time, always trying to occupy his time in some creative activity. With this indication, I prescribed his Eryngium aquaticum 30, one tea spoonful 3 times a day for 15 days.
Margret Tyler in “Pointers to common remedies” stressed on this symptom ‘must urinate every 5 minutes’ and urine dripping down all the time and it burns like fire. Another indication which Margret Tyler has mentioned in her book is severe constipation; the stool is extremely dry and very hard.
Case 2
A case of a woman during pregnancy with the diagnosis of Mitral Stenosis with Mitral Incompetence and Pulmonary Oedema with Chronic Congestive Heart Failure.
When the woman came to me she was acutely breathless, respiration was accelerated and worse lying down and better by sitting up and the patient had to sit up to get relief in the difficult respiration. The tongue was heavily coated white; there was salivation in the mouth with metallic taste.
The X-ray chest showed lot of Pulmonary Congestion. The pulse was frequent but weak. Every day at midnight she would wake up from the sleep because she could not breathe properly. When I examined her hands they were icy cold to touch.
These were the symptoms and I made the following totality:
- Respiration difficult lying down agg., has to get up and be seated
- Thick white coating of the tongue
- Metallic taste in the mouth
- Respiration accelerated
- Pulse frequent
- Pulse weak
With these indications I kept her on Mercurius sulphuricus 3X, I gave her 6 grains 4 times a day and within one and a half month the Pulmonary Oedema disappeared completely.
Keynotes and Red Line Symptoms of the Materia Medica- Von A. Lippe
- DYSPNOEA: HAS TO SIT, CANNOT LIE DOWN
- Short and rapid respirations
- Hydrothorax, occurring from heart or liver diseases (Dig., Phos.)
- Sore tip of tongue
- Aggravation : morning ,at night ,lying down
- Amelioration : sitting up
Textbook of Materia Medica- Von A. Lippe
- Roughness in the throat, and hoarseness.
- Sensation of beat in the larynx.
- Increased expectoration of mucus from the larynx and trachea
- Respiratory organs – Pain in the chest prevents him from breathing.
- Pain in the chest prevents him from breathing.
- Dyspnoea in children ,prevents breadthing
I am grateful to Dr. Adolf Lippe for my knowledge of this remedy. He has given a through clinical proving and with very sure indications of Mercurius sulphuricus.
Ever since beginning of my practice I am using this remedy for pulmonary oedema especially when the patient complains of severe dyspnoea that compels him to sit up in the night and whole night he passes siting, ultimately becomes thoroughly exhausted by sitting then finally he goes to sleep.
The extremities are swollen, stiff and numb, the hands are icy cold, the nails are blue, there is marked dilatation of the heart or there may be cardiac hypertrophy. In some patients I was able to confirm soreness on the tip of the tongue.
Case 3
This is a case of a man with Parkinson’s disease who was constitutionally on the remedy Causticum Hahnemann. He complained about a headache that had been there for the past three months. The constitutional remedy was unable to tackle the symptoms of his headache though his Parkinsonism was much better with the Causticum. The most important symptom was that the pain started from the forehead just above the eyes and extended to the spine, or the pain could start in the cervical spine and extend to the occiput, vertex or to the frontal region.
There was also pressing, heavy pain in and around the forehead and eyelids. The eyelids sometimes closed involuntary. The whole phenomenon was aggravated by motion, exertion, walking and stooping. The pain in the cervical region was the most characteristic especially going all the way down to the spine.
I tried many remedies like Bryonia alba, Gelsemium sempervirens and Nux vomica but it gave no relief to the patient. The pain was sometimes so violent that he had to take one pain killer three times a day, but even then the pain would only reduce by 50-60 per cent, never leaving completely.
I was looking for a remedy that had a marked action on the brain as he was suffering from Parkinsonism, and at the same time having its sphere of action on the cervical spine.
I took the rubrics:
- Head, pain pressing
- Head, pain violent
- Head, pain neuralgic
- Head, pain motion aggravates
- Head, heaviness
- Eyes, heaviness lids
With these symptoms I gave him the remedy Oreodaphne Californica 30CH. Oreodaphne Californica is a Mountain laurel, also known as balm of heaven. It is one of the most useful remedies for migraines affecting the fronto-occipital area. Dr J. Murray proved the remedy on himself and his friends by taking the tincture of the leaves; immediately they suffered from fronto-occipital headaches that were worse from movement and better by rest.
After using this remedy on a few patients it quickly became a favorite remedy in my practice for cervical spondylosis and for headache due to hypertension.
