Case 1
Once I saw a case of acute migraine in a 23 year old science student at my clinic. His chief complaints were as follows:
Head pain going all the way to the neck. He had been preparing for his Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) for which he had to read books for approximately 12 hours a day in a room with his head bent down.
Head pain worsened with any mental exertion or motion and ameliorated by bandaging the head and going to bed for slumber.
On examination, his tongue was dry and cracked.
For the last 3 weeks, he had been taking two tablets of Saridon (containing Paracetamol 250 mg and Propyphenazone 150 mg) daily without much relief.
I started with Picric acid 30C one dose every 4 hourly for one day. Next day he called me up and said that there had been no pain even without taking Saridon. I told him to take one more dose of Picric acid, now in 1M potency. Ten years have passed now and not a single episode of headache has occurred till now. Later in his life, he passed many examinations but no such headache appeared.
My key symptoms for Picric acid are as follows:
Headache: of students, teachers and overworked business men; from grief or depressing emotions; in occipital-cervical region (Natrium muriaticum, Silicea); aggravated or brought on by slightest motion or mental exertion. Compare: Argentum nitricum, Gelsimium, Kali phosphoricum.
Case 2
A 64 years old golfer saw me in New Delhi with the complaint of golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) on the left side. He had been playing golf for the last 15 years. Once while playing a hole on a golf course, he developed this nagging pain. It was more of shooting pain that was worse by cold air, motion, jarring and touch. Warm fomentation gave relief just for few hours. The pain was very severe and he was applying Voveran Emulgel (Diclofenac Sodium) three times a day with 1 Tablet of Lanol ER 650 mg three times a day.
On examining, it was observed that the part was locally very sensitive to touch.
His temperament was such that even though I pressed the part very hard while examining the elbow he never got angry or shouted.
I immediately prescribed him Salicylicum acidum 200C one teaspoonful three times a day by the five cup method for six days. On the seventh day he called me in Bombay and said that the pain was better by 80% without painkillers. I told him to take two more doses of the same remedy for three more days and then stop everything. I told him to start playing golf after one month, the game of which he was an ardent fan. He is now 75 years old and yet he plays golf but no epicondylitis is there.
My key symptoms for Salicylicum acidum are as follows:
Suits best the strong, robust persons of sanguineous temperament; acute, inflammatory, articular rheumatism attacking one or more joints, especially elbow or knee, with great swelling and redness; excessive sensitiveness to the least touch or jar and motion impossible.
