To Ear To Hear
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1996 May / Jun Vol V No 3.
Whaganna V M. 
Materia Medica / Cases.
` Puls / Merc / Psor / Sil.

Editor: This article is given not as a guideline for treating Ear cases, but merely to illustrate the authors method and approach.

Instead of telling you how I treat ear disorders, it would be more useful telling you how to treat such cases. Ear problems are more common in the age group of six months to 15 years of age. At this age it is often difficult to get their original mentality because of influence of their parents and teachers and their interpretation of the childs mind. If you get mentals too, good, otherwise you have to depend on some other factors. I have tried to give you some hints which may be helpful as a guideline in treating ear disorders. What I have given is not final; your success depends on how you take the case, how you analyze and evaluate the case, mentals, generals, strange, rare, peculiar, characteristics etc. But apart from mentals, importance must be given to the following factors.

1. Character of discharge.
2. Its smell.
3. Character of pain
4. Specific aggravation time
5. Bilateral, unilateral or alternate.
6. Specific history of suppression of itch, coryza perspiration, menses.
7. History of acute diseases like typhoid, measles. etc.
8. Past History, Family History of Tuberculosis, asthma, pneumonia, syphilis, gonorrhoea and vaccination.
9. Causative factors like exposure to cold dry air, cold wet weather injury, blow, fall etc. . ..

Earache. . .

In the acute stage when the pains are very severe it doesnt matter which ear is involved,,, first medicine to give is Belladonna 200. Dissolve in one cup of plain water and give one teaspoonful every five to ten minutes till pain subsides. It takes a maximum thirty minutes.

Even then if pain continues Mercurius 200 will stop the pain at its earliest. When the pain subsides give Merc 1M to avoid recurrence. In very rare case I have used Arnica, Lachesis, Pulsatilla, Chamomilla. First medicine for the first stage of inflammation and pain is Belladonna and then followed by Merc.

OTORRHOEA:

Pulsatilla 30 is the first drug of choice where discharge is thick, yellow purulent. More suitable in girls and mild, gentle boys. In chronic cases continue for three months and then give dose of Silica 1M weekly for two months.

If Pulsatilla works temporarily and child is very irritable, weak, constant moaning and complaining, never satisfied, tendency to boils or cold or diarrhoea and falls sick very frequently than a dose of Bacillinum 1M weekly along with Kali-sulph and Kali-mur 6X will work wonders.

Mercurius 200 is very well suited when the discharge is very offensive, salivation during sleep, wetting the pillow then becomes guiding symptom. . Ask for indolent wound and easy suppuration. When Merc fails if the patient is chilly think of Hepar-sulph, Silica or kali-bich. I have observed when Merc fails Kali-bich often works.

Psorinum becomes another remedy for putrid otorrhoea when it occurs in winter and patient has some skin problem either associated or in past. Patient though looks neat and clean shaven, leaves the impression dirty Frequent hair lice and easy diarrhoea then become guiding symptoms. But remember that the patient must be chilly Psorinum does not work in a Hot patient. And if the patient is Hot with the above symptoms his external ear is red and the patient is not only dirty but "Dirty and rough" both mentally and physically lethargic tall, stooping shoulders, the only remedy is Sulphur.

Thuja comes in ear symptoms after vaccination.

DEAFNESS:

Very few cases show improvement. I have found Causticum, Chenopodium and Medorrhinum. But mainly think of constitutional medicine.

FUNGUS:

For fungus in the ear there is nothing like Mercurius. To some extent Tuberculinum is also helpful.

I have found Causticum, Chin-sulph and Tabacum useful. Still cure rate is very low, in case if constitutional treatment is not given.

A CASE: Sycotic manifestation in right ear

Master XYZ twelve years of age was diagnosed by an ENT specialist as having a right ear Polyp and was advised surgery. Instead he came on 7th Feb 1996 for Homoeopathic treatment.

Chief Complaint:

1. Polyp with pus and bloody discharge from the right ear. Pus was thick, yellow in colour and offensive, aggravated by turning the head on the affected side.
2. Recurrent tendency for colds which was aggravated in every winter season and by cold in general. It was ameliorated by warm drinks and warmth in general.

Past history: Dysentery at the age of five years. The patients mother told me a very peculiar symptom that the patients upper half of the body was always very hot and the lower half of the body was cold. There was no significant family history in this case.

Personal History:

Appetite-Good
Thirst-8-10 glasses per day.
Urine or Stool-NAD.
Craving-sweets (3+), sour (3+), mutton (3+), spicy food.
Aversion-disgust for milk (3+).
Perspiration-profuse palms (3+) and soles (2+) which was offensive.
Sleep-refreshing but had frightful dreams of ghosts (3+) and of falling from heights (3+).
Thermal-The patient was extremely chilly.
Mentals: The patient was obstinate (3+). Aggravated by contradiction. Temper tantrums (3+). Anxious (3+) specially when appearing for exams. Shy (2+) and introverted. Memory excellent, always stood in the merit list of his school.
On examination, the patient was lean and thin with moist palms. In the right ear a reddish colour polyp was seen with discharge of yellowish pus mixed with blood.

Remedy Selection: SILICEA, was chosen according to the "Kentian Non-Repertorial Totality" on symptoms like-anxiety, temper tantrums, obstinate, aggravated by contradiction, shy, frightful dreams, craving for sweets with aversion to milk, perspiration only on palms and soles, offensive discharges, chilly patient, right ear affection with polypoidal growth.

On 7/21996-Silicea 1M TDS x 15 days.
On 28/2/1996 right ear pus was 90 percent reduced. On examining no polyp seen, only a raw surface. Placebo for fifteen days.
On 13/2/1996 there was no discharge of pus and on examination the right ear was completely normal. Placebo was given for another fifteen days.

On 3/4/1996 there were no complaints whatsoever and the patients mother told me that the peculiar sensation of heat in the upper part of the body and coldness in the lower part of the body had totally disappeared. Patient was advised to stop medicine and was again last seen by me on 8.5.1996 with no complaints.

It was interesting to note that the peculiar symptom of-heat in the upper part of the body and coldness in the lower part of the

body, which had disappeared with Silicea was neither covered in any repertory nor in any books of Homoeopathic Materia -Medica. This is termed as "Clinical Symptom" and I appeal to my Homoeopathic friends to verify the same in their practice.

Editor: I would like to share my daughters case treated with similar remedies "Rhea, 12 was very upset after I left for the Aurangabad Seminar on 29.6.96. She developed fever of 101-211. I prescribed Ign 1M and Fer- phos 6 X over the telephone. This kept it under control but the process continued. After my return on Monday, I pushed her to school and she developed fever again. Based on anger, headache and chilliness. Hep-s 200 then Cham 200 given. No relief.

2.7.96 Lt Ear Pain O/E Drum red Merc ir 30.
and bulging 4 hrly
3.7.96 Ear > 3 No fever. Tapered.
O/E No Redness 
4.7.96 Fever 101 and rising Merc ir 30.
5 pm I was in clinic and Merc 200 Bell 1M.
prescribed over telephone No relief
8.30 pm I came home. Fever.
103.4 P 130/m Restless cursing.
Sudden fever Bell 10 M 1 dose
9.30 pm 102 for I hr again shotup Bell 10 M 2nd dose 12 Midnight No fever
10/7/96 Cough deep continued.
No amel with any medicine Coc cacti 30 BD
12.7.96 Cough >. Intercurrent for Tub-b 10 M.
recurrent Fever 1 dose
25.7.96 Well.

My question is, normally Bell is followed by Merc, here it followed Merc. Merc helped the ear undoubtedly yet had no effect on fever, which responded only to Bell 10 M. The cough responded only to Coccus-cacti and no other medicine including Dros, ameliorated even 1 percent Can any one explain this zig-zag cure?.