Holding it all In
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1997 Mar / Apr VOL VI NO 2.
Dr. Vishpala Parthasarthy
' Mag-m / Mag-m

CASE 1:
A 7 mth baby was brought to me on 11-1 89 by her mother , for cnstipation with hard , stony -hard stools requiring a lot of straining. This had started since she was I mth old and had worsened when she was 5 months, probably due to dentition. The anus too was sore and red.
She also had white spots on and around lips.

PT AS A PERSON: She was lean 6 kg and tall. Perspired a great deal on the head and forehead even wetting the pillow. She likes salty food and pica(iron)
Past History: Diarrhoea with dehydration at 5 months, probably due to castor oil for the constipation. She had to be hospitalized. Development: Birth wt 6 lbs. Sitting at 6 mths. dentition at 7 mths.
MIND: Calm, active yet very obstinate- must have what she wants. Has become very irritable since dentition. 
Sleep: wakes every 2 hrs. Sleeps only between 1-2.30; 4-6.30 ; 10-1 pm.
Covers at night. Hates warm bath. Likes cold bath.
The only other information forthcoming in this case was that the patient had an older sister, 5 yrs old.

ANALYSIS: This last information cleared the already clear case. In a conservative Indian family, a second daughter certainlly brought no joy- the child in that sense was a reject. Add to that her obstinacy and the severe constipation, and there is no doubt about the remedy indicated.. A repertory working was done also.

Remedies after Repertorization:

Planning and Programming:
Acute : Chamomila /Merc
Chronic : Mag-mur 30
Intercurrent : Thuja 200

Follow-Up:

Since then the child has required little medication in the 1 yr she was under observation, except for mild colds. Constipation did not recur.

CASE 2:
Mr NM,39.Father was 62,step-mother 62, and brother 36.He was married for 13 yrs and had 2 children- son 8 and daughter 5.He was employed as a chief development officer in a Mill. He had studied till M Sc Tech in UK in '69. 

Chief Complaints:
He had come for acidity since 10 yrs whcih had worsened in last 15 days. Now he had burning in the epigastrium,almost daily, with mild pain but little belching. It was brought on by OILY FOOD and ALCOHOL.Worse in the evening, 8 am,tea or coffee. and worse tension.Better by eating. Often apthae1/w,feverish in the evening.
With that he also had itching in the joints-hips and thighs, since 4 yrs, worse in summer and sweat, better cold bathing, sleep and after 8pm. and calf pain worse night and better by pressure, heat and during day. Chronic headaches worse SUN, fasting and 2pm. Occasional supra-orbital brought on by colds turned sinusitis. His BP too was high-160/100. 

Pt as Person:
He was 5'4",65 kg,with acne scars, a receeding hair line, carious teeth, hot palms, soles and vertex. Perspiration was strong-smelling and stained yellow.
Appetite Poor. Likes Sweets, chicken and smoking.-6/d
THERMAL: HOT. PH: Measles, mumps, Jaundice at 12 and worms.
FH Fa- peptic ulcer and diabetes. Br-hypertension Mo- asthma

Life Story : Born in 1946. In 1954, when he was 8 yrs old and his brother was 4, they lost their mother.4 mths later, in 1955, the father remarried, as the children were too small to handle alone. But patient was 8, and had already heard stories about bad step-mothers- so he was very antagonostic to her. The younger brother accepted her., and was quite attached to her. She had one son ub 1956 who died of encephalitis in 1962, when pt 16. During those 8 yrs, more aleination worsened by fact of his being in his teens. He always felt she took father away from them and that he listened to her more.
1966, when he was 18, he joined VJTI and simultaneouly started part-time work in Khatau Mill 1969-71 he went to Manchester for further studies in textiles. Joined the Khatau Mills fulltime. He married in 1972 and moved out of his father's house, and bought his own house in the suburbs, from money left in a trust byMGF & MU. Parents had refused help In 1977 he had a son and then a dayghte in 1980. Was crazy about his daughter, after whose birth they moved to a 2-bedroom house. Now reconciled to father, even consults him on major decisions like buying house. But other-wise goes rerely.

MIND: Irritable. Keeps emotions pent-up and broods a lot./occcasionlaay weeps. Has some friends, likes company, though talks little.. Fears- only father and chloroform in hospital. Nervous before exams.
SLEEP: always disturbed, and not refreshing. Used to talk and start in sleep Dreams a lot of mother, of daily eents, and sometimes frightful dreams- when he does not know what to do.

Likes fan, AC, winter. Sun gives him headache. He has a warm bath and does not cover at night.

Analysis: Strong Tubercular-sycotic trait.
A clear Magnesium case, with Natrum coming up for differtiation for his strong antagonisms. Evening aggr brought in Puls as acute.

Planning And Programming:
acute: Puls 30
Chronic: Mag-m 30
Intercurrent: Thuja 2oo

Follow Up:

For this continued high BP I tried specifies like Ver-vir30, Ign, 1M but without any benefit. Meanwhile patient decided that for BP it was better to take Anti Hypertensive and discontinued treatment. 

Conclusion : These two cases of Magnesium have been given to demonstrate the necessity of taking the life story in detail. The remedy may not have emerged clearly but for the story I know a lot of Homoeopaths say that mentals are unreliable, physicals are the key. As far as possible I try to get my 3 legged stool

I'd like to tell you about a case I took just recently of DUB in a lady of 32, where Mag-sul was prescribed. Here, mother was already my patient but she had not told me much. I would not have got the story if I had not sent the mother out and asked the patient to start the story from birth. It transpired that the girl was born after her father's death. They then lived with MGPs till she was 9 she was a confident, bright girl. Then her MGM died and MU was not treating them well. So MGF insisted that the mother remarry. This and the relocation to Bombay and the subsequent birth of sister, within a yr, made out patient feel and outsider and unwanted (though this was not the case - what is important for us, is the perception of the patient). She took a long time to regain her confidence and performance. Marriage, though in keeping with her wishes, was relocation to Ahmedabad. Sex was also a shock and she started getting prolonged menstrual bleeding for 21 days. Now menses are better. Magnesium was again the remedy in this case of " the outsider ", and she improved dramatically, both emotionally and physically, in one month only.