Cases From Neuroses Clinic.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1995 Mar / Apr Vol IV No 2.
Rama Marathe.
Cases.
` Nat-m / Calc/ Bry.

CASE 1:

HANDLE WITH CARE !

Miss APG, 19 years of age came with Vitiligo all over legs. She also had left-sided migraine. She was so worried about the Vitiligo that it disturbed sleep. Her mother told me that she often cried alone. The attack of migraine is aggravated by sarcastic comments and consolation. She would be irritated whenever somebody pitied her. She asked, "Doctor, will you able to cure me? Do not give me false promises".

Rubric : (Boerickes Rep - Skin, Leucoderma (910) - Ars-sul-flav, nat-mur, nit-ac, sumb, Zinc-Phos.
She was given Natrum-mur based on clear indication of mental symptoms. Natrum-mur not only relieved her of neurotic symptoms but also the leucoderma patches started getting pigmented. Her physical symptoms were common and non-characteristic. Repertorization showed Natrum-mur as the remedy for Leucoderma.

CASE 2: OBESITY

Miss DJD, 45 years of age was a case of anxiety neurosis with obesity. She came to me for vague complaints like, exhaustion, sleeplessness, not able to control her diet etc. She was hesitant to disclose her mental symptoms freely. Few mental symptoms known to me through her family members and by my observation and case taking were anxiety, ideas thoughts crowding her mind at night, so can not sleep for long time after going to bed, always worried that something bad will happen e.g. accident to her husband or son. Lazy, hesitant to exercise, went to Naturopathy centre for reducing weight but heard that few patients of AIDS are coming there for treatment and so stopped going there. I took this strong symptom as fear of contagious disease. She gets frequent attacks of throat infections, strong craving for sweets. So unable to stick to the diet prescribed. Excessive sweating was obvious.

Based on physical symptoms and constitution Calc-carb was clearly indicated. The repertorization and reference to Materia Medica show that Calc-carb includes the mental symptoms already mentioned in the case. Calc-carb helped her to a great extent for sleeplessness and her other known and even unknown, untold symptoms of anxiety neurosis. Counselling about dieting, physical exercise, calcium rich diet given.

CASE 3: HOMESICKNESS

Miss SPD 25 years of age came to me for her complaints of menstrual irregularity, indigestion and constipation. During case taking and detailed interrogation I found out that she was staying in a working womens hostel and working in a private company. Her father died 2 years back. Being the eldest daughter in the family, she had to work for the family i.e., her mother and two younger brothers. She always talked about her family whenever she came to me. Irritable and dis-pleased to stay in Belgaum alone, away from the family. But she was excessively concerned about her job and economic security. She dreaded poverty. Once she commented that she would prefer to marry a well to do businessman, even if illiterate, rather than a jobless double graduate.

In Kents Repertory we find,

1. Mind, Fear, Poverty of (46) - BRY, Calc, Calc-fl, Psor, Sep, Chlor, meli, nux-v, puls, sulph.
2. Mind, Home talk of - Bry, bell.

These two prominent and important characteristic symptoms led me to the prescription of Bryonia which helped her for her physical complaints and anxiety neurosis as well.

Thus the individualization based on characteristic mental symptoms is a must to find out the similimum.

CONCLUSION:

Homoeopathy offers good results in the treatment of

1. Mental symptoms just appearing before physical symptoms, or before nosological diagnosis is made. Here similimum based on characteristic mental symptoms automatically prevents further progress of disease. For e.g Irritability and restlessness before gastroenteritis in Arsenic patient.
2. Mental symptoms present along with physical complaints for which patient comes to the doctor. For eg Irritability, anxiety neurosis with cirrhosis of liver in Nux-vomica.
3. Psychosomatic complaints e.g. Lichen planus, Bronchial asthma remedies - Ars-alb, Sulphur.
4. Troublesome mental symptoms - labelled neurotics e.g. phobias, Anxiety neurosis, reactive depression, etc.
5. When both mental and physical symptoms are marked (e.g. Anxiety neurosis or depression along with diseases like Vitiligo) a remedy like Natrum-mur can help.
6. Patient is neurotic but difficulties may arise in eliciting the mental symptoms as patient may not be able to detect, appreciate or disclose the mental symptoms.

The beauty and simplicity of Homoeopathy is that a curative similimum can be found out based on other characteristic symptoms even physical, constitutional, temperamental etc., e.g. Calc-carb in anxiety neurosis.