Concert Of The Similimum
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1999 Sep / Oct VOL VIII NO 5.
Dr Ranga Krishnan
'Thyr / Phos

A famous Carnatic Vocalist of the 70's used to say that, regardless of ability, every concert was an acid test. At every concert - the quality of her voice, the exact tuning of the Shruti of the accompanying instruments to her voice, the smooth functioning of the audio equipment, the mood of the musicians and the receptivity of the audience- only when all these were synchronized, was an enjoyable concert produced!

Similarly all respiratory cases, even innocuous looking ones, are an acid test for the Homoeopath: The questions to be answered are:
When will the problems arise? How will they proceed?
and When will the patient outgrow them?
The answers require comprehensive knowledge of physiology, pathology, Materia Medica, philosophy and miasms. The other contributory factors are-patient's lifestyle, co-operation with the homoeopath and purity of medicines. Synchronisation of all these spell success -relief and cure of the patient. If the patient happens to be a child, then the parent's cooperation is of primary importance. Here are some illustrative cases from my practice.

Case 1:
In Jan'90, 2-yr male twins came for "perpetual coughs and colds". Clinical findings and investigations were normal. Yet every seasonal change brought on colds and cough. One of them had rashes all over the body during the respiratory ailment. Mother's pregnancy was normal. There was a F/H of DM & TB. Few doses of Thyroidinum 1M for one with rashes and Tuberculinum-bovinum 1M for the other were given. In 3 mths, thir respiratory problems and rashes were history!

Case 2
An ENT doctor's 11 yr-old son came to me in July'97, for wheeze with dry cough < night < rich sweets < constipation. He was comfortable in A/C. He loved sweets but due to this problem was off all sweets. Sweat +++, desires cool weather, occasional constipation. He had a jovial temperament with lots of friends, loved cricket and music and did well at school. His mother had no problems during pregnancy or delivery.

Past History: At 10 mths had high fever with pneumonia; treated with antibiotics. In '92 he had Malaria thrice which was treated with home remedies and cured.
In '93 he had recurring red spots in the Lt eye treated with anti-histamines. After 6 months, due to construction activity in the vicinity, his red eye returned with sneezing, cough < night and wheeze, with an eosinophil count of 32%. Allergic Bronchitis was diagnosed and the child had to avoid all sweets, citrus fruits, cold items, etc. In the winter of '95. he started using Asthalin inhaler daily for 3 mths, presumably due to the fumes of Divali crackers. In June'97 his condition deteriorated and cortisone was required to bring control.

Family History: PGF-Ca-rectum; PGM-DM, PU-asthma, MGM-HT

Follow-Up:

This child is my grandson's friend and I see him often. Now it is 2 yrs and there has been no return of his respiratory distress.

Makaradwaja is an ancient Indian remedy. I learnt the importance of this remedy from my mother who used to use it successfully for my father's bronchitis. I too have used it successfully in my practice. My Homoeopathic source for this is: Manual of Materia Medica published by M. Bhattacharya & Co 1951. To quote:

Makaradhwaja

1. Dry cough, asthmatic breathing, < night, constipation, dyspnoea esp. children and the elderly.
2. Weakness after disease likes influenza, bronchitis.

I wish to add here, that to my knowledge it is available only at HAPCO, Calcutta and in lower potency 6c at Ramakrishna Homoeo Pharma, Hyderabad.
In this case I used it when Nux-vom, Phos, Spongia failed to hold the case though seemingly indicated.

Use Of Mother Tinctures In This Case
BURNETT's oft repeated and clinically proved saying remains indelible etched in my mind - 'If the weak organ is strengthened, along with the patient as a whole, then his recovery and cure is speedy and gentle'. Here Senega and Adonis Q were used specifically to strengthen the lungs alongwith the indicated remedies. The cure was somewhat zig-zag as there was a strong load on the system, in terms of inheritance and past history.

Editor: The author has given more cases, which we are keeping over for the next issue.