When the Indicated Remedy Fails-II
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1999 Sep / Oct VOL VIII NO 5.
Compiled by :
T K Kasiviswanathan
'Sycotic-co / Lac-can / Scarletina / Leuticum / Streptoc / Drossera / Lathyrus-sativa

In this section we explore the need for using an appropriate nosode, when the indicated remedy fails to cure. Dr P Sankaran clearly says that the past family history will give a clue in this regard. "For instance, if there is a history of many abortions I give an intercurrent dose of Syphilinum. Many chronic skin conditions start to improve well after a dose of Psorinum.. Many patients who suffer from recurrent attacks of colds, feel better after a dose of Tuberculinum. If the indications for a traditional nosode are not clearly seen or such a nosode does not act, a bowel nosode may be selected."
Dr P Sankaran

Case 1:
Dr P Sankaran quotes his own case of warts cured with a bowel nosode. He developed a few warts on his face. Being on the face they attracted quite some attention. " I took Thuja and Causticum with no effect and so I wrote to London and ordered for some Sycotic-co 6. Meanwhile a surgeon friend of mine, with whom I was practicing, offered to cauterize them for me a week later and fixed an appointment, though I declined to have them cauterized. The next day the medicine arrived from London. I took three doses a day and in three days the warts withered away. The kind surgeon, who wanted to cauterize them turned up with his instruments and to his great surprise found no sign of warts on my face."
Dr P Sankaran.

He continues: " I have known several patients who did not show any improvement with the indicated remedy but who, on careful further inquiry revealed that they had earlier suffered from illnesses such as small-pox, diphtheria, and measles. Only after the effects of these previous diseases had been antidoted by suitable nosodes like Variolinum , Diptherinum, Morbillinum, these patients started improving."

Case 2:
Dr Weisselhoeft had been treating a patient for partial impotence and infertility for more than 18 months with no improvement. He consulted Dr Adolph Lippe . After he saw the case and its history, he gave the patient Lac-can because ten years earlier the patient had suffered from an attack of Diphtheria and the character of the attack was that it had gone from one side to the other and back again. The patient was completely cured of his impotence and infertility. Dr Weisselhoeft wrote, " as far we know Lac-can has no sexual weakness. That fact disturbed Dr Lippe very little in his selection. He looked deeper and found the cause and the remedy."
(as quoted by Dr P Sankaran).

Case 3:
A patient was sent to Dr M L Tyler by another doctor with a request for massage for her legs and feet for rheumatism.. The woman patient was suffering from that complaint for the past two years. Though the case history was indicative of the appropriate Homoeopathic remedy, Dr Tyler took special note of the history of the patient having suffered from scarlatina fever as a child as it had affected her ear. Rx Scarletina 200 , 3 doses 6 hourly was prescribed and no massage. In one month the patient was able to walk better and the pain from her legs had gone; the same nosode was repeated twice later when needed which effected a complete cure.
(As quoted by Dr D M Foubister)

Staphylococcal infection is common too and the nosode Staphylococcin may be useful when indicated.

Case 4:
A lad of 15 years of age had suffered from eczema practically all his life, accompanied by secondary infection on many occasions. It was widespread and he had been in hospital half his life, partly because of the severity of his condition and partly because his home environment was not congenial. He responded slowly and unsatisfactorily to Homoeopathic treatment till it was noted that he was particularly worse off at night. Though several remedies have such nightly aggravation, yet when this is an outstanding feature after apparently well indicated remedies have been given, Leuticum is nearly always required, says Dr Foubister. The patient was given Leuticum 30 and this was followed by great improvement. A month later the boy developed widespread furunculosis and was given Staphylococcin which remarkably improved his condition; it had to be repeated six months later and he had been free from eczema and furunculosis for a year.

Dr Foubister writes: " it is impossible to assess the part played by Stapylococcin in this case as Leuticum is associated with successions of abscesses, a point to be remembered in using the past history for prescribing. I mention this case, as it illustrates the kind of case in which Staphylococcin seems indicated ie when the patient has recurrent staphylococcal lesions over a long period of time and when staphylococcin lesions are widespread.. At least it is worth a trial in these circumstances when all else fails."

Case 5:
Streptococcin has certain rheumatic symptoms indistinguishable from those of Rhus-tox and other remedies - " worse in wet weather, worse on beginning to move, better for subsequent movement". A woman aged 50, had fallen on her knees and had pain, which had persisted for some months although there was no evidence of fracture or osteoarthritis. She had these symptoms and Rhus -tox helped her little. Arnica and Ruta did not also help. History revealed that many years earlier she had suffered from quinsy and rheumatic fever.

Streptococcin 30 three doses, 2 hourly was followed by a dramatic and lasting freedom from pains although she was not completely cured.
R Foubister

Dr Foubister gives the following tips:-

·         Along with these nosodes is a group of remedies with a pathological relationship to certain illnesses including Thuja, Drosera, and Lathrys -ativa in respect of vaccination, whooping cough and poliomyeletis.

·         Thuja is well-known for its importance in dealing with the after-effects of vaccination, immediate or remote, and it can be prescribed much in the same way as a nosode, that is to say when there are no clear indications for another remedy., or when the apparently indicated remedy does not act satisfactorily. Failure to take after first vaccination, and even very large vaccination scars, should also lead to a consideration of Thuja . If the patient has had a bad reaction to vaccination and or a shiny face these are excellent confirmatory symptoms; and also in cases of acute bronchitis, slow to clear up, as pointed out by Dr Clarke. 

·         Drosera is probably a better prescription for the aftermath of whooping cough than Pertussin but the choice is virtually impossible. Pertussin can be tried later if Drosera does not work.

Case 6:
A woman, aged 37, had suffered from migraine since childhood. An opening and shutting sensation in the head accompanied the headaches. After two years of prescribing she had fewer and less severe headaches. One day she complained of a cough which on enquiry was found to be paroxysmal and she had bouts of such paroxysmal coughing lasting a few days every year since whooping cough at the age of 8. She did not know whether or not whooping cough had preceded the migraine attacks. Drossera 200, 1M and 10M were given. It had to be repeated six months later since when she was free from migraine.

Case 7:
A woman of 38 complained of rheumatism of the left shoulder. A wasting of the muscles of the shoulder girdle was noticed, following poliomyelitis 8 years earlier. Ars-alb 200 tid 2 days and 2 days bd was prescribed. She was unduly weak, worse at midnight; she was chilly and had burning pains relieved by warmth. The remedy worked like a charm but the pains returned immediately after it was stopped. Again another course of the same remedy in higher potency was given but without much benefit. Lathyrus sativa 1M was given -3 doses 12 hourly and the pains cleared up for 6 months, when the same remedy in 1M was again prescribed. She did not have any pain for about 3 ½ years, when again Lathyruswas followed with relief.

§  Pyrogen is sometimes useful when there is a history of septicaemia, severe after-effects of dental extraction or ill-health commencing after an abortion in the absence of any obvious pelvic pathology. Enquiry should always be made as to whether or not the mother suffered from any acute infection during pregnancy.

§  Therapeutic field of nosodes of infections is vast and probably important though not easy to exploit with our present limited knowledge. He says that " nosodes tend to be neglected in homoeopathic practice because of the influence of Hahnemann's theory of chronic disease and Kent's powerful endorsement of much of it."

Mother's state during pregnancy:
One of the important points to be looked into during the ascertaining the history of the case, especially in the case of children, is the mother's state during pregnancy. Several cases have been recorded in the Homoeopathic literature in the recent years in which the close link between the mother's state during her pregnancy and the child's behaviour has been established and had clinched the remedy for the child. We have all heard of the story in the Mahabharata where Lord Krishna told his sister Subhadra about the impending war and the Chakra vyuha of Kauravas and how one can break it and get in. Subhadra who was pregnant at that time, fell asleep but the Abhimanyu in her womb was awake and was carefully listening and saying words to that effect . When Krishna realised that he did not proceed further with the result that when the actual war between Kauravas and Pandavas was waged he could break the vyuha but could not return and was killed. Modern science has established such a link between the mother and foetus. Dr Karl Robinson MD , has written an erudite article in the Journal of American Institute of Homoeopathy in its August 1995 issue , under the caption" How the parents' State during pregnancy can determine the child's remedy." He writes 'The state of the parents from conception through delivery can have an indelible effect on the unborn and the newly born child. By 'state' I refer to the entirety of the thoughts, feelings and physical conditions of the parent, usually the mother. This state is apart from the genetic encoding that the parents have passed to the growing fetus. Think of the mother full of thoughts and feelings and sensations which are transcended into electrochemical impulses which bathe the child for nine months, fatefully imprinting him or her with these influences perhaps for life." These influences can be good and bad. Only when the influences are bad the Homoeopath is called to treat when the child has behavioural or other disorders. Dr Robinson cites a case of an year old child who was brought for a baby check. The baby was more than well. There was something almost perfect about the child. Physically healthy, he was alert and contented.: he has had no illnesses and no immunizations. Asked about her pregnancy the mother said that it was wonderful and was quite well throughout. Labor lasted one hour and it was an ideal pregnancy, Labor and delivery and the result a healthy and contented child. Contrast this with the following case: A thoroughly surly 13 year old boy, Ian, was brought to Dr Robinson for allergies , headaches and disagreeable behaviour. Every time his mother told the doctor a symptom unfavourable to the lad he vehemently denied it. When he was angry he would throw things but later deny or lie about it. Both his headaches and anger surfaced when learned that the family was moving to another place. He did not want to move for fear of losing his friends. He had good qualities and he was sympathetic. He could be generous and he had a strong sense of justice and said that he would take care of the kids who are taken advantage of. His generous and sympathetic nature with a strong angry sense of justice and a readiness to contradict his mother suggested Causticum, corroborated by his aversion to fish and a wart on his thumb. His allergies and headaches were relieved after the administration of the remedy. The mother of the patient also came for treatment and had a history of bilateral carpel tunnel syndrome and also had seasonal allergies. Her history revealed that she used to get angry and has been fighting within herself to control it. She got angry at injustice and prejudice. And she used to confront it. She received Causticum under which her allergies and pains in the hands improved. Asked about her state during her pregnancy she said that " when I was pregnant with the twins, we just moved from British Columbia to Oklahoma where I was exposed to obvious racism. The women with whom I worked were prejudiced against the blacks and the racial slurs were very common. It really bothered me and I spoke up." This also confirms the choice of the remedy. This is an illustration of the case where finding the child's remedy helped in finding the mother's also.

Dr Robinson also discusses in his article the case of Pedro, a five year old boy, who suffered from sarcoma nesting above the apex of the left lung. He had had repeated rounds of chemotherapy resulting in loss of hair. The surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy did not cure the tumour. When inquired about the mother's state during pregnancy she said that by chance her 19 year old daughter by her first marriage came into contact with her biological father and by this contact the present step-father who was bringing her up felt threatened. This led to constant fights between the couple and at one stage her husband said that he would have left her but for her pregnancy. When she heard these words the mother of Pedro became depressed, cried a lot and lost her appetite. She said that it was too late to terminate the pregnancy and added that had she known the attitude of her husband she would not have gotten pregnant. From the day he was born Pedro was a difficult baby and would cry for hours. While not discussing what remedy did he give and its results, Dr Robinson gives these posers " Was Pedro's sarcoma a result of his genes? Or were there messages in the form of electrochemical impulses that he received were so self-annihilating that he decided he did'nt want much to exist? Could the thoughts and feelings of his father and subsequently of his mother six months after conception , have been transduced into a genetic programme which would, within two and half years, erupt into a destructive sarcoma? We will never know." It is worth pondering over.
( To be continued)

Sources:

1. Significance of past history in Homoeopathic prescribing- D M Foubister.
2. When the indicated remedy fails-Dr P Sankaran.
3. How the parent's state during pregnancy can determine the child's remedy- Dr Karl Robinson- JAIH-August 1995.