Shannon
Blackwood:
THERAPEUTICS
This remedy is indicate din persons with dark hair and rigid
fibre, who are scrofulous and subject to derangements of the
respiratory and urinary tracts. They are sad and melancholy and are
prone to look upon the dark side of every subject.
It is of service in CATARRHAL STATES of the respiratory tract, as
LARYNGO - TRACHEAL CATARRH, when the voice is partially lost. There is
HOARSENESS which is worse during the morning and again in the evening.
This may be attended by a cough which is violent and fatiguing and is
accompanied with a sensation of pain down the trachea during each
cough, at which time there is an involuntary passage of urine.
It is of service in PARALYTIC AFFECTIONS of a single nerve, or
part of the laryngeal, ocular, and sphincter muscles and as a result it
becomes the remedy in NOCTURNAL ENURESIS, as well as in involuntary
urination, while sneezing, coughing, or blowing the nose. The urine
passes so easily that he is not aware of it.
It is useful when the URINE contains an excess of solids which may
retard convalescence. It should be remembered in AZOTURIA. It is also
of service in scrofulous affections of the eye when there is dryness
and PHOTOPHOBIA as if there were grains of sand in them.
Compare. - GELSEMIUM, BROMIUM, SPONGIA TOSTA.
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Boedler's Psychol.
Causticum combines a compassionate nature with an easily incensed
outrage against injustice. This twofold dynamic may result in
repression of aggression when kindness is favored out of consideration
for the offender. The musculoskeletal system expresses the strain felt
by the personality in contracted and hardened muscles and tendons, even
leading to paralysis, while the daily demands of living exercise an
extra toll. There are also rheumatic complaints that are worse from
cold and dry weather, from overstrain and bathing. The Causticum
patient interestingly improves from wet, moist weather conditions.
Further symptoms are arthritis of hands and fingers, deviation of the
ulnar bone, right deltoid pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and ataxia.
Other guiding symptoms are warts near the fingertips, eruptions or
warts on the tip of the nose, and droopy eyelids.
Causticum is a main remedy for internalized grief, oftentimes
marked by the concomitant perception that one has received unjust
treatment. Likewise, patients focus on the injustice experienced by
others and feel sympathetic. This internal sensitivity, if not finding
satisfaction, can further the appearance of digestive derangements and
abdominal complaints. Patients experience stomach pains accompanied by
heat in the head; squeezing, cramping pains in the abdomen; and in
severe cases, vomiting of coagulated blood in the night. The abdominal
colitis can be triggered after the abdomen is chilled. Diarrhea sets
in, and there may be a flow of blood and cutting pains in the rectum.
In chronic cases, the stool is covered with viscid and shiny mucus (cf.
Ammonium muriaticum). There is nausea from consuming fresh meat, yet
smoked meats are craved; sweets are disliked.
Causticum is the remedy for highly idealistic and engaged people
who suffer from injustice received or witnessed. Their sympathy and
grief can be very intense and, at times, are repressed; there is also a
deep sense of self-pity or of having been treated unfairly. Asthmatic
conditions with inspiratory difficulties can arise from this dynamic.
These patients have sensitive natures and readily feel when affection
is withdrawn. There are attacks of asthma, elicited especially on lying
down or when sitting. Speaking and walking can also aggravate into
suffocative conditions; there are shooting pains in the chest and
thorax on making a full inspiration. Further Causticum symptoms are an
aversion to sweets; a craving for smoked meats, such as salami;
eruptions or warts on the tip of the nose; and warts on the fingertips.
Causticum portrays a sympathetic character, sensitive to the
world's injustice and unfairness and personally suffering deeply as
well from experiencing loss, abuse, or neglect. Ulcer formation is
signaled by vomiting of blood that is more intense in the nightly hours
when the blood appears coagulated. During attacks of stomach pain,
there are also the sensations of heat in the head and faintness that
appear to arise from the stomach region; the pains are ameliorated by
cold drinks. Typically, the stomach feels as if lime were being slaked,
or as if calcium were disintegrating and causing a "mushy, chalky
feeling," with eructations tasting like musk. One can observe an
aversion to sweets and a craving for smoked meats, eggs, and cheese.
The stool is expelled with difficulty, more easily in standing
position, and is covered with shiny mucus. Further symptoms are
recurring hoarseness, rheumatic pains, and involuntary urination on
coughing and sneezing.
Causticum retreats emotionally in response to grievous experiences
of rejection or unrequited love. These patients have sympathetic
natures and quickly feel that injustice has been done to them when
apparently they deserved better. Self-pity and low self-confidence may
be present, along with a disposition to be easily frightened and
apprehensive. Violent itching can occur over the whole body, being
worse at night and appearing more frequently on the back and on the
calves. Furthermore, the patient experiences sleeplessness from
anxiety, starting on going to sleep, and anxious dreams about grievous
events or quarrels. Other skin conditions include eruption or warts on
the tip of the nose and warts near the fingertips.
Causticum shows a sensitive disposition and a sense of having
received unjust treatment. There are the symptoms of indisposition to
labor and absent-mindedness. The heart can express the internal
conflict and overexertion through hypertrophy, shootings in the heart,
oppression in the heart, and palpitations with languor. Other symptoms
are warts on the fingertips, aversion to sweets, craving for smoked
meats, improvement from rainy weather, and eruptions on the point of
the nose.
Causticum, though fundamentally sympathetic and engaged toward
others, can become fanatically wrapped up in carrying out ideals and
principles. If goals are not achieved, aggressiveness and frustration
build up; self-pity at not being recognized may surface. Thwarted in
their efforts, with threatened loss of affectionate relations, these
patients become prone to ulcer formation. Stomach pain is accompanied
by a sensation of heat in the head and faintness; a chalky sensation in
the stomach is typically experienced. (Refer to chapter 3:5b for
details on the Causticum symptoms in regard to ulcers.)
Causticum, though sympathetic toward the needs of others, may
become self-centered and self-pitying when suffering from injustice and
renewed disappointments. The patient is hypochondriacal, sensitive,
vulnerable, prone to sudden outbursts of temper, and averse to sexual
contact. Strong emotions or their suppression may trigger attacks of
spasmodic asthma, especially on sitting or lying down. The chest
compresses and constricts, with feelings of suffocation; expiration and
also inspiration become disturbed. Furthermore, fits of suffocation can
occur on speaking and on exerting or moving quickly. Other symptoms
include the marked craving for smoked meats such as salami, the
occurrence of warts, the incontinence of urine from coughing or
sneezing, and the typical fear of dogs or other animals.
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