Re: Depression at ovulation
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:26 pm
I agree with Joy that other aspects of the case should provide some guiding symptoms.
It IS intriguing, as someone said, that the older homeopathic authorities didn't notice ovulation as a modality -- probably a combination of a less thorough medical knowledge in general of the female hormonal workings and cultural imperatives to be less than forthcoming about "female plumbing" on the part of patients.
Repertorium Universale does have a rubric "Ailments during Ovulation," which Roger van Zandwoort probably extrapolated from other sources, as he did, beautifully, with so many other symptoms where modern language and the language of earlier repertory compilers have diverged.
GENERALITIES - MODALITIES - OVULATION, ailments during
ars.zr aster.zr bell.zr BOV.k calc.zr calc-p.zr carb-v.zr carc.sde CHAM.zr cimic.zr cocc.sf CROC.zr foll.jl,k germ-met.srj granit-m.es ham.dx,sf harp.stb ign.zr kali-ar.zr kali-c.zr lac-d.zr lach.zr lil-t.zr manc.zr mang.zr MED.k nat-m.zr nux-v.zr phos.zr phyt.zr pitu-a.ft plat.zr puls.zr sabin.zr sec.zr SEP.lp,sf staph.zr sulph.zr thuj.zr xan.zr
A search in EH for "Mittelschmerz," certainly a concept known in the time and milieu of the German founders of homeopathy, turned up this mention in "Heal Thyself," a journal. This article, published in 1939, gives us an interesting historic perspective on medical thoughts about "female problems," including ovulation, until surprisingly recently:
"I saw another case of psychological trouble; a case of nerves. She was a woman in the middle forties, a nurse .. In 1929 she had an ovarian cyst removed; ever since had never got rid of a pain on the left side of the abdomen. This pain was the typical "Mittelschmerz" of the German gynaecologist. It came on right in the middle between the periods, not during or before or after periods; but for a definite time between the periods, about six to eight days after the periods and lasted until eight days before the next period. It was said to be nerves; it was always better on holidays and when she was resting. Unfortunately it was necessary for her to earn her living as a nurse and she had to lift and carry patients, which did not improve matters. The only advice she had been given was to grin and bear the pain or go back to the surgeon for him to find out what the pain was due to. "
The remedy prescribed, which was effective, was Pulsatilla.
The first follow-up for this patient, in the same article, is equally surprising in its description of a different aspect of Pulsatilla than we usually think of.
"Did not see her for nearly two months, [then] she felt so much better; she feels so well, as if walking on air, goes out on every possible occasion, goes to parties and dances. No frequency of micturition, no backache, no pain in the abdomen,. The Mittelschmerz is a thing of the past. She used to suffer from terrible depression, this was the first time she mentioned this, she felt like murdering people ..."
I found this article of interest both for the description of a side of Pulsatilla that's in the Repertories but is generally not acknowledged in keynote descriptions of the remedy, and for the historic perspective on medical attitudes toward women's hormonal issues. As I said initially, I suspect this is the reason why "ovulation" is so underrepresented in our literature.
Rosemary
It IS intriguing, as someone said, that the older homeopathic authorities didn't notice ovulation as a modality -- probably a combination of a less thorough medical knowledge in general of the female hormonal workings and cultural imperatives to be less than forthcoming about "female plumbing" on the part of patients.
Repertorium Universale does have a rubric "Ailments during Ovulation," which Roger van Zandwoort probably extrapolated from other sources, as he did, beautifully, with so many other symptoms where modern language and the language of earlier repertory compilers have diverged.
GENERALITIES - MODALITIES - OVULATION, ailments during
ars.zr aster.zr bell.zr BOV.k calc.zr calc-p.zr carb-v.zr carc.sde CHAM.zr cimic.zr cocc.sf CROC.zr foll.jl,k germ-met.srj granit-m.es ham.dx,sf harp.stb ign.zr kali-ar.zr kali-c.zr lac-d.zr lach.zr lil-t.zr manc.zr mang.zr MED.k nat-m.zr nux-v.zr phos.zr phyt.zr pitu-a.ft plat.zr puls.zr sabin.zr sec.zr SEP.lp,sf staph.zr sulph.zr thuj.zr xan.zr
A search in EH for "Mittelschmerz," certainly a concept known in the time and milieu of the German founders of homeopathy, turned up this mention in "Heal Thyself," a journal. This article, published in 1939, gives us an interesting historic perspective on medical thoughts about "female problems," including ovulation, until surprisingly recently:
"I saw another case of psychological trouble; a case of nerves. She was a woman in the middle forties, a nurse .. In 1929 she had an ovarian cyst removed; ever since had never got rid of a pain on the left side of the abdomen. This pain was the typical "Mittelschmerz" of the German gynaecologist. It came on right in the middle between the periods, not during or before or after periods; but for a definite time between the periods, about six to eight days after the periods and lasted until eight days before the next period. It was said to be nerves; it was always better on holidays and when she was resting. Unfortunately it was necessary for her to earn her living as a nurse and she had to lift and carry patients, which did not improve matters. The only advice she had been given was to grin and bear the pain or go back to the surgeon for him to find out what the pain was due to. "
The remedy prescribed, which was effective, was Pulsatilla.
The first follow-up for this patient, in the same article, is equally surprising in its description of a different aspect of Pulsatilla than we usually think of.
"Did not see her for nearly two months, [then] she felt so much better; she feels so well, as if walking on air, goes out on every possible occasion, goes to parties and dances. No frequency of micturition, no backache, no pain in the abdomen,. The Mittelschmerz is a thing of the past. She used to suffer from terrible depression, this was the first time she mentioned this, she felt like murdering people ..."
I found this article of interest both for the description of a side of Pulsatilla that's in the Repertories but is generally not acknowledged in keynote descriptions of the remedy, and for the historic perspective on medical attitudes toward women's hormonal issues. As I said initially, I suspect this is the reason why "ovulation" is so underrepresented in our literature.
Rosemary