Minutus

This case is a nightmare. I work with many elderly who come with overload of allopathic remedies - but this one is an overload of homeopathic remedies.
This is a dear, lovely, elderly lady with severe back pain due to spinal fractures (multiple injuries over the years). I have never taken her full case, but she has asked general advice over the last 5 years about minor issues and I have mostly suggested the occasional cell salt, and that she should sit down and we'd work through her entire case. I knew something else was up - but not sure. Now I find out she has been independently 'reading', perhaps getting advice from a 'friend' (a homeopath of questionable training) and taking multiple homeopathic remedies for the last year. Yikes.
Yes, I know I need to keep perspective, at the very least 'educate' her about the potential problems of multiple remedies - but at the moment she doesn't need that - and I only want to help. She is in great pain (and no - this is not a bid for attention). She describes the pain in a way that I would normally jump for Rhus Tox - but she says she's been taking that (in multiple potencies) for the last few weeks and getting very limited, short term and now no relief. Poor dear suffers more at the approach of heavy rains, and they have had weeks of rain and more on the way. The unrelenting pain is showing in her - she seems weaker, her gait has been affected, and her spirits seems to be sinking. She feels her only choice is going to be allopathic pain meds and she is fully aware they will not help long term - but she is about at the end of her rope. I know if she chooses that path it will most likely be the end of her life.
I've dealt with allopathic overloads but never homeopathic overload and have no idea where to begin. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Donna,
You mentioned something that I homed in on : ""Poor dear suffers more at the approach of heavy rains, and they have had weeks of rain and more on the way. ""
Look at Rhododendron.
I had a worse case than this. She turned up to my evening classes age 60+ having taken about 5 different Rx 3 x a day for about 8 years!! Her presenting case was mainly rosacea but also other things like arthritis and cysts if I remember rightly. I started her on Sulphur 200 to clear things out and then we went through a variety of Rx. At one time her rosacea got so bad and burned and Rad Brom was the only thing that stopped it. She liked coming to me and resisted my suggestion that she tried another more experienced homeopath. Yes we did have some success, especially with her right sided sinusitis (Ars iod) and after 5 years I managed to persuade her that another take on her case would be best for her and managed to pass her over to my homeopath who I believe is still struggling with the case!!!
Rochelle
Registered Homeopath
EFT(Advanced) Practitioner
www.southporthomeopathy.co.uk

I definately see this as needing a two fold approach - first something to help her immediate pain. Second - the problem of clearing, supporting, and trying to get things on course.
Sulphur is certainly worth considering - but I have always used it in the past in connection abuse/prolonged/multiple medications - I have never been in the situation of using it after 'abuse' of homeopathic remedies. In terms of my experience, the process of clearing took weeks and it could take a few months before the case became 'clear' enough to see an appropriate remedy.
Perhaps those of you who have used sulphur in this way could share your experience in terms of approach/time frame/reactions. Do you find that 'clearing' of homeopathic remedies is significantly quicker than 'clearing' medications?

Hi Donna,
If I can respectfully argue with you...
I don't really see these as separate, because "pain" is soooooo
subjective, and is sooooooo magnified by "stress"! Including the
stresses of being out-of-whack from too many remedies; and even
including the stress of having been in long-term pain. "Reducing
stress" = "reducing pain"!!

If you find a way to address the immediate pain as a thing-in-itself,
then great (Dr. Roz's suggestions sound great! and would do both at
once, I guess)--but I would not underestimate the importance of
*anything* that helps with "clearing, supporting, and trying to get
things on course"--any or all of those. (And I'd emphatically include
specific adrenal support, but you know that! )

(Could also consider EFT, hypnosis, breathwork??)
Shannon

All of this. The expertise of Dr Roz enviable. Wonder about Hypericum as Arnica of the nerves, even Chamomilla to settle things down as pain produces more pain in spasm and tension. I have used it twice in single dose when person completely exhausted and over stimulated. Not the whole answer but some rest to move on. To where is another question which involves the complete picture, Jean

I don't think we disagree at all. It is a matter of time frame. Immediate
pain is now - when minutes and hours count. Supporting her adrenal
function is a matter of days, weeks and months. There is absolutely no
'underestimating' the role of 'clearing out' or 'supporting' -- it is
simply a matter looking for the best way to provide comfort to an elderly
lady who is in pain. Hopefully giving her sufficient comfort with
approaches that do not cause her harm (as in allopathics), and also
hopefully giving her comfort in a way that sets the stage for the clearing
out and supporting she needs.

Interesting approach. I would never have considered adding more of the same remedies as she had been taking.

Do not know about more of the same. In these cases had not been used before, Jean

I did use Arnica & Hypericum & few cases got cured like miracle.
Didn't work in all.
Edgar Cayce sights colon irritation triggering backache. (google for this)
In many cases, backache is triggered by gas.
As a concomitant system, people get burping.
With incarcerated gas, while bending, gas displaces spine.
Lyco, China, Carbo veg & even metranidazole helps such cases.
A guy reports, when he gets backache due to gas,
he takes metranidazole for 5 days & get cured.
MM
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DCR wrote:

Thank you for this suggestion. Her back problems stem from physical injuries to the vertebra and not gas. Arnica and hypericum were among the list of remedies she had been self prescribing to the point of overload.