Minutus

Hi,

I am wondering about a weak ability to produce symptoms.

I have had a cold/flu for the past 6 days. I have heard that a lack
of strong symptoms suggest a weak vital force. I would guess that I
have a strong vital force. These are the weak symptoms. I felt
feverish for several days, had a couple of sneezes, last night was up
coughing and for the last several days have has a little yelllow mucus
and a couple of days I had to lie down to rest. I hurt myself the
other day and have not been doing my regular rigour exercise. Maybe
this is an exuse to kick back. I feel I can't treat myself
homeopathically because the symptoms are too weak. But the cold is
taking a long time to get better.

As another take on the same theme, I had a patient yesterday who
seemed not to feel symptoms. I had a really hard time choosing a
remedy and I could easily be wrong. Her reporting was too vague.
When I gave her a body work treatment she also did not seem to react
much. Unlike the typical patient, she did know if she felt better.
This in itself feels like a symptom. Wonder what it would be.

Then there is the patient who cannot report symptoms because talking
about the symptom makes him feel worse.

Best,
Ellen Madono

The last situation you mention is definitely a symptom and a rubric.

There are a number of possible interpretations for the other weaknesses you
mentioned. The weak response is possibly a manifestation of an overall
weakness, in which case, one might wonder about remedies like acids or
carbons, in which exhaustion, weakness, and unclear responses are the norm.

Or the person may be someone who's had a lot of medical treatment, which
tends to obliterate strongly characteristic symptoms, leaving one rather a
muddle to work with.

Or the case is strongly syphilitic or cancer-related, characterized by a
relative lack of symptoms, despite the existence of serious pathology.

Or mental confusion or daydreaming --the syumptoms --may be blunting the
person's awareness of what's going on.

I'm sure there are other possible scenarios.

So part of the analysis job would include trying to figure out which
explanation has the strongest evidence....

Rosemary

"There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the
long run
the sword will always be conquered by the spirit."
~Napoleon Bonaparte

Dear Rosemary,

My tendency is just to feel frustrated with such cases. But, a list
of alternative explanations is much more helpful.

Thank-you,
Ellen

On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.
wrote: