Minutus

Hi all,

Would appreciate some help with this case.
A friend of mine (54 yro, male) as long as I know him (30 years?) he is
ailing, more or less all the time.
The disease expressions switch (all the time) between several (in a year)
colds, angina, inflations of his Achilles tendons, the tendons in his heel
or the knees etc...
Together with this he suffers from a 'week stomach', which make impossible
to eat normal food in the evening. (causes the feeling of weight in his
abdomen).
He has a great < by sweet peppers & garlic.
Some years ago he suddenly got problems with his vision, got dizzy, when he
was in a place where there where a lot of impressions at once.
But after a while it stopped like that.
He is *very* chilly (it can not get too hot for him), he almost never
sweats, he is slim and loves sweets.

At the mind level he can be portraited as gently but very reluctant to
reveal his weaknesses.
He worries a lot about his 'image' and has big difficulties to engage
himself in a solide relationship. The is a clear form of egoism.
All this can be nicely illustrated by one example: when he started a
relationship with one of his female teacher colleagues (he is a theatre
director but teaches as well), both were single, it took him almost two
years (or even longer) before he would agree to appear in public as a couple
and maybe about 7 years before he would agree to live together in one
apartment.
When he is in company, even amongst friends, and somebody ask him (more or
less as a joke) a question which might reveal a weakness, he answers the
question by bouncing the same question to questioner, for instance when
somebody asks him in a teasy way " Isn't it difficult to have
He is punctual and conscientious.
Further more this person is very concerned about his health, but in a very
passive way, which makes him shop from an acupuncturist to a microbiologist,
to an osteopath, back to his allopath, bought meanwhile maybe 10 sorts of
arch supports etc.... and mostly all this treatments are taking or altered
at the same time. Together with this he uses to take frequent dose of
homeopathic (sic) complex medicines (like Reckeweg etc..) one for his
angina, an other for his stomach problems whenever needed etc.....

Now, about one year ago I advised him to stop all different pills and
treatments and to take:
one single dose Sil 200 K and it worked fine, especially for his upper
airway problems.
So I advised him to repeat this treatment once a month and reporting now &
then.

Which worked good. He was very happy, because what annoyed him the most
(colds, angina etc...) didn't recur and also his chilliness was reduced.
But his problems with his stomach nor the tendons problem got better.
So I decided to alter the dose & because I meanwhile learned by you guy's
about LM-potencies, I decided to change to LM.
So about 6 weeks ago he took one dose Sil 6 LM via a medical solution.

Soon after that he reported a re-occurrence, but not severe, of his cold
problems and pain in his throat.
Some days later there was as well a re-occurrence of his vision problems,
but only for some days, and idem an aggravation of his problems in his
tendons.
Problems in his stomach were kept at the same level.
Today after 6 weeks the pain etc.. in his throat persist and the problems in
his tendons got worse and extended to the tendons of his wrist & hand as
well.

And now he really gets nervous, because during fall he usually is very busy
with school & his theatre productions and during fall is usually has as well
big problems with his airways so his is afraid he will get again a big
angina etc.... So he ask me to stop treatment, suggest he would like to
retake the Sil 200 K once a month, and start over again in late spring with
the actual treatment when (warm) summer is coming and he can afford to get
ill.

OK, of course that's fine with me, I have to respect his decision, so I
advised him to take:
Camph 6 K & Hep Sulf 6 K in alteration for some days to antidote the Sel.

But then what?
As I see it, by the work done with the Sil 6 LM, the body (the VF) will not
react in the same way to the Sil 200 K as before. What do you think?
And I have an other question: how to interpret this reaction of the patient
to the Sil 6 LM ? Does this reaction indicate that Sil is the right Rem or
thus the fact that there is not really a positive progress in his symptoms,
apart from the re-occurrence and amelioration of the vision problems, that I
should go and look for an other Rem. On the mental level he reported that he
sleeps more and a longer time as he used to and that his energy level has
decreased a little.

I appreciate all the help I can get.

Jan

Hi, Jan.

Looking at the overall picture, it looks as though Sil may well have been
one of those "near-simillima." It might make sense at this point to
reanalalyze the case in terms of remaining symptoms, and you may find a
different remedy picture present now, probably one related somehow to Sil
but not actually that remedy. At times, I've found it useful in situations
like this to look through the remedies closely related to the one that acted
partially, and sometimes it's clear what the right remedy should be (not
always, of course). Alternatively, if you're quite certain that the correct
remedy is overwhelmingly Sil, it may be time for an intercurrent nosode.
Generally speaking, however, over a long time, the correct remedy will give
people a better feeling about their energy level, and a decline in that
tends to mean that while your selected remedy may be close, it's not
actually the simillimum. Sometimes this can be SO hard to find!!!

) Rosemary

Jan,

Based on sleeping more, less energy, pain spreading up from feet to hands,
persistent digestive problems, I would say that the remedy should be
changed. Perhaps another silica. I think it is interesting that nat-sil is
one of only four remedies in garlic, agg.

just a thought
Russell Swift, DVM
Classical Homeopath
phone 561-391-5615
email drswift@therightremedy.com
www.therightremedy.com

"Allopaths have protocols, Homeopaths have principles."

Dear Russell,

Thank you for your intersting suggestion.
I don't know Nat Sil or do you mean Nat Sal?
If Nat Sil excist, would pls anyone care and post me the MM-picture?
Thanks in advance.

Jan

Hi,
Sil is such a deep acting remedy that repeating it as you did
is not required imho. Once it takes hold of the economy if at all
it does so in a sustained way and then the case develops usually
pointing to another remedy. Pls take the case afresh and antidote
it. You may also consider ambr. Just been reading it up in GV's MM
and in some ways it resembles your case.
with best wishes,
V.T.Yekkirala

Dear Jan, I know I have emailed you privately about his case but I just
wanted to say a bit more.

Your thoughts about this case being Silicea seem to me to be what Sankaran's
idea ofthe sx picture of Silicea. Much as I love Sankaran's writings I have
to say I have never completely understood or appreciated his version of this
remedy. I rather more accept what Vithoulkas would offer about the essence
of Silicea.

"Want of moral grit" is how I understand this remedy - think of what Silicea
is and what it connects to - sand, grit, flint, fragile, glass, absorption
and put this into perspective. Want of moral grit = holding back on many
issues, a sort of being reserved (gentle, as you say, maybe). They are never
aggressive because they just don't have the energies to be so. They are
tired and lacking in stamina. They will often be in employment which is
sitting down a lot, certainly nothing which involves rushing around.

Because they absorb so much they take on that familiar idea of yielding - it
takes a lot less energy to yield. They will go with the flow of things, even
though they will have their own distinct ideas. Easier to sit on the fence
than create an argument, they will always be able to see many points of view
- not only to save energy but because they are usually very intelligent.

They often present as bashful, gentle, timid (remember the important keynote
about the 'bashful stool' always receding) - but do not underestimate their
abilities. As I said they are intelligent but do not impose their point of
view. As long as they can yield, go with the flow, they are o.k. When they
can't do this, when they are pushed into a corner this is when you
experience the obstinacy, the headstrong, willful characteristics.

The other kind of Silicea is the really delicate, refined type. All the
coarser ingredients of Silicea have been removed and you get, for example, a
child who has porcelain like skin, you can see the veins underneath, with
slightly flushed cheeks, they resemble a china doll. Thin, delicate, lacking
in energy but at the same time they have a 'knowing' about them.

Then of course there are the famous physical symptoms - sand in the eyes
sensation, offensive sweaty feet, receding stool, faulty nails, suppurating
processes, certain food intolerances, fissures in the skin, sandy coloured
hair, loss of hair early in life, etc.

Regarding your client, there appears to be a delicacy within his gastric
system but I cannot see how a Silicea picture would include this refusal to
appear in public with his chosen partner. This seems too extreme and beyond
the Silicea picture in my opinion.

What does seem apparent though is a theme of hiding, being secretive, not
only about his so called weaknesses but also public knowledge about his
partner. What is he trying to hide I wonder? And I think you need to
investigate this further - is it embarrassment, haughtiness, control, fear
or ??

You say he worries about his image. I know this is a generalism but a lot of
theatre people worry about their image, it goes with the job sort of thing.
So many remedies have this - arsenicum, nux vom, aurum, platina - to mention
just a few of the chilly ones. But I don't think it is a good idea to go
further and suggest remedies without some more detail.

Hope this is of use.

Best wishes, Joy

Dear Joy, Yekkirala, Russell and Rosemary,

Thank you for your interesting advise.
Yes, indeed Sankanran's description of Sil. indeed was an element which
brought me to prescribe Sil in this case.
As a overall conclusion of your mails I remember that it would be wise to
reconsider the case and look where we stand and what the actual situation
presents.
I'll do that.
And then I certainly will pay a special look at Nat Sil and Ambr as
suggested.
If you like I can keep you posted about the outcome.

Jan