Minutus

I have a 90 year old man with a rodent ulcer on the centre of his forehead. He is quite a remarkable man for his age, active and alert, and fairly healthy.

The problem is that there are few symptoms to go on. The ulcer began as a tiny spot, expanded, and is now about 2cm in diametre and erupts to produce dark red scabs. There is no pain and no itch - he is not aware of it other than being self-conscious about it. From what he tells me, new eruptions seem to happen overnight. It started just over two years ago when he moved house and area to live with his daughter - quite a disruption really. He has also suffered some short-term memory loss since the move too.

I have used Millefolium, which seemed to be controlling the eruptions considerably, and both he and his wife were delighted. However, the eruptions continued to take place, although less frequently - and there were times when there was little or no scabbing. More recently I have moved to Juglans - with similar results - it is less eruptive, but still erupts.

He has a fairly strong Kali Carb constitution and I have also given this remedy too.

If there is anyone out there with knowledge of these things, and how best to treat them - I would be grateful for their experience!
Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

i treated a rodent ulcer in my cat. the ulcer was on her lips and having ignored it for a couple of years, i didnt begin to treat it
till it began to spread to the other lip and was causing her problems with drooling and eating.

i first gave her nit ac which helped with some personality traits, but not the ulcer.
then i gave her Conium, which was great. the ulcers healed about 90%.
then, 2-3 yrs later, she went through a grief when my other cat died. she developed
about 6-7 sx and was given nat mur. the remains of the ulcer, which i thought was just
a residual deformity from the original condition, disappeared completely.
it has been almost 2 years since then and there is no return of the condition. the remaining sx which
included some arthritis in hips and a red inflammatory line on her gums responded to merc.

tanya

Hi Steve, What is a "rodent ulcer"?
Thanks,
Shannon
on 4/4/03 1:27 AM, Steve Scrutton at stevescrutton@classicfm.net wrote:

In animals I have often had to use the nosode Bacillinum to have a
rodent ulcer clear, they do however itch, indicated by the frequent
licking of the animal, and present a raw red surface which weeps
(also becuase of the constant licking), this becomes a catch 22 for
animals. I have also heard of Carbo Veg being used in indolent
ulcer cases, which considering the age of the person is one of the
geriatric remediies, and following Kali Carb well in the Psoric
miasm may be all that you need. I base my treatment on the early
symptoms whether the ulcer starts with a papule, vesicle or
pustule. Does that help at all?
would be interested to know the outcome of this case
THanks Merrilee

--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Scrutton"
wrote:
forehead. He is quite a remarkable man for his age, active and
alert, and fairly healthy.
began as a tiny spot, expanded, and is now about 2cm in diametre and
erupts to produce dark red scabs. There is no pain and no itch - he
is not aware of it other than being self-conscious about it. From
what he tells me, new eruptions seem to happen overnight. It started
just over two years ago when he moved house and area to live with
his daughter - quite a disruption really. He has also suffered some
short-term memory loss since the move too.
eruptions considerably, and both he and his wife were delighted.
However, the eruptions continued to take place, although less
frequently - and there were times when there was little or no
scabbing. More recently I have moved to Juglans - with similar
results - it is less eruptive, but still erupts.
given this remedy too.
how best to treat them - I would be grateful for their experience!

Thanks Merrilee
Yes, Bacillinum and Carbo Veg are both remedies that are not listed
specifically under 'rodent ulcers' in Synthesis. I am also looking at
Anthracinum too.

Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"

Mmmm. I had to look this up too when he first named the condition.

Apparently it is a chronic form of ulcer that occurs mainly on the face, and
mainly affects older people. They gradually increase in size but they grow
very slowly. They are apparently not considered to be cancerous.

Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"

Hi Tanya
Thats interesting - like Merrillee you have come up with a remedy that has a
known affinity with older people - perhaps I need to consider his age in my
repertorising!

Steve Scrutton
Homeopath

"Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective medical therapy"

Hi Steve
All my sources describe Rodent ulcers as Basal Cell Carcinoma. These are cancerous, and even though they do not usually metastisise, they can kill by local means.
They are commonly found in elderly people on the face or ears, but also found in middle aged persons and younger ones due to sun exposure.

Differential diagnosis includes Sebaceous hyperplasia, intradermal nevi (pigmented and nonpigmented) and molluscum contagiosum.

I read an interesting story once about Arsenic being an ingredient in tonics of the 1920's and their being a possible link to the elderly incidence of Rodent ulcers. One of my modern medical texts also lists inorganic arsenic exposure as a cause other than sun exposure. (Griffiths 5 minute consult)

This may explain why homoeopathic treatment with Ars 200 has been successful (Banerji)

Anyway, I am sure that there are many who believe Rodent ulcers to be noncancerous as you have mentioned, but that is not the accepted medical thought!

FYI Parimal Banerji suggests from his experience treatment of cancer of the skin with Calendula 200 for 2 weeks (ulcerated, red, oozing, irritable and inflamed), when the cancer is recent. If no satisfactory results are obtained, then Ars 200 alternated with Ant crud 6 should be prescribed and are particularly indicated when there is a blackish colour to the ulcer.

Regards

Robyn

"Each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand mediocre minds appointed to guard the past" (Maurice Maeterlinck)

Thanks very much Robyn, for your clear explanation of "rodent ulcers." This
is not a term I've heard used (not used in the US where I've lived anyway),
and so I didn't know what that discussion was about.

Rosemary

Hi Robyn,

on 4/11/03 9:43 AM, Robyn at folco@tpg.com.au wrote:
Do you mean daily for two weeks?
Thanks,
Shannon