Androctonos (Links case) [was: VERY different case]
Posted: Wed May 05, 2004 11:59 pm
Case from Links 1995, via RefWks:
A Case of Migraine
Michal Yakir, Ein-Karem B 82, 95744 Jerusalem, Israel
She practices hom¦opathy in Jerusalem, graduated in Israel. She is one
of the editors of the Israeli Hom¦opathic Journal (in Hebrew) and a board
member of the Association for Classical Hom¦opathy. As part of her Ph.D. she
does research on hom¦opathy in the Hebrew University.
A 17 year old girl arrived at the clinic with complaints of migraines
which began 2 years ago. When the headache she does not go to school because
she claims "she cannot concentrate or do any mental work". She takes Deralin
(Propanolol) but neither this nor any pain killers can really relieve the
pain. The headache appears 3-4 times a week, it comes suddenly and lasts for
a few hours and disappears just as suddenly. The pain is dull, sometimes in
the temples and sometimes in forehead. She could not really localise the
pain. Nothing she knows aggravates the headaches, nothing ameliorates except
when in the swimming pool, she likes swimming. Upon questioning she said she
is neither hot nor cold. She is thirsty, but not for water, does not
perspire, no menses pain and does not dream (all said rather defiantly). It
was her mother's idea to come here anyway. She was closed, reserved and gave
the feeling of being disinterested. She is tall, sturdy, dark with a
negative and reserved attitude as if he could not trust me. I had to insist
to get some information from her.
2 years ago she had to change school because her parents wanted to. She
arrived at the school only to learn that she was not registered, and that
her parents had registered her in another school which they considered
better - without letting her know. She quarrelled with them and then did not
talk to them for 3 days. She felt insulted and helpless, and that she cannot
trust her parents. She does not like her present school because the children
there are snobs. In the previous school she had many friends with whom she
could relate. She is like an outsider in the new school because she is
simple and not pretending.
She describes her parents as being stern and demanding. When they want
her to do something she has to do it. They know everything about the
children at home and one cannot hide anything from them.
She describes herself as obstinate: would not give up, hard to change
her mind, reserved and very suspicious, even of her best friends. "People do
not always wish you well". She thinks the world is a hostile place. What can
she do? Withdraw and hide - alone and in her room. She is cynical and frank,
can easily hurt people. She does not like touch, to show affection is
"kitsch" (too sweet in Yiddish). She does not forgive the ones who offend
her. She likes to rest and sleep (hide) and watch movies - but only if they
do not have a good ending. Why? One cannot expect a good ending, there is no
good ending in the world, and she does not want to be duped. She describes
her father as obstinate and selfish, her mother as one who lives only for
the family, and knows everything about them. Both do not like liberal
people.
Analysis
The physical picture doesn't reveal any valuable symptoms. Her
headaches prevented her from going to the school she did not like and
therefore only mental symptoms could be taken. The most striking features
were her defiance against her parents, school, and the world in general, her
suspiciousness and antipathy. Yet inside this hard shell one could sense
much vulnerability and a very well hidden sweetness. The vulnerability was
very acute as if she had been assaulted and deceived. What struck me was her
response. Her way to avoid a hostile world was to withdraw to her room, like
an animal crawling into its burrow. Those are the reactions of an animal and
so the remedy must be from an animal source. This animal must have a hard
shell and be soft inside and it must have a way to strike back - like poison
or claws, and it lives underground in a hole. This reminded me of rubrics
from the proving of Scorpion which we have from Jeremy Sherr, "Desire to
crawl under a stone, and feelings he views the world from a hole". By
looking the remedy up in the Repertory (RADAR) these symptoms were found:
- defiant; suspicious;
- suspicious - friends, his best;
- unsympathetic;
- delusions: assaulted, is going to be; (her vulnerability and fear
from the world)
- delusions, persecuted, he is;
- and delusions: hole - views the world through a hole.
Symptoms that accurately describe her state.
Now what makes a human into a scorpion? When a person is young and the
one that they rely on and trust the most like their parents (or God) seems
to deceive them, then there is nothing left to trust, and the whole world
appears hostile and aggressive. They become isolated (as this girl felt
isolated in her second school) and suspicious. In the proving (1) some
related they felt "intense fear and even paranoid". As a defence they cover
themselves with a hard shell and express themselves through cynicism or
sarcasm. If one believes that the world is attacking them the first response
would be aggressive or too withdraw into a small protected place. This
leaves them see the world only from this narrow point of view - (note that
she describes her parents as such, 'they do not like liberal people in their
house'). They react with venom: being critical, unsympathetic, hating and
hostile. In the proving a woman describes: "things she would normally feel
guilty about don't bother her" and another told of "action without remorse".
In a cured case a man related how he was stoned by villagers twice while
travelling. A lot of aggression came out in the proving. The scorpion
illness will put one in a rigid position where this is how one views the
world and the only response can be from a dark side... a venom directed
outward. If no outlet is possible (like the scorpion who is fabled to sting
himself to death when cornered) the poison is directed toward the self, as
self destruction.
This is a syphilitic remedy, and no wonder that it is used in cancer
and Aids cases. Those properties might be connected to the characteristics
of the animal: scorpions are active only during night, they are loners and
can hunt and eat each other (like the fables about dragons), they are
aggressive and will attack under slight threat (1).
Prescription: Scorpion 9C, one dose.
Follow up
An aggravation of the headaches in the first week after Scorpion, and
then for 2 months the headaches only every 2 weeks lasting less than half an
hour. It no longer prevents her from going to school or from studying.
Mentally no change, although her mother says she is more calm and relaxed.
Scorpion 30C was prescribed.
FU 3 months later: severe headaches in the first 2 weeks, after that no
headaches at all. She is not offended so easily as before, more indifferent
to quarrels, knowing it will pass. I asked her how she views the world (she
still does not volunteer information) - she said that although the world may
not be so good, one can make himself a good ending - and she admits that
this viewpoint is new to her. No prescription.
A year later she asked to see me again: no headaches until 2 weeks ago
when she found out she was accepted to law school. She talks with less
restraints; she says she does not like to be in crowds, amongst people she
doesn't know, people who might know what and how she is doing. She is also
afraid to go to a new place like the university where she doesn't know
anybody. In school she had only few friends, she felt like a stranger, the
teachers and pupils were snobs and therefore were disinterested in her. She
hopes to make new friends.
The headache is dull and pressing, like a heavy weight. It is important
to notice that the problems are now more focused and on the surface: she did
not speak of the world but of the problem in school, and she was less
defensive. She admitted having fears - which are the inner reality
undisguised. There is no anger expressed towards parents (in the proving one
prover felt "she should forgive her parents for any blame..."). She was more
open and friendly now, and her sweet hidden side was more apparent. Scorpion
40C was prescribed with again good result.
(1) J. Sherr. The Hom¦opathic Proving of Scorpion: 2nd edition
A Case of Migraine
Michal Yakir, Ein-Karem B 82, 95744 Jerusalem, Israel
She practices hom¦opathy in Jerusalem, graduated in Israel. She is one
of the editors of the Israeli Hom¦opathic Journal (in Hebrew) and a board
member of the Association for Classical Hom¦opathy. As part of her Ph.D. she
does research on hom¦opathy in the Hebrew University.
A 17 year old girl arrived at the clinic with complaints of migraines
which began 2 years ago. When the headache she does not go to school because
she claims "she cannot concentrate or do any mental work". She takes Deralin
(Propanolol) but neither this nor any pain killers can really relieve the
pain. The headache appears 3-4 times a week, it comes suddenly and lasts for
a few hours and disappears just as suddenly. The pain is dull, sometimes in
the temples and sometimes in forehead. She could not really localise the
pain. Nothing she knows aggravates the headaches, nothing ameliorates except
when in the swimming pool, she likes swimming. Upon questioning she said she
is neither hot nor cold. She is thirsty, but not for water, does not
perspire, no menses pain and does not dream (all said rather defiantly). It
was her mother's idea to come here anyway. She was closed, reserved and gave
the feeling of being disinterested. She is tall, sturdy, dark with a
negative and reserved attitude as if he could not trust me. I had to insist
to get some information from her.
2 years ago she had to change school because her parents wanted to. She
arrived at the school only to learn that she was not registered, and that
her parents had registered her in another school which they considered
better - without letting her know. She quarrelled with them and then did not
talk to them for 3 days. She felt insulted and helpless, and that she cannot
trust her parents. She does not like her present school because the children
there are snobs. In the previous school she had many friends with whom she
could relate. She is like an outsider in the new school because she is
simple and not pretending.
She describes her parents as being stern and demanding. When they want
her to do something she has to do it. They know everything about the
children at home and one cannot hide anything from them.
She describes herself as obstinate: would not give up, hard to change
her mind, reserved and very suspicious, even of her best friends. "People do
not always wish you well". She thinks the world is a hostile place. What can
she do? Withdraw and hide - alone and in her room. She is cynical and frank,
can easily hurt people. She does not like touch, to show affection is
"kitsch" (too sweet in Yiddish). She does not forgive the ones who offend
her. She likes to rest and sleep (hide) and watch movies - but only if they
do not have a good ending. Why? One cannot expect a good ending, there is no
good ending in the world, and she does not want to be duped. She describes
her father as obstinate and selfish, her mother as one who lives only for
the family, and knows everything about them. Both do not like liberal
people.
Analysis
The physical picture doesn't reveal any valuable symptoms. Her
headaches prevented her from going to the school she did not like and
therefore only mental symptoms could be taken. The most striking features
were her defiance against her parents, school, and the world in general, her
suspiciousness and antipathy. Yet inside this hard shell one could sense
much vulnerability and a very well hidden sweetness. The vulnerability was
very acute as if she had been assaulted and deceived. What struck me was her
response. Her way to avoid a hostile world was to withdraw to her room, like
an animal crawling into its burrow. Those are the reactions of an animal and
so the remedy must be from an animal source. This animal must have a hard
shell and be soft inside and it must have a way to strike back - like poison
or claws, and it lives underground in a hole. This reminded me of rubrics
from the proving of Scorpion which we have from Jeremy Sherr, "Desire to
crawl under a stone, and feelings he views the world from a hole". By
looking the remedy up in the Repertory (RADAR) these symptoms were found:
- defiant; suspicious;
- suspicious - friends, his best;
- unsympathetic;
- delusions: assaulted, is going to be; (her vulnerability and fear
from the world)
- delusions, persecuted, he is;
- and delusions: hole - views the world through a hole.
Symptoms that accurately describe her state.
Now what makes a human into a scorpion? When a person is young and the
one that they rely on and trust the most like their parents (or God) seems
to deceive them, then there is nothing left to trust, and the whole world
appears hostile and aggressive. They become isolated (as this girl felt
isolated in her second school) and suspicious. In the proving (1) some
related they felt "intense fear and even paranoid". As a defence they cover
themselves with a hard shell and express themselves through cynicism or
sarcasm. If one believes that the world is attacking them the first response
would be aggressive or too withdraw into a small protected place. This
leaves them see the world only from this narrow point of view - (note that
she describes her parents as such, 'they do not like liberal people in their
house'). They react with venom: being critical, unsympathetic, hating and
hostile. In the proving a woman describes: "things she would normally feel
guilty about don't bother her" and another told of "action without remorse".
In a cured case a man related how he was stoned by villagers twice while
travelling. A lot of aggression came out in the proving. The scorpion
illness will put one in a rigid position where this is how one views the
world and the only response can be from a dark side... a venom directed
outward. If no outlet is possible (like the scorpion who is fabled to sting
himself to death when cornered) the poison is directed toward the self, as
self destruction.
This is a syphilitic remedy, and no wonder that it is used in cancer
and Aids cases. Those properties might be connected to the characteristics
of the animal: scorpions are active only during night, they are loners and
can hunt and eat each other (like the fables about dragons), they are
aggressive and will attack under slight threat (1).
Prescription: Scorpion 9C, one dose.
Follow up
An aggravation of the headaches in the first week after Scorpion, and
then for 2 months the headaches only every 2 weeks lasting less than half an
hour. It no longer prevents her from going to school or from studying.
Mentally no change, although her mother says she is more calm and relaxed.
Scorpion 30C was prescribed.
FU 3 months later: severe headaches in the first 2 weeks, after that no
headaches at all. She is not offended so easily as before, more indifferent
to quarrels, knowing it will pass. I asked her how she views the world (she
still does not volunteer information) - she said that although the world may
not be so good, one can make himself a good ending - and she admits that
this viewpoint is new to her. No prescription.
A year later she asked to see me again: no headaches until 2 weeks ago
when she found out she was accepted to law school. She talks with less
restraints; she says she does not like to be in crowds, amongst people she
doesn't know, people who might know what and how she is doing. She is also
afraid to go to a new place like the university where she doesn't know
anybody. In school she had only few friends, she felt like a stranger, the
teachers and pupils were snobs and therefore were disinterested in her. She
hopes to make new friends.
The headache is dull and pressing, like a heavy weight. It is important
to notice that the problems are now more focused and on the surface: she did
not speak of the world but of the problem in school, and she was less
defensive. She admitted having fears - which are the inner reality
undisguised. There is no anger expressed towards parents (in the proving one
prover felt "she should forgive her parents for any blame..."). She was more
open and friendly now, and her sweet hidden side was more apparent. Scorpion
40C was prescribed with again good result.
(1) J. Sherr. The Hom¦opathic Proving of Scorpion: 2nd edition