Cases
Click on the links below to see how homeopathy can help with
a particular condition.
(This list will be updated regularily so check
back often.)
Index
of a small selection of treated cases
Adhesions /ovarian cysts
Asthma(suppressed
TB)case
Back
pain/Learning difficulties
Cataract
Depression
Dermatology
case
Eczema
Fits
Hives/allergic
reaction
Impetigo
Kidney
infections
Migraines
Musculoskeletal
case
Musculoskeletal/Nocturnal
enuresis
Nephritis
Case
Neurosis/Phobia
Case
Ovarian
Cysts Case
Post-vaccination blues
Psycological/Musculoskeletal
Case
Stomach
pain
Suppressed
TB
Swollen
glands and depression
Warts
case
Vertigo
/Glaucoma/ chest pain /neurosis
Adhesions
/ovarian cysts
A woman of 35 came for treatment of
adhesions that were the result of an appendectomy 14 years
before. She had also been diagnosed with two cysts on the
left ovary. She had had severe abdominal cramping pain for
four weeks, with a sensation of her insides being pulled downwards.
She also had stitching pain on the right hand side.
She had a horror of children and said she would kill herself
if she became pregnant. She used violent language.
Since she was in great pain I immediately prescribed Thiosinaminum7x,
which is a specific for the treatment of adhesions, whilst
I worked on choosing the constitutional remedy. Thiosinaminum
eased the cramps, but did not change any other symptoms.
I decided to prescribe Platina 30c, which fitted both her
physical and mental symptoms well.
After taking it she had excruciating pain, but then she said
she could feel the cyst getting better everyday for three
weeks. The pulling down sensation also went and returned three
weeks later. Her mental state seemed calmer. She said: ‘I’d
been hobbling around like an invalid when I saw you, but I
got better and was perfect until a week ago’. I repeated
the remedy.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Asthma (suppressed
TB) case
A boy aged 8 came for treatment.
He had used inhalers for his asthma since the age of 6. He
had been taking Becotide 50mg (two puffs - morning and evening)
and Ventalin syrup 3 times daily. He had suffered from occasional
accelerated heart rate whilst on the inhalers and didn’t
like taking them. A combination of garlic pearls and a holiday
by the sea had recently helped him to come off them. He still
had an unproductive cough that came on one hour after going
to bed (at about 9pm).
When the cough was very bad he would vomit and continued to
vomit without any relief until he was retching bile. In the
past this cough had been treated with Procaine.Ipecac is well
known as the remedy for incessant vomiting without relief,
vomiting related to coughing and also has the strange symptom
of vomiting one hour after going to sleep. So I felt confident
it would be a good prescription, which it was, up to a point.
Whenever the boy had an acute
episode it was relieved very quickly by Ipecac 30c, but overall
he did not improve much and worsened as the winter came. I
changed the potency to a 200c, but this made little difference.
At this stage I reviewed the
case and although I had taken details of the family medical
history, I decided to check through it again with his mother.
I asked if there was a possibility of anyone having suffered
from TB. She gasped and pointed to a huge scar on her own
neck. "How did I forget that?" she said. At the
age of five she had had a tubercular gland removed from her
neck and had been in hospital for some time.
I prescribed Tuberculinum
30c and thereafter the results were infinitely better. The
cough became less bothersome and phlegmy and would only last
a few minutes and he was in very good form. His mother said:
"It seems to have really finished it off".
© Mary Aspinwall
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Back
pain/Learning difficulties
A boy of 10 came for
treatment. He had suffered severe pains in his right lumbar
area, which felt like needles or swords, since the age of
five. These pains went from his back through to his abdomen.
The pains were better for bending over and also for pinching
his back. At eight the pains returned and it was suspected
that it might be due to a longer rib. Recently the pains had
worsened and despite many investigations nothing could be
detected.
Strangely the child had been
born with a fractured skull and then at eighteen months he
had a very bad fall in which he hit his head and broke his
front teeth. There was talk of having to open the skull to
release the pressure caused by the injury, but the swelling
went down of its own accord.
The boy had very strong opinions
about most things and used the word ‘hate’ all
the time. He hated untidiness. He hated people who moved his
things. He hated reading and spelling (but liked maths). He
hated being away from home even for a short time. He hated
heat. He loved poached eggs and they had to be cooked to perfection
– he did this himself. He said if he could he would
eat 3 or 4 a day. He could be constipated for up to a week
and it didn’t really bother him.He had pain in the base
of his right little finger and in both ankles.
This was a textbook case of
Calc carb (a remedy made from the inside of the oyster shell).
Early on his protective covering (skull) was damaged twice,
leaving him feeling vulnerable and in need of order and structure
in his life. This was why he hated spelling, because of the
lack of logic and order, but enjoyed maths where 2+2 is always
4.
I gave him Calc carb 1M and
after one hour all his symptoms including the severe back
/ abdominal pain got much better and this lasted for 3 weeks.
He lost his desire for eggs. His reading improved. He didn’t
feel the need to be at home so much and was on better form.
He told me he was happy he had come to see me. The remedy
was repeated as needed.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Cataract
A woman of 47 came for
treatment of cataracts. She couldn’t focus properly
and said it was like seeing through smoke. Bright light caused
a knife-like, yet painless, sensation in her eyes. Her lower
field of vision was the worst affected. She was under a lot
of stress and was an insulin-dependent diabetic. She was also
taking thyroxin. She had a history of gallstones and experienced
the colic as also knife-like.I prescribed Lachesis
30c.
This remedy covered many of her symptoms well, including her
vision difficulties.
A month later she was able to undo some strings, something
she hadn’t been able to do before and she felt her vision
was better, but wanted to take a test to be sure. The knife
like sensations had gone. Her blood sugar levels were lower.
Her sleep was better and she felt calmer. She felt livelier
and able to think more clearly.A subsequent test revealed
that the cataracts had gone. Her vision began to deteriorate
again about two years later and the remedy was repeated.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Depression
A woman of 38 came for
treatment of depression. She described it as a blackness,
despair and hopelessness that she had had on and off since
childhood. She couldn’t wait to die so it would be over,
although she did not contemplate suicide. Her unhappiness
centred on the fact that she felt she had disappointed he
father and not lived up to the high hopes he had for her.
She worried that she had married beneath her class and so
lost status.
She had suffered a nasty injury that left her feeling less
capable in her work. She was able to quickly cover up these
feelings if a stranger called on her, but she did share them
to some extent with close family.I prescribed Aurum metallicum
1M.
After the remedy she had a follow-up and said ‘ I’ve
been perfect since…I feel better now than I can remember
feeling.’ She doesn’t worry about her status or
achievements whilst she feels well. Every few months she repeats
the remedy when the same symptoms return.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Dermatology
A woman of 53 came for
treatment of her feet. She had very itchy, fluid-filled blisters,
with a generalised redness, on the soles of her feet. They
were very hot and she had to put her feet out of the bed at
night. If she was woken by the discomfort she would run her
feet under cold water and this brought relief. Once the blisters
had burst she got instant relief. She was generally in good
health, although she had some hot flushes. She tended to lack
self-confidence and could be anxious, particularly about the
well being of close family members.
On the basis of this symptom picture I prescribed Arsenicum
LM1 and they steadily improved and eventually cleared entirely.
Two years later, she had a nasty shock and was suffering from
acute anxiety and diarrhoea. The picture, once again, fitted
Arsenicum well; she took one dose of 30c and after a short
aggravation all these symptoms quickly resolved.
Incidentally, her daughter had an identical condition, which
in her case seemed to be stress-related. Having taken the
case in full I decided that Arsenicum was also her remedy
and it worked very well clearing the eruption very quickly,
probably because her energy was stronger than her mother’s.Her
son’s skin complaints (and personality) were quite different
and responded very well to Sulphur.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Eczema
A woman of 46 years
of age came for treatment of her eczema. It was on the palms
and fingertips of both hands and her left foot. She had had
outbreaks on and off for the past twenty years and these had
been treated with hydrocortisone creams. These no longer had
any effect, so she had also been taking cortisone tablets
for the previous two weeks. The skin was desquamating and
very itchy and her hands were puffy. She also suffered from
headaches, pre-menstrually.
She loved company and felt a little cut off by a recent move.
She had a recurrent dream of being abandoned at the top of
a hill, which she found very frightening.
I prescribed Pulsatilla 30c (although in retrospect LM1 would
have been more appropriate).
She came to see me regularly over the next few months and
said she was feeling good. Her energy was better and her headaches
infrequent and less severe. Her hands were appalling. The
skin was hard and yellow. It was tight, cracked easily and
flakes of skin more than 2 inches long fell off. Both hands
discharged thick yellow pus.
She was unable to do anything for herself. Water burnt her
hands as if it were acid.
I was utterly impressed by her stoicism.
Her perseverance was finally rewarded. At the end of the six
months she came to see me and her hands were beautiful. The
skin was like that of a newborn.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Fits
A child of two came for treatment
of fits, that began after the MMR vaccination at around 1
year old. Prior to this he had had a history of chest infections
and had been diagnosed as asthmatic. More recently he had
had ear and throat infections. The fits occurred daily and
always came on when he was excited, cross or tired. It was
as if he missed a breath, passed out and then stayed out.
It was as if he was asleep and this could last between 2 minutes
and two hours and he would be tired on coming around. The
longer he was ‘out’ the more tired he would be.
His mother was waiting for a CAT scan.
Despite his age he had had many antibiotics and was on an
inhaler (Atrovent / three times daily) and Ventalin syrup.
He had a very chesty cough and tests showed a shadow on his
lungs. He tended to throw himself to the ground during tantrums.
His sleep was restless and disturbed.
There had been a premature death in the family due to TB
many years ago.
The pattern of the fits, the shadow on the lung and the family
history led me to prescribe Tuberculinum 30c.
Four weeks later he was free of both inhalers and antibiotics
and had no more fits. He no longer had tantrums and was sleeping
very much better. He had just caught chicken pox, but was
managing well with them. I gave the mother Rhus tox to be
given only if needed once the spots had emerged.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Hives/allergic
reaction
A boy of 8 came for treatment of an allergic reaction to
cats, certain foods (hamburgers, chips, sausages, breakfast
cereal and ice-cream) and possibly citric acid. This came
in the form of very itchy eruptions like nettle stings that
were worse under the eyes and a generalised swelling of the
lips, bridge of the nose and eyes. This swelling moved from
area to area in no discernible pattern. The eruptions also
appeared on his stomach, back, arms and legs. This was treated
with daily (sometimes twice daily) doses of anti-histamine.
His mother was very anxious about the possibility of his airways
becoming blocked as the swelling at times made his face unrecognisable.
He also had a sensation of soreness in the hipbone on the
right. This had been getting worse over the previous four
weeks, particularly if he ran.
He had had a cough every couple of weeks for the past two
years and, since the prescribed inhalers had not relieved
it he had stopped taking them. In total he had had over 30
lots of antibiotics for his chest symptoms. These had weakened
his teeth.
According to his parents, he tended to be stubborn, but would
cry easily if admonished. He was easily startled and upset
by loud noises. If something was said during the consultation
that he didn’t like he covered his ears. He was a solid
looking child and I prescribed Calc carb 30c for him.
By the next visit over four weeks later he had only needed
to take 5 antihistamines instead of the usual 40 plus. The
eruptions were itchy, but not painful and not as big as they
had been. In accordance with the Direction of Cure, they were
concentrated more on the extremities (fingers, hands, arms,
feet) and he no longer had eruptions or swelling on the face.
He had not coughed or wheezed all month.
At the next visit, one month later, he had been drug and
symptom free for the preceding three weeks and was able to
eat all the foods he had previously been allergic to.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Impetigo
A girl of 6 came for treatment
of frequent outbreaks of impetigo around her right eye. She
had had it on and off for eighteen months. It had been conventionally
treated with steroid creams. She found it difficult to go
to sleep on her own. She had a ‘giddy feeling’
in her stomach and was generally fidgety and restless. She
had nightmares about spiders. Her mother said she liked to
do dangerous and forbidden things. She also said she was very
curious. She drew me a stick picture of her family in bright
primary colours and they all looked like spiders!
I prescribed Tarantula Hispanica 30c.
She was able to sleep alone and the bad dreams stopped. Her
giddy feeling disappeared. Her mother said the remedy made
her very calm, which was just as well because she had to deal
with quite a physical clear out.
An area on her left foot (corresponding to the spleen) opened
up and began discharging pus, as did her left thumb and right
elbow. Her right eye filled with pus and swelled closed. She
also had swollen glands in her neck. Both the child and the
mother were very happy with the situation, as I had told them
about the Direction of Cure. Other members of the family were
not so pleased with the results! This went on for over a week.
At the time of writing one year later she remains well and
has had no major outbreak since.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Kidney
infections
Three years ago, a boy aged 5 came to me for treatment. He
was adopted and little was known about his natural parents.
Since 3 years old he had had repeated kidney infections with
pain and crying out after urination, night fevers, bed-wetting
and restlessness. He had been treated with antibiotics three
times. A scan and a reflux test both came back NAD (nothing
abnormal detected). His appetite was poor.
He looked immaculate. He was extremely neat and wearing very
smart clothes. He doesn’t want to speak to me and his
adoptive parents do nearly all the talking."He’s
slow to make a decision…even which cereal he wants in
the morning…then he’s sorry if it causes an argument".
(His indecision annoys his mother)."He is very particular
about clothes. He likes ‘cool clothes’ with designer
labels.""He’s better when there are lots of
people around. He hates feeling he’s being observed
or the attention is on him." (This is why he finds the
consultation difficult). He hates anyone (doctors or us) looking
at his genitals …he’s very private."His mother
says: "He didn’t want to go to school. It was a
wrench. (initially)."The boy speaks for the one and only
time "I just want to be with Mam and Dad".
"He cannot bear anyone to touch his toes. His feet just
jump. He feels like he is being tickled when he is only being
touched. He likes his boots really tight."
This child was paralysed by indecision even in the simplest
of choices. In his father’s words (my italics): "He
wants to be good, but he really can’t make a decision."He
wants to be "good" and we see this from his neat
appearance. He likes to play, but if he gets dirty then he
wants to clean himself up soon after. He is not at ease with
himself.
He likes to have his boots laced very tightly. I found out
only recently from a social worker that this is a common trait
amongst children who are in care, fostered or adopted. They
are also very reluctant to take their shoes or boots off.
Even though I didn’t know this I sensed his wanting
the boots tight was a sign of his insecurity that was echoed
by the reluctance to be separated from his mother and father.
Thuja has the following symptoms:
Urination, pain at close of
Thoughts: inconstancy of.
Irresolution, indecision: changeable
Looked at: cannot bear to be.
Feet, Sensitive, oversensitive: sensual impressions, to
In the Materia Medica, Gray gives this description of Thuja:
"Present a manufactured image to the world which is calculated
and formed from childhood. During childhood they had the experience
[or delusion] of being neglected or abused. The message the
child gets is that they can never be good enough". (Perhaps
he had a deep memory of being given up by his natural mother).
"They feel unlovable. Because they feel they can never
be loved they make an extra effort to be liked. They look
around to see what is most popular, how they walk, dress,
what they do, etc., to see what is successful. Then they go
about imitating this systematically and scientifically, copying
what they think works in the world and by adulthood they have
the perfect image".
After the first remedy (Thuja 30c) he had a nosebleed and
came out in a lot of itchy spots. Thereafter, his indecision
improved markedly and his urinary symptoms cleared. His feet
became much less sensitive and he began to wear his boots
in the trendy loose style! When his symptoms return (which
is now rare) he repeats the remedy.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Migraines
A boy aged 12 came for treatment of his migraine attacks.
These were very severe and during them he was tempted to jump
out of the window. For this reason he wanted his mother to
stay with him. He would bite both his own hand and his mother’s
during the height of the pain. This was throbbing, left-sided
and began over the eye. It was worse for any light and was
accompanied by stomach cramps and vomiting. The migraines
often came on after over-excitement. He also suffered from
asthma and this too became worse after excitement or exertion.
I prescribed Glonoine 30c not only because it is a classic
migraine remedy, but also because one of the symptoms it can
produce is desire to jump out of the window. Let like be cured
with like...
The migraines became much less frequent, at one point he
went over eighteen months without one. If he did get one it
could be nipped in the bud with Glonoine. However the asthma
did not respond much to the remedy and after reviewing the
case I have now changed to Veratrum.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Musculoskeletal case
A woman in her forties, who
had married young and had lived abroad all her adult life,
came for treatment. She had recently left her husband and
grown-up family. She had a history of depression and alcoholism,
with one suicide attempt.
She had just had a left occipital headache extending over
the vertex to the left eye. This had lasted 9- 10 days. She
had left sided sciatica and a pulled tendon sensation in her
right elbow. She also had problems with her left ankle and
instep. “The tendon just goes and I can’t walk.
I twisted it in a fall 4 years ago and it hasn’t been
right since.”
She says of her married life:
“There were some very black patches … I attempted
suicide. I got very drunk and (deliberately) drove my car
over a ravine. The car was a write off, but I was very lucky
I only had a scratch and some bruising”.
“I have a very pronounced coccyx and I get bone pain
there on sitting down (especially before a period). Also I
have small spurs jutting out of my 4tth and 5th vertebrae”
She says of some people who have recently upset her: “I
would love to lash out at them.”
The following symptoms appear in the proving of Androctonus
(Scorpion):
Head pain
Pain from back of head to over left eye
Left-sided headaches
Mind
Black horrible moods …frightening in their violence
Alcohol, desire for, as an escape
Destructive (alcoholism, suicide attempt)
Striking, desires to strike (“lash out”)
Back
Pain in lumbar region, left side, as of a stick poking, extending
down leg (her coccyx and the Scorpion’s tail!)
Extremities
On attempting to walk, legs feel heavy and give way (her ankle)
Small horny-like growth with spikes on right little toe (she
has bone spurs)
Sharp pains joints of arms, elbows, legs, right hip knee,
worse exertion with sensation as if had strained tendons (her
elbow /ankle).
Four weeks after taking Androc 30c she reported that her
sciatica and elbow have ‘no trace’ of pain. Her
ankle is also fine. Her coccyx is not painful despite that
fact that her period is due. She says: “I’m feeling
great …it’s all an adventure… I’m
in a pretty good mood.” She was drinking less. The remedy
continues to work well when her symptoms return. She still
drinks vodka regularly and her sleep is not as good as she
would like. She is very sensitive to the noise of electrical
appliances and unplugs everything before going to bed. (This
also happened to the Scorpion provers).
© Mary Aspinwall
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Musculoskeletal/Nocturnal
enuresis
A boy of 12 came for treatment
of weakness and pain below the kneecaps. He found it hard
to keep up with others and stumbled often. The pain was sudden
and shooting and worse on the right. His ankles felt tight
and would crack. He found it difficult to write well. He also
suffered from nightmares about a particular teacher, who had
been abusive to him. He would wake screaming. He had headaches
where he felt his forehead was swelling in and out. His energy
was low and he felt the cold easily. He often had nocturnal
enuresis.
His description of the pain in his legs and head exactly
fitted a remedy called Taraxicum that is made from Dandelion,
incidentally Dandelion gets its name from the French ‘dans
de lit’, which refers to the folklore that they make
you pee in the bed. It is also an excellent remedy for night
terrors.
I gave him a dose of 200c.
A month later he told me his legs were stronger and looser.
The pains were gone and so were the headaches. He was sleeping
very well and had had no nightmares or bedwetting. He felt
good all over His mother said he was able to run and write
much better.
He repeated the remedy regularly as needed and four years
later continues to be well.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Nephritis case
A 56 years old farmer came
for treatment. He seemed very anxious and was accompanied
by his wife, who sat in throughout the first consultation.
His energy had always been low, even as a teenager. In his
early twenties he had a bad shock when his father fell through
a loft, breaking his hip. As a result he had to take over
the farm.
Two months later he was diagnosed with nephritis with severe
swelling of the ankles and eyeballs. He was told by the doctors
he had only six months to live. When he proved them wrong
they told his wife “You have a miracle for a husband!”
In his thirties he inherited a farm from an uncle. He and
his wife had to care for this uncle (and aunt) who were both
invalid. It was a difficult time, he felt his new neighbours
were hostile and his wife was also expecting their first child.
After an upsetting incident, where he was cheated at the
cattle market, he had to be readmitted to hospital for two
weeks with nephritis and within a month had a severe relapse.
For the next two years he was on steroids, although he had
now stopped these. He was told that his only chance of recovery
lay in a transplant.
Since childhood he had felt “too weak” and timid
for this world. He believed he was being persecuted and this
made him frightened. This fear presented not only as a mental
state, but had come through to the physical level as very
severe, at times life-threatening, kidney pathology. This
had left both kidneys badly damaged, but particularly the
left.
The homeopathic remedy China matched his case very well.
It has the following symptoms:
Mind, delusions persecuted, tormented, wronged
Irritability, with weakness
Kidney ailments in general: left.
Nephritis
Pinching pain in the foot. (Hahnemann)
Energy, wanting< 7-8pm
Sleep, restless
The remedy (China 30c) worked well. He came to his next appointment
alone. His irritability was much less and every month he reported
a gradual and steady improvement in all his other symptoms.
He found he no longer needed to take afternoon naps. His self-
confidence increased and he no longer felt persecuted. He
began to socialise more. After 6 weeks he was able to come
of his sleeping pills and his sleep “was sound as could
be”. He said: “I can feel my whole system changing…I’ve
put on weight and feel much stronger. There’s less tension
and I’m easier in myself ”.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Neurosis/Phobia
case
A woman of 46 came for treatment
of her phobia of thunder and lightening, which had come on
after a frightening experience during a storm. When a storm
came she would feel her throat and chest constrict, choking
her. Her stomach would churn and she would vomit. She would
break into a profuse, cold sweat and feel terrible panic.
Even the mention of a possible storm could bring these symptoms
on.
I prescribed Phosphorus 200c and though the phobia did not
completely go she did feel much better. ‘I was dancing
with the kids…they thought, this is our old mum back...When
I’m driving I watch the road more than the sky…Life
is better …I’m not as scared’. She repeats
the remedy regularly, as needed.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Ovarian cysts
case
A young woman of eighteen
came for treatment. She had had a long history of (continuing)
dysmenorrhoea. A few months earlier she had had two cysts
removed from her left ovary. Since then she had had no energy.
Now she had similar pains alternating between the left and
right hand side. Her breasts throbbed for two weeks prior
to her period.
She had become increasingly withdrawn and wouldn’t
speak to teachers or students at school. She felt stupid when
she spoke to anyone and scared to say anything. She said several
times that she believed people were laughing at her behind
her back. She felt like crying. I prescribed Lac caninum (a
single dose of 1M), as a keynote of the remedy is pains that
alternate sides. It also fitted her mental state well.
Her first period after the remedy was more painful, but her
energy had greatly improved and she said she didn’t
‘notice the pain as much’. She didn’t worry
about people laughing about her and was talking to people
a bit more. She felt more confident. After three months her
physical symptoms all resolved and she was feeling very good
mentally and emotionally. She repeated the remedy if her symptoms
returned.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Post-vaccination blues
A woman aged thirty-five came for an appointment saying she
had been ill since having a flu vaccination nine months earlier.
Immediately after the shot she
developed chest pain. When she came to see me, she had a shooting
pain behind her left breast and pain in her right breast extending
down her right arm. At the same time, she had developed a
strong fear of cancer and of what would happen to her children
if she died. She was generally anxious and bit her nails.
She also had a history of mouth ulcers, stiff knees, and a
blocked nose with post-nasal drip. She was very prone to catching
colds and was generally a chilly person.
Silica is a remedy with indications
that include painful shooting sensation behind the left breast.
It can also be an excellent remedy for someone who has never
been well since vaccination. It is indicated in anxious, chilly
people who are prone to catching colds. I gave one dose of
Silica 30C.
Initially the pains in her breasts
worsened and some old symptoms reappeared briefly: mouth ulcers,
a blocked nose and sticky eyes, stiffness in the leg. She
then began to feel much better. Two months after taking the
homeopathic remedy, she reported that the pains had disappeared,
her mind felt more focused, her fear of death had diminished,
and she was generally less anxious. She felt stronger and
was much less susceptible to the cold. Her health continued
to improve, and eighteen months later she continues to be
well.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Psycological/Musculoskeletal case
A thirty four year old builder
came for treatment of chronic insomnia and physical tension.
His feet, ankles and calves all felt painfully tight. He felt
his “spine was doubling up on itself” and making
him hunched. He described the bridge of his nose as being
“like a clenched fist”, making breathing difficult.
His head felt under pressure from all directions as if tightly
bandaged and where the spine entered the brain it felt numb
and tight. Sometimes the tension in his neck was so great
that he could taste blood in his saliva and it felt as if
it had been squeezed from the blood vessels.
At times he felt like smashing his head against a wall. He
had violent, even murderous, thoughts about anyone who got
in his way and had once attacked someone with a weapon. He
slept very little and sleep became completely impossible on
the full moon. His memory and concentration were very poor
as a result.
At the age of 20 he had had a nervous breakdown and been unable
to speak for three weeks. He felt he was in hell and that
he had to find his way out of it. He had a feeling that he
should be serving some higher purpose.
He said towards the end of the appointment: “I am on
the surface, my face is just out of the water and I’m
struggling to keep it there.”
I prescribed Lyssin 1M (also known as Hydrophobinum)
The remedy worked well. His violent impulses towards himself
and others went after the first dose. All his other symptoms
improved dramatically, although these returned fairly regularly
and required repeat prescriptions. His sleep improved gradually
and eight months later was substantially better, as was his
memory and concentration.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Stomach pain
A girl of 13 came for treatment.
She was suffering form very sharp pain in the epigastrium.
She described these as being ‘like bubbles being popped
with a knife’.
It was accompanied by a blocked feeling near her chest, bloating
and a desire to burp or vomit. Vomiting did not relieve the
pain.
She also had headaches with knife-like pain. She had been
the victim of an arson attack two years earlier and though
she had escaped unhurt she still had nightmares about it and
had a fear of fire. She hated the people responsible for the
attack.
I prescribed Hepar sulph 30c.
Immediately after taking it she threw up three times and
then the epigastric pain disappeared, generally she was in
a better mood and had the pain less frequently after that.
She repeated the remedy as needed and ten months later all
the symptoms were much improved. Two years later she is still
well.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Suppressed TB
A girl of 4 years old came
for treatment following 8 months conventional treatment of
a tubercular gland (with TB drops, regular blood tests and
X-rays). She had a nasty keloid scar on the left side of her
neck where the skin had been wide open and had wept dark green
pus for 6/12. Her mother was very distressed and said since
the treatment she felt she had ‘lost’ her daughter,
as her temperament and behaviour was so changed after it.
She hated to try anything new or go anywhere unfamiliar. She
was very aggressive towards her mother, slapping her and finding
fault with what she did. The mother would have to offer 3
or 4 cups and be shouted at until she found the ‘right’
one.
Her teeth and bones had become weakened. She had had to have
many cavities filled and had recently suffered a greenstick
fracture of the arm. Her appetite and sleep were poor. Her
stools were loose and she had a lot of flatus with them. She
had frequent bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting with high temperatures
and a rash on her stomach, these lasted three days and left
her shaking with thirst from dehydration. The girl said very
little to me but twice told me she was afraid of birds.
I prescribed Calc arsenicosum 30c.
She improved steadily over the following months and repeated
the remedy when symptoms returned or stopped improving. In
less than one year she was back to normal.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Swollen glands and depression
A man of 47 came for treatment for repeated bouts of painful
swollen glands with extreme depression and fatigue. He had
caught mumps 15 years before and had never been well since
then. His health had progressively worsened. He felt aggressive
and had suicidal thoughts.
He described himself as a shy person. He had originally
chosen to work in a very structured, hierarchical organisation,
but later had become self-employed which he found difficult
at times. He did not really enjoy his work and wanted to write
creatively but this desire had been discouraged by family
members. He seemed to have complete, almost child-like, trust
in my opinion.
I prescribed Baryta carb 30c.
Three months later he was feeling a significantly better,
with more energy and was in good spirits. His glands still
swelled occasionally, but not as much and they caused him
no pain. He had begun writing and had submitted something
to the BBC. He went on to do a residential course in writing.
A year later he had a brief episode of shingles, which he
endured without any treatment, and after that felt very much
better.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Warts
case
A nine-year-old girl came
for treatment of warts on her hands. She had nine, including
one large one. There were more on the left than the right
hand. She also had one under her eye and a verucas on her
right foot. She had a tendency to croupy coughs.
She told me she was impatient to be older and when I asked
why she said: “So I can wear high shoes and kiss a boy”.
Her mother described her as very sexual and curious. She liked
to get lost in supermarkets because it was “cool and
adventurous”.
She loved loud music and dancing. She spent a lot of time
talking to me about colours she liked and disliked. “When
I’m angry I love black. When I’m happy I like
yellow. When I’m sad I like light blue. When I love
the whole world I feel purple”.
I noticed she couldn’t sit still and wriggled on her
chair constantly. She also said: “Sometimes I feel really
angry and I have to hit myself”.
Taking all of this into account I prescribed Tarantula Hispanica
30c, which is a spider remedy. It suited every aspect of the
case.
The next time I saw her she came in wearing a T-shirt with
a web on the front! She sat through the whole follow up without
wriggling. After the remedy her warts became very itchy, some
got bigger and two new ones appeared. When I asked her if
there had been any other changes she said: “I feel more
happy”. Her cough improved and her fear of the dark
completely disappeared. Her appetite had improved and she
was having daily bowel movements (before it had been every
two days). The warts completely cleared soon after this second
appointment.
Many people take Thuja to try to clear warts. Personally
I think it is unwise to take anything routinely to clear a
skin condition, as there is a risk of driving the disease
to a deeper level. An accurate constitutional prescription
will not only clear the warts but also make the person feel
better in themselves.
© Mary Aspinwall
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Vertigo /Glaucoma/ chest pain /neurosis
A woman of 88 came for treatment.
She suffered from dizziness all the time, which was worse
if she turned here head suddenly. She had first had this at
the age of 21. She had suffered a minor stroke 5 years earlier,
but had made a good recovery.
She was taking:
Capoten 12.5mg/ daily for high blood pressure
Lanoxin 62.5mg / daily for cardiac arrhythmia
Diamox 250mg ? (not sure if this was for Glaucoma )
An aspirin /daily as a blood thinner to prevent stroke
She had a damaged right eye due to undetected glaucoma and
cataracts in both eyes.
She felt great anxiety for her family and worried if they
came home late. She also had a fear of being burgled.
She had a severe gnawing chest pain, extending to her stomach
and right shoulder blade. She had a tendency to diarrhoea
especially after red meat or fatty foods.
Her symptoms pointed to Arsenicum and I gave her a 30c.
One month later she was able to read again and the shadow
in her vision cleared. Her fear of her home being broken into
was completely gone and although she still worried about her
family, the disturbing dreams she had had of them dying were
gone. She said she used to fear having a heart attack, but
now the chest pain was completely gone and she felt ‘great
ease’. The vertigo did not respond to the remedy, perhaps
it will take longer to clear, as it is such an old symptom.
© Mary Aspinwall
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