Post by Admin - Joy Lucas on Jun 23, 2021 6:51:03 GMT
HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA - a case
Female, 43, 2 children, teacher, average build, reddish hair. Presenting complaint - menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea
had a d/c 5 years previously - nothing adverse found
really painful and heavy periods - really bad flooding always been heavy but <<< last 5 years
pain = both dull and sharp, generally bruised sort of feeling all the time
pain goes from lower back down legs
breasts swell and feel full of blood
nipples especially feel sore
gets very tired with the loss of blood
no obvious aetiology
most of the time, in herself, she feels ok but also has periods of depression and sadness - she doesn't know why
during this time she wants to be fussed over by her family but they are always doing their own thing
she feels she gives a lot to the family and doesn't get enough back during these times
this can then make her irritable especially during her painful periods
can show her temper but it is soon over, then she feels bad about things
prefers to be alone when she feels like this
tends to get very weepy for no apparent reason
find it very hard to get any work done when she feels tired during her period
confidence generally ok although she goes through difficult times now and again - related to feeling unwell
very forgetful, can never remember dates, gets in a muddle at school with this
admires integrity in people but became quite closed when talking about this
admitted to some suspicion about homeopathy
she came across as someone somewhat aloof, haughty to a certain extent
there is a family feud going on at present which she also preferred not to talk about
nothing striking re: appetite/foods/thirst - except averse to meats
loves exercise
likes sunny weather but also loves dramatic weather feels she comes alive during winter, early spring
overall < cold when she feels unwell
doesn't like humid atmosphere at all
has ringing in her right ear - started suddenly whilst out jogging 2 years previous
often gets a nosebleed but doesn't last very long
as a child was under pressure to do well and got nervous because of this
went to a polytechnic instead of university - has a 'chip on her shoulder' because of this now
likes to do well but not very ambitious
restless sleep + dreams but can never remember them
some constipation with hard stools occasionally haemorrhoids = itchy, protrude and bleed
all pregnancies and births straightforward
family history of fibroids, arthritis, nervous breakdowns.
This is an old case of mine and a real learning curve as far as repertorisation and the use of Materia Medica. It was taken long before we had digital software for homeopathy.
I could have written the case up with more directions as to rubrics but I wanted to share the case as I saw it then and not in hindsight, so to speak.
I originally gave her Phosphorus which did nothing at all and I had no good plan as to how to go about re analysing the case as I was so convinced of Phos. Retaking a look at the case and choosing a few more rubrics still kept bringing me back to Phos. But even after changing potency and dosing nothing got better.
So instead of repertorising yet again I selected a large number of haemorrhagic remedies and set about studying them.
I was reading Phatak on Hamamelis he says "wants the respect due to me shown" and I thought "that's it" - that is exactly how she was during the times she felt depressed and at her worst. And of course the more I read the more I realised that this was her remedy. It took some time but she went on to be entirely cured of her painful and heavy periods.
But back then I thought - how do I repertorise this case? What rubrics to choose that I hadn't found before. Well this wasn't so easy either. Certainly the remedy was to be found in Haughty (she showed this emotion in her reluctance to talk about some aspects of her life and also her suspicious attitude towards Homeopathy), and also in the main physical sx rubrics, but how to find these feelings of wanting respect.
I went round the houses quite a bit using DELUSION NOT APPRECIATED, + LONGING FOR THE GOOD OPINION OF OTHERS + many of the self confidence rubrics, finally finding it in REVERENCE (she gives it and wants it back) and also now OPINIONS, EXPECTS OTHERS TO PAY RESPECT TO HERS.
So this is more about what to do when the first choice remedy doesn’t help than completely depending on software to make our job easier. It we don’t select the correct rubrics to begin with then we probably won’t cure.
That aside I think Hamamelis is a really important female remedy and worth studying in greater detail if you care to. And studying materia medica makes for good bedtime reading 😄
Female, 43, 2 children, teacher, average build, reddish hair. Presenting complaint - menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea
had a d/c 5 years previously - nothing adverse found
really painful and heavy periods - really bad flooding always been heavy but <<< last 5 years
pain = both dull and sharp, generally bruised sort of feeling all the time
pain goes from lower back down legs
breasts swell and feel full of blood
nipples especially feel sore
gets very tired with the loss of blood
no obvious aetiology
most of the time, in herself, she feels ok but also has periods of depression and sadness - she doesn't know why
during this time she wants to be fussed over by her family but they are always doing their own thing
she feels she gives a lot to the family and doesn't get enough back during these times
this can then make her irritable especially during her painful periods
can show her temper but it is soon over, then she feels bad about things
prefers to be alone when she feels like this
tends to get very weepy for no apparent reason
find it very hard to get any work done when she feels tired during her period
confidence generally ok although she goes through difficult times now and again - related to feeling unwell
very forgetful, can never remember dates, gets in a muddle at school with this
admires integrity in people but became quite closed when talking about this
admitted to some suspicion about homeopathy
she came across as someone somewhat aloof, haughty to a certain extent
there is a family feud going on at present which she also preferred not to talk about
nothing striking re: appetite/foods/thirst - except averse to meats
loves exercise
likes sunny weather but also loves dramatic weather feels she comes alive during winter, early spring
overall < cold when she feels unwell
doesn't like humid atmosphere at all
has ringing in her right ear - started suddenly whilst out jogging 2 years previous
often gets a nosebleed but doesn't last very long
as a child was under pressure to do well and got nervous because of this
went to a polytechnic instead of university - has a 'chip on her shoulder' because of this now
likes to do well but not very ambitious
restless sleep + dreams but can never remember them
some constipation with hard stools occasionally haemorrhoids = itchy, protrude and bleed
all pregnancies and births straightforward
family history of fibroids, arthritis, nervous breakdowns.
This is an old case of mine and a real learning curve as far as repertorisation and the use of Materia Medica. It was taken long before we had digital software for homeopathy.
I could have written the case up with more directions as to rubrics but I wanted to share the case as I saw it then and not in hindsight, so to speak.
I originally gave her Phosphorus which did nothing at all and I had no good plan as to how to go about re analysing the case as I was so convinced of Phos. Retaking a look at the case and choosing a few more rubrics still kept bringing me back to Phos. But even after changing potency and dosing nothing got better.
So instead of repertorising yet again I selected a large number of haemorrhagic remedies and set about studying them.
I was reading Phatak on Hamamelis he says "wants the respect due to me shown" and I thought "that's it" - that is exactly how she was during the times she felt depressed and at her worst. And of course the more I read the more I realised that this was her remedy. It took some time but she went on to be entirely cured of her painful and heavy periods.
But back then I thought - how do I repertorise this case? What rubrics to choose that I hadn't found before. Well this wasn't so easy either. Certainly the remedy was to be found in Haughty (she showed this emotion in her reluctance to talk about some aspects of her life and also her suspicious attitude towards Homeopathy), and also in the main physical sx rubrics, but how to find these feelings of wanting respect.
I went round the houses quite a bit using DELUSION NOT APPRECIATED, + LONGING FOR THE GOOD OPINION OF OTHERS + many of the self confidence rubrics, finally finding it in REVERENCE (she gives it and wants it back) and also now OPINIONS, EXPECTS OTHERS TO PAY RESPECT TO HERS.
So this is more about what to do when the first choice remedy doesn’t help than completely depending on software to make our job easier. It we don’t select the correct rubrics to begin with then we probably won’t cure.
That aside I think Hamamelis is a really important female remedy and worth studying in greater detail if you care to. And studying materia medica makes for good bedtime reading 😄