Case n°1: Induration of the skin of the back of the foot
Following a fright, the patient had a pain to one tooth, followed gradually by swelling of the dorsum of the right foot, the skin of which became thick and hard but remained white. Pitting edema. The swelling made it difficult to bend the foot and walk. She had experienced pain in her right leg in the past, suggesting the after-effects of an old phlebitis. Repertorisation with Homeorep gives Lycopodium as the leading remedy. There are no other symptoms to note. One has a purely local symptom, painless, with no concomitant to the rest of the body. The “constitutional” remedy of this patient is Sulphur, but Sulphur doesn’t work. I trust the repertory and decide to give Lycopodium 30c, 3 granules in a single dose dry under the tongue. The curative reaction begins 3 days later and the back of the foot returns to normal within a few weeks. Below is the evaluation grid provided by Homeorep:
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6 months later, the same stress had the same effect, but this time on the left foot !! There is no longer any doubt about the indication of Lycopodium. I could never have found Lycopodium at first attempt using another repertory.
Case n°2: Pain of the back of the foot
For several weeks now, the patient has had a cramp-like pain of the back of her left foot. The pain is improved by moving the foot and aggravated by walking outdoors. No pain when walking indoors; pain comes as soon as she goes outside.
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Sepia comes in first by a narrow margin. I later learn that the pain is improved especially when climbing stairs. It confirms the choice of Sepia, which clearly stands out in the chart below. Silicea is contraindicated, Lycopodium and Rhus toxicodendron are doubly contraindicated.
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After taking Sepia 30c, one single dose dry, the pain disappears within 2-3 days.
Case n°3: Grasping at the back of the head
In the afternoon sense of grasping pressure in the occiput internally accompanied by depression. Nervous exhaustion with constant need to lie down. A sighing respiration from time to time. Ignatia comes in first in the evaluation grid bellow. Ignatia 30c, a single dose dry, cures in a few days.
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Case n°4: Cough ameliorated lying
Here is the rare example of a case where the heading remedy given by the repertorisation seems contraindicated but nevertheless proves to be a possible remedy when looking up in the Materia Medica.
Patient with coryza that has lasted for several weeks. Mucus dripping in the throat from the back of the nose causes coughing. Throat is sore after coughing. Expectoration of white mucus. Coughing stops when lying down, a modality for cough which is not as frequent as its contrary (60/205 remedies in the Complete Repertory 2023). Sore spot on one side of the throat just above the larynx. She can’t stand anything around the neck. A sore spot in the back in the middle of the bra.
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Sepia comes in first but is contraindicated (shaded background) in the grid above. Can it nevertheless be the right remedy ? The rubric Aggravation while lying has a grade 3, meaning Sepia appears in many symptoms aggravated while lying, its counter-rubric Amelioration while lying has grade 1 but not 0, important difference meaning there exist one, perhaps a few symptoms of Sepia ameliorated while lying. One has to look up in the Materia Medica to decide.
In T.F. Allen‘s Encyclopedia one finds 3 symptoms for cough aggravated while lying and a single symptom for cough ameliorated while lying: “Dry day cough, which necessitate lying down, and during which it stops; at night while lying no cough, but dry coryza.“
Sepia 30c, a single dose dry, cures quickly. The contraindication was relative but not absolute.
Remedies with low degrees 1 and 2, which can be found in different localisations, sensations or modalities, should not be overlooked. Remedies with high degrees 3 and 4 can allow combination to form complete virtual symptoms with respectively a high and very high probability of existence. The use of the Medical Materia is therefore not systematic.
Case n°5 : Tarsal canal syndrome
Many years after a severe sprain of the left ankle, the lateral malleolus shows considerable bony swelling. A constant pain occurs in the bones, like a fine prick, shooting and rhythmic, > when walking long outdoors.
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After Calcarea carbonica 30c, a single dose of 3 granules under the tongue, it takes 2-3 days for the pain to disappear, but it will take many months to resolve the hypertrophy of this ankle and regain the appearance of the right ankle. This case was, you may say, not difficult to solve, and many homeopaths would have given Calcarea carbonica without consulting a book, solely on the basis of their clinical experience. Yet, the repertorisation tells us an important clinical information: Calcarea carbonica has an amelioration of neuralgic pains by walking outdoors (it is maybe an amelioration from the protracted motion of the affected part).
Case n°6: Lumbago
When lifting a small tree branch, I feel a slight electric pain in my lumbar spine. A lumbar pain gradually develops. This pain is aggravated when getting up from a seat and during the first few steps of walking. I have then to walk bent forward. The pain improves when lying on my back on the floor.
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After taking Rhus tox 30C, 3 granules dry under the tongue, the pain subsides within a few hours and has disappeared by the next morning.