Mind symptoms and rare strange peculiar uncommon symptoms are not what you have studied or learnt but they are something different which a practitioner should learn by rote
Dr V Krishnaamurthy
[The most misunderstood topics in homoeopathy are ‘mind symptoms’ (section 213 of the Organon) and ‘uncommon-rare-strange-peculiar-symptoms’ (Section 153.) When Section 213 is read with section 153, we can conclude that we should take only those mind symptoms, which we have never heard before normally/commonly/usually in any patient.]
‘Mind Symptoms’ (for selecting the remedy) are not what the readers have heard or read but they are, in reality, something different.
Again, most of the valuable ‘mind’ or ‘uncommon’ symptoms cannot be classified under any head in the repertories and we have to learn them by rote. (‘Rote’ means mechanical or habitual repetition). Therefore, in many cases (if not all cases), homoeopathic softwares are of no use.
The following actual treated cases would give the reader a clear and accurate meaning of ‘mind symptoms’ and ‘uncommon symptoms’ in a matter-of-fact way. Dr. Hahnemann advises that without prescribing on mind symptoms a cure is not possible (Section 213 of the Organon.) ‘Anger’ ‘restlessness’ etc. are ‘common’ symptoms of mind. ‘When Section 213 is read with Section 153, we infer that we have to prescribe on ‘uncommon mind symptoms.’
Case 1: A renal failure patient under dialysis and waiting for kidney transplant was under our treatment. In the mean time, he got one kidney transplanted from a donor. In kidney transplant, after a few years, the donor kidney stops functioning. After transplant, he was heard saying, “Now I feel as if I am released from prison . . .” This he said because he is now freed from the torturing and exhausting bi-weekly dialysis, taking rest, body becoming weak etc.
This mental picture of the patient should at once bring to our mind the following:
…desire to be released from what seems to be a perpetual burden of sorrow… (See HOMOEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS by Dr. Lilienthal, page 698)
We gave Ignatia-10M and his other kidney started functioning normally.
Case 2: A patient with weeping eczema said, “Doctor, I am not taking the treatment to live long. However, I have an aged daughter to be married off and a son who is looking out for a job. Who would come forward to marry my daughter, if I have a weeping eczema? Only because of that, I want to be cured. Before I die, I want to settle things in my family, my daughter getting married and son getting a job. Then I can die peacefully.”
Under the homoeopathic remedy Petroleum (Boericke’s Materia Medica), we find the following:
Feels that death is near, and must hurry to settle affairs.
Now, this sentence fits in approximately with the remarks made by the above eczema patient. This remedy was given in 10M potency, one single dose and it cured him.
Precision and versatility is the culture of homoeopathy!
Case 3: A peptic ulcer patient’s condition worsened day by day and allopathic antacids were giving only temporary relief. At the height of his suffering (hunger pain with burning sensation in the food pipe, temporarily relieved by eating) he was heard saying, “I think that my end is approaching; I must call the lawyer to write the will; that this hotel of mine should go to my wife; money deposited in the bank is for my son. My widowed sister who has been living with me for several years and helping me should take the house which I bought recently.”
This mind picture fits with the remarks made by the patient in case No. 2 above. One single dose of Petroleum-10M cured this patient as well. We do not prescribe on names of disease or pathology but on ‘uncommon’ symptoms having no connection with pathology.
The above case No. 2 and 3 above would show the reader that one and the same remedy might be called for in different persons with different diseases.
Case 4: A seventy-year old carpenter was under my treatment for skin complaint. During one of his visits, his 48-year old son accompanied him. The latter was coughing with chest congestion etc. The carpenter told his son; “Why don’t you also take treatment from this doctor? See how much I have improved, whereas the three doctors whom I consulted earlier could not do anything in my case.”
To this, the son told: “The new house where I shifted has no ‘raasi.’” (‘Raasi’ in Tamil means luck). In other words, the person feels that everything was going wrong ever since he started living in a particular house. Therefore, that house has no raasi. On the other hand, a person feels that ever since he bought and started using a car, nothing went right. He attributes his sufferings, failures, difficulties etc. to that vehicle. I hope the reader would understand this. The son continued, “Even the new work place where I am going daily, is not having raasi (or has no good luck.)”
The other word to describe ‘raasi’ would be ‘sentimental’ or ‘luck’. The carpenter’s son was not ready to take treatment from me only because he felt that the house and the work place is the cause of his respiratory complaints.
I gave him one dose of a remedy telling him to take that and he need not pay me any fees. He took it. (Later I learnt that he was completely cured.).
Can any homoeopath tell me what remedy I gave the patient?
‘Mind’ Symptoms: Superiority of Lilienthal:
Read the remedy Staphisagria in the chapter Melancholia in Lilienthal. (page 701) There we find the following:
Inwardly gnawing grief and anger, he looks at everything from the darkest side. . . disinclination to work and think; dread of the future and dread of being constantly pursued. . . a sorrowfulness ending in paralysis of the intellect. . .
The shortcut to cure patients (with least number of doses/remedies) is homoeopathy. The shortcut to find the similimum is Lilienthal. Again, the shortcut to Lilienthal is ‘Mind symptoms” contained in the chapter “Melancholia” (page 693 to 703) in Lilienthal.
The enthusiastic reader would be eager to know how I selected this remedy for the above case.
(Kent’s Repertory—Mind)
(a)Reproaches others (blaming the house and work place.)
(b)Sentimental.
I wrote down the remedies common to both the above rubrics and read them in the chapter Melancholia in Lilienthal. Staphisagria suited the symptoms of the case.
Case 5: A woman of forty-two came with a large calculus in her urinary bladder. She said that allopathic doctors advised surgery but she declined to undergo it. She continued that she had already undergone two caesarean sections and one appendicectomy; after each one of these surgeries, her general health ran down. Therefore, she could not afford deterioration of health any further with another surgery and she had to safeguard her health for the remaining period of her life. Under the remedy Nux vomica (in the chapter Melancholia in Lilienthal (p. 700), we find the following:
Afraid he might not have enough to live on. . .
Nux-vomica-1M, one single dose was given in the evening. The very next morning the calculi came out in tiny pieces and her general health improved in a month.
Case 6: A chronic renal failure patient came to me with a few relatives, most of whom being allopathic doctors. They showed me a file containing the medical papers of the patient. After this, one by one, the relatives went out.
The patient was still sitting. He said, “Doctor, my sons say that I am sick and so I should not ride bicycle, go out and do our business. They say they will do everything and ask me to sit at home taking rest. As my children, they should only tell me that I am all right and would recover soon. But instead of encouraging me for speedy recovery they have branded me as a permanent and incurable patient.” [The reader may note here that in most cases the ‘uncommon’ symptom (on which we can make a prescription) is told by the patient at the end of the consultation, or, in some cases, after you have made the prescription! (In yet a few cases, during the second or subsequent consultations!)
This patient feels that his sons, instead of encouraging, are letting him down. What one requires from his relatives is not money nor help but moral support. In this case, the patient feels that this is completely missing.
This symptom we find in two remedies. They are
“ . . . a feeling of moral deficiency…” – Kali brom.
“. . . despondency, sadness, moral depression and relaxation…” – Tarentula hisp. [See Lilienthal, page 698 and702)]
Tarentula hispania 10M – single dose cured him.
Dr. Samuel Lilienthal, M.D.
Case 7: A woman of fifty-five, schoolteacher was under my treatment for three months for sinusitis with little relief. Seeing no relief in spite of three visits, I told her that a certain acupressure doctor would come and give just 3-minute treatment once only and for this, she need not pay any fees and I assured total relief. That acupressure doctor comes to my clinic on Sundays only and so I asked her to come on a Sunday. To this, she replied, “I have to come all the way… from … (her residence.)”
During the earlier three visits, she would come to me in the morning before going to her school that is near to my clinic. Sunday is holiday for school and she feels it an ordeal to come for acupressure treatment all… the… way from her residence thirteen kilometres away.
It is hesitation. I told her that she need not pay any fees for the one-time acupressure and 100% cure was assured. Therefore, travelling thirteen kilometres will not be a crime. However, to do this she has hesitation.
Only if the readers actually listen to the patient’s reply, he may not understand this. Let me explain and elaborate on this.
Suppose you are asked by your teacher to murder a certain person. What would be your reaction? Immediately you would reply as under: “Sir, I… have to…” (The sentence would be incomplete. Because you have hesitation because doing this job would prick your conscience.)
In the above said case, for merely travelling ten kilometres they have lot of hesitation as if I am asking them to do something immoral. In other words, they are over conscious of a trivial thing. The apt term would be “Conscientious scruples.” This symptom is in the remedy Arsenicum album. [See Lilienthal page 694.]
Let us repeat, that uncommon mind symptom may be in most cases one only, and the computer-software or ‘remedy finders’ are of no use. One single dose of Arsenicum Album-10M completely cured the patient.
Case 8: This is a cancer patient and after the consultation was over, I asked my fees of six thousand rupees. To this he replied, “Money… is…” (The sentence was incomplete and hesitation was as if they are asked to do some immoral act.) He should say that either he has no money or that he would try to borrow from relatives. However, he does neither. Ars. Alb-10M, one single dose cured this patient.
The above cases would illustrate the meaning and interpretation of mind symptoms of a patient. In some cases, the repertory or software is not useful and we have to learn by rote these uncommon mind symptoms.
The above two cases are quoted here to illustrate that if the practitioner can memorise the symptoms of various remedies given in the chapter Melancholia in Lilienthal, he would be able to select the remedy in more than fifty percent of cases that too at the very first attempt.
What is most disappointing is that no one talks about Dr. Lilienthal’s work, be it in seminar papers, monthly meetings or articles in journals.
Said Dr. Charles Gatchell in a review of HOMOEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS, “… it is an extraordinarily useful book and those who add it to their library will never feel regret…”
In a review, Samuel A. Jones said about Lilienthal’s as under:
“For the fresh graduate this book will be invaluable… to the older one who says he has no use of this book, we have nothing to say. He is a good one to avoid when well, and to dread when ill.”
The authors who have correctly and elaborately written mind symptoms are:
(1) Dr. Samuel Lilienthal
(2) Calvin B. Knerr’s Repertory.
(3) Dr. Constantine Hering (Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica 10 volumes) [Only the useful portions from this 10-volume have been taken out by the author and compiled in one volume with the title Wilkinson’s Mat. Medica.]
(4) Dr. William Boericke (Mat. Medica)
Wilkinson’s too is good at mind symptoms. How to master mind symptoms with Hering?
After having selected a remedy and having seen that it has cured the patient with one single dose, read that remedy in the Chapter ‘Mind’. If you do it two or three times for a remedy, fourth time when that remedy-type patient comes in, you can straightaway prescribe that.
For example, I would never miss Lycopodium and Nux vomica for patients, most of whom throw the following symptoms:
Lycopodium:
·(Wilkinson’s) – Talks with an air of command. Manner stiff and pretentious.
Nux vomica:
·(Boericke’s Mat. Med.) – …particular, careful, zealous… fiery temperament.
·(Wilkinson’s) – Desire to talk about one’s conditions with anxious reflections about it. (The patient comes in, sits and turning his face to one side, stares at the roof and tells his complaints in the past-present chronological order. He continues to stare at the ceiling until he finishes the history of his complaints till date.)
Sometimes, you have to read the entire symptoms under Mind in all the remedies to select a remedy for a patient. (For this, I use Lilienthal, Boericke’s Materia Medica and Wilkinson’s). Once you find the remedy, subsequent cases requiring that remedy becomes easy.
I am not reporting here cases with their follow-up but my attempt is to tell the reader how and what exactly homoeopathic practice is. As one cannot learn swimming without getting into water or driving a car without sitting on the wheels, so also without actual cases on hand one cannot learn homoeopathy. To that extent only, I am quoting actual
cases as seen in my clinic.
Case 9: A patient with chronic headache, after spending much money with various doctors in vain, came to me. After finishing the history of his seven years’ pain in head, he ended up saying: “Doctor, if you or anyone can cure me of this terrible headache, I would give away half of my wealth (worth three millions) to that doctor.”
Doctors of all other systems would simply ignore this statement of the patient.
If a patient is ready to pay 1.5 million… I thought over this. I took this as a challenge to homoeopathy. I asked him to first pay me ten thousand rupees and give me two weeks’ time and I further asked him that if he is cured he might pay me another ten thousand rupees. He agreed and paid me ten thousand.
I went to a professor of English and requesting for a help; handing over to him a copy of Boericke’s Materia Medica I requested that he has to read the lines given only under the chapter ‘Mind’ in all the remedies in Boericke’s Mat. Med. and underline if any relevant line is found equivalent to the statement of a person who says that he would pay half of his wealth if his headache were cured (and this would take a few days, working for two hours daily). I paid him five thousand rupees (which the professor said is more than sufficient for the work.)
To another professor of English I gave a copy of Wilkinson’s Mat. Medica and paying him the remaining five thousand rupees, requested him to do the job of reading the lines given only under the chapter ‘Mind’ in all the remedies (and this too would take a few days, working for three hours daily) and to tell me if he finds anything equivalent to the above said statement of the headache patient.
The first professor (using Boericke’s) could not find anything apt. However, the second professor underlined the following lines in the remedy Stillingia (under ‘Mind’ in Wilkinson’s).
“Deplorably downhearted; suffering extreme torture from bone pains.”
Stillingia 1000, one single dose cured the patient and he paid me another ten thousands. Precision and versatility is the culture of Homoeopathy. After this case, I cured two more patients (having different complaints) with Stillingia both of whom said the above words (ready to give his entire wealth to the doctor who cures him).
Diligence and knowledge of English language, both to the core, are required to practise homoeopathy.
The above two cases would illustrate the reader how rich, exact and accurate (and complete) our existing materia medicas are. Thus and therefore, what is needed is not any ‘research’ but exact mastery of the use of five reference books viz., Lilienthal, William Boericke, J.T. Kent, Wilkinson’s and Knerr (and more importantly Yingling, for medical emergencies at the time of labor or abortion.)
Case 10: Here is another case of headache. This 55-year old male patient remarked: “Doctor, all these years I have been having these pains; my sufferings are such extreme that no amount of compensation would be equal to it. Even if you make me the President of all the nations in the world, which would not be a sufficient compensation.” I told him the same condition, which I put to the patient in the earlier case. After taking ten thousand rupees I went to the two English professors, one with Boericke and the other with Wilkinson’s Mat. Medica. In this case the professor going through Boericke’s Mat. Medica could help me. He pointed to the following found under the remedy Selenium.
“Extreme sadness. Abject despair, uncompromising melancholy.”
Selenium 10M, one dose cured the patient and he paid me ten thousand rupees.
Myth and reality of ‘mind symptoms.’
In some cases, Calvin B. Knerr’s repertory is excellent to work out cases with mind symptoms.
Case 11: The other day I was sitting by the side of a senior homoeopath in his clinic. A patient entered and asked, “Do you have medicine for diabetes?”
Doctor: Yes, tell me your symptoms.
Patient: (Stretching his hand towards the doctor) “see my pulse; give medicine.”
[The tone of the patient was in a commanding note similar to the olden days king of a country, who, when anything is required would order, “Bring the head of the thief in two hours.”]
The doctor turned towards me and said, “See doctor, these patients don’t tell symptoms. How can I prescribe?” That doctor always thinks of ‘sensation’ ‘location’ ‘modality’ ‘concomitant.’ I took Calvin B. Knerr’s repertory to him and showed the following:
MIND, Answers, imperiously: Lycopodium.
Further, I showed him the following from Wilkinson’s Mat. Medica under the remedy Lycopodium:
“Talks with an air of command. . . manner stiff and pretentious.”
Lycopodium 10M, one single dose, cured the patient.
Let us reiterate the following:
Homoeopathy is a system where the patient himself (by way of some words or actions or as a reaction to his disease or treatment or attitude towards the doctor) indicates the remedy to us.
Homoeopathy is practical and practical only and there is no place for any theory, imagination, etc.
Among pharmacologically oriented systems of therapeutics, homoeopathy will ever remain supreme to cure patients with the least number of medicines/doses. For example, we have cured lakhs of chikungunya patients completely and permanently with one single dose of the homoeo medicine called Polyporus officianale-200.
Why is Polyporus officinale (Boletus Laricis) almost a specific for chikungunya disease? With crippling joint pains, many chikungunya victims were virtually crawling to go to the toilet etc. Their face was gloomy.
Knerr’s Repertory—Mind—Gloomy, ague, in: Bol-la (Polyporus officinale).
How did Lilienthal help me to find the remedy for the present day pandemic swine flu?
Those who had died in hospitals with swine flu had lung failure; the nearest rubric (for purposes of selecting the homoeo remedy) for this is ‘pneumonia.’ In Samuel Lilienthal’s HOMOEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS (in the chapter PNEUMONIA,) under two remedies, viz., Merc-sol. and Ferrum met. we find the following words: “epidemic pneumonia.” The two remedies were studied in the materia medicas and Merc-sol. agreed with most of the symptoms than Ferrum met.
Patients who had come to me after being tested positive for swine flu were given ONLY ONE SINGLE PILL of the remedy Merc-sol-10M, and in just an hour all their symptoms disappeared and after a week when they tested, the result was negative. (Rate of success: 99%).
One of the best shortcuts to homoeopathic practice (to select the remedy—the similimum) is Dr. Samuel Lilienthal’s Homoeopathic Therapeutics. (Drop the symptom in Lilienthal and you get the remedy!) Dr. Lilienthal is our uncrowned king among authors of indispensable reference books in day-to-day practice.
“Uncommon-Rare-Strange-Peculiar” symptoms are not what the readers have learnt but they are, in reality, something different, which you have to learn by rote.
Case 12: A patient came in with pain in the femoral part of urethra and backache. It was worse while riding a two-wheeler. He showed his hospital discharge report wherefrom we noted the following points:
Hydroureteronephrosis—Left kidney;
pain in femoral part of urethra;
pain in sacral region.
His complaint (pathology) is in ureter but he has pain in femoral part of urethra and sacrum. This is something rare-strange-peculiar. Under the remedy Belladonna (Wilkinson’s Materia Medica), we find the following: “Inflammation of internal organs… The inflammation… runs in radii as it extends to adjacent parts.”
(Femoral part of urethra and sacrum are more or less at equal distance from his left ureter). Belladonna-10M, single dose, cured him.
Case 13: Two years after the above case, a woman came to me for cervical spondylitis. These patients get pain normally in the neck extending to head or one upper limb. Strangely, this patient complained of pain in both shoulder tips. (Both shoulder tips are at the same distance away from the cervical vertebra.) Belladonna-10M, single dose cured her.
Case 14: Let us now examine what ‘uncommon symptoms’ mean: Some of the most useful uncommon physical symptoms cannot be classified under any head in the repertory or homoeo software and so it is better to learn them by rote.
For example, under the remedy Ignatia (Boericke Mat. Med.) we find the words great contradictions. A haemorrhoid patient said at the end of the consultation: [Remember, in most cases, after the narration is over and after a pause, the patient leans forward towards you and with wide-open eyes (exclaims)] “Doctor… one thing. Everyone says that pain, bleeding etc. in piles would increase while straining when constipated; but my case is different. I do not get pain or bleeding whenever I strain during constipation. But during loose bowel movement I get both burning and bleeding.”
The contradictory symptom is both ways. Hence, Dr. William Boericke writes under the remedy Ignatia in his Mat. Medica, in plural: “Great contradictions.” Ignatia-10M, single dose, given in the morning, cured this patient.
Case 15: The parents brought a schoolchild of twelve. The mother started talking: “Doctor, he has to leave the house for school at 9:30 in the morning. He gets up at 6:00 a.m. At 7:30 a.m., he becomes so restless—jumps, cries etc. This would last for half-an-hour. Then this disappears; it is followed by 3-4 times loose bowel movement. After that, he becomes completely all right and goes to school. This has been going on daily for the last six months.”
In this case, the following should come to our mind:
“Symptoms disposed to appear periodically and in groups… ”
The above lines are found in the remedy Cuprum met. (Boericke’s Materia Medica.) This remedy cured the patient in one single dose.
Among pharmacologically oriented system of therapeutics, homoeopathy will ever remain supreme. Our system is thorough, exhaustive and accurate. Precision and versatility is its culture.
Case 16: Mr. N. 57 years reported: “Doctor, daily morning I get headache; in the afternoon, after lunch I have distension of abdomen, gastric troubles. In the night I get terrible pain in the leg…”
Repertory is of no use in this case. The case is very simple. His symptom is to be classified as follows: Aggravation of head symptoms in the morning; abdomen in the afternoon and legs in the night.”
Under the remedy Ammonium mur. (Boericke’s Mat. Med.) the following is found:
Its periods of aggravations are peculiarly divided as to the bodily region affected; thus the head and chest symptoms are worse mornings, the abdominal in the afternoon, the pains in the limbs, the skin and febrile symptoms, in the evenings.
Single dose of Amm-mur-10M cured him.
Case 17: A patient consulted me for constipation. Laxatives and purgatives were said to be of no use. He further said that for several years, he had been taking daily anticonvulsant drug for epilepsy.
The following symptom under the remedy Opium (in Wilkinson’s Materia Medica) agrees with this case:
“…Increased excitability and action in voluntary muscles, with diminution of it in involuntary muscles…”
When the intestine is full with faeces, urging is not felt (involuntary muscles.) In the instant case, these muscles are not functioning. Movement of limbs is controlled by voluntary muscles and he gets convulsions in them (increased irritability and action).
Opium-10M, given in one single dose, cured his constipation and he was asked to stop anticonvulsant drugs; he did so and to his surprise convulsions did not appear.
Case 18: A patient showed his right leg with ulcer. He got injury a few months earlier but so far, it did not heal in spite of best medical treatment. After a pause, the patient continued, “Doctor, ever since the accident I feel numbness in my right upper arm and I am unable to use it freely. Has this non-healing of wound in my leg anything to do with numbness in my arm? But my arm was not hurt in the accident.”
We say that homoeopathy is a system of medicine where the patient tells or indicates the remedy to us. In Wilkinson’s Materia Medica, the following sentence under the remedy Pulsatilla agrees with this case:
… depression of vital power on one side
and increased irritability on the other;
Pulsatilla-10M, one single dose, cured both the ulcer on the leg and numbness of the arm.
Though not relevant to the topic, of this paper I cannot but quote here the name of our uncrowned emperor among authors of indispensable and best reference book. It is The Accoucheur’s Emergency Manual by Dr. W. A. Yingling. However, this is a fantastic work while treating pregnant women, whether abortion or labor or post-partum haemorrhage. Also for the infant within twenty-fours after birth. Caesarean would go out of terminology in more than 70 to 90% of cases if you prescribe with the use of this book.
Dr. V. Krishnaamurthy
E-mail: jaykrish1966@gmail.com
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