Nineteen month infant

Initial trust building process He is usually shy Learning new words Loves putting his hand in the fish bowl He is an easy going kid 5:25 Mostly a happy kid Does not scream, just whines a bit

Expressions of happiness Plays games with me Crawls and expects me crawl and catch him Hundreds of kisses, drools and we wrestle Does not like being smooched on the lips Very easy going Very careful getting off from his cycle

More on personality Day care attendants say he is not a physical boy He loves playing in the water during bath 9:54 So water figures a lot-hand in the fish bowl, bath time…? Yes. But he does not like his hair to be washed or cut

Say more He plays with his hair a lot(HG) energy high In what way? Its comforting for him. He plays with the top of his hair a lot Say more about this He plays with my hair too. There is a woman at the day care with curly hair. He does not know what to do with it! I do that a lot with my hair too

Smooth, silky feel He likes the smooth, silky feel Whenever I get him back from the day care he holds my hand with his free hand Apart from hair, is there anything else of the same kind of texture that he likes to feel? The cat, stuffed toys and finger puppets

Mothers habit I have also found touching my hair very comforting When do you do this? When I am tired. Ever since I was a kid. What is the sensation when you do that? 15:57 Smooth and soft. Like it when it is wet and cold to touch, like now-Demo

More on sensation Its like putting your hand in a shallow stream with moss in it, as the water passes through the fingers Feeling the moss or the water? Feeling the moss and the water as the moss does not pass through your fingers

Moss sensation Soft, slimy and cold Say more on soft, slimy and cold Like an ice cube but not that harsh (Here is a block. Right time for a doodle) Can you do a doodle while you experience this sensation?

Doodle 1-Plant under water Talk about this It is a plant that is underwater Soft, like when it flows back and forth(HG) and high energy 20:36 Glimpse of doodle Do the action of back and forth

Demo of back and forth Talk of this gesture and sensation It is a plant in a stream of water. It is rooted but the water makes it go back and forth 21:32 How strong is it rooted? Not incredibly strong. But strong enough that the water cannot pull it. But if you pulled at it, it would come out easily. That kind of a root system

Root system Say more about its root system It is anchored in something that is soft. Like a clay bed or the bottom of a river bed. Sort of bushy I imagine something like clay where it can have roots that are deep enough(HG)

Relationship with child We are well connected Its like after 2 guesses, I know why he is upset There is an ebb and a flow(HG) His needs and my response to it Say more on ebb and flow and this HG It is like a conversation without words Like our souls talking to each other

Ebb and flow probe and doodle Visualize ebb and flow and say more 27:13 Can you do a doodle again while experiencing this sensation Doodle 2 Its like when you sit on a rocking chair A sideways rocking chair(HG) As I am doing it, I feel like I am moving sideways

Sensation explored It is comforting, relaxing and reminds me of sleeping In what way? Its a nice way to go to sleep Like lying on a hammock It is warm and comforting Warm in your core

Say more It radiates from the core Out, like the sun Like when you put paint inside a glass of water and the way it disperses(HG) 30:15 Did you feel the same sensation of being well connected even when he was in the womb? No. Exactly the opposite

Talk on the opposite (The opposite are 2 sides of the same coin. While probing that, the inner sensation is derived more easily) My husband left me when I was 5 months pregnant There was a total disconnect I did not want to be in my own skin anymore Even when he was born, I did not look at him He was going to complicate my life

Trapped 31:54 You feel kind of trapped(HG) with maximum energy Talk about that sensation Like you are just suffocating Talk about trapped and suffocated Its like you are underneath water and you cant get to the top A sensation of everything being close and tight There was a total disconnect from my child. That is how I felt then. Now I like him a lot

Strait jacket Like as if you are stuck in a small, confined space (When the words as if are used to describe a sensation, one is very close to the vital sensation) (I often use it as a form of a question if there is difficulty on part of the patient in elaborating their inner sensation) (It is good to be familiarized with Roberts- Sensation As If and keep it handy for reference)

Stuck, confined and suffocated Like being in a pipe Like having a strait jacket on Your arms are like this(HG) You cant move them Your rib cage cant expand You cant take a good breath Taking little breaths to survive

Black cloud Can you say how you felt when your husband left you? I was desperately upset (The miasm is getting confirmed as the remedy should be close to one that feels desperate) But 2 wks before I had him, there was a tremendous, paralyzing fear It was like a black cloud that follows you everywhere

Black cloud explored It was dark and cold Its like you have dug a really black hole in your backyard It is cold down there It was a feeling of heaviness There was a trapped and suffocated sensation Yet I just did not want to get out of it

No energy I was so low I did not have the energy to even try to get out Earlier I wanted to get out At this point I had no more energy left (Here the Tubercular miasm is getting confirmed) The desperation indicated a miasm close to the Cancer miasm earlier

Paralyzing fear I recall not being able to function well I was weeping but could not think I would lie to people as I did not want to go out or meet anyone I wanted to be alone by myself I felt desperate I had imagined how my life would be with a partner and I did not have that now

50:12 Chief complaint One needs to be flexible with the chief complaint especially in children Once the vital sensation and link if any is established, the chief complaint is understood better However, if the emphasis of the case is on the chief complaint from the beginning, it is always better to probe that fully and then proceed to confirm the other levels

Ear infections With each cold that he gets, it goes into his ears and there is high fever and he is pain He does not scream with pain but gets irritable He has to be held then and caressed There is a green nasal discharge and he loses his appetite His cough wakes him up He has had 6 antibiotics in the past 6 months

More on child He does not like his upper arms to be touched 58:00 Incident of someone holding him by the arms and picking him He howled when that was done He is very sensitive to his environment He senses it when his father comes home He stops and stares if he hears a baby crying or people fighting

Confirmation at all levels Have you had problems with your periods? No. Except that they came when I was 15 Any muscle or joint related issues? No. In fact I play a lot of sport so my physical fitness is very good Any other illness for you that involves pain? I have IBS since many years

IBS and childhood It is anxiety and anticipation related Anxiety of not reaching the bathroom in time So travelling becomes difficult Being in a car for long was a problem I would anticipate trouble I was a happy child Well organized and perfect

Plant sensitivity I was always nice to people Now I am more selective as I dont have the energy I am sensitive 1:14:48 Poem- harpoon striking the whale I started to cry while relating this poem It was very embarrassing

Pain and IBS There is a lot of pain It is like an intestinal knotting Like a rope with a bunch of knots in it It gets tighter and it releases Like an old rope that prickles in a painful way Like poking your hand in a porcupine It is a sharp pain that causes me to double over

Understanding of the case

Ranunculaceae and Tubercular The plant sensitivity has been established The sharp pains take you to the Ranunculaceae family The opposite of sharp is also seen in the form of soft and silky(hair) earlier The trapped and suffocated confirms the Tubercular miasm

Link in mother and child The confirmation and link between the mother and child is seen in the child in the form of love for water, feel of soft things Also the aversion to being held by the arms in the child and the strait jacket experience in the mother Their acutely sensitive natures

Cimicifuga The feeling of being encaged and bound tightly emerges in this remedy The green nasal discharges once again confirms the Tubercular miasm to which the remedy belongs The love for outdoor and sport along with the suffocation in the mother The need to wander about in the child once he feels comfortable His own sensitivity to the suffering of others

Working of case and themes

Themes Soft hair is comforting(entry point) Moss in water sensation Description of a plant in water- (Actea racemosa is often found in wet, marshy and forest land) Strong connection Ebb and flow Conversation without words 2 souls talking to each other

Plant Sensitivity Acute sensitivity of a plant Plant that has strong roots But would come up if pulled Anchored into a river bed Ebb and flow Connect and disconnect

Plant family? Could be Malvales Connect and disconnect But further probing leads to trapped Suffocation due to feeling trapped Strait jacket

Euphorbiaceae? The sensation here is tied as if hide bound It also brings inflexibility, adherent quality and unyielding nature- like a dried up tight mask Our patient is highly sensitive to his external environment. He senses it when his father comes home and becomes very quiet

Sensitivity of the mother I was always nice to people Now I am more selective as I dont have the energy She is giving examples of crying while reading a poem of a harpoon striking the whale, where the harpoon is again a sharp metal weapon like a spear with a pointed tip piercing the whale

Sharp and its opposite soft Regarding her IBS, though she is talks of a rope, she says it prickles in a painful way, as if you are poking your hand in a porcupine, again which has pointed thorns The opposite in the form of softness is also very prominent So this again confirms the sharp pains of Ranunculaceae

Strait jacket expanded Arms are stuck Rib cage cannot expand Little breaths to survive Trapped and suffocated Inability to move Like stuck in a pipe or a confined space

Black cloud depression This depression is so great that everything in Actea looks covered with a death - like pall She feels as if a heavy black cloud has settled over her and enveloped her head, so that all were darkness and confusion.

Some references from Materia Medica As may be easily imagined this patient is sad and morose. There is a great abundance of sighing as in Ignatia. Mental depressions sometimes take the form of suicidal mania. She is constantly afraid of becoming crazy and we notice that she has to exert great control to prevent her from committing suicide.

Rubrics and references Delusions, imaginations: clouds: enveloped her, heavy black. Delusions, imaginations: wires, is caught in. Sharp, lancinating pains in various parts Courage to confront rather than retreat from abusive or threatening situations Being caught in relationships or lifestyle which are abusive, addictive, violent; dark, brooding emotions

Ranunculaceae This understanding takes us to the Ranunculaceae family The acute sensitivity with pains that are sharp and lancinating are very suggestive It is as if their nerves are hypersensitive Themes of insult and being humiliated

Tubercular miasm Suffocation Oppression Desire freedom Outdoor and sports Ear infections with discharges Running out of time A very useful drug for more or less superficial conditions - though it has also a reputation in phthisis.

Ranunculaceae+Tubercular Oppressed and suffocated in a place that is insulting and humiliating and needs to get out from there is the main essence of the case

Black snake root. Black Cohosh. (Canada, Georgia, Western States of America.) N. O. Ranunculaceae. Tincture of the root. The emphasis in the case was a plant with strong roots The snake root as mentioned above, is prepared from the root of the plant

Habitat and History This plant grows in rich, open woods, and along the edges of fields, but especially noticeable on newly cleared hill-sides. Black cohosh was a favourite remedy among all tribes of the aborigines, being largely used by them in rheumatism, disorders of menstruation, and slow parturition. It was also used as a remedy against the bites of venomous snakes

Vital sensation The overpowering gloom, suspicion, suicidal tendencies, illusions of animals are the chief guides. Act. r. has "sees rats and mice." "Rats" may serve to connect the mental symptoms with another symptom which has been called the "rat" symptom of Act. r. - "Gnawing at the epigastrium as from rats

Co-relation of state: Mother & Child Smooth and silky feel Water Sensitivity Wandering and outdoor Painful conditions Need for space

Plan Cimicifuga 200 one dose a month for 4 months Stop dose if significant improvement seen As per energy level the potency could be higher but my experience and the fact that it is long distance management, a 200 C can show significant results without the least chance of a aggravation especially if repeated once a month in a pathology case. Also, a higher potency can always be given later according to the response to the 200

FU Within 1 ½ month of treatment and 2 doses of 200 C the child got an acute upper respiratory infection. I had instructed them to contact me which the supervisors did. The mother informed the supervisor that this time the attack was much milder than the previous ones. It was decided to wait for 48 hrs.

One option was to give the 200 in water and repeat frequently. This was not done and we decided to wait as the acute was not that bad. This indicated that the previous dose action was continuing and a dose at this time would interfere with its action. Our judgment was correct as the child settled in 2 days time.

Since then the child continues to be well. He has had no ear infections or high fever. After 4 doses he has been on no medication. But he continues to be under close observation. The chances are that he will need higher potencies at some stage. But that stage has not been indicated as yet.

This case again shows the relevance of the parents state and its co-relation with the child. There are cases where the child may need the remedy of the father too. There are cases where the child may need a separate remedy. There may be state that the child may have transmitted to the mother and that in turn was reflected as a temporary state seen in the mother during pregnancy.

Vital sensation and energy level This case also highlights how one can reach the vital sensation with the aid of energy level prescribing. In this case the energy level was used right in the beginning. But this was confirmed as a vital sensation at later stages of the case. Each level was explored enough as a sure confirmation. The important thing is to be flexible and relaxed, yet alert.

What we learn from the case The concept of a test dose The relevance of doodles as a by-pass The need to confirm all levels The importance of the second prescription The use of aqueous method in times of acute when doses need to be repeated The need to be patient in an acute The role of lower potencies even when higher potencies are indicated

The source Themes of root of a plant rather than a tree-more easily uprooted The need to be more adaptive is once again a plant theme as against a tree A plant that is often found in forest land and also submerged in streams Pharmacology co-relation -A plant source prepared from the root ( high energy while talking about the root of a plant)