Rheum palmatum Kind Anhang

x!y

Kind: Chamomilla-Kindergruppe.x;

Cham. (extremely demanding, irritable and violent, seeking immediate attention) ↔ Rheum ↔ Mag-c. (behaves like an orphan demanding nothing)

[Dr Manish R Panchal]

Impatient; child asks for different things vehemently with crying. Impetuous desire for particular objects.

My small nephew, a 2 year old, came to stay with us during vacation along with his mother in 1992. He had developed a cough which was at times very severe, coughing like an old Koch’s patient. When he coughed everybody in the house would get scared.

He would keep holding his genitals, no matter what his mother did. She tried scolding him, tried to forcibly remove his hand, tried to make him wear two trousers to refrain him from holding himself, but it was all in vain.

He would not allow his mother to be away from him, even when she had to go for a bath or go to the toilet . He would scream and shriek calling his mother to come out immediately. He would start banging at the door of bathroom and toilet with much force and equally forceful was his demand for the mother to come out. His Mother had to come out quickly, there was no other way to manage him. He could not be pacified by any of us, nor by diverting his attention.

Sometimes at night he would wake up from sleep and demand that he wanted to travel by “double-decker bus”. He would just keep on repeating that again and again with much force and shrieking. No matter what you do, you cannot divert his attention from what he wants. He demands with much shrieking and in a forceful manner.

Once he wanted chocolate, just kept demanding it forcefully - “I want chocolate, I want chocolate, I want chocolate”. You just cannot divert his mind from chocolate to something else, say for toys.

This kind of behaviour was going on since quite sometime and now he developed this severe cough . He coughs like an old Koch’s patient, hence it was scary for all of us in the family.

Analysis:

The important features I considered were;

1. Shrieking , demanding immediate attention .

2. Shrieking , obstinate …… chamomilla .

Chamomilla is a known remedy for children who are angry, irritable, shrieking, and demanding instant attention.

Remedy : Chamomilla 1m , single dose & Sac-lac for 2 days. (I never knew about his holding the genitals being so prominent that time, even his mother never mentioned it. In fact during the course of time I found out only by observing him ).

Response:

There was absolutely no change either in his severe cough nor in his behaviour. It was now necessary for me to understand his case more deeply than before.

1. The most peculiar feature was his demand for one particular thing. e.g mother, double-decker bus, chocolate, holding his genitals.

2. The second peculiar thing was his way of demanding things; e.g. forcefully with much shrieking and screaming, banging the door so that it had to be given immediately. The mother had to finish her bath quickly or leave it mid way and come out, so intense was his banging on the door.

Rubrics:

1 Craving for particular object: Rheum ( Phatak’s Rep.). Particular means pertaining to a single person or thing.

2 Impetuous: Rheum ( Synth Rep). Impetuous means vehement/passionate/impatient asking for anything.

If we see these 2 rubrics, rheum is one of the remedies which draw our attention. Later I observed and even his mother pointed that he usually perspires on his nose which is also found in rheum.

[Phatak]: Impatient; child asks for different things vehemently with crying. Impetuous desire for particular objects.

Remedy: Rheum 1m, single dose & Sac-lac for 7 days.

Response:

The severe cough immediately reduced in intensity and after 3 days was completely gone. There was no noticeable change in his behaviour till he stayed with us for 2 weeks. He had in between gone to his aunt’s home for 2-3 days. There also he would not allow his mother to go for a bath or toilet. He would bang the bathroom door forcefully and shrieks and shrieks and shrieks calling his mother to come out immediately. The mother had to come out immediately, so intense was his shrieking. He kept holding his genitals at aunt’s house no matter what you do. This again confirms our choice of the remedy. Then gradually over a period of 5-6 months his entire behaviour and mental state completely improved. There was no holding of his genitals nor holding to his mother or any other thing. His impetuous way of demanding whatever he wanted with much shrieking also completely improved. In this period rheum was repeated twice in 1m potency. The entire family now heaved a sigh of relief. It’s now more than 10-12 years and there is no relapse of his peculiar mental state. He was showing indications of Sulphur like his father, uncle and grandfather.

1- Shrieking in children.

- Asks for things vehemently with crying.

- Impetuous desire for a particular object.

2 - Asks for nothing.

- Requires very little sleep and not much food.

- Play; aversion to.

- Indifference to everything.

The situation of rheum is of a child whose parents leave him and go to work. While they are away the child demands nothing like an orphan, but when parents are back he must immediately get what he asks for.

The other characteristic features of rheum are:

1. Sourness - stool, sweat, vomiting, breath, body smell sour. No amount of washing will remove the sourness.

2. Sopping wet hair - sweat on the scalp, constant, profuse; whether asleep or awake, quiet or in motion, the hair is always wet (Allen). Sweat about nose, mouth or upper lip. Sweat stains yellow.

3. Appetite for different things, which, changes to disgust at the first mouthful. Aversion to fat, insipid food, coffee (not sweetened with sugar), mother’s milk, sweets. Craving for sweets. Worse from unripe fruit, milk, eating prunes.

4. Colic is severe, compelling one to bend double; < uncovering arm or leg.

5. Diarrhoea only during active exercise, shivering with stool.

6. Tendency to frown.

Mind:

Capricious child tends to reject things that they just asked for (Cham. Cina. Staph.).

Child very quiet and taciturn (Hell. Ign. Op) and do not like to play with other kids, due to diarrhea and colic.

Irritable and restless and weeping throughout the night, but is cheerful during the day (Ant-t. Jal. Psor.).

Child tends to complain, quarrel and weep in sleep (Discontent) (Bell. Ign. Nux-v. Stann-met.).

Physicals:

Sour smell of the whole body; child smells sour (after his bath) (Hep. Mag-c. Sil. Sulph).

Scalp is always wet due to perspiration, day and night.

Other important symptoms

Mind:

Child shrieking and IRritable day and night (dentition) with extreme restlessness.

Want of sensitivity in children (Bism. Op. Sep).

Assumes strange attitudes and positions.

Awkward.

Confusion of mind with dullness and laziness on waking in the morning.

Irritable with weeping and restless the whole night, but cheerful during the day.

Peevish and gloomy children who tend to frown all the time.

Rude and naughty child (Chin. Staph), who are very impulsive.

Head:

Easy perspiration from the scalp (forehead) of a sour odor, < slightest exertion or after drinking soup.

Pain: Erratic and rapidly shifting from one part to another (Kali-bi. Lac-c. Mang-act).

Pains and many other complaints + chilliness.

Thirstless with nearly all complaints.

Other important symptoms

Mind:

Child affectionate, loves and need to be shown affection by being hugged, kissed and caressed; they need attention all the time (Carc. Phos).

Moaning is a fundamental trait; seen to occur before stools, during sleep, with fever, pain.

Pitiful complaining and weeping with pain.

Awkward when doing anything; tends to be quite accident-prone.

Biting the nails.

Capricious children who tend to refuse things that they just asked for.

Causeless weeping and sobbing in babies.

Changeability of moods.

Child clings to close ones all the time (mother).

Children who love the color pink.

Children who weep a lot when taking a shower, since they fear having water poured over the head (Stram).

< Darkness

Desire to be carried aboutslowly, over the shoulder.

Difficult concentration when studying.

Envious, selfish and greedy child.

Full of fears; fears darkness or twilight (Phos. Stram), dogs, ghost, going to the dentist, insects, narrow and crowded places and travelling by train.

Imagines being forsaken and neglected by loved ones.

Imagines seeing ghosts or frightful faces.

Irresolute children (chiefly as a result of dependency).

Irritabille with weeping and restless during fever and on waking in the morning; > by being carried out in the open air.

Loves animals.

Makes mistakes when writing or talking, misplacing or omitting letters or words.

Manipulative children, who tend to lie and feign sickness to get attention (Hyos. Tarent. Verat).

Sensitive to rudeness and reprimands.

Shrieking with a red face when angry.

Timid children who blush easily and hide behind the mother; answers only in monosyllables or by nodding.

Want of self-confidence in school children.

Weakness of memory for learning verses.

Head:

Severe throbbing migraine attacks in young children or in schoolgirls at around puberty.

Ailments and Aggravation from:

- Evening onwards throughout the night.

- Fright (Acon. Ign).

- Ice cream (Ars).

- Warmth in any form (heat of sun, summer, warm food or drinks, warm room, etc).

- Getting wet or after washing the head.

- Stooping.

- Too much of reading and studying.

Better by:

- Binding up the head tightly (Arg-n. Sil)

- Cold applications (Aloe. Spig).

- Walking about or being carried about slowly in the open air.

Concomitants:

- Dimness of vision.

- Nausea and vomiting.

- Photophobia (Nat-s).

- Stiffness of neck.

Profuse and fetid perspiration, which occurs only from the scalp.

Examination findings:

- Hydrocephalus with inflammation of the meninges of the brain.

- Open fontanels.

- Pustular eruptions on the occiput.

- Tenderness of the paranasal sinuses.

- Tenderness of the scalp with inflammation of the periosteum.

- Unable to raise or hold up the head; is drawn to the side.

Eyes:

Inflamed eyes in newborns and infants (Arg-n. Merc-c).

Recurrent styes and chalazion.

Intense burning pain with dryness and itching in the eyes; < evening/reading/in a warm room; > bathing the eye with cold water/in the cold air.

Lachrymation is an important concomitant to most of the complaints < out in the wind.

Ophthalmia neonatorum; catarrhal diseases of the eyes due to gonorrhea or herpes in the mother.

Photophobia from artificial light.

Thick yellow, profuse, bland discharge from the eyes, that causes agglutination of the eyes in the morning on waking.

Useful in cases of conjunctivitis after injuries to the eye or after entry of foreign bodies into the eyes (Coc-c).

Weakness of eyes after measles (Kali-c).

Examination findings:

- Constantly wiping or rubbing the eyes.

- Conical cornea with opacity.

- Edematous swelling and thickening of the lids.

- Fistula lachrymalis with discharge of purulent matter from the lachrymal gland on pressure.

- Glaucoma.

- Granular and allergic conjunctivitis and iritis.

- Ingrowing eyelashes, with or without eversion of lids.

- Paralysis of the optic nerve.

- Pendulum-like or rolling movements of the eyeball.

- Strabismus.

- Stricture of the lachrymal duct.

- Sunken eyes.

- Tarsal tumors.

- Trachoma.

Ears:

Sequelae of measles: Discharges, impaired hearing, inflammation, etc.

Child weeps with the pain in the ears, < at night/in a warm room (Cham. Ferr-p).

Chronic suppurative otitis media, with copious, purulent and thick, yellowish-green discharges from the ear (l.)

Impaired hearing in cold, wet weather and from catching a cold, with catarrh of the eustachian tube.

Otitis media, with a high risk of perforation into the attic of the temporal bone, leading to pyogenic meningitis (neonates).

Examination findings:

- Abscess with formation of adhesions in the middle ear.

- Black, hardened wax in the ear.

- Earlobes red.

- Eruptions on the tragus and inside the meatus.

- Exostosis.

- Inflammation or catarrh of the eustachian tube.

- Perspiration on the ears.

- Pustular eruptions with scab formation behind the ears.

- Swelling of the meatus and the glands in front of the ear.

Nose:

Frequent paroxysmal sneezing in a warm room (All-c).

Snuffles in newborn infants (Lyc. Nux-v. Samb).

Chronic watery coryza during wet weather (Merc), in the open air (Nit-ac), when in a warm room (All-c. Merc. Nux-v).

Copious, free-flowing, bland, thick, yellowish or greenish, offensive nasal discharge (morning).

Dryness # fluent coryza.

Epistaxis of black blood, on blowing the nose and when in a warm room.

Nasal catarrh ext. frontal sinuses.

Obstruction of the nose in a warm room and at night; > going out in the open air.

Examination findings:

- Abscess at the root of the nose.

- Oily nose.

- Polyps in the nose.

- Scurfy nostrils.

Face:

Swelling and inflammation of the parotid and submaxillary glands, metastasizing to the testes.

Examination findings:

- Child constantly rubbing his face and eyes with his fist when coughing.

- Dry lips; constantly smacking and licking them.

- Crusty and scabby eruptions on the nose and inside the nostrils.

- Face is red when lying and becomes pale on rising.

- Maxillary sinusitis.

- One side red and the other pale, with bluish circles around the eyes.

- Spasms of the facial muscles.

- Twitching or trembling of the lower lip.

- Wrinkled forehead (Nux-v).

Mouth:

Baby bites the glass when fed.

Dry mouth and tongue on waking in the morning and thirstless.

Halitosis, with a bad taste in the mouth on waking in the morning.

Toothache with swelling of the corresponding cheek; < mastication/warmth in any form (room/bed/food/drinks); > cold applications and holding cold water in the mouth.

Examination findings:

- Abscess of the roots of the teeth, evident through suppuration of the gums.

- Difficult dentition with black teeth, full of caries.

- Involuntary biting of the tip of the tongue on talking or masticating (Ign).

- Thick yellowish or whitish coating on the tongue (Kali-bi).

Throat:

Constant disposition to swallow, which is painful.

Dry throat (waking in the morning/and absolute thirstless).

Food lodges in the throat, causing choking (Kali-c).

Liquids come out through the nose on attempting to swallow.

Examination findings:

- Chronically swollen, dark red and inflamed tonsils and uvula.

- Prominence of blood vessels in the pharynx.

- Swollen and indurated cervical and pre-auricular glands.

Stomach:

Hungry, but does not know for what.

Indigestion with a lot of eructations, flatulence and pain in the stomach after taking fatty or rich food (butter/ice cream/pork); > taking cold drinks.

Slow digestion.

Hiccoughs after drinking.

Keeps biting his spoon or glass, instead of eating or drinking properly.

Nausea and vomiting of food some hours after eating, feels better after taking cold drinks.

Retching and vomiting on coughing; a frothy, greenish and sour smelling matter, which is full of mucus.

Thirstlessness.

<: Bread and butter/cabbage/fatty or rich food/frozen food/fruits/pastry/pork/potatoes/raw food/spoiled fish;

Aversions: Butter/eggs/fat/fruits/ham/meat/milk/pork/warm food and drinks and water;

Desires: Cheese/cold drinks/creamy stuff/eggs (soft-boiled)/frozen food/herring/juicy and refreshing things/peanut butter/smoked food/sour food and fruits and tea;

Abdomen:

Colicky gripes in the abdomen after fatty food, fruit, or ice cream.

Obstructed flatulence with tympanitic distention of the abdomen, < after eating.

Pain in the abdomen after indignation, on coughing and before stools;

compels him to double over with the pain.

Rumbling in the abdomen after eating and before stools.

Examination findings:

- Hard, tender swelling of the glands in the inguinal region.

- Inguinal hernia.

- Ring-like swelling around the umbilicus.

- Tabes mesenterica.

Rectum:

Changeability of stools; flat, hot and acrid, OR pasty and offensive with greenish mucus.

Diarrhea is an important concomitant to most of the complaints: with jaundice, measles, urticaria, etc.

Diarrhea < after fatty food, after fright or anger, after fruit, after slightest indiscretion in eating, during dentition, during fever and in warm weather.

Involuntary passage of stool in sleep.

Lactose intolerance.

Passes two to three stools everyday, which is normal and routine for him.

Passes hot, offensive flatus after eating.

Voluptuous itching and rubbing around the rectal area, < from scratching.

Examination findings:

- Prolapse of the rectum with tender, ulcerating hemorrhoids; child howls and shrieks when the part is wiped after stool.

- Relaxed anus, with moisture around the area.

- Stools: Segments of tapeworm.

Urinary organs:

Child shrieks and weeps at the end of urination (Sars), with oozing of a bloody discharge from the urethra.

Retention of urine in newborns, with every attack of cold (Caust. Dulc) and also in those whose mothers have had a history of gonorrhea.

Frequent urging to urinate when exposed to cold or wet weather.

Greenish-yellow, thick discharge from the urethra, with priapism.

Involuntary urination in sleep (in the first part of the sleep and when passing flatus and when sneezing, laughing, coughing).

Scanty, brown-colored, offensive urine.

Examination findings:

- Red sand or sediment adheres to the diaper.

- Spasmodic stricture of the urethra.

- Urine: Albumin ++

Male organs:

Frequent disposition to masturbate.

Examination findings:

- Congenital hydrocele.

- Orchitis or epididymitis in children born of gonorrheal parent.

- Perspiration in the scrotal area.

- Red, indurated, swollen, hot and tender penis and testes, after injury to the part or after mumps.

- Retraction of the right testes.

Female organs:

First menses are delayed.

Examination findings:

- Constricted, red, indurated vagina, with ulceration around the part.

- Milky or purulent, painless leucorrhea in small girls (morning/lying down).

- Polyps in the vagina.

Larynx and Traches:

Dryness, irritation and tickling in the larynx as from dust, < warm room.

Rawness and pain in the larynx on coughing.

Rough or hoarse voice in a warm room.

Respiratory organs:

Asthma after suppressed eruptions (measles/urticaria/rash).

Allergic asthma in small babies after the MMR vaccination (Carc. Thuj)/taking cold (Spong); < evening until midnight; > in the open air (Kali-s).

Breathless due to the warmth of a room; wants to be carried near the open window or out into the cold, open air.

Dysponea after eating, due to flatulence with fullness and distention of the abdomen, > after eructations.

Dysponea when lying (on the left side) (Phos. Spig).

Examination findings:

- Loud inspiration.

- Moaning, sighing, rattling and stertorous respiration.

Cough:

Chronic loose cough after measles (Dros); < lying down/talking/warm food/warm room; child must sit up with cough and is > with open air (Am-c).

Constant asthmatic cough in the evening until midnight, disturbing sleep.

Expectoration copious, thick, yellowish or greenish; only in the daytime.

Loose cough in the morning, which becomes dry and hacking, with dryness and irritation in the larynx, in the evening.

Spasmodic, suffocative, paroxysmal, exhausting coughing fits in the morning and at night on lying down, which tends to disturb the sleep.

Chest:

Pneumonia in infants with a whitish discoloration of the tongue.

Examination findings:

- Chest X-ray: Consolidation; emphysema; and primary complex.

- Pulmonary edema.

- Swelling and induration of the axillary glands in children suffering from Koch’s.

Violent palpitations of the heart in children suffering from rheumatic heart disease (lying

on the left side/with fever).

Examination findings:

- Hypertrophy of the heart.

- Murmurs.

- Weak, almost imperceptible pulse.

Back:

Pain in the lumbar region on coughing and on lying down; better by gentle motion.

Examination findings:

- Dorsal curvature of the spine.

- Perspiration on the back.

- Stiffness and tension in the muscles of the cervical and lumbar regions.

Limbs:

Burning heat in the feet; throwing off covers.

Cramps in the calves at night in bed.

Itching of the lower limbs at night in bed.

Restless limbs (feet/when sitting/in sleep).

Rheuma (knees/in wet or cold weather/with fever); pain and swelling > cold applications and motion.

Spontaneous and easy dislocation of the hip joint.

Examination findings:

- Cold, fetid perspiration from the feet and from between the toes (Sil.

- Chapped hands.

- Chilblains in hands, feet and toes with bluish discoloration of the joint and itching of the part.

- Dorsum of the foot is swollen and oedematous.

- Excoriation and rash-like eruptions between the nates.

- Felon and ulceration of nails; > cold water application.

- Fullness of veins in the hands.

- One hand and one foot hot and the other hand and foot icy cold.

- Sore, inflamed corns.

- Suppuration of the hip joint.

- Trembling of hands on holding them out.

Sleep:

During sleep: Chattering of the teeth, hiccoughs, jerking of head and limbs, lids slightly open, moaning, profuse salivation, rattling or stertorous respiration, restlessness, rolling of

eyeballs, rumbling sounds from the abdomen, shrieking, sighing, snoring and talking.

Sleepy in the afternoon and sleepless at night.

Late to fall asleep at night, with early waking in the morning.

Position: On abdomen or back, with arms over the head or crossed over the abdomen and the feet drawn up.

Sleeps without any covers.

Fever:

Absolutely thirstless in all stages with a dry mouth; infant tends to smack his lips constantly.

Chill: - Cannot tolerate covers and warmth in any form in spite of chill; wants to be out in the open air (Apis).

Heat: - Coldness of hands and feet, with heat of the body

OR

hands and feet are red and hot on one side of the body and red and cold on the other.

- Coughing increases the temperature.

- Delirious with dry, burning heat.

- During this stage the child complains of brown and scanty urination, circumscribed redness of face, increased salivation, lower backache and raw pain in the larynx with hoarseness of voice.

- The child gradually falls into a deep comatose sleep during this stage.

Perspiration: - Cold and fetid, drenching perspiration after the heat stage (face with exhaustion and sleepiness.

Irregular periodicity with changeable paroxysms of fever, usually increasing in severity every time.

Useful especially in cases of eruptive fevers.

Skin:

Intolerable itching < warmth of bed (Psor. Sulph); must scratch the part until it becomes raw and bleeds, without relief; followed by intense burning.

Jaundice with yellowish discoloration of the skin and diarrhea.

Measles with watery yellowish-green discharge from the eruptions and watery coryza and lachrymation.

Skin is hot to the touch (on waking in the morning) but the child has no fever.

Urticarial eruptions with intense itching at night and with diarrhea as a concomitant.

Examination findings:

- Chickenpox with large vesicular eruptions.

- Excessive growth of hair all over the body in infants and small children.

- Freckles.

Convulsions:

Ailments from: Anger (in nurslings) and injury.

Changeability of the convulsive symptoms.

Epileptic convulsions during sleep with a pale face (lying on the sides).

Generals:

Ailments from abuse of antibiotics, antipyretics, iron tonics, oral steroids; after measles or

when the eruptions are suppressed; change of weather or temperature; and from getting wet

Anemic children with marked pallor, faintness and constipation.

Allergic to cats.

Child desires cold, open air, which ameliorates, but is worse from draft of air.

Contradictory and alternating states OR constant and rapid change of symptoms, with wandering pains.

Discharges: Bland or excoriating, copious, fetid, hot, purulent and yellowish-green.

Hot, tender, indurated glands, with a bluish discoloration of the part.

Intolerance of covers and woollen clothes.

Most of the complaints < after twilight.

Never well since otitis media and after infectious diseases.

Soft bones; rickets.

Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum