Women’s
Problems and Homeopathy
Vergleich: Siehe: Endometriosis.x + Gender +
Wechseljahren + Women Are More
Susceptible to Depression
[Elaine Lewis]
Case-taking
Find out what the problem is and when it started. Ask what was going on around
that time. Especially ask if they were on the birth control pill because this
is the etiology in a lot of women’s problems, and very often the remedy is
Sepia (“Never Well Since The Birth Control Pill”).
Find out the sensation and modalities of any problem they mention.
If they mention a discharge, ask for the color, odor, consistency and
sensation; for example, it may be white and lumpy, itch, burn or irritate, etc.
Get the menstrual story – is it regular? Is there pain? What’s it like:
sensation, location, modalities (“modalities” mean things that make the
complaint better or worse). PMS? What’s that like? Psychological concomitants?
Type of flow – color, consistency, amount? For instance, it could be profuse,
bright red, with clots or dark with clots, the clots could be large or small,
the blood could be thick or stringy or watery, etc., and ask if there’s
anything peculiar about it, like, flow only when walking or only when lying
down, etc.
Reproductive history
Any pregnancies? Miscarriages? Abortions? What kind of birth control
is/was used? What were the pregnancies like?
Never Well Since childbirth? Was there a lot of bleeding? Post-partum
depression? Loss of sex drive? C-section? Never Well Since anesthesia?
Were there any problems with nursing?
Any surgery?
Any infections? If so, what was the treatment and what were the results?
Ask about the Generals: psychological state, sleep, thirst and appetite,
body temperature, reaction to weather and temperature.
Ask if there are problems with specific organs or systems.
Are they in menopause? What is that like for them?
Sexual dysfunction or sexual problems physically or psychologically?
Try to determine the cause of their complaint.
Menstrual Cramps
What position does the woman assume? Bending over double or pulling the
knees up to the chest could indicate Colocynth. Always ask, “What do you do
when you have cramps?”
What does the woman say?
For instance, “Stop bothering me, just get out! Leave! Go away!” - Cham.
“I feel a throbbing sensation and I’m really angry!” - Bell. “Could you fill up
the hot water bottles?” - Mag-p.
Some Common Remedies for Cramps
Coloc.: Irritable. PAIN may cause her to vomit; doubles person over, may
be crying or screaming, doesn’t want to be touched or moved. > hard
pressure/warmth/coffee. Left-sided ovarian cysts.
Mag-p.: right-sided. > heat/hot bath/hot water bottles. Not as severe as Colocynth.
Dios.: need to stretch back
(opposite of Colocynth)
Bell.: Uterus feels full, as if all the blood had rushed there, throbbing
pains, violent pains, right side is worse, spasms that come and go quickly,
worse being jarred, bearing down pain, flushed face. Irritable. Profuse, bright
red, clotted. Gushing. Bearing-down sensation. Worse motion, light and noise.
Better lying down but head elevated. Either great thirst for cold water or no
thirst at all. Desires lemons or lemonade.
Cact.: Uterus feels constricted, as if a band around it. Violent pains,
may scream. Lumpy flow. Clots. Pain with each clot passed. > lying on left side/outside.
< exertion/walking.
Caul.: Bearing down pain with severe exhaustion, chills, drained,
thirsty, weak and apathetic.
Sabina.: Hemorrhage of bright red blood with dark clots, painful, sharp.
Ip.: Cramps with nausea, hemorrhage of bright red blood.
Nux-v.: Cramps ext. whole body; they may feel toxic, “As if they had a
hang-over”. Digestive upsets, everything they eat upsets them; heartburn, gas,
constipation. Very irritable, demanding and impatient, sensitive to light,
noise and odors. Wants to be left alone. < pressure; > rest/lying on
either side. Desires fats, spicy, alcohol and stimulants.
Cham.: Hard to tell apart from Nux-v. because of their negativity.
Capricious, hard to please, whiny, very demanding, inconsolable. Profuse dark,
clotted blood with gushing of bright red blood. Severe pains. Pains ext. inner
thighs. < lying in bed; > cold applications. Thirsty for cold drinks.
Puls.: Has an affinity for female reproductive system and hormones. Give
when you see the classic Pulsatilla mentals: Crying pitifully, feeling
abandoned, lonely, unloved, better consolation, calls her friends and family
and complains about the cramps and the PMS. Chills with every cramp. >
walking in fresh air.
Ign.: Cramps with grief, mood changes, hysteria. Sensitive to odors and
noise. Sighing.
Cimic.: Cramps in the back, lumbar sacral region, extend down thighs.
Flow is profuse, dark, clotted. Pain across pelvis from hip to hip.
Kali-c.: Back pains, ext. thighs, sharp stabbing pains. Wants the back
pressed.
Sep.: Bearing-down pains as if the uterus would fall out. Fainting
during menses. Sepia can also have a backache. Irritable, wants to be alone.
Etiology could be the birth control pill.
Verat.: Cramps marked with frequent stools and vomiting. Chilly.
Fainting. Prostration. Thirsty for cold water.
Morning Sickness
Anac.: Nausea > eating. Sudden empty feeling followed by nausea.
Ars.: Arsenicum generals: Fear of pain and suffering, anxiety, panic
about the baby, anxious and restless, something bad will happen, hypochondria,
nausea, vomiting, > sipping warm drinks.
Ant-c.: Thick white coated tongue.
Bry.: Severe nausea. You may have noticed that every Bryonia case has
something severe about it, which explains it’s well-known keynote, “< least
motion”. If they have a headache, it’s severe. If they have a pain, it’s
severe, as in appendicitis or a broken rib. So, Bryonia morning sickness is
severe and worse for least motion. You’ll see Bryonia patients lying perfectly
still.
Colch.: Nausea with the well-known Colchicum modality, “Worse smell of
food cooking”. < sight of food and thought of food.
Ferr-met.: Pale, but they flush easily. Nausea and weakness.
Ip.: One of the first remedies you think of in morning sickness. Ineffectual
retching. Sinking feeling. Disgust for food and drink. Clean tongue (opposite
of Ant-c.). Very similar to Puls. in the following ways: < fatty rich food,
> fresh air, and thirstless. But if you see the common Pulsatilla mentals,
go with Pulsatilla; plus, the Ipecac state is more severe.
Iris.: Vomit is white, watery and stringy.
Lac-ac.: Empty feeling, exhaustion, patient feels beat up and bruised.
Lyc.: Hypoglycemic, craves sweets, which aggravate.
Nux-v.: Vomiting with spasms and toxic feeling as if a hang-over,
hypersensitive to noise and light.
Phos.: Thirst for ice cold drinks, frequent urination, craving
chocolate. > company/consolation/sympathy;
Puls.: Weepy. Worrying about the baby, complaining about husband not
giving enough support, can’t handle things by herself, wants consolation and
sympathy. Headaches and indigestion. Loves pastries and creamy things. A
lower-grade Ipecac. (see Ipecac)
Sep.: Months of severe nausea and vomiting. Can’t stand the sight or
smell of food. Sepia is a big women’s remedy and will cover a lot of issues.
Organs are weak and relaxed, sagging, prolapsed, even eyelids sagging.
Stasis/stagnation, even emotions are flat. Monotonal, taciturn. They’re
indifferent to loved ones, don’t show affection, may not even show affection to
the baby (post-partum depression). Cries while giving her symptoms. Now, why
would someone with “flat” emotions cry, you might ask? Because again, the
“laxity” on all levels of Sepia means there is not the “grit” or “fiber” needed
to “hold herself together” during the interview. Veins weak and
fragile–bruising easily, hands and feet cold, poor circulation, Raynaud’s
Disease, varicose veins, hemorrhoids. Hormonal imbalance, hypothyroid, chilly,
over-weight, hair falling out. Constipation because of sagging/loss of tone.
They’re better from exercise, swimming, dancing, because it counteracts the
stagnation. They must exercise to feel well. Never well since the birth control
pill, hysterectomy, abortion, miscarriage, pregnancy, childbirth, puberty,
menopause. Menopausal hot flashes. Mental stasis–hard getting their thoughts
together, poor concentration, poor memory. Left-sided. Not feeling full after
eating, hypoglycemia, empty feeling in stomach after eating. Desires chocolate
and sour foods like lemons and vinegar. Tired and drained. Can be critical and
abusive, especially with PMS. Sharp-tongued. Unsympathetic. They love the
excitement of thunderstorms. If you see this picture, or any part of it during
pregnancy, it might confirm Sepia as a morning sickness remedy.
Symphoric.: Said used just for morning sickness, a kind of “specific”.
Deathly nausea, < least motion like Bryonia, even raising the arms. >
lying on back. Constipation. < Sight, smell and thought of food.
All gradations of morning sickness from mild nausea and indifference to
food to violent retching. It seems like you can’t go wrong with Symphoricarpus!
I would order the 30C and the 200C.
Also for menstrual cramps where nausea and vomiting are part of the
picture and you see the modalities of > lying on back, < sight, smell,
odor of food - least motion.
Tab.: Severe sinking nausea, extreme faintness, with sweats. Dizziness.
Main remedy for sea sickness. Skin icy cold, pale, covered with cold sweat.
> open cold air and vomiting. < Noise and light./motion.
They are cold but may not want to be covered.
Main remedies: Sepia, Pulsatilla, Tabacum, Nux vomica, Colchicum and
Symphoricarpus.