A 45-year-old female patient, a known case of Asthma and Urticaria for the past 5 years, presented to the clinic for treatment. She had been using inhalers daily and required antihistamines at least on alternate days. She was given various medicines over a period of 2–3 months, during which she showed improvement; however, the problem kept recurring.
Her case was retaken and reviewed in detail, and it was found that within a single day she would experience either an episode of urticaria or an asthma episode, but never both together. This pattern was not initially revealed by the patient and was elicited only after detailed questioning and probing during case-taking.
On the basis of this observation, CALADIUM 200 was prescribed in three doses once daily (considering the alternation of asthma and urticaria). The Complete Repertory mentions only six medicines under this rubric. A strong family history of diabetes mellitus further pointed in favour of Caladium through anamnesis. Aralia racemosa Q was prescribed as SOS for any asthmatic episode, if it occurred. The patient was advised to reduce inhaler use to alternate days instead of daily, and to take antihistamines only if an episode of urticaria occurred.
At the next consultation, there was marked improvement. The patient reported no acute asthma episodes (while on alternate-day inhaler use) and required antihistamines only twice.
Subsequently, the inhaler was further reduced to once every three days, and placebo was prescribed. There was no need for SOS medication, and the patient did not experience any urticarial episodes. It is noteworthy that other allergic symptoms, such as nasal allergy, resolved completely, although these had not been mentioned by the patient earlier.
The case is still under follow-up, and the author is awaiting complete cessation of inhaler use.
The purpose of presenting this case is twofold:
• Patients may not always provide complete or accurate symptom details, especially in cases involving alternating symptoms, suppressions, extensions, or symptoms occurring over long periodicities (e.g., every 6 months or yearly). It is the physician’s responsibility to analyse the case thoroughly to elicit such details. Proper symptom recording by the patient over the course of treatment can help reveal these hidden patterns.
• At times, a small but characteristic symptom can individualize the case and lead to the indicated remedy.
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Aude Sapere
Shivangi Jain
BHMS, MD, PGDMLE, PGDHHM
drshivangijain79@gmail.com
https://drshivangihomoeopathy.com/