Homeopathic provings are empirical way of knowing the symptomatology/ manifest phenomenon of a given drug. Even today many of the symptoms remain unexplained. Homeopathic Materia Medica is a treasure trove of unknown conditions and symptom syndromes yet unrecognized and identified. As the knowledge and time progressed, symptoms that were earlier thought to be absurd, could be explained by advancing knowledge The following is an attempt to explain hitherto unexplained symptoms, bringing together the understanding of the Materia Medica in the light of modern medicine.
- SHORT DESCRIPTION OF CONDITION
SOMATOPARAPHRENIA– A delusional belief in a person that the paralysed limb on one side of the body (contralateral to the lesion in brain; sp of right sided lesions in brain) does not belong to them. (More extensive lesion may cause ASOMATOGNOSIA in hemiplegia). It is believed that the brain lesion causes disruption in the sensory-motor cohesion of the information that leads to a congruent body representation. This may lead to unilateral neglect of affected side.
ASOMATOGNOSIA– complete loss of awareness of limb not just a delusion as in somatoparaphrenia.
(d/d Hemi-spatial neglect)
- HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES from Repertories
Kent repertory
Delusion
Arms do not belong to her- AGARICUS
Knerr repertory
Delusion
one half of the body cut off- STRAMOMIUM
Complete repertory
Delusion
left half does not belong to her- COLCHICUM, SILICEA
- MATERIA MEDICA
Clarke Materia Medica
SILICEA– Sensation as if she were divided into halves and that the left side does not belong to her.
AGARICUS– Feels as if her limbs did not belong to her
STRAMONIUM- sensation as if limbs were cut off from the body)
- (D/D of medicines that could be used in somatoparaphrenia
BAPTISIA in Allen’s keynotes- Cannot go to sleep because she cannot get herself together; head or body feels scattered about the bed; tosses about to get the pieces together; thought she was three persons, could not keep them covered (PETROLEUM).
PETROLEUM– delusion that another person lies alongside of him in same bed (Allen’s key notes)
Delusion body parts scattered about bed, tosses to bring pieces together- BAPT, CAJUP, DAPH, PETRO, PHOS, PYROG, STRAM)
As can be seen above, medicines like SIL, AGAR and COLCH show clearcut coverage of these pathologies. It’s true that such syndromes baffle even neurologist, most of whom in the early phase of development of neuroscience disregarded such presentations as either useless or related them to deep psychological conflicts. It is only in recent times that some keen observers in neurosciences have started explaining and studying such phenomenon in patients. We as homeopaths have always given such symptoms their due importance, but may rarely come across such patients, but when we do, we should be ready to take the bull by its horns.
- REFERENCES
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/81/3/276
Clarke Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica
Knerr Repertory
Complete Dynamis repertory
Kent Repertory
Allen’s key notes
NB: This similarity is found only while studying the medicine from a pathological point of view. The confirmation can only be done by applying this knowledge in such a clinical condition in a patient.
This kind of approach is especially helpful when:
- The patient is not able to give refined symptoms and sensations
- One is not able to find any characteristic symptom or
- The attendants are not able to give one,
- There is time constraint or
- The physician has not seen the patient but has received a diagnosis from attendants.
- Pathology is advanced enough to wipe out the PQRS of the case.
The results in such prescriptions would nonetheless depend on the accuracy of diagnosis and its pathological similarity to chosen medicine.
(This post is for the practitioners of Homoeopathy and not for patients for diagnosis and treatment of the said entity.)
Aude Sapere
Shivangi Jain
BHMS, MD, PGDMLE, PGDHHM
drshivangijain79@gmail.com
https://drshivangihomoeopathy.com/