4.9 Cobaltum, Case 1
A 60 year old man has high blood pressure, 220 over 150, takes allopathic medicine (Renitec). He occasionally checks his blood pressure himself and he has noticed that it goes up whenever he has to go to dancing lessons. His wife criticises him if he makes a mistake while dancing. His blood pressure also goes up when he drives and when he has to go to Italian lessons.
He also gets stomach pains, worse from alcohol. Sometimes he is impotent, especially when his wife is putting the pressure on. She insists on making love quickly when the children have gone out for a little while.
He suffers from hot flushes, heat in his head, worse from excitement and wine. At night he has itching and restlessness in the palms of his hands and soles of his feet, he has to uncover them.
His son has diabetes and has to have insulin injections and a special diet. He is rather careless about this prescription and frequently gets into a state of hyperglycemia where he quickly has to have an injection to save him. The father gets very angry about the fact that his son doesn’t stick to the rules. It makes his stomach burn and his blood pressure go up. If it was him who had diabetes he would strictly follow the prescribed rules.
He is romantic and likes going out for a meal. But he is also a bit unsure of himself, rather nervous and restless, his feet moving are constantly on the move. He has occasional stuttering. He can’t stand people looking down on him.
Generals
Weather: warm.
Perspiration: easy.
Time: < 5 and 11 pm.
Desires: everything, meat (3), spices, fish, fat, cheese.
Aversion: milk.
Analysis
There are quite a few elements of the Iron series in this case: sticks to the rules, < criticism, < having to achieve, < pressure, busy, restless, unsure, constant movement of his feet, itching and restlessness in palms and soles, < being looked down upon. In this Iron series the impotency is most typical of Cobaltum and Selenium. But in Selenium we would expect to see more indifference and neglect. That leaves Cobaltum, which seems to be the indicated remedy in this case, especially if we look at the reason for the impotency: the love making has to happen when the children have left the house for a few minute. Will he be able to manage in this time, or will it be a failure?
Another typical symptom is his aggravation when his son is being careless. His son is not strict (Iron series), so that things nearly (Stage 9) go wrong. He gets angry when his son doesn’t follow the rules (Iron series), it makes his stomach turn sour and his blood pressure go up.
Another remedy that could be indicated is Caladium.
Reaction
After Cobaltum 1M his blood pressure returns to normal. No more impotency, he feels more quiet, gets less worked up about the issues around his son. The stomach is much better, he no longer needs to take Zantac. Six months later everything is still going well.