4.11.4 Cuprum muriaticum, Case 1
A 40 year old woman has had sudden neck pains, as if her neck gave way. The pain is violent, left sided and worse on turning her head and at the end of the afternoon. She also has a headache, stitches on the left side with a sensation of a band around her head. Sometimes it is like flashes of lightning. It feels as if her hair is standing on end. The pain is < before thunder, < sunlight, < halogen light, < on days of rest. She also gets shooting pains, going from the root of the nose to the temples, as if something had been shifted inside her nose. She also hears cracking sounds behind her nose when she turns her head.
She gets occasional violent stitching pains in her left wrist. She used to have this in the past when she was pregnant, as something had loosened her wrist. She has some patches of eczema here and there.
The complaints started when she had more work to do than she could handle. She has her own organisation advice bureau and last year was particularly busy. When a colleague phoned her for advice late one evening and her husband had suggested that same day to buy a new computer ‘something snapped’. She gets very nervous when she feels under pressure. She has nightmares about this sort of pressure: of having to organise several things at once, or of her husband inviting three group to the house at the same time.
Her husband does the same type of work, but he quietly goes his own way. When they arrange to do something together she always has to wait for him.
On top of all this there is the house and the children to take care of. She always feels in a hurry, the little things take more time than she had anticipated which makes that she is constantly behind with everything. Her children want attention and she hates their complaints. As long as she is on her own she usually just manages to get everything done, but when her husband is at home the whole schedule gets upset, because he is not as systematic and punctual as she is.
She describes herself as persevering, independent, stubborn and strategic. She doesn’t easily get angry, tries to train herself to remain calm. Doesn’t get nervous on the whole, but when she does she feels it in her chest, ameliorated as soon as she starts to draw up a plan. She is afraid of driving and accidents.
She dreams that she has to run after someone, she calls him, but he doesn’t hear.
Generals
Weather: cold, < thunder, < damp, < snow.
Perspiration: little.
Time: < 5-7 pm.
Desires: sweet, salt, spices.
Food: < apples, plums, onion, salads, red wine.
Menses: sinusitis before, during and after menses; sensitive before menses, to criticism.
Sleep: on stomach.
Analysis
The complaints are caused by the pressure of work, particularly the conflict between her work and her children. The theme of work indicates a metal, in this case a metal from the Iron series, because of the ordinary nature of the work. She has no trouble with the work in itself, she can handle it well in principle, but having to keep it all going amid rising pressure is what causes the problem. The cramp like pains confirm the theme of Cuprum.
But in this case the theme of Cuprum is linked to the theme of motherhood. There is a conflict between work and children. hence the choice of Cuprum muriaticum, further confirmed by her sensitivity to criticism (Iron series) before menses (Muriaticum).
Other Cuprum symptoms: dreams of being pursued, cold, sweet.
Muriaticum symptoms: salt.
Reaction
After Cuprum muriaticum things soon clear up. The pains disappear, she is able to cope much better. She tries to find her own way instead of being dependent on other peoples actions. She doesn’t get so annoyed when her husband doesn’t want to listen. She has been able to solve some problems and find satisfactory solutions with respect to the children.