TRILLIUM PENDULUM LINKS 1999 Athena, the maiden with owl's eyes
Patron goddess of Trillium pendulum
Alex Leupen
Harry van der Zee, MD
The Netherlands
This article is the continuation of my encounter with owls, as described in the joined article with Uta Santos and J ̊rg Wichmann in LINKS 2/97. What started as a joke gave me one of the most valuable experiences in my work.
This taught me a lot about innocence and playfulness as very important tools in working as a homeopath, and especially in developing our materia medica. Since Pallas Athena is one of the Greek goddesses, and since, through George Vithoulkas, a lot of homeopathic wisdom has come from Greece, I felt it appropriate to publish this article in this issue.
Pelvic disorders
The keys to a better understanding of the remedy Trillium pendulum were cases of pelvic disorders. It is only recently that in both the medical literature and in the public press, pelvic pains and pelvic instability received the attention they deserve. It is not clear whether more women suffer nowadays with these complaints, or if in the past, the complaints were neglected by the medical profession.
The diagnosis 'symphysiolysis' actually consists of three different entities, each with different complaints, course, and prognosis: symphysiolysis, symphysis rupture and pelvic or symphysis pains.
Symphysiolysis is a pathological expression of a physiological phenomenon during pregnancy. It is the softening of the ligaments between the pubic bones and the rest of the pelvic region prepares the pelvis to be able to give passage to the baby. The symptoms are pain in the symphysis and a staggering gait. The patients can also sense a looseness in the hips and sacroiliac region, or hear clicking sounds in the pubis during motion.
During physical examination one can find instability of the symphysis, with or without pain, and with or without crepitation. Pathognomic is weakness of the hip-flexion, improved by wearing a pelvic belt. Sometimes one can palpate space between the pubic bones. On x-rays taken in standing position, alternately on the right and left leg, motion of the pubic bones in a vertical direction is visible.
The conventional treatment consists of rest, a pelvic belt or muscle strengthening exercises. With conventional treatment, cure is infrequent.
During pregnancy and after delivery it can take months. In some cases the complaints become chronic, and handicap the patient severely.
Symphysis rupture is due to an acute injury, either during childbirth or during an accident. The incidence occurs in about 1 out of 2200 deliveries.
The pains are severe. In most cases the prognosis is favourable, but some women will need a wheelchair or crutches for the rest of their life. The treatment is the same as for symphysiolysis. Experiences with surgery - symphysectomy or symphsiodesis - are not encouraging.
Pelvic or symphysis pains without evident cause is seen in much greater number of patients. About 50% of all pregnant women have some complaints of the lower back and of the pelvis. The severity of these complaints varies a lot. Also the localisation of the pains differs. Factors that influence the occurrence of these complaints during pregnancy are a history of backaches, pregnancy of twins, increase in the diameter of the abdomen, and heavy physical labour. The occurrence of pelvic pains during or directly after delivery depends on the weight of the child, fundus-expression, and extraction by forceps or vacuum. The performance of a Caesarian, when pelvic pains exist before delivery, is disputed. Most cases show an aggravation before menses. An increased mobility of the pubic bones is supposed to be of more significance than an increase of the visible space between the pubic bones on an X-ray.
In physical examination one finds pain when pressing on the symphysis and or the sacroiliac joints. Cause is the influence of laxine during pregnancy on the ligaments in the pelvic region. When there is also instability one speaks of symphysiolysis. Conventional treatment is the same. Usually the complaints return with more severity in subsequent pregnancies.
It is generally understood that neither pelvic instability nor pelvic pains are a complication for delivery