664.64.06 Arbutus andrachne, Case
Woman, 22, Lyme disease.
She had Lyme disease some years before. It was a period when she was abroad and had to do a lot with an enormous lack of sleep. It started with unconsciousness, so she was hospitalised. Her left leg was inflamed and swollen, starting at her foot and ascending up her leg. She had inflammations in her joints with a sharp pain as if glass were in her joints, provoked by motion. The worst joints were her knee, hip, shoulder, finger joints and mandibular joint. Her skin was inflamed with red spots. She had a paralysis of her left side with numbness and diminished reflexes of her left arm. The whole disease took a year. Since that time her energy is low, she had headaches and pain in and around her left elbow. The elbow feels numb and heavy, with deep stitching pains in it, which is worse from stress and pressure.
Her abdomen is distended after dinner in the evening with stitches and cramps and flatulence.
She has hayfever with an obstruction of her nose, violent sneezing, irritation of her eyes and swelling of the lachrymal tubes, which is better from cold.
In the past she has had acne, mostly on her cheeks. The pustules were painful, quite large, exuding yellow pus with blood. At 15 she had mononucleosis together with abdominal pains, probably appendicitis.
Weather: -> cold wet weather, cold hands.
Time: < 9 to 11 pm.
Desire: drinks, everything.
Aversion: sweet.
Food: abdominal pains << onion, garlic, fat.
Female: menses infrequent.
She is very responsible, wants to do things very well. She studies philosophy and feels a responsibility to society. She wants to be of help, to ameliorate the world. She is very enthusiastic and wants to do interesting things. A career is not something for her. This responsible feeling was already there when her parents divorced in her childhood. She started helping in the house, putting aside her problems and herself because everyone was already in trouble. She never showed her grief. When she wanted to cry she deliberately hurt her knee. As a child she wanted to work for “doctors without frontiers”. She has a tendency to give much and get little in return. She is always ready to help others but when she is in need of help no one is there. She had a friend that did not give her much. She ended the relationship out of the feeling that she had to justify herself all the time.
Analysis
The Lyme disease points strongly to the Ericaceae.
Lanthanides: philosophy; responsibility to society; ameliorate the world.
Phase 6: giving more than receiving.
Ericaceae: Lyme disease; giving a lot and taking or getting very little.
Stage 6: tough, hurting her knee not to feel emotional pain.
Arbutus: joint pains, elbow; dermatitis.
Follow up
A few days after Arbutus MK she got overwhelmed by her feelings. She was weeping a lot and talked with friends about her troubles. It felt like a “drop in a full bucket”. She talked about her mother and that she felt she could not talk negatively about her. It gave a heavy pressure on her stomach. After this catharsis she felt much better, as if she had left a heavy bag behind. She realised that her regular illnesses had been a signal to stop giving to others. Her energy became normal in a month’s time. The abdominal pains and acne disappeared.