655.41.14 Pilocarpus jaborandi, Case
Case by Alex Leupen.
Woman, 53, flushes.
She has hot flushes with perspiration over the entire body, worse above the waist line. She awakens due to flushes between 2 and 3 am, better when she gets out of bed and walks, better by distraction, worse when she puts herself under pressure and performs many domestic chores simultaneously.
Menses were regular. Menarche was at 12 years. Menses are at the first day with heavy abdominal cramps for several hours, better with a hot water bottle and bending over. Premenstrually she has back pain and is irritable. The uterus was removed due to heavy periods.
Other complaints: sometimes the feeling that something is being squeezed behind the breastbone. Better by eating sour pickles !.
September 1993: back pain, pain under the right shoulder blade, radiating in all directions. These complaints improved under osteopathic treatment.
She has constipation, worse on holidays.
She is the manager of the family. She is married and has two children; one still lives at home. She used to work in an office.
Parents grew very old; father has died. They used to live independently. Patient helped them for 10 years with all kinds of things. She had a full day’s work with her own family in addition to the care of her parents. Sense of duty and responsibility.
Her 91-year-old mother has moved to a nursing home and she visits her daily. She has a hard time letting go of her mother. Her mother used to care of her own mother and expects the same of her daughter.
Everything needs to be finished immediately; she cannot postpone tasks. She is always busy. Her motto is “No complaining, keep going”.
Weather: very chilly.
Desire: prefers salty over sweet !, smoked meat, ham, fish, fried egg, fruit.
Thirst: average. Likes to drink coffee, wine, Jägermeister herb liqueur.
Aversion: fava beans, Brussels sprouts, milk, fat.
Analysis
Rutaceae: theme do not complain, keep going on.
Lilium tigrinum because of the constricted feeling in the cardiac region, always busy and hormonal problems.
Jaborandi because of eye complaints during reading, hot flushes with perspiration.
Follow up
Six weeks after Jaborandi MK her hot flushes are much improved. She got an itchy rash on the arms, worse with wool. She sleeps better. Her eye complaints with reading are gone.
After two years she has substantially fewer hot flushes. She sleeps through the night. Says “no” more often when people make demands. Visits her mother in the nursing home twice weekly and feels she can take more distance from things.