3.10.1 Silicea, Case 1
A 55 year old woman has come for a consultation because of headaches and sinusitis. The complaints start after a cold wind and she also feels extremely cold during these times. When the weather is cold and damp she has to wrap up from head to toe, even covering her eyes. Draught and pressure aggravate the pains, light and sound doesn’t affect them.
She has had 5 pregnancies, the third one ending in a miscarriage with much bleeding and vomiting. The first delivery took more than 12 hours. They thought she was going to die and were thinking of giving her a caesarean, but eventually decided on a forceps delivery. Her fourth child was born mentally retarded and it took her (the mother) a long time to recover her strength after this birth, she remained weak and cold for ages.
She used to suffer from migraines in the past.
She is quite clumsy, and used to fall down a lot as a child. She is impulsive, can suddenly decide to do something completely different, to go out cycling for the day and things like that. She is very independent. Has fear of heights.
She is divorced because they were incompatible, although they stayed together for a long time, because the catholic church doesn’t encourage divorce. She still worries about him sometimes.
As a child she used to be thin and shy. During the war she was undernourished.
Her menses used to be very profuse, coming back every three weeks. She also had stomach pains and swollen feet and ankles before and during menses. Eventually she decided to have a hysterectomy.
Dream: that she is walking arm in arm with king Baudoin of Belgium.
Generals
Weather: < cold (2), < cold wind (3); mountain air, < sea air, < storm.
Desires: sweet (2), fruit, cheese, vegetables, carrots.
Aversion: milk (2), cabbage (2), sour, meat, egg, alcohol.
Food: < lettuce: pain in left side.
Sleep: bad << full moon; on right side, curled up.
Analysis
Looking at the physical complaints the extreme sensitivity to cold is the most striking symptom: complaints start after exposure to cold wind and draught, she has to wrap up including her eyes. If we combine this with the thinness and the timidity in the past we have a complete Silica picture.
If we apply the group analysis the other factors also fall into place. Her child (Silicium) turned out to be mentally retarded (Oxidatum) and she remained cold for a long time(Silicium). She carried on her marriage with a rigid determination (Silicium) in spite of the fact that she did not feel happy with it (Oxidatum). Her dream of walking arm in arm with king Baudoin makes us think of the picture of a princess.
Other Silicium symptoms: independent, thin, shy, < cold, < cold wind (3); sweet (2), fruit, <- milk, meat, < full moon.
Oxidatum symptoms: malnourishment.
Reaction
Two days after Silica 1M the headache increases and it stays for 5 days. After that the complaints gradually disappear, the pressure is much less. She can now cycle without a scarf around her neck. She feels better, has more energy and does more during a day.