16.6 Ytterbium phosphoricum case
Width 5, Depth 4, Cure 8, Duration 5
by Anton Kramer
A boy of 13 years of age has problems at school. He doesn't work at home. He goes to school for his friends, but has an aversion to schoolwork and homework. His concentration is a difficulty. He forgets what he has read. He’s doing moderately well in history and geography and badly in French. Biology is fun for him, but he remembers little of it. School is boring for him. He dislikes people asking about his results, because he knows he has to work harder. He only learns when he has to. It started half-way through primary school. He prefers computer work, music and soccer. He likes strategic games and the Internet.
He's open and yet reserved. He likes to chat with friends and telephones a girlfriend. He makes easy contact with people, makes connections fast, at school too but he’s silent in the class. The teachers think he cannot formulate his ideas easily.
Fear: spiders, thunder, storm.
Pain shinbones, treated with Ibuprofen.
Abdominal pain in umbilical region, > walking bent, in attacks lasting a few hours, <<< the change to secondary school. Once he had this acute and was examined in hospital, where they diagnosed impacted stool.
He has bruises easily.
Epistaxis, severe, every few months.
Hair dyed red.
Generals
Weather: cold hands.
Desire: sweets, yoghurt
Aversion: meat (out of consideration for animals), pasta, breakfast.
Sleep: good, falls asleep easily, next to the wall.
Analysis
The problem has to do with study and friends, both Phosphorus themes. The strange thing is that he’s open and reserved at the same time. It’s almost a contradiction. That’s why first Natrum (reserved) phosphoricum (open) was prescribed. But although some things improved, other things got worse. The Phosphorus part was quite obvious. The main themes are there and also keynotes like fear of thunder and storms. But one could call him lazy, which indicates Stage 16. He’s just expecting to get things for free. And he’s deciding that for himself, against the will of his mother. That’s an indication for Lanthanides.
Together this leads to Ytterbium phosphoricum.
Confirmations
Phosphorus: open, easy contact, chatting, school, friends, red hair, fear
thunder, fear storms, epistaxis, pain shinbones like
growing pain.
Follow up
One month after Ytterbium phosphoricum 200K everything is better. He feels happy and ready for studying. At school he’s going for it; he even cancelled a party to study for his examinations. His school results are much better. After … months…
After Natrum phosphoricum things had gone better: shoulder pain less, shin bone pain less, abdominal pain gone. He was quieter in the class. His concentration was better, and he was doing better at school for a week or two. But his homework got worse. He and his mother were worried about the school results.