4.12.1 Zincum nitricum, Case 1
A 55 year old woman has constant problems keeping her balance, she always fall to the right. It started 12 years ago after a flu combined with ear infection. She lacks coordination in her movements, when she is walking she has difficulty in turning corners. It feels as if her neck gets pinched off. She gets violent attacks of vertigo with vomiting, lasting several hours. Everything is turning round. The attacks are worse when she is lying flat on her back and better when she sits stooped forward with her head low. Also worse in the mountains, during a storm and when alone. After such an attack she feels very tired. During an attack she gets very frightened. She is afraid that she won’t be able to handle it and go mad. She wants to remain in control, she hates having to hold on to things and not being able to do what she wants. She fights it.
When she was 15 she fell of her bike and got concussed. She fainted and had to spend six weeks in hospital. Since then her sense of balance isn’t what it used to be.
She wants to lead a normal life, wants to get on with things, but she keeps getting confronted with this problem. It makes her dependent, which is against her nature, but she doesn’t want to complain, she wants to enjoy herself and make the most of her life. She describes herself as a happy, no nonsense person, who likes to be busy with ordinary things. She is a perfectionist and she also likes stimulating others to get the best out of life. She tends to take on other peoples problems.
While she is talking I notice that the muscles round her mouth twitch in little spasms. She gets pain in her feet and toes, with a feeling as if her toe is being torn away from her foot, worse left side, worse in hot weather. She gets stomach pains and heartburn from alcohol, pepper and fat. She has lumbar back pains, radiating to her right leg. When she drinks wine her head becomes red hot and feels as if it will explode. She frequently has a headache above her left eye, radiating to the tip of her nose, worse after chocolate.
Her mother had been good to her as far as material support was concerned, but she was rather dictatorial. The patient had to do her chores, without being given time to learn how to do them. Her mother expected that she knew how to go about it. She had to go and darn the socks, while her mother spent her time gossiping with her neighbour. She felt ashamed and wanted to hide. Her brothers were playing and enjoying themselves, while she never had the opportunity to learn how to relax.
Her life has always been full of stress. During the (starvation) winter of ‘44 she got overworked and had a breakdown. Nowadays she gives sewing classes.
She dreams of sitting in a train that drives backwards; she gets up to change places and realises she has left her bag behind. She goes back to find it and discovers that someone has taken everything out of her bag. Eventually she is left on a platform all on her own.
She is happily married, but can get very angry with her husband because of his habit of spoiling the fun. She feels she is sacrificing herself and always doing what her husband or other people want.
She feels like an elastic band that has been stretched to its limit and is about to snap.
Generals
Weather: warm, cold feet; < storm (2), sea, < mountains (3).
Perspiration: profuse, < night, < tired.
Time: < 9 am (2).
Desires: small quantities, honey, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit.
Aversion: spices.
Food: < wine, fat, peasoup, cake, cabbage, juice (2), gherkins, salads, sour, cheese.
Sleep: bad, difficulty falling asleep, << tingling and itching legs.
Analysis
The fact that she has difficulty turning a corner is a typical symptom of Oxytropis (Leeser, page 51). This remedy gave some temporary relief, but did not have a lasting effect. There is a strong contrast in this case between work and relaxation. On the one hand she wants to lead a relaxed, no nonsense, enjoyable life, which points to the Nitricums. On the other hand she is a perfectionist, which points to the metals. She works hard (Iron series), always has to be busy (Zincum), which brings us to Zincum nitricum. She always had to work (Zincum), while others were playing and enjoying themselves (Nitricum). Her head gets red and hot and feels as if it will explode (Nitricum) after a glass of wine (Zincum). She feels like an elastic band that has been stretched to its limit (Zincum) and is about to snap (Nitricum). In her dream the train is going backwards (Stage 11 to 17), she forgets (Iron series) her handbag, the contents are stolen (Carbon series) and she ends up all on her own (Carbon series).
Other Zincum symptoms: hard work, spasmodic twitches around the mouth, wanting to stay in control, vertigo, whirling, falling, -> fish, < wine, < alcohol, difficulty getting asleep because legs are tingling and itching.
Nitricum symptoms: fear of going mad, tension, < spoiling happy events, left side, warm, < heat, < 9 am, < fat, peasoup, cheese.
Reaction
One month after Oxytropis 1M there is a slight improvement in the vertigo. Six weeks after that she is still improving, feels happier and is able to do one thing at the time. She has done some sort of creative course which did her a lot of good.
One month after another dose of Oxytropus 1M everything is suddenly much worse and all the old complaints have come back. She feels as if she is floating. She wants to enjoy life but she can’t relax. She feels very tense and finds herself saying hurtful things to other people against her will.
She gets Zincum nitricum 1M and one month later she feels much better, calmer, more self assured, warmer. She starts to stand up for herself, feels less inhibited in saying what she wants. She is a little bit aggressive towards her husband when he fills in for her how she feels. She had some migraine above her right eye and nose, with flashes of light and hazy vision.
After four months she gets a repeat dose of Zincum nitricum 1M because of a slight relapse. One year after that everything is much better, although the symptoms haven’t completely gone yet. The twitching around the mouth is much less.