5.4 Zirconium, Case 1
A 35 year old woman suffers from pain in the joints, especially the fingers. The distal joints of first and second finger and the middle joints of the thumb are most affected. Wrists and joints of feet are also painful. It is the same sort of feeling as having a toothache, worse on the right side, aggravated by prolonged damp weather. The complaints started when she was 14 first in her feet, later on in her knees and hands. She was good at playing the piano and wanted to make it her profession, but the pains in her joints put an end to that. She was rather uncertain about starting at the college of music, afraid that her musical background was not sufficient. Her whole family likes music, her mother sings and plays the piano, but was too shy too make a career out of it.
When she was unable to continue playing the piano she wanted to become a singer instead, but soon this idea was brought to a halt as well because she developed problems with her jaws.
At school things did not go too well either, she hated it and got very bored, the result of which was that she had to double several classes. The utter boredom made her feel sleepy all the time. People also had a tendency to overrule her feelings so she became more and more silent.
She is easily influenced. She is usually very happy, often quite boisterous. She wants to be different, not follow the crowds. She has to be able to express her creativity in the form of singing, playing the piano, making clothes or baking cakes.
Another complaint she has is pain in her ovaries, especially on the right side, coming in attacks that usually last from 6 to 8 hours, sometimes even longer. The pain radiates all over her abdomen. It usually comes on during ovulation and is lying still, > menses. Occasionally it is accompanied by discharge which is white and slimy with a musty odour.
She recently got her first steady job, working in a decision making team. One half of the team works very hard, while the other half spends its time thinking up new excuses to hold endless meetings. She herself enjoys jobs with a lot of stress. She likes bringing order into a chaotic situation and then retire, feeling she has done her bit. She loves running around like ‘a white tornado’, doing her own thing. The less she does the more forgetful she gets.
She can be very restless, which she feels in the form of pressure on the top of her head, as if it will burst open any moment. The headache is > pressure, > walking into things. She has difficulty concentrating, can’t watch a two hour film. When she has to to concentrate she tries so hard that it hurts her head. She does her best to shake this off, both physically and mentally. If she thinks she has made a mistake at work she will go back and rectify this, even if she is already on her way home. It can’t wait till the next day. Sometimes she is afraid that these things will drive her mad.
She has strange and frightening dreams, of a snake hanging above her bed. She wakes up screaming standing beside her bed.
Generals
Weather: cold (3), mountains, ->> sun (2).
Perspiration: under arms, < before menses.
Time: < autumn.
Desires: chocolate (3), spices (2), fish, vegetables(2).
Aversion: milk (2), sour (2), citrus fruit (2), meat.
Menses: < 2 weeks before menses: pale (2), weak, stomach pains, swollen breasts; < ovulation.
Sleep: needs much sleep, long, deep; sleepy < sitting, < evening.
Physical: > pressure.
Analysis
The most typical feature of this case is that her joint problems started when she wanted to start a career in music and that these pains prevented her from developing this talent any further. She got stuck right at the start. This points to Zirconium, the beginning stages (stage 4) of art and science (Silver series).
Other Zirconium symptoms: problems with ovaries, fear of failure, -> chocolate, <- milk. The way she goes about her work is also typical: she only wants to be involved in the initial stages, charging around like a white tornado and then leaving again.
Reaction
One month after Zirconium 1M she feels much better, the stomach pains and joint problems have almost disappeared. She has more self confidence too. The problems at work don’t affect her so much anymore. After 9 months she hands in her notice and starts a new, more interesting job. She joins a group of musicians, but unfortunately it doesn’t last long. After that she gets a throat infection, for which she gets another dose of Zirconium. The joint pains never came back.