This case study of homeopathic studies is an excerpt from Pierre Fontaine’s book “Homeopathy, Sweet Homeopathy: Coming Home to Perfect Health”. Find out more information including how to purchase a copy
DANIEL
(6 months old)
MC: ECZEMA
• Allergies
Pierre: What is going on with this baby?
Mother: “He has eczema on his arms with lesions on his legs, his face and his back. The eczema is definitely aggravated by bathing and we noticed that milk clearly affects him for the worse.”
When did this start?
“He’s always had very bad reflux. We started him on formula after 1 month because I did not have breast milk. He never slept well at night, waking and crying and vomiting all the time. He always wanted continuous nursing; the first week was difficult he was not latching on properly so I was pumping instead. I had a lot of difficulties building a supply up, then he went on a nursing strike and after that I had to have surgery for a herniated disk. As if this were not enough, he went on strike again. Now he has been taking the bottle OK.”
Wow, I admire the effort you put into trying to breastfeed. Tell me more about him.
“He started sleeping badly after my mother-in-law stopped helping. She had to go back home. Since then he has not been the same. We started dealing with his allergies about a month ago. His eyes became very red and he was sneezing but he didn’t have a runny nose at the time. Now he is itching because of the eczema on his scalp and ears. We swaddle him in his blanket very tightly so that he doesn’t scratch his arms and legs. It is really difficult to see.”
Could you tell me about the pregnancy, please?
“Everything went fine during the pregnancy except that I felt very anxiety ridden. I was worried much more than usual. I felt isolated here. We may be moving back home. I am having many difficulties with my husband. I have taken a leave of absence from my job and am planning to quit. Any normal routine here is out of the window”
Please, would tell me about being worried?
“My husband and I get into some pretty big arguments. I was worried about my job, my marriage; I had nausea and a back problem. I could not get things done, which worried me even more. I obsessed and read medical information online about ultra sound, amniocentesis. I would go over it a lot, doing all this reading very anxiously. I felt like I was stuck in a rut, totally overwhelmed. I have been in a rut my whole life. I am going around in circles, I have been feeling so inadequate, and I feel bad, sad and unhappy.”
Could you tell me the opposite feeling of the way you are feeling now?
“The opposite feeling is that of being close to someone, loving. It’s a warm feeling; it’s a physical sensation that reminds me what it was like when I was a child, close to a few people that somehow was comforting to me. As a child, when the summer came it was the best time. I didn’t have pressure on me. I spent time with my brother and sisters going to the beach, feeling comforted and cared for. Going to the beach, I felt connected to my family. I feel no affection at all now and that is the biggest problem I have.”
Please tell me about your dreams.
“I have great dreams. There usually is a party; a family type of party, a wedding type and everybody is having a great time. I always feel great after I dream. It is a very warm feeling.”
Is it a similar feeling as you described to me before?
“I really want to go back home. I feel over there everything will come back to normal. It is the same feeling. I never thought about that before.”
REMEDY:
Magnesium Muriaticum
FOLLOW UPS: (Generally on the phone.)
Pierre: How has he been?
“He has been much better. The eczema on the arm and the patches on the leg are gone. The itching is much better. His reflux is much better. He had some sneezing and coughing but not that frequent at all. He still wakes up frequently, he nurses (bottle) and goes back to sleep. This is a major difference from before.”
How about you, how are you doing?
“The feeling of isolation has diminished greatly and there is definitely an improvement in my relationship with my husband. I am not getting any more done than before, but I am not feeling stuck. I’m feeling very relaxed and comfortable with myself. I’m not going back to work as soon as I thought and I am not as worried as I normally would be.”
MORE FOLLOW UPS:
“He has not been fussy. He rarely cries and the reflux is gone. He seems fine in all aspects. A little dryness on the forearms remains, that’s all.”
DISCUSSION
This case shows the importance of the state of the mother during pregnancy. I am proud to say I’ve had breakthroughs in this matter that should help any child improve substantially. The issues in this case may seem mundane but they are real and central to his eczema.
Here is a non-homeopathic recommendation to mothers who “don’t have enough milk” and want to lower the chances of mastitis or, better yet, want to avoid colic in their babies.
Make a tea with:
for 3 cups of water:
Grounded fennel seeds. 1tspoon.
Grounded fenugreek. 1tspoon.
Anise seeds. 1tspoon.
Optional.
Grounded caraway seeds. 1tspoon.
The first 3 items are available in most grocery store. Let steep for ½ hour.
You can find these teas online already made or try Weleda Nursing tea, which is more readily available. Ideally, purchase the tea before the baby is born and start drinking it right after birth and each day thereafter. You will always have enough milk and the baby will have a much less chance of having colic. If the mother doesn’t have enough milk, then a homeopathic remedy is needed for her but keep in mind that 98% of Swedish women breastfeed, they are no different than American women or Western European women whose statistics say only 50% breast feed.
By understanding the mother’s state during the pregnancy we are able to understand the inner state of the disorder of the baby. In Curt’s case of food allergies (see study) right after this one, I talk about Vital Heredity (VH).
I tried many different ways to find out about the deeper feelings rather than the broad ones she mentions such as “going around in circles” or “feeling inadequate” but I could not get any deeper. So, I asked for the opposite feeling of what she was not able to explain which is really the other side of the same coin.
The theme of family we see in this case seems banal and logical but when you read the cases in this book you see that in the end she could have related the same feeling to anything else. In other words, any disorder would have spurred a similar experience or perception to the one she has now. The perception is the essence of the disorder here.
Family is a universal feeling. In this case it is central. Even the dreams are about family gatherings. For example, I am from France. My family lives there but I am perfectly happy here in the U.S. I do not suffer from it. In this case, going back would relieve her problems temporarily to a small degree but it would not solve the eczema. Only the proper remedy can do that.
What is truly fascinating in this case is that the baby (6 months old) reacted once the mother-in-law stopped helping. A loss of family? Perhaps. Certainly from the point of view of homeopathy it is transference of the Vital Force (VF).
When she mentions “a warm feeling,” she is feeling family, not a lover, not her husband (although it would help to not have arguments). She wants family as there is at a wedding (dreams), or at the beach (childhood).
I asked to dilute one pellet in a little bit of water and to give the baby a sip. The instruction was to look out for itching. If the itching subsides do not repeat. If the itching starts again give another sip.
I also told the mother to take one dose of the remedy and she improved successfully as well.
