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.
SANDRA
(Mid 30’s)
MC: CHRONIC TONSILLITIS
• Cold sores
• Frequent colds
• Hair loss
Pierre: Tell me about your chronic tonsillitis, please.
“It started as far back as when I was a young child. My husband seems to think it has been worse since I gave birth. I have to admit that it is almost always there. Sometimes it is followed by a nagging dryness in the throat and an itching cough. I have had a lot of hair loss since the pregnancy. Combined with a low immune system, I am getting frequent colds so it has been difficult. Even when my throat is normal, my tonsils look like a mess.”
Please, describe how it starts and develops a little more.
“When I get tonsillitis I first feel tired. It is like I am turning a low-grade fever on just like you turn an oven on. I don’t get a fever each time but it feels like it, then I feel tension in my throat, and later the scratching begins. It becomes very difficult to swallow and the pain goes to the ear. After that I get a fever within one day.”
You know the development of the tonsillitis very well, please, tell more.
“Well, after that the throat feels tight and it swells, it becomes difficult to swallow and my tongue becomes coated. At that point, it begins to take all my attention. I get concerned about whether I am going to get sick. Is it going to progress to something or not? On the first day of feeling like that, I may have a chance to get better if I get a lot of sleep. Every time I am going to get sick it worries me. “Here we go again.” The situation really frustrates me. If I am involved in some activity I may not feel it as badly as it really is but it does not stop it and then I pay the price for not paying attention to it.”
Please tell me about it “taking all your attention.”
“It just does. A person should do what they are supposed to do. It takes all my attention. Instead of flowing, it is right there. Out of 100 units of attention it takes 90 like I am my throat. Then I wonder, is it going to progress into something worse? What is contributing to this? Can I get more sleep? I get very wrapped up in it. My whole life I have been getting this and it concerns me. Another thing, I have been getting cold sores if I am out in the sun. There is something defective in me. It is as if I bought a brand new car and there is something wrong with it; I got gypped on my tonsils and my mouth.”
What is the feeling of being gypped?
“I don’t want these body parts. I don’t want them, they are not supposed to be working this way, and I am lacking the data to do something about it. Sometimes people feel that when something is going on it has to do with somebody else. That’s not accurate, I have this imperfect body part and I want to reclaim it. My throat and mouth are not supposed to be this way. It is a mystery to me, I look for answers inwardly but I don’t get anywhere. I can recall when I was a child what I wanted to do. As a child I had certainty about the path I wanted to take and two family members were critical of that. It shook up the certainty I had. That’s when my tonsils started acting up.”
Tell me more about how you felt then, please.
“Someone in my family was criticizing me. I remember it was a destabilizing feeling. I was very aware as a child and there was a lot of unhappiness. I was very communicative. I knew I could produce good results; I wanted to be an artist. I did not have much doubt about my abilities. Before being criticized, I felt very solid and directed. Now I’m shaken up and I’m just holding on to what I know. It’s a struggle to hold on to what I know. It’s a wobbly path.”
This is wonderful information for my purpose. Please continue.
“Of course, it didn’t help when my mother-in-law was talking about me either. She was critical of my pursuits. That really made me feel insecure or shaken up about it again.”
Tell me about feeling “shaken up,” please.
“It is not knowing. It is very uncomfortable and you just hold on to what you know. You harness it in some way. It is a struggle to hold on to what you know because at the same time you have a few doubts about that. It is a wobbly path.”
REMEDY:
Argentum metallicum.
FOLLOW UP: (One and two months)
Pierre: Have you have been better?
“The first week was a little difficult. The mucus in the nose increased along with the eye discharge. Then for 3 or 4 days, I had intense intestinal cramping, as if a rock was trying to go through. After that, I developed a dry itching cough and now my tonsils are definitely smaller. The right one acts up a little more than the left but it doesn’t take my attention as much as before.”
Good start. What else can you tell me?
“The feeling of worry has reduced dramatically. I don’t worry about my throat getting sore and I feel a lot more stable.”
SEVERAL FOLLOW-UPS LATER: (Over one year)
“I have been doing very well. My son and husband are sick right now but I have not gotten sick. Usually, when that happens I get a full-blown throat infection. My tonsils are not so swollen. Actually, under normal circumstances, the tonsils are OK. I don’ have a low-grade fever. My hair has stopped falling out. I’m happy.”
DISCUSSION
SANDRA
(Mid 30’s)
Right off the bat she takes the whole problem back to childhood. This is significant. Considering the main complaint of tonsillitis which homeopathically is considered superficial, it may mean that the Vital Force (VF) has not weakened into a deeper disorder.
Her husband makes the interesting and uncommon observation for a husband that “her tonsillitis has been worse since she gave birth.” Had the husband been there I would have asked him more about it.
When someone describes their symptoms well, the best thing to do is to let them speak freely and unobtrusively. The flow is very important. One can have faith that most of what is needed will be told with minimal questioning. It is like in Samuel’s case (see case) of PTSD; there was little to ask. It should be pointed out that this is rare. Most of the time the questions are repetitive and difficult or frustrating to answer.
The way she describes her condition is very lively. She has had this condition for so long she really knows it well. She really embodies the condition.
“Lacking data.” The language is wonderfully squarely expressive. Throughout the interview she is making very square gestures, her hands are parallel to each other going up and down. This points to structure, which is similar to Roger’s case of numbness (see case) in the hands and can indicate an element/mineral type of remedy. The expression of the VF is reflected at all levels. Everything that is said is all Truth.
As a child she had “certainty” and then someone said something “that shook her up.”
She was “very communicative” and then got “shaken up” and since then she has had throat problems. This is not a case for psychotherapy, not a case for antibiotics. It is not psychosomatic either. It is a case for homeopathy. It is interesting to note that she wanted to be an artist. An artist is all about expression and she has throat problems. An artist is often someone who attracts attention and this is exactly what she says about the tonsillitis. Isn’t it fascinating? I just love this. I ask totally open-ended questions and the answers lay out the correct remedy right before me. All there is left for me to do is to give it.
Now she is going back to “hold on” which is the same word she used as when she was speaking of reclaiming her body part.
The homeopathic remedy is very clear at this point. Indeed it is an element.
A slight increase in symptoms can occur, although it rarely happens in my practice. In this case throughout the years she had used a lot of antibiotics, perhaps the remedy was helping cleanse that at first. It could also be that the potency was not 100% exactly precise for her.
Her physical complaints and her emotional level are much better. One could say, “Well, of course she is better emotionally, it is logical since the physicals are better.” Well, not so fast. All these years she took antibiotics didn’t make her feel better so deeply. Now, because the remedy acts upon the totality, the deeper effects are bearing fruit on all levels for greater health to occur and eventually prevail.
