A 20-year-old male patient presented in our clinic one year ago, with complaints of recurrent episodes of cough with breathlessness for 4 years.The patient had been diagnosed with bronchial asthma and had been under treatment with a chest physician for the past two years. The frequency of episodes was once every 2 months and would go up to twice a month during monsoons and winter. Our client had to be on bronchodilators and inhalers, off and on, for acute attacks of breathlessness.He approached us for homeopathic treatment because the earlier treatment did not give any relief. He was afraid of the long term side effects of conventional treatment and had heard that homeopathy is safer and effective.The problem started as frequent episodes of cold and sneezing progressing to cough and later breathlessness.Our Findings:Cough and breathlessness << slightest physical exertion, <> by inhalers Chief complaints aggravated in cold weather or by having cold drinks.O/E: the patient is moderately built, dull-looking.Personal history: No complaints with appetite, thirst, and stools. Perspiration is mild. The patient sleeps on the abdomen even when he complains of breathlessness. He desires hot spicy food and says he cannot tolerate cold in any form, Chilly 3+.Past history: The patient had a history of ringworm over back and shoulders 4 years ago, treated with antifungal and local steroid applications.Family history: Both parents have Diabetes Mellitus under treatment and he has a young sister who has a history of allergic rhinitis.Emotional Space: The patient is timid, introverted, and does not open up easily especially with the opposite sex. Irritable with family members, though does not express his anger easily. He has an unexplainable fear of heights/ high places that will never look down from a window of the skyscraper.We took the following Rubrics:Emotions: Anger, vexation, etc.: Silent grief, suppressed etc., with aggGeneralities, Eruptions: Agg., suppressedSleep, Position: on abdomenGeneralities, Cold: Taking, easilyCough, AsthmaticMind, Fear: High placesMind, Sex, gender, aversion to: Opposite, to:Mind, Timid, (see Bashful, Mild, Yielding)
Based on the totality of the above rubrics, Lycopodium was the most indicated remedy.
As the case was complete in all aspects – physical generals, characteristic mentals, modalities, and concomitants, the patient was prescribed Lycopodium 1M as one single dose.
Follow up:
Patient-reported after one month, saying that cough is better by 10% but breathlessness is less by 40%. He sleeps better and requires less of the inhalers. Patient-reported after 1 month, during monsoons with complaints of wheezing following acute cold and running nose. The patient had got exposed to damp, cold wet weather. Now he has breathlessness, wheezing, blocked nose, and frontal headache. The patient was given Hepar Sulph 30 C thrice a day for two days. The patient came back after 1 week with a 60% amelioration of his symptoms. Few episodes of breathlessness at night continued. The patient was given Lycopodium 30 C twice a day for a week. The patient has been better ever since and has not had any episodes of breathlessness for the past 6 months.
Explanation:
Choice of Remedy:
This is a very well rounded complete case. Lycopodium covered the chief complaint, the mental state, and strong concomitant. Lycopodium is one of the best polychrests of materia medica with a strong affinity towards mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and digestive tract. It is one of the best remedies to treat bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma. The chronicity of the case is also a strong indication for Lycopodium.
Following the thumb rule:” The closer one is to Simillimum the higher is the potency and less frequent is the repetition”. In the 2nd follow up, the patient presented in an acute state with all symptoms of Hepar Sulph i.e. Frontal headache, chilliness, blocked sinuses, wheezing. However, in the follow up after that patient was still presented in the sub-acute state yet indicating Lycopodium. Therefore, Lycopodium was given in moderate potency with frequent repetition. This helped in sustained amelioration.
In a nutshell, one can expect a cure or at least long term amelioration, when the remedy is carefully chosen after studying the following factors:
Evolution of the case
Level of chronicity
Sphere of action of the drug
Selection of well-proven remedy which covers the case at objective as well as subjective levels.
Homeopathic Medicine:
Lycopodium
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