This is the case of Johnny (1), a three-year-old boy who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. He had been my patient since he was two months old, but I had only seen him once in person because he lives far from my practice. Therefore, all consultations were carried out by telephone with his mother.
Johnny was born seven weeks early and had to spend three weeks in the children's hospital, the first of them in the intensive care unit. Shortly after discharge he had to return to hospital for a further four weeks because he developed a respiratory infection. He was sedated with morphine because he was intubated and ventilated with nitrous oxide to expand his alveoli and facilitate gas exchange. During coughing fits he sometimes stopped breathing and his lips turned blue.
Because of the sedation he developed severe constipation; he had no bowel movement for up to seven days unless he was given a suppository. His little tummy was distended, and he screamed even when it was only lightly touched. His pale face would flush bright red when he strained to pass stools, and he writhed in pain. He also developed severe acne that spread over his face and across his head. His mother's milk was bottle-fed to him; there were no feeding problems and he gained weight normally.
Opium C 30 / d had no effect on his constipation but improved the acne. Opium C 200 / d helped temporarily; he did not need a suppository for nine days, but then the constipation returned and he needed them again. He was irritable because of painful wind which improved as soon as he passed stool. Nux vomica was prescribed and relieved the constipation, but then he developed a cold and a croupy cough; the frequent attacks required adrenaline masks and corticosteroid treatment. When he started teething, Chamomilla relieved the pain, but it did not prevent the recurrent colds.
Overall Johnny remained in good spirits despite all his health problems, although he seemed more comfortable when being carried. His colds usually developed into a croupy, dry, unproductive cough. Falling asleep was also a problem. He wanted to be carried and rocked and cried as soon as he was put down.
Pulsatilla, Aconitum, Silica, Calcium carbonicum, Calcium phosphoricum, Phosphorus, Ipecacuanha, Coccus cacti, and Tuberkulinum gave him some relief over the next few years, but the respiratory crises recurred and he often had to go to the emergency department. Recurrent middle ear infections led to the insertion of tympanostomy tubes in his ears.
At 18 months his behaviour and social skills became a problem. Until then his development had appeared normal, but then he stopped speaking and began to behave conspicuously, as if living in his own world. He would play for hours with a toy and broke off contact with other people — except his mother. He showed affection only to her, and only with her could he maintain eye contact. He cried if anyone else — even his father — touched him, pushing him away wriggling and screaming.
The greatest fear of his parents was confirmed in January 2012 when he was diagnosed with autism. At the same time a new cold developed which was diagnosed as systemic Candida mycosis. Another visit to the emergency department was imminent.
When I re-analysed the case, Johnny's unusual clinginess struck me in particular. Autism is usually associated with a lack of physical and social contact. In Johnny there was an excess of contact, albeit with only one person. This, together with his crying when put down to sleep and his fear of heights, helped me to recognise a pattern. In my analysis I also took into account his traumatic birth history together with the new diagnosis of Candida. The following rubrics were selected during repertorisation:
GENERAL - HISTORY; personal - birth trauma
GENERAL – CHILDREN, Complaints – infants, at
MIND AND EMOTIONS - CLINGING - children, to - mother, child clings to mother as if afraid
GENERAL - CYANOSIS – children; at birth, from
GENERAL - DEVELOPMENT – delayed
GENERAL - COLD; tendency to -
MIND AND EMOTIONS - FEAR - of downward movement
MIND AND EMOTIONS - SPEECH - slow to learn to speak
MOUTH - THRUSH
Prescription: Borax C 200 / d, for 3 days
Follow-ups
Johnny's cough improved within a few days of giving the remedy. In the first weeks he became even more clingy, but over time this also slowly improved. His parents noticed that he became more lively and that he no longer feared being placed on the counter to have his shoes tied. He found it easier to go to kindergarten and could let his mother go without turning back. He made more contact with the kindergarten staff and with the other children.
He could be put to bed without much fuss and slept through the night. His father was now allowed to hug him occasionally, and he treated his brother very lovingly, hugging him and enjoying playing with him.
In March, one month after the remedy was given, he relapsed when his mother gave birth to his younger brother. He suddenly stopped sleeping through the night, climbed out of bed and screamed when put back, and refused to go to sleep unless he was allowed to sleep in the parental bed. He held on to his mother even after falling asleep and woke when she tried to free herself.
He was given Borax 1M, but with little success. The family's sleep continued to suffer. He developed a severe cough again.
I realised that the solution might lie in potency selection, and prescribed Borax in LM 3, three times daily. The results so far have been excellent:
His cough improved within 24 hours; he slept up to 10 hours at night and also took a two-hour nap each day. He felt more comfortable at home and at school; his clinginess decreased; his concentration improved, he played with other children and hugged them; he could maintain more eye contact and began to communicate more, both with gestures and words; his father was now able to approach him and lift him up.
The treatment is by no means finished, but the initial results look promising. It is noteworthy that Borax has also proved helpful for other members of Johnny's family. I hope that over time he will be able to integrate his neurological and spiritual systems and mature more gently, moving towards a healthier and happier future.
Julek Meissner practises in Ottawa, Canada, Full Circle Healing.
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(1) Johnny is not his real name
This article was published on www.interhomeopathy.org.
Photos: Shutterstock.com
1. Karekare, New Zealand - patjo
2. crying baby in bed - Twin Design
Category: Cases
Keywords: birth trauma, Asperger's syndrome, systemic Candida, colds and croupy cough, ear infections, clinging
Remedies: Borax Veneta, Nux vomica, Opium
