Eleven-year-old Kevin came for treatment on 16 January 2001. Shortly before, he had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He must now take 13 units of insulin in the morning and seven units in the evening. He measures his blood sugar seven times a day.
Ten days earlier he had developed extreme thirst, lost a lot of weight and had to get up at night to pass urine. In December 2000 he and his brother had an influenza-like illness with high fever, headaches etc.; they were ill for a total of ten days. Kevin had stomach pains on waking in the morning, nausea and did not want to have breakfast. Once he vomited during the night. He had stress at school because his teacher, whom he liked very much, was signed off sick and he did not get on well with the new teacher. He felt sorry for his old teacher and repeatedly asked his mother when she would come back. He was also very angry that his teacher was no longer there and became uncontrollable. He called the new teacher “Miss Piggy”.
When he is denied something he wants, he breaks things, throws chairs and uses foul language.
On the other hand he can be very loving and tender, a little angel.
(Homeopathic) biography
I first treated Kevin at the age of twelve months. He suffered from recurrent colds and bronchitis with coughing. He was a very good baby, loved to cuddle and was breastfed for six months. His first bronchitis occurred at seven weeks of age. Later he would throw his feeding bottle and himself onto the floor when it was empty and become angry. The same behaviour occurred when he had to get out of the bath.
He has blond, curly hair, his sclera has a bluish sheen and in the first half of the night he sleeps with his knees drawn up to his chest. Kevin can never get enough to eat and becomes angry when he is hungry. He drinks half a litre of milk every day. Worse between 11pm and midnight (restlessness, cough).
Pregnancy/birth
The mother had an aversion to coffee during pregnancy (suggestive of a cow’s milk allergy).
The birth itself was unproblematic, but two hours afterwards the mother had severe lower abdominal pain, lost a lot of blood and had a racing pulse. This was followed by many months of weakness, malaise and chronic anaemia which did not respond to conventional treatment. The mother often felt guilty because she could not care for her baby as she would have liked. A dose of Ferrum metallicum produced a dramatic improvement.
In 1994 Kevin returned for treatment. He no longer had respiratory complaints or otitis, but quite suddenly developed visual weakness: hypermetropia left +4 and right +2. In the previous month the tantrums had returned (as in early childhood). He was angry again, threw things and would not allow himself to be touched. Then, suddenly, it all passed. He has problems with eating: he never allows enough time for it, food is left until it gets cold and he does not stay at the table. He says he does not like the food, then later returns and eats with enjoyment. What he likes one day he may refuse the next. He is generally very moody.
The outbursts of anger do not cause him any remorse: he simply looks away and cannot be reached. One example: he was playing with his brother, the brother pretended to be dead in the game. Kevin jumped on him with full force and the brother ended up with bruised ribs. Kevin’s only reaction was the question “When is there food?” and he began to eat with relish.
He says nothing about school; when asked he replies, “I forgot”. He especially likes to say this when he has been involved in an incident at school. Once he bit another child. Later he said he had been so angry that he did not know what he was doing.
He is afraid of the dark, dreams of witches chasing him and does not want to sleep alone. He still wets the bed at night. He is left-handed, fairly good at school, but also quite hyperactive.
At kindergarten he cried when his mother left (for three months) and it was the same when he moved to secondary school.
In the last few weeks the mother could not go to work because he throws himself in front of her, blocks the door and will not let her leave. He likes to sing a lot and often plays the family clown. When he eats ice cream his back hurts.
Again he was given Tuberculinum and again he responded very well.
Six years later he now presents because of diabetes.
Analysis
When I first saw Kevin in 1990 at the age of twelve months I gave him a remedy that at the time had not been well tested, far from frequently prescribed. In the meantime it has become one of the best-tested remedies.
The remedy I gave Kevin at that time was Lac maternum. For the following reasons:
- His reaction as a baby in relation to food: he could never get enough and had tantrums when the bottle was empty (in our proving there were numerous dreams about food).
- Possible attachment disorder due to the mother’s illness after delivery.
- Relationship problems with mother-figures at school.
- Insensitivity/hard-heartedness.
- Diabetes, a disease related to sugar/food. All milk remedies are important medicines for this condition.
All dairy products were also removed from the diet for the following reasons:
- If Lac maternum is the correct remedy, an intolerance certainly exists.
- If we look at the rubric for diabetes, many milk derivatives are listed there (Lac-ac, lac-c, lac-d, lac-v, Natrium lacticum), which possibly indicates a causal connection between milk and diabetes.
- The mother had an aversion to coffee during pregnancy, which is significant for a cow’s milk allergy in the child.
- A kinesiology test showed an intolerance to cow’s milk.
Follow-up
12.03.01: Lac maternum C200, single dose.
One day later he was able to reduce his evening insulin dose by one unit. One week later he was taking only half the original dose (morning and evening). From 7 February (three weeks after the first dose of 
Lac maternum) he no longer had to inject insulin. He continued to follow his individual dietary plan and does not eat cow’s milk products.
He had a nightmare in which people ordered him to open the front door. He told them they could not come in because his mother was not there and the people threatened to kill him. Other dreams: about bicycles and a beauty contest in which he participated.
There are no more problems at school, although his teacher did not return. His mother reports that he has changed in recent weeks and become more understanding. Previously he could be so hard-hearted and unfeeling when things did not go his way. One example: a few weeks earlier he insisted on going to the hairdresser on a Saturday; the mother had to phone. The hairdresser was already closed and Kevin became angry and berated his mother terribly, although she had suggested a visit to the hairdresser at the start of the week.
Now it is better and you can talk to him. It takes a while, but you can explain to him that he hurts other people when he insults them. When you get through to him you can literally see him change, relax and then say things like, “Yes, I know. It is not your fault that the hairdresser is already closed.”
He always wants the whole family to be together. When his mother goes to work he asks when she will be back. He does not like it when his mother cries; he himself never cries.
Recently the mother has noticed that he feels pity for others (which he never did before); he now feels empathy for starving children on television (previously he had always laughed). For Valentine’s Day he made a beautiful heart for his parents on which he wrote “I love you very much” (never happened before).
He places a lot of importance on his appearance: he often stands in front of the mirror or practises dance moves in front of a shop window. He does not mind being watched while doing so.
On 19 February he had a single raised sugar reading (19; 4–7 is normal), but he had a cold that day and the level settled by itself.
Prescription: Lac maternum 10M
Follow-up on 27.04.01
Immediately after taking the remedy the cold symptoms disappeared, the blood sugar normalised and his knee also felt better. In the first week after taking the remedy he was sent out of the classroom every day because the teacher could not make contact with him.
Dream: He could not play as goalkeeper because of his knee injury and they wanted someone else in goal. (In the meantime he prefers to be a midfield player).
Dream: In a sweet shop a man hands out sweets. Kevin takes one, without thinking that he is not allowed to eat anything sweet. He notices too late, but the sweet tastes too sweet and too sour; he does not like it at all.
Dream: Kevin’s brother chases Kevin and his mother together with the mother of a friend.
Twice he had violent arguments with his brother, full of hatred and much swearing.
On 18.04 he had a tennis match and argued with his opponent. He became so angry that he refused to continue playing and was unapproachable. With much persuasion he finally continued and at the end lost. He refused to shake hands with his opponent. That same afternoon he had another match which went completely differently; he now gets on splendidly with his opponent and this time hands were even shaken.
From that day on he has been a different child, loving, attentive and understanding; other children approach him and seek contact with him. He is very charming towards them. Yesterday even two girls came to his house and asked if he would like to play with them. That had never happened before.
Follow-up on 02.07.01
His violent temper shows itself again slightly – whenever his behaviour fluctuates, the blood sugar is over 7.
Prescription: Lac maternum 50M
Follow-up on 01.09.01
All in the best of order.
Epilogue
The observation period for this case is not yet sufficient for a definitive conclusion. The treating paediatrician describes this phenomenon as normal. Five per cent of all cases of Type 1 diabetes go into remission after a short time. According to the literature this can occur within the first 22 months. The paediatrician warned Kevin and his parents that the diabetes would certainly return. Kevin firmly believes he is cured; at least he feels that way.
This initial period can be a good starting point for a homeopathic treatment. In general we are not taken seriously when we say we can treat diabetes. But if we can demonstrate that we can induce a remission and possibly prolong it, we remain within the framework set by our allopathic colleagues and may have a better chance of arousing their interest.
Astrological data and Jung
Kevin’s astrological features, in my view, confirm the remedy choice: the Moon on the Ascendant (twelfth house) in the sign of Cancer.
The Moon stands for the mother, for feeling, nourishment, receptivity, caring (the “Muriaticum” in homeopathy). The Moon on the Ascendant means that the Moon is the dominant planet in the birth chart.
In the sign of Cancer the lunar qualities (good and bad) are intensified because the characteristics of Cancer are so similar to those of the Moon. They withdraw in emotional stress (self-pity). They are easily influenced and family is important to them.
His Sun is in Libra next to Mars and Mars in the Moon quadrant, hence the outbursts of anger.
Regarding the elements, he is stuck in Fire (Mars) and Water (Moon, Cancer).
The prevailing archetypal complex in this case lies with the mother (Moon, nourishment, attachment, witch, illness related to nourishment: diabetes).
Thoughts on the “perfect” simillimum
Criteria for the perfect simillimum:
- It must be individual.
- It must reflect the deepest level of the disease.
- It must be given at the right time and in a form that the organism can process.
The perfect simillimum is attainable for everyone; we see it before us every day and every night – it is life itself. In each of us life takes on a unique form which exactly mirrors (by projection) everything unresolved that lies dormant within us. Every day and in every situation we are confronted with our projections, also at night in our dreams. Life itself is our unique and perfect simillimum, in original tincture so to speak. Homeopathy helps when we remain stuck in the initial aggravation.
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Category: Cases
Keywords: Lac maternum, Type 1 diabetes
Remedy: Lac maternum.
Original article: Interhomeopathy.org
