The patient is a young, 30-year-old woman. She is tall and slim, cheerful and talks a lot. She earns her living as a sales assistant and babysitter.
Her main complaint is an underactive thyroid which began three years earlier. Because of this she feels tired, worn out, nervous and listless. She eats too much, especially chocolate and ice cream. She could eat all day. Her thyroid is slightly enlarged; she notices it especially when she is stressed.
“My problem is that I am very sensitive. I start to cry when someone says something I don’t like or when someone speaks in a loud, harsh tone. I just can’t control it. I am ashamed of it, but it is stronger than me. I have always been oversensitive. Even at school I would burst into tears if I couldn’t answer a teacher’s question. Whenever I felt unsure I would start to cry, and that happened very often. I react very sensitively to rudeness, especially towards children.”
Her father had died ten years earlier; soon afterwards her grandfather died and her sister lost her baby. “I was deeply sad and I told all my friends about my grief. Eventually everyone got fed up because I simply couldn’t stop talking about it. I felt lonely and miserable. I cried every day. Then I turned to God and found comfort.”
She now believes in rebirth and that death cannot be the end. She can accept that her father and grandfather are now in a better place, but she also feels that she still needs their presence. “I 
try to act like an adult, but inside I feel so insecure and I miss my father and my grandfather; they always guided me with good advice.”
“I reacted to everything. Every remark felt like an injury. Everything new is a problem for me. New things frighten me. It is terrible when I am in a new situation and don’t know what to do. I am afraid that someone might shout at me as soon as I make a mistake. That would humiliate me greatly.”
“At the moment I live with my mother, but I am not happy about it. She doesn’t really know me, she doesn’t understand me. I would prefer to live alone, but I can’t afford the rent. My mother carries no love in her heart. I try to understand people like her and find out why they show no love or care. Why they are so rude and impolite. I try to understand, but it hurts me a lot.”
“School was a terrible experience for me; it was very difficult. I only ever studied the subjects I liked. In the others I didn’t make an effort and I was very afraid of being punished by the teachers. School means insecurity and fear to me; on the other hand I have good friends with whom I get on well. They always tell me I am different and often ask me for advice.”
“Years ago I was in a relationship, but he was very rude to me and I ended the relationship. Afterwards I was afraid he might take revenge on me. I had a similar experience with my former boss. She looked for reasons to harass me, but God had mercy on me and I found a new job.”
“I strive for divine love. I feel full of love; when I meditate or am with my group I am open and full of awareness. I know that marriage and physical love are not meant for me. I have chosen to live alone and to develop divine love.”
“I am afraid that someone I love might become ill. If one of my friends or a relative becomes ill it causes me a lot of stress. It feels as if I myself am ill. If something hurts me deeply I could cry about it for hours. When I was younger I would climb trees and cry there.”
“I know that it is my destiny to devote myself to other people, to serve them, especially children. Children are the best thing in this world.”
“My problem is my insecurity; my fears. I cannot do anything without these feelings being present. I would so much like to be independent and relaxed.”
“My life changed radically after I found my guru and the community. In them I find an indescribable love, tenderness and cheerfulness; nevertheless I am full of fears and insecurity.”
She feels chilly, but sweats a lot.
She drinks cold water and eats ice cream and sweets all day.
She has painful haemorrhoids and varicose veins in both legs. Her menstruation is painful.
Analysis
Because of the allopathic treatment for the underactive thyroid, I prescribed Lanthanum phosphoricum LM1 for the patient to take daily for three weeks.
Follow-up
At the first follow-up four weeks later her symptoms had improved by 70% (fatigue, sweating, sleep problems, swollen gland, nervousness, oversensitivity, painful periods and haemorrhoids).
During the next two months she took the remedy daily and her doctor reduced the conventional medication to ¼ of the original dose.
At the second follow-up (three months after the first dose) she told me she felt great. She felt more secure, more self-confident and happier. She no longer burst into tears immediately when someone criticised her. She could finally reply: “I don’t feel good when you treat me like that.” For the first time in her life she felt like an adult who can respond appropriately to new situations.
She had a blood test: T4 was 59 and TSH 5.8. For the first time in four years her doctor was satisfied with the results. He reduced her medication further, assuming that the patient might soon be able to stop it altogether.
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Category: Cases
Keywords: Lanthanum phosphoricum, underactive thyroid
Remedy: Lanthanum phosphoricum
Original article: Interhomeopathy.org
