The 13-year-old patient has severe asthma and needs to use a pump spray regularly. She is allergic to cats, dogs, house dust mites, grasses and pollen. The allergies cause breathing difficulties.
The patient is a sensitive girl and takes things to heart. She loves animals and is always worried that an animal might die. She always stands up for the weaker ones, e.g. classmates at school. She has many anxieties, especially separation anxiety, and is very concerned for the wellbeing of her family. She fears that her mother might die and never come back when she goes out. She fears that her brother could injure himself, which is why she constantly watches and admonishes him, e.g. when crossing a road (her brother is 14 years old and not notably risk‑seeking). She is continually worried about the safety of the people around her. She is afraid of needles and midges. When a pet dies she is inconsolable.
She has great compassion for others and cares tenderly for people and animals.
She constantly needs attention, especially from her mother, to whom she is very attached. She loves her mother above all else and always needs to know where she is. Even when she is at school she wants to know how her mother is spending her time. She usually sits very close, cuddled up to her mother and wants to be cuddled by her.
In her sleep she curls up like a ball, surrounded by soft toys and a snuggly blanket. She cries easily and any thought of separation or danger to her family triggers panic. She cannot bear losses; she cannot even part with her soft toys. She prefers to be at home in her own safe world.
She often has colds, which can easily turn into asthma. She constantly has to blow her nose and has pain in her sinuses. Physical exertion and temperature changes easily leave her short of breath. The asthma feels as follows: „My chest feels as if a rubber band is stretched around it. I therefore cannot breathe. It is like tug‑of‑war – I pull and someone else pulls against me. I cannot breathe because the rope is too strong. When I breathe in, I have the feeling of pulling on a rope. It pulls me down.“
Analysis
I had treated the girl for several years, more or less successfully, but a decisive success had been lacking and the asthma had not improved significantly. With the help of Sankaran’s method I was able to better understand the inner sensation during the breathing difficulty. She described the image of tug‑of‑war: someone pulls against her when she inhales. The pulling is so strong that she feels overwhelmed by it and cannot resist. This is similar to her anxieties about the family (including house and cuddly pets), where she also cannot bear it when someone tries to 'pull her away' from them. She is happy and content when her mother and brother are at home or she knows where they are. The tension (rubber band) grows when they are not there. Then she no longer has her fears under control, she does not know what is happening and fears the worst (injury or death).
Sankaran writes: „Relations and connections are not strong, therefore they want to hold on to them. Should the connection break, then anxieties and delusions arise. Active reaction: clinging, accident, death, death of relatives, clinginess, separation, amorous. Sensation of holding on and being torn away.“
I chose a remedy from the cancer miasm of the Scrophulariaceae family: „The task exceeds their limits“. Things are out of control; everything is destroyed as soon as they lose control. It lies beyond their own capacities; it bursts at the seams.
Follow up
The patient is better in every respect. She has become a different child. The peak flow has never been so good – 400 and continuing to improve, even though the family’s house is currently being painted. She hardly needs to use her spray any more.
She is lively, confident and happy. She has not cried any more, even though the family’s cat was very ill. Her mother had been away and it did not bother her. She wants to please everyone and messes about a lot. She has become more independent and stronger. Things are also better at school. She can cope better with the topic of death and loss and was not excessively upset when a friends’ cat died.
Health‑wise she is much better. She had a mild cold which did not trigger asthma and was over within a few days. She also no longer has to blow her nose so often.
Follow up 2
She has a new master and shows no allergic symptoms. For two months she has not needed to use her asthma spray. Peak flow is still good and continues to rise. She is not as worried any more and it is fun to be with her (especially for her mother!). She has more self‑confidence; she can run and swim and does not get out of breath. She can run around the sports field without developing breathlessness. The family cat died and it was the mother who grieved deeply! „At first I was very sad, but then it was okay“.
Dream: About the Third World War. I was the only one who was not shot. It did not bother me.
Her whole attitude has changed.
The girl continues to do well. Her mother reports that her complaints have improved by 90%.
Category: Remedy
Keywords: Asthma, Scrophularia nodosa
