A 45-year-old man presented in July 2010 with grand-mal epilepsy. He is disoriented and has difficulty speaking. Since July 2009 he had three epileptic seizures, all of which occurred during sleep between 2 and 4 am.
When he is stressed he gets migraines: they rise from the neck and are one-sided; they can also be triggered by alcohol. In 2008 he had gallbladder surgery.
He is worried about the seizures and asks me how things will progress and whether he needs strong medication. He is an osteopath and depends on his job, and he wonders what will happen to his family if he becomes ill. He is in the process of moving into new treatment rooms and is anxious about his decision. He carefully tries to avoid mistakes and stress because they could worsen his condition. He finds it difficult to make decisions.
The way he deals with his new treatment rooms reveals his personality quite well: he broods a lot, carefully considering all pros and cons. This particular caution in decision-making also shows in his manner of speaking: very soft, hesitant, cautious; he pays attention to what he says and how he says it.
Once he had a brief absence on the telephone: he could speak, but could not say what he wanted, it was as if he no longer had control over what he was saying.
When he came to me in November 2007 with a stiff right shoulder, allergies and migraine, I prescribed a few doses of Praseodym carbonicum, stage 5 of the lanthanides because of his careful, gentle, suspicious manner, and also because he had put his osteopathy diploma on hold (being an alternative practitioner can be an indication of one of the lanthanides). I suspected that this was the cause of his shoulder problem. He is a person who reflects a lot (lanthanides) and he says that he needs to change his rigid attitude and his kind of self-control. I asked him what that meant for him and he explained that he controls himself because he fears he might not meet his own expectations; perfection is impossible.
He finds it hard to let go of his children. In childhood he missed his father's presence and he had wished at least to be able to make eye contact with his father to feel better, because he felt unworthy (Carbon).
He improved on the remedy, and with the help of osteopathy and other therapies his shoulder also improved. Nevertheless I had the feeling that this was not the optimal remedy for him. |
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Analysis:
From Jan Scholten I learned that epilepsy is a good indication for the Apiaceae family, especially epilepsy without aura. The nocturnal grand-mal seizures can be a sign of an Apiaceae. The seizures occur in the dark when no one can see them, or they come very suddenly, out of the blue (unexpected is a strong clue for the Apiaceae). He wants |
to be perfect, a calm, cultivated, intellectual, philosophical, soft-spoken man; his demeanour also shows stage 5. Jan Scholten placed Sumbulus in stage 5 of the Apiaceae family.
Prescription: Sumbulus moschatus MK, once monthly. |
Follow-ups:
Two months later he had no more seizures and was much better. He reports that after taking the remedy he felt a strong change in himself on the way home. Then he had an argument with his wife, but it was different from previous disputes – it was good and constructive (no longer the gloomy attitude seen in the Apiaceae).
He says that he used to always feel stressed when he did not have everything under control; once he had a car breakdown on holiday, which frightened him a lot. Control was a main theme. Regarding his new treatment rooms, he says that here he is less perfectionist.
When asked about his mother (a difficult mother is a theme of the Apiaceae), he says that she is very controlling, everything must be in its place. As a child it was not a problem for him, because he always tried to meet her expectations and to do everything well.
He prefers the shade and had a period where he mainly wore black clothing. Today he dislikes milk (mother) and enjoys being alone and listens to music – that is the best relaxation for him (Apiaceae).
Two months later he still had no seizures. He had an argument with his mother; she has problems, but she does not tell anything personal about her condition, and he says that he does the same. “I don't speak about the things that really concern me.” (Does not easily speak about his own inner world).
What torments you? “A kind of fear that something might come out that I don't like, that something not so nice becomes visible. I have to control that.” He understands his controlling stance very well now, but he still fears that his seizures could return.
Three months later he still takes Sumbulus moschatus once monthly. He had another epileptic seizure shortly after falling asleep; however it was not as intense as the earlier ones. After the seizure he was very disappointed that it had happened again and he struggled with himself. He was depressed and did not want to get up at all. He had an argument with his wife and cried for a long time afterwards. This had not happened for so long that he could not remember the last time (he is coming back into contact with his feelings because control over his feelings has loosened).
He also had an argument with his best friend, who told him that he was so emotionless, logical and correct that it was no longer bearable. His anger came later, after the argument; in the situation itself he showed no emotions. What does that mean? “It scares me when someone reacts emotionally (uncultivated). I will never be emotional.” (Fear of his own 'bad' feelings, his dark side; he must control them so as not to feel them). “I get angry with myself, for example when I cannot solve a mathematical problem.”
Three months later he can express his emotions better and is easily moved by beautiful things. He can better name his feelings and describe his emotional state. He recognises his insecurity and his fear, and the fact that he wants to hide his emotions, which for him means to control them. For example, when playing cards with friends and the others make fun because he made a mistake, he immediately feels: “I must be on my guard and keep up appearances.”
In July 2011 he was well; he had no seizures and only once had a headache at 4 am. He enjoys his work, and he has become much more self-confident.
Prescription: Sumbulus moschatus MK, three further doses at six-week intervals. |
