The Compositae family from new perspectives

Recently I reviewed my old cases with a fresh perspective. Although the prescribed remedies had some benefit, the hoped-for overall change had not occurred. In two cases I now saw the Compositae family with different eyes.

During this time I happened to be politically interested in the US presidential election (2012) and watched the RNC coverage here in the USA. A spokesperson represented the remedy picture of Arnica. He often played the strong, silent types in his classic films. One of these is a 1970 film: “A Gunfight with the Vultures” with Shirley MacLaine, where our noble hero rescues a “damsel in distress”. They then continue on, facing further adventures (acute situations), all risky and requiring determination. “Be careful, show no pain and no weakness!” (Sister Sara) [1].

Bellis perennis case

K.V., a 42-year-old woman,

• very lively, vivacious, intense and highly sensitive to insult
• hormonal hot flushes alternating with chills
• eczema
• cold sores / herpes, worse on touch
• bloating (constant, after meals)
• dizziness since 1994 (worse on standing up after bending forward)
• metallic taste in the mouth
• hepatitis (drug use) for 18 years
• insomnia, severe sleep disturbance (1) (wakes every hour) - awakens startled from anxiety dreams
• right shoulder pain (from skiing)
• as a child she had major problems with authority; her stepfather beat her.

K.V. was employed as a housekeeper for a wealthy family and soon became the “girl for everything” for all family members; always on call. It was a totally chaotic household with no structure or accountability. She often felt unappreciated, about which she complained bitterly (“After all I do for them ...”). The same pattern typically showed in her romantic relationships.

Her work environment was constantly chaotic and required her to “pick up the pieces” and “put everything right.” Lachesis and Carcinosinum had been prescribed with some success, yet her energetic intensity had not abated.

On holiday she travels to exotic destinations, does ‘trekking in Africa’ or ‘swimming with the sharks in Bali’: “That helps me feel alive.”
At a consultation she spoke about her employers’ divorce. She wept in great distress, as every family member was affected, even the dog. She had worked for them for nine years and regarded them as her family. She had not seen her stepfather since she was 17 (when she became pregnant), and had become estranged from her son, her mother and her sister.

I was struck by how much her suffering centred on the transient problems of this family. Given her vivacity and her tendency to give too much on the one hand, while feeling she received too little attention herself, and her exhaustion and alienation from her personal life on the other, I considered a plant remedy from the cancer miasm. The theme described by Mirilli is the desire for company (of the family). In this case there is indifference towards her birth family, while she is strongly committed to and feels obliged to another family.

Chamomilla case

L.R., a 57-year-old woman. She describes herself as a radical feminist and separatist.

• high blood pressure (on medication)
• sharp pain in the right ear, itching in the ear, sometimes a feeling of blockage in both ears
• arthritis pain, left hip; worse from lying, better from stretching the leg
• dizziness with nausea; better on closing the eyes, worse when lying in bed, turning over in bed, rising from lying, occasionally when walking
• menstrual flow heavier at night
• tendinitis; right shoulder
• anxiety = nosebleed from the right nostril, worse on touch
• indecision, second-guessing afterwards - “I’m hungry but I don’t know what I want, what I like or dislike.”
• she is easily discouraged, gives up quickly, runs away and withdraws from situations (various jobs).
• estrangement from her family
• feels unloved, unnoticed, not belonging
• night sweats, followed by chills (head / shoulders)
• daily cannabis use
• life goal: “Do what I want.” (Admits she may not yet know what she wants).
• dream: “I am in a group that is searching for something. When I make a suggestion they do not acknowledge it. I don’t want to dream this; not to hear what they say - and that is: ‘You are doing it wrong.’”
• fear of heights, fear of danger
• food: Doritos chips, sour cream, cheese, bacon, hamburgers

She describes herself as self-sufficient and tough, and says she never asks for help. “My father was a subtle terrorist and told me I was a troublemaker because I always questioned his authority. If I don’t show feelings, father will leave me alone.”

She has had many quarrels with friends: “I want close friendships, but I’m irritated when they are offered to me.”