Whenever I touch something I have pain: a case of Taraxacum

by Dinesh Chauhan, Pallavi Nar, Devang Shah

The main complaints of the 4-year-old patient are recurrent colds, a runny nose, stomach pains and tooth decay.

The little boy arrives accompanied by his mother and grandmother for the consultation. As his mother begins to describe her son’s complaints, he interrupts her and says, “Mum, let me tell it, I want to tell it.” So we hand the word over to our little patient.

He tells us that he has stomach pain every day. He always has abdominal pain, whether he is at home or outside. He tells us repeatedly that many places on his body hurt. Whenever he talks about his pain he makes a gesture with his hand as if to strike something. He repeats this gesture at least 6–7 times.

He also tells us that he always wakes up with a headache and that he gets pain when he touches someone. He vividly describes how much it hurts him when he touches something or someone. Interestingly — this boy actually came to us for colds and a runny nose, but listening to him reveals a completely different problem: touch is painful; whenever the little boy touches something it triggers pain!

He is a very expressive boy and talks incessantly. He says that he often talks so much that it hurts! And he talks the whole time, until the end of the case history.

We question him further and soon he tells us that once he touched his soft toy penguin and it hurt him. Then he tells us about a monster that visits him at night — he touches the monster and hits it until it hurts. At this point the boy’s loquacity was unmistakable. He then told us that he had worms in his belly that throw little stones toward his throat. He says his whole body hurts and he bangs on the table. Afterwards he tells us that he, his dad and his mum shrink and he falls out of bed and rubs himself with Calendula.

Thenhe changes the subject and tells us that it also hurts when he is hit by a robber. He says that everyone constantly hits him here and there. As he talks about hitting and being hit he repeatedly makes the same gesture, hitting at something. Here he links his story to his main complaint, the stomach pains: the boy reports that he gets stomach pain when he is hit by a robber. At this point in the case-taking the little patient thus links one of his main complaints with beating, injury and pain. Also evident here is a loquacity that runs through the whole case. The boy also reports that even speaking makes his mouth hurt. So speaking is also linked to pain.

He goes on to say that he has pain when he goes into water, uses a computer, or touches photos or wire. Again he connects touch with pain. He talks about climbing a hill and throwing stones down — that also hurts him. Then he describes the pain, saying it feels tight, like jelly that has become hard; his stomach and legs become hard. It hurts the same as when he is hit by a robber (at this point he makes the hitting gesture again). Then the boy says he has a hunter and the hunter hits the robber. He tells us that the robber has a sword, but his sword is sharper than the robber’s. He again describes the monster that haunts him — he throws stones at it and the monster bleeds. Next he says he has worms in his throat that throw stones and so his throat swells. Moreover, the worms throw stones at his teeth and that is why one of his teeth is broken — here the boy makes a connection to his third main complaint, the tooth decay.

Then he talks again about completely different things: he got into a lift, fell and gashed his knee. Then he describes how he touched a light bulb and burned himself. As he tells us this he hits his legs.

The boy dreams of ghosts and monsters that haunt him and set fires on which he burns himself. When the monsters touch him it hurts. He is afraid of skeletons and of fire; he fears he might get burned.

His mother reports that he does not like being touched. Even as a 4-month-old baby he kicked his grandmother when she wanted to wrap him in a blanket. Her son also does not cry when he falls. He simply gets up again and says: “I am strong.”

Analysis and case understanding

We are dealing here with an extraordinarily talkative child. The boy’s openness gave us the opportunity to hear him completely undisturbed in a relaxed, nonjudgmental environment.

The most striking feature is the boy’s behaviour. From the start the boy insisted on telling his story himself. In India this is very unusual. Most children his age let their parents speak; they just sit there, cling to their parents and listen. Not this boy — he wanted to tell everything himself and so we sent his mother out to the waiting room to be able to speak to him undisturbed.

The boy could present his concerns freely. He talked about himself for almost an hour without interruption; we hardly had to ask questions. His drive to talk was unmistakable; it is an important part of his personality. It is really very, very unusual for a 4-year-old to talk to the doctor for so long and without an adult present. What made the boy’s behaviour even more remarkable was the way he spoke. He told his tale entertainingly and pleasantly; at no point did one feel bored or irritated. He was a very cheerful boy with whom one enjoyed spending time.

His manner of talking about his complaints is also significant. The boy’s main complaints are stomach pains and recurrent colds. The worst thing for him are the stomach pains. His description of the stomach pain is very peculiar — he says it hurts when he touches something. Not only does his belly hurt, but his whole being is so taken over by these pains that everything he touches causes him pain. Whatever it is, the TV set, the remote control, a pen, a sheet of paper — all these things are painful for him. This is of course completely absurd! One cannot make logical sense of this sensation; it is utter nonsense.

As we delve deeper into the case the boy tells us a fantasy story of a monster that hurts and wounds him, that bleeds. He also tells us about worms that sit in his throat and throw stones. The boy lives in a fantasy world that makes absolutely no sense.

By this point we had been speaking with our little patient for an hour and could now discern the pattern behind his complaints: his complaints and his fantastic stories all have something to do with sensitivity to pain. Everything he touches triggers pain.

This pain sensitivity is the most striking, unique and specific aspect of his personality, together with a light-hearted and cheerful loquacity. Next we need to understand the nature of this pain sensitivity. It will lead us to the correct kingdom of nature and the corresponding family — and thus to the remedy.

In the second part of the case-taking we concentrate on the sensation behind these pains. At this point the boy will give us an exact description. When we ask him about the pains he gives us various images: being struck with a large stone; a hunter; a sword; falling; being struck by a robber; touching a light bulb and burning. These very different images have one thing in common: the boy experiences an injury. We are on the deepest level of his experience — his sensation. The dominant theme that runs through his fears, delusions and main complaints is that of ‘being injured’.

The boy also spontaneously told us of another delusion, namely about his dreams. In his dreams he was mainly occupied with ghosts that might set things on fire. This too is very unusual for a 4-year-old. At this age children fear a ghost itself. This little boy, however, worries that the ghost might set a fire. Here the fundamental pattern of the case is confirmed: the fear of injury or burning. It runs through all areas — the stomach pains, the fantasies, the fears and the boy’s dreams. The main theme that applies both to his physical complaints and his mental state is the theme of injury.

The intersection where body (physical complaints) and mind (fears, dreams and fantasies) meet and agree we call the Vital Sensation. If we can recognise a pattern that runs through a person’s physical symptoms and mental aspects, then we have the Vital Sensation before us.

You all know — for example — the remedy Bryonia. In Bryonia we have on the physical level a worsening from motion, which on the mental level is reflected as an aversion to disturbance. If one looks more closely at these two aspects one notices that they are both a sensitivity to disturbance. This shared aspect of body and mind shows us that this sensitivity to disturbance is the Vital Sensation of Bryonia. The level of the Vital Sensation goes beyond the physical and mental level; it permeates the level of feelings and events; it is the interface of mental and physical experience.

Similarly in this case: we can see that the main complaint and the boy’s mental state are expressed through the language of ‘pains from injury.’ In this case the ‘pains from injury’ correspond to the patient’s Vital Sensation.

Essentially the Vital Sensation can be assigned to one of the three kingdoms of nature, the mineral, plant or animal kingdoms. Each kingdom has its own characteristic sensations.

A Vital Sensation corresponding to the mineral kingdom has much to do with structure. The patient has a feeling of insufficiency — he believes something is missing or that he will lose something or himself. A person at home in the mineral kingdom sees problems as something rooted within themselves — either as a lack or a potential loss. “I am afraid of losing my wealth” or “I could lose my voice” are typical expressions of the mineral kingdom. (Please note that one cannot pin a person’s Vital Sensation on one or two expressions; the sensation must run through all aspects of their life.) In a case belonging to the mineral kingdom the phenomenon that runs through the patient’s history — the Vital Sensation — must have to do with “I am missing something” or “I will lose something.”

A Vital Sensation from the animal kingdom is about survival. The patient carries the theme “I or You.” Their problems are about “Someone is doing something to me”; the problem is personified, someone attacks or competes. Typical expressions are e.g. “These pains will kill me” or “My mother-in-law is stronger than I; I am the weaker one.” The pattern in the patient’s life is shaped by the sensation “I or You,” victim versus aggressor, strength versus weakness.

A Vital Sensation from the plant kingdom focuses entirely on sensitivity and sensitiveness. Sensitiveness means that there is a high degree of stimulus and pain sensitivity which causes the person to react to something. For example, a woman says she “cannot bear it when my husband shouts.” It becomes clear that she is not questioning her husband as a person, but is sensitive to a characteristic or behaviour of her husband. She is sensitised to and reacts to her husband’s shouting.

The plant kingdom is defined through stimulus and response. The readiness to react is due to a strong sensitivity in the affected person.

In the case of the little patient we can see that the boy always has pain when he touches something. This is a typical plant sensitiveness. The child reacts sensitively to what goes on around him and reacts immediately. Every touch produces an immediate reaction in him. This heightened responsiveness is a characteristic of the plant kingdom. The Vital Sensation in our case is that of ‘being injured’ and the reaction to it is striking out, i.e. injuring others.

Once the kingdom is established, we must find which family fits the patient. The nature of the pain will provide important clues for this.

Let us once again consider the images the little boy described: pains as if beaten with a stone; a hunter; a sword; falling; being struck by a robber; burning by touching a light bulb. Added to this is his experience of the pain — “hard and swollen, like firm jelly” — and the worsening by touch. This sensation of ‘being injured’ and the pronounced touch sensitivity are found especially in the family Compositae (Asteraceae).

So we must find a remedy from the Compositae family in which loquacity stands out strongly. The boy’s urge to talk was unmistakable; it is a strong character trait that is clearly recognisable even objectively. The boy told his story nonstop for an hour! Moreover, his talkativeness is in no way intrusive; he is a cheerful and pleasant boy.

Thus the remedy must possess a light-hearted loquacity and take up the main theme of the Compositae — injury. We researched all candidate plants very thoroughly and found the following description for Taraxacum (dandelion):

In Allen’s ‘Encyclopedia’ (T.F. Allen; available in English only) under ‘Generalities’ we find: “Internally a strong feeling of malaise, all the limbs ache when touched or when in an uncomfortable position.”

From Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases: “Very inclined to laughter; talkativeness and UNCONTROLLABLE GARRULOUSNESS… Religious, CHEERFUL COURAGE, MERRIMENT, contentment with oneself and one’s state.”

In Lippe’s ‘Keynotes’: Painfulness of all the limbs on being touched. In Phatak’s Materia Medica: “Very inclined to chatter, laugh and be merry.”

Prescription: We chose the remedy Taraxacum. The boy’s experience was on the level of delusions, so he received potency 1M.

Comment: In this case the miasm was not clearly recognisable. One should not be overly disturbed if the corresponding miasm is not found when choosing a remedy. One must always concentrate on the peculiar, the special features of the case. In our case the boy’s light-hearted loquacity stood out, accompanied by the theme of injury. The sensation method led us directly to the plant kingdom and to the botanical family Compositae. However, we would not have found the correct remedy by the sensation method alone; we had to consult the thorough study of the Materia Medica to identify the indicated plant. This case is a wonderful homeopathic lesson and shows us that the sensation method can successfully complement the classical homeopathic approach without diminishing its significance in any way.

Follow-up after 6 months:

Doctor (D): Can you tell us what changes you have noticed in your son over the last months?

Grandmother (GM): He has become a little more affectionate.

D: More affectionate, what do you mean by that?

Mother (M): I think I told you about this. From a young age he has been, well, very angry with my husband and my mother-in-law. Once he even wanted to hit them, but I immediately stopped him, I had to slap him. I think I already told you that……

D: Yes, that’s true……

M: Now he doesn’t have that problem anymore.

D: Good. Anything else? Any other changes?

M: He has grown.

D: (laughs)

M: I also told you that he can concentrate better now.

D: He can concentrate better?

M: Yes, he can sit still now. And your suggestion to send him to karate was also very good. There he can let off steam.

D: Does he watch less TV now?

M: Not necessarily. But when he comes home from school now he sits for an hour in front of the TV and when I tell him to switch it off he does so — without a drama. Before it was always a huge scene. And sometimes he now goes to another room when he is bored and plays with his toys there. And one more thing: he has become tidier… he even sometimes tidies up after playing.

Follow-up after 1 year:

In the first half year of treatment the boy received one dose of Taraxacum 1M monthly; in the second half year only 2 doses in total.

After one year the colds have almost completely disappeared; he was sick only twice in the whole year. The stomach pains have vanished as if by magic; the boy has not mentioned them since.

Perhaps of greatest importance is his changed behaviour: the boy has become more sociable and affectionate. Previously he felt neither comfortable with his father nor his grandmother. Now he is very affectionate towards them too. He no longer tries to hit his grandmother. In addition his sense of order has improved; he no longer leaves everything lying about and puts his things away. He can concentrate better, is less restless and can now sit still and finish a task.

His sensation of ‘being injured’ has significantly decreased. He can touch things without them causing him pain. His intense dreams and fantasies have diminished. His flood of speech has also decreased; he can now speak appropriately for the situation. Overall one can see clear improvements on every level — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Comment

It was fascinating to observe how the little boy developed affectionate feelings for his father and grandmother over the course of homeopathic treatment. That is what makes homeopathy so unique: the energetic action of the remedy corrects the altered state (what we call ‘the other song’) of the patient and restores the person’s original song, their inner original pattern. This original song serves the love of all people and humanity as a whole.

This case wonderfully shows how a child, when given a free and nonjudgmental environment, can completely unfold their individuality unhindered. In this case I almost had to do nothing, simply be there, be patient and observe what happened. I was guided by the trust that everything the little patient told me would converge at a point. My role was that of a catalyst: all the patient needed was a protected space where he could be himself — without judgement and without criticism, just someone who listens and watches attentively. It reminds me of a saying by Lao Tzu: “Have you the patience to wait until the mud settles and the water is clear?” In this case it was all about waiting and listening: following an innocent and cheerful child attentively in his pure, unadulterated expressions until what was said could be traced back to the source — through the kingdom of nature, the family, the appropriate genus, as well as through the rubrics and the study of the Materia Medica.

Cases like this continually reinforce my belief in simply being — being open, being attentive, being a witness until the pattern reveals itself on its own.

This case study was originally published on http://theothersong.wordpress.com/ in the newsletter ‘Voice’.

Category: Cases

Keywords: stomach pain, sensitivity to pain, fear of injury, cheerful nature, loquacity

Remedy: Taraxacum