IDENTIFICATION
Contrariness, both mental and physical, sighs constantly, erratic, full of unnatural contradictory, unexpected surprises.
ESSENTIAL
The superficial and erratic character of the symptoms, and especially the mental and physical contrariness. Gayety alternation with the disposition to weep. Over sensitive, excitable, nervous. Rapid change of mood. Chilly Amelioration heat, aggravation cold. sad. Hurry. Sleepless. Desire to be alone; sits still and broods in silent grief; smothers one’s grief. Aggravation grief, cross words and correction. Amelioration copious flow of colorless urine, and lying on painful side like Bryonia
COMMENT.
Mind
Fears one will never sleep again. (L): Laughs involuntarily. Oversensitive, especially after suppressed grief. Yielding, like Pulsatilla Anger at least blame, then anger at oneself. Melancholy, sits in a vacant stare. Laughing and crying, becoming spasmodic, ending in screams, even spasms of chest and blue face. In all the phases of hysteria, in which Ignatia is one of the chief remedies, there is changeable mood, often flushing of one or the other cheek, tendency to scream, tear, bite or cry. Hides her grief, reverse of Pulsatilla Sobbing, with long drawn out sights. Laughs when one should be serious or in earnest. Anxiety as if something had happened, cannot speak of it.
Head
Pain in occiput from cold air, or while pressing at stool; drawing pain, on stooping low; jerking pain, on raising eyes; pulsating in occiput, during stool. Pain better lying on affected side, like Bryonia, and in forehead, amelioration stooping. Pain aggravation listening intently and from coffee. As of a nail sticking into side, amelioration lying or pressing on it, aggravation paying close attention. Head ache ends with profuse urination.
Ears
Deafness, except for human voice, reverse of Phosphorus
Nose
Nose cold, knees hot.
Face
Distorted, when speaking. (L): Pale, during menses; red, p.m.
Mouth
Beer tastes putrid. (L): Sour saliva. Apt to bite inside of cheek, or one side of tongue posteriorly, when speaking or chewing. Stitches in palate, to external ear. Taste of milk taken in the a.m. cannot be removed from the mouth for a long time.
Teeth
Pain in molars, as if crushed; sore, bruised pain, amelioration eating. Pain between meals.
Throat
Aphthae; choking, p.m.; stitching pain, when not swallowing. Throat amelioration belching. Some alarming cases of diphtheria have been reported cured by Ignatia As of a lump rising into throat, from stomach, aggravation drinking, water.
Stomach
Empty, weak, faint feeling, sighing. (L): Aversion to smoking tobacco; flabby; indigestion, after grief. Empty retching, amelioration eating Stomach aggravation pressure, amelioration, eating, often has to rise at night and eat. Thirst only during chill. Constant desire to take a deep breath to amelioration Stomach sinking. Craves cold food, which is digested, where warm food disturbs and creates indigestion. Wants cold things in stomach and heat externally.
Abdomen
Anxiety, after breakfast. (L): Pain, after excitement. Excessive flatulence.
Rectum
Constriction, amelioration sitting, aggravation standing; pain, while lying; periodical pain, every day; prolapsus, p.m. (L): Griping pain; stitching pain, upward. Urging aggravation in upper part of rectum, Nux more lower down. Rectum contracted, anus constricted, most painful after stool, walking and standing, amelioration sitting. Violent stitches shoot up rectum, and forward into abdomen. When, like Nux vomica, in diarrhoea, there is almost constant urging but no stool.
Urinary
Copious urine in nervous women, reverse of Agaricus Urine increased, lemon color, clear; watery.
Genitalia
Heat in vagina, before menses; grief suppresses or brings on menses; cramping pain in uterus, aggravation touching part. (L): Excoriation on edge of prepuce; sore, bruised pain at edge of prepuce; retraction of penis.
Larynx
Irritation of larynx, p.m., while lying. (L): Irritation in larynx, the more one coughs. Said to stop at once laryngismus stridulus that can be heard all over the house.
Breathing
Constant desire to take a deep before to amelioration sinking at stomach.
Cough
As from dust in throat pit; hollow cough, a.m., on walking; cough from irritation in larynx, p.m., while lying. (L): Cough aggravation coughing; hollow or short, p.m. Cough the more one coughs, like Squill., only amelioration suppressing it. Gapes spasmodically between coughs. Hacking cough, ending in sobbing. Cough on standing still after a walk.
Chest
Congestion to heart, or, after menses; constriction of heart, a grief; pressing pain, amelioration deep inspiration.
Limbs
Alive sense in upper limbs; clenching of thumbs in epilepsy, like Cuprum, after fright; jerking in forearm, p.m.; pain in joints of upper limbs, in side lain on; pain in tendo – Achilles, on exertion or walking; rhythmical trembling in lower limbs. (L): Hysterical paralysis, and after mental emotions. Knees hot, nose cold. Sciatica in cold weather, intense coldness and shivering, aggravation night; or, throbbing and intermittent boring, burns, lasts an hour, always preceded by coldness, aggravation night, must rise and walk about.
Sleep
Sleepy, after cough. Sleepless from grief, in which she is entirely absorbed. Children whimper in sleep.
Chill
Thirst only during chill Desires to be uncovered when cold, like Camph. Coldness amelioration heat, and thirst only during chill. Chill amelioration artificial heat, as of stove. Shaking chill, red face. Chill amelioration at once in warm room or by warm stove. Proceeds from abdomen; from stomach: Calcarea; runs to and ends in stomach: Arnica; most severe in abdomen: Meny. Amelioration sitting up.
Heat
External heat and redness afternoon, no internal heat. (L): Intermittents with thirst only during chill. Heat aggravation warm covering Able to resume occupation as soon as intermittent is over.
Skin
Itches easily, amelioration the slightest scratching, and disappears from that part.
General
Aggravation from starving. (L): Convulsions, after punishment, or, after fright. Epilepsy from great fright, becomes nervous before attack. Pressure as from a sharp instrument from within outward is characteristic. Spasms and convulsions ending in long drawnout sighs. Cold aggravation, and heat amelioration except in last stage of fever. Amelioration lying on painful side, like Bryonia Girls who faint every time they go to church. The superficial and erratic character of its symptoms is most characteristic, and especially the contrariness, both mental and physical. In an outbreak of plague, the people of Constantinople wore a bean on a string as a prophylactic. Acts best if given a.m; Nux vomica, p.m; if there is no hurry; for when given at bed time Ignatia causes too much restlessness at night. Ignatia suits females best; Nux vomica, males. Differs from Belladonna in spasms by having no fever. Wornout, nervous patients.
