To make the correspondence complete kalmia has the power of affecting both, the joints may become hot, red and swollen : the heart’s action is feeble, irregular and slow, sometimes very slow (dig), the breathing is oppressed, pain extends down the left arm and through to left shoulder from the cardiac area’ there are palpitation, worse lying on the left side, fluttering, and valvular murmurs, the bruits may even be audible at a distance. Sitting bent forwards aggravates the palpitation an dyspnoea. Even when hypertrophy and dilatation have arisen kalmia may still be the remedy.
Kalmia also irritates the urinary system, causing frequent micturition of small quantities of yellow urine, with thick deposit and feeling hot as it passes. Albuminuria is also attributed to the drug, whether justly or not its use in the albuminuria of pregnancy is justified by experience. It has also proved useful in different forms of Bright’s disease. Ocular conditions, with dimness of vision, double vision and pains have been found on examination of the fundus to be associated with retinitis, and the retinitis may be the first finger-post pointing to the kidney affections. Here the appropriateness of kalmia must be carefully considered. It is a valuable palliative (where indicated) even if the patient be incurable. Choroiditis, sclerotitis, asthenopia may also find a remedy in this drug. There are a few other points worthy of note which are mainly clinical.
Syphilitic affections (spirochaetal) for which kalmia may be required, are neuralgia, periostitis (long bones, cranium &c.), ocular paralyses, ex. gr., ptosis with stiffness of lids and cardio-vascular conditions.
Neuralgias requiring kalmia may be syphilitic; or following herpes zoster, h. frontalis, &c,; after cold (facial). They are often associated with numbness.
Rheumatism may be due to toxaemias from teeth, intestines or gonorrhoea (paroxysmal) may be due to the same causes : these all may be benefited by kalmia if their modalities agree with those of the drug.
Meningitis.- Under kalmia the following symptoms of meningitis may be found; Headache, stiff neck, vomiting (cerebral type), pyrexia, slow irregular pulse, strabismus (ocular paresis), optic neuritis and constipation. We are not aware that it has been used for any type of meningitis, but it appears worth consideration.
LEADING INDICATIONS.
(1) Pains of any type, chiefly shooting, tearing or sore (bruised) feeling.
(2) Pains in almost any situation, especially neck, head and face (chiefly right-sided), limbs, upper (chiefly right-sided), lower (chiefly left-sided).
(3) Pains moving quickly from place to place, or joint to joint (rheumatism), pains travelling downwards or centrifugally.
(4) Pains : (a) Crescendo-decrescendo as the day goes on; (b) occurring in short paroxysms with sudden onset and departure; (c) worse at night (especially if of syphilitic origin).
(5) Pains usually very severe in degree.
(6) Pains (neuralgia) after herpes.
(7) Vertigo on stooping, &c.
(8) Numbness and tingling, with or after pain.
(9) Heart’s action slow, feeble, irregular; violent palpitation, shaking, body; cardiac neuralgia.
(10) Oppression of breathing, dyspnoea, chest pains, pains down left arm.
(11) Severe, even serious, general weakness of cardiac origin.
(12) Named conditions having characteristic symptoms like the foregoing:-
(a) Rheumatism (acute or subacute), neuralgia, syphilis (tabes, &c.).
(b) Angina pectoris.
(c) Organic or functional hear affections.
(d) Albuminuria of pregnancy, nephritis.
(e) Ocular conditions : retinitis, choroiditis, sclerotitis, ocular paresis (double vision, squint), ptosis.
(f) Periostitis.
(g) Meningitis (?).
AGGRAVATION :
(a) From slightest movement (local and general ); (b) from warmth (neck), sun’s rays (headache and general); (c) from lying on left side; (d) from bending forwards (pain in upper abdomen, and dyspnoea); (e) by touch or pressure; (f) stooping (vertigo).
AMELIORATION :
(a) Lying on back; (b) sitting erect (except sight); (c) standing; (d) remaining absolutely quiescent; (e) food (neuralgia).
Edwin Awdas Neatby founded the Missionary School of Homeopathy and the London Homeopathic Hospital in 1903, and run by the British Homeopathic Association. He died in East Grinstead, Sussex, on the 1st December 1933. Edwin Awdas Neatby wrote The place of operation in the treatment of uterine fibroids, Modern developments in medicine, Pleural effusions in children, Manual of Homoeo Therapeutics,