He was a complete wreck when he came to me. One must gradually reduce the quantity of the dopes and replace them by non-dangerous tonics and sedatives, such as a decoction of entire oats or oat shucks. This medicine is known to homoeopathy under the name of Avena sativa. This is an excellent tonic. A tonic which will replace alcohol is China, the tincture made from China bark, from which quinine is extracted.
When the life of the nerve patient has been suitably regulated, then the question of medication arises. In the first place the patient should be given those constitutional remedies which his constitution calls for. If the patient is irritable, craves highly spiced foods, has a dark skin, is liverish and constipated, he will probably need Nux vomica. If he has a dirty skin, cannot stand heat, puts his feet out of bed because they burn, cannot stand before a fire, is prone to skin eruptions, he should be given Sulphur.
If he has an ultra delicate skin, cannot stand the strong sun, is upset by thunder in the air, has a weak chest, he should be given Phosphorus. If the woman is a nervous woman, is fat, flabby, weepy, chilly, hates fat, Pulsatilla will most likely benefit her greatly. If she is thin and scrawny, dark haired, complains about bearing down pains, is always in a hurry, has deep lines in her face and an expression of suffering, she will be vastly benefited by Sepia.
The medicines mentioned are not nerve specifics like bromide, luminal, etc., but they make the use of nerve specifics unnecessary or almost unnecessary. The constitutional remedies will improve the constitution as a whole, including the nerves. After all the nerves are part of the body, and one should treat the body as a whole.
Every homoeopath knows exceedingly valuable nerve sedatives, tonics, etc. I would mention only a few. People who are extremely sensitive to pain, irritable, unreasonable and must always be on the move will be benefited by Chamomilla. Old women in the country prescribe Chamomilla tea to people of this character. People who are very irritable, violent, given to excesses of fury, will be greatly benefited by Nux vomica, while those who are depressed and who sigh much should be given Ignatia.
There are neurotics who are full of fear, who have a fear complex. These should be given Scutellaria. People with fidgety feet should be given either Zincum or Zincum Phosphoricum. Nervous children will do exceedingly well in almost every case when given Chamomilla, particularly when nervousness becomes apparent when teething. The nervous who suffer from sexual mania should be given in Hyoscyamus in high potency. That medicine given in the 30th potency or higher has cured innumerable cases of sex mania.
Neurasthenia cannot be cured with a medicine or two. Neurasthenics can be kept in comfort for years by doping them, but the end is evil. Nerve cases, like every disease case, require rebuilding from the foundations. The average nerve case may require six months or two years continuous treatment, and during that time he may need twenty or thirty different medicines in accordance with changing symptoms and conditions, but it is eminently worth while to restore a suffering individual to complete health. Hard work is required on the part of the prescriber, and full co-operation on the part of the sufferer and his family.
James Ellis Barker wrote a very large number of books, both under the name James Ellis Barker and under his real German name Otto Julius Eltzbacher, The Truth about Homœopathy; Rough Notes on Remedies with William Murray; Chronic Constipation; The Story of My Eyes; Miracles Of Healing and How They are Done; Good Health and Happiness; New Lives for Old: How to Cure the Incurable; My Testament of Healing; Cancer, the Surgeon and the Researcher; Cancer, how it is Caused, how it Can be Prevented with a foreward by William Arbuthnot Lane; Cancer and the Black Man etc.