Then, cases having the uterus for their starting point :- Actea has an undoubted action on this organ – abortifacient and ecbolic. Its therapeutic virtues in this region are numerous and well established, especially where the uterus is presumably rheumatic. It relieves dysmenorrhoea, checks tendency to abortion and after pains, and facilitates parturition. When morbid uterine conditions show themselves elsewhere than in the organ itself, by the pains and agitations characteristic of the drug, it comes potently to their relief. It cures uterine epilepsy and hysteria; puerperal melancholia; the nervousness of pregnancy, and the restless and unhappy state of mind so often seen in uterine patients, especially the sleeplessness. Then the inframammary pain in unmarried females, which is to the uterus what pain in the shoulder is to the liver. Also pains in the mammae so arising. Also suffering at the climacteric age, relieving sinking at the stomach (one of its marked pathogenetic symptoms), pain at the vertex, and the irritability of disposition, better than any other medicine.
He quotes an interesting and suggestive article by Dr. Madden, in the British Journal of Homoeopathy, Vol. XXV, in regard to Actea for diaphragmatic pain. “Here the doctor was not only physician, but patient.” The pain had its centre in the chest; “it was as if a person were pressing with his fist firmly on the sternum and forcing it inwards towards the spine.” Walking would precipitate an attack. When severe it would spread up the oesophagus and pharynx, causing a peculiar tingling at the back of the throat which extended to shoulder and upper chest, and down the arms to finger-tips. A few moments of perfect quiet would remove the pain. It would never come on when at rest, except on two occasions, during strong mental emotion. It was always worse after food.
The condition persisted, unexplained and resisting all attempts at treatment till something read suggested the idea that it might be a myalgia of the diaphragm; and the explanation seemed to fit. Arnica was rejected; and Actea selected, as producing an effect on nervous system and muscle.
Actea O 3 or 4 minims relieved: unaccompanied by the diuresis that usually followed the cessation of the pain: but the drug had to be stopped since it began to produce the Actea headache and aching pressure on eyeballs. Actea 12 gave no result: whereas the first centesimal could be taken without distress and soon cured.
[Evidently Dr. Madden was one of the low potency prescribers. Probably a higher potency, and no repetition till needed, would have done him even better? But, he was cured!]
Among the things that GUERNSEY specially notes in regard to “Actea”, we find. The Mental craziness, and fear of going crazy: imagines all sorts of strange appearances, and that some one is going to kill her. Her incessant talk, changing from subject to subject. Her despondency and the feeling of being under a heavy black cloud.
Pain in head as if top would fly off: or as if a bolt had been driven from neck to vertex. Or pain shooting from occiput down neck. Headache down to nose.
Pains in eyeballs, shooting into eyeballs so severe it seems she would go crazy. Needles running into left eyeball. While, with regard to nose, every inhalation seems to bring the cold air in contact with brain.
Face bluish. Wild, fearful expression. Forehead cold: deadly pale. Suddenly faint, face ashy white.
Pains, uterine region, darting from side to side. Bearing down: and in small of back, as if something were pressing out labour pains with fainting fits and cramps; convulsions, from nervous excitement. Puerperal mania : feels strange, talks incoherently, screams, tries to injure herself. Similar to Cauloph. in uterine and rheumatic affections.
CLARKE (Dictionary) says, “Given before term it renders labour easier, cures sickness of pregnancy, and prevents after pains and over-sensitiveness”. He says, “According to Lippe a characteristic indication is, `The recently delivered uterus becomes actually jammed in the pelvis with great pain.’ It has ensured living births in women who have previously borne only dead children, from no discoverable cause; given in daily doses of 1X two months before term.”
We will let KENT, as usual, sum up for us; it is often well to let him have the last word.
He says, the remedy is but meagerly proved, but we can perceive that it is similar to diseased states, especially in women, namely hysterical and rheumatic conditions.
The patient is always chilly, easily affected by cold and damp, which rouses the rheumatic state, not only in muscles and joints, but also along the course of nerves.
There is a lack of will, balance, or great disturbance in the voluntary system (the underlying feature of hysterica); the symptoms intermingled with rheumatism. Soreness, trembling, numbness, jerking. Inability to exercise the will over the muscles. Turmoil in the voluntary system, with stiffness. Sensitive to cold, except in the head.
A terrible mental state alternates with the physical states. Overwhelming gloom: bowed down with sorrow. This may pass off instantly, or to be brought on or aggravated by motion or emotion. The rheumatism may change in a day to chorea the physical and mental are all the time changing. Jerking, soreness and numbness often keep on together.
He notes re the chorea: Jerking when in a state of emotion or from becoming chilled. The part pressed on will have jerkings. The whole of the side lain on will commence to jerk, and prevent sleep. She turns over, and soon the muscles that side will in turn begin to jerk: she becomes so restless and nervous that she is driven to distraction. The mind full of imaginations and the body full of uneasiness because she can find no place to rest upon. Sometimes it is soreness, sometimes numbness, sometimes jerking that prevents her from lying in peace.
Fear: anguish: restlessness. Fear of death; excitement, suspicion. Will not take the medicine, because there is something wrong about it. “This remedy belongs especially to women, because its symptoms are so commonly associated with the affections of woman. Mental states following the disappearance of rheumatism is a strong feature. Rheumatism better, mental state worse. Relief from diarrhoea-from flow from uterus: `some flow must be established, otherwise the mind takes on trouble.”
“A routine saying about Actea is that it makes confinement easy but only when the remedy is given in accordance with symptoms. Repeat that over and over again, when the symptoms agree, WHEN THE SYMPTOMS AGREE. It cures and makes labour easy when the symptoms agree, and that will apply equally to all other remedies.”
Then its bearing-down sensations show that it is a very useful remedy in prolapsus of uterus: it has the relaxation of the parts. Remedies will cure prolapsus when the symptoms agree, and at no other times. If it fits the patient in general, these bearing down sensations will go away, the patient will be made comfortable, and examination will finally show that the parts are in normal condition. You cannot prescribe for the prolapsus; you must prescribe for the woman. You cannot prescribe for one symptom, because there are probably fifty remedies that have that symptom.
Here, with menstruation, the more the flow, the greater the pain: many of the conditions of Actea are worse during the menses, rheumatic, jerking, cramping, sleeplessness; epileptic spasms; soreness of muscles or joints. `Rheumatic dysmenorrhoea, is not a bad name.”
During labour; shivering; hysteric manifestations. Pains have ceased or are irregular. A pain comes on, seems to be going to finish satisfactorily, when all at once she screams out and grasps her hip: it has left the uterus and gone to hip, causing cramp. So emotional is she, that if she hears an emotional story in the room, the pain will stop: or the lochia may stop, or milk be suppressed, and she will be sore and bruised and have fever.
Kent says the best results have been from the 30th, 200th, 1,000th and still higher potencies, in single doses.
