NATRIUM MURIATICUM
The provings of natrium muriaticum are found: (1) Hahnemann: Chronische Krankheiten, 2 Auff, Bd.4, 1838.
(2) Archiv. f. hom. Helikunde, Bd. 19, H. 3, p.120, 1842.
(3) Watzke: Oesterr. Ztschr. f. Homoeopathie, Bd. 4, p.1, 1848.
As the point of bodily departure for natrium muriaticum we may take an unbalance of water economy in the organism. The disturbances in the movements of fluids seem to permit alterations of the state of tension of the vessels and all secretions. On this basis are to be considered the neuropathic trends of the drug picture. The disturbances in the partition of fluid and in the circulation cause symptoms which are usually suggestive of anemic-chlorotic states. Emaciation and bodily as well as mental exhaustion up to cachectic states, pallor and dryness of the skin, suggest that behind the external picture of the expressed natrium mur. type there are deep general disturbances in the sense of the old dyscrasias and that these are more presumed than exactly described.
TYPE
The type – usually feminine-is chilly, still heat, especially the heat of the sun is badly tolerated; easy exhaustion on bodily and mental effort, even on speaking. Very characteristic is the mental state, an irritable depression, cries easily, attempts at consolation aggravate, even cause rage; is easily depressed; grief and disappointment, deep and long; unpleasant thoughts are persistent. The natrium mur. patient will not cooperate, hides the cause of his depression, and has an aversion to company. In this depression lies something tense, the forced, hidden basis comes to light in impulsive ill-humor. Occasionally the internal tension is revealed in forced laughter. It is this rhythm which characterizes the depression from secret anger or grief. The frame of mind is also dependent upon the degree of constipation, and is especially bad after the period. The irritability of the natrium muriaticum patient expresses itself in a special sensitivity toward external impressions, particularly sudden noises. Children are bad when they are addressed.
The capacity for mental work, the ability to concentrate and the memory are impaired; thoughts are easily diverted, indeed, as the result of depression, are of the tense state.
The time of aggravation of natrium mur is from 10 to 11 A.M. at the time of marked use of energy. At this time appears the so- called anemic school headache. The headaches are provoked not only by mental effort, but also by overstraining the eyes, near vision, obviously in insufficiency of the internal rectimuscles, even when complete correction of the refraction error has been made. Further characteristic is the aggravation during and especially after the period. This holds not only for the headache but also for other symptoms. The headache of natrium mur. is predominantly in the forehead and temples, often onesided; it is severe, beating as from a thousand small hammers, and is preceded by darkening of vision, spots and jagged flashes of fire before the eyes; every movement, even of the eyes, aggravates; in general the eyes are markedly involved. Rest, lying gown, sleep, relieves. The periodicity, especially at the time of the menses, the chronicity, the pale face with vertigo, nausea and vomiting, moreover, the attacks of numbness and prickling in the lips, tongue and nose, complete the picture of migraine. Thereby the salt-poor diet which exerts a favorable influence of many migraines (Bircher-Benner, Gerson) should be compared. But also cases of suppression of the migrainous attacks through massive doses of salt are observed. All this means that in many migraines there is a disturbance of NaCl economy, and probably a chloride retention is present. The ocular and periodic associations indicate it best. The asthenopia with feeling of weakness and stiffness of the eyes leads, in prolonged close work, to swimming of the letters on reading and to vertigo and headache. Frequent are the so-called ciliary neuralgias. The menses are irregular, often delayed. Feeling of weakness is present in all extremities, but the sacral and lumbar regions are especially painful with a desire for firm support, for pressure against a pillow. A marked downward pressure of the uterus occasions the patient to sit down.
CIRCULATION AND FEVER.
The circulatory disturbances are those similar to anemia. With coldness of the lower extremities go rushes of blood and severe pulsation to the head and chest. Cardiac palpitation shakes the entire body, worse on lying on the left side, every movement accelerates the circulation, and the general pulsation expresses itself in the head in the hammering headache; fresh air relieves. The vasomotor disturbances may increase to fluttering of the heart with attacks of faintness and intermittent irregular pulse; every third beat is absent. The vascular excitation in the sense of a sympathetic status gives the first indication for its utility in Basedow’s disease whereby one thinks of the chlorine component. To this vasomotor syndrome, to which may be added sweating of the hands-loss of power, emaciation and disturbances of blood supply lie at the basis. Fever with a tendency to periodicity also appears in the picture. In old cases of malaria, overtreated with quinine, particularly in the English homoeopathic school, natrium, muriaticum is recommended apparently on the basis of old folk use. There it should not only be given in the massive ordinary doses, but for a persistent action the higher potencies have proven better. For the fever, the beginning with the increasing chill starts about 10 in the morning; the thirst increases with the fever and the headache increases to bursting, and then improvement with the outbreak of sweating is reported.
METABOLISM
The chronic acceleration of metabolism through natrium mur. is expressed in the emaciation. Yet the appetite is good. With this a further association with Basedow’s disease is given. With natrium mur. appear many disturbances of gastric digestion, uneasiness before eating, feeling of fullness, acid burning with cardiac palpitation, sweating on eating. For the gastric digestion it is to be observed that it is also possible for the NaCl influence to act upon the cells preparing HCl, either in a curative or disturbing manner. Special aversions in natrium mur. are against bread and particularly rye bread, further, against fat; longing for salt, and great thirst.
SKIN AND MUCOUS MEMBRANES
Emaciation and disturbances in the circulation determine the appearance of the natrium mur. patients. The complexion is pale, yellow, or an earthy gray. The skin is not well supplied with blood, only slightly elastic, usually, not a waxy, puffy pallor, but a gray, dry withering. The dryness prevails, as we note also in the mucous membranes in which the imbalance in the secretory relationships are also characteristic. The facies may also appear greasy and shiny because the sebaceous secretions are also altered. The defective blood supply causes a tendency to all kinds of impurities, eczema, especially of the seborrhoic type, vesicles and acne particularly in the folds of the skin (elbows, behind the ears) and sites of transition, particularly at the border of the hair. The tendency to acne may be ascribed to the chlorine fraction and recalls bromine and iodine.
The one mucous membrane suffers from dryness and the other from acrid secretions. The lips and mouth are dry even to wrinkling; the tongue has island-like patches (geographic tongue); particularly dry is the rectum; thereby the characteristic constipation with hard, dry, crumbly stools which are difficult to evacuate, and which eventually irritate the anus and provoke sticking and burning. The degree of constipation is said to go hand in hand with the psychic depressive symptoms. Acrid, copious, watery secretion is noted in the eyes and nose. Here to be recalled is the fact that the lachrymal secretion is an especially high chlorine containing secretion. The coryza easily leads to persistent loss of smell and taste. Cough is accompanied by flow of nasal secretion and severe flow of tears, many times also with voiding of urine, and is always worse on lying down. In the catarrhs of the upper air passages one recalls the sodium chloride water as of Ems, in which a liquefaction of the slimy secretion is said to occur. Also an acrid, watery leucorrhoea occurs in natrium mur.
Many complaints, especially the constipation, are said to be aggravated by a sojourn at the seashore.
Type: general symptoms, and modalities are of determining significance for the selection of natrium mur., the organ relationships being of subordinate significance.
SUMMARY
Type: Mostly females, emaciation in spite of a good appetite, pale gray cachectic appearance, dry skin and mucous membranes, chilly but intolerant to the sun’s heat, physically and mentally exhausted. Tendency to migraine, basedowism; periodicity, aggravation during and after the irregular menses. Mental symptoms; irritable depression.
Leeser, a Consultant Physician at the Stuttgart Homeopathic Hospital and a member of the German Central Society of Homeopathic Physicians, fled Germany in 1933 after being expelled by the German Medical Association. In England Otto Leeser joined the staff of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. He returned to Germany in the 1950s to run the Robert Bosch Homeopathic Hospital in Stuttgart, but died shortly after.
Otto Leeser wrote Textbook of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Leesers Lehrbuch der Homöopathie, Actionsand Medicinal use of Snake Venoms, Solanaceae, The Contribution of Homeopathy to the Development of Medicine, Homeopathy and chemotherapy, and many articles submitted to The British Homeopathic Journal,