Sudden local congestion, especially to head and chest; bursting headache rising up from neck, with great throbbing and sense of expansion as if to burst; cannot bear the least jar,
Can’t bear anything on the head, especially hat; or pressure as of a hat.
Over-heating in the sun, or sunstroke.
This is, in the first place, one of our great head remedies. It has intense pain in the head, with great throbbing and sensation of fullness and constriction of the vessels of the neck. There are so many symptoms attending this condition of congestion that it is not wise to try to give them all here. I used, in my early practice, to carry a small vial of the 1st dilution in my case on purpose for those who were inclined to sneer at the young doctor and his sweet medicine, and many a disbeliever have I convinced, in about five or ten night that there might bee powers in small doses of sweet medicine by dropping on the tongue a drop of this preparation, for it seldom failed to produce its characteristic throbbing headache within that time. One lady, not willing to acknowledge that it affected her, rose to leave the room, and fainted and would have fallen to the floor if I had not caught her. No one ever asked after that experiment for any more proof of the power of homoeopathic medicine, This throbbing headache, SEEMING TO ARISE FROM THE NECK, is very characteristic, and the throbbing is not a mere sensation but is visible in the carotid arteries. The vessels are full to bursting, and if their walls were not healthy there is a danger of apoplexy. No remedy equals this one for producing sudden and severe congestion of the head, and none can cure it quicker when indicated by the symptoms. The remedies that stand nearest GLON., in their effect on the head I believe to be BELL., and MELL., BELL., and GLON., both have the fullness, pain and throbbing, but that of GLON., is more intense and sudden in its onset and, on the other hand, subsides more rapidly when relieved. Again, GLON., is better adapted to the first or congestive stage of inflammatory diseases of the brain, while BELL., goes further and may still be the appropriate remedy after the inflammatory stage is fully initiated. BELL., is better by bending the head backward; GLON., worse. BELL., is made worse by having the head uncovered, and suffers from having the hair cut; GLON., MUST HAVE the head uncovered, can’t bear to wear his hat, or wants the hair cut. BELL., IS WORSE LYING down, even if he keeps still; GLON., though sometimes worse AFTER lying down, is also sometimes BETTER when LYING STILL. One symptom VERY characteristic of GLON., is, that the patient carries the head very carefully, for the LEAST JAR or shaking of it greatly worse the pain. Another peculiar symptom is, it seems to the patient that there is not only throbbing, but there is an undulating sensation as if the brain were MOVING IN WAVES synchronous with the pulse. There is more disturbance of the heart action with GLON., than with BELL., though both have it strongly. GLON., has a sensation of the rush of blood to the heart or chest.
MELL., also has great congestion to the head, with pain and sense of fullness. Not being so thoroughly proven as BELL., and GLON., we cannot so clearly indicate the exact place for it, but there is one very prominent symptom which always makes one think of it, viz., “GLOWING REDNESS OF THE FACE.” No remedy that I know of has it more strongly. GLON., and BELL., may both have very red face; on the other hand a very pale face, with the other congestive symptoms, does not contraindicate them, but does MELL., Then, again, with MELL., the head symptoms are often relieved by a profuse epistaxis, which is also another very prominent symptom of this remedy. I cured a very bad case of typhus cerebralis, and also a case of insanity of long standing, with this remedy, being guided to it by these symptoms.
“Loses his way in well-known streets” is a symptom of GLON., that has several times been confirmed. The local congestions of GLON., are often found in different diseases; for instance, climacteric flushings are often most felt in the head. GLON., cures such cases. It is also useful in puerperal convulsions. And another symptom often present in these cases is, a sense as if the head were expanding from fullness. Now look out for convulsions and give GLON., especially if there be albumen in the urine. Congestion to the head from suppressed or retarded menses sometimes finds a remedy here; also, different pathological conditions of the heart, but the SYMPTOMS must be present.
For sunstroke it is probably oftener indicated than any other remedy; also for the after-sufferings therefrom. Not only from sunstroke, but from the other bad effects of RADIATE HEAT; for instance, children get sick in the night after sitting too long or falling asleep before an open coal fire.
Then, again, warm room increases the headache and warm bed the faceache.
“Burning between the shoulders”is another symptom of this remedy, like LYC., and PHOS., AMM-M., and LACHNAN., have the opposite. While we are here now I call attention to another remedy, which, for flushings and congestions to head and face, resembles GLON., that is, AMYL-N.,.
