On the other hand, a dead tooth or an abscess in or around the apex or root of tooth calls for extraction.
We should, however, remember, that eradication of any septic spot, although it may improve at least for the time being, the patients general health, is no real cure for rheumatism, for the simple reason, as Dr. Hay points out, that the cause of rheumatism is something far deeper than a septic spot. “Really it is the condition that produces the spot and it is this condition which requires our utmost attention.”.
The clinical fact that colon bacilli are present in almost every septic spot, leads to the conclusion that the real cause of rheumatism, atleast in such cases, is a more or less serious disorder of the bowels, especially of the colon, where the colon bacilli come from. It was Dr. Hay who propounded the theory that rheumatism is nothing but the symptom of a disproportion in the chemistry of the body and that rheumatism never attacks a person whose bowels are sufficiently emptied every day and really cleared of the usual fermenting and putrefying wastes.
Whether we accept Dr. Hays theory or not, it is an undeniable fact, that almost every rheumatic patient suffers from a more or less marked insufficient action of the bowels, commonly known as constipation.
The carmine test discloses the fact, that even patients who have one or two stools daily may suffer from a delayed elimination of the waste products from the colon.
To restore the normal function of the colon, we should start the treatment with a fast cure, adapted to the constitution of the patient. The best known fast cures are the Guelpa cure and the Schroth cure. Both are drastic, but highly efficient cures, which, however, should never be prescribed for anaemic, under- nourished patients, who need a fattening diet.
It is better to start these patients off with 1-2 days fasting on a fruit diet and with high colonic irrigations at first for three days running, repeating once or twice a week, until the activity of the colon has been fully restored.
These biological measures are the best supplement to any medical treatment.
There are two different ways of approaching this task. The orthodox medical treatment and the homoeopathic way. The orthodox medical treatment, which is based on clinical diagnosis, believes in specific remedies for each disease without any consideration of the peculiar symptoms of the individual patient.
The homoeopath, on the other hand, although he is equally interested in the clinical diagnosis, prescribes the remedies in accordance with the so-called drug-diagnosis. This drug-diagnosis is based:.
1. On the exact knowledge of the symptoms of the patient.
2. On the exact knowledge of the Materia Medica.
You will easily understand the fundamental difference between these two schools, when discussing chronic rheumatic neuralgia, a condition where pain is the key symptom.
In such a case the homoeopath endeavours to get an exact knowledge of the course of the special neuralgia attack, of the circumstances which provoked it and influenced its development. In other words, he has to find out where the pain starts, how it moves, where it settles down, what site of the body it attacks, whether the pain is throbbing, boring, stitching or otherwise, whether or not it appears at certain hours of the day. Furthermore, whether or not the pain is aggravated or improved by rest, by heat or cold, whether or not the pain is coupled with disorders of vision or nausea.
We also have to ascertain whether there is any connection with the menstruation, or any influence of the weather, of spirits, tobacco and so on.
All these details from the symptom picture of the patient. It is this symptom picture which must be matched with the indicated drug picture.
Drug picture means the totality of symptoms, which develop in healthy people under the influence of a drug.
As you all know, the testing of remedies on healthy people is the basis of the homoeopathic Materia Medica. They are supplemented by our clinical experience with patients. Our generally accepted rule “Let like be cured by like” means; the patient should be given that drug which tested on healthy people, gives similar symptoms, as seen in the individual patient. For example, we prescribe Belladonna in a case of rheumatic neuralgia, because Belladonna has in some provers developed symptoms similar to the symptoms of our special patient.
Certainly we do not suppose that Belladonna administered homoeopathically will ever cause a real rheumatism in healthy people.
The following two cases will illustrate my statements and will at the same time show you the difficulties in finding the indicated remedy.
CASE 1.– Mrs. E. F., 29 years of age, had been suffering from rheumatic fibrositis for more than 12 years. All her symptoms were restricted to the left side of the head. The pains were always throbbing, going from forehead to the back of the head; neither heat nor cold had any influence on the pains, but sunlight was intolerable. The patient was very sensitive to the slightest pressure on the head, she could not even wear a hat. The pains came rather suddenly and disappeared likewise; they were coupled with the feeling of an enlargement of the head and of an intense heat. So far she had been treated by a great many allopathic as well as homoeopathic physicians without any improvement.
Considering thoroughly all symptoms and modalities of the patient I soon found the right remedy. Let us remember the symptoms:.
1. The pains were always on the left side of the body (indicating Spigelia, Argentum nitricum, Glonoin).
2. The pains were throbbing (indicating Belladonna, Coffea, Glonoin, Sanguinaria and Iris).
3. The pains start suddenly and disappear suddenly (indicating Belladonna, Glonoin).
4. Sensitiveness to sunlight (indicating Belladonna, Glonoin, Sanguinaria and Spigelia).
5. Feeling of enlargement of the head (indicating Glonoin and Argentum nitricum.).
Summarizing, we learn that Glonoin is the only drug, covering all symptoms of the patient. It was the real simile for the patient, and was therefore prescribed. Glonoin 6x, 5 drops to be taken twice a day, cured the patient, who had been suffering from rheumatic fibrositis for twelve years. The cure was permanent, there were no recurrences of the disease.
My second case represents quite another type of patient.
It concerns a young man, 29 years of age, who had been suffering from acute rheumatic arthritis for more than eight weeks. So far he had been treated by his allopathic physician with big doses of Salicylicum acidum. The disease did not yield to this remedy. The patient was still in a serious condition with a temperature, running up to 104 F. in the evening and chills in the morning. His knees and elbows were swollen and very painful. The skin covering the loins was reddened and dry.
You certainly know that Salicylicum acidum is a drug, which we prescribe in many cases of rheumatic diseases. What then was the reason for its failure in this individual patient ? Simply because it was not the simile — according to our principle of “Like cures like”. The symptoms of this patient were not similar to the drug picture of Acid salicylicum, which is characterized by neuralgia, buzzing in the ears, disorders of vision, profuse perspiration, palpitation of the heart, rapid weak pulse, greatly diminished quantity of urine.
Our patient had none of these symptoms. His symptoms were similar to quite another drug picture. It was characterized by aggravation of all symptoms at about 11 a.m., by burning pains, by diarrhoea almost every morning, by burning heat in his feet at night, inducing the patient to uncover and put them out into the air. Face and back of the patient were covered with pustules and small vesicles, the whole skin was dirty and dry. The patient had been suffering from skin troubles, especially from eczema all his life.
I have not the slightest doubt, that you all know this drug picture. It is familiar to every homoeopath and you will agree with me that Sulphur was the indicated remedy. Indeed, Sulphur 30, 5 drops to be taken twice a day, brought about a speedy recovery. In about three days the temperature went down to normal, all pains gone, the swelling of the joints diminished gradually and finally disappeared in about two weeks. So did all other complaints of the patient such as diarrhoea, eczema, the burnings in the feet, etc.
These two cases, as different as they are, will illustrate the same homoeopathic lesson to you. Treat always the patient, not the label of the disease. Trust our rule of similars, then you will understand that there are no specific drugs in Homoeopathy, but any of our thousand remedies may be called for in any rheumatic patient. This, however, does not in the least absolve the careful physician from his obligation to use all the means at his disposal for an exact diagnosis. This is especially true for chronic cases.
We should always remember that in spite of all progress medical knowledge has achieved, there will always be hundreds of hopelessly crippled patients with irreparable destructions, who will need something other than drugs or ointments. They have to be comforted, they need our whole-hearted reassurances. It is here that the practitioner has to show a keen sense of cheerful sympathy with all sincerity.
