This is a remedy primarily to be considered in cases of chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, and recurrent upper respiratory illness. Cistus is easily confused with Calcarea because the patient is often chilly, fatigued, and can be flabby in some cases.
GENERALS
Chilly, worse from cold or cold air.
Cold sensation: mouth, throat, stomach, etc.
General aggravation in the winter.
NOSE
Chronic rhinitis and sinusitis.
BURNINGORICYCOLDSENSATIONINTHENOSEANDPHARYNX, WORSEINHALING, ESPECIALLYINHALINGCOLDAIR. Recurring upper respiratory illness.
Thick, yellowish discharges.
Violent paroxysms of sneezing, worse inhaling cold air.
THROAT
Chronic post-nasal drip.
Burning in the throat, worse from inhaling. Tonsillitis.
Dryness of the throat, ameliorated by swallowing.
Cervical adenopathy; strings of glands in neck.
STOMACH
Craving for cheese.
EXTREMITIES
Coldness of extremities.
Chilblains; cracked and bleeding fingertips in winter.
CLINICAL
Cervical adenitis. Chilblains. Malignancy. Recurring colds. Sinusitis.
COMPARISONS
Sil. Calc. Psor. Carb-An.
CLEMATIS
The primary focus of Clematis is on the urogenital system, and to a lesser extent on the skin. Clematis is also a specific remedy for toothache.
HEAD
Toothache; worse from hot drinks, better by holding cold water in the mouth or by drawing in cold air over the tooth.
Conjunctivitis. Coryza. Sneezing.
UROLOGICAL
Cystitis; burning pain at onset of flow.
Urination incomplete or interrupted. Involuntary urination.
GENITALIA
Orchitis, especially right testicle.
DRAWINGUPWARDOFTHETESTES.
Orchitis, especially after suppressed gonorrhea.
Stoney hard swelling of testes. Painful swelling, worse at night.
Urethritis. Urethral stricture. Prostatitis.
Swollen inguinal glands.
SKIN
Burning vesicular eruptions; eczema.
Eruption worse from washing.
CLINICAL
Allergy. Conjunctivitis. Cystitis. Eczema. Orchitis. Toothache.
COMBINEDSYMPTOMS
Orchitis and skin symptoms.
COMPARISONS
Puls. Arg-M. Rhod. Rhus-T. Med. Canth.
COBALTUM
Cobaltum is to be thought of any time we see the combination of nocturnal emissions and back trouble (Nat-P, Staph, Nit-Ac, Sel). The back pain and sciatica are ameliorated by lying and worse from sitting and may be accompanied by weakness or pains in the legs. It is also a remedy to be considered in the treatment of impotence.
COMBINEDSYMPTOMS
LOWBACKPAINORSCIATICAANDNOCTURNALEMISSIONS.
COCA
Although we expect to find strong symptoms produced by the abuse of this substance, the particular mental pathology has not yet been identified. Hering and Kent have emphasized bashfulness and timidity.
GENERALS
ALTITUDESICKNESS; breathless, headache, weak in high altitudes.
Buzzing in the ears.
RESPIRATORY
Emphysema and dyspnea from slight exertion.
Dyspnea in elderly patients.
GENITALIA
Impotence. Loss of libido.
SKIN
FORMICATION. Sensation as if a grain of sand under the skin.
COCCULUS
Cocculus is a remedy affecting mainly the central nervous system and in most cases there is at least some component of vertigo. It is a remedy to be thought of in cases of progressive neurological disorders.
In these serious and rather introverted people, there is often a fundamental weakness of the nervous system.
This weakness is generally reflected first as an over-excitability of the nerves producing restlessness, dizziness, and agitation. Later, as the system becomes more dysfunctional, the nerve conduction becomes distorted and delayed. The patient then becomes weak and confused. In the end-stage, pinpricks may require a full second to register on the patient who is in a nearly stupefied state.
On the psychological level, we see a strong tendency to anxiety during the early stages. The teen-aged girls, often described in our texts as “romantic and sensitive” are extremely tense and often suffer with dysmenorrhea. The patient's anxiety revolves about his responsibilities and health. The patient is concerned about both his own health and that of loved ones. This anxiety, along with the weakness of the nervous system explains the most famous keynote symptom: “Aggravation from night-watching”. With loss of sleep and worry about the health of a loved-one, the patient breaks down with headache, dizzy spells and weakness. Anytime intense concern for the physical or mental well-being of another person causes a sense of overwhelm and deep pathology in our patient, we must consider Cocculus. Symptoms develop from any type of stress or grief. Finally, in more broken-down cases we find a state which is similar to Helleborous or Alumina with great passivity, dullness of mind and slowed reactions.
MENTALS
BADEFFECTSFROMGRIEF, ANGERORFROMNURSINGASICKLOVED-ONE. Exhausted and sick from anxiety over a loved-one.
Slow mental processes. Time passes quickly. Stupefaction.
Anxiety and nervousness.
Anxiety about health; asks to be tested to rule-out diseases.
Sadness and grief.
Sensitive, sympathetic and delicate. “Sensitive and romantic girls”.
GENERALS
GENERALLYWORSEFROMLOSSOFSLEEP; EVENANHOURDEFICIT.
GENERALAGGRAVATIONFROM “NIGHT-WATCHING” WHICHMEANSFROMWORRYINGANDCARINGFOROTHERS. Sensitivity to alcohol, causing great confusion.
Fainting, often with hysteria.
Stretching in bed at night.
Sleepless from worry; cannot relax from his worries.
NEUROLOGICAL
Slowed nerve conduction; has nearly a full second delay before perceiving a pin-prick (Alum, Plb).
Chorea, especially of the legs. Convulsions.
Paralytic stiffness of parts that have been at rest. He groans as the part is moved then can move it normally. Cannot open the eyes on waking, etc.
Progressive paralysis, as in multiple sclerosis. Ataxia.
VERTIGO
TRUEVERTIGO, THEWORLDSEEMSTOSPIN.
Must lie down from the severity of the vertigo; nausea on attempting to rise.
MOTION-SICKNESS (nausea, diarrhea, etc.). Seasickness.
GREATVERTIGOONWATCHINGMOVINGOBJECTSORWHENWATCHINGOBJECTSWHILEHEISRIDINGINACAROR
TRAIN.
Feels as if intoxicated or as if separated from his body.
Vertigo worse for sitting, worse from loss of sleep.
HEAD
Headache and migraines, worse from riding in a car, worse from loss of sleep, worse from alcohol.
Facial neuralgia.
Tongue feels thick and paralyzed.
GASTROINTESTINAL
Great nausea, worse from motion or during vertigo.
Nausea at the mere thought or smell of food.
“Liver pain and swelling, worse from anger” is considered a keynote by many authors.
Abdominal pains as from stones rubbed together or sensation of a stone in the umbilicus has been emphasized by some authors.
UROGENITAL
Severe dysmenorrhea, weakness during menses.
Profuse menses, worse from standing or walking.
Uterine inflammations or growths.
BACK
Weak, paralyzed feeling in low back, worse menses.
Weakness of the neck, as if he cannot hold up his head.
Trembling in the back.
EXTREMITIES
Numbness of hands or feet, or alternating between hands and feet.
Paralysis, especially or first felt in the lower extremities.
Tremor of the hands, worse eating, worse raising the hands.
Cracking of knees on motion.
Red spots on the skin with great itching, worse at night in bed.
CLINICAL
Anxiety. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Depression. Dysmenorrhea. Headache. Low back pain. Migraine.
Motion or sea-sickness. Multiple sclerosis. Nausea. Neuro-degenerative disorders. Vertigo.
COMPARISONS
Alum. Con. Nat-M. Phos. Calc. Caust. Staph. Puls. Ph-Ac. Hell.