The California Homeopath
Journal of the California Homeopathic Medical Society

I had a call last night from the clinic as one of the people there had excruciating pain in the rectum, forcing him to bend double. It came on when he strained for stool and since then has been unable to go. The pain is stitching and is felt in the rectum. At its worst he was rolling in pain on the ground. I gave Colocynth 1m. After taking the remedy he had a slightly bloody stool and some relief. We suspected he had piles but there was no sign of that. He had a feeling as if his anus was becoming prolapsed with the pain. In the morning, I spoke to him again. He slept OK in the night but now is still in pain, which is worse when he feels the need to defecate. He still can’t go again. The pain is still there, but not so bad. I felt that the remedy may have taken the edge of the case, but not gone all the way. All I know of the person is that he is a soft spoken, quite gentle young man. He had apparently been beaten a lot as a youngster by his teachers and hence is quite nervous at times if challenged. So I gave him Staphysagria in 200c. Soon after he began to feel much better and he had a normal stool later that day.

I saw some more patients the next day at the clinic area. One man in his 60’s came to see us. He complained of an intention tremor in his hand, which means that when he does things or holds objects he gets trembling in his hand (extremities, trembling, holding objects on) and he gets jerking in his legs and arms when walking. This all started after he had a stroke which caused him to have paralysis of his legs (extremities, paralysis legs, apoplexy after). I gave him Nux vomica LM 1, based on the paralysis and the jerking. This was all there was to the case. At times it’s possible to get more constitutional symptoms and at other times, there is little more to be gleaned. Also, if there are many people to see, one has to be able to prescribe quite quickly. Every now and then, a case demands much more attention and a more nuanced case taking has to happen but at other times, it is not possible.

By Richard Pitt

Richard Pitt | Homeopath and Educator

Richard has been practicing and teaching homeopathy in San Francisco since 1995.  He orginally trained in England and has been practicing homeopathy since 1984.  He is former Director of the Pacific Academy of Homeopathy in San Francisco and also teaches at many other schools in the United States and Canada.  He is a founding board member and past president of the Council for Homeopathic Certification, which has established professional certification for the homeopathic profession in North America.  He is in private practice in San Francisco.