Mrs. U. B., a 63 yrs. old lady visited us for the treatment of her respiratory allergies.
She is a known case of Bronchial Asthma and she had been suffering from it for the past 33 years. The intensity and frequency of her complaints had gradually reduced over the years but she needed her daily dose of the bronchodilator or she would develop a pain in the chest. The breathlessness bothered her every day. It was usually worse from catching colds, sweating profusely (in summer), hot water bath, exertion and from a heavy meal. It was better from stooping for long and sitting up.
Her immediate concern however was the state of the upper respiratory tract, which had developed over the past 3-4 months and was severe over the past 10 days.
She had attacks of loud and violent sneezing with a lot of itching and tickling in the nose. Along
with this, there was profuse lachrymation and a runny nose. The nasal discharge was usually from
the left side. The throat would then get sore with a feeling of a lump in it. This made her constantly
try to swallow it down. Swallowing was difficult and the left side of her throat hurt her a lot. Sometimes, she felt the food got stuck in the throat on the left side.
These complaints were worse in the morning on waking till about 9.30 am, waking in the afternoon
form her siesta, from dust/smoke, cold drinks and empty swallowing. It was better by hot drinks
She loved to eat sweets and hot food and drinks and disliked sour food, mainly because it affected
her throat. She was not generally thirsty (3-4 glasses/day). Her tongue was clean with a small
central fissure. Sweat was normal.
She had a habit of passing stools twice a day and a frequent complaint of itching and crawling at
the anus.
Life situation and Mind:
She said that she always felt dominated. As a child, she lived with her aunt and could never do what she wanted to. After her marriage, she was in one of the Gulf countries for about 25 years. She always suppressed her emotions and lately she used to think a lot, esp. about the past events. She is alone at home for most of the day as her husband and children are at work. This makes her feel very lonely. She puts on the T.V. and does not watch it but listens to the people on the different shows to feel less lonesome.
She has come to believe that the feeling of lump in her throat is actually a cancer that is making it difficult for her to swallow and this makes her feel miserable.
She also has frequent attacks of unconsciousness which started after a fright- she witnessed a major car accident. She does not respond to any commands at that time, but suddenly wakes up and then runs about in the house from room to room. Her psychiatrist diagnosed her problems as depression with hysterical features.
The illnesses that she had suffered in the past were an appendicectomy, eosinophilia- 21 years. age, Migraine, Hysterectomy, Detachment of the retina- 3 times, Lump in the neck- removed 8 years ago and Cataract- both eyes
Family history:
- Father- Pleurisy (TB) Death
- Mother- Ischemic heart disease
- Brother- Br. Asthma
- Maternal Grand Father- Br. Asthma
Examination findings:
She was given the homeopathic remedy Sabadilla. Considering her past and family history, 2 doses of Tuberculinum bovinum 200 were given as an intercurrent. I have made frequent phone calls to inquire about her health and to this day, she has had no recurrence of her respiratory symptoms (sneezing and breathlessness).