The homeopathic remedy Natrium muriaticum helped him with his hay fever, allergy and eczema, and as well easing his digestive problems. He is more open and his self-confidence has increased.
A slim, dark-haired 13-year-old boy comes to my practice with his mother, he sits quietly close to her. He looks sad, there is a desire to hug him and cheer him up a little.
I asked him what is wrong, but his mother begins to talk first.
He comes with hay fever that lasts all year, even in winter. He has a runny nose and sneezes constantly. Sneezing comes in fits, he could sneeze 10x in a row. The morning sneezing last for 30 minutes each day. He has an itchy nose and he uses up a pack of paper tissues daily.
He’s got eye tics from the antihistamines, so he can´t take them anymore.
He’s also got an eczema and food allergy. He has patches of eczema on his face and gets diarrhea from certain food, especially milk. His has a cramping pain in belly before the diarrhea.
He also has had a migraine with aura since last year.
There seems to be a lot of diagnoses for someone of such an age, so I am very interested in his story.
A quiet observer
First, I asked him about his nature, he answers slowly and silently: “I’m rather quiet, even my classmates say so, I don’t talk very much.” He doesn’t speak spontaneously. I have to ask him questions to which he answers very briefly.
When I asked him about his friends and classmates, he says: “Most of them speak in a vulgar way, swearing, and I don’t like it. Then they are making fun of me and saying I’m weird.”
When I asked him where his place is in a group of classmates (I showed him a picture of phases and subphases from 1-7 according to the plant system of Dutch homeopath Jan Scholten), he says he feels like number 8! (which is no longer in the picture). He feels way outside the group, and then he admits with a tearful voice that he is being bullied at school. He starts to cry, shakes, and can hardly talk anymore.
Dominant brother
I asked his mother to leave the room for a moment, so I could talk to her son privately for a while.
I asked him something more positive, to cheer him up, like what he likes to do in his free time.
He tells me with his shaky voice that he likes cycling, but can´t speak more as he begins to shake again and can´t continue without his mother´s support. I called the mother back and the boy talks more about playing computer games. “I love computer games very much, but I have to share the computer with my older brother. He is rather dominant. Whenever I play, he sits next to me, commands me and tells me what to do. Then I usually withdraw and leave. I like strategic games because they are calm and you don’t know the other players personally.”
He doesn’t like explosiveness, competition, he hates sports such as football.
Strict father
The boy has a strict and meticulous father, who expects his sons to behave according to his views. For example, he insists on how the boy should sit at the table and hold the knife and fork properly. father has to always be right and if things are not according to his expectations he yells.
What do you want to be, when you grow up?
“I want to do something peaceful, like being a forester in the mountains.”
When he talks about it, I feel he is more balanced and this idea calms him down.
Prescription:
When analyzing the case, everything fits into the remedy – Natrium muriaticum.
Entering the main physical symptoms into the homeopathic program confirms the selection.
The personality of this remedy is usually very sensitive and gentle. The patient could be very easily hurt by criticism, insult or rejection. The patient could feel these wounds very deeply, so they create a barrier around themselves in order to protect themselves from further pain.
Patients who respond well to this remedy suffer mostly from headache, allergies, hay fever and herpes. In my practice, I often use it for a runny nose in babies.
Follow up after 2 months:
Excerpt from an email from the mother:
“The sneezing and runny nose have completely disappeared. His belly and skin are fine now. As for his mood, he seems more at ease. He is more open and his self-confidence has increased. I am very pleased with homeopathy and I would rate the overall improvement by 90%.”
After 2 years, the boy is still symptoms free.