A Case of One Sided Headache of About 30 Years Standing

Dear All, I am presenting a case of headache of long standing, which was cured with a few doses of homeopathic remedy and the result was re-conformed yesterday during a meet with Mrs B. I am happy to say that she is leading a very comfortable life and thanked homeopathy.

CASE OF MRS. B.  AGED 45 YEARS.

Complaint of one sided head ache since the age of 12.

Treatments tried:

Till the age of 23 (till her marriage, she did not take any medicine during headaches. She silently suffered each bout for two days or as long as it lasted.  After her marriage, since she had to do cooking work etc in her new house, she used to take pain killers lime Aspro, Anacin etc. many times a day. She consulted doctors who had suggested a brain scan, ( I did not get any technical name)  and nothing abnormal was noticed.  She had developed weakness in her fingers (she thought that this was because of excessing pain killers she was taking ).  Doctors ordered a ct scan which again revealed nothing.

Then she took some ayurvedic medicine, tried some touch therepy etc. But there was no relief. No cure was seen.

Three years back I met her and I suggested homeopathic treatment. I tried some remedies like Sanguinaria, Nux vomica, Belladona, But there was no relief.  (single doses only of course as I believed in this ).  After six months I took her case in detail and the following picture emerged.

The patient gets headache at least once a week.  Definitely once before menses or during menses. She gets it if she has indigestion during previous nignt.  She said she takes some thing more than is needed (since she can not resist eating a little more of the tasty food she prepared) and she gets indigestion during night and triggers headache the following morning.

She also gets headache during extreme heat and sunlight.

The headache settles at the root of nose or starts from the root of nose and side of the head is affected. Generally one side of head is affected and it may be right or left. She feels as if the brain is twisted like a wet cloth is twisted and wrung to remove water from it.  A nerve will twitch as if the nerve is pulled.  It may start any time in the morning and almost she suffers for two days.  She cannot do anything when headache is present.  She goes into the bedroom, makes it dark by shutting all light and lies down.  Applies some pain balm and presses the balm bottle on the painful side and lies down in a position which gives comfort and does not move to any other  position.

She will allow only her husband to be with her and nobody else and talks to him.

During pain she does not tolerate any disturbance.  She can not walk at normal speed.  She can not look up or down or turn her head suddenly in any direction. All movements aggravate her headache.  She loaths food during headache.  Suffers from nausea of food and food smells and vomits.  She likes to lie down and be quiet till the ache is relieved.

When head ache is not there, she has apprehension about getting headache whenever any social engagements are planned.  (Since she is suffering since childhood, she fears the head ache may spoil all the plans).  Otherwise she is a jolly person, attached to husband and  daughter and has anxieties about them if they are late from work or school.  She is well built person about average height.  Takes care of household works
well. Likes to drink cold drinks containing lemon juice after headache has subsided. Can not tolerate fierce sun and heat and is anxious in crowded places. Likes to cook food and serve others. Likes good dresses.  Dreams of temples often.

ANALYSIS: PARTICULARS AND GENERALS: 

Ref: ( Pocket manual - materia medica and reportory - Boericke )

CAUSE: Indigestion some times starts head ache.   

Head ache- cause -gastrointestinal derangement ant-c , bry, carb-v, chin, ipec, iris, nux-m, nux-v, puls,

Heat some times starts head ache.  Hyderabad city is always hot at least 10 months in a year.

Headache- cause- ironing  bry, sep

LOCATION: Frontal root of nose: starting  point.
Frontal extending to root of nose acon,aloe, ars.m, bry, caps, cina, hep, ign, lach, plat, spig, sticta.......

Settles on side.  Temples                 

Temples acon, ars, bell, bry, caps, chin, gels, ign, lach, plat, rhus-t, sang, sep, spig, stann.............

One side head ache                           

Semilateral ( hemicrania). Arg-n, ars, bel , bry, cham, coff, ign, kali-bi, lach, nat-m, puls, sang, sep, sil,spig, stann.............

TYPE OF PAIN: 

Pain as if the brain is twisted and squeezed. 

Congestive arg-n, bell, bry, gels, lach, nat-m, nux-v,  puls, sang,...........

One sided either left or right                          

Migraine arg-n,  bell, bry, coff, gels, ign, kali-bi, lach, nat-m, nux-v, puls, sang, sep, sil, spig, stann, sul, ther,
zinc........

Pain as if one nerve is pulled                         

Nervous  arg-n,  bell, bry, coff, gels, ign, kali-bi, lach, nat-m, nux-v, puls, sang, sep, sil, spig, stann, sul, ther, zinc.............

MODALITY OF PAIN:

Aggravation by movement acon, bell, bry, cinch, gels, ign, lach, nat-m, nux-v, sep, spig,............

Aggravation by motion of eyes  bell, bry, gels, ign, nux-v, puls, spig…..

Aggravation by jar, mis-step  bell, bry, lach, spig……

Amel by Rest, quiet.  Bell, bry, gels, nux-v, puls, sang, spig…..

Amel by pressure  arg-n, bell, bry, cinch, gels…..

CONCOMITANT:

Nausea  bry, gels, nux-v, puls, sang, sep.

Vomiting  ars, bry, nux-v, puls, sang sep.

MIND SYMPTOMS (from synthetic repertory – Barthel )

Fear: disease, of impending:  arg-n ars, bry, ign,  lach, nat-m nux-v, …..

Fear, motion of  bry, calad, gels, mag-p.

Fear: suffering of  bry, calc, lil-t, pip-m, spig.

Disturbed, avers to being bry, gels, chin-ars, cocc.

Quiet wants to be  ars, bell, bry, gels.

Clinging, held , amel, being   ars, bry, gels, lach, sang, sep, ….

The character of “Bryonia aggravation from motion” ( KENT ).  Is very clear.

So BRYONIA was considered as the thread in the GARLAND OF SYMPTOMS.

Bryonia 30 centismal one dose was given and was asked to use while head ache is present.

The patient took the medicine one evening and had plenty of vomitings of  greenish colous and frothy texture during night. It was much more in quantity compared to normal vomitings during head ache.

The incidence of headache reduced and severity also was reduced over a period of about six  months.  She is relieved of this headache since two years and is happy. She says once in a while she has a sensation of headache but it goes off on its own without any medicine.  She used only about 4 or 5 doses of Bryonia 30 centismal potency whenever she suffered head ache. ( one dose at a time). She confirmed that she is relieved and leading a happy life without the menacing headache. The work did by the remedy confirmed the efficiency of homeopathic remedies and strengthened my belief in homoeopathy.  I could not make use of some observations like the dreams she had, the craving for cold drink containing lemon juice after headache etc., which,  I hope to get some  ideas about how to use them from you.

Thanks.

Anand.