Guaiacum - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

GENERAL SYMPTOMS.

Objective.

Emaciation and hectic fever; in men of a dry constitution,

Indolence in work,

Indolence and dread of motion,

Weakness, especially of the thighs and upper arms, as after great exertion,

Subjective.

General discomfort of the whole body (after seven hours),

On waking in the morning, everything seems too tight and he tosses about the bed,

The symptoms almost all appear while sitting, mostly in the morning immediately after rising, or in the evening shortly before going to sleep; a few from 9 to 12 A.M.,

Rigid, painfully swelled joints

Arthritic symptoms

FREE, FOUL SECRETIONS, expectoration, sweats, etc

Impending suppuration, quinsy, old bronchitis, etc

Burning heat; in affected parts

Gnawing or sticking pains; worse chest

Muscles seem too short; eye-lids, back, thigh, etc

; sore Growing pains Contraction; between scapulae; palmar; distorting

Fixed, short tendons

Nodes

Forgetful Pain from head into neck

Eye-balls seem too big for lids

Ex-ophthalmos

Throat; burning; dry; painful to touch; tonsilitis [right], recurrent (Phytolacca Decandra ^Phyt---- ), then rheumatism

Averse to milk

Stoppage in epigastrium causes cough, dyspnoea, etc

Dry cough, with hot face and burning fever

Sticking in apex of [left] lung

Phthisis

Recurrent pleurisy

Aching, sore neck; one side stiff

Tense, short thigh muscles

Arthritis deformans

Yawning and stretching

Wakes as if falling

Sweats, profuse; on single parts, face, etc

Night-sweats

Gum guaiacum. Guaiacum officinale. The gum-resin of Lignum sanctum or Lignum vitae, a large tree growing in W. Indies. N. O. Zygophyllaceae. Tincture of the gum-resin.

Guaiacum, which is one of Hahnemann's antipsorics, is best known as a remedy in gout and rheumatism and as a diuretic, but latterly it has also taken a place in old-school therapeutics as a remedy for consumption.

Homoeopathic provings have developed and defined the sphere of its utility in all these respects and many more.

It acts on mucous membranes, muscles, joints and bones, and causes contraction of tendons with resulting deformity.

Gouty nodosities on joints.

Verwey (H. R., ix., 627) treated a lady who for several years had a frequently recurring gouty inflammation of the knees.

Guai. 30 was given (after Chininum Sulphuricum ^Chi. 30 had failed to relieve) without obvious benefit.

Guai. 1 was now given and after a few hours the swelling broke and the pains quickly subsided.

A short time after, the same patient accidentally injured the same knee.

Under Guai. 1 the swelling soon broke and the pain was relieved.

But an abscess formed at the same time on the upper thigh.

The pain became unbearable and the patient's husband "begged for more of the drops that had twice before made the swelling break." It was again given and in six hours the abscess evacuated.

On two later occasions Dr.

Verwey saw Guai. act in the same way on scrofulous and gouty abscesses.

Guaiacum is probably analogous to its action in quinsy.

In cases indicating Guaiac. the affected parts are very sensitive to touch, and there is agg. from heat.

Rheumatism in syphilitic and mercurial patients.

Acute tonsillitis, simple or rheumatic.

Syphilitic sore throat. "Burning in the throat" is the keynote symptom of most cases of sore throat.

It was first recommended by Brinton in the Lancet in 1857 for quinsy; was given in full doses and produced a crisis of sweat and profuse urination.

Ozanam gave it in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centesimal dilutions and found that he got the curative effects without crisis, which was an unnecessary effect of the drug.

Guaic., says Ozanam, seems to combine the properties of Belladonna ^Bell., Apis Mel ^Apis, and Bar. c. It has the erythematous or inflammatory angina with bright redness of Belladonna ^Bell.

the oedema of Apis Mel ^Apis.

and the phlegmon with tendency to suppuration of tonsils of Bar. c. and Apis Mel ^Apis (H. R., ii. 217).

The isolated, sore, red spots threatened to extend deeper and perforate. Mercurius Corrosivus ^{Merc. cor}. 3x, Nitric Acid ^{Nit. ac}. 3, Aurum Muriaticum ^{Aur. mur}. 3, and Mezereum ^Mez. 3 were given in succession, each for one or two weeks, without avail.

The syphilitic inflammation continued to spread, the brain became affected as shown in confusion of thought, remarkable depression of spirits and weakness of memory.

Guaiac. 3x was now given, and even on the next day improvement was noticable.

In fourteen days the whole trouble had vanished, the mind was clear, cheerfulness and memory returned and remained (H. R., i. 109).

The growing pains of children are relieved by it.

The secretions of Guaiac. are very offensive.

Burning sensations in mouth, throat, and stomach, stitches in chest going from front to back, or from below upward; in region of apex; agg. from motion and from deep inspiration Sharp pain about mid-day under right breast to shoulder" was removed in a case of mine by Guaiac.

The mental state is one of weakness weak memory and disinclination to labour.

Sad and depressed. Fretful, obstinate, sharp stitches in brain.

Sensation as if the brain were loose.

Neuralgia of left side of head and face, extending to neck.

External headache, with sensation as if blood-vessels were over-filled; extending to face and neck.

Tearing pains in skull.

Swellings and sensation of swelling in eyes and nose.

Eyes feel protruded. Houghton cured with Guaiac. 3x a case of gouty inflammation of the meatus of the ear and tympanum after failure with Ferrum Phosphoricum ^{Fer. ph}.

Concomitant rheumatic lameness and soreness led him to Guaiac.

Heat, swelling and blotchiness of face.

Prosopalgia every day from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Toothache when biting jaws together. "Violent hunger, afternoon and evening" shows its relation to the "sinking" sensations of Sulphur ^Sulphur and the antipsorics.

There is a desire for apples which amel. gastric symptoms; and aversion to milk and food generally.

Flatulence is marked. There is nausea from sensation of phlegm in throat. "Every morning vomits a mass of watery phlegm with great exertion, followed by great exhaustion." There is morning diarrhoea with skin dry and chilliness.

In cholera infantum the face is like that of an old person.

In constipation the stool is hard, dry, crumbling, and very offensive.

Some marked symptoms appear in the urinary organs Continuous urging even after urination, with profuse fetid urine.

Stitches in neck of bladder after ineffectual pressure to urinate.

Cutting while urinating.

Chilly crawls over mammae.

There are many marked symptoms in the respiratory sphere.

Violent, spasmodic, inflammatory affections of windpipe and larynx, with palpitation preventing motion, or calling for help, feels suffocating.

Cough dry or with copious bloody or purulent expectoration of very offensive odour.

Contractive pain between scapulae.

Chilliness in back. Yawning and stretching amel. general ill-feeling.

The least motion agg.

After a cold, has violent pains in limbs.

Clothes feel damp. On walking in open air has perspiration on head.

Cannot bear heat with pains in limbs.

Periodicity is marked.

Stomach affection returns every summer.

JUIAC.

The sap which flows from the West Indian tree , which when inspissated is called , consists in great part of a peculiar kind of resin. For homoeopathic use this is triturated dry with sugar of milk for three hours to the one millionth attenuation, and then dissolved and raised to the thirtieth potency. The homoeopathic physician will not allow himself to be led astray by the indefinite and delusive recommendation of the old Materia Medica to use Guajacum for gout and rheumatism. He will not look to fictitious names of diseases, but he will look to the similarity of the symptoms existing on the one side in the disease to be healed, and on the other in the symptoms excited by the remedy.

In diseases for which it is homoeopathically appropriate it has shown itself serviceable especially where the following ailments were present Attacks of cephalagra.

swelling of the eyes. painful straining in the ears.

sensation of mucus in the throat, causing nausea.

repugnance to milk. stitches in the chest.

arthritic lancinating pains in the limbs, where the pains are produced by the slightest motion and are combined with heat in the painful parts, especially after previous misuse of Merc Viv ^mercury.

pulmonary consumption, with fetid pus, etc.

 The whole of this pathogenesis, save for fifteen symptoms of  Hahnemann's appeared in Vol. IV. of the ; it belongs accordingly to  his earlier manner.            

GUAJACUM.

In a hysterical subject. The writer states that any sudden surprise will make her speechless for an hour or so, and that G. always makes her lose her sight for some hours.

Not accessible.

* * * * *

Observation.

Guajaci Resina. Hahnemann. Zygophylleae.

* * * *

Guaiacum is a very deep acting remedy, even deep enough to cure the symptoms of and turn into order a constitution that is rheumatic, gouty, and has inherited phthisis.

Rheumatism These patients are subject to diarrhoea; the tendons are too short, or they have abscesses, catarrhal troubles, bronchitis. Drawing, tension and contractions of muscular fibre. Sore swollen joints.

The rheumatic joints are more painful from warmth (Lac c., Led., Pulsatilla ^Puls) and more comfortable when cool. Gouty abscesses of joints. The bones become spongy, or suppurate. The leg and ankle bones are especially affected. Sensitive periosteum.

Stitching pains are characteristic, and burning is as marked as in Arsenicum Album ^Arsenicum Limbs contracted and stiff. The excretions are all offensive. Drawing, tearing pains. His cold settles in the limbs, and the joints become sore and the muscles draw. His suffering is increased by the slightest motion or exertion.

Absent minded in the morning. Indolent, and low spirited. Obstinate; fretful, and forgetful.

Rheumatic pain in one side of the head, extending to the face. Gouty headaches. Sensation of looseness of the brain. Stitching in the head. Pain in forehead, occiput, and deep in the brain. Tearing pain in the head. Sensation as if blood vessels were distended. Neuralgia on left side of face and head.

Pulsating pain, ameliorated by pressure and walking; aggravated by sitting and standing. This is an exception to the general rule, as most symptoms are aggravated by motion. Perspiration on head and face, when walking in the open air.

Sensation of protrusion of the eyes. Swelling of the eyes. Dilated pupils.

Tearing in left ear. Paroxysmal pain in ear.

Pain in the bones of the nose. Nose swollen. Fluent coryza.

Pain in the bones of the face, nose and teeth. Face red and swollen, spotted. Heat in the face in the evening. Sharp pain in right malar bone. Paroxysmal pain in face, head and neck, every day at 6 P.M., lasting until 4 A. w. Dull ache in left side of jaw. Tearing, stitching in teeth. Pain in teeth when biting jaws together. Inflammation of the tonsils, worse from drinks, and there is much burning. Perverted taste. Tongue coated thick white, or brown.

Burning in throat. Tonsillitis; it prevents suppuration.

Aversion to food, to milk. Much thirst.

Vomits a mass of watery mucus, followed by exhaustion. Nausea from sensation of mucus in throat.

Burning in stomach and abdomen.

Constrictive sensation in stomach, with anguish and dyspnea.

Much flatulence in abdomen.

Morning diarrhoea (Sulphur ^Sulph). Stools watery. Constipation, with hard, crumbling, offensive stool.

Urging to urinate, even after micturition. The urine is profuse, and foetid. Cutting in urethra while urine flows.

Stitching in neck of bladder after ineffectual urging to urinate. Emissions without dreams. Discharge from urethra.

Chronic inflammation of ovaries. Menses absent. Membranous dysmenorrhoea. Shuddering in mammae, with gooseflesh.

Spasms of larynx. Difficult breathing. Palpitation.

Dry, hard cough with fever, finally relieved by expectoration. Copious, putrid expectoration, like pus. Expectoration of blood.

Rheumatism of the muscles of the chest, with great pain on motion. Stitching pains in chest from motion and breathing. Stitching pains seem to be in the pleura. Chronic bronchial catarrh with putrid expectoration, when rheumatism extends to chest. Phthisis pituitosa in rheumatic and gouty patients. Chest pains after riding in open air.

Palpitation of the heart. Rheumatism of the heart; frequent weak puke.

Rheumatic stiffness of back of neck and back. Stitching in neck and back Drawing pains in back between scapulae. All pains aggravated from motion and ameliorated during rest; aggravated from heat.

Drawing, tearing, stitching pains in upper limbs. Rheumatic pains in upper arm and shoulder. Pains in finger joints, and then in whole band. Hot bands. Stitching in right thumb. Pains all aggravated from motion; aggravated from heat.

Shortening of the hamstrings Painin thighs extending to knees. Tearing, drawing pains in legs. Pains in the tibia Gouty abscess of knee. Shooting pains in legs from feet to knees. Softening of tibia and ankle bones. The knee is flexed from the contraction of hamstrings. The right leg swollen and drawn close to the thigh. Pains in all the limbs, aggravated from motion and heat. Weakness of arms and legs. Numbness of lower limbs.

Stiffness of limbs. Weakness of limbs after exertion. Rheumatism of joints, aggravated from heat and motion. Pain in limbs after taking cold.

Restless sleep. Sleeplessness. Wakens from sleep as if falling. Nightmare while lying on the back. Unrefreshing sleep.

The provers that perspired had no urinary symptoms.

Cough with expectoration of foetid pu; ig The striking features of Guaiacum are venous congestion and hemorrhages.

Dose

Tincture, to sixth attenuation.

Region

Secretions Glands TONSILS Ovaries

Skin

Fibrous tissue Ligaments

Joints

Chest