Case of a Child Suffering from Ear Infections
This is a case study of a four-year-old child, arriving with his mother for a first
consultation on 28.4.10.
Observation: a delicate looking child, with an adorable smile. Plays with the fairies
and butterflies on my desk.
The problem for which they approached me: repetitive ear infections.
The child suffers from a common cold most of the time. The mother tells me that since
he was a baby he suffered from recurring ear infections, a condition accompanied
with secretion from the ears.
He constantly suffers from the common cold, which became a chronic condition with
a
constantly stuffed nose.
The last ear infection occurred a month ago, when he was found to have enlarged
adenoids, a third tonsil and an air blockage.
The teacher in his playschool thought his hearing was decreasing. Medical findings
showed a slight decrease.
He grinds his teeth at night, especially when it is noisy – for instance, when his
baby brother cries.
Still wets his bed at night.
The mother narrates
“He has two older brothers (8, 11) and a younger one-year-old brother (received
him relatively well, pretty much ignores him …)
He is an amazing child, he becomes acclimatized quickly everywhere. He is very
cool and gets along with everything. He has no anxieties during day-to-day life.
He was always a calm child, and this is why I decided to have yet another baby …
but perhaps, something which is suppressed during the day surfaces at night?
During the day he is calm, but a medium we consulted suggested his anxieties are
related with a past life. … He is occupied with what happens when one dies, what
will happen when he dies? When his mother dies?
He is a sensitive child, and highly sociable. He is friends with everyone in his
playschool; when he sees someone from afar he will call him even if he is on the
other side of the street. He is also quick to befriend new children.
He has a highly developed imagination and a high ability to concentrate; he can
occupy himself on his own.
He likes cuddling, falls asleep at night while stroking me. He is good with
girls. He is not a fighting, physical boy. (Strokes himself with a feather at my
office.) Knows how to express love, to cuddle and hold, can even hug and kiss
his friends from time to time.
Communicates, like my husband, something optimistic, happy and safe. However,
like him, he is addicted to control: he is bossy, tries to dictate the course of
events so that things will go the way he intends them to. He dislikes changes.
Rigid, even though from the outside he appears soft and sweet.
Highly competitive – he has to be in first place, it is very important to him, to
be number one – with his siblings in particular, even though he is younger than
they are. When his siblings fight he tells them – he is friends with both of
them. On the one hand he competes with them and on the other, it is highly
important that everyone likes him. Should one brother tell him, “I am not your
friend” – he wants to die. This really threatens him. It is highly important
that they will not be angry with him. If I am angry with him – he is worried
about it, from a young age”.
He is short for his age.
Cravings: Sweets (3) especially lollipops, purple, pink and red ones. He likes to
eat chocolate and cheese. Otherwise he is not much of an eater.
He is not fond of tomatoes (recently) and potatoes.
Pregnancy was desired and healthy but the labor was induced (Pitocin) since he
was not yet born by his due date. “The hospital pressured us to induce the
labor, but it was unnecessary. The birth was horrific, and I went through
immense pain. I felt horrible contractions – the worst pain I ever felt.”
Speech late: it took a while until he spoke. To this day he mispronounces
words.
Pimples? The mom suffered from them as a teenager, the father did too.
Case Analysis
In approaching this case I used the Table of Plants structure (see further details
later on), as the case demonstrates clear indications of the fifth column in the
Table: the competitiveness, bossiness, his need to control others, to be the first,
to be “taller”. All that points to the fifth column. His need to establish
relationships, his needs to please others, to be likeable in a charming way along
with excessive emotional sensitivity, occupation with the world beyond, thoughts
about death and ghosts – all point to the first row, particularly with the history
of an early-induced labor, which is a clear indication of a “pre” process, or the
first row.
There is an excessive need to please, the gentleness, the desire to hug, kiss and
cuddle, and the desire for sweets; the “pink” aura that surrounds the entire case.
All these point to the Rose family (which is situated in the beginning of the fifth
column).
Out of the Rosales, Rosa damascena has a known affinity to ear pathology, and
issues with height and competitiveness. Thus it was chosen as the remedy for the
case (see Fig. [1] and Table [1]).
Fig. 1 Rosa damascena (Damask rose).
Table 1 Repertorization using RADAR program.
|
|
Repertorization
|
|
ros-d.
|
nux-v.
|
sil.
|
staph.
|
lac-leo.
|
aur.
|
|
|
|
|
3/3
|
2/3
|
2/3
|
2/2
|
2/2
|
1/3
|
|
1
|
MIND – ANGER – contradiction; from
|
75
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
2
|
MIND – COMPETITIVE – brother or sister with*
(A symptom I
added to the repertory, based on my clinical experience and
Chetna Shuklaʼs proving)
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
1
|
–
|
|
3
|
EAR – EUSTACHIAN TUBE; complaints of
|
15
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
Prescription: Rosa damascena C 12 once daily
Follow-up
After two months
A day after taking the remedy for the first time he developed a high fever
which, within one day, was gone, on its own. Since then he has been healthy,
apart from one occasion on which the parents went abroad and he was in
playschool. He got sick but recovered two days after his parents returned.
He was healthy until a flu epidemic erupted at school a few days ago. His
parents travelled and left him with his grandparents: he woke up saying that
his body hurts and he cannot go to playschool. Has a cough, which is rather
deep, but no sinusitis even though he suffers from a slight common cold.
He does not eat well. He only eats candies and cakes.
The teeth grinding decreased, but it still exists.
He does not wet his bed that much.
The competitiveness is still there: he must be first to receive the food; he
fights over his place with his elder brother, even though he loves him.
Apparently, the issue is his young brother; it seems now that he would have
been happy to give him away. The jealousy is out.
He is more insolent and rebellious than before. He used to be a conformist
child. He used to do anything to make you like him. Now he threatens to
leave the house when things are not done his way.
Prescription: Switch to fluid Rosa damascena C 12, 1 drop
daily
Again two months later
Bed-wetting ceased entirely: one day he simply asked to sleep without a nappy
and has been dry since.
Teeth grinding has almost stopped. His sleep is calmer.
He no longer suffers from the cold.
Mentally – he is calmer, less agitated, has less tantrums, is still
competitive with his brother and sister but the most clear change is
individualism, which was absent beforehand. This can be seen with his
friends: if they do not want to play his games – he goes on to play by
himself, and does not try to please them. He began taking his remedy by
himself (with a shy and engaging smile he tells me that his mother helps
him. So this quality of the remedy is still there).
Prescription: Raise potency to Rosa damascena C 15 – 1 drop a
day.
Later on, we further increased the potency to C 18.
Again two months later
Physically he is fine. Hearing is normal. Sinuses clean. No cold. The
jealousy for his brother also passed and he is very nice to him. Also, the
anxiety level decreased significantly. In playschool he is highly popular, a
leader. Wants things to be done his way – rather spoiled …
In the following winter they came for an additional session as he had a
slight cold and some teeth grinding. He has fears of ghosts. Again his
mother tells me he is very popular among his friends; he is bossy but in a
sweet manner (he intervenes and says: “I am going to dress up as a king.”).
He likes to feel soft fabrics, strokes his motherʼs sleeve before falling
asleep. Again, he is jealous of the attention that the older sibling
provides his sister.
Now we refer to his eating habits: he is still a very picky eater and will
not touch many types of food. Eats a small variety of fruits and vegetables
and still prefers sweets.
Prescription: Increase to Rosa damascena C 30 1 drop daily
Fifteen months after intake
Still takes Rosa damascena C 30.
The cold is gone and for the rest of the winter he did not suffer from
it.
Sleeps well.
His eating habits have improved. All of a sudden he has an appetite.
It turns out that there was something they never reported: a tendency for
weakness with heart involvement: it appears he would get tired easily. Also,
when he competed with a friend, if the friend was about to beat him, he
would complain that his heart aches. This has improved as well.
He remains bossy.
Treatment: continue for another month with Rosa damascena C 30
and then increase to C 200. Single dose.
Two months later
The parents report that all is well. Should the need arise, they will give a
single dose of Rosa damascena C 200.
The Structure and Methodology of the Plant Table
Plants are the source of natureʼs ability to evolve and develop. Observing nature,
we
learn that development is inherent to the essence of the plants kingdom.
Continuously growing[1] and ever evolving, plants adapt
to nature and create it at the same time.
Plants were the first to fashion the idea of separation in nature: Unlike minerals,
plants have a membrane separating them from the environment, an attitude that allows
them to develop along their own evolutionary lines and pace, which is a quicker one
than the mineralsʼ. The evolutionary changes plants go through propel evolutionary
changes for the whole biosphere, including the atmosphere, minerals and animals.
More so, plants are the foundation for the existence of life, providing oxygen,
carbon and nutrition. Plants propel minerals from earth outward and from the air
inward into the earth, availing it to the biosphere, allowing growth and
continuation of life on earth. In this sense, the plants kingdom acts as a stirring
mediator between the worlds, expressing an archetype of continuous growth and
development.
In accordance with its developing nature, the plant kingdomʼs evolution can be seen
to correspond with human psyche development, seeing that both share the innate
nature of growth and development. At times where development is halted, manifesting
as a disease, the corresponding plant can be summoned. This is one more gift the
plant world offers.
The Plants schema structure expresses this correspondence in a manner akin to the
homeopathic understanding of the Periodic table of elements; its axes, however, are
founded on evolutionary stages of botanical development. The building block of the
table is not a single plant or a remedy, but a whole botanical group. Thus every
square of the table contains one or few Orders[2] or
Families. The reason the Plants schema doesnʼt present specific remedies as its
building blocks is that while the Mineral Kingdom contains 118 elements, the Plant
Kingdom consists of thousands of plants which necessitated aggregating them by
groups – namely Families and Orders.
I found Cronquistʼs[3] systematics suitable for the
tableʼs scheme as it is led by evolutionary vision, being grounded mostly on
homeopathic-like “signs and symptoms” of function and sense in the Plant
Kingdom.
When the table is systematized in such an order, with vectors of botanic evolution,
it becomes quite easy to decipher the homeopathic sense of it by assembling the
Materia Medica information from all the remedies within each family – “as if one
remedy”, and interpreting it according to its location in the table. In an
astonishing order, the axes of botanical development and their correspondent
remedies are found to parallel stages of human development.
This way, each square in the table presents a convergence point of two axes – Ego
construction and levels of growth and development: the horizontal axis is formed by
separation and individuation stages while the vertical axis forms maturation levels.
This provides physiological, emotional and mental content to each family of plants.
While Families of plants present the collective themes that correspond to any given
location on the table, a single remedy describes only certain variations of those
themes.
The Table of Plants thus provides a schema that links plantsʼ developmental stages
to
human developmental stages. The table refers to the challenges and obstacles met
during the developmental journey of the Ego from a primary stage of union and
oneness to an advanced stage of individuality. Learning and absorbing the lessons
of
the feminine and the masculine elements.
The Plants table provides reason and explanations to remedies, as well as to
qualities of families of remedies. It allows better understanding of cases, as well
as promoting understanding of small remedies and new provings. The Plants table can
provide an understanding as to why the remedy displays certain characteristics as
well as to why a case calls for a remedy belonging to a certain Family. The beauty
of the plant tableʼs systematics is that, without contradiction, it complements and
adds depth to case analysis, regardless of whether the approach is of a conservative
or modern homeopathic method.
Extended description of the essence of the columns
The First Column (Unity) depicts an initial state of awareness to the
unified feminine quality element that, by its nature, gives birth and initiates
processes. The first column represents a unity with the infinity from which
everything bursts, and is symbolized by water, first chakra and more. Problems
or lessons related to the first column can be expressed as a lack of boundaries
and discrimination, a weak, dependent and influenced Ego, spaced out and
inattentive. A state of awareness might be there, yet the inability to act.
Typical remedies are: Op, Staph, Arist, Lotus, Asar, Nux-m, Acon,
Puls.
In the Second Column (Here or There) the initial separation begins (a
first masculine impulse enters the process of the table), followed by a sense of
smallness and weakness, as effort is put into “standing by oneself”. Issues
presented are related to being small or big, being in this world or remaining in
the other world (or remaining in any other previous state). Here or there,
indecision, “should I return to the unified state or should I separate?” “Will I
create boundaries or will I have them blurred?” Remedies such as Cann-i, Urt,
Ficus and Quercus are characteristic to this column. The struggle
and lessons are still in the territory of the feminine quality.
In the Third Column (The Hero), there is a strong and intensive battle to
separate from the feminine-maternal quality that though before gave life, is now
perceived as strangling and limiting. Expressed as a struggle to separate from
anything that appears “controlling”, the developing Ego fights for its
individuality: with the characteristic statement: “I want to do it my way”.
Characteristic remedies are the various Cacti.
In the Fourth Column (Nurturing and Maturity), the maternal element is
attaining maturation. After the previous columnʼs journey in the feminine
element, the individuation process reaches a stage where it necessitates gaining
equanimity: an ability to nourish or be nourished, provide, give or take without
being belittled for it. The lesson obtained is maturity of the maternal quality,
an ability to give or receive yet keep your separate individual identity.
Imbalance at this final maternal column would be expressed as
mother/daughter issues, family issues, complications related to motherhood and
elements of abandonment and dependency. We shall often see over-responsibility
for the family, anxiety about family matters and carrying the burden of family,
which sets the ground for exhaustion of personal energy, fatigue and back pains.
Eating and digestive disorders will often ensue. Typical remedies are Bamb,
Sacc-a, Trit, Cypr, Thea, Choc, Bry, Brass, Sin-a.
In the Fifth Column (The Other), the Ego is already solid and constructed.
In order to continue its development, the Ego must attend fully the lessons of
the masculine quality, which creates boundaries, rules and separation, giving
purpose and direction. By the masculine borders, the Ego is enabled to realize
what is apart from himself, to separate from what is not himself – and thus come
to meet the other, as an individual by itself. This separation allows a mature
relationship to be created, so that is why the subject of relationship is of
utmost importance, especially in its beginning (i.e., the Rose family). Later on
the emphasis turns to the expression and fulfilment of oneʼs role outside the
family, to doing and acting. The split of the masculine from the feminine
element is the strongest issue here, causing rigidity, stiffness, and in the end
(like in the Conium family) to dryness and suppression of the feminine,
emotional level. Relationship will be an issue in the beginning of the column,
later to be shifted to suppression of the heart and relationships, competition,
work, duties, rules, religion and rigidity. Prominent remedies are Rose,
Crat, Anac, Rhus-t and Con.
In the Sixth Column (The Group), one meets the world at large, stands up
to it, fights with it, conquers oneʼs place and defines oneʼs place in it. The
sixth column fits our time: an age of individuality that verges on egotism. Here
the feminine and masculine had not recovered from the split, thus fighting
amongst themselves, always on guard, causing the intra-relationship to be
difficult and physical infertility at times. Also the need of the now fully
developed Ego to display itself, prove oneʼs worth and find oneʼs place in
society can escalate to a clash with the world. Physically this can be expressed
as allergies or a tendency to get worms: any other thing that violates oneʼs
boundaries or is even perceived to do it. On the one hand it has over
sensitivity to the worldʼs impressions, on the other hand it shows ambition and
aggression: “the developed Ego fights back”. The sixth column expresses a battle
to function within a group, while yet maintaining oneʼs hard-earned
individuality. Prominent remedies are Verat, Lil-t in the Monocots
and Bell, Stram, Coff, Chin, Nux-v, Ign, Menth, Abrot, Cham and
Arn – in the Dicots.
This is the end of our journey, and, perhaps, a preparation for the seventh
stage, where all will be returned to the unified state, keeping a complete
awareness of the uniqueness that will have been attained.
Development across the Columns
All columns are divided by levels of development – The rows (which follow E.
Eriksonʼs levels of development [2]). The rows
express the lesson of each column, initiating the journey at a juvenile and
unprepared state, evolving to maturity and eventually growing old and ending.
Priming itself to begin the next step in the journey.
The columns are constructed according to Jungian developmental stages and
Kabbalistic lore. The human journey toward acquiring awareness finds its
parallel in a number of developmental sequences: the developmental stages of the
minerals, the progress of the history of humanity, the first six chakras and the
six first days of creation. Like a gigantic fractal, the world demonstrates its
patterned rules of creation in every aspect of life, all in a wondrous
order.
Wondrous Order book and schema
The Table of Plants cannot entirely be explained in one article, the above is
only the essence, a short portrayal, but the information perceived through the
plant table schema can be easily validated by being compared to oneʼs knowledge
of remedies and cases.
An extensive description and much more information is available in my book
“Wondrous Order”. Sadly, for the time being, the book is only
available in Hebrew. However, it is in the final stages of translation into
English so it should be published in a few monthsʼ time. For those interested in
making first inroads to using the Plants schema, please consult my website.
