Symptoms suggesting Thuja

Symptoms suggestingThuja on 50 occasions w h e n it was prescribed T. F E R G U S

STEWART,

T . D . , M.B., CH.R., M.R.C.P., r . r . n o M .

INTRODUCTION

This paper discusses the symptoms on which Thuja was prescribed on 50 occasions. The most common indications are listed. A number of individual patients are described where every s y m p t o m recorded is a Thuja symptom, and finally a few patients are mentioned who had strange, rare and peculiar symptoms of Thuja. THE

MOST

FREQUENT

INDICATIONS

1 F a t constitutional type 2 High blood pressure 3 Vaccinosis-type of disturbance 4 Excessive tea drinlciug

FOR

THUJA

18 times 15 times 13 times 10 times

The Thuja constitutional type I n this series the most common indication was Clarke's fourth constitutional type. Aptly described b y the late Dr. Elizabeth H u b b a r d as "grossly fat, with pendulous abdomen and heavy breasts, triple chins and piano legs. Thuja is characterized b y excess, a surplus of life, badly organized and badly edited. Too much matter and too little f o r m - - t h e opposite of Silica." An ex-stewardess of 61 years, eight years at sea and therefore vaccinated several times, weighing over 15 stone, B P 230/105, numerous sebaceous cysts on her scalp. She complained of a sensation of a lump in her abdomen, and bleeding from the left nipple. She is a pleasant Pulsatilla type, but has had occasional doses of Thuja during the last few years. A 58-year-old engineer, 3 stone overweight, complained of left occipital headache on waking, perspiration on the head and face, pain in the left eye, anxiety about the future. He had a history of a polyp being removed from his 9 vocal cord. His blood pressure was 250/135, and he complained of numbness of his left foot. Two years later he was again complaining of occipital headache, tingling in his fingers and legs, soreness in the left shoulder and elbow, diplopia and urinary frequency due to an enlarged prostate. He was again given

Thuja. A distinguished architect, vaccinated several times, obese with excessive hairiness, had a blood pressure of 162/108, and two symptoms suggesting Thuja: he was upset b y onions and he slept with his arms over him head. A cheerful blacksmith of 58, two stones overweight, had had a coronary thrombosis when aged 47 years, recurrent conjunctivitis and Meibomian cysts A paper read to the 27th Triennial Congress of the International Homccopathie League, Brussels, June 1972. The paper was read on behalf of the late Dr. T. Fergus Stewart by Dr. L. i%. Twentyman.

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for about 20 years, also twitching of his eyelids, a great tea drinker, but other Thuja symptoms were his anxious, conscientious, hard-working character, liking of salt, jerking of limbs during sleep, preferring the cold, with aggravation by heat and damp.

High bloodpressure The second commonest indication for Thuja was high blood pressure, sometimes with a family history of cardiovascular disease and sudden deaths. I t is not surprising that high blood pressure should often be found in the stout Thuja type, because it so closely resembles the pituitary type of obesity seen in Cushing's syndrome, which in turn is commonly associated with high blood pressure. A 66-year-old housewife with high blood pressure and aortic incompetence was complaining of pulsation in her head due to a blood pressure of 250/90. She had vertigo looking upwards and a "thumper" of a headache with pulsation and a stitching pain in her left eye.

Vaccinosis A professional gentleman vaccinated before going abroad was never well after his return, having a persistent cough. Sputum revealed pneumococci. He had recovered but relapsed a fortnight later with right basal pneumonia when his sputum contained Haemophilus influenzae. He was given Sulphur with some improvement, and then it was realized that his illness might be the effect o f vaccination so he was given Thuja, after which he improved. A boy of 8 years with an imperforate anus had a colostomy and three operations before he ultimately had a satisfactory result. He was slow at developing, sitting up at 8 months, walking at 20 months, and did not talk till 23 years old. He found it difficult to grasp basic facts regarding numbers, letters, colours, and he was almost constantly having head colds. He appeared to be a little helped by Sulphur 6x, but later he was given three powders of Thuja 10M, prescribed on the following symptoms: cheerful, poor concentration, slow at learning, very changeable mood, obstinate, frequent head colds, generally worse in the evening, warm or wet windy weather, and, of course, the fact that he had been vaccinated. After this he never looked back and I have heard glowing reports of his progress from his own doctor.

Excessive tea driulcing A nurse was in the habit of drinking no less than 15 cups of tea in the day. She was rather a typica~ constitutionally obese Thuja type, 189stone overweight, with a high blood pressure of 192/94, pain around her buttocks and thighs due to marked panniculitis, pains in her shoulder related to cervical spondylosis and disk degeneration. COMMON

MENTAL

INDICATIONS

1 Conscientious 2 Depression 3 Hurry 4 Irritability 5 Restlessness 6 Anticipation, aggravation 7 Anxiety about the future

FOR

TItUJA

11 9 8 6 6 6 6

I~

times times times times times times times

THIS

SERIES

SYMPTOMS

SUGGESTING

TtIUJA

199

I will limit m y discussion to three patients who had the common Thuja mental symptoms of conscientiousness, hurry and depression. A highly religious woman of 62 years, practically blind due to bilateral cataract and adhesions, depressed because her equally religious and rather dogmatic husband was not very sympathetic. Previously she had always been in a great hurry, her husband had often told her to walk, not run. She had always kept the house immaculate, but now she felt unduly tired, could not concentrate, was frustrated because she could not see well enough to get on with her housework, and particularly she felt a failure because her daughter had elected to live in a fiat in town instead of at home. A pleasant Natrum mur. type, an extremely conscientious, hard-working secretary of 50 years, who said that she liked working for her chief although he was a "slave driver". She had previously developed thyrotoxicosis with diarrhoea when aged 38, and been given radioactive iodine. She had the following Thuja symptoms: extreme anxiety about her future because doing an entirely new job, due to the reorganization of the railways; she was depressed and irritable; she had always been scrupulous about little things but found herself forgetting what she was about to say, so she was more irritable; always seemed to be in a terrible hurry with her work, movement and walking. She was having pulsation in her ear at night, was upset b y fat and sometimes rapid palpitation would wake her. Dr. T. D. Ross placed Nat. mur. close to Thuja when he mentioned t h a t although the majority of patients who benefited from Thuja are obese, some are thin, and there seemed to be either hypo- or hyperthyroidism, often from a pituitary disorder. Dr. Ross went on to mention t h a t patients benefiting from Thuja are often "slaves to duty, conscientious, and particular about detail", wearing themselves out in the service of others. Masochistic, yet harbouring resentment, anticipation distresses them and m a y bring on diarrhoea. An aggressive, witty, wizened 65-year-old lady, one of these conscientious slaves to duty, has looked after her widowed brother for 20 years, but she gets very annoyed at him for "sitting on his b o t t o m " while she is slaving away, and she does not consider t h a t he pays for his keep, but left it to her married son to tackle him about this subject. However, her case is mentioned later, under sensations like an animal in the abdomen. OTHER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

COMMON

INDICATIONS

Warts or excrescences Abnormal perspiration Occipital headaches Frequency of urination Desire for salt Upset b y fat or pork Diarrhoea with excitement Hair on unusual parts Wet weather aggravation

FOR

THUJA

9 times 7 times 6 times 6 times 5 times 4 times 4 times 4 times 4 times

Warts or excrescences A little woman of 77 years who had worked as a domestic in America for years, had trouble with her eyes since the age of 24 years, and had marked scarring due to rosacea keratitis; the abdominal wall was covered with brown spots, moles and little warts. She was given Thuja 30 and reported the following

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month t h a t her eyes were p r e t t y good, she had managed to walk 189 miles, and was really feeling very well. Three years later she had numbness in her left foot and left hand, jerking in her limbs when falling asleep, and was given Thuja again. Diarrhoea with excitement A professional man's wife refused to seek divorce although her husband had left her with three children, gone off to another country with another woman. She had had diarrhoea intermittently since the age of 13 years. She was an Arsenic type. Now complaining of pale yellow diarrhoea, having to rush to the toilet, the diarrhoea gushing out with a lot of wind and colic, causing severe burning in the rectum and leaving her exhausted, and in addition she had diarrhoea with excitement or after coffee. An obese cashier, with a high blood pressure, complaining of frequency, burning before and after urination for a month, incontinence of bowels, saying t h a t she must hurry even for a formed stool, and during the last few years has often had to rush back in a bus to have a motion. The previous week she had to get off the train at a station before her destination. Her main trouble was diarrhoea with excitement. She was pale and nervous and bad pedunculated moles and a blood pressure of 220/120. STRANGE,

RARE

AND PECULIAR

SYMPTOMS

1 Pain as from a nail in the head 2 As if a tight cap was on the scalp 3 Face shiny as if oily 4 Sensation like an animal in the abdomen 5 Excessive perspiration on genitalia 6 H e a t in thigh with cold hands and feet 7 Dreams of falling from a height Pain as from a nail in the head A charming, animated, tidy, restless, artistic married woman of 35 years, previously helped b y Arsenicum alb., had a sudden piercing pain in her forehead equivalent to a pain in the forehead as from a nail. A most pleasant Phosphorus type, the matron of a boys' remand home, had been having excruciating headaches (like a nail in her head) for nine months. She also had oppression in the chest associated with palpitation. Four months later Thuja was repeated when she was complaining of pulsation in her back and ear. A month later reported that she had suddenly begun to feel warm again. A retired shunter aged 68 was very depressed because an E N T specialist had said t h a t nothing could be done about the hissing he heard all the time. However, he had been greatly helped b y Puls. 6, Sulphur 6 and Proteus 30, but was now complaining of severe left frontal headache on waking. Sensation as of a tight cap on the head An obese but capable, intelligent housewife who had been president of her bowling club and was a high official in the County Red Cross. Nine years previously her bIood pressure had been 220/138, it was now 210/110, and she was complaining of pressure on her head as if there was a cap on it.

SYMPTOMS

SUGGESTI:NG

THUJA

201

Face shiny as if oily A recently married shop assistant of 46 years, who a year previously had erythema nodosum with a right hilar shadow, had improved in general health with Puls. and Sulphur. She was anxious but cheerful, a hard-working, very stout but simple character, now complaining of left-sided rheumaticky pains which were worse in the wet weather. Her face was very shiny and looked as if she had oil on it. For this, Kent has Nat. mur., Plumbum and Thuja. She had these additional symptoms of Thuja: talking in her sleep, dreaming of murder, excessive axillary perspiration, trembling of her hands.

Sensation of something alive in the abdomen This patient has already been mentioned. She was a conscientious slave to duty. Thuja was selected on her description that in her abdomen she felt "wind like a volcano with distension evening and night. The rumbling in the abdomen felt like bursting everywhere, everything being twisted in her abdomen, trembling in her abdomen like a circus or locked flatulence or a live animal." The prescription was supported by the following Thuja symptoms: anxiety, averse company and consolation, hurry in movements, occupation, walking and talking, drinking too much tea, inactivity of rectum and diarrhoea on excitement, numerous pigmented spots, vaccination which did not take and hysterectomy for multiple fibroids. A very conscientious nurse aged 35 years complained of stiffness and pains in her fingers, sometimes severe stabs, followed by burning, and these had become worse following vaccinations four years previously. She also complained of a sensation like a live animal in her abdomen, although she first described it as like a beehive in the morning with butterflies fluttering around. She also had the following symptoms of Thuja: conscientious, averse consolation, hurry in everything including speech, loquacity, mild nature, restless, sallow dirty skin on abdomen, excessive perspiration of hands and feet.

Excessive perspiration on genitalia A 53-year-old man of the obese Thuja constitutional type had extensive psoriasis which he had resigned himself to suffer to the end of his days, till one time I saw him with an acute septic condition which responded to Silica, then Arsenic produced some improvement in his psoriasis, but when the condition was relapsing the following Thuja symptoms were elicited: excessive white scaling with excoriation of scrotum and thigh, excessive perspiration on his genitalia and scrotum, coldness in the dorsal region, and many pedunculated warts. He was given Thuja 30 which was repeated three and four months later. Then a year afterwards. After that he became remarkably well and practically free from his eruption. Ten years later when the psoriasis relapsed after an accident he was again given Silica 1M, but 18 months later the psoriasis recurred on the sacral region and again he had profuse perspiration in the scrotum with weeping in the perineum. Thuja 200 was repeated. Two years later he had marked pruritus ani with a painful fissure in the anus, and again Thuja 200 produced improvement.

Heat in thigh with cold hands and feet A headmistress aged 75 years had some anxiety about passing a driving test. She had a past history of Brown-Sgquard's syndrome when aged 47 years, 2

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probably the first plaque of disseminated sclerosis, which has never progressed. She was in a terrific hurry about everything, eating, mental work, movements, occupation, walking, speech, and was rather impatient. She complained of heat in her left thigh, anterior and lower third, but yet feeling cold in her hands and feet. K e n t has only one remedy under Heat, Thigh, with Cold Hands and Feet: Thuja in capitals.

Dreams of falling from a height An arsenical-type stout lady who had backache helped b y Rhus tox., still felt t h a t she could not relax and was very restless. She drank too much tea, had warts on her t h u m b and also on her hand, a mapped tongue, and dreams of falling from a height. A 45-year-old married woman who had an unhappy childhood due to a quick-tempered mother who frequently beat her and made her work in the house from the age of 9 years. A year previously she had had a hysterectomy because of menorrhagia. She was a stone overweight, had chronic sinusitis, offensive perspiration, drank 16 cups of tea, was sleepless till 1 a.m. due to restless feet, and also had dreams of falling from high places. She had Thuja 10M and when she was again having dreams of falling into space this remedy was repeated three and seven months later.

EXTERNAL

USE OF THUJA

FOR FIG-WARTS

H a h n e m a n n wrote to Dr. Wislieenus of Eisenach: KSthen, 13 November 1821 As a specific remedy [against fig-warts R.H.] I have found the yew tree (read it up in the materia medica and study it); but I have not yet succeeded in making the dose of it sufficiently weak; Thuja still frequently acts too strongly for me . . . . Recently I have best achieved m y purpose b y applying the strong juice to the wart on alternate nights, this caused suppuration, and the evil was completely cured. The outward strong application seems to have acted sufficiently through the sensitive tissues, upon the whole organism to eradicate in this way the whole disease. You m a y yet be able to procure some fresh Thuja and pound it in a mortar with spirits of wine (otherwise it is too dry) and press out a good juice for this purpose. Supplement 85 from Richard Haehl, Samuel Hahnemann, His Life and Work, Vol. II, p. 160.