A case of severe period pain

A case of severe period pain

 

 

 

P.B.

Female

Age 32

 

INTRODUCTION

 

I started working with P.B. in October 2015 when she came for an acute homeopathy appointment with a lingering cold. She told me she also suffered from hay fever so I suggested she came back for hay fever prevention treatment. It was at that session that she mentioned her period pain. It wasn’t until she’d had an episode of passing out and vomiting with the pain that we started treatment for suspected endometriosis.

 

SESSION 1

January 2017

 

P.B. works as an office manager.

 

Main symptoms

Severe period pain 2-3 days per month.

Day 1 is the worst and sometimes she vomits.

The second day she still has cramps.

She can prevent vomiting if she takes Feminax the day before.

Has to take Feminax every 3-4 hours.

Pain is mainly in her lower back.

Pain > bending forward.

Digestive issues.

Contraceptive Pill since age 17.

 

She has been on 4 types of contraceptive pill, prescribed by her gynaecologist. None of them have helped but she is scared to stop taking it in case the pain gets worse.

 

She feels resigned to it. One thing that makes her sad is that she won’t be able to have children as it is impossible to come off the pill.

 

Otherwise happy. Good energy. Sleeps well.

 

Food and drink

Appetite good.

Loves coconut and dairy.

Dislikes crystallised ginger.

Doesn’t eat meat or fish.

Prefers savoury food.

Enjoys plain and spicy.

Prefers warm drinks.

 

Background

Broke up with her boyfriend in December. It was his first long-term relationship. Sometimes he could be aggressive. They are still living in the same space. She still feels sad but is putting a brave face on things. She would like to move on but is not sure how.

 

Other medical history

Issues with tonsils until age 20.

Laser treatment on tonsils.

Hayfever.

 

Life history

Teenage-hood was stressful.

Time between university and work was stressful.

Had counselling for 2 years.

Had a bad relationship breakup last year.

 

Family medical history

Mother: migraines and severe period pain

Maternal grandmother: severe period pain

Maternal grandfather: blind

Great grandmother: blind

Aunty: asthmatic and fibroids

Cousin: allergies

Sister: severe period pain

 

Father prostate cancer, allergies, meniere’s

 

ANALYSIS AND REMEDY SELECTION

The main aetiology for the severe period pain appears to be miasmatic, with her sister and mother both having similar problems. The uppermost miasm is likely to be sycosis, but the cancer miasm comes to the fore with 17 years on the contraceptive pill. Her father has prostate cancer, which confirms the miasmatic focus of the case.

 

Diagnosis

We discussed that her symptoms could likely indicate endometriosis and I recommended that she ask her doctor for a referral for a pelvic scan.

 

We looked at the Period Manual book by Lara Briden. She recommends a dairy free diet plus magnesium piccolinate as an important supplement.

 

B.P. agreed to try to manage without dairy produce – quite a big deal for her as she really liked dairy.

 

HOMEOPATHY

I have been practicing with the Triad method of prescribing for more than a year. The Triad method includes three remedies: acute, fundamental and miasmatic.

 

As endometriosis is the main focus of this case, I used two rubrics to select appropriate remedies.

 

Murphy’s Repertory

 

FEMALE, Endometriosis, acute

Bold type remedies: Med

Italic type remedies: aconite, apis, arsen, bell, bry, carc, cimic, gels, iod, mel-c-s, merc-c, puls, sabin, sec, sep, sil, thuj, est

 

FEMALE, Endemetriosis, chronic

Bold type remedies: Carc

Italic type remedies: ars, aur-m, pur-m-n, calc, carb-ac, cimic, con, selon, huer, iod, kali-ar, lach, mag-m, med, mel-c-s, merc, nux-v, ph-ac, puls, sabin, sec, sep, sulphur, thus, ust

 

Acute layer

Sepia was selected for the following reasons:

Pain mainly in lower back

Pain with faintness and vomiting

Affinity with the female reproductive system

Also: ailments from contraceptive pill

 

Fundamental layer

Thuja was selected for the following reasons:

Introverted and private

Tendency to overgrowth of tissue

Sycotic family history

Also: Thuja appears in both acute and chronic rubrics

 

Miasmatic layer

Carcinosin was selected for the following reasons:

Family history of cancer (father)

Tendency to inflammation

Tendency to allergies

Hormone use

Abusive relationships

 

SUPPORT REMEDIES

 

 

Narayani combination remedy

 

Female 50M

Homeopathic: Aurum Mur Nat, Caulophyllum, Lachesis, Sepia, Pulsatilla

Organo: Anterior Pituitary, Endometrium, FSH Hormone, Fallopian Tube, Oestrogen, Ovary, Uterus

 

I have used this remedy to good effect in many cases as a support remedy for various types of problems with the female reproductive system.

 

The sarcode element is especially appealing in this instance as there is systemic dysfunction in the female organs. Taking a long-term view, I wanted to support the reproductive system as a whole.

 

 

Homeobotanicals

Homeobotanicals are homoeopathically prepared organic herbs and can be made into a bespoke blend for the individual case.

 

I selected two HBs. Female and Devil’s Claw.

 

Homeobotanical Female

Addresses the primary cause of menstrual distress and is combined with other appropriate therapeutic protocols for the clinical management of many gynaecological problems.

 

Ingredients: Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh, Chaste Tree, Cramp Bark, Dog Quai, Motherwort, Pasque Flower, Shepherds Purse, Squaw Vine, Wild Yam

 

Cramp bark: relaxes uterine spasm.

Shepherd’s Purse: is indicated for ‘uterine colic’.

Wild yam: is for inflammatory conditions, especially dysmenorrhea and other pains caused by spasm. Phyto-oestrogenic action modulates hormonal balance.

 

Homeobotanical Devil’s Claw

Devil’s claw is indicated wherever there is an indication of inflammation. It can be an alternative for those taking over-the-counter pain medications.

 

PRESCRIPTION

 

Triad prescription

Carc 10m weekly on Monday

Thuja 200c weekly on Wednesday

Sepia 1M weekly on Friday

 

Homeobotanicals

Female/3 parts, Devil’s Claw/2 parts

 

Narayani combination remedy

Female balance remedy once daily

 

Advice

Eliminate cow’s dairy produce

Take Magnesium Piccolinate supplement

 

SESSION 2

February 2017

 

B.P. reports that she has left the flat that she was sharing with her ex-boyfriend and has moved to share with a different friend.

 

Life is great generally. Thought about what I’d said in the appointment, that she didn’t have to put up with things. That changed everything.

 

Has had a period. Used less Feminax. Some pain but generally fine.

 

PRESCRIPTION

 

Triad prescription –  repeated everything

Carc 10m weekly on Monday

Thuja 200c weekly on Wednesday

Sepia 1M weekly on Friday

 

Homeobotanicals

Female/3 parts, Devil’s Claw/2 parts

 

Narayani combination remedy

Female balance remedy once daily

 

SESSION 3

March 2017

 B.P. came to the appointment wearing an attractive red, black and white outfit with statement earrings.

 

She reports that she has resigned from her job and is moving back to France. She is considering going back to university to study psychology – something she wanted to do a long time ago, but didn’t. Now she thinks she’d really like to do it.

 

Is tired of taking contraceptives. Has started to realise that she could become a mother and have a family. She has never been able to consider that before.

 

Has had a period. Used one Feminax as a preventative but was basically fine. No pain. She was amazed.

 

PRESCRIPTION

 

Triad prescription 

Med 200c weekly on Monday

Thuja 10M weekly on Wednesday

Sepia 1M weekly on Friday

 

Homeobotanicals

Female/3 parts, Devil’s Claw/2 parts

 

Narayani combination remedy

Female balance remedy once daily

 

CONCLUSION

 

This case has delighted and surprised me with how quickly the symptoms changed from being chronic, severe and debilitating to mild and then non-problematic.

 

My client was amazed at not just the physical changes but also the mental and emotional shifts that came with her treatment.

 

Within 2 months she left the flat she was sharing with her ex-boyfriend, resigned from her non-career job and made a decision to return to her home country and study something she had been interested in for a long time.

 

The severity of the case led me to focus almost entirely on remedies to address not only the symptoms but also the inflammation and the miasm. Homeopathic remedies included nosodes and sarcodes as well as fundamental and acute remedies. Herbal remedies included herbs to balance oestrogen and reduce pain and inflammation. Nutrition advice included magnesium, a mineral known to reduce cramps and spasms, and to avoid dairy, a known inflammatory food.

 

So which of these cured the case?

 

I honestly can’t say, and actually I feel that the dramatic improvement was due to a multifaceted ‘functional medicine’ approach. I’m glad I included all the remedies that I selected and I feel that having a narrow focus on the female reproductive system worked very well.

 

We can continue to work together over Skype when she returns to France.

 

Her life has already changed in ways that she could not begin to imagine and I’m delighted for her. I can’t wait to see how her life unfolds.

 

RESOURCES

 

 

Homeopathic Clinical Repertory and  Nature’s Materia Medica

Robin Murphy

 

The Materia Medica of Narayani Combination Remedies

Robert Davidson

 

The Period Repair Manual

Lara Briden

 

Narayani remedies are available from Nimisha Parekh

 narayaniremedies.com

 

The Triad Method

Hilary Fairclough

 

Homeobotanicals training and supplies from Deborah Kerslake 

homeoherbs.co.uk

 

 

About the Author:

 

If you’re interested to find out more about how I work as a homeopath, you can find me at: homeopathywithtracy.co.uk

I offer mentoring and modern day business training for homeopaths at:

yourradiantbusiness.com

I offer recorded webinar trainings on triad prescribing and effective hayfever prevention.

Contact me at tracy@homeopathywithtracy.co.uk to find out more.