C. Carbonica

No remedy is a nurturer, that is a normal human characteristic not a disease symptom. Remedies are only chosen on the basis of the disease the person has, which may influence their behavior but not in a healthy way. One would never choose a remedy because someone nurtures - would you want to cure such a quality? :)

Magnetized means to be attracted to someone who you follow around doing what they say and listening to every word. It is a passive kind of state where you let them lead you. Magnetism is the old word for Charisma (magnetic personality).

Calc carb is a very complex remedy - there is not one description but many, and an individual might show any of the various aspects. They might show just one small part of the medicine in their mental state, or perhaps only in their physical state. The 'personality' of the patient does not lead you to a remedy, but the problems they have in their life can.

CALC CARB:

Calcarea carbonica is a mineral remedy belonging to the psoric miasm. It also has some sycotic traits. The main feeling of Calcarea is the need for stability and security. Calcium offers protection not only to humans in the form of bone but also in earlier forms of life in the form of shell, exoskeleton, etc. The central theme of the Carbonates is of a vital reaction.
Thus the main theme of Calcarea carbonica is a need for protection. But in order to get this protection the person does not need to make any effort - all he has to do is show a vital reaction. There is a feeling of being too weak to face the cruelty and roughness of the world. So we have the rubrics: 'Delusion, that he is weak' and 'Delusion, that he is small', as the main delusions.
So Calcarea carbonica tries to build a protective wall of defence around himself which will ensure that he is safe, secure and covered like a developing embryo within an egg.

He seeks the protection he needs by expressing a lot of fears. He surrounds himself by a lot of people who protect him. The Calcarea carbonica persons are people who don't go out much, don't want any adventure in life. Rather they choose for themselves friends and partners who are protective and on whom they can depend. This protection may be in the form of money, and the dependence causes the 'Fear of poverty'. There is a desire to be magnetized, that is to allow one's will to be taken over by another person: 'Doctor, tell me what to do, I will do exactly as you say.' A Calcarea carbonica patient relies completely on another person. I have seen this especially in children and young people who are usually accompanied by their parents for the consultation and, never answer a question directly but whisper the answer to their parents. Even a coped up Calcarea is usually accompanied by some relative. I have seen them use the expression: 'I am happy when everybody is around me'. This represents the need to have people around them for protection and security.

he situational Materia Medica of the uncompensated Calcarea carbonica is that of a woman completely protected first by her parents during childhood and now by her husband. The need to cope up does not arise. I have seen girls, cozy in the protective environment of their parents' homes, hesitate and fear to get married, unable to trust that they will find the same security elsewhere. They remain unmarried as long as is possible, till they suddenly realize that their parents are getting old too, and will not be always there to protect them. The same can be seen in young men much dependent on their parents, who remain bachelors till late and then try to find a mother substitute for a wife. In the coped-up state, Calcarea carbonica is a home-builder. Home represents the protective shell he needs around him. He has to cope when he has to face responsibilities and there is no protection.

Calcarea carbonica children can be very obstinate and can even get aggressive, but this behaviour is confined only to within their home and is directed especially to their parents. Outside, they are quite timid and fearful, well-behaved, sensitive to rudeness and admonition.
When, despite showing a vital reaction, a Calcarea carbonica person cannot manage to get the protection he needs, he develops intense fears and 'Talks of nothing but murder, fire and rats'. This rubric represents his fear of human (murder), animal (rat) and natural (fire) elements. I have seen that besides the dreams of animals, snakes, etc., Calcarea carbonica also has dreams as if watching a murder. Calcareas also get anxious from watching or hearing about cruelty. On watching scenes of fighting or of horror on TV, the Calcarea carbonica child either leaves the room or closes his eyes. There is also intense fear of pain and suffering, fear of the physician, especially dentists, fear of injections and of surgery which is even seen in adults.

When all attempts to seek protection fail, they become indifferent: 'Sits and breaks pins the whole day', 'Indifferent about recovery'.
When the life situation of a Calcarea carbonica person changes and he looses the security of his home, he feels as if left alone in the wilderness, thus going into a Stramonium state which is that of an unprotected person out in the dark night, wanting to come home (in contrast to Calcarea carbonica who is the one inside the house and not wanting to get out).
If the Calcarea carbonica woman coming from the world of security happens to marry a violent drunkard, she can develop a Rhus toxicodendron state very easily. She can become tense, nervous and can feel the threat of being killed inside her own house. Rhus toxicodendron is complementary to Calcarea carbonica.

When a Calcarea carbonica person comes to the doctor from an unprotected environment at home, she may weep and ask for his protection, seek support and reassurance - so you have: 'Narrating her symptoms aggravates'. This might seem like Pulsatilla, especially if we were to only notice the weeping and the seeking of consolation, while ignoring the nervousness and edginess at home.
A Calcarea carbonica woman may even look like Hyoscyamus or Thuja or Lycopodium, as explained in 'The Substance of Homoeopathy', depending on the way she has to cope with her situation.
Bryonia and Calcarea carbonica are similar remedies. Both have the aversion to movement and the need for security and stability, and the 'Fear of poverty'. They are incompatible remedies.

Physical symptoms:
o Physically Calcarea carbonica is usually obese but can be thin.
o Profuse perspiration.
o Desire: eggs, ice-cream, sweets, chocolates, meat and chicken, indigestible things like, sand, slate, pencil.
o The pathology of Calcarea carbonica generally includes affections of the bones and joints.
o White spots on nails.
o The main modalities I have noticed are:
o Worse Ascending (breathlessness, weakness).
o Worse Pressure of clothes (cannot tolerate tight clothes).
o Worse Exertion of any kind.
o Dryness and chapped skin in winter, especially of feet.

Rubrics:
o Anticipation, dentist, physician, before going to.
o Anxiety, cruelties, after hearing.
o Delusion, confusion, others will observe her.
o Delusion, murdered, sees someone.
o Delusion, smaller, of being.
o Fear, dogs, of.
o Fear, ghosts, of.
o Horrible things, sad stories affect her profoundly.
o Magnetized, desire to be.
o Obstinate children, inclined to grow fat.
o Talks, murder, fire, rats, of nothing but.


Kent:
o Vertigo when ascending an eminence.
o Vertigo from high places.
o Face: greasy.
o Hair, growth of, child's face.
o Desires eggs.
o Metrorrhagia from fright.
[message edited by brisbanehomoeopath on Sat, 14 May 2011 00:03:06 BST]

[message deleted by idra23 on Sat, 14 May 2011 11:19:21 BST]

ARSENICUM ALBUM (Rajan Sankaran, Soul of Remedies)

The mineral Arsenic lies between Phosphorus and Bismuth in the Periodic Table. I found that in this group, which also includes Antimony, there is a feeling of insecurity, of loneliness, of being isolated, and of not belonging. Phosphorus tries to make up for this feeling by excessive friendliness and sympathy. In Arsenicum, it manifests as fear and insecurity.
The Arsenicum patient sees the world as threatening, chaotic. He feels that he is old, weak and defenseless, and that there are thieves all around him, ready to take advantage of his weakness. He needs people and is dependent on them because of his weakness, yet feels that they cannot be trusted, that they are interested only in his money. However he cannot do without them, and hence is very careful that he should not offend them, lest they leave him and go away. He is mistrustful and suspicious, cautious and anxious in all matters: money, relationships, even health.

he Arsenicum person has a hypochondriacal anxiety; he fears that he will lose his health unless he exercises regularly and will avoid many things which he feels are harmful. He will not eat out in restaurants, etc., and will impose many restrictions on himself in diet and other matters. His life is full of anxiety. He is extremely fearful that he will lose what he has, unless he is extremely cautious. This makes him both restless and conscientious. The restlessness drives him from place to place, he cannot rest till things are in place; anything that seems out of place troubles him. The patient will show you his hands and ask you to look at both of them. 'Doctor, he will ask, do you see that the veins on my left hand are more prominent than those on the right hand? Why is this so?' The conscientiousness and carefulness is manifest as an almost compulsive need for order, making Arsenicum extremely fastidious and hence a remedy of the c-ancer miasm. I have also seen that the Arsenicum concern for health and security can extend to others, so that these patients can be caring for the health and security of others as well. I have found that they write very precisely in very small writing, fitting in much as possible in a very small space.

Rubrics:
o Delusion, sees thieves at night.
o Delusion, that the house and space under the bed are full of thieves.
o Delusion, about criminals.
o Delusion, others conspire to murder him.
o Delusion, is about to receive injury.
o Delusion, that she is being watched.
o Company, desire for, alone, while, aggravates.
o Fear, alone of being, lest he die.
o Delusion, friend has been offended.
o Company, aversion to whom he imagines he has offended.
o Carefulness.
o Desires more than she needs.
o Fastidious.
o Rest cannot when things are not in proper place.
o Anxiety for others.
o Anguish driving from place to place.

Kent:
o Corrugated nails.
o Taste bitter for water.
o Desires fat.
o Thirst: small quantities for, often.
o Cracks: feet soles.
Phatak:
o Agony, cannot rest in any place.
o Craves condiments.
o Dust aggravates.
o Walk, impulse to.

Arsenic is related to Phosphorus. It has a similar feeling, only much deeper. The feeling is of being isolated and hence insecure. He sees the world as threatening, chaotic:
Delusions
- sees thieves around him
- conspiracies against him, there were
- people conspiring to murder him.
He feels lonely yet threatened by people. The Arsenic person needs company but cannot trust the very people he is dependent on. The fear of being alone (isolated) is very intense and he is very careful not to offend people lest they leave him and go away (Delusion offended people, he has). His life is full of anxiety and he becomes extremely restless, the anguish driving him from place to place. In this acute anxiety, he wants to be held (Mania, held, wants to be), wants to be carried fast (Carried fast, desires to be) which means he seeks immediate relief and hopes that the other person will relieve him quickly.
In the coped up state, the Arsenic person will be very conscientious, careful, cautious, fastidious and responsible. He would not offend anyone and always keeps away from insecurity. In the Arsenic compounds, one finds the same qualities of tremendous anxiety with restlessness 'Rest cannot, till things are in the proper place'. They feel that they cannot rely on anyone, cannot trust anybody and hence become self reliant. They are afraid of being let down and are therefore very cautious. They are usually chilly, worse after midnight, and can get into very acute attacks of anxiety or develop acute physical complaints.

senicum is a drug with a strong sycotic aspect with its main delusion being that he is old, weak and defenceless, and that there are thieves around him who intend to take advantage of his weakness. We see a hyper-response in the form of becoming restless, fastidious, cautious and anxious. In the body, the same feeling of vulnerability to external injurious factors is manifested by its overreaction to several stimuli, especially at night (the time of maximum danger). Arsenic is aggravated from dust, rich or spoiled food and ice-cream and the response is in the form of restlessness, burning, diarrhoea, vomiting, cold hands and feet etc.

Consider an old man alone in the house with his money. He knows that he is weak and needs people but has to be very careful and cautious or else they will rob him. (Fear, alone of being; cautious; suspicious). Sometimes, the situation may get too acute and he sees thieves in the house (Delusion sees thieves), or it may not be so bad, in which case it is a struggle to safeguard the money. The situation may get out of hand - he is robbed. It is a hopeless situation and suicide is the only way out. Thus, we see a situation in which elements of all the miasms are found, with sycosis in the forefront. The remedy, as is evident, is Arsenic. We find that Arsenic has all the miasms with a predominance of sycosis followed by acute, then syphilis and only some psora.

onsider one of the main delusions of Arsenic to be 'Delusion sees thieves'. This is a completely external factor and so one would classify Arsenic in the acute or psoric miasm. However, when we examine the symptoms of Arsenic, we see that there are obsessive and compulsive traits like fastidiousness and a mania for cleanliness. This indicates that there is also a strong sycotic component. When we examine the mind, we see the following symptoms which clearly define the basic delusion:
- Delusion sick, of being
- Delusion time has come to die
- Desire for company yet fear of people
- Fear of offending a friend
- Mania, wants to he held.
He is dependent on others because of his weakness, yet feels that they are people who cannot be trusted, people who are more interested in his money. All the same, he cannot afford to offend them, as he is too weak to support himself.
Thus we find Arsenic to be predominantly sycotic in dimension. This is borne out by the fact that Ars is given under Psora with 1 mark while under Sycosis, it has been given 2 marks (Synth.Rep)
The following account of a patient's life style as described by a relative makes it easier to understand Arsenic. This man improved marvellously on Ars Alb 1M.

A 65 year old man, living in a huge house with two servants. His children are all staying away from him. Calls himself a recluse. He is very fastidious, a collector of curios which he polishes for 1 hour a day after the servant has finished. For one reason or another, various servants have left the job after working for a long time. He needs them 24 hours. They are given a place in the house to stay, fed and he has kept a television in a seperate room just for the servants. He calls them 'my niece' or 'my nephew' - never 'servant'. All the same, he doesn't trust them at all; before leaving the house, he locks up his room, even if he is going out for half an hour. It is very evident to those who know him well that he goes out of his way to please the servants so that they won't rob him. The servants know this too, but don't dare take advantage of this because the minute he feels they are getting smart, he would change the servants. He usually employs young children or a married couple to work for him never a single adult. He thinks that everybody, including his own children, is trying to get a share of the money. This is probably because he is himself a greedy person who would go to any lengths to acquire money. This greed, or rather need, is so great that even his children are disgusted and feel 'we don't want his money; let him keep it.
Arsenic also has a syphilitic part, seen in the 'despair of recovery' and a strong 'suicidal disposition'. However, the main feeling is that of internal weakness. He feels unloved, dejected and very insecure. The panic, struggle and suicidal disposition all arise from and are related to this one basic point, and so one can say that the main essence of Arsenic lies in the sycotic miasm with extensions into the other three.

Np at all - I have access to a lot of materia medica in my previous role as a lecturer in a homoeopathic college.