Alumina - Throat symptoms - Kent Lectures

THROAT

Throat

The pharynx feels dry and there is a chronic sensitiveness and soreness. When swallowing food there is stinging and sensation as if the throat were full of little sticks, especially after a moment's rest, better by moistening and swallowing. In the night air, after keeping still a while, there in an accumulation of ropy mucus.

Alumina extends into the larynx with soreness in the larynx and chest and chronic dry, backing cough. The same catarrhal state proceeds down into the oesophagus, so that it becomes sensitive and clumsy. He swallows with difficulty.

The bolus goes down with an effort and he feels it all the way down. There is soreness and clumsiness, paresis and difficulty of swallowing.

Alumina paralytic weakness reminds the patient that he must put on a little force in order to swallow and this swallowing is felt while the substance goes down as if the oesophagus was sensitive. It has a catarrhal state of the stomach, bowels and rectum so that with the soft and difficult stool there is often an accumulation of mucus.

It may be said that the patient is often a victim of chronic sore throat. There is this about Alumina, it has a special tendency to localize itself upon mucous membranes.

You will find in an Alumina subject bleeding from all mucous membranes. He has catarrh of the nose and red eyes, and his nose becomes stuffed up and he has many acute colds; very severe throat trouble.

Discharges from all of the orifices. It is not a medicine that would be selected for a cold settling in the throat, not a remedy for acute sore throat, but it is a deep acting anti psoric, and act for months.

Perhaps I have not said as much as should be said about the throat.

Voice

It has hoarseness and loss of voice and paralytic weakness of the larynx. That is not strange; it is only in keeping with the general state, the broken down constitution. He has a weak voice and, if a singer, he is capable of singing only a little while, only capable of slight exertion.

Everything is a burden. A paralytic condition of the vocal cords, which steadily increases to loss of voice.

Singers This is always quoted in singers. We would think of Alumina when singers break down in the voice from paralysis or from overwork of the voice.

The voice lets down and becomes feeble, and, when taking cold, there starts up a peculiar kind of tickling.

Alumina is very useful in these cases. Argentum Metallicum ^Arg. met was the remedy used by the earlier homoeopaths for singers and talkers with much trembling and letting down of the voice before the value of Alumina was known in such conditions.

Let me tell you something here about Rhus Tox ^Rhus, as I may not think of it again. Many old singers, after taking cold, have a weakness left in the voice, which they notice on beginning to sing.

On beginning to sing the voice is weak and husky, but after using it a little while it improves. Give Rhus Tox ^Rhus to all these patients, prima donnas, lawyers, preachers, etc.

They must warm up the voice and then they are all right, but they say

"If I go back into the green room and wait a little while, when I commence to sing again I am worse than ever."

The voice is better if they stay in a very hot room and keep it in use. This fits into the general state of Rhus Tox ^Rhus

Hoarseness There is a kind of hoarseness that you may discover to be a little different from the paralytic hoarseness of Alumina and Argentum Metallicum ^Arg. met.

Alumina hoarseness of which I speak belongs to this same class of people; on first beginning to use the voice it seems that they must get rid of some mucus by clearing the throat until the voice can get to work.

The vocal cords on beginning to work are covered with mucus and on getting rid of it they can do very good work, so long as they keep at it.

That is Phosphorus ^Phosphorus In such cases the use of the voice becomes painful. The vocal cords are painful after motion and the larynx is painful to touch.

Some times this is so marked that it is like stabbing with a knife on trying to use the voice. So we must individualize hoarseness very extensively.