ACONITE NAP

A very commonly used remedy for cough and cold especially when it is after
exposure to dry cold winds. A popular belief even by the masters that its state exist
only for a short while, after that it is supposed to be useless to prescribe it in chronic
cases. But exploring this drug in Dr. M. L. Sehgal's way it turn out to be an interesting
study and very helpful for treating chronic cases as well.

Let us bring out its full potential by understanding the state of mind of Aconite.
Popularly called EKO-NIGHT means (one Night), let us come out of this prejudice. If
one is able to simulate the state of mind it hardly matters whether the problem is
acute or chronic. I used it in many chronic cases like psoriasis, cancer, arthritis,
hypertension, etc.

I have a patient having the problem of recurrent hydrothorax. Despite all the
conservative treatments, she used to have fluid collection in lungs every April. Three
consecutive Aprils she had the same problem. She was given allopathic treatment
and aspiration was done. The patient's X-ray report and other pathological reports
become normal after the course of antibiotics but the condition remains same. She
stays in great agony, very anguish, restless and anxious. There was hardly any
appetite. She used to have pains in chest continuously.

She told me, "I don't want to see the road which leads to the hospital, because the
the hospital staff are very ruthless. They don't have a heart. They treat the patients
like animals. I do not want to go there. I am very much scared of the treatment I had
for three years. I take all the precautions. I don't eat anything, which can cause me
any trouble.

As the April approaches a scare in my heart starts looming around as I always have
the problem in April. I scare that lest the hydrothorax recur. I am very anxious when
the pain starts in the chest. I just do not want anybody around me. You give me such
a remedy so that I should be alright before this April. I have great anxiety. I cannot sit
because of anxiety. I just do not like any noise or even any visitor .

I always keep on planning, if in any case it happens 'What to do?'

Many times it happens with me, whatever I think, happens in reality, especially
something bad about my health will surely happen. I take lot of care to keep myself
fit but my health doesn't improve. I become sad. I am giving you all the information
in the minutest detail so that you may be able to help me out.

I never want to go to the hospital, but when the problem occurs I get confused,
doesn't know what to do? And What to tell? The severity of the pain is so much it
makes me mad.

Patient was bed ridden, unable to move. Little movement causes the patient out of
breath and tired. She was unable to do any household work. General health condition
of the patient was in a very bad shape.

Analysis:
History given by the patient is quite lengthy and exhaustive. Patient was explaining
the things to the minutest detail. It is the feel of the patient that she was treated in
an inhuman way at the hospital though it may not be the case. The procedure of
aspiring fluid from the lungs time and again was giving her a lot of suffering, which
she was not in position to bear. Already she was having so much of pains. It seemed
to her as if the hospital staff are adding fuel to the fire. On the contrary her need is a
very gentle and warm touch.

CARRIED - desire to be carried - caressed; and

It is not merely the services, which she needs, but it should be gentle, patting,
affectionate and loving. Not only that, but FAST as well. Just because of this reason
she opted Homoeopathic treatment this time. She is fed up from others and from the
repeated torture she had been given in the name of treatment. She doesn't like the
way or road, which leads to that hospital. She doesn't visit even the nearby areas of
the hospital.

HATRED
FEAR - suffering, of

I asked her, "Why you want to get alright so soon." She told me, "The thought
process and the feeling that it has been happening every year and it can happen
again gives me a lot of anxiety.
AILMENTS FROM - anticipation
CLAIRVOYANCE
FOREBODINGS
PROPHESYING

She starts visualizing her future because of the above stated qualities. This makes her
anxious and restless. That's why she is so CAUTIOUS. She doesn't take many food
items, because they may aggravate her sufferings. During the pain in the chest she is
in a great anguish. She just closes the door, doesn't want to see anybody.

COMPANY - aversion to - sight of people; avoids the

Because the people whomsoever comes starts giving consolation which aggravate
her condition.
CONSOLATION - agg.

Aconite patient gets suffering from the slightest of trouble, which causes extreme
anxiety, anguish and fear. Aconite himself is a very weak and cowardice person. The
most scaring thing for her is DEATH. During this episode of pain she feels as if one is
dying and the ultimate moment is very near. This causes delirious state because of
which she talks of death and presumes that the moment of death is unavoidable and
she predicts even date and time of death.

ANXIETY - driving from place to place

DEATH - agony before death
DEATH - dying, sensation as if
DEATH - presentiment of

Patient becomes very impatient during the pain.

IMPATIENCE

She is very cautious and takes lot of care to improve her health
CAUTIOUS

During the trouble, the patient gets confused and chaotic. The fear and anxiety are so
much so that they take away the composure, patient himself doesn't know what she
or he is doing. Always very impatient and impetuous. Does opposite what he wants
and says opposite what he think. And later on she realizes that she said wrong, her
internal intentions were not so.

Patient keeps on giving information in detail, because her purpose is to get a

solution and assurance. This is something which Aconite patient seeks. It ameliorates
the anxiety and fear of the patient and ultimately he goes into the state of
indifference.

LIGHT - desire for

ANXIETY - cold - drinks amel.
ANXIETY - followed by - indifference

The assurances given by the physician acts as cold drink and then the patient gets
into another state and has the 'DELUSIONS - sheep - driving'.

This rubric is very important to understand the full picture of Aconite. Patient comes
between the two stages of anxiety and indifference. Here the patient approaches the
doctor in a state of anxiety, if he gets a positive assurance and a touch of caressing it
works as a cold drink which ameliorate all the anxieties and the patient gets an
impression that his disease is like a 'sheep' means "nothing serious".

Sheep - A meek unimaginative and easily lead animal

Driving - Forcing along, riding, pushing briskly sends always with force, tending
towards a point.

Inference - The person feels that the job in hand is like a sheep, which can easily be
taken care of.

One of my distant relative has the problem of asthma, pain in chest, Hypertension,
etc. He was taking allopathic treatment. But he keeps me aware of his every problem.
Another problem he had was panic attack. If some where stuck in traffic jam he
would think on about his various problems repeatedly. He would think if anything
happened to me now, what would happen? He gets panicky and leave the car and
rush to the hospital. Even if he gets slight pain in chest for fraction of second he
would panic. He would explain me everything on telephone, how the traffic got
jammed and he had felt pain in chest and he ran into the hospital.

I asked him, " I am not giving you any treatment. I cannot do any help to you when
you panic in traffic jams. Then why do you explain all these things to me? Many times
if he had just the feeling of pain for a fraction of second he makes it a big story, go
for ECG and other examination and checks his BP repeatedly. At the end of the day
he narrates the whole story to me. I could'nt say him anything.

One day I told him, "Please don't disturb me for no reason when I have nothing to do
with your problem. I would listen to you only if you take treatment from me."
He told me, "actually I wanted to take the Homoeopathic treatment only. But things
occurs so suddenly that I want immediate solution that's why I go to hospital. I keep
you telling everything so that you also should be informed in case of any emergency.
Now I would take only Homoeopathic treatment."

I explained him that, "emergency can also be tackled with homoeopathic medicines."

He got very happy and said, "I would take this medicine only. Actually the way you
give me assurance make me calm. I feel that nothing is the matter with me after
talking to you. I become certain that you will cure me. But when the attack recurs I
get panic and becomes hopeless."

Analysis:
The most significant point in this case is 'Why this person used to ring me up every
time when he gets attack, even when I was not his attending physician. This was
something unusual. I picked up this point and asked him, "after all what he wants
from me?"

"The assurance he gets from me helps him a lot, gives him courage to swim through
the problem. In fact he gets magnatised by my assurance which ameliorates his
suffering."

COMMUNICATIVE
LIGHT - desire for
Magnetised, amel

Communicative - his whole motto was just to talk to me about his sickness

To go into the minutest detail was EXPANSIVE.

When he communicates and gets assurance from me he becomes hopeful but the
sudden fear that something would happen again shtters the patient and he becomes
sad and dejected.
MIND - HOPEFUL - alternating with - sadness
HOPEFUL - alternating with - despair

Aconite patients stays in deep anxious state because of the panic but when thay get
assurance from the physician that the problem can be handled easily they become
indifferent.

This is ANXIETY - followed by - indifference.

A young boy of 17years was taking treatment for the problem of Alopecia. Day by
day the hair fall is increasing. He tried various treatments but without any marked
result. He left all the treatments for quite sometime. He came to me on the advice of
his father. He continued treatment for 3-4months, but there was no satisfactory
result. One day he told me that he is very much discouraged and didn't want to
continue treatment but his father sent him forcibly to me.

He told me, "I don't feel good. Everybody joke with me wherever I go. My relatives
and friends pass sarcastic comments. They say why don't you take treatment from
somewhere else, because homoeopathy is not going to make any difference. It would
work when all your hair would go off. It is upsetting me. I really feel ashamed , what
answer should I give them? They start pointing out my weakness. Actually when they
start giving me sarcastic comments I get confused. I can't answer them and forget
what should I say. Then a number of ideas come to my minds that I would do this
and that so as to get the desired result. Further, I can't leave you doctor, it is only you
who gave me some assurance that I would be alright, otherwise none else. I am
convinced by the kind of labour you are doing for me, I am baffled why there is no
progress. I am sure I would be alright one day. I can't listen even a single word
against you. But doctor to continue the treatment there must be some change
otherwise these people would compel me to leave your treatment. When I come to
you I feel that this problem is not so serious and will be cured soon. But people at
home discourage me.

Rubric & case analysis:

I analyzed the whole case, the basic feel of the patient is that he should have some
improvement, which is not there. Because of this he listen to sarcastic comments
from the relative and friends. To face his relatives and friends is not easy. He is
unable to answer them back. In other words, he just listen to the remarks from
outside but unable to reply them as he is not having any improvement.

REFLECTING - inability to reflect

As they start telling me Ganja (baldy) etc. I feel ashamed very much. They just expose
me before every body.
SENSITIVE - light, to

Joke to can't take (JESTING - aversion to)

Sensitive to all those remarks and reflecting inability to give him feeling of
INDIGNATION

Otherwise he is very funny. Whenever he gets chance he also passes sarcastic

comments to make others realize his capability.

He has such a strong belief in his doctor that he doesn't bother about his health
status. He just forget whether there is any improvement or not. He continue taking
his treatment. He is convinced with the doctor's performance and efforts. He would
not listen even anything dishonor his doctor. (AUDACITY, PERSEVERANCE )

In fact the assurance given by the doctor, mesmerize him so much so that he
becomes ignorant and forgets his anxiety. (ANXIETY - followed by - indifference)

If the Indifference State is very long, he is least bothered about his health. He just
continues with the doctor. He has the feeling that his doctor is competent enough to
make him alright. (DELUSIONS - sheep - driving, SOMNAMBULISM )

But when he comes into his conscious state then he realizes that his health is in bad
shape. (RAGE, fury - alternating with - consciousness; return of , SADNESS - health,
about the, DISCOURAGED)

Because of the enthusiasm he continues taking treatment for long time but he needs
some light to make him persevere the treatment.

LIGHT - desire for;

Finally he feels that the light he gets from the doctor is not sufficient to pull on in an
adverse condition where in he has to face his friend's and relatives who are against
taking the present treatment. He tells, please do something quick so that there is
some visual change or else I will stop taking treatment from you soon.
LIGHT - desire for, CARRIED - desire to be carried - fast, DEATH - presentiment of.

How do he relates death here? Death means any condition or experience thought of
as like dying or being dead, to the extreme.

Here the patient feels that the process of tretament is going to end now as there is
no desired progress and he may not be able to face his friend's and relatives further.

If the scenario get bit stronger it come.( DELIRIUM - death, talks about)

I prescribed him a dose of Aconite 30. Immediately after taking medicine patient got
relief. Just in 10days time the hair falling stopped completely and then the new hairs
started growing.
From this instant it is very clear that the potential of this so called short acting drug
can shine brightly if we logically use it on the basis of STATE OF MIND.