CRITICAL AND MISTRUSTFULIridium and Plumbum – heavy metals with severe pathology

AUTHOR ¦ Sunil Anand

SUMMARY: The author presents his experience of the typical personality traits and clinical indications for all elements

of the Gold series, supplemented with a practical overview table. These elements are overwhelmingly assigned to

the syphilitic miasm and are frequently associated with severe pathology affecting critical organs. Two cases of renal

arterial stenosis and spina bifida show the deep action of the heavy metals. In the Iridium case the analysis closely

follows the series and stages of the periodic table whereas the remedy choice of the homeopathically familiar

Plumbum is based on the repertorised symptoms.

KEYWORDS: Astatinum, Aurum, Barium, Bismuth, Caesium, Gold series, Hafnium, hypertension, Iridium, Lanthanum,

Mercury, Osmium, Platinum, Plumbum, Polonium, Radon, renal artery stenosis, renal insufficiency, Rhenium, spina

bifida, syphilinism, Tantalum, Thallium, Tungsten

SUNIL ANAND Iridium and Plumbum

The patient in this Iridium case compares his professional tasks with

firefighting – in other words, he has to be prepared at any time to ex-

tinguish the fire and keep his team constantly under control. An error

would have catastrophic consequences.

Copyright ¦ Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting:

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Nicholas P. Baird / Released

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Remedies from row six need to deal with heavy responsibility, often at a very young age, hence the rubric ‘unusual responsi-bility’ found in Aurum metallicum individuals, even as children. There will always be issues revolving around early responsibility in all the elements of row six – the difference varying from hes-itancy to being able to take on such roles, to losing one’s grip, right up to failures and finally learning to be oblivious to such pressures. This is the range from the left side of the periodic table, to the centre and finally to the extreme right.Miasmatic viewpoint: From a miasmatic perspective, these remedies are mostly on the destructive side of the spectrum, ranging from cancer to syphilitic. Hence infants are born with cleft palates, undescended testes, spina bifida and other such deep congenital anomalies. Vital organs are the target, thus making this row of remedies essential in the treatment of or-gan pathology ranging from the central nervous system to the heart, kidneys, and testicles – all vital to one’s very survival and wellbeing.

THEMES OF THE METALSBefore sharing my experience of row six with corresponding cases, I think it worthwhile to present an overview of metals in general and their common themes, including other rows of the periodic table.Value: It is an established fact that metals which are valuable in daily household use and for industrial commodities and man-ufacturing correspond to the personality and profile of those requiring them as remedies, as they too carry and hold equal value in their fields of work. Performance and competition: Hence performance and com-petition are natural attributes of such personalities. They need to know that they are ahead and holding positions of respon-sibility and power. This is evident in adult patients due to their structured and authoritative speech and occupation, while in children and infants more subtle observations may be required.High conductivity and tensile strength: Although metals are supposed to be good conductors of electricity and heat, metals like mercury, lead, alloys of iron and chromium, titanium and stainless steel are poor conductors when compared to silver, copper, and gold.Most metals are either highly ductile or malleable, or both. Such features make them very valuable in industrial applications. In terms of homeopathic expression, these properties may be translated as individuals with a high ability to absorb pressure, with an inherent capacity to adapt to high demands at their work place without becoming flustered. That is also why they are naturally selected for positions of leadership or positions that are highly skilled and valued.This is the kind of situation that such people learn to deal with at a very early age and with comparative ease. That is the es-sence of all metals, but it is much more enhanced in row six.Themes of row six: Subjective signs and symptoms have been a huge and reliable part of my practice and are often used as

entry points to the core of both children and adult cases. Let me illustrate its practical utility with the entire series of row six remedies. This will help us grasp the two cases that I present later on. It is valuable to correlate these proposed indications with other cases presented in this issue. As this is a journey of exploration built on cases from my practice and those of close colleagues, it is possible that it may require subsequent amendment and fine-tuning. It is a humble sharing on my part, to help us all spot our known and lesser-known remedies with greater precision.

COMMENTS ON CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONSThis is not meant to suggest that one should blindly follow the table – it is only to be used as a guideline or as an entry point to a case where the mineral and metal features have been clearly established with definite parameters, and then further confirmed from reliable references such as rubrics, materia med-icae, and clinical provings. It also does not imply that the clinical indications and pathologies proposed in the table are the only ones related to the corresponding remedies. In practice, they are the ones most consistently presented. For instance, Mercury could certainly be used for autism (and not just Radon as pro-posed) but the aspect of impulsive behavioural patterns stands out most prominently, even with the underlying autism.However, the subjective features and clinical indications in the table are confirmed as the most important subjective and ob-jective features of that particular remedy.For instance, the subjective symptom of ‘clinginess’ found in Bismuth is not only seen in the clingy child who holds on tightly to his mother’s hand (check the rubric: “clinging: children, of: take the hand of mother, will always”). In the same way that a mother represents a caring, nurturing, and gentle person who passes on confidence to the child, even some adults are very dependent on any person who possesses these qualities, so that the need for this same kind of dependent relationship in an adult can also be a very important feature of the need for Bismuth. The reflux aspect is seen not only in premature infants, who are known to be more severely affected by reflux, but also in adults with gastric irritation that can range from hiatus hernia to oesophageal cancer, with the characteristic projectile vomiting, for instance after abdominal surgery.In this way, the entire periodic table can be mapped, along with its corresponding subjective proposed feature and clinical manifestation. The remedies of the Gold series are not dependent on social grade: In row six what stands out is a strong feeling of ownership and authority. But do not be misled into thinking that this is solely the domain of the high-ranking officers and CEOs. Due to their successful profile and achievements, such personalities are of course an integral part of this row, and hence more easily spotted. But the unassuming ones in lower-ranking posts need to be recognised and valued as well; otherwise we might easily miss these types in practice.

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STAGE ELEMENT SUBJECTIVE FEATURE CLINICAL INDICATION

1 Caesium (Cs) Fidgety Epilepsy

2 Barium (Ba) Shy Lymphadenitis

3 Lanthanum (La) Stuttering Conjunctivitis

4 Hafnium (Hf) Submissive Migraines

5 Tantalum (Ta) Tortured Tourette’s

6 Tungsten (W) Defiant Insomnia

7 Rhenium (Re) Obedient Allergies

8 Osmium (Os) Obnoxious Flatulence

9 Iridium (Ir) Critical Nephritis

10 Platinum (Pt) Contemptuous Constipation

11 Aurum (Au) Serious Arteriosclerosis

12 Mercury (Hg) Impulsive Stomatitis

13 Thallium (Th) Violence Ataxia

14 Plumbum (Pb) Mistrustful Cramps

15 Bismuth (Bi) Clingy Reflux disease (GERD)

16 Polonium (Po) Lethargic Depression

17 Astatinum (At) Hopeless Tumours

18 Radon (Rn) Withdrawal Autism

SUBJECTIVE AND CLINICAL INDICATIONS REPRESENTING ROW SIX REMEDIES

Each element’s stage, symbol, and atomic number is also mentioned.

For instance, I recollect with some amusement and not a little awkwardness a plumber who visited our house for some routine work. He seemed very sure of his work and of what he was supposed to do. He had a red vermillion mark on his forehead, indicating his firm religious leanings. While conversing with me, he realised at once that I was not very adept in the local dialect. He reprimanded me and said that it was his moral responsibility to bring this fact to my attention. I promised to work on my language skills! When asked for his bill, he told me proudly that I could pay him whatever I felt he deserved. My value for him was very high, and I ended up giving him a lot more than what one would usually paid for that job.

People needing a remedy from this row have a sense of value that stands out clearly, irrespective of their trade. That was an important lesson for me.

CASE 1: Retired man, main complaint: renal artery stenosis. Subjective presentation of the remedy – Iridium stage 9: critical (nephritis). “Once I reach the top...!”

This case is of a retired officer from the Indian Armed Forces who presented with renal artery stenosis not responding to conventional treatment.

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CASETAKING VERBATIM (ABBREVIATED) Please tell me your presenting complaints.Once I reach the top of the flight of stairs I get pain in the calves. I used to lose control and feel weak in the knees when this problem was detected. It started with high blood pressure, which was not being controlled by anti-hypertensives. That is when a renal function test revealed high levels of serum creatinine. A renal Doppler confirmed the diagnosis of renal artery stenosis. I was told that this is irreversible, and I will have to live with it, and that it could lead to renal failure at a later stage. That is why I have decided to consult you. I am currently on medications to control my blood pressure and to increase the blood flow to my kidneys. But the doctors are con-cerned about my constant high blood pressure, along with high creatinine. Please tell me about your professional life.I have had a high-pressure career in the army. As a senior officer, you are the man on the spot, always on fire.What do you mean?There is always a fire, as in a crisis, and there is no relaxation, as one has to deal with all kinds of emergencies. I was the boss and needed to be responsible for everything, even for the health of my subordinates and soldiers. Often I was held responsible even for the wrongdoings of my subordinates! In the army if something goes wrong, there is no transfer: you are axed; you are fired.One had to meet deadlines as there were operational emer-gencies. I was successful but towards the end I was losing my temper at times and felt that I was getting into a rut. There was a lot of work pressure and so I took early retirement. I felt that while I was in the army I was not able to spend time with my family, especially my children. One can choose to go higher in the army, but at what cost? There were others who went higher by licking up to the bosses. I could never do that. In the army if you are a good worker, all the work comes to that one person. My style of functioning was autocratic but the interests of the organisation always came first.You are replying very well. But can you kindly elaborate some more about being “always on fire”? On fire always means like a fire brigade. The bell rings, the fire-fighters slide down the pole, they go out to put out a fire, then they come back and again the bell rings, you have to go out and put out the next fire. Your adrenalin levels are not coming down. One is always on one’s toes and cannot relax.After a certain period your body gets used to this and if you are not busy, you feel out of place. Then you take your work so seriously that you stop delegating responsibility to oth-ers, as they may not do it as well as you. Their work does not come up to your standards. One lands up checking and correcting all their drafts. There is no scope for last-minute mistakes.

Now, after early retirement, I am playing an important role too. And I enjoy this, as I am at the service of my children and wife now. Everybody respects me and takes my advice. But it is difficult to deal with civilians and their way of thinking and functioning after being in the services for so many years. There is total lack of discipline among civilians, and no one wants to take individual responsibility, so I do miss my earlier life as an army officer as well. But with my illness I am concerned about the future of my children. They still have to settle down. Will I survive that long? But I generally do not share my problems with others. I do not want my children to lose their concentration. After we left for the United States we were not very happy. We were all busy working and had no time for each other. I am a gold medallist in law from Pune University. But in the U.S. I was not getting assignments commensurate with my qualifications so there was a sense of discontentment.Please tell me your dreams.I mostly do not recollect them, but one that I get frequently is that I am driving and having a fatal accident. There is a truck collision and I get up breathing heavily. The patient describes his doodle: In this sketch I am driving and it is a happy feeling. I am with my family. I like to drive; driving has been kind of a hobby since I was a young boy. When my father was serving in the army I loved driving his official service vehicle. Once when I was fifteen, I drove his vehicle with the driver sitting next to me without my father’s permission. My father found out and got very annoyed. The service vehicle was a power vehicle. It was well-maintained and shining with polish. As we had guests my father did not say anything to me then.Later, after the guests left, he came to my room. I thought he would beat me and I wet my trousers in fear as he called out to me. I sensed that I had done something wrong and he did not like it, but he did not beat me.Please tell me your family medical history.My parents both died of cancer. My father died of cancer of the prostate and my mother died of bone cancer.

ANALYSISThe themes in this case strongly indicate a mineral remedy – a heavy precious metal.• He has enjoyed positions of power.• It is important for him to reach the top and stay there.• He sees his complaints as a weakness.• There is structure, he feels the need to be on top but real-

ises that at the top there is going to be constant pressure and he will have to keep withstanding that.

• He feels up to it but feels irritated towards the end of his career.

• It is important to him not to commit any error.• He takes on the role of a leader.

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Thallium, Plumbum, Bismuth, Polonium, and Astatine start to lose their capacity to take or hold on to their role of responsi-bility or as a leader. Their leadership is either being questioned or threatened.In this case, his place seems to be somewhere in between Rhe-nium and Mercury.But if we examine more precisely, there is an element of anxiety at being held responsible in an event of failure, even that of a subordinate. This makes him take on too much and he stops delegating. There is no scope for last-minute mistakes. As a child he was afraid of making mistakes.There is also a fear of authority. This also came up in the situa-tion with his father, where he wet himself in fear of a thrashing and then ends up feeling very embarrassed and humiliated, even though his father had never struck him.So even though he can maintain pressure and his role as a leader, he has issues of self-doubt and of making last minute mistakes and errors. He loved his life and career as a high-rank-ing army officer, and yet is highly critical of the system as well, as it puts undue pressure and responsibility on those in positions of great authority. His tendency for criticism of individuals, soci-ety, and civilians as well as his profession, along with his critical pathology, is what stands out as the essence of the entire case.His problem is: “What if I do not succeed in my responsibility?” This is also the concrete theme of Iridium.

• At one point he wonders how long he can keep withstand-ing such high pressure.

• These questions, as well as his pathology that occurs around the same time in his life, make him re-consider a career choice.

• But even in his role as the head of the family he takes up the role of taking important decisions and responsibility.

• His role demands respect and he wants to feel valued.It is very clear that he has a definite identity and can protect himself. He is also creative and can come up with innovative solutions in crises, hence the earlier rows are ruled out. So the row is most definitely lower down in the periodic table. He has to take responsibility and be the leader. There is a need for power and he can withstand very high pressure. These fac-tors point to the Gold series. In the next row, the radioactive elements, start to disintegrate and explode under pressure. He does not have such an experience.Gold series but which remedy?Caesium and Barium lack the power to stand on their own and take responsibility, hence they can feel dependent.Lanthanum, Hafnium, Tantalum, and Tungsten start to develop the power to take responsibility.Rhenium, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Aurum, and Mercury have the power to take responsibility, to be the leader and to maintain the position they have achieved.

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It is not a threat from outside but a kind of self-constructed threat. This takes us to column 9: Iridium. The key words of column 9 are:• Am I really good?• Failure and success• Final presentation• Finishing touches• It should be perfect• Critical in demand for perfection• Self-doubt• Self-humiliation• Self-mortification• Success in sight• What if I do not succeed?Iridium patients are ready to perform and execute, but there is self-doubt concerning a possible last-minute mistake.Prescription and progress over 12 months: Iridium LM3 as his pathology was moving very fast and it had to be arrested quickly.He responded well to the potency, though after four months of being on an LM and particularly when the anti-hypertensive doses were reduced, he experienced palpitations with a rapid pulse.He was then put on an LM4 and his symptoms settled despite the lowered dose of anti-hypertensives. His creatinine and tri-glyceride levels also fell and he could walk longer distances without many symptoms of claudication.Once he was better and had regained his confidence and vitality, he decided to take on the corrupt members of the management group running the apartment where he lived. This escalated and there was a lot of confrontation during which, even though his other clinical symptoms were better, his blood pressure started to rise. During this time he was given a dose of Iridium 1M and he calmed down and his blood pressure came under control once more.After a period of time he stopped being anxious about his health deteriorating and he became more cheerful and posi-tive that he could recover from his illness. He is currently still under treatment but showing definite and swift progress. His other medications are being lowered as he shows clear signs of continued improvement.Additional follow-ups: After about a year his sleep was af-fected; he would just lie in bed with thoughts related to the future. A dose of Carcinosinum 1M, in view of the insomnia and strong family history of cancer, instantly resulted in restful sleep once again. Over a treatment span of about three years, he learned to be less judgmental, more accepting and lenient in his expectations of others, including his immediate family members, much to their relief! Following this dose of Carcinosinum, the Iridium LM was con-tinued and gradually increased up to LM17 over a period of four years. He is currently off homeopathic treatment and only seeks my advice if and when his symptoms escalate.

CASE 2: 14-year-old boy, main complaint: spina bifida occulta. Subjective presentation of remedy – Plumbum stage 14: mistrustful (cramps)

Casetaking: This is the case of a fourteen-year-old boy; the initial part of the interview was spent talking to him alone. What struck me at the very first glance was how guarded he appeared with his replies. He would just stare at me with a grim face, and then answer in minimal sentences.Hobbies and abilities: He came in holding a Rubik’s Cube from the waiting room. He had almost solved it, and so I thought it best to go with the flow and requested him to complete it if he liked. He appeared relaxed, but suddenly he was totally focused on that activity. I did not time him, but he completed it at an amazing speed and placed it on the table. There was no obvious sign of victory, not even when I con-gratulated him on his accomplishment. He seemed confident; it was clear that he was used to such high-pressure tasks and did not feel the need to glorify them. The staring game re-sumed! I asked him more about the cube, as I sensed that there could be resistance if I attempted to probe the medical history too early.He said that he liked to solve cubes and he commented that this was an easy cube, while he was used to solving more advanced ones. On being asked about his other interests, he said that he liked all kinds of sport but soccer was his passion. I had read his case form and had noted that he had bladder incontinence, and wondered how he could cope playing a demanding phys-ical sport such as soccer with such an ailment, but decided to understand him more first.He had made a nice sketch of a racing car on the creative page of the case form, and when asked about it, he said that it was a NASCAR, which was driven on specific tracks that were dif-ferent from Formula One. He liked to collect such car figures, and said that he is waiting for the time when he would be able to have his learner’s license and be able to drive a four-wheeler. His favourite vehicles were sedans, particularly from Toyota, Chevrolet, and Renault.

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Questions about his health: He was doing very well academ-ically as well. He craved French fries. As his body language indicated that he was now a bit more relaxed, I asked him about his medical issues. He said that he had none! I knew that he had spina bifida, so gently asked him if that was affecting his life in any way? He said no. The staring game resumed.The parent’s view: Due to the boy’s considerable resistance, I thought it best to interview the parents at this stage. This is what they had to contribute regarding the boy and his medical and personal history.The father is a young naval officer who has taken recent early retirement from the services and now works as a research con-sultant in the field of marine acoustics. The mother has a back-ground in architecture and is currently a housewife due to the health challenges of the children.Treatment so far: “He was diagnosed with congenital spina bifida and operated on at eight months of age. He is on Tropan, a drug for neurogenic bladder that reduces reflux, but it has not proven very effective in keeping a check on his bladder incontinence. As it is known to have adverse side effects we are looking at alternative forms of treatment. He has come to you quite reluctantly, as he does not like to discuss his medical issues with others, and also feels he is capable of taking care of it without anyone’s help. But every time we try to wean him off Tropan, he gets a severe bladder infection with high fever, which is controlled only with strong antibiotics. This affects his stamina and hence we have convinced him to start homeopathic treatment. “The uro-surgeons have varying opinions. Some are of the view that he should undergo additional surgery, while others feel that will not be of much use as the last surgery resulted in tethering of his spinal nerves and a repeat surgery could cause further damage.”Impact on bladder and rectum: “He has been suggested self-catheterisation three times a day, and he makes it a point to do so, and definitely before a soccer match as well, as that is a big motivating factor for him.“He also has poor rectal control but it does not affect him too much as he is mostly constipated. He indulges in a lot of phys-ical activity and also has a high level of academic competence. Psychologically, he seems to be managing very well, as he is very independent and confident and very appreciated and respected by his peers and teachers. So even while his friends may know about his ailment, they dare not laugh at his handicap. He knows how to deal with difficult situations and rallies people around him.”Psyche: “He used to be a very sweet child but since the last two years we find his behaviour more aggressive. His younger sister is under treatment for psychosis and he has become very intol-erant when she gets aggressive.” His sister was not under my treatment at that time, but once they saw their son responding, she also commenced homeopathic treatment and responded

well to Ignatia. “He does everything in his own time and be-comes aggressive if repeatedly told to finish an incomplete task. “We have also noticed that recently he takes a lot of time an-swering when asked something, (I had noticed this as well) and that causes difficulty for others to communicate with him. While he has several friends and admirers, he hardly has any close friends. But he seems content with that. It only bothers us.”The mother was with her parents during his pregnancy as her husband was posted at a non-family station. She did not take folic acid very regularly, until she had bleeding at thirteen weeks, and then started to take it more diligently.The father on his career in the navy: “I have served in the Indian Navy for twenty one years and am a post graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Delhi); I did my thesis on underwater marine acoustics. I have over a hundred publications in my name. There were a lot of pressures during IIT as I needed to be away from work for long periods and I also needed to travel a lot. I have retired as now I want better opportunities for my kids and want to provide a good support system to them by being around for them.

SPINA BIFIDA

Spina bifida is a spinal cord defect of various types with dif-fering degrees of severity. The defect arises between the 22nd and 28th day of embryonic development, which is the period of primary neurulation, when the neural tube is formed from the neural plate and closed. In spina bifida the defect is usu-ally at the lower end. In Central Europe spina bifida affects on average one in 1000 children, with girls affected slightly more often than boys.Depending on the severity of the deformity – that is, the degree of damage to the spinal cord – people with spina bifida aperta can suffer anything from slight to severe phys-ical disability. Problems walking to paralysis of the legs and reduced or completely absent sensitivity are possible (par-aplegia). Control of the bowel and bladder is frequently limited or absent. The key factor is the height at which the defect occurs in the spinal cord and the degree of impair-ment to the nerves.

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“Our son was conceived during the initial years of my career and there was a lot of academic pressure. I had to show very high performance but I found that period of my life and career very satisfying. I was the main driving force of my team within the naval officers; beyond a point I don’t take too much stress, however high the pressure.“I get things initiated and then monitor them from the outside. Though my team has always been co-operative and most of my mentors have also been very supportive, I needed to prove myself while doing MTech. At that time there was resistance at the mid-level, as I was very young and yet had to lead my team, and that created issues at the lower level. Some of the officers tried to sabotage my reputation and I was being watched, and hence I always had to watch my back and make sure that I did not violate procedures in any way. These officers were waiting for me to make a slight mistake, but I never gave them a chance to find fault in my work.”At this point, the boy was called into the clinic once again and was asked about his constipation. He replied that his stools were always hard and dry, and needed a lot of straining. He would skip days at a time, during which he would get very severe stomach aches.

ANALYSISThe main themes of this case are:• Serious – both from the pathology point of view and also

devoid of humour• Spinal involvement resulting in paresis• Bladder incontinence due to neurological damage• Silent assertion of leadership• Lack of empathy (towards sibling)• Conspiracy (seen in the father’s work environment)• Dry hard stools causing stomach cramps• The system is damaged and there is failure and yet strong

resistance. This is very suggestive of stage 14 remedies.Considerations on Plumbum: The cold hard stare of a patient who needs Plumbum metallicum can be very imposing and

The withdrawn boy who was helped by Plumbum re-

flects his father’s experience in the army: he affirms his

place in the sports team with exceptional performance

and iron discipline, although there is great resistance and

he is afraid of being bullied and expelled.

Copyright ¦ Shutterstock / Arindam Banerjee

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intimidating. One gets the feeling of mistrust and of being watched and sized up. They are often in situations themselves where their power or leadership is under threat, and they have the ability to absorb such intense pressure or competition.Even the boy’s capacity of proving himself in whatever he does, whether it is his interest for specialised cars, advanced Rubik cubes, or while playing competitive soccer, reflects his need to shine and appear indispensable due to his special skills, and the need to be valued despite his handicaps is very suggestive of row six remedies.His curt replies, even during acutes, is very characteristic of Plumbum metallicum. There were occasions of bladder infec-tions with high fever and he would reluctantly visit the clinic and refuse to say anything. He seemed more upset that we had disturbed him from preparing for an important exam than about his ailment. When asked what is happening, he would often say: “I am fine, there is nothing wrong with me.”When one checks the rubric “Well, says he is, when very sick,” Plumbum figures as one of the remedies.Prescription and progress: So he is given Plumbum in dilution at frequent intervals until the fever and infection settle down.As he started to witness the power of the remedy at such times, and the fact that antibiotics were no longer required, he started to look at homeopathy with more respect, though his diffident attitude still persisted. And once the bladder incontinence and constipation also started to improve, his confidence in the treat-ment grew stronger.He started to act as a normal teenager, and asked me to suggest to his father that he needed to take extra protein powder as a supplement to increase his weight and muscle mass, which his father – rightly so – was against. He was worried about his acne, and wanted to increase his height and look good!I managed to dissuade him from taking protein powder, while explaining to him the adverse effect it would have on his al-ready weakened system, and with an assurance that his ongoing homeopathic treatment would address that as well. And he actually listened and agreed!Follow-up after six months: Soon we were able to stop use of self-catheterisation as well as the Tropan. After a period of about six months there was also no need for diaper use, much to the boy’s relief, though he never openly acknowledged that. His self-pride and independence were very important to him, and I could empathise with that, keeping in mind the resilience present in row six remedies. The other extreme is intense despair with a feeling of failure and fear of letting down others, which translates into suicidal impulses, very common in the failed state of individuals needing a remedy from this row.Currently he is on an LM potency once a day, and continues his improvement at all levels. Even the uro-dynamic tests have confirmed that his bladder residual is much better, and he has not had a urinary infection for several months. He is on no other medication except homeopathy.

FINAL COMMENTSBoth of the above cases illustrate the positive effects of ho-meopathic remedies on deep and irreversible pathology. They are also an attempt to clarify themes that include subjective representations confirmed in practice of row six remedies, which in turn assist in spotting them with more familiarity and ease. What is also worth noting is the use of doodles in both cases, without interrupting the natural flow of the case. With the Iridium case, the probing led to a “power vehicle” and in the Plumbum case the car sketch led to a task of customised skill. The Plumbum case also highlights how a state can be transferred between people: the father had been in a prolonged state of stress during his career, where several of his peers were attempt-ing to sabotage and conspire against him, due to which he had to remain constantly vigilant. This was taken into consideration during final remedy selection for his son.What is also worth noting is their body language. Row six rem-edies can appear commanding, dictatorial, contemptuous, rev-erent, mistrustful, or indifferent. It is worth checking the rubrics: Haughty, spiritual – Platina; Talks, reverie in – Aurum metBoth the above rubrics convey the air of command, as well as the spiritual aspect, with an air of superiority in all remedies in this row. The role of nosodes based on family medical history, as an in-tercurrent measure, to help clear blocks when indicated, cannot be emphasised enough.

DR. SUNIL ANAND is a paediatrician who has been practicing homeopathy for more than 30 years. For more informa-tion on his practice and teaching, see www.drsunilanand.com.

Contact:drsunil@anandawellness.in