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FERRUM METALLICUM
Source: (IRON METAL)
Mainly indicated homeopathically in the
following type of complaints:
Anaemias
- Digestive disorders -
Headaches- Menstrual disorders
-
Bleeding disorders
Constitution:
Best adapated to young weakly persons,
anaemic and cholorotic, with psuedo-plethora, who flush
easily; continualy quarrelsome, easily
excited.
Introduction:
The old school has been giving Iron for anaemia
throughout all tradition. They have given in great
quantities, in the form of the tincture of chloride, and
the carbonate. Whenever the patient became anaemic,
pallid, waxy and weak, Iron was the tonic. Talking of
anaemia , Dr. Hughes, says,
"the
malady does not ordinarily arise from any failure of the
quantity of iron supplied in the food. If the element
is deficient in the blood the fault lies in the
assimilative processes. So Dr. Cowperthwaite adds,"
It is also true that when iron is introduced into the
system in large quantities with a veiw fo supplying a
deficiency of iron in the blood tht it is not
assimilated, but may be almost entirely obtained from
the faeces, having been eliminated by the intestines.
It is evident therefore, that iron does not act as a
curative agent,m by virtue of absorption as a
constitutent of the blood, but rather, as we are led to
conclude, from its physiological effects upon th organs
and tissues of the body , that it owes its therapeutic
virtues to the same essential dynamic agency possesed by
other drugs, and its application is subject to the same
therapeutic law of cure. Dr. Nash says that , he has
seen better cures of bad cases of anemia by Natrum
muriaticum in potentized form than he ever did from Iron
in any form, although Iron has its cases, as have also
Pulsatilla, Cyclamen, Calcarea Phos., Carbo veg., China
and many other remedies.
It is true that Iron produces anaemia,
and it would be astronishing to any one who ever read
the provings of Ferrum, if the allopaths did not create
additional bloodlessness with the doses of Iron they
administer. It is true that under the provings, and
under those circumstances where Iron has been given in
excess, the patient becomes greenish, waxy, yellow and
pallid, with a sickly and anaemic countenance. The lips
becomes pale, the ears lose their pink color; the skin
of the body becomes waxy, and there comes a tendency to
hameorrhage at times with clots, but commonly with
copious, thin, liquid blood, very dark. The clots will
seperate and the fluid parts look brown, dirty and
watery. The patient gradually emaciates. He is pallid
and waxy, his muscles becomes flabby and relaxed; he is
incapable of endurace. All the muscular fibres become
tired from any
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exertion. Rapid exercise, or any unusal
exertion, is impossible. Any rapid exertion or motion
brings on weakness, dyspnoea, sinking and fainting.
A strange thing running through all the
constitutional condition of Ferrum is that the
pains and sufferings come on during rest. The
palpitation sometimes comes on during rest, the
dysponoea comes on during rest, and even the weakness.
. The patient is ameliorated by moving gently, but
any exertion tires and causes faintness. Any
rapid motion aggravates the complaints.
Points and features:
Anaemia with great paleness of all mucous
membranes; with sudden fiery-red flushing of the face.
Profuse haemorrhages from any organ;
haemorrrhagic diathesis; blood light with dark clots;
coagulates easily.
Local congestions and inflammations, with
hammering, pulsating pains; veins full, flushed face,
alternates with paleness.
Canine hunger, alternates with complete
loss of appetite.
Regurgitaions or eructations, or vomiting
of food at night that has stayed in the stomach all day;
undigested painless diarrhoea.
Red face during chill.
Modalities: <after eating and drinking;
while at rest, especially sitting still; > walking
around.
Mind:
The mind is confused and the pataietn
tearful. Depressession of spirits; mental weariness and
depression. The highest degree of depression and
dispondency. Anxiety from the slightest cause;
irritability. The least noise, like crackling of
paper, sets the patient wild.(Slight
noises unbearable.) It brings on nervous
excitement and restlessness; she must get up and move.
Excitement from the slightest opposition. Any
sudden or rapid motion, or the least hurry, causes
blackness before the eyes; dizziness; things turn in a
circle, she mut sit down. And with all this the face is
red. When alone and at rst, the face becomes pale and
cold, buit the least excitement brings a flush to the
cheeks.
Head:The
headaches are congestive in character, with mounting of
blood upwards. There is a sense of fulness and distensin
, with red face. Fulness and distension of the eyes;
fulness of the neck. Palpitation of the heart.
Exophthalmic goitre. The headaches are ameliorted by
pressure. Ferrum wants to be pressed to support the
veins. Throbbing like hammers in the head. Every quick
motion aggravataes the headache. Coughing aggravataes
the headache; pain in the head and occiput from
coughing. These pains are sometimes ameliorted by
walking gently. Going up staries, sitting down, rising
from a seat-unless it is done very deliberately-will
arouse all the pains of Ferrum. Any suden motion will
bring on hammering and a feeling of great
expansion in the head. And then will come more or less
shooting, tearing pains. Beating in the back of the
head from rising or from coughing, because coughing is a
sudden motion. Confusion of the mind with hammering
headache. Rush of blood to the head. Congestive
headaches from excitement; from taking cold; from
exposure; lasting three to four. days or a week. The
face is flushed and
perhaps cold, the head somewhat hot, but
not as hot as would be expected. Vertigo on seeing
flowing water.
Eyes:
Rednes of the eyes; engorged vesssels. Photophobia;
letter run together.
Face
: Fiery red and flushed from least pain,
emotion, or exertion. Red parts become white,
bloodless and pufffy.
Nose:
The symptoms of the nose ae numerous. Colds and
catarrhal troubles, ending in nosebleed. Nosebleed on
slight provocation, with headaches at the menstrual
nisus. Scabs form in the nose.
Mouth:-
Pain in teeth; relieved by icy-cold water. Earthy,
pastry taste, like rotton eggs. All food taste bitter.
Stomach:-
Nothing taken into the stomach digests, and yet there is
no special nausea. It is the exception to find nausea
in Ferrum. Food goes into stomach and is vomited
without nausea-simply emptied out. Sometimes there are
eructations of food by the mouthful, like Phosphorus.
Phosphorus was the remedy with all the old
masters for spitting up of food by mouthful until the
stomach ws empty. Voracious appetite, or absolue loss of
appetite. Loathing of sour things. Ttempts to eat brings
on diarrhoea. Vomiting immediately after eating.
Vomiting after midnight. As soon as the stomach
is Intolerance of eggs. Heat and burning in
stomach. Flatulent dyspepsia.
Wants bread and butter; meat disagrees
(opposite of nat.Mur.)
Stool:-
Ferrum has a troublesome diarrhoea, with acrid water
excoriating stool . Undigested stools, at night while
eating or drinking, painless. Ineffectual urging;
stool may be hard, followd by backache or cramping pain
in rectum; prolpsus reti; itching of anus, especially
young children. .
Urine:
Involuntary urination< daytime, from sudden motion,
from walking, or from coughting. In little children the
urine dribbles all day. Just as long as the child plays
the urine dribbles and keeps the clothing wet, but this
is better while keeping perfectly quiet. The bladder is
so relaxed and tired tht it cannot hold the urine, and
as soon as it is partially filled it allows its contents
to escape. This relaxation runs through the remedyand
gives it character, just like a human being.
Female:-
Weakness and relaxation of the genital organs is common
to Ferrum. The menstrual flow comes in for its share.
Menses remit a day or two, and then return. Women who
are weak, delicate, cholorotic, yet have a fiery red
face Copious watery flow; haemorrhage or suppression-amenorrhoea-no
flow at all, only a leucorrhoea. Suppression of the
menses with great nervous excitement; with flushed face,
with weakness and palpitation. Prolpasus of the vagina.
Insensibility of the vagina during coition. Metrorrhagia.
Menses too soon, too profuse and lasting too long.
Respiratory:
Difficult respiration; pains and disturbances in the
chest. Difficult breathing, with a sense of great load
on the chest. Suffocating fits at night; catarrhal
conditions of the respiratory tract; congestion of the
chest; dyspnoea. Spasmodic cough, such as we find in
whooping-cough, coming on in violaent paroxysms. Cough
after every meal, with gagging, emptyiing the stomach of
its contents. Cough felt in the head. Cough worse from
the absue of brandy, tobaco or tea. Cough coming on ater
the loss of fluids, as after haemorrhages. Chest
troubles following uterine haemorrhage, and after other
haaemorrhages. Coughing up blood; bleeding from the
lungs, Persons deblitated by secret vices, with a
tendency to go into tuberculosis.
Heart
:- Palpitation of the heart from fear, excitement, or
exertion.Anaemic murmur. Rapid action of the heart or
sometimes slow action. Fatty degeration of the heart.
Pulse accelerated toward evening. Pulsations
throughout the body, feeling like little
hammers.
Extremeties:
Rheumatc pains in the extremities, ameliorated by heat
and by gentle motion; aggravated by cold, by exertion,
or by rapid motion. Rheumatism of the shoulder-
rheumaic pains in the deltoid muscle of either side.
Inability to raise the arm; paralytic pains-that is,
pains that arae benumbing. Dropsy after loss of vital
fluids. Lumbgo; better, slow walkin.g Pain in
hip-joint, tibia, soles, and heel.
Skin:
Pale; flushes readily; pits on pressure.
Fever:
Evening chill or chilliness with fever, cold hands and
feet and red face. Icy cold feet with the chill.
Chill>after eating. Thirst with the chill. Copious sweat
which stains yellow. All symptoms worse while sweating.
Strong smelling night sweats. All the febrile symptoms
are > by slowly moving about. In intermittent fever
after the abuse of quinine. Chill at 4 a.m. Heat
in palms and soles. Profuse debilitating sweats.
Modalities:-
Better walking slowly about. After
rising.In summer. Mental exertion.
Worse, At
night, At rest, especially while sitting still. While
sweating; . After cold washing and
overheating. Midnight aggravation.
Relations:
Complementary
to Alumina and China(as well as antidote).Hammalis
Should never be given in syuphilis as it
always aggraavates the disorader.
Antidotes: Arsenicum album and Hepar
sulph.
SUMMARY OF INDICATIONS:
Anaemias-Digestive
disorders-headaches-menstrual/Bleeding disorders.
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