| |
LACHESIS
Common name:
Bushmaster or Surucucu.
Constitutional taint:
Psoric. Sycotic. Syphilitic. Cancerous diathesis.
Action:
Dr Boericke says that Like all snake venoms, lachesis
decomposes the blood, rendering it more fluid; hence a
haemorrhagic tendency is marked. Purpura, septic
states, diphtheria, and other low forms of disease, when
the system is thoroughly poisoned and the prostration is
profound. It also acts on nervous system causing marked
mental and physical(paralytic)symptoms. The modalities
are most important in guiding to the remedy. Very
important during the climacteric and for patients of a
melancholic disposition.
Typical subjects:-
Persons of melancholic disposition, and a disposition to
low spirits and indolence. Persons with dark eyes and
with tendency to laziness and sadness. Women of
choleric temperament with freckles and red hair (Phos.).
Women who have never been well since the change of
life. Better adapted to thin and emaciated rather that
fat persons; to whose who have been changed both
mentally and physically , by their illness, Such
changes, of course, should be such as characterize a
Lachesis patient. Persons whose intellect has been
affected. Persons who suffer from the effect of
masturbation. Persons who are addicted to drinking.
Persons who have been overdosed with mercury or
quinine. Persons who suffer from syphilitic mercurial
affections.
Notes and features:-
Intolerance of touch and tightness. Slight
touch is unbearable, because of the fact that it
produces a kind of uneasiness in particular (although
such touch may also cause a certain amount of pain),
This is illustrated by the fact that to a Lachesis
patient, slight touch of collar or neckband on neck or
of clothing around waist, over abdomen, groins is
unbearable. Dr. Bhanja says that he had cared a case of
chancre on glans penis which felt very sore to touch of
linen; the finer was the touch, the greater was the
soreness felt. Here tightness or pressure did not cause
any pain. This feature underlies the significance of
the following symptom:"Empty
swallowing is agonizing, liquids are swallowed with less
pain, solids with least pain.
2.
Blackness. Haemorrhages are characterized by
flakes of decomposed blood looking like charred straw.
Such haemorrhages may occur from nose, stomach, lungs,
bowels, etc. Stools may show such decomposed blood.
Black urine. Menstrual flow consists of black blood.
Urine is almost black; frequent; foamy; dark. Tongue
dry, black; trembling. Ulcers with black bottom.
3.Redness
. Dark red eruptions. Red nose of drunkards.
4
.Purple color, Purplish swellings. In
diphtheria, throat assumes purple color. Facial
erysipelas at first bright red; but soon the color
changes to dark bluish hue. Dark, bluish, purple
appearance of boils, carbuncles, ulcers. Purple,
mottled appearance of all round ulcers. Purple varicose
veins.
5.Other
colors:- It affects the liver and produces
jaundice. Yellow skin and whites of eyes.
Perspiration cold, stains yellow, bloody (Lyc.).
"Skin
yellow, green, lead-colored, or bluish red or blackish,
chiefly round wounds and ulcers."
Yellow, red, copper-colored spots. Blue-black
swellings. Bed sores with dark edges.
6.
Malignancy. Associated with its natural
features, such as rapid onset of a malady, burning
fetor. Rapid failure of strength. Changes in color
noted above mostly signify malignancy. Malignant
ulcers; scabs. Gangrenous wounds, blisters, with
fever. Gangrene, carbuncles from blood-poisoning.
Ulcers blue and livid, and of exceedingly offensive
odor. Varicose ulcers. Cancerous ulceration ( of
wounds), or putrefaction of the fresh, which becomes
detached from the bones and falls off piecemeal. (Such
a case was cured in my hands in a few weeks time by
Dr.Bhanja). Carbuncles with copper-colored surroundings
and many smaller boils around them. Septic
gall-bladder. Pyaemia; dissecting wounds, Suited to
epidemic of plagues. Fetid discharges and excretions.
7.
Constriction. Sensation of constriction: in
throat, sphincter ani (Caust.,(Caust., Nit., ac.) and
sphincters in general. In constipation anus feels
tight as if nothing could pass through. Haemorrhoidal
tumors protrude after stools with constriction of
sphincter.
8.
Plug or lump sensation. Sensation of a lump in
liver, abdomen, rectum. As if a ball or lump rolls
about in bladder, etc. As if a ball rose from abdomen to
throat.
10.Unwarranted
prostration. In dyphtheria, syphilitic sore-throat,
etc. prostration is out of all proportion to the
appearance of throat (which is not angry-looking as it
should be).
11.Bleeding.
Small wounds bleed much (Phos. Kreo.). Ulcers bleed
readily; cicatrices bleed readily. Vicarious blood
vomiting. Profuse and protracted uterine haemorrhage.
Haemorrhage from bowels in typhoid.
Paralysis:
Semi-lateral paralysis. Paralysis with heaviness and
stiffness. Paralytic conditions : (a) Stool lies close
to anus without passing and without urging. (b) Both
body and mind worn out, with relaxation of muscular
force.
Mind
: Dr.Nash says, that Lachesis has an
alternate action on the mind and sensorium, that of
excitation and depression. Illustrative of the former
are the following symptoms:
"Quick
comprehension,, mental activity with almost prophetic
perception, ecstasy and a kind of trance. Religious
insanity (Verat. ,Stram.) Exceptional loquacity,
with rapid change of subjects; jumps abruptly from one
idea to another."
This kind of excitation may be found in acute -chronic
complaints; in the delirium of fevers or in mania of a
settled form. On the side of depression occur:
"Weakness
of memory; makes mistakes in writing; confusion as to
time. Delirium at night; muttering ; drowsy; red face;
slow, difficult speech and dropped jaw. Feels extremely
sad, depressed, unhappy and distressed in mind."
And this condition is very apt to be worse on awaking in
the morning or indeed after after any sleep day or
night.
"Chronic
complaints from depressing cause, like long lasting
grief or sorrow."This
depressed side of the remedy may also be found in both
acute and chronic complaints. Again these opposite
conditions may be found alternating in the same person,
and a notable fact is that the alternations are
extreme. Of course the causes of these conditions of
mind and sensorium are varied, but we will often find
them in old topers, subjects
of broken-down constitutions, and in the troubles
incident to the climacteric age. Such
cases are subject to sudden attacks of giving away of
strength, fainting, vertigo from rush of blood to the
head causing apoplectic seizure, or opposite symptoms
arising from sudden anaemia of the brain. In short, the
circulation in Lachesis subjects is very
uncertain. This is what makes its so valuable in sudden
flushed during the climacteric period.
Dr. nash says that, No remedy more
profoundly impresses the Nervous system than this. In
the first place, it causes trembling, not from fright or
excitement, but from extreme weakness. In this it
resembles Gelsemium,; both have great trembling
of the tongue on trying to protrude it. With both
remedies the while body trembles; but with Lachesis
she feels faint, as if she must sink right down. The
great prostration is both mental and physical, and she
does not improve from rest or sleep, but on the contrary
is worse in the morning after sleeping. With this
prostration, there are often pain or other troubles with
the heart; nausea, pale face and vertigo. Now if this
thing goes on the next stage supervenes and paralysis is
the end of it. Parlysis begins at left side and extend
to the right.
Head:
Lachesis has some prominent head symptoms where
no other remedy can take its place. It is one of our
best remedies for sun headaches; of course it does not
compare with Glonine for the immediate effects of
sunstroke, but does come in well after the first
effects are overcome by that remedy. The The patient is
troubled with headache every time he is exposed to the
sun's
heat, and the trouble has become chronic. (Nat.
carb.).The headache begins in the morning on waking.
The milder headaches begin in the morning on awaking and
wear off after moving about a while. Lachesis has
burstng pains in the head and the head pulsates
and hammers.
The another characteristic symptoms of
Lachesis are weight or pressure on the vertex. (Cactus,
Glonine, Menyanthes.) This is found most in
women suffering at the menopause, and coupled with it in
such cases there is sometimes burning on
the vertex. Sulphur has this symptom, but if
occurred at the menopause the remedy would oftener be
found in Lachesis, unless, indeed, there were
some marked psoric complication. Lachesis has a variety
of heachaches, but the following two characteristics
have been of very much value in prescribing for them,
namely, with the headache very pale face, and the
patient sleeps into the headache;
dreads to got to the sleep because she
awakens with such a distressing headache. These two
are very valuable indications. Other indications are
"Headache
extending into the nose, comes mostly in acute catarrh,
especially when the discharge has been suppressed or
stops after sleep. This kind headache is often found in
hay fever, with frequent and violent paroxysms of
sneezing. Now if the hay fever paroxysms of sneezing
are decidedly worse after sleeping, even in the daytime,
Lachesis 200th may stop the whole
business for the season. This is a confirmed indication
of lachesis in hay fever. Vertigo. Relieved by
onset of a discharge (menses or nasal catarrh).
Eyes:-There
are many inflammatory and congestive conditions of the
eyes. The eye symptoms are worse after sleep, and the
eyes are oversensitive to touch and light. Sensation as
if eyes were drawn together by cords which were tied in
a knot at root of nose.
Ears:
There is also oversensitiveness of the Ear canal.. So
sensitive is the mucous membrane of the ear that a
violent cough, like whooping cough, will come on from
touching the mucous membrane of the ear. Ear wax hard,
dry.
Nose:
The catarrhal symptoms of the nose are prominent.
Frequent bleeding of the nose and body, watery
discharge from the nose. Always taking cold in the
nose. Stuffing up of the nose with disturbance of
smell. Oversensitiveness to smell, and odors, finally
loss of smell. Headaches goes off when catarrhal
discharges comes, and vice- versa.
Face:
The face is purple and mottled, the eyelids are tumid,
very much puffed, not bloated as in oedamatous subjects,
but puffed. There is not the pitting upon pressure that
we find in oedema, although Lachesis has that, but there
is a puffiness peculiar to Lachesis, the face looks
swollen
and inflamed, due to a venous status so
that the face is purple and mottled. Looks like that
drunkards. Trifacial neuralgia, left side, heat runing
up into the head. (Phos.). Eryseplas; at-times.jaundiced.
Mouth:-
Gums are spongy , oozing of blood around
the teeth and the gums.There is paresis of the tongue.
The speech is like that of one half intoxicated; he is
unable to articulate. Profuse salivation from mouth
which is stringy and can be pulled out from mouth in
strings; saliva or mucus.(Kali bich-when the mucus is
thick, tough, yellow, stringy and ropy).
Throat:
Sorethroat- worse left side,
swallowing liquids, Quinsy. Symptoms going
from left to right side of the throat. The
muscles of the pharynx become paralyzed and will not
act, and hence the food will collect in the pharynx,
that is, the bolus to be swallowed goes to the pharynx
and stops, and then a tremendous effort at swallowing,
with gagging and coughing and spasmodic action of the
chest, takes place in order to carry on respiration, and
he will not again attempt it. This state often occurs
with diphteria. It has cured cases of post-diphteritic
paralysis. In diphteria trouble beings at lift side
going to left. Tonsils purplish < swallowing of saliva
or liquids . Pain in the ear. Collar and neck band must
be very loose.
Stomach:
Very often in the more acute symptoms of
Lachesis, a warm drink in the stomach is hurtful
and causes and causes nausea and suffocation and
increases the choking and palpitation and the fullness
in the head, whereas in the chronic cases of
Lachesis, those that have been poisoned years
before, there will be a sensation of nausea and tendency
to vomiting from taking a drink of cold water and then
lying down. The nausea comes on after lying down, that
is, let the patient take a drink of ice cold water and
go to bed and nausea will come one. Such a state is
peculiar to Lahcesis. Pit of stomach is painful
to touch. Empty swallowing more painful than swallowing
solids. Hungry, cannot wait for food.
Abdomen:-The
abdomen is distended with flatus and is tympanitic in
typhoid conditions. There is much rumbling in the
distended abdomen. The clothing cannot be tolerated, not
even the slightest touch of the clothing, and yet it may
require had pressure to bring out soreness that is deep
in the abdomen. This stage is as it is in inflammation
of bowels, ovaries and uterus. The patient lies on the
back with the clothing lifted from the abdomen.
Violent, labor-like pains, menstrual colic, present in
typhoid, in puerperal fever, in malignant scarlet fever.
Lachesis
has a series of liver trouble with jaundice, congestion
of liver, inflammation of the liver, enlarged liver and
the nutmeg liver(cirrhotic liver). Cutting like a knife
in the region of the liver.
Vomiting of bile; vomiting of every
thing taken into the stomach. Sensitiveness over the
lower abdomen; can scarcely allow her clothes to touch
her.
Stool:
Lachesis has some peculiar symptoms of stools and
anus. There is an urging, or rather a pressing down, in
the rectum, but it is worse when he attempts a stool;
hurts so that he must desist. It feels as if the anus
were closed. This somewhat like the constant or rather
frequent, though ineffectual, urging to stool of Nux
vomica; or like the painful constriction of
Lycopodium,
which either prevents stool, or follows
after an incomplete and unsatisfactory one. Another
marked symptoms is that the stools are often very
offensive, whether formed or not. Then under
hamorrhages from the bowels, of decomposed blood which
occur mostly during the course of exhausting, acute
diseases, like typhoid. Stools are constipated due to
inactivity of large intestine, stool lies in the rectum
without urging; sensation of constriction of sphincter.
This remedy is often of great use in
haemorrhoids; which are purplish in color and here you
have the contracted feeling, whether the piles are
external or blind, and sometimes a beating or
throbbing, or as the patient will perhaps express it, a
sensation of
"little
hammers"
beating in the rectum.
Female:-
This is one of our best remedies in diseases of the
female generative organs. First medicine to be thought
in Climacteric troubles of women. In the first place it
is eminently an ovarian remedy, and seems to choose
preference for the left ovary. It is of use in simple
ovarian neuralgia, and from that to actual tumors or
even cancer of the left ovary; or the trouble begins in
the left and goes to right ovary. (Reverse,
Lycopodium). But we may have neuralgia, swelling,
induration, suppuration, tumors or cancer of one or both
ovaries . Its action in uterine troubles is also very
marked. Here is a condition, as expressed in Guiding
Symptoms, that has been very often verified during
climaxis:"
Pains in uterine region increase at times more and more
till relieved by flow of blood from vagina; after a few
hours or days, the same again, and so on".
In these cases you almot always have the
intolerance of least contact or pressure over the
uterine region so characteristic of this drug. The womb
prolapses, is at times persistently congested and
obstinate uterine haemorrhages repeatedly occur.
Climacteric symptoms: There are hot
flashes, hot vertex, pale face and fainting, uterine
displacements of various kinds, and deranged capillary
circulation, all so common in females at the menopause
and especially haemorrhages. (See also Crotalus &
Kreosote). Dr. Nash says that probably there are not
three remedies in the whole Materia Medica so often
indicated in the troubles connected with this period, as
lachesis. (Kreosote, post-climacteric diseases.)
It is often of great use in cancer of either the breast
or uterus. In either case the cancer puts on a bluish or
purplish appearance, and if open or fungoid , bleeds
easily a dark, decomposed blood. In case of bleeding,
the pains and suffering, as in the case of uterine
haemorrhage, are temporarily relieved by it. Dr. Nash
says that we would be greatly crippled in the treatment
of these various ovarian and uterine troubles without
Lachesis.
Male:
Intense excitement of sexual organs with usual
characteristic symptoms.
Respiratory:-
Paralysis of the vocal chords, causing loss of voice;
larynx is sensitive to least touch; it causes
suffocation; it is one of our best remedies in desperate
cases of croup, where the child gets worse in sleep;
seems to sleep into it. Spasm of the glottis;
sensation of something running from neck to larynx,
stopping the breath. Upper part of the windpipe very
susceptible to
touch. Sensation of suffocation and
strangulation on lying down, particularly when
anything is around throat; compels to spring
from bed and rush for open window.
Feels he must take a deep breath.
Breathing almost stops on falling aspleep (Grind).This
symptom is especially present in Asthma with the
characteristic symptoms of loosening clothes for
preventing suffocation. Dry hacking cough, < by touching
throat or larynx, also cough during sleep, without
awakening or being conscious of it. Here it often cures
very obstinate cases of cough after Chamomilla
has failed, which also has this symptom. For the short
dry cough sympathetic with heart troubles, Lachessis
is often useful. One of our best remedies in tyhphoid
pneumonia or typhoid fever with lung complications.
Heart:
Palpitation, with fainting spells, especially during
climacteric. Constricted feeling causing palpitation ,
with anxiety. Cyanosis. Irregular beats.
Back & Extremeties:
Neuralgia of coccyx, worse rising from sitting posture;
must sit perfectly still. Sciatica, right side, better
lying. Pain in tibia (may follow sore throat).
Paralysis is generally lift sided. This paralysis may
come on as a result of apoplexy or cerebral exhaustion;
if the latter, there is still great hope of a perfect
cure by a judicious use of lachesis.
Sleep:-The
patient sleeps into aggravation- this is genunine
characteristic of this remedy. On this line there is
one particular symptom
-
i.e. As soon as the patient falls asleep, the breathing
stops. This is often found in heart troubles,
functional or organic and is very distressing.(Grindelia
robusta, Digitalis.).
Fever:
Hay fever < spring; Chilly in back; hot flushes and hot
perspiration. Typhoid fever with tendency to
haemorrhagic troubles i.e. purpura haemorrhaagica.
Skin:
Boils , carbuncles. One of the most
characteristic condition is color of them. They are
bluish verging onto black (Tarantula Cub.,
Anthracinum) especially when they cannot bear to be
touched, they are so sensitive, even a poultice is
unbearable because it is so heavy, that settles it.
Wounds and ulcers bleed profusely, even small wounds
bleed much, wounds easily become gangrenous. Here
lachesis is capable of doing great good. Cancers
turned bluish or black, bleed much and often, and
burn. Senile erysipelas, Wens, Cellulitis ; Varicose
veins. Bed sores with black edges.
Modalities:
Worse:
After Sleep- which is characterstic.
Contact
Extremes of temperatures
Pressure or constriction
Sunshine
Hot drinks.
Better:
Appearance of discharges
Warm applications.
Relationship:
Complementary remedies are Hepar sulhuris calcareum.
Lypodium clavatus and Nitricum acidum.
Summary of indications:
Headache
-
constipation
-
epilepsy
-
*narcolepsy
-
snake bite.
*narcolepsy: an uncontrollable
tendency to have attacks of deep sleep of short duration
at any time.
Antidotes:
Arsenic Album, Belladonna, Mercurius, Nux Vomica
|
|
