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Kalium phosphoricum: A Nervous Remedy


Homeopathic Journal :: Volume: 1, Issue: 4, May-Jun 2008 (General Theme)   -   from Homeorizon.com
Author : Dr. Ajit Singh, Homeopath


Article Updated: Oct 18, 2009

Roger Morrison says that the Kalis are fantastic remedies for making bits and pieces of puzzles. You take Kali phos it is a very underutilized remedy, because it is hard to know exactly how to prescribe it. There are not very many good keynotes for this remedy and yet it is very good for many cases of collapse; more often in mental collapse than in physical collapse. This one of the prototype remedy in 'chronic fatigue syndrome' (or chronic fatigue immune-deficiency syndrome). And even in the (chronic fatigue) it does not cure, many time Kali phos will do a little bit of good at least. If the cause of the fatigue is mental exertion, it is a first hand remedy to be tried. ANXIETY is almost always a component of Kali phos There are very few good confirmatory symptoms for Kali phos Anxiety and fearfulness.
Jan Scholten Minerals\The kalis. Principles, dutyThe most important characteristic of Kali people is that they are very conscientious. They are people with strong principles, they have their rules and norms and they stick to them: 'a man of his word'. They are therefore very reliable, correct, stable and self-assured. They have a great sense of duty, are serious and responsible. In the course of time, however, this can go too far and the negative side might start to come up: being rigid, dogmatic, moralistic, conservative, stoic.  In order to live according to their principles, they have to control the other aspects of their life, such as emotions. They prefer routine to new and unexpected things. Playful and artistic traits are hardly acknowledged. That is why they seem to be materialistic, but they are more pragmatic and down to earth than egoistic. ClosedThis control is expressed physically in the form of constipation or difficult labours. They hold on to things, are closed and reserved. In spite of, or perhaps because of, this control there are many fears, but these are often only felt physically in the form of stomach problems. They can also be quite 'jumpy', as unexpected things are not under their control.Connected to this is their great sensitivity to being tickled. Tickling makes you laugh, you have to surrender to your emotions, and their control does not allow this. OptimismThey are closed and do not easily share their inner feelings. But they are not melancholic, like the Natrums. One could sooner call them optimistic.They achieve what they want to achieve, through perseverance and hard work. Work tasksTheir sense of duty is expressed in their work, their tasks. Perhaps 'task' is an even better theme for the Kali's than 'duty'. They are very task-conscious. They are very hard workers, able people, and the builders of society. They are practical and pragmatic. They work hard and steadily, although they don't overdo it. They are not real workaholics. They have a sort of fatherly aura. Professions in which they thrive are e.g. manager, policeman, judge, translator, and bookkeeper.  FamilyThey are, on the whole, very family orientated. The family is very important to them and they work hard to support them. General characteristicsThey are quite heavily built, stout and robust as a reflection of their inside. The Kali's in general are quite cold, but this depends on the component element. The order, from being very cold to being quite warm, is roughly: Kali-ars, Kali-bi, Kali-c, Kali-p (neutral), Kali-m, Kali-n, Kali-br, Kali-s, and Kali-i. They are also very sensitive to draught, especially Kali-c. The time modality is very strong: an aggravation at around 3 am. Sometimes this is from 2 am-4 am or from 3 am (D/D Cupr, Thuja).  Kali-ars tends more towards 1 am, and Kali-s and Kali-i to 5 am. All complaints can be aggravated then: sleeplessness, stomach pains, sciatica, etc. They have a desire for sweets and an aversion to meat. Aggravation from coition and during menses. Also an aggravation from touch and from exertion, and amelioration from movement and sitting, leaning forwards. ComplaintsVery typical are the stitching pains, sometimes sharp or drawing. Discharges are copious, usually thick (Kali-n thin), sometimes tough (Kali-bi) and yellow to yellow-green. Weakness and anaemia can occur in later stages. Oedema everywhere, particularly around the ankles and the eyelids, with a most typical symptom of swelling of the medial side of the upper eyelid. Colds and sinusitis can occur in all the Kali's, usually with copious discharges. Asthma agg 3 am, amel sitting and agg lying down. Pneumonia with stitching pains in pleura. Affections of the heart, ranging from simple palpitations and high blood pressure to hardening of the arteries and (sudden) heart attacks. All the emotions are held inside, until suddenly the heart gives up. The Kali's have many stomach complaints. Their stomach is highly sensitive, they are also prone to stomach pains and ulcers. A typical process is that they transfer their fears to their stomach, Kali-c doing this especially. The whole region of the solar plexus becomes very sensitive. Constipation. The menses are often copious, sometimes early, sometimes late. They can also get a copious, creamy, yellow leucorrhoea. There is much rheumatic affection: inflammation of the joints with deformities, especially in the hips and knees. The Kali's are often needed in backaches with sciatica. The sciatica is agg pressure, agg lying on the painful side, agg menses.
 

(PHOSPHATE OF POTASSIUM) One of the greatest nerve remedies. PROSTRATION. Weak and tired. Especially adapted to the young. Marked disturbance of the sympathetic nervous system. Conditions arising from WANT OF NERVE POWER, neurasthenia, mental and physical depression, are wonderfully improved by this remedy. The causes are usually excitement, overwork and worry. Besides, IT CORRESPONDS TO STATES OF ADYNAMIA AND DECAY, gangrenous conditions. In these two directions it has won many clinical laurels. Remember it in the treatment of suspected malignant tumors. After removal of cancer when in healing process skin is drawn TIGHT over the wound. Delayed labor.

Mind
Anxiety, NERVOUS DREAD, lethargy. Indisposition to meet people. Extreme lassitude and depression. Very nervous. starts easily, IRRITABLE. Brain-fag; hysteria; NIGHT TERRORS. Somnambulance. Loss of memory. SLIGHTEST LABOR SEEMS A HEAVY TASK. Great despondency about business. Shyness; disinclined to converse.
 

Head
Occipital headache; better, after rising. Vertigo, from lying, on standing up, from sitting, and when looking up-ward. CEREBRAL ANAEMIA. Headache of students, and those worn out by fatigue. Headaches are relieved by gentle motion. Headache, with weary, empty, gone feeling at stomach.
 

Eyes
Weakness of sight; loss of perceptive power; after diphtheria; from exhaustion. Drooping of eyelids.
 

Ears

HUMMING AND BUZZING IN THE EARS.
 

Nose
Nasal disease, with offensive odor; fetid discharge.
 

Face
Livid and sunken, with hollow eyes. Right-sided neuralgia, relieved by cold applications.
 

Mouth
BREATH OFFENSIVE, FETID. Tongue coated brownish, like mustard. EXCESSIVELY DRY, in the morning. Toothache, with easily-bleeding gums; they have a bright-red seam on them. Gums spongy and receding. (CAPS.; HAMAM.; LACH.) Throat. Gangrenous sore throat. Paralysis of the vocal cords.
 

Stomach
A nervous "gone" sensation at the pit of the stomach. (IGN.; SEP.; SULPH.) Feels seasick without nausea.
 

Abdomen
Diarrhoea; foul, PUTRID ODOR; occasioned by fright, with depression and exhaustion. Diarrhoea while eating. Dysentery; stools consist of pure blood; patient becomes delirious; abdomen swells. Cholera; stools have the appearance of rice water. (VERAT.; ARS.; JATROP.) Prolapsus recti. (IGN.; POD.)
 

Female
Menstruation TOO LATE OR TOO SCANTY in pale, irritable, sensitive, lachrymose females. Too profuse discharge, deep-red or blackish-red, thin and not coagulating; sometimes with offensive odor. Feeble and ineffectual labor pains.
 

Male
Nocturnal emissions; sexual power diminished; utter prostration after coitus. (KALI CARB.)
 

Urinary Organs: Enuresis. Incontinence of urine. Bleeding from the urethra. VERY YELLOW URINE.
 

Respiratory
Asthma; least food aggravates. Short breath on going upstairs. Cough; YELLOW expectoration.
 

Extremities
Paralytic lameness in back and extremities. Exertion aggravates. Pains, with depression, and subsequent exhaustion.
 

Fever
Subnormal temperature.
 

Modalities
WORSE, excitement, worry, mental and physical exertion; eating, cold, early morning. BETTER, warmth, rest, nourishment.
 

KALI  PHOS is a most misperceived and misused medicine. The laymen have been prescribing this medicine in decimal potencies for almost all sorts of nervous and mental symptoms with little benefits. Dr. J.T. Kent has described this and other tissue remedies in detail and has advised to explore the curable powers of these medicines if properly understood and prescribed strictly on homoeopathic principles. I have many times used this medicine in potencies when indicated with desired results.

Kali phos is both acute and chronic remedy. In acute cases it bears repetition and in chronic cases single dose is the rule.

It is chilly; antipsoric and psoro-syphlitic. Thirsty. Polychrest.

Dr P Anshutze writes in 'Sexual Ills'. It is indicated in threatened softening of the brain. Brain-fag. Mental breakdown, men cry like children; are unable to attend to business. Horribly offensive catarrh and breath. Carrion like diarrhoea. Stinking discharge from the ears. Haemorrhages of the blackish blood. General physical and mental breakdown and decay. Bad state of blood.

Dr. Frederick Schroyens gives its unique symptoms. Mind: - Cruel and inhuman to her family. Fear in drunkards. Memory, active for past events. Haunted by and longing for remembering past events. In nervous women, menses thin and non-coagulating. In generals haemorrhage putrid; septic.

Although many great homoeopaths of the past and the present  era have portrayed Kali ph. in their works but I will present some excerpts from the Materia Medica Prisma by Dr Franz Vermeulen, Dr. Sankaran's 'Soul of Remedies' and Synthesis 9.2.1 and Complete Repertory. I have taken only 3 and 2 grades symptoms.

Franz Vermuelen says Kali ph. has affinity for Nerves (Brain); spinal cord; excretions; mucus membranes; skin and one side of the body.

Modalities: - Aggravation form slightest excitement. Worry. Fatigue Mental. Touch. Pain. Cold. Dry air. Cold Air. Cold becoming. Cold drinks.

Aggravation from physical exertion. Ascending stairs. Coition. Milk. During and after sleep. Walking fast. Bad news. Puberty.

Amelioration from Eating. Cloudy weather Heat. Gentle motion. Company. Sleep.

Main symptoms: - Most marked is the nervous exhaustion (neurasthenia), which makes Kali P patients to lose their self control.

Mental and Physical prostration caused by combination of OVERWORKING and psychological factors like emotional excitement, worry and vexation.

'slightest labour seems a heavy task". (Allen)

Very nervous. Starts at the slightest noise. Indispostion to meet people. Shyness (bashfulness) and excessive blushing. Disinclined to talk to people, esp., to several at once. Desire for solitude. Fear of open spaces. Depraved feelings; aversion to own family. Harsh and cruel to (husband and children) due to loss of self control.

"Worn out nursing mothers, tired to distraction by nervous babies.

Flies into a passion and can hardly articulate. Clarke.

Fears/ dreams of robbers. Scans dark corners expecting to see burglars.

Irresolution: Starts at something, then drops it to try something else; then returns to first task.

"Very much depressed at night; irresolution."

Chilly: < Cold.

Tendency to perspiration, esp. on face and head. After meals or from excitement.

There is one peculiar symptom in kali p - they are better at once if they eat, but they fill up very quickly and then feel very uncomfortable. They often crave ice-cold water. (Blackie)

Thirsty.

Dr. Govindarajan Sankaran says in 'Soul of Remedies' that Kali phos' central feeling is, 'I am not loved by the very family (or group) on whom I depend for support'. These feelings arise in a mother who is looking after children all alone for a long time while the husband is away. She suffers nervous breakdown, i.e., aesthenic reactions. She becomes edgy and startles on least noise.

Another such situation may arise in a businessman who feels that he is not being supported by his partners and has been left to face all the odds alone.

Important Symptoms from Synthesis 9.2.1 and Complete Repertory.

M I N D:

ABSTRACTION OF MIND

ANXIETY

HELPLESSNESS OVERWORK FROM

HYSTERIA

MENTAL EXERTION <

PROSTRATION OF MIND

SADNESS

SADNESS DUE TO MENSES DELAYED

STARTING, STARTING EASILY, AS IF FROM FRIGHT, NOISE FROM

TACITURNITY FROM OVERWORK

Absent minded

Ailments from: anticipation; anxiety; emotional excitement; mental exertion; and prostration of mind.

Anger

Anticipation, stage fright.

Aversion: family members; business

Company, desire for

Concentration difficult, Studying

Consolation <

Despair. Despair of religious salvation.

Excitement. Excitement nervous.

Fear Alone of being. Fear causes diarrhoea. Fear  with nervousness.

Fear of open places. Fear, night terrors.

Frightened easily.

Hypochondriasis

Imbecility. Indifference. Insanity. Irresolution.

Irritability, spoken to when

Laziness. Laziness, physical.

Memory weak.

Mental labor causes fatigue.

Morose

Religious affections, too occupied.

Sadness during amenorrhoea

sensitive.

Timid and bashful.

Weary of life

Weeping hysterical.

IMPORTANT  GENERALS

ONE SIDED SYMPTOMS

ANAEMIA

CHILLY, LACKS VITAL HEAT

COITION DURING; AND AFTER <

COLD <;  COLD AIR <

SEXUAL EXCESSES, AILMENTS FROM

WEAKNESS. WEAKNESS, NERVOUS

WEARINESS

Abscesses, pus putrid.

Air open <

Blackness of external parts

Cancer. Pulse rapid and small.

NOSE: DISCHARGE THICK; YELLOW; purulent; and offensive.

FEMALE: LEUCORRHOE OFFENSIVE; PUTRID; LOCHIA OFFENSIVE

MENSES OFFENSIVE.

STOOLS: CADAVEROUS; OFFENSIVE; PUTRID.

MALE: WET DREAMS

BACK: PAIN AND SOFETNING OF CORD. 

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Welcome to the World of Homeopathy!
The article displayed here is the printed version of the original work found online at www.homeorizon.com. When you want to know anything on Homeopathy visit Homeorizon= Homeopathic Horizon, visit www.homeorizon.com.