HSI Newsletter September 2010
A 48 year-old man, we’ll call “Bill”, has suffered frequent debilitating migraine headaches for 40 years. Bill is a software developer, balding, slightly built, and very reserved. Initially, I had to ask many questions to get the necessary details for a reliable homeopathic assessment.
I found out that my client had migraines as a child accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Later, in college, the migraines became purely painful episodes where his head felt as if in a “vice grip”. This constant and debilitating pain could last for 1-3 hours. Now when this happens he cannot work or do much of anything but lie down. Often, he knows a migraine is coming on when gets a metallic taste in his mouth. If he eats something at that point, he can avoid the migraine in 25% of the incidences. Then again, quite often the
headaches occur shortly after eating dinner. Typically they occur three times a week.
The migraines start with a burning pain in his solar plexus, which radiates up into his head, where it settles. Sometimes it feels like the internal pressure will cause his head to explode and then he feels as if external pressure is pushing in. Applying pressure with his hands helps a little. The migraines almost always occur after 4 pm, if occurring later there will be residual pain the following morning. Frequently he experiences an increase in saliva with the migraines.
One thing that struck me was how little of his childhood he could remember, and when I asked him to recount a happy memory, he struggled and could not come up with anything. Now he is content with his life, his marriage and his sons. His hobby is playing guitar and writing songs. This helps soothe his headaches.
The remedy Natrum Muriaticum seemed to fit the symptoms best. This remedy is commonly used for serious headaches, and helps especially when a person is very reserved and has a sad past. Bill had also reported a craving for salt, a strong thirst and his headaches coming on periodically. He did not get the headaches at the typical time listed for Natrum Muriaticum (10.00 AM). I still felt like it was worthwhile to start with Nat.Mur. because so many of his other symptoms matched the symptom list of the remedy.
Nat. Mur. in a 30 C strength (30th dilution) improved Bill’s life tremendously. In eight weeks his migraines decreased from 1-3 per week to three headaches total. The following year the improvement continued to migraines less than once a month. Basically he felt so much better and is now what I like to call a “happy client.”
