Echium vulgare

A 60-year-old man, he exudes correctness, seems headstrong, friendly, and reserved. The year before, he bumped his head twice, the first time against a sign (he tells orderly in detail); he was dizzy and had to sit down for a moment, and then it passed. The second time it was on the left temporal side, very hard, and the complaints came in the days that followed: at first, he had trouble with his right eye and saw flashes of light. Then came a constant headache, sometimes with severe stabbing pains at the top of his head, often at night. It feels like a hat that is much too tight on his head. Since then, he has been dreaming a lot every night. His head feels full, he feels dizzy when he is moving, and his ears crackle and squeak. Walking is difficult; it feels like he is off balance. He has to get up carefully, otherwise he falls over. His concentration is very poor, his head feels foggy, and after an hour, he is exhausted. He cannot tolerate stimuli, and noise causes him additional anxiety. After a bad night's sleep, everything is worse. CT scan negative. He works as a coordinator for a charity organization, conducts orchestras, and is active in the church. He used to be a professional musician. He always had the role of chairman; everyone expected that of him. Normally, he is an active person, playing sports, hiking, and traveling a lot. Now, after 5 minutes of exercise, he already gets many “signals that he has to stop.” In the past, he had lumbar back problems and a heart condition for which he takes medication. He is active and always ‘on the alert’, always alert to ‘what's happening’. Since the stroke, he also has dry eyes and uses an eye gel. He has taken a lot of paracetamol. ‘I must and will persevere’.
The past two years have been ‘emotionally difficult’ for him, with a divorce, with changes at work, and a new home: ‘That takes a lot out of a person, but I do feel happy. It was a difficult time, and he looks back on himself and wonders, ‘How did you get through that?’ At work and within the church community, everyone has an opinion, which makes it difficult. On vacation, he always travels around, going on trips that he prepares meticulously. He lives healthily, exercises a lot, and eats healthily. After taking Physostigma, he experiences a slight improvement for a week, with better concentration. In a busy room with lots of people, he gets the feeling that he needs to leave. He constantly feels tired. He feels the noise in his head and hears it as a crackling sound.AnalysisBoraginales: the type of pain and many complaints (especially the dreams) point to irritation of the meninges, consistent with Solanaceae if the complaints are severe, and also consistent with Boraginales, as shown in previous case studies.
Phase 3: Cannot exclude stimuli, feeling overwhelmed. Lack of balance is a characteristic of Phase 3. Sensitivity as is known from Malvales.
A search within the repertory under the rubric ‘noises head’ gives Symphytum officinale Stage 12.
A Q-search with the search term noise and Phase 3 gives Borage officinale and Onosmodium virignianum, Stage 5. All possibilities of Qjure can be considered, but based on the stage and materia medica, these are not appropriate. Onosmodium is known for irritation of the meninges; we searched within the same family, the Lithospermoideae.
Subphase 5: does fit with the congestion in his head, the wanderlust, the feeling of ‘I have to get out of here’, ‘I will persevere’ (reaching a goal).
Series 6, the Gold Series: his his leadership attitude; people expect it of him.
Series 5, the Silver Series: is music, traveling for culture.
Stage 9 was chosen, for his always looking for a solution, perfectionism (he sees when it is nearly or not nearly good enough) and demanding the utmost of yourself (‘walking on your toes’), always looking for a smart solution.
Echium vulgare: sensitive slander, responsible.
Prescription: Echium vulgare C6.Follow-upDuring the first few days, it was noticeable at home and at work that he was more articulate, attentive, alert, and more active. It is a huge difference for him. After two weeks, he starts to build up his work, but after four hours, he has to rest for an hour because his concentration is still impaired. Sounds are better, but it is still too much. There is no more squeaking and crackling in his head, and the headaches have disappeared. He still dreams a lot. He can exercise again this weeks, and his balance is now good. His eyes are still dry. He is busy preparing for another trip. After a month, he is back to work full-time and continues to feel well. The one-time prescription of C6 shows that even a low dilution can work very well. Experience shows that the type of medicine is decisive for its effectiveness, not the potency.