Case by Maarten van der Meer
A 12-year-old boy comes after he had pneumonia, first on the left and then on the right. He was then blue around the mouth, was given antibiotics, and has been very weak ever since. This week he had a fever again, lots of barking cough, and he had blue discoloration around the mouth again. He is tired, can't have much fuss, and noise irritates him. In the last six months, he has grown a lot, also at school, he is developing very fast. School is stressful, he is a thinker, and the others are 'bosses'. He is restless at home, he cannot sit still, and can suddenly lash out at his sisters. With arguments he does not think, he immediately blows up. At school, the frustration was that he was ahead of his classmates, but he was inhibited by the teacher to stay even with the others. In anger he can stomp, and cry. In sleep, he has a lot of sweat on his head. He becomes independent, wants to do everything himself, and gets his own opinions. When the teacher waits for the class to be quiet, he is angry because he himself was quiet himself anyway. The teacher finds him rigid in ideas. In doing and thinking, he is older than the other children. He is very sensitive to moods. He is very stuck with his feelings, he doesn't express them like that, but you notice there is something there. You see him glow when we talk about him, but he closes his eyes when I look at him. Every time his mother provokes him to talk because he is bottling it up, he first starts acting angry: 'There is nothing', then he starts crying and then the story comes out. Mother notices because she is also a feeling person. He cares, he experiences it as teasing. He pulls his plan too much, the family members don't mean it like that at all. At school, he is too sweet. His sisters often bully him. He comes out of school with bright red cheeks. He is careful, soft on talking, and sits with hunched shoulders. He looks at his mother, and when he gets attention, he is cautious, and sits in himself a lot, only at the eyes he is open, as if looking through a big mailbox. He answers evasively, raising eyebrows and looking up, “something,” “or so.”
Ferrum phosphoricum relieves the cough, but after a month he is sick again: fever, nausea, and headache with exertion. Looking ahead, but to a small distance in front of him, he does not make contact and sits fidgeting with his fingers. A receiving, vulnerable little face. Looking briefly, then “putting down” the attention. At school, he is bullied. He can learn easily on his own and is well-behaved. He won't be made to do anything, won't do anything he doesn't want to. “I don't want to go to school anymore.” When he tells, he looks thoughtful, as if he sees the situation in front of him, staying in his aura, is not hurt by this either. His presence feels mild, malleable. He looks right in front of him, radiating with a certainty, safe, his back against the railing, it's fine here. He is a “pacifist”: you shouldn't hit.
AnalysisBased on experience with and information from Plant Families, the following
Malvales' characteristics were selected. Softness, mildness, strong nonverbal, the theme of speaking up or not speaking up, permissiveness (in
Qjure the characteristic of
Phase 3), the shyness (in
Qjure a characteristic of
Phase 2). At the time, I placed Althea at
Stage 2, visible here in the traits: passive, and withdrawn, compared to the
Magnesiums (pacifist, or aggression). Althea as an herb works on mucous membranes of ENT, good to use for itchy cough.
Prescription: Althea officinalis MK
Follow upThe cough passes quickly, and after four weeks a day of barking cough returns. He is now well in his skin according to both parents. He talks in a very soft voice. After Althea, he started blowing his nose a lot, and the cough stopped the same day. He is no longer bullied now, his attitude is different now, “I also have something to say”. Mother understands him with half a word, or looks at the facial expressions. This stands out now because he wants to tell and make it more clear. At school he is doing better socially, he talks more, and the teacher sees improvement although he still does not take the initiative when he wants to ask something. His face, his mimics, is very mobile, he now draws a lot with his eyes. Now he can sit still better at home, and he no longer wobbles. Once he gets busy, he does continue wiggling. After six months, they report that he is much happier and more resilient. With attention to him, he continues to fidget, search, and retreat in space to a few inches from his body. He does talk along now, but not yet “hooking in” or opposing anything, even verbally he stays at a distance. He is expectant and thoughtful. His face is calmer now, he has no more twitches. For the last three months he had a few warts on the left m.s.c.m. After a 3/4 year, he is doing well in school. He makes contact now, by himself, and he makes friends. He is getting a little rebellious, going “pubescent,” and has no more physical complaints. With the rainy season, he only had a runny nose. Previous Althea case showed the same picture, hanging back, on the chair, shy, not knowing how to pay attention, vulnerable, hushed, shy, and seeking protection; his
Stage 2 characteristics.