Arctostaphylos uva-ursi A 64-year-old woman has Lyme disease. She sits upright, is elegant, and sturdy. Two years ago, she had a tick bite. Two months later, she developed heart and joint problems and could not walk properly. She had no feeling in her toes, a numb index finger, and tingling on the left side of her body. A course of teasel (Dipsacus) tincture brought a slight improvement. Without teasel, she still has sore spots near her toes and fingers. Six months ago, she had a headache; she could not lie on a pillow, and she could not comb her hair because of the pain. She had pain in her throat, ear, eye, and face. The pain was on her left side and was excruciating. For a week, she kept fainting and had migraines with vomiting. She blacked out twice. When it's cold, she feels prickling in her face, has a sore jaw and ear, and has strange vision: it feels "wild" in her eyes, her head can get so busy, she sees colors and "all those things," and then she just wants to close her eyes. She also had Meniere's 20 years ago and had facial pain. She still has to be careful about looking around quickly. She had frequent migraines when she still had her period. What still bothers her now: sore joints, tingling in her back as "goosebumps," and her tongue as well: she regularly feels like 100 pins and needles at the base of her tongue. A few months ago, everything seemed to return: she had little energy, was very tired, and couldn't even ride her bike. She had terrible pain in her knee, and the photos were negative. Eyes: a thickened cornea runs in her family, which can lead to blindness, sometimes causing poor vision for a day. She grumbles, saying that until now it was very expensive for she has to visit an optician frequently. Bright light is irritating, and it impairs her vision.
She has no other complaints. They lost a child during birth 20 years ago. She describes this remarkably calmly. The mother herself suffered severe liver and kidney problems during the pregnancy, but she recovered well afterward. She describes her personality as calm, positive, and attentive to others. She is stable and doesn't easily lose her composure. As a child, she was dejected, but now she is positive and hopeful. She is actively involved in church and has a large circle of friends: they help out a lot. She always has a certain pressure in her head, a sore spot on the left side near the vertex, which feels like something heavy. She used to experience this very often during exertion, she herself was afraid of a tumor. She sleeps well and has no dreams. She once had kidney stones, with severe pain in the left kidney, when the children were young. Sometimes she still has a "nervous feeling" in her bladder.
AnalysisEricidae: tackling, fresh, "down to earth." Lyme hasn't been detected in blood anymore, but symptoms do seem similar. Dipsacus therapeutically clearly alleviates the symptoms (known as herbal palliative in Lyme). Heart and nervous system (neuropathy), joints:
Gold series. Previous migraines, Meniere's disease, family history of eye problems:
Lanthanides.
She focuses her life on loved ones, family, but more on the 'community,' helping by addressing and working, so
Series 4, and the church, overview, faith, and abstraction of
Series 6.
Phase 6: fatigue, giving a lot.
Phase 4: taking responsibility, trust, speaking for themselves, radiating stability (because this is so clearly visible, it fits with the Subphase).
Ericales (3-664.60.00) are often indicated for Lyme symptoms. This suggests
Arbutoideae (3-664.64.00) as a possibility. Kidney problems during pregnancy, bladder-kidney as a focus: Uva ursi; as an herb, it has an antibacterial effect.
Prescription: Uva ursi C200.
Follow-up after 6 weeksShe feels much better. The first day, she developed pain in her left neck, and the old Lyme symptoms became more: pain in her knee, hands, right shoulder, and a stabbing pain in her left cheek. A very "dzjong dzjong" (sounding) in her ear. On days 2 and 4, her head felt very sick; she wanted to lie her head down, saying, "It's way too busy for me," and close her eyes. She had to lie down on the couch a few times. After two weeks, she developed an itch in her ear, and her right index finger was very itchy. Now, there's no more pain on her cheek, only a tingling sensation. She still has pain in her hands, which wool gloves alleviate. She still needs good shoes for her knee; that remains a problem. She compares the pain that's gone to where she came from (‘her glass is half full’): she now has the feeling "I'm here again." The stinging tongue is gone, and the back pain is much less, whereas before, she was in constant pain. Her left pinky third phalanx is now sensitive to pinching. Her eyes are still sensitive to light, as she's had all her life. She sleeps well, her dreams involve standing at a height, looking down into the distance with sweaty hands. Her left vertex: sometimes she still feels uncomfortable, but less so now. After six months, she still has some pain in her hands, and she's developing severe pain in her right kidney. She's been given
Erigeron canadensis. Afterward, she feels tired for a few days, the pain disappeared, and she has felt perfectly fine for 15 years.