CLINICAL CASE HISTORIES
The need for the correct sequence of remedies
-Prof. George Vithoulkas
In chronic disease, often several medicines are required to complete a cure. These should follow a correct sequence to have an optimal effect. Giving the second or the third indicated medicine first may result in temporary amelioration but will not start the process of cure. The following case exemplifies this rule. Homeopathy (2002) 91, 40–42.
Initial presentation
April 1989, an 18-month-old boy presented, suffering from severe eczema and malabsorption said by the child’s paediatrician to be due to coeliac disease. The child was on a gluten-free diet.
History
During pregnancy, his mother had had many physical and psychological problems. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the child’s neck at birth. His growth was significantly retarded. He gets cold very easily. The child had DPT and later BCG immunisation and subsequently developed eczema. There is a family history of tuberculosis.
Symptoms
Malabsorption. The child cannot tolerate gluten in any form. He spits bread from his mouth and always has undigested stools. The child was on a gluten-free diet but from time to time the parents gave him some bread to see if the reaction to gluten was continuing. The child always spat bread out. The obvious symptom is the aversion to bread. But potatoes or any food containing gluten also caused undigested stool and diarrhoea.