Homoeopathy — Page 341
Gelsemium 341 A malarial fever, which comes on every day with a tendency to be very high in the afternoon, will respond well to Gelsemium. Symptoms of Gelsemium become much worse in the evening. On the other hand, the symptoms of Arsenic are at their peak at midday and midnight. The pain of Kali Carb commences at about three o’ clock in the afternoon while the symptoms of Gelsemium become worse between four and seven o’clock. The heartbeat is slow and weak. Typically, the patient thinks that his heart will beat as long as he keeps walking and will stop as soon as he stops, as if the functioning of the heart is being sustained by physical movement. Over the heart area there is a feeling of vacuum and weakness. The patient believes that moving around is a must to keep the heart functioning or it will stop as soon as he sits down. Slow walking is good to strengthen the heart gradually while sudden rapid movement can do harm to it. The heart of a Gelsemium patient is weak and cannot bear sudden, severe physical stress. He will either faint or may even die. Gentle physical exercise gradually strengthens the heart muscle so that it may subsequently be able to take relatively rapid physical movement. In Gelsemium, there is a feeling of weakness and emptiness at the stomach. Gelsemium can be of use in treating the diarrhoea of psychogenic origin. The stomach, like the heart, is subject to emotional stress. Fear, stress and bad news are known to upset the stomach. This is also seen in Argentum Nitricum although other symptoms are quite different. Gelsemium can be compared also to Natrum Mur in some ways. The headache of Natrum Mur is as if being hammered, while the Gelsemium headache generally begins as throbs over the nape of the neck. Gelsemium is very effective in treating the left-sided headache that becomes settled at the nape of neck or radiates to the neck. In addition, Onosmodium may also be very useful. Both Gelsemium and Onsomodium combined can be used to treat migraine. At times, the headache may just be due to excessive heat but this may not come to one’s mind, therefore all the symptoms should be considered carefully. It is essential to have a good working knowledge of the working of the disease as well as the nature of the remedy. Whenever the correct Homoeopathic remedy is used, the patient will have a good sleep or will start passing urine freely. In the