Homoeopathy — Page 463
Lachesis 463 towards the shoulder blades in the muscles of the back. In other words, it is not confined to the nape alone. Another characteristic of Lachesis is that its pain tends to change sides when it originates in the upper body and then migrates to the lower body. For example, if the patient has pain over the heart or feels pressure over the left side of the chest then this pain may travel to the right hip or groin, or sometimes it may affect both sides simultaneously. Many a time, the pain remains on the left side from top to bottom, especially when associated with paralysis. However, one thing is sure that the sensation of pain and muscular stiffness in the upper part of the body must be associated with similar discomfort on the right lower body. This is typical of Lachesis. Symptoms of Lachesis include large swelling of the tongue and numbness over the lips resulting in a difficulty to speak properly. Any patient with this symptom, whose head remains warm and who develops purple spots on the skin, should ideally be treated with Lachesis. In fact, the swelling of the tongue and numbness of the lips indicate the onset of paralysis inside the mouth and throat, which, if not promptly treated with Lachesis, will definitely result in the paralysis. Another salient symptom of Lachesis is the feeling of tightness around the neck , so much so that the patient cannot even tolerate a collar. In Glonoine, there is a similar feeling with the addition of the feeling of tightness around the head and intolerance to wearing a cap. The feeling of being strangulated is indicative of Hydrophobinum. In Lachesis, the patient feels tight and constricted at the upper part of the neck but cannot say for sure, if it is from within or from outside. In Hydrophobinum and Hyoscyamus, there is a feeling of constriction inside the throat while in Lachesis, there is no such feeling of internal constriction. He just cannot tolerate anything around the neck. Lachesis patients by nature are extremely suspicious. They believe that everybody is talking against them or that their food has been poisoned. They distrust even their near relatives. The symptoms then gradually become worse. Such patients must be treated with Lachesis and soon. In my experience, Lachesis benefits to some extent, but not for long. Other remedies must be sought after the psychoanalysis of