Homeopathy Plus!
Sandra's Bloating
Often when people have big bellies others assume it is because they eat too much food. But, this isn't necessarily true. The person may suffer from "Bloating" a medical condition which points to fundamental imbalance in the body.
Take Sandra's story. Sandra was a 52 year old woman, desperate to find relief from the abdominal bloating and discomfort that had been part of her everyday life for 15 years. She lived in loose clothes with elasticised waists as she could easily bloat from a size 10 to size 14. Fitted clothes were too uncomfortable. From mid-afternoon until bedtime she would swell, only to return to her normal size as she slept overnight. Sandra found that eating bread or fatty foods would make the problem worse.
When Sandra came to see me I found that she had a long history of other gastrointestinal problems. She had been prone to constipation since childhood and in spite of being fed a diet high in fruit and vegetables, Sandra's bowels would only open once every 3-4 days. This pattern had continued into her adult life, but during the last ten years the constipation had begun to alternate with diarrhoea. This problem would escalate when undergoing stressful periods or changes in routine. Her doctor diagnosed her with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and had prescribed a range of medicines, such as Colofac and Mintec, which had only a minor effect. Sandra also complained of feeling unwell and nauseated on waking in the morning if under stress, or if she missed a meal.
Sandra was surprised to find that, along with the bloating, I was also interested in her other health problems. To a homeopath, a person's separate complaints are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - put the pieces together and you get a picture of the energistic imbalance that underlies them. A prescription has to be made for this imbalance if any of the other problems are to be successfully resolved.
In her early fifties, Sandra was close to menopause. She was experiencing hot flushes at all times of the day and night and these disturbed her sleep. She would also wake with painful foot cramps and from thirst - she had to keep a bottle of water by her bed. Sandra also harboured a lifelong anxiety at being in the dark. When her husband was away, sleep became impossible unless she had all the lights and the radio on. All in all, her constant feeling of tiredness made it difficult for her to concentrate at work.
Sandra was concerned that she was developing osteoarthritis, just as her mother had done. She had always been an athletic person who enjoyed exercise but had noticed changes recently, such as a 'rocking' motion while walking, and stiffening of her back and hips in cold weather. In addition, she would feel sharp stabbing pains in her hips and her hands would swell and stiffen slightly. Apparently, Sandra's circulation had always been poor, especially during cooler weather, when her hands and feet would become cold and mottled.
Poor memory had also been a lifelong problem. Sandra could find it difficult to concentrate and would frequently lose or misplace things, especially if she did not get a good night's sleep. Keeping lists was a necessity for Sandra, who was particularly embarrassed about her 'word-hunting', where she had trouble searching for a correct word or name.
I asked her how she would describe her temperament and personality, and Sandra said she was a diplomat. She disliked confrontation and would often play the role of 'peace-maker' during an argument. She had been taken advantage of numerous times in the past but was now trying to set clear boundaries of what she would or would not do for others. Although trying to establish her independence, Sandra was frightened of being alone and could not imagine life without marriage. She could only enjoy her own company if she knew someone was close by.
Treatment
Although Sandra's many symptoms appeared unrelated they all, from the physical to the emotional, pointed to the homeopathic remedy Lycopodium. I prescribed it for her and asked to see her in two weeks' time.Sandra reported that her abdominal bloating had been worse for the first three days and then improved significantly, being half of what it had been. Her foot cramps and night-time thirst had also lessened, as had the hot flushes. Overall, this was a good result for just two weeks treatment, though her memory and concentration was still poor. Sandra was prescribed a new potency of Lycopodium and another appointment for three weeks time.
By the next appointment, Sandra had further improved - she was even sleeping through the night. The hot flushes had disappeared and her memory was significantly better. Both the constipation and diarrhoea had improved and the bloating was hardly noticeable. Her joint pains and stiffness were rarely a problem. I prescribed Sandra a different potency of Lycopodium to continue the process. By one more visit her health problems were fully resolved and the Lycopodium was no longer needed.
While some cases require several homeopathic remedies throughout their course of treatment, Sandra's required only the one. Imagine curing such a wide range of ailments with the one simple prescription! Before coming to see me, Sandra was taking a variety of medication for her Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as well as trying to treat her constipation with other remedies, plus using Aspirin and Panadol for joint pain and Gingko Biloba for her lack of memory. In addition she had also asked her doctor for sedatives to help her sleep and was even considering Hormone Replacement Therapy for her hot flushes. What an expensive cocktail! Apart from the huge expense, none of these would have been a long-term solution to her problems - in other words, they may have been temporarily improved, but not resolved. With homeopathic treatment, Sandra was able be much kinder to her body and one by one, do away with the medicines she had been taking. In the process she saved a small fortune - enough to pay for an interstate visit to her family the following Christmas.
(Note: Night thirst can be a symptom of diabetes, so I recommended that Sandra make an appointment with her GP to check on her blood sugar levels. This she did and fortunately they were within normal levels.)