Lanthanum phosphoricum; How to keep autonomy when you need help

How to keep autonomy when you need help:
A boy with a delayed development

David was born in April 2000 as the second child in the family. His sister is 2 years older, she is a very fast growing intelligent girl.
For a new complaint I saw him when he was 4 or 5 years old.

Complaints April 2005 (5 years old):
The reason his parents brought him to me now was his very slow development.
Retarded motor development, backward in speech, enuresis day and night.
He started in the first class in school that year where it appeared to be a big problem.
A side problem is a constant dripping nose from his birth.


History:
He was born as the second child of the family; his sister is 2 years older and very fast growing. She is wise for her age. About the pregnancy of David, the mother told me she was very worried about his health due to her age(35) and also because a child of friends with Down syndrome who died 4 months before the birth of David.
She had severe nausea the first 6 months.
Birth was easy, at home, Apgar score 10/10.
He is a content baby, he was breastfed for 6 months without any problems and the vaccinations and dentition were without trouble.

In his first 1.5 years he has this constant nose drip and pseudocroup-attacks, a severe bronchitis during which he stops eating ad growing; Ventolin and Flixotide are used. Also periods of much vomiting and diarrhoea with loss of weight.
Pediatric examination does not reveal any disorder.
At this age homeopathic treatment started: Coccus cacti and Cuprum Muriaticum helped very much, but had to be repeated several times. Cough attacks became less severe and he had less coryza, but his nose was never dry..
Until 1.5 year he develops normal, cautious climbing, throwing a ball, does not fall.
In his third year he is stumbling more and more, he falls many times, 2 times has gotten a commotio cerebri and has again a severe bronchitis with antibiotics; the parents did not choose then for homeopathic treatment. His nose drips on..
He is then very small for his age.
His speech development and his motor development slow down in this year.


At the age of 5 year we see:
Motor development:
He walks as a 3 years-old, is stumbling and falling very often, cannot dress himself; sits and waits until somebody helps him; he dislikes to bike even with side-wheels. He wets his pants during the day and still needs a pamper at night.

Verbal development:
He hesitates in his sentences, holds on as if he can not choose the right words. He mumbles and avoids eye contact when he is insecure or does not even try anymore when there is too much attention.
The speech test is normal now and he has a large vocabulary for his age..
A clear origin for this problem has not been found, although there were several events.
There were many periods in the first years that he was ill or injured and he got use to being cared for. The parents realize they may be too fast in helping him out as a habit. Then he had this commmotio cerebri twice in his third year and a normal development in the first 1.5 year...


About his mind/character I gathered a lot of information during the years.
He was a quiet baby, could amuse himself as a 1-year old for ½ an hour!. He liked much to be on his own.
As a 2-year-old he hardly reacted to any noise, but was always looking at faces, observing everybody around. He was quite serious, minimal laughing, crying only when attacked or in pain. In fact he did not show many feelings. He is very eager to touch you, clinging to father or mother. He liked hugs very much (and he still does). In a new situation he is avoiding and timid.
Now he still can play on his own for a very long time, very precise in ordering the cars in rows, puts little puppets in them, fixing the puzzles in my consulting room all at once, all neatly; seems not to need anybody then. In the meantime he hears and notices everything around.
He knows very well what he wants and makes that very clear, but is not forcing to get it; he can scream: no!! when it is no and even can bite when he is really angry, especially to his sister when she disturbs his play; but he shows this only at home.
In school or in a new situation he is very timid. The impression you get then is of a very helpless boy. He weeps easily when someone is angry at him.
He never asks for help, but he makes you help him by his attitude.
Every time he meets a new task he does not trust to try by himself. Sometimes you hear him say for himself: “ I cannot do this”, another time he just sits and waits. He is very persistent in not trying. His parents hardly can avoid to help him. His mother told me once she could feel manipulated by him, as if he plays with them in this role of helpless little being while he knows quite well he can try to do it all by himself.
At the same time he is humorous, laughs about himself, makes new words for a song about himself, makes word jokes. He laughs a lot now, especially when he is naughty or teasing at home and after some time also in my room; switching the lights on and off when he wants to leave; repeating all the time my words taken literally.
His mother says: his laugh is his weapon also against being criticized; his laugh makes you melt and... help him.
At school he has to ask for help otherwise he does not get it. He thinks very often that he cannot make it, but refuses to ask for help. So in school there is a big problem. He seems to avoid difficulties, but the greatest difficulty is to ask for help. Special education now is considered, he might be autistic or have a related problem.


Generals:
He prefers sweets and salts, pasta and fruit.
His dentition was normal. He has cold feet at night, wears socks most times.
He has moderate fevers. Perspiration is clammy at night.


ANALYSIS

I found his remedy after more than a year of trying the more known remedies.
When analyzing in a systematic way the questions are always:

Which impression/character: kingdom.
What is his problem: series/ family.
What is he doing with it: stage according to Jan Scholtens theories.

About the kingdom:

He plays in an orderly way. He is very precise, takes words literally.
He chooses again and again the same solution: hesitating, holding on, no trying, takes a helpless aptitude.
In a way he is rigid, persisting in this.
He does not show many feelings, is not flexible (plant) nor is he really aggressive or competitive and had no (breast)feeding problems (animal). He only reacts when he is disturbed.

So I chose a mineral.

What mineral; which series?
At that time it is summer 2006, I began to think about a Lanthanide: I felt an inner world, a deeper layer in this child.
He puzzled me, he was a keen observing child, was timid but also teasing a bit, had problems with talking, but had also a rich vocabulary; he manipulated in a way his parents, could laugh about himself and he plays with words:
His problem seemed to me at that time (he is then 5.5 years old):
In school he gets no help, for he has to ask for it; he does not make any progress by then.
His development stops because he cannot ask for help.
I concluded his problem could be: fear to loose his autonomy and that fit well with a lanthanide.
So I choose at last the Lanthanide-series.

I choose stage 3.
Fitting in stage 3 according to Jan Scholtens book;
He really wants to do little tasks, but hesitates (in talking and doing), is full of fear to fail in new tasks.
Sometimes he does start, but he is easily discouraged, unstable, seems confused.
Then he is timid, avoids eye-contact especially in school, sits and waits.
At the same time he makes the parents feel manipulated as if he forces them instead of asking. Pushing aggravates, he simply refuses to give it a try.

Then I decided for the Phosphor salt because his problem is still about speech, communication, learning, and he likes to make contact, hears everything you say, (but pretends not)...all themes for Phosphorus.
He is also hesitating in the contact: mostly on his own, but also in the need for hugs and spontaneous when he is on well known ground.
It fits well with being cold, slim, much fantasy, and need for hugs.

So in summer 2006 I advised Lanthanum Phosphoricum.
1 granule 200K every 3 weeks.

As a differential diagnosis I thought about Borium/ Calcium / Barium and Phosphorus and the salts with carbon and phosphorus. I gave them in the year before I have chosen for Lanthanum. They gave some improvement, but very slow and easily falling back into old behaviour.


Follow-up:
The first week after the first dose he reacts with great timidity, shyness and anger when pushed, but after that he shows more and more self confidence. He is a bit stubborn, but helps himself more and more, concentrates better at school, sticks to what he is doing. He has more pleasure in school with new things,and is cheerful.
He takes the remedy every 3 weeks for some months.
After three months:
He shows less hesitation, there is much more confidence to ask help, but new tasks are still very difficult. His concentration is better, but still has to improve.
After 9 months:
When I see him back he is still improving, he succeeds in more activities at home, fulfills his little tasks, parents can ask him now to try himself first and they help him when he needs and asks for help. He is now an easy laughing little boy, making jokes, he has a definite timid side, but is not passive and helpless anymore.
The enuresis is gone. He can better ask for help.
Last September he passed to the 3-d class.
No special education is considered anymore, his teacher said: "he is really an involved pupil by now".
Besides.. he bikes now without side-wheels ánd has a dry nose after 7 years!.

Confirmations:
The following confirmations for this prescription can be seen according to the hypothesis in Jans Scholtens book ‘ Secret Lanthanides’:

For the whole series, lanthanides:
I sensed an inner world in this child that he did not show.
He is an observing child, is creative with humour.
There is an aggravation of his behaviour by being pushed.
Lots of concentration and creativity when at ease.
And of course the autonomy-theme; he cannot ask for help, wants to be independent.

For Lanthanum:
This boy: playing alone, the hesitating, smiling, teasing now and then.
He is longing for independence, but confused by his inabilities.
And (strong-stage 3)): with the delusion being unable to succeed with all the hesitating as a result.

Phosphorsalt: his problem is about communication, learning, and contact.
Phosphor fits in with his slender shape, sensitivity, fantasy.



His mother wrote me in November 2007:
"I want to tell you how he reacts every time again on those little granules: that’s so obvious!
His speech is much more flowing and understandable, he comes out of his ‘shelter’, seems more unconcerned..more open
We mostly can observe in his behaviour when it is the time for a new granule!
He takes them now every 6 weeks."

It is clear I found the lanthanum as his remedy for this problem, by thinking systematically about kingdom, series and stages.
It was not a keynote of Lanthanum that made me find it. Although now I could say for instance the teasing humour fits in with Lanthanum quite well.

I think he solved his problem: how to keep autonomy when I need help
and found his own level of independence.

Maria Klompé
email: marik@homeopathie-utrecht.nl