Sumbulus moschatus; keeping perfect control

A  45 year old man comes in July 2010 with grand mal epilepsy[1]. He is disoriented and cannot speak well. He has had three epileptic seizures since July 2009, which all happened in the night during sleep,  between 2 – 4 am.

When he is stressed, he can get migraine headaches: it comes up from the neck and is onesided; alcohol can bring it on. He has had a gallbladder operation in 2008.

He worries about the seizures, wondering how this will go on in the future and whether he will need strong medication. He is an osteopath and he depends on his job, wondering what will happen to his family, if he is sick. He is moving to a new consulting room and has worried a lot about his decisions. He is quite careful to avoid mistakes and stress because it could make his condition worse. It is difficult for him to make decisions.

The way he deals with his new consulting room describes his personality quite well: he ponders much, thinks carefully about all the pros and cons. This particular cautiousness in making decisions is also reflected in the way he speaks: very soft, hesitating, carefully thinking what to say and how to say it.

Once, he had a short absence on the telephone: he could speak, but he could not say what he wanted; it was as if his speech evaded his control.

When he came to see me, in November 2007, with a frozen right shoulder, allergies and migraine, I prescribed a few doses of Praseodymium carbonicum, stage 5 of the Lanthanides, because of his cautious, careful, wary mentality, and also because he postponed his diploma for osteopathy (alternative therapist can point to a Lanthanide). I suspected this to be the cause of his shoulder problem. He is a reflective person (Lanthanides) and says that he has to change his inflexible attitude, his habit of self-control. I asked what this means for him, and he states that he controls himself because he is afraid that he will not be able to meet his own expectations; perfection is not possible.

He also finds it difficult to let his kids be free. He missed the presence of his father in childhood, and wished that he could have had even an eye-contact with his father to make him feel better, since he felt quite unworthy (Carbon).

He felt quite good with this remedy and with osteopathy and other therapies his shoulder was alright again. I still felt, however, that this was not a really good remedy for him.

Analysis:

 I have learned from Jan Scholten that epilepsy is a good indication for the Apiaceae family, especially without an aura. The grand mal fits during nightime can be an indication for an Apiaceae. The fits happen in darkness, when nobody can see them, or they come all of a sudden, out of the blue (unexpected is a strong indication for the Apiaceae). He wants to be perfect, a quiet, cultivated, intellectual, philosophical, soft-spoken man; his attitude still indicates stage 5. Jan Scholten has placed Sumbulus in stage 5 of the Apiaceae family.

Prescription: Sumbulus moschatus MK, once a month

Follow ups:

Two months later, he has had no more fits and he feels better. He states that on the way home, after taking the remedy, he felt a strong change in him. Then, he had an argument with his wife, but it was different from previous arguments – it was good and productive (no dark attitude like in the Apiaceae family).

He says that in the past, when he did not have things under control, he felt stressed; once, during a holiday, he had rented a car which broke down, causing him much anxiety. So control was a strong topic. With his new consulting room, he says that he is less of a perfectionist.

When asked about his mother (difficult mother is an Apiaceae’s theme ), he says that she is very controlling, everything must be in place. As a child, it was not a problem for him, because he always tried to meet her expectations and wanted to do things really well.

He prefers the shade and went through a period when he wore a lot of black clothing. Now, he does not like milk (mother) and he likes to be alone and to listen to music - this is the best relaxation for him (Apiaceae).

Two months later, he has had no fits. He has had an argument with his mother; she has problems but does not tell anything personal about her condition, and he says that he does the same. “I do not talk about things that really bother me.” (not talking easily about their own inner world).

What is bothering you? “A kind of fear that something might come out that I don’t like, something not so nice could become visible. I have to control this.” He understands his controlling attitude very well now but he is still afraid that his fits could come back.

Three months later, he is still taking Sumbulus moschatus once a month, he has had an epileptic fit again, soon after he had fallen asleep, which was not as intense as before. After the fit, he was very disappointed with himself that this had happened again. He was depressed and did not want to get up anymore. He had a fight with his wife and wept afterwards for a long time, a thing that has not happened for such a long time that he could not remember the last time it did (he comes in contact with his inner feelings again, because the control of his emotions is more relaxed). He also had also a fight with his best friend, who told him that he is so unemotional, so logical and correct, that he could not bear it anymore. In this argument, his anger only came afterwards; there was no emotion in the situation itself. What is it? “It makes me feel afraid when somebody reacts emotionally (you are not cultivated). I never would become emotional.” (Fear of his own “bad” emotions, his dark side, had to control them, in order to not feel them anymore). “I would get angry about myself, for example, when I could not solve a mathematic problem.”

Another three months later, he is more emotional and he is easily touched by nice things. It is much easier for him to name his feelings and to describe his emotional condition. He realises his insecurity and fear; the fact that he wants to hide his emotions, which for him means controlling. When, for example, he is playing cards with friends and the others are joking because he makes a mistake, he immediately feels: “Do not drop your guard, keep your perfect attitude.” 

July 2011, he feels fine, has had no more fits, and only one headache at night time around 4 am. He really likes his work at the moment and he is much more self-assured.

Prescription: Sumbulus moschatus MK, three times every six weeks, three more doses.

[1] Jan Scholten’s themes of the Apiaceae family are given in italics

Photo: WikimediaCommons
Apiaceae family; Peucedanum cervaria; Ettore Balliochi