Terbium metallicum: psoriasiform eczema and tinnitus

He is a good medical doctor, middle aged, well built, well controlled, well dressed, well respected, and very successful; a real gentleman. One of his hobbies is acupuncture. He suffers from a bad crusty and itching skin eruption, which started 3 years ago in the sacral region and slowly spread all over his body in a stricly symmetric fashion. Virtually, only his face and hands are now spared. It is a real nuisance for him because he has to cover himself all the time to avoid strange looks from his patients. The eruption and the itching is worse in bed in the evening, from perspiration, from slight touch, and from warmth. The dermatologist and the university had diagnosed psoriasiform eczema and prescribed steroid creams. The skin improved but as soon as he stopped using it, things got even worse. Then, he tried classical homeopathy with a renowned homeopath but without success. He says: “I dislike the dermatological treatment because it does not cure, it only suppresses the symptoms. I’m sorry to say that the homeopath also failed, he is very sincere. Then, I tried Sulfur on my own but it did not help my skin. The only improvement is that I can drink alcohol now, which formerly caused a headache after the very first glass of wine. What a pity that I don’t drink! I take alcohol only on rare occasions and eat vegetarian food.”

Another problem is tinnitus, a whooshing noise in his right ear. It is definitely worse after sleep. He says he has no specific stress. As he comes across as a rather debonaire, jovial man, this seems very probable, although he says that it gets worse after discussions in his team. 

When asked if there was any other skin problem before, he remembers that he had cracks in the tips of his thumbs for 10 years; they subsided when his eczema began.

His colour preference is a light blue, 16B.

Analysis and progress:

His insight in the non-curative nature of suppressive treatment, as well as his openness towards homeopathy and his interest in acupuncture qualify him as a possible Lanthanide case. His free attitude and trying a remedy on his own when his homeopath failed is also quite typical for a Lanthanide. The pathology of skin eruption is not specific to Lanthanides but does not contradict it. Tinnitus can be Silver or Gold series, including the Lanthanides. Which stage? His well-balanced nature and his former cracks seemed to indicate stage 10. The strictly symmetric pattern of the eruption seemed to support this. The cover-up nature is a sycotic sign, which indicates a middle stage, most likely stages 9-11. So, Gadolinium, the  stage 10 Lanthanide, was chosen. As he had previously responded favourably to Sulphur and has its modalities, worse in bed in the evening and from warmth.

Prescription: Gadolinium sulphuricum C200.

Follow-up:

A severe aggravation sets in during the first night, burning and itching, so severe that he uses antihistamines. Then, things get much better. He uses Gadolinum sulphuricum LM6, as needed, but after 6 weeks, he has a severe relapse. Without re-evalution, I prescribe Dysprosium sulfuricum LM6, the stage 12 Lanthanide, a rather offhand choice, but it helps.

After 2 months, he tells me that his skin and itching are 90% better, and he is very satisfied. It is only then that I learn that in the meantime he went back to his classical homeopath and got a single remedy without being told what it was, which he disliked – “Why should not he tell me?” – and which he says did not do anything. Then, he purchased Dysprosium sulphuricum, and afterwards the improvement started. His tinnitus, however, did not improve.

Three months later, he remains on the same level: 90% improvement of skin, tinnitus unaffected. Only then, do I realize that during interviews there is always a kind of tangible tension, as if he has to control the situation and cannot let go, even for a moment, although this happens in a very polite gentlemanly way. This is Terbium, stage 11. The tension is not unpleasant, as in Dysprosium, who suspects every move and retaliates hard at the slightest provocation, which makes you always feel on guard. In his case, the control was so subtle and so polite that I did not see it. Indeed, I realize only now that he had always been in charge of the anamnesis from the very start and controlled every follow-up in the same way; he told me only what he thought was important and gave me very little chance to intervene by taking full charge of the situation.

So, I now give him Terbium metallicum C200.

After another 6 weeks, he is very satisfied. Not only his skin is perfect but his tinnitus has also gone. He says that he has been hearing the rushing noise again since a few days but previously it was completely gone.

I prescribe Terbium LM6, to be taken as needed.

Nine months have passed, during which he had to take the remedy 5-6 times. Each time, it helped promptly. After another year, he sends me a very polite letter with a video, which documents the skin before and after. It is well documented, well filmed, and well cut: the professional video of a real gentleman.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Gentleman: no es bingham; rafananda