Neodymium sulphuricum in 10 cases. Homeopathy 2016.

by Jan Scholten

In this article, Neodymium sulphuricum will be discussed as an example of one of the Lanthanides. This remedy is frequently needed in our culture. Neodymium as such is the most prescribed Lanthanide in our practice. This has to do with the fact that our culture demands that people prove themselves. Situations are stressful, work has to be done fast, and people are frequently subjected to new challenges. The idea of calmly doing your job for many years has become a rarity. These qualities of ‘challenge’ and ‘proving’ are found in stage 6, where we find the Lanthanide, Neodymium. Neodymium sulphuricum is often indicated for women. In our present culture, women are gaining their freedom but many of them still have to fight for it in their intimate relationships. This is one of the basic themes of Neodymium sulphuricum: they have to prove their autonomy in marriage, they have to fight for their freedom in relationships. The remedy is really a remedy for the women’s liberation movement. The following 10 cases show different aspects of Neodymium sulphuricum. In many of them, we will see the theme of women fighting for their autonomy and independence, in marriage and love affairs.
Case 1
Woman, 40, premenstrual syndrome.
She is depressed and needs support to maintain her trust in love and relationship. She is irritable towards her children before the menses. She is a homeopath, having chosen this profession because of the holistic and individualistic aspects of homeopathy. She has been divorced, leaving the marriage as she felt limited and narrowed down. Independence, freedom, self-reliance, and making her own decisions are very important for her; it is necessary for her to make a connection with herself, to know who she is.
In this case, we see the theme of fighting (Stage 6) for her freedom and against limitation (Lanthanides) in her marriage (Sulphur). The Lanthanide themes are also found in being a homeopath, holistic, individual aspects, and the need for independence and freedom.
Case 2
Woman, 20, diarrhea.
She easily has diarrhea, < stress, < sauerkraut, fish, tomato. She has acne on her face and back. She has vaginitis, burning pain. She has amenorrhea, < after using contraceptives for a while. She likes adventures and challenges. She is an artist, studying at an academy. She has an aversion to being forced; she wants to go her own way. She has had a boyfriend but she stopped the relationship because he was pushing her too much. She had very good contact with her father but her mother was jealous of this relationship. 
The Lanthanide theme is seen here in the desire to go her own way and to not be forced. The theme of being forced was triggered by her boyfriend, which indicates Sulphur. Stage 6 can be seen in her desire for adventures and challenges. The burning pain, the acne and diarrhea confirm Sulphur. The amenorrhea from contraceptives and a hormonal imbalance, confirm the Lanthanides.
 Case 3
Woman, 30, amenorrhea.
She has amenorrhea, < after contraceptives, and she is anxious about being infertile. She has a bit of anorexia and is very controlling with food. She has a fear of becoming obese and unattractive. She has stomach pains and rumbling, < evening, < lying. She has had a boyfriend but stopped the relationship because he became too dependent on her. She has an anxiety to commit herself, fearing that she will miss her freedom. She is apprehensive of starting another relationship, for fear that it will go wrong again, but she wants to prove that it can be successful. Her parents had a difficult relationship and she felt their tensions. 
The aversion to committing herself or losing her freedom points to the Lanthanides. It is connected with boyfriends and partners, which indicates Sulphur. The desire to prove that it will still work is an indication for Stage 6. Hormonal problems, such as amenorrhea in this case, are also an aspect of the Lanthanides. The anorexia is also an aspect of Lanthanides: it is the desire for control, an obsessive compulsive disorder.
Case 4
Man, 40, arthritis.
He has arthritis of his shoulders, wrists, hands, metacarpal and proximal inter-digital joints, < tired, < stress, < exertion, <<< after a hepatitis B vaccination. He works as a nurse and likes to work independently. As a student he wanted to prove himself. He likes to keep everything under control. In his marriage, he has ups and downs, he often feels hurt and powerless. After Neodymium sulphuricum, he sees his wife in a new light, with gratitude, and they have a few weekends with a lot of talks and emotions and weeping, which clarifies things between them.
Stage 6 is obvious in his desire to prove himself. Three previously prescribed Neodymium were palliating but not curative. The Lanthanides are indicated by the arthritis, which in 70% of cases is auto-immune. It can also be seen in his desire to work independently and his desire to keep things under control.In this case, I struggled a long time to get the right remedy. I gave him Neodymium nitricum, Neodymium oxydatum, Neodymium fluoratum, Praseodymium fluoratum and Samarium fluoratum, all with palliative effects. It is only when he spoke about his marriage problems more clearly that the sulphuricum aspect became evident – previously he spoke in a casual way about his marriage situation.
                                                                                
Case 5
Woman, 30, ankylosing spondylosis.
She has pains in her hips, sacroiliac joints, and dorsal region; a feeling of cramps and stabbing as from knives, as if overexerted, < citrus fruits, < turning in bed. The spondilitis started after an unhappy love affair: she was very much in love but her partner was not, and he had other affairs. She continued the relationship despite the advice of all her friends. She felt closed in, standing stiff with her arms along her body; she could not express herself for fear he would not like her anymore.
The ankylosing spondilosis, as an auto-immune disease, is an indication for Lanthanides. The disease started after an unhappy love affair, indicating Sulphur. The way she handled the situation was like a forcing: even when he clearly was not in love and had other affairs, she still tried to keep the relation going. This ‘forcing’ aspect is typical of Stage 6.
Case 6
Woman, 40, polymyalgia rheumatica.
She has pains in her thighs, lumbar region, sides, and arms, < turning in bed, < walking, unable to do anything. She has arthritis of her hands, metacarpal and proximal interdigital joints. She is tired; she wakes at 5 a.m. tired, << from having worked too hard for many years in healing massage. She is divorced because she is a lesbian; for many years she wanted to prove with her marriage that she was ‘normal’. She wanted to be independent, to have her own practice and be autonomous but she could hardly relax.
The polymyalgia rheumatica, as an auto-immune disease, is an indication for Lanthanides. For many years, she tried to prove that she was ‘normal’ by being married. Proving oneself is Stage 6; in the marriage, indicates the Sulphur aspect. The desire to be independent and autonomously is typical for Lanthanides, as is her work in healing massage. Waking at 5 a.m. fits Sulphur.
Case 7
Man, 25, psoriasis.
He has psoriasis – itching and scaling on his elbows, ear, eyebrows, and head; it is annoying. It started after a party weekend with lots of alcohol and unsafe sex. He is always looking for challenges, putting himself to the test. He is doing things for the greater cause, starting companies to make the world better. When he was 6 years old, his parents moved and he felt homeless. He was bullied until he hit the biggest of the bullies; since that time, he feels bound by nothing. He likes to be seen as social and warm, and he likes to help people. His parents divorced when he was 13; the children were all that held the marriage together.
He is always looking for challenges, putting himself to the test, which is Stage 6. He is doing things for the greater cause, to make the world better: a Gold series and Lanthanides quality. Since he was 6 years old, he feels bound by nothing, again a Lanthanides theme, but he still wants to be seen as social and warm, which indicates Sulphur.
Case 8
Woman, 40, ulcerative colitis.
She has colitis with thin, bloody stools, < alcohol, < rich food and cream, < stress. She has also stomach pain, squeezing and pain and heaviness in her heart; this is from stress in her marriage. Her husband is jealous, harassing her for days until she gives in and starts crying. She feels he wants to put her in a cage, a box. She has been fighting him to be able to do what she wants, to get her freedom.As a child, she was pleasing others - her parents and teachers – but she was mischievous too, to her sister.She is a homeopath and likes to have deep contact with colleagues and friends. She likes congresses, where she can go out and have a good time with colleagues. It satisfies her need to feel free and to go out. Her biggest fear is to be held down: that provokes the bleeding.
Here again, we see a woman fighting against her husband for her freedom: Neodymium sulphuriucm, or more generally a Lanthanide sulphuricum. The ulcerative colitis is an auto immune disease, a Lanthanide aspect. ‘Deep contact’ fits Lanthanides too, the deep aspect. The ‘fight’ fits stage 6. It could also be Stage 8 or 12, but it is definitely on the left side of the periodic table because she has not yet reached her goal. A confirmation for Stage 6 is her mischievous quality in her youth.
Case 9 Woman, 45, hepatitis C.
The hepatitis came from an injection with antibiotics: it gave her liver pain, a tearing, cutting pain. She has palpitations and her left atrium is dilated. In her first marriage, her husband controlled everything. He was jealous and kept her home. She felt like a bird in a cage; it was a tragedy. They had lots of fights and once she threw a knife at him; he got anxious and she lost all feelings for him. They divorced. In her second marriage, she is the one making all the decisions.
She felt encaged in her marriage. ‘Encaged’ points to Lanthanides; ‘in her marriage’ indicates Sulphur. The ‘fighting her way out’ and ‘getting into freedom’ is an indication for Stage 6. The heart problems and palpitations fit Sulphur.
Case 10
Woman, 60, rheumatoid arthritis.
She has pains in her joints: arms, shoulder, hands, and fingers. She has pain in her left hip, when walking too long and pain in her sacro-iliac joint when rotating her leg. She has had many relationships with men, but when it started to become official she went into resistance, even when she was very much in love. She hated the idea of being bound to a man, feeling that she would not be able to give him what he needed and that she would not be free. She hates being given orders and she has often stood up boldly against authorities on purpose. She hates hypocrisy and lies.
She does not continue relationships when they become official because then she would not be free. ‘Not free’ is a sign of Lanthanides, ‘in a relationship’ points to Sulphur. One could think of Stage 4 in this case because she stops when the relationship becomes official. ‘Official’ is a concept of Stage 4, but even though she has relationships that she does not want to offialise, she continues a few steps further in the relationship. It is more like Stage 6, which we also see in bold behaviour. Bold is a typical aspect of Stage 6. She goes against authority (Lanthanides) on purpose, as if to prove her autonomy.
                                                          
Conclusion In these cases, we can see many aspects coming together.
The theme of auto-immune diseases, as seen in all the cases, points to the Lanthanides: ulcerative colitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and ankylosing spondylosis.
The theme of freedom and autonomy is prominent in all cases. This theme is essential for Lanthanides and it plays a central role in the cases: it is the causative factor.
The theme of service is also prominent. Two cases are of homeopaths, another is doing healing massage, and another is starting companies to improve the world. The serving quality is not essential - it is confirmatory, but not always present. Whether it will be expressed depends on the level of evolution of the patient.
In all cases, we can see problems in relationships and marriage; a key factor for Sulphur.
Nine out of the ten cases are women. I think this is not due to the remedy as such, but to our culture. Men have already been independent for a long time in our culture. For women, however, there can still be the need to fight for their autonomy and independence, in relationships and marriage.
What has not been shown in this article is the type of personality of Neodymium sulphuricum. They possess an inner strength. They can even give the impression that they are quite sure of themselves. They have a tendency to hide their insecurity behind an image of boldness and over-confidence. They often have a boyish quality. Lanthanides in general have an androgynous quality, so women tend to look a bit more masculine and they tend to look young.
Photos:
Wikimedia Commons:
Liberté; valeriecharoux.unblog.fr
Only if we want to: valeriecharoux.unblog.fr

Categories: Cases
Keywords: auto-immune diseases, freedom, autonomy, service, problems in relationships
Remedies: Neodymium sulphuricum
From Interhomeopathy