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 1Woman,
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
The mother asks for help, so
that Dora can have sufficient platelets without a threat to her life (Theme:
fear of a new situation). Dora is an independent but awkward child, who does not
really know how to handle conflicts. She avoids conflicts and never takes part
in fights; she withdraws, both at school and in family surroundings. She has always been very independent and asked for freedom.
Ever since her youth, she regularly travels on her own to Canada to visit
her father. Her parents divorced when she was 2 years old and her mother never
talks nicely about the father.
A: “I
wanted to be perfect in relation to my older sister, who was academically
gifted. I was obsessed by it; I was always first of the class and first of my
year. Meanwhile, I had low self-esteem, I felt like I had no worth. My sister,
who was considered more intelligent than me, has failed in everything. She
failed her pharmacist studies and now she is just a pharmacist’s helper.”
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.” 
