Case of Acute Pharyngitis Treated with Homeopathy

Dr. Ranjini Venkatanathan presents a case of acute pharyngitis in which the patient had failed to get relief from self treating with remedies.

The husband of a 38 year old woman contacted me in early 2012, regarding a severe throat infection that she had come down with. He said she was given antibiotics which didn’t help. Also they had tried some over the counter Homeopathic combinations for sore throat and Lachesis 200 a few doses, with no relief of the problem. Since they weren’t getting any relief from self prescriptions, he said they would like to consult a professional Homeopath.
The patient visited me the next day and her complaints were as follows:

• Ø Recurrent throat infections in the past 9 years.

She has had three very severe, painful attacks, the current one being one of them. She’s been having this episode for a month, took antibiotics with no relief, tried some over the counter Homeopathy which gave some partial relief. Currently having throat pain, feels the throat is swollen and as if something is stuck in the back of the tongue. Unable to move the tongue easily and feels a sharp pain below the tongue on swallowing. The complaint began as a dry throat and then pain which started on the right side of the throat and later moved to the left. Now the pain is present on the left side of the throat, like a pricking sensation. The pains are worse in the early evening around 5 pm. Sometimes wakes up in the night feeling the pain and has to take painkillers then. The pains are relieved significantly by warm drinks. There is no fever. The ENT specialist examined her and says there’s not much of a problem.
The main symptoms I considered in this case for prescription are:
The fact that the pain started on the right side of the throat and then settled in the left.
Pain relieved by warm drinks.
Stiffness of the tongue, unable to move tongue easily.
Pain worse towards evening.
Based on the above symptoms I prescribed Lycopodium 30, three doses a day for 2 days, a total of 6 doses.
She called me the next morning, after having taken 3 doses the previous day and said that her throat pain was very severe that morning after waking. Feels her pains have increased in intensity. I told her to stop taking any further doses and contact me the next day.
I called her back after a week to find out how she was doing, her pains had completely stopped the same day she stopped further doses, and she was completely well and had forgotten to call back and report her status. She had gone pain free for a whole week.
This case demonstrates how quickly Homeopathy can act in acute conditions when the right remedy is given. She was trying Homeopathic combinations and also Lachesis for about a month, with no relief, since it was not the indicated remedy for the situation. This emphasizes the importance of individualizing each case and prescribing the most similar remedy. The aggravation of the complaint after 3 doses was a Homeopathic aggravation which was a good sign, and all the more proved the remedy given was correct.