Vague, unusual and inexplicable symptoms

Vague, Undiagnosed and Inexplicable Symptoms

Occassionally it happens that a patient will present with a symptom which doesn’t fit a diagnosis and seems to have no explanation. There may be a cause in the patient’s history or family history or simply their individual sensitivity to a particular food item. It may also be caused by a lack in the diet. Often a symptom will be due to a side-effect of medication. Good examples of this can be found in my posts on vitamin B12 (here and here) which also shows how symptoms can be due to a deficiency.

vague unexplained unusual symptoms

Gagging man surrounded by confused consultants and medical students

Examples of Inexplicable Symptoms

It’s always useful to enquire about a patient’s family history regarding thyroid and iodine use as either may be a reason for problems today and consequently a key to treatment.

Chronic dry cough in children. Ask about a family history of thyroid pathology. If it is in the family, then a dose or two of Iodum can initiate improvement.

Chronic fatigue, balance, memory, a sore tongue, balance problems, memory loss and sensory abnormalities in the hands and feet, pins-and-needles and muscle weakness are symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency – often overlooked and often not discovered by blood analysis.

Hot feet at night in bed is usually a constitutional peculiarity, for which homeopathy has a number of remedies. One gentleman was lucky enough to find a quick and simple cure by consuming a pint of water each night.

Many elderly people were given doses of iodine as children by paediatricians (certainly in London according to one victim) as it was some sort of nutritional fad. Respiratory, thyroid and throat symptoms (including purely subjective sensations like “choking”) as an adult may require Iodum in order to improve and antidote the ill-effects of iodine.

Iodine is very toxic and quickly has an adverse effect on the thyroid gland. For example, thyroid cysts have been known to occur subsequent to its use as a disinfectant on cuts. Again, Iodum may be of use to the homeopath.

Bloating of the abdomen and flatulence are common. The cause is not commonly known but is commonly caused by eating carrots. While diced and mashed, carrots may be harmless, raw or boiled are frequently a cause of abdominal discomfort. Carrots are a cause of rectal spasm (anecdotally).

Many symptoms of the gastro-intestinal tract are due to diet alone. My post What’s the Best Diet? may be of use. Breakfast being a major cause of such problems.

Disturbed heart rhythm – extra ectopic beats caused by PPI drugs (Omeprazole/Losec)

Extreme fatigue – caused by PPI drugs (Omeprazole/Losec) and beta blockers by reducing magnesium and Nitric oxide levels (link).

It’s all too easy for a G.P. to tell a patient the pain in her upper limbs (above the elbows) is part of her arthritis. However, such a symptom has been removed by vitamin D supplementation, so may be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency, not arthritis. Other pains may be an indication of haemochromatosis.

Use and Validation of the Repertory

If it’s difficult to ascertain the offending food/s, our homeopathic repertories can be of use. For example, on one occasion, a gentleman suffered from a painful condition of the bladder. The symptom was uncommon. The symptom was listed in the repertory and one remedy listed there having such a symptom was Allium cepa (the red onion). I enquired as to his consumption of onions to which he enthusiastically replied that he loved onions and ate them everyday. He stopped the onions and the symptoms ceased immediately. (Such a confirmation of the symptom produced by a substance and the listing of the same unusual symptom in our repertories validates our repertories and the homeopathic provings which produced the symptom.)

A second and similar case was that of a gentleman who had many years previously produced an unusual symptom; white urine. His consultant urologist was at a loss but the homeopath had the experience and science of two hundred years of homeopathy to fall back on. Consulting the repertory I found the homeopathic remedy Coffea cruda listed as having produced that symptom in homeopathic provings. On enquiry, he admitted he had hugely overdosed daily on mugs of coffee. It was after he had stopped the coffee that the symptom disappeared, confirming the symptom is found in coffee and the homeopathic proving of the same substance.

Conclusion
No doubt there are countless other examples of inexplicable symptoms which may have an explanation, it’s a matter of being vigilant and sharing them.

Credits
Image: Wikicommons  from the Wellcome Images (Wellcome Library no. 11639i) . Full Bibliographic Record: http://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/record=b1159750 

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