Page 8 - Winter 14

A Duo of Remedies by Jacques Millimann, France
continued on page 13
A LIMPING MARE
The case
In the suburbs of Strasbourg, I see a Comtoise Mare, chestnut with light mane with a large white blaze, white markings on the muzzle and four white socks. 15 years old and powerfully built, she weights about 800 kg. She walks on eggshells and the wall of her hoofs are literally crumbling. Shoeing is virtually impossible : the walls are to frail.
Anamnesis
An osteopathic work-up doesn’t show anything. The animal is mild, quiet and sociable and has a good appetite. Everything seems normal. The coat is smooth but looks dull. The skin is clean. The walls of the hoofs crumble. The matrix of the hooves is red and inflamed, with brittle hairs.
Remedy choice and differential diagnosis
Two main remedies are known to strengthen the horn:
1 Antimonium crudum: with a prickly temper and skin proliferations, it has a greedy glutton, clearly aggravated by washing or bathing. Sensitive to the full moon, he has a privileged relationship with one person, whom he worships. Our mare doesn’t present any of those keynotes. We have here a remedy to keep eventually in reserve. Antimonium crudum 6 X is here a confirmed clinical indication.
2 Anantherum muricatum: It is a ‘border remedy’. This mare looses the hairs of the inflamed hoof matrix. The animal is gentle, quiet and very sociable and likes to be brushed. Washing doesn’t bring any aggravation.
Treatment and follow up
Anantherum muricatum 5 CH, 5 granules twice a day for a fortnight in a little bit of carrot or on a piece of dry bread is the prescription.
Two months later the mare looks younger, is more lively, walks fine. Her coat is glossy and her feet show new horse shoes. The hooves are
beautiful, smooth and freshly waxed. And I have definitely learned something.
‘MIKE’ LOOSES HIS CLAWS
was cultivated on the Reunion Island. It grows on damp swampy soil and forms very dense hedges, 50 to 300 cm high with very a thick root system. It is a Poaceæ (ex-Graminæ), its botanical name is Vetiveria zizanoïdes. It aids the regeneration of degraded soils. When in hedges, it protects the fields from pests (rats, snakes...) and under the name of ‘mousseline des Indes’, it was used to scent the linen and guard it against moths. It is also used as a perfume. In India its roots are woven into curtains, which are sprinkled with water to protect against the heat.
Anantherum muricatum? Which symptoms?
Among its keynotes we notice a great desire for salt and spices, a great thirst sometimes with a sensation of drunkenness. Coming from the warm country of Kama-sutra, an increased libido is also found. Remember that for the anthroposophists, the plant roots are linked in with the hair. Therefore one can think that the remedy is specific for the dermo-skeleton (horns, hoofs, claws, nails and hairs). But this ‘frontier’ remedy (hedges, curtains...) seems to work well only, if the matrix is involved too.
EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH ORORE But who is Orore?
Presentation
Orore is a red, longhaired miniature pedigree Dachshund. She is proud, very lively, nervous and jealous. I see her due to hind limb paralysed for about 1 month after a failed jump. Colleagues have tried various allopathic treatments without any success.
Her owner is a retired allopath, official medical adviser for Social Services, very confident in himself and his Science, and his wife, a passionate breeder, who adores her dogs and comes to the homeopath as a last resort, escorted by her reluctant husband.
Clinical observation
Sitting on her owner’s arm, the little dogs doesn’t want to be touched, a furious bite will follow immediately. On the table she sits like a sea lion with rear paws showing backwards.
Presentation
‘Mike’, a Beauceron shepherd dog, 4 years old male is a competent working dog for guarding and protection. Playful and affectionate, he loves children. He lives in a flat and is calm and self-confident – reliable guard dog.
Anamnesis
On 22/9 I see him at a competition. For 2 months he has kept licking his paws. The nail beds are raw and the claws have cracks and fall off, leaving the bone exposed. The claw matrix suppurates a little. A treatment with antibiotics (RilexineTM) and cortisone didn’t have any effect.
Treatment and follow-up
I prescribe Anantherum muricatum 5 CH twice a day. Two to three days later Mike licks his paws less and less. Twelve days later the wounds are healed and the claws begin to grow, Mike is cheerful and plays much more. Two years later I see him again for another consultation: he is fit and didn’t have any problem since.
The Plant
Native to Asia (India and Sri Lanka) the vetiver
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