Page 9 - Winter 12/13

Mammals – The Lacs by Geoff Johnson, UK
Obviously the mammals are animals and will have the themes common in all animal reme- dies i.e. competition, survival, attractiveness, jealousy, hierarchy. The themes of animal will be perceived best in the patient’s description of the chief complaint. The animal patient will feel that their ailment is a foreign entity that they have to fight or avoid to survive. They may say, they hate it, wish to cut it off, that they hate themselves. The disease is something to be beaten.
In veterinary medicine determining the kingdom cannot be certain. However jealousy, sexuality, territorial behaviour, hierarchy and aggression are hints. If they are all there together, then it is likely. However, maybe the strongest clue is the engagement of the animal with you and the owner. From our prejudiced human perspective, plants and minerals don't communicate, like we do.
Themes shared by the Lac’s –
human or animal!
It is essential to understand the animal qualities or behavior of the animal to understand the dif- ferent Lac remedies.
Mother, milk, family, childish, furry, snug, suck- le, cosy, dependent, hierarchy, dominance, submission, territory, freeze, flight, pack, adaptable, communication, jealousy, dirty, group is security, abuse history, snakes, sex, hormones, menses, seasons.
• Milk, mothering, warm, family, suckling, ful- filled and satisfied
• Emptiness, worthless, shame, forsaken
• Childlike e.g. blushing, embarrassment, timid, poor confidence, thumb sucking, sen-
sitive to reprimand, clinging
• Feeling smothered by love. This can also be theme of python and nitrogen
• Dirtiness is a theme felt strongly by the mammals as well as the arthropods espe- cially the insects
• History of cases often reveals poor bonding or feelings of lack of love from parent. Orphans, history of adoption, wanting to leave home early, not feeling part of family. Post-natal depression
• Smoking and addiction generally can be an attempt to fill the emptiness within, as can eating to excess at a sitting
• Over-mothering or aversion to being a moth- er, possibly with many pets
• Too affectionate or not at all
• Playful, communicative
• Love or hatred of animals
• Sexuality strong or suppressed - incest, mul-
tiple partners
• Relationship and separation
• Very dependent on people they love
• Unable to bear disappointment
• Friends, family, belonging
• Low self-worth
• Abuse
• Breast – symbol of nurture, warmth, affection • Forsaken feeling
• Emotional turmoil
• Falling down
• Control of impulsive nature
• Antagonism between animal instincts and
civilized behavior
Sankaran also emphasizes intelligence, adapt- ability, self-critical, complex social groupings, territory and alertness.
Milk is the food of early animal life and corre- sponds to the very beginning of our innermost
physical nature (Kent).
Lacs are particularly useful in
• Cases of obesity (during lactation increased prolactin protects women against increased weight)
• Psychological disorders, especially during infancy, childhood and adolescence in those deprived of mother’s milk
• Dyslexia, attention deficient disorder, disrup- tive behavior, hyperactivity, learning disor- ders
• Substance abuse • Arteriosclerosis • Diabetes Mellitus • MS
Note that other animal sub-kingdoms also share some of these themes, e.g. birds are tremendous mothers, the seahorse, stickleback and crocodile care devotedly for their young, the insects feel small and dirty. Some insects and birds have complex social orders. It is nec- essary to look at the whole case in order to be confident in your prescription
In herd/pack animals we see the desire to be part of the group, and the battle for supremacy within it – dominance or submission.
We also see the loss of identity by being part of the group – a sacrifice of self for safety. Hence independent and dependent may feature in the same case. Predators may show violence, power, domination, stalking, territory. Prey may retreat, hide, freeze, escape. Remember that the prey or predator may exhibit signs of the other – the moment of attack or being attacked is an ultimately intense shared experience and our patient may describe the situation as a prey
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