Hello. I have used homeopathy for 7 years, sometimes with good results. Now I am having problems with depression and anxiety. I know that mental problems are very hard to treat, but perhaps someone might have some ideas. I would appreciate any input, as otherwise I will have to go on antidepressants. I am 38 year old female. Here is a list of my symptoms.

Insomnia: Cannot sleep until 6:00 AM once or twice a week. Other times I fall asleep after 1:00, some nights I sleep well. Usually feel very drowsy and fall into sleepy stupor that won’t turn into real sleep. Brain wanders, lots of repeated images and phrases from the day, especially if I’ve worked on computer or watched TV. Dreams are confused yet vivid, can’t remember them. Sometimes I don’t seem to be in the dream, just watching it like a movie screen. Sleep problems are worse from mental/visual stimulation.

Depression: Often feel hopeless and despairing, that I have accomplished nothing, have wasted my life and have no hope for future. Sometimes when I can’t sleep I feel anger and frustration. I want things to be different, cannot deal with the present. Tend to blame others for my problems, even though I know better. Regret past mistakes. Depression: worse from being home, in morning, better leaving the house. Anger: worse at night.

Depersonalization: This is the most disturbing symptom. I cannot seem to shake brain-fog, feelings of unreality and loss of identity. Therapist says its common with panic disorder, last symptom to improve. Worse from not sleeping and from too much mental stimulation.

Anxiety/Panic: I fear driving long distances, responsibility or commitment toward other people, (afraid of not being able to follow through, being exposed as peculiar). Sometimes can’t sleep before workdays. I work only 2 days a week. Once I’m at my job, I feel better. Anxiety worse when driving someone else in car. I feel worse at home, but have to push myself to leave house. Feel worse just starting out. I feel better being around people but not my family. Have always been shy and socially anxious. At home, I usually crave quiet. I am over-sensitive, worse with noise, chaos, traffic, loud conversations!

Physical symptoms. Sometimes stomach distress, and sometimes feeling constricted/irritated in trachea. Dry cough in trachea/throat. Worse from anxiety and windy weather. Like warm slightly-spicy/salty food. Appetite OK unless very anxious. Thin and do not put on weight.
Temperature, don’t like either heat or cold, but heat is worse. Headache from sun, dislike intense sun. But feel worse in haze or fog. Prefer clear sunny cool weather. Usually thirsty for water. With insomnia, frequent urination. Difficulty concentrating.

Have tendency toward neck and right shoulder pain going down upper right back. Always stiffness in neck and spine after sitting in one place for a while. Neck stiffness makes head throb and very painful for short time. Have mitral valve prolapse. Used to get irregular heartbeats constantly, now occasionally. For over a year, have a recurrent rash on upper chest, starting at breastbone and moving up towards neck, in a symmetrical pattern, heart-shaped. Starting out red, inflamed and terribly itchy, becoming dry red bumps that gradually fade. Better from cold water, worse from heat and mental irritation.
Menstrual pain for 20 years, but periods are getting lighter, lasting only 2 days.

Remedies I have taken recently: Nat mur, nat carb, ignatia, arsenicum, and phosphoric acid. Took Phos. Acid 30C about eight weeks ago, seemed to have immediate improvement and I am taking it again now. First time, 30C twice a week for 3 weeks. Recently I took phosphorus 30 and the first two nights, sleep quality seemed much better. But then I felt worse and had a totally sleepless night until 6:00, waking up very depressed again. So I took phosphoric acid again and felt better. But it doesn’t seem to work as well this time. Do you think it is the right remedy, and should I take a higher potency? Last 2 nights I slept well. I have so far taken 4 doses, spaced several days apart.

I always thought my constitutional remedy was silica, took it occasionally in past 6 years with good results but no longer. It was only remedy that helped menstrual cramps. I took silica for most of early 1999. I felt pretty good until June, when this episode started. Natrum remedies do nothing for me. I hope this post is not too long. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Dear Katiam,

My sugestions

1. As you say Phos. Acid 30 worked better take a higher potency - go to 200c


2. you say "Often feel hopeless and despairing, that I have accomplished nothing, have wasted my life and have no hope for future. Sometimes when I can’t sleep I feel anger and frustration. I want things to be different, cannot deal with the present" - please ref. Aurum met.





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paty



[This message has been edited by PRATAP (edited 05 November 1999).]

Dear Katieam: Clinical depression runs in my family. I am new to homeopathy so I have not tried it yet for my own struggle with chronic depression. My sister and uncle have used allopathic medication, shock treatment and behavioral therapy to ease their suffering. I am cautious of allopathy and for my own depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, I have used chiropractic, vitamens, exercise and medication. I can only speak for myself and can not tell others what to do, even my daughter who must take medication for her obsessive compulsive disorder. I identify with your symptoms. I also suffer in the morning, and have learned that the seratonin (spelling) level is low in the morning. Seratonin is necessary for the brain to not have depression. I try to separate my mind from my brain in the morning. Sound strange? I tell myself that the chemicals in my brain are not ok and that my mind must ignore the nasty signal coming from the brain. Once I am up and about, light a candle, drink green tea, have bowel movement I start to feel better. I then do my yoga stretches and jump on the trampoline. I believe this helps shake up the chemicals in my brain and distributes the scarce seratonin more fairely through out my brain. My chiropractor has an advanced degree in neurology. (When I need it, he does a knee-chest adjustment on my neck which actually helps me stop the obsessive compulsive disorder. I think it has to do with nerve transmissions. I wish someone would do a study on it. I then go off to school. I think being with children helps me. I am an elementary teacher, part-time.) I am also an artist and writer, types maybe prone to depression/introspection? I am very sensitive and can not watch violent movies or hear of the suffering of others. Behavior modification helps me to desensitize somewhat, but it will probably not change my basic nature. At this point I have learned about homeopathy, and maybe a constitutional remedy is for me. Perhaps sulfur. If GM is reading this maybe he will be kind to comment. GM is right. We are all human and knowing ourselves helps us. I think Socraties said, "know thyself". When you know your self, your ups and downs, you can take care of yourself.Build self-esteem. I went back to school and only started teaching three years ago at age 47. Don't try to deny your sorrow or pains. That would be to supress something which will then build up like a vulcano. Better to release and transform suffering and pain. When I paint or write I do not feel. I flow, like a river, at peace. When we are not feeling we are relaxing. Sometimes the mind/body/brain needs to let go and relax. While relaxing healing is better. What is so beautiful about homeopathy is that is reminds us that healing is the process of life.

Thank you all for responding. I have done nothing so far because I have begun to sleep better and feel a bit better and didn't want to interfere with whatever might be going on. GM, is there ever danger of proving camphora if one tends to prove remedies? Is this meant as an antidote, or as a new remedy? Mselle, thank you for your kind words, I have taken your suggestions to heart. Sorry about moving this up the thread without any useful information, but did not want to leave appreciation unexpressed.

I believe GM is suggesting Camphora as an antidote, not as a remedy for you. Repeated use of as many remedies as you have taken can sometimes 'confuse' what your organism is trying to express. In a sense you have just been chasing symptoms, self prescribing can be near impossible. Try as GM has suggested and report back in some time.
Of course your best couse of action at this point would be to find a homeopath close to you, but if that is not possible post again after the Camphora.
Regards,
Jenny

Dear Katiam,
(Before reading, please understand that I am not a therapist only someone who has learned to deal with chronic depression.)

Since I am new to homeopathy I have not the means yet to include it in this dicussion. Perhaps someone can suggest how homeopathy might enhance one's wellness in regard to the following:

Regarding your feeling of depersonalization: Some feelings such as this, being in a fog, etc. come from fatigue or medication, etc. Sometimes they are from alienation. The following deals with depersonalization due to alienation and not fatigue or medication. I have often had this symptom in the past. I occasionally get it now. Before I knew what it was all about, it stuck to me like glue. Now that I understand it, I can deal with it. Every day it gets easier and easier to deal with because I know what it is and have power over it because I know what it is. Depersonalization usually stems from being alienated. Alienation can be from not being your true self by choice, or not being able to be your true self due to external pressures: cultural, religious, or social mores. Before you can get over alienation, You need to become centered or grounded. This helps you regain an intense sense of self, of actuality. To start, understand that Every human being can connect with their physical world. To Ground yourself in the physical world you must develop a very conscious sensory awareness of your natural surroundings: breath the night air, smell a flower, feel the earth, splash in the ocean, etc. Next, you must develop a cosmology, ie,a way of being human in a physical world, perhaps by giving your sensory experiences a spiritual conotation, and or cultivating a humanistic attitude, etc. These are things you do cognatively, your think, plan, chose, then actively, you implement. Now there is another step. This will be something you do theraputically or physically. It invloves something called rapid eye movement. I am not an expert, but it has helped me, along with the above other steps to overcome depersonalization: When you have the feeling that nothing is real, that you are in a fog, (meaning alienated) you must rapidly roll your eyes and think of something pleasant and then stop rolling your eyes and stare at something. There are more exact steps to this, but I use a modified proceedure which works for me. If anyone reading this knows the full proceedure, please post the reference. Rapid eye movement somehow introduces a bit of reprograming to your cononsciousness/memory/left-right brain. You are preparing the brain for new information by jumbling up the present works. From what I understand, vision, rolling eyes, connects with certain storage areas of the brain. This is not a cure all, nor the only thing one must do. It is one of many things we can do to help ourselves "come out of the fog." Chiropractic adjustments to the cervix in the neck may also help. Once grounded, or experiencing self awareness, and have a working cosmology, we nolonger feel detached, depersonalized, alienated, etc. Let me know it this helps. It has helped me tremendously, though it takes time. But things do get better. I hope you can follow this, I am tired, a long day. Best wishes, Mselle

Please please check that the food or water you consume is not tainted by Aluminium ........the best of remedies will not work when the body is disturbed by toxins like these

Its not a soap box .......its been there done it read the book bought the T shirt
seen what others have not experienced

Foubister as well

Hi! i have firsthand experience with depression, alienation symptoms and use homeopathy quite successfully with both. I really appreciated the explanation of the root cause of the alienation feelings by Mselle, makes so much sense. Mine increase when I feel the world/required activities are pushing me without my chosing. What a great perspective. However, my remedy was prescribed according to what I would choose to do to comfort myself, when I was in a depressed state, in addition to numerous other symptoms. I would agree that your homeopathic prescription has been confused by your previous usage. Camph. will help to clear it, and I would follow GM's advice. He will follow you to assist with what to do next, interpret your symptoms, etc., particularly through email, as this BB (unfortunately) often gets sticky.... Best to you. -K

Dear Karenss, I am glad that you were able to find something of value in what I wrote of my own experiences with depression/alienation. Would you be able to offer me an opinion on the following: I also suffer from chronic obsessive compulsive disorder. I am not on medication, but use cognitive therapy/behavior modification. My daughter also suffers from this situation, but worse than me and is on medication. It runs in family, as does other forms of clinical depression, etc. My inquiry follows: I have been basically symptom free from the obsessive compulsive disorder for several months. Yesterday, due to a cold, I took Kali Bichromicum 30c.( I am new to homeopathy, and self-medicate because I can't find a doctor yet. I only use what is listed at the health food store for typical problems, so far in the past few months I have used Rhus Tox for my poison ivy and a cough remedy ). I took the 3 Kali pills waited a few hours and took 3 more. Today I found that had to fight off the obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms including phobic concerns, i.e. sudden fear that the health mix I purchased might contain some tainted dried fruits. Do you think the Kali B. caused this? If so do you think it might be working not only as a remedy for the cold but also have something to due with obsessive behavior, hopefully something positive, like a cleansing of what might be causing it? I don't know if I am explaining this well enough for you to speculate upon. I would welcome input from any of the other sages on the BB as well. Sincerely, Mselle

I found the book 'Homeopathic Psychology' by Philip Bailey (ISBN 155643099X) very useful. It has some interesting sections on depression amongst other things.