Arsenicum album
Anxiety, restlessness and prostration are the main triad of symptoms
In acute situations, Arsenicum is a good remedy for colds and flu. The patient is very chilly and will desire to be covered with warm blankets or be wearing a big, thick coat but peculiarly the head feels too hot so they want to keep the head cool with a desire for fresh air or to be fanned. Nasal discharges are acrid, that is they burn the nose and upper lip leaving the skin of these areas red and sore. The smell of food will be very offensive to them. They will be thirsty but only for frequent small sips of cold water. They will be very restless, unable to find a comfortable spot, wanting to move around all the time. Anxiety may be present. It is interesting that this remedy has been used successfully around the world to treat the recent acute situation of global concern. Was this because of the collective anxiety created by media coverage? We may only speculate.
Still with the upper respiratory tract, asthmatic breathing is worse when lying down, patient is unable to lie down for fear of suffocation.
Diarrhoea following food poisoning. The diarrhoea may be accompanied with vomiting. After passage of stool there is great prostration.
Skin conditions come under the action of this remedy when the keynotes are present. The skin is red, burns like fire, is intensely itchy, with the desire to scratch until the skin bleeds and is ameliorated by hot applications.
Arsenicum is know as a remedy indicated in states of anxiety. The anxiety comes from a background of insecurity. This insecurity is primarily about their health and may extend to fear of cancer and fear of death.
It may also be about people around them especially if they are dependent on the other person for their security. A child will be fearful of the well being of a parent as, if anything were to happen to the parent what would happen to them? The patient may be a wife dependent on her husband for security so is anxious about the health of her husband. This may produce a fear of being alone. It may also manifest as possessiveness.
Juxtaposed to this insecurity and therefore dependency on others is the constant habit to criticise the very people they are relying on.
Restlessness is a prominent keynote for Arsenicum that may be witnessed in chronic conditions as well as acute. The patient will be constantly moving, perhaps moving from one chair to another, from the bed to a chair and back again.
Examples from my own experience.
I used this remedy often with my herd of dairy goats.
It had an amazing effect on a newly purchased doe who would shake all over when I went to milk her. After taking Arsenicum for a few days, this shaking stopped, she felt more at ease and I was able to milk her more easily.
Again with my goats, this remedy helped overcome acute paralysis more than once.
On one occasion I had a goat paralysed in the paddock, absolutely stiff like a statue. Neighbours helped me carry her to shelter and when we picked her up, her folded legs stayed folded beneath her. I gave a dose of Arsenicum 6C in water, crying my eyes out thinking she would die over night. I gave a second dose before I went to bed. In the morning I couldn’t find her! I looked around at the ground thinking she had fitted in the night and the body had moved. I heard a noise behind me and there she was eating my garden! She wanted to go back to the herd in the goat shed so I let her go. I noticed that she wasn’t eating with her normal gusto so gave a dose of 200C. By the evening she was eating normally and I was able to milk her the following morning.
I have also recovered other goats from paralysis with this remedy. I used to refer to it as unexplained paralysis but in retrospect it may have been tetanus.
Keynotes
Insecurity
Restless
Fastidious
Anxiety about health, finance
Burning pains
Chilly+++
Acrid discharges
Thirst for sips of cold water
Ameliorated warm covering, warm drinks
Worse from midnight to 1 – 2 am
Disclaimer: This information is supplied for educational purposes only. Sources include published literature and anecdotal experiences of myself and other men, women and animals. The information is not intended for the treatment of any particular individual person or disease. If you are suffering any particular complaint please consult professional help.