This is the story of Violet, a very beautiful 49 year-old woman who consulted me in October of 2000 for uterine fibroids, and other health problems. Violet came to the initial consultation dressed very sexily in a leather jacket, with animal print blouse and shoes.

Violet was diagnosed with fibroid tumors in January of 2000. She had a history of painful periods going back fifteen years. She also suffered from depression, anxiety, headaches, and hypersensitivity at P.M.S.

Before and during her periods her heart would pound hard for at least an hour when she went to sleep. She would get really hot, throw off the covers, then couldn't get back to sleep. These heart problems were very scary to her.

iolet also complained of bloatedness, acid reflux, recurrent bladder infections, frequent urination at night, spotting between periods, rashes on various parts of her body, and numb hands at night. Violet craved chocolate ice cream, oranges and grapefruit, and liked berries and sausages.

Violet was the middle child of three. Her parents were very strict, and she was not allowed to date. At sixteen she ran away from home for three months, got raped, acquired syphilis, and was put in the hospital.

Back at home, her parents watched over her closely. They kept her away from everyone, and would not let her attend school. Violet became very depressed. She ran away again at eighteen and met her first husband, a man with a bad temper.

Violet was married twice, the first time at age twenty and the second at twenty-four. While she was divorcing her first husband, she became pregnant with her second husband's child. Her new husband was abusive, so she left him. She and her first husband raised her son. Their relationship was platonic. When he died five years ago she was devastated..

Violet loved dancing all her life, but her parents forbade her to dance. Once on her own she became an entertainer and danced professionally for six years. Later on she completed her high school education, became a technician, and worked in sales and customer relations. Violet had quite a few fears, including earthquakes, death, cancer, and heights. The remedy I prescribed Violet was Medorrhinum 200C.

At Violet's consultation in November 2001, after having had two doses of the the remedy this is what she had to say, "I have been really really happy because my tumor shrank. When that shrank it was like nothing else seemed important anymore. It just happened overnight. Now I don't know where it went."

Other symptoms that had improved up to this point were: frequent urination at night, recurrent bladder infections, menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, fluttering in the heart, premenstrual headaches, most of the rashes and spotting between periods. The problems that remained after only one year of treatment were occasional hot flashes, acid reflux and numbness of the right hand.

I moved Violet to a higher potency of the remedy this last month to address these last three remaining issues. We are still waiting to see how she will respond to this higher dose.

Violet's case is a beautiful example of how homeopathy can treat what would be regarded as a surgical condition nonsurgically. This was accomplished by treating the patient wholistically, with a homeopathic remedy that addressed the totality of her symptoms. Once the remedy restored her to balance, the fibroid, which was no longer needed by the immune system, could be reabsorbed. The disappearance of the fibroid gave evidence to the fact that the inner disturbance had been eradicated, because the outward sign of it (i.e. the tumor) had gone.

The risk of removing the fibroid or performing a hysterectomy without addressing the underlying cause of the tumor is that the inner disturbance which gave rise to it would potentially continue, and possibly find a less optimal outlet than the fibroid to express itself. Often breast cancer can come about after removing a fibroid tumor surgically.

The symptoms that led me to prescribe Medorrhinum to Violet were the fact the she had a history of venereal disease. This is the most important remedy for this, whether it is a personal history or a familial history.

Violet also ran away from home as a teenager, and this remedy is commonly indicated for this tendency. The extremely strict upbringing was another clue. Often strict parents behave this way to protect their children from the kinds of behaviors they themsleves indulged in when they were young.

Medorrhinum is a magnificent remedy for hormonal problems, and affects the generative organs very strongly. It is one of the best remedies for severe menstrual cramps and other problems connected with the menstrual cycle. It is the first remedy we consider in homeopathy for recurrent urinary tract infections.

The remedy also affects the musculo-skeletal and nervous systems very profoundly. It is excellent for chronic headaches, and back and neck pain, as well as for the tendency to crack the joints.

Medorrhinum has many symptoms associated with food and eating, such as:

craving for oranges or citrus fruits and juices
craving for carbonated drinks or sodas
craving or aversion for eggplant
a desire for ice and or chewing on ice
craving for ice cream
aversion for vegetable
very finicky eating (liking only only one dish at each restaurant)
a tendency to skip meals, esp. breakfast
eating very late in the day

There are often clues to Medorrhinum in the physical appearance, though there may also be nothing distinguishing:

unusually died hair, or dreadlocks
tattoos and multiple peircings
overtly sexual dress
the Goth look, or the Hippy look

Medorrhinums are often night people. They may become hyperactive at night, or have very irregular sleep patterns, such as frequently staying up all night. There is often an inability to maintain a balanced eating, sleep or work schedule.

A love of dance, partying and the night life is also frequently seen. Medorrhinum is often needed for the teenage rebel, who disobeys his or her parents, has difficulty in school, and perhaps gets involved with marijuana and other drug use. The addictive tendency is very high. Medorrhinum children often feel boredom in school, and suffer from learning difficulties.

Medorrhinum is one of the most commonly used remedies for children with behavioral problems, and sleeping and eating disorders Aggressive tendencies can be very high, and a cruel streak can also be present, which often appears as cruelty to animals, though they can also love animals. These are usually very high maintenance children, with frequent illnesses and poor health from infancy.

There can be a confusion about the sexual orientation, and Medorrhinums are often gay or bisexual. They can have a very high sex drive, or go to the opposite extreme and be celibate for years.

People who need Medorrhinum often have a love of the ocean, and can feel better at the seaside. Cities along the coast, such as Santa Cruz and Capitola are often populated with them.

Medorrhinum should be thought of for people who take things to extremes, this can be extremely positive or extremely negative. It is as commonly seen in the extreme extrovert as in the extreme introvert. You can have one child in the family who is an extreme extrovert and wants to be partying all the time, and have nothing to do with the family; and the other child can be an extreme introvert who refuses to go out and has no friends outside of the family. This remedy can help bring balance to both children, who are displaying different aspects of Medorrhinum.

From my experience a majority of thepeople who need the remedy Carcinosin, also need Medorrhinum, and usually symptoms for both remedies exist simultaneously in the case. It is often difficult to know which remedy to begin with. In the case of teenagers I often prefer to begin with Medorrhinum, to protect against a full-blown Medorrhinum picture coming out once the Carcinosin layer has been removed.

A tendency to get warts or other growths is another characteristic of Medorrhinum, which causes overgrowth of tissue. In homeopathy we believe this miasm must be present in a case in order for cancer to develop, because cancer is characterized by overgrowth of tissue.

Medorrhinum is a massive remedy, which is possibly needed by the majority of mankind. When syphilis and gonorrhea are treated with antibiotics or other means in allopathic medicine, the genetic taint is not eradicted from the system, and it causes alterations in the genes, which are passed on to the offspring. Homeopathy offers a means of preventing this unfortunate scenario, which has generation-wide consequences.

I have intruduced just one of many remedies that can be used to help women during menopause. In homeopathy we treat menopause in the same way as we approach any condition or time of life. We take the complete case and give the indicated remedy, which sets up a healing response that unfolds over time to restore health to the individual. Please keep homeopathy in mind for anyone you know who is having problems with this transition.

Winter 2002