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This remedy made from the
honey bee, is widely used in our day to day practice in
cases varying from allergies to insect bites. The main
areas for which it is commonly used are:-
1. Insect bites
2. Urticaria 3. Kidney and bladder
disorders 4. Oedema and Ascitis.
Typical Subjects:-
Apis is always a hot weather remedy in all its
complaints. The skin is dry and hot, the
patient is mentally fagged, their
attention wanders when they are giving you their
history, their speech is rather thick and it altogether
difficult to get hold of their history. They have a dry
mouth, the tongue is red and shiny and they are
thirstless, even though the tongue does not look as if
they should be thirstless. They are irritable, often
very restless, and they have some vomiting of bile. If
it persists at all they get a puffiness
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blue and slightly puffy hands. They get intense
abdominal pain with their diarrhoea, and the abdomen is
distended and so tender that they cannot strain at
stool. As a rule they lie with knees drawn up. They are
worse from motin, worse for any kind of warmth, like all
Apis complaints, and worse in the morning. They
describe the stool as large, formed and hot, starting
yellow and becoming green, and they streaked with mucus
or slime. It is also painless. Occasionally it is large
and watery, and sometimes offensive.
Notes and features:
1.Burning,
stinging pains(like bee stings): This is the
leading characteristic sensation of this remedy.
They are sharp and quick like the sting of the bee.
These pains are as chracteristic of this remedy as are
itching like chilblains of Agaricus, or the
burning of Arsenicum and
Sulphur,
but the burning of Apis are relieved by cold,
while those of Arsenic are relieved by heat.
These burning, stinging pains may be present in the
ailments of eyelids; throat; panaritium or felon,
haemorrhoids, ovaries (especially right one),
breasts(mastitis), skin(erysipelas, urticaria,
carbuncles).
Great oedema: general or local.-The
next general condition for which this remedy seems to be
as near specific as any remedy can be is an infiltrated
cellular tissue; an oedematous or dropsical condition.
This condition obtains almost from the beginning of
inflammatory affections and extends to the stage of
exudation, and even to chronic dropsical states. In
those intensely violent and rapid cases of diphtheria in
which the whole throat fills right up with oedematous
swelling, the uvula hanging down like a transparent sac
filled with water (Kali bich., Rhus tox), and the
patient is in imminent danger of death by suffocation
from actual closure of the throat and larynx, there is
no remedy like Apis. The stinging, burning pains
may be present in these cases or it may be painless.
These dropsical or oedematous conditions may also be
present locally in face, ears, eyelids( especially
lower) genitals (especially scrotum); skin (erysipelas
and urticaria); and every where, general anasarca,
abdomen. These oedemas are accompanied with the
characteristic pains, or no pain at all.
4.Stupor:
with sharp, sudden, shrill cries in bring disease (crie
encephalique).
5.Thirstlessness,
especially in dropsies and during heat of intermittents.
6.Skin
alternately dry and perspiring.
7.Suffocative;
feels as if every breath would be his last, especially
in dropsical conditions or hot stage of intermittents.
8.Modalities:<after
sleep, on touch (very sensitive), from heat and warm
room; > cold room or air and cold applications.
9Bad effects:
from suppressed or retrocedent exanthemata; measles,
scarlatina, urticaria.
10.Involuntary
diarrhoea,
with sensation as if anus were wide open.
Mental Symptoms:
The mental symptoms of Apis are very striking,
and the most striking thing throughout the mental state
is the aggravation from heat and from a warm room. The
symptoms themselves are great sadness, constant
tearfulness without any cause, weeping night and day;
cannot sleep from tantalizing thoughts and worrying
about everything. Depression of spirits with constant
weeping. Sadness and melancholy; extreme irritability;
borrowing trouble about everything. Foolishly suspicious
and jealous. Absolutely indifferent to everything that
would make her happy or joyful. No ability to apply
things that would make her happy to herself, they must
mean someone else. Foolish, silly, childish behavior in
a woman in confinement, in a woman in advanced years,
talking foolish, twaddle, such as a child would talk, on
serious occasions. The patient is Awkward; drops things
readily. Another aspect of the mental state is the
delirium, which comes on in serious forms of brain
affections in children. The child gradually goes into a
state of unconsciousness. Lies in a stupor, one side of
the body twitching, the other side motionless, rolling
head from side to side, head drawn back rigidly; pupils
contracted or dilated, eyes very red, face flushed, a
stupid state of state of semi-consciousness. Child lying
with the eyes partly closed as if benumbed. It is
suitable in congestion of the brain, meningitis or
cerbro-spinal meningitis with opisthotonos when all the
symptoms are aggravated from heat. The child puts on a
more dreadful state if the room becomes overheated;
becomes extremely death-like or pale. If the child is
able to do so it kicks the covers off. The heat
increases every symptom.
It also has muttering,
delirium and loquacity. All kinds of screaming and
shrieking, shrill and otherwise violent. Premonition of
death, dread of death, fear of apoplexy. Every breath
seems to be his last breath(sensation).
The complaints of Apis are
attended with violence and rapidity. They come on with
great rapidity, rush on with violence until
unconsciousness is reached. Dr. Boericke has described
three words in mental symptoms
'Apathy,
indifference and unconsciousness.'
Dr. Kent says that
"it
has been may fortune to see many violent cases of
poisoning from the sting of the honey-bee. When the
oversensitive patient is poisoned by the sting he is
dreadfully sick. The majority of people in the course
of their life have been stung by the honey-bee an a mere
little swelling occurs in the region of the sting, a
swelling as big as a robin's
egg or a hen's
egg at mot, without constitutional states ; that is,
when the individuals not sensitive to Apis. He
may have been stung in half a dozen places, and each
one gives him a little lump But you meet one who is
sensitive to the sting of the honey-bee, and if he gets
one little sting on any place in his body he comes down
with nausea and anxiety that makes him feel that he is
dying, and in about ten minutes he is covered with
urticaria from head to foot; he stings and burns and
wants to be bathed in cold water, he hears that he will
die if something is not done to mitigate his suffering,
rolls and tosses as if he would tear himself to pieces.
Dr. Kent further says that he have seen all these
symptoms comes on after Apis. The antidote for
that is Carbolic acid which when administered in
that state, the patient described the sensation of
Carbolic acid going down his throat as a cooling
comfort. He
says
"Why
doctor, I can feel that dose go to the ends of my
fingers".
These sensations are signs of true anti-doting effects.
Head Symptoms:
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Apis has a bad headache which is nearly
always from an irregular or suppressed menstrual period.
It beings as a stabbing pain on first getting up in the
morning and then goes on to throbbing. The patient
complains that the head feels tight and is tender t
touch. They do look like Apis
-
puffy, a bit swollen and rather congested. The eyes are
bright and the conjunctivae are slightly congested. The
patient is damp round head and forehead during
headaches. The pain is dull with heavy sensation in
occiput, as from a blow, extending to neck accompanied
with sexual excitement and is better from pressure.
Although Apis patients are better for pressure
but they do not want the head bandaged, because like all
Apis patients they get an aggravation from heat,
as well as a certain amount of excitement and
hyperaesthesia. They are worse from any movement and the
pain is apt to shoot from side to side. If Apis
does not seem to fit, you might consider four other
remedies that are also better for pressure; these are
Arg Nit., Glonine, ,Lac Defloratum and
Pulsatilla. Whole brain feels very tired.
Vertigo with sneezing, worse on lying or closing eyes.
Eyes:
With Apis you get a sudden onset of pain and
acute inflammation. Lids swollen, red, oedematous,
everted, inflamed; burn and sting. Conjunctiva bright
red, puffy. Lachrymation hot. Photophobia. Sudden
piercing pains. Suppurative inflammation of eyes.
Keratitis with intense chemosis of ocular conjunctiva.
Styes, also prevents their recurrence.
Ears:-
External ear red, inflamed, sore, stinging
pains.Inflammation of the meddle ear in connection with
or after scarlet fever.
Mouth:-
Tongue fiery red, swollen, sore and raw with vesicles.
Scalding in mouth and throat. Tongue feels scalded, red
hot, trembling. Gums swollen. Lips swollen, especially
upper. Membrane of mouth and throat glossy, as if
varnished. Red, shining and puffy, like
erysipelas. Cancer of the tongue.
Throat:-
Apis is needed much less frequently, but is an
invaluable remedy. It is an acutely inflamed and
painful throat. An Apis and an Aconite throat are
both bright red and rather shiny-looking, but the
Apis is more glistening than the Aconite, often with
oedema of the uvula-swollen and sac like and hangs down
with a semi-transparent appearance like a bag of water
bag. The throat and mouth are dry and burning. They get
a sharp stinging pain in the throat on any attempt o
swallow, and nearly always get a lot of swollen glands,
and the glands are highly sensitive to touch. They
cannot bear anything tight round their neck. The worse
for hot applications and worse for a hot drink. With the
Apis picture, you often get rather swollen lips.
It also has a time
aggravation in the meddle of the afternoon, rather
unexpectedly. They are not only worse in a hot room, in
front of a hot fire, after sleep, and much worse for any
solid food, which they simply cannot take because of the
stabbing pain it gives them.
Two other things go with
the Apis sore throat. One is a marked urticaria.
It you get the patient with urticaria with a sore
throat, two medicines should immediately come in mind,
the first being Apis (and the second Dulcamara).
The other thing with their sore throat is a generalised
soreness in the joints and all over. During an attack
they are quite thirstless , which is surprising and they
look chilly. They are shivery and rather shaky, and you
are inclined to wrap a blanket round them, but in a few
minutes they are feeling much worse. They feel quite ill
and throw it off. As a rule their face is either puffy
and red and swollen, or pale and swollen. Occasionally
it is oedematous.. Quite often their tonsils ulcerate
and they show a sort of bright red mark round the
margin. This characteristic of Apis and Apis
is the only one in which it is present.
Stomach:-Sore
feeling . Thirst-less. Vomiting of bile, food with
great anxiety. Craving for milk [Rhus,Acid phos]
Abdomen:-Apis
causes soreness and tightness throughout the Abdomen and
hypochondria. Sensation of tightness runs through many
of the complaints of Apis. The abdomen is extremely
tender< from sneezing. . Dropsy of abdomen.
Peritonitis. Swelling in right groin.
Stool:
Diarrhoea-involuntary on every motion; stools are
yellow, green, olive green watery tpe etc.
-
which smell like carrion. ; anus seems open(like phosph.)
Anus feels raw. Haemorrhoids with stinging pain after
confinement. In its constipation, it is related more
commonly to head troubles. He goes many days without a
stool. The bowels seem to be perfectly paralyzed, with
congestion of the brain and acute hydrocephalus.
Urine:-
The urinary troubles are numerous in Apis. The
urine is scanty, coming only in drops. Much straining
before the urine will start, and then only a few drops;
dribbling a little hot urine, burning urine, bloody
urine. As soon as few drops collect in the bladder the
urine comes, constant, ineffectual urging. Later the
urine is almost suppressed. Infants go a long time
without passing urine, screeching and carrying the hand
to the head, crying out in sleep, kicking off the
covers. Very often a dose of Apis will be found
useful. Urinary troubles, with swelling of the genitals,
and the swelling is oedematous. Scancy urine in little
boys, with the foreskin enormously distended., or in
hydrocele. Every time the call to urinate comes he will
shriek, because he remembers the pain he had the last
time. Inflammatory complaints of the kidneys and
ureters, bladder and urethra. The whole urinary tract
is irritated, very much like Cantharis, and these
two medicines antidote each other. Retention of urine in
nursing infants. It is queer how the old women knew,
long before Apis was proved, that when the
little new born baby did not pass its water they could
find a cure by going out to the bee-hive and catching a
few bees, over which they poured hot water, and of which
they gave the baby a teaspoonful. Some domestic things
like that have been known among families and among
nurses, and it is consistent because it is just like
what we give Api. for.
Female:
Apis is a great friend of the woman. It cures
all her inflammatory complaints it seems, when the
symptoms agree. Burning and stinging pains in the
ovaries especially the right; when greatly enlarged and
even cystic, Apis has proved a curative remedy , has
often cured tumors, and has caused cystic formation to
stop growing or to disappear. The right ovarian region
is very sensitive. Pain in the uterus and ovaries
before and during menses. Stinging, tearing pains
cutting like knives, worse from heat. I is a very easily
got symptom, because in mot painful symptoms heat or the
hot water bag are tried with the natural hope of relief,
but with this remedy it aggravates. She throws it aside,
for the pain is worse from heat.
"Ovaries
enlarges,"
etc. Dropsy of right ovary. Ovarian tumor.
Respiratory:-
Dyspnoea, breathing hurried and difficult. Oedema of
larynx. Feels as if he could not draw another breath.
Suffocation, hot, dry cough, supra-sternal.
Hydro-thorax.
Extremities:-
Oedematous. Synovitis.
Whitlow-in the beginning stages. Knee swollen, shiny,
sensitive, sore with stinging pain. Feet swollen and
stiff. Feel too large. Rheumatic pain in back and
limbs. Tired, bruised feeling. Numbness of hands and
tips of fingers. Hives with intolerable itching.
Oedematous swellings. The patient is Awkward; drops
things readily.
Skin:-
Urticaria, with cold or intermittent fever; there
is sudden eruptions of welts with terrible itching. This
is a very good remedy for hives and allergic reactions,
when there is puffy swelling, redness, itching and
stinging pains (which are similar to the effects of
bee sting.)The effective area is warm and very
sensitive to slightest touch. Apis shouid
be used immediately for any acute allergic reaction, and
is said to prevent serious allergic complications.
Swelling after bites; sore, sensitive.
Erysipelas, with sensitiveness and swelling, rosy hue.
Carbuncles, with burning, stinging pain[Ars.,
Anthrac,.]. Sudden puffing up of whole body. Lichen
and erythema nodosum.
Sleep:-
Very drowsy. Screams and sudden starting
during sleep.
Fever:
Not very frequently indicated. But the symptoms calling
for it are:- Afternoon chill with kthirst; worse on
motion and heat.External heat, with smothering
feeling. Sleeps after the fever paroxysm. After
perspiration, nettle rash, also with shuddering.
Modalities:-
Worse: heat; Touch; Bed is intolerable;
Pressure; Right side; Later afternoon;
after sleeping;
Closed, heated room.
Better:
Cold applications; Motion; Open air; Uncovering;
Sitting erect.
Relationship:
Complementary to Natrum Mur. Inimical to Rhus
Toxicodendrion.
Antidotes:
Cantharis
Ipecac.
Nat. Mur.
Led. Pal. *
(Also Apis mellifica ihigh
potency- the high potencies antidote the lower potencies
of this remedy.
N.B.
Ledum pal is also useful in
punture wounds. Apis mel. And Led. Pal are also helpful
in treating bites of other animals as well, e.g. rats,
cats and dogs.
Summary of Indications:
Insect bites-
urticaria- Kidney and bladder disorders-
oedema and ascites.
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