PHOSPHORUS
Source:
THE ELEMENT
Introduction:-
It is one of our best deep acting & polychrest
medicine in the Homeopathic Materia Medica and
is indicated in our day to day practice in the following
ailments:-
Haemorrhages
-
Gastritis
- Respiratory Disorders
- Alopacia Areata - Dandruff
-
Hypertension
-
Neurological Disorders - Eye disorders
-
Kidney diseases
-
Bone disorders.
Constitutional taint:- Psoric.
Syphilitic.
Action:-
Phosphorus irritates, inflames and
degenerates mucous membranes, irritates and inflames
serous membranes, inflames spinal cord and nerves,
causing paralysis, destroys bone, especially the lower
jaw and tibia; disorganizes the blood, causing fatty
degeneration of blood vessels and every tissue and organ
of the body and thus gives rise to hæmorrhages, and
hæmatogenous jaundice.
Produces a picture of destructive
metabolism. Causes yellow atrophy of the liver and
sub-acute hepatitis
Typical subjects:-
Tall, slender persons of sanguinine
temperament (having a warm and hopeful nature,
confident). Delicate, waxy, anaemic, and emacaiated.
Young persons who have grown too rapidly and are
inclined to stoop. Old men with morning diarrhoea.
Persons with hereditary tendency to consumption.
Phthisical old people with morning diarrhoea. Nervous,
weak; desires to be magnetized.(Silicea.).
Oversensitive to external impressionslight, noise,
odours, touch. Premature old age.
"Chlorotic
girls who have grown too rapidly and have suddenly taken
on weakness, pallor, green sickness, with mentrual
difficulties."
Persons with haemorrhagic diathesis. Persons who had
bone diseases in earlay childhood
They are alert, bright and intelligent
persons. When overworked or overtired they develop a
kind of mental apprehension and think they are going to
be ill, and wonder what kind of illness they will have.
Get tense about business. Are efficient but worry about
accidents at work. They are always watching you. They
have a dislike to talking to people and are terrified in
a crowded room. They cannot talk in a crowd and cannot
think of anything to say. Crave the company and sympathy
of others. When tired become apathetic and indifferent.
Fly nto a passion when opposed and then are very
ashamed. Experience strange feeling on meeting other
people whom they do not really know. Easily exhausted by
talking even to one or two people. Sensitive to
atmospheres and external impressions. Indifferent to the
family when they are ill. May have anxious forebodings
and maniacal attacks with violence. They fear the dark,
twilight, loneliness, thunder and death. They have
premonitions waking or sleeping. In fright they may have
involuntary stool or micturition.
Notes & features:-
1. Burning. In mouth, stomach, anus,
spine, hands, chest lungs, etc. Burning in spots
along the spine. Intense heat running up the
spine. Burning of feet; of of palms of hands.
Burning between scapulae. Buring of every organ or
tissue of the body (Ars., Sulphur.) Buring pain
as from excoriation in chest. Burning pain in limbs.
2. Emptiness. Empty, hollow
feeling in stomach (entire abdomen feels weak and empty)
; in head; in chest.
3 Tightness. Stiffness.
Tightness in chest. Dry, tight cough and
tightness across chest; there may be blood
spitting. A feeling of tightness of skin of face and
forehead. A feeling of tightnes or constriction of
chest is found associataed with cough, bronchitis,
pneumonia and heart troubles. Great stiffness of
joints; pains may be there , but stiffness
remarkably pronounced. Rheumatic stiffness of the
knee. Stiffness of knee; down to feet. Rigidity of some
parts. Rigidity of nape of neck. Stiffness in brain.
Rheumatic stiffness with morning aggravation, esp. in
old people.
Bleeding.
It has general tendency to haemorrhage. Haemorrhages
from various organs and orifices of the body. Small
wounds bleed much. Bleeding from soft chancre. Bleeding
from inner parts; threatened phthisis pulmonalis.
Scanty bleeding alternating with a profuse one.
Bloody discharge like meat washing from bowls.
Vicarious harmorrhge in scanty menstruation, from
nose, stomach, anus or urethra. Vicarious haemorrhage,
from lungs instead of menses. "Blood-spitting with
dry, tight, fatiguing cough." Blood streaked
discharges from nose, lungs, bowels. False granulations
that bleed.
Oversensitiveness:-
Extremely sensitive to external impressions, such as
slight odours, light noise , touch, storm, electricity.
Paralytic lassitude after a very short walk. Exhausted
after stool. Trembling of limbs from slight
exertions. Very painful sensibility of laarynx,
which prevents speaking. Great sensibility of larynx
with burning pain.
Vertigo:-
Many complaints of this remedy are associated with
vertigo. Vertigo when seated. Falls back on attempting
to rise in bed. Staggering when waling as if
intoxicated. Vertigo with varnishing of ideas. Vertigo
with empty sensation in head.
Suddenness.
Sudden apppearance of symptoms. Sudden prostration;
sudden faintings; sudden sweat; sudden shooting pains.
Sudden attacks of blindness. Suddenly prostrated
from unpleasant impressions. Diarrhoea as soon as
anything enters the stomach.
Violence:-
Is a remarkable note of Phosphorus that enters
into the symptomatology of the remdy to rather an
astonishing degree, although it is often overlooked.
Sadness with violent weeping. "Violent imaginations."
Becomes vehemently angry. Intense sexual desire, driving
him or her franatic; even exposes one's part.
Violent delirium. Violent thirst. Burning thirst for
ice-cold water. Exasperating hunger which
returns soon after eating. Violent tearing pains in
chest, stomach. Violent pain in stomach, better from a
cold drink. Violent itching in ear. Regurgitation of
ingesta by mouthfuls, without nausea. May be added:
Stool profuse, pouring away as from a hydrant. Rapid
decay of teeth. Hair falls out in bunches. Sudden
attacks of blindness. Note tht in such attacks there
is lack of any apparent cause. Profuse nosebleed,
slow bleeding.
Relaxataion.
Anus remains constantly(wide) open.
Oozing of mucus from the constantly open anus, with
tenesmus. Diarrhoea with sensation as if anus
remained open "In the women, relaxation of the
pelvic organs, prolpsus and other displacments." May be
added; Difficult articulation; tongue refuses to move,
so that he stammers Complete loss of voice.
Inguinal hernia. Flaccidity of abdomen. Obliged to lie
down from weakness across abdomen.
Mind:-
It acts on mind to cause"great
anxiety and restlessness"
as in other remedies, Aconite, Arsenicum,etc,.it
must be remebered that it is the anxiety and
restlessness tht precedes another state. It belongs to a
stage of irritation in the brain and nervous system
which if not checked will go on to organic changaes,
which wil be attended with a very different set of
symptoms, such as come for instnace from actual brain
softening in which appears apathy, sluggishness,
talks slowly, is indiffferent
or won't
talkik at all
. There is one particular symptom wothy
of note : the pattient fears to be left alone; is
afraid,; afraid of the dark, in a thunder storm., etc.
Brain feels tired. Very irritable, easily files into
passion, with consequent suffering. Great anxiety and
restlessness, especially when alone. Fear of work.
Misanthropy. somnambulistic condition. Shamelessness.
Clairvoyant state with heightened sensibility.Laughs at
serious sthings. This is more during the irritable
stage of which we have spoken.
Head:-:
The headaches of Phosphous are
congestive and throbbing. The blood mounts to the head.
The headaches are ameliorated from cold and worse from
heat, worse from motion, and better from rest, worse
lying down. The patient is often compelled to sit
upright, with great pressure upon the head and cold
applications. The face is flushed and hot; burning in
the brain. The warm room, warm surroundings, warm food,
putting the hands into warm water will increase the
headache,. The complaints of the head like the
complaints of the stomach are worse from heat, warm
applications and from warm food, and . from cold things;
while the complaints of the body are better from warmth
and worse from cold. The headaches are most violent and
are often attended with hunger or preceded by hunger;
headaches with vomiting, red face, and scanty urine;
uraemic headaches; violent neuralgic pains darting,
tearing, hooting through the head; pressing pains in the
head. Periodical headaches, headaches brought on from
mental exertion. Great heat in the heat in the head and
stiffness in the muscles of the face and jaus. This is
sometimes attended with coldness in the back of
the head.. The headaches are worse from noise,
from light; apoplectic congestion of the head. It has
cured acute hydrocephalus and hydrocephaloid symptoms.
Chronic inflammation of the meninges of the brain;
softening of the brain; imbecility; insanity. Violeant
head pains; atrophy of the brain; medulla oblongata. The
scalp is covered with dandruff; the hair falls out in
patches, leaving bald places here and there. Great heat
in the the scalp; tension in the scalp and face and
forehead as if bound by a bandage. Scaly eruptins on the
bald places of the head; exostoses on the skull. The
complaints of the head are brought on from becoming
overheated. Sensation as if the hair were pulled; great
soreness of the scalp; must let the hair hang down
during the headaches. Worst Early on awaking till
noon, after dinner, in warm room, sitting, in evening in
bed, at rest, after anger, chewing, motion, stooping,
mental exertion, after motion in open air, eating warm
soup, changes of weather, storms, music. Better:
Walking in cool air, after sleep, lying, rubbing, during
meals, temporarily from pressure and after eating.Vertigo
of the aged, after rising(Bryonia).
.Eyes:- Cataract.
Sensation as if everything were covered with a mist or
veil, or dust, or something pulled tightly over eyes.
Black points seem to float before the eyes. Patient sees
better by shading eyes with hand. Fatigue of eyes and
head even without much use of eyes. Green halo about
the candlelight (Osmium).Letters appear red. Atrophy
of optic nerve. Odema of lids and about e eyes. Pearly
white conjunctiva and long curved lashes. Partial loss
of vision from abuse of tobacco (Nux) Pain in
orbital bones. Paresis of extrinsic muscles. Diplopia,
due to deviation of the visual axis.
Momentary blindness(Black- outs) from
sexual excess. Momentary blindness like fainting; seems
to suddenly become blind; paralysis of the optic nerve.
Glaucoma. Thrombosis of retinal vessels and degenerative
changes in retinal cells. Degenerative changes where
soreness and curved lines are
seen in old people. Retinal trouble with
lights and hallucination of vision. The eye symptoms
like the head and mind symptoms are such as often come
on in brain wokers; working under a bright light causing
much determination of blood to the head in which th eyes
as well as other parts suffer. The eye
symptoms, like Phosphorus in general, have
amelioration after rest.
Ear:-
Phosphorus has a peculiar deafness. One of the most
striking features of Phosphorus is inability to
understand the articulations of the human voice. Hearing
is difficult. He sometimes feels as if there were
something over the ears; as if the ears were covered,
obstructing the waves of sound. Violent itching in the
ears; congestion of the external ear; itching, tearing,
thrbbing, burning pains within the ear. It has cured
polypi in the ears. Re-echoing of sounds(Causticum).
Dullness of hearing after typhoid.
Nose:-
Fan like motion of nostrils (Lyco.) Bleeding;
epistaxis instead menses(Bryonia); Over sensitive
smell (Carbol. Ac; Nux) Periostitis of nasal
bones. Foul imaginary odors (Aur). Chronic
catarrh, with small haemorrhages. Handkerchief is always
bloody. Polypi; bleeding easily (Calc;
Sang).
Face:-
Face pale, sickly complexion, blue rings under the eyes.
The color of the face is very changeable. Circumscribed
red spots on face. Bloatedness of face, esp. round eyes.
Tearing pain on facial bones. Swelling necurosis of
lower jaw (Hecla lava, Amphisbaoena.)
.
Mouth:-
Swelled and easily bleeding gums; ulcerated.
Toothache after washing clothes. Tongue dry smooth,
red or white, not thickly coated. Persistent
bleeding after tooth extraction. Nursing sore mouth.
Burning in osophagus. Dryness in pharynx and fauces.
Thirst for very cold water.. Stricture of osophagus.
Stomach:-
Hunger soon after eating. Sour taste and sour
eructations after every meal. Belching large quantities
of wind, after eating. Throws up ingesta by the
mouthfuls. Vomiting; water is thrown up as soon
as it gets warm in the stomach.Post operative vomiting..
Cardiac opening seems contracted, too narrow; the food
scarcely swallowed, comes up again (Bry. Alum.).
Pain in stomach; relieved by cold food, ices. Region of
stomach painful to touch, or on walking. Inflammation of
stomach, with burning extending to throat and bowels.Bad
effects of eating too much salat..
Abdomen:-
Feels cold (Caps.). Sharp, cutting pains.A
very weak, empty, gone sensation, felt in whole
abdominal cavity. Liver congested. Acute hepatitis.
Fatty degeneration (Carbon tetrachloride, Ars.).
Jaundice. Pancreatic disease. Large, yellow spots on
abdomen.
Stool:-
Very fetid stools and flatus. Long, narrow, hard,
like a dog's. Difficult to expel. Desire for stool on
lying on, left side.Painless., copious
debilitating diarrhoa. Green mucus with grains like
sago. Involuntary; seems as if anus remained open.Great
weakness after stool.. Discharge of blood from
rectum, during stool.White hard stools. Bleeding
hæmorrhoids.
Urine:-Hæmaturia,
especially in acute Bright's disease(Canth.) .
Turbid, brown, with red sediment.
Male:-
The male sexual organs furnish many symptoms of
Phosphorus. Violent sexual desire driving him frantic.
Erections frequent and painful day and night. Seminal
emissions at night even without lascivious dreams.
Sexual debility from the inordinate use of table salt.
Lack of powerIrresistible desire, involuntary
emissions, with lascivious dreams.Discharges of
prostataic fluid during a hard stool. Chronic urethral
discharges due to hypertrohy of prostrate. Gland. It has
cured hydrocele following gonorrhoea.
Female:-
Sexual desire too strong. Nymphomania. Menstruation too
early; discharge of blood before the proper time; acrid
leucorrhoa. . Slight hæmorrhage from uterus between
periods Weeps before menses. Mammary glands, especially
when there are stitching pains in them and are
threatened with abscess. Fistulous tracks after mammary
abscess.
Respiratory:-
Upon the respiratory organs also this is one of
our greatest remedies. Beginning with the voice and
larynx, it causes and cures great hoarseness.
Patient can hardly make a loud noise, and is apt to be
worse in the evening or fore-part of the night. There ispain
in the larynx, worse by talking, or can't talk at
all on account of it. In croup, it sometimes comes in
afterAconitum and Spongia have failed. The
disease has progressed downward until it involves the
bronchi and parenchyma of the lungs. It is of
indispensable value here, and, also when, after the
violence of the affection seems to have abated, the
patient hoarses up every evening and seems to be
inclined to relapse..
In bronchitis the cough is tight, worse
from evening to midnight, also from speaking,
laughing, reading aloud (Aragentum met.), cold and lying
on left side.. The patient suppresses the cough with
a moan just as long as he can, because it hurts him so.
The whole body trembles with the cough.
It has great oppression of breathing in
both acute and chronic affections of the lungs. There is
heaviness, as of a weight on the chest.. In
pneumonia, for which Phosphorus is one of our
best remedies, it attacks by preference the lower
half of the right lung. . It is apt to be indicated
by the symptoms, either at the beginning of the stage of
hepatization, when it puts a stop to the further
progress of the disease, but its more frequent
application comes in where the stage of hepatization is
past and we want to break it up and promote absorption
or resolution. Here it has no equal, as I am fully
convinced by abundant experience.
Now, do not misunderstand and give the
remedy blindly on a pathological indication only. If you
do you will sometimes fail, and ought to. But I repeat,
this remedy will oftener be found the indicated one here
than any other. After the hepatization begins to break
up, other remedies like Antimon.Tart, Sulphur and
Lypodium.will come in.
In pleuritis you will find stitches in
the left side increased by lying upon the left
side. Remember in both affections Phosphorus is
characteristically increased by lying upon the left
side.
In tuberculosis, it is oftenest indicated
in the incipient stage with symptom of cough, oppression
and general weakness already mentioned; but I have often
found it indicated in the later stages, and if given
very high and in the single dose and not repeated have
seen it greatly benefit even incurable cases. If given
too low and repeated it will fearfully aggravate.
Heart:-
Violent palpitation with anxiety, while
lying on left side. Pulse rapid, small, and soft.
Heart dilated, especially right. Feeling of warmth in
heart.
Back:-
One of the most characteristic symptoms of this remedy
is,
"feeling
of intense heat running up the back".
Again the burning may be in spots along the spine. Also
it has intense heat burning between the scapula (See
also Lycopdium. These, like the rest of the
burning of Phosphorus, often occur in diseases
of the spine and nervous system, but not necessarily so.
Like Zinc., these burnings may be purely
subjective, but are none the less valuable as
therapeutic indications.Weak spine.
Extremities:-
Ascending sensory and motor paralysis from ends of
fingers and toes. Stitches in elbow and shoulder joints.
Burning of feet. Weakness and trembling, from every
exertion. Can scarcely hold anything with his hands.
Tibia inflamed and becomes necrosed.Arms and hands
become numb.. Can lie only on right side.
Post-diphtheritic paralysis, with formication of hands
and feet. Joints suddenly give away. Another very
characteristic symptom of Phosphorus is
burning of the hands.. It is as strong as the
burning feet of Sulphur, and is found both in
acute and chronic diseases; cannot bear to have the
hands covered. The flashes of heat all over (which
Phosphorus has) begin in the hands and spread from
there even to the face.
Sleep:-
Great drowsiness, especially after meals. Coma vigil.
Sleeplessness in old people. Vivid dreams of fire; of
hæmorrhage. Lascivious dreams. Goes to sleep late and
awakens weak.Short naps and
frequent wakings.
Fever:-
Heat:
Flying, over the whole body, but first on hands.
Universal, anxious heat, afternoons and evenings, with
burning on hands and face. Nocturnal., disturbing sleep,
mostly after midnight. According back, with somnolencyPulse:
Various, ordinarily quickened, at same time full and
hard, but sometimes weak and small, more seldom slow or
intermittent. Strong ebullition of blood and throbbing
of carotids. Chill, Almost only in
evening, without thirst, and with aversion to least
uncovering, with greatly swollen veins of hands.
Internal. with shuddering, not relieved by warmth of
stove. And heat alternating at night. Nocturnal, with
diarrhoea. running down back. Chilliness in evening till
midnight, with great weakness and sleep.. Sweat:
Motes on head, hands and feet, with copious urine. Only
on forepart of body. After midnight and in morning
copious s., followed by great weakness. Sticky. The
transpiration often smells like sulphur.
.Skin:- Wounds bleed very
much, even if small they heal and break out again.
Jaundice. Little ulcer outside of large ones. Petechiæ.
Ecchymosis.Purpura haemorrhagica.Scurvy.. Fungous
hematodes and excrescences.
Modalities:-touch;
physical or mental exertion; twilight; warm food or
drink; change of weather, from getting wet in hot
weather; evening; lying on left or painful side; during
a thunder-storm; ascending stairs.
Better:-
In the dark; lying on right side; from being mesmerized;
from rubbing; from scratching; after sleep; from cold
things; cold food; cold water (till it gets warm).
Relatianship:-
Complementary:- Arsenic Album; Phosphorus
removes the ill effects of excessive use of table salt.
Lycopodium & Silicea are also complementary.
; Sanguisuya 30-Leech- (Persistent haemorrhages;
effects of use of leeches.) Incompatible :
Causticum
.Note:
Tuberculinum follows Phosphorus well and
complements its action.
SUMMARY OF INDICATIONS:-
Haemorrhages
-
Gastritis
- Respiratory Disorders
- Alopacia Areata - Dandruff
-
Hypertension
-
Neurological Disorders - Eye disorders
-
Kidney diseases
-
Bone disorders.
Constitutional taint:- Psoric.
Syphilitic.
Dose:-
Third to thirtieth potency. Should not be given too low
or in too continuous doses. Especially in tuberculous
cases. It may act as Euthanasia here.
THIRTEEN IMPORTANT RED LINE SYMPTOMS OF
PHOSPHORUS
Pulsations, sticking and burning in the
brain.
(2) As soon as water becomes warm
in the stomach, it is thrown up.
(3) Chronic painless diarrhoea of
undigested food, with much thirst during the night.
(4) Frequent diarrhoea during
cholera time; cholerina.
(5)_ Constipation; feces slender,
long, dry, tough and hard, like a dog's; voided with
difficulty.
(6) Cannot talk on account of pain
in larynx.
(7) Pains in chest with coughing,
relieved by external pressure.
(8) Dry tickling cough in the
evening, with tightness across the chest.
Trembling of the whole body while
coughing.
Can lie only on right side.
(11) Small wounds bleed much.
(12) Cough worse in evening and
night, from change from warm to cold air.
(13) Most symptoms aggravated before
midnight, and during a thunder storm.
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