Joseph Kellerstein, DC, ND
George is a very pleasant, soft-spoken gentleman. He is 75 years old and presents as being just that – a gentleman. He chooses his words carefully and exactly as befits someone who was an engineer of distinction in his home country.
George was referred by his daughter – a bright 1st-year student at the homeopathic college where I lecture.
Patient Case & History
George’s complaints are of both a preventive and a symptomatic nature.
- He had surgery for bladder cancer in 2009. He wishes to act preventively here against a recurrence.
- He was diagnosed with macular degeneration. He wishes to halt its progress.
- Starting in 2012, there has been a gradual change in the shape of the penis; a curvature has developed. Vessels on the surface of the penis seem very prominent. In early 2016, his penis suddenly developed a very uncomfortable sensation of heat, mainly at night, especially 2-4 AM. The penis has to be cooled at such times with a cold compress in order to be able to urinate. There is no issue with urinating during the day. George says, “It also helps at night to lie on my abdomen for 5 minutes. The swelling in the penis seems to get better, and this too helps me urinate.”
- The most recent development is arrhythmias. Here, the head will suddenly get hot, and the pulse and blood pressure will suddenly rise. Palpitations occur mostly between 3 and 5 PM. Interestingly, the arrhythmia sensation is that of an internal boiling. “Heat affects my heart and blood pressure. Too hot weather makes my blood boil. I get lightheaded and my blood pressure goes up.”
George is an engineer by trade, and so likes things to be in order. Punctuality is also a priority. If there is a meeting, he will be there ahead of time.
There can be emotional moments. With happy or sad news, tears might be shed. “I get worried about things sometimes. My son lives far away. There is a sadness that he is away… I like to have people around me and I do not like to be alone. If my wife has not returned from shopping, for example, I can get concerned.”
George loves the seashore (reminds him of home), and has a fear of high places.
Repertorization & Remedy
George’s daughter is a medical professional, and he is fascinated by her foray into this world of homeopathic remedies. She has learned just a bit of materia medica, but as soon as she heard the description of Pulsatilla being mild and weepy, it resonated in her mind as being right for her father and she put him on occasional doses of Pulsatilla 30C. He claims his daughter’s prescription has gone some way in helping him generally and with the issue of urination at night.
According to my own analysis (Figure 1), Pulsatilla does seem well indicated. My advice is to be consistent in dosing with the already successful 30C: Pulsatilla 30C, 2 pellets/dose, 1 dose daily.
Figure 1. Repertorization, Using the TBR2 Repertory
Follow-up Visits
The case seemed to be progressing well over several visits, with improvements in both sleep and urination. Persisting was the nighttime heat in the penis 2-3 times weekly, but not every night and to a lesser degree. There were generally fewer episodes of flushing and boiling.
Approximately 3 weeks after his initial visit, George experienced an acute attack of atrial fibrillation that prompted a trip to the emergency room. The prescribed meds did not seem to be helping. His symptoms were the flushing of the face, and boiling in the heart area, but more intense and consistent than before.
The symptoms being the same, I prescribed 3 doses of Pulsatilla 200C in 1 day. This resulted in an apparent aggravation of these symptoms; however, because the patient had a home monitor for blood pressure and pulse, he knew that both stayed within normal limits.
Within 24 hours, all symptoms normalized. He has been improving overall since.
Key Points of the Case
In my opinion, this case has some very interesting points:
- George’s daughter could immediately see the remedy based purely on popular indicators of the remedy – mild and weepy. Please note that this typically female remedy is often prescribed in males as well. It is as if this case displays a kind of holographic view of Pulsatilla aspects, both the whole person and the symptomatic view.
- I was able to verify the remedy using the TBR2 (Dimitriadis’ version of Bönninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book) for this case, on the basis of symptoms of the disease. This repertory is the most accurate for the remedies contained.
- Pulsatilla is not present in the rubric used for fibrillation; however, it is present under palpitation and under ebullition, which more closely describes the sensation felt by the patient.
- The penis discomfort at night was ameliorated by cold applications and lying on his abdomen. Pulsatilla is well known to be ameliorated by cold applications and by lying on the painful side.
Joseph Kellerstein, DC, ND, graduated as a chiropractor in 1980 and as an ND in 1984. He graduated with a specialty in homeopathy from the Canadian Academy for Homeopathy, and subsequently lectured there for 2 years. He also lectured in homeopathy for several years at CCNM; for 8 years at the Toronto School of Homeopathic Medicine; and for 2 years at the British Institute for Homeopathy. Dr Kellerstein’s mission is the exploration of natural medicine in a holistic context, especially homeopathy and facilitating the experience of healing in patients.
