Aaarrrrggghhh! We have all the information about the case, yet still we are toing and froing from one remedy to another and back again in our heads. How do we make that final call? 

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When choosing a remedy for someone, we are always looking to match as many symptoms with those that a remedy can cure. We are not just treating the ‘presenting symptom’ – the symptom that has annoyed the client enough to come and see you. We are looking for a ‘totality of symptoms’, the full picture, the ‘what makes that person an individual’ and the only ‘them’ in the whole wide world. 

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Just last week, I saw someone with a very painful urinary tract infection (UTI). I asked her all sorts of questions about the UTI and its ‘modalities’ – what makes it better or worse, for example, such as heat or cold… at a particular time of day (or night)… is it most painful before, during or after passing urine?... and the list goes on. But I also asked her about how she was feeling about it and what had been going on in her life, to find out what the backdrop of this very painful UTI was. 

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This was a complex case. Her mother, who she had cared for in the last few months of her life, died a few months ago, which was affecting her everyday life hugely. She said herself she was ‘putting on a brave face’ for friends and family and that she was unable to cry about it, even though she felt it would help her if she could. At the same time, the lady was sure that the UTI had started the day after having intercourse, and she says this is a common occurrence for her. 

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Now it is quite usual for a homeopath to have a shortlist of four or five remedies, and to then differentiate between those remedies as to which most closely matches the client’s symptom picture. However, in this case both Natrum Muriaticum (Nat Mur) and Staphysagria (Staph) were equally strong contenders and neither of them were edging closer to clinching the decision for me. 

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On a physical level, both Nat Mur and Staph were matching her symptoms well. For Nat Mur there was: 

• The grief from the recent death of her mother which she said herself was unprocessed, with an ability to talk or cry about it 

• Chronic UTI with headaches 

• A love of salt and wanting to put it on most food 

• Overall, a ‘closed’ nature to her 

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For Staphysagria there was: 

• A strong burning pain which was strangely relieved by passing urine 

• Her UTIs always followed having intercourse which is a keynote of this remedy 

• A pent up anger with a lack of outlet to express it 

• A feeling of hatred/anger towards an ex boyfriend who had mistreated her 

 

Nat-Mur/Staph/Nat-Mur/Staph… which should it be? This was a real arrgggghhh moment for me as both were equally indicated. In the end I kept going back to the totality of symptoms and which weighed more heavily in terms of the symptoms that matched. And in this case, it was Nat Mur. 

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Contact me to find out more or book an appointment.

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