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By
Jugal Kishore, B.Sc., D.M.S. (H.S.F.).
General Introduction
Iodine is the heaviest member of the halogen group. It has the greatest
affinity for oxygen and least for hydrogen. With the increasing atomic weight
the halogens show modifications in their symptomatology, but in all the halogens
there is a certain strand of common symptoms, which seem to be characteristic of
the group. Comparisons will bring out this point.
It is a vital element for us and it has specific influence as a catalyser.
Although it is found everywhere in our body, yet the thyroid is by far the
richest in Iodine contents, as it contains 1/6 to 1/7 of the total Iodine. The
amount necessary for the maintenance of metabolic equilibrium is about 14 gammas
a day. Thyroid is the central laboratory in the body, which is responsible for
the movement of Iodine in the body, its absorption and organic combination.
Thyroxin is the compound to which is ascribed the chief action of Iodine.
Excessive amounts of thyroxin in the blood accelerate the basal metabolism and
usually Thyrotoxicosis is the result.
The picture of hyperthyroidism and the drug picture of Iodine seem to be very
much alike in many ways. Emaciation, nervous and mental disturbances, anxiety
neurosis and intolerance of warmth are the examples.
Iodine is one of the most deep acting constitutional drugs known to us.
Although it is not frequently indicated, yet no other drug can take its place
where it is constitutionally indicated. Fortunately for us, it has well
defined, sharply cut features, but even then we often pass by it and fail to
recognize it.
The
patient is usually think and lean, or has become so, although he might have
looked well fed earlier. The color of the skin often darkens under its
influence. Hence the text says that it is indicated in dark persons.
Mentals
The
patient is usually an over-active, even restless type, always doing something or
other. Even when there is little energy left in him, he does not keep quiet.
He becomes restless and irritable if he does not do something to occupy his mind
and body. Suppose he has headache and it hurts the eyes to read, still he would
go on reading or writing; if he does not do it, he becomes uneasy. The
mechanical act of mere writing will give him some peace. In later stages he is
easily tired by any exertion, but this peculiar restlessness forces him to
attempt to do something. It is an anxiety state, and he finds an escape through
work or occupation. He paces the room to and fro in his extreme anxiety. He
will become restless and anxious when his mealtime comes. Concentration on
anything is impossible. Eating relieves him for some time. If he suffers from
flatulent distension of the abdomen, he becomes anxious and restless; knows not
what to do; walks about. Continued walking seems to give him relief. It may be
mentioned, lest forgotten, that many of its aches and pains are better by
walking or continued motion. Patient as a whole, because of his general
restlessness and anxious state, is better while in motion, while he is
pre-occupied with something.
A little thing, however insignificant, will start him worrying, and then comes
the anxious state, ameliorated from eating or some work. At times there is a
feeling that he must do something or he will go insane. Patient wants to do
something, but knows not what. In its constitutional state this anxious
restlessness must be present in Iodine cases. Of all the authorities only Kent
has emphasized it properly.
Of the halogen group Fluoric acid comes nearest Iodine in the desire to be
occupied. I remember the case of a Fluoric acid female who would get sudden
fits for doing something and would become restless. Would suddenly get up at
midnight and start cleaning the house, or take up sewing, otherwise there was no
peace in her mind. She could do an astonishing amount of work. Text says
increased capacity for muscular work; actually it is something more. In Fluoric
acid there is increased capacity for work, but Iodine, however, does not have
such endurance feats to her credit.
Iodine patients are quite sparing in their habits, and seem to possess a lot of
self-control. Like Phosphorus, however, they are very sensitive in every way.
Very touchy, even harmless words are misconstrued. Every little worry makes him
anxious and he can't get rid of it. At times, there are violent impulses: as
impulse to beat somebody without rhyme or reason; uncontrollable impulse to kill
somebody; an impulse to destroy something. Perhaps they are the result of the
interminable anxiety they suffer from (in my own case, I remember I would
actually beat my younger sister without any provocation. I would have sudden
impulses to shoot or destroy something). These are cured symptoms.
He has violent anger and irritability, at times so great that he wants to stab
anybody who comes near him. When he is anxious, he wants to be alone, shuns all
company; would like to be alone in a room, and try to shut off even lights.
Avoids the look of people even the best-known friends. He wants to be in a dark
place all by himself. He finds a peculiar pleasure when he is all by himself.
In my own case I used to feel very much upset if we had visitors in the house;
felt a strange joy of if everybody else had gone out of the house and myself
left alone. I would shut myself in and rub my hands in sheer relief. While
passing in the street would avoid meeting the best friends.
There is extreme melancholia, especially with digestive troubles (compare Natrum
sulph.). Looks at the dark side of things. I did not, however, remember any
impulse to suicide, although I used to have extreme blues. At times mental
depression will alternate with fits of buoyancy. During depression, I felt
utter lack of self-confidence. Great indecision.
From the evolution of its mentals, it is quite evident that Iodine will suit
certain cases of insanity and mental disease. In its later stages of
development, the anxiety reaches an extreme degree, and patient has ideas and
thoughts rushing to the brain at a terrific speed. He forgets what he has just
thought, and becomes anxious, but, in spite of it, the brain seems to get no
rest. He wishes he could find some rest from his over-active brain. The speed
of thought is maddening. He actually fears that he will go insane, if this does
not stop. Fear of insanity becomes quite marked. In 1940, I felt I would go
mad if this did not stop. At that stage my physical symptoms were abating and
mentals were getting worse. If I had not taken Iodine at that time, I would
have gone insane. The only relief from this over-crowding of ideas is while
eating.
Then there are fixed ideas, which take such a hold of him that he cannot get rid
of them. He holds them with religious tenacity. He talks of funny impractical
things, which he never was known to talk about. He realizes it, but he cannot
stop if. He has ideas of grandeur about himself, a sort of megalomania. Thinks
he is the most gifted and clever person. Exuberant, over-confident to a
ludicrous degree. He likes to be mesmerized like Phos., Calc., Sil. He feels
it better to be rubbed and massaged.
Certain Iodine types develop loquacity to a marked degree. Iodine is capable of
long, interminable, voluble talks. Patient, while healthy a quiet and reticent
type, becomes extremely talkative. He cannot help talking and ideas seem to
come so rapidly that he can talk for hours; gives speeches. Irresistible desire
to talk, although talking exhausts him very much. I remember very vividly that
one of the symptoms, in the last stages of my illness, was the talkativeness.
It was something quite foreign to me. I, myself, was surprised at my own
capacity for volubility. But alas! I lost that faculty for extempore speeches
after a few doses of Iodine.
In my diary dated 1940-41, I find the following:
I developed a certain whimsicality, and a certain vehemence with which I put
forward my ideas ... a sort of bubbling enthusiasm and over-confidence; feeling
of mental superiority over others. Fits of loquacity; talked and argued with
great force and humored others for hours.
In crowded places like market places, I felt ill at ease; a sort of confusion so
that I would hardly think. Desire to escape at once.
In its mental evolution Iodum may induce clairvoyance. No authority so far has
noted this symptom. I could foretell events quite accurately. Under the
influence of high potency such symptoms were aggravated and later cured in me.
I developed some remarkable but funny symptoms. Neither before nor after have I
been clairvoyant in my life, but at that period I developed a definite symptom
of clairvoyance. If an idea came that a particular person would see me that
evening, I would actually find him paying me a visit. There were many little
incidents, which came true. Once I happened to go to the railway station to
receive somebody, and as I was standing on the platform waiting, a thought
suddenly came to me that the carriage carrying the particular person would stop
right in front of me. Five minutes later the train steamed in, and lo, my
friend came out of the carriage right in front of me. This clairvoyance was not
normal, but pathological with me. There were many other incidents of the same
nature.
Easy forgetfulness. At times, even if there was nothing definite, I felt as if
I had forgotten something and did not know what it was. It weighed on my mind
and made me nervous and restless. It is a great nervous remedy; nervousness on
undertaking any thing new or even a journey. Anxiety and nervousness was felt
in the stomach causing a lot of empty eructations.
I have already written about its irritability; so irritable that he will throw
objects, abuse others or desire to beat. Great irritability after stool.
Weakness and irritability after stool was a constant symptom.
Great sensitiveness to noises of a crowd. Confusion and blankness of mind in a
crowd. Sudden noises would startle me and resound through the heart.
At times laughter and hilarity without any cause, at others terrible blues.
I often had sudden impulses to fly or run very fast or bomb and blast
buildings. I could not explain it, but it persisted for a long time.
Modalities
Let
us now discuss Iodine's modalities. I have already mentioned relief from
motion. It is an important general modality of the patient's remedy. Patient
is always better by walking in cool open air. Even palpitation, which is worse
o beginning to walk and more while standing, is relieved when walking slowly. I
could hardly imagine that continued walking will make it better as on least
exertion, otherwise, I felt distressing palpitation. This symptom appeared
after the 50M.
Recently my assistant complained of great aching and pains all over the body and
felt worse when lying down. Felt better when moving about. Felt more feverish
while resting, better walking about. He had some low temperature also. Rhus
tox. and Pulsatilla did not make appreciable impression. He seemed to be
losing weight. I felt worried and sent him to be X-rayed. It was incipient T.B.
of lung. On taking the case, found him warm-blooded; emaciating. Prescribed
Iod 200. Temperature came down to normal, aches and pains better, although
pulse rate continued to be fast. He is now much better.
Another main characteristic feature of the drug is its hunger and relief from
eating. Its voracious hunger is proverbial but there are cases where there may
be anorexia. Iodum patients may not feel any appetite, but on starting to eat,
he eats a lot, i.e., more that he expected (Lyc., etc.). This symptom is more
constant. In a case of chronic amoebiasis, the patient did not feel hungry, but
on starting to eat, she could take an enormous amount, and was fast losing her
weight. Iodum 200., one dose, put her on the road to recovery.
More characteristic than voracious appetite is the relief in all its complaints
by eating. This is indeed a gem - the most dependable characteristic.
In my diary I have: fits of ravenous hunger, taking to meals like a hungry wolf
and eating with vengeance. Committed mistakes and forgot things when hungry.
Hurried in eating with no other thought. Could not even take part in table
talk.
At meal time patient is extremely restless; he must eat or do something, take up
a book or paper or get busy with something.
Hungry Iodum is an extremely ugly sight. While eating he is in best of moods.
Iodum patients cannot keep a fast. Most of the pains, mental symptoms or
physical ailments, are relieved as long as he is eating. Headache, palpitation,
anxiety, even pain in stomach are better from eating. Even diarrhea and
distension of abdomen are better from eating for sometime. Such is the
universal application of this modality. Such a symptom with such intensity is
not marked in any other drug of our materia medica. Amongst the halogen group
Fluoric acid has it to a fairly strong degree. Our repertories should give this
modality under various rubrics. This modality in my understanding of the drug
is one of the pivotal points around which the whole symptomatology of Iodum
moves. I remember that if I had a very urgent desire for stool in diarrhea and
I happened t o eat something, I would be relieved temporarily from it. Ravenous
hunger after stools.
Another feature of the drug is its emaciation. Patient eats well, but he seems
to be losing weight for no apparent cause. In chronic cases, emaciation may not
be evident in the earlier stages, except that in spite of good food and
appetite, the patient does not flourish. It may be noted that emaciation is
more marked in hot weather. I remember that as soon as hot weather came, I used
to start losing weight without apparent cause. Often my digestion also was
upset during the hot weather.
It seems that metabolism is accelerated with lack of proper absorption of fat.
Stools show abnormal fat contents in such cases. This drug may be useful in
disturbances of the pancreas.
With emaciation it has been found that glands in general become large and
indurated with the exception of mammae and testes. These two glands dwindle
with general wasting.
Thermal Modality
The typically Iodum patient is a very hot-blooded patient, likes to be in cold
open air. In winter he likes to have the windows open. In debilitated
conditions he may feel lack of vital heat, but practically all these symptoms
are worse from heat and relieved by cold in general. The patient and his
complaints will be aggravated in a warm atmosphere; in hot weather. As I have
mentioned above, the patient loses weight rapidly in summer. Most of his
complaints will come in summer. I remember that as soon as summer came, I had
diarrhea and headaches, which were relieved if I went to hill stations. Once I
was sitting in an examination hall, and it was the cold month of January.
Electric heaters had been placed near the candidates. Within few minutes of my
entering the hall I had a strange headache with a vise-like sensation. Thinking
was impossible. I failed in examination. Later I realized heaters were
responsible for my mishap. There are flushes of heat all over the body, face
and ears especially. It is better while eating and in cold open air. Cold
bathing relieves many of the complaints. I used to have pain in my stomach
after stools, which was better either by eating something or by having a cold
bath. Even my headache was temporarily relieved by a cold bath.
Iodum like other hot-blooded remedies is venous in type.
Like Sulphur, standing is the worst position. Feels very uneasy and gets easily
tired while standing. He may walk for hours but standing upsets him in a few
minutes. It is quite logical to expect varicose veins and venous stagnation in
the symptoms. Here it may be compared with Fluoric acid.
Iodum exhibits great prostration-unusual weakness at times out of proportion to
the apparent cause. There is a funny strange symptom that he feels extreme
weakness when ascending stairs although he does not feel tired while walking on
a level. Great weakness when hungry; when stomach is empty after stool. I
quote from my diary, "Got easily tired, even while talking; did not feel like
undertaking even least exertion. Getting up, even from sitting posture, seemed
like an ordeal".
He is usually hurried in everything. Perhaps it is the result of the anxious
restlessness mentioned as above.
Particulars
I shall take up a few particulars, which stand out boldly in my experience.
Beginning with headache, the only pain that I experienced was band-like
constriction and the band would tighten if the patient goes into a warm place or
near a fire. Headaches are better as long as one is eating, in the cold open
air, and from tight bandage.
Catarrhal discharges are thick, yellow and acrid, e.g. leucorrhoeal discharge.
Expectoration is acrid and seems to corrode the tongue if held for some time in
the mouth. Cold is better in open air. It has loud croupy cough, like Spongia,
in evenings usually before midnight.
We do not usually associate Iodum with skin troubles, but it is a deep
antipsoric. It has weeping eczema, extensive impetigo. Itching of the skin
alternated with headache in my case. Numbness after itching. After a potency
of Iod. 50M I had virulent type of impetigo, an oozing eruption, especially on
the feet. Since that experience, I have had a healthier respect for Hahnemann's
theory of Psora.
In Iodum patient it is noticed that the rate of metabolism is increased. Pulse
rate is higher than normal; hair and nails grow at a rapid rate; hunger is
increased; lymphatic glands enlarge and all this at the cost of the body which
emaciates.
There are gnawing pains in the stomach worse after stools in the morning, better
after eating or bathing in cold water. There are loud empty, eructations,
sometimes tasting like rotten eggs. In flatulence Iodum vies with China, Lyc.
and Kali carb. Everything is felt in left hypochondrium. Like Nux it has
ineffectual urging to stool, "not done" sensation.
At times copious and frequent urination, which would wake me at night. This
symptom often appeared after a potency. Another interesting symptom which I
recall is the passage of excessive phosphates, a number of times during the day,
and each time I felt very hungry after passing urine loaded with phosphates.
Sometimes hunger was before urination. I know of no other drug with this
peculiar symptom, it should go into repertory.
In the chest I experienced an oppressive band like sensation, especially over
the praecordial region. I felt anxious during this pain, which lasted for a few
minutes.
Feels sleepy but cannot sleep. Feels sleepy for sometime, but then wakes up and
cannot sleep for hours. Insomnia.
Sexual desire is extremely increased during the earlier stages but later on the
desire may die down with the dwindling of the testicular glands. It has violent
erethism and the patient walks about the room with violent sexual excitement.
Cannot sleep for nights because of violent erections (Personal experience).
Toothache like that of Mag. carb., is better walking about rapidly, worse from
hot drinks, better from drawing in cold air.
It may be noted that during the action and proving of Iodum on my person I
avoided the study of this drug in any book of the materia medica, so that I
should be able to put down in the record everything unbiased. Now that I go
through the literature I find interesting comparisons. In many instances the
words may be different but the central ideas are the same. Moreover, very few
authors have done full justice in their work, probably because of lack of first
hand acquaintance. Hering's Guiding symptoms and Kent's Materia Medica give the
best rendering. In my case, the most violent upheaval came after a potency of
50M and I was confined to be for two months. Even to this day, some one or
another symptom crops up. My intimacy with Iodum is ten year old and its
effects seem to last for years. In constitutional cases its repetition should
be done with great care.
Generalities
I have failed to mention when I wrote about the weakness of Iodum that there is
often trembling with weakness. Trembling of legs walking or after some
exertion. Weakness and exhaustion even on talking. This weakness was not
confined to chest but it was general with desire to keep quiet. There was
however a phase of loquacity when I could talk on endlessly at a stretch, but I
felt very tired after the feat. Weakness in particular limbs also.
Inexplicable weakness alternated with restlessness.
Periodicity
It seems that Iodum has some sort of periodicity in its complaints, which has
not been brought out clearly before. I experienced cyclic depressions, both
mental and physical, and they came at fairly regular intervals without any rhyme
or reason.
I had a large boil on the right leg 4 inches below the knee. It burst and
healed up but after two weeks it showed activity again, discharged some bloody
pus and closed again. After a fortnight, it stirred itself again and with drop
of bloody discharge it become quiet. There was not further recurrence.
For two winters successively I had influenza-like symptoms and the attacks came
about the same month. At both times the symptoms were remarkable similar.
Sides of the Body
It seems to affect the right side of the body more than left. This are the
organs affected more on the right side according to my experience.
Right eye: congestion, redness, blepharitis.
Right elbow: Eruptions.
Right leg: Abscess.
Right face: Crack in the right corner of the mouth.
Right teeth: Caries, pain.
Head and Face
Shooting pain in the lower jaw and in the forehead, especially during in attack
of acute catarrh, aggravated by bending forward or stooping. Shooting,
hammering pain in the right half of the head, right ear and right lower jaw.
Its application to chronic sinusitis should be kept in mind. Sensation of rush
of the blood to head, Tension in the head, aggravation by stooping. Increased
hunger during coryza. Flushes of heat on the face and ears. Fleeting shooting
pains in the lower gums. Dryness and tingling in the lips. Dryness and
tingling in the lips. This symptom almost always appeared after a dose. Every
winter I noticed blepharitis of the right upper lid. One of the last to appear
symptoms was cracking of the corners of the mouth, especially the right corner.
Chest
Oppressed feeling about the chest as if air was rarefied and breathing was
difficult. Wanted to go out at once into the open air. Pressing pain in the
cardiac region, a sensation of constriction.
Skin
As I have mentioned before, this drug is capable of causing and curing skin
eruptions and itching. It produced vesicular and pustular eruptions on the
elbow and on the dorsum of the feet. Itching without eruptions. Numbness after
itching. At times I noticed that itching on the skin alternated with headache
or other complaints. It produced small abscesses on the thigh and leg. During
the later phase of its action a few leucodermal patches also appeared; they
faded out or reappeared periodically. Also there was increased susceptibility
to tanning of the skin by the rays of the sun.
Itching without eruptions on the genitals in the evening. This was quite a
persistent symptom. Falling of the pubic hair.
Fever and Chill
I experienced influenza-like symptoms for two consecutive winters. There was
creeping chilliness both on back and front of the trunk. These chills
alternated with flushes of heat on the face. There was absence of thirst
throughout. I noticed that during these two attacks the recovery was fairly
quick and I was more energetic after the attack of fever. One thing that struck
me was that after the attack was over, although I felt very much exhausted and
irritated on the next morning, yet by the evening I felt a sudden change in
myself and I was as energetic as ever. Exhausted feeling in the morning was
accompanied by peculiar kind of weakness such as felt by man going uphill in a
rarefied atmosphere. There was palpitation with it.
During these attacks chilliness came in waves. At times waves or flushes of
heat would alternate. Chilliness in spite of heavy covers.
During the first attack of this type I had a strong urge to coitus and
intercourse seemed to ameliorate me in general. During the second attack, on
the day after the fever I still felt very heavy on the head. In the afternoon I
slept and had an involuntary emission during sleep (an unusual thing). In the
evening I was quite lively and active. Amelioration was quite marked.
Comparisons and Relationships
It is interesting to compare Iodum with other members of the halogen group,
especially with Fluoric acid. Both are warm-blooded and detest warmth in
everything. General nourishment of the body is deeply affected, although
Fluoric acid has a greater influence over bones and nails, whereas Iodum has
more on glands. Emaciation is present in both but more markedly in Iodum. Both
are venous remedies; both have great sexual erethism. Fluoric acid like Iodum
has great hunger and many of its complaints are better by eating in general
way. Both are anxious and restless remedies, but Iodum is exhausted after
slightest exertion, although he wants to be busy or doing something. Both
remedies cannot help being busy with something or the other. Fluoric acid has
sudden and strong fits of doing something physically (muscular) and does not
seem to be tired even after prolonged exertion; there is surprisingly great
capacity for physical labor. Both are, however, relieved in their restless
anxiety by occupation.
The other halogen, Bromine, like Iodum, has great influence over glands, but
most of its activity is centered on the respiratory tract. Iodum causes greater
induration of glands. Both have croupy cough and affections of the larynx
trachea. Both have difficulty of inspiration. Both are aggravated by warmth in
general. All the halogens are warm blooded. Iodine is more indicated than
Bromine in pneumonia.
Chlorine, the least known of the members, exerts most of its influence on the
respiratory mucous membranes. Suffocation and asthmatic breathing are present
in this also. Chlorine salts have in general specific influence on mucous
membrane and are similar to Iodum in diphtheria.
All the halogens have acrid and corrosive discharges to a marked degree. Here
one can draw an analogy to their physical properties of acridity. Dynamic and
physical properties vie with each other. With the halogens Pulsatilla has good
many points of contact. Both are warm blooded and venous in character, but
Iodum is more anxious and restless, while Pulsatilla is more melancholy and
lachrymose. Both are whimsical, but Iodum has tendency towards emaciation while
eating more, whereas Pulsatilla is rather obese while eating less. In its
chronic aspect, Iodum resembles Pulsatilla in thirstlessness. Pulsatilla is
complementary to it. Nux vomica lacks the important generality of warm
bloodedness, but it is, however, violent like Iodum. In irritability and
vehemence they vie with each other especially in digestive complaints. Iodum
has, like Nux, great ineffectual urge to stool. Nux, however, is relieved after
stool.
Lycopodium has many complementary relations to Iodum. Both are hot, irritable
and windy remedies. Both are right sided, although Lycopodium has more decided
action. Both have great hunger with emaciation. General pictures have,
however, their own individualistic features which delineate them from each
other.
Tuberculinum, Phosphorus and Natrum mur. are also a few of the remedies with
marked emaciation and increased hunger but not to the same degree as Iodum. In
scrofulous characteristics all these remedies are very close together.
In glandular affections Conium, Calcarea fluor. and Rhus tox. should be compared
with Iodum.
In tuberculosis Iodum and its salts have won incontestable laurels. Most of its
salts have not been proved sufficiently and we have only clinical provings to
guide us. They might be a tremendous asset to our armamentarium if all are
thoroughly proved.
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