Homeopath Yiota Papanikolaou presents a case of anxiety and headaches in a man of 46.
Zirconium metallicum fit the patient based on the symptoms described by Jan Scholten.
The patient is a man of 46 years old. He is an IT consultant, married with 3 children. He has allergic asthma aggravated by cat fur and seasonal hay fever. He has had his ligament repair when he was young. On 28/8/18 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer (L) (Homeopathy for Testicular Cancer) which was operated on 3/9/18 in the UK. No further treatment was received. He has had homeopathy as a child and wanted to find a homeopath to maintain a good level of health and prevent the cancer from coming back.
He has had 2 follow ups so far and I am seeing him every 2-3 months as he is doing very well. He has had a follow up and an MRI with the consultant on 2/1/2019 and the results showed he was clear of cancer so no further actions were taken at the hospital.
25/9/2018
Allergic asthma
Allergy to cats
Testicular cancer left
Achy knees in the morning, disturbed sleep feeling heavy in the morning
Cold and sweaty hands and feet
Likes cold icy drinks, sweets
Headache in the morning, dull, all day, either headache or knee pain, never together
Introverted, shy, creative, new ideas, revolutionary, cosmology, physics, astrophysics, math, new inventions, wants to create something new, needs space for himself, technology, art
Wants to be recognized
Very optimistic
Itchy arms, no eruptions,
How did you find out about the cancer?
“I had a sensation of numbness and itching a hardness of the testicle. It was hard as a rock so I thought something is wrong. The whole testicle was removed, the MRI was clear afterwards, so I have to get checked every 3 months for 5 years. I am really lucky I didn’t have to have any chemotherapy.”
How has this affected you?
Not at all! I have some sensitivity on my nipples, they are a bit tender and erect.
How is your sleep?
“Not very good, I had dreams of worries about buying a car and it being very expensive. I was stressed about the money. We have had a lot of pressure about the finances, lots of stress. I have a headache when I wake up in the morning on the temples. It’s a 5; dull headache, goes away easily with paracetamol, at the end of the day it can get worse, I snore at night. Headache is better with hot drink, worse for anything cold
Maybe a hot shower could help, it is always there but no intensity really.”
“The past 1,5 years my voice is a bit hoarse. The pain on the knees is just in the morning, like I have exercised a lot. Then it gets better, as the day goes by, better with movement. I either have a headache or painful knees but never these two at the same time. As soon as I get out of bed I get the achy knees not after gym or any other activities. It is like they are inflamed and there is a sensation of warmth on the knees, both knees the same. The pressure with the debt we went through was very stressful. I had nightmares. I used to stay up at night, lots of fighting, pressure with work that wasn’t going well. I was trying to keep up, to deliver”
What was the experience?
“I was eating a lot. Bulimia was my way out. I am a stoic person. I was feeling a pressure here HG (fist on chest) I had heart palpitations I would be angry, like crying, frustration, have mercy I can’t take it anymore! But I am very optimistic. Whatever happens no matter how I feel they are stepping on me. Pressure to give to the family HG the horrible pressure is better now the weight has been lifted off of me.”
“I used to bite my nails and my fingers in that state. I use to like to drink cold milk, lots of it straight from the fridge. I like cold drinks even in winter, icy cold. I need to do things for the kids. I feel disappointment that time passes, that I am losing time, a chance has been lost, so I push myself to do more, to sit down and do things with the kids etc. “
“If I feel very pressured I will eat a whole bag of nuts. Then I could go out for dinner, not that I am hungry but having my tummy full gives me satisfaction. I eat very fast too. I feel full with food, and I will eat when I am stressed. I would like something sweet. It needs to be something small and a lot of it. I like to continuously eat. Generally, I have slow rhythms. I don’t have time for myself because of the thing for the family. I want to be in my own little world and no one to bother me, to be on my own to have peace and quiet.
What would you like to do if you could, anything?
“To have a business of my own, to produce something, to offer to the people emotional support too. “
What kind of business would you have?
Something innovative, technically creative, a creation of my own. I like innovations, programming, coding to create something from zero, I have developed apps for kids, I really like the creation of technology. I study art, the painters, in my family there were lots of architects. I am interested in the aesthetics of things. When my space to work is limited, I don’t feel well, I feel pressured. I always have a special spot where I sit. I like to be in my own space.
How do you feel when you haven’t got that space?
“Like a wild animal that is being hunted by the hunter. I want to go away, the wild animal wants to go. I like my job where I have to go to a different customer every time, on my own that I get away from things, from the pressure, the noise, when I can’t do what I want to do”
What do you want to do at that point?
“I want to go away. I like the job being home based seeing customers, I have a sense of freedom, it is limiting to have a job from 9-5. I don’t like the routine. I want to choose what I want to do, how I work, where I work. Even at the office I always pick a specific place where I work, in an isolated work place. I don’t want to be next to other people. The presence of other people annoys me. I can’t be with them I need to be away on my own. They look at me, I feel bad, I feel they are preoccupied with me. When I do something, I have to interrupt my job, my creativity, they interfere with what I do, they distract my attention. I want to be able to do what I want without having my attention disrupted. “
“I am not the most sociable person. It is hard to speak to someone I don’t know, the unknown scares me a bit, it is difficult to reach another person, I wouldn’t go and meet the neighbour have him around etc. I was very introvert as a child, I never wanted to have a leading role in the theatre play, I have many ambitions but I don’t want to be famous, I want to do what I want to do but not be in the front line”
Tell me about the ambitions?
“To be successful in my job, to be acknowledged, to leave some work back, people to say that I did it this is my ambition to leave some kind of work behind I was shy as a child a bit of a weirdo, not athletic at all, I like brain challenges, math, physics, I am exhilarated by mental challenges. What would you like to do if you had the time and the resources? I would like to visit a technology exhibition, innovation, creativity, something cutting edge, novelty, I like astrophysics, astronomy, cosmology. Cosmology, the mass, the matter, physics, how the universe has created, to listen to lectures from scientists, that are pioneers”
What kind of books do you like?
“Physics, math, cosmology, black holes the world is a hologram, mathematical types, cutting edge “
You said you wanted to leave some work behind?
“Some software maybe, in a big project. To feel for myself, that I have done something important with my own criteria to feel like I have done something important. I will feel a completion, that I have fulfilled the purpose in life this completion hasn’t come yet. It is an internal thing to do something.
Fears?
“When I was young the teachers wouldn’t recognize my abilities, I felt released when I got a very good mark in the exams when someone else was marking the test, the fear is that my abilities are not recognized , I wasn’t very accepted at school I was a weirdo, I didn’t have many friends, I was very selective with my friendships, wouldn’t socialize much with many kids had very few friends”
Your wife?
“Very good relationship, she is very brainy, more practical than me, frees spirited, independent, I can rely on her, very emotional and explosive some times, that is a bit tiring but I like that she can handle herself, she will try anything new that’s why I like her, I don’t like routine I like people to be dynamic to take initiatives”
Fears?
“I am exhilarated by the unknown what’s beyond something, when you discover something you don’t know, the eureka moment it is a magical moment! Great enthusiasm when you discover something new.
Tell me about the pressure:
“To catch up with things, I never felt depressed, I am foolishly optimistic, I always find the positive in things, I like it everywhere I find the good in everything. I like Oxford very much, I like the academic air of it, the young people, I enjoy my own company. The pressure I felt was creative, to do something not dark or depressive, I felt positive with the diagnosis, I was a bit upset, but I don’t feel negative at all, I see it with optimism, it will pass. I believe in Christianity, man is too little he doesn’t know a thing. Every June I get hay fever, for a month, sneezing, catarrh, difficulty breathing. This year I noticed my hay fever symptoms were milder and then the diagnosis came I have itchy arms no rash, especially in the mornings until noon. Hands and feet always cold and sweaty , soles of feet sweaty and cold especially when I am doing something when I am rushing and sleep is disturbed at the moment, before 2010 I never had trouble sleeping, I feel a burden when I wake up after 2 hours it is gone.”
Notes:
When the patient started talking about his worries with his job, the financial insecurities, I was thinking of a remedy from row 4 and was expecting to hear more about work and duty around the family. It felt a little mundane to begin with. That was my prejudice. But as the interview went on and he started to share about his fascination with new ideas and creativity I found myself getting more and more fascinated and excited. As these ideas were unfolding, I found myself confirming the themes of Row 5 with pathology on the genitals and voice problems, themes of creativity and new ideas. After we finished the consultation, he shared with me that he is fascinated by homeopathy because it is an area still to be explored, unexplained and exciting. No one knows how it actually works and he found that fascinating. That confirmed to me my original idea that the patient needed a remedy from Row 5.
I decided on the row but was unsure of the stage so asked him to tell me about his need to do something new and how that is manifested. He said:
I feel confident about myself and my abilities, no doubt about that. But I can’t start something at the moment because I am afraid it is going to fail and I will put in all the time and the resources and it won’t happen. So I can’t make up my mind whether I should do it or not”.
That was a good confirmation on the stage so I decided on Zirc Met 30 as the patient was very pragmatic and practical and there were no emotional issues.
Prescription Zirconium metallicum 30/ once a week starting 25-9-2018
Row 5, stage 4 going on –àgiving up
Indecisive about his project, sure of himself but afraid it is going to fail.
FOLLOW UP – 1/11/18
“I have seen great improvement. I have been feeling great! I am much calmer. I don’t get anxious about things. I used to have those adrenaline crises as I would call them, but I feel much calmer now.”
“I have been eating very well, have lost 7 more kilos since I last saw you. I have stopped drinking alcohol. I take time to pick the food from the shops. I make time to eat wholesome homemade food, no junk food for me anymore. I used to drink a few pints of beer a week now I have stopped I don’t miss it at all. My sleep is so much better and losing weight has made a difference to that too. I will take part at the London half marathon in April. My hands are not cold and sweaty any more. I used to get that when I was getting stressed now I don’t have that.”
“No more headaches in the morning which is amazing. I wake up in the morning having so much energy. My energy levels have been dramatically improved.”
“The pains in my knees have gone completely. I go to the gym now, do some weight lifting. I am fine, no pain whatsoever. “
“Hoarseness in the voice has gone completely too. Itchiness on the arms is not there anymore. I noticed that when I got stressed at work the other day, I felt a pain down there on my genitals and I said to myself, I should be more in control of my stresses.”
“Dreams: I had dreams about my job but way back like 20 years ago. I saw colleagues and friends. Next dream was the same with my job but a more recent job, and every time I would dream the dreams would become more recent until I stopped having any now. I didn’t get any dreams about the times where I was really struggling with my job though, maybe they will come later. It felt as if something was unfolding through the dreams. “
“I don’t have the same stress about my work anymore. I am able to control it now. My craving for sweets is much better too. I will have something sweet if I want to but I can control myself whereas in the past I couldn’t resist. If I had a cake in from of me now I might even refuse it, which is unheard of.”
“I feel I am much more in control of my life in general. It’s very good.
I have studied the remedy. It is very interesting. I thought it was quite appropriate for me.“
Plan: Wait, give Zirconium 30 to take when needed
Zirconium has been found in S-type stars, the sun, meteorites and in lunar rocks, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Lunar rocks appear to have a surprisingly high zircon content compared to terrestrial rocks, according to analysis of lunar rock samples from the various Apollo missions.
Follow up – 17/12/18
“I have been feeling fine, well and balanced. I have been feeling sensitive in the area of the surgery. There is a slight fear about it but nothing major. I feel optimistic. I will have my scan results back at the 2nd of January.
My knees are fine, no pains, my sleep has been great too. No headaches in the morning or heaviness when I wake up all that is gone. No itchy arms, no eruptions. Palms of hands are fine too, no sweat. The fear I feel is not a lot, doesn’t rule my life. I had a regular checkup and all was fine too. My energy levels are very good. I get tired after 6-7 pm which is normal I think. I have put my projects on hold as I don’t feel ready to pursue anything at the moment. I want to give more time to my family and the kids, I actually feel I have been more attentive to their needs lately. I make more effort with my family now than before. My hands are warm, don’t feel cold at all like before. I haven’t had any dreams; after the last sequence all went to normal. I have taken the remedy twice within these 2 months”
Plan: Wait, take Zirconium metallicum 30 when needed
Next appointment in 2-3 months
Follow up – 22/3/19
I feel very good, I sleep very well. I have an appointment with a consultant soon and a CT scan in 2 months. I have had blood tests done and they were all clear.
I last took the remedy a month ago. My knees have been very good. My energy is different than before the therapy. The pattern is different. I wake up refreshed and then I don’t feel I need to rest all day. By 6-7pm I start getting tired which is normal I think. My energy back then was more erratic, now I feel more normal. I sleep around 12:30am which is early for me I used to sleep much later, I sleep 6-7 hours and I feel great. I don’t need to rest more. No headaches at all, no itchy skin, no sweaty hands it has all disappeared.
I get hay fever in June it will be interesting to see if I get it this year. I feel emotionally balanced. I deal with things stoically, my kids are doing good, family life is good. I need to feel that I have discipline in my life, I go to the gym I eat well, I look after myself. I feel more at peace, I have become more serene, calmer, I look and feel serene inside. I don’t feel dragging any burdens any more.
Prescription:
Wait, give Zirc 30 met to take when needed.
Follow up 1/11/18
I am much calmer I don’t get anxious about things, I used to have those adrenaline crisis as I would call them.
I have been eating very well, have lost 7 more kilos since I last saw you, I have stopped drinking alcohol, I take time to pick the food from the shops, I make time to eat wholesome homemade food, no junk food for me anymore.
I used to drink a few pints of beer a week now I have stopped I don’t miss it at all. My sleep is so much better, losing weight has made a difference to that too. I will take part at the London half marathon in April
My hands are not cold and sweaty any more. I used to get that when I was getting stressed now I don’t have that.
No more headaches in the morning which is amazing, I wake up in the morning having so much energy, my energy levels have been dramatically improved, I am very pleased!
Pains in my knees have gone completely. I go to the gym now do some weight lifting I am fine, no pain whatsoever.
Hoarseness in the voice has gone completely too
Itchiness on the arms not there any more
Dreams: I had dreams about my job but way back like 20 years ago, I saw colleagues, and friends, next dream was the same with my job but a more recent job, and every time I would dream the dreams would become more recent until I stopped having any now.
All through my life I felt the need to make something new, make a difference, I was offered a job as a permanent employee in a bank and I declined it, never appealed to me to do something like that, to have a permanent job etc. I don’t have the same stress about my work anymore. I am able to control it now
My craving for sweets is much better too. I will have something sweet if I want to but I can control myself whereas in the past I couldn’t resist.
Prescription: Wait, give Zirconium 30 to take when needed
Follow up
17/12/18
I have been feeling sensitive in the area of the surgery. There is a slight fear about it but nothing major, I feel optimistic
I will have my scan results back at the 2nd of January
My knees are fine, no pains, my sleep has been great too
No headaches in the morning or heaviness when I wake up all that is gone
No itchy arms, no eruptions
Palms of hands are fine too, no sweat
The fear I feel is not a lot doesn’t rule my life, I had a regular check up and all was fine too
My energy levels are very good, I get tired after 6-7pm which is normal I think
My hands are warm, don’t feel cold at all like before
I haven’t had any dreams , after the last sequence all went to normal
I have taken the remedy twice within these 2 months
Prescription: wait, take Zirconium metallicum 30 when needed
Next appointment in 2-3 months
22/3/19
Follow up
I have had blood tests done and they were all clear.
I last took the remedy a month ago. My knees have been very good.
My energy is different than before the therapy, the pattern is different. I wake up refreshed and then I don’t feel I need to rest all day, by 6-7pm I start getting tired which is normal I think.
My energy back then was more erratic, now I feel more normal
I sleep around 12:30am which is early for me I used to sleep much later, I sleep 6-7 hours and I feel great. I don’t need to rest more
No headaches at all, no itchy skin, no sweaty hands it has all disappeared
I get hay fever in June it will be interesting to see if I get it this year
I feel emotionally balanced, I deal with things stoically. I go to the gym I eat well, I look after myself. I feel more at peace.
I don’t feel dragging any burdens any more
Prescription:
Wait , give Zirc 30 met to take when needed.
Next appointment booked in 3 months
E-mail Follow up 10/5/19
I am doing very well, all is fine, scans from the hospital came back clear
About the author:
Yiota Papanikolaou
I was born and studied in Thessaloniki in Northern Greece. I studied economics in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and worked for a big multinational insurance agency as a consultant for 13 years. I moved to the UK in 2011 due to my husband’s job. Overwhelmed with becoming a mother of three in just 3 years, away from my family and friends, and suffering from recurrent tonsillitis, I reached for a homeopath and I had a miraculous healing experience. I was fascinated by the profound healing effects of homeopathy and I discovered that healing was my path in life; to heal and to be healed. I realized that studying homeopathy was my calling and I listened. I enrolled at Misha Norland’s school “The School of Homeopathy” in 2014 and graduated in June 2018. I have experienced a life-changing journey of transformation, growing and learning the art of homeopathy, I made life long memories and precious friends. I have been practicing since September 2018 and I am seeing patients from my private clinic, “Gaia Homeopathy” in Newbury, West Berkshire.
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