Achalasia
Achalasia is a rare disorder of the esophagus characterized by the abnormal enlargement of the esophagus, impairment of the ability of the esophagus to push food down toward the stomach (peristalsis), and the failure of the ring-shaped muscle (sphincter) at the bottom of the esophagus to relax.
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Remedy |
Characteristics Symptoms |
Patient Worse by |
Patient Better by |
| Alumina | Dryness of mucous membranes and skin, and
tendency to paretic muscular states Suits old people, with lack of vital heat, or prematurely old, with debility Sluggish functions, heaviness, numbness, and staggering, and the characteristic constipation find an excellent remedy in Alumina Disposition to colds in the head, and eructations in spare, dry, thin subjects Delicate children, products of artificial baby foods Throat dry, sore; food cannot pass, œsophagus contracted; feels as if splinter or plug were in throat Abnormal cravings-chalk, charcoal, dry food, tea-grounds Heartburn; feels constricted Aversion to meat Potatoes disagree No desire to eat Can swallow but small morsels at a time Constriction of œsophagus Stool hard dry, knotty; no desire Even a soft stool is passed with difficulty; great straining Excessive sexual desire Menses too early, short, scanty, pale, followed by great exhaustion Leucorrhœa acrid, profuse transparent, ropy, with burning; worse during daytime, and after menses Sleep restless; anxious and confused dreams Sleepy in morning |
Periodically In afternoon From potatoes In morning on awaking Warm room |
In open air From cold washing In evening On alternate days Damp weather |
| Asafoetida | Flatulence and spasmodic contraction of stomach and
œsophagus with reverse peristalsis Suits the hysterical and hypochondriacal patients Extreme sensitiveness Sensation as if peristaltic motion were reversed, and œsophagus were driven from stomach to throat |
At night From tough Left side During rest Warm applications |
Open air From motion Pressure |
| Baptisia | Great muscular soreness and putrid phenomena All the secretions are offensive-breath, stool, urine, sweat, etc Constriction, contraction of œsophagus; contraction at cardiac orifice Great difficulty in swallowing solid food. No appetite Constant desire for water Menses too early, too profuse Sleepless and restless Nightmare and frightful dreams Cannot get herself together, feels scattered about bed Falls asleep while answering a question |
Humid heat Fog Indoors From beer |
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| Belladonna | Active congestion, furious excitement, perverted
special senses, twitching, convulsions and pain Hot, red skin, flushed face, glaring eyes, throbbing carotids, excited mental state, hyperæsthesia of all senses, Dryness of mouth and throat with aversion to water Heat, redness, throbbing and burning Great children's remedy. Epileptic spasms followed by nausea and vomiting. Scar No thirst, anxiety or fear Violence of attack and suddenness of onset Œsophagus dry; feels contracted Loss of appetite Averse to meat and milk Great thirst for cold water Abhorrence of liquids; dread of drinking Sexual desire diminished Menses increased; bright red, too early, too profuse; very offensive and hot Sleep restless, crying out, gritting of teeth Kept awake by pulsation of blood-vessels Screams out in sleep Starting when closing the eyes or during sleep Sleeps with hands under head |
Touch Jar Noise Draught After noon Lying down |
Semi-erect |
| Cajuputm | Sense of enlargement Persistent sensation of choking Spasmodic stricture of œsophagus Constricted sensation on swallowing solid food Urine smells like cat's urine |
About 5 am Night |
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| Cicuta Virosa | Spasmodic affections Violent, strange desires Sensation of internal chill Moaning and howling Does absurd things Spasms of œsophagus; cannot swallow Desire for unnatural things, like coal |
From touch Draughts Concussion Tobacco smoke |
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| Lyssinum | Sore throat; constant desire to
swallow, which is difficult; gagging when swallowing water Desire for stool on hearing or seeing running water Profuse, watery stools, with pain in bowels; worse, evening Constant desire to urinate on seeing running water |
Sight or sound of running water or
pouring water, or even thinking of fluids Dazzling or reflected light Heat of sun Stooping |
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| Phosphorus | Tall, slender persons, narrow chested,
with thin, transparent skin, weakened by loss of animal fluids, with great
nervous debility, emaciation, amative tendencies Great susceptibility to external impressions, to light, sound, odors, touch, electrical changes, thunder-storms Suddenness of symptoms, sudden prostration, faints, sweats, shooting pains, etc Thirst for very cold water Stricture of œsophagus Hunger soon after eating Sour taste and sour eructations after every meal Belching large quantities of wind, after eating Cardiac opening seems contracted, too narrow; the food scarcely swallowed, comes up again Very fetid stools and flatus; long, narrow, hard, like a dog's; difficult to expel Great weakness after stool Lack of sexual power Irresistible desire; involuntary emissions, with lascivious dreams Menses too early and scanty-not profuse, but last too long Weeps before menses Leucorrhœa profuse, smarting, corrosive, instead of menses Great drowsiness, especially after meals Vivid dreams of fire; of hæmorrhage; lascivious dreams Goes to sleep late and awakens weak Short naps and frequent wakings |
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 |
In dark Lying on right side Cold food Cold Open air Washing with cold water Sleep |
| Abies Nigra | Pain in stomach always comes on
after eating Sensation of a lump that hurts, as if a hard-boiled egg had lodged in cardiac end of stomach; continual distressing constriction just above the pit of the stomach, as if everything were knotted up Total loss of appetite in morning, but great craving for food at noon and night Offensive breath Eructations Choking sensation in throat Wakeful and restless at night, with hunger Bad dreams |
After eating | |
| Ammonium Muriaticum | Especially adapted to fat and sluggish
patients who have respiratory troubles "Boiling" sensation Stricture of œsophagus Thirst for lemonade Much flatus Menses too early, too free, dark, clotted; flow more at night Leucorrhœa, like white of an egg |
Head and chest symptoms in the morning; abdominal symptoms in the afternoon | Open air |
| Cactus Grandilflorus | Constrictions; constrictions as
of an iron band Whole body feels as if caged, each wire being twisted tighter Congestions; irregular distribution of blood Great periodicity. Pulse-less, panting and prostrated Constriction of œsophagus Menses early, dark, pitch-like; cease on lying down, with heart symptoms Sleepless on account of pulsation in different parts of body Frightful dreams |
About noon Lying on left side Walking Going upstairs 11 am and 11 pm |
Open air |
| Capsicum | Seems to suit especially persons of lax
fiber, weak; diminished vital heat Not much reactive force Such persons are fat, indolent, opposed to physical exertion, averse to go outside of their routine, get homesick easily General uncleanliness of body Burning pains and general chilliness Older people who have exhausted their vitality, especially by mental work, and poor living; blear-eyed appearance; who do not react Fear of slightest draught Fetid odor from mouth Much flatulence, especially in debilitated subjects Intense craving for stimulants Much thirst; but drinking causes shuddering Thirsty after stool, with shivering |
Open air Uncovering Draughts |
While eating From heat |
| Condurango | Stricture of œsophagus, with burning
pains behind sternum, where food seems to stick Painful cracks in corner of mouth |
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| Gelsemium | General prostration Dizziness, drowsiness, dullness, and trembling Slow pulse, tired feeling, mental apathy Muscular weakness Complete relaxation and prostration Lack of muscular co-ordination General depression from heat of sun Sensitive to a falling barometer; cold and dampness brings on many complaints Sluggish circulation Difficult swallowing, especially of warm Feeling of a lump in throat that cannot be swallowed Has no thirst Urine profuse, clear, watery, with chilliness and tremulousness Scanty flow; menses retarded Cannot get fully to sleep |
Damp weather Fog Before a thunderstorm Emotion, or excitement Bad news Tobacco-smoking When thinking of his ailments At 10 am |
Bending forward By profuse urination Open air Continued motion Stimulants |
| Hyoscyamus | Inclined to be unseemly and immodest in
acts, gestures and expressions Very talkative, and persists in stripping herself, or uncovering genitals Is jealous, afraid of being poisoned, etc Weakness and nervous agitation Tremulous weakness and twitching of tendons Constriction in throat; cannot swallow liquids Involuntary micturition Has no will to urinate Impotence Lascivious; exposes his person; plays with genitals during fever Excited sexual desire During menses, convulsive movements, urinary flux and sweat. Intense sleeplessness Starts up frightened Great restlessness; every muscle twitches Will not be covered |
At night During menses After eating When lying down |
Stooping |
| Ignatia | Especially adapted to the nervous
temperament-women of sensitive, easily excited nature, dark, mild
disposition, quick to perceive, rapid in execution Rapid change of mental and physical condition, opposite to each other Great contradictions Alert, nervous, apprehensive, rigid, trembling patients who suffer acutely in mind or body, at the same time made worse by drinking coffee Superficial and erratic character of the symptoms Cannot bear tobacco Sour taste Constantly full of saliva Feeling of a lump in throat that cannot be swallowed Averse to ordinary diet; longs for great variety of indigestible articles Craving for acid things Urine profuse, watery Feminine sexual frigidity Sleep very light; jerking of limbs on going to sleep Dreams continuing a long time; troubling him |
In the morning Open air After meals Coffee Smoking Liquids External warmth |
While eating Change of position |
| Mercurius Corrosivus | Swallowing painful Taste salty and bitter Stool hot, bloody, slimy, offensive, with cutting pains and shreds of mucous membrane Pulse rapid and intermittent Urine hot, burning, scanty or suppressed; bloody, greenish discharge; albuminous |
Evening Night Acids |
While at rest |
| Naja | Bereft of speech, swallowing, and the
control over the movement of the lips Very susceptible to cold. Control of sphincters lost Sleep profound, like a log, with stertorous breathing, a typical reptilian state |
From use of stimulants | From walking or riding in open air |
| Platinum Metallicum | Pre-eminently a woman's remedy. Localized numbness and coldness Tremulousness Stool retarded; feces scanty; evacuated with difficulty; adheres to rectum, like soft clay Sticky stool Menses too early, too profuse, dark-clotted, with spasms and painful bearing-down, chilliness, and sensitiveness of parts Excessive sexual development Abnormal sexual appetite and melancholia Sleeps with legs far apart |
Sitting and standing Evening |
Walking |
| Plumbum Metallicum | Contraction in œsophagus and stomach;
pressure and tightness; solids cannot be swallowed Excessive and rapid emaciation Urine scanty; albuminous; low specific gravity Loss of sexual power |
At night Motion |
Rubbing Hard pressure Physical exertion |
| Rhus Tox | Motion always "limbers up" the Rhus
patient, and hence he feels better for a time from a change of position Sticking pain on swallowing Want of appetite for any kind of food, with unquenchable thirst Bitter taste Desire for milk Great thirst, with dry mouth and throat Drowsy after eating Dark, turbid, high-colored, scanty urine, with white sediment Menses early, profuse, and prolonged, acrid Dreams of great exertion Heavy sleep, as from stupor Sleepless before midnight |
During sleep Cold, wet rainy weather and after rain At night During rest Drenching When lying on back or right side |
Warm, dry weather Motion Walking Change of position Rubbing Warm applications From stretching out limbs |
| Stramonium | Aversion to water Cannot swallow on account of spasm Food tastes like straw Violent thirst Sexual erethism, with indecent speech and action Hands constantly kept on genitals |
In dark room When alone Looking at bright or shining objects After sleep On swallowing |
From bright light Company Warmth |
| Veratrum Viride | Especially adapted to full-blooded,
plethoric persons Great prostration Thirsty Nausea and vomiting; smallest quantity of food or drink immediately rejected Hiccough; excessive and painful, with spasms of œsophagus Burning in stomach and œsophagus Urine scanty with cloudy sediment |