The Bothersomeness of Sciatica

 I came across some a study, called the ‘Sciatica Bothersomeness Index’1, that evaluates how patients suffering from sciatica subjectively rate the ‘bothersomeness’ of various symptoms associated with the condition.

 My first thought was whether ‘bothersomeness’ is a real word. It is not to be found in any dictionary. My spell checker rejects it. Would it be acceptable to plunk that down on the Scrabble board?

Anyhow, sciatica is definitely not a joking matter. At any given point in time somewhere between 2 to 5% of the population suffers from the condition. It can be experienced as a single, brief episode, or as reoccurring incidents at varying intervals or a permanent affliction lasting months or years.

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Homeoprophylaxis

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  The outbreak of measles in California reported with great alacrity in the mass media has been a useful punctuation point for a campaign of the national medical and pharmaceutical industries to force multiple mandatory vaccinations nationwide as well as stigmatize those who withstand the pressure to participate.

People are increasingly faced with the prospect of losing jobs or educational opportunities based on their vaccination status. The FDA is currently unveiling a ‘Mandatory Adult Vaccination and Electronic Tracking Program’, and supposedly social media will be monitored for ‘anti-vaccine chatter’. Word has it that an alarm system is in the works which will identify non-vaccinated individuals and send out ‘Bio-Safety Alerts’ via text messages to cell phones in their vicinity.

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The Discovery of the Therapeutic Uses of Gunpowder

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John  Clarke, the eminent British homeopath of the early 20th century championed Gunpowder as a powerful medicine for blood poisoning.   In a monograph on that topic, he wrote about how he learned of its curative properties from an article in a homeopathic journal:

"For the last forty years, " wrote Mr. Upcher, "I have known and observed from personal experiment the effects of Black Gunpowder as a remedy for various kinds of blood - poisoning. The symptoms of poisoning which call for Black Gunpowder are almost invariably abscesses or boils or carbuncles, and frequently, though not always, exaggerated swelling of the poisoned limb, accompanied with discoloration of the skin, so that the arm from the tips of the fingers to the axillary glands is almost of a purple or black tint. In such cases I have found Black Gunpowder, whether in large or small doses, acts like magic. "1

Snakebit

 One hot and slow afternoon at the clinic in Mafi Seva, a taxi drove up with an old woman accompanied by three of her adult children.   While she lay sprawled out in the back seat, the children got out and approached us to ask if it might be possible to treat their mother.

They explained that while walking in the fields about three years earlier, she had experienced a sharp pricking pain on the tip of the large toe of her left foot. It had immediately become quite inflamed, and she went to the hospital for treatment. The inflammation subsequently had subsided until about four months ago when with no apparent cause it re-emerged. This time though the inflammation spread and treatment at the hospital had proved ineffective.

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It All Depends On How You Look At It

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Before heading off to Ghana, I was given the impression from past volunteers with whom I spoke that most of the cases in the village clinic of Mafi Seva would be relatively simple ones of acute illness or injuries.   This turned out to be not entirely accurate.

The cases were simple in the sense that they were fairly straightforward. Unlike my own practice where many patients have chronic degenerative diseases, autoimmune illness or complex mental states often complicated by medical and dental interventions as well as multiple prescriptions, the people I saw in the village presented with conditions and histories that were less involved.  There were fewer strands and influences to untangle, and overall responses to the remedies seemed to be more immediate.

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