Jessica arrived at the clinic nursing her right thumb, which had been extremely painful over the past month. She had tried a couple of over-the-counter homeopathic medicines for the problem but nothing seemed to be working.

The pain was intense, with a tearing sensation and throbbing. She had learned not to fully flex the joint so as to avoid the pain. She couldn’t  remember any injury or strain associated with the pain. She recalled a history of other pains over the previous year. Her right knee had been very stiff and sore and she had a recurrent bruising pain in her upper back. All the pains were worse at night in bed and she often woke in the morning with numbness in her right hand.

I was interested in what else was concerning her. Jessica had recently started a new job in an advertising agency and she was keen to make a good impression. She had been experiencing some anxiety at work, especially when giving presentations, and was unsure whether she was really up to the job. She was especially nervous around her new boss. On those days when she felt under pressure to perform, she would invariably get a throbbing headache by the end of the day. The main feature of these ‘nervous headaches’ was a hot feeling in the head and flushing of the face.

In considering both the physical and emotional aspects of Jessica’s story, a homeopathic medicine was prescribed on a ‘holistic’ basis. The medicine is known to address tearing rheumatic pain in the joints and congestive tension headaches, in addition to feelings of ‘uneasiness’ and anxiety.

After the first dose, Jessica reported that she had not experienced any headaches over the past month and she felt more confident settling into the new job. She was sleeping well and had decided to rejoin a yoga class near work. She had not been bothered by either knee or back pain, though the pain in her thumb seemed to be about the same.

After the dose of the medicine was repeated, this began to subside so that at her third monthly appointment she could happily report she had  regained full use of her hand. One year down the track, she was continuing to do well with only very occasional doses of the medicine.

LEE FORMICA, professional homeopath, NSW