Jim, who has recently retired, was accompanied by his wife when he came to visit me. His back pain was brought on by laying bricks in the garden three weeks previously.
He had recently endured a five-hour plane ride and could barely move because the pain was so bad. The doctor had given him painkillers to take as required, but Jim was loath to take them. He had taken one dose when he came to see me. He wanted a massage to help his back and kept telling his wife she was ‘not to fuss’. He contradicted everything she said about his back pain. Jim frequently commented, ‘I am fine, I can manage,’ and (to his wife) ‘Don’t touch me.’
He did not want to take any medicines as he felt that nothing would help. He said he was taking painkillers to keep his wife happy — though he admitted that they helped. Initially, he allowed me to massage his back and would not consider anything else. There was tightness and rigidity in the middle of the upper back and pain on any movement. I observed that Jim had great difficulty going up stairs, though he stoically denied this. I suggested he contact me in two days.
Two weeks later, Jim came back to see me at his wife’s insistence. Though things had improved, he was still not moving well and still in some pain. He had a second massage and I discussed the option of homeopathic medicine. He was still saying he was ‘fine’ and that ‘nothing would work, anyway’. He was not sure of homeopathy and thought it ‘rubbish’.
Once he agreed to try homeopathy, I gave Jim two homeopathic medicines to take once daily for three days. The first is indicated for people who suffer from injuries but who don’t want to be touched and who say they feel fine. The second is botanically related to the first. It works well on the deeper muscles, which can feel as if they have been trampled on. I asked Jim to please check with me the next week as my intention was to finish the treatment with another medicine. Jim did not return but his wife reported that he was feeling great and started to improve on the second day of taking the medicines.
Three months later, Jim has said he is doing very well and has had no further problems with his back.
EMMA STANTON, professional homeopath, WA