📖 Cocculus (HMT) Introduction

Cocculus is famous for the treatment of vertigo. Vertigo results from an imbalance of fluid in the deeper part of the ear (inner ear) or due to the weakness of the vestibular ne rve which carries the sensation of balance from the ear to the brain. The resultant delay in nerve conduction results in dizziness a nd the person cannot maintain balance. When the patient turns his head one way or the other, the message about the movement does not reach the brain promptly. Due to the weakness of the nervous system , the physical efficiency and the efficiency of the brain is di sturbed. The patient feels tired and weak. Later, this weakness may turn into full-fledged paralysis. The victims of this condition are us ually people who become mentally exhausted after taking care of their near and dear ones for a long time. They virtually remain awake day and night and are in constant state of fear and anxiety. The resultant physical and mental exhaustion will be cured by Cocculus. This exhaustion usually does not aff ect midwives and nurses because they take care of the patient as a pa rt of their professional duty. They do not have any direct personal re lationship with the patient. Generally, their physical fatigue does not convert into nervous tension. In the Cocculus patient, the body starts feeling weak as a result of mental pressure, supplemented w ith physical exertion or physical exertion with mental anxiety. The patient does not sleep well. He is always in a state of anxiety and apprehen sion, which results in headache. There is a tendency to develop vertigo, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms get worse with movement. It further gets worse by stumbling during walking. The symptoms are aggravated during travel. One must always keep Cocculus as the initial treatment for imbalance resulting from sudden motion. The skin of a chronic Cocculus patient shivers. The hands tremble when picking up an object . There is loss of coordination in the movement of the limbs resulting in imbalance. The patients cannot make a quick turn. They have to turn slowly to avoid severe dizziness. Some symptoms of Cocculus rese mble those of Belladonna. In Belladonna, the dizziness gets worse with sudden motion but this is due to the variation in the pressure of the blood towards the brain. In both Cocculus and Belladonna, a slight noise and sudden jerk become unbearable. In both, the patient suffe rs from sleeplessness and mental anguish. Unlike Belladonna, the face of a Cocculus patient is of normal complexion and there is no u nusual flow of blood towards the face. In Cocculus the muscles become stiff and taut. To contract or stretch the limbs causes severe pain. In Cocculus, the patient feels severe colicky abdominal pain. There is griping and cramping over the stomach . Sometimes, the pain makes breathing uncomfortable. So me women may actually become unconscious due to severe pain. Th e patient dislikes food and their appetite disappears. In Cocculus, there is a delay in message relay from one point to another. There is also a fee ling of time passing rapidly. The legs become paralysed and numb or insensitive. The background of this paralysis is a long period of worr isome night vigil, problems and apprehension. Due to mental anguish and nervous exhaustion, the Cocculus patient answers questions very sl owly. He is lost in his own thoughts. He often gets severely depressed. The head feels heavy. In addition Cocculus is useful in the treatment of headache secondary to heat exposure, like Belladonna and Glonoine. In Cocculus, the eyesight becomes foggy, but this does not last long. Due to nervous weakness, it become s blurred temporarily. Mental fatigue is also temporary. The inability to open the eyes, especially during night, due to severe pain in the eyes, swollen eyelids or constriction of the pupils, are also the symptoms of Cocculus. In Cocculus, there is a metallic taste in the mouth, which is somewhat acidic. There is a feeling of acidity in the stomach along with the tendency of nausea and vomiting . In Cocculus, there are some symptoms similar to malaria but the aches are only in the legs rather than the whole body. The fever associated with nausea and vertigo will respond to Cocculus. In Cocculus the patient cannot bear the smell of food, which in fact causes nausea. This symptom is also present in the case of Colchicum. Whenever a gland is inflamed and enlarged , the treatment could be Kreosotum or some other homoeopathic remedies, but in Cocculus the swelling an d inflammation is secondary to paralysis. Similarly, due to the paralysis of the intestines and the muscles of the abdomen , the patient gets constipated and finds it very difficult to expel the stools. In women, the periods are either too frequent or much delayed and continue for much longer. Thes e symptoms are present in other remedies also. For a proper diag nosis, the specific symptoms of Cocculus must be kept in mind. If so found, Cocculus will be the ideal treatment. The specific symp toms of Cocculus are generalized weakness, partial paralysis, movement aggravating the symptoms, and delayed conduction of sens ation along the nerves. Copious watery discharge in between the periods is specific to Cocculus. It gradually makes the patient very weak, so mu ch so that she talks with great difficulty. The right and left hand s become cold and hot alternately and can become numb also. Sim ilarly, the patient may have cold sweats alternately. A Cocculus patie nt cannot tolerate gusty wind or the wind draft. He is oversensitive to both cold as well as hot air. The symptoms aggravate in the open, su n and warm bedding, as well as at nighttime. Generally Cocculus is used in potency 30 but when there is paralysis of the lower half of the body, it needs to be given in potency CM, to be repeated after a long pe riod. This kind of paralysis is treatable with Cocculus and only Cocculus; otherwise the patient remains untreated for life. Antidotes: Coffea, Nux Vomica Potency: Usually 30, but in case of the specific paralysis, up o CM.