Phosphorus is found in many differen t forms in nature. The most abundant form of Phosphorus is white Phosphorus, which is a highly inflammable and a fluorescent solid substance. On heating, white Phosphorus changes into a red col oured powder, which is used to make matchsticks. Phosphorus is an important component of animal and plant life also used in traditional remedies to tr eat various diseases. The powder form is used to prepare the homoeopathic remedy. Phosphorus is a profoundly active and powerful remedy. It is deeply related to the functioning of inner linings i.e. the mucous membranes, nerve fibres, glands and the brain. It also affects bones and bone marrow. It is one of the best remedies for the control of red bleed (arterial) . It has no effect on dark coloured bleeding (venous bleeding).
Therefore, it should be cons idered as a treatm ent of arterial bleed only. Phosphorus is used for the treatment of tuberculosis and brain tumours . However, one has to be very careful in choosing its potency. One should always start the treatment with Phosphorus 30 and then if necessary, the potency ma y be gradually increased. It is a top class remedy for treating bone cancer . It is also very useful in the treatment of asthma. If asthma does not respond to the commonly used remedies and the symptoms of Phosphorus are present, then by the grace of God, the patient will respond well to Phosphorus. Generally, the external symptoms of Phosphorus patients have been stressed so much in homoeopath ic literatures that homoeopathic doctors have started to pay ex traordinary importance to these symptoms.
Yet, if the internal symptoms are present, then, whether the external symptoms are present or not, the remedy works very well. It is said that a Phosphorus patient is skinny and tall. He has conical fingers and possesses an ar tistic mind. The patient is of extremely fair complexion, has blond hair and light co loured eyes. He happens to be tender and sensitive. Obviously, it is very difficult to find a person with all these features and charact eristics. Furthermore, in some countries, one will rarely encounte r such a person. Even if such a Phosphorus 548 person is found, he may not nece ssarily be of the Phosphorus constitution. A Phosphorus patien t should not be identified based on his physical appearance rather; the identification should be based on the constitution of the patient. One must definitely keep in mind the sensitive nature of the patient.
Clinical Observations
Phosphorus can be recognised on the basis of the behaviour of certain di seases. For example, in certain diseases of women, the hands and feet become cold. The patient loses the courage to fight the disease and the body temperature falls sub- normal. All these are the symptoms of Phosphorus. It does not matter if the patient is black or white. Sometimes, the patient’s hands and feet become cold in the diseases of the bones, chest and kidneys. Since these are the symptoms of Silicea also, therefore treatment by alternating Phosphorus with Silic ea benefits the patient more. One of the symptoms of Phosphor us is the red bleed whereas in Sulphur, the bleeding is dark. In women, during their period, bleeding of a bright red colour before the actual period is due is a specific symptom of Phosphorus.
The discharge of Phosphorus is usually acidic. The leucorrhoeal discharge is also excoriating . The diarrhoeal stools are acidic to the extent that they cause blisters on the skin. Phosphorus also resembles Natrum Mur and Bryonia. In Bryonia, crusts form on the lips , which fissure at their edges due to severe dryness. Phosphorus also exhibits these symptoms. Some symptoms of Platinum may also be present i.e. the patient becomes aloof and thinks himself superior to others . The Phosphorus patient may remain aloof simply being honest and straig htforward. However, the patient is not arrogant, like Platinum. The Pla tinum patient thinks of himself as special and despises others. The Phosphorus patient is very kind and polite to others. His gentle nature makes him extraordinarily sensitive, which may sometimes cause certain diseases.
Sometimes, when alone fear of death overcomes him or he may become mentally agitated. He feels as if somethi ng is creeping inside his body. Many of the Phosphorus ailments am eliorate with heat, while the stomach and the head feel better in the cold. Because the pressure inside the head is al ready high, application of heat will make the headache worse. The main difference in the headache of Phosphorus and that of Belladonna is that the Belladonna patient feels comfort on lying down, whereas the headache of Phosphorus aggravates by lying Phosphorus 549 down. Therefore, the Phosphorus pa tient keeps his head elevated while lying down. In Belladonna, the headache is associated with cramps, whereas in Phosphorus the h eadache is without cramps. Cold things improve the stomach complaints, while hot things cause vomiting.
In a child the ingested milk, warms up in the stomach after a little while and causes vomiting. This symptom is similar to Aethusa. Phosphorus is closely related to the nerve fibres. It also affects the visual mechanism of the eye. The patient sees many colours. The patient sees a green halo around the light and also notices red and black spots. When someone becomes suddenly blinded due to unexpected shocking news , he should be treated with Phosphorus. Phosphorus is also an effective treatment for baldness and dandruff . These conditions are usually treated w ith Acid Phos. However, if the nerves become highly sensitive then Phosphorus is better. Phosphorus strengthens the hair and prevents hair loss. Thin blond hair considered to be the symptom of Phosphorus, ar e in fact due to the weak hair roots.
It is the weakness of the hair follicles that make the hair soft and silky. Such kind of hair is a symptom related to Phosphorus. Skin problems arise due to lack of pigmentation. Albino children, i.e., the children with clear wh ite skin as found in some forms of leprosy, are an example of Phosphorus. Thus , Phosphorus can be used in the treatment of albino children. P hosphorus is connected with the diseases in which the skin looks raw and the hair is unhealthy, regardless of the skin colour of the patient. Some of the symptoms are also found in Natrum Mur. For ex ample in Natrum Mur, the hair becomes lifeless and split at the end. However, the skin neither becomes raw nor loses its normal lustre. In Phosphorus, the vision becomes foggy . Besides Phosphorus, a green halo around the candlelight is found in Opium also.
Detailed Symptomatology
Opium can also afflict and paralyse the optic ne rve. Phosphorus is useful in the treatment of many eye diseases . The Retina of the eye contains cones and rods. The cones are triangular in shape and are responsible for colour vision. They split the light in to various colours. The rods help differentiate between white and black colours. If the retina becomes damaged or the optic nerve transmitting the message becomes weak, then the eyes cannot register vari ous colours i.e. the person becomes colour-blind. Gradually progressive blindness leading ultimately to complete blindness is a symptom of Phosphorus . This symptom is also found in Causticum. Many other symptoms of Causticum and Phosphorus also resemble each other. The Phosphorus patient feels very thirsty. He feels comforted by drinking cold water.
However, when the water becomes warm in the stomach, it induces vomiting. Severe uncontrollable nausea developing after surgery can be effectively treated with Phosphorus. Yellow spots develop on the abdomen, chest and parts of the neck, apparently due to a pigmentation disorder. This is in fact due to the weakness of the suprarenal glands . Phosphorus is extraordinarily effective against the kidney diseases. Phosphorus is widely effective against the diseases of the mouth . When the gums become diseased and there is light red offensive bleeding from them, then Phosphorus is the most effective remedy in this condition. Phosphorus is the foremost remedy to stop bleeding. If, after childbirth, bleeding cont inues for a long time and smells putrid, Phosphorus often works. Infections and tumours of the uterus can also cause bleeding.
Sometimes, the bleeding is without any bad odour, at least in the beginning of the bleed. Phosphorus is useful for this condition aswell. The Hoarseness of the voice is also a symptom of Phosphorus. Be sides Phosphorus, Carbo Veg, Causticum, Borax and Coca are also well-known remedies for a hoarse voice. In Carbo Veg, like Phosphorus, the patient loses his voice in the evening, bu t the condition improves in the morning. In Causticum however the throat is ho arse in the morning and becomes better in the evening. In Phosphorus , irritation of the throat causes coughing . The cough starts either on la ughing or on talking loudly, causing inflammation of the throat. Sometimes the cough starts due to itching of the throat. The phlegm dr ies up and sticks in the throat causing discomfort and more itching.
For this problem, Rhus Tox and Hepar Sulph, depending upon the symp toms of the disease, can be useful remedies. The uneasiness and restlessness of Phosphorus is due to the increased nerve sensit ivity. This symptom is found in almost all the diseases of Phosphorus. The symptoms become worse in the presence of strangers. The mind needs rest and cannot handle extra burden. Thus, the nerves b ecome extraordinarily sensitive. Weakness is a common symptom of Phosphorus. Phosphorus acts Phosphorus 551 slowly against the chronic diseases, wh ile in acute diseases it acts fast. For the joints of the hands, arms, elbows and the feet, becoming suddenly infirm , Phosphorus can be useful. Sometimes, the patient may be restless during sleep . The sleep is shallow. He frequently wakes up w ithout any particular reason.
This is due to mental anguish. Here, Ph osphorus happens to act very fast. Thunderous clouds make the symptoms of Phosphorus worse . Sometimes, the symptoms of the disease begin to appear before the weather changes. Phosphorus patients can perceive such changes in weather, which cannot be detected w ith the most sens itive scientific instruments. Their suffering begins before the actual change in the weather takes place. One symptom of Phosphorus is that climbing up the stairs makes the patient feel worse. However, this symptom per se is not related to any particular remedy. Besides Natrum Mur and Nux Vomica, Potassium Permanganate is also an antidote of Phosphorus. Po tassium Permanganate is very good in the treatment of extraordinary hypersensitivity . It is often used to prevent the numbness of extremities.
Further Indications
Severe nasal catarrh , which can only be treated with Phosphorus, but if not treated on time will become chronic. The mucous membranes of the nose become weak. Still, th e treatment would be Phosphorus. The ill effects of Potassium Pe rmanganate and Phosphorus on the throat and mucous membrane, i.e. the inner linings, are the same, however, the two are not identical with respect to their symptoms related to nervous system. Theref ore, Potassium Permanganate cannot be used as an antidote of Phosphorus in all situations. Phosphorus is an excellent treatment of fatty degeneration of the liver and other parts of the body. Failures of the liver and kidney, as well as fatty degeneration of the heart muscles, are the characteristic symptoms of Phosphorus. Phosphorus also protects from the ill effects of drinking.
Phosphorus is very sensitive with respect to its action on the nerves. The liver is the smallest but most active yet silent chemical-manufacturing fact ory in the world. Almost five thousand chemicals are directly ma nufactured by the liver, while the rest are synthesised by various organs through the mediation of Phosphorus 552 chemicals released by the liver. Cholesterol is also produced by the liver. The liver converts the normal fat into cholesterol. In some people, there is a familial tendency of overproduction of low-density of lipo-proteins LDL by their liver. Cutting down the fat in their diet will not help in lowering their blood cholesterol level. It is this type of cholesterol i.e. LDL which causes occlusion of the coronary arteries and predisposes to heart attack. Phosphorus normalises the function of the liver concerning the produc tion of LDL and thus lowers the level of cholestero l in the blood.
Phosphorus is very effective in resolving nasal polyps, relieving blockage of the nose. The polyps and adenoid glands block the nose, forcing the child to breath thr ough the mouth. The sense of smell becomes affected. The nose may bleed also. In the presence of such tendencies, Phosphorus c ould be useful in the treatment of swollen uterine glands in women. In Phosphorus, the stomach problems a nd headache get better in cold weather. If the bleeding starts due to high blood pressure , Phosphorus helps to stop the bleeding. Once, a friend of mine developed a severe nosebleed in the middle of the night. I went to see him and found a pool of blood on th e floor, as if a goat had been slaughtered. He was also bleeding into the mouth. I administered Phosphorus and Millefolium together , into his mouth, which was full of blood.
Within fifteen minutes, th e bleeding stopped and he went to sleep comfortably. Phosphorus is ve ry effective in controlling unusual wound bleeds. The patient finds re lief with cold and the bleeding stops by application of cold water. During a headache due to severe hypertension , there is a serious danger of cerebral haemorrhage . In this condition, cooling the head helps. Ho wever, it is absolutely essential to continue the treatme nt with Phosphorus in order to completely prevent this tendency forever. Phosphorus is exceptionally effective in the treatment of bladder and prostate cancers . Against bone cancer also, Phosphorus has proven to be very effective. On ce I treated a patient who had been given all types of radiation with P hosphorus 30. I told the patient to let me know of his condition after one month.
After this time he told me that he was not losing weight any more and his appetite had significantly improved. Previously the patient’s bones had become very weak. He could not walk or ev en stand on his legs and he had to Phosphorus 553 use crutches. Within three months, his health improved so much that he walked without any support. The patient remained healthy for about eight years therafter, late r developing brain cancer. By the grace of God, he was cured of the brain cancer also and lived for another fifteen years. Cancers ha ve a tendency to recur therefore a cancer patient should be treated co ntinuously. One must be very cautious in using Phosp horus because it is a very potent remedy. It should be avoided in high potency. Phosphorus is effective against cancer of the liver, bone, bone ma rrow as well as the lymphatic glands.
Constitutional Features
One should always keep Phosphorus in mind while treating the cancers of the throat, bones and bladder . One characteristic symptom of Phosphorus is that the patient loses his voice due to ulceration in the throat . In fact, the loss of voice is also a symptom of throat cancer. Thus if someone has an ulcer in the throat and loses his voice, treatment should be started immediately. If the treatment is delayed, the prognosis becomes gloomy and the cancer will become untreatable.
