# Zinc Metallicum (HMT)

## Remedy Classification
- **Type:** Remedy
- **Alternative Names:** Zinc
- **Miasm:** Tubercular Miasm
- **Temperament:** Neutral
- **Aggravation Time:** Neutral/Anytime

## Keynote Indications
Zincum Metallicum 675
ZINCUM METALLICUM

Zinc is a very important neurotropic remedy (i.e. the one that works
on the nervous system).  It seems to be the best remedy for patients
who have become mentally exhausted due to chronic illnesses, and
whose body has been rendered incapable of reacting to bring diseases
out to the surface.

During an epidemic of infectious diseases like measles and smallpox,
the appearance of skin signs, such as  rashes, helps the diagnosis.  In a
patient of Zinc, these signs fail to  appear on the skin, although the
disease process has already aff licted the body internally.  The
homoeopathic form of Zinc helps to project these diagnostic skin
signs.

During paralytic conditions of chronic and resistant nature, when the
patient is treated with Zinc, it will set up a state of neurological
provocation and reaction showing that the body is being prepared for a
defensive stance.  Zinc helps to express the suppressed symptoms and
signs of diseases, infectious as well as neurological.  This reaction is
absolutely necessary to save the patient’s life but may be extremely
disturbing to him.  In case Zinc needs to be administered to provoke
the mind and body reactions, the patient must be warned
beforehand.
Dr. Kent has devised a humorous story about Zi nc.  He has suggested
that a homoeopathic doctor shoul d visit a Zinc patient who has
paralysis, very fast on horseback and then also return equally as fast
after giving him the treatment.  The reason for this is that since Zinc
provokes an immediate brisk tingli ng response so swiftly that the
relatives of the patient might thi nk that the doctor has poisoned the
patient and rush to attack the docto r.  After this abrupt tingling, the
nerves begin to recover and the paralysis disappears.  Then the
relatives will run to thank the docto r.  I have also  Zinc on such
patients.  The patients did evidently show a brisk response though not
of the severity described by Dr. Kent . As a matter of principle, I warn
my patients that the se vere nervous response
is the first sign of the
cure to follow.

Zincum Metallicum 676
Another characteristic sign of Zinc is the fidgeting of feet.  Women
usually keep their feet exposed out  of the bedding and keep rubbing
them against each other.  Some patients may continually shake their
legs.  Any person exhibiting this si gn and then falling sick must be
treated with Zinc.  Once the constitution of the patient is recognised to
be that of Zinc, all his illnesses will respond to Zinc.

Nux Vomica, being completely op posite to Zinc, should never be
given with it even though both have  similar effects regarding the
treatment of nervous tension  In homoeopathy, two remedies of a
similar nature may sometimes annul each other, or being incompatible
may result in a severe b odily reaction.  In case a patient needs to be
treated with Zinc but  has already been given Nux Vomica, then
Camphor or Sulphur must be administ ered to neutraliz e the effects of
Nux Vomica before he is given Zinc.

The late onset of menses  and scanty menses are suggestive of Zinc.
Unless they are treated with Zinc, some young girls may be
predisposed to certain uterine and nervous conditions for life.

Zinc poisoning slows down the digestive system.  Food gets digested
extremely slowly.  The appetite vani shes.  Food rots in the stomach.
Vomiting sets in due to acidity.  The patient becomes constipated.
Even the bladder function becomes slowed down.  Bowel and urinary
symptoms coexist.  In contrast, Mercury produces its symptoms by
way of irritation and in tensity.  There is a bu rning sensation during
urination and after.  Similarly, in  dysentery, the patient keeps on
feeling the gripes and tenesmus, ev en after having passed the stools.
The Zinc patient has to sit down wh ile passing urine; he cannot pass
urine while standing.  On the contra ry, a Causticum patient can pass
urine only while standing, whereas by sitting, the urination either
stops or becomes obstructed.  Some of the patients have to be pulled
backwards so that they may begin to pass urine.

The face of a typical Zinc patient is  pale and wrinkled.  He always
feels cold.  Prior to the affliction of his mind and loss of memory, the
patient first repeats the question and before answering.  A slight
sudden noise makes his body tremble.  When a Zinc patient develops
paralysis, he starts to look premat urely old.  However a Zinc patient
does not exhibit these signs in his youth whereas in Sarsaparilla and
Zincum Metallicum 677
Agaricus, a patient appears to be old at a very young age.  In
Sarsaparilla, even children look old.

Some of the Zinc patients, like those in Apis, may scream during sleep
due to the excitability of nerve fibres in the brain.  Symptoms of Apis
are easily identifiable.  In thei r absence, Zinc should be started
without any hesitation.  Once again, the relatives of the patient must
be clearly warned that the tendency to scream may become aggravated
before it gets better, slowly but surely.

The symptoms of Zinc include pr ofuse sweating, severe nausea and
vomiting.  The heart sinks.  All thes e symptoms do not manifest at the
same time.  Sometimes, it is the gastric symptoms, which appear first,
while at other times the limbs or the heart become affected first.  If the
progressive slowing of the intestinal  activity is suspected on the basis
of a change of bowel habits, Zinc mu st be started without hesitation.
If the diagnosis has been correc t, then the condition may be
completely cured.  Sometimes such a patient starts vomiting as a
reaction to Zinc.  This is a good sign  indicating that Zi nc has reverted
the slowly progressive intestinal paralysis (ileus).  Initial severe
reaction to Zinc therapy is tempor ary, but must occur, before the
restoration of health.  However, se vere reactions may also be noted
during the treatment from the improper homoeopathic remedy or
potency, with serious consequences.  In homoeopathy, every untoward
serious reaction should not be cons idered a prelude to a successful
outcome because the condition may sometimes keep becoming serious
with no sign of improvement.

Zinc is also useful in the treatment of spinal meningitis.  If remedies
like Bryonia, Belladonna and Gelsemium etc., stop working, then Zinc
will prove to be very beneficial.  Zinc has also proved successful in
the treatment of tubercular meningitis .  During an epidemic of
meningitis, Zinc 200 taken once or tw ice a week, proves to be a very
good preventive measure.

Zinc is also very useful in the treatment of many eye diseases  such
as progressive swelling and heavine ss of the eyelids, chronic redness
of the eyes associated with the di mness of the vision and the affliction
of the optic nerve (optic neuritis) .  Zincum Sulph is an excellent
treatment for cataract.  I once treated one ni nety-year-old man with
fairly advanced cataract.  The surg eon had refused to perform surgery
Zincum Metallicum 678
on him due to his age.  I gave him one dose of Zincum Sulph CM.
Surprisingly, within a few months , his cataract had disappeared
completely.  He lived many more y ears afterwards without recurrence
of the cataract.  Zinc is the best homoeopathic remedy in the
prevention of cataract due to degenerative materials being deposited in
the eye lens.  However, once the cataract process is well-advanced, it
should be treated by surgery.  If Zinc is administered while the
cataract is half-way towards matur ity, it will neither disappear nor
mature for surgery.  Patients at this stage should be left alone, so that
their cataract may mature and be treated with surgery.

The combination of Calcarea Fluor 6X with Zinc proves much more
beneficial.  Eye drops of Cinera ria Maritima Sussex are also very
useful.  A drop in each eye, three times a day, helps resolve the
cataract quite fast.  In general, Zi nc Sulph 200 is used once or twice a
week.  If given in CM potency, it should not be repeated before one
month and stopped after one repeat.

Zinc 200 is very useful in abating the formation of the whitish
membrane appearing inside the ey e.  In the eyelids, sometimes
eyelashes start growing inwards (Trichiasis)  and prove quite
troublesome. Usually this is treated surgically.  But after an operation,
another hair can still grow inwards and this may continue to happen.
Its permanent cure is Zincum Sulp h.  I have found it very useful in
Potency 200. Zinc also cures Pterygium obviating any need for
surgery.

When dizzy, a Zinc patient always thinks that he will fall on the left
side.  Tossing the head around and sinking it into the pillow is also a
symptom of Zinc.  Zinc is also considered to be useful in the treatment
of involuntary movements and tremors of the head and hands (senile
tremors).

Like Kali Bichrome, a Zinc patient f eels pressure and pain at the root
of the nose.  The gums start receding from the teeth in zincum.
Pressure on the gums relieves the discomfort.  Children with weak
nerves cut their teeth with difficulty .  They keep on shaking their feet
or rub them against each other due to restlessness.  During
swallowing, the muscles of the throat hurt.  The stomach burns on
eating sweet things.  Besides this, the patient has a tendency of
nausea, vomiting and hiccups.  A Zinc  patient has the habit of eating
Zincum Metallicum 679
in a rush, indicating impatience.  The stomach feels distended with
gas.

The patient has pain in the lower part of the back, intolerant to local
pressure.  Reproductive organs also become affected in men as well as
in women.  The testicles feel drawn upwards.  Women become
sexually overexcited and the breas ts feel swollen and congested.
Menstrual flow increases at night .  All these symptoms aggravate
during their periods.

Zincum Met is also useful in Va ricose veins and Chilblains i.e.
redness and swelling of toes due to extreme cold which may result in
frostbite and loss of toes.  This can happen to mountaineers who walk
continuously on snow in severe cold weather.

REPERTORY

AND COMMON
DAILY ILLNESSES
AND THEIR TREATMENT

## Symptoms by System