Took Myself off Citalopram
This is the continuing story for Julia, who first came to see me for strep throat, as discussed in my last blog.
Once the strep throat had been resolved we could start work on the other things that were troubling Julia. She had had a long history of depression, even though at this time she was only 28 years old. She also had a tendency towards anorexia and was a high achiever. In fact she had done very well in life up to this time, despite all her struggles with health. She had established herself in her chosen career and was getting offers of work in a field that many find very difficult to break in to.
She told me that Citalopram, a well known antidepressant, made her feel numb and disappointed with life, so she had taken herself off it. This is not an approach that I would recommend to patients, rather, start the homeopathic treatment and then as you begin to feel better withdraw slowly from the Citalopram with your doctors assistance. However, it was done, so we had a clean sheet to start with.
Passionate about Dancing
As a girl she had enjoyed training in ballet, and threw herself into it. The environment was harsh and the training strict, however, this made her train all the harder, she felt that she somehow deserved this harsh treatment from the ballet school and also at this time, developed a hatred for her own body. She thought that her body was disgusting and felt insulted when her teachers said she was strong.
However, Julia grew too tall and felt she did not have enough talent, so she did not pursue a career in ballet. After finishing ballet she fell into a depression, her school teachers said she seemed sad all the time. Then later her Grandmother, who lived at home with the family, passed away and Julia was absolutely heartbroken, this sadness still persisting to this day, some ten years later. It was as if the sadness had become deeper, she felt numb and there was nothing for her in the future. She felt as if a weight was bearing down on her. This level of depression seemed to have no cause, but she could not shake it off.
After finishing the ballet she would push her body really hard, with lots of exercise, running, swimming, doing more and more. After eating she would feel panicky. She felt her body was repulsive, flabby and doughy and nothing anyone said was enough to reassure her. She was referred to a Clinical Psychologist for the anorexia, but said that she had no intention of getting better, as she had not achieved her goals. Julia was 19 years old at this time. She knew what she was doing was ridiculous but was unable to stop.
As mentioned in my earlier blog about Julia and the strep throat, she would become exhausted when she was run down or stressed and those where the times when the strep throat and chest infections would occur. Someone's energy level is a good indicator of how they are doing under homeopathic treatment. When energy is good we are progressing and when energy is low it can be a sign that things are not going as well as we would like. Also, how energy drops off during the course of the month between appointments, shows how the remedy has been acting and when another dose is needed. So Julia's account of her energy levels was very helpful for me to understand when she would need more remedies and how well the remedies where acting for her.
A relapse
Julia was given Sepia as this remedy is well known to help with improving energy levels and feelings of exhaustion. When I saw her next she said that she had been feeling very well after taking the LM drops of Sepia for 3 weeks. So much so, that she stopped taking it and at that point her energy took a dive. So she started taking them again and her energy levels improved. Sepia is especially helpful when taking the contraceptive pill, which can cause women to feel tired and run-down in some cases. Sepia helps to restore vitality.
Over the next few months Julia's health gradually improved and her resilience and energy levels increased. Another type of remedy used was Biochemical Tissue Salts. These are specific minerals which have not been potentised (diluted) as much as homeopathic remedies. As a consequence they work more on a cellular level and can be very helpful in cases where a level of supplementation is needed. They work like vitamins but on a deeper more cellular level and are better absorbed.
Conclusion
This was a complex case and it took sometime to arrive at a place of restored health. The final remedy given to Julia was Thuja, which initially needed repeating frequently as in times of stress she would use it up quickly. During this process with the final remedy she had a return of old symptoms such as styes in the eyes. However, she had had these as a very young child, so this was a good sign. It meant that we were getting back to the very early years of her health and healing those illnesses too.
The last time I saw her she said she was feeling very well and more balanced emotionally. She was not being effected by stress in the same way as before. She was more aware of her anorexic tendencies with eating and was able to eat more when the tendency came up.
The great thing about how homeopathy works, is that the person can remain in control and has more resilience to deal with things as they come about. Unlike the use of antidepressants, which tend to shut the person off from their emotions, homeopathy allows the patient to take back control in a calm way and deal with issues as they arise.