Carbo veg. is a remedy which has been well described in our books. Especially in its acute aspect, one is unlikely to miss it. There are three primary characteristics which constitute the essence of Carbo veg. First, there is a general SLUGGISHNESS of the organism, especially in the circulation but also of the emotions and mind. This then is coupled with COLDNESS which runs throughout the body - coldness of the breath, of the nose, of the face, of the extremities. This coldness, however, is accompanied by a strong DESIRE TO BE FANNED.
In Carbo veg; it is frequently the case that the health is affected by the shock of an acute illness (usually pneumonia) or an accident. The overall vitality is lowered by a notch ever since and accident; thus, Arnica is not always the appropriate remedy for this situation. You may study such a case and discover that there are too few symptoms to prescribed any other remedy but you see coldness, weakness and emotional indifference. This is enough to prescribed Carbo veg. In many of the books, it is said that Carbo veg. is prescribed after an illness or accident, but one should not develop a routine of this. If the patient is warm-blooded and vital but suffers some problem since experiencing a shock, do not give Carbo veg; The sluggishness which affects the physical level also characterises the emotional plane. There is indifference; the patient does not care whether he lives or dies. This apathy is somewhat like that of Phosphoric acid. The patient may be given good news but is incapable of feeling cheerful about it. Even after bad news, he or she says, "It doesn't matter".
Sluggishness on the mental level manifests as DULLNESS of the mind. The mind is slow to comprehend. The patient cannot concentrate, cannot do the usual work. Because the mind is not functioning properly, there is indecision or irresolution. This mental condition seems to result from inadequate oxygenation of the brain. The circulation is sluggish, so not enough oxygen reaches the brain.
It is interesting that there are SPELLS of loss of memory in Carbo veg. The patient SUDDENLY loses in memory for a time, but it later returns just as suddenly. Again, it is as if the circulation were temporarily compromised.
Carbo veg. may get fixed ideas - "arterio-sclerotic" ideas. A woman may read in a magazine that butter is bad for health and she insists on this idea in an inflexible manner. There can be no exceptions to the rule. She wil not change her opinion. IT is as if there is not enough vitality in the brain to understand any other point of view.
Carbo veg. may not affect all three levels in any given individual. It is primarily a physical remedy, with relatively minor manifestations on deeper levels. In my experience, it is rare to encounter a Carbo veg. patient who is mentally it.
On the physical level, Carbo veg. can affect any system, but its primary actions are on the venous circulation, the digestive tract, and the respiratory system. When the symptoms occur in the respiratory system. When the symptoms occur in the respiratory tract, it primarily affects the LOWER tract. It becomes indicated when lung conditions have progressed to a fairly advanced state. There may be a sudden decline from pneumonia. Or a particular type of asthma develops - aggravated by lying down and relieved by vigorous fanning.
The modality, aggravation from lying down is easy to understand in Carbo veg. in light of the sluggishness. The blood seems to stagnate when the patient lies down. The headache becomes intolerable. The respiration feels as if it has been arrested, especially when falling asleep or during sleep. The patient jumps up from bed suddenly, like Lachesis. It is as if there is inadequate tonus in the veins to equilibrate the circulation. The usual automatic mechanisms whereby the circulation adjusts to changes of position are sluggish.
The acute condition of Carbo veg. is unmistakable. You may have been treating a pneumonia case, but progress has been slow. Suddenly the patient goes into a state of collapse, with laboured breathing, coldness of extremities, coldness of the breath, coldness of the tongue, and coldness of the nose. The body temperature drops. The colour becomes a deathly white, with blueness around the lips and on the tips of the fingers. The patient appears like a corpse, and she feels like life is leaving her! She does not fear death; indeed, she may even desire it. She feels so indifferent that it doesn't seem worth while to continue. Once you see this death-like state coming on suddenly, you cannot miss Carbo veg.
You may have another patient suffering from severe forcible vomiting. You give Chelidonium, Veratrum album or Arsenicum, but the patient suddenly becomes white with blueness in areas of least circulation, becomes covered with cold perspiration, the body temperature drops, and the breath becomes cold. The patient goes into a faint. This is picture of Carbo veg; and you may observe a dramatic amelioration from its administration.
Carbo veg; is used more often as an acute remedy than as a deep constitutional, but there are nevertheless some constitutional indications. It is often indicated in digestive disorders - extreme bloatendness, peptic ulcer, gastritis, colitis. The bloatedness can be very extreme and continuous, with frequent eructations which relieve. This condition is aggravated by overeating in general, and specifically by fat or butter. The bloatedness causes the diaphragm to press on the heart and thus causes periodic collapses. Such a patient may eat a large meal and drink a little wine, and then the pressure of the diaphragm causes the patient to faint even at the table.
Even though the bloatedness is often caused by overeating, do not get the impression that the Carbo veg. patient is obese. This may be so, but the more usual appearance is of a thin patient.
Carbo veg. may be indicated in very old people with indolent ulcers. They have ulcers that do not heal and degenerate into a gangrenous condition. Other remedies that may have this condition are Lachesis, Hepar sulphur, Calcarea carbonica and Carbo animalis, but Carbo veg. particularly fits the very elderly - those over, say, 80 years of age - who are cold, bloated and intolerant to fat.
In addition to intolerance to fat, Carbo veg. is intolerant to alcohol. There may not necessarily be a strong reaction, but enough that the patient notices it. Even after just a sip of alcohol, there may be flushing of the face, or the face may be pale but the patient feels weak inside.
The desire to be fanned is a striking keynote characteristic for Carbo veg. This manifests particularly during the acute state - in collapse or during dyspnoea. Carbo veg; does not merely desire fresh air alone but wants a forceful wind blowing on the face. He may even tell you that if he becomes short of breath while in a moving car, he will stick his head out of the window. If someone is fanning a Carbo veg. patient, the fanning must be very fast and forceful. It is as if the patient is trying to inject oxygen into the system.
Comparison of remedies that desire fresh air or fanning proves an excellent study in the high degree of individualisation needed in homeopathy. As we take cases and repertorise the totality of symptoms, it is easy to fall into the trap of merely matching data. However, even within each particular rubric, one needs to know precisely which states individualise one remedy (patient) from another. Arsenicum, for example, is a cold remedy that desires fresh air; Arsenicum does not want the body exposed at all, but the head is relieved by cool air. Even so, Arsenicum never want a strong wind blowing on the face as does Carbo veg. Of course, warm-blooded remedies like Pulsatilla are often aggravated in a arm stuffy room and want fresh air but in Pulsatilla it is merely a need to be cooled. Apis is a warm-blooded remedy that wants to be fanned, but Apis is content with gentle fanning. The most warm-blooded remedy of all, Secale, needs to be fanned very aggressively, not so much because of the need for oxygen, but because of the need for relief from the internal heat.
The opposite situation, aggravation from wind, is also instructive of the need for individualisation. Many remedies have an aversion to wind, but specifically for what reason? Lycopodium, of course, enjoys being outdoors in the fresh air, but feels bad whenever, directly exposed to wind. Nux vomica can be aggravated even by being indoors while wind is blowing outside, in Nux vomica this is an aggravation of the mental state specifically. Rhododendron also has an aggravation from wind blowing outdoors, but this is caused by the corresponding electromagnetic changes in the atmosphere. All of Rhododendron's physical complaints are stirred up - he feels on edge, his muscles become stiff, he may become irritable, like Nux, but because of the pains.
As mentioned earlier Carbo veg; is intolerant to fat and butter. There is a characteristically strong desire for salt and a lesser desire for sweets and coffee.
Carbo veg. affects the physical level most strongly, but it may affect the emotional level to some degree. There are few anxieties of fears of any strength. There is no fear or death, which helps to differentiate Carbo veg. from Arsenicum or Phosphorus. It may have some anxiety about health, especially when closing the eyes on bed at night, but not nearly so prominently as in other remedies. Interestingly, Carbo veg. does not have a fear of the dark, but it is AGGRAVATED by darkness. Carbo veg. may have a fear of ghost, like Lycopodium. Also, just as Carbo veg. can be ill since the shock of an accident, it also has a characteristic fear of accidents.
Carbo veg. is complementary to Arsenicum and Phosphorus. Patients who have responded well to these remedies sometimes experience great relief from their anxieties, but then the disease focuses on the digestive tract and causes severe bloatedness. They forget about their old fears and anxieties altogether and focus their attention solely on the bloatedness. This is a situation in which Carbo veg; is likely to follow well.
Lycopodium can be easily confused with Carbo veg. Both have tremendous bloatedness and eructations, but Carbo veg. is more readily relieved by the eructations than Lycopodium. Lycopodium is not as severely cold as Carbo veg. has a strong desire for salt and less desire for sweets; Lycopodium has the opposite. The position of sleep can be helpful; Carbo veg. needs to sleep propped up, whereas Lycopodium prefers to sleep on the right side. As mentioned, Lycopodium benefits by being in fresh air, but is actually aggravated by direct wind. Finally, Carbo veg. does not have the strong morning aggravation that is seen in Lycopodium.
In Carbo veg; it is frequently the case that the health is affected by the shock of an acute illness (usually pneumonia) or an accident. The overall vitality is lowered by a notch ever since and accident; thus, Arnica is not always the appropriate remedy for this situation. You may study such a case and discover that there are too few symptoms to prescribed any other remedy but you see coldness, weakness and emotional indifference. This is enough to prescribed Carbo veg. In many of the books, it is said that Carbo veg. is prescribed after an illness or accident, but one should not develop a routine of this. If the patient is warm-blooded and vital but suffers some problem since experiencing a shock, do not give Carbo veg; The sluggishness which affects the physical level also characterises the emotional plane. There is indifference; the patient does not care whether he lives or dies. This apathy is somewhat like that of Phosphoric acid. The patient may be given good news but is incapable of feeling cheerful about it. Even after bad news, he or she says, "It doesn't matter".
Sluggishness on the mental level manifests as DULLNESS of the mind. The mind is slow to comprehend. The patient cannot concentrate, cannot do the usual work. Because the mind is not functioning properly, there is indecision or irresolution. This mental condition seems to result from inadequate oxygenation of the brain. The circulation is sluggish, so not enough oxygen reaches the brain.
It is interesting that there are SPELLS of loss of memory in Carbo veg. The patient SUDDENLY loses in memory for a time, but it later returns just as suddenly. Again, it is as if the circulation were temporarily compromised.
Carbo veg. may get fixed ideas - "arterio-sclerotic" ideas. A woman may read in a magazine that butter is bad for health and she insists on this idea in an inflexible manner. There can be no exceptions to the rule. She wil not change her opinion. IT is as if there is not enough vitality in the brain to understand any other point of view.
Carbo veg. may not affect all three levels in any given individual. It is primarily a physical remedy, with relatively minor manifestations on deeper levels. In my experience, it is rare to encounter a Carbo veg. patient who is mentally it.
On the physical level, Carbo veg. can affect any system, but its primary actions are on the venous circulation, the digestive tract, and the respiratory system. When the symptoms occur in the respiratory system. When the symptoms occur in the respiratory tract, it primarily affects the LOWER tract. It becomes indicated when lung conditions have progressed to a fairly advanced state. There may be a sudden decline from pneumonia. Or a particular type of asthma develops - aggravated by lying down and relieved by vigorous fanning.
The modality, aggravation from lying down is easy to understand in Carbo veg. in light of the sluggishness. The blood seems to stagnate when the patient lies down. The headache becomes intolerable. The respiration feels as if it has been arrested, especially when falling asleep or during sleep. The patient jumps up from bed suddenly, like Lachesis. It is as if there is inadequate tonus in the veins to equilibrate the circulation. The usual automatic mechanisms whereby the circulation adjusts to changes of position are sluggish.
The acute condition of Carbo veg. is unmistakable. You may have been treating a pneumonia case, but progress has been slow. Suddenly the patient goes into a state of collapse, with laboured breathing, coldness of extremities, coldness of the breath, coldness of the tongue, and coldness of the nose. The body temperature drops. The colour becomes a deathly white, with blueness around the lips and on the tips of the fingers. The patient appears like a corpse, and she feels like life is leaving her! She does not fear death; indeed, she may even desire it. She feels so indifferent that it doesn't seem worth while to continue. Once you see this death-like state coming on suddenly, you cannot miss Carbo veg.
You may have another patient suffering from severe forcible vomiting. You give Chelidonium, Veratrum album or Arsenicum, but the patient suddenly becomes white with blueness in areas of least circulation, becomes covered with cold perspiration, the body temperature drops, and the breath becomes cold. The patient goes into a faint. This is picture of Carbo veg; and you may observe a dramatic amelioration from its administration.
Carbo veg; is used more often as an acute remedy than as a deep constitutional, but there are nevertheless some constitutional indications. It is often indicated in digestive disorders - extreme bloatendness, peptic ulcer, gastritis, colitis. The bloatedness can be very extreme and continuous, with frequent eructations which relieve. This condition is aggravated by overeating in general, and specifically by fat or butter. The bloatedness causes the diaphragm to press on the heart and thus causes periodic collapses. Such a patient may eat a large meal and drink a little wine, and then the pressure of the diaphragm causes the patient to faint even at the table.
Even though the bloatedness is often caused by overeating, do not get the impression that the Carbo veg. patient is obese. This may be so, but the more usual appearance is of a thin patient.
Carbo veg. may be indicated in very old people with indolent ulcers. They have ulcers that do not heal and degenerate into a gangrenous condition. Other remedies that may have this condition are Lachesis, Hepar sulphur, Calcarea carbonica and Carbo animalis, but Carbo veg. particularly fits the very elderly - those over, say, 80 years of age - who are cold, bloated and intolerant to fat.
In addition to intolerance to fat, Carbo veg. is intolerant to alcohol. There may not necessarily be a strong reaction, but enough that the patient notices it. Even after just a sip of alcohol, there may be flushing of the face, or the face may be pale but the patient feels weak inside.
The desire to be fanned is a striking keynote characteristic for Carbo veg. This manifests particularly during the acute state - in collapse or during dyspnoea. Carbo veg; does not merely desire fresh air alone but wants a forceful wind blowing on the face. He may even tell you that if he becomes short of breath while in a moving car, he will stick his head out of the window. If someone is fanning a Carbo veg. patient, the fanning must be very fast and forceful. It is as if the patient is trying to inject oxygen into the system.
Comparison of remedies that desire fresh air or fanning proves an excellent study in the high degree of individualisation needed in homeopathy. As we take cases and repertorise the totality of symptoms, it is easy to fall into the trap of merely matching data. However, even within each particular rubric, one needs to know precisely which states individualise one remedy (patient) from another. Arsenicum, for example, is a cold remedy that desires fresh air; Arsenicum does not want the body exposed at all, but the head is relieved by cool air. Even so, Arsenicum never want a strong wind blowing on the face as does Carbo veg. Of course, warm-blooded remedies like Pulsatilla are often aggravated in a arm stuffy room and want fresh air but in Pulsatilla it is merely a need to be cooled. Apis is a warm-blooded remedy that wants to be fanned, but Apis is content with gentle fanning. The most warm-blooded remedy of all, Secale, needs to be fanned very aggressively, not so much because of the need for oxygen, but because of the need for relief from the internal heat.
The opposite situation, aggravation from wind, is also instructive of the need for individualisation. Many remedies have an aversion to wind, but specifically for what reason? Lycopodium, of course, enjoys being outdoors in the fresh air, but feels bad whenever, directly exposed to wind. Nux vomica can be aggravated even by being indoors while wind is blowing outside, in Nux vomica this is an aggravation of the mental state specifically. Rhododendron also has an aggravation from wind blowing outdoors, but this is caused by the corresponding electromagnetic changes in the atmosphere. All of Rhododendron's physical complaints are stirred up - he feels on edge, his muscles become stiff, he may become irritable, like Nux, but because of the pains.
As mentioned earlier Carbo veg; is intolerant to fat and butter. There is a characteristically strong desire for salt and a lesser desire for sweets and coffee.
Carbo veg. affects the physical level most strongly, but it may affect the emotional level to some degree. There are few anxieties of fears of any strength. There is no fear or death, which helps to differentiate Carbo veg. from Arsenicum or Phosphorus. It may have some anxiety about health, especially when closing the eyes on bed at night, but not nearly so prominently as in other remedies. Interestingly, Carbo veg. does not have a fear of the dark, but it is AGGRAVATED by darkness. Carbo veg. may have a fear of ghost, like Lycopodium. Also, just as Carbo veg. can be ill since the shock of an accident, it also has a characteristic fear of accidents.
Carbo veg. is complementary to Arsenicum and Phosphorus. Patients who have responded well to these remedies sometimes experience great relief from their anxieties, but then the disease focuses on the digestive tract and causes severe bloatedness. They forget about their old fears and anxieties altogether and focus their attention solely on the bloatedness. This is a situation in which Carbo veg; is likely to follow well.
Lycopodium can be easily confused with Carbo veg. Both have tremendous bloatedness and eructations, but Carbo veg. is more readily relieved by the eructations than Lycopodium. Lycopodium is not as severely cold as Carbo veg. has a strong desire for salt and less desire for sweets; Lycopodium has the opposite. The position of sleep can be helpful; Carbo veg. needs to sleep propped up, whereas Lycopodium prefers to sleep on the right side. As mentioned, Lycopodium benefits by being in fresh air, but is actually aggravated by direct wind. Finally, Carbo veg. does not have the strong morning aggravation that is seen in Lycopodium.
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