Magnesium iodatum [Mag-i] :

– Jan Scholten

Whitmont (1982, page 128) is the only person who has written something about Magnesium iodatum: ‘Magnesium iodatum is dark, scrawny, shrivelled, thin and worn out, in a state of continuous uproar or depression. It combines the features of two of the most restless drugs we know of. Its special indications are hyperthyroidism, prostatic and biliary condition.’

Concepts

Magnesium Iodatum

Pacifism Food

Aggression Work, busy, restless

Fear of loss Freedom of movement

Pain Forgetful

Obsessive

Right of existence

Escape Group analysis

If we apply the group analysis to Magnesium iodatum we get the following theme: they have to fight for their existence. They have the idea that their existence is being threatened and therefore they have to take an aggressive stand in life. It may be that they have to fight to get a job, or at least that is the feeling they have. They work hard because they feel that that is how they can justify their existence. They also need a lot of space in order to feel comfortable. It is difficult for them to have to many ties. A variation on the theme is that they have to avoid quarrels, otherwise their existence might be threatened. Like the other Magnesiums they are extremely sensitive to aggression and violence, even if it is only on television. They feel that violence will result in not being able to get fed anymore. The situation that lies behind this delusion could be that of a child whose parents are getting divorced and whose mother has no means to support herself and her child. A third variation on the theme might be the situation where someone has to escape from violence. Either a war or a natural disaster is threatening their survival and they have to escape to safer regions. For instance, someone knows that a natural disaster in the form of a tornado is imminent and he has to convince the people in his village that this danger is real. He may even have to get angry and shout in order to convince them. They have to leave immediately and they have to hurry up and collect all their important belongings.

Case

(taken by Anton Kramer)

A 59 year old woman has had pains in her throat for 6 months. The throat feels uncomfortable and when she lies down at night there is a feeling of compression (obstruction throat: Iod). The complaints started with chronic tiredness. She needed much more sleep than usual, and this is still the case now. Her hands were trembling and her concentration got worse, especially for her daily work in the house. She was sweating a lot and this made her even more listless (Kent, 1983 b, page 1418). The perspiration was worse from heat (2) and worse around 2 am, 6 am and 10 pm. Her hair was dull and she had a pain in the left side of her body and also in the points of her elbows (Mag and Iod). All these complaints started 6 months ago and have not left her since.

Three weeks after the troubles started she went to a specialist who diagnosed thyroiditis.

During the consultation with me she is nervous and hurried. Before the consultation started (I was 15 minutes late) she was waiting for me at the top of the stairs and would hardly let me pass to show her the consulting room. She was complaining that it wasn’t right that there was no receptionist to welcome her and explain things to her (we don’t have a secretary in the afternoon, but there are notices on the wall giving information for the patients). Later on, during the consultation, it became obvious that everything in her life happens in rather a violent and abrupt manner (flu, biliary colic, her general character).

She has suffered from biliary colic for 15 years: it starts with a pain behind the left or the right eye, followed by pain and stiffness in the neck, making it impossible to move her neck (liquorice helps in this situation!). Then the colic starts with a violent and sudden attack of vomiting (Kent, 1983 b, page 533: Iod). Then the pains ease off but her body remains very sore for the next 12 hours. It isn’t until 3 days later that she feels free of pain again. She blames these pains in her body on the violence of the vomiting! Since she took some homeopathic remedies (not known which ones) there is some amelioration of these complaints but they are still there. Once a week she almost drops off to sleep, but not quite, and then she remains wide awake for many hours. This is linked to a feeling of restlessness and great hunger, and she gets out of bed to eat. On closer questioning she proves to have a spell of overeating every 7 or 10 days, whereby she feels restless again, and wants to eat bread and sweet things. She also hates to have tight clothes around her neck, wrists, chest and stomach. She doesn’t sleep very well, feels very active at night. She doesn’t fall asleep until 2 am and is often awake again at 4am (Iod). She feels unrefreshed in the morning (Mag), and therefore tends to make mistakes and be very forgetful (Iod).

Past history: 1974 hysterectomy; she had many fibroids in the womb which caused heavy bleeding (bright red blood with clots of various colours), leading to anaemia and great weakness (Iod). This bleeding was accompanied by cramping and cutting, knifelike pains (mag). Painful and swollen breasts before the menstruation.

In 1978 her gallbladder was removed because of the aforementioned attacks. Since then her resistance has gone down, she has recurring attacks of cystitis, sinusitis and infections in the vagina and the kidneys.

In 1978 there were problems with one of her sisters who suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. This sister knew her disease to be a personal problem, but her therapist blamed my patient for this, saying that she didn’t give enough attention to her sister. She has felt very angry and hurt about this accusation. It is more than likely that there was a connection between this anger and the gallbladder operation (ailments from anger: Mag and Iod).

She has had several jobs in her life: she did some office work, was involved in prevention of cruelty to children, community projects and such things. Her ideal was to teach people to stand up for themselves. She is not afraid of any authority and will speak up wherever necessary. Sometimes she cries with rage, for instance when they wanted to force her aged mother to have an operation although there was no hope for a meaningful existence anymore.

Her sense of justice is very strong and she will always stand up for a good cause. She loves her freedom and needs space for herself. This is why she never got married: she prefers to have a relationship without ties. She can also drop a partner without any feeling of guilt.

When I asked her about her personality, she emphasised that she sees everything in black and white. She is intense and aggressive, can be very unreasonable and hurt someone deeply by attacking them on their weak point. This has got worse since her thyroid problems and it happens mainly when she gets hot flushes, in a hot environment or in a crowd of people with a lot of noise.

Fears: being locked up, planes (2), narrow space (3), lifts, and anything which touches her skin (also figuratively speaking: things that get under her skin). She is also afraid on the streets (she takes a bicycle chain with her), fear of horses, snakes (2), and heights.

Since her sister committed suicide in 1990 she is afraid that she might lose control over herself. She has almost been admitted to hospital on two occasions, when she felt that the walls were coming down on her and she panicked when she was at home on her own at night.

General characteristics:

Temperature: warm (2), likes to go to Denmark for holidays.

Perspiration: copious during hot flushes and in warm spaces; it makes her tired and aggressive: ‘I feel like beating everyone up’; in general she perspires easily and that feels comfortable.

Desires: very strong appetite occasionally for peanuts (2), chocolate (2); generally she likes sweet (3), chocolate, savoury (2), ginger (2)

curry (2), bread (2), cheese, smoked meat, coffee (3).

Aversion: fat (2); she sometimes reacts strongly (!) to sweet and pulses.

Analysis

There are many symptoms which indicate Magnesium: ()() fresh air, (