ALLENS KEY NOTES ON SILICEA

SILICEA.

Pure Silica. (Silicic Oxide)

Adapted to the nervous, irritable, sanguine temperament; persons of a psoric diathesis. Persons of light complexion; find, dry, skin; pale face; weakly, with lax muscles. Constitutions which suffer from deficient nutrition, not because food is lacking in quality or in quantity, but from imperfect assimilation (Bar. c., Calc.); oversensitive, physically and mentally. Scrofulous, rachitic children with large heads; open fontanelles and sutures; much sweating about the head (lower than Cal.) which must be kept warm by external covering (Sanic.); distended abdomen; weak ankles; slow in learning to walk. Great weariness and debility; wants to lie down. Nervous debility; exhaustion with erythism; from hard work and close confinement; may be overcome by force of will. Restless, fidgety, starts at least noise. Anxious, yielding, fainthearted. Mental labor very difficult; reading and writing fatigue, cannot bear to think. Ailments: caused by suppressed foot-sweat (Cup., Graph., Psor.); exposing the head or back to any slight draught of air; bad effects of vaccination, especially abscesses and convulsions (Thuja); chest complaints of stonecutters with total loss of strength. Want of vital heat, always chilly, even when taking active exercise (Led., Sep.). Inflammation, swelling and suppuration of glands, cervical, axillary, parotid, mammary, inguinal, sebaceous; malignant, gangrenous. Has a wonderful control over the suppurative process - soft tissue, periosteum or bone - maturing abscesses when desired or reducing excessive suppuration (affecting chiefly the soft tissues, Calend., Hep.). Children are obstinate, headstrong, cry when spoken kindly to (Iod.). Vertigo: spinal, ascending form back of neck to head; as if one would fall forward, from looking up (Puls., - looking down, Kal., Spig.). Chronic sick headaches, since some severe disease of youth (Psor.); ascending from nape of neck to the vertex, as if coming from the spine and locating in one eye, especially the right (left, Spig.); < draught of air or uncovering the head; > pressure and wrapping up warmly (Mag. m., Stron.); > profuse urination. Constipation: always before and during menses (diarrhoea before and during menses, Am. c., Bov.); difficult, as from inactivity of rectum; with great straining, as if rectum was paralyzed; when partly expelled, recedes again (Thuja). Faeces in ano alternates with chest symptoms (Berb., Cal. p.). Discharge of blood from vagina every time the child takes the breast (compare Crot. t.). Nipple is drawn in like a funnel (Sars.). Night walking; gets up while asleep, walks about and lies down again (Kali br.). Unhealthy skin; every little injury suppurates (Graph., Hep., Merc., Petr.). Crippled nails on fingers and toes (Ant. c.). Takes cold from exposure of feet (Con., Cup.). Sweat of hands, toes, feet and axillae; offensive. Intolerable, sour, carrion-like odor of the feet, without perspiration, every evening. Fistula lachymalis; ingrowing toe-nails (Mag. p. a., Mar. v.); panaritium; blood boils; carbuncles; ulcers of all kinds; fistulae, painful, offensive, high spongy edges, proud flesh in them; fissura ani; great pain after stool. Desire to be magnetized, which > (Phos.). Promotes expulsion of foreign bodies from the tissues; fish bones, needles, bone splinters.

Relations

. - Complementary: Thuja, Sanicula. Compare: Hep., Pic. ac., Kali p., Hyper., Ruta., Sanic., Gettysburg. Follows well: after, Calc., Graph., Hep., Nit ac., Phos. Is followed well: by, Hep., Fluor. ac., Lyc., Sep.

Aggravation

. - Cold; during menses; during new moon; uncovering, especially the head; lying down.

Amelioration

. - Warmth, especially from wrapping up the head; all the symptoms except gastric, which are > by cold food (Lyc.). Silicea is the chronic of Pulsatilla.