Day dreaming: a case of Oxytocinum

Jan is brought for a first consultation in 2011 due to asthmatic bronchitis, concentration problems at school and sleeping problems. I see a quiet, gentle boy of ten. According to his mother, he has had concentration problems since grade 3 – he is now in grade seven. “Day dreaming. He pretends that he is following the lessons.” He is often chastised for this, which he finds unfair.

He has asthmatic bronchitis and he uses an inhalator. He coughs a lot and becomes wheezy if he is playing with friends who have cats.

He wakes up twice per night, often with nightmares: he dreams that he is being murdered, or chased by a huge spider. He needs a night lamp, since he cannot stand the dark. Scary films frighten him, too.

His mother became pregnant with him after several miscarriages. She lost blood from time to time during his pregnancy. The birth was very difficult and was induced with oxytocin. He was born with the umbilical cord around his neck: the attending doctor in training panicked, and the obstetrician took over. Jan’s Apgar score was 9/10. He was bottle fed, as his mother was too exhausted to feed him. Jan developed asthmatic bronchitis at two months. He also had eczema and frequent otitis.  As a small child, he slept in knee-elbow position (3). He finds everything boring at school except sports and gym classes.

Analysis
One of the notable aspects of this case is Jan’s knee-elbow sleep position as a young child, a key-note for Medorrhinum.

First prescription: Medorrhinum 200K, 2 granules every two weeks

Follow-up after 8 weeks: cough is much improved, but sleep and concentration problems remain unchanged.

Analysis
The difficult start draws my attention: labour induced with oxytocin, umbilical cord around the neck, panic, and mother too exhausted to breastfeed.

Prescription: Oxytocinum 200K, 2 granules every 2 weeks

Eight weeks after the first dose of Oxytocinum, Jan has improved at all levels: his sleeping problems are much better and he does not have nightmares anymore. His concentration at school has improved, and his asthmatic bronchitis has not returned.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Phil Yound USA; Public domain