Sulphur is among those homoeopathic remedies that a
homoeopath cannot do without. It is an extremely potent homoeopathic remedy, capable
of combating infections and is also a topmost anti-psoric remedy (for details,
see under Psorinum and Mercury). Like Psorinum and Mercury, Sulphur has the
ability to bring out the deep psoric disease from glands to skin.
The human body’s natural defence mechanism has the
capability of handling all kinds of diseases. Consequently, it is the basic
defence system that needs to be activated and strengthened. Sulphur works as a
powerful antibiotic by motivating the natural defence system of the body.
Sulphur is almost always needed in the treatment
of chronic infectious diseases and toxaemic conditions. Sulphur and Silicea behave differently in
response to heat and cold. Despite this
difference, while a patient is being treated with Silicea, occasional
supplementation with Sulphur adds to the working of Silicea. It does not
conflict with Silicea at all. Apart from Silicea, Sulphur augments the
functioning of many other remedies as well.
Sometimes, the human body becomes habituated and addicted to
certain things, which it cannot give up easily. Sulphur is a
profoundly effective remedy against such habits and addictions. If a
remedy, previously effective, becomes ineffective during the course
of the treatment, then it should be discontinued for a while and
Sulphur should be started. Sulphur will restore the effectiveness of
the remedy once again. By nature a typical Sulphur patient is fearless
and disorganized. He hates to take a bath. An Opium addict also
hates taking a bath. A Sulphur patient is extremely untidy and
smelly. The sweat from his armpits and his feet smells awful. The
patient does not care for cleanliness at all. Ironically, despite being
dirty, untidy and smelly himself, he cannot tolerate bad odours from others.
This quality is basically found in all animals. For example, a
lion can perceive the smell of a human being but does not care for
the bad smell of his own den. This seems strange but is
understandably natural. In some exceptions, a Sulphur patient becomes
disgusted of his own smell and may start throwing up. As long as he is moving around, a Sulphur patient feels
okay. But as soon as he retires to bed and becomes warm, his sufferings become worse.
This particular nature is common to Sulphur and Mercury both. Regarding the
response to heat and cold, both are similar, but there are many other symptoms
different from each other. For example, the mouth of a Sulphur patient is
normally wet or completely dry, while the mouth of a Mercury patient is full of
saliva. The smell of a Sulphur patient is similar to his natural smell, however
much stronger. The discharges excoriate the skin. Leucorrhoeal discharge in
both Sulphur and Mercury is also of similar nature.
A Sulphur patient may present with any possible form of skin
disease such as blistering, dry itching, wet
eczema, scaling of the skin like fish, bleeding from
the itchy area and boils of different kinds,among other things. In short, any kind of skin disease
associated with a burning sensation and other general symptoms of Sulphur will respond
to the Sulphur treatment well. In skin diseases, even in the absence of all the
symptoms of Sulphur, it will at least clearly demarcate the disease, which can
then be treated appropriately.
In Sulphur there is a burning sensation on the scalp, in the
eyes, the chest and the area between the two shoulders. The body seems
to be on fire. There is a burning
sensation on the haemorrhoids (piles), skin blisters and in the stomach and throat. Urination is also associated with burning which lasts for a long time
afterwards. The feet also
burn at night. The patient exposes his feet out of the bed in order
to cool them, like in Pulsatilla.
In spite of being very hungry, some Sulphur patients can
eat only a little. This feature is most pronounced in Lycopodium. A typical Sulphur
patient loses his morning
appetite completely. From the morning, up to eleven o’ clock in the
morning, there is no appetite at all. At eleven o’ clock, the stomach feels
empty. There is a strong craving for food. If not fed immediately, the patient
may faint. In Sulphur, the skin is very
sensitive and easily grazed with the slightest friction. Sulphur is one of the
best treatments for eczema, though not the only one.
In Sulphur patients, venous circulation is affected,
resulting in piles (haemorrhoids).
Under treatment with Sulphur, the piles first enlarge and itch before getting
better. Nux Vomica helps control the swelling and the itch.
Sometimes, the veins of the legs become distended and
tortuous, a condition called varicose
veins. The blood stagnates and may then clot inside the veins
(venous thrombosis). There are many homoeopathic remedies that can relieve this
condition. Sulphur is certainly one of them.
Sulphur is also very useful in the treatment of menopausal syndrome i.e.
hot flushes on the face and head, as well as pressure on the heart. Pulsatilla
is also used in this condition, but I have not found it as effective as it is
claimed to be. Pulsatilla combined with Belladonna proves to be much more
effective. However, if the patient exhibits symptoms matching Sulphur, then
Sulphur alone may bring about the cure.
As in Lachesis, the symptoms of Sulphur aggravate after
sleep and the patient wakes up agitated. Restlessness
starts becoming worse in the latter part of the night. This is due
to mental anguish rather than being of a physical nature. The patient wakes up confused
and restless. By eleven o’ clock in the morning, restlessness affects the stomach.
At night, the symptoms of Sulphur are aggravated due to the warmth of the bed
and not merely by sleeping, as in Lachesis.
Sometimes, after the childbirth, the placenta remains partially retained
in the uterus, inviting severe infection. There is nothing better than Sulphur
and Pyrogenium to combat this infection. Sulphur 200 and Pyrogenium 200 may be
useful in any chronic
infection and fever following a nasal cold usually untreatable with
common remedies. Sulphur is also very
useful in the treatment of
gout. By taking Sulphur, sometimes the suppressed symptoms of gout
may erupt. Being scared off, the
patient may give up using Sulphur. In fact, the continued use of Sulphur will
cure the gout completely. If Sulphur is withheld at this stage, the gout will
become suppressed and predisposed to other deep-seated illnesses that may be
hard to treat.
Like Silicea, in tuberculosis and chronic lung diseases,
Sulphur should also be used with the utmost care for fear of provoking a severe
response from that part of the body. The lungs, already weakened, may rupture.
Sulphur exposes the causative organisms (tuberculous bacilli), out of the cells
and their protective shells just as in Silicea. If bacteria are abundantly
present and overwhelming, then the weakened body will not be able to cope with
them. Rather it will be overcome with the disease. Silicea has the natural
tendency to expel foreign bodies from the body, which may merely be a particle
of sand, a retained bullet or a piece of glass. Silicia will provoke a severe
body response in the presence of advanced and well-established tuberculosis,
the patient may even die. It is the duty of every good homoeopath to avoid
giving a very high potency Silicia to such a weak person. At the outset, a low
potency should be administered and then as the body gets acclimatised, higher
potencies may gradually be administered. Additionally, Stannum may also be used
to build up the defensive capability of the body.
It should not be forgotten that a Sulphur patient is of a
hot constitution and a Silicea patient is of a cold constitution. Calcarea
Carb, unlike Silicea and Sulphur, helps form a protective shell of calcium
around the bacteria which become imprisoned. It should be remembered that the
administration of Sulphur immediately after the treatment with Calcarea Carb
can cause severe complications. If Sulphur has to be given at all, Lycopodium
must be used prior to its use. Sulphur also works well in the treatment of shingles (herpes zoster). Sulphur is also useful in the treatment of morning diarrhoea.
Dr. Kent has, however, warned against
the use of Sulphur in treating morning diarrhoea in a patient of tuberculosis,
because by suppressing the diarrhoea it will badly affect the lungs already
diseased, resulting in serious consequences. The diarrhoea of a tuberculosiis
patient should first be treated with milder remedies and then the attempt may be
made to cure the tuberculosis.
Sulphur is also very useful in the treatment of measles.
If the burning sensation and restlessness aggravate, but the typical rash does
not appear and there is a fear that the disease could affect the internal linings,
then besides Sulphur, Arsenic may also be used. In Sulphur, restlessness is not
as profound as in Arsenic, though the feeling of intense burning is similar to
Arsenic.
Sulphur, like a few other homoeopathic remedies, may also control the side effects of
vaccination. A Sulphur patient
is philosophical in nature and some indeed happen to be so. If this
desire amounts to a frenzy, then a dose or two of Sulphur in high potency will
make them feel well. Some of them are “economic philosophers” who simply
present economic schemes all the time, but do not do anything practical. Even
if they put their scheme into practice, they lose all their assets. They are
extremely lazy. They cannot put their heart into anything. They remain lost in their
own ideas. These people should also be treated with Sulphur in high potency.
A Sulphur patient frequently suffers from headache, at least once a week.
Unlike other symptoms of Sulphur, which get worse in a heated bed and a warm
room, the headache gets better with the application of heat and hot
fomentation.
They have flashing lights before their eyes. Sometimes, on
lifting the head up, the patient sees stars. He may see spots of different colours
before his eyes. Usually these symptoms occur before the onset of headache. Sulphur given at
the outset will prevent the headache. Sulphur
is also useful in the treatment
of eczema and chronic itching as well as chronic cold associated
with a bad smell from the nose.
The patient is aware of this bad smell himself, whereas normally he is not
aware of his own smell.
Sulphur is also very useful in the treatment of neuralgic
pain on right side of the face. Sulphur is also a good homoeopathic remedy for the lips becoming fissured and ulcerated. Sulphur can also be helpful in the treatment
of chronic enlargement of the glands, as
well as the serial enlargement of
the neck glands both on the right and left side
.
If other symptoms of Sulphur are present, then it can also cure swollen gums and loose teeth.
If only one tooth hurts, then some other remedies should be looked for, instead
of Sulphur.
Flatulence and distension of the abdomen with gas can benefit from
many remedies, though a precise remedy is difficult to
find. In case other remedies have failed, Sulphur may be useful,
especially if the gas is offensive. Sulphur is very important in the treatment of cholera.
During an epidemic, Sulphur should be used extensively as a preventive measure.
Sulphur 200 once a day for a few days can protect against cholera in the
absence of other common remedies. Sulphur alone may suffice. Sulphur is very
deeply related to cholera. Sulphur has
a profound effect on the prostate
gland. For a better result, it should be given combined with Thuja.
If other symptoms of Sulphur such as foul smelling sweat from the feet and
armpits, symptoms of the scalp, hands and feet, do not resemble that of Sulphur,
then Sulphur will not be effective. In other words, the mere presence of
urinary symptoms is not enough to necessitate treatment with Sulphur.
Sulphur is beneficial in the treatment of sexual weakness in men as
well as
in women. It is also very effective in the treatment of infertility in women. The mental symptoms of Sulphur are pronounced: a weak memory, difficulty in concentrating, a headache getting worse on lowering the head, constant
recurrent headache, and dandruff
causing the hair to fall, are
also indicative of Sulphur. A Sulphur patient feels pressure and a burning sensation
over the area of the heart and breathing becomes laboured. The patient likes to
be in the open air. He feels suffocated at night, with a feeling of pressure on
the chest. The Sulphur ailments become worse on resting, standing up, by the
warmth of the bed, on taking a bath and in the morning. The patient feels relieved by lying on the
right side and in hot weather. In people working in coal
mines or related to the coal industry in any way, Sulphur is a very useful and essential remedy to prevent the diseases of the lungs.