the entire body feels cold. In such a condition, Camphor in
a low potency is found to be very useful. If the cholera is
associated with cramping of the stomach, hands and feet, Cuprum would be
more optimal. However, if
the limbs feel ice-cold along with cramps and cold sweats, Camphor would be the ideal treatment. In the
cholera associated with Camphor, nausea is common. The Camphor patient feels
frightened and scared, resembling Aconite, except that in Aconite there is no
feeling of being cold. The feeling of extreme cold is the distinctive feature
of Camphor. When, like Aconite, the sickness commences suddenly and is accompanied
with fear and convulsions but the body feels very cold Camphor, instead of
Aconite, would be more appropriate. Aconite would certainly be more useful if the
onset of the illness is sudden and severe with the body feeling hot. In a way, Camphor is related to Cantharis
but also works as an antidote to it. In Cantharis, the linings of the kidney
tubules become inflamed and there is a feeling of burning along the urethra with the urine
passing in the form of drops. These symptoms also occur in Camphor to some
extent. Sometimes, Cantharis poisoning can damage the kidney permanently and
may also produce neurologic/psychiatric symptoms. In this particular situation,
Camphor annuls the bad effects of Cantharis. Cantharis is not only a temporary
remedy but can also neutralize the aftereffects of many other diseases
permanently.
The Camphor patient becomes mentally weak. His memory fades and he is afraid of being left alone. He feels dizzy and may faint. He remains lying down quietly with his eyes closed as if he
is sleeping but in fact he is not. He seems to be in another world. He may
exhibit the signs of insanity and violent anger. This particular
symptom is also present in Cantharis and Hyoscyamus. The inflammatory process shifts
towards the brain with the patient showing signs of madness and aggression. When the fever is secondary to the infection of the uterus, Camphor is also
beneficial besides Pyrogenium and Sulphur. If the body is cold, the treatment
should be started with Camphor. Sometimes, the fever is suppressed by some kind
of treatment and the body becomes cold. At that time, Camphor is more effective
than Sulphur. Once the body has warmed up and feels feverish, Sulphur and
Pyrogenium should be administered together.
In Camphor, the body is extremely cold yet the patient
sweats profusely. However, he does not want to be covered with anything. In fact, due to the feeling of internal
heat, he likes to cast away the covering clothes. The symptom of dislike for
covering clothes is also found in Secale Cor. The difference is that the Secale
patient is warm and also feels warm, while a patient of Camphor, in spite of
being very cold, does not like to be covered with a cloth. The symptoms of Camphor
resemble those of Camomila and Aconite. The Camomila patient is of a furious
nature and remains dissatisfied. He borrows things from other people but then
throws them away. If such a patient does not have all the typical symptoms of
Camomila, he may be treated satisfactorily with Camphor. A Camphor patient
experiences the feeling of heat and cold alternatively. The body may feel warm while
in the midst of the cold state of the body. The condition of alternating heat
and cold changes frequently, showing that the fever is submerging deep down
into the body. When the fever penetrates the backbone or transfers itself
towards the brain, the body becomes cold.
Nonetheless, the body keeps on defending itself against the sickness and
tries to expel it. In this alternating feeling of cold and hot, Camphor is very
beneficial.
In menopause,
elderly ladies suffer many diverse symptoms like hot flushes on the
face. Beside other remedies, Camphor should also be kept in mind. Ladies who
obtain relief from the use of Camphor feel very cold when uncovered but sweat
profusely when they have their clothes on. The headache of a patient of Camphor does not
involve the entire head. It may just be on the back of the head or on the
forehead. The headache at the back of the head and the lower part of the neck, associated
with a throbbing sensation, can possibly be treated with Camphor. Camphor is
very well known for the treatment of convulsions
leading to the lockjaw. Many a time, women go through these kinds of
symptoms as a result of intense heat or marked internal weakness. One does not
have to forcefully open the patient’s mouth to adminster any medicine. Low
potency Camphor happens to be very effective by its mere application to the
lips. A characteristic feature of Camphor is that in the state of convulsion
and associated lockjaw, the lips and tongue become blue.
The patient of Camphor feels intense thirst that is
unquenchable. The patient wants to drink extremely cold water. While
experiencing gas in the abdomen, there is a tendency towards nausea and vomiting. After vomiting, the stomach feels cool and
calmed down. In the absence of nausea and vomiting, the body becomes very cold.
Every kind of food tastes bitter.
In Camphor, the tendency
towards vomiting is more common than the frequency of stools. The stools are frequent but
scanty and are associated with marked weakness of the body and cramps. For repeated
loose motions, vomiting and cramping
on the calves, Veratrum Album is the top most remedy. The body
feeling cold occurs in both Camphor as well as Veratrum Album, but in Veratrum Album
cold sweats are visible only on the forehead. In Veratrum Album, there are two
extremes of symptoms. Either there is severe chronic constipation or frequent diarrhoea. When other usual remedies
prove ineffective, the chronic obstinate type of constipation would be relieved
after a few doses of Veratrum Album.
When the muscles of the urinary bladder become weak and one
needs to strain
the abdominal muscles to pass urine,
Camphor is a very useful remedy in this condition. There is retention
of the urine, even if the bladder is full. There is a feeling of burning and
cramping.Camphor is very obviously useful for the treatment of this
paralytic condition of the bladder. Camphor also affects sexual organs. One may become permanently impotent due to the excessive use of Camphor. Sometimes the reaction is quite the opposite, i.e.
an overindulgence in sex which is certainly not normal. Whenever such contrasting
symptoms are noticed, Camphor should be kept in mind so that it may be used as needed.
In Camphor, there is a tendency towards repeated colds and cough with sputum
(expectoration), in this way it is equally matched to Antimonium
Crude and Ammonium Carb. Both these remedies help in relieving the constant
tendency of contracting such illnesses. The patient catches cold immediately on the
slightest change of weather. The nose
feels cold and starts running. The thick sputum (expectoration) tends to be
stuck in the air passages resulting in a feeling of suffocation and difficulty
in breathing. The deep inspiration (breathing in) provokes coughing and the
heart starts beating fast. Another
peculiar symptom of Camphor is that the pain feels somewhat relieved by
concentrating on the site of pain. The Camphor patient is sensitive to cold and
touch; both aggravate symptoms. After a major surgical operation when the body
becomes very cold and the blood pressure falls profoundly, besides Carbo Veg a
few doses of Camphor will offer prompt relief.
In the state of being unconscious, the Camphor patient
exhibits dilatation of the pupils of the eyes, which become fixed in one position.
Everything looks so bright and flashy to him. He envisions sparkling dots of light. The
symptoms intensify in the sunlight. The face is pale, drawn and lifeless. Cold
sweating, typical of advanced cancers, is also present.
On exposure to cold, the patient develops diarrhoea, the stools
being darkish in colour causing dehydration and profound weakness. The tongue
and the inside of the mouth feel cold. The thirst is of the unrelenting type.