KALI BICHROMICUM

Kali Bichrome is deeply related to the mucous linings of the trachea and the upper respiratory passage. Kali Bichrome, Kali Carb, Kali Iodide and Kali Sulph have one thing in common, their illnesses and pain are specific to certain areas of the body.

Sometimes, the affected area may just be the size of the thumb. Even the nasal cold begins from pain over a tiny localised area, mostly on the left side. These symptoms of Kali Bichrome are now well known and proven. Long ago, I also used to suffer from headache, felt mostly at a tiny specific point, such as the temple. It could be alleviated with the pressure of a thumb. Similarly, the cold also used to start from a small area inside the left nostril. Both were cured by Kali Bichrome.

In Kali Carb, the pain and the sickness affect larger areas. In Kali Bichrome, there is widespread throbbing from the head to the toes.  Whichever side the patient rests his head on a pillow, the throbbing follows. The patient cannot sleep. This is the characteristic of all potassium salts, much more so in Kali Bichrome.
The bones hurt as if scraped or badly beaten. In Eupatorium, all the bones hurt deep inside. In Kali Bichrome, the bone pain is superficial like a graze. Catarrhal conditions alternate with joint pains. These rheumatic type pains should be handled carefully. In case these are suppressed with some strong allopathic medicines, it will prove harmful instead of being beneficial. A more serious illness may ensue. Kali Bichrome is also useful for the treatment of rheumatism. This medicine should be used to treat those patients in whom catarrhal conditions appear, when the body aches get better. If the cold is suppressed with some powerful medicines, rheumatic pains return. Kali Bichromeshould be remembered, wherever this alternating situation is found.

Kali Bichrome is very good in the treatment of diphtheria. However, it cannot be compared to Muriatic Acid, which of course is the best treatment of diphtheria and also alleviates the profound physical
weakness of the patient. The feeling of weakness is associated with all Potassium salts. For example, Kali Phos is used as a nerve tonic.  Similarly, analogous use of Kali Carb is unique in vitalizing the muscles and the body. The heaviness of the legs disappears and it becomes easy to sit down and get up. Kali Bichrome is also of similar nature. If the patient presents the symptoms of Kali Bichrome, he will immediately respond to Kali Bichrome in that the body will feel light and active. All Potassium salts are a useful tonic for the muscles and nerves. In all these salts, there is a tendency to develop sores. One tends to develop ulcers in the stomach when the acidity is too high.  Whenever ulcers are found in the stomach or intestines or anywhere in the body, one must try to correlate the patient’s symptoms to some Potassium salt. There was a patient who had an old deep ulcer on his foot. I treated him with Kali Iodide. The ulcer healed in no time.  Before this treatment, the patient had been treated in the best military hospitals without any success. I had also prescribed Potassium Iodide, since all his other symptoms were those of Potassium constitution.  Kali Bichrome is also very useful in the treatment of the diseases of the stomach. The peptic ulcer and cancer rarely present in a patient at the same time. Either the patient is suffering from the ulcer or cancer of the stomach. The Kali Bichrome patient usually suffers from stomach ulcers. If the symptoms of Kali Bichrome are found along with the stomach ailments, then the patient should be treated immediately with Kali Bichrome in order to preclude any grave situation.

The ulcers of Kali Bichrome are very deep and their edges are raised.  However, this symptom is not diagnostic per se. This symptom is found in other remedies also. One particular symptom of Kali Bichrome resembles that of Causticum i.e. the cracking sound from the knees on walking, standing or sitting. Cracking is painless, though, definitely worrisome. Causticum is considered to be the most effective treatment for this problem, though Kali Bichrome is equally good. However in Kali Bichrome, the patient feels a burning sensation and feels the cold. The feeling of cold and the burning sensation is found in all Potassium salts.
Like Belladonna, the symptoms of Kali Bichrome come on suddenly and disappear equally fast.

Kali Bichrome is also very useful in the treatment of infectious fevers. Since the body of the patient is cold, he feels comfort when confined to a warm bed. The symptoms aggravate during the latter part of the night and exacerbate at about the same time the next day also. Kali Bichrome is famous for the treatment of epilepsy, especially when the sputum is of the patient is thready.

The headache associated with Kali Bichrome is relieved by taking hot drinks. The headache aggravates at night and becomes most intense after midnight. The thready discharge from the eyes, being a symptom of Kali Bichrome, will also respond very well to it.  In Kali Bichrome, the aches and pains are mostly on the left side, though they may also occur on the right side. However, the headache and the neuralgic pain of the face invariably affect the left side. The headache is associated with nausea and returns after a lapse of a few days. Kali Bichrome is also very beneficial in the treatment of migraines (hemicrania).

Kali Bichrome is useful in the treatment of eczema over the scalp.  Though, if the eczematous area is scaly and the discharge is yellowish and offensive, then these are the symptoms of Mezereum. Another resemblance to Mezereum is that when the nasal symptoms subside, the eczema flares up and vice versa. In Kali Bichrome, the nasal cold begins at a small specific area deep inside the nose. The bacteria settle at the junction of the nose and throat (nasopharynx), resulting in the production and emission of a foul smell. These symptoms are common to both Kali Bichrome and Mezereum, though the latter works only locally, while Kali Bichrome affects the entire body. Moreover, in Mezereum, the symptoms of feeling hot or cold do not exist. 

Kali Bichrome is also useful in the treatment of various eye conditions, such as photophobia, the appearance of spots of different colours before the eyes, blurring of vision, affection of the retina and formation of corneal ulcers. The wounds and ulcers of Kali Bichrome pulsate. If the corneal ulcer pulsates painfully, Potassium Bichrome must be administered at once for immediate relief. Kali Bichrome is the puffiness of the lower eyelid due to swelling.The symptoms common to ear, nose, jaws and lips (i.e. face area) are as follows: The ears discharge sticky material along with a throbbing sensation in the ear. When the condition becomes chronic, the eardrums may perforate. The sense of smell also becomes dull. When the discharge settles inside the nose, it causes pain as well as difficulty in breathing.  The symptoms aggravate with humidity. A piercing type of discharge runs from the nose. Persistence of this discharge results in the perforation of the septum of the nose (the dividing wall between the two nostrils). One strange symptom is that when the discharge sticks to this septal bone and then hardens, and scraping it affects the eyesight. Furthermore, there is pain over the forehead and the eyes; the nose bleeds, and upon coughing, the molar teeth (i.e. large hind teeth with deep roots) hurt. During the headache and nasal catarrh, the lower molar teeth on that particular side hurt as if these are the root cause of the pain, though in fact this is caused by the nerve root pain.  Kali Bichrome is also beneficial in the treatment of ulcers of the lips and inside the mouth. Cistus is also of use in this condition, especially for the ulcer of the lower lip. Dulcamara is effective against ulcers of both the upper and lower lips as well as against skin conditions that tend to spread quite fast. It also affects the sweat glands (pyretic glands).

In Kali Bichrome, the nose tends to bleed and blebs (polyps) form over the lining of the nose. It is also beneficial in the treatment of the tuberculous infection of the facial skin and the mucous membranes.  By the grace of God, both these conditions have been successfully cured with it. In Kali Bichrome, the tongue becomes covered with a thick coating, which is whitish near the tip and yellowish at the back, with some
dirty patches here and there. The tongue exhibits a peculiar type of glare, not found normally. Sometimes, near the gullet, small nodules form resembling a strawberry in colour and shape. The resulting roughness of the surface of the tongue can be felt in the throat. Kali Bichrome is also very useful in the treatment of ulcers over the tongue, inside the cheeks and the roots of the teeth. Along with the inflammation of the throat, sores develop causing pain in the nasal passages, as well as the part of the throat behind the nose. The tenderness is localised to one area, though the pain is felt over a much larger area.

The important homoeopathic remedies used in the treatment of inflammatory swellings similar to those of Kali Bichrome are Lachesis, Kali Iodide, Nitric Acid, Phosphorus and Sulphuric Acid.  There is a strong tendency towards the formation of ulcers. Swelling of the tonsils, when severe, causes a lot of pain with the swelling and redness becoming externally visible in the upper part of the neck. The patient feels as if a hair is stuck in the throat. In Tarentula, such a feeling is widely spread in other parts of the body. In Hepar Sulph, the feeling is of something sticking. The ailment concentrates at the root of the tongue causing severe pain and the formation of hardly visible sores.

There is a tendency towards nausea and vomiting: The vomited

material consists of undigested food mixed with bile and blood. The expectorated phlegm is in the form of sticky threads. Kali Bichrome is considered to be the best treatment for the nausea of alcoholics.  Kali Bichrome may also be used for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Chronic ulcerative colitis is a very obstinate condition for which no effective cure has been discovered so far. Kali Bichrome is also useful in the treatment of gastritis resulting from exposure to cold. The stomach becomes weak and hypo functional. The secretion contains a lot of mucus. The patient feels indisposed.

In Kali Bichrome, the liver pain is referred to the right shoulder. It

is an ominous sign found in cancer of the liver and the gall bladder.  The patient complains of severe pain at the shoulder, which must be treated with Kali Bichrome. Kali Bichrome is of great use in the treatment of this vexing pain caused by stones in the gall bladder or cancer of the liver, and referred to the shoulder. The shoulder itself has no problems of its own. The gall bladder stones and the liver disorders must be treated with Kali Bichrome without any delay. Often, it dissolves and then expels these gallstones, obviating the need
for surgery. Stones of the gall bladder result from increased viscidity and the altered composition of bile. Once the chemistry of the bile is restored, it gradually dissolves the stones. I happen to come across many patients suffering from gall bladder stones. Due to the scarcity of time, I cannot afford to achieve an individual diagnosis of each and every patient. I, therefore, treat them with a combination formula, rather than using one single homoeopathic remedy. By the grace of God, the prescription has proven to be very effective in most of the patients.

Kali Bichrome is one component of that formulary, which is detailed as follows: Kali Bichrome, Lycopodium, Cholesterinum and Natrum Sulph, all in 30 potency. Besides these, Mag Phos 30, Colocynth 30 and  Diascorea 30 combined toghether may be used to relieve the associated biliary colic. In addition to these, a herbal medicine, Ospafell, available from Germany, is also famous for the capability of dissolving the stones in the gall bladder. For additional benefit, it may also be used in homoeopathic form as an adjunct.

In Kali Bichrome, a patient feels pain at the time of passing stools or

even on movement. The peristaltic movements of the gut at the time of defacation cause piercing pain over the liver as well as over the spleen. A lot of wind forms in the belly, causing distension. The entire body aches lightly while the intestines feel sore. A feeling of weakness and sinking sensation over the stomach precede diarrhoea.  Nausea, vomiting and then diarrhoea; this is the pattern in Kali Bichrome. Diarrhoea starts in the morning (like Sulphur). Kali Bichrome is very useful in the treatment of morning diarrhoea in which the stools are clay coloured.

Sometimes, rheumatic pains alternate with dysentery instead of

nasal catarrh. With the onset of dysentery, body aches disappear and the body feels light. There is cramping before, during and after the passage of stools. The rectum also prolapses. Piles become swollen and painful. Kali Bichrome should also be remembered for treating backache associated with the passage of blood in the urine. In Kali Bichrome, the urine may contain strings of mucus and urination is preceded by pain over the coccyx (tail end of the spine). This is typical of Kali Bichrome. In women patients of Kali Bichrome, the uterus related ailments aggravate during the summer. The menstrual discharge becomes acidic and causes burning. Periods start before time. Kali Bichrome should be remembered to treat the passage of thread-like strands in the milk while breast-feeding. If the milk tends to clot, then Phytolacca would be the best remedy, which is also useful in the treatment of vomiting during pregnancy.

Kali Bichrome is very useful in the treatment of permanent loss of voice. Kali Bichrome is very effective in relieving wheezing due to the retention of sticky phlegm and constriction of the trachea and upper respiratory passages, commonly seen in asthma. Kali Bichrome is also useful in the treatment of whooping cough. The catarrhal complaints of Kali Bichrome become worse in the wet, wintery season. The patient develops diarrhoea in the summer during the rainy season. He feels comfort lying down in the bed. The phlegm is greenish in colour and contains blood clots. Both Kali Bichrome and Kali Carb are very useful in the treatment of tuberculosis of the lungs. Potassium salts are very deeply related to the formation of cavities in the lungs and coughing of blood in the sputum.  In Kali Bichrome, like Kali Carb and Ipecac, there is a feeling of chill over the back. In Kali Carb, this feeling is confined only to the lower part of the back, while in Ipecac and Kali Bichrome it stretches all the way up to the neck. The rheumatic pains aggravate on movement, like in Bryonia. The pain is worse in the morning. On getting up and walking, the pain gradually dissipates. Rest at night offers relief, though by morning, the pain becomes concentrated in one area from where it then scatters on movement.

All sorts of skin diseases may be found in Kali Bichrome, such as eczema, blisters and boils. If skin conditions are forcibly suppressed with some strong ointments they may affect the mucous linings of the intestines. Therefore, in a patient exhibiting symptoms of Kali Bichrome, one should desist from external use of medicines.