Kalium iodatum

Incipient organic changes; gouty-rheumatic, syphilitic, rickety, etc. Many and diverse symptoms. Feels used up. Cachexy. Stubborn chronicity. Arterio-sclerosis. Craves motion in open air. Various symptoms. Crushing or sharp stitching pains. Weakness. COPIOUS, watery, acrid, salty, thick, green or foul discharges. Catarrh. Pains long after trauma. Diffuse soreness; of affected part. Œdematous swelling. .................... Irritable, harsh tempered and cruel. Can't think. Despondent. Bad temper. Harsh. Head bone pains, lightning like, < warmth or lying on part. Big head and small jaws; rickets. Tender spots on head. Bilateral headache. Scalp sore; fissured. Burning, watery, puffy eyes. Chemosis. Tinnitus. Acrid coryza with dyspnœa and salivation. Burning throb in nasal and accessory cavities. Colds from every damp day. Red, swelled nose; tight pain at root, zygomæ and root of tongue. Takes cold. Violent sneezing. Acrid, watery coryza, < cool air. Ozœna. Glutinous mucus on lips in A.M. (Zin-cl.). Nagging toothache. Taste salty; bitter on waking. Salivation. Sore-throat of speakers (Aru-t.). Flatulence; squeaking. Early diarrhœa of phthisis. Frequent stools and urine. Leucorrhœa, corrosive; like meat washings. Air hunger; with flatulency, in A.M.; awakens strangling. Whistling, asthmatic breathing. Raw air-passages. Croupy hoarseness. Dry bronchitis. Frothy expectoration. Backward chest pains. Pneumonia. Pain, sternum to back. Painful lumps; in scalp. Giant urticaria. Chilly in bones; in painful parts. Heat in evening; uncovers, then chills. Alternate heat and chill. Heat with shudders. Hot and dry, then drenching sweat. Profuse night sweats, which >. Actinomycosis.

Heat. Pressure. Touch. Night. Damp. Mercury. Changing weather. Jolting. Cold foods.

Motion. Cool air. Open air.

Glands. Frontal sinus. Nose. Eyes. Lungs: Upper. Lobe. Periosteum.

Antidotes: Merc. Nit-ac. Related: Iod. Sul. Syph.

Lecture LXX — Salts of Potash — Kali bromatum and Kali hydriodicum

Kali Hydriodicum.

The Iodide of Potassium, or Kali hydriodicum, does not, like the Bromide of Potassium, act on the higher tissues of the body. It seems to affect more the lowest tissues, as the fibrous, particularly the periosteum and the connective tissue wherever they may be found. It attacks the nervous tissues ultimately, probably by involving the neuroglia. The tendency of the drug is to produce infiltration, so that when it is thoroughly indicated you will almost always find an oedematous or infiltrated state of the part affected. Some of the symptoms produced by Iodide of Potassium are due directly to the iodine which it contains. For instance, what is known as iodine intoxication may be developed by the drug. The patient is very talkative; exhibits a great deal of anxiety about the heart; the face is flushed, the head is hot, in fact, he acts pretty much the same as one under the partial influence of liquor.

The headache which Kali hydriodicum causes is one of the external head, probably from the action of the drug on the aponeurosis of the occipito-frontalis muscle, because there appear sharp lumps like nodes on the scalp and these pain excessively. This may be a remote symptom of syphilis or of mercurialization, or it may appear in a patient with the rheumatic diathesis.

In affections of the eyes Kali hydriodicum is called for principally by the violence of the symptoms, especially in syphilitic iritis after the abuse of mecury. Now, if mercury has not been abused, I do not consider the Iodide of Potassium to be the best remedy. If there is any best remedy for iritis it is Mercurius corrosivus. We may also use Kali hydriodicum for inflammation involving both choroid and iris, the result of syphilis. More externally we find pustular keratitis, with chemosis, especially after the abuse of mercury.

Coming next to the nose, we have the following indications for the Iodide ofPotassium : coryza or catarrh, occurring repeatedly in patients who have been mercurialized; every little cold or exposure, or every damp day causes the nose to become red and swollen; and acrid watery discharge flows from it, and the eyes smart and lachrymate, and become puffed. The patient is alternately chilly and hot, the urine is high colored (as the patient expresses it) and scanty, and there is usually some sore throat. Every exposure provokes a return of these symptoms.

Kali hydriodicum also cures this thin excoriating nasal discharge when it appears as an inheritance from syphilitic parents. The ozsena which it cures is either scrofulous, syphilitic or mercurial, or a combination of all these. The discharge may be either thin and acrid, or else thick, green and offensive, and attended with burning sensation in the nose and even perforation of the nasal bones.

Next, the action of Iodide of Potassium on the lungs and heart. It is not a little singular that all the preparations of Mercurius produce sharp, stitching pains through the lungs (through either the right or left lung, and shooting in different directions), and that the very best antidote to mercury also produces stitching pains through the lungs, particularly through the sternum to the back; worse from any motion. Now, there are two very different conditions in which Iodide of Potassium is indicated by these symptoms. One of these is in pneumonia, in which disease it is an excellent remedy when hepatization has commenced, when the disease localizes itself, and infiltration begins. In such cases, in the absence of other symptoms calling distinctively for Bryonia, Phosphorus or Sulphur, I would advise you to select either Iodine or Iodide of Potassium. It is also called for when the hepatization is so extensive that we have cerebral congestion or even an effusion into the brain as the result of this congestion. Now, the symptoms in these cases are as follows: first, they begin with very red face, the pupils are more or less dilated, and the patient is drowsy; in fact, showing a picture very much like that of Belladonna. If you are hasty, you may be led to give that remedy, but it does no good. The patient grows worse, the breathing becomes more heavy, and the pupils fail to react to light. You know then that you have a grave serous effusion affecting the brain, which must be speedily checked or the patient will die. Why did not Belladonna cure ? Because all of the symptoms were not taken into account. The trouble did not start in the brain. The cerebral symptoms are secondary to others. What, then, is the primary trouble ? You put your ear to the patient's chest and you find one or both lungs consolidated; hence the blood cannot circulate through the lungs as it should, and the different organs in the body become congested. Here then is a symptom, previously overlooked, which explains the failure of Belladonna. Until you have proved that Belladomia has produced such a condition, you cannot expect it to do any good.

Another condition in which we may use Iodide of Potassium is in pulmonary oedema, thus again showing the infiltration producible by the drug. This is almost always, as you know, a secondary trouble. The expectoration looks very much like soapsuds, but it is apt to be a little greenish.

We may also have Kali hydriodicum indicated in phthisis pulmonalis, particularly if there are present this same sort of frothy expectoration, night-sweats, and loose stools in the morning. The cough is of a violent racking, tearing character, and is worse in the morning, thus keeping up the tendency of the potash salts, to have aggravation of the chest symptoms from two to five o'clock in the morning. I may say that these symptoms of the lungs are often consecutive to Bright' s disease, in which disease Kali hydriodicum may be the remedy. Yerba santa is used by eclectics for phthisis of catarrhal origin. It is used empirically. There is a gentleman who has a tendency to catarrhal asthma, with thickening of the bronchial tubes and constant oppression of breathing. I treated him for a year. Sulphur seemed to be indicated, but was given with only partial relief. Finalty, I gave him Yerba santa in the tincture. It so far relieved him that every morning he coughed up a quantity of sputum, and there then followed a freedom of breathing he had not had for years. The action of Kali hydriodicum on the heart is also characteristic. It produces a horrible smothering feeling about the heart, awakening the patient from sleep and compelling him to get out of bed. This symptom is also found under Lachesis, Kali bichromicum y Lactuca, Euphrasia, Graphites, and some others.

It is also useful for repeated attacks of endocarditis or pericarditis of rheumatic origin. There are sharp, darting pains in the heart, worse from any motion, and particularly bad from walking. In disease of the spine you will find Kali Ziydnodieum indicated by these symptoms : feeling as if the small of the back were being squeezed in a vise ; bruised pain in the lumbar region and difficulty in walking: spinal meningitis with oedema or exudation, particularly when of syphilitic origin.

When gummatous tumors involve the nervous tissues Iodide of Potassium is your only hope.

It may also be of use when rheumatism involves the spine and paraplegia results. In these cases I think that it is the neuroglia that is attacked.

It may still further be used in rheumatism of the joints, particularly of the knee. This knee-joint is swollen and has a doughy feel ; here, again, you see the tendency of the remedy to produce infiltration of tissue. There is no fluctuation to be detected. The skin above the inflamed joint is apt to be spotted, and the pains are of a gnawing, boring character, and are worse at night.

In sciatica you may give Kali hydriodicum when the pains are worse at night, and from lying on the affected side, and when the trouble is of mercurial or syphilitic origin.

You will find that the Iodide of Potassium will sometimes help you in the treatment of the so-called contracted kidney, especially when of mercurial origin.

Iodide of Potassium, like all the potash preparations, produces an eruption of a papular or of a pustular character. Especially do these appear on the scalp and down the back ; when they heal they leave a cicatrix.

You may also remember Iodide of Potassium as a remedy for tertiary syphilis, particularly rupia.

The best antidote to Iodide of Potassium is Hepar.'

Sad, anxious; harsh temper. Irritable; congestion to head, heat and throbbing.

Iodide of Potassium The profuse, watery, acrid coryza that the drug produces serves as a sure guiding symptom, especially when associated with pain in frontal sinus. It acts prominently on fibrous and connective tissues, producing infiltration, œdema, etc. Glandular swellings. Purpura and hæmorrhagic diathesis. Syphilis may be indicated in all stages: 1. In acute form with evening remitting fever, going off in nightly perspiration. 2. Second stage, mucous membranes and skin ulcerations. 3. Tertiary symptoms; nodes. Give material doses. Diffused sensitiveness –– (glands, scalp, etc). Rheumatism in neck, back, feet, especially heels and soles; worse, cold and wet. Iodide of Potass in material doses acts in the different forms of Fungoid disease (thrush, ringworm, etc), offer simulating syphilis and bacterial diseases like tuberculosis. Symptoms like loss of weight, spitting of blood, etc. Tea-taster's cough due to inhaling the fungus; a also brings about often favorable reaction in many chronic ailments even when not clearly symptomatically indicated.

Worse, warm clothing, warm room, at night, damp weather. Better, motion, open air.

Pain through sides of head. Violent headache. Cranium swells up in hard lump. Pain intense over eyes and root of nose. Brain feels enlarged. Hard nodes, with severe pain. Facial neuralgia. Lancinating pain in upper jaw.

Conjunctiva red, injected; profuse lachrymation. Syphilitic iritis. Pustular keratitis and chemosis. Bony tumors of the orbit.

Noises in ear. Boring pain in ears.

Red, swollen. Tip of nose red; profuse, acrid, hot, watery, thin discharge. Ozæna, with perforated septum. Sneezing. Nasal catarrh, involving frontal sinus. Stuffiness and dryness of nose, without discharge. Profuse, cool, greenish, unirritating discharges.

Saliva increased. Faintness at epigastrium. Cold food and drink, especially milk, aggravate. Much thirst. Throbbing, painful burning. Flatulence.

Menses late, profuse. During menses uterus feels as if squeezed. Corrosive leucorrhœa, with subacute inflammatory conditions of the womb in young married women. Fibroid tumors, metritis, sub-involution, hypertrophy, 1x

or 1 gr crude, 3 times a day.

Violent cough; worse in morning. Pulmonary œdema. Larynx feels raw. Laryngeal œdema. Awakes choking. Expectoration like soap-suds, greenish. Pneumonia, when hepatization commences. Pneumococcic meningitis. Stitching pains through lungs to back. Asthma. Dyspnœa on ascending, with pain in heart. Hydrothorax (Merc sulph). Pleuritic effusion. Cold travels downward to chest.

Severe bone-pains. Periosteum thickened, especially tibia; sensitive to touch (Kali b; Asaf). Rheumatism; pains at night and in damp weather. Contraction of joints. Rheumatism of knees with effusion. Pain in small of back and coccyx. Pain in hip, forcing limping. Sciatica; cannot stay in bed; worse at night and lying on affected side. Formication of lower extremities when sitting, better lying down.

Purple spots; worse on legs. Acne, hydroa. Small boils. Glands enlarged, indurated. Hives. Rough nodules all over, worse any covering; heat of body intense. Fissured anus of infants. Tendency to œdematous swellings, eyelids, mouth, uvula, etc. Acne rosacea.

Antidote: Hepar. Compare: Iod; Mercur; Sulph; Mezer. Chopheenee, a Hindoo remedy for syphilitic eruptions, ulcerations and bone-pains. Used in tincture.

Crude drug, in material official dosage, but remember Dr. Meyhoffer's statements in his chronic diseases of organs of respiration: "From the moment the drug produces pathogenetic symptoms, it exaggerates the function of the tissue, exhausts the already diminished vitality, and thence, instead of stimulating the organic cell in the direction of life, impairs or abolishes its power of contraction. We use, as a rule, the first dilution from 6 to 20 drops a day; if after a week no decided progress is visible, one drop of the tincture of Iodine is added to each hundred of the first dilution. In this way, the mucous tubercles, gummy deposits and ulcerations resulting therefrom in the larynx undergo a favorable termination in laryngeal syphilis. " When strictly homeopathically indicated, as in acute respiratory affections to third potency.

Kalium Iodatum

This remedy is an antipsoric and antisyphilitic. It has been used very extensively by the old school as an antisyphilitic, but in the very large doses which they used it became to a great extent allopathic to the disease, because of the tremendous effect it produced upon the economy, and implanted its own miasm, and thereby in a measure it suppressed many cases of syphilis.

The medicines that are the most powerful substances are really those that sustain in homoeopathic relation to the disease in general, and of these the very smallest dose often cure when similar. When the remedy is not similar enough to cure in such a form the increasing of the dose does not make it homoeopathic. There is an idea in vogue that increasing the dose makes the remedy similar. That is going away from principle. If the remedy is not similar there is no form of dose that can make it similar. It affects the glandular structures and the periosteum after the manner of syphilis. It produces catarrhal inflammations. It is a deepacting medicine and closely related to Mercurius. It has ulcerations and catarrhal states and glandular affections like Mercurius. It is similar in its action to Mercurius and is an antidote to it. The old subjects who have always been taking Calomel or Blue Mass for their bilious complaints will in time become subject to frequent coryzas, constipation, pains and aches, and disturbance of the liver, and disordered stomach, and must have another dose of Mercury. Some of these cases need this remedy. If you practice medicine in a neighborhood where there is a very poor homeopath you will find that he is giving the Biniodide, or some other preparation of Mercury, for almost all of the colds or sore throats. This establishes upon all of these patients an over-susceptibility to the weather changes, and they keep taking these red mercurial powders. Some of them carry them around in their pockets. But the more they take of these red powders the more frequently they have sore throats and colds. Many times they will not get over these troubles without Kali iod. in potentized form, or Hepar.

Hepar and Kali iod. are the two principal medicines that such patients need. Individuals with this susceptibility to colds and sore throats and weather changes, that is, from the effects of Mercury, who have been led into a Mercurial state, run two ways, Those who are invariably shivering and cold, and want to hover around the fire, and cannot keep warm, will need Hepar, and those that are always too warm, that want the covers off, and want to be in constant motion, extreme restlessness, very tired when keeping still, will have their Mercury antidoted by Kali iod. The Mercurial state will be antidoted, but it sometimes takes several prescriptions and sometimes a series of carefully selected remedies. The psora, that is, his chronic state, will not manifest itself until you have lifted off this miasmatic state, which has been caused by Mercurius. It is astonishing what a great number of men, women and children are bowed down by the miasm that Mercury produces, and yet those prescribers go on, giving this form of Mercury and say it is practicing Homoeopathy. I am led to remark that there is yet much to be learned about the art of prescribing.

Mind: This remedy has a peculiar mental state. There is a very strong degree of irritability, cruelty, and harshness of temper. He is harsh with his family and with his children; abusive. It will take all the sense of refinement out of his mind and then he will become sad and tearful. Extremely nervous, and must walk and be on the go. If he remains in a warm room he becomes weak and tired, and feels as if he could not stir, does not want to move, and does not know what is the matter with him.

He is worse in the warmth of the house, but as soon as he goes into the open air he feels better, and as soon as be begins to walk he feels still better and can walk long distances without fatigue; goes into the house again and becomes weak and tired and exhausted.

A nervous and mental exhaustion comes on from resting.

The head: manifests some peculiar things, such as we sometimes see in syphilis, which the remedy controls when the other symptoms agree.

Bi-parietal head pains of nerve syphilis, old, long standing cases. Pains through the parietal bones, through the side of the head, as if crushed in a vise; awful crushing, pulsating, pressing, rending pains on both sides of the head.

These are worse in the house, and better from warmth and from motion, better walking in the open air. All through the head there are pains like knife stabs, like nails driven in; lancinating pains, cutting pains in the scalp, in the temples, over the eyes through the eyes. The pericranium becomes sensitive and filled with nodules. The scalp breaks out with nodular eruptions, tuberculous eruptions, syphilitic eruptions. "Scalp painful on scratching as if ulcerated." "Great disposition for hair to change color and fall out."

Coldness of the painful parts.

Eyes: In watching a syphilitic case, there is often noticed disturbance of vision, and finally iritis. They can be treated homeopathically. I have seen syphilitic iritis of the most severe character cured with Staphysagria, Hepar, Nitric acid, Mercurius, Kali iod, and many other remedies. The inflammatory process stops at once, there are no adhesions, no deformity, and no troubles remaining behind.

If you consider that a case of inflammation must run its course, and will be associated with fibrinous exudations, and adhesions most probably follow, of course you must adopt the plan of dilating with Atropine, and hold the iris so until the disease has run its course. But the disease does not run its course after a proper remedy, and as that is the last symptom to appear, it will be the first to go, and you may expect the eye symptoms to disappear within twenty-four hours after the administration of the homeopathic remedy.

This remedy has marked conjunctival trouble, with green catarrhal discharges from the eyes. This green character applies whenever you can find discharges. There is copious, thick, green expectoration, green discharges of muco-pus from the nose, from the eyes, from the ear, thick, greenish leucorrhoea, green discharge from ulcers. These thick green or yellowish-green discharges are sometimes very foetid.

At times when you examine the conjunctiva it seems to puff out as though water were behind it, a chemosis.

Iodide of potash, produces that state. "Chemosis, purulent secretion."

In olden times when I used to give Iodide of potash to rheumatic patients, according to the prevailing craze, I would notice, after a day or two, chemosis coming into the eyes and the patient beginning to ache in his bones all over, while the rheumatism of the joints would disappear. An allopathic effect was taking root upon that patient which would last for years. I have noticed that a large dose of Kali iod. in syphilitics would make the patient get up the next morning with difficulty in opening the lids, and upon opening the eyes the conjunctiva would form water bags, as though water were behind them and they were bagged out.

Kali iod. also produces oedema of the lids and injection and tumefaction of the conjunctiva. The mucous membrane becomes red, raw and bleeding. The vessels are enlarged and the surface is very sore, inflamed and smarting. He is compelled to hold the eyelids during winking; the winking is painful and causes scratching, as from sand. Acute conjunctivitis, especially when it occurs in patients who have rheumatism, who have been abused with Mercury, or those afflicted with syphilis. Syphilitic and rheumatic affections of the eye.

Old gouty subjects who must keep in motion, and must keep in the open air, who are always too warm, and cannot endure any degree of warmth in the room, who suffer more from their gouty pains when keeping quiet, those who are fatigued when keeping quiet and can walk and move without fatigue in the open air, especially when it is cold, with enlarged joints, with restlessness, anxiety, nervousness, harshness of the temper and great irritability, alternating with weeping.

This relief from motion will make the routinist give Rhus in many instances, but Rhus would have no relation to the case whatever. Remember, Rhus is a cold patient, who is always shivering and wants to be by the fire, whose complaints are > by the heat, he is > in a warm room and becomes fatigued from motion, whereas Kali iod. does not become fatigued from continued motion.

The nose: comes in for much trouble.

In old syphilitic catarrhs they blow out great crusts and pieces of bone; syphilitic ozoena; the bones of the nose are very sensitive to touch and become necrosed, and the nose flattens down and becomes soft. It is deprived of the bony framework that holds it in shape and settles down flat, leaving only the red tip. Extreme pain at the root of the nose like Hepar.

Thick, yellowish-green, copious discharge from the nose. Every change of the weather brings on catarrhal states. He is constantly taking cold, sneezing continuously. Copious, watery discharge from the nose, excoriating the passage, and causing burning in the nose. This coryza is < in the open air, but all the rest of the patient is > in the open air.

Consequently, when a patient has two such conditions that operate against each other he suffers much, because he cannot find quarters for relief. In a warm room his nasal catarrh, or his coryza, is >, but in the open air he feels > as to the rest of his complaints.

"Repeated attacks of violent, acrid coryza from the least cold."

With the coryza the frontal sinuses become involved, and there is great pain through the forehead; pain in the eyes, pains through the cheek-bones.

Throat: In the throat, as you might suppose from its relations to syphilis and Mercury, there is much trouble.

Deep ulcers in the throat, old syphilitic ulcers; perforating ulcers, eating away and destroying all the soft tissues, the uvula and the soft palate. Ulceration upon the tonsils; enlarged tonsils; very painful sore throat. Knots and knobs in the throat upon the mucous membranes.

"Dryness of throat and enlarged tonsils." "Terrible pain at the root of the tongue at night." The whole pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchial tubes suffer from catarrhal conditions. Inflammatory conditions with greenish discharge. While all the external symptoms and the rest of the body symptoms are relieved in the cold air and by the contact of external cold, internally cold things aggravate. Cold milk, ice cream, ice water, cold drinks and cold food, cold things in the stomach < all the symptoms. Though he has an excessive thirst and will drink large quantities of water, if very cold it will make him sick. Kali iod. has all the flatulence and belching of Carbo veg. and Lycopodium.

The glands all over the body become tumid, enlarged and hard. It has cured enlargement of the thyroid gland; it may take this from Iodine. Very characteristic is the chronic inflammation of the urethra, following gonorrhoea, where the discharge is thick and green, or greenish yellow, without pain. Inflammation of the testicles, syphilitic in character.

Pain and rawness in the larynx, with hoarseness; awakens from constriction of the larynx. It is very useful in phthisis of the larynx. Cough from constant irritation in the larynx. Dry, hacking cough, hoarse cough with copious greenish expectoration. Catarrhal phthisis with thick, copious, greenish expectoration. Pleuritic effusion. Fluttering of the heart. Palpitation on slight exertion or when walking. Rapid pulse. Not only in old gouty troubles, but in patients threatening phthisis, and in old malarial troubles this medicine will be of great service. It cures sciatica when the pain is sharp from the hip down, worse lying, sitting or standing and better walking.

You may go to the bedside of a patient who is suffering from what she calls "hives;" you will find she is covered from head to foot with an eruption that forms great nodules; she is fairly burning up from head to foot. She cannot endure any covering; the heat of her body is intense, yet she has no rise of temperature.

Rough nodular manifestations all over the skin; a condition that will go away in a few hours, but in a few days, weeks or months come back again. A single dose of a very high potency of Kali iod. will turn things into order in persons subject to these hives and they will not come again.