32 years old Mrs. N. L. R. (Patient Identification Number - 15349) visited our clinic on 17th January, 2011 for her complaints of Lichen Planus. She was suffering from extensive Lichen Planus since 3 – 4 months. It had rapidly spread on the whole body in just 2 months. There were violaceous eruptions on the fore arms, legs, back and abdomen. They would itch and bleed on scratching. She had been applying steroid based creams and lotions on it. She had also been taking antihistaminic tablets to reduce the itching, but none of these medications relieved her.
She was a vegetarian by choice. Her appetite was average. She preferred sweet and spicy food. She had more sweating on her face. She could not tolerate warm weather. Her sleep was disturbed due to itching.
There were no complains in her menstrual cycle. She had backache before menses. She had 2 sons who were 3 years and 8 months old.
She was a Chartered Accountant by profession. After marriage she had left her career and concentrated on home and family. Her husband was banking professional. Her in laws and parents were staying in Bangalore.
She was fastidious and short tempered. After leaving her job in 2005 she felt lonely. She desired company. She would enjoy cooking and preferred being occupied. She learnt yoga after leaving her job. She was an anxious mother. Her main stress was the typical struggle to get back to work after delivery. Neither her parents nor her in laws could come to stay with her. She was a very distinguished Charted Accountant and held a very high post. Due to pregnancy she had to forgo the same. This was constantly playing on her mind. After the second child was born, and she had become a full time mother, career became a distant and painful dream. She struggled a lot but could not get back to work. She also had conflicts with her mother in-law. Her mother in law was fault finding and abusive and an unhappy lady. She projected a lot of negativity towards patient. This led to negativity in the patients mind too. However hard she tried to bridge the gap, her mother in law stubbornly refused to communicate and indirectly compared her with her husband. This propelled an even stronger desire to prove herself professionally. In all this she had herself become irritable, anxious and critical and fault finding, she had lost her peace of mind and harmony.
In this setting, she had developed severe and extensive Lichen Planus.
Her mother and maternal grand mother were suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. Her sister and paternal grand mother were suffering from asthma.
Dr Shah gave a very calm hearing to all her problems. He understood her agony, anxiety and emotional discomfort.
Dr Shah stressed the need to fill up her mind with POSITIVE emotions such as love, sympathy, forgiving and happiness.
Dr Shah suggested having pity, sympathy and love for her. He said, “If you fill your mind with positive feelings, the negative feelings will go away automatically. Once you are positive, you will invite happier relations and life will be even better. You must note that it is possible to elevate life from any point."
Her case was studied in detail by Dr. Shah and was prescribed Sepia 30c 2 doses along with some research based medicines.
After 4 months on medication she reported on 5th April, 2011 with 40% improvement in her Lichen Planus lesions. They had flattened down. The itching was considerably less. There was no appearance of eruptions. Her case was reviewed and prescription was up graded. She had started filling less stressed and calm.
After 6 months of medication she reported on 20th June, 2011 with further improvement in her lichen planus. Her mind also felt fresh. There were no new eruptions and old existing had started to show improvement.
After 10 months of medication she reported on 7th November, 2011 with 75% improvement. There were no active lesions. Few dark spots of post healing were present. Itching was further reduced.
She reported after 10 months with some other minor issues. When enquired for her Lichen Planus she reported only minor occasional itching she felt, but there were no eruptions. The dark marks too had faded away.
She has also started the treatment for her children and believes they too would be successfully treated.
This case illustrates that prolonged stress can play a key role in triggering and maintaining Lichen Planus. Homeopathic medicines prove their efficacy in such cases to help the person cope up with the stress and help to cure the disease, under supervision of an expert and experienced prescriber.
Uploaded by Dr. M.N.P. on 2 November 2012.