Alumina (alum.)
Alumina is a unique remedy often under-appreciated by beginning prescribers. It is characterized by DELAYED ACTION both internally on the mental plane, and externally on the central and peripheral nervous systems. The idea is SLOWNESS of function followed eventually by PARALYSIS. This is a very slow onset. The patient may not realize that anything is wrong for a long time; she may feel a vague “heaviness” in the legs about which she doesn’t complain until it has developed into locomotor ataxia.
The most striking aspect of the mental picture is the great SLOWNESS of mind. She is slow to comprehend things, then slow in figuring out how to proceed to accomplish her task, and slow in its execution.
The slowness of mind results in a peculiar kind of confusion which is unique to Alumina. The ideas are very vague, and hazy, like undefined shadows. You may see a patient who has difficulty in swallowing. But when you ask her to describe the trouble, she becomes halting and indecisive. She thinks a long time, tries this word and that, struggling to find the correct word to describe what she is feeling. This difficulty in expressing what is happening is so peculiar to
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