Alumina
Aluminium oxide · Aluminum oxide, pure clay,Aluminum oxydatum · Mineral
Alumina is best suited to those who are generally sluggish. They may be in a state of deep despair, and fear that something awful is about to happen. Fear of insanity is not uncommon, especially on sighting sharp objects and knives, which may even trigger suicidal thoughts. Reactions to external stimuli and questions are slow, yet despite this, these people often feel a sense of haste, hurry, and confusion.
Typical physical symptoms include dry, gray skin and dry, sore mucous membranes. In addition, there may be a lack of coordination, weakness, and fatigue, possibly associated with chronic illness.
Alumina is typically used for elderly people who are senile and confused, with a poor memory. It is also suited to delicate babies. The remedy is given to treat fatigue, nervous complaints, constipation, and unusual food cravings.
Key symptoms
- sense of feeling hurried and flustered
- fatigue and sluggishness
- failing memory
- dryness of the skin and mucous membranes
Worse (aggravation)
- Periodically
- In the morning on waking
- From heat of bed
- From potatoes
- On alternate days
Better (amelioration)
- In open air
- Evening
- On alternate days
- Cold washing
Oxide et Aluminum-Argilla
A very general condition corresponding to this drug is dryness of mucous membranes and skin, and tendency to paretic muscular states. Old people, with lack of vital heat, or prematurely old, with debility. Sluggish functions, heaviness, numbness, and staggering, and the characteristic constipation find an excellent remedy in Alumina. Disposition to colds in the head, and eructations in spare, dry, thin subjects. Delicate children, products of artificial baby foods.
Mind
Low-spirited; fears loss of reason. Confused as to personal identity. Hasty, hurried. Time passes slowly. Variable mood. Better as day advances. Suicidal tendency when seeing knife or blood.
Head
Stitching, burning pain in head, with vertigo, worse in morning, but relieved by food. Pressure in forehead as from a tight hat. Inability to walk except with eyes open. Throbbing headache, with constipation. Vertigo, with nausea; better after breakfast. Falling out of hair; scalp itches and is numb.
Eyes
Objects look yellow. Eyes feel cold. Lids dry, burn, smart, thickened, aggravated in morning; chronic conjunctivitis. Ptosis. Strabismus.
Ears
Humming; roaring. Eustachian tube feels plugged.
Nose
Pain at root of nose. Sense of smell diminished. Fluent coryza. Point of nose cracked, nostrils sore, red; worse touch. Scabs with thick yellow mucus. Tettery redness. Ozœna atrophica sicca. Membranes distended and boggy.
Face
Feels as if albuminous substance had dried on it. Blood-boils and pimples. Twitching of lower jaw. Rush of blood to face after eating.
Mouth
Sore. Bad odor from it. Teeth covered with sordes. Gums sore, bleeding. Tensive pain in articulation of jaw when opening mouth or chewing.
Throat
Dry, sore; food cannot pass, œsophagus contracted. Feels as if splinter or plug were in throat. Irritable, and relaxed throat. Looks parched and glazed. Clergyman's sore throat in thin subjects. Thick, tenacious mucus drops from posterior nares. Constant inclination to clear the throat.
Stomach
Abnormal cravings-chalk, charcoal, dry food, tea-grounds. Heartburn; feels constricted. Aversion to meat (Graph; Arn; Puls). Potatoes disagree. No desire to eat. Can swallow but small morsels at a time. Constriction of œsophagus.
Abdomen
Colic, like painter's colic. Pressing in both groins toward sexual organs. Left-sided abdominal complaints.
Stool
Hard dry, knotty; no desire. Rectum sore, dry, inflamed, bleeding. Itching and burning at anus. Even a soft stool is passed with difficulty. Great straining. Constipation of infants (Collins; Psor; Paraf) and old people from inactive rectum, and in women of very sedentary habit. Diarrhœa on urinating. Evacuation preceded by painful urging long before stool, and then straining at stool.
Urine
Muscles of bladder paretic, must strain at stool in order to urinate. Pain in kidneys, with mental confusion. Frequent desire to urinate in old people. Difficult starting.
Male
Excessive desire. Involuntary emissions when straining at stool. Prostatic discharge.
Female
Menses too early, short, scanty, pale, followed by great exhaustion (Carb an; Coccul). Leucorrhœa acrid, profuse transparent, ropy, with burning; worse during daytime, and after menses. Relieved by washing with cold water.
Respiratory
Cough soon after waking in the morning. Hoarse, aphonia, tickling in larynx; wheezing, rattling respiration. Cough on talking or singing, in the morning. Chest feels constricted. Condiments produce cough. Talking aggravates soreness of chest.
Back
Stitches. Gnawing pain, as if from hot iron. Pain along cord, with paralytic weakness.
Extremities
Pain in arm and fingers, as if hot iron penetrated. Arms feel paralyzed. Legs feel asleep, especially when sitting with legs crossed. Staggers on walking. Heels feel numb. Soles tender; on stepping, feel soft and swollen. Pain in shoulder and upper arm. Gnawing beneath finger nails. Brittle nails. Inability to walk, except when eyes are open or in daytime. Spinal degenerations and paralysis of lower limbs.
Sleep
Restless; anxious and confused dreams. Sleepy in morning.
Skin
Chapped and dry tettery. Brittle nails. Intolerable itching when getting warm in bed. Must scratch until it bleeds; then becomes painful. Brittle skin on fingers.
Modalities
Worse, periodically; in afternoon; from potatoes. Worse, in morning on awaking; warm room. Better, in open air; from cold washing; in evening and on alternate days. Better damp weather.
Relationship
Compare: Aluminum chloridum (Pains of loco-motor ataxia. Lower trits in water). Slag Silico-Sulphocalcite of Alumina 3x (anal itching, piles, constipation, flatulent distention); Secale; Lathyr; Plumb. Aluminum acetate solution. Externally a lotion for putrid wounds and skin infections. Arrests hæmorrhage from inertia of uterus. Parenchymatous hæmorrhage from various organs-23 % solution. Hæmorrhage following tonsillectomy is controlled by rinsing out nasopharynx with a 10 % sol.
Complementary: Bryonia.
Antidotes: Ipecac; Chamom.
Dose
Sixth to thirtieth and higher. Action slow in developing.
Alumen and Alumina
This remedy comes in very nicely after Alumen, which has much Alumina in its nature and depends largely upon Alumina, which is its base, for its way of working.
It occurs to me to throw out a little hint. When you have a good substantial proving of an oxide or a carbonate, and the mental symptoms are well brought out, you can use these, in a measure in a presumptive way, in prescribing another salt, with the same base, which has a few mental symptoms in its proving.
For instance, you have a group of symptoms decidedly relating to Alumen.
The mental symptoms of Alumen, however, have not been brought out to any extent, but still you have the mental symptoms of the base of Alumen, which is the oxide, so that if the patient has the mental symptoms of Alumina and the physical symptoms of Alumen, you can rationally presume that Alumenwill cure because of the Aluminumin each.
Argilla. Oxide of Aluminium. Pure Clay. AL2 O3 3H2O. Trituration.
Clinical
Anus, affections of. Boils. Bubo. Catarrh. Chlorosis. Constipation. Constipation of nursing infants. Cough. Disappointments, effects of. Dysentery. Dyspepsia. Eczema. Eyes, affections of. Fissures. Fistula. Headache. Hernia. Irritation. Leucorrhœa. Locomotor ataxy. Nails, affections of. Otorrhœa. Ozæna. Paralysis. Pregnancy, constipation of. Pregnancy, toothache of. Prostatorrhœa. Rhagades. Scrofula. Strabismus. Taste, disordered. Tetters, moist and itching. Throat, affections of. Trismus. Typhus.
Characteristics
Like its relative Alumen, Alumina produces irritation of mucous membranes with dryness or extreme secretion and paralysis of involuntary muscles, as those of the rectum and of the nervous and muscular systems generally. Alumina paralyses the bowels in the same way as lead, to which it is an antidote. Even small and soft stools are passed with great difficulty. Pregnant women and children are liable to this kind of …
Pure Clay. (Al2O3.)
Adapted to persons who suffer from chronic diseases; "the Aconite of chronic diseases.". Constitutions deficient in animal heat (Cal., Sil.). Spare, dry, thin subjects; dark complexion; mild, cheerful disposition; hypochondriacs; dry, tettery, itching eruption, worse in winter (Petr.); intolerable itching of whole body when getting warm in bed (Sulph.); scratches until bleeds, then becomes painful. Time passes too slowly; an hour seems half a day (Can. Ind.). Inability to walk, except with the eyes open, and in the daytime; tottering and falling when closing eyes (Arg. n., Gels.). Abnormal appetite; craving for starch, chalk, charcoal, cloves, coffee or tea grounds, acids and indigestible things (Cic., Psor.); potatoes disagree. Chronic eructations for years; worse in evening. All irritating things - salt, wine, vinegar, pepper - immediately produce cough. Constipation: no desire for and no ability to pass stool until there is a large accumulation (Melil.); great straining, must grasp the …
Mouth and Throat
Sense of constriction from pharynx down to stomach; seems as if blood could not pass.
Stomach
Abnormal appetite; wants starch, chalk, charcoal, coal, coffee, or tea grounds, acids, indigestible things; potatoes disagree.
Anus and Stool
Profuse discharge of coagulated blood in a mass resembling liver and serum, without pain, but great weakness (typhoid).
Anus and Stool
Involuntary urination with the stools, or urine can be passed only during stool.
Anus and Stool
Inactivity of the rectum, even a small stool requires great straining.
Urinary Organs
Can only void urine while straining at stool.
Female Sexual Organs
Transparent mucous leucorrhoea is large quantities running down the feet, unless napkin is worn.
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Inactivity of the rectum, oven soft stool requires great straining.
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No desire for and no ability to pass stool, until there is a large accumulation.
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Profuse, transparent, acrid leucorrhoea running down to the feet during the day.
Phatak's chapter on Alumina is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
