Sepia Remedy Type: Exhausted, Dragged Down, Desperately Seeking a Vacation!

Often the source from which the remedy is taken tells us a lot about its uses. This is certainly the case for Sepia, made from the ink of the cuttlefish (also called the giant squid). The cuttlefish has the shape and form of a uterus, while Sepia is used for many disorders of the female reproductive system. The con­stant twitching and jerking of its head and body re­mind us of the Sepia patient's constant desire to move. The shades of brown and yellow which are part of the squid's astonishing camouflage system remind us of the Sepia woman's wardrobe as well as her typical pigmentation: sallow skin, a brownish mottling of the face, or the “mask of pregnancy”. The cuttlefish is a master of escape (excreting a cloud of black ink to confuse the pursuer), and escape is exactly what the Sepia woman wants when she feels totally over­whelmed. Finally, the female cuttlefish is said to have total disregard and indifference for her eggs once laid, like the exhausted Sepia woman's indifference to her family. It is also said that the male fish loses his special copulatory tentacle during intercourse-which is re­flected in the depression following intercourse in the (less frequently encountered) male Sepia patient.

How does one get into a Sepia state? Many women could answer that. Typically it reflects 4 overwork and over-responsibility. The exhaustion can easily stem from childbirth, especially if the pregnancy was hard (with Sepia being a great remedy for morning sickness), or if the delivery was difficult and/or rushed (with suction or pitocin). It is unfortunate that gynecologists don't know the power of Sepia for "postpartum blues"! Women who have had several pregnancies, miscarriages or abortions can also get into this debilitated Sepia state, drained not only of their physical energy but of their emotional energy as well. However, I have also seen women get into a Sepia state after only one pregnancy. If the baby is a screamer (a typical colicky baby) and does not want to sleep for the first three months, the mother almost inevitably will slide into this state of fatigue.

A woman in a Sepia state will say, "I am depressed" or “I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown." Indeed, she wakes up in the morning and feels there is nothing to look forward to: nothing but chores which can't wait, so overwhelming that she can't imagine being able to finish them, yet she will have to start the housework all over the next day. She never seems to get a few minutes just for herself where she can simply rest, exercise a little, read, anything put her body and mind at peace. No wonder such a woman does not want to get out of bed. She will spend the whole day driving the kids to school and their activities, cooking, shopping, washing… the list seems endless, and by the late afternoon, she is ready to collapse. All she wants is a little nap - but this is just the moment the children come back from school, and then the "big boy," her husband, demands his dinner. He even adds insult to injury by talking about how much work he did that day (and implying that housework isn't "real work").

A Sepia woman feels pushed relentlessly with no end in sight. It is only her sense of duty that keeps her going. But there will come a time when she runs out of energy and her patience comes to an end. Trapped in her situation, feeling utterly exhausted, she tells everyone to go away and leave her alone. She will even slap her whining children without feeling a bit sorry. She is just too tired to care.

And beware of the husband asking, for sex! That is just another task for her to avoid. Nor should he complain about a bad day at work. One of my patients said to her husband, "A bad day? I'll give you a bad day! I'll take out my pistols and bang! You're dead!" Another of my patients just got to the breaking point with her husband who came home from work, plopped in front of the TV and demanded that she make him a big bowl of pop­corn. She took the popcorn and dumped it on his head, then got in the car and drove away for a few hours, just to be by herself-leaving her husband and kids in a panic, because they had never seen her act like this!

A Sepia woman will snap if anything extra gets added to her overloaded routine. She has to shut off he has to shut off or she feels she will die. She will even want to run away from this situation where she feels trapped. She may tell her husband, "You are in charge of the kids," and flee in desperation to the mall, or pack her suitcase and announce: "I am off on a little vacation and I don't want anyone com­ing along!"

A woman in a Sepia state may seem unsociable, but that's only because she is too tired to follow a conversation. She just wants to lie in bed with a book. Under severe stress, she may appear frozen, no longer showing emotion.

Sad to say, this Sepia state can be forced on a young girl if she has to fill her mom's shoes in the family, perhaps due to her mother's illness, absence or death. Being given so much responsibility at such a young age can mark her for the rest of her life. She may want to stay unmarried in order to avoid taking care of anyone else, or she may abso­lutely refuse to have children, preferring to be a successful career woman with no strings attached.

In the doctor's office she can be very critical, trying to hide the real reason of her visit: her emotional exhaustion. Often she only talks about her physical complaints, which are numerous (espe­cially menstrual, menopausal or other hormonal symptoms).

But more often a woman in a Sepia state will burst into tears while telling her story, as crying is her only way of communicating. A Sepia will cry even more than a Pulsatilla, but her grief stems from exhaustion rather than the Pulsatilla's needi­ness for attention. She can have a sharp tongue; how can she feel any sympathy when she feels she can "lose it any minute"? As you can see, many women are in this unfortunate situation. I hope they will turn for help to Sepia, ready to give them a new lease on life!

A Sepia woman is likely to need these acute remedies:

• The main thing a woman in a Sepia state needs is help from a homeopath, who can prescribe remedies in the right professional potencies. She can also benefit by using Sepia acutely in situations such as these:

  • Many women, and especially women in a Sepia state, are likely to need Sepia for dysmenorrhea (with the typical Sepia symptom of a bearing ­down feeling in the uterus, as though it might slide out through the vagina!)

  • Sepia is also good for morning sickness, vomiting during pregnancy, and hot flashes during menopause.

  • It can also be used acutely for PMS symptoms such as irritability, weepiness and depression.

  • I often tell my women patients to protect themselves against exhaustion during the Thanksgiving - Christmas season by taking Sepia 200C (3 pellets, dry in the mouth, as needed).

Copyright by Luc De Schepper, MD, PhD, DI Hom., CHom., Lic.Ac
from his book, "The People's Repertory". Reprinted by permission.
Dr. Luc is the author of excellent books on Classical Homeopathy.

Pulsatilla Type: Neediness for Attention

Have you ever seen a windflower in your garden? I remember seeing one in the yard of one of my students. It was a calm, windless day. Nothing moved except the little windflower: it was swaying from one side to another, like a pendulum. Keep that image in your mind and you will know what a Pulsatilla person stands for. Indeed, changeability is Pulsatilla's great characteristic.

You can also call it irresolution: Pulsatilla can't make up her mind, whether choosing from a menu (more than one waiter has thought about committing hara-kiri because that sweet little Pulsatilla keeps on changing her main course) or when confronted with the 31 different flavors at a Baskin Robbins ice cream store. When a Pulsatilla buys some apples, she has to handle thirty of them before choosing the two she needs.

Note: I have referred mainly to she in talking about Phos­phorus, Pulsatilla, Nat mur and Sepia, and mainly to he in discussing Sulphur, based on the predominance of the gender for each type. But this does not exclude the opposite sex from being any of these types. A Calc. carbo is equally likely to be male or female. We rarely see adult men who are Pulsatillas, but little boys who cling to their mothers can be.

And talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-there is no better example than Pulsatilla. She has the uncanny ability to switch from one mood to the complete opposite within five minutes. Tears al­ways seem to be present when needed for sympathy or attention, but the rainbow of smile and laughter always follows the rain.

It is hard to be angry at a little Pulsatilla child.

She is sweet, always ready to help mummy in the kitchen, and constantly asking for approval from her mother. This is easily seen on a visit to the doctor. Ask her a question directly, and she will turn her head to mummy to make sure she gives the right answer. Or she may say, "You tell the doctor, mummy."

There is a sweetness and shyness about them, but don't be fooled. They have figured out at a very young age that you catch more flies with sugar than vinegar. Looking pretty, with such sweet behavior, dressed in their little dresses and sailor costumes, they can put a spell on you when you meet them. Hugs and kisses are demanded and given in equal amounts: who could ever say no to such a little princess?

Behind this smoke screen, though, there is a great hidden motive. They want constant attention; in fact there is no amount of love sufficient to fill the bottomless pit. Pulsatillas constantly demand proof of love. Comes the first day of school, they are a terror. They break their mother's heart with their piercing screams as they absolutely refuse to let go of mummy's hand, and the tortured mother is haunted by the screams of her sweet little princess as she leaves the school building.

For a Pulsatilla, this is sheer abandonment. "You don't love me anymore," they say. But once they adjust· to the class, and especially if the teacher is gentle and pays attention to them, they love school. They become the teacher's pet, always ready to help. To the dismay of the Sulphurs and Phos­phoruses, they are the ones reminding the teacher that she forgot to give homework.

Imagine how upset a Pulsatilla is when a younger sibling is born. This is the greatest threat to their source of love: mom. All of a sudden their mother must pay attention to a little creature and Pulsatilla feels so abandoned. She refuses to visit mom in the hospital and does not want to kiss the new baby. If she can, she will pinch or hit the baby when no one is looking, or simply smack the door in the face of a younger sibling when he toddles innocently into the room. And of course, Pulsatilla will deny all of this.

If that does not work, there is the ultimate revenge. If mummy pays attention to a baby, she will resort to baby behavior. All of a sudden she wets her bed again, after being potty trained for the last three years. All of a sudden she loses her ability to dress herself. "Mummy, you help me put on this dress." No other child sucks on their thumb longer than a Pulsatilla. And if the baby's diaper gets changed, she wants something to be done for her, too. This jealous behavior is always towards the younger sibling, not the older one.

When a Pulsatilla gets angry at mummy and storms into her room, she makes sure not to lock that door. She expects that mom is going to run after her, to take her into her arms and profess her deep love for her. Attention, attention-that's all she wants. When mom and dad are involved in a conversation, she keeps interrupting because she feels so excluded, and therefore abandoned. It is as if all the energy of a Pulsatilla is aimed at conquering love and attention.

Not all Pulsatillas are little girls. A little four­year-old boy told me in the office that "I sold my bed to my Dad, so I can sleep with Mummy." I will never forget that little smile on his face: triumphant and sweet as he had finally achieved his biggest victory. Indeed Dad slept in his bed surrounded by the teddy bears, while my Pulsatilla boy was holding Mom's hand in bed.

This refusal to grow up is easily seen at puberty when Pulsatilla is a great remedy to help the moody, insecure girl to grow up. If your teenager has been grumpy, confused, hostile and insecure since her first menstrual cycle she needs Pulsatilla.

As Pulsatillas finally decide to grow up, though, they make excellent partners. A Pulsatilla person is not an intellectual or very cerebral person. Their prettiness and non-threatening behavior lets the husband feel strong, as if he is always in command. "You decide for us, sweetheart," she says, when it comes to going on vacation. The poor husband thinks he is always in control-yet upon reflection, at the end of his life, he would see that his Pulsatilla wife always got her little wish in her own subtle way.

But she brings much happiness to her husband as she does not need an exciting life. Pulsatillas just adore babies, who they consider their little dolls, fussing over them and running to the doctor at the first sign of a cough. They always keep a certain childish image, easily seen in the way they dress or the way they talk to their dog or baby.

A Pulsatilla is not shy about discussing her medical history in front of people; in fact she is the first one in a homeopathy class to volunteer to come forward. And she loves group counseling rather than a one-on-one session, as she prefers to get consolation from many people. One of my patients complained about woman (a Pulsatilla!) who kept interrupting a group session by constantly bursting into tears, so that everyone had to come and hug her. Twenty-some interruptions later, the sympathy of the other patients was watered down quite a bit, which Mrs. Pulsatilla could not understand.

If you succeed in giving Pulsatilla to your young Pulsatilla child, you will do yourself and your child a great favor. You will find peace of mind, since not every moment of your life will have to be dedicated to her, and she will accept attention and love in a more balanced way. Good luck!

A Pulsatilla person is likely to need these acute remedies:

• Children with a Pulsatilla personality are likely to come down with ailments that respond well to Pulsatilla acutely: ear infections, fever without thirst, hay fever.

• A typical Pulsatilla ear infection can be right or left-sided, or both; acute pains starting and stopping; and a variable discharge of yellow or white pus.

• A little Pulsatilla girl may have a vaginal discharge that is creamy or constantly changing. (Changeability of symptoms is typical of Pulsatilla on the physical plane as are moodiness and indecisiveness on the emotional and mental planes.)

In their needy emotional state, Pulsatillas are likely to suffer from real or imaginary ailments to get attention, like the little Pulsatilla girl who complains of a tummy ache so she can stay home with mommy instead of going to school. Since Pulsatilla is a great remedy for digestive disorders, Pulsatilla will relieve her tummy ache, if it indeed exists, and in any case will help her to grow a little more independent of her mother.

Another wonderful acute remedy associated with Pulsatilla is Kali bich, stuffed up noses. Remember, 'If it sticks, it's Kali bich!'" referring to the thick, ropy, green, stringy mucus. Pulsatilla itself can be a great remedy for sinusitis and sinus headaches, especially when the sense of smell is totally gone because of stuffiness.

This article was written by Luc De Schepper, MD, PhD, DI Hom., CHom., Lic.Ac
from his book, "The People's Repertory". Reprinted by permission.