Melatonin Anhang

x!y

[JJ Kleber]

In der größten Toxikologischen Datenbank Poisindex sind bei Dosen von 3 - 80 mg/d bei Kindern/bis zu 1000 mg/d bei Erwachsenen keine oder nur geringe

Nebenwirkungssymptome berichtet; Hübner berichtet über Depression bei 1,2g

Ab 100 mg / Tag wurden leichte Nebenwirkungen beobachtet

Bei Schlafstörungen wurden gegeben (0,1 - 0,6) - 5 - 6 mg (0,1 - 0,5 mg/d waren in einigen Studien ähnlich wirksam, wie 5 mg/d);

beste Einnahmezeit ist etwa 1 - 2 Stunde vor gewünschter Schlafzeit (aber vor 21 - 22 h. zur Normalisierung des zirkadianen Rhythmus). Zur Schlafregulierung wurden kurzzeitig bis zu 40 mg / Tag gegeben, als zusätzliche Therapie gegen Krebs für Monate Dosen von 1 - 40 mg/ Tag. Ab 100 mg / Tag wurden leichte Nebenwirkungen beobachtet.

Wirkung:

Besserung des gestörten Schlaf-Wachrhythmus für Spätschlafer mit „verzögertem Schlafphasensyndrom“ ist in Studien gesichert (Evidenz - Level A); gute Wirkung konnten Studien zeigen bei Altersschlaflosigkeit, Schlafstörungen ansonsten Gesunder und bei Schlafstörung von verhaltens- oder entwicklungsgestörten Kindern, wie in geringerem Maße bei Jet-Lag (Evidenz - Level B); bei Durchschlafstörungen zeigten sich Retardpräparate wirksamer, zur Schlafinduktion nicht retardierte Präparate;

niedrige Dosen von 1 mg oder sogar 0,3 - 05 mg waren gleich oder nur gering weniger wirksam, als 5 mg/d.

Auch eine Besserung von funktionellen Magen-Darmbeschwerden (Refluxösophagitis) war in Studien deutlich (Evidenz - Level B).

Andere positive Wirkungen sind nach der Studienlage möglich, aber nicht bewiesen

(Evidenz - Level C) wie: antientzündliche, alterspräventive, anxiolytische Wirkung; positive Wirkung auf Gedächtnis, Makuladegeneration; bei den Studien zur antikanzerogenen Wirkung von Melatonin

war die Wirkung positiv, es wurden aber auch antioxidative Vitamine angewandt und andere Krebstherapien (Bestrahlung, Interferon, Chemotherapie), so dass die Wirkung von Melatonin schlecht zu beurteilen ist.

Als antikanzerogene Eigenschaften zeigt Melatonin eine Modulation der Östrogen-Rezeptor-Expression, Unterdrückung des epidermalen Wachstumsfaktor-Rezeptors, Angiogenese Hemmung, Steigerung der Sekretion etlicher Zytokine und dadurch Steigerung der Tumorabwehr, Verminderung der Immunsupression bei Chemotherapie und Stress und Besserung von Tumorkachexie.

Frau Dr. Hübner: es hemmt im Laborversuchen das Zellwachstum hemmt, die Zelldifferenzierung und Apoptose induziert, die Metastasierung vermindert, Tumorzellen durch Behinderung der Linolensäureaufnahme und durch Tyrosinkinase-Hemmung schädigt; bestätigt eine Wachstumshemmung von hormonrezeptor-positiven Prostata-und Mamma-Karziniom-Zellen durch Melatonin und berichtet von Studien bei Bronchial-, Colon-, Leber-, Mamma-Karzinom, Melanom, Hirnmetastasen und anderen soliden Tumoren, bei denen die Melatoningabe einen positiven Einfluss hatte. Selbst in Kombination mit Chemotherapie hatte Melatonin in den Studien einen unterstützenden Effekt und reduzierte teilweise die Nebenwirkungen.

Auch wenn diese Erfolge wegen der oben genannten Multitherapie nicht sicher dem Melatonin zuzurechnen sind, ist die generelle Ablehnung von Melatonin in der Krebstherapie durch Frau Dr. Hübner nach meiner Meinung nicht zu rechtfertigen.

Nebenwirkungen:

In der größten Toxikologischen Datenbank Poisonindex sind bei Dosen von 3 - 80 mg/d bei Kindern und bis zu 1000 mg/d bei Erwachsenen keine oder nur geringe Nebenwirkungssymptome berichtet; Hübner berichtet über Depression bei 1,2g; als Nebenwirkung hoher Dosen und bei Gabe unter Tags wurden vor allem Müdigkeit beobachtet (kein Führen von Kraftfahrzeugen bis 5 Std. nach Einnahme,

selten Schwindel und Kopfschmerzen, Übelkeit, Blutdrucksenkung, erhöhte Erregbarkeit.

Unter besonderen Umständen wurde gefunden Verschlechterung eines bestehenden Diabetes, Blutgerinnungsstörungen bei antikoagulierten Patienten, Anstieg oder Abfall verschiedener Hormone (Oxytozin + Vasopressin, LH, FSH, Prolaktin, hGH, Östrogen, Progesteron, Kortison, T4 + T3); Melatonin erhöht die Aktivität von P450-Isoinzymen und kann dadurch den Abbau einiger Arzneimittel beschleunigen. Allergien sind möglich, und 1 Fall von Hepatitis nach Melatonin ist berichtete.

Kontraindiziert in der Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit wegen mangelnder Daten; nach Hübner sind weitere Kontraindikationen Autoimmunerkrankungen, Leberinsuffizienz, zerebrovaskuläre und neurologische Erkrankungen, Einnahme von Immunsupressiva, Kortikoiden und MAO-Hemmern; Natural Standard empfiehlt Melatonin nur unter Vorbehalt einzusetzen bei Patienten mit Krampfanfällen, herabgesetzter Blutgerinnung, antihypertensiver Behandlung, Diabetes, psychiatrischen Erkrankungen und bei Einnahme von Beruhigungsmitteln und Antikoagulantien oder Alkoholabusus und vorsichtshalber nicht bei Lymphomen.

Pharmakologie:

Sekretion steigt mit Einsetzen der Dunkelheit mit maximalen Werten nach Mitternacht (2 – 4 h.) und fällt dann wieder ab; bei oraler Gabe von Melatonin-Kapseln werden maximale Konzentrationen

1 - 1,5 Std. nach Einnahme erreicht (mit Konzentrationen wesentlich über der natürlichen Melatonin-Serum-Konzentration); die Bioverfügbarkeit wird angegeben mit 76%, oder 10 - 56% nach

enteraler Gabe wegen hohem First-Pass-Effekt. Melatonin ist sehr lipophil, passiert gut die Blut-Hirn-Schranke und wird auch transmukös gut aufgenommen. Es wird in der Leber zu dem inaktiven Metabolit 6-Sulphatoxy-Melatonin inaktiviert und als Glucuronid über die Galle ausgeschieden. Die physiologische Serum-HWZ beträgt 30 - 60 Minuten.

 

[Pharma Wiki]

Ein Hormon der Epiphyse (Zirbeldrüse) des Gehirns, das eine zentrale Rolle bei der Regulation des Schlaf-Wach-Rhythmus spielt. Es ist ein bekanntes Mittel zur Vorbeugung und Behandlung der Symptome eines Jetlags. Klinische Studien zeigen eine gute Wirksamkeit für dieses Anwendungsgebiet. Es ist in der Schweiz dazu bisher aber nicht zugelassen. Die Anwendung erfolgt auf eigenes

Risiko. Melatonin wurde in der Schweiz im Dezember 2009 zur Behandlung der Schlaflosigkeit bei Patienten ab 55 Jahren freigegeben und kam 2010 in den Handel. Zusätzlich sind

Melatonin-Rezeptor-Agonisten mit ähnlichen Eigenschaften verfügbar.

Synonym: Melatoninum, Dunkelheitshormon, N-Acetyl-5-methoxytryptamin, Schlafhormon

Produkte

Melatonin wurde in der Schweiz im Dezember 2009 als rezeptpflichtiges Arzneimittel unter dem Markennamen Circadin® (Retardtabletten) zur Behandlung von Schlafstörungen zugelassen. Zur Behandlung der Symptome eines Jetlags ist es nach wie vor nicht zugelassen. Es sollte dazu nicht über das Internet bestellt werden (Problem pharmazeutische Qualität). Es ist häufig am Reiseziel erhältlich, zum Beispiel als „Nahrungsergänzungsmittel“ wie etwa GNC Melatonin (USA). Auch dabei stellt sich je nach Destination die Frage nach der Produktequalität. Priorin LF® (früher: Asatex®) mit Melatonin war früher als kosmetisches Produkt zur äusserlichen Behandlung von Haarausfall im Verkauf und ist jetzt ausser Handel.

Struktur und Eigenschaften

Melatonin (C13H16N2O2, Mr = 232.3 g/mol) wird im Organismus aus Tryptophan und Serotonin gebildet. Chemisch handelt es sich um N-Acetyl-5-methoxytryptamin.

Wirkungen

Melatonin (ATC N05CH01 [Externer Link] ) hat schlaffördernde Eigenschaften und vermindert die Körpertemperatur. Physiologisch steigen die Melatoninspiegel im Blut nach Einbruch der Dunkelheit an, erreichen gegen Mitte der Nacht ihren Höhepunkt und entfalten eine schlaffördernde Wirkung. Licht ist der wichtigste natürliche Gegenspieler. Die Effekte beruhen auf der Bindung an MT1- und MT2-Rezeptoren im Hypothalamus, an der „inneren Uhr“ des Gehirns.

- „Melatonin is remarkably effective in preventing or reducing jet lag“ (Herxheimer et al., 2002).

Klinische Studien zeigen, dass Melatonin gegen die Symptome eines Jet-Lags gut wirksam ist, wenn es in einer Dosierung von 0.5 bis 5 mg abends vor dem Schlafengehen eingenommen wird (NNT: 2).

Es hilft besser, wenn mehrere Zeitzonen überquert werden und besser bei Flügen nach Osten. Zur äusserlichen Anwendung bei Haarausfall wurden kleine Studien durchgeführt (z.B. Fischer et al., 2004).

Indikationen und Anwendungsgebiete

 

Als Monotherapie für die kurzzeitige Behandlung der primären, durch schlechte Schlafqualität gekennzeichneten Insomnie bei Patienten ab 55 Jahren.

Melatonin ist in den folgenden Anwendungsgebieten in der Schweiz nicht als Arzneimittel zugelassen oder es sind keine entsprechenden Mittel im Handel:

  Jetlag, vor allem bei der Überquerung mehrerer Zeitzonen Richtung Osten. Bei Reisen Richtung Osten ist der Effekt grösser, weil die Jetlag-Beschwerden dabei stärker sind.

  Schichtarbeit

  Winterdepression (saisonal-affektive Störung), Depression → siehe unter Agomelatin

  Zur äusserlichen Behandlung von Haarausfall (Kosmetika).

  Weitere Störungen des zirkadianen Rhythmus

Dosierung

Gemäss der Fachinformation. Beim Jetlag (keine Zulassung) ist der richtige Zeitpunkt der Einnahme wichtig. Die empfohlene Dosis beträgt 0.5 bis 5 mg Melatonin abends vor dem Schlafengehen für 2 bis 5 Tage nach der Ankunft. Melatonin soll nicht morgens oder tagsüber eingenommen werden, da es sonst Schläfrigkeit auslöst.

Kontraindikationen

Melatonin ist bei Überempfindlichkeit kontraindiziert. Es kann Schläfrigkeit verursachen. Daher ist das Arzneimittel mit Vorsicht anzuwenden, wenn die Auswirkungen von Schläfrigkeit ein Sicherheitsrisiko darstellen könnten. Die vollständigen Vorsichtsmassnahmen finden sich in der Arzneimittel-Fachinformation.

 

[Melanie Grimes] proving 2006

Mind: I’m feeling really good, like I can make any decision I want now and can move forward in my life.

Prover 1, Day 2

Headache sensation has cleared, though still feeling physically heavy and mentally extremely dull and slow. It’s like all thought processes have come to a halt and there is nothing.

Prover 3, Day 1

Animals:

Found a neat store near the mall. A wild bird store. Stopped in for a humming bird feeder. It is almost like a Discovery Store, chimes and everything. There is a parrot who lives there; they were showing it to my granddaughter.

Prover 2, Day 2

Remarked, stupid blue jay is flinging out all the bird seed.

Prover 2, Day 5

One of the cats comes and sits in my lap, purring like a train, dribbling and being unusually affectionate. Stroking him, my hands feel slightly desensitised, like the sense of touch is taking longer than normal to register in my brain, as if there’s some energetic cotton wool between the nerve endings and what they’re touching.

Prover 3, Day 1

Other cat comes and sits in my lap, but I’m restless.

Prover 3, Day 1

Wind:

I feel good the North wind invigorates me spiritually. (1/15/07) I did an atunement with my spirituality person and she taught me how to do it.

Prover 2, Day 5

Hum:

Aware of all the hums of machinery – the external hard drive, the fans in the computer, the boiler coming on, the fridge and freezer in the kitchen which I would never normally be conscious of from my office. The machinery noises are unpleasantly intrusive.

Prover 3, Day 1

Metaphysics:

This remedy’s focus seems to be more and more on the metaphysical. Along with the merging and changing sensitivity of the physical senses, it's seeming like the same thing is going on with the metaphysical senses. Its affinity for the dream state also seems to apply to the meditational state. Meditations on specific questions during the last week have been incredible. (Began these on my visit to the US in the pre-proving phase and had surprisingly good results working together with friend/instructor, but hadn’t tried any since getting back – partly lack of time, partly thinking I’d find it far more difficult working on my own.) The first attempt brought astounding results with incredible ease. Without being aware of it -- just devised a technique because it seemed the right thing to do in context -- I was using an advanced technique that friend/instructor would not have introduced me to until I had far more practice. The imagery seems extraordinarily close to the normal conscious state, as if it’s only just below the surface, and all I have to do to access it is close my eyes and go straight there. Not only getting imagery, but sounds as well, and finding it extraordinarily easy to make contact with archetypal energetic emanations and communicate with them. All of this dialogue in the last week has been with extra-terrestrial energies – planets, comets, the galactic centre.

All my energy, excitement and enthusiasm seems to be directed towards this now. Have little time for day-to-day mundane stuff these last few days. Interest in tidying and cleaning the house has evaporated and the urge to cook has waned considerably. Constantly looking for inspiration for more questions to go off into the cosmos to ask.

Prover 3, Day 15

My usual ability to instantly spot what’s wrong with something that isn’t working has gone. I’m not seeing what it is, even if it’s pretty obvious, for quite a while. Disconnected from things I already know – my daughter asked me what cat gut was made from, and I said cats’ guts of course and didn’t spot my mistake for a whole day when it suddenly came back to me. It’s like normal logical reasoning processes using prior experience have been de-emphasised in favour of analogical thought processes – thinking on philosophical matters is good and flows well. Able to think in the round, so to speak, to a much greater extent than usual, though at a more fundamental level than most people seem able to relate to. Their thinking, on the other hand, appears even more superficial, linear and fragmented than it normally does.

Prover 3, Day 25

Following up on quotation that captivated me, have now acquired Joachim-Ernst Berendt’s The Third Ear, a book exploring the effect of visual dominance on how we conceptualise and think and contrasting this with the sense of hearing. Seems extraordinarily relevant to the proving.

Prover 3, Day 50

TV film previews of Jim Carrey’s forthcoming movie The Number 23 also grab my attention. Researching the significance of this number on the net come to an article by Jim Fournier referencing the work of Stan Tenen on the Hebrew alphabet. On following this link, find Tenen’s work on fundamental informational topology in the Hebrew alphabet links to the torus and Arthur M Young’s work which I have already been exploring in relation to my own work on the toroidal form. Seems like a lot of separate strings coming together.

Prover 3, Day 50

1. When I went to the 'States in the pre-proving phase (end of November, just after I'd received the remedy from you) I had an interesting experience with the time difference. At the time I put it down to the fact that I haven't been to the 'States for nearly 20 years and am also 20 years older, but I see now it was wholly relevant

(and funnily enough I was talking about it with someone not 2 days ago). Scotland and Denver are 7 hours apart, so this was more of a jump than I've made in one go before (used to live/work in NYC for 2 1/2 years and did the transatlantic hop pretty frequently).

When I woke up my first morning in Denver, I looked at the time on my laptop (6.30am) and thought great! I've slotted straight into the right time just like I always did. Perhaps a bit earlier than I'd normally wake at home, but entirely acceptable. When, an hour and a half later, it still wasn't light outside, I suddenly realised that my laptop was on EST as I'd had time to kill at Newark and had used it there and changed the clock so I could keep an eye on when my flight was due. It took me another 2 days to move the 2 hours from EST to MST, which is unprecedented for me since I've never had a problem with my circadian rhythms being put out by long haul flights.

On the way home, usually the difficult one since flying counter the Earth's rotation, I thought it would be way worse since with the 7 hour difference I was effectively losing an entire night's sleep.

When I got home I was pretty wiped (not least because my checked luggage failed to make it home with me), so took a 2-hour nap in the afternoon, which I never used to do in case it really screwed things up. However, I went to bed at my normal time and woke up the next morning as if I'd never been away. So the trip was completely contrary to my previous experiences -- problems adjusting which I'd never had before, and more difficult going east to west than west to east.

It's also interesting to note that the local time I woke up my first morning in Denver -- 4.30 h. -- was around the time I was waking repeatedly when I started the proving 'proper'.

Prover 3, Day X

I also didn't mention another piece of work I did while proving. This may be a bit beyond the sphere of influence you're willing to publish since it'll be a bit beyond what most of the community of homeopaths will countenance as relevant/appropriate. Nevertheless, for me it's what brings a lot of this together AND crucially explains the connection to 9/11, why you've been drawn to prove this remedy now, and why I ended up as a prover (sympathetic resonance being key here).

In Wikipedia's entry on the pineal gland, I found this sentence -- "The relevance of the pineal gland to Discordianism, an idiosyncratic religion with roots in California psychedelic culture whose doctrines display great fondness for paradox, is great if not well understood."

Discordianism revolves around the Greek goddess of discord, Eris, and the piece of work I did which I didn't mention is on the new planet (OK, dwarf planet) Eris and its direct connection to a proving of my own which first announced itself a couple of weeks or so after 9/11.

But seeing the newly discovered planet purely in discordant terms is a major mistake. Paradoxically (naturally), she relates critically to the evolving unity consciousness. The article explains all this as well as the relevance to my own proving, though you'll probably need a bit of astrological knowledge to fully grasp its subtleties --

What is REALLY interesting is the Sabian symbols of the degrees Eris has been traversing throughout the time between 9/11, through the planet's discovery, through the provings of both my essence and melatonin, to now. If you don't know, Sabian symbols are intuited visualisations of the characteristic resonance of each of the 360° of the zodiac articulated by a psychic in the 1920s.

They have been variously elaborated on and interpreted since, but the interpretations that I find particularly useful are Dane Rudhyar's.

I've attached a file which shows the timeline of the planet's traversing of the degrees of its present position in Aries between its direct and retrograde cycles (its apparent forward and backward motion relative to the Earth) and where all the relevant events occurred. Note that all the relevant events happened when the planet was retrograde relative to the Earth which signifies that its energies are turned inwards and experienced internally. The only times that anything has happened when the planet was in direct (ie. externalised outward expression) motion, and which also coincided with the planet traversing 20° Aries for which the Sabian symbol is "A pugilist enters the ring", were i) the second period in my own proving when conflict and discord arose with people I'd had to deal with in relation to the proving and during which I was required to firmly stand my ground so that what I felt to be an authentic portrayal of the essence's energy was not compromised by other people's agendas nor my own intentions warped by their projections, and ii) my proving of melatonin 'proper', during which I was frequently outwardly behaving as "the pugilist entering the ring" in relation to all sorts of issues while championing the sense of the Sabian symbol for the degree which Eris was in when you decided to do the proving back last September -- "The gate to the garden of all fulfilled desires", keynote: Abundance made possible by human togetherness and cooperation.

Interesting synchronicity: today as I'm writing this, the Sun is at 20° Aries -- "A pugilist enters the ring". Fitting.

The lies, deceit, projections and general discord I experienced coming to me (brought up against solid incontrovertible authenticity) through much of the pre-proving phase (when Eris was retrograde) and into the proving itself are very characteristic of Eris's energy.

What's suddenly being brought to my attention right now is the name 'John'. When I first wrote about Eris's energy, I'd drawn parallels to John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) as representative of the discordant, chaotic, but ultimately wholly authentic energy. Noticing that John Lennon also fits the bill, and that John is the first name of the man initiating the problems I had over the Roineabhal proving, I started thinking about other Johns, including John the Evangelist who is credited by some as the author of the book of Revelations. The name 'John' is from the Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'.

Note that the pineal gland was originally believed to be a "vestigial remnant" of a larger organ (much as the appendix was thought to be a vestigial digestive organ). It was only after the 1960s that scientists discovered that the pineal gland is responsible for the production of melatonin. Interesting coincidence between the patterns of the present time and the 60s (Nixon/Bush, Vietnam/Iraq, 60s consciousness/New Age, etc). Alice Bailey links creativity to the triplicity of the sacral, throat and brow chakras,

a path raising conscious creation from the material to the spiritual. (3 was also the defining number of my essence proving.) It was interesting how much heightened creativity I experienced through the proving, feeling like I had done with the healing phase of my life and moving into conscious creation, and how it was associated with the chaotic (Eris). The brief sore throat sensations may fit in here.

After reading article in Times Educational Supplement online, explore the forums and feel moved to contribute to the debate on bringing back the cane which many teachers seem to support because of the discipline problems in secondary schools. Argue for a more humane, respectful and understanding approach which mostly gets a reaction of very worthy, but not ‘real’. Comes across to me very forcibly how limited, fractured, prejudiced and short-term most people’s thinking on the subject is. Get more and more depressed about the state of things here and how so few seem to be looking at the bigger picture and putting it all together. I want to emigrate. But where to?

Prover 3, Day 21

Old friends

Another old correspondent gets in touch out of the blue. That makes 3 since this proving energy has been around. All men, two from at least 5 years ago, and ex-husband from considerably longer who found me on Friends Reunited.

Prover 3, Day 21

RESTLESS

Get up and go for a wander round the house. Aimless. Want something but I don’t know what.

Prover 3, Day 1

SMELL

Seem more sensitised to smell – picking up scents of candles, etc, in passing that I don’t normally notice.

Prover 3, Day 1

FOOD

Totally energised by the experience of cooking. Sense of smell is noticeably heightened and everything I stick my nose into in the kitchen is just glorious. Salivating with each new noseful. Pure joy! Appreciating all the subtleties and nuances. Feel inspired, creative. Flavour omelette with Moroccan spices and chilli. Eating it is extraordinarily pleasurable. Again, appreciating all the individual subtleties and nuances in the flavours, the texture of the egg, the juiciness of the mushrooms oozing butter and freshly ground pepper. I can distinguish every individual ingredient. The chilli is making my brain tingle. Just want to keep eating and never stop. Not for hunger, but for the sensations of taste and smell. Laughing because had been working on the issue of the global obesity epidemic for much of the day.

Prover 3, Day 1

Want to get up and find more things to put in my mouth, to smell and taste. Go off to get some homemade cranberry ice-cream (one of last month’s recipe inventions) out of the freezer and a glass of wine. Settle on an Italian red wine after sampling a mouthful of Marsala just for the delight of it. The first sip of the red wine is pure sun, a Mediterranean summer heat, of growing in a rich and generous warmth. It’s as if part of me is actually there in Italy, sensing the climate and the ambience of the place by every means available to me. Can almost hear the cicadas. Now I can understand those wine critics who describe the drink with such imaginative and flowery verbosity that I’d always taken for a good 50% pretentiousness. Laughing again because yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend about synaesthesia and the idea of translating freshly mown grass into music.

Prover 3, Day 1

On a whim, decide to test this out and play some music (Dvořák’s String Quartet No 12 in F ‘The American’). Sit back and wait, half expecting vague flashes of colours, but it’s smells that are coming. Not strong, not well defined, but definitely there. And smells like nothing I’ve smelled before. Indescribable. Sometimes hints of something volatile like petrol, sometimes something more earthy, distinctive, but with no frames of reference I can’t name them. Can’t quite distinguish whether the smells are note-related or more to do with the timbre of individual instruments. Perhaps picking orchestral music wasn't such a good idea to start to the experiment, but it's too beautiful, too much of a feast for the senses, to stop. Try a different composer (Franck’s Symphony in D Minor). Different smells, and still equally undefinable. Try Franck’s Panis Angelicus to see what effect voice has. Different again, way stronger, and this time recognisable. The opening chords are like being immersed in a total riot of flowers, really strong, no one flower predominating. Jessye Norman’s voice has overtones of vanilla and something else I can’t identify. Cardamom perhaps? The smell seems to come from deep in my nose, like it’s the bones that are sensing it rather than the nasal mucosa, but it’s only there on the in-breath, not the out-breath. The first movement of Joep Franssens’ choral work Harmony of the Spheres smells of gold and white and purple. I’ve no idea what colours ‘smell’ like but it’s like I’m seeing colours through my sense of smell! Are all my senses getting their frequency response ranges jumbled up here and crossing over each other? Is that what synaesthesia is all about?

The cranberry ice-cream is divinely, mouth-wateringly good. Again, I can distinguish every individual ingredient: the cranberries cooked with orange zest, the orange juice and Marsala wine, the cream, the toasted oatmeal. Normally I don’t do this.

Prover 3, Day 1

The Franssens choral piece continues to smell of colours, but now it’s like I can ‘see’ streams of coloured light produced by the music coming together in front of my face and disappearing like a corded (ha! typed ‘chorded’ initially) rope of different coloured strands into my nose. It seems all my physical senses have changed: hearing, smell and taste are massively heightened, while touch and vision are lessened, meaning that the normal considerable dominance of vision has been completely eroded, and the senses are all dancing about in each other’s territory, playing with the boundaries between them. It feels like huge fun. I want to be a sense and join the dance.

Prover 3, Day 1

Started thinking about local situation where our woods are under threat of development and nearly got out of bed to write off another letter to the local authority planning department questioning their rationale. Determined to do something about it in the morning. Couldn’t get back to sleep.

Prover 3, Day 4

Still far more than usually inclined to fire off letters to various authorities objecting to the way things are being done, particularly when there is a marked absence of common sense being displayed. Still inclined to making the same mistakes in typing as consistently throughout this proving, particularly ending words with the initial letter of the next word, ie. transposing the first letter of a word and the space preceding it.

Prover 3, Day 68

Senses

Everything seems beautiful, full of wonder, excitement, creation. Music is sublime. There is hope for the human race in inspiration and creativity, when we get out of the way enough to allow the voices of the angels to speak through us.

Prover 3, Day 1

Before going to bed, notice one of the strings of my window blind has come out of its loop. Putting it back, find it extraordinarily hard to focus on the string and the loop, like there is a loss of acuity and precision in my vision equal to the gains in smell, taste and hearing.

Prover 3, Day 1

Hearing, smell and taste still acute. Evening dinner I’m back to relishing every ingredient of the food and enjoying the last of the Italian wine I opened on Saturday at the beginning of the proving. The wine is so good, resolve to go and buy a case of it if I can find out where it came from. Open a new bottle of red wine, this time South African, to see if my usual feelings about South African reds have changed at all. Nope. They all have something corporeal in their aroma that reminds me variously of blood, sweaty orifices, tom cat and cheesy feet.

Prover 3, Day 3

Motivation for any household chores is absent. Even thinking about them increases sense of light-headedness and I lose track of the thought processes. Becoming very disconnected from my daily life and the children. No interest in it. Far prefer to spend my time in deep philosophical conversation about the nature of existence and the fact that humanity has got it mostly back to front and inside out. But even this is starting to lose its appeal. Sense of frustration. Spending a lot of time online looking at ecological and self-sufficient housing. The more completely self-sufficient, the better. Very taken with the idea of Earthships. I want to find some land somewhere in the world surrounded by nature and not this collapsing civilisation. Want to spend my days growing food, writing and creating things in the company of others interested in a more respectful and humane way of living cocooned from the rest of the world in my own little bubble.

Prover 3, Day 29

Order

Strong urge to tie up all loose ends, finish outstanding projects, clear the decks, spring clean.

Prover 3, Day 2

Mistakes: I’m making many mistakes in typing.

Prover 3, Day 1

Making less errors in typing than in first hours of proving, but still transposing n and g in ‘ing’ and putting the first letter of the next word at the end of the previous one.

Prover 3, Day 3

Vertigo:

Prover 3, Day 25

Towards evening suddenly notice strong sensation of vertigo. Constantly there but most noticeable when standing or walking.

Dreams:

1:30 h. Dream: I’ve just come back in from outside. It is night time and I have been attacking the crows outside. I have 2 cardboard boxes in my left hand and a broom handle stick in my right hand that I have been banging on the bushes outside to frighten away the crows. I run inside and my scalp is covered with sticking sap spurs from the flowers outside. I’m trying to take them off into the small garbage pail and they are getting all over the floor. Oh well, guess I’ll have to wash the kitchen floor again. Just before this I was outside doing something and a loud sound frightened me/took my attention away from where it was needed. It was the sound of the crow.

Prover 1, Day 2

As I prepare to go back to sleep I am aware of an angry, vengeful part of myself that is mischievous and wants to get back at others and doesn’t care about them. I am thinking that this is the part that went after the crows and I observe a small very young inner part frightened and looking out from that mad/bad/sad man that I am, unmindful of others, humorous and angry. My body is male, tall, and sinewy like a broomstick physique.

Prover 1, Day 2

4:50 h. Dream: An alternative movie comes to town and I go with a friend. Many people show up and precautions are taken to keep things safe. An Indian (from India) man comes to check my bra, to make sure there is nothing there that is dangerous, and I enjoy the feel. I decide it’s easier to just remove the bra and put it away, to save time. We’re separated into groups and are told that we will all get to see the movie. I am separated from my friend. We wait patiently, and it is now 6:00 PM and we still haven’t seen the movie. I decide it’s time to leave. I find out that everyone else has already seen the movie and our group has been forgotten. I wonder what happened.

Prover 1, Day 2

5:00 h. Dream: extremely elaborate plans, passed down from woman to woman, to reach the feminine state by repeating simple repetitive tasks to reach a deeper understanding. We each help to guide and support each other, to reach ‘feminine think’ in action.

Prover 1, Day 3

D (NS) Had a dream on waking [this morning]. Usual, hurrying to get somewhere. I think it is me trying to get back in my body to wake up. Saw a good friend who has had lots of injuries, being hit by car twice [in real life]. Something happened to her in the dream that might cause her to start over again and re-injure.

Woke up and thought, “Oh, No!” with surprised that it happened.

Prover 2, Day 2

Many dreams, mostly confused fragments. A lot of stuff to do with cars and roads and roundabouts and Africa.

Prover 3, Day 2

Dreams: I’m going to get my car seen to because something isn’t right with the radiator. I have to park it at a roundabout and go on foot to the next junction where the garage is. The mechanic (who’s the mechanic who usually looks after my car) says that the reason the radiator doesn’t work properly is that it’s the wrong one for the car. The car is a highly unusual variant of the model even though it looks the same as all the others. It’s from Africa and the woman who sold it to me imported it from The Gambia. It’s a De Longhi (a make of portable domestic radiator) model. I walk back to my car, relieved that the mystery is solved and discover that something has smashed into it. There is a dent in the middle of the bonnet and the radiator grill has been knocked in.

Then I am in the car in a different place trying to get out of a parking spot to join the queue of traffic heading for a roundabout. A weird little car a bit like a Smart car and painted in a black and white pattern like a herringbone fabric stops to let me in. I’m in a hurry so accelerate forward, but have to immediately slow down again because there’s a line of people waiting to go round the roundabout too. I have to weave in and out to avoid them. The people are all moving into the outside lane to turn right off the roundabout. They’re going to the supermarket. So am I so I have to drop down to their pace. Feeling frustrated. In the supermarket there’s all sorts of strange fish for sale. The tannoy calls out for a member of staff to report somewhere. The name is Chinese, and a Chinese woman close to me runs off.

Prover 3, Day 2

My son and I are on holiday somewhere and we have been coming to this small enclosed cobbled area between some buildings to sunbathe. We arrive at the same time as an elderly couple who barge past us, knocking us aside. I put my towel down on the ground where my son and I were the day before and the old man sits right down on it and starts to spread out his things, completely ignoring us. His wife takes up an equal amount of space a small distance away leaving us only a small area between them. I’m furious at such rudeness – it’s “our” space; we’ve been coming here for days – and wrench my towel out from underneath the old man and slap it down in the only space left for us. He looks at me as if I’m just an insignificant annoyance and tells me to go lie somewhere else in the shade. No way.

Prover 3, Day 2

In trying to recall other dream fragments, there is something about an African tribesman. Tall, powerful, in tribal dress, shaman-like. Every time the briefest glimpse of him comes back into recollection, there is an enormous surge of energy and excitement as if there’s something really important about him. There’s also something about the shit hitting the fan – literally – and everyone getting covered in it.

Prover 3, Day 2

Another night of getting hot and sweaty, though this time not chilled. Many dreams again, though this time not so successful in catching fragments.

Prover 3, Day 3

Dreams: Of being in a totally messed up bed, sheets (made of lace) detached from corners of mattress and all scrumpled up under me.

Prover 3, Day 4

Of being on the threshold of waking and sleeping and unable to remain in either (see dream in pre-proving phase). Of staying in a hotel at a seaside resort which was supposedly Brighton, England, and trying to persuade another guest who was some low-ranking politician, that there needed to be a government commitment to clean up the coastal waters from all the pollution. I was adamant that the first step had to be the commitment because without it nothing would happen.

Prover 3, Day 4

Of walking around shops in lanes and looking for jewellery in my pyjamas and bathrobe, but none of it caught my eye.

Prover 3, Day 4

Of stealing an egg and putting it in the pocket of my bathrobe.

Prover 3, Day 4

Woke up with U2’s song ‘One Tree Hill’ in my head.

We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill

As the day begs the night for mercy, love

The sun so bright it leaves no shadows, only scars

Carved into stone on the face of earth.

The moon is up over One Tree Hill

We see the sun go down in your eyes.

You run like a river on to the sea

You run like a river runs to the sea

 

And in the world a heart of darkness; a fire zone

Where poets speak their heart then bleed for it

Jara sang - his song a weapon in the hands of one

Whose blood still cries from the ground.

 

He runs like a river runs to the sea

He runs like a river to the sea

 

I don't believe in painted roses, or bleeding hearts

While bullets rape the night of the merciful

I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky

And the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill

 

We run like a river runs to the sea

We run like a river to the sea

 

And when it's raining, raining hard

That's when the rain will break your heart

 

Raining... raining … raining in my heart

Raining in my heart

Raining...raining into your heart

Raining, raining...raining

Raining into your heart

Raining...

Raining your heart into the sea

 

Oh great ocean

Oh great sea

Run to the ocean

Run to the sea

Somehow it seems extraordinarily pertinent. Raining …

Prover 3, Day 4

Dreams with mostly same characteristics as last few nights – fragmentary and often involving things I’d been doing/seeing through day. More transport themes.

Prover 3, Day 6

Dream: Of travelling somewhere by train with my 2 daughters. The train either breaks down or comes to a halt somewhere between stations. We have no idea where we are and the environment beyond the tracks gives no clues as it keeps shifting. We get out and start walking up the tracks. Many of the tracks are old and rusty and obviously no longer in use. I’m careful to watch out for electrified tracks and point these out to youngest daughter so we can avoid them. Eldest daughter already knows about them.

No train comes by but we’re constantly alert for them. After walking up the tracks a way, they open out into a large area of sidings to one side of which appears to be what looks like an old deserted station. I say to daughters that they built this area south of Clapham Junction (London). I call out to eldest daughter that we’re going to check the station out to see if we can find someone. She carries on ahead on the main tracks. When we first approach the station bit, it’s on the same level as the tracks, but by the time we’re walking along the platform, it’s about a couple of hundred feet above the tracks with a steep vertical drop faced in concrete from the edge of the platform all the way down. There seems no way of getting back onto the tracks without going back the way we came which now looks very steep and tricky to negotiate. We go into the station buildings. There’s a few rooms that look as if they’re in use. There’s a railway worker’s uniform that looks quite new and recently worn hanging behind a door, but no sign of anyone. Then I notice a closed door and there are sounds from behind it. Seems to be a bathroom. A woman comes out. I’m surprised, having expected a man. She seems to be expecting a journalist to interview her about her unusual life and work on the old station and thinks I’m the journalist. She immediately launches into her story and starts talking about some tax breaks she’s able to make use of because she’s self-employed (*). I don’t know about them and they sound really really useful, and I’m self-employed, so I play along at being the journalist and sit down to interview her in depth about it so I’ll be able to use the tax breaks myself.

Prover 3, Day 6

Again many dreams, though unsuccessful in catching any.

Prover 3, Day 7

Many dreams again. Again catch lots of fragment rather than any lengthy continuous sequence.

Prover 3, Day 8

Of working on images for advertising campaign for local health spa. The images I have are of a hand reaching down to pluck a red rose from where it’s submerged just beneath the surface of water. The original image which appeared to me was just a red colouration in the water lit from below, but then thought that wouldn’t be appropriate because the idea of blood in water associated with a health spa would send totally the wrong message, so it had to be conveyed more subliminally.

Prover 3, Day 8

Of inheriting or somehow acquiring my aunt’s old house in a London suburb, then realising this was the wrong place to put my energy into turning into a home because it was too low down and close to the river Thames and would get flooded.

Prover 3, Day 8

Of a house divided up into flats and giving someone a guided tour of it. I know the house well although it doesn’t belong to me. One of the flats, the largest and most luxurious, turns into a flat I’ve seen many times in my dreams. Usually I’m renting a shared flat in the same building, or I’m caretaking it for the owners, or renting a single room in it. It has a fascinating and unusual layout, including a lower level which leads into a stunningly beautiful but neglected garden room which in turn leads into a private garden, also somewhat neglected. I always experience a strong desire to own this property so I can restore the garden room and garden.

Prover 3, Day 8

Of redecorating a large living room of a house. It’s in a neglected state of repair but nothing too serious and I can immediately see exactly how I’m going to deal with everything that needs doing. I’m organising the project and telling my family how we’ll proceed from one side of the room to the other so we don’t have to move too much of the furnishings outside the room. A soon-to-be-ex-partner is there who is grumpy and uncooperative since he’s about to be moving out and none of this will be for his benefit. The room has been created from two rooms knocked together. As we’re moving things from the back part of the room to the front, the front part of the room changes into a kitchen area with very basic and old equipment and I’m picturing in my mind exactly how I’ll turn it into an efficient and wonderful area to cook in while keeping some of the unique features of the old kitchen like the Belfast sink. When I start visualising the back part of the room and how to deal with it, there’s a sense we’re on a tight budget but by the time I get to the kitchen area, the budget seems much more generous.

Prover 3, Day 8

Woke up with U2’s “One Tree Hill” going through my head again. The words I seem to be zooming in on are the ones about Victor Jara:

And in the world a heart of darkness; a fire zone

Where poets speak their heart then bleed for it.

Jara sang - his song a weapon in the hands of one

Whose blood still cries from the ground.

The imagery of blood crying from the ground recalls the dream imagery of the submerged blood–>rose.

Prover 3, Day 8

Dream: Of having my hair cut into a very dramatic style – shaved right off at either side and on top at the front with just a strip going back to the nape of the neck and tied in a pony tail at the back. Very like the traditional male hairstyles of some Native American tribes (Iroquois, Mohawk, Osage). It’s cut this way as I pay another visit to a friend in Denver. I’m talking to her and others, walking around her apartment, and keep forgetting about the new hair cut and think it’s in my old style then realise it’s not with a bit of shock and disappointment. It’s a style that shouts far too loudly for my liking and I keep thinking that I’m going to have difficulty having anyone take me seriously or even for a fairly normal person with this on my head. The scene changes and I’m in the back garden of the house I grew up in. I’m playing with some children who are driving about in toy cars. I’m saying to one little girl that she has an excellent hairstyle because it looks like a mop. I still have my shaved head with pony tail. Prince Charles is there and he’s playing with the children too. Then he grabs me from behind playfully round the waist, pinning my arms to my sides, and won’t let go. It’s all good fun though I’m wondering why he’s behaving like he knows me well enough to be so familiar when I’ve never met him before. It occurs to me that he’s interested in ecological matters and it might be an ideal opportunity to raise the subject of my research into the connections between CVD and nitrate fertiliser use, though I’m a bit reticent to do so because it seems like the wrong thing to do in the circumstances. However, since he’s being so personal and familiar with me I decide it’s OK and mention it. He’s very interested. At that point I wake up.

Prover 3, Day 9

Dream fragment: Of being on holiday with my two younger children. We are at a dockside and a tug is pulling into the dock. Nobody is there to catch their lines and tie the boat up and a seaman yells at me from the deck to catch the hawser and put it round a bollard. I do so. The crew are very grateful and invite me and the kids to come out to their ship and have a drink with them. I say so long as it won’t take too long as we’re due back at our hotel to met up with the rest of our family and I’m wary about getting into any kind of drinking session as I’ve got to drive. When we take our seats on the tug, the seaman who’s invited us sits down next to me and puts his arm round my shoulders. I think oh no this was a really bad idea (then am woken by the phone ringing).

Prover 3, Day 11

Dream fragments of being in a whole series of situations where I was being asked to compromise my moral values. (This after watching a TV program featuring a woman bribing people to favour her son.) Feels like I was dreaming the whole night long. This seems even more marked than in the pre-proving phase where I was aware of having a lot of dreams but was unable to catch many. Dreams are much easier to catch since taking the actual physical remedy.

Busy night of dreams. Increasingly reluctant to get out of bed in the morning and left it to the last minute to get up and get the kids off to school. Had dreams in my head to write down, but by the time I’d got the kids up and dressed, I’d lost them.

Prover 3, Day 14

Don’t get up until 11am. Feels like the entire night has been full of dreams. Lots about cars and journeys, going places.

Prover 3, Day 15

Of going on a cruise ship with friends and colleagues. We board the ship in New Jersey and are heading for Bolivia. I’m excited because it looks like the journey might involve travelling through the Panama Canal. Then the ship is already in Bolivia. We are in a lounge area watching a video of President Hugo Chávez (though his name is slightly different in the dream). I say something like “now there’s a great man!” and some of the South American crew in the same room ask me which man I’m talking about, obviously expecting me, as a citizen of an imperialist nation, to be supporting his predecessor Pérez (who in the dream was called Arowana, the name of a S. American predatory fish). I indicate Chávez and the crew are delighted and start talking to us about all that he’s done for his people. Meanwhile the ship is sailing over land, evidently taking a short cut to avoid having to sail right round a peninsula. I’m amazed at how smoothly it moves. I’m out on deck looking ahead and see this rough hull-shaped passageway cut through the landscape, like a kind of road for ships. The general sense in the dream is that this journey is heading into something new, so there is excitement from anticipation and also a little anxiety.

Prover 3, Day 15

Last three days, a number of dreams featuring ex-partners and friends and family I haven’t seen for a while. A lot to do with travelling to the north and west and trying to take a shower but getting constantly frustrated or interrupted (was needing to get up and get a shower at the time of the dreams).

Prover 3, Day 25

Not been able to catch dreams with any success lately.

Prover 3, Day 39

Still going to bed far too late. Back to dreaming more prolifically and noticeably, though still not able to remember many, but this is largely through having to get up quickly before I can write them down than not being able to carry them over into waking state. In one, dreamt of situation in which I discovered a length of tissue about 20cm long hanging from my anus, like a kind of rectal prolapse, though the tissue was thin and insubstantial. In the context of the dream, which was staying in some kind of hostel with many other people and deadlines for group activities to adhere to, I was unable to do anything about this or even to find my underwear. Dream prompted me to check the reality and discovered that anus was everted to even greater degree than previously.

Prover 3, Day 50

Dreams of floods and water

Prover 3, Day X

Head:

Pain flashed through her head like she was going to get a headache and then went away.

Prover 2, Day 1

Slight sense of headache in right hemisphere from right temple backward.

Prover 3, Day 1

Headache sensation cleared, though still feeling physically heavy and mentally extremely dull and slow. It’s like all thought processes came to a halt and there is nothing.

Prover 3, Day 1

Wake with slight headache in right hemisphere, same sensation as first minutes of proving. Hearing is very acute. There’s a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders. Dropping my head forward produces a pulling sensation that goes right from my neck down my spine as if all the muscles are stiff and inflexible.

Prover 3, Day 2

Slight headache, left hemisphere this time, and feelings of extreme tension in lower jaw.

Prover 3, Day 5

Headache continues throughout the day, by evening moving to predominantly right hemisphere, though sometimes more equilateral. Extreme tension in lower jaw seems like it might be part causing the headache. Also a lot of tension in back of neck and upper shoulders.

Prover 3, Day 5

Wake up with headache and continuing tense lower jaw, though headache resolves soon after rising.

Prover 3, Day 6

Neck:

Prover 3, Day 5

Headache continues throughout the day, by evening moving to predominantly right hemisphere, though sometimes more equilateral. Extreme tension in lower jaw seems like it might be part causing the headache. Also a lot of tension in back of neck and upper shoulders.

Prover 3, Day 6

Neck still stiff as well.

Face:

Just looked in the mirror and see that my cheeks are BRIGHT RED!

Prover 1, Day 1

The next thing was the bright red cheeks, followed by a dream about crows and the removal of sticky sappy flowers from my scalp.

Prover 1, Day 3

My lips went numb! Bizare. Comes and goes. Only lasted as along as I was taking it.

Prover 2, Day 2

Skin of face is slightly itchy.

Prover 3, Day 1

Mouth:

Swollen wisdom tooth site in lower left jaw is resolving, but same thing is happening left upper jaw. This site has never produced symptoms before (see pre-proving notes). The association between jaw tension and wisdom tooth site symptoms is interesting. The appearance of these symptoms is also interesting in view of the number of people, including this particular patient, I’m hearing about with cancer right now. Also wonder whether it connects with small epithelioma-type eruption in right instep, which is still present.

Prover 3, Day 5

Lips also feel as if about to develop splits and cracks.

Prover 3, Day 6

Inside of mouth round lips feels as if the skin is ragged and abraded, as if I’ve been chewing it, which unusually I haven’t (have habit of chewing inside of mouth, particularly right side, since proving a couple of years ago). In fact, have just about stopped chewing mouth in last month or so.

Prover 3, Day 7

Definitely losing the urge to chew the inside of my mouth. The lining of my mouth now feels much thicker over the regions I used to chew as if cell growth has accelerated to keep pace with the repeated chewing away and hasn’t yet adjusted.

Prover 3, Day 10

Towards evening chewed the inside of my cheek again.

Prover 3, Day 14

Another split in lower lip, right side. Cracks in the boundaries. There’s cracks in the boundaries between senses, between inner and outer, between dimensions.

Prover 3, Day 15

Split in lower lip developed herpetic-like swelling which persisted for a few days then went down again without crusting. Morning after party woke with another herpes-type swelling and blister left side lower lip. Only became aware of it through licking lips. Cold sores usually announce themselves with itching before appearing. To go with this eruption, there is a sensation of an ulcer on the edge of my tongue, again slightly to left of centre, though nothing visible.

Prover 3, Day 21

Cold sore is now in the cracking and bleeding stage so have to continually apply cream to stop it from drying out. Still a slight sensation as of an ulcer on the edge of my tongue, but still nothing visible.

Prover 3, Day 25

Cracks in lips and anus make me very aware of either end of the alimentary canal. Anus is also slightly everted, making the anal ring more prominent than normal. Feel like some sort of slug – a boneless body with a digestive system .

Prover 3, Day 25

Lips and anus remain fragile: sore, tender and easily cracked. Another cold sore appears on upper lip, slightly to right of center.

Prover 3, Day 39

Back to chewing inside of right cheek.

Prover 3, Day 39

Cold sore now resolved. Lips and anus remain cracked and sore, and margins of nose continue to be itchy.

Prover 3, Day 50

No cracks in lips for past couple of days either, though margins of nose remain itchy.

Prover 3, Day 52

With the place where the previous cold sore occurred on the upper lip still slightly reddened, more cold sores appear again on lower lip, again slightly to the right of centre. It seems as soon as I’m clear of one then another one appears. I have never suffered from them so badly, or without an ensuing cold. Remainder of lower lip is very dry. Front edge of tongue tender like it would ulcerate.

Prover 3, Day 52

Crack in upper lip, right side, near corner. With it a slight sense as of ulcer on the leading edge of tongue.

Prover 3, Day 68

No recurrences of cold sores and lips no longer cracking. Prover 3, Day 83

Hair is not so greasy any more – not quite back to pre-proving state, but 70% there.

Prover 3, Day 83

Took the remedy again this morning. My lips went numb! Comes and goes. Only lasted as along as I was taking it.

Prover 2, Day 2

Nose:

Margins of nose still very itchy.

Prover 3, Day 68

Margins of nose now far less frequently itchy.

Prover 3, Day 83

Vision:

15:00 After shower, get out a needle and thread to repair a loop on my bathrobe. Can only focus on the eye of the needle to thread it if I hold it away from me at maximum arms’ length, and even then there’s still a slight doubling of the image. Manage to thread the needle without resorting to glasses however. Vision seems as sharp as normal looking around me generally, it’s just in focusing in on a precise small area that’s causing problems. The two images from each eye won’t overlap properly to give me accurate stereoscopic vision. On the computer screen, can still read the small print, but it lacks clear definition.

Prover 3, Day 2

Hearing:

Hearing is very acute.

Prover 3, Day 2

Throat:

Within five minutes I felt like I had a hard ball in the back of my throat and I found it hard to swallow. I tried cold water and it gave me an ‘empty’ feeling in my body. Hot tea made it feel much better.

Prover 1, Day 1

I had a moment of feeling like something was stuck in the back of my throat, like where I felt the ball yesterday, and warm drinks made that feel better. I can feel it when I swallow…hmmm..I think the lymph glands in my throat are a bit swollen. It doesn’t feel painful/sore, more like an uncomfortable feeling upon swallowing.

Prover 1, Day 2

Left sided, back of throat discomfort on eating an orange. Dissipates quickly and can’t be considered painful, just uncomfortable (like when a cold is coming on and it hasn’t quite arrived yet).

Prover 1, Day 3

Seems like the biggest symptom was the throat, beginning with the feeling as if a hard ball was stuck in the back of the throat, eventually leading to slight gland swelling, left sided discomfort on eating citrus fruit, better with hot tea.

Prover 1, Day 3

Late afternoon start to develop a sore throat. Left sided < swallowing. Quite pronounced. By evening it’s disappeared again.

Prover 3, Day 11

Chest:

Five minutes after the remedy felt tightness in chest, internal squeezing for a few minutes.

Prover 2, Day 1

My heart is pounding audibly.

Prover 3, Day 2

Back:

(NS): Waking with an achy back. Think it is from practicing cranial sacral on others. Finding a way that is more comfortable. Using still point inducers on myself 2ce a day and back is better.

Prover 2, Day 5

Feel twinge of tension in back just under left scapula and in moving about to relieve it seem to pull the muscles instead and make it much worse, not better. Pain becomes more diffuse, moving across whole of upper back from thoracic vertebrae upwards and back feels weak, fragile. Hardly dare move it. Each time I do so I seem to pull different muscle groups and set up different sources of pain which then become less focused and diffuse. There is an irritation, a desire to break out of this prison of a back all caged about with its bones and its muscles. Can’t get comfortable. Get up and walk about which relieves, but on sitting down again there is a general soreness in all muscles and a sharper soreness in the muscles underneath the left scapula. Sitting still it’s almost as if there is a weight pressing in on my back in the thoracic region and it’s specifically that sensation which brings on the feelings of irritation and desire to escape from it.

Prover 3, Day 1

Raising arms above head is sore, particularly left. Already I’m using my back as if I’ve injured it and am protecting the injured muscles.

Prover 3, Day 1

All pain and pressing sensations in my back have gone. The muscles that felt as if they were strained are strained no longer. Movement is free and easy and raising the left arm above the head doesn’t even produce the slightest twinge. It’s as if I’ve cast a shell from off my back.

Prover 3, Day 1

My back feels slightly sore again and there is slight pressure in the thoracic region again which has the same intense irritation attached to it that just makes me want to escape it.

Prover 3, Day 2

Back continues to feel tense for much of the day.

Prover 3, Day 2

Neck and back less stiff, though there is still some noticeable tension.

Prover 3, Day 3

Exercise balls which I ordered last week arrive. Replace my desk chair with the larger of the two and have enormous fun bouncing around and shoogling about on it for the rest of the day while working at the computer. Frequently breaking into spontaneous outbursts of laughter at the thought of falling off it in some ludicrous way. Back feels better for it, and hip joints too which have been suffering from too many hours spent in the same position. Cats are not happy with my new seat. No lap to sit in.

Prover 3, Day 3

Aware at some stage of feeling of pressure in thoracic region again.

Prover 3, Day 6

Throughout day on several occasions a sudden, awkward or stretching movement or deep intake of breath prompted a muscle twinge in intercostal muscles, mostly of back, as if muscle was about to be pulled. Different location in each instance, and in each instance no strain or pain ensued, but was sufficient in each case to make me freeze mid-movement in case any further movement resulted in injury.

Prover 3, Day 6

Back muscles continue to produce twinges on sudden or stretching movements. Now lower down, more in lumbar region, very similar to occasional twinges in pre-proving phase.

Prover 3, Day 7

Continuing occasional twinges in back – thoracic and lumbar regions – in response to big movements.

Prover 3, Day 8

Drive to nearest town and notice a consistent feeling of weakness and twinges, almost of impending spasm, in lower region of lumbar spine.

Prover 3, Day 10

Major physical symptom continues to be feeling of weakness in back with twinges in lower lumbar region. Menses now finally ceased.

Prover 3, Day 10

Back still feels weak and have to concentrate not to slouch when sitting, but twinges are less frequent now.

Prover 3, Day 13

Discomfort and weakness in lower back now a constant sensation. Discomfort centred around left sacro-iliac joint. Whole back feels weak and am aware of back muscles constantly under tension as if I’m having to use all my muscles to hold me up rather than my skeleton. I can’t “walk tall”. When standing or walking, am aware of feeling shorter; slumped and collapsing in on myself as if my spine has no integrity, head disappearing into shoulders, lumbar region disappearing into pelvis, and everything in between compressed and feeling like the natural slight S shape of the spine is flattening down with the curvature becoming more pronounced in each direction.

Prover 3, Day 25

Back weakness even more pronounced. Vertigo and extreme weakness still present. Hard to concentrate on anything. Drive into local town and manage fine with driving though if something unpredictable had happened I don’t think my reactions would have been very quick. Managing shopping is exhausting. When I get home can only put a few bags away at a time without feeling overwhelmed, so leave the rest and go back to them in stages.

Prover 3, Day 28

Lying down in bed realise that the entire length of my spine is now touching the mattress. Usually there’s a gap at the curvature in the lumbar region enough to slip a hand through. Go to sleep with a hot water bottle resting against the painful sacro-iliac joint. The heat ameliorates.

Prover 3, Day 28

 

Less discomfort in sacro-iliac joint after using heat on it last night, though back still extraordinarily weak. Some discomfort now in hip joints. Entire pelvis feels weak, as if in danger of coming apart. Walking around starts to become more and more uncomfortable and am aware the muscles around my pelvis are now doing exactly the same as the muscles in my back have been doing – they’re in a state of constant tension as if they need to hold me together.

Prover 3, Day 29

Left sacro-iliac discomfort still present, and responding less to heat treatment. Most discomfort now in hip joints and surrounding muscles. Walking painful initially, as is lifting legs or any movement requiring large movements in the hip joints. Slightly worse left side, though not significantly. Much easier for continued movement. Upper back now feels a little easier. There is less of a sense of compression, though muscles are still tense and the spine still feels weak.

Prover 3, Day 31

Discomfort in sacral region and hips now gone. Back less noticeably weak though muscles still more than usually tense.

Prover 3, Day 39

Back still slightly more than usually tense.

Prover 3, Day 50

Still odd days when walking around feels difficult, as if hips joints or pelvis were about to give way. Feel like I’m almost tottering rather than falling into an easy stride.

Prover 3, Day 50

Back still has some slight sense of weakness compared to normal state, occasionally feeling slight twinges in lumbar region bending over to pick up heavy things.

Prover 3, Day 68

Neck:

Neck continues to be stiff and tense. Jaw also, though slightly easier than last 2 days.

Prover 3, Day 7

Have to work consciously to relax neck and shoulders before sleep.

Prover 3, Day 8

Stomach:

Stomach felt irritated, like I hadn’t eaten in a long time. Didn’t last long, just when it hit the stomach.

Prover 2, Day 2

Limbs:

Muscles of right arm, particularly the muscles of the lower arm, are aching from typing and from stroking the cat.

Prover 3, Day 1

Left scapula still feels as if I’ve pulled a muscle beneath it, but back is much less sore and sensation of pressure is now only minimal.

Prover 3, Day 1

Scribbling down the dream fragments in my notebook before I forget them, the muscles of my right hand get sore from writing.

Prover 3, Day 2

Lower, bruising

While having shower, notice I’m bruising very easily again. There are bruises on my legs from carrying a bag of logs in for the fire. The bag hardly touched my legs and certainly didn’t knock against them with any force. There’s also a bruise on the inside of my left knee where it touches the desk while I’m sitting working.

Prover 3, Day 2

Both knees are more bruised from where they touched the desk while I was rolling around on my exercise ball yesterday.

Prover 3, Day 4

On getting out of shower notice that chilblains have developed from just that brief period earlier sitting in my pyjamas without socks or slippers. My feet didn’t feel unduly cold at the time.

Prover 3, Day 16

While cooking, brushed part of l. arm against hot baking sheet. Didn’t really hurt at all and instantly forgot about it. Later on discovered two enormous burn blisters at the site, but no pain or soreness at all.

Prover 3, Day 21

Fingers:

Outer edge of nail of right little toe feels infected. Only noticeable in bare feet when brushing against something, no sensation once socks or shoes are on. As if skin has peeled away like a hangnail had got inflamed or as if nail were ingrowing, though neither is the case.

Prover 3, Day 6

Inner edge of right thumb nail feels slightly swollen and inflamed, like right little toe. Painful, as if I’d a hangnail or torn the skin along that edge of the nail and got it infected, but there’s no visible injury.

Prover 3, Day 7

Right side of nails of right thumb and right little toe are now inflamed as well as sore.

Prover 3, Day 8

Right thumb and right little toe are less inflamed now; it really does feel like the right sides of the nails are ingrowing in both cases, though it’s clear they’re not from examination.

Prover 3, Day 9

Again notice slight sensation as of ingrowing toenail or hangnail on right little toe. This is only when foot is bare and nothing is touching the toe. Once I have socks and shoes on there is no sensation at all.

Prover 3, Day 11

Puncture wound in left index finger resulted in extensive bruising round the top if the finger.

Prover 3, Day 16

Female Organs:

Throughout night, menses more profuse than normally the case through the night.

Prover 3, Day 4

Menses much more membranous and clotted than normal. Large pieces of uterine lining and associated clots coming away.

Prover 3, Day 4

Nothing remarkable about menses apart from slightly longer than average duration (7 days). No clots as in previous month, so continuing the trend of no discernible trend.

Prover 3, Day 39

Menses began yesterday. 30 day interval. No precursory symptoms whatsoever this time. Blood seems slightly more brownish than normal.

Prover 3, Day 52

Period lasts 2 days then ceases for 36 hours, returning for 24, then finishes.

Prover 3, Day 52

Rectum:

Towards evening, sensation as of split developing in anal sphincter on passing stool.

Prover 3, Day 6

Split in anal sphincter now bleeding slightly on defaecation.

Prover 3, Day 7

Cracks in lips and anus make me very aware of either end of the alimentary canal. Anus is also slightly everted, making the anal ring more prominent than normal. Feel like some sort of slug – a boneless body with a digestive system .

Prover 3, Day 25

Cold sore now resolved. Lips and anus remain cracked and sore, and margins of nose continue to be itchy.

Prover 3, Day 50

Anus returned to normal. All of a sudden the persistent evertion of anal ring has returned to normal state

Prover 3, Day 52

Anus sore and cracked again. Some bleeding on passing stool. Another dream in which about 6 inches of my rectum comes out of my anus and somehow my head turns round on my body so I am watching stools pass through it. In the dream it’s all just fascinating – of academic interest. No emotional component or identification with it.

Prover 3, Day 68

Anus now normal.

Prover 3, Day 83

Stool:

Bowels looser than of late throughout day. Go to toilet several times. By evening no longer loose but am able to pass stool in the evening which has not been the case for a while.

Prover 3, Day 2

Bowels back to being normal in the morning and more constipated in the evening.

Prover 3, Day 4

Bowels much looser today, almost to the point of diarrhoea, after several days of constipation and ineffectual urging once the morning is past, but still consistently with the modality of being looser in the morning and much less so as the day wears on. More flatus as well.

Prover 3, Day 25

Son’s hamster dies. He was certainly coming to the end of his natural span, but as with daughter’s hamster before Christmas, suffered from severe diarrhoea in his last few days. His anus was also everted.

Prover 3, Day 52

Sleep:

Not sleeping as well as I could. Not sure if it started before or after taking remedy.

Prover 2, Day 5

Waking with an achy back.

Prover 2, Day 5

Restless night, alternating between feeling cold and then hot and sweaty.

Prover 3, Day 2

Another night of getting hot and sweaty, though this time not chilled. Many dreams again, though this time not so successful in catching fragments.

Prover 3, Day 3

Another sweaty night. Woken around 3am by storm and mobile phone signalling low battery.

Prover 3, Day 4

Tossing and turning, constantly dipping in and out of dreams. By 8am too tired to get up so went back to bed after mechanic came to pick up car.

Prover 3, Day 4

Throughout night, menses more profuse than normally the case through the night.

Prover 3, Day 4

Another late night. 1.30am before going to bed. And similarly getting up much later in the mornings (when I’m able).

Prover 3, Day 9

A sweaty night. Repeatedly waking feeling hot and also itchy in areas where I’ve put on weight (thighs, buttocks).

Prover 3, Day 10

Better night’s sleep. No sweat. Can’t catch dreams again. No reason to get up early so stay in bed until 10am which is increasingly feeling like a far more natural time of day to wake up.

Prover 3, Day 10

Better night. No sweating. Still many dreams, and many weaving themselves around waking life events, eg. dreaming of asking people to my birthday party which I’d been doing before going to bed.

Prover 3, Day 5

More and more reluctant to get out of bed in the morning. Would stay there all day if I could.

Prover 3, Day 21

Still going to bed later than normal and not wanting to get up in the morning.

Prover 3, Day 39

Getting up in the mornings still difficult, though going to bed earlier. Rarely after 1.30am now. Still some disorientation on waking – not able to fix on whether I the children are here or not, whether it’s a school day or not, etc.

Prover 3, Day 68

Getting up in mornings now back to normal ease and going to bed much more around my usual time - midnight to 1 h. - and if going any later then suffering for it the next day.

Prover 3, Day 83

Getting up in the mornings still difficult, though going to bed earlier. Rarely after 1.30am now. Still some disorientation on waking – not able to fix on whether I the children are here or not, whether it’s a school day or not, etc.

Prover 3, Day 68

Generals:

Cold

It has been exceptionally cold here. Clear and cold. She said she liked it being cold. (At the intake prover said she didn’t not like the cold.)

Prover 2, Day 2

I feel good the North wind invigorates me spiritually.

Prover 2, Day 5

Notice I’m feeling the cold much more these past few days.

Prover 3, Day 5

This despite wearing warmer pyjamas and having a hot water bottle. Again aware of being half awake through much of the night as another gale rages outside.

Prover 3, Day 6

Gale continuing to blow and house feels draughty and cold despite heating being on. Not really warm enough sitting at desk, even with silk thermal leggings underneath trousers, so substitute heavy-duty thermal hiking leggings for the silk ones and put on an extra jumper which makes 4 layers on top. Still not warm. Hot drink does little to help so get hot water bottle. By the second refill finally start to feel core temperature is back to where it should be.

Prover 3, Day 6

On getting out of shower notice that chilblains have developed from just that brief period earlier sitting in my pyjamas without socks or slippers. My feet didn’t feel unduly cold at the time.

Prover 3, Day 16

Heavy

Put single granule of remedy in mouth while I was standing up and immediately sat down heavily and involuntarily. Sense of enormous weight. Dullness. Slowness. Energy sinks. A moment ago I was feeling sharp and energised and had achieved a lot today. All gone.

Prover 3, Day 1

Water

Repeatedly have the urge to have a bath (normally only take showers). Want to be immersed in water, but it’s late so I don’t.

Prover 3, Day 1

Bruising

While having shower, notice I’m bruising very easily again. There are bruises on my legs from carrying a bag of logs in for the fire. The bag hardly touched my legs and certainly didn’t knock against them with any force. There’s also a bruise on the inside of my left knee where it touches the desk while I’m sitting working.

Prover 3, Day 2

Food and Drinks: Desires: Alcohol;

Desire for alcohol slightly lessened. Not had any for last 3 nights and although could easily enjoy some, desire is not sufficient to make me go open a bottle.

Prover 3, Day 7

Desire for alcohol very much reduced. No longer craving it and drinking far less.

Prover 3, Day 39

Feel generally extremely weak.

Prover 3, Day 25

Color

Red cheeks

 

 

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