SHOCK FOLLOWING A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT CURED WITH ACONITE
A young man was driving his truck when another vehicle ran a red light in front of him. He broadsided the other vehicle. The hood of his truck flew open striking the windshield and shattering it. Radiator steam sprayed all over him. He was fortunate in that he was not burned by the steam or cut by the glass. When the paramedics arrived he was complaining of weakness. His blood pressure was very low and the paramedics took him back to the Emergency Room.
He was evaluated by the ER doctor who found that his blood pressure dropped precipitously if he sat or stood up. He had to remain lying down.
A CT Scan of the abdomen was normal. His blood tests were also normal. There was no internal bleeding. A medical student, also a homeopath, noticed he appeared “pale and frightened.” Despite two or three liters of IV fluids, he continued to have low blood pressure and weakness.
The blood pressure lying was 110/80 (normal 120/80) but when he sat up it dropped to 90/55 and he felt faint and light-headed. “I tried to sit him up very, very slowly,” said the medical student, “but at a certain point the light-headedness would come on and he’d have to lie back.”
The student asked him what it was like when he hit the other car. He said it happened so fast he did not see it coming. The crash, he said, was very loud. The windshield glass and radiator fluid came spraying in on him. “I thought I was going to die,” he said.
The homeopath placed a few granules of Aconite napellus on his tongue. “We sat and talked for a few minutes and he seemed to perk up,” said the medical student. “I tried sitting him up again and this time his blood pressure remained normal. There was no more light-headedness and he was soon discharged.
Aconite is well-known for resolving the effects of sudden fright.
It is wise to respect fright. There are numerous examples of a frightening incident that caused either emotional and/or physical illness.
The sort of severe fright I refer to could be:
- Separation. A small child is separated from his parents in a mall. Shortly after the child’s personality changes, perhaps develops a sleeping disorder.
- A robbery. Say, your house is robbed. Later, you develop insomnia or simply become afraid to be alone in your house.
- Rape. Many women after being raped are never the same psychologically or physically.
- A motor vehicle accident (MVA). By their very nature, MVA’s occur suddenly, almost instantaneously. In addition to the physical trauma there can be lingering fears, i.e., fear to drive on freeways, etc.
- Animal bite. Being bitten by a dog or snake, being stung by a bee or wasp—these incidents can set up lifelong phobias.
There are countless other examples. My point is that any ailment following a fright should be taken into account when a physician is taking a patient’s case history. Homeopaths always do so.
Sudden fright can also cause trembling, sleeplessness, weakness, as well as lingering fears. In this case reported above, it apparently caused low blood pressure. Because of his fright, which came on suddenly, he was prescribed Aconite.
Homeopathy can be invaluable in first-aid and trauma situations.