Alumina

A very general condition corresponding to this drug is dryness of mucous membranes and skin, and tendency to paretic muscular states . Old people, with lack of vital heat, or prematurely old, with debility. Sluggish functions, heaviness, numbness, and staggering, and the characteristic constipation find an excellent remedy in Alumina. Disposition to colds in the head, and eructations in spare, dry, thin subjects. Delicate children, products of artificial baby foods.

Mind

Low-spirited; fears loss of reason. Confused as to personal identity. Hasty, hurried . Time passes slowly. Variable mood . Better as day advances. Suicidal tendency when seeing knife or blood.

Head

Stitching, burning pain in head, with vertigo, worse in morning, but relieved by food. Pressure in forehead as from a tight hat. Inability to walk except with eyes open. Throbbing headache, with constipation. Vertigo, with nausea; better after breakfast. Falling out of hair; scalp itches and is numb.

Eyes

Objects look yellow. Eyes feel cold. Lids dry, burn, smart, thickened, aggravated in morning; chronic conjunctivitis. Ptosis. Strabismus.

Ears

Humming; roaring. Eustachian tube feels plugged.

Nose

Pain at root of nose. Sense of smell diminished. Fluent coryza. Point of nose cracked , nostrils sore, red ; worse touch. Scabs with thick yellow mucus . Tettery redness. Ozœna atrophica sicca . Membranes distended and boggy.

Face

Feels as if albuminous substance had dried on it. Blood-boils and pimples. Twitching of lower jaw. Rush of blood to face after eating.

Mouth

Sore. Bad odor from it. Teeth covered with sordes. Gums sore, bleeding. Tensive pain in articulation of jaw when opening mouth or chewing.

Throat

Dry , sore; food cannot pass, œsophagus contracted. Feels as if splinter or plug were in throat. Irritable, and relaxed throat. Looks parched and glazed. Clergyman's sore throat in thin subjects. Thick, tenacious mucus drops from posterior nares. Constant inclination to clear the throat.

Stomach

Abnormal cravings-chalk, charcoal, dry food, tea-grounds. Heartburn; feels constricted. Aversion to meat ( Graph; Arn; Puls ). Potatoes disagree . No desire to eat. Can swallow but small morsels at a time . Constriction of œsophagus.

Abdomen

Colic, like painter's colic. Pressing in both groins toward sexual organs. Left-sided abdominal complaints .

Stool

Hard dry, knotty; no desire . Rectum sore, dry, inflamed, bleeding. Itching and burning at anus. Even a soft stool is passed with difficulty. Great straining . Constipation of infants ( Collins; Psor; Paraf ) and old people from inactive rectum, and in women of very sedentary habit. Diarrhœa on urinating. Evacuation preceded by painful urging long before stool, and then straining at stool.

Urine

Muscles of bladder paretic, must strain at stool in order to urinate . Pain in kidneys, with mental confusion. Frequent desire to urinate in old people. Difficult starting.

Male

Excessive desire. Involuntary emissions when straining at stool. Prostatic discharge.

Female

Menses too early, short, scanty, pale, followed by great exhaustion ( Carb an; Coccul ). Leucorrhœa acrid, profuse transparent, ropy , with burning; worse during daytime, and after menses. Relieved by washing with cold water.

Respiratory

Cough soon after waking in the morning. Hoarse, aphonia, tickling in larynx; wheezing, rattling respiration. Cough on talking or singing, in the morning . Chest feels constricted. Condiments produce cough. Talking aggravates soreness of chest.

Back

Stitches. Gnawing pain, as if from hot iron. Pain along cord, with paralytic weakness.

Extremities

Pain in arm and fingers, as if hot iron penetrated. Arms feel paralyzed. Legs feel asleep, especially when sitting with legs crossed. Staggers on walking. Heels feel numb . Soles tender; on stepping, feel soft and swollen. Pain in shoulder and upper arm. Gnawing beneath finger nails. Brittle nails . Inability to walk, except when eyes are open or in daytime. Spinal degenerations and paralysis of lower limbs.

Sleep

Restless; anxious and confused dreams. Sleepy in morning.

Skin

Chapped and dry tettery. Brittle nails. Intolerable itching when getting warm in bed . Must scratch until it bleeds; then becomes painful. Brittle skin on fingers.

Modalities

Worse , periodically; in afternoon; from potatoes. Worse , in morning on awaking; warm room. Better , in open air; from cold washing; in evening and on alternate days. Better damp weather.

Relationship

Compare: Aluminum chloridum (Pains of loco-motor ataxia. Lower trits in water). Slag Silico-Sulphocalcite of Alumina 3x (anal itching, piles, constipation, flatulent distention); Secale; Lathyr; Plumb. Aluminum acetate solution. Externally a lotion for putrid wounds and skin infections. Arrests hæmorrhage from inertia of uterus. Parenchymatous hæmorrhage from various organs-23 % solution. Hæmorrhage following tonsillectomy is controlled by rinsing out nasopharynx with a 10 % sol.

Complementary: Bryonia .

Antidotes: Ipecac; Chamom .

Dose

Sixth to thirtieth and higher. Action slow in developing.