ALUMINA

GENERAL ACTION OF ALUMINA
Through the spinal nerves Alumina acts on the colon and rectum, producing great dryness of their secretions ; it also produces profound prostration of the cerebro-spinal nervous system.

Old people (Must strain at stool to urinate; slow flow. Totters, if eyes are closed.), with lack of vital heat, or prematurely old, with debility. Hasty, but slow of execution, hence mistakes in speaking, writing, etc. 

 

FEATURE THAT RUNS ALL THROUGH ALUMINA
Dryness of membranes, the conjunctiva, the nose and the intestinal tract are all very dry.

Dry, falling hair.

 

GRAND CHARACTERISTICS

1. Dark complexioned, spare, dry, thin people [Calcarea opposite].
a. Lack of animal heat.
b. Dryness of mucous membranes and catarrhal conditions.
c. Dry, tettery skin.
d. Inactivity of rectum, soft stool expelled with difficulty.
e. Exhausting albuminous leucorrhœa.

2.  Hasty, hurried.

STOMACH SYMPTOMS AND CRAVINGS OF ALUMINA
Constriction on swallowing food, and the patient is always worse after eating potatoes ; there is craving for chalk, charcoal, slate pencils and other indigestible substances. Can swallow but small morsels at a time.

 

ALUMINA IN LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA
The patient cannot walk without staggering if his eyes be closed ; he feels as if he were walking on cushions ; there is creeping as if ants were crawling on his legs and back, the extremities go to sleep, the legs are numb and there is a sensation as if there were a cobweb on the face ; there is also much severe pain in the back.

 

FEMALE SYMPTOMS OF ALUMINA
Chlorosis with pale and scanty menses and craving for indigestible substances. Leucorrhœa, which is yellowish mucus, very ropy and tenacious, and exhausts very much, as it is rich in albumen. Relieved by washing with cold water.

 

CONSTIPATION OF ALUMINA
From dryness of the intestinal tract, there is complete inertia of the rectum, so that the stool is expelled with great difficulty, no matter what the consistency of it is; there is little or no urging to stool, the stools may be dry, hard and knotty like sheep dung or soft ; constipation of children where the rectum is dry, hard, inflamed and bleeding. Constipation of infants (Collins; Psor; Paraf) and old people from inactive rectum, and in women of very sedentary habit..

 

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES
1. The inactive rectum.
2. The hard stools.
3. Soreness of rectum and anus.
4. Bleeding easily after hard stool.
5. Soft stools require straining.