Alumina silicata

A 55 year old man presented with chronic hives of his hands, arms, back and buttocks.
Past History of Exposure
Age ten he was exposed to tar for several hours. It caused him to go unconscious "for hours." Since then he had become very sensitive to the odour of rubbing alcohol.

Age thirteen or fourteen he was playing in a marching band and lost consciousness. It occurred in February while he had the flu.

Age sixteen he was exposed to Agent Orange but experienced no obvious symptoms at this time.
Age fifteen-seventeen exposed to ammonium nitrate.

During his teenage years he often washed his arms with gasoline (petrol).

In the 1980's he was exposed to malathion and other pesticides and insecticides.
In 1982 he had had a possible heatstroke and had not felt well since.

His wife, who was present, said he could not abide confrontation or criticism of any kind. 'I take everything personally," he admitted.

Stool tended to be large and dry and he had to strain to pass it. He had a sensation of constriction (3) in the anus. In the past he used to lean backward on the commode and strain at stool. He included fiber in his diet to keep his bowels functioning and off fiber he sometimes had nausea after stool.

Very dry skin (2).
He was so cold that he could bear extreme heat. In the summer in Texas he would drive in his truck with the windows up and the air conditioning off!

He did not sweat.

Sometime about four to eight years ago he recalled having a balance problem with staggering. He had been unable to stand on one foot. He dropped things. What helped him at that time was taking Epsom salt baths (hydrated magnesium sulfate) and drinking a tea of Milk Thistle. He had also had periods of itching without eruption.

He could not bear contradiction (2) according to his wife.

Two years ago he had been so depressed he desired death.

In the past he had feared going insane. Also in the past his memory had been quite badly impaired though it was somewhat better now. As recently as 5 to 6 years ago he had slurred speech and used to make mistakes in speaking. He still made mistakes in writing. His lower extremities jerked on going to sleep. Being around angry people made him angry.

Assessment
This man appeared closed and emotionally very tight. His extreme reluctance to be around anyone who was even slightly angry had had a very bad effect on his wife who had learned never to voice any negativity, much to her own detriment.

His chilliness was so extreme as to be almost unimaginable. Driving in the Texas summer (hotter than most tropical countries) in a vehicle with the windows closed and the air conditioning off and then not sweating is hard to conceive of.

This coldness, combined with nausea after stool, constriction of the anus, and dry skin with inability to sweat suggested silica. The earlier balance problem with staggering, ataxia, dropping things, weak memory plus his fear of insanity suggested alumina.

Prescription
Alumina silicata C6 once daily for 70 days.

Follow up three months later
He reported he was doing well, about 75% better. He had had no hives until one or two days ago.
Now able to tolerate many odours such as paint, paint thinner, flowers, and perfumes. He had not mentioned this sensitivity to odours in the initial interview. Now he said, Those smells used to make me nervous and mean and mad.'

Another bit of new information: He had been taking the antidepressant,
Prozac, when he first came to see me and had never mentioned it. "Prozac gave me back my sanity," he said. Now, however, he had stopped Prozac on his own two weeks earlier. He said he was able to deal with confrontation better. His bowel movements were much better. No longer did he have that sense of constriction.

Skin still dry but he had begun to sweat. He had stopped sweating when he was thirteen or fourteen years old after fainting when he had the flu. He had begun to use the air conditioning in his truck!
No further jerking on going to sleep. At this visit he expanded upon his exposure to tar when he was fifteen. He gottar all over his body, he said, and inhaled the fumes extensively. He fainted and claims he nearly died.

His general muscular strength had improved significantly since alumina silicata. He had not mentioned weakness earlier.

Follow up one year later
He was contacted in March, 1996 and confirmed he was still well.
I had no previous knowledge of alumina silicata. I had never read about it nor had I ever heard of anyone using it. I simply took the symptoms and used the Repertory.

Karl Robinson, M. D
4200 Westheimer, Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77027
USA
Presumed Poisoning by Common and Uncommon Chemicals
A case of Alumina silicata
Karl Robinson, USA