Lactic Acid. lact-ac.

Lactic Acid

Morning sickness, diabetes, and rheumatism offer a field for this remedy. Troubles in the breasts. Locally, in the tuberculous ulceration of vocal cords.

Tongue dry, parched. Thirst; voracious hunger. Canker, copious salivation and water-brash. Nausea; morning sickness, especially in pale anæmic women. Hot, acrid eructation. Nausea; better, eating. Burning, hot gas from stomach to throat, causing profuse secretion of tenacious mucus, worse smoking.

Fullness or lump like a puff ball. Keeps swallowing. Constricted low down.

Pain in breasts, with enlargement of axillary glands, and pain extends into hand.

Rheumatic pain in joints and shoulders, wrists, knees, with much weakness. Trembling of whole body while walking. Limbs feel chilly.

Large quantities passed, frequently. Saccharine.

Compare: Sarcolactic acid q v. Lithia; Phos ac.

Third to thirtieth potency. Six to ten drops in a small glass of water in acute gastro-enteritis (Cartier).

Is a great remedy for diabetes mellitus. It is especially indicated if in addition to the thirst, voracious hunger and profuse urine loaded with sugar there are rheumatic pains in the joints. It is generally given low, but abundant experience has taught me that the high is much better, and it does not need frequent repetition.

Oxalic acid has a very peculiar symptom which has often been verified by myself. Palpitation and dyspnœa in organic heart disease, worse when thinking of it, a very peculiar modality, but genuine.

Lactic Acid. Milk Acid. HC 3 H 5 O 3 . Dilution.

Bones, swelling of. Diabetes. Foot-sweat. Indigestion. Pregnancy, sickness of. Rheumatism. Sciatica. Throat, constricted, sore. Vomiting.

Lactic acid "was discovered by Scheele in sour milk, the result of the spontaneous fermentation of sugar of milk, under the influence of casein. It is also met with in many vegetable products which have turned sour" (Hering). Reisig introduced it into homœopathy. It has been proved in both the lower and higher attenuations, but many valuable observations have been made on patients taking substantial doses for diabetes ( C. D. P. ). In these cases the symptoms of rheumatic fever were directly traced to the acid. Pain, swelling, and stiffness and tenderness of joints < by motion (as with Bry ., which antidotes Lact. ac .), and flying pains about limbs. One prover had pain along the right sciatic nerve. The well-known effects of milk that has soured on the stomach and remained undigested were produced — nausea, vomiting, burning and sense of weight; and these have all proved useful indications in the homœopathic use of the drug. Diabetes is the affection for which it has been most given in old-school practice; but it has also proved of great power in this affection in the homœopathic attenuations. Nash regards the concomitance of rheumatic pains as the chief guiding symptom here. (In Med. Adv ., xxi. 508 he records a case of diabetes, with rheumatic fever supervening, cured with Lact. ac . 200.) But nausea is no less a guide: Constant nausea; nausea on awaking before rising; > by eating. This may occur in diabetes; or it may occur in pregnancy. It is also an indication when occurring in rheumatism. There is > by eructations; and < by smoking. Smoking < eructations. Copious foot-sweat is a feature of Lact. ac ., but it is not offensive. It is suited to anæmic, pale women. Large doses disagreed with melancholic, choleric constitution, dark hair and eyes.

Antidoted by: Bry. (relieved sharp pains upper third right side, but soreness remained). Compatible: Meat diet in diabetes. Incompatible: Coffee < symptoms. Compare: Lac can., Lac coag., Lac defl., Sac. lac. In nausea of pregnancy, Nux, Puls., Ph. ac., Colch., Lyc., Lac d., Ip. Excessive hawking with (or without) nausea, Caust. (phlegm in throat, cannot be hawked up, causing nausea). Diabetes, Pho. ac., Acet. ac., Lac d., Ur. nit Flying rheumatism, Puls., Rhus. Great discouragement, Pso. Compare also: Vegetable acids, which all cause weakness and thinness of the blood.

Great discouragement. — Lazy. — Sarcastic. — Memory lost.

Vertigo: when turning head suddenly; with heat, on rising; on stooping; at night. — Congestion of head; painless, with strong pulsation of vessels of neck. — Headache, with sensation of fulness in vertex. — Dull pain in forehead, just over eyes, and extending into eyes. — Pain in head and back all night. — Pain in occiput, and alternating between there and forehead.

Sensation of fulness in eyes, with headache. — Eyes feel as if they would burst. — Photophobia. — Jerking of l. upper lid. — Marked protrusion of eyes; pupils dilated; eyes feels tired. — Hyperæsthesia of retina, steady aching in and behind eyeball.

Disturbed and troubled by noise. — Roaring in l. ear on rising in afternoon; singing, snapping in l. ear. — Pain from parotids into ear; stiff feeling in parotids.

Great sensitiveness of smell. — Nose-bleed every morning. — Severe coryza, stopped nose, sneezing, thick mucus from head to throat, yellow; dead sweet taste.

Face flushed or congested from headache.

Tongue coated thick white. — Yellow coating on tongue, with bad taste in morning. — Tongue sore on l. side, raw and red; dry, parched, sticky. — Mouth and fauces very dry and hot. — Very sore mouth; canker sores. — Much saliva in mouth, tasting salty. — Copious salivation (pregnancy). — Bad taste in mouth: acrid, with nausea; sour; coppery.

Sensation of a plug in the throat. — Fulness in throat which keeps him swallowing frothy mucus; lump or fulness feels like a small puffball; not > by swallowing. — Intense burning in throat, fauces, and œsophagus < by eructation. — Sense of constriction low down in throat; rough and dry. — Fauces hot, dry and swollen. — Difficulty of swallowing solids; less in swallowing liquids. — Excessive hawking with or without nausea.

Appetite impaired. — Voracious appetite and great thirst. — Eructations of hot, acrid fluid, which burns from stomach to throat. — Food sours. — Eructations of burning, hot gas from stomach, causing a profuse secretion of tenacious mucus, which must be constantly hawked up; < by smoking tobacco. — Burning and weight in stomach. — Constant nausea; persisting for days. — Nausea on rising in morning. — Nausea after breakfast; not severe, but very persistent. — Nausea with waterbrash or vomiting. — Sensation as if all food were lodged under upper end of sternum, which oppresses and distresses her for hours.

Aching pain in anus. — Soft, mushy stool; diarrhœa. — Greenish yellow stools with tenesmus. — Very costive, stool once a week, hard, black.

Frequent pain in kidneys. — Frequent desire to urinate large quantities. — Urinates frequently day and night; the attempt to retain it causes pain.

Annoying erections in morning, but loins ache too much to attempt coition. — Seminal emissions three successive nights.

Aching pain in region of r. ovary, < by rapid walking or exercise. — Menses: scanty; seventeen days late; two days early; more profuse than usual; pain in small of back and lower abdomen; itching of vulva during flow. — Leucorrhœa; staining linen yellow; when checked nasal catarrh ensues. — Heaviness and dragging down as if womb down. — Pain as if menstruating; sitting with feet high > uterine soreness. — During pregnancy: morning sickness; salivation; nausea and vomiting; waterbrash > by breakfast.

Dryness and rawness, extending to larynx. — Hoarseness. — Aphonia. — After rising, voice was entirely without control, whispering and squeaking when expecting to speak aloud. — Spasmodic, ringing cough, caused by irritation in throat. — Hoarse, hard, dry cough, with dryness of glottis. — L. side of chest sore and painful. — Cutting or sticking pain in upper third of r. side.

Pain in small of back, extending into shoulders. — Sore aching in lower part of back; < when walking.

Severe, sharp pains in joints. — Acute pains in joints; flying pains about limbs. — Joints swollen, not tender, stiff. — All pains < by movement.

Rheumatic pain in shoulders. — Rheumatic swelling with redness and pain in wrists and elbows, wrists, and small joints of hands.

Soreness to touch along r. sciatic nerve, on getting out of bed, lasting all day and pulsating constantly but slightly. — Sharp pain in r. knee with stiffness. — Knees and other joints stiff and painful. — Rheumatic pain in knee-joints.

Weakness as if from exercise, with rheumatic pains in the bones. — Debility, weariness of the limbs. — Aversion to exercise.

Skin harsh and dry, no sweat. — Red spots or blotches on various parts of the body, particularly thighs and lower extremities. — Itching and burning, < by cold.

Restless all night. — Does not sleep well.

Cold and chilly at times. — Flashes of heat. — Chilly, mostly on limbs. — Copious perspiration. — Unusual perspiration of feet.

Great discouragement. θ Pregnancy.
Averse to business or what formerly was pleasant to do ; lazy ; dislikes to read or think ; finds fault, is sarcastic, exacting.
Memory affected ; cannot remember a thing an hour after it has happened.

Vertigo : when turning head suddenly ; on stooping.
Sensation as if blood was trickling down from front to back part of head, at 8 P. M.
Head feels very large, confused, as if tossed on a rough sea ; nausea like seasickness.
Congestion, as if blood would burst out at forehead or eyes.
Tightness and fulness in head ; on stooping it seemed as if blood would burst from nose.

Dull pain in forehead, extending into eyes ; desire to close eyes.
Sensation of fulness in forehead, as if brain was too large.
Dull aching pain over left orbital region, < bending forward.
At 10 A. M. pain in forehead, over eyes, and fulness on top of head, as if it would burst, < afternoon, and extended into left eye.
Pain in temples in afternoon and on awaking in morning, with depression of spirits.
Sharp, darting pain in left side of head, from temporal to orbital region.
Pain in head and back all night.
Severe pain in forehead and all through head, with chill.
Tightness and heat over head, particularly in forehead.
Congestion of head, painless, with strong pulsation of vessels of neck.

Head sore to touch.
Fulness and tension over whole head, with sweat on scalp.
Fine miliary eruption on scalp.
Painful pimples on left occipital protuberance.
Desire to have head lie high.

Hyperesthesia of retina, steady aching in and behind eyeball.
Dark clouds pass before eyes ; cannot see letters on blackboard ; smoky appearance of room.
Pupils dilated.
Fulness as if blood was forcing its way out of eyes ; feel as if they would burst out of head, < turning head.
Could not bear to shut eyes, as if cornea was sore.
Pain through right eye, with nausea.
Marked protrusion of eyes ; pupils dilated ; feels tired.
Sharp pain in left eye, < while reading, with photophobia, direct light painful.
Severe pain in head above eyes, extending into eyes.
Tough mucus in inner canthus of each eye.
Peculiar twitching across right upper lid and in eyeball.
Jerking of left upper lid.

Disturbed and troubled by noise.
Roaring in left ear on rising in afternoon ; singing, snapping in left ear.
Pain from parotids into ear ; stiff feeling in parotids.

Great sensitiveness of smell.
Erysipelatous redness of left cheek and left side of nose, with small sore vesicles on nose, in morning.
(In sick :) Nasal catarrh, with copious thick, yellow, mucous discharge. θ Leucorrhœa.
Epistaxis every morning ; greenish yellow stools, with tenesmus.
Sensation as if a quantity of mucus lodged in posterior nares ; discharge of clear viscid mucus after hawking, does not > entirely.
Severe coryza, stopped nose, sneezing, thick mucus from head to throat, yellow ; dead sweet taste.
Feeling as if blood would spurt from nose ; fulness in head.

Congestion of blood to face and head.
Erysipelatous redness on left cheek and side of nose ; small vesicles on nose in morning.

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