Mineral
Alumina
Oxide of Aluminum - Argilla
Repertory abbreviation: Alum.
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 fumctions, heaviness, numbness, and staggering, and the characteristic constipation find an excellent remedy in Alumina. Disposition to colds in the head, and eructa- tions in spare, dry, thin subjects.
Mind
Low-spirited; fears loss of reason. Con- fused 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 dimin- ished. Fluent coryza. Point of nose cracked, nostrils sore, red, worse touch. Scabs reith thick yellozv mucus. Tettery redness. O:ana atrophic sicca. Membranes distended and boggy.
Face
Feels as if albuminous substance had dried on it. Blood-boils and pimples. Twitchng 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, cesophagus con!racted. Feels as if splinter or plug were in throat. Irritable, and relaxed thiroat. Looks parched and glazed. Clergyman's sore throat in thin subjects. Thick, tenacious inucus drops from posterior nares.
Stomach
A!normal cravings — chalk, charcoal, dry food, tea-grounds. Hcarthurn; feels constricted. Ver- sion to meat. [Gruph.; .Arn., Puls.] Potatoes disagree. No desire to eat. Can szvallow but sinull morscls at a tinc. Constriction of cesophagus.
Abdomen
Colic, like painter's colic. Pressing in both groins toward sexual organs. Left-sided abdominal rompluints.
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 strain- ing. Constipation of infants [Collins.; Psor.; Paraf.] and old people from inactive rectum. and in women of very sedentary habit. Diarrhoea on urinating. Evacua- tion preccacd by painful urging long before siool, and then straining ai stool. 41 Urine.- Muscles of bladder paretic, must strain at stool in order to urinate. Pain in kidneys, with men- tal 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, fol- lowed by great exhaustion. [Carb. an.: Coccul.] Leu- corrhcea 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 morn- ing. Hoarse, aphonia, tickling in larynx; wheezing, rattling respiration. Cough cn talking or singing, in the morning. Chest feels constricted. Condiments pro- duce 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 g beneath finger nails. Brittle nails. Inability to walk, except when eyes are open or in daytime.
Skin
Chapped and dry. Brittle nails. Intolerable itching when getting warm in bed. Must scratch until it bleeds; then becomes painful. Brittle skin on fingers.
Sleep
Restless ; anxious and confused dreams. Sleepy in morning.
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.
Relationships
Compare: Silico —Sulphocalcite of Alumina 3x (anal itching, piles, constipation, flatulent distention); Srcale; Lathyr.; :Plumb. Aluminum acetate solution. (Externally as lotion for putrid wounds sand skin infections.) Alumina silicata, An- dalasitc rock (Alumina 63 and Silica 37 parts). (Deep acting remedy for chronic complaints of brain, spine and nerves. ( Constriction is a marked general symp- tom, also constriction of orifices. Venous distention. Weakness, especially spinal. Aching and burning in spine. Formication, numbness, pain in all limbs. Epi- leptiform convulsion. Coldness during pains.) Complementary : Bryonia. Antidotes: Ipecac.; Chamoin.
Dose
Sixth to thirtieth and higher. Action slow in developing.