Book Review
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2004 Nov / Dec VOL VI NO 6.
Reviewed by
Dr Rajani Gwalani
Title: Homoeopathy in Psychiatry
Publication : Indian Books and Periodicals Publishers, Block-5/62, Dev Nagar, Pyare Lal Rd, Karol Bagh, New Delhi 110005 India, Tel-011-25725444 Fax: 011-25766699
Author : Dr E Balakrishnan
Edition : First May 2004
Pages : 388
Price : Rs 150/-
Dr Balakrishnau, Author of "Homoeopathy, The Scientific Medicine", and cardio-vascular Disease and Homoeopathy' has made a significant contribution towards the application of Homoeopathy in Psychiatric Illness by writing this book. He has provided a unique approach to several chronic and difficult to treat psychiatric and psychosomatic diseases.
The author has divided this book into 3 Sections.
In the First Section: Precise discussion about Mind and its functions, understanding Language of the Mind, Mental diseases and Homoeopathy, psycho-analysis, various psychiatric disorders and their homoeopathic treatment and lastly counseling in Psychiatry.
In the Second Section, he deals with Homoeo-therapeutics, where he has discussed core mental symptoms of 25 homoeopathic remedies.
In the Third and Last Section, he has given 151 fascinating Case histories, and through these histories he has very vividly presented different psychiatric disorders and how he cured them with the Right Constitutional Similimum Remedy.
Through this book, Dr Balakrishnan has shown to what extent homoeopathy can alleviate the sufferings of the mentally ill, right from Infantile Autism to Senile Dementia.
He rightly quotes the heroic and staunch declaration of our stalwart homoeopath. Dr Dorothy Shepherd: "Stramonium and Veratrum-album are remedies, which, along with Hyoscyamus would empty our Mental Asylums of more than 75% of their inmates in a short time."
In one breath, Sir John Weir has given the prominent 'Mentals' of some leading drugs which often figure in the treatment of one or other mental Ailments, at one stage or other which are as follows:
- Depression on the verge of suicide of Aurum
- The insane jealousy of Lachesis
- The terror of insanity of Mancinella
- The frantic irritability and intolerance of pain of Chamomilla
- The suspiciousness and restlessness of Arsenicum
- The fear of death of Aconite
- The sensation of Tallness and superiority of Platina
- The sensation of unreality of Medorrhinum
- The sensation of two wills of Anacardium
- The indifference to loved ones of Phosphorus and Sepia
This book would be a valuable Reference book for the practitioner dealing with psychiatric cases, by which you can peep into the 'Mentals' of different remedies, and treat your patient with confidence. I will indeed add it to my treasured Library.
