HOMOEOPATHIC LINKS
Vol 13 2-3/2000
Phyt / Ars-alb / Opium / Hyos / Rhus-t
This combined issue is dedicated to George Vithoulkas recognizing the enormous contribution made by him for propagating Homoeopathy, with contributions by Vassilis Ghegas, Alfons Geukons and Roger Morrison, his able disciples. The major portion is the interview with Vithoulkas by the editors of the Journal and its fallout. Vithoulkas has deprecated the attempts by some noted Homoeopaths for advocating new theories, approaches and methods of proving. In particular he castigated Dr Rajan Sankaran and Jan Scholten. He says "Sankaran and Jan Scholten alone has done more harm to Homoeopathy than all the enemies of Homoeopathy together with all the nonsense that they circulate" The interview is full of such venomous attack on fellow Homoeopaths, something one would normally not expect from a mature, senior Homoeopath like Vithoulkas.
If criticism, it should be an informed and constructive one after reading and understanding the works of these Homoeopaths. It leaves a bad taste. The interview leaves an uneasy taste and a little sad, since they are unfounded, have not violated the fundamental principles of Homoeopathy. The synthetic prescriptions advocated by Dr Jan Scholten is nothing new. Even ICR, as early as 1978 did lot of pioneering work on this. Of course, the aggrieved homoeopaths and others have rebutted Vithoulkas in no uncertain terms. These are published in the next issue along with an assuaging reply by the editors.
In a moving tribute, Dr Roger Morrison writes about his experiences in learning homoeopathy from Mr Vithoulkas. He says that Vithoulkas's results in his practice were beyond any results that he had observed by any other practitioner. There were, in his view, hundreds of miraculous cures.
Case 1
A Government official was suffering from a severe form of psoriasis; every inch of his skin was covered with whitish scales though the whole skin was purplish underneath. The itching was terrible. After a relatively short interview, Vithoulkas prescribed Phytolacca saying that purplish hue of the lesions matched his previous experience with that remedy. Within two weeks the skin resumed its normal appearance.
Case 2
In another case Dr Morrison while studying under Vithoulkas had prescribed Ars to a child with severe eczema. After some improvement for some months there was a relapse and after careful case taking again Dr Morrison prescribed Sulphur as the complementary remedy but by next day there was severe aggravation and the child was covered with an oozing rash. The child felt awful and hysterical with the itching and parents were desperate. Despite requests from Morrison to see and prescribe Phos, Vithoulkas asked him to wait and remarked that if one prescribed before the next remedy was clear one would lose the case. The next day at the insistence of the parents of the boy Vithoulkas found that the boy was afraid to be alone because he would die. The prescription was Ars 1M potency. Within 3 days the skin was almost perfectly clear and the child needed no more remedies.
Case 3
Another case of a businessman who developed severe complications after surgery resulting in drug resistant septicaemia and renal failure. He was in coma and Vithoulkas was consulted. With Opium the patient became semi-conscious and later Sulphur. The patient started talking with muttering delirium. It did not respond to Lach but after questioning the attending nurse, who said that the patient was using shocking language, he prescribed Hyos and the patient returned to normal consciousness.
Corrie Hiwat writes about the 12 levels of health identified by Vithoulkas. Vithoulkas says that without knowledge of these levels one cannot make a proper prognosis in a case or know whether a case is curable or not. Each level corresponds to a certain type of constitution. He divides them into 4 groups each with 3 sub-categories as under:-
| Group A-levels 1-3 | Group B Levels 1-3 | Group C levels 1-3 | Group D levels 1-3 |
| There are infrequent acutes with fairly quick recovery | Multiple acutes every month or so and the need to give frequent antibiotic or other treatments | No acutes but continuously feeling unwell. There is serious systemic diseases | There are no acutes whatever even under great stress and exposure. Severe chronic conditions |
| Different levels of reaction to remedies Mild to some aggravation | Must have an aggravation otherwise he belongs to D | Tremendous aggravation | No aggravation but an amelioration, which makes the patient only a little better; here scope of Hom is limited and cannot cure. Eg autistic children, schizophrenics and patients with heavy drug abuse, malignant cancer, MS |
| If there is acute after the remedy then the remedy is wrong as if it was the correct one it would have aborted the acute. | If the acute develops after the first day of the remedy see whether it is mild or same; if same the remedy is wrong; the acutes and complaints must be milder in this group. | If there is an acute immediately after remedy or a month later, when in this group there should be no acute, it is a good sign. If the acute comes after years of Rx it will be severe bronco-pneumonia, meningitis, kidney infection to be handled competently | In this case after the patient has been very carefully treated for years, the acute is going to be so severe that the patient is going to die or go back into the old state due to allopathic medication |
Dr Bill Gray discusses a case: a 31 yr old woman having hiatal hernia, food allergies, hemorrhoids and carpal tunnel syndrome and easy tendency to sprain her ankles or wrists or injury to her knee or other bony structures in. She was too conscientious, perfectionist and people pleasing. She was cured with a small remedy Actea-spicata as she did not earlier respond fully to Rhus-tox, though it was indicated and given in varying potencies over a 2 yr period.
Actea-spicata is a rheumatic remedy similar to Rhus-tox, both < cold, damp weather and have joint pains. Actea-s is agg motion unlike Rhus-t > continued motion and specially affects small joints (fingers, wrists and ankles), has easy spraining of joints and ligaments. This patient was frequently involved in auto accidents: dashed against other cars or was dashed on the broadside. On the mental side: tries to please her bosses and husband and consequent resentment of not being appreciated. In her case even the poison oak she had on her lips, responded to the remedy confirming that the constitutional remedy should act as well in acutes.
Full seminar transcripts of 2 cases: one of inflammation of the middle ear in a child and pain in the soles of the feet in a 12 yr old boy- treated by the noted Homoeopath, Alfons Geukens, with Silicea are presented and are delightful and very instructive as to their case taking, rubrics selected, analysis and remedy selection. Silicea child also has a large head like Calcarea-carb but without the subcutaneous fat; their skin is almost directly on their bones. One can see a face like wax both in these two remedies. Another DD is that Calcarea will sit there like a Buddha, doing nothing, telling you how to do something but not do it himself. But Silicea will do it himself. He likes to be busy and active. Tub can also look like Silicea but the former has lots of glands.
Symphysiolysis is a pathological expression of a physiological phenomenon during pregnancy- softening of the ligaments between the pubic bones and the rest of pelvic region; symptoms are pain in the symphysis with staggering gait. There may also be symphysis rupture due to an acute injury either during delivery or an accident. Pelvic pains or symphysis pains are commonly seen nowadays and about 50% of all pregnant women have complaints of lower back and of the pelvis.
Harry vander Zee of Netherlands discusses two cases of such disorders treated with Trillium-pendulum. In his and other colleagues' experience this remedy can be called Arnica of pregnancy for pubic pains and pubic instability. DD with Calcarea-phos, Murex, Sabina, Aesculus-hip and Bell-per given. Tentative mental symptoms which emerged in these 2 cases: emotions predominated by intellect, ambitious and tendency to disregard needs of the body ie aversion to being hindered by the bodily complaints; they do not like childhood and want to be adults as soon as possible.
- Reports on the open seminar with George Vithoulkas and teachers' meeting with him. A very informative article on factors that might indicate the remedy based on miasms, pathology, vaccinations, accidents, menopause, mental sphere, alcohol and drugs and old age from the noted Homoeopath, Vassilis Ghegas of Greece included.
- Some contributions from Homoeopaths of Israel. One case of Lachesis and 2 cases of Cenchris - contortrix , both snake remedies.
Two Israeli Homoeopaths jointly discuss two cases of malpositioning of foetus during beginning of labour or near delivery time and how the mental symptoms of the mother transmitted itself to the foetus. In one case, as the mother felt that keeping a home and bringing up children was a hard task it sent a negative message to the foetus, discouraging him to come out to the world.
Sepia 30 one dose helped. In the other case, the mother was confused and there was a feeling of lack of guidance on important matters. As a result the child was in mal-position as if not given correct guidance. Basing the prescription on the theme of Strontium-carb, the need for guidance, as suggested by Dr Rajan Sankaran, in a few days the foetus was lying with the head down.
(Normally for breech presentation Puls in high potency is administered-here are two cases where individualization based on mother's disposition led to the choice of correct remedy)
- There is also a very good article on Kingdom approach to finding the remedy from Rosenthall of Israel in which the expressions of the patients will lead to identification of the kingdom from which the remedy may come. (Dr Rajan Sankaran also adopts a similar approach. A comparative study of both the approach will be interesting) A case illustrating this approach in which Borax was used is also included.