HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Vol 18 No3 March 1998

Dr Miranda Castro draws attention to the report that a well published studies in Holland have shown that antibiotics are not generally effective in treatment of earaches and that majority of such earaches will resolve in roughly the same length of time whether placebo or antibiotics are given.

However, the studies revealed that those children who received antibiotics have an increased tendency to repeated earaches and are likely to develop serous or secretary otitis media. The journal of American Medical association had on that basis recommended against the use of antibiotics as a first line of treatment.

This issue also contains a personal account of the travails undergone by Mrs. Kristie Michalski in the case of her 6-year-old son regarding his illness and how Homoeopathy cured him. The boy became too tired to do anything for no apparent reason and used to sleep 15-20 hours a day. He was found dragging his left portion of his body and was lagging behind in his studies. He was falling sick constantly. Despite carrying out several expensive tests and consulting several specialists and treatment there was no improvement. A neurologist was of the view that the boy was suffering from incomplete migraine headaches.

On the advice of a friend the mother consulted a leading Homoeopath. The boy had poor muscle tone and his growth was stunted; had continuous otitis media and septic throat. He perspired profusely during night about his head and wet his bed at night. He had many accidents during the day. He had rashes in his armpits, elbows and nose. He had constipation and vertigo and headaches. Lack of vital heat and an enlarged heart. He became so tired that he would not eat for days. However his head was large and had a potbelly and suffered from night terrors.

Based on these symptoms calcarea carb was prescribed in infrequent doses and within 4 months there was remarkable improvement. His bed-wetting had decreased by 80 % with no accidents during the day. He no longer had headache vertigo or ear infections or sore throat nor dragged his left part of the body.
He was doing well in his studies and is still under watch.

HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Jul-Aug 1998

This issue contains reports of some interesting seminars on Homoeopathy. Dr Henny Heudens-Mast, a Belgian Homoeopath, conducted a seminar devoted to unraveling the miasms.
She referred during presentation the classic teachings of Hahnemann and Allen on miasms. She stressed that miasmatic analysis of a case has become all the more important because of the tremendous amount of suppression that is taking place now. All chronic cases are multi- miasmatic and understanding the characteristics of each one is crucial in deciding on the appropriate remedy. Psora is the most fundamental miasm present in every one of us. Psora, says Henny, is weakness and is expressed physically as chilliness and tiredness and mentally as anxiety and worry. Psoric diseases can arise from exhaustion and overwork or from inability to throw off physical and emotional stresses. It seeks security in many ways from craving warmth to amassing wealth, to being shy and emotionally dependent on others.

Syphilis centers on the image of hiding: physically it has abscesses and mentally it has deep impulses and mortal fears. Syphilitic diseases follow the same pattern eating away from within and not necessarily apparent until they are very advanced. Its mind remains within itself; " if I tell my secrets they will know how bad I am". This self -destruction from within can lead to distortions of understanding and judgement as well as to physical distortion and birth defects. This miasm is worse at night when things are hidden from sight and events may happen without warning. Sycosis can exist independently of syphilis. It descended from suppression of gonorrhea and its theme is " too much", over-reactivity and excess. Physical symptoms are raised warts, copious discharges, and high fevers quick illnesses with inflammation and severe pain. Mentally sycosis is extroverted with strong feelings and desires. It craves excitement and stimulation to have an outlet for the excess energy and can lead to extremes of behaviour anf risk-taking on all levels. When psora, syphilis and sycosis are all present, there can also be a Tuberculin miasm. From sycosis it takes the need for stimulation and excitement, exhibited as craving for change and travel. From Syphilis, the tendency to distortion, producing deformities in chest and destruction from within, which is seen in Tuberculin coughing of blood? From psora it gains its tendency to smallness, sweating and wasting away.

Henny explained that if the other four miasms are present, in some cases cancer miasm arises as well and as the case progresses towards cure, other miasms will become apparent. It does not necessarily predict the development of cancer, as any miasm can produce cancerous growths. It derives some of its characteristics from others. It has great sensitivity to people, reprimands and to beauty. May hide feelings for fear that they will hurt someone. With Sycotic over-reactive energy, the cancer miasm may love dancing and may be invigorated by thunderstorms. Exhibiting psora it may be fastidious and may lack stamina to regain full health after illness or tissue changes. Like syphilis it can have destructive diseases such as ulcerative colitis and invasive tumours. Because it is based on the suppression of the other miasms, the cancer miasm tends to lack energy and reactivity. A keynote is the absence of childhood diseases or their delayed onset until adulthood since the vital force is unable to mount the reaction necessary for the appearance of the acute disease. In order to understand the miasms Dr Henny asked the participants to imagine as to how each miasm will behave in certain circumstances.

What does Madame Psora pack while taking a trip? Lots of extra underwear and traveler's cheques. Chocolate is top in cancer's shopping list. Henny concluded that Homoeopaths should take seriously the dangers suppressive treatment both allopathic and Homoeopathic.

Two interesting cases from International Council for Classical Homoeopathy in New Zealand held on Feb 28-March 1 1998 are briefly touched here. A child was diagnosed as having Prader -Willi syndrome, a neuro behavioral genetic disorder. Such children are often born to women who vomit excessively during pregnancy. Dr John Outram initially treated the child with Calcare-silicata and then with potentised DNA based on the description found in OA Julian's MM. The child now five years old is doing well and is ready to enter school.

A 44-year-old woman was suffering from migraine headaches. For a large sized woman her voice was almost inaudible-not weak and it was so throughout her life. The headaches were throbbing, bursting and pulsating with a red face. Case taking revealed that her elder brother was brutalizing her in her childhood. She suddenly went to vomit during interview and after her return lay on the floor breathing heavily. Dr Deborah Collins, who was treating her, massaged her feet. Suddenly the patient went panicky and said 'They are coming to get me. The men in brown wear and black boots are coming to get me. I am hiding". She said that she had that feeling all her life. This reminded the doctor the picture of Anne Prank a Jew who was hiding to evade arrest from Nazis along with others. The rubrics selected for prescription were:

Congestive headache with red face, fear talking aloud would kill her, desire to kill those who approach her, escape, insists everyone is looking at her and delusions pursued by enemies. Melilotus covers these symptoms and was given in 200c, within 3 weeks there was a lot of amelioration, and in 4 months she was off all medications.

In the first annual conference of the North American Society of Homoeopaths, Dr LouKleins made a point that there are no incurable cases with Homoeopathy; rather we have not chosen the right remedy or the right remedy has not yet been proven. In his view the small remedies hold the key for cure in cases where the other well-known remedies have failed to cure.

The Book Review section reviews "The Spirit of Homoeopathic Medicines -essential insights into 300 remedies" The Homoeopath also reviews this book] by Didier Grandgeorge MD a French Homoeopath. He asks "Do our ills come by chance; their only purpose is to make our life on earth a painful ordeal? Or do they contain a hidden message? As Homeopath we choose the second hypothesis. We consider this earthly life to be a journey of initiation, over the course of which we have to solve a number of problems like steps on a staircase". Case illustrations for each remedy are given. On Cocculus, the doctor writes 'cocculus wants to know the secrets of life and to control its movements, which give rise to a sort of charitable nosiness, pushing these individuals into professions such as nursing, medicine and psychoanalysis.

He wants to find this out this by listening to the last words of the dying" His illustrated by a case of a nurse who was suffering from sciatica. When asked as to how does she react when faced with death in her work. The patient replied with an intense gaze "Whenever someone is dying on our ward, I have to hold his hand right through the end. I can't keep myself form doing it. My co- workers do my work for me during that time" Cocculus fits in and was prescribed. A little girl was suffering from severe sore throat, frequently. Antibiotics had little effect. These began while her mother was again pregnant. Lachesis was presented on the basis that she was jealous of the new sibling. [Ailments from jealousy] By next day no fever and no sore throat and it did not relapse.

HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Oct 1998

Ginseng, traditionally used in Chinese medicine, was proved by Dr Nancy Herrick. It is considered as an adaptogen- a herbal substance which can stimulate or tranquilize depending on the individual's state. The following themes emerged from the provings.

The general symptoms included extreme thirst, dry mouth, craving for chocolates and red wine. Desire to indulge in rather harmless pleasures such as drinking red wine, buying fine fabrics and using creams and lotions, coupled with strong desire to travel and an urge to be in nature. Specific symptoms included tinnitus, tooth problems, jaw pains, chills, influenza, nausea and increased appetite and sexual energy.

Dr De Schepper feels that LM potencies are for everyone and not only for hypersensitive patients. He decries the practice of prescribing a very high potency of a drug and adopts a wait and watch attitude and calls such an approach as uncaring and unsympathetic as the patients need not have to go through a period (sometimes long) of aggravation. LM potencies offer a gentler alternative as the aggravations if any, last only for a few hours. The questions to ask a patient to determine whether he is hypersensitive are:

1. What about coming out of anesthesia - did it take longer than expected?
2. Do you have any food allergies, animal dander allergies or sensitive to atmosphere, perfumes or smog? Or are you hypersensitive to medications? He suggests if a person is hypersensitive, the number of succussions to be given to the medicine can be reduced to 6, 4 or even 2 from the normal of 8-12 succussions. Dr Schepper says that the risk of antidoting the remedy is high when a high potency remedy is given as compared to LM potencies as it is taken everyday. He said that such potencies could be used even for acute prescribing.

Ars-alb can help in calming marijuana patients, who are the anxious and nervous types. Bell is more suited for heroin addicts or for the more violent and feverish withdrawal. Crocus, Cholesterinum and Chelidonium are good remedies for liver damage arising from alcohol abuse. Hyoscyamus is for the combative individual who can't sleep and who does not come for the treatment willingly and has to be dragged. Lachesis is good where their friends may not even know of their addiction because they are able to hide their addictions well. Nux-vom is a premier remedy and can be used as an acute and constitutional remedy. Dr Zand used Staph for female addicts and they give up addictions and end up with headaches. Valerian is useful for insomnia associated with addictions and where there are irrational mood changes. For debilitation at the acute stage Veratrum-alb is indicated.

Ars-alb and Gambogia for diarrhoea associated in the detoxification stage and Berberis-vulgaris is very good for dehydration and low back pain; Kali-ars for itching and skin problems in this stage. If you have no other remedy, try Quercus for 3 months for alcoholism. The third phase is the constitutional phase when one can see the real personality of the patient and prescribe. Phase four is maintenance and the patient compliance is the biggest problem and drugs in low potency are needed.

This issue also contains a report of a seminar on cancer conducted by Andre Saine in Feb '98. Contrary to normal belief, Dr Saine concurs with Dr Clarke and states that more malignant and fast growing is the cancer in a patient, the better the prognosis. The chances of success decline radically once surgery and x-ray intervention take place. He makes the following points:

• The case taking should be thorough including for clues in the past and family history Eg A history of scarlet fever could hold important prescribing symptom relevant to the present case of cancer.
• Localized symptoms, such as location, consistency, size, shape of the tumour are all-important. Any odor or discharge is also relevant.
• Physical examination is a crucial part of case taking. Measure the lesion, and take a photo. Many clues will come from what you can palpate and see.
• There will always be peculiar symptoms relevant to the case. The remedy should cover the peculiar and localized symptoms. Look at the whole case including the pathology. Dr Saine says that cancer is a silent disease until the late stages, symptoms are hard to find in the Materia Medica and clues may come from many places.
• Sometimes a lower potency can be given to arouse the patient's sensitivity and then a higher potency can be more effective. Be aware that a polycrest remedy may improve the patient's condition but not treat the tumor. Local symptoms must be used to find the correct remedy.
• Location of warts or an epithelioma is important but the side of breast tumour is less significant. The type of tissue involved -is it glandular, bone or epithelial is important as certain remedies have special relationship to certain organs (Juglans-cinera and basal cell carcinoma and brain tumours and Hekla-lava.)
• When a case is stalled despite giving a next higher potency, one has to prescribe a new remedy based on the totality of the remaining symptoms. In 90 % of chronic cases, they will need more than one remedy. It is crucial to be able to judge when the symptom picture is changing calling for another remedy.
• Dr Saine begins with 200C potency, single dose; then note how long the patient reacts, repeat again and compare the response to the second dose versus the first. If the patient is insensitive use a lower potency and repeat more frequently. However the higher the potency, the faster you can confirm whether or not you are correct. The remedy is to be repeated when the patient starts to stabilize or when the patient stops improving. For example, if the patient at first responds well to a remedy, but then becomes irritable and then later fatigued with increased nausea and liver pain and decreased appetite - you repeat the remedy. Do not wait for sterilization or relapse. If you are not sure if the patient is about to plateau it is better to repeat more often than less often. Use an ascending scale of potency. Repeat the remedy twice a day for two days and if there is no change you likely have the wrong remedy. Dr Saine recommends plussing the remedy in water if one has to repeat the remedy frequently.
• Follow-up: Pay attention to the lesion and if it is shrinking you are on the right track. A decrease in pain is your best follow-up symptom if there is no initial aggravation. Be suspicious of long aggravations, which may be a sign of normal progression of the disease. If a wrong remedy is given the disease may progress rapidly. If the tumour starts to break down and discharge it is a sign of resolution. You are on the correct path if the tumour size reduces even by 10%.
• In Homoeopathy the tumour is considered as a positive extension of the disease process. If you remove the tumour it is impossible to monitor the reversal of the process and gauge the success of your treatment. If possible give some time before surgery when treating a malignant growth. Cancer once again becomes a silent disease after surgery until its next emergence. When you have a local tumour to monitor you will know if the metastasis is changing. If the primary tumour begins to recede the metastasis will also disappear.
• X-ray treatment is very difficult for the patient and Homoeopathy can decrease the ill effects of such treatment and also chemotherapy. Complementary care is necessary for the patient and particularly the nutritional aspect has to be addressed as they have poor digestion and assimilation.
• Hydrastis can is often a remedy for late stage cancer patients and for weak patients suffering from cachexia and nausea. Some prescribing symptoms for this remedy are yellow muddy complexion, red tongue, burnt dry and cracked or it can be flabby and indented; deep cracks between the toes, thick yellow ropy mucus.

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