HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Apr-May-Jun 2000

April issue: Extract of the method developed by a noted American Homoeopath, Paul Herscu. He weaves the whole case around the chief complaint and analyses the case in terms of cycles and segments. When the person is ill, the vital force reacts to correct the imbalance. If there is over reaction, then the body tries to correct this imbalance. Every time around this loop, the patient may become less and less healthy and this is called the cycle. Segments are groups of symptoms, which develop throughout the cycle, the first segment being the chief complaint. For instance it may be violent diarrhoea or discharges. Each such segment could be described in a word or phrase. The next segment is about the quality of the discharges- burning, clear or violent. Discharges are akin to reaction of pt; eg if discharge is violent the patient's reactions in other spheres of life will also be violent. It is important to determine which part of the chief complaint is the worst for the patient. eg in headaches it may be the pain, or resultant vomiting or feeling of incapacitation. Accordingly focus should be on pain or vomiting etc. The next segment relates to what the body does to get amelioration, ie the modalities- better movement, air or eating. Usually there are one or more segments before the segment contains the opposite quality of the chief complaint; this is to be used to check our estimate of the cycle of the person. The last segment is what brings on the complaint and again the theme of the person will be the same. By using this method, Herscu advises that one can, in a short period, arrive at the main theme of the life story of the person. This makes it easier to repertorise or consult HMM to find the remedy.

Materia Medica Notes:
Though there are over 4000 mammals only around 40 have been proved. Not all these remedies are from milk but from other parts of the mammals.

Fel-Tauri :is derived from Ox bile and is a remedy for acute gall bladder colic. Other symptoms: peevishness and irritability; disordered digestion, gall stone obstructions, sleepiness after eating, constriction in chest worse after 3am, violent peristaltic pains.

Lac-Caprinum (goat's milk): fear of being taken by surprise with no chance of escape, fear of falling, fear of being a scapegoat; fear of losing social position; assuming childlike helplessness to get protection; vulnerable on the sides of the throat; high sexuality and sensuality; mischievous, delude, deceive and lie.

Lac-Caninum: the key note is alternation of sides; it may be an acute case or chronic case; symptoms may alternate, not sides. Mental symptoms include low self-esteem, feeling of being put down and walked upon; being self-demeaning; lack of self-confidence, absent minded; confused and forgetful. There are dreams of hallucinations and fear of snakes. Vertigo with sensation of floating in the air. Hysteria and fear of falling down the stairs; depression. Traditionally it was used for treating Diphtheria which is rare now, but this remedy can be used for illnesses of the throat especially tonsillitis. Sciatica on the right side, alternating side ovarian pains, headaches and migraines, alternating sides with vomiting and blurred vision; joint problems better for cold; conjunctivitis; sleep apnoea, burning of the soles. IN CHILDREN the symptoms can include rage; mistakes in writing, forgetfulness; learning and attention/deficit disorders; aversion to sweets. Fear of spiders and snakes but not of the dark. In otitis media the pains will alternate, alternating Rt and Lt ear infections; day will be pain free but at night the child will cry and scream. It is a remedy for mastitis, fibrocystic breasts and dysmenorrhoea; sore throat with menses, heavy flow. Pre-menstrual mastalgia may be the presenting symptom; breasts will be so heavy and painful, so severe that she has to hold them while walking downstairs. Lac-caninum for the woman who feels worthless and abused but cannot leave the relationship. It goes from one abusive relationship to another.

It shares many symptoms with Lachesis. Both may have symptoms manifested on the left side but in Lac-caninum they will ultimately migrate to the right side. Lachesis is warm but Lac- can is cool. Symptoms precede menses in Lachesis while in Lac-can they develop during menses. Most important is that the mental symptoms are different. Dr Mittman suggested that it is better to start a case with that remedy rather than follow with it; secondly it is wise to use higher potencies.

May Issue: a report on Moschus by Jose Mullen, a mammal remedy. In Victorian times in view of the stifling environment then existing, every determined young lady would be a Moschus patient. Today the candidates would be college students, doctors, executives, judges and astronauts as well as those who had freely chosen to stay at home to tend to their families. Today's Moschus patients tend to be rather infantile in their late teens or early 20s. They complain of a cluster of symptoms for which no one can find a cause. There may be very few traditional symptoms of this remedy; her parents can accompany the patient; it is important to talk to the father and find out if he is a tyrant at home giving little freedom to his children. This can confirm a Moschus diagnosis. Nancy Herrick who was in that audience, supplemented by saying that she had seen girls as young as 4-5 years who needed that remedy. They are very animal-like with a wild and sexy nature that is suppressed by the parents. They will do anything to get what they want.

A brief discussion on three cases of drug addictions and psychological problems treated by Melaine Wolf with Stramonium, Medh and Tuberculinum.

June issue: report of seminar by Richard Moskowitz on Geriatrics and Homoeopathy for the elderly; palliation not cure may be the goal-to make their lives more comfortable, not to go back to the many traumas of their past, but to treat symptoms present now. Assess the strength of the vital force, moving carefully, concentrating on current distinctive symptoms particularly modalities and mental symptoms; if the vital force is strong, use 200 potency, if not, use lower ones. No need to segregate the symptoms arising out of past allopathic treatment, as it is not unusual for the elderly to come for homoeopathic treatment at a late stage. It is not necessary to discontinue the conventional medicines as a patient can be treated homeopathically on top of those drugs. Consider using Cadmium-sulph for the nausea and low state of vitality after chemotherapy; also useful after radiation therapy. Four remedies were suggested for easing the dying process:

1. Carbo-veg is for deoxygenisation, when the patient is cold, skin is cold and wants to be fanned.
2. Arsenicum patient is afraid of death. Also for auto-decomposition and autointoxication.
3. Lachesis and Tarentula for stinging pains in the last hours of life.

   He illustrated this presentation with cases.
   There is also a moving article by Jane Greene Ryan, a Homoeopath who watched her husband, also a Homoeopath, die of colon cancer. She narrates how the final days were made more comfortable with appropriate Homoeopathic remedies given by their friend and noted Homoeopath, Dr Paul Herscu.

HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Oct 00-Vol 20, No. 9
Lac-fel

Sandra Perko writes in her article " Fear and flu" that allopathy has not yet come up with effective medical treatment for tackling influenza though two more anti-flu drugs were introduced in USA this year. On the other hand Homoeopathy has been able to tackle individual and epidemic with least causality; in support of her point she quotes form the book "The faces of Homoeopathy, an illustrated history of the first 200 years" including that of Dr Herbert Roberts who was the medical officer for USA troops during World war I, when he had no deaths among his troops from Flu. In this issue the above author's book "The Homoeopathic treatment of Influenza' has been reviewed: "it is a most valuable book as it is a very well documented one"

Dr Melanie Melvin Wolf discusses a case of a boy who had a liver transplant after his birth where after he had continuous health problems and the doctors were not sure how long he would live. There was fear that the body would reject the transplanted liver and the allopathic medication to prevent rejection plus his own body's reaction to a foreign body part, caused a rash all over the body, with intense itching, pain and peeling. His feet were the worst affected as he constantly experienced pain there. His sleep was restless. He wet his bed. Hair fall3. Salivated excessively and perspired profusely. He therefore missed a lot of preschool. He looked sad but sweet, loving and affectionate and was heroically bearing all his complaints. He was chilly and fastidious with a dirty looking face and hair falling from eyelashes. His symptoms would alternate and change location; he had high frequency hearing loss and nose congestion. Psorinum was selected. He was given a single dose of it in 200C, because of underlying psoric miasm. In about a week the boy seemed better and later on he was sleeping better and less stressed and in two months his pain in his legs cleared and still doing well.

Report on the seminar by William Mann on Lac-felinum (cat's milk). The history is that cat domesticated itself and became a pet in order to survive and get food. The essence of the remedy is the conflict between dependence to get security and love and independence. There is an expression of intolerance of obligation and pressure and strong desire for liberty. The report also quotes from the proving by Divya Chabra A dirty feeling about oneself and a feeling of not being respected and of being treated contemptuously and of degrading oneself for money (prostitute). A remedy for incest.

An interview with Dr Farokh Master, a report on the seminar with Massimo Mangialavori therapeutics for treatment of croup and an article on miasm form the rest of the issue.

HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Vol 19 - N0 10

Massimo Mangialavori teaches that remedy families can be classified chemically, botanically, by appearance etc. Though certain remedies may belong to the same botanical family, yet they may or may not be similar in their homoeopathic applications. Staphysagria and Puls belong to the same botanical family and yet are not similar to each other. One may find a plant remedy, which is similar to a nosode or an animal remedy, indicating a relationship between everything in the universe. The appearance, doctrine of signatures, provings, chemistry, toxicology and traditional uses, all help in making a complete picture of a family of remedies. Such a family concept gives the doctor more choices and a more organized way of making subsequent remedy prescriptions. He presented a case of a man suffering from fissures, bleeding hemorrhoids, and weak, badly inflamed veins. He appeared strong on the outside but weak on the inside. He feared going to the doctor to admit that he had problems. The remedy seemed to be Arnica but Massimo selected Hamamelis-virginica. It is a remedy that lies between Arnica and Aconite. It is a shock remedy that is used to treat Arnica like problems. Hamamelis has low self-confidence and if a problem of health is not perceived they are not fearful, but once it is known they think that they have a very serious disease and are frightened.

Dr A U Ramakrishnan, specializing in cancer treatment, presented his experience of treating over 4000 cases of breast cancer. In his approach the etiology is important and it is crucial to understand the patient's mental and emotional make-up. The happy man he said is the person who balances the anger of the past and anxiety of the future. He emphasized the role of religion in achieving such a balance. The doctor has to identify the area where the patient is blocked, because a cancer patient has to redesign his life to fight the disease: and understand what aspects of life need change.

He lamented that many do not take to Homoeopathy until the disease has reached an advanced stage; but even these patients can be helped. Helping does not mean necessarily cure, but palliation, extension of life span and better quality of life. He asserted that Homoeopathy has tremendous effectiveness in preventing cancer. A person who has a high PSA (prostate-specific-antigen) will not develop cancer if the correct Homoeopathic remedy is given. Mind, intellect and ego apart from what carcinogens we may eat or breathe can cause cancer and Homoeopathy can deeply influence such factors.

He listed Puls, Phos, Natrum-mur, Sepia, Staph, Conium, Scirrhinum, Thuja, Baryta-iod, Baryta-brom, Sanguinaria, Ars-iod and Euphorbium as useful in treating breast cancer. Suppressed emotions can lead to cancer. In treatment he alternates an individualised remedy with Carcinosin, Conium or Scirrhinum. Sometimes other nosodes like Tub or Medh are indicated. In one case he chose Phos because a certain kind of fear was a causal factor and he alternated it with Scirrhinum, once a week for several weeks because of its similarity to Phos.

Dr Ramakrishnan suggested surgery where there is a small and isolated operable lump in breast or where the surrounding lymph nodes are affected and then give Homoeopathic treatment. Where the primary lesion is not operable and there are secondary lesions in glands and surrounding organs he tries Homoeopathy first and if there are no swift results, he advises radiation therapy, followed by Homoeopathy. In last stages he uses Homoeopathy for palliation. He never employs chemotherapy or radiation along with Homoeopathy.

In a regular section under the title "Dynamic medicine" Drs Judyth and Robert Ullman, discuss an important behavioural problem of modern children- uncontrolled rage, which provoke them to violence and murder. A case illustration is given where the remedy - Anacardium-orientale proved curative. A personal testimony of the efficacy of Homoeopathy by Jeanine Saperstein, article on the attitudes necessary for Homoeopathic practice, another article explaining why Homoeopathy does not classify diseases by name and an article by Luc De Schepper about the dangers of pseudo-homoeopathy, wherein in the name of Homoeopathy polypharmacy and rapid change of remedies etc are practiced, complete the issue.

HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Vol 21 No2 Feb 2001

A report: Roger Morrison on prescribing Homoeopathic remedies to patients on conventional (allopathic) drugs. 80% of new patients are on allopathic medication before coming to a Homoeopath. Often allopathic drugs mask the symptoms, making find the remedy difficult; lower the vitality, slowing patients' response. USA has other medical and legal complications.

He outlined four strategies in such cases:

1. Cautious Approach: Continue allopathic drugs until evidence that the homoeopathic remedy is working. Especially applicable in serious illnesses, though not immediately life threatening- eg asthma, RA, epilepsy, heart disease and certain mental conditions.
2. Clean or radical Approach: Advise to stop all allopathic and other medications. Wait some weeks for effects of allopathic drugs to wear off. Then commence homoeopathic treatment. This approach is useful in skin conditions, menstrual disorders, nasal pathology or those that do not present severe acute health problems.
3. Simultaneous Approach: Stop all allopathic medicines and introduce homoeopathic remedy all on the same day. Dr Morrison says that this method works best with pain complaints like chronic headaches and migraines, joint pain and minor GI pain. However, if pain is severe and intolerable it and one cannot say whether worsening of the pain is homoeopathic aggravation or not.
4. The Never Taper Approach: In cases where discontinuing allopathic medication prescribed would compromise life of the patient, like thyroid removal, Type 1 diabetes, artificial heart valves or organ transplant like kidney, it is not advisable to do so. It is still possible to increase the vitality of the patient through our medicines and later reduce allopathic medicines. The biggest advantage of this approach is there is no disruption in patient’s current level of health.

Under the first approach, it may take as long as a year or more to taper off the allopathic drugs. Dr Morrison recommends maintaining a least bad regimen: get the patient to a point where the drugs used are minimal and the strongest drugs have been reduced, replaced or removed. Tapering off is to be done in stages allowing the patient time to stabilize at each level.

In Homoeopathy for sports and exercise injuries, Dr Stephen Subotnik (whose conversion to Homoeopathy dates after his son was successfully treated for Otitis media by Bill Gray) says that normally one prescribes for acute complaints. However, an understanding of the total person and constitutional prescribing is also important, he avers. Eg an athlete waking up every morning with aches and pains and stiffness may need Rhus-tox but if he is a Calcarea constitution, he may need a dose of the constitutional medicine instead. He says "when I look at a chronic case, I think of physical inactivity."

An article on flu remedies: Oscillococcinum for general flu-like symptoms without clear-cut indications for other remedies.

Remedy of the month column discusses Cyclamen and DD with Puls followed by a small case.

HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Apr-May-Jun'01

The recent issues of this Journal have a beautiful pictorial cover and the presentation has also undergone a change. Every issue contains issues on homoeopathic philosophy, therapeutics for specific ailments, homoeopathic research and a write-up on a remedy of the month apart from book reviews, one or two cases and veterinary homoeopathy. In the April issue a good extract from the book "A Homoeopathic Approach to Cancer" jointly authored by Dr A U Ramakrishnan an Indian leading Homoeopath specializing in cancer treatment with homoeopathy and famous Catherine Coulter. This extract gives some case illustrations outlining the treatment given for cancer patients. In fighting cancer, it is pointed out, the practitioner races against time and a more aggressive form of treatment is needed and in the cases cited the organ specific remedies, nosodes like Carcinoscin, Tuberculinum, Scirrhinum and the constitutional remedy of the patient are judiciously administered. The book contains 126 cases covering 25 types of cancer and each case is well documented with results of investigation as is seen from the sample cases given in this extract. Basis of selection of the constitutional remedy is also clear from the case records. One case is presented as a sample for the information of the readers.

Case: A 37-year-old woman came for the treatment of a lump in her right breast. The original biopsy revealed ductile carcinoma. Despite some alternative therapy the lump for the past 3 years grew in size from0.5 cm to 2.0 cm in diameter; the cancerous mass was hard but still mobile. A full CT scan and an examination of both the breasts for other lumps were clear.. The patient was a dyspeptic with a sinking feeling in the stomach and some burning pain on eructation, along with soreness in the abdomen. She was clever and ambitious and independent and rising in her career; she was wary of too close relationships and reserved but opened up in good company. Sepia was her remedy for her symptoms.

Week 1: Sepia 200c daily; Week 2: Scirrhinum 200 daily; repeated in that manner in the third and fourth weeks. Some improvement was visible in the lump. The same method of treatment of Sepia in one week and the nosode in the second week in alternation for the next month. There was a substantial reduction in size of the lump at the end of the month. For the next four months the same method of treatment continued with improvements. During the period 7-12 months from the date of treatment the remedies were the same but potency was raised to 1M and at the end of one year the size of lump was smaller at 0.5 cm. The same potency repeated in the months 13-16 with stable situation and in the 17th month the potency raised to 10M of both the drugs and by 22nd month the lump had completely disappeared. For the next year the patient received one dose of Sepia 10M and Scirrhinum 10M in alternate months She was thereafter found to be stable and was free of medicines.

The treatment of fever and migraine headaches, the value of retaking the case from scratch in certain situations and a write-up on Sanguinaria and book reviews form the rest of the issue, The May issue of the Journal deals with homoeopathic treatment of dogs and cats and teething problems of kids. The remedy of the month is May Flower- Epigaea- repens. It is a small remedy useful for urinary tract infections. The author Will Tyler discusses a case of a 37 year old man, who consulted him for painful urination for the past 3 days and tenesmus of the bladder; he had no past history of such episodes or calculi. The examination of the urine revealed no gross blood but bloody mucoid sediment. Cantharis and Srsaparilla did not cure. After comparing the Hales' New remedies it was found that this remedy had brown urinary sediment and tenesmus of the bladder; it was given in Q five drops every two hours and after four doses the patient passed a lot of gravel and was relieved of his complaint.

The June issue deals with therapeutics of hay fever, anxiety and tension headaches; the remedy of the month is Euphrasia, an acute hay fever remedy; a case of such a fever treated with that remedy is also given. Dr Judyth Reichenberg Ullman rightly cautions against having prejudices while taking the case or while prescribing. Some of the prejudices are that the every patient needs a polycrest; making unfounded assumptions based on kingdoms or miasms; prescribing the same remedy based on a similar case; assuming that the child needs the same remedy as was reflected in the mother during her pregnancy etc.

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