©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only

CONTINUING HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION SERVICES

QUARTERLY HOMEOPATHIC DIGEST

VOL. XXVIII, 1 & 2, 2011

Lead me from Untruth to Truth

Lead me from Darkness to Light

Lead me from Death to Immortality

Adyaya I Brahmana 3 Mantra 28

(This service is only for private circulation. Part I of the journal lists the Current literature in

Homeopathy drawn from the well-known homeopathic journals published world-over - India,

England, Germany, France, Belgium, Brazil, USA, etc., discipline-wise, with brief

abstracts/extracts. Readers may refer to the original articles for detailed study. The full names

and addresses of the journals covered by this compilation are given at the end.

Compilation, translation, publication by Dr.K.S.Srinivasan, 1253, 66th Street, Korattur, Chennai - 600 080, India.)

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only

CONTINUING HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION SERVICES

QUARTERLY HOMEOPATHIC DIGEST

VOL. XXVIII, 1 & 2, 2011

Part I Current Literature Listing

______________________________________________________________________________

Part I of the journal lists the current literature in Homeopathy drawn from the well-known

homeopathic journals published world-over - India, England, Germany, France, Brazil, USA,

etc., - discipline-wise, with brief abstracts/extracts. Readers may refer to the original articles for

detailed study. The full names and addresses of the journals covered by this compilation are

given at the end of Part I. Part II contains selected essays/articles/extracts, while Part III carries

original articles for this journal, Book Reviews, etc.

______________________________________________________________________________

I. PHILOSOPHY

1. Paradigm Shift: Homeopathy as Applied

consciousness

BROWN, Doug (HL. 20, 2/2007)

Homeopathy finds itself increasingly at odds with

mainstream medicine, not primarily because of its

different pharmacopoeia or methodology, but because it

is based on a fundamentally different paradigm.

Allopathy as well as the “common-sense” understanding

of the world with which most of us are raised, is

grounded in materialism. Developments in the sciences

of noetics (consciousness), cosmology, and physics,

however, are challenging materialist assumptions about

reality, thereby creating a context within which the truth

of Homeopathy can be considered with less risk of

cognitive dissonance. New opportunities for describing

what we do in terms of this new paradigm may bring

more people to Homeopathy, may help establish the

cultural relevance of our healing art in the new

millennium, and may help enlarge our own vision and

understanding of the depth of our work.

2. An Ideal of Health

Inspiration from the Organon

GUBBAY, Diana (HT. 30, 1/2010)

Full article is given in Part II.

3. Sind die Jüngsten Angriffee der Medien auf die

Homöopathie gerechtfertigt? – Eine Streitschrift

(Are the recent attacks by the Media on

Homeopathy unprejudiced? A warning)

VITHOULKAS, George (ZKH. 53, 1/2009)

In the recent times there has been increased cry by

the British Media against Homeopathy, as it had never

before been tantamounting to maligning Homeopathy.

The author, with his several years’ experience in all

parts of the world, feels that these calumnious

statements are framed due to certain ‘teachers’ of

Homeopathy who have based themselves on ‘dreams’

“proving”, ‘signatures’ ‘elements’ etc. They do not

follow HAHNEMANN’s methods. Probably these

‘teachers’ feel the Hahnemannian method “laborious”;

and therefore have based themselves on these

imaginative methodologies. [All these cries “kill

Homeopathy” have died down since about an year

now. = KSS]

4. Homöopathie im Zeitgeist Gedanken zur

“Modernisierung” einer 200 Jahre alte Heilkunst

(Homeopathy in the spirit of the Time – on

modernization of a 200 year old Medicine)

ROHRER, Anton (ZKH. 53, 2/2009)

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HAHNEMANN wanted to found a Medicine able

to cure with certainty. It’s foundation was well

described in §3 of the Organon. The pre-requisites for

certainty in cure are, a correct perception of symptoms

of both – the disease and the remedy – and their

matching each other.

Ever since the beginning of Homeopathy,

homeopaths have interpreted §3 according to the spirit

of the times (Zeitgeist), in accordance with the

development of natural sciences, and Medicine

including Anatomy, Pathology, etc. Later Psycho-

analysis came on, then Depth Psychology etc. Currently

it is Quantum Physics. The author discusses with

support of eminent authorities – HAHNEMANN,

HERING, DUNHAM, KENT, PASCHERO,

KLUNKER, et al.

5. Miasm in the Mineral Kingdom

MORRISON, Roger (AJHM. 102, 2/2009)

The author proposes miasmatic relationships (based

on the miasmatic concepts of SANKARAN) of the

mineral remedies and organic compounds, synthesizing

the work of Jan SCHOLTEN and Rajan SANKARAN.

6. Look at, then See the Case

SHEPPERD Joel (AJHM. 102, 2/2009)

Students of Hahnemann’s Organon often find an

aphorism that catches their attention the most. The first

part of §104 interests me. What exactly does a

homeopath do after going to great pains to investigate

the complete case? The English translations vary

widely in their answer. What modern homeopaths

actually do in practice varies even more erractically.

What are the words that HAHNEMANN actually uses?

Every translation involves a personal interpretation.

(Full article is in Part II = KSS.)

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II. MATERIA MEDICA

1. The Ring of Nenya – Elven Queen Galadriel and

Anhalonium

LALOR, Liz (HL. 20, 2/2007)

Homeopaths have for years surmised the

Constitutional pictures of each character in the

wonderful Tolkien tale of The Lord of the Rings.

Previously in Links Liz LALOR explored the

characters of Frodo as Anacardium and Gollum as

Mancinella. This essay is follow-on from that article

and looks at the character of Queen Galadriel and the

remedy picture of Anhalonium.

2. A new proving of Petroleum

PITT Richard (HL. 20, 2/2007)

A new proving was done because the original

proving was not complete and various themes of the

provings are presented.

3. The Methuselah Tree

Pinus longaeva

CREVELD Marijke (HL. 20, 3/2007)

Pinus longaeva is the longest-living tree on earth.

A dream proving was conducted with a remedy made of

the root and wood of a Bristlecone pine. During the

dream proving many dreams occurred with the theme

‘above and below’, related to the connection with the

earth and the cosmos/spirituality. Among the themes

found were ‘no communication, being

unconnected/disconnected and insensitive’, ‘running

and hurry’, ‘sadness’ and ‘lonely’, all related to the

problem that we are increasingly out of sync with our

external time frame.

4. Some Remarks Concerning Homeopathic Provings

ROSENBAUM, Paulo & SILVIA , I.Waisse-Priven

(HL. 20, 2/2007)

There is extensive discussion concerning the proper

method of conducting homeopathic drug trials. The

authors have been conducting proving for the last three

years. Experience has revealed some aspects that have

been previously omitted or that need further adjustment,

such as the notion of healthy volunteer, double-blind vs.

multiphase studies, the notion of placebo, etc. The

authors believe that it’s essential for researchers to

publish even partial results of well conducted trials, in

order to contribute to the improvement of the proving

protocol.

5. Sieben Kriterien für verifikationen

(Seven Criteriae for Verifications)

KLINKENBERG Carl Rudolf (ZKH. 53, 1/2009)

The characteristic symptoms and modalities of

remedies are established through verifications. The

meaning and definition of verification is explained. The

difference of verification and clinical symptom is

demonstrated on the basis of a cured case of

Perimyocarditis.

Verifications have to yield to high standards of

quality. 7 basic criteria are defined, as well as the term

“false” clinical symptom. It is stated why in

Homeopathy only characteristic and intense symptoms

can be verified.

What are these 7 criteriae? They are:

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1. The symptom or symptom group must have gone

away clearly and it must remain so cured for very

long time.

2. Only characteristic and intensive symptoms can be

verified.

3. Only genuinely relevant, sick alterations can be

verified, no hypothesis or interpretations.

4. A verification of a single medicine must be

verifiable backward also. If more medicines one

after the other were given, why this verification is

relevant is to be said.

5. The verification must clearly be of that medicine

and not from other therapies, for example,

Psychotherapy, Diet, Acupuncture.

6. The remedy must have brought about the cure and

not by change of environment or other state, for

example a change of life situation or by removal of

the factors responsible for the disease.

7. The cure must be strikingly rapid which is unlike of

the disease in its natural course.

5. Die Kasuistik als Weg Zur Verification

(The cases as a way for Verification)

KLINKENBERG, Carl Rudolf (ZKH. 53, 1/2009)

Verifications are reported through Case Reports.

The varying extent of a case report, depending on the

author or the epoch of issue, is demonstrated through

examples from the literature. A case report should be

complete to such extent, that its value can be reviewed

regardless of the author. A case from the author’s clinic

shows, which details should be included in a case

report.

6. Verifikationen, Falsifikationen, Klinische

Symptome

(Verifications, Falsifications, Clinical Symptoms)

GENNEPER Thomas (ZKH. 53, 1/2009)

Earlier, this journal (the ZKH) had a section

“Verifications and Clinical Symptoms”. This Section

lasted for sometime and then stopped. Now it has been

proposed to have a section “Verifications, Falsifications,

Clinical Symptoms”. The term “falsification is the

opposite of “verification”. The “falsification” is with

regard to a remedy which has been reported to act in a

particular symptom, but in the practice of one, it does

not act against that symptom; thus “falsification”. It is

hoped such careful examination of the symptoms will

help a dependable Materia Medica over the years.

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III. THERAPEUTICS

1. Identifying with society

A case of Kali ferrocyanatum

MANGIALAVORI, Massimo

(HL. 20, 2/2007)

A 26 year-old woman with Infertility and

weakness. Anaemic-worsening inspite of iron

treatment. Not gaining weight inspite of eating

anything and everything. Operated for cyst in ovaries

and endometriosis. Stabbing pains during periods.

Leucorrhoea during the fake menopause period forced

by the tablets. Series of infections – Candida,

Trichomonas and then Staphylococcal. Never been able

to cry. Often dreams of flying and slowly losing height.

Tries to isolate pain as she is not able to bear it.

Wandering pains. Kali ferrocyanatum Q1. After few

days strong bellyache similar to that of dysmenorrhoea.

To take medicine twice a week. Two months later, she

was pregnant and stopped all treatments except

prescribed by the Gynaec.

A year later-few weeks after delivery consulted for

severe post partum depression.

A feeling of emptiness with suicidal thoughts.

Dreams of dead people, wars, destruction, pieces of

corpses. Pain in uterus with a constant feeling that

menses are coming.

Right sided headache on waking. Exhausted as the

baby is having sleeping problems.

Kali ferrocyanatum. Few days later, sleeping much

better, regaining strength, no headache and baby also

started to sleep.

2. The art of prescribing

SALUNKHE, S. Anita (HL. 20, 2/2007)

If a remedy causes the symptom to disappear this

does not automatically imply a cure. The author has

had the honesty and the awareness to publish a case

where suppression caused the development of deeper

symptoms and offers VIJAYKAR’s theory of

Suppression and Miasms as a map to be used in

analyzing the follow-up to a remedy.

A 29 year-old obese man was treated with repeated

doses of Calcium carbonicum for Hypertension in Jan.

2001.

In Nov. 2001, he had mild Varicocele with low

sperm count. After homeopathic medicines, his count

improved and recently developed Varicose Ulcers –

painless, bluish, with offensive and blackish base.

Chilly but desire to be fanned. Careless and slow.

Indifferent to his health and family. Least interested in

starting a family even after 4 years of marriage.

According to VIJAYKAR’s chart of suppression

the Hypertension is in Layer IV (organ of Mesoderm –

Psora) and the disease has shifted to the same Layer IV

as Varicose Ulcer – Syphilis).

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Carbo vegatabilis 200 one dose in Feb. 2002. His

Varicose Ulcer which is syphilitic, disappeared and he

got severe pain in his testes, subsided on its own and his

blood pressure increased. 8 months later, he developed

fever with cold which is Psoric. His wife gave birth to a

baby boy.

The Psoric and Syphilitic picture of Carbo-veg is

given.

3. Facial Analysis – An Objective Approach

BENTLEY, Grant (HL. 20, 2/2007)

Grant BENTLEY has been using facial analysis to

determine the dominant Miasm in the patient. This

means dissecting each facial feature to determine what

inherited process is the strongest: hypo or small, hyper

or large, or dys or inward function.

A three year-old Autistic child presents with

continuous colds and ear discharge in March 2005.

Greenish nasal discharge. Can’t talk, only points and

grunts. Poor concentration span and hyperactivity. Hot

ears during ‘cold’ with mucus congestion in chest.

Worse in Spring & Autumn. No eye contact. Facial

Analysis revealed large eyes, full lips, ball shaped nose,

ears that stick out, cleft in chin, spaced teeth, gums

show, straight hairline, straight forehead and straight

bridge of nose – All Sycotic features.

Dulcamara 30 daily.

3 months later: Coughs and colds have vanished

and he is now talking in sentences. Concentration span

improved dramatically. The original behavioural

specialist is questioning herself regarding the diagnosis

of Autism. To continue Dulcamara 30 daily.

After 4 months – still continuing to improve

mentally. Still has not had one cold.

After 7 months, no colds, but occasional runny

nose. His talking improving continuously. Making eye

contact. No hitting. No frustration. Toilet trained. If

he doesn’t take Dulcamara 30 daily he gets annoyed,

everything becomes hard and becomes run down

quickly. To continue Dulcamara 30 daily.

Footnote on Potency

Continuance of the 30 potency daily is based on

the fact that this boy continues to improve which

indicates his Vital Force still needs and accepts the

remedy in this potency. If this were not the case,

improvement would cease and he would slip back.

Instructions to discontinue and consult, should old

symptoms return. When a medicine is working well, do

not be in a hurry to change it.

4. Thoughts on the periodic table

SHARESTEIN, Catherine

(HL. 20, 3/2007)

This article presents a periodic table, introduced by

Dimitry MENDELEYEV, as it explains better the

homeopathic understanding of inert gases. It was

inspired by Dr. Jan SCHOLTEN’s book “Homeopathy

and the Elements”.

5. Self-control to Avoid Abuse

A case of Crohn’s disease

SCHOLTEN, Jan (HL. 20, 3/2007)

55 year-old man with Crohn’s disease for about 20

years stopped cortisone which was worsening him,

rejected colon resection.

He tried many kinds of treatment for his severe

diarrhea, sour smelling, with blood and mucus, worse

from beer and spinach. Self control is very important

for him. Sensation of being sucked dry if he opens up

to other people. If he is too open all shit will come out.

For 20 years he has been abused at home by his wife; at

office by his company. Felt unimaginably rejected.

Self control is the theme of Lanthanides, especially

of Terbium which is stage 11.

Stool problem, what is left over (Stage 16), abuse,

indicates Oxygen.

Terbium oxydatum M.

3-4 days later, had an aggravation and then he

improved. His quality of life improved. Felt free, and

cheerful. He discovered that he used to have an

inferiority complex.

Three years after, no symptoms of disease.

6. Identifying with society

A case of Kali iodatum

MANGIALAVORI, Massimo (HL. 20, 3/2007)

60 year-old man with severe Asthma and

Emphysema, Acne rosaceae and Chronic Pharyngitis.

Asthmatic attacks as soon as he wakes up and around 5-

6 p.m. Better outdoors. < slightest effort.

Diarrhea from milk. Lost wife at 38 years of age.

Difficulty in bringing up three children. Tiredness.

Always depressed. Asthmatic attacks worse with

slightest argument. Always has the impulse to travel.

Dreams of flood destroying everything. Kali iodatum

0/1.

Over the next few months he continued to improve

physically and mentally. His dream pattern also

changed.

7. Complementing the simillimum in chronic diseases

HARRY Van der Zee

(HL. 20, 3/2007)

38 year-old woman with Multiple Sclerosis, with

nausea and sensitive to noise. Tiredness aggravated by

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loss of sleep. Takes care of others and family members

but forgets to take care of herself.

Cocculus indicus 1M. 2 weeks later tiredness less.

Feeling calmer. Nausea less. An eruption has started in

the neck.

A month later, no nausea and headache. Sensitivity

to noise is less. One year later, ascending numbness in

left arm and leg. Also numbness of tongue and vertigo.

Cocculus indicus 1M. From 1992 to 2004 now and then

Cocculus and she has been responding well,

nevertheless has sporadic acute episodes of Multiple

Sclerosis (MS) and slowing down the process was all

the remedy was doing.

So a remedy designed by Peter CHAPPEL for MS,

PC243p 5 drops daily after banging the bottle 5 times.

One month later, rapid amelioration of all her

symptoms. After six months, she is firmer on her feet

than she has been in years, can walk longer, stand and

work in kitchen longer and less use of wheel chair.

After ten months, warts all over and they are growing.

If she stops taking the PC remedy, tingling worse. 50%

better than a year ago. Thuja 200. Three months later

no warts.

Two and half years after starting with PC MS is

stable. Taking 3 drops of PC MS daily works best for

her.

Instructions for using disease specific PC remedies

are given.

8. Schlafstörungen bei kinder

(Sleep disorders in children)

SPARENBORG-NOLTE Anne

(AHZ. 253, 6/2008)

The author is also a practitioner of Psychotherapy,

specialist in psychiatry of children and adolescents

besides being a homeopath.

The author discusses sleep disorders of children in

the light of her knowledge on all the subjects

mentioned.

Three cases are presented briefly.

9. Müde bin ich, geh zur Ruh

(I am tired, go to rest)

ZIPPERMAYR Philipp (AHZ. 253, 6/2008)

Sleep can be seen as retreat by the events of the day

and by the social surrounding field. The different forms

of sleep disorders are therefore disturbances of this

retreat. They refer to a specific social conflict of the

patient, not or not completely permitting this retreat.

The analysis of the temper and the message of the

dominating disease symptomatology bring to light a

disturbed bond of trust to the surrounding field as

reason for the sleep disorder. The knowledge of the

cause, the motive of disease, makes it possible to

compare with the motives of the remedies which are

applicable, facilitating the homeopathic choice.

10. Carcinosinum und Medorrhinum bei der

Behandlung von Schlafstörungen

(Carcinocinum and Medorrhinum in the treatment

of Sleep disturbances)

HADULLA, Michael, M. (AHZ. 253, 6/2008)

With two cases from his practice the author Dr.

HADULLA indicates the value of Carcinosinum and

Medorrhinum in the treatment of sleep disturbances.

Case 1: Carcinosinum: 10 year-old female child;

abdominal pains, nervous type, after the death of her

grandmother. After examining her abdomen, blood, etc.

where nothing abnormal was found, she was given a

dose of Ignatia D200 with rapid improvement. Since

then became a great propagator of Homeopathy. This

was in 2006.

Now: this sleep disturbance. The mother had given

her Coffee D 12 without success. She said, “I would

sleep, but my head is not sleeping.” Taking her mental

disposition, desire for Chocolates, and suppressed

ambition, etc. was given Carcinosin D200. The cure

began rapidly.

Case 2: Medorrhinum: 32 year-old, female. Since the

beginning of the first pregnancy and more during the

second pregnancy, sleep disturbances were bothering

her very much. Sometimes she would fall asleep only at

5 in the morning; she felt very tired and weak.

Anaemic. Has undergone Allopathy treatments. A

homeopath had given her Silica and also a complex

remedy and another colleague gave Sepia and Aconitum

as also Phosphoric acid, all without success.

Further detailed anamnesis brought out many

mental symptoms. The symptoms pointed to

Medorrhinum which was given in D200. There was

clear improvement.

11. Homeopathy and Psychotherapy

A homeopathic practitioner’s point of view

HERON, Krista (HT. 30, 1/2010)

Patients say how much the first homeopathic

consultation is like Therapy. Psychotherapist

colleagues often marvel at the depth and breadth of

what the patient reveals in their first hour with

homeopath. In some ways it doesn’t matter what the

story is, it can be in the telling that much is revealed.

To help the patient tell their story and to use this

information well is the artistry of the homeopath. As

homeopaths we are doctor, anthropologist, sociologist,

psychologist and scientist, all in one.

12. Save your skin, soothe your Psoriasis

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COWARD, Steven (HT. 30, 1/2010)

Ron, 46 with severe and long standing Psoriasis,

had tried conventional medicine, and non-conventional

treatments – all to no avail. In desperation he consulted

the homeopath.

He had red or white scaly outbreaks which was

troubling him with severe flare-ups. Miserable cracks

on skin with pain-burning. Profuse sweat about head

while eating or sleeping since a year. Headache and

Asthma as a child. Both were improved in hot, humid

weather. This modality applied to his Psoriasis also.

Silica 200. Within a week pain reduced substantially

and his sleep was better. Two weeks later 80% better

(hand pain and cracks).

In the next 2 years 90% improvement.

13. Bubble, Bubble, Boils and Trouble

A hot tub puts Homeopathy to the test

NARRAGON, Lisette (HT. 30, 1/2010)

The author’s son has a history of small boils that

erupt when he is under stress. He has sensitive skin and

tends to develop rashes easily and heal slowly.

During the first year of college, he developed a boil

on the top of right hand. The hand was swollen and the

boil was not discharging. Slight fever, achiness and was

quite irritable. He was unusually chilly and wanted

warmth.

Hepar sulph. 200. In 24 hours, boil had burst,

swelling reduced, fever and achiness gone. The boil

was resolving and irritability and chilliness were gone.

Next week he had a dip in hot tub at school. Next

day secondary infection and a painful throbbing hand.

He took more of Hep. Sulph which did not help.

In the next few days, his whole hand was swollen,

with cold, white fingers and no discharge and black

areas under the skin at the original boil site. Tender to

touch and < from hanging down.

Apis did not help.

No systemic symptoms – “Lack of reaction”. Silica

30, repeated few times. Next morning swelling less,

black color was receding and less inflamed Silica 200

improved his condition. Silica 1M. Next morning boil

burst open pain and swelling decreased. Another dose

of 1M, next day and further discharge.

Silica XM was all he needed and a month later fully

recovered.

14. Perfect Escapes! Prevent peril in Paradise:

The Savvy traveler’s Guide

ROTHENBERG, Amy (HT. 30, 1/2010)

All journeys have their challenges: Changes in

environment, diet and schedules can act as stressors that

trigger susceptibility to illness.

For everyday ailments encountered while traveling,

she often turns to preventive natural medicines and

commonsense measures. If more support is needed, use

homeopathic remedies.

Scanning devices at airports have not rendered

homeopathic remedies any less effective.

She narrates her personal experience of carrying an

extensive homeopathic kit on a tropical family

adventure, proved to be life saving. While camping in

the British Virgin Islands, her daughter was sleeping

late into the morning, was burning hot and feverish with

extremely cracked lips. Glassy eyes with Headache and

stiff neck. She was photophobic and wanted to sleep.

Suspected Viral Meningitis. Extreme fatigue, aversion

to company, overall soreness and dried out mucous

membranes. Muriatic acid 200. Within a few minutes,

opened her eyes, felt thirsty. Within an hour ate and

wanted to play. She gradually recovered in the next few

days.

15. Homeopathy Hits the Road

Great remedies for people on the move

ASPINWALL, Mary (HT. 30, 1/2010)

Before you go

Anticipatory anxiety and Fear of flying will be

helped by Argentum nitricum.

Sleeplessness in children from over excitement

before departure will be soothed by a dose of Coffea.

The Journey

Motion sickness:

Borax for fear of downward motion.

Cocculus: Nausea and dizziness with a strong desire to

lie down. Worse from watching moving

objects or from sight or smell of food.

Kali bichromicum: For Sea sickness.

Nux vomica: Severe nausea with difficult vomiting and

intense headache.

Petroleum: Persistent nausea with excessive salivation.

Rhus tox: Air sickness with nausea and vomiting.

Tabacum: Nausea better from cold, fresh air.

Enroute

Chamomilla for children who are tired and cross, but

too worked up to rest or sleep.

Bellis perennis if tailbone feels compressed or for

sciatica after sitting too long in one position.

A long-haul flight risk is deep vein thrombosis.

Red wine or tomato juice makes blood less sticky. A

dose of Hamamelis before flight.

Arnica for exhaustion or jet lag. If one feels still in

motion and difficulty in sleeping try a dose of Cocculus.

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Avoid contaminated water. 2 teaspoons of a mix of

honey and apple cider vinegar in pure water offers good

gastro intestinal protection.

Food poisoning

Arsenicum after bad meat.

Pulsatilla after bad fish

Lycopodium after bad Shell fish.

Veratrum album if Ars. did not help.

The Environment

Cantharis & Belladonna for Sun burn

Belladonna & Glonoine for Sunstroke

Natrum muriaticum for cold sores that come on

after over exposure to Sun.

China is a great remedy to help you recover

quickly from dehydration.

Coca for altitude sickness.

Rhus tox for poison oak/ivy allergies

Apis for bites and stings that are very hot and swollen.

Belladonna good for hot throbbing bites or stings with

dizziness and headache.

Cantharis for red, hot, extremely itchy bites.

Hypericum may be needed if the bite or sting leads to

shooting nerve pain.

Hepar sulph will help to clear up a painful infected bite

or sting.

Ledum for deep stings, cold to touch and better from

cold.

Silica will force out stingers and help clear up painless

infections.

Urtica urens if the bite is very itchy.

Sex & Sports

Staphysagria for Honeymoon cystitis.

Cantharis for constant burning before, during and after

urination.

Rhus tox for muscle strains and sprains.

Ruta for injuries to ligaments and tendons.

Arnica for bruising and physical shock.

Crime

If one is unfortunate enough to be a victim of crime –

Aconite for extreme fear

Arnica for physical shock

Staphysagria for sexual assault or any incident that

leaves you with unexpressed rage.

Ignatia for emotional shock, loss or bereavement

Bryonia for homesickness.

16. “Do you have anything for …?”

The totality of symptoms as an expression of the

Vital Force

GUBBAY, Diana (HT. 30, 1/2010)

In answer to inquiries regarding specific ailments, I

reply that each case must be taken individually in order

to find the appropriate homeopathic match for the

totality of symptoms.

Tommy, 4 years, with Eczema in the bends of

elbows, knees and along forearms. His skin was red,

dry and inflamed in the affected areas and also

excessively itchy.

Worse at night, compelled to scratch until the skin

bled.

Tendency to argue for everything and fear about

whereabouts of parents when they left house.

Sulphur 200. His Eczema gradually disappeared

over the course of a few months and he slept better.

Substantial change in his fretting and arguing.

17. Catching Spring Fever

Mom gets empowered to help her kids heal … & so

can you!

ALLEN, Karen (HT. 30, 1/2010)

During dinner, after a picnic on a sunny day, two

year old Kent was shading his eyes with his hand to

protect from light. His eyes looked unusually shiny and

reflective with large pupils. His face became red and

heat coming from his head and face. Hands and feet

were cold and face hot to touch. Temperature was

103°F.

Belladonna few pellets. Within 15 minutes, face

returned to normal colour, eyes regained their usual

appearance and T° - 99°F. He slept through the night

and was his usual robust self when he awoke the next

morning.

18. The Girl who got to keep her Tonsils

Hello health, goodbye repeated strep throat and

antibiotics

KHANEJA, Seema (HT. 30, 1/2010)

Karen, 4½yrs had more than half a dozen strep-

throats and was advised Tonsillectomy. Her problems

starts with sore throat with around navel. Muffled voice

and headache foul breathe. Mild fever and diminished

appetite.

Cranky, irritable, very weepy. < on waking and

sitting on mother’s lap during throat. Snappy.

As a toddler had 8-10 middle ear infections.

Treated with pressure equalizing tubes.

Since one year pain abdomen at various times of

the day. Pain on waking and also in the middle of sleep.

Precocious verbal skills, bossy nature, warm

blooded. Sensitive to clothes around neck. Loved

Lemonade and Ice-cream.

Lachesis 200. Six weeks later relapse. Lachesis

200.

The whole illness was milder. Over the next

months, remained completely well.

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19. Say Ahhh…. and Heal a Sore Throat

Now that’s easy to swallow!

SHALTS Edward (HT. 30, 3/2010)

In many cases sore throats are not bacterial and

therefore do not require antibiotics. Positive results of

a throat culture should be treated with antibiotics, as

strep-throats can have dangerous complications.

Homeopathy should come into play in the

following situations.

• When the child suffers from the first symptom of

her episode.

• When throat culture is negative.

• In between frequent episodes of strep-throat.

The indications for Aconite, Belladonna, Bryonia,

Ferrum phos, Mercurius iodatus flavus and ruber and

Phytolacca are given.

20. Meniere’s Disease takes Potter for a spin

Now she is back at the wheel, thanks to

Homeopathy

HALLETT, Carolyn (HT. 30, 3/2010)

70 year clay artist with frequent episodes of

Meniere’s and hospitalized twice.

Feeling of pressure in ears before the episode, has

to lie down with closed eyes with many bouts of

vomiting throughout the day.

She was indifferent regarding her illness and one of

her eyelids is droopy during the attack. Gelsemium 1M.

Instant relief. Relapse a week later > with one dose. No

more attacks.

Indications for Cocculus, Chininum sulph.,

Cuprum, Gelsemium, Pulsatilla and Tabacum are given.

21. Sweet release from ringing in ears or how I first

came to homeopath

PIERCE, Beth (HT. 30, 3/2010)

After many years of ringing in ears and consulting

many with no relief.

Consulted an Acupuncturist. She took a detailed

history and gave a homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla.

Within four minutes, she noticed the pressure in her

head lowering, as if someone was letting air out of it

slowly. Then something ‘popped’ in her head and the

ringing was completely gone.

22. Peace from Panic Attacks and Performance Anxiety

Anxiety affects the body and Mind

RAN, Ildiko (HT. 30, 3/2010)

Noelle, early 30s, with Sinus Infections that

recurred monthly all winter. Prone to colds and extreme

performance anxiety since elementary school expressed

by feeling numb, faint almost unconscious and shaking

of hands. Weaker voice and shallow breathing.

Depressed and exhausted at times. Chilly, cold

sweat of feet.

Silica 200. Three weeks later, more energetic.

Quality of sleep has improved. Anxiety less. No

Sinusitis.

Over the next 6 months, occasional doses of Silica

and no longer has fatigue.

Kevin, 50 years with panic attacks, expressed in

various forms: Stomach cramps, Constipation, Eczema,

Insomnia, nervous nose bleeds and nightmares.

Sometimes skin on hands crack and ooze blood.

During the panic attack feels, dizzy, nauseous, dry

mouth and difficulty in swallowing. Fear of choking

and feeling of throat constriction. During panic attacks

cannot control thoughts. Dark thoughts creep in - like

harming myself or loved ones. They take control of my

will. Basically I am caring. Had an inherited blood

disorder was under psychiatric treatment.

According to Rajan SANKARAN, an antagonistic

split within the self, points out to snake remedies. His

throat issues and blood disorder also pointed to a snake

remedy.

Narrowed to Crotalidae family due to his desire for

company, and his general anxiety.

His intense skin problem and mental anguish led to

Crotalus cascavella 200. One month later, he told he

became weepy, where earlier he had suppressed. Hands

were dry and no oozing. Two months later, his

Psychiatrist weaned him off medication. To support

this major transition, Crotalus cascavella 200 daily in

water for one month.

He was stable emotionally without any withdrawal

symptoms. No more problems in the next years.

23. Ease everyday Anxiety at school and work

Test taking, Public speaking, asking for a raise

SHALTS, Edward (HT. 30, 3/2010)

The two acute performance anxiety remedies

Gelsemium and Argentum nitricum are differentiated.

Gelsemium

Argentum nitricum

Feels paralysed from

anxiety

Driven by anxiety on

every level, including

anxious diarrhea

want to be left alone

seek company and like

to talk

weak, dizzy with

trembling, heavy

feeling in limbs

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and fear losing

Another remedy for acute anxiety is Aconitum –

fear of death, extreme restlessness, a need to get out

now, hyperventilation with tingling and numbness and a

hot feeling.

24. Making the Most of the Empty Nest

When kids fly the coop, mom ultimately lands on

her feet

ROTHENBERG, Amy (HT. 30, 3/2010)

Natalie, 52, with the complaint of severe back pain

since 4 months. Δ Herniated disc L

3-4.

Severe pain

mostly down the right leg. Completely bedridden.

During the Autumn when the pain started, second of her

two daughters had left for college. Felt lonely, isolated,

longing for care and affection of spouse who is always

on road. Felt exhausted. Much concern for daughters

and elder parents. All those demands made her anxious

and overwhelmed.

She hated conflict and avoided discord which made

her angry and irritated but seldom could express.

Lifelong constipation. Carcinosin 200. Two months

later came walking, sitting comfortably. Within a week

after medicine could move. Felt very serene, with no

anxiety or worry and with mental clarity and calm.

She wasn’t stressed by the responsibilities now.

1½ months later, relapse after a trip to sea and

another dose. In the ensuing three years the remedy was

given as and when needed.

25. Face to Face with Trigeminal Neuralgia

Smile, laugh & brush your teeth again without fear!

End the agony of Facial nerve pain

HAM, Natalie (HT. 30, 4/2010).

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a disorder of the trigeminal

nerve, which runs from ear, across the cheek and around

the mouth and chin. Stabbing, shooting, electric-like

pain on the path of the nerve.

The author’s grandmother, 82, was suffering from

Trigeminal Neuralgia since years. Over the years, the

flare ups grew much more frequent and prolonged to a

point that she almost had no time pain-free.

Pain on right side of face and worse from talking.

Lightning like pain. Worse from cold air.

With Belladonna 200, there was slight relief.

Warmth and pressure relieved her. Mag. phos12,

every hour, next day pain much less. In 4 days relapse.

Mag.phos. 200 every hour. Immediate > in intensity

and frequency. Within next several days, pain subsided

altogether. The dose was lowered to once a day and

then stopped. There was no need for painkillers.

Flare up 1½ yrs. later. > by Mag.phos. 1M.

Sheryl, 47, with Trigeminal neuralgia for years,

especially in colder months. Pressure on left side gives

her relief. Slight touch <. Draft of air was unbearable.

Pain worse from motion. The attack come at the same

time everyday.

China 30, every two hours until the pain began to

resolve, and then once a day. A week later, she told that

pain was gone a couple hours after she took China 30.

Had taken only 3 doses when the pain went almost

completely away. Energy also better. No flare up since

then.

Robert, 57, car mechanic, with recent Trigeminal

neuralgia on right side – as if face being ripped open.

Worse when talking or when touched. Relieved by cold

application. Feeling emotional and fighting tears since

the onset of problem. Thirst less now.

He was lying on left side due to pain on right side.

Pulsatilla 200, every two hours. Next day pain

dramatically better.

Two days later relapsed. Pulsatilla 1M. A week

later no pain at all.

Indications of Magnesia phosphorica, Colocynthis,

China, Belladonna, Aconite, Pulsatilla, Verbascum,

Arsenicum, Bryonia and Spigelia are given.

26. A Cappella singer who lost her voice. How

Homeopathy & natural medicine helped her to sing

again. (HT. 30, 4/2010)

Sally, 39, with Chronic Laryngitis and loss of voice

in winter. Constantly hoarse or even mute and could not

easily modulate her voice. It started with a sore throat

and swollen glands and post nasal drip. Also earache.

Antibiotics and decongestants did not help.

Chronic Laryngitis was seriously disrupting her

ability not only to earn a living, but to communicate at

all. Photophobia, desire for salt and aversion to fat.

Also headache with Laryngitis. Natrum muriaticum

200. One dose. In addition vitamin C, E and zinc along

with Beta-carotene. She began to feel better in the first

week. Her voice had begun to sound more like her own

and no longer post nasal drip. Better energy. No

problems in the subsequent winters.

27. High School Musical

Lead teenage actor beats lingering Laryngitis &

Mononucleosis

OSKIN, Jamie (HT. 30, 4/2010)

Sixteen year old Matt developed laryngitis and sore

throat which was seriously interfering with his rehearsal

schedule. No relief with 2½ weeks of conventional

treatment.

Raw & burning over roof of soft palate and left

throat while swallowing. Worse while coughing or

talking. Hoarse voice and crackling when talking.

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Improved in rainy humid weather of California &

worse when back in Arizona’s hot dry weather.

Burning felt in bronchi. Unable to force the thick

mucus out of throat. Extreme fatigue. Tested for Acute

Mononeucleosis. Causticum 10M t.d.s. for 2 weeks.

Next week positive for Mono. Three days after

Causticum, no cough and sputum. Throat pain

decreased by 25%. Hoarseness better. In two weeks

completely resolved.

A minor relapse was treated by Silica & then

Causticum 50M. In six weeks completely normal.

28. From Darkness into light Transforming childhood

depression

LUEPKER, Ian (HT. 30, 4/2010)

Caleb, 12, lost his dad to Cancer 18 months ago.

He remained taciturn without expressing his grief

verbally. He was sullen, moody, lost interest in foods,

which he liked. Struggled with peer relationships. He

disdained affection and consolation.

Natrum muriaticum LM a

daily dose. Six weeks

later – he was smiling, feeling happier, open to

receiving affection.

12 weeks later – engaging life with laughter and joy and

expression anger and frustration (Depression is anger

turned inwards). LM5.

18 weeks: Co-existing harmoniously. Two years later –

LM8.

With each subsequent visit, Caleb seems more

animated and excited and creative.

29. Was it das zu Heilende? Von der Homöopathie zur

Analogopathie”

(What is to be cured? From Homeopathy to

Analogopathie)

LUCAE, Christian (ZKH. 53, 1/2009)

In this article, Dr. LUCAE discusses the basic

differences between Homeopathy (“classical”,

Hahnemannian) and the “new” concepts in the garb of

Homeopathy – (e.g. SANKARAN, SCHOLTEN, et

al.); these new ‘concepts’ have their own ‘case taking’

method, case analysis, remedy selection – all these are

not anywhere near Hahnemann. [How then can these

‘innovators’ claim it as ‘Homeopathy’ = KSS].

Unproven remedies, remedies for which we cannot find

a ‘Materia Medica’ are used. We do not know whether

the cure was lasting.

LUCAE has studied SANKARAN carefully and

critically and discusses all the features.

30. Nekrotisierender Herpes Zoster

(Necrotising Herpes Zoster)

BÜNDNER Martin (ZKH. 53, 1/2011)

A patient with a pronounced necrotizing Herpes

Zoster shows rapid relief under homeopathic treatment

with the remedy Mercurius solubilis and Arsenicum

album, Q potencies.

31. Lapis albus

SRINIVASAN, K.S. (ZKH. 53, 1/2011)

With two cases, the author shows that a little

known ‘small’ remedy is helpful in treating

successfully, serious cases. One case of swelling of

Cervical Lymphnodes in a 30 year old man. Another

case of Sarcoma of the upper thigh in a 21 year-old

female.

In both cases Lapis albus gave expected relief. Q

potencies were used.

32. Condyloma Acuminatum

CHATTERJEE Ardhendu Sekhar

(HH. 34, 8/2009)

Three cured cases of Condyloma Acuminata has

been represented.

Case 1: Male 19 yrs. warts around penis. Sexual

contact 3 months back. Then warts started.

Dark rings around eyes

Tongue multiple eroded spots and dry.

Thirst +, hunger ++

Hyperhidrosis, on palm,

Offensive sweat.

29.11.95: Carcinosin 30, 4 doses, one daily.

18.12.95: The size of the warts decreased. No

medicine.

1.1.96: Warts size increased. Carcinosin 200.

14.4.96: Improvement.

19.9.97: Vesicular eruption on face, constant

epigastrium pain. Lyssin 200.

16.8.98:Hunger pain decreased by Uranium nitrate 200.

12.10.98: Occasional abdominal pain, etc. No

medicine.

Case II: 31 yrs., male, married.

30.9.97: Cauliflower like warts around glass penis since

5 months, around rectum 3 months. Bleeding since 2

months. Scrotum warts since 6 months. Had

vaccination, Typhoid, post sternuation. Lumbar pain,

dysurea, atrophy of the left leg and operative therapy,

impure coition, haemorrhagic warts on left knee.

30.9.97: Carcinosin 8 doses, three days intervals.

22.10.97: Warts reduced.

25.11.97: Warts on rectum reduced

8.8.98: complaints of Hoarseness, single paroxysmal

cough, Bacillinum 200.

Case III: Male 55yrs. Multiple blackheads, moles,

large papular swellings on external epithelium and

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entire body. H/o Stomatitis: took allopathic treatment,

then hair dye allergy and skin changes began.

15.9.03: Carcinosinum 32, 15 doses, once daily.

14.8.04: Above problem cured.

Hundreds of small warts at neck

Warts around glans penis

Med. 200/2 doses.

5.10.04: Night itching; More warts

No medicine.

11.10.04: Carcinosinum 200/ 3 doses

11.2.05: Warts cured again reappeared

Carcinosinum 32/8 doses – once daily with

successive succussion.

33. A 42-year old man with Bronchiectasis

MOSKOWITZ, Richard (AJHM. 102, 2/2009)

A 42-year-old man had prolonged episode of

Osteomyelitis of the lumbar spine in 2002 which

improved substantially with intensive antibiotic

treatment. In November 2003, severe

Bronchopneumonia with Bronchiectasis and increased

susceptibility to other infections ever since. Wet cough,

thick greenish, copious yellow phlegm, stringy,

sweetish taste. Malaise. CT Scan revealed. Lung

infiltrates and PFT indicated Asthma and COPD.

GERD for the past several years.

In Oct. 2007, complained of inward pressure on his

lungs. He was a chronic worrier and a neat freak.

Strong family h/o Cancer.

Kali bichromicum 200, once a week for 3 weeks,

with instructions to stop after a dose, if he noticed a

definite improvement.

Six weeks later much better. His bronchial

symptoms were better with first dose, so he never took

the second dose. By third week, he cut his drugs in half

and pressure in chest continued to lessen. His sinus

congestion worsened and then lessened.

Two months later, (Jan. 2008) stopped all

medications. PFT improved, much pressure in chest

gone. Sinus infection dramatically improved. Phlegm

greatly reduced.

In Dec. 2008, minor relapse. Another dose. 90%

better next day. No other drugs since a year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. REPERTORY

1. Opposite repertory-rubrics in Bayesian perspective

RUTTEN ALB. & FREI H. (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

Hitherto entries have been added to a rubric in the

repertory when patients responding well to a specific

medicine showed the corresponding symptom.

Continuing like this, theoretically every medicine will

eventually appear in every rubric.

Method: This becomes clear if we compare opposite

symptom-rubrics. Polarity Analysis(PA) substracts

opposite rubrics and has been shown to improve clinical

results.

Conclusion: The source of this problem and the reason

for the success of PA are clear from Bayesian

perspective. A reliable repertory should be based on

Bayesian principles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

V. VETERINARY

1. Thelitis in Dairy Animals

VARSHNEY, Jagdish Prasad

(HL. 20, 2/2007)

Thelitis is an inflammation of the teat usually

associated with trauma. Three cases of Acute Thelitis

were treated with Arnica 30 thrice a day followed by

Bryonia 30 thrice a day for 3 days along with topical

application of Bryonia cream. Uneventful recovery in

3-4 days.

2. Little Bit: The Runt of the Litter

Given 6 months to live, dog with Kidney

Failure Survives - & thrives

DUPREE, Glen (HT. 30, 4/2010)

Little Bit, a Belgian Shepherd Dog was diagnosed

with severe kidney problems when it was 8 months old

with little hope of long-term survival. With no options

for Conventional therapy beyond two supportive

medications because of increasing BUN 109mg/dl and

S. Creatine – 6mg/dl, they turned to Homeopathy.

She was underweight with poor muscle tone, eating

things not normally edible by dogs, she loved to eat ice.

Copious watery urine.

She was urinating at 2 a.m. regularly. Calcarea

phosphorica 1M followed by Calcarea phosphorica 12

daily doses + Home prepared raw food. In addition

Milk Thistle tincture as a liver support and probiotics.

After 2 months of Calcarea phosphoric 12 daily,

some vomiting and diarrhea. So now weekly doses.

Ten months later, gained weight by 7 pounds with

increased energy and good hair coat and no bad breathe

with stable BUN and Creatinine values.

She is continuing well on her weekly doses and has

lived 18 months longer than predicted.

3. Homeopathy as replacement to antibiotics in the

case of Escherichia coli diarrhea in neonatal piglets

CAMERLINK, I., ELLINGER. L., BAKKER. EJ.,

& LANTINGA (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

The use of antibiotics in the livestock sector is

increasing to such an extent that it threatens negative

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consequences for human health, animal health and the

environment. Homeopathy might be an alternative to

antibiotics. It has therefore been tested in a randomized

placebo-controlled trial to prevent Escherichia coli

diarrhea in neonatal piglets.

Method: On a commercial pig farm 52 sows of

different parities, in their last month of gestation, were

treated twice a week with either the homeopathic agent

Coli 30K or placebo. The 525 piglets born from these

sows were scored for occurrence and duration of

diarrhea.

Results: Piglets of the homeopathic treated group had

significantly less E.coli diarrhea than piglets in the

placebo group (P< .0001). Especially piglets from first

parity sows gave a good response to treatment with Coli

30K. The diarrhea seemed to be less severe in the

homeopathically treated litters, there was less

transmission and duration appeared shorter.

4. A randomized controlled trial to compare the use of

Homeopathy and internal Teat Sealers for the

prevention of Mastitis in organically farmed dairy

cows during the dry period and 100 days post-

calving

KLOCKE, P., IVEMEYER, S., BUTLER, G.,

MAESCHLI , A., & HEIL, F.

(HOM. 99, 2/2010)

Routine use of antibiotics to prevent Mastitis in

dairy cows is prohibited by organic farming regulations.

Internal Teat Sealers have been proposed as an

alternative. We compared two drying-off (DO)

supporting measures (Internal Teat Sealer and

Homeopathy) to an untreated control group to assess

their protective effects against clinical Mastitis and

intra-mammary infections during dry period of dairy

cows.

Methods: A field trial with 102 dairy cows from 13

Swiss organic dairy farms was conducted. Cows were

randomly assigned to one of three groups within a herd.

In the Internal Teal Sealer group (ITS; 36 cows) cows

were treated with the commercial ORBESEAL (Pfizer)

in all four quarters immediately after the last milking.

In the Homeopathy group (HDT; 32 cows) the cows

were treated per-orally by a herd-specific homeopathic

formulation consisting of two remedies in 1:10

6

dilution

over 5 days before and after DO. The untreated group

received no therapy (U; 34 cows).

Results: For ITS, HDT and U the clinical Mastitis

incidence rates for the first 100 days post-calving were

11%, 9% and 3%, respectively, and the proportion of

normally secreting quarters was (quarter somatic cell

count (SCC) [QSCC] < 100,000/ml) 70%, 68%, and

65%, respectively. Power analysis indicates that a

proportion of 75% would support the rejection of null

hypothesis in the HDT, and 74% in the ITS group

against untreated control. Quarters of cows with SCC <

200,000/ml at DO showed significantly higher normal

secretion in HDT group (odds ratio [OR] 9.69)

compared to untreated control, whereas Teat Sealing

lead to an OR of 3.09 (not significant, post hoc power

31.3%).

Conclusions: Under the studied conditions herd-

specific homeopathic dry cow therapy was effective in

increasing the number of animals with normal milk

secretion after subsequent parturition, compared to

untreated control. It may be an effective alternative to

Teat Sealing, particularly in animals with relatively low

SCCs. Further research is required to confirm these

results, and under different environmental conditions.

5. It’s a Dog’s Life

Dr. SHIVADIKAR Myriam (HH. 34, 8/2009)

Dog Breeds & Remedies

Labrador: Sporting Dog Group

Common ailments: Susceptible to skin allergies,

epilepsy, eye diseases and hip dysplasia.

Constitutions: Calcarea carbonica, Kali-carbonica,

Carcinosin, Aurum, Cuprum.

Border coolie (Lassie):

Herding Dog Group

This breed have strong herding instincts of its breed

and can cause problems like chasing cars and “nipping”

children into behaving.

Constitutions: Ferr-p., Calc-p., Kali-p., Ign., Mag-p.

Greyhound:

Hound Group

Common ailments: Bloat and bed sores; sensitive to

insecticides.

Constitutions: Gaertner, Calc-p., Tub., Iod., Aven., Ign.,

Ars.

Basset Hound:

Hound Group: Prone to ear and skin infections and

obesity, which can lead to hip, spine and leg problems.

Constitutions: Calc-c., Morgan pure, Puls., Bar-c.

Poodle: Non-Sporting group.

Toy group

Common ailments: Hip dysplasia, PRA, Von

Willebrand’s Disease, thyroid problems. Patellar

luxation, Legg-Perthe’s Disease, Addison’s Disease and

skin problems.

Constitutions: Plat., Phos., Merc., Tub., Arg-n.,

Dysentery co., Sep.

Yorkshire terrier: Toy Group

Common ailments: Susceptible to eye irritations,

tracheal collapse, premature dental disease and patellar

luxations.

Constitutions: Pall., Arg-n., Gaertner, Kali-p., Calc-p.,

Merc., Puls.

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West Highland Terrier:

Terrier Group:

Common ailments: Susceptible to patellar sub luxation,

skin problems, hernias and liver disease.

Constitutions: Gaertner, Calc., Puls., Carc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

VI. RESEARCH

1. Gelsemium has anti-anxiety effects on mice

(HT. 30, 1/2010)

Paolo Bellavite and a team of researches from the

university of Verona, Italy have published a study report

that mice treated with Gelsemium (4c, 5c, 7c, 9c and

30c) showed a decrease in anxiety – like behaviours on

par with those treated with conventional Buspirone; but

Gelsemium treated mice did not experience sedation

effects/decreased locomotion like those treated with

Buspirone.

- Psychopharmacology

2010 July210(4):533-45

2. Homeopathic treatment of dairy cows.

(HT. 30, 4/2010).

Researchers at the University of Kassel in Germany

conducted a clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of

classical homeopathic treatment for mild and moderate

Mastitis in dairy cows comparing it with antibiotic and

placebo treatments. The cure rate was similar with

antibiotic therapy and superior to placebo group.

- WERNER, C., et al. journal of

Dairy Research, 2010, Nov.

77(4): 460-7.

3. The similia principle: Results obtained in a cellular

model system

WIEGANT, Fred & VAN WIJK, Roeland

(HOM. 99, 1/2010)

This paper describes the results of a research

program focused on the beneficial effect of low dose

stress conditions that were applied according to the

similia principle to cells previously disturbed by more

severe stress conditions. In first instance, we discuss

criteria for research on the similia principle at the

cellular level. Then, the homologous (‘isopathic’)

approach is reviewed, in which the initial (high dose)

stress used to disturb cellular physiology and the

subsequent (low dose) stress are identical.

Beneficial effects of low dose stress are described

in terms of increased cellular survival capacity and at

the molecular level as an increase in the synthesis of

heat shock proteins (hsps). Both phenomena reflect a

stimulation of the endogenous cellular self-recovery

capacity. Low dose stress conditions applied in a

homologous approach stimulate the synthesis of hsps

and enhance survival in comparison with stressed cells

that were incubated in the absence of low dose stress

conditions. Thirdly, the specificity of the low dose

stress condition is described where the initial (high

dose) stress is different in nature from the subsequently

applied (low dose) stress; the heterologous or

‘heteropathic’ approach.

The results support the similia principle at the

cellular level and add to understanding of how low dose

stress conditions influence the regulatory processes

underlying self-recovery. In addition, the phenomenon

of ‘symptom aggravation’ which is also observed at the

cellular level, is discussed in the context of self-

recovery. Finally, the difference in efficiency between

the homologous and the heterologous approach is

discussed; a perspective is indicated for further

research; and the relationship between studies on the

similia principle and the recently introduced concept of

‘postconditioning hormesis’ is emphasized.

4. Enzyme stabilization by glass-derived silicates in

glass-exposed aqueous solutions

IVES A, John, MOFFETT R. John, Arun

PEETHAMBARAN, LAM David, I. TODOROV

Todor, BROTHERS, B. Andrea, ANICK J. David,

CENTENO Jose, NAMBOODIRI MAA & JONAS

B, Wayne (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

Objectives: To analyze the solutes leaching from glass

containers into aqueous solutions, and to show that

these solutes have enzyme activity stabilizing effects in

very dilute solutions.

Methods: Enzyme assays with acetylcholine esterase

were used to analyze serially succussed and diluted

(SSD) solutions prepared in glass and plastic containers.

Aqueous SSD preparations starting with various solutes,

or water alone, were prepared under several conditions,

and tested for their solute content and their ability to

affect enzyme stability in dilute solution.

Results: We confirm that water acts to dissolve

constituents from glass vials, and show that the solutes

derived from the glass have effects on enzymes in the

resultant solutions. Enzyme assays demonstrated that

enzyme stability in purified, deionized water that

enzymes were dissolved in. Elemental analyses of SSD

water preparations made in glass vials showed that

boron, silicon, and sodium were present at micromolar

concentrations.

Conclusions: These results show that silicates and

other solutes are present at micro-molar levels in all

glass-exposed solutions, whether pharmaceutical or

homeopathic in nature. Eventhough silicates are

known to have biological activity at higher

concentrations, the silicate concentrations we measured

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in homeopathic preparations were too low to account

for any purported in vivo efficacy, but could potentially

influence in vitro biological assays reporting

homeopathic effects.

5. Repetitions of fundamental research models for

homeopathically prepared dilutions beyond 10

-23

: a

bibliometric study

ENDLER, PC., THIEVES, K., REICH, C.,

MATTHIESSEN, P., BONAMIN, L., SCHERR,

C., & BAUMGARTNER, S. (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

Introduction: Repeatability of experiments is an

important criterion of modern research and a major

challenge for homeopathic basic research. There is no

recent overview about basic research studies in high

homeopathic potencies that have been subjected to

laboratory-internal, multicenter or independent

repetition trials.

Methods: We considered biochemical, immunological,

botanical, cell biological and zoological studies on high

potencies, i.e. beyond a dilution of 10

-23

. Main sources

of information were reviews, personal contact with

members of the homeopathic basic research

community, and the MEDLINE and HOMBREX

databases. Studies were extracted from the

publications and grouped into models. Studies were

further sorted according to repetition type (laboratory-

internal, multicenter, or independent) and results

achieved.

Results: A total of 107 studies were found. Of these,

30 were initial studies. In the attempt to reproduce one

of these initial studies, 53 follow-up studies yielded

comparable effects (35 laboratory-internal, 8

multicenter, 10 independent repetitions), eight studies

showed a consistent, yet different result from the initial

study (2 laboratory-internal, 2 multicenter, 4

independent repetitions), and 16 studies yielded no

effects (5 laboratory-internal, 2 multicenter, 9

independent repetitions). When all repetitive studies are

considered, 69% reported effects comparable to that of

the initial study, 10% different effects, and 21% no

effects. Independently performed repetition studies

reported 44% comparable effects, 17% different effects,

and 39% no effects.

Conclusions: We identified 24 experimental models in

basic research on high homeopathic potencies, which

were repeatedly investigated. 22 models were

reproduced with comparable results, 6 models with

different results, and repetition showed no results for 15

models. Independent reproductions with either

comparable or different results were found for seven

models. We encourage further repetition trials of

published studies, in order to learn more about the

model systems used and in order to test their

repeatability.

6. Animal models for studying Homeopathy and

high dilutions: Conceptual critical review

VILLANO BONAMIN Leoni & CHRISTIAN

ENDLER Peter (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

Introduction: This is a systematic review of the animal

models used in studies of high dilutions. The objectives

are to analyze methodological quality of papers and

reported results, and to highlight key conceptual aspects

of high dilution to suggest clues concerning putative

mechanisms of action.

Methods: Papers for inclusion were identified

systematically, from the Pubmed-Medline database,

using ‘Homeopathy’ and ‘Animal’ as keywords. Only

original full papers in English published between

January 1999 and June 2009 were included, reviews,

scientific reports, thesis, older papers, papers extracted

from Medline using similar keywords, papers about

mixed commercial formulas and books were also

considered for discussion only. 31 papers describing 33

experiments were identified for the main analysis and a

total of 89 items cited.

Results: Systematic analysis of the selected papers

yielded evidence of some important intrinsic features of

high dilution studies performed in animal models: a)

methodological quality was generally adequate, some

aspects could be improved; b) convergence between

results and Materia Medica is seen in some studies,

pointing toward to the possibility of systematic study of

the Similia principle c) both isopathic and Similia

models seem useful to understand some complex

biological phenomena, such as parasite-host

interactions; d) the effects of high dilutions seem to

stimulate restoration of a ‘stable state’, as seen in

several experimental models from both descriptive and

mathematical points of view.

7. Basophil models of Homeopathy: a skeptical view

ENNIS Madeleine (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

This paper examines the activation and inhibition of

activation of human basophils. After a brief description

of human basophils, different methods to determine

basophil activation are discussed with a special

emphasis on the use of flow cytometric methods, as

these circumvent the potential problems of assays based

on the loss of colour by activated basophils. The

activation of human basophils by ultra-high dilutions of

anti-IgE is discussed. The majority of the paper

describes the inhibition of basophil activation by ultra-

high dilutions of histamine. The results from published

papers are described and discussed.

After over 20 years research trying to find out if

high dilutions of histamine have a negative feedback

effect on the activation of basophils by anti-IgE, what

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do we know? The methods are poorly standardized

between laboratories – although the same is true for

conventional studies. Certainly there appears to be

some evidence for an effect – albeit small in some cases

– with the high dilutions in several different laboratories

using the flow cytometric methodologies. After

standardization of a number of parameters, it is

recommended that a multi-centre trial be performed to

hopefully put an end to this “never-ending story”.

8. Homeopathic trial design in influenza treatment

KIRKBY, R. & HERSCU, P. (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

This review presents a critical evaluation of

methodological quality in controlled trials on

homeopathic treatment of Influenza. First, a short

summary on the prevalence, quality, and most

commonly cited shortcomings of homeopathic

controlled trials in general is presented to support the

more specific points within influenza trials alone. To

this end, three areas of the homeopathic literature are

examined; large meta-analyses looking at study quality

and results across research areas, reviews on research

within specific diagnostic categories, and the available

reviews and primary studies on influenza treatment

trials. The specific methodological designs of

homeopathic influenza treatment trials are then

compared, on a point by point basis, to pharmaceutical

trials on Influenza antiviral drugs. The goal of the

evaluation is to highlight frequently cited problems in

homeopathic trial design, suggest possible

improvement for future studies, and make specific

recommendations for homeopathic influenza trials

based on a comparison to standard antiviral trials.

9. Placebo effect sizes in homeopathic compared

conventional drugs – a systematic review of

randomized controlled trials

NUHN Tobias, LÜDTKE Rainer & GERAEDTS

Max (HOM. 99, 1/2010)

It has been hypothesized that randomized, placebo-

controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of classical

(individualized) Homeopathy often fail because

placebo effects are substantially higher than in

conventional medicine.

Objectives: To compare placebo effects in clinical trials

on Homeopathy to placebo effects on trials of

conventional medicines.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature analysis

on placebo-controlled double blind RCTs on classical

Homeopathy. Each trial was matched to three placebo-

controlled double-blind RCTs from conventional

medicine (mainly pharmacological interventions)

involving the same diagnosis. Matching criteria

included severity of complaints, choice of outcome

parameter, and treatment duration. Outcome was

measured as the percentage change of symptom scores

from baseline to end of treatment in the placebo group.

35 RCTs on classical homeopathy were identified. 10

were excluded because no relevant data could be

extracted, or less than three matching conventional trials

could be located.

Results: In 13 matched sets the placebo effect in the

homeopathic trials was larger than the average placebo

effect of the conventional trials, in 12 matched sets it

was lower (P = 0.39). Additionally, no subgroup

analysis yielded any significant difference.

Conclusions: Placebo effects in RCTs on classical

Homeopathy did not appear to be larger than placebo

effects in conventional medicine.

10. Chronic Primary Insomnia: Efficacy of

homeopathic simillimum

NAUDÉ David Francis, COUCHMAN Ingrid

Marcelline Stephanie & MAHARAJ Ashnie

(HOM. 99, 1/2010)

Chronic Primary Insomnia is defined as difficulty

in initiating or maintaining sleep or of non-restorative

sleep that lasts for at least 1 month and causes

significant distress or impairment in social, occupational

or other important areas of functioning. The

homeopathic simillimum is that remedy which most

closely corresponds to the totality of symptoms; remedy

selection is based on a full evalution of the patient’s

physical, emotional and mental characteristics.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this randomized,

double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate

the efficacy of homeopathic simillimum in the

treatment of Chronic Primary Insomnia.

Method: 30 participants were selected in accordance

with DSM-IV TR (2000) criterion 307.42 Primary

Insomnia and then randomly divided between treatment

and placebo groups. The measurement tools used were

a Sleep Diary(SD) and the Sleep Impairment Index

(SII).

After an initial consultation, 2 follow-up

consultations at 2-week intervals took place.

Homeopathic medication was prescribed at the first and

second consultations. The SII was completed at each

consultation and participants were instructed at the first

consultation to start the SD.

Results: SD data revealed that verum treatment

resulted in a significant increase in duration of sleep

throughout the study, compared to the placebo treatment

which resulted in no significant increase in duration of

sleep. A significant improvement in SII summary

scores and number of improved individual questions

were found in the verum group, responses to all 11

questions having improved significantly upon

completion of the study. An initial improvement

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occurred in the placebo group, but was not sustained.

Comparison of results between the groups revealed a

statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: The homeopathic simillimum treatment of

Primary Insomnia was effective, compared to placebo.

Homeopathy is a viable treatment modality for this

condition and further research is justified.

11. Effect of dielectric dispersion on potentised

homeopathic medicines

MAITY, T., GHOSH, D., & MAHATA C.R.

(HOM. 99, 2/2010)

This paper reports dielectric dispersion occurring in

potentised homeopathic medicines subjected to variable

frequency electric field using an instrumentation method

developed by the authors. Oscillations occur in the

direction of electric field, and are usually termed

longitudinal/acoustic-mode vibrations.

Methods: The test material was lactose soaked with

homeopathic medicine. Multiple resonance

frequencies, forming a frequency-set, were observed

repeatedly for each medicine.

Results: We report experimental results for three

potencies of Cuprum metallicum (Cuprum met) in the

frequency range of 100kHz-1MHZ. Each exhibits a set

of resonance frequencies, which may be termed as its

characteristic set. As the frequency-set of each

medicine is different from those of others, each

medicine may, therefore, be identified by its

characteristic frequency-set. This suggests that

potentised homeopathic medicines, which are

chemically identical with the vehicle, differ from one

another in the arrangement of vehicle molecules.

12. Quasi-quantum phenomena: the key to

understanding Homeopathy

MOLSKI Marcin (HOM. 99, 2/2010)

On the basis of the first-and second-order

Gompertzian kinetics it has been proved that the

crystallization and its reciprocal process of dissolution

belong to the class of quasi-quantum non-local coherent

phenomena. Hence, there exists a direct link to

Homeopathy: molecules of the remedy prepared in the

process of dilution of the active substance are non-

locally interconnected at-a-distance. The results

obtained provide strong arguments justifying formulated

adhoc macroscopic versions of quantum non-locality,

entanglement and coherence employed in interpretation

of the homeopathic remedies activity and effectiveness.

In particular they are consistent with the predictions of

the weak quantum theory developed by Atmanspacher

and coworkers.

13. The placebo effect and Homeopathy

TEIXEIRA, Marcus Z., GUEDES, Cristina H F F.,

BARRETO Patrícia V & MARTINS Mílton, A.

(HOM. 99, 2/2010)

Like other forms of medicine, including

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM),

Homeopathy elicits expectations in patients. The

physician-patient relationship, personal and

comprehensive treatment and lack of adverse effects are

elements in creating positive expectations. Other

elements may be associated with negative expectations.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review

on placebo and nocebo effects in Acupuncture and

Homeopathy using Medline.

Results: Findings on the psychophysiological and

neuromediating mechanisms of the placebo-nocebo

phenomenon are reviewed. Studies of these effects

reveal how expectations and unconscious conditioning

can be measured by imaging and EEG methods. They

result in significant, non-specific therapeutic effects,

which may confuse the evaluation of the specific

therapeutic effects treatment, hampering selection of the

simillimum.

Conclusions: Directions for future research on non-

specific therapeutic effects of Homeopathy to improve

clinical practice and clinical research are discussed.

14. North American Homeopathic Educational Survey

ROWE, Todd (AJHM. 102, 2/2009)

This research is a summary of three national

homeopathic surveys conducted by the American

Medical College of Homeopathy. These surveys

studied the demographics, satisfaction, challenges and

expectations of homeopathic students, teachers and

school administrators in North America. This research

should be helpful to homeopathic leaders in planning

the future of homeopathic education.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

VII. HISTORY

1. A short history of the development of Homeopathy

in India

GHOSH Ajoy Kumar

(HOM. 99, 2/2010)

Homeopathy was introduced in India the early 19

th

century. It flourished in Bengal at first, and then spread

all over India. In the beginning, the system was

extensively practiced by amateurs in the civil and

military services and others. Mahendra Lal SIRCAR

was the first Indian who became a homeopathic

physician. A number of allopathic doctors started

homeopathic practice following SIRCAR’s lead. The

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‘Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College’, the first

homeopathic medical college was established in 1881.

This institution took on a major role in popularizing

Homeopathy in India.

In 1973, the Government of India recognized

Homeopathy as one of the national systems of medicine

and set up the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH)

to regulate its education and practice. Now, only

qualified registered homeopaths can practice

Homeopathy in India. At present, in India,

Homeopathy is the third most popular method of

medical treatment after Allopathy and Ayurveda. There

are over 200,000 registered homeopathic doctors

currently, with approximately 12,000 more being added

every year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

VIII. EDUCATION

1. Education in Homeopathy – Part – 3

A Prescription Based on the level of Sensation

VERVARCKE, Anne (HL. 20, 3/2007)

This article is the third and last part of the article on

Education in Homeopathy, where levels of education as

well as levels of case-taking have been discussed. The

first two parts have been published in previous issues of

Links. This article continues with a case where the

remedy is prescribed on the level of sensation.

A case of Sinusitis, operated twice. Lost sense of

smell and taste. After a long case taking a feeling that

things were not in their proper place was elicited and

Arsenicum album was prescribed which worked

wonders for her in all her complaints.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

IX. GENERAL

1. Stages as a Universal Principle for differentiation

SCHOLTEN, Jan

(HL. 20, 3/2007)

The Element Theory is built with the basic concepts

of the Series, the rows of the periodic table, and the

Stages, the columns of the periodic table. The Stages

represent the stages of a process, in a cycle of life and in

a development. It turns out that the whole concept is

not limited to the mineral kingdom. It can also be

applied to the plant, animal, bacterial and viral

kingdoms. The application of the Miasms as a tool in

differentiating the plants in a plant family, as done by

SANKARAN, becomes more precise and universal by

doing it with the Stages.

Table 1 Stages

Stage Description

1 The spontaneous start, the impulsive

beginning, things are done without being

thought over, without reflection. This leads to

naive, instinctive, simplistic, and even childish

or foolish behavior. It can lead to one-

sidedness, which seems rigid, Manic. Alone

and lonely.

2 Unsure, timid. Doesn’t know what one is

worth, what one can do, so one remains passive

or adapts to the situation. One just watches

and feels watched at the same time and so one

hides, wanting and needing protection and

support. Bewildered and overwhelmed.

3 Searching for the right thing, trying and

comparing possibilities. One feels unsure and

easily underestimates oneself, so cannot come

to a conclusion. One avoids decisions and does

not commit oneself.

4 The official start. It can be the founding of

business, a marriage, a contract. The decision

is made, the commitment stated, but one can

feel unsure, astonished that it can be done.

This can lead to irresolution and amazement.

5 The preparation of the work, the plans and

proposals after the start is made. But the work

looks too big, the mountain too high to climb,

insurmountable. So one is easily discouraged,

disappointed in his provisional plans. One

alternates between going on and giving up,

avoiding and postponing the work towards an

unrealistic goal.

6 This is the challenge. One has to do things,

prove one’s power. One is forced to act, it is

inevitable and inescapable. It has to be done;

the bridges are burned behind them. It takes

courage and bravery, in the extreme it is a

daredevil act. The fear of a possible failure can

make one perform one’s act alone, covered and

secretive.

7 Training leads to perfection. One can perform

the act, but knows there is still a lot more to

learn. One has to practice to become a master

of everything. One wants to learn from others,

likes to cooperate to see how others do things

and likes to teach and help others on their road

to becoming a master.

8 This is the real work; everything learned so far

has to be assembled, put together. But the

amount of work is massive, huge, so one needs

perseverance, endurance, power and force.

One feels pressured due to lack of time,

struggling against deadlines. One has to push

and fight against the inertia of matter and

resistance of people. One can be irritated by

opposition.

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9 The body of work has been performed, but the

last details have to be filled in. The goal is

practically reached. The work is virtually

finished. Minor adaptations can be made after

the dress rehearsal. The book can be

completed after the corrections of the

proofreaders. The contract just has to be

approved and signed. But the fear of a blunder,

a failure at the examination, can make one call

the whole thing off.

10 The goal is reached. One feels at the top, the

summit. It is the glory of the winner, the

brilliance of a victory. Everything falls into

place. It is obvious that one is oneself, the

noble person that decides independently and is

self-sufficient. One can become so convinced

of success and righteousness that one becomes

rigid, fixed and haughty. Balance and

imbalance.

11 This concerns maintenance. One has to hold

and keep the position they have reached. One

has to conserve and preserve. One wants to

enjoy the affluence and prosperity. One wants

to expand and share the wealth and fortune.

Sustaining the position is possible, but heavy.

One protects like a guardian or shepherd.

Benevolence. Benign tumours.

12 The power is exercised to the utmost; it is

overdone like a tyrant. One still has full

power, but feels threatened from all directions.

Suspicious of betrayal and attack, one defends

one’s power in an exaggerated way. It is

overdone, leading to opposition. It is too much

of a good thing: overshooting, overdoing,

overstating, and boasting. The conservative

one rules by division, defending against

revolution and decline.

13 The position can only be held partly, only half.

One has to retreat and retire. One has to reduce

and shrink, but one holds on to old and

obsolete things with nostalgic feelings. The

antique and outdated things from the past,

which are the best, must be retired and

withdrawn. But they are held in honour in the

reduced space. The atmosphere is musty,

mouldy.

14 Form without power; mask, façade, mummy,

fossil. The real power is gone, but externally it

still seems to function well. One is dismissed,

put on a shelf. One feels powerless, weak,

drained, discharged, empty and hollow. One

hides behind the form, diverting real

responsibility. Cowardly.

15 The loss. This is the stage of the disappearance

of what has been achieved, being fired,

bankruptcy, defeat, and death. Everything is

burnt. It can be felt like a shock, being

poisoned. One can fight and resist, refusing to

give over. Or one can give in surrender,

sacrifice or abdicate. The best is to forgive and

forget.

16 Things are essentially over. Only the remnants

and ashes are left, the leftovers. The remnants

can be in a state of decay, putrefaction,

producing an offensive, rotten odour and an

ugly view. One is disgusted and becomes an

outcast. It is like a beggar in rags, seducing

and tempting others to give. Only memories

are left, bringing one into a state of fantasizing

greatness. Deepening and reconciliation.

Lazy.

17 This is eradication, all has to be erased. It has

to be ceased, extinguished, abolished, aborted

and finalized. One can be forced to quit or

flee, being expelled as an outcast. One has to

let go of everything, even forget memories. It

is freeing, making one loose from bonds. One

can let go with humour. The opposite is to

hold on to things, even taking them without

asking.

18 This is the denial of action, of everything. It is

the pause between actions: rest, holidays, sleep,

meditation, coma, death. Things are latent,

idle, inert, inactive and quiet. Externally there

is no interaction or communication, autism,

cocoon. Internally there can be a

transformation. The sensation is of being free,

floating, confused, and unconnected.

2. Homeopathy and the Viral cause of Chronic

diseases

BENTO Joao Nuno (HL. 20, 3/2007)

The understanding that there is a viral cause to

chronic diseases and ailments like Cancer, Heart disease

and Obesity is a very recent development in medical

research. This understanding opens up new

opportunities for treatment, as it will enable medical

science to address the root cause of disease, rather than

merely treating the symptoms, which it has been doing

up until now. What is not commonly known is that

Samuel HAHNEMANN came remarkably close to

identifying this viral cause 200 years ago. It is therefore

tragic that his work has gone unrecognized by medical

science for so long, as it could have helped us reach this

understanding sooner. It would be even more tragic if

scientists continued to ignore his work, as there is

potentially much viral knowledge to be gleaned from

the symptoms of disease listed in homeopathic

repertories.

3. Water

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KURZ, Chris

(HL. 20, 3/2007)

Essential to life, stimulating to scientific research,

and ubiquitous in Homeopathy – water is all that and

more. This article retraces the history of life and the

history of the water molecule itself. From there it

discusses some of the scientific properties of water and

hints at possible scientific explanations of how

Homeopathy works. The role of water in Homeopathy

itself is viewed from a critical standpoint and some

areas for homeopathic research are suggested.

4. The Evolution of My Practice

SANKARAN Rajan

(HL. 20, 3/2007)

The key to consistent results is the right perception

of disease and cure. Methods of case-taking and

analysis develop alongside. The deeper the level

reached in a given case, the better are the chances of

success. In the journey towards a deeper understanding

and obtaining better results more simply, a

systematization process has come about. This article is

a bird’s eye overview, through milestone cases, of the

major systems of understanding.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

X. Books

1. Homeopathy and Mental Health Care:

Integrative Practice, Principles and Research.

Edited by Christopher Johannes Ph.D. and

Harry E. Van der ZEE, M.D. (Hom.)

Homeolinks Publishers, 2010 $49.95, hard cover

336 pages. ISBN 978-94-90453-01-5. Reviewed

by RAN Ildiko (HT. 30, 1/2010).

22 homeopaths from 10 countries have addressed

different aspect of Homeopathy’s role in mental health

care.

This book is divided into 1. Introduction, 2.

Integration, 3. Research, Ethics and Theory.

This book will be eye-opener to the general public

and the homeopathic consumer, as they realize the

benefits of homeopathic treatment in mental health, as

well as to psychotherapists and other mental health care

providers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

XI. OBITUARY

I. In Memoriam.

Allen C. NEISWANDER, Jan. 31, 1914 to Oct. 8,

2009. (HT. 30, 1/2010).

Inspired by his father Harry NEISWANDER he

also became a homeopath, after a Masters in Genetics.

He lost his hearing in one ear as he was a battalion

surgeon in the front lines. He practiced for more than

60 yrs. For 25 yrs. he was on Board of Homeopathic

Pharmacopoeia convention of the USA.

II. In Memoriam.

Harris L. COULTER. (HT. 30, 1/2010).

Renowned Homeopathy historian, advocate, and

medical writer Harris Livermore COULTER died on

Oct. 28, 2009 at age 77, after a long struggle with the

after - effects of a stroke.

III. In Memorium. RUSTUM Roy (July 3, 1924 –

Aug. 26, 2010) (HT. 30, 4/2010).

RUSTUM Roy, PhD, was an extraordinary man, a

brilliant scientist and a tireless seeker of truth and

knowledge. His contributions to science and medicine

are truly remarkable. In particular, homeopaths will

forever be in Dr. ROY’s debt for his groundbreaking

work on the structure of water and its relevance to

Homeopathy. This established the plausibility of ultra-

dilutions.

IV. In Memory. Alfons GEUKENS (1944-2010).

(HT. 30, 4/2010).

The homeopathic community is saddened at the

passing of Dr. Alfons GEUKENS OF Belgium on

October 18. Founder and Director of the Centre for

Classical Homeopathy and the International School for

classical Homeopathy, he influenced homeopaths in

North America, Europe and Beyond.

V. In Loving Memory. David Kent WARKENTIN

(Aug. 20, 1951 – Sept. 9, 2010. MORRISON, Roger

(HT. 30, 4/2010).

He is known for his groundbreaking software

company: Kent Homeopathic Associates (KHA). He

began his great and Seminal work with homeopathic

Software in 1986 with his program Mac Repertory. In

1985, he was one of the co-founders of the Hahnemann

Medical Clinic in Berkeley. He taught at almost every

educational forum in America, as well as in Europe and

Asia.

He died from a very aggressive malignant

melanoma, having a dozen cerebral tumors at the time

he first became symptomatic with the primary tumor

hidden in pelvis.

There is a well documented link between

electromagnetic frequencies produced by cell phones

and other technologies and Melanoma.

David’s computer sat in his lap perhaps 12 hrs. per

day hooked up to a cell phone receiver.

Let us use this as a caution.

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Others – Betty WOOD, Krista HERON, Massimo

MANGIALAVORI, Dana ULLMAN, George GUESS,

Ahmed N. CURRIM have written their tributes.

David Kent WARKENTIN was the designer of the

first true network for homeopaths (HomeoNet).

VI. In Memory: Ananda ZAREN – 1946-2008

Gifted Homeopath, Author, Healer

COHEN Karen (HT. 28, 6/2008)

(The Homeopathic Community is deeply saddened

at the passing of Ananda ZAREN On September

24, 2008, four days after a car accident. She

practiced Homeopathy for 30 years in Santa

Barbara, California, and authored Core Elements

of the Materia Medica of the Mind, Volumes 1 &

2.)

While teaching in Germany, Ananda ZAREN was

beseeched to come to the hospital to help a tiny patient.

Ananda sat in the dim sterile room, observing the small

bundle in the intensive care incubator. The pre-term

infant was on oxygen, unable to breathe normal room

air, and her tiny chest rose in an uneven rhythm as it had

for the past three months. When a nurse came in and

touched her, the baby seemed to shrink from the contact

and tried weakly to avert her face. Ananda noticed that

she furrowed her brow, shutting her eyes more tightly

when the nurse adjusted the curtains causing a

momentary alteration in light. After silently watching

for an hour, Ananda had all the information she

required. A history of Jaundice, an aversion to contact,

and photosensitivity formed the “three-legged stool”

triad of symptoms that can stand to indicate a remedy,

in this case, Natrum sulphuricum. Ananda gave the

remedy to the child and left for the evening. The next

morning, the infant appeared to be stronger, was able to

breathe on her own, and voluntarily opened her eyes to

make contact with her mother for the first time. The

remedy had done its work.

Homeopathy was Ananda Zaren’s passion and

life’s work. Originally trained as a nurse and midwife

who attended births, Ananda began formal training in

Homeopathy in 1976. She sought out and had the good

fortune to study with George VITHOULKAS, making

the journey to Alonissos, Greece, at every opportunity

for eight years. She would lie in the bathtub for hours

reading the repertory, beginning at the front and then

reading it again from the back. Her well-worn copy of

Boerick’s Materia Medica was filled with hand-written

notations detailing subtle findings that illumined and

enhanced her understanding of the physical and

emotional terrain of each remedy.

The daily practice of Homeopathy formed the very

center of Ananda’s life. She often happily worked six

days a week welcoming patients who came from

considerable distances and preferring to spend her time

in her “learning lab” as she called the practice. Her

power of observation was extremely acute and she was

a master at cataloguing nuance and gesture, every aspect

of human expression, which she interpreted as the

language of the Vital Force. Once a remedy was acting,

she relished every moment of follow-up; for her this

was precious time spent in the presence of pure living

Materia Medica.

Ananda’s patients traveled many miles to see her.

While some made the journey to her Santa Barbara

office from southern and northern California, many

came from other states and even from countries in

Europe. A number of prominent screen actors also were

her patients. On one occasion, a nice-looking man came

for a first visit. When Ananda asked what his

profession was, he replied that he was an actor. “Oh,”

she said sympathetically, knowing that many actors are

perpetually out of work, “are you doing alright?”

“Well,” he replied, “I just won the Academy Award.”

Ananda did not watch much television or frequent the

movies, and everyone in her practice was given the

same degree of special attention.

Ananda had the extraordinary ability to gaze

beneath a person’s façade or mask, as she called it,

where anger, fear, and grief inform behavior and

contribute to physical pathology. She had intimate

awareness of the hidden elements of the human psyche.

Many of her patients recall a deeply curative and

transformational experience that began the moment she

beamed her intense light of comprehension, recognition,

acceptance, and compassion – followed by the accurate

homeopathic prescription.

I remember one patient, a man in his 50s, who

came to a clinical supervision session held by Ananda

some years ago. He had experienced an anguishing

form of restless leg syndrome for more than 25 years

and had not been able to sit comfortably through a meal

or a television program for decades. The restless legs

prevented him from sleeping, but he had discovered that

pressure on the bottoms of his feet would temporarily

quiet the relentless restless sensation; so if he got up

from bed and vigorously jumped up and down and

squatted, he could go back and get a few minutes of

sleep. Finally, in desperation, he had built himself a

sort of rack that he lashed himself onto at night so that

he could sleep in the standing position. The referring

homeopath had consulted with another senior

homeopath, and over time they had given this man

every remedy in the repertory rubric, “Extremities,

Restlessness, Lower limbs, night” – from Arsenicum to

Zincum. After taking the man’s case (with our class of

homeopathic colleagues watching on closed circuit

television in another room), Ananda came in to discuss

the case with us. With a shake of her head and an

impish expression she exclaimed: “Oh, I didn’t consider

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this a case of restless legs – I used the repertory rubric

‘Mind, Desire to Escape.’ This man is running!” after a

dose of Belladonna, the patient returned in three months

and reported that he had been able to sit through a

movie for the first time in many years and sleep well,

too.

Ananda’s great strength was her work with women

and infants. She felt that infants were fully capable of

emotional perception and believed that comprehending

the emotional state of the person before you, regardless

of age, was requisite to finding the homeopathic

similimum. In 1989, she was invited to practice

Homeopathy for four months in an in-patient allopathic

hospital in Schwalmstadt, Germany. It was here that

she recorded many compelling cases, such as a woman

in a state of pseudocyesis or “false pregnancy” who

responded beautifully to the remedy Crocus sativus.

Ananda made valuable additions to the understanding of

many remedies such Baryta sulphurica, Bufo, Kali

ferrocyanicum, Lac caninum, and Natrum

hypochlorosum. She was the author of two treatises on

Materia Medica entitled Core Elements of the Materia

Medica of the Mind Volume I and II, in which she

described her case-taking methodology.

It is with great sadness that the homeopathic

community bids adieu to Ananda ZAREN. Ananda

worked tirelessly, and her insights will surely inspire

homeopaths of the future. She will be dearly missed by

her colleagues, as well as her patients, many of whom

had been with her for more than twenty years.

- Karen COHEN, DC, CCH, has

been practicing Homeopathy in

Santa Cruz, California, for 17

years and feels extremely

fortunate to have had Ananda

ZAREN as a mentor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

XII. NEWS & NOTES

I. Pregnancy, Labour and New-Born Babies Dr.

Kathleen G. PRIESTMAN

The use of remedies Sepia, Natrum muriaticum,

Phosphorus, and Pulsatilla in the above condition is

discussed.

Phosphorus may develop a great aversion to tea,

during pregnancy, though she normally enjoys it.

Pulsatilla 6c, given half an hour before the baby is

due to feed, will maintain a good supply of breast milk

in many patients, where breast feeding would have to be

discontinued otherwise.

Almost all women will get great benefit from a

dose of Arnica 200, as soon as the baby has been born.

The new-born, after a difficult birth or Forceps delivery,

will also receive great benefit from a dose of Arnica

200.

Windy colic of new borns are helped by Colocynth

and Magnesium phosphoricum.

Baby requiring Colocynth gets a little relief from

very firm pressure on the abdomen, really screams from

the acuteness of the colic, and does not get rid of wind

easily.

The baby requiring Mag-phos needs warmth as well

as pressure to get relief and is constantly bringing up

and passing wind, but does not get any better for it.

(The British Homeopathic Association, dated

October 1971).

II. Influenza Epidemic and Congenital Defects.

Jukka HAKOSALO, Lauri SAXEN. Department of

Pathology, University of OULU, Department of

Pathology, University of HELSINKI, Finland.

A clear positive correlation has been shown

between the 1957 Asian Influenza Epidemic in Finland

and the incidence of malformations of the Central

Nervous System. There was no increase of other

congenital defects. During the epidemic, sales of drugs

were much increased and thus the infection as such may

not necessarily be the teratogenic factor.

- Lancet dated Dec. 18, 1971.

III. Writer’s cramp in the head?

Many injuries and degenerative diseases that can

result from overuse of the arm and hand, but in classic

writer’s cramp there is no evidence of physical damage.

According to Harvey MOLDOVSKY, the best

approach is Psychotherapy, carried out in Hospital.

The difficulty of curing it emphasizes how little is

known of the interaction between the mind and body.

- The New Scientist dated 6

th

Jan. 1972.

[It is not unusual that Homeopathy cures this condition

= KSS.]

IV. Dermal Transmission of Virus as a cause of

Shingles

Mair THOMOS, Epidemiological Research Laboratory,

Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue,

London N.W. 9.

W.J. ROBERTSON, Westminster, Medical School

Library S.W.1.

Three cases of Adult Shingles and one of childhood

Chickenpox were linked by visits to a single household.

The Shingles appeared 2-5 weeks after brief but close

exposure to infection. It is concluded that Shingles is

not invariably due to reactivation of latent virus but can

also follow recent infection, and it is suggested that this

may occasionally be through the skin. Antihistamines

may possibly join other immune-suppressive agents as a

predisposing agent. - The Lancet dated Dec. 18, 1971.

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V. New homeopathic Provings and New remedies.

Jörg WICHMANN (HL. 20, 2/2007).

www.homoeopathie-wichmann.de

www.hominf.org/clarke.htm

The above websites have all the new information

about the remedies.

VI. Seminar report

Panic in Seattle. Massimo MANGIALAVORI,

August 24 – 27, 2006. Lain MARRS (HL. 20, 3/2007).

Eleven meticulously worked out cases studied over

four days. Before the cases, Massimo outlined core

aspects of Panic. After the cases, a thematic summary

and a differentiation of another fourteen remedies.

Core aspects for panic include a sudden encounter

with the unknown, the locus of which is mapped onto a

physical problem within the body.

VII. Menopausal depression. Reviewed by

BODMAN, Frank (BHJ. JAN. 1972)

The peak incidence of depression among women is

between 46-50 years.

Endogenous depression improves after ECT.

Symptoms are waking in the early morning, the loss of

appetite, the constipation, the loss of weight, loss of

facial flu(?e)sh, decreased pulse rate, the cold

extremities, dry mouth, the inability to weep, the

menstrual changes, the loss of libido, the impotence.

For these group of symptoms, the top 10 remedies

are Lycopodium, Natrum mur., Phosphoric acid, Sepia,

Silica, Sulphur, Nux vomica, Graphites, Lachesis and

Muriatic acid.

Neurotic or reactive depression is as a result of

environmental stress (Bereavements, Divorces,

Hysterectomy, Childlessness). They have difficulty in

getting off to sleep but tend to sleep heavily in the

morning in contrast to the endogenous group who wake

early to experience the worst hours of the day.

Remedies commonly indicated are Calc-carb.,

Puls., Rhus-t., Carbon-sulph., Arg-nit., China & Ign.

Another type is of those who had post partum

depressions.

Indications for the remedies and case examples are

given.

VIII. Peyronies disease treated with Hirudo

Medicinalis reviewed by TWENTYMAN L.R. (BHJ.

July 1972)

A surgical colleague, aged 33 consulted with

Peyronie’s disease – a typical nodule on the right side of

shaft of the penis. Erections and coition were painful.

Penis was curved. The condition had originated three

years previously with a nodule on left side. This slowly

resolved and replaced by the nodule on right side.

Sepia 6c twice daily and there was some lessening

of pain continued over 6 months. But nodule persisted.

Hirudo officinalis 12c twice daily. Pain improved

considerably. After two months no pain at all and after

three months, nodule was much smaller. So stopped

medicine. Recurrence in two months. This cleared on

resuming Hirudo.

IX. Proceedings of III Anniversary celebrations of

Society of Homeopathic Physicians. Chennai – 4-2-

1968.

Homeopathy as applicable to surgery.

Reviewed by Dr.A.N. RAMANATHAN.

Hints

Pre & Post operative treatment:

Arnica, Hypericum, Ledum, Hamamelis &

Staphysagria.

Slipped disc: Plumbum metallicum.

Intussusception: Aconite., Opium., Pituitrin.

Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis: Abrotanum.,

Dysenteric co.

Appendicitis: Belladonna., Rhus-tox., Dioscorea

villosa., Iris tenax.

Retrocecal: Natrum sulph., Iris tenax.

Burst Appendix: Lachesis, Pyrogen, Natrum sulph.

Appendicular abscess: Natrum sulph., Echinacea.

To prevent adhesions: Calcarea fluoride, Graphites,

Thiosinamine.

Non-calculus cholecystitis: Adeps suis 6c.

Duodenal ulcer: Nux vom., Graphites, Petroleum.

Ulcers burn like fire: Euphorbium.

Ulcer of alcoholic: Cadmium sulph., Ars-alb.

Pain external back: Kali bich.

Duodenal ulcer sudden: Proteus

- Due to continued nervous

tension: Dysentery co.

Pylorospasm: Dysentery co.

Complete obstruction due to ulcer – Podophylum.

Cicatricial stenosis – Mandragora.

Infantile Hernia: Nux-v., Sulph., Aur.

Umbilical Hernia: Lach., Op., Plb.

Strangulated Hernia: Early stage: Acon.

Later stage: Nux-v., Bell., if

these fail, Pituitarin 30 before surgery in old people.

Diabetic Gangrene: Insulin 200, Carbolic acid 200.

Bed sore: Tinctures of Echinacea & Hypericum.

Hidden Sepsis resisting parenteral antibiotics:

Pyrogen, Sulphur, Cadmium oxide.

Cystostomy wounds which keep

leaking indefinitely: Calc.phos 3x.

X. Society of Homeopathic Physicians 5

th

-

Anniversary Proceedings. 19.4.1970.

Complications of DM. Dr. S.P. KOPPIKAR.

Diabetic Coma – Moschus, Plumbum, Mercury, Opium,

Phosphoric acid, Arnica,

Lycopodium, Terebinthina, Uran.

nitricum.

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Urine albumin+

acetone - Terebinthina

Tuberculosis - Medorrhinum, Psorinum, Tuberculinum,

Drosera, Calc. carb.

Pruritus - Nat-sulph. 12x and 30x., Sulphur,

Psorinum, Merc. sol. .

Peripheral Neuritis – Arg.nit., Alumina, Plb., Caust.,

Phos., Phos-ac., Staphy., Agar.,

Tarent hist.

Neuralgia – Mag. phos., Arsenic, Coloc., Rhus-t.,

Hyper., Bell., Spig., Kalm., and

Medorrhinum.

Gangrene – Tarentula cubensis.

Boils & Carbuncles – Gun powder 3x, Sil.

XI. Society of Homeopathic physicians 35

th

Lecture

by Dr. K. PADMANABHAN, 19.11.1967.

Medical aspects of Cerebrovascular Accidents.

a. Cerebral Thrombosis causes – Arteriosclerosis

or Atheroma in

1. Syphilis, 2. Hypertension, 3. Diabetes

Mellitus.

The onset of thrombosis is slow. Patient goes to

bed and wakes up with Hemiplegia.

b. Cerebral Haemorrhage

Patient suddenly gets a severe headache and then

loses consciousness.

Hints by Dr.S.P. KOPPIKAR:

Thrombosis – Bothrops lanceolatus

Aphasia remaining after stroke – Baryta carb 12x

daily.

Haemorrhage – Arnica, Phosphorus

Atheroma – Phosphorus, Baryta carb.

Posterior Cerebral Artery Thrombosis – Gelsemium.

XII. Letter to Editor.

Myristica gives reader “a leg up” (HT. 30,

1/2010).

On a family trip to Hawaii, the husband cut his legs

on coral. The deepest cut got infected. Hepar sulph. 30

and then 200 and topical Calendula did not help. It

started to swell and become red, hot to touch and

oozing. Remembering a recent article in HT (Autumn

2009) Myristica was given. Next morning swelling had

gone down. With additional doses, redness reduced and

oozing stopped. The reader thanks HT for printing such

useful articles.

XIII. Across the Pond: Threats to U.K.

Homeopathy Loom over U.S. GAHLES, Nancy (HT.

30, 1/2010).

For decades, Homeopathy in the U.K. has been a

well supported, solid and flourishing institution. This is

no longer the case. For the past two years a U.K.

organization, Sense About Science (SAS) has spear-

headed a well-funded and sophisticated anti-

homeopathy movement. They are advancing step by

step in an effort to eradicate Homeopathy. They have

attempted to disrupt international Homeopathy projects.

This has reached USA. In Nov. 2009, the American

Journal of Medicine published a commentary

provocatively entitled “Should we maintain an open

mind about Homeopathy? It was the first U.S. Salvo of

a highly determined, sophisticated and well-funded

alliance that aims to eliminate Homeopathy wherever it

is practiced.

The NCH is mounting a response by

communicating accurate information about

Homeopathy. By spreading truth, perhaps we can stop

the misinformation before it gains momentum.

We are suggested to visit pro-homeopathy sites to

raise its rank in search engines. [Homeopathy will

prevail; it cannot be killed = KSS.]

XIV. Homeopathy featured on Mercola.com.

(HT. 30, 1/2010).

NCH member Amy Lansky’s article on

Homeopathy was featured prominently in Dr. Joseph

Mercola’s e-newsletter, “the world’s most popular

natural health newsletter”. Close to 250,000 people

have read the article “could this ‘Forbidden Medicine’

Eliminate the need for drugs?”. She makes a persuasive

and well-referenced case for why skeptics are attacking

Homeopathy.

XV. Haiti Needs your help. (HT. 30, 1/2010).

Homeopaths without Borders – NA has sent

homeopaths to Haiti. This is not for – profit

organization aims to bring care to children in

orphanages, treat physical and emotional maladies of

people in need and educate on-site care-givers in the use

of homeopathic remedies. HWB-NA is in urgent need

of funds and volunteers to support this work. Please

visit HWB-NA website

www.homeopathswithoutborders-na.org

XVI. Social Media: Use it! CONWAY, Edward

(HT. 30, 3/2010).

Social Media like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter,

Flickr, blogs, wikis provides you with new opportunities

to interact with people all over the globe.

Word of homeopathy’s benefits should be spread

to those who haven’t heard about it yet. By this

Homeopathy and NCH would be benefitted.

XVII. UK Government Report favors Homeopathy

(HT. 30, 3/2010).

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In a report presented to UK Parliament by the

Secretary of State for Health, on 26 July 2010, stated

that “our continued position on the use of Homeopathy

within the NHS is that the local NHS and clinicians,

rather than Whitehall, are best placed to make decisions

on what treatment is appropriate for their patients –

including complementary or alternative treatments such

as Homeopathy – and provide accordingly for those

treatments. We note the committee’s view that allowing

for the provision of Homeopathy may risk seeming to

endorse it, and we will keep the position under review.

However we do not believe that the risk is significant

enough for the Department to take the unusual step of

removing Primary care Trust is flexibility to make their

own decisions.”

XVIII. Nobel laureate supports science of

Homeopathy. (HT. 30, 3/2010).

2008 Nobel Laureate Luc MONTAGNIER, who

discovered the link between HIV & AIDS, recently

suggested that a solid scientific foundation for

Homeopathy may exist. In a meeting of 760 Scientists

and Nobel Prize winners in Lindau, Germany, he said

that solutions containing the DNA of bacteria and

viruses emit low frequency electromagnetic radio waves

(ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 Hz) – even after diluting

to a point where the original DNA has disappeared. The

water could retain these properties – or ‘a memory’ and

this can be detected.

- The Australian July 5, 2010. & www.lindau-

nobel.org.

XIX. Children’s use of Homeopathy in U.K. (HT.

30, 3/2010).

Nearly 12% of children had used one or more

homeopathic products by the time they were 8.5 years

old. Chamomilla for teething and Arnica for soft tissue

bruising were the commonest.

- Avon longitudinal Study of Parents and

Children. Journal of Alternative &

Complementary Medicine, 2010, 16(1):69-

79.

XX. Royal London Homeopathic Hospital changes

Name (RLHH) (HT. 30, 4/2010).

Founded in 1849, RLHH has changed its name to

The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine.

Since 1980s, Acupuncture, Herbal medicine and other

therapies have been practiced there, in addition to

Homeopathy. [This is due to the anti-Homeopath

noises made in the U.K. since recently = KSS.]

Press Association Mediapoint Sept. 16, 2010.

XXI. Cancer in homeopathically treated patients:

This article by Dr. Robert KÖDEL appeared in the

AHZ. 253, 4/2008. Three cases were cited wherein the

patients developed Cancer after homeopathic treatment.

With reference to this article there has been three

responses.

Dr. Heinz MÜLLER has said: 1. Suppression by

homeopathic medicine is possible, even by Q

potencies. He says that he had a female patient(50 yrs.)

who suffered Migraine was free from it for a whole year

and she thanked him for it. She said that she had her

periods return after having stopped for three years. It

turned out that she then had double Carcinoma in

Collum and Ovary. The later one was there, it was very

large even before homeopathic treatment for Migraine.

The patient was lucky. Her operation was successful.

In spite of the Chemotherapy the single remedy

homeopathic remedy for her hair fall was successful.

Patients who have taken continuously low potency

or mother tinctures may become untreatable. As a rule

they must be off those medicines and a gap of at least 4

weeks should lapse before we undertake a prescription.

If some patients insist on medicine, placebo must be

given.

Whether a “classical” homeopathic treatment will

hold curatively can be told only after a long term

follow-up.

XXII. Dr. Charlotte HÜBNER –URCH writes: In

my training there was this dogma that homeopathic

medicines cannot suppress. (AHZ. 253, 4/2008).

Some years ago an otherwise healthy young man

consulted me for itching scalp. Repertorization and

Materia Medica Study clearly indicated Sulphur. There

was agg. for one day and then relief. All the complaints

passed away and the patient remained well. Follow up

after six months. Five years later he came with a well

advanced rightly diagnosed fulminating metastasizing

Carcinoma of the large intestine.

There is much to think over.

XXIII. Internationales Symposium Homöopathie in

Klinik, Praxis und Forschung – „Das akut kranke

Kind“

International Symposium Homeopathy in Clinic,

Practice and Research – “The acutely ill child”. (Dr.

von Haunersche Kinderspital, Ludwig-Maximilians-

Universität München, 8.11.2008): (Repertory

Christian LUCAE (ZKH. 53, 1/2009): In these annual

Symposiums it has been the practice to let a Practitioner

of the Conventional Medicine (Allopathy) from the Dr.

von Hauner’s Childrens Hospital’s (“State of the Art”)

speak on a particular theme after which a homeopathic

doctor would speak. The “Tandem-Lectures” are

excellent and the experts will, at the end answer

questions from the participating delegates.

Acute Otitis Media (AOM)

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Prof. Dr. Johannes LIESE, of Infectiology, of the

Haunerschen Childrens Hospital spoke on Acute Otitis

Media(AOM) of children including infants. Dr.

Michael SCHREINER, ENT Specialist, explained

cases: 1. Acute Myringitis/Otitis Media: following

remedies are indicated (listed according to frequency):

1. Belladonna, 2. Ferrum phosphoricum, 3. Aconitum,

4. Chamomilla, 5. Dulcamara, 6. Pulsatilla. In Otalgia

with nosebleed Millefolium should be thought of and

boring into nose could be Arnica and Hamamelis.

Idiopathic Thrombocytopaenic Purpura (ITP): Prof.

Dr. Christine BENDER-GÖTZE Haemotologist of the

Hauners Childrens Hospital spoke of the actual

procedures. Dr. André THURNEYSEN, Bern narrated

case of three patients who were treated with

individualized medicines: Stramonium, Lachesis and

Ammonium muriaticum/China very successfully.

COUGH: Dr. Christian SCHRÖTER, Pulmonology of

the Hauners Childrens Hospital explained the actual

stand on diagnosis and therapy. If a cough stretches

beyond 4 weeks it must be diagnosed thoroughly. Dr.

Christian LUCAE demonstrated with 4 patients

different ways of finding the homeopathic remedy: 1.

The diagnosis lead to prescription of a Nosode (here

Pertussin): 2. A clear modality is a hint for a “small”

remedy (here:Sticta); 3. General and mind symptoms

points to the suitable remedy (here: Hyoscyamus); 4. A

“Key Note” or an accessory symptom leads to the

suitable remedy (here Kalium sulphuricum).

Infections in New borns: Dr. Harald EHRHARDT,

Neonatology of the Hauners Hospital spoke of the “state

of the art” treatment. Dr. Bettina BALTACIS,

Paediatrician spoke of the homeopathic therapeutics;

she presented Video Cases. Phosphorus (Sepsis,

Bronchitis), China (Pneumonia) or Carbo vegetabilis

(Sepia) in premature and just born.

Acute Gastroenteritis: Dr. Marion ECKERT,

Gastroenterology of the Hauners Hospital presented the

disease picture. Stefanie SCHETZEK, Homeopath in

the Hauners Hospital spoke of the important remedies in

the clinic: Okonbaka, Phos., Verat., Ars., Aloe., Podo.,

& Sulph.

The closing session was by Dr. Sigrid KRUSE on

the theme: Homeopathy in Emergencies.

The title for the Symposiumn 2009 was announced:

“The chronically ill child”.

XXIV. Deadly Cell Phones and Other Wireless

Devices:

An increasing number of medical researchers,

environment protection agencies, governments and

individuals are concerned that wireless technology may

be causing serious harm to people and the environment:

• The country of Germany has recently (2007)

warned the population to avoid wireless devices.

• In September 2007, based on its analysis of

research conducted in 15 different laboratories, the

EU’s European Environment Agency (EEA) issued

warnings to all European citizens advising them to

stop using Wi-Fi and cell phones, citing fears that

the ever-present use of wireless technology has the

potential to become the next public health disaster

on the level of tobacco smoking, asbestos, and lead

in automobile gas (as reported by The BioInitiative

Working Group).

• The Israeli government recently banned the

placement of antennas used for cell phone reception

on residential buildings.

• As reported on CBC (July 12, 2008), Toronto’s

department of public health has advised teenagers

and young children to limit their use of cell phones,

in order to avoid potential health risks. According

to the advisory, which is the first of its kind in

Canada, children under the age of eight should only

use a cell phone in emergencies, and teenagers

should limit calls to less than 10 minutes.

• As little as 10 minutes on a cell phone can trigger

changes in brain cells lined to cell division and

Cancer, suggests a new study conducted by

researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science

in Israel and published in the Biochemical

Journal. The changes they observed were not

caused by the heating of tissues.

• Regular cell phone use raises the risk of developing

a brain tumor for many users, according to a new

Finnish study published online in the International

Journal of Cancer. The study, conducted by

numerous researchers from many universities,

found firm corollary evidence that using a cell

phone causes the risk of getting a brain tumor

called a Glioma to rise by 40 to 270

1

percent on the

side of the head preferred for using the phones.

This is the same type of brain tumor doctors

discovered in Ted Kennedy. Malignant Glioma is

the most common primary brain tumor, accounting

for more than half of the 18,000 primary malignant

brain tumors diagnosed each year in the United

States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

• Prolonged cell phone use may damage sperm in

male users, suggests a study by researchers at the

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at

Case Western Reserve University in ohio. The

discovery was made during an ongoing study of

51,000 male health professionals in the United

States.

• Pregnant mothers, who use cell phones 2-3 times

per day, are found to give birth to children with

malfunctioning cells. Also young children exposed

1

Those who used modern cellular phones for more than 2,000 hours

in their lifetime had the highest risk increase. Surprisingly, the risk

washighest among people under the age of 20.

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to cell phone radiation are found to develop serious

growth problems.

The media industry is the largest and most lucrative

industry in the world, much bigger than oil. Almost

every significant company is run, owned or

heavilyinfluenced by the 5 - 6 media giants. Cell

phones make up a huge junk of that. Any attempt to

blame cell phones for the massive increase of cancers in

the world is ridiculed and squashed, just like cigarette

smoking was not too long ago. Some people are okay

with waiting until finally there is solid “evidence”that

radio waves can cause cancer before they give up their

beloved cell phones. Others continue using them just as

many continue smoking, although the risks for the latter

are known. It is really up to each individual to decide

what to do about it. For me, personally, there is no

question about it. I detect harmful energies from a

distance, and certainly when they come as close to

mybody as a cell phone does. I use my cell phone very

rarely, and if I do, it’s just for a minute or two. I never

felt comfortable with them, long before research began

to indicate that they are not harmless at all.

[From Andreas MORITZ’s book “Cancer Is Not a

Disease”, Chapter two ‘deadly Cell phones and Other

Wireless Devices’ 3

rd

Edition, 2009. p. 82-84.]

XXV. Letter to the Editor. Re: “Bogus

Boenninghausen” article. SRINIVASAN, K.S.

(AJHM. 102, 2/2009).

The author was shocked by the blasphemous title

“Bogus Boenninghausen” (AJHM. 100, 1/2007) to

denote Boger Boenninghausen’s characteristics &

Repertory” by C.M. BOGER and questions the

qualification of George DIMITRIADIS to smear such a

reputed homeopathic physician as Dr. C.M. BOGER?

He asks how the editorial board of AJHM allow such a

title. Also worried about none objecting to it.

XXVI. A case for Medical Homeopathy. HOOVER,

Todd A. (AJHM. 102, 2/2009).

The Homeopathic Action Alliance was formed to

serve as a forum for various organizations within the

United States to communicate the current issue and

future directions for their organizations.

Joining our voices to form a politically active unit

is a powerful vehicle to influence public policy. The

Homeopathic Pharmacopea Convention of the US

(HPCUS) is currently leading an effort to communicate

the homeopathic community’s opinion on upcoming

National Healthcare legislative changes. There is a

significant divide between licensed and unlicensed

homeopaths. The latter define ‘Homeopathy’ as not

being ‘Medicine’ to protect themselves from law in

states where Health Freedom Legislation does not exist.

Though the author sympathises with the group, he

does not support efforts to re-define Homeopathy as not

medicine.

He advocates for the use of the phrase Medical

Homeopathy because it helps to solve some of the

blurring that is occurring within Homeopathy in

general and recognized by the public.

XXVII. A Fortnight with Dr. Prafull Vijayakar: A

Report. Karl ROBINSON (AJHM. 102, 2/2009).

How does one judge 1) how effective Homeopathy

is? and 2) how effective any given homeopath is? the

answer is apparently simple. We judge by the clinical

results. But therein lies the problem. How do we

evaluate our results? After all, every homeopath claims

curative results.

According to Dr. Prafull VIJAYAKAR, a

homeopath in Bombay, India, with whom I spent two

weeks in January 2009, there is but one correct

criterion: the cure must follow Hering’s Law. That is to

say, cure takes place when symptoms disappear 1) from

above downwards, b) from the center to the periphery,

c) from more important organs to less important ones,

and d) the illness must unwind itself wth the disease

process recapitulating its journey from psoric

inflammation through sycotic accumulation and excess

to syphilitic destruction; that is to say, the disease must

work itself backwards from syphilitic destruction to

Sycosis to Psora wherein, at last, the illness exteriorizes

itself on the skin in the form of an eruption.

Dr. VIJAYAKAR has added an important new

criterion to Hering’s Law. Through his study of

embryology he has refined Hering’s Law. In his first

book, Predictive Homeopathy Part I, Theory of

Suppression (B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd., New Delhi) he

correlates the various pathologies with ectodermal,

endodermal, mesodermal and neuroectodermal

structures. Adding various subdivisions, he writes of

seven embryological levels with clearly demarcated

diseases corresponding to each level. With examples he

shows how it is possible with either Allopathy or

Homeopathy to suppress illness to deeper and deeper

levels.

If skin eruptions in a child disappear after treatment

and are followed by spasmodic pain in the abdomen, the

disease has travelled from the ectoderm (skin) to the

endoderm (gastrointestinal tract) – a suppression.

If pain in the abdomen disappears and ankle joints

begin to pain, the disease has shifted from the endoderm

(second level) to the mesodermal connective tissues

(third level) – a bad sign.

Since Psoriasis affects the dermis (mesenchyme

derived connective tissue) its appearance in the course

of treatment is not a simple exteriorization of the

disease to the skin (ectoderm). If the Psoriasis clears

with treatment and is followed by diarrhea, the disease

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has moved from the third level (dermis/connective

tissue) to the gut (endodermal) – a good sign. But if

diarrhea disappears with treatment and is followed by

scaling and keratinocytosis of the skin (Psoriasis), the

disease has been suppressed from the endoderm to the

mesodermal connective tissue – a bad sign.

If sacral pain goes away with treatment to be

followed some months later by a Trigeminal Neuralgia,

the illness has been suppressed from the third level

(sixth level) – a bad sign.

Within the same embryological level, for example,

the mesodermal connective tissue, suppression can

occur if, for example, lumbar pain goes away and

cervical pain appears or worsens. That is a wrong

direction – from below upwards. The reverse direction,

of course, is curative.

In virtually all diseases if the tissue pathology

improves but the patient becomes tired and lazy, it is

never a good sign. True cures results in increased

stamina and a desire to participate in life.

Dr. Vijayakar’s schema delineating the various

diseases and their embryological sources is detailed and

involved and warrants a careful study of his book. The

few examples given here are meant to stir curiosity and

to prepare the reader for whqat I observed in his clinic.

During the fortnight I sat in with Dr. VIJAYAKAR

we saw hundreds of patients, most of whom had come

for serious syco-syphilitic or syphilitic diseases. There

were dozens of psoriasis cases, all of them either cured

or in the process of cure following Hering’s Law. There

were also Seizure disorders, Autoimmune diseases,

Diabetes and Cancers. Yes, you read correctly –

Diabetes types I and II and Cancer! One man in his

forties, who had originally come with blood sugars in

the five hundred range uncontrolled by insulin or diet,

was now off insulin and oral hypoglycemic with a

fasting blood sugar of 140mg. A single dose of Natrum

muriaticum 200C did the trick.

There were innumerable cases of Leucoderma

(vitiligo), a disease characteriszed by loss of

melanocytes (cells that originate in the neural crest and

migrate to the dermis) resulting in depigmentation. It is

extremely common in India. Arsenicum sulphuratum

flavum in repeated doses over manymonths will remove

these white spots and is well known in India as a

“specific” remedy for vitiligo. Dr. VIJAYAKAR scorns

such prescribing which he refers to as prescribing for

“disease in man” rather than “man in disease.” As a

result, all his vitiligo patients receive a carefully

thought-out simillimum based on the depigmented spots

on the face are disappearing from above below. As

long as the upper lesions are disappearing he does not

worry if more depigmented lesions break out lower

down as he is sure the remedy is correct and that

eventually all the spots will disappear.

I saw cases of Leukemia cured, brain tumors cured,

Adenocarcinomas cured, and on and on. Not only cured

but cured with as few as two to four repetitions of the

medicine over a one to two year period! In every case,

Dr. VIJAYAKAR has the ability to trace the evolution

of the Cancer from psoric inflammation/infection to

sycotic thickening and growth to syphilitic destruction.

As the Cancer improves he expects syphilitic symptoms

to lessen and sycotic ones to appear. Sometimes this

can take the form of renal calculi or gallstones

(accumulation equals Sycosis). Because the direction

from Syphilis to Sycosis is correct the patient must not

be treated homeopathically though sometimes surgery

could be needed. Later, as Sycosis diminishes, Psora

will arise, often the original inflammation.

I saw at least two cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis

(RA) being cured. RA, an autoimmune disorder, is

syphilitic as the body attacks, deforms and destroys

itself via the joints. One patient said her pains were

returning. Dr. VIJAYAKAR asked me to comment. I

said, “Either she is relapsing or she has been antidoted.”

He agreed and then added, “There is another possibility

which is that the autoimmune Rheumatoid Arthritis,

which is syphilitic, is disappearing and now Psora is

emerging as a simple Rheumatism.” He added that he

often gave Sac Lac at such times and the pains resolved,

thus proving his point that Syphilis must give way to

either Sycosis then Psora or directly from Syphilis to

Psora.

Though I had read four of Dr. Vijayakar’s six

books before going to India, I was unprepared to see the

scope of Homeopathy when prescribed correctly.

There appears to be no limit to what the correctly

prescribed correctly. There appears to be no limit to

what the correctly prescribed similimum can do.

Because of the uniformly excellent results I witnessed

(well over 90 percent cure rate) I decided his teachings

both written and verbal merited close consideration.

He constantly exhorts his staff of young

homeopathic doctors to “See Man in Disease.” The

following caseof Coma (reported to me) illustrates this

concept. A woman in Renal Failure had gone into

Coma. By telephone and via an observer at the scene he

learned that although unconscious, every few minutes

the woman lifted one or the other shoulder from the bed

suggesting either restlessness or the pressure of the bed

against her upper body was uncomfortable or both. He

further learned that prior to her hospitalization she was a

chilly person, averse to drafts. There was a frown on

the forehead suggesting irritability. The observer

reported that earlier she had taken a dislike to her loved

ones, husband and children. At this point the observer

was asked, “Was there any financial embarrassment or

stress in recent weeks?” He learned there had been an

unpleasant audit by the government tax people resulting

in a stiff penalty.

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 29*

Using “sensation, bed feels hard” + “cold air

aggravates” + “aversion to sympathy from others” +

“restlessness in bed” + “irritability” + “sadness after

losing money,” she was prescribed Arnica Montana

200C and within an hour began to regain consciousness

and made a full recovery. (This case is reported for

those of us who have relegated Arnica to first aid

prescribing.) I learned that in such desperate cases the

remedy should be dissolved in water and rubbed onto

the wrist. Either by olfaction or directly by mouth. Dr.

VIJAYAKAR told me, could cause “a killer

aggravation.”

I saw a young man who presented with a cough and

tonsillitis. I learned that two years earlier he was in an

advanced stage of Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis

(SSPE), a chronic persistent infection of the central

nervous system thought to be caused by the measles

virus. It produces abnormal behavior, irritability,

memory loss, inability to walk, speech impairment,

seizures and sometimes blindness. It is invariably fatal

within one to three years of onset.

The course of the disease in this patient was as

follows: he developed an eruption on the scalp with a

white discharge. An ointment was applied suppressing

the eruption. A fever then followed and jerking of the

right upper extremity. Later his behavior became

bizarre (bizarre behavior belongs to Syphilis). He wore

his clothes upside down and did everything in a contrary

manner. Objects fell from his hands. He fell down

while walking. His speech deteriorated with slurring.

He misidentified common colors. He could no longer

count correctly nor could he read. Black pigmentation

occurred on the right face and right leg. His titre of the

Measles antibodies was elevated. He was chilly and

thirstless and refused to eat.

Using “jerking of the extremities” +

“rightsidedness” + “cold aggravates” + “appetite

wanting” + “ailments from suppressed eruptions,” he

was given Zincum metallicum 200C. Two weeks later

an eruption broke out on the entire body and lasted

twenty days. His speech began to improve at the same

time. He became furious, attacking strangers. It passed.

After three months boils appeared on his eyes. All the

while his mental and nervous symptoms were

improving. When I saw him with his Tonsillitis and

cough, he was in his final stages of Psora. No

symptoms of the SSPE remained.

At this point I return to the question first posed:

how effective is Homeopathy? The answer is that it is

extremely effective in all manner of disease provided

one has an in-depth understanding of Hahnemann’s

theory of Miasms and an equally deep understanding of

homeopathic medicines, all the while rigorously

adhering to Hering’s Law of Cure with the

modifications to that law made by Dr. VIJAYAKAR.

I have reported on only a small portion of what I

observed in his clinic, but I plan to return until I, too,

can get similar results. Dr. VIJAYAKAR terms his way

of practicing Hahnemannian Homeopathy “Predictive

Homeopathy.” He is very clear about what has to

happen and when. If it does not, he always retakes the

case until the similimum is found.

Other books are: Predictive Homeopathy Part II

– Theory of Acutes, Predictive Homeopathy Part III

– Myasmtion, Predictive Homeopathy Workshop

2002 Mahabaleshwar VERBATIM, and his latest

work, Genetic Materia Medica, an in-depth discussion

of the Barytas, Calcareas, Kalis, Carbons and Granite.

I recommend them all highly. It was a great

privilege to witness the power and efficacy of

Homeopathy in Dr. Vijayakar’s clinic, and it gave me

great hope for the future of Homeopathy in the twenty-

first century.

========================================

LIST OF JOURNALS

Full addresses of the Journals covered by this Quarterly

Homeopathic Digest are given below:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. AHZ: Allgemeine Homöopathische Zeitung, Karl F. Haug

Verlag, Hüthig GmbH, im Weiher 10, 69121, HEIDELBERG,

GERMANY.

2. AJHM: American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine, formerly

Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy (JAIH). 801

N. Fairfax Street, Suite 306 Alexandria, VA 22314.

3. THE HINDU: Newspaper, Chennai – 600 002.

4. HH: Homeopathic Heritage, B. Jain Publishers Overseas,

1920, Street No.10, Chuna Mandi, Paharganj, Post Box 5775,

New Delhi - 110 055.

5. HL: Homeopathic Links, Homeopathic Research & Charities,

F/s, Saraswat Colony, Linking Road, Santacruz (W), MUMBAI

– 400 054.

6. HOM: Formerly British Homeopathic Journal (BHJ),

Homeopathy, Faculty of Homeopathy, 29 Park Street West,

Luton, Bedfordshire, LU13BE, UK.

7. HT: Homeopathy Today, National Center for Homeopathy,

801, North Fairfax Street, Suite 306, ALEXANDRIA, VA.

22314, USA.

8. ZKH: Zeitschrift für Klassische Homöopathie, Karl F. Haug

Verlag, Hüthig GmbH, Im Weiher 10, D-69121 HEIDELBERG,

GERMANY.

==================================================

PART II

(This Section contains abstracts/extracts from selected articles; even the entire article in some case)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 30*

1. An approach of the individual in the process of

disease

ARAÚJO Eliane Cardoso de

(IJHDR. Vol. 2, 5/2003)

The centrality of disease in contemporary Western

medicine, and the ever-growing mediation of

technology in modern medical practice, had gradually

distanced the physician from the patient’s disease

process, and the patient too has been estranged from

his/her own body, erasing any subjective components of

what ought to be an encounter between two subjects.

Many problems in contemporary Brazilian medical

care arise from notions and practices that focus

exclusively on the technical aspects of disease,

forsaking the dimension of healing art of medicine, and

with it, any possibility of sharing – doctors and patients

– all sensations and perceptions that constitute the

symbolic and psychological contents of disease.

Precisely, those aspects are one of the reasons that

explain the growing search for other medical

approaches and the latter success, particularly

Homeopathy.

As a point of departure, we selected two public

clinics in the city of São Paulo, where we interviewed

doctors and patients. Data were qualitatively analyzed.

This let us identify privileged expressions, such as

“subject”, “person”,“listening”, “looking”, “bond”,

“time”, “healing”, “remedy”. A discussion of the

components of homeopathic practice that may recover

the dimension of caring for the sick individual, is

grounded on the idea that Homeopathy has its own

specific medical rationality that establishes as a definite

field of knowledge. This corresponds to a more general

approach that states that there isn’t only one legitimate

medical approach, that the theoretical and therapeutic

monopoly that “scientific medicine” claims needs to be

put into question.

The ideas concerning the process health - disease in

homeopathic practice are directed by a general view

that necessarily includes the role of the sick individual,

considered from a perspective that values above all the

singularity of human disease, emphasizing the

individual features in it.

Some definite elements of homeopathic theory and

practice characterize it as a medical system that, by

recovering the artistic dimension of medicine, focuses

on the sick individual, with his/her specific cultural and

historical aspects that need to be addressed in the

overall comprehension of the disease.

Homeopathic therapeutics seek to understand the

patient in the context of his/her singular process of

disease, which includes the relationship that he/she

establishes with his/her own disease and the meanings

that he/she attributes to such experience.

To understand a patient as a subject-became-sick

involves approaching him/her in every sense: not

merely biologic and psychological features, but also as

the spokesperson of a full set of social and cultural

representations and as the agent of an interactive

process that may lead him/her to resignify the notions

concerning health, disease and cure.

By focusing on the manifestations that

individualize the patient – on the basis of singularization

criteria – Homeopathy expects to find the expression of

such particularities in the symptoms manifested by

patients. Hence, its approach is directed to listening,

watching, observing and examining that which is

unexpected in each patient, as manifested through

symptoms.

So, symptoms represent partialities that engender

each individual’s dynamics, the expression and the way

of being of the patient, and may be understood as

representations of the sick person, as they carry definite

individual vital contents. Thus, they constitute the

object to be grasped, in order to apprehend the

“difference”, the singularity, through the application of

the principle of similars of homeopathic therapeutics.

In homeopathic practice, the interview is a

therapeutic action by itself; it is specially important as it

sets in motion and materializes the elements that bring

specificity into the treatment, and because it constitutes

the space where intersubjectivity is built up between

doctor and patient.

From this perspective, the patient’s complaints

shouldn’t be merely technically read, but his/her speech

has another level: it is full of meanings that allow for

adeeper understanding of the disease process.

The singular characteristics of the object to be

grasped in Homeopathy – the human subject – define

the particular nature of the components of the

consultation, elements that express subjective contents,

both the doctor’s and the patient’s.

Patients rate a consultation as “good” when enough

time is available and some elements appear, which

actualize the therapeutic relationship, i.e. seeing,

listening, touching, observing.

These components of a less technological approach

allow the patient to share his/her suffering with his/her

doctor in the framework of an interactive process, and to

relate to the manifestations of the disease.

By making biopathography the center of diagnosis,

Homeopathy partially eliminates the mediation of the

object, so that the construction of an interactive space

between doctor and patient becomes one of the

fundamental dimensions of its therapeutic practice.

Intersubjectivity enhances a more active attitude in

the patient, so that he/she becomes a partner in the

conduction of his/her treatment.

By positing Homeopathy as a medical system

centered on the human subject, its way of listening

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becomes an intrinsic component of its episteme and an

essential working tool.

This particular wide scope of attention arises from

the fact that what ought to be grasped are the

manifestations of the individual disease, in the

framework of an approach that privileges

intersubjectivity. These are specific features of

homeopathic diagnosis and therapeutics, as it aims at a

more comprehensive approach of the disease process.

Listening allows to recognize the different ways

how patients experience the situation of disease, letting

their individuality to surface. Listening also helps the

patient to assume the role of the subject of the

therapeutic action.

Listening, when it relates to a subject, supposes a

basic attitude of interest and concern regarding the

“other”, i.e. an opening to an interactive process, that

reflects itself in the semiologic procedures. As such,

listening and observing are not merely technical tools

but manifestations of the physician’s disposition to

know and understand the patient and his/her specific

suffering.

“Seeing” may be understood as both physical and

psychological categories, to look at the patient “face to

face” means to see him/her as a human being, an active

member of the intersubjective encounter.

Of all these considerations, the one that proves the

most consistent regarding the homeopathic notion of

healing, is the awareness of the meaning that disease

holds in each patient, according to his/her life history,

and the paths he/she may follow in the course of

treatment.

By focusing on the individual, Homeopathy points

to a therapeutic perspective that does not hold

immediacy of results as necessary, but that assumes that

the nature and the goals of treatment may change, as the

patient develops his/her own program of health.

Time, thus, is central to homeopathic episteme, and

our research showed that it is a key notion in the

understanding of the elements that characterize

Homeopathy.

The experience of time is deeply human, precisely

because it is related to an intersubjective encounter that

is able to actualize the idea of care.

Other considerations may also show that time is a

key component in the process of recovering subjectivity.

To Homeopathy, time is related to the way how a

subject positions him/herself regarding the

circumstances of his/her particular ill condition. Time is

able to encompass the meanings each patient attribute to

the contents underlying the superficial manifestations of

his/her disease and the meanings he/she attributes to

his/her encounter with the physician.

From this point of view, the interactive components

of the therapeutic relationship not only become tools for

humanizing care, but are the core elements of any

medical intervention. Such elements may facilitate the

recovery of the subject, not only because the patient is

closer to his doctor, but also because he/she becomes

less estranged from his/her own disease.

To understand the relational experience as an

intersubjective process means to highlight its possibility

as a space that favors the creation of identities, allowing

the patient to recognize him/herself as a subject in the

course of treatment.

When patients spoke of their reasons for seeking

Homeopathy and the causes of their satisfaction with its

results, they taught us the paths followed by its

legitimization. What leads patients and physicians to

Homeopathy does not translate into a fast improvement

of complaints but into the expectation of a wider notion

of care and the belief in a comprehensive personal

program of health.

If there is any secret that may explain the reason

why Homeopathy still attracts growing numbers of

patients and physicians, it is its caring nature, that offers

a therapeutic setting completely peculiar, where subjects

and their hopes may be perceived.

========================================

2. A case of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

KIPNIS Sheryll ND, DHANP

(Small remedies & Interesting Cases)

(Proceedings of the 1989 Professional Case

Conference)

IFH (International Foundation for Homeopathy)

Introductory remarks: This is the case of a woman

who was 28 years old when she first came to see me in

September, 1984. She was working as a waitress at the

time. Over the years that I have treated her, she has

quickly worked her way out of that and taken a clerical

job in an office, gradually working her way up to

administrative assistant. This gives you some idea of

her capabilities and her drive. She has also gone back to

college part-time with the intention of going on to

graduate school and earning a masters in Psychology.

Sarcoidosis is described as a multi-system

granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology,

presenting most frequently with bilateral

lymphadenopathy, pulmonary infiltration, and skin or

eye symptoms. Skin lesions frequently are present in

patients with severe chronic Sarcoidosis, though they

can appear in mild forms of the disease as well.

Sarcoidosis most commonly affects young adults

(20 to 40 years old), and in this country it occurs more

frequently among blacks than whites. The disease is

known to “spontaneously remit” in one-third of cases

(this occurs most often where there is a syndrome of

erythema nodosum and hilar adenopathy); another one-

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 32*

third recover with minor residua; and the final one-third

follow a course of progressive disease.

There is approximately a 10% mortality rate from

pulmonary fibrosis leading to pulmonary hypertension

and cor pulmonale. Homeopathy becomes an

especially valuable tool in treating Sarcoidosis, because

there is no satisfactory allopathic treatment for the

disease, other than palliative measures. Steroids are

commonly prescribed. Because of the degree of hilar

adenopathy, along with the skin lesions, this woman’s

case was considered fairly severe, and the likelihood of

spontaneous remission, therefore, not very great. Let’s

review the first case.

A Case of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

J.C. Female age 28, waitress

September 23, 1984. 5’6” 140 lbs.

[Her style is “punk.” She has very light, bleached

hair, very dark red lipstick, and she wears black a lot.

She has what most people would describe as a “punk

look.”]

Family Medical History: Mother-Hypertension,

Arthritis; Father-alcoholic; Grandfather-Diabetes

Mellitus; Niece-Asthma.

Personal Medical History: 28 years old - nasal

septoplasty.

Chief complaint: Pulmonary Sarcoidosis with

granulomatous skin lesions; migraines; genital herpes.

Was referred by another homeopath who had

prescribed Arsenicum album 1M three times, Natrum

muriaticum 1M, and Ignatia 200c. She felt that the

Arsenicum really helped with the headaches for a time,

but had no effect on the respiratory or other symptoms.

There was no obvious cause at the time of onset of the

Sarcoidosis, no particular stress or illness.

Sarcoidosis diagnosed one year ago by chest X-ray

and skin biopsy. X-ray showed diffuse nodular

infiltrate in both lung parenchyma, three to five

millimeters, with hilar and paratracheal adenopathy.

Has also had persistent bilateral painless anterior

cervical lymphadenopathy, more prominent on the right.

Has had no steroids or other allopathic medications.

Symptoms began almost two years ago, with chest

discomfort that prevented her normal one to two miles

of jogging, nasal obstruction that necessitated mouth

breathing on a continual basis, and the appearance of

two hyperpigmented skin lesions, one on the left temple,

the other over the left scapula.

After four months she sought medical advice for

the nasal obstruction which was mistakenly diagnosed

as a deviated septum. A nasal septoplasty was

performed, with no change in the obstructive symptoms.

Some months later she again went for evaluation of

her symptoms, and the diagnosis of Sarcoidosis was

made. Pulmonary function tests showed a 40% loss of

diffusing capacity and a 20% decrease in vital capacity.

Her most recent X-ray (eight months ago) showed

essentially the same picture as the original, with an

increase in parenchymal infiltration and a slight

decrease in hilar and paratracheal lymphadenopathy.

Her symptoms have remained basically the same

for the past year: low energy and chronic fatigue (3) -

doesn’t even wake up until she has slept 10 hours.

Lacks motivation (3) to do anything once she is awake.

Wants to go back to sleep after a couple of hours.

Great shortness of breath (3), loses her breath easily

on exertion (3) and ascending (3). The chronic nasal

obstruction is especially bad at night (3), lying on her

back (2); can’t get enough air on falling asleep. Her

breathing is so loud and labored that she keeps

housemates awake. Frequently has a red tongue with

deep cracks in it (2) on waking, after mouth breathing

most of the night.

Has been depressed (3) for months-a black feeling,

everything is too much. Nothing excites her; there’s no

reason to do anything. Angry at herself (2) for being

depressed. Lonely (2). Has no relationship or partner.

Relationships are terrifying for her. “Love equals pain.”

She has been hurt too much.

Married for five years, 20 to 25 years old. A lot of

pain from that relationship. Husband had violent

temper, though he never physically abused her. She

was afraid. Has had only two intimate relationships in

her life. Feels alone, isolated, uncared for, fears being

alone forever (all 2). Depression is worse before

menses.

Migraine/cluster headaches since five years old.

Intense unbearable pain (3), usually on the right side. In

the past one to two years, the pain is usually behind and

above the right eye (3), like the eye would pop out (3),

with some pain in the right temple. Goes without

headaches for several weeks, then has several in a day

or a week. They come on somewhat slowly, often

preceded by a sharpening of visual images, some

lightheadedness, and tension in her neck and shoulders.

Fears the pain (2); aspirin does nothing.

Only Synalgos-DC has any effect on the headaches.

Headache < any cigarette smoke (3). She has smoked

one pack per day for most of the last nine years, but

when she has the headache she can’t smoke or be

around smoke. Also worse loud noises (2), light (1).

Headache > hot shower (2), dark, quiet. Vomiting

would give relief in past; no vomiting now.

Describes self: Had a “weird” childhood - alcoholic

father who beat the kids, parents fought, put the kids

down a lot. Still painful for her to think about it.

Not good at getting angry (2) - suppresses her

feelings. Never yells or screams, but can be sarcastic or

snappy.

A super achiever (3), always the best in the class,

always feels a need to prove herself. Very important to

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be accepted by others. Never tells others about her

problems; doesn’t want to bore or burden them.

Never tells people when she is sick (2). Very

anxious about her health (2). Wants to have children.

Feels her time is running out (2). Pushes herself, feels

inside like she’s on a time clock, must get certain things

accomplished by a certain age.

Fastidious (3). Uncomfortable even with leaving

dishes in the sink. Fears spiders (2) (was worse in past);

being old and alone (2); small spaces (1). Used to be

obsessed with the thought of a man breaking in and

murdering her. Went for counseling because of it. Still

has a fear of robbers breaking in (1).

Dislikes extremes of cold (1) or heat. Feet always

cold. No problems with sun.

Desires chocolate (3), sweets (2), ice cream (2), salt

(1), spicy (1), Averse to Brussels sprouts, cauliflower.

Thirst average. Wants cold drinks (3) in summer, warm

in winter. Digestion normal.

Sleeps on left side (2). Occasional salivation in

past; none in last four to five years. Gets sore throat if

sleeps with window open (3).

Strong sex desire when in relationship, four to five

times per week. No interest when depressed.

Menses regular, 26 to 28 days, four days duration.

Twisting, cramping pain (2) and heavy flow (3) the first

two days. Changes tampon every hour for most of this

time. Cramps > bending double (1).

Genital herpes since three years ago. Outbreaks

twice per month. Feels like a leper because of it (2).

Usually < left vulva; mild burning; no itch.

Used lots of speed in high school.

Physical exam: Moderately decreased breath

sounds, no adventitial sounds; anterior cervical

adenopathy bilaterally, more prominent on right;

hyperpigmented macule at crown of left shoulder three

centimeters by one centimeter; faint shadow remains on

forehead from previous biopsy.

Assessment:

Plan:

Analysis of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Case

The homeopath who first treated this woman was

looking primarily at her life history, her description of

herself, and her mental/emotional state-an essence

prescription of sorts. She had a lot of anxiety about her

health, a forsaken feeling, a fear of robbers, and she was

fastidious; therefore, Arsenicum album was given.

She had a history of abuse and grief, was fearful of

being hurt again in relationship, was a responsible

person who pushed herself and was hard on herself, so

one would certainly consider giving Natrum

muriaticum, as the previous homeopath did. However,

neither of these remedies were very well confirmed, and

ultimately did very little to help the patient. If one

keeps in mind these various characteristics of the

patient, but then looks at the specific symptoms of the

case, another remedy begins to come to light.

The symptoms of her sarcoidosis: difficult

respiration, worse from exertion and ascending; nasal

obstruction at night; tongue cracked and red from mouth

breathing.

These symptoms alone are not specific enough to

allow us to prescribe. There are many remedies

suggested, including Arsenicum album, calcarea

carbonica, Lycopodium, Nitric acid, Nux vomica, and

others, which can be seen on the following graph.

Repertorization 1A: Respiratory Symptoms,

All Remedies

See page No.

None of these remedies clearly stands out as one

which would cover the other symptoms in the case.

The symptoms of her headaches: pain above the

right eye, pain pressing outward, pain worse noise, light,

and cigarette smoke (to the point where even she has to

stop smoking!).

Belladonna is the primary remedy suggested by

these symptoms, but it doesn’t cover the rest of the case

very well.

Repertorization 2A: Headache Symptoms, All

Remedies

See page No.

Again, if one looks at these symptoms with the

polycrests removed, a number of other remedies are

suggested, and again, they don’t clearly cover the case.

Repertorization 2B: Headache Symptoms, 15

Polycrests Removed

See page No.

If one were to prescribe on the severe depression

from which she was suffering, one would probably give

her Aurum, but again, this remedy doesn’t fit the rest of

the symptoms of the case. Given that the physical

symptoms are so intense and so distinct, it would be

difficult to ignore them.

One might try to prescribe on the case using the

idea of totality, repertorizing all the symptoms of the

specific complaints, along with the general symptoms

and modalities of the case.

Repertorization 3A: Totality of Case,

All Remedies

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 34*

See page no.

If this is done, the results are not terribly surprising!

One finds a potpourri of some of the most well-known

polycrest remedies, none of which are very satisfying

for the case.

Once more, if the major polychrests are removed,

the list of remedies is not any more satisfying.

Repertorization 3B: Totality of Case,

15 Polychrests Removed

See page no.

[All computer analyses were generated using Mac

Repertory 3.2, from Homeopathic Associates.]

There are many ways, ultimately, to arrive at a

prescription: essence (I believe this is how the first

prescriber was approaching the case); chief complaint

(which was tried in analyses #1 and 2); a combination of

essence and chief complaint; etiology (in this case there

doesn’t appear to be one); keynotes; lesion (one would

probably give Tuberculinum in this case); Miasm; and

other approaches.

As I worked my way down the list, not finding a

remedy with any of these methods which really

satisfied, I came down to looking for something peculiar

in the case.

For me the most outstanding peculiarity in the case

was the headaches which were aggravated by cigarette

smoke. This in itself would not be so unusual, perhaps,

but to find this symptom so intensely in someone who

smoked seemed quite unique to me. So I went to the

repertory to see which remedies had this symptom.

There I found the rubric, HEAD, PAIN, TOBACCO,

SMOKING, FROM. There were 31 remedies in this

rubric, but there was only one remedy which was bold,

that being Natrum arsenicosum.

Natrum arsenicosum is a remedy with which I had

no familiarity. I had never heard anyone talk about it.

In all the teaching cases I had been exposed to, I had

never seen a case of this remedy, ever. But there it was,

standing out in bodl face, and so I was compelled to

explore a little further.

I opened Boericke’s Materia Medica to see if the

remedy fit anything else in the case, other than this

peculiar headache symptom. There wasn’t much there,

but under the Respiratory section, it said, “Miner’s

asthma; lungs feel as though smoke had been inhaled.”

It didn’t really describe the symptoms this patient had

from the Sarcoidosis, but there was enough of a

suggestion to keep me looking further.

My next step was to look in Hering’s Guiding

Symptoms. There I finally found enough to give me

the feeling of satisfaction that I had been looking for all

along, the feeling that allows one to give a remedy with

confidence, knowing that it must do something positive

for the patient.

From Hering: “Head-Severe sharp headache in

forehead, above eyes, worse above right eye (Natrum

arsenicosum is not listed in the repertory for this

symptom), worse from tobacco smoke. Nose-

Constantly stopped up, worse at night… must breathe

with mouth open at night. Respiratory-Miner’s Asthma;

lungs feel full; oppressed, sore in chest. Tongue-Deep

red, corrugated, anterior part fissured. Mind-Nervous

restlessness; as if something was impending; cannot

concentrate the mind; dull, listless.”

And so one finds in Hering as close to a perfect

description of the patient as one may ever find when

prescribing homeopathically! The patient was given

one dose of Natrum arsenicosum 200c.

Six weeks after the remedy the patient was seen

again. After an initial aggravation, she reported

remarkable improvement in all of her symptoms. Here

is the actual follow-up.

First Follow-Up of Natrum arsenicum

November 5, 1984

Natrum arsenicosum 200c given September 23,

1984.

For two or three days after the remedy felt very

befuddled, anxious, and had a bad headache.

Two herpes outbreaks in the last three weeks.

Much stress generally, especially over school.

Struggling with math class; has to pass in order to get

into the university. After several weeks, finally stopped

saying she couldn’t do it and began applying herself.

Headaches generally better. Mild headache once

every couple of weeks or so, > with aspirin. In past,

aspirin had no effect.

Energy low, but has motivation to do things.

No longer, in a black mood with no reason to do

anything. Doesn’t feel uncared for. No longer fears

being alone forever. Still mistrustful of relationships

because “they can blow up so easily.”

Sleeping better. Able to breathe normally through

nose. No problem getting air in at night on lying down.

Still short of breath on ascending-has to stop midway up

a very steep incline to catch breath.

Chest pain-tight, sharp pain behind sternum (2),

lasts about five minutes. No dyspnea associated with it.

Comes very suddenly and frightens her (2). Has noticed

it twice in the past month. Only occurs at work.

Last menstrual period “a gusher”. Had to change

tampon every 30 to 60 minutes. Lots of clots, which

scared her. Mild cramps.

Still quite fastidious (3). Can allow things to be

messy, but it really bothers her.

Her biggest problem now is how she handles stress,

internalizes a lot, a “Type A person.”

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Desires farinaceous food (1), chocolate (1), spicy

(2). Thirsty (2).

Assessment:

Plan:

Further Follow-up

The improvement in her Sarcodosis was clinically

verified by chest x-ray and pulmonary function tests at

nine weeks after the initial treatment. The x-ray showed

her chest to have virtually no sign of Sarcoidosis, and

her lung function had increased to 90%.

Over the next seven months she continued to do

very well. Her breathing remained completely normal.

She was having occasional mild headaches, and rare

migraines. Her mood was good and her energy was fair

(she was working 80 hours per week, with very few

days off).

During that seven months the remedy was repeated

in the same potency after some dental work and after

many complaints from the patient that the herpes had

continued to be a major and persistent problem. It was

later given in a 1M potency, after which the herpes

subsided and would then erupt only sporadically.

She started a new relationship in July, 1985, and

did generally very well until April, 1986 (one and one

half years after the original prescription), when she

began having some degree as the original migraines, but

were quite severe and becoming more frequent.

Given that she had been having Migraine headaches

since she was five years old, it was unlikely that a single

remedy would cure both the Sarcoidosis (a relatively

recent problem) and the headaches. The original

remedy had an effect on the headaches, but the

persistence (to a milder degree), of the symptoms

suggested that another remedy would be needed.

A New Layer and A New Remedy

June 19, 1986

Headaches have become worse again (2). Centered

behind the right eye (2). Wakes with it in the morning.

Occurs once or twice a week.

< light (3), smoke (3), noise (2). > hot bath or

shower (2), pressing on eye (2).

Herpes very infrequent now. Last eruption about

two months ago.

Breathing is fine. No chest pains.

No colds or flu.

Mood pretty stable, but still very anxious about her

relationship (2).

Keeps expecting to get dumped. Struggling with

self-esteem (2), jealously (2), insecurity (2).

Suppressing her anger quite a bit (2). Doesn’t

confront those who upset her. Lots of anger and

irritability that doesn’t get expressed.

Housemate got angry because she hadn’t made him

dinner (which isn’t her responsibility), so she made it

for him, then felt angry (2), but never said anything (2).

Wants to scream and yell, but never does (2).

“It’s too dangerous to express anger” (2). Past

experiences with father and husband taught her this.

Tries hard to be diplomatic.

Strong sex desire (2). Boyfriend calls her

“nymphomaniac.” They spend hours together in bed.

Sleeps only six hours per night. Struggles with

insomnia (2), frequent waking (1), nightmares of trying

to kill mother, being pursued, dogs killing her (2).

Sleeps on sides (2).

Vaginal yeast infections keep coming and going in

the last few months-itching, burning, thick cheesy

discharge.

Desires pasta (2), sweets (2), spicy (1).

Averse to meat (1).

Thirst average.

Chilly.

Had many styes as a child.

Assessment:

Plan:

Now almost two years after the original

prescription, the patient has arrived at what appears to

be the next layer. Although she mentioned her tendency

to suppress her anger in the original case, it was brought

out only on questioning by the homeopath. It wasn’t an

issue that begged recognition at the time. As the more

recent symptoms in the case (sarcoidosis, depression)

have resolved, the organism has worked its way back to

an earlier time, an earlier level of pathology. The

original case gave hints of what might come later.

One of the many challenges homeopaths face is

that of being able to see clearly through the different

layers of a case, and to prescribe accurately for the

present time. There is always a temptation to take

what appears to be the easy path, to prescribe a

polycrest remedy based on a loosely-defined idea of

“essence,” while ignoring the specific symptoms of the

case. Sometimes those characteristics one calls

“essence” are reflections of an underlying nature, but

not necessarily indicative of the remedy needed in the

present time.

The patient was given Staphysagria 200c, one dose,

on June 19, 1986, based on the symptoms of suppressed

anger, high sex desire, jealousy, insomnia, and

nightmares of murder. It is interesting to note that

Staphysagria also has headaches which are right sided,

frontal, temporal above the right eye; and so one finds

an overlapping symptom with Natrum arsenicosum.

When a symptom is very distinct in a case, and it

persists in spite of being a strong symptom of the

remedy which has been prescribed, this can often be an

indication that another remedy having that same

symptom will probably be needed at a later date.

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 36*

Staphysagria also has headaches which are worse

from light and better from external pressure, as well as

headaches on waking in the morning.

After the remedy she had two “killer” headaches,

like she used to have in high school, the worst she had

had in years, with visual aura and vomiting. She had no

other significant headaches until almost a year later.

She joined a weight-loss clinic and lost 10 pounds (her

pre-diet weight had gone up to 157 pounds from 140).

She had no insomnia or nightmares, and no herpes.

She reported feeling a general dissatisfaction with

her friendships, was re-evaluating them. She felt they

only liked her if she was the way they wanted her to be

and she was tired of accommodating them while

suppressing herself. The persistent vaginal infections

discontinued after she stopped using the contraceptive

sponge.

Six months later she had one herpes outbreak.

In August, 1987 (nearly three years after the

original prescription), she came in complaining of

severe irritability and depression before her period, and

picking fights with her lover.

A third Layer and A Third Remedy

August 19, 1987.

Severe irritability and depression before her period

(2). Picks fights with her lover.

Had a painful outbreak of herpes in July, after her

period-the first in six or seven months. Also had two

migraine headaches, both in July, with the same location

and modalities as previously, though again to a lesser

degree than previously.

Has started needing to wear sunglasses. Her eyes

are quite bothered by sunlight (2). She has also noticed

that, although she likes the sun, it now gives her a dull

headache.

Desires pasta (2), cheese (2), bread (2)

Assessment:

Plan:

Natrum muriaticum had headaches above the right

eye, better from external pressure, worse from tobacco

smoke. It is one of the main remedies for irritability

before the menses. It also has photophobia, headaches

from the sun, and desires farinaceous foods. In addition

to this, Natrum muriaticum is complementary to

Staphysagria. Based on this information, the patient

was given one dose of Natrum muriaticum 200c.

Note that Natrum muriaticum is one of the

remedies prescribed by the referring homeopath. It had

merely been given at the wrong time.

One of the most difficult challenges we face as

homeopaths is to have patience. We need to evaluate

carefully at each follow-up, pay close attention to small

changes in symptoms and modalities. It is easy to

forget about these details, but if we persist, we can see

the next remedy to be prescribed, emerging over time.

Further Follow-up

December 1, 1987.

Had a couple of very bad headaches shortly after

the remedy, and no problems with bad headaches since

then. Has a very occasional, very mild tension

headache.

Has some premenstrual symptoms, but this is much

better. She is much more rational around this time of

the month.

No herpes since the end of August.

Sleep is good. Before the remedy she had been

sleeping on her sides, mostly her right. Since the

remedy she has been preferring her left side.

She has been happy and healthy, and she and her

lover got married on Halloween. It was an orange and

black wedding.

Summary

In summary, there are several points I would like to

make about this case:

1. If the presenting pathology is a little unusual, it is

very possible that the initial remedy needed will be

a little unusual.

2. In many instances, the case which is covered by the

small remedy will be like a thin layer, which when

removed will reveal a more fundamental state in the

patient, and this will often require a polycrest

remedy.

3. If one sees elements of two or more common

remedies (in this case Arsenicum album and

Natrum muriaticum), but neither very clearly fits

the case, one prescribing strategy would be to look

at the salt of those two remedies (Natrum

arsenicosum) to see if there is at least one strong

symptom that belongs to that salt (headaches worse

from tobacco). If so, that remedy can be prescribed

with a certain amount of confidence.

4. The last point, and perhaps the most important, is

one that I continually need to remind myself of.

That is, to not prescribe by the “thumb method.” If

the case “sort of” looks like a remedy that is

familiar to me, but doesn’t really fit, it’s probably

because it is the wrong remedy. If I persist in

studying, I will eventually find the remedy which is

truly the similimum. I will feel that “gut pleasing

feeling” that my friend and colleague Lou Klein

often refers to, and the patient will begin to heal in

a very deep and significant way.

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 37*

Question: Why did you assume that the case moved

into Natrum muriaticum? Why not assume that we are

still dealing with Natrum arsenicosum symptoms,

especially with the specific craving of the pickles in the

case, which seems to look a little strange. I personally

would perceive that we are still dealing with Natrum

arsenicosum symptoms.

Answer: There is certainly that possibility. There are

several overlapping symptoms between Natrum

arsenicosum and Natrum muriaticum. However, at the

time of the last prescription, the focus of the case was

extreme irritability before the menses – a symptom for

which Natrum muriaticum is one of the main remedies.

Although I believe Natrum arsenicosum could have this

symptom, it is not represented as such in the repertory

or Materia Medica. My sense, therefore, was that there

had been a shift in the case. The chief complaint, along

with the other strong Natrum elements, made the case

clear for Natrum muriaticum.

The point that I made earlier is that very often a

small remedy covers an initial thin layer in the case.

Once this is removed, a more fundamental remedy is

often needed, and I had the sense that this was the

situation in this case. The case had already moved to

Staphysagria, and we were getting down to a more

fundamental state in this patient, a state that for me very

clearly fit Natrum muriaticum. If the Natrum

muriaticum had not worked for her, I certainly would

have considered going back to the Natrum arsenicosum.

The follow-up clearly shows that Natrum muriaticum

was the right prescription.

Question: In headache cases, Belladonna often comes

out way ahead of other remedies, in terms of the

headache symptoms. Do you usually ignore this and go

to other smaller remedies that cover other symptoms,

even if the headaches are the presenting complaint?

Answer: Absolutely not. I carefully consider

Belladonna. I look into the rest of the case to see if

there are good confirmatory symptoms for this remedy.

I look at other remedies, searching for the remedy that

best fits the case. I do not rule out Belladonna until

there is a reason to rule it out. And I don’t give it

routinely to all headache cases, either.

Comment: I would like to share one experience that I

have had with Natrum arsenicosum.

Answer: I would love to hear it!

Comment: This was a woman of the same age and

family background as your patient. She was abused as a

child. She also had headaches worse from tobacco

smoke, which tended in her case to be at the root of the

nose. There was a family history of fibrodysplasia, a

condition affecting the arterial circulation. Her mother

died of hypertension, kidney failure. My patient was

herself developing hypertension at the age of 37, along

with these headaches and PMS symptoms.

Answer: So she had this quality of fibrosis as well.

Comment: Yes, there was this quality, and it was

presented in the family history. I will go back to the

case and send you a copy.

Answer: I would very much like to see it. Has anyone

else had experience with this remedy?

Comment: I had a patient, a 60-year-old man, a retired

Chiropractor who came in with renal failure. This had

happened after a surgical procedure. He developed a

chronic obstruction, which he attributed to the urologist

leaving a sponge in place. But the urologist’s notes

indicated that the man’s chronic prostatic hypertrophy

led to the renal failure, with a creatinine as high as 12.

At the time he came to see me, the pathologist was

trying to get him to go on dialysis, but he wanted to try

something else. The man was depressed and confused.

I offered my hand to shake his hand, and he didn’t know

what to do with it. He had some nasal obstruction, but

the strongest aspect was the depression and apathy,

combined with some very strong Arsenicum symptoms.

But neither Natrum muriaticum or Arsenicum really fit

the case.

So I gave him Natrum arsenicosum, 12c daily,

because he was taking some other medications. I saw

him back in my office in two weeks, and I was

“terrified” because of how much better he was. The

man was laughing, joking, acting normally, talking

about bringing his wife in to see me. The last time I

saw him, his creatinine was down to around four, and he

was doing very well.

Answer: Yes, it seems that perhaps the Arsenicum

element is stronger than the Natrum element, with the

restlessness, the anxiety, the depression, and the type of

pathology.

Comment: Well, actually I think it is balanced between

the two.

Comment: I had a Natrum arsenicosum case, similar to

the first one just mentioned, in that the patient had

headaches that were at the root of the nose. Also, she

had been emotionally hurt much like your patient, and

the case had strong elements of Staphysagria. There

was a lot of suppression-th ex-husband had dominated

her. She had great anxiety about health, but she wasn’t

particularly restless. She had had a grief from a divorce.

So it is quite similar. Also, she had the symptom of

headaches from reading, which is considered to be one

of the main keynotes for Natrum arsenicosum.

Answer: Perhaps we can begin to flesh out more

clearly the mental and emotional qualities of the Natrum

arsenicosum patient, by bringing these cases together.

Thank you all very much for sharing your clinical

experiences.

========================================

3. Homeopathic Archaeology: Deciphering a Multi-

Layered Case

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 38*

KING Stephen ND DHANP (Small remedies &

Interesting Cases)

(Proceedings of the 1989 Professional Case

Conference)

IFH (International Foundation for Homeopathy)

Introduction: When I was about 10 years old, I

wanted to be an archaeologist. For several years I read

everything I could find on ancient civilizations and their

rediscovery by various explorers and scientists. I was

then and still am fascinated by the idea that our current

world rests upon all the preceding cultures and

civilizations, many of them largely unknown to us.

Like most teenagers, I was also a philosopher. I

actually used to try to understand things, important

things like how the past becomes the present … or

where the present goes when it becomes the future … or

why we remember some things, but not others. And

when my parents told me to learn from past experience,

I was puzzled, because I could never decide ahead of

time what I would need to remember …

I guess it’s just as well that I never pursued a career

in philosophy …. I probably wasn’t cut out for it. But I

did become an archaeologist of sorts, though not the

kind I would have expected. The longer I have

practiced Homeopathy, the more I have come to think

of what we do as “medical or therapeutic archaeology.”

As you know, successful homeopathic treatment of

chronic disease is a systematic process, in which

symptoms and states are brought to the surface,

expressed by the body, treated appropriately, and then

resolved.

The catalyst to this process is a sequence of

correctly prescribed homeopathic medicines, the

remedy being indicated at each point along the way by

the patient’s symptoms. The result is an increasingly

healthy person, more free to live and move in the world.

Over the course of life, each person encounters an

endless stream of internal and external experiences,

each of these an opportunity yet a potential challenge to

the health and well-being of the organism. Most things

the body simply deals with, without any change in its

basic state. The body incorporates what is useful and

rejects what is not.

But when one or more stresses, whether mental,

emotional, or physical in nature, are more than the

organism can handle, an adjustment becomes necessary.

In the interest of survival, a compromise occurs-

symptoms are produced, some aspect of normal

functioning is altered or reduced, and a lowered vitality

is the end result.

This more or less permanent change in the person’s

health may happen gradually or relatively quickly, but

either way the body begins to react differently, with new

susceptibilities and a new constellation of symptoms.

The translation to a lesser degree of health can

happen one or more times in a person’s life, depending

upon constitution and life circumstances. Each

successive translation results in a further decline in

overall health, with increased pathology and limitation.

The patient who comes to see us may have traveled

very far down this path, may be very far from his or her

original state of health. Our task as homeopaths is to

reverse this degenerative trend, step by step.

From the homeopathic perspective, then, a

person’s current state of health is merely the uppermost

in a series of pathological strata or “layers,” as we tend

to call them. This is why a sequence of remedies is

often needed, especially for adults. We talk about

layers being “laid down” whenever a stress brings about

a lasting negative change, but it is probably simplistic to

think of these layers as piled one on top of the other,

like so many well-defined bands of geological deposits.

If it were really this way, our prescribing would

surely be easier; we could simply prescribe on the

presenting totality of symptoms and expect the correct

remedy to remove these symptoms, leading to another

set of distinctly different symptoms.

But that’s not how it happens, as you know. When

we take a chronic case, we find a confusing array of

symptoms from various layers, present all together in

varying degrees of intensity and frequency. It can be

difficult to know which symptoms to focus on for the

prescription, and a careful analysis is often required.

As difficult as the first prescription may be, it can

be much harder to make the succeeding prescriptions

correctly. The symptom picture is continually shifting,

a dynamic flux. The organism in its innate wisdom

determines what symptoms will be brought forward, and

when, for attention and treatment. The prescriber’s own

expectations in this area are often wrong.

The organism has its own priorities, which we

imperfectly understand. Symptoms from the early life

may come back first, then more recent symptoms. Or

symptoms from two apparently different times in the

person’s life may present together as a complex covered

by a remedy. One must see the patient “new” at each

visit, be alert to what is important, and see how the

current symptoms fit into the overall process of healing.

It is a rare case where we do not make an error in

judgment somewhere along the way.

The case I’ve brought today illustrates a number of

these points. I have presented this case elsewhere in less

developed form, the last time over a year ago at an

HANP conference, but the case has progressed quite a

bit further since then.

A Case of Recurrent Sinusitis and Vaginitis

C.E. Female age 29

Copywriter for ad agency

©Quarterly*Homeopathic*Digest**XXVIII,**1&2/2011.*For*private*circulation*only. 39*

August, 1985

Family Medical History: Mother-died of Ovarian

Cancer, age 50; Father-mood swings, had nervous

breakdown in his 40’s; Maternal Grandmother-Throat

Cancer; Paternal aunt-Thyroid Cancer; Brother-Hay

Fever.

Personal Medical History: 1979, age 23-

hospitalized for several days for severe concussion-after

hit by truck while riding bicycle; 1975, age 19-bad case

of Mononucleosis, first year in college, treated with

steroids, spent three months in bed.

5’8” 120lbs.

“I’m not sure where to begin.” She has had so

many health problems. Feels desperate about her health

(3). She has not been well, not been herself for about

two and one half years-since she and her husband

moved to the US from Europe.

She’s very frustrated and angry with herself (3) for

giving up a better, more comfortable life there. It was

her idea ot move, she felt dissatisfied. She’s American,

but her family had lived in Europe for several years. Her

husband is European.

[Loquacious]

Health problems?-Soon after arriving she took a

stressful job as the only secretary in a busy office.

Shortly thereafter, in June, 1983, she developed a

painful Bronchitis, with a lot of congestion and

coughing up of thick yellow mucus-treated with

penicillin (PCN) and some sort of cough syrup.

The Bronchitis resolved, but immediately she

developed an Acute Sinusitis, with bad facial pain,

especially in the right frontal sinus area. This was

treated with another course of PCN and an

antihistamine, and later with a course of tetracycline,

because the sinusitis was slow to resolve.

During this period of time she developed a bad

perineal rash, a queasy stomach, and loose, frequent

stools. The digestive symptoms persisted for several

weeks, and she feels her digestion has not been right

since.

The rash came and went, on and off, and gradually

became, by October, 1983, a persistent and painful yeast

Vaginitis/Dermatitis-beginning with a white discharge

tremendous itching, but soon evolving into a

generalized severe inflammation of the vagina, labia,

clitoris, and perineum-incredibly raw and sore, hot and

painful. She could barely walk, could not tolerate pants

or underwear, and sex was out of the question.

This symptomatic state continued for months,

somewhat controlled by constant application of

Lotrimin cream, as well as boric acid/acidophilus

douches. During this time she began to have hives all

over her body, little red bumps that ran together, hot and

itching. This happened much more if she had any

synthetic fabric, nylons, etc., next to her skin. For this

she was given Nystatin with no benefit, and then was

diagnosed as having “nervous hives” and given

hydrocortisone cream, which was of temporary benefit.

No hives recently.

June, 1984, the worst of the Vaginitis symptoms

finally subsided with the constant use of Lotrimin.

Three days later she developed a trichomonas vaginitis,

for which another course of PCN was given, with

resolution of the symptoms after about 10 days. Then

the yeast Vaginitis returned and did not subside until

she used the Lotrimin for another two months (until

September, 1984).

Since that time she has no overt diagnosable

vaginal infections, but the chronic sensitivity of the

vagina, external genitalia, and perineum has remained-

frequent redness, irritation, burning, pain (all 3),

especially from synthetic fabrics, tight clothing, soaps,

and urine. She lives in constant fear that a vaginal

infection will develop (3)-a kind of phobia or

“craziness”-an extreme anxiety (3) or “paranoia.” She

can’t relax about it. She still can’t have sex, because of

the sensitivity.

Also, ever since the original Sinusitis in 1983, she

continues to have intermittent Chronic Sinusitis-

numerous episodes, each time treated with PCN, with

partial or temporary resolution. The symptoms-

congestion, pressure, pain in a big spot above her right

eye, with a bright-yellow liquid discharge from the nose

(all 2). Her faced feels swollen (2).

She had a bad case of Tonsillitis in June, 1985-high

fever, sore throat bilaterally, painful swelling of the

right anterior cervical glands, also treated with PCN.

Chronic digestive symptoms – constipation

alternating with loose stools (1), frequent rumbling,

bloating, and gas (1).

A lot of emotional stress-since starting her present

job in January, 1985. She was promised equality with

the other workers, promised that she wouldn’t be “just a

secretary.” But they stuck her in a back room with a

word processor – she is indignant (3), frustrated and

angry inside (2), feels betrayed.

All her life she felt she came in second best. Her

father liked her sister better and made fun of her. He

was a famous scientist, didn’t treat her mother right. A

difficult childhood – she was painfully shy, an avid

student, very talented, art, music, creative writing.

Walked around with her nose in the air, but actually was

very lonely and couldn’t talk to anyone. Awkward with

buck teeth and acne. “A nervous wreck.”

When she was 19, her mother was diagnosed with

Ovarian Cancer – she stayed home from college and

nursed her for three years until she died. Her menses

stopped during those three years. Anger and resentment

for her father, who was cold to her mother.

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Desperately wants the freedom to be free, to be

happy. [Tears] So many health problems, she feels old

and decrepit. “I haven’t had my youth yet.”

Description of self – overly excitable (2),

enthusiastic, very emotional. Tries very hard in

everything she does. Big swings in mood (2)-in her

early 20’s she was diagnosed as manic-depressive.

Identifies with others’ problems, sympathetic (3), feels

guilty if she doesn’t give money to people on the street.

Anxiety about the future (2), health (3).

Enjoys being on stage, a ham. Proud, needs

recognition (3). Looks down on people who are

pretentious.

Energy – Goes up and down, slumps 2:00 to 3:30

pm.

Fears – Cancer (3), pain.

Temperature - < cold (2) and heat. Sun is okay, not

great.

Food – Desires tangy, strong flavors (3) –

sour/unripe fruit/berries, grapefruit (all 3), vinegar (2),

spicy (3), mustard (1), strong cheese (1), chicken, nuts.

Averse fat (3), salt (1). Always a big appetite (2).

Thirst – Average, for warm (1).

Sleep – Ligh sleeper (1). On right side (2). No

salivation, perspiration, feet, or dreams. Can’t relax

well on back.

Sex – Strong sex desire in past, but very low (2) in

recent years. No interest, almost an apathy toward

husband. Likes him as a friend, but dislikes his touch

(2). Doesn’t have her normal feelings for him.

Menses – Regular, 28 day cycle, four to five days

duration.

Perspiration – Normal.

Digestion – As above.

Headaches – As above, with recurrent sinusitis.

Musculoskeletal – Normal.

Skin – As above.

Assessment:

Plan:

Analysis of Recurrent Sinusitis and Vaginitis Case

[Dr. KING asked for ideas and suggestions from the

audience.]

Audience: I would expect several remedies to be

needed in the case, and I would be looking at what

seems to be most important at the moment and what to

start with. I would look at what seems to be most

intense in the case, what has bothered her most in her

recent history.

I certainly would assume that the vaginal problem

is still there and uncured, ready to come up again with

any kind of added stress. I would focus on this aspect

of the case, especially because of how severe it has

been, how much it has troubled her, and how afraid she

is of it.

I certainly would assume that the vaginal problem

is still there and uncured, ready to come up again with

any kind of added stress. I would focus on this aspect

of the case, especially because of how severe it has

been, how much it has troubled her, and how afraid she

is of it.

So, after looking over the repertory, I would

suggest Mercurius, because it fits the inflammation, the

nature of the discharge and the excoriation, the rawness.

I think it would also fit the history of the bronchitis with

the yellow mucus, and the sinusitis. Also the digestive

problems and the occasional loose stools, also the

itching hives on her body. The sensitivity to both cold

and heat would provide further support for Mercurius.

Response: Yes, those elements are indeed very good for

Mercury. You are looking at symptoms most recent and

most limiting on the physical plance which certainly

makes sense. Other ideas?

Audience: My initial impression of the case, just

looking over it, was that there was a strong case for

Platina, particularly because of the extraordinary pain

and sensitivity, the inability to wear underwear.

Additional confirmation for Platina is a kind of

arrogance that she has, which is mentioned a couple of

times in the case.

Response: Looks down on people who are pretentious.

Audience: Right, and her depression is also

characteristic of Platina, I think, in terms of the dark

moods, the hopeless feelings, the sense that nothing is

ever going to work out.

Audience: I also think that the vaginal problem is what

needs to be focused on, and I would suggest Kreosotum

can also have hormonal changes that are similar to those

of Sepia, including the aversion to coition and the fear

of coition.

Response: Right, and in particular an aversion to

coition that is due to the physical discomfort. What I

like about Kreosotum is that it matches the intensity of

her vaginal and perineal symptoms. Many remedies

have leucorrhea or vaginitis, but Kreosotum would

match the intensity of this patient’s symptoms.

Audience: What struck me was the element of grieving.

I think she has been grieving much of her life.

Response: Why do you say that?

Audience: Well, her relationship with her father, how

he dominated her mother, how she feels about that. The

loss of her mother. This made me think of Natrum

muriaticum.

All the genital and reproductive symptoms fit

Natrum muriaticum. To a great extent. Also, her

Sinusitis, the spot above her right eye, the liquid

discharge from the nose that’s yellow. Natrum

muriaticum is not well known for that, but it’s listed in

the repertory in italics for both yellow nasal discharge

and pain in a spot above right eye.

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I also thought of Sepia, when she cried while

talking about wanting to be free and happy.

Audience: I would consider Medorrhinum, because of

all the antibiotics she has had, the suppressions, and the

earlier “manic-depressive” diagnosis. I don’t think I’d

give this remedy initially, but I think she will need

Medorrhinum sooner or later.

Response: Yes, the desire for sour foods, especially

unripe fruit.

The case has many symptoms on several levels –

even in reading the case you can see that there is a kind

of confusion and profusion of information. We see the

vaginal and perineal symptoms, the recurrent sinusitis,

the emotional turmoil and instability. We see her

chronological story, her early years, the family

difficulties, her mother’s illness and death.

I studied and repertorized the symptoms from

several points of view:

1. Looking at the nose/sinus symptoms – Graphites

Mezereum, Kali bichromicum, Lachesis.

2. Looking at the genital/vaginitis symptoms –

Kreosotum, Sepia, Mercurius, Sulphur.

3. Looking at these two groups together – Sulphur,

Graphites, Natrum muriaticum, Sepia, Kreosotum.

4. Taking just the mental/emotional symptoms –

Phosphorus, Nux vomica, Staphysagria, Natrum

carbonicum, Lachesis, Calcarea carbonica,

Causticum.

5. Combining the mental/emotional symptoms with

the general symptoms and modalities – in other

words, looking at a general picture of the person,

without the nose and genital symptoms –

Phosphorus, Sulphur, Arsenicum, Lycopodium,

Natrum muriaticum, Lachesis, China.

6. Combining the whole person with the nose/sinus

symptoms – Phosphorus, Sulphur, Arsenicum,

Lachesis, Natrum muriaticum, Lycopodium,

Calcarea carbonica.

7. Combining this with the genital symptoms – a

complete totality – Sulphur, Natrum muriaticum,

Phosphorus, Arsenicum, Sepia, Calcarea

carbonica, Lycopodium.

So, the repertory offers us some possibilities for

prescribing. Do you like these remedies for the case?

My own conclusions were:

• No one remedy fits the sinus symptoms very

well.

• Kreosotum fits the genital symptoms well. If

she were having the perineal/vaginitis

symptoms now, and this were the main

complaint, Kreosotum would be a good

prescription.

• Concerning the mental/emotional symptoms:

Phosphorus – is excitable, sympathetic, sleeps

on right side; but average thirst for warm

drinks contraindicates, and Phosphorus doesn’t

fit the local symptoms well;

Nux vomica – has indignation, frustration,

desires spicy, light sleeper; but averse fat does

not confirm, and Nux vomica doesn’t fit the

local symptoms well.

• Concerning the totality:

Phosphorus – as above.

Sulphur – fits the local symptoms fairly well,

excitable, indignation, needing recognition,

desires spicy, slumps 2:00 pm; but

Sulphurusually sleeps on left side, is more

thirsty, and likes fat;

Arsenicum – is anxious, chilly, desires vinegar

and mustard, warm drinks, sleeps on right side;

but Arsenicum is usually not so sympathetic,

likes fat, and it doesn’t fit the local symptoms;

Lachesis – is excitable, loquacious, sleeps on

right side, fits sinus symptoms fairly well; but

Lachesis is usually warmer and not so

sympathetic.

Sepia – fits the genital symptoms, unstable and

resentful mood, desires sour/vinegar, averse

fat, averse sex; but Sepia usually slumps 3:00

to 5:00 or 4.00 to 6:00 pm, sleeps on left side

or abdomen, is not so loquacious or

sympathetic, and it doesn’t fit the local sinus

symptoms.

Ignatia – supported by a history of menses

suppressed from grief, excitable, frustration,

indignation, slumps 2:00 to 3:30 pm, sleeps on

right side; but Ignatia usually is thirstless, with

sighing, and it also doesn’t fit the local

symptoms.

So it seemed to me that none of these potential

remedies were very satisfactory, and none could be

prescribed with strong confidence. This cause me to

look further at the case.

Medorrhinum was a possibility – Chronic Sinusitis,

desires sour and unripe fruits, volatile personality, “a

kind of craziness,” likes chicken, but Medorrhinum

usually is a night person, sleeps on the abdomen, and

desires fat. Also, there is no history of gonorrhea.

When the totality of a case does not present a clear

picture for a remedy, this often means that there are

several layers to the case. To determine which

symptoms to use for the initial prescription, I ask myself

the following questions:

1---What are the most recent symptoms?

2---What symptoms does the patient stress the most?

3---What symptoms appear to be the most limiting?

4---Where is the defense mechanism focused?

The lack of a clear picture may also mean that the

case is confused or distorted in some way. Distorted by

what? Often by previous medical treatment.

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With these thoughts in mind, I noticed that she says

she has not been herself for two and one half years.

Whenever someone says something like this with such

clarity, it suggests that the health has changed

fundamentally. It strongly suggests that a pathological

layer has been formed at that point.

Yet the remedies that repertorized out for the

symptoms associated with this time period were not

satisfactory, for the reasons given above.

Since moving to the US, she has had Bronchitis,

frequent Sinusitis, then perineal rash, Vaginitis,

Urticaria, digestive symptoms, Tonsillitis, and a big

anxiety, especially that the vaginitis will return.

What is the common thread for all these

symptoms/conditions? The repeated antibiotics, most

notably, Penicillin. This raised the possibility of a Drug

Miasm as the first layer in the case. The question was,

could I verify this possibility?

Looking in O.A. Julian’s Materia Medica of New

Homeopathic Remedies, under Penicillinum, one

finds a small proving done in the 1950’s with 12

provers, three of whom were women. This is the only

formal proving that I am aware of.

Pertinent proving symptoms found there: “….right

frontal headache with sinusitis, neuralgia above and

behind the right eye, acute and chronic sinusitis,

purulent rhinitis, right frontal sinusitis, coryza with

yellow (but thick) discharge, congestive headaches,

epigastric and peri-umbilical cramping pains, with

abdominal wind, yellow or white leucorrhea (but non-

irritating), epidermic mycosis, urticaria, general

predisposition to allergy, increased cerebral activity,

everything seems sad..”

Given the limited extent of the proving, this was a

fairly good match to her symptoms. Note that her first

Sinusitis episode came after receiving penicillin for the

initial Bronchitis. This suggested that the recurrent

sinusitis was actually an ongoing proving of penicillin!

Based on the similarity of symptoms, a single dose

of Penicillinum 200c was prescribed.

Results of Penicillinum Prescription

Five week follow-up—Soon after the remedy she had a

mild flare-up of the Vaginitis, which cleared without

treatment in one to two days. No vaginal symptoms

since.

Isable to have intercourse, has increased sexual

energy. Getting along better with her husband, still a bit

neutral toward him.

General energy is much better, feels more positive,

stronger in her personality—she quit her job, so they

gave her a raise. More hopeful.

Her nose is still frequently stuffed up, but she has

had no sinusitis. Has had some bloating, slow digestion

for about 10 days, ending a week ago.

Sleeping a bit more on the left side, can’t sleep on

back, and feels somewhat warmer generally.

Started a journalism class.

Plan: No remedy was given.

Follow-up six weeks later---Doing well. Worries

that something bad will happen if she relaxes.

Sinuses much better, no sinusitis, still gets some

congestion in cold wind.

Feels like a regular person again.

Easier to get along with, less moody, more open,

feels more fond of husband.

Some itching red bumps on hips and buttocks—

long history of this.

No vaginal symptoms, no problem with intercourse.

Digestion has been very good.

Still desires vinegar, but no longer interested in

unripe fruit or spicy.

Plan: No remedy was given.

Follow-up six weeks later—Doing well, a bit

stressed from just finishing her class, final exam,

papers, etc. One of her papers was passed out in class

as an example of good work.

Some nervousness, anxiety, despite being happy.

No problems with sinuses.

Good energy.

Gets hungry at 10:30 am and 3:00 pm. Desires

sweets, especially before the menses, and sweet fruit.

Sleep not so good, waking at 4:30 am, sleeping on

left side.

Still some itching red bumps on and off.

No vaginal symptoms.

Plan: No remedy was given.

Follow-up two months later—Needs a vacation, has

been working seven days per week. Tired a lot, doesn’t

like her job, but content in her marriage.

Three weeks ago had some pain and pressure in the

right sinus for a few days, without discharge or

infection.

More thirsty in past month, for lukewarm.

Still wakes 4:30 am.

Plan: No remedy was given.

Follow-up two months later—Feeling great, more

and more energy, more and more assertive.

Nose and sinuses seem nearly normal, breathing

clear most of time.

Still has itching spots, < after shower.

Plan: No remedy was given.

The Past Returns—A New Layer

June, 1986

Pretty good overall, but one week ago developed

some congestion in the right sinus with a mild pain in a

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spot over right eyebrow, associatd with a sore throat.

Gradually better in the past seven days.

These symptoms came on after she had been

working long hours for two straight weeks—working all

day, then working long hours into the night on a term

paper.

She felt like she felt when she was 21, when a

psychiatrist told her she was manic.

Feeling like she’s a genius, “the greatest,” (2)

giving birth to great ideas—a “high,” elevated feeling,

like a chemical in her veins. An ordinary person during

the day, a genius at night.

Last week she was very angry at work, incensed

that her employers take advantage of employees. They

offered a low hourly wage to a new employee.

She thought she had taught them better than that.

It’s unfair, she’s disgusted (2) with them, mad at our

society for abusing people.

Back when she was 21? Her mind was always

racing, overactive. For a while she actually thought that

an evil spirit was trying to kill her, and she was afraid to

be alone. She always had a vivid, overactive

imagination.

Energy—Generally good, but slumps after lunch,

2:00 to 3:00 pm (2).

Fears—None.

Temperature < hot and cold (1). Headache from

the sun.

Food – Desires chocolate (2), fruit, especially crisp,

tart apples (2), oranges, juicy green vegetables (2).

Averse raw carrots (1), meat (1), fat (3).

Thirst – Average, for warm (1)—teeth are sensitive

to cold.

Sleep – As above; on left side (2). No salivation,

perspiration, feet, dreams. Can’t sleep on back (2).

Sex – Overall considerably better, feels more

interest. Still at times feels critical of her husband,

disapproves of the way he does things (2).

Menses – Still regular, no problems.

Perspiration – Average, in axillae.

Digestion – Great, had frequent stools during

“high” times, for about three days.

Headaches – None.

Musculoskeletal – No symptoms.

Skin – Still has itching spots all over bdoy, < after

shower (2).

Assessment:

Plan:

Analysis of June, 1986, Case

What are your impressions of this case? Repeat

Penicillinum? I decided not to repeat, for two reasons:

1. The recent sinus symptoms were brief and mild. She

actually has had no sinusitis since the original

prescription nine months ago.

2. More importantly, the general symptoms have

shifted into a much clearer pattern – food desires,

sleep position, slump time (slight but significant

change), plus the current mental/emotional state,

itching < shower – all strongly suggest Sulphur.

No longer craves unripe/sour/spicy. The repertory

now strongly recommends Sulphur.

It is my experience that when it is time to change

remedies, a slight hint of the previous symptomatology

often remains, while the underlying picture of the

general symptoms has become strong for another

remedy, usually one that was visible in the original case

(as Sulphur was in this case). This often marks the

transition to the next layer. The person has more

vitality and is returning to his or her previous state.

A single dose of Sulphur 200c was given.

Asan aside, I want to point out two symptoms from

the original case that were removed by Penicillinum:

1. Desires tangy, strong flavors (3)—sour/unripe

fruit/berries, grapefruit (all 3), vinegar (2), spicy

(3), mustard (1) strong cheese (1).

2. Sleeps on the right side.

Perhaps further proving and case studies will

confirm these as symptoms of Penicillinum.

Results of Sulphur Prescription

Follow-up two months later – Doing pretty well,

but “slight slip in her health” – three or four weeks ago

she developed a sore throat, which has lingered since

then. As a teenager had frequent sore throats and

Bronchitis, and also had Mono-nucleosis.

Also three or four weeks ago she developed a

vaginal yeast infection, at the end of menses, with a

cottage cheese discharge and some burning. “Not like

that terrible vaginitis I was having when I first came to

see you. This was like the yeast infections I used to

have in high school.” (I was out of town, and her

allopathic doctor gave Lotrimin cream. The symptoms

cleared gradually in eight days, no further problems.)

Immediately after the Sulphur she felt much more

stable, less volatile in her moods, less reactive, “bland”

– she didn’t like it. But now she likes it, feels more

settled in herself.

She also slept better right away, not waking early.

No further sinus problems.

Warmer generally.

Not slumping in mid-afternoon.

Wants to drink ice water now.

No itching spots.

Plans to go to graduate school full-time in the near

future. She wants to get on with her life.

Plan: No remedy was given.

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The patient continued to do well for several

months, no sinus problems, no vaginal problems. Sore

throats persisted on and off, at a low level.

Sulphur, 200c was repeated eight months after the

first dose, after some prolonged stress at work and a

return of the itching. She applied and was accepted to

graduate school in an international communications

program.

Grief and Torment

March, 1987.

A rough couple of months. Continues to have sore

throats on and off – it never seems to go away

completely.

Feels very “neurotic” – a lot of memories about her

family have been churned up from somewhere inside

her, a lot of feelings.

In January she went out of state to a friend’s

wedding, spent time with her father, stepmother, oldest

brother and his family. Her stepmother has begun to

confide in her like her mother did. Experienced feelings

of rejection from her oldest brother and his wife. He

had sort of raised her as a kid.

Remembers how her father picked on her when she

became the oldest after her brothers left home. She was,

at 14 years old, her mother’s confidante. Her mother

complained to her about her father. He gave her a lot of

verbal abuse, “psychological torment,” after she

changed from being homely to being attractive. She

always felt that he found her sexually attractive.

He picked on her, made her very nervous. She lost

her confidence in school, freaked out screaming “I can’t

go to school anymore.” They sent her to a psychiatrist.

Remembers how at age 20 in college she rejected

her boyfriend who really loved her. Never forgave

herself and always wonders how things would have

been if she had stayed with him. This happened around

the time that she cared for her mother for three years

before she died of Cancer. She never forgave her father

for how he treated her mother, always felt that he

caused her Cancer.

She’s having nightmares about saving her father

from enemy armies.

Anxiety attacks (2).

Then she found out that her stepmother is leaving

her father. Worries how this will affect him. Will he

become dependent on her?

And she found out that a woman she always went

to with her troubles, a “surrogate mother,” is dying of

Cancer.

[Fears, sobbing, gasping]

She’s in such a state, so “strung out,” (3) so

nervous and upset – she screams if something happens

suddenly, like dropping a glass. Fears she will screw up

her life, be like her father – over excitable, neurotic,

controlled with a constant fear of losing control.

After her life she has never lived up to her

potential, always had “high expectations about herself

and life that were never met.” How will she handle

graduate school in the fall?

Menses regular and normal, no problems.

Assessment:

Plan:

Analysis of March, 1987, Case

This is the first follow-up after the second dose of

Sulphur 200c. your impressions of the case now? A

strong case for Ignatia. I apologize for the lack of

general symptoms here. I ran out of time in the

interview, and I felt clear about what to prescribe.

What general symptoms might we expect, to

confirm Ignatia? Sleepy 2:00 to 4:00 pm, thirstless,

sleeps on right side or back, desires cheese, desires or is

averse fruit, may be jerking of limbs on falling asleep or

perspiration only on the face. And certainly some

sighing, which was not present in this case.

Here we see that the continuing improvement in the

patient’s health has allowed the underlying emotional

turmoil to surface with considerable intensity. This

creates the opportunity for resolution of past troubles.

A single dose of Ignatia 30c was given.

Results of Ignatia Prescription

Follow-up six weeks later—Doing great, wonders

now what all the fuss was about. Circumstances are the

same, but she’s calmer, no longer “hysterical, with my

mind stuck on it all.”

She felt immediate relief after the remedy.

“Something let go,” suddenly, within an hour,

something relaxed with a big deep sigh. “No anxiety in

my stomach anymore.” No longer feels about to go

over the edge – more resilient. “I can handle things

now.”

She is glad she didn’t stop treatment after the sinus

problem was resolved. “My whole health is being

restored, and now I see what health can be.”

Plan: No remedy was given.

She continued to do well, despite being caught in

the middle of her father’s marital problems, which wore

her down over time. Ignatia 200c was given three and a

half months after the initial Ignatia 30c.

She gradually became clear, rational, and assertive

in relating to her father, compassionate and

understanding toward him without getting drawn into

his troubles.

Generally more assertive. Shouted at her boss

when he wasn’t going to give her the bonuses he had

agreed to intimidated and got the money, then she quit.

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She was offered and accepted a teaching

assistantship in her graduate program.

Sore throats persisted on and off.

The Focus Shifts to the Throat

November, 1987.

Graduate school is going well, likes the people,

excited about being a teaching assistant.

But she is not sleeping well – restless sleep (2) after

studying late. Has vivid, troubled dreams frequently

(2). Wakes around 5:00 am with her heart beating fast

and generally feeling a sensation of heat (2) –

remembers having this in her first year in college, when

she had Mononucleosis after pushing herself and losing

sleep.

She becomes very tired and sleepy from 4:30 to

5:30 pm (2) and has to nap so that she can study later.

She feels keyed up yet very tired (2). Has bouts of

excitement and euphoric feelings (3), in which ideas and

thoughts race through her mind, and her cheeks and ears

become red and hot (3). Gets very excited talking to

people – they like her! Feels like a “young, excitable

schoolgirl.”

Continues to have sore throats, very persistent, a

hot, dry sensation (1), irritated on swallowing (1) – like

when she had mono though not as severe.

Her symptoms with the original mono? Age 19 had

a persistent sore throat. Her glands were swollen all

around her neck. Her throat closed up, and it was very

painful to swallow, her voice was hoarse and squeaky.

Energy – As above.

Fears – No fears.

Temperature – Slightly warm-blooded.

Food – No particular desires/aversions.

Thirst – Average thirst, for warm.

Sleep – on the side (1), no salivation, perspiration,

teeth grinding, feet out. Dreams as above, no specific

content.

Sex – Her sex energy has been good, much better

since beginning treatment. Feels fine toward her

husband, loving. They’re doing well together in all

ways.

Menses – Regular, 28 dry cycle, five days’

duration, no major problems.

Perspiration – Average, in the axillae.

Digestion – No problems.

Headaches – No symptoms.

Musculoskeletal – No symptoms.

Skin – No symptoms.

[Physical exam – Heart is regular in rate and rhythm, no

murmurs or extra sounds.

• Pulse – 76

• Blood pressure – 118/72

• Throat – faces/pharynx moderately red and

inflamed, same as last visit, tonsils normal.

No cervical adenopathy.]

Analysis of November, 1987, Case

This is eight months after the initial Ignatia 30c

your impressions of this case? How is she doing

generally? Very well. The body focuses on two things –

a kind of excitability, and some throat and sleep

symptoms reminiscent of her bout with Mononucleosis.

1. Repertorizing just the Mononucleosis/sore

throat symptoms – Belladonna, Lachesis, Arum

triphyllum, Hepar sulphur, Mercurius. (In

studying this aspect, I included both the current

and the past symptoms. I have found it useful

to do this.)

2. Taking just the mental/emotional and general

symptoms – Phosphorus, Sulphur,

Lycopodium, Natrum muriaticum, Ferrum

metallicum.

3. Talking all these symptoms together – a totality

– Sulphur, Phosphorus, Lycopodium, Nux

vomica, Rhus toxicodendron, Arsenicum,

Aconite.

Belladonna? - The case lacks a 3:00 pm

slump/aggravation, high fever, etc., and Belladonna

lacks the mental/emotional/general symptoms.

Lachesis? – Not well confirmed.

Arum triphullum, Hepar sulphur, Mercurius,

Calcarea carbonica, Lycopodium? – Not well

confirmed.

Phosphorus? – Average thirst for warm

contraindicates.

Sulphur, Natrum muriaticum? - Not well-

confirmed.

Coffea cruda is certainly worth consideration, but it

does not cover the throat symptoms.

There is a hint – any ideas? Sleepy at 4:30pm –

Ferrum phosphoricum, Sepia.

Sepia? – Not well-confirmed, as the sexual and

hormonal aspects now seem very healthy.

Ferrum phosphoricum? – Notice that both

Phosphorus and Ferrum metallicum are well-

represented in the mental/emotional/general symptom

repertorization. In particular, notice the rubric, “FACE:

Discolaration, red, with excitement,” where we find

Coffea, Ferrum metallicum, Phosphorus, Sepia,

Sulphur.

When I read the remedy Ferrum phosphoricum in

KENT and HERING, i found the following symptoms:

Mental – Unnatural excitement, talkative, hilarious;

his ideas are abundant, and there is unusual clearness of

mind (also Coffea);

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Face – Red face alternates with paleness,

circumscribed redness of cheeks, heat of face, flushes of

heat;

Throat – Redness in throat and tonsils, heat in

throat, constriction of throat, pain on swallowing,

inflammation of throat and tonsils, burning, soreness in

throat, hoarseness, voice lost, weak;

Sleep – Restless, many dreams; anxious, confused,

vivid, nightmares.

Thus, although the repertory does not strongly

suggest Ferrum phosphoricum, the remedy clearly

covers the pertinent elements of the case, plus the

specific (and spontaneously given) symptom of

sleepiness at 4:30 pm.

A single dose of Ferrum phosphoricum 200c was

given.

Results of Ferrum phosphoricum Prescription

Over the next six months, she did very well, with

no further problems with sore throats. The throat exam

was normal thereafter. No other major sickness.

She experienced no more nervous excitability and

flushes of heat. She said, “It seems rather silly, looking

back on it.”

The 4:30 pm sleepiness? It went away gradually

after the remedy. She reported feeling very well

mentally and emotionally, “exceptionally well.”

No problems dealing with her father. She felt

separate from him and her past negative experiences.

She reported feeling more genuinely nice toward

people and was no longer depressed on the anniversary

of her mother’s death.

She was working very hard in school, earning high

grades.

No sinus or vaginal problems. A good relationship

with her husband. They were talking about having

children.

She said, “I am so much different than when I first

came for treatment. My life and health were out of

control. There was so much helplessness, guilt, self-

pity, and desperation. I felt like a victim. Now I feel

ready and able to live my life.”

Repeated the Ferrum phosphoricum once in the six

months, not because she was doing poorly, but because

I was experimenting. I could not discern any particular

effect from the repetition. She simply continued to

progress.

Another Episode of Vaginitis

May, 1988

[Comes in before scheduled appointment]

Some persistent and annoying symptoms, the past

three weeks.

Itching and burning around the vaginal opening (2)

with a slight amount of whitish discharge.

Feels sad and discouraged (2), afraid that it won’t

get better, that the symptoms will turn into something

severe. The symptoms are not resolving [very anxious

about this] A feeling of self pity (1).

Just before this started, she had been working very

hard, losing sleep, preparing papers and a presentation

for school. In the midst of this, she had a brief panic

attack, had to sit down and catch her breath.

Ever had symptoms like this, only on the external

genitals? Yes, one time at age 20, shortly after her

mother died; treated topically with an antifungal cream.

[O – moderate redness, slight swelling around the

vaginal opening, no discharge seen. Vaginal wet prep is

clear, no white blood cells, no yeast cells/hyphae, etc.]

Has been feeling very teary the past two to three

weeks (1).

Energy – Tired from working hard. Slumps around

6:00 pm.

Temperature – Warm-blooded (1).

Temperature – Desires chocolate (1).

Thirst – Average, for no particular temperature.

Sleep – Sleeps on sides (1). No salivation, teeth

grinding, feet out. Has been having night sweats (1) the

past two to three weeks. This is unusual.

Sex – Avoiding intercourse due to current

symptoms, otherwise everything is fine, normal.

Menses – Regular, no problems.

Digestion – No symptoms.

Headaches – No symptoms.

Musculoskeletal – No symptoms.

Skin – No symptoms.

No sinus symptoms, no problems, with sore throats.

Assessment:

Plan:

Analysis of May, 1988, Case

Here there are only a few local symptoms, some

local and some general. The actual genital symptoms

are not severe, and one could with justification leave the

case alone at this point, and wait for further

developments.

I chose to prescribe, because she seemed rather

worn down by her schedule, and because of the anxiety

and the panic attack, which suggested that the situation

was affecting the deeper aspects of her health.

But then what to prescribe? Looking solely at the

totality of the local plus the mental and physical general

symptoms – Sulphur, Nitric acid, Sepia, Calcarea

carbonica, Mercurius, Pulsatilla.

Either way, similar remedies are suggested.

Nitric acid is a strong consideration, because of the

excessive anxiety and despair. Had there been another

characteristic symptom, such as desiring salt and fat,

sticking pains, or strong-smelling urine, I would

probably have given Nitric acid.

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But I chose instead to return to Sulphur, which

seemed likely to be her constitutional remedy.

A single dose of Sulphur 200c was prescribed,

despite the fact that the general symptoms did not

support Sulphur as strongly as the last time it was

given.

Results of Second Sulphur Prescription

That second Sulphur prescription was one year ago.

The genital symptoms resolved shortly after the remedy,

but more importantly, she felt an immediate

improvement in her general energy and mood.

She had no more panic attacks or night sweats. She

began to play her musical instrument again after 14

years. She began to write poems and draw pictures, and

reported feeling like she was eight years old when doing

these activities. (It was around this age when her

mother first began to confide in her, treating her like an

adult.) “I grew up too fast.”

The Sulphur 200c has been repeated once in the

past year, during another time of lost sleep and

overwork. Otherwise she has been fine.

One interesting detail – the tendency to wake early,

around 4:00 or 5:00 am, has never gone away

completely. She seldom wakes with palpitations now,

but the waking has been persistent. This is a strong

Sulphur symptom, yet the remedy has not affected it

much.

She told me that she had a history of waking in the

night since childhood, so I didn’t think too much about

it. When I saw her last month, she reported having

vivid memory images, in which she clearly remembered

that her sleep problems began after her father hit and

threw her about when she was three years old. She

never felt safe to sleep through the night after that.

What this will mean in terms of prescribing remains to

be seen, but it suggests that her organism is preparing to

deal with this. Another remedy might be required.

Conclusion

This is the record of one person’s homeopathic

treatment over a period of three years and nine months.

The initial prescription of Penicillinum, based on a

fragmentary proving, addressed the Drug Miasm.

Sulphur may well be the constitutional remedy, and it

has been given at two distinct points in treatment.

Iganatia was for the emotional trauma of her

mother’s death, as well as her feelings toward her

father. Ferrum phosphoricum appears to have been for

her late adolescence – the Mononucleosis, the nervous

excitability. There seems to be some overlap between

the Ignatia and Ferrum phosphoricum elements, at least

in terms of chronology.

A few comments about prescribing over time for

layers of pathology:

1. It is important to get the correct first

prescription, or the case will not easily

progress toward clarity.

2. It is useful to carefully watch the shifting of the

general symptoms, which then can be used to

confirm a change in remedies.

3. Whenever the patient comes back with new or

altered symptoms, it is very important to find

out if he or she has ever had these symptoms in

this way before.

4. Small and seemingly insignificant symptoms,

often concomitant to the actual complaints

(such as the sleepiness at 4:30 pm for Ferrum

phosphoricum) will help to confirm the correct

prescription.

5. The body always knows what it is doing, even

if we do not.

I think this case shows rather clearly how the

human organism, under the stimulus of treatment,

moves in an intelligent and systematic way to bring

back unresolved mental, emotional and physical aspects

of the earlier life, so that in the present these unresolved

aspects can be worked through and integrated. This

then creates a healthier and freer life, and enables the

person to be more of whatever he or she has the

potential and the desire to be.

========================================

4. The Psychic Dimension of Thuja

COULTER R. Catherine

(JAIH 86, 4/1993-94)

Introduction

Thuja, made from the twigs and leaves of the Thuja

occidentalis or Arbor Vitae, was introduced into the

Homeopathic Materia Medica in 1819 by

HAHNEMANN, who then proceeded to dignify the

remedy by establishing it as the sovereign anti-sycosis

medicine, serving to counteract the malefic effects of

gonorrhoea—whether in acute, suppressed, or inherited

miasmatic form.

1

Thus distinguished, Thuja immediately took its

rightful place amongst the homeopathic polychrests

and has been favored with respectful treatment in the

classical as well as more recent literature. Yet to this

day its own particular personality presents something of

a mystery to even the most knowledgeable physicians.

HUBBARD speaks for a number of her colleagues

when she writes: "Thuja is one of the most difficult

1

Henceforth, the word “sycosis” will refer to hereditary

gonorrhea as well as its long-term sequelae.

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remedies to learn...its personality only emerges after

long delving and experience."

The reason for this is readily stated. For a proper

understanding of the medicine's unique Gestalt one

needs to penetrate beneath the patient's conscious

mental-emotional levels into the subconscious—there,

in the dark recesses of the psyche, to discover the

archetypal struggles and challenges of which the rich

recorded symptomatology is a manifestation. One

needs, in short, to explore the psychic dimension of

Thuja.

The Physical Dimension

On the physical level this remedy presents little

difficulty—as, due to the heroic self-sacrifice on the

part of the early Homeopaths who, in an attempt

thoroughly to "prove" the substance, not only willingly

subjected themselves and their families to the routine

headaches, joint pains, eye and respiratory tract

infections, ailments of the digestive system, sleep and

other nervous disorders-but also stoically suffered

decaying of the teeth along the gum line, erosion of the

gums, and none too alluring eruptions on the skin of

fungoid growths and excrescences—moles, corns, fatty

tumors, polypi, haematodes, condylomata, and warts of

every conceivable shape (coxcomb, mushroom, fig, or

cauliflower; pedunculated, crater-like indented, flat,

raised or skintab), size (large, medium, or minuscule),

color (flesh-colored or pigmented, black, brown, or

red), consistency (hard or soft; horny, granular, jagged,

spongy, or moist), age (long-standing or newly

blossomed), and nature (painful, itching, stinging,

sensitive to the touch, bleeding readily, emitting a fetid

fluid, or smelling of sweat, herring brine, or old

cheese)—Thuja is easily recognized. In fact, there has

been established in the homoeopath's mind such an

inseverable link between Thuja and various skin

excrescences that the following conversation between a

doctor considering this remedy and his seeming

wartless patient is hardly a rarity.

"Do you have any warts?" the physician inquires.

"No" is the reply.

"No warts at all?"

"No." The patient is sure about that. "No warts."

"Not even one single solitary little wart?"

The patient shakes his head.

"Perhaps a raised mole or two."

"Nope. Sorry."

The physician, defeated, sighs, "Too bad!"

"I beg your pardon?"

A brief exculpatory explanation is proffered

concluding with the regretful "It is a bit of a setback.

Nothing missing in your case except the warts."

The patient politely offers what sympathy he can

and the physician, rallying, remarks, "Well, I guess

we'll simply have to make do without warts. Pity,

though. Yours, otherwise, would have been a textbook

case."

2

Thuja is furthermore easy to spot on the physical

plane in affections of the male urinary tract and

reproductive organs. Because of its leading role in

complaints arising from the gonorrheal Miasm, a

physician scarcely needs to requisition and press into

service the "little gray cells" of Agatha CHRISTIE's

super-sleuth Hercule Poirot to recognize this remedy

picture in urethral discharges, inflammations, and

stricture; warts and sores on the penis; testicular pains;

and various prostatic complaints including the

"prostatic neurasthenia" (Boger's pithy phrase) which

so frequently accompanies prostate related maladies.

Thuja either alone clears up these conditions or, as

often happens, follows well and completes the work of

Lycopodium, Pulsatilla, Silica, and other remedies.

3

Characteristic, too, is the remedy's curative powers

in the female genito-urinary sphere---although, save in

profuse leucorrheas and warty excrescences around the

vulva and in the perineum, its similarity might be less

immediately apparent.

A teen-ager had long been suffering from ex-

cruciatingly painful menstrual cramps. Having taken her

case history and identified no single outstanding

remedy, the physician proceeded to round up the usual

suspects for this complaint and prescribed in turn and

over a period of many months Sepia, Pulsatilla,

Belladonna, Chamomilla, Magnesia phosphorica,

Natrum muriaticum, Calcarea phosphorica,

Medorrhinum—all to no avail. These repealed failures

to pinpoint the simillimum were becoming increasingly

embarrassing to the prescriber—until the patient

mercifully volunteered that she had recently detected an

uncharacteristic "ketchupy" odor to her perspiration that

he sensed a likely culprit.

2

The falling off of warts can occur with lightning speed

(twenty minutes after administration of the remedy, a child's

long-standing, large, crater-like wart dislodged from the parent

finger) or at a more leisurely pace.

And not only warts. It might be appropriate to mention here

that in over thirty years experience, the only times that the

author witnessed homeopathy's influencing the disappearance

of raised black moles from the torso or face (i.e., observed

them spontaneously shrivel and drop off, leaving not a trace

behind) was on three occasions when patients were

undergoing a course of Thuja for chronic ailments.

3

According to the homeopathic hagiography. Thuja is reputed

to have been brought to Hahnemann's attention precisely by a

young man's developing acute urethritis after chewing on the

leaves of the arbor vitae (cf. Shepherd).

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True-blue (and doubtless ketchup-loving) Yankee

though Kent was, the possibility was slight that this

particular adjective would be listed under perspiration

odors in his Repertory. However, ketchup smells

"sweetish" or "honey-like" (Kent), as does Thuja's

perspiration, and the remedy was immediately roped in

to serve its curative term.

One could continue indefinitely citing Thuja's

remarkable physical cures in every area of the body, but

the Homeopathic literature is already crammed full of

impressive cases and adding to their number would

belabor the point without enlightening it.

4

To repeat, the

remedy on the physical plane presents no problem to the

prescriber. It is on the mental-emotional plane that Thuja's

identity, growing complex, becomes less clearly de-

fined.

The Mental-Emotional Dimension and Natrum

muriaticum

In the comparative Materia Medicae, Thuja has

been linked in various ways with a number of

remedies—the most imminent of which are Nitric acid

(Hahnemann), Pulsatilla and Sepia (Boenninghausen),

Pulsatilla alone (Borland), Lycopodium and

Staphysagria (Hering), Silica (Boericke), plus, of

course, the gonorrheal nosode Medorrhinum, as well as

the never to be left out of anything Sulphur; and strong

arguments can be made for each one of these

relationships. The field is essentially a free-for-all. On

its deepest emotional level, however, it is to Natrum

muriaticum that Thuja is most closely related. This

important affinity has already been noted by BOGER

(who, in his Synoptic Key, incidentally, ranks the

potentized salt high for suppressed gonorrhea); yet it

remains for the practicing physician to establish wherein

exactly lies the profound affinity between these two

remedies.

To begin with, the troubled Thuja patient (who is

seeking homeopathic assistance for more than a

specific physical complaint) is apt, like Natrum

muriaticum, to view himself as singled out by destiny to

be the recipient of Hamlet's "slings and arrows of

outrageous fortune" and to evince the all-too-familiar

picture of repressed emotions: anxiety, depression, and

difficulty with relationships following in the wake of an

inability to ask for what he wants, to express his

4

Apart from the original compilers of the provings and cures,

the British homeopaths, in particular, have accorded the

remedy full justice, perhaps due. in part, to the time honored

modality "worse from drinking tea" in their highly tea

drinking culture (cf. BURNETT. CLARKE. SHEPHERD.

TYLER, WHEELER, and others).

feelings, or to deal with anger (a frequent observation is

"I feel horrible and bad when angry"). Further, he tends,

again like Natrum muriaticum, to retain in his inmost

being not just the slings and arrows of fortune,

personally directed at him, but also any other spirit-of-

the-times injury or negative emotion that is circulating

in the universe and is up for grabs (cf. the author's

Natrum muriaticum chapter in Portraits. Vol. I)

5

At

times, so deeply entrenched are these legitimate or

imagined injuries that for the longest time the patient

himself may not be aware of how seriously bogged

down he is in a psychological mire from which he

cannot escape.

A primary distinction between these two con-

stitutional types resides in Thuja's not projecting as

unequivocal an aura of despondency as do persons of

the salt diathesis. For, despite all noble attempts to

camouflage his heart bowed down by weight of woe,

your true Natrum muriaticum so obviously carries the

sorrows of the world on his shoulders—what he is

feeling is so plainly inscribed on his face, conveyed in

his voice, in his manner of talking, and in his every

gesture—that he can be spotted by the observant

homeopath from the moment he walks into the office

or from his very first glance (PI). Thuja is either more

adept at disguising the burdened aspect of himself (an

"uneasiness of mind [where] everything seems

burdensome and distressing": Allen) or his pain lies so

deep that it dares not—can not—surface, even in body

language. Consequently, even when harboring a similar

low self-image, a tendency to self-condemnation

("reproaches himself": KENT), or a way of questioning

equally both the meaning and validity of life ("weariness

of life": HAHNEMANN; "loathing of life": ALLEN), he

appears to be "lighter" than Natrum muriaiicum ("the

arbor vitae has a cheerful, jaunty appearance with [its]

uptilted branches": Gibson), giving the impression of

more openness and trust.

Finally, although to the naked eye Thuja is less

redoubtably determined than Natrum muriaiicum to

extract the maximum pain from love relationships and

more willing to forgive or let go of a heavy parental

relationship (PI), still, traces of these characteristics can

be found underlying a number of his physical

complaints. The following case is representative of the

two remedies' complementary roles.

5

To avoid repetition of character traits already discussed in

greater detail in this author's Portraits of

Homeopathic Remedies, Vols. 1 and 2. henceforth, the

symbols (P I) and (P II) will signify for the reader seeking

more information to refer to that particular remedy

chapter.

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Search for relief from long-standing insomnia

drew a young woman to Homeopathy. Other com-

plaints were internal trembling, a pounding or racing

heart which was worse upon lying down (at times to

the point of thumping audibly), and of being

enervated by the sun; while in appearance she was

oily-haired and waxy, oily-skinned.

The reason for her symptoms was not hard to

ascertain. Three years previously she had walked out of

a prolonged, painful relationship which involved many

subtle ways of being exploited and in some not so subtle

ways of being abused by her no-good lover. Yet here

she was, thirty-six months later, still feeling an

intense longing for the obvious loser of a man and, at

the age of thirty-three, despairing of ever again

experiencing a "happy (?!) relationship." She found no

consolation in close friends and was making no effort to

meet new ones. Although during the consultation the

woman made every effort to remain stoic, she broke

down when permitting herself to talk of her loneliness—

exhibiting, when crying, a blotched and swollen face

and bright red nose.

With such a patent Natrum muriaticum picture

(bright red nose and all) as well as history, presenting

any remedy but the potentized salt would have

rendered the physician guilty of criminal neglect.

Accordingly the remedy was administered, first, in the

30c, then, moving gradually up the scale, in the 50M

potency. The rataplan heart and internal trembling

abated after the lower potency; the hair needed to be

washed only on alternate days instead of daily and a

higher tolerance of the sun developed after the middle

potencies; and the mood was uplifted after the highest

potencies ("a certain crying inside has ceased"); also

the patient looked lighter and happier.

But her insomnia persisted. It was characterized by

a frequent need to urinate, aggravated by tea ("I'm

doomed for the entire night if I so much as drink a gulp

of tea anytime after lunch")— although even without

this pernicious beverage, she awakened around 3:00

a.m. to urinate, after which sleep was impossible. This

last being Thuja's aggravation and waking lime, the

physician whipped out his Thuja 1M—a single dose of

which was administered as a con brio finale to the cure

begun by the healing salt.

Kent, in his Lectures on Materia Medica, offers

little in the way of a mental description of Thuja apart

from a few "fixed ideas"—merely citing in one place

the "violent irritability, jealousy, quarrelsomeness,

ugliness...(that) the doctor may not be able to find out

about because the patient has in her nature a disposition

to cheat." Yet from this acorn of a picture a mighty oak

has sprung. Subsequent homeopaths, falling in step

with Kent's typology, as well as with the general

uncharitable treatment received by the sycosis miasm in

the hands of Roberts and others, have elaborated upon

it. Thus HUBBARD: "Salacity runs through the

remedy...with a kind of impotent delight in

lasciviousness. Like all sycotic remedies, there is an

element of deception, cheating and lying in Thuja."

6

Other respected homeopaths like Borland,

however, have contested this depiction of the type,

asserting, "That is not the Thuja familiar to me. [These]

patients arc singularly well-mannered; they are

sensitive, polite, grateful...responsive to

kindness...truthful and scrupulous in everything they

do."

Actually, these conflicting opinions are easily

reconciled when taking into account, first, the degree of

illness. In cases of severe pain and emotional

disturbance the Thuja individual may well exhibit

Kent’s "ugliness" of conduct. Perhaps many ill people

are angry, and when in pain or discomfort behave in a

quarrelsome, ungrateful, irascible manner: the tyranny

of the invalid (more of which, later) is a familiar

phenomenon. And second to be taken into account is

Thuja’s Natrum muriaticum-like reserve (PI). For,

reticence and presenting a strong front in adversity is

another trait that the two remedies share, together with

a partial denial of their hardships even to themselves.

But because Thuja is considerate ("polite"), less socially

awkward than Natrum muriaticum, and more adroit at

disguising non-acceptable emotions ("she mingles in

society as usual, behaves correctly and even jokes":

Allen; "is able to control herself amongst strangers":

Kent), he may appear secretive and deceptive ("furtive":

Hubbard).

6

The near-libelous moral stigma and negative char-

acteristics attributed to the sycosis remedies is discussed

in the Medorrhinum chapter (P II). In addition, the

reader's attention is drawn to the original provings of

Hahnemann, Hering, and Allen, where the only truly

negative listings their crews of stalwart provers could

come up with were "sulky, angry at innocent jests"

(Hahnemann), "very irritable ...quarrelsome, easily

angered over trifles" (Hering), "exceedingly ill-

humored...peevish...and inclination to anger" (Allen).

However, to do Kent justice, the above quotation

must be taken in context. The preceding words read:

"when the ovaries have been affected for some time

there will be violent irritability..., etc." Also, apart from

the misleading reflections on the moral aspect of the

Sycosis Miasm (always dangerous territory for even the

greatest homeopaths) and consequently on Thuja,

Hubbard's concise essay offers a valuable picture of

this remedy.

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Is such dissimulation deceit? Is the physician to

address such a patient with a "Fie upon you, my friend,

the truth is not in you!" or in other ways violate the

reserve that has served the sufferer well over the years?

Or is he rather to view such denial in the light of a

protective technique that the patient has erected in a

laudable attempt to deal positively with his hardships

and out of consideration of other's feelings.

An example of this trait is portrayed in the

following scene from Joyce Cary's The Horse's Mouth

where the down-and-out painter Gully Jimson is

stopping the night with Planty, a former cobbler, who

has lost his right hand and, being unable to work, is now

forced to live impoverished in a London poorhouse,

trying to make the best of a wretched existence.

In fact, [Jimson narrates] in spite of a

certain rudeness in my cough, due to in-

dignation with the weather and some

anxiety about finance, I passed a...good night

in a bed of chairs. For although I could not

sleep, I had a good view [of the sky], as Planty

pointed out, through the top of the window...

Planty himself did not sleep either.

Whenever I looked his way, I could see his little

eye glittering as he stared at the ceiling. But

what he was thinking of, I don't know. An old

man's thoughts are an old man's secrets, and no

one else would even understand them. He only

once spoke to me when he heard the chairs

creak and said, "You all right, Mr. Jimson?"

"I'm all right, Mr. Plant. Why aren't you

asleep?"

"I've had my sleep. I wondered how you

were sleeping."

"Like a top," I said. For it saves a lot of

trouble between friends to swear that life is

good, brother. It leaves more time to live.

The trunk of the arbor vitae is nearly as inflexible

as a pillar of salt and Thuja, once again similar to

Natrum muriaticum, is characterized by emotional

inflexibility: rigidity of outlook, fear and resistance to

change, and a general inability to go with the How

(PI). These individuals do not respond well to

transitions of any nature—either external (adapting to a

changing environment) or internal (changes in the

normal course of growth and development).

Beginning already in childhood, the Thuja-

requiring infant might scream with terror on being

carried from one room to the next or when transferred

from one pair of caring hands to another, and a change

in diet is occasion for stormy weather. Transitions from

sleeping to waking and vice-versa are another trauma.

The infant wakens in a grumpy, petulant mood, ready

to cry on the slightest pretext, and then is so wired up

before naps or at night that it cannot get to sleep: the

more tired it is, the more hysterically it carries on. And

every new stage of growth—teething, beginning to sit

up, to crawl, or to walk—throws it off balance.

The older child is disoriented by changes in the

family routine that its siblings accept with equanimity.

It has a tantrum when switched from one form of

occupation to another or if not allowed to wear a piece

of clothing on which its mind is set (see also the

section, "The Child and Vaccinosis"). Predictably,

however, the youngster thrives on strict discipline

and "loses it" when this is lacking.

Even the Thuja adult becomes unreasonably

distraught over changes in routine: he has "fixed ideas"

(Hering) about the way things are done— when, where,

and how. Thus he is angered by being asked to walk

the dog in the evening instead of his usual afternoon

turn; while a change of schedule in the preparation of

meals in a group or communal situation, someone

occupying his favorite chair in front of the television,

or any form of interruption in whatever he is engrossed

are all a cause for distress ("crossness when all does

not go according to his wish [or plan]" (Hahnemann)).

In view of larger life issues, such minor concerns

should be inconsequential, as Thuja himself realizes

perfectly well; nevertheless they affect him profoundly.

"I find myself," said one patient who had exhausted the

action of Natrum muriaticum for her headaches and

unstable bowels (diarrhea alternating with constipation),

"fretting over the pettiest, most insignificant matters:

for instance, over the heels of my shoes wearing down

faster than they used to or if our grocery store is out of

my favorite brand of cheese. Of course, I could have

my shoes re-heeled more often or go to another store to

get the cheese, but I want my store to carry it and

rubber heels be made as strong as they used to be. l

can't understand why these things should bother me. I

have found my niche in life, like my job, and am in a

good relationship. I should be happy and carefree. Yet

instead of enjoying life, these trifles are cropping up to

plague me. How do you explain this distressing

rigidity? What does it mean?"

The physician did not even attempt to explain the

phenomenon except to say, "It simply means that you

are now in need of Thuja."

The patient was touching lightly on a trait that

carries far-reaching ramifications. Individuals of this

constitution find themselves adequate only to those

situations that are patterned, prepared for, ossified—

situations which require no adjustments. Such an

inflexibility reflects, of course, deep-seated fears and

insecurities, compelling the subject to concentrate on

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unimportant, peripheral matters in hopes of thereby

controlling the larger unpredictable ones. Even more, it

is indicative of a tenuous mental balance

("unsteady...fragile": Hering), of an underlying chaos

or disorder in the psyche ("chaotic": Kent) on the verge

of breaking through. To stave off this last (that is, to

propitiate the dark forces threatening to erupt) the

individual sets up extra rigid rules and frameworks

within which he can operate in relative security, and

then abides by these—with a tenacity!

Thuja's: rigidity is also a method of counteracting

an inherent indecisiveness ("irresolution": Kent's

Repertory; in this rubric the remedy ought to ho raised

to the third degree). Pulsatilla's indecisiveness over

daily matters arises as a corollary of dependence, and is

a way of bringing others into one's supportive network

(PI). Thuja's irresolution stems from an uncertainty

concerning his whole life: Why was he born? What is he

doing here on earth? What should he be doing here on

earth?

For, similar to Natrum muriaticum, the type can

be burdened with a troublesome conscience (PI). The

symptom "extremely scrupulous about small things"

(Hering) is prompted in equal measure by inflexibility

(the conviction that things must be done in one precise

way necessitates a conscientiousness over details), by

dread of being in error, (engendered by a touchy pride

and wanting to be "a good boy/girl"), and by that dull,

heavy, joyless virtue known as a sense of duty.

Over conscientiousness, inflexibility, and the taking

of life ultra seriously reflect, amidst other traits, a

fundamental unease around people. "Although I may

not show it, I feel unwanted and out of place among my

peers" is a familiar Thuja refrain (a Natrum

muriaticum's similar lament, as he fluctuates between

withdrawal from and aggression vis-a-vis humanity,

would not carry the introductory phrase).

Thuja's unease stems from a number of causes and

assumes a variety of forms. A ready assumption of guilt

and remorse is one fertile source: an all-pervasive guilt

that has its twofold origins both in the individual's own

uneasy conscience and in a tendency to shoulder the guilt

of the world. Children feel responsible for their parents

quarreling or breaking up; one Thuja-requiring girl even

fell in some way responsible for her mother being in a

wheelchair from polio(!) An adult suffers from guilt

when getting out of a poor relationship or escaping from

a violent and alcoholic spouse; abused children or

women feel somehow to blame for being abused

("constant anxiety, as if he had committed a great

crime": Allen; see also p. 226). Guilt may also arise

from unfounded fears of hurting others. "Forgive me for

being alive" is an underlying Thuja motif which finds

its source in the most tortured and convoluted

rationalizations, quite worthy of Dostoyevskii's

"Underground Man."

For instance, because the remorseful individual

does not feel entitled to love, his initial response to

kindness and consideration might be too much

gratitude. Later, turning round, he smarts under his own

disproportionate response. But then, he reasons, it is not

really disproportionate because, indeed, he is

chronically undervalued and insufficiently appreciated,

so his response was commensurate with what is ideally

owed him—although (with another mental swerve),

admittedly, perhaps it was excessive for the amount of

recognition he actually received. In fact (and here he

begins to wax indignant), the scant recognition

proffered him was an insulting crumb. He then grows

uneasy wondering whether it was a 'crumb'...or possibly

as much as, or more, than he deserved...and this state of

mind is but a step from self-condemnation for his rancor

towards that which was, after all, meant to be a

kindness—which brings him back full circle to his

essential unworthiness. And, predictably, all the while,

his disquiet carries a Natrum muriaticum/Staphysagria

subliminal anger and smoldering resentment (PI and

PII) as he waits for an apology from life, for some

reparation, for some explanation as to why he does not

feel at case in this world.

"1 spend one-third of my life dealing with people

and the other two-thirds recuperating from the

experience," said one fine social worker who was about

to be given Thuja for his prostatitis. "I know that I am

full of anger which I can neither express nor

assimilate—but only allow to build up."

Barring certain specific physical symptoms, this

could just as well have been a Natrum muriaticum or

Staphysagria speaking and it could equally have been

one of the two who returned a 1 month later, with

symptoms cleared and energy and spirits revived,

volunteering, "Instead of feeling deprived around

people, I now have a sensation of abundance. I feel I

have much to give, with an ability to put out and

accept love; instead of, as I formerly, shrinking from

people—even my clients—from a fear of hurting or

being hurt by them."

The patient was fortunate in having recourse to

Homeopathy. For the combined force of a pervasive

sadness ("very depressed and dejected": Hahnemann),

"fancied scruples of conscience" (Allen), and an unease

at being a burden to friends and family ("a

consciousness that they are not, doing everything they

ought to be doing...that they are a trouble because they

require attention":' Borland), together with the harboring

of an impotent, unresolved anger that dares to simmer

but not to blaze, can result in Thuja's becoming isolated

and emotionally withdrawn—an emotional state that

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finds its physical counterpart in an aversion "to being

touched or approached" (Hering).

Since dealing with people, the type discovers,

generally involves hurt, little pleasure, and even less

fulfillment ("company aggravates": Kent), he grows

ever more self-absorbed and touchy, becoming

morbidly sensitive about things he shouldn't ("angry at

innocent jests": Hahnemann) and increasingly

insensitive about things he should ("thoughtlessness":

Hering). For there is a Sepia as well as a Natrum

muriaticum side to the injured Thuja. Because feeling

is painful, he grows evermore "quiet, absorbed in

himself" (Allen), incapable of expressing or receiving

love ("does not care for her children or relations":

Hering), and eventually begins to lose touch with his

emotions ("I feel drained and empty and dead inside").

Furthermore, sensing love or even the mere contact

with people as a burden, he desires to be left alone in

his misery ("avoids the sight of people": Kent) and, like

a wounded animal, to crawl into his lair and lie

undisturbed, licking his wounds ("relief from being

alone": Hubbard; and cf. Sepia, [P1]).

All of which can lead to an estrangement from this

world—to regarding himself in some way as foreign

("It's always the same old story: never belonging

anywhere!" is a typical complaint). And it is with this

particular sense of foreignness that Thuja breaks away

from Natrum muriaticum, Staphysagria, Sepia, and

other remedies and begins to assume a separate

identity.

7

A Thuja case history might well entail neglect,

deprivation, a traumatic birth experience or early

separation from mother (due to illness or adoption), or

childhood abuse. Such a background can, to be sure,

result not only in a patient's profound sense of his own

inadequacy but also in an alienation from humanity—in

feelings of being an outsider and the proverbial

"stranger in one's own land."

Thuja can be likened to a person standing outside,

alone in the darkness, looking through the window of a

house into a room where the inmates are festively

enjoying each other's company, acutely aware of his

isolation and convinced that he can never be a part of

the congenial scene.

7

In point of fact, this particular characteristic— actually

this whole Thuja picture—is more prevalent in women

than in men, But, once again, for stylistic purposes, to

honor the King's English so to speak, the masculine

gender is employed throughout this analysis when

referring to patients in general, as well as to the

physician in charge of a case.

Natrum muriaticum, also often a victim of injury,

neglect, or an unhappy childhood, likewise feels

himself to be an outsider who does not belong in this

world. Nonetheless, although burdened by loneliness

and saddened by his inability to establish easy and

comfortable relations with humanity, he keeps trying to

do so. Even while feeling uncomfortable and at the risk

of pain, he is always endeavoring, by means of a high-

minded altruism (hoping in this way also to help

himself), to adjust to the world (PI); and his psyche is

firmly lodged in this reality.

Whereas Thuja's estrangement, albeit less

obvious (because, as mentioned earlier, the type is

more socially adroit), is of a more radical nature. His

psyche has already commenced a protective distancing

or disconnecting from this world ("feels everything as

from a distance": Allen). This lost, often unconscious

process, differs from the sensitive Silica's

"disconnectedness", with its conscious desire not to

relate too closely with people so as to eschew the too

heavy emotional demands; Silica knows his limits and

has learned how to conserve his energy and guard

against psychic trauma (PII). It differs also from the

Lycopodium distancing or "detachment" from his own

and others' emotions which, simultaneously, permits

the latter to feel intellectually very much at home in

this world and to function adeptly in its social or

political institutions. Lycopodium’s detachment

operates largely to filter out unpleasant, undesirable, or

inconvenient truths (PI). Thuja’s disconnectedness or

"foreignness" has a personality distinctly its own—the

nature of which plunges us straight into the heart of our

thesis.

The Psychic Dimension

Either because he has been so profoundly injured in

this lifetime or, as sometimes happens, from

exaggeration of or an imagined victimization (this

"imagining" of Thuja's will be examined in detail

below), some part of Thuja's spirit has withdrawn from

this world and, even if unconsciously, sought refuge in

some other sphere of reality where it hopes to feel more

at ease. In other words, even while functioning

adequately or in fact well on this planet both physically

and socially, a certain psychic break, a certain non-

integration between his spirit and mortal frame, has

already taken place. No longer his old self but not yet

understanding his new self ("as if divided in two parts

and cannot tell which he is": Kent), he is undergoing the

growing pains of transition from existence entirely in

this world to an awareness of other dimensions. Hence

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the key Thuja strange, rare, and peculiar symptom "feels

as if soul were separated from body" (Allen).

8

A case in point was the long-time homeopathic

patient, cured of migraine headaches in the past with

Natrum muriaticum and occasional doses of Pulsatilla,

who came to the doctor because of a recurrence of his

former malady, in milder form, and two new physical

symptoms: heart palpitations, worse sitting, and burning

sensation on the tip of his tongue.

The mental picture revealed that some ten months

previously his spiritual master had passed away and that

the grief was still acutely with him. The intense

mourning period was perhaps legitimate, but the

patient himself felt that he was too weepy for a grown

man, too sensitive to criticism, and emotionally

unsettled ("discombobulated" was his word); that it was,

in short, time for him to move on from his prolonged

grieving. The physician was debating between Natrum

muriaticum and Pulsatilla and, while giving himself

time to think, casually inquired about the other's recent

vacation on an island off the Atlantic Coast.

It transpired that, contrary to the patient's own

expectations (since he usually loved being near the

ocean), the vacation had not been a success. He had fell

as if the island were haunted—and was continuously

aware of unfriendly spirits hovering around him: "It

was an eerie and unpleasant sensation that I've never

before felt there." Only later did he learn that he had

been staying near the alleged burial grounds of

American Indians who had been massacred by white

settlers, while the remainder of the tribe was evicted

from the island. It was as if the spirits of these

maltreated souls were resenting his presence on their

island and had returned to haunt him.

The patient's newly awakened sensitivity (the

spirits on the island had never made their presence felt

to him in all the years he had previously vacationed

there) suggested Thuja. And, with a clearing of his

physical symptoms, an interesting change occurred on

the emotional plane: the mourning for his master had

lessened because, as he said, "I feel as if I have moved

on to a plane where I'm closer to him than ever and a

part of me has joined him. Now I am communicating

8

At the risk of suiting the obvious, the reader is

reminded that by no means will every Thuja patient

exhibit a picture of partial alienation from the world;

nor, conversely, will every troubled patient exhibiting a

psychic estrangement require Thuja. But in daily

practice a growing sensitivity to other orders of reality

is being encountered with increased frequency, and the

following pages will be devoted to investigating the

phenomenon as it pertains to patients of this particular

typology.

with him in spirit in a way I never could before. And,

because I no longer am completely lost without him, I

feel more inside my body, more grounded."

Thuja, rather than his two reliable standbys, was the

man's simillimum because he had moved on to a stage

in his spiritual development where he was beginning to

access psychic realms—even if without yet wholly

comprehending the phenomenon.

Thus to identify your Thuja, look for the psychic

dimension. Once the physician holds this key, the

remedy becomes easier to recognize—even in

seemingly straightforward physical complaints such as

Arthritis, Eczema, Asthma, Irritable Bowel syndrome.

He may, however, have to work hard to extract this

guiding symptom.

A woman, still young, was crippled with Ar-

thritis. Burning, swelling joints were disfiguring her

hands and feet, with restlessness and pain driving her

out of bed in the early hours of the morning. At first

Rhus toxicodendron, prescribed in the 1M potency and

repeated at regular intervals, almost entirely cured her

condition. But nine months later, the remedy in every

potency ceased being effective and the physician

deliberated on how to proceed.

Naturally Thuja as well as Medorrhinum— both

major remedies for rheumatic joint pains and swellings

which are so frequently associated with the Sycosis

Miasm—suggested themselves as likely candidates, but

a clinching modality or mental symptom was needed to

decide between the two.

The patient refused to cooperate. There was no

discernible Thuja 3:00 a.m. aggravation, nor ag-

gravations from humidity, heat or cold, onions, or tea;

the pain was not worse during the waxing moon (note,

for mnemonic purposes, the linguistic correspondence

to Thuja's "waxy" skin); and on the emotional plane

there was no unease with people or guilt, no feelings of

estrangement or a sense of being victimized—save by

her illness, Yet neither was there a Medorrhinum

amelioration by the ocean, between sundown and

sunrise, or a need to lean far back to pass stool; she was

not better lying on her stomach or in the knee-chest

position, nor was she particularly fond of oranges. Time

passed neither too slowly (Medorrhinum) nor too

quickly (Thuja). Homeopathically speaking, she was a

complete washout.

The physician then bethought himself of probing

deeper into her dreams.

"My dreams are not particularly disturbing, as I

told you before, and there are no recurring ones as far

as I can recall." She hesitated. "There is, however, one

thing. Sometimes at night, just as 1 am about to fall

asleep, 1 sense the presence of my departed mother

hovering round me. It is by no means an unpleasant

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presence but it is unsettling. She seems to want

something of me or is trying to tell me something, but,

although I keep asking her, I don't know what.

However, this probably has little bearing on the case."

Little bearing on the case! This symptom, in its

close approximation to the classical Thuja symptoms

"sensation as if a person is beside her", "sees phantoms

of dead persons", "fancies someone is calling",

“converses with absent people"—and constituting as it

did a form of communication with another dimension

of reality, was the very key to the patient's case. And

Thuja 1M, administered infrequently, greatly

diminished the woman's stillness and swelling and has

kept her free of pain over the years.

One other case by way of illustration: a budding

sensitivity to the psychic realm was unearthed in a girl

in her late teens suffering from Spring allergies and

chronic nasal catarrh involving the frontal sinuses with

a constant need to hawk up mucus. These ailments

would respond acutely to various remedies, but the

latter symptoms resurged at the slightest cold spell.

Clearly, the case needed to be addressed on the

miasmatic level.

Remembering the well-known homeopathic

dictum "Gonorrhea is the mother of catarrh," the doctor,

to confirm his choice of Thuja, began a search into the

young patient's extrasensory perception experiences.

After first denying vigorously any such, the girl finally

admitted to having recently taken up the study and

interpretation of Tarot cards—which is, of course, a

form of psychic divination. When the doctor, reaching

out for his Thuja, asked this patient why she had held

back this crucial bit of information, the answer was "I'm

tired of people regarding me as a 'super flake' when I

tell them about my interest in Tarot [this conversation

took place a number of years ago when such pursuits

were looked upon askance in polite society]. And,

besides, I'm only a beginner—although, if I do say so

myself, I'm becoming real good at reading the cards. If

you help my sinuses, I'll give you a free reading."

A bargain was struck from which both parties

emerged winners.

This entertaining of angels unawares is also

encountered in male patients in their middle or

advanced years, in whom significant spiritual changes

are just starting to take place but have not yet been

assimilated. In the meantime the subject resorts to stout

denial.

The only complaint of a man in his early fifties was

difficulty emptying the bladder, with frequent

incomplete calls occasionally accompanied by burning.

He exhibited the classic Thuja forked stream and a

sometime yellow, glutinous urethral discharge; but

when the physician, falling into his usual routine, tried

to draw out some experience of a spiritual nature, the

patient was not forthcoming. Only after Thuja had

cleared up the physical condition did the physician

learn that the patient, who was a city resident, had opted

to take his meager yearly two week vacation not at a

mountain or seaside resort but in New York City(!) so

as to attend a conference on Tibetan Buddhism.

When asked why he had chosen to do so, he replied

airily, "Oh, out of sheer, unadulterated curiosity—

nothing more spiritual than that."

Yet to subject oneself to a full fortnight of

listening, for gruelingly long hours, to the teachings of

Tibetan mystics (when more than half the time the

audience was unable to arrive at a consensus of opinion

as to whether the Tibetan interpreters were speaking a

garbled English or had lapsed into their native tongue)

argued for some spiritual leanings—none the less valid

for being unconscious.

However, to plead the devil's advocate (and heaven

forbid that Homeopathy be rendered tidy, pat, or

predictable!), there was a case of a woman with

recurring urinary tract infections which responded only

temporarily to Cantharis or Pulsatilla. In searching for

a deeper remedy, the physician extracted from her a

truly strange, rare, and peculiar symptom—the

sensation of something alive in her ear.

"A worm in the ear?" the physician inquired— in

which case Medorrhinum would have been his choice.

"No. No crawling sensation. Just something

throbbing—and worms don't 'throb', do they? But as if

alive."

A well-known Thuja symptom is "sensation of

something alive in the abdomen" (Hering), and Boger

lists Thuja in his "alive sensations" under Generalities;

so that a bit of stretching of the first symptom and

blending it with the second perfectly justified

prescribing the arbor vitae in the 200C potency. When

the patient returned much improved, the physician, ever

pursuing his favorite Thuja theme, began pressing the

patient for the psychic dimension to her case.

"Are you sure that nothing in your life could be

viewed as experiencing some supernatural phe-

nomenon?"

"Quite sure."

"Hmmmm...But perhaps the 'something alive' in

your ear was the merest intimation of a spirit trying to

communicate with you."

"Well, perhaps," the patient acquiesced—but

without conviction.

"Or perhaps—"

"Nope. For-get it!"

And the physician was forced to leave it at that.

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Nevertheless it is intriguing how when dealing

with the Sycosis Miasm some growth in psychic or

spiritual awareness often does accompany the physical

complaint. But, whereas Medorrhinum appears to be at

a crossroads of destiny, and the remedy pushes to start

sonic process welling up inside which the patient can

elect either to confront or not—the choice is his (PII)—

with Thuja the picture is different. He no longer has a

choice. His physical and mental symptoms are

compelling him—for his very emotional survival—to

explore the regions of other realities.

Conversely, Thuja might not work in similar cases

of Arthritis, Urethritis, or Catarrh if the individual is

not at a stage in life where he ought to be actively

expanding his understanding of the psychic realms.

There is no implying here that those persons not

responding well to Thuja are less spiritually advanced

than those who do. It goes almost without saying that

every constitutional type is on a spiritual path of its

own, therefore has different lessons to learn.

Psorinum (we saw in Portraits, Vol. 2), too readily

sensing himself to be a victim of circumstances beyond

his control, needs to establish a healthier balance

between Predestination and Free Will. Tuberculinum's

archetypal challenge is to find a viable way to satisfy

both the primitive and civilized sides of his nature. The

Medorrhinum picture, presaging some change that is

about to take place, challenges the patient to

commitment and response, even as still unclear forces

beckon him onward. And many individuals already

feel secure and at home in the extrasensory dimension

(clairvoyants, clairaudiants, psychics, or mediums, for

instance, will more frequently require Phosphorus.

Lachesis, Silica. Sepia, or Calcarea carbonica: PI and

PII). Thuja, on the other hand, appears to be called for

during that stage in a patient's spiritual development

when his particular challenge is to grow more aware

of and at ease in. the new spheres of reality that are

opening up to him. Thus the remedy serves to lengthen

a process already begun.

Two middle-aged women with almost identical

physical complaints, one helped by Sepia, the other by

Thuja, offer here an instructive contrast.

Both women suffered from periodic left-sided

frontal headaches and exhibited small, recently sprung,

brown or flesh-colored warts on different parts of

their bodies. Both worked in the alternative healing arts,

each one excelling in her own particular field. The patient

requiring Sepia was a psychic (she called herself an

"intuitive counselor") who was in clear communication

with guiding spirits from other planes of reality and felt

perfectly comfortable in the supernatural realm. Her

particular difficulty and life challenge was integrating work

with family life—feeling too strongly drained by home ties,

duties, and affections (PI).

The second patient, with a history of sexual abuse in

childhood, was a more tortured soul. Although a true healer,

who was helping her clients by means of gentle adjustments

with her remarkable hands, she herself had no clear

comprehension of the powers with which she was working. A

dread of the unknown and a resistance to change was

restraining her from venturing deeper into the spiritual realm,

with the result that she suffered periodic breakdowns, during

which an incapacitating indecisiveness, complete loss of

self-confidence, and the Thuja aversion to being touched

extending to an abhorrence of touching others placed a

decided, damper on her good work.

Thuja 1M was prescribed—together with a visit to the

Sepia psychic who, in a single reading, elucidated the

archetypal lesson behind the patient's sufferings and

instructed her in techniques "for accessing my guiding

spirits so as to assist me to fulfill my role in the Cosmic

Plan," as the woman, availing herself of the "New Age"

terminology, put it. Later, she herself interpreted her frontal

headaches as the concrete physical expression of her "third

[spiritual] eye'' attempting to open up but unable to do so.

Certainly they progressively decreased in frequency and

severity under the influence of the occasional dose of Thuja

and her own untiring efforts to raise her spiritual

consciousness.

Mental Confusion and "Delusions"

The Thuja patient frequently complains of weak memory

and concentration ("mental dullness": Hering; "distraction":

Hahnemann; "has great difficulty fixing the

attention...forgets everything he does not write down":

Allen) and mental confusion ("ideas confused and mixed":

Allen; "confusions as if in a dream": Kent). Or as one wit

described his weakened mental powers: "The machinery

just whirs around for some time—but nothing at all

happens."

This is hardly surprising. Lost as Thuja is between

two worlds, in neither of which he feels at case ("Why do I

always feel like a second class citizen wherever I am or

whatever I'm experiencing?"), his mind is bound to be in a

turmoil of thoughts, feelings, sensations from which he

tries initially to extricate himself by fleeing back to the

familiar reality of his old self.

But, of course, he cannot do so. Having once set foot

on the paranormal path there is no reversing the direction

without injury to the psyche. The pilgrim cannot retrace his

steps but, working through the confusion and perils of alien

territory, must keep journeying onward. Turning back

would be courting death of the spirit.

Thuja's lack of mental clarity reflects then, first of

all, a general spiritual bewilderment and psychic

disorientation which contributes to the profundity of his

despondency, fears, insecurities. But even on a less esoteric

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level, his confusion reflects that underlying "foreignness"

and unease in this reality which is manifested in an inability

to grapple with the normal flow of existence. The

individual, as we discussed earlier, sets up rigid

frameworks in his daily life precisely because he is so readily

confused by the give and take of relationships as well as the

physical aspects of this world.

For example, his very sense of time may be confused.

The feeling that "time passes too quickly" (Kent) arises in

part from a mental abstractedness, with a tendency to being

lost in sad or "happy reverie" (Allen). In contrast to the

hard-working, productive Arsenicum who is able to

accomplish more in a day than any two ordinary persons

(PI), 'Thuja never seems to have the time to accomplish

anything. Confusing reverie with reality, his excuse is that

he has been too busy (watching the clouds? the birds?

"enjoying the afternoon?" as certain individuals put it, or

anguishing over some past or future problem?)—so that

before he is aware, the day is over.

This mental confusion can be observed already in

children: in intellectual skills there is little order or retention

and their retrieving system (to use computer language) is

all askew. Some days the child will know a bit of

information; other days it will not. Sometimes it will spell the

word "hope" correctly; other times not. Or it exhibits a

slowness in talking and difficulty finding words.

Frequently, long before it has time to finish a sentence,

other members of the family or its peers have ceased

listening and proceeded on to other topics. Sensing its

intellectual awkwardness, the youngster might then

resort to sobbing and raging because it feels that it is in

some way different, not belonging to this world—

consequently unwanted and unloved. Yet,

simultaneously, it combats with every fiber of its young

being all intellectual challenges or any assumption of

responsibility that might serve to diminish its

confusion.

In adults, absence of mental clarity extends even to

a linguistic confusion ("confusion of the head, with

difficulty of speech": Allen). As if his own language

were "foreign" to him and no longer under his

dominion, Thuja exhibits lapses: uses wrong words,

misspells familiar ones; omits words or syllables when

speaking and writing or insignificant words interpolate

themselves; talks either too-hastily, swallowing words,

or too slowly, in monosyllables, with hesitation and

hunting for words. Other features are repetitiveness,

broken or interrupted sentences, a Lachesis-like

saltation from one subject to another, or inability to

finish sentences from vanishing thoughts (consult the

classical literature—especially Hering).

At times, then, Thuja may be spotted from the way

a patient recounts his symptoms.

Increased hair growth on her face and body (with

long silky hairs two or three inches in length on her

forearms and thighs—and, had she let them grow, ones

almost as long under her chin and as sideburns) was

vexing a woman in her thirties. Thuja, of course, is

notorious for endocrine imbalance taking the form of

hair growth in unusual places—as well as, interestingly,

loss of hair in unusual places (not scalp, but eyebrows,

beard, axillae, pubic area). Equally vexatious to the pa-

tient was her mental state. An assistant professor in

philosophy and, as a rule, very much in control of her

mental faculties, she was now, however, finding it

difficult to concentrate on the texts ("when reading

unable to follow the meaning": Allen), to think

coherently, to recall perfectly familiar information, or

"to make connections", as she expressed it, when

organizing material for her lectures. Everything

scholarly, formerly so mentally accessible to her, was

now a source of confusion.

The patient, in turn, was confusing to the physician

in her case presentation: a medley of scattered and

unfinished thoughts. Roberts maintains that

"overgrowth" or the proliferation of cells is a key

characteristic of Sycosis; hence the excess hair growth,

the skin excrescences, tumors. And, taking up his torch,

other homeopaths have attributed to Thuja a paralleling

excess of speech. This characteristic is by no means true

of the majority of individuals requiring this remedy, but

certain patients themselves would be the first to agree

heartily with Hubbard's succinct depiction of their lack

of mental clarity and linguistic style: "Mental em-

broidery and proliferation is ever the enemy of

continuity. The Thuja patient has too much matter and

too little form."

Anyway, as this woman was giving her case in a

muddled way, with many repetitions, she kept

interrupting herself to inquire, "Am I making myself

clear? Do you understand what I'm saying? I would hate

to be unclear. Do you follow me? Please, tell me if I am

not clear."

The one thing emerging crystal clear was her need

for Thuja.

And what were the dreams of this truly prototypal

case? In a curious counterpart to the patient's physical

proliferation or excess of hair cells and mental

confusion were two recurring dreams. The first

consisted of entering a house she was about to buy or

move into: a house she knew well from the past but

which, as she walked through it, seemed to expand and

the rooms to multiply—initially in a logical, then in a

disturbing, because disordered, way. One encounters

numerous variations on this dream of disorientation

from expanding structures, where the Thuja dreamer

suddenly feels lost in a familiar house and fearful of

investigating it further; but the underlying theme of

finding himself in new (instead of what should be

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familiar) territory, with the typical Thuja confusion

from exploring new dimensions, remains a constant.

The second recurring dream was one of the

woman's enjoying a visit to old friends. Then having

the visit drag on...and on...growing first uncomfortable,

next disagreeable (with the wish yet inability to escape),

until the situation becomes downright intolerable; but

still with no way out.

This dream was obviously symbolic of Thuja's

fundamental unease with people—as well as of sycosis

excess.

A form of mental confusion and disorientation that

cuts still deeper is the remedy's so-called "delusions."

Thuja is generously endowed with "strange, rare,

and peculiar" delusions which are of particular value to

our thesis—pertaining, as many of them do, to the

extrasensory realms. These delusions take the forms of

out-of- or altered-body sensations and of encounters

with presences or voices from other planes of reality.

To enumerate a few of the many (sixty plus) delusions

found in the classical literature (here again, Hering

leads the field):

of animal in abdomen

of all kinds of animals passing before him

that body is brittle; delicate

that body is lighter than air

that she is made of glass; easily broken

that flesh is being torn from the bones

that body is thin or is getting thin

that body is dissolved

that body has the appearance of building

stones

that body is heavy as lead

that legs are made of wood

that his skull is too tight

that he is divided in two parts; of being

double

that body is separated from the soul

that he is under superhuman control

that his continuity would be dissolved...that

he must die

that he hears music

that someone is calling

that he hears voices in abdomen

that he sees people...strangers are beside him

that he is conversing with the absent

that he sees ghosis, spirits, specters, and

visions

Kent employs the word "delusion" for these

symptoms—in part, no doubt, to facilitate repertorizing

but also because, hitherto, they have been interpreted as

indicating mental instability and imbalance, if not actual

insanity. And The Webster Dictionary defines

delusions as "false beliefs or fixed misconceptions; a

state of being led from truth into error." However in the

present day and age our understanding of Thuja-like

"delusions" is undergoing a significant metamorphosis,

and these sensations are beginning to be viewed rather

as a confused understanding of paranormal phenomena

in subjects ultra receptive to other orders of reality.

9

For instance, few enlightened healers of the psyche

would today consider Joan of Arc, who heard voices, to

have been insane. Nor was she suffering from

delusions. Adopting a broader perspective, she is

regarded as having had access (without confusion) to

regions where guiding spirits were instructing her what

to do.

Thus, rather than view the above symptoms as

delusions (with this word's negative connotations), it

would be more respectful of individuals in touch with

the spirit regions, as well as perhaps more accurate, to

hark back to the original classification of these

symptoms as "sensations as if (cf. Hering).

To elaborate: if our thesis that the accessing of

extrasensory perception realms plays an integral part in

the Thuja picture holds true, then a whole new

interpretation of these so-called "delusions" emerges.

Perhaps Thuja is not merely imagining that someone is

beside him or that someone is talking to him or trying

to influence him, or fancying that spirits of the dead are

appearing to him, but is growing more sensitive to other

levels of consciousness where such occurrences are

taking place. It is necessary, however, to append the

words "as if" to these symptoms because our language

has no accurate terminology with which to represent the

supernatural phenomena. Our vocabulary and very

emotions are equipped only to describe presences from

this plane of reality. Hence Thuja's mental confusion

and inability to describe his strange behavior ("when

asked with whom she is talking aloud, does not know

what to think": Allen).

Perhaps then, too, the sensations as if strangers are

approaching and accosting him or that someone is

beside or calling him are in actuality objective spirit

entities that are approaching the patient, trying to talk to

him, or in other ways making their presence felt, but

which he cannot yet comprehend (recall the cases of the

9

Certainly, the Thuja picture encompasses insanity (cf.

Hcring and others); but true insanity does not lie within

the sphere of this analysis.

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haunting spirits of the American Indians and of the

mother trying to communicate a message to her

daughter). Certainly, most of Thuja's "delusions" are a

quite different kettle of fish from, for example, the

Cannabis indica "imagines himself to be a locomotive"

(Kent). In fact, Thuja's"sensation as if" he is made of

glass, is brittle, is emaciated, or his continuity would be

dissolved, could be viewed as accurate images of his

delicate psychic state on the verge of breaking down;

while the symptom "feels as if skull is too tight" could

reflect the psyche's attempt to break through some

barrier or confinement that is preventing his

understanding of the encroaching new dimensions.

Finally, the fear of being under superhuman control

may be a legitimate dread of the confused and fragile

ego (indeed few types have a more fragile hold on

karmic life than the emotionally troubled Thuja) who is

sensing the nature of spirits without understanding

them, and is living in terror lest he fall under their

undue influence.

For, seemingly perfectly balanced Thuja patients,

with no visible traces of paranoia or mental imbalance,

have described their fear and reluctance of venturing

near seedy bars and run-down bus or subway stations,

even in broad daylight, because of their heightened

sensitivity not merely to the unfortunates who hang

around these public places but even more to the spirits

of departed drunkards and other outcasts from society.

It is as if these lost, tormented spirits, who have never

broken away from this level of reality and are still

attached to their addictions or vices, are seeking to

pounce onto some passing, vulnerable soul (inevitably a

Thuja) and, by latching on, to come back to earth.

In other words, that which contributes to Thuja's

mental-emotional confusion is having no conventional

paradigm or frame of reference through which to

process and make meaning of his paranormal

experiences. And this lack of satisfying tools for

grappling with the psychic dimension, consorting with

his utter psychic vulnerability and consequent inability to

sift and sort out amongst the entities both malignant and

benign that randomly bombard him (contributing to his

feeling "of being double": Kent) leaves him with no

skills to discriminate in the spirit world.

Admittedly, no one can say for certain whether

these "sensations as if" are genuine contacts with a

different objective reality or products of overactive,

over stimulated, at times even diseased imaginations.

Although it is lately being pounded into us with ever

increasing force that "there are more things in Heaven

and on Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our

philosophies" (Hamlet), the field

of psychic phenomena

is still largely unexplored territory. It is conceivable

that the supernatural lies not outside us but within us—

in our subconscious, our imagination, our unconscious

memories. Perhaps the individual psyche merely tunes

into some archetypal or transpersonal experience of

humanity, into what Jung calls our "collective

unconscious." Possibly, even, the whole world of

positive and negative entities are but emanations of the

psyche's attempts to find a method of

depersonalizing guilt and minimizing too heavy

personal moral responsibility—i.e., attempts to lighten

the burden of our insupportable yet unsuppressible

consciences (discussed below, pp. 225-226).

No matter. Fortunately for Homeopathic pre-

scribing, all such unknowns are irrelevant. The true

homeopath, holding to Paracelsus' maxim that man is

but a microcosm of the universe ("For what is outside is

also inside, and what is not outside man is not inside.

The outer and the inner are one thing:,, one

constellation, one influence, one concordance, one

duration..."

10

) operates on the premise that it is , not the

physician's role to pass judgment on how

"scientifically" valid or invalid are a patient's

sensations. Working with the sensations "as if", that

which guides him to the simillimum is the particular

"form" a patient's energy takes and his resultant

emanating Gestalt.

The material point in Thuja is that the troubled

psyche appears to be at that stage in its spiritual

development when lost, frightened, full of remorse

("rising of dark thoughts, causing uneasiness and

apprehension of misfortune": Allen), it is asking, "What

do these spirits accosting me—or my ever-active

conscience—want of me? Why are they not leaving me

alone? Whence these feelings of 'foreignness',

alienation, guilt? How can I feel less of an outsider—

more as if I belong here, in this world?" At one end of

the spectrum, Thuja is a dutiful, well-intentioned,

"conscientious" (Kent) child who wishes to please his

parent, teacher, or other authority figure but, receiving

confused messages, does not know what is demanded of

him— consequently how to respond; while at the other

end of the spectrum, Thuja, sensing in these paranormal

manifestations a threat to his already confused and

insecure ego ("the excess of the etheric leaves little

room for the ego": Hubbard), yet unable to escape from

them, is angrily rebelling in the way a threatened

adolescent fights against and rejects the guiding

influences of those closest to him, those most eager to

help him.

We noted earlier that other constitutional types

confronted with the choice of embracing or rejecting

the extrasensory perception realms can elect either to

10

Quoted in Divided Legacy, Vol. 1, p. 394.

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pursue investigation of these or to disregard them, but

that Thuja’s idiosyncracy lies in no longer being able to

avoid confronting these issues. The thin end of the

wedge is already in the door and his symptoms are

forcing him to explore the new realities crowding in on

him.

For we are threatened by that which we do not

understand. Certain awarenesses have to be brought to

light and integrated on the conscious level for true

healing to take place. As long as a sufferer

misunderstands the psychic phenomenon he is ex-

periencing and refuses to investigate it further, he will

remain apprehensive, angry, despairing—at times even

suicidal ("she begins to weep bitterly and says she

can no longer think or live": Allen). Reinforcing that

which the body and spirit are trying to express, the

potentized Thuja's first objective, then, is to assist the

menaced patient in feeling more at case in the psychic

realms. This process, in turn, heightens trust in the

material world. With the realization that its institutions,

its variegated humanity, and his own body are here to

help and not to hinder him in his spiritual growth, the

individual grows more comfortable here on earth.

An unhealthy gum condition (helped by surgery in

the past but now resurging) brought a middle-aged

woman to Homeopathy. Other physical symptoms were

one-sided headaches around the time of her menses,

with the classical Thuja symptom, "as if a nail were

driven through the temple," inordinately swollen veins

on her legs, and brown spots on her arms and hands

which would periodically appear, then disappear. These

physical symptoms were a manifestation of a general

health crisis which followed close on the heels of

divorce—especially traumatic and guilt-inducing to a

strictly raised Roman Catholic.

Weighing equally heavily on her spirits was a new

distress. She was falling victim to hearing voices.

Some were minatory and accusing, others were

comforting; some voices were instructing her to

"STOP," others to "GO" (Anacardium); some were

telling her she was evil, others that she was good.

Altogether it was chaos and confusion— making her

wonder if she were possessed ("deranged and unfit to

live": Allen).

The patient was started on one dose of Thuja

200C, which was repeated a month later; then during

the course of a year was given two doses of the 1M

and two of the 10M. The physical symptoms all

improved, including the mysterious materializing

and vanishing of the brown spots.

And, as to her voices: "Oh. I continue to hear

them. 1 fear they are here to stay. But they are no

longer menacing. And the way I look at it is, if the

voices insist on being heard, 1 may as well capitalize

on this weird phenomenon and learn how to put them

to some use."

"Resorting to the old familiar 'If you can't lick

'em, join 'em' policy," the prescriber remarked.

"Precisely. So I am reading innumerable books

on the subject and am talking to a venerable priest

with mystical leanings who is teaching me, through

prayer and meditation, how to distinguish between the

opposing voices. Could be, with time, I'll be able to

channel the good ones for the benefit of others as well

as myself."

The homeopath could not have wished for a more

gracious bowing to the inevitable.

Before proceeding further, it ought to be mentioned

that Thuja's relation to the extrasensory dimension need

not always be torturous, fraught with strife. Certain

patients—those with their struggles behind them, who

are now free to reap the spiritual rewards—experience

solely uplifting encounters (direct or indirect) with

spirit entities.

For instance, the physician may learn to recognize

an underlying Thuja diathesis in patients displaying an

anthropomorphism—sometimes whimsical, sometimes

earnest. More than one Thuja patient has admitted to

regarding nature as permeated with living entities and

to sensing the presence of living spirits in flowers,

shrubs, trees, and even the lowly weeds. They also admit

to believing in pixies and elves, fairies, and brownies.

A woman, who had since childhood enjoyed talking to

these last, one day decided that perhaps she should be

concerned. "What is happening to me? Am I losing my

mind—or regressing into childhood? Do tell me."

Her doctor could reassure her on that point.

"Myself never having mastered the subject of brownies

and elves, I, personally, cannot attest to their reality.

But thanks to my Thuja patients, a number of whom are

quite conversant with this topic yet in all other respects

completely normal, 1 see no cause for alarm. If you

wish to hold communication with the little folk from

other spirit regions—please, be Homeopathy's guest."

All too often, however, (due possibly to something

inherent in the nature of the Sycosis Miasm which we

have yet to learn—or whatever karmic reason) the

Thuja individual has to come to an understanding of

psychic phenomena the hard way. Phosphorus, in

contrast, feels not only at home in the extrasensory

perception realm but actually enhanced by it. Being of a

highly receptive, impressionable disposition, he eagerly

welcomes novel sensations, emotions, experiences,

often consciously cultivating communication with

spirits from other realities (PI). There is less

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resistance to the unknown, fewer barriers because he

instinctively operates from a position of trust.

Lachesis lies midway between Phosphorus and

Thuja. He may struggle with the supernatural dimension

more than Phosphorus but does not close down to the

experience in the way Thuja does initially. Although

somewhat threatened, he feels simultaneously excited

and exhilarated by being under the control of a

superhuman power, since this control is often

accompanied by surges of inspired creativity (PI).

The contrasting natures of Phosphorus and Thuja

were dramatically illustrated in two patients with near-

death experiences.

A warm, friendly woman was being prescribed

Phosphorus for her bleeding tendencies. In the past she

had been hospitalized so often for severe hemorrhaging

during menses that eventually, at the age of thirty-six,

a hysterectomy was performed during which she almost

died. More recently, a brain haemorrhage necessitated

another hospitalization; at which point, after being

discharged, she turned to Homeopathy for assistance.

The patient was a communicative soul and at her

first visit confided to the physician, as to a very special

friend, her near-death experience during her

hysterectomy. (The physician was highly flattered by

her trust until he learned that, true to type, the

Phosphorus woman had recounted this experience to

every one of her "intimate friends"—i.e., to just about

every person she knew [PI]). She found herself (she

narrated) alone and frightened in a dark tunnel. Fear

would have rendered her unable to move, were it not for a

light at the far end, which, upon her approach, she saw

was coming through a chink in the door of a brightly

lit room. Through this slit floated sounds of voices:

happy voices with laughing and singing—as if at a party.

Her one desire (she recalled) was to be a participant in

the merriment, and this propelled her onward. Just as

she was approaching the door and was about to open it

wider to enter, her action was arrested by her mother's

voice ordering her to "Come back! Come back! Come

back!"

The daughter had no desire to return. She wished to

take part in the fun and festivities. But her mother's

peremptory command brooked no disobedience and, as

if still a little girl, she reluctantly obeyed.

That was all the woman remembered until she came

to in the recovery room, after having been labored over

for many hours by a team of doctors trying to stem

her bleeding.

Meanwhile her mother, living in another state

secure in the belief that her daughter's operation was

long over and for certain she would be hearing from

her in the morning, had gone to bed. That night, around

2 a.m., she saw in a dream her daughter lying in an

open coffin that was being carried away by undertakers

for burial. Her husband said that he was awakened by

her shrieking at the top of her voice, "Come back!

Come back! Come back!" It was just around this time

of the night, the doctors calculated, that the hemorrhag-

ing of the patient (who had just about been given up for

dead from loss of blood) abated, the vital signs

reasserted themselves, and she was brought back to

life.

The near-death experience was thus by no means

one solely of terror to the Phosphorus woman, who

claimed that, full of curiosity, she had wanted

desperately to pass through that door to the room where

everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves; and that

only force of habit had compelled her to obey her

mother. Altogether the whole incident captured

beautifully the Phosphorus trust of new experiences—

even when entering the realm of death.

Quite dissimilar in tone was the experience of an

Arsenicum album/Thuja asthmatic. Over the years, the

woman had responded well to Arsenicum album for her

acute condition and to Thuja as her constitutional

remedy. This, incidentally, is a well-recognized role of

Thuja: to serve as the "chronic," of Arsenicum album

in asthma and other cases when a gonorrheal Miasm

underlies the complaint ("In sycosis, Arsenicum does

not go to the bottom of the trouble but Thuja will take

up the work...and cure": Kent).

Prior to her discovery of Homeopathy, the patient

also had almost died in hospital during a severe asthma

attack. She, too, described finding herself alone and

terrified in a dark tunnel with a speck of light in the

distance.

11

This woman, however, was not hastening towards

the speck of light; her fear was not tinged with any

curiosity as to what lay ahead. She was struggling to

turn back and flee. Yet no turning was possible in the

narrow passage, and her experience was one of

unalloyed terror—ending with a sudden explosion of

11

The frightening, long tunnel with a light at the end

appears to be a sine qua non in near-death experiences. Birth

and death being two sides of the same coin, conceivably, just

as we enter life through the birth canal, so we exit this world

through a tunnel of sorts—also followed by a burst into light.

If so, this renders the alleged last words of the great

Goethe, "Mehr Lichi! Mehr Licht!" as well as those of the

saintly Pascal, "Feu! Feu! Feu!" not quite as unique as one

had supposed; and those of the aesthete and wit Oscar Wilde,

dying in a room hung with ugly Victorian wallpaper, "Either

this wallpaper goes or I do!" (after which exclamation he

promptly expired), rather refreshing.

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light from the rear, after which she regained

consciousness.

In the Arsenicum album chapter we discussed the

type's strong fighting spirit: fighting illness; fighting

obstacles and limitations; fighting for absolutes and

perfection; fighting the inevitable (PI). It stands to

reason that this would be a prime remedy for the

struggles of the dying, who resist death with every cell

and fiber of their being. The remedy, in high potency,

lessens the terror of the Great Unknown and eases the

letting-go of this life ("Gives quiet and ease to the last

moments of life when given in high potency":

Boericke).

Lachesis is another superior remedy for the dying

("euthanasia": Boericke)—especially at times when,

apart from the guiding symptoms, the patient

experiences frightening spiritual struggles. (Who is to

possess his immortal soul? Light forces or dark forces?)

And Carbo vegetabilis ('the old man's friend") is a

blessing to the elderly patient who spiritually is quite

prepared for death but is physically gasping for air—

and suffers the terrors therefrom.

Before concluding this section, one additional

near-death experience is cited as an example of a yet

different remedy personality.

A woman, mother and wife to a large, demanding

family, recounted how, after travelling the length of the

tunnel, she arrived at the light at the end, only to

discover that it was infinite space containing—nothing

at all! No Christ or Buddha, Moses or Mohammed

figures were there to greet her. Just a vast, light

emptiness and silence. "But that," she remarked drily,

"is precisely my idea of heaven."

What was her constitutional type? Why—Sepia, of

course!

Sleep, Dreams, and Inspiration

One swallow does not make a summer; and a single

near-death experience of a Thuja individual is

scarcely a sufficiently solid foundation upon which to

erect a respectable argument of Thuja's uneasy

relationship with other spheres of reality. Fortunately,

however, the everyday experience most closely

approximating death—sleep—is accessible to every

mortal; and this realm offers further confirmation of

our thesis.

The most common Thuja affliction related to sleep

(or, rather, to the lack of same) is a persistent insomnia,

characterized by an early morning (3:00 a.m.) waking

with little hope afterwards of the sleep's continuance.

The waking may be caused by some physical condition

(getting chilled or overheated, a drenching

perspiration or need to urinate, or a 3:00 a.m.

aggravation of on-going symptoms and ailments), but it

has also been interpreted by patients themselves as their

subconscious waking them before they have a chance

to experience unsettling or threatening dreams—which,

at this point in their lives, they are psychically not

strong enough to deal with ("dreams affecting the

mind": Kent).

This theory is rendered tenable from repeated

observations that when the Thuja victim of insomnia

does sleep longer, he encounters one or more of the

symptoms listed in the homeopathic literature:

distressing dreams remain with him a long time,

refusing to be shaken off; sleep disturbed by frightening

visions or apparitions in the morning hours; or the spirit

(after having escaped to some other plane, as some

patients allege takes place during deep sleep)

experiences difficulty reentering the material body and

adapting to this reality upon awakening (yet another

variation on the sensation "as if mind is separated from

body" as well as of "feels divided in two parts, and

could not tell of which part he has possession when

waking"). To forestall these eventualities the

subconscious, rallying to the aid of the sufferer, prevents

a long or deep sleep.

One patient had for several years been unable to

sleep more than two or three hours a night ("sleeps at

night only till 12 o'clock, then lies awake":

Hahnemann; "short sleep": Kent). This insomnia,

alternating with visitations of spectres whenever she

did manage to grab a few extra winks, was the one

symptom persisting in the wake of a nervous

breakdown. It was only after Thuja had helped render

the spectres less menacing—had in some way laid those

discontented souls to rest— that she now "dared [as she

put it] to sleep longer." Another patient, trying to

recover from a broken love relationship, who had been

helped by Ignatia and Natrum muriaticum but still

suffered from insomnia, required Thuja because,

although thoughts of his former loved one no longer

obsessed him by day, she still appeared to him almost as

an apparition at night.

In addition to being extra-susceptible to visitations

by spirits during sleep, the very nature of Thuja's

dreams indicate his having stepped over some threshold

of this reality into another dimension. He dreams "of

dead men" (Hahnemann); of himself either already

being a denizen of the nether world or that he is about to

become one; also of conversing with the spirit

inhabitants from the misty regions (consult the classical

texts).

Indeed, death is an ever-present concern to many a

Thuja. He experiences "continued thoughts [in contrast

to dreams] of dying...presentiments of death" (Allen); or

the soul in misery "desires death" (Kent). In addition,

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without actively seeking their presence, he may be extra

sensitive to the spirits of the dead. This characteristic is

encountered even in childhood.

A girl on the brink of puberty was suffering from

an unaccountable numbness of the legs. She was

prescribed Thuja with success partly on the basis of a

certain rigidity to her nature: for instance, the usurping

of her particular seat in the car or at the dining room

table by any sibling would evoke a disproportionate

reaction. At her second visit, after the remedy had

begun to take effect, the physician learnt that when each

of her grandparents died, for a while afterwards she

would sense their presence around her and pick up

messages that they were trying to relay to other

members of the family; and that subsequently over the

years, they would appear to her in prophetic dreams.

When a decade or so later she passed through a severe

spiritual crisis, Thuja was again the most beneficial

remedy.

Significant, too, are the "falling" dreams.

12

Even

though the symptom in itself is sufficient indication for

Homeopathic prescribing and no interpretations of it

are needed, the human mind is so constituted as to be

tempted to search for meanings behind empirical facts.

Thus, one Thuja patient will interpret his falling dream

as the astral body (which during sleep has disassociated

itself from this world and has been wandering up there

on another plane forgetful of time) hastening to reunite

with the physical body by falling into it before the

sleeper wakens. Another patient needing Thuja views

the falling dream as representing fear of growth in

awareness—somewhat similar to the way a Sulphur

adolescent or a Belladonna-requiring child dreams of

falling from fear of growing up. To yet another

burdened, over conscientious Thuja soul that yearns for

a state of insensibility as a relief from too heavy

responsibilities, the falling dream (representing a

death wish?) possesses an attractive force and partakes

of the nature of Pascal's headlong plunge into the abyss,

leaving the ego and all worldly concerns behind.

Whereas to the guilt-ridden Thuja individual, the

falling dream carries the same symbolism as the

Biblical "Fall." He views it as a fall from God's Grace;

thereby, in yet another way, reinforcing his feelings of

being an outcast—banished not only from this world

but even from the next.

Patients can spin these ingenious interpretations of

dreams indefinitely; the fecundity of the human

imagination is limitless. But, once again, dreams are a

form of energy, and it is their nature, per se, that

12

In Kent's Repertory, under the rubric "dreams of falling

from high places", Thuja stands alone in the third degree.

dictates the homoeopath's choice of medicine—not

their interpretations; even though these last can help

elucidate a remedy's particular personality.

Inspiration can be ranked alongside sleep and

dreams as another familiar aspect of our lives that is

not wholly under our conscious sway. Not surprisingly,

in view of the fact that Thuja helps clear the channels

to the psychic realms, it can also help dispel blocked

inspiration.

A long time homeopathic patient was in robust

health but subject to periodic bowel troubles, as well as

occasional anxiety attacks. Essentially a Natrum

muriaticum type, with her "salt of the earth" personality

and a way of always maintaining a stiff upper lip in

adversity, she also needed Arsenicum album and

Aconite to control (although never entirely cure) her

recurring symptoms. On one occasion, the description

of her urgent, spluttering, splashing, explosive stool,

accompanied by much flatus, alternating with

constipation, pointed to Thuja.

The woman further mentioned a squeaking sound

that occasionally proceeded from her abdomen. As if in

physical correspondence to Thuja's sensation "as if an

animal were in abdomen" or "hears voices in abdomen"

(Hering), the abdomen may emit (in addition to the

various gurglings, grumblings, rumblings, garglings

listed in the homeopathic literature) bird-like

whistlings or mouse-like squeakings.

There was one other striking symptom: a perspiring

under the nose and on the back of the neck, just beneath

the hairline. Thuja perspires on "unusual" parts of the

body and on parts that are not covered with hair—in

contradistinction to breaking out into eczemas, pimples,

or other skin eruptions on parts that are covered with

hair (scalp, beard, armpits).

With such an abundance of guiding symptoms, the

simillimum was obvious. Yet prior to administering the

remedy, the physician, as alert to the scent of the

paranormal in every Thuja-receiving patient as a hound

to the scent of a fox, cross-examined the woman on

whether she was subject to any experiences of a

psychic nature.

She replied in the negative; then added, "However,

a month ago a friend took me to a psychic in town. It

was interesting; yet, although I've tried from time to

time to contact my guiding spirits, as instructed, I have

felt no different since."

It was not much to go on; but, still, the physician

reasoned, something may have been set in motion, and

he composed himself to wait.

Several months later, he received in the mail

scrolls of paper covered with verse. The woman had

always resorted, as a release from family difficulties, to

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writing whimsical (humorous or serious) poetry, but for

some time had been "stuck" in her creativity. Now,

apparently, the verses flowed from her pen in almost

uncontrolled abundance ("I don't know where these

deeper channels of inspiration are all coming from!")

Her homoeopath, however, was content. Thuja,

together with the visit to the psychic, had undeniably

tapped some deeper vein of poetical inspiration.

13

A suggestive parallel between the physical and

mental symptoms crowned the fitness of Thuja for this

case. The woman's poetic inspiration came out in

urgent, uncontrolled, unpredictable bursts—in the same

way as her bowels would spurt out in a sudden,

unexpected, uncontrolled rush. In the Medorrhinum

chapter, the type's bursts of inspiration and creativity

were described. Clearly, a pattern of "bursts" of intense

activity, whether physical or mental, are a sycosis

characteristic—an outward manifestation of the psyche's

being propelled, at top speed, towards some particular

resolution or new understanding (PII).

Disturbed Emotional States and Spiritual Disease

The need for Thuja is arising with increased

frequency these days in disturbed emotional states and

diseases of the spirit.

14

A woman for whom a dose of Thuja 1M was

prescribed, in part for her mental slate which was too

attuned to the darker side of human existence, in part for

the small pedunculated warts that were cropping up on

13

The Arsenicum Elf

Out into the morning

There came a happy Elf.

He knew that he was needed

So he shook his tiny self.

Up went his wee red shovel

My, how the snow did fly!

It glistened in the sunlight

Like the stars up in the sky.

Away he went, a scootingæ

Till the paths, they all were clear

Just fit for children's walking.

And he gave a little cheer.

"Hooray for winter

Hooray for snow

I love to be a helper

Even when the breezes blow."

He looked to left and right

And then he shook his head —

"Now that everything looks tidy

I think I’ll go back to bed."

Printed with the kind permission of the patient who choose to remain

anonymous.

14

Altered or deranged states of mind directly induced by

recreational or hallucinatory drugs is a separate subject not

included in this analysis.

her neck and upper portion of her torso, returned two

months later with fewer warts and much improved in

spirits.

"What remedy did you give me?" she inquired of

the physician.

"Thuja," he replied.

"Oh, but of course! 1 should have guessed! The

Plutonian remedy."

"What makes you call it that?"

"Why, for the little warts on stems that look like the

astrological symbol for And Pluto( ). because, in

general, we are living in a pretty Plutonian age, are we

not? You know, the nuclear age, where the radiation

clouds take the Plutonian shape of mushrooms on

stems—and a time when sexual abuse prevails and the

whole dark side of sex and our subconscious is

emerging—"

In a shock of recognition, the physician grasped the

imaginative astuteness of the patient's characterization

of our era. Indeed, the last half of the twentieth century,

with the opening up of the Plutonian-like underworld

of our natures as well as of the shadowy realms beyond

the one limited by our five senses, carry a distinctly

Thuja flavor.

If (in a homeopathic thumbnail sketch of the

mentality of modern Western Civilization) the Middle

Ages, with its High Scholasticism and powerful

religious dogma, could be characterized as a Sulphur

era; the Renaissance, with the brilliant, sinuous,

versatile minds exploring every branch of knowledge,

seems a Lachesis and Nux vomica era; the Reformation,

with its resurgence of mysticism together with the

birth of science, shows the other sides of a Lachesis

and Sulphur era; the Age of Enlightenment, with its

extolling of reason, good form, good taste, and precise

thinking, projects an Arsenicum album aura; in a

natural reaction to the Age of Reason, the short-lived

Sentimental era at the beginning of the nineteenth

century weeps with Pulsatilla; the remainder of the

nineteenth century, with its High Romanticism and

liberation of the notions, and with every other literary

hero or heroine dying of tuberculosis, may well be

considered Tuber culinum; and Natrum muriaticum

characterizes the post World Wars eras, with their

consequent disillusionment and the growing isolation

of the thinking individual who, breaking away from

traditional values, sets off on his lonely quest in search

of a new identity

15

—then the last four decades of this

15

All these remedy characterizations—as well as (painting

with a still broader brush) the Nux Vomica accelerated tempo

imparted to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by

Napoleon—have been elaborated upon in Portraits, Vols.1

and 2.

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century, which may be seen as an outgrowth of the

Natrum muriaticum mentality and here we begin to

appreciate the historical rationale behind the earlier

analyzed affinity between the two remedies), belong to

Thuja.

Now, if one accepts this impressionistic

characterization of whole historical eras, surely then the

unleashing of the truly 'Plutonian', as the patient called

it, nuclear power (and Thuja, purportedly, was one of

the prime remedies administered to victims of the

Chernobyl disaster); the unleashing of the powers of

sexuality on a mass scale,-bringing with its liberation

from old mores a host of dark issues; the unleashing of

minds through powerful hallucinatory drugs with their

Plutonian aftermaths; but, likewise, the sober

explorations into the subconscious and other orders of

reality, including Pluto's realm of life beyond death—

all these fit beautifully the Thuja picture. This last, in

turn, is clearly reflected in a number of the mental

illnesses of our era.

I. Adolescent Schizophrenia

First to be addressed is "adolescent schizo-

phrenia"—distinguished from true schizophrenia in that

the young person has not truly lost contact with his

environment, nor is he suffering from personality

disintegration; it is more "as if" such changes had taken

place and, in the normal course of events, the malady

rights of its own accord.

The instabilities and perturbations of a young soul

passing from the relative security' of childhood into the

real, frightening, "foreign" world of adulthood are at

best considerable. When Thuja constitutes the

underlying diathesis, the adolescent tends to experience

the familiar trails of feeling wronged, misunderstood,

insufficiently appreciated, restless, bored, and not

"belonging" lo an exponential degree. Full of fears and

contradictory emotions, incomprehensible even to

himself, he feels simultaneously resentful at being

insufficiently loved and remorseful for being unworthy

of love; he dreads being alone yet needs to be alone;

either he talks at too great length and with too much

intensity without listening to others or he retires, sulky

and morose, barring access to his room ("avoids com-

pany": Kent). Physical recoil from touch and anger at

being approached for a favor or even addressed ("will

not be touched or approached") coexist with an

unbounded capacity for taking offense. Altogether, the

telling phrase "Shut up and leave me alone!" about sums

up his attitude towards mankind.

Because this adolescent feels estranged from his

environment and ill at ease, he is ready—nay, eager—to

enter into combat with just about any authority figure,

particularly a family member, who dares to criticize,

contradict, or in any way thwart him ("irritability is

likely to be shown towards individuals about the

house...towards the mother...": Kent). Here, too, is

amplified the earlier mentioned Thuja perverse

sensitivity, with a tendency to be overly sensitive about

the wrong things and insensitive about the right

things—such as the needs and feelings of others. For

instance, himself so touchy about being intruded upon,

he will yet, without the slightest compunction, burst

thoughtlessly and intrusively into a room, interrupting

whatever is going on, and demand of others immediate

attention or some favor. He is driven by the "haste (and)

hurry" (Hering), the impatience, and the restless

seeking of external stimuli so often ascribed to the

Sycosis Miasm (cf. Medorrhinum chapter of Portraits,

Vol. 2). Also, here, finally, one encounters Kent's

"ugliness" of disposition, with all its lying,

suspiciousness, secretiveness.

At this stage, too, many a Thuja adolescent lives in

a state of squalor, in which surroundings he feels more

comfortable because they correspond on the physical

level to the ugliness and disorder he senses inside him.

This, to be sure, is also a Sulphur characteristic (PI and

Portrait of Indifference). But although the Sulphur

adolescent is similarly restless and requires of external

stimuli, lacking which he falls into an ostentatious

ennui; although he similarly abuses his hair and

clothes, and is possibly even more argumentative,

demanding, and utterly selfish, yet he does not emit that

aura of profound "spiritual dis-ease". One senses that

much of this cloud of adolescence, together with the

abuse of hair and dress, will disperse with lime even

without the assistance of homeopathic remedies. With

Thuja it is not merely a question of easing this particular

passage in human growth that can be so taxing to the

tolerance, patience, and love of those around; lurking

in his dark moods is a deeper spiritual disturbance,

which, to be dispelled, will require much outside

guidance and help.

2. Mental Disorder

In keeping with Thuja's averse response to

transitions of any kind, the significant transitions in the

stages of human development are bound to disorient

him. This is true for those young adults undergoing

what appears to be delayed adolescence and exhibiting

either a loss of interest in the world around them, with

incoherence of thought or action, or a lack of self-

control ("gives way to humor of the moment": Allen). It

is also true for Thuja adults during middle-age crises

undergoing nervous or mental breakdowns, with

emotional lability ("very changeable moods; goes

from one extreme to another...spasmodic laughing and

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weeping at the same time": Allen), panic attacks, and

obsessive thoughts ("mind affected; cannot get rid of a

thought he has in his head": Allen). For that matter,

Thuja is beneficial to adults of any age who have failed

to manage their lives successfully or to understand how

a satisfying life could be conducted and who attach

blame on others as an excuse for poor performance ("he

is discontented and dissatisfied as are all those who

have no order in their mentality (and life)": Hubbard).

The remedy is also beneficial to those who suffer from

identity crises and who, in their inability to set

emotional boundaries, merely reflect others'

personalities ("confusion as to his own identity":

Kent). All these mental-emotional disturbances can be

aspects of the same Thuja picture whose various

symptoms are prefigured, if not actually listed, in the

classical literature.

Furthermore, similar to the bizarre behavior

evincing Natrum muriaticums or erratic Lachesis, the

actions and reactions of Thuja sufferers might appear to

be incommensurate with causes—without rhyme or

reason—until one discovers them traceable to some

earlier life incident of a profoundly disturbing nature

(PI). Then the method to their madness becomes

entirely comprehensible. Yet the deepest fears,

insecurities, and free-floating guilt that mark this Thuja

type ("constantly tormented by groundless

anxiety...[feels] she is being punished for a fault she

cannot name": Allen) suggest roots not only in

traumas experienced in early life and remembered by

the subconscious from infancy, during the birth process,

or even while in utero. They may be (if one lends

credence to such beliefs as many healers are now

beginning to) events vaguely remembered by the

subconscious from past lifetimes. Victims of the two

World Wars, the Holocaust, Communist purges, as well

as of cruelties perpetrated farther back in history, seem

to be reincarnating into our world during the second

half of this century with a Thuja diathesis. And the age

during which a particular breakdown occurs is

repeatedly discovered to correspond to the age at which

some traumatic event it was experienced in a previous

life, which some unconscious "memory" remembers. It

is as if the patient is being offered, here and now, an

opportunity to resolve this particular spiritual trauma and

break his karmic pattern of repetitive suffering.

Whatever the original source of suffering, whatever

its interpretation, the hitherto simmering Thuja rancor

and feeling of having been in some way cheated by life,

on this anniversary date, blaze forth. These negative

emotions begin, then, to fester in the dark, dank

underworld of the unconscious; like the Thuja pattern of

overgrowth of undesirable cells, they proliferate and

feed upon themselves, leaving little space for healthy

emotions and shutting out all access to light. Thus the

sufferer finds even the most primal of all instincts—

self love—too burdensome, and despises himself for

existing as one despises one's own disease.

And, with no herd of Gadarene swine in the

vicinity to absorb the overwhelming negativity and

obsessive thoughts, leaving the subject free while the

animals rush headlong down a steep slope into the lake

to their destruction,

16

where is all this energy to go?

How is it to be dispersed without; harm to self or

others?

For it is noteworthy that, whereas the strong

individual is able to harness even hostile emotions)

(such as are found in every person) and use them

constructively in the world (competitiveness is

channeled to sharpen the business instincts; ambi-

tiousness to enhance the political or professional skills;

jealousy, hatred, even vindictiveness can be sublimated

into art or other creative endeavors), Thuja reacts

differently. Unable to turn his surplus of negative

energy into strength, finding no healthy outlet to

channel it away from the self into socially acceptable

forms, he is devastated by it. The reason for this is

because (and here again we return to our basic theme)

he is at that stage in his human development where

his particular, his principal—at times his sole—

challenge consists, not in succeeding in this world, but

in investigating and deepening his understanding of the

spiritual world.

Clearly, then, the "deceitfulness" attributed to Thuja

is not that of a powerful, conniving, manipulative

individual, such as one encounters in the villains of

Balzac's more depressing novels—although the patient

may, upon occasion, like to regard himself as such

("especially revels in dreams of overpowering

selfishness...himself the center point about which

everything must turn, with an intoxicated feeling of

joyous satisfaction, which is the more important since

usually he is melancholy": Allen). It is the deceit of the

vulnerable, frightened, hurting soul who adopts

concealment so as stoically to face hardship (as we saw

earlier)—also to feel less exposed. For, the sensation

"as if made of glass" (Hering) refers not only to his

psychic fragility, his tenuous hold on reality that

could loosen at any moment, but also (begging to differ

with Kent who maintains that "the idea is that (she will

break, and not that she is transparent") to his fear of

people seeing through him into the angry part of his

soul, which he is trying to hide from others as well as

from himself. This fear which "tends to manifest as

16

Luke 8:32-36.

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"reserve" is reminiscent of Natrum muriaticum's well-

known avoidance of eye contact except with the closest

of friends. The eyes being notoriously the "interpreters

of the soul," Natrum muriaticum does not fancy others

prying (PI).

Further, just as the adolescent, feeling estranged

from and misunderstood by his family, may begin to

fantasize about being adopted, so the failed Thuja adult,

who feels miserable and useless to himself and others,

begins to exaggerate his alienation from humanity and

his environment. Caught up in a web of self-doubt and

self-reproach, Thuja needs somehow to prove to himself

that he does not belong in this world—that he is either

too sensitive and good for it or too ugly and evil. He

then estranges himself still further by dwelling on le-

gitimate or fancied grievances. If another inadvertently

says the wrong thing to him, or even if he says the right

thing but in the wrong tone, both can be occasions for

feeling persecuted ("irritable, especially if anyone says

anything of which he does not exactly approve": Allen).

He also bitterly resents precisely those who love him

most because their devotion is just another burden on

his alienated, tormented soul and because their concern

prevents him from indulging in the putative "nobility"

of suffering. The type, actually, is reminiscent of those

morbidly sensitive characters in Dostoyevskii's

novels who, succumbing to a profound loathing of life,

lose their spiritual direction somewhere around page

thirteen in a five hundred page volume and are then

unable to find it again until the end—if at all.

Perhaps the most apposite adjective to describe

these Thuja sufferers is "dispirited". The patient is

literally dis-spiritcd—meaning he has lost all

intuitive contact with his own inner guiding spirit and

is left without any healing direction. One case will

serve as representative of the type.

Headaches, poor sleep, numerous allergies, and

fleeting joint pains skeletal-wide were afflicting a

college student. It was her menial state, however, that

was primarily at stake. She had dropped out of school

and was living at home, quite incapable of resuming

her studies ("indisposition to any kind of intellectual

labor": Hering) or of undertaking any occupation, even

the most part-time. The maximum responsibility she

was able to assume was occasional light grocery

shopping, returning from these sallies with a bag

containing a prune yogurt, a piece of fruit out of season,

and a small jar of expensive French mustard. Otherwise

she spent the entire day sitting in her room, deeply

depressed, in a stupor and near cataleptic state, gazing

out into space ("sad thoughts about the merest trifles, in

which she stares in front of her and picks her nails":

Allen) and "disinclined to talk" (Hering)- not so much

from overt hostility as to protect her all-too-shaky ego

from the influence of stronger personalities. In addition

she was confused when addressed and "when talking"

(Kent); would stare through others as if without recogni-

tion ("could no longer recognize her acquaintances":

Allen); and exhibited automatic responses in every

situation with "inattention to what [was] going on

around her" (Allen). Alternately, she would lie curled up

in a fetal position on her bed, desiring nothing but

solitude ("aversion to company").

Only at night would the young woman evince

energy—when her daytime physical and mental apathy

would be spelled by a frenetic restlessness and activity,

forcing her to emerge from the house and roam the

streets ("heat of bed and anxiety driving her out of

bed and home": Allen; "impulse to walk": Boger).

Sometimes frighteningly, she would find herself

standing in a daze, unable to account for her

movements or how she had landed in an unfamiliar

district of town ("walks about from place to place

without knowing what she wants": Allen; "confusion

while walking": Kent). These uncontrolled impulses to

wander like some creature of the night were markedly

aggravated during moonlit nights, especially during the

waxing moon (both Thuja modalities).

1She had, however, her own justification for her

strange asocial behavior: "I have to sit perfectly still

and quiet and hold myself rigid because otherwise I will

fly apart"; also for refusing to leave the house during

the day: "In daylight strangers are able to see through

me, into the darkness of my soul—and if they saw the

blackness there, they would attack me" ('fear of

strangers": Hering).

17

The doctor in charge, recognizing that the sufferer

and her family were in for the long haul, insisted that if

the dispirited patient were going to be treated

homeopathically, while living at home in a protected,

supportive environment, she would simultaneously have

to undergo systematic counseling with a spiritual or

psychic counselor, to help her get in touch with her

guiding spirits. Unlike the adolescent who merely needs

to move from one stage in the normal course of human

development into another stage, this young woman

needed to allow into her consciousness a whole new

dimension of reality.

The form of therapy chosen for her was past life

regression—in part because she was already being

spontaneously assailed by unsolicited spirit entities, in

17

Incidentally, this case suggests that perhaps the latter-day

increase of homeless people, whose fear and suspicion of

strangers, by day, compels them 10 roam the streets at night,

is yet another manifestation of our "Thuja era."

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part because, she needed some powerful immediate

experience to change her imminently threatened

emotional balance, rather than the too slow for her

particular condition psychotherapeutic process.

The patient proved to be a most receptive subject.

She perceived that the real injuries sustained in this

lifetime (troubles with teachers, with her family, with

men, with her health—resulting in a complete absence

of joie de vivre), as well as her imagined ones (feeling

unwanted, unloved, persecuted), were largely linked to

previous incarnations. It was there, in her past lives that

the source of her present mental sufferings were to be

found. The terrifying messages she was receiving into

her brain that were instilling a "fear of insanity" (Kent)

and the harmful messages she thought she was

transmitting to others because of her hateful thoughts

were all made clear in the context of past lives

surfacing in uncontrolled flashbacks. Her soul, she now

realized, was not helplessly possessed by some ugly

side of her own nature or about to be attacked by evilly

disposed towards her people, but was being besieged by

her past experiences and personalities which needed to

be acknowledged and understood before healing could

begin.

More specifically relevant to our Homeopathic

purposes, however, was one intriguing feature. The

young woman would return from each one of her

sessions feeling as if her whole body had taken a

terrific beating and she were one solid exposed bruise

with no flesh on her bones; or as if her bones rattled.

All close approximations to the Thuja sensations as if

"body is brittle and easily broken", "flesh were

torn/beaten from the bones" (Hering), and "all inner

portions seemed shaken" (Allen).

Not only in this particular instance but in a number

of similar cases, Thuja has proven of undeniable value

in assisting emotionally scarred patients to assimilate

both the physical and emotional upheavals entailed in

the expansion of psychic awareness; also in helping

individuals remain grounded during the unsettling

process of spiritual growth; finally in encouraging

terrified sufferers to perceive that the spirit forces are

right there beside them—all lined up, eager to guide and

assist.

The author is not prepared to assert that this lack of

trust in the powers of Good is uniquely a Thuja

phenomenon. But the constitutional type does have a

way of being too susceptible to the dark aspects of this

world and, due to his aforesaid rigidity, is incapable of

learning anything from his unhappy situation except

that he is unhappy. He gets all tied up in knots of

tangled, conflicting emotions (remorse and

resentment, touchy pride and abject self-reproach, a

tendency to self blame and affixing blame on others,

wishing to please and conform and unwarranted

rebelliousness) which he is in no way capable of

unraveling without direct access to the spiritual realm;

intellect, instinct, intuition are simply not sufficient.

A sentence in the suicidal note of the disillusioned,

emotionally entangled Thuja character, Nezhdanov, in

Ivan Turgenev's novel Virgin Soil, stating starkly, "1

could not Simplify myself," would meet with the

dispirited Thuja's perfect understanding.

18

Homeopathy, with its highly idiosyncratic

understanding of both mental and physical symptoms—

viewing them at the very least as "guiding", if not as the

body's actual attempts to heal itself—has always been

particularly sensitive to the quantitative rather than the

qualitative difference between health and illness.

That is, it regards disease as essentially an

intensification of an individual's underlying

susceptibility, weakness, or latent characteristics.

Thus one is able to trace the same 'Thuja picture in

states of spiritual dis-ease ranging from a mild

inflexibility, an unease around people, and a certain

foreignncss or disconnectedness from this world;

through mental confusion and various "sensations as if"

(including out-of-body experiences and the sensing of

the presence of other realities); through the temporary

emotional disturbances of adolescences; all the way to

individuals suffering nervous breakdowns and

exhibiting traces of what conventional medicine labels

as paranoia, catatonia, schizophrenia, multiple

personalities.

18

An even finer literary example of the Thuja sense of

confusion and dismay is encountered in Ford Madox Ford's

The Good Soldier. A Thuja ambience pervades this

extraordinary Work—beginning with the hopelessly lost and

confused, pathetically deceived narrator and including the

tragically confused triangle of characters whom he both loves

and resents. The remorse-ridden hero, whose sufferings are

described in the eerily Thuja image "as if the skin was being

flayed off him...[with) the flesh hanging from him in

rags..." commits suicide, the sensitive and too vulnerable

younger heroine loses her reason, and the narrator himself

is left with nothing but the burden of guardianship of the once

beautiful in spirit, but now—alas!—mad girl. So that

towards the end of the novel, upon summing up the imbroglio

from which the characters had been trying desperately (and,

naturally, unsuccessfully) to extricate themselves, the

narrator mournfully laments: "It is a queer and fantastic

world. Why can't people have what they want? The things

were all there to content everybody, yet everybody has the

wrong thing..."

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Or, to approach the matter from another angle, the

oft-mentioned weak tie between body and soul (where

the mind is prepared to detach from its moorings upon

the least provocation; can be the same "guiding

symptom" for Thuja-requiring patients throughout the

broadest range of ailments: whether suffering from

hypoglycemia, insomnia, frightening dreams of falling,

exhaustion; whether from an innate tendency to "space

out" or to become "beside himself" with anger or

anxiety; or whether invalided from a profound

spiritual or identity crisis. The symptom, moreover, is

found equally in deranged minds that cannot function

at all in this world and in persons experiencing artistic

or other inspiration.

A veterinary variation on this ubiquitous symptom

was a miniature dachshund (called Henry, after the poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) who, whenever his

master left on a journey, would develop diarrhea and

incontinence and would wander around the house,

forlorn and bewildered, just as if his spirit had drifted

away to join his master, and only his comically

elongated body remained behind. Thuja 200C would

strengthen the little creature's bowel and bladder control

and arrest the aimless wandering from room to room.

Thus his retrieved spirit would once again appear, to

be securely lodged in his mortal frame.

19

3. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Another condition that frequently calls for the

healing powers of Thuja is Epstein-Barr or Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome.

20

Hahnemann, like Paracelsus before him, claimed

that, barring injuries and accidents, all illness is a

disease of the spirit ("when a person falls ill it is only

[the] spiritual self-sustaining Vital Force, everywhere

present in the organism, that is primarily deranged by

the dynamic influence upon it of a morbific agent...":

Hahnemann, Organon, Section 11). In few illnesses is

the truth of this statement more apparent than in

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

19

And for those lovers of the quirky, there was an additional

twist to this case. The remedy administered to the dog came

from an old-fashioned goose necked glass bottle that was fitted

with a cork slightly loo large for ii which had lo be forced in.

This cork would periodically pop out of the bottle's neck of

its own accord a curiou feat, and as close as any bottle

could boast of its head (mind) separating from its body.

20

Also labeled "Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction

Syndrome" (CFIDS), in these pages the illness will

continue to be referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for

the sake of convenience.

This still largely unexplained illness, indi-

vidualistic to every patient and yielding to no

recognized conventional medicine, is ideally cast for

homeopathic treatment. To begin with, here again the

disease appears to affect persons whose psychic balance

is already tenuous and unstable— who have been pushed

over the brink, as it were, by some particular form of

stress causing the delicate hold to snap. Constitutional

remedies such as Calcarea carbonica, Silica, Sepia,

Lachesis, Natrum muriaticum, and especially the two

Nosodes Psorinum and Carcinosin, all have much to

contribute to alleviate the Chronic Fatigue picture (PII).

But when a spiritual malaise overshadows even the

dysfunctioning (either overactivity or suppression) of

the immune system and the victim becomes prey to

profound fear and despondency, it is time to apply to

Thuja.

One needs merely to list the prevalent symptoms

characteristic of the illness to observe the by now

familiar Thuja picture emerging on all levels.

1) A sensation of light-headedness ("sensation

of lightness when walking": Hering; "body feels

lighter than air": Kent) is accompanied by disori-

entation and a feeling of disconnectedness from

one's environment.

2) Side by side with muscular weakness and a

debilitating exhaustion lies a mental fuzziness and

fatigue and "aversion to all work" (Allen), with

vacancy of mind and inability to think—at times to

the point of the patient's not being able to under

stand when spoken to or to concentrate sufficiently

to find words to answer questions put to him. This

symptom is often worse in the morning, upon

awakening, and may require some time before the

mind is clear enough to comprehend and respond

coherently: "he can hardly collect himself for half

an hour" (Hahnemann)—or longer.

3) The mental confusion finds a parallel in a

confusion of symptoms on the physical level—the

illness being characterized by its ambient aches

and pains. The prescriber finds himself, with dif-

ferent remedies in hand, chasing symptoms all

around the patient's body, as they shift from head

to joints (without swelling or redness); from joints

to muscles; from muscles to upset stomach; from

stomach to aching, sensitive eyes; from eyes to

sore throat; from throat to swollen lymph glands in

the neck, axillae, or groin; then back to headache in

a never ceasing cycle (see the nifty little "Here and

There" rubric, under Generalities in Boger's

Synoptic Key).

4) The patient who, with his fragile and over-

stimulated nervous system, is sensitive to light,

noise (even "music aggravates": Kent) and touch

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will also complain of a skeletal fragility where the

bones feel brittle and ready to break from the least

exertion or even pressure—with the consequent

"aversion to being touched."

5) A physical chilliness (which alternates with

low-grade fever), so extreme that no ordinary heat

can warm, finds its correspondence in an emotional

chilliness and unresponsiveness. In his struggle for

emotional survival, the invalid grows ever more

absorbed in himself, uninterested in others, and

more isolated. All of which, naturally, exacerbates

his innate feelings of "foreignness" and discon-

nectedness from this world.

6) Sleep disturbances predominate. Either a

patient sleeps eighteen hours a day, then wakens

unrefreshed, or the insomnia is of such severity that

he can verily go for days and nights without sleep.

When, exhausted, he finally does drop off, his

sleep is troubled by frightening dreams or appari-

tions. The corollary to fitful, unrefreshing sleep or

sleep deprivation is a lack of energy to heal—far less to

function; hence the drawn-out nature of convalescence

with its long plateaux and disheartening

relapses.

7) A patient's spirits might be so daunted from

prolonged infirmity that he "despairs of recovery"

(Kent) and is unable to throw off his shroud of

dejection. This, together with the often normal

blood tests and other vital signs, causes him (how-

ever unjustly) to appear culpable of malingering;

or, if not culpable of that offense, at least guilty of

"contributory neglect" in the will to heal. (Like

Phosphorus, Thuja may look better than he feels or

is. Sometimes, too, he appears so youthful, that as

one elderly patient, who needed to have much

bridgework done on his easily decaying teeth, said,

"The only persons who are not astounded when 1

tell them my age are dentists.")

8) The free-floating anxiety that may become

a significant factor in more severe cases of Chronic

Fatigue leads all too readily to a heightened

rigidity—a fastening on to opinions, convictions,

patterns of behavior with a lobster-claw lock. And

(like Thuja, generally) the patient grows so attuned

to the painful experiences in our dualistic world, so

ready to latch onto the dark side of existence, that

he is unable to perceive or experience the positive

aspects of life.

9) In his weakened condition and mental

confusion, the patient severely affected by this ailment

might even revert to the helplessness of a child.

Unable to care for himself ("to go on with her

dressing...has to be reminded to take food": Hering), to

continue his studies or pursue a job ("unfitted for every

work on account of confused whirling of thoughts in the

head": Allen), he grows unfit to live alone and unfit for

any but the most menial tasks and responsibilities. Even

cleaning up his room becomes a big production, and,

parenthetically, his short term memory so deteriorated

that he cannot remember to lock the front door when

leaving the house, close the windows against rain, turn

off the stove, bring his wallet or his keys—whereas if

these last are remembered, he is likely to lose them. In a

sense, the patient has to relearn how to live— and

meanwhile must rely on "the reminding and assistance

of others" (Allen); which, in his state of nervous

irritability, he bitterly resents.

In fact, speaking now in general terms, Kent's

"violent irritability, quarrelsomeness, ugliness" finds

its true voice in the tyranny of the Thuja invalid—a

phenomenon that must be seen to be appreciated! A

whole family will dance to the invalid's strings in

unsuccessful attempts to please or to break in on his

misery. Unsuccessful because, as with Humpty Dumpty

whom "all the King's horses and all the King's men

could not put together again," the proffered assistance

of others cannot really help him. Not only do Thuja

illnesses have a way of triggering deeply buried

resentments and never truly acknowledged anger, and of

bringing to the surface long suppressed traumas which

the patient has to resolve on his own, but the shattered

ego (which can be a major aspect of his disease) must,

relinquishing the wish to return to its prior state,

reassemble itself along more spiritual lines before true

healing can commence.

For, in whatever form of emotional disturbance

Thuja clothes itself, the breakdown of personality that is

so frequently a precursor of a break-through in

understanding entails a surrendering of the old

identity so as to make way for the new. The enormous

hindrance here is, that this inflexible, resistant-to-

change individual clings to the old and to his fixed

ideas with the combined tenacity of the obstinate

Calcarca carbonica and the uncompromising Natrum

muriaticum (PI). There is with this constitutional type

little hope of a gentle shedding and laying aside of the

old identity. A veritable shattering is required. Whence

proceed the (by now no longer "strange, rare, and

peculiar" to the reader) feelings of brittleness, broken

bones, of flesh being torn from the bones, of the body

becoming thin or dissolving, or becoming double—all

accurately reflecting on the "sensations" level the

changes that are taking place on a deeper stratum of the

patient's psyche.

Thus a Thuja illness often serves as a forcing bed

for a reexamination of the entire persona (an

individual's life style, emotions, value systems— at

times his very faith) in order to permit, as with the

fabled phoenix arising out of the ashes of his old self,

the emergence of a new and healthier understanding.

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A clergyman well along in years was suffering

from a severe case of Chronic Fatigue. For five long

years he had been struggling with exhaustion, migratory

pains, despondency, and self-reproach for a lack of

generosity and true love in his heart for his fellow-men

(not misanthropy as much as feeling emotionally dead).

Equally disturbing to him was the way in which his

illness had virtually stripped his faith of all purpose

and meaning. Although resisting every inch of the way, a

spiritual crisis was forcing him to reevaluate his

traditional beliefs. This, in turn, necessitated "a working

out of my hollow places and sharp edges—a relin-

quishing of my past prejudices, old hangups, and

defensive incrustations," as he observed, adding

mournfully, "and I feel too old and tired to discover that

all my old ideas are useless or wrong, to have my faith

virtually rent asunder, and be forced to undergo a

character metamorphosis."

But illness as a way to grow in spiritual awareness

spares few Thuja individuals. This patient perfectly

exemplified the constitutional type's archetypal

challenge: to expand his consciousness— or continue

spiritually and physically to suffer.

Thuja 30c was accordingly prescribed, then

repeated at infrequent intervals. As he began

shedding his physical symptoms and gaining self-

acceptance, an emotional peace enveloped the sep-

tuagenarian. "For a while there, I thought 1 was a goner,"

he later confessed to his homeopath, "— an encrusted

old barnacle too stuck to change. But apparently there

were still some embers left in the ashes which the

homeopathic remedy sparked off. And now a new

flame is burning stronger than ever."

Parenthetically, from increased familiarity with the

workings of the subconscious, even Thuja's "falling"

dream takes on a new significance. That which the

guilt-ridden patient has hitherto regarded as

symbolizing a fall from Grace is now transformed into

the felix culpa: the "fortunate fall" which leads

ultimately to salvation. By virtue of breaking down an

inadequate understanding or shattering an inadequate

faith, the "fall" makes room for a new awareness to

enter—and emerges, paradoxically, as the fall into

Grace. Or, in homeopathic terms, Thuja's "falling ill"

with a prolonged disease, offering the sufferer an

opportunity for tranquility and reflection, at some

point converts into a path of spiritual healing.

All of which introduces our next topic—that of

religious imbalance.

4. Religious Imbalance and Sexual Guilt

One finds listed in the classical literature the

symptom "pious" (Hering) or "religious" (Kent)

fanaticism. True religious fanaticism, however,

probably lies outside the jurisdiction of

homeopathic remedies. Your true zealot, of whatever

persuasion, likes his spiritual beliefs just fine ("Thank

you very much") and displays no desire to relinquish or

temper them. In step with George Santayana's

definition of a fanatic as "someone who redoubles

his effort as he loses his direction,' the zealot might

even cultivate his fanaticism for the very energy it

generates—regardless of whether it is constructive or

destructive.

But addressable with Thuja is a religious state of

mind which (in accordance to our thesis) is took

narrow, rigid, or uncharitable for the individual':

spiritual growth, reflecting a loss of contact will the

vital force of religious experience and begetting a

petrification that amounts to imbalance.

To elucidate: the Thuja psyche is so perilously

close to the underlying turbulence, chaos, and dark side

of his nature that for survival he has to impose the

strictest order on his conscious moral/religious nature

and submit to the strongest discipline. Thuja we recall,

is expert at assuming guilt; and the order and

stability (not to say rigidity) of religious rite and

rituals do offer a refuge of sorts—a supportive frame

to his unsuppressible conscience ("she herself desires

with anxiety and despair to be taken to an asylum and

there to be treated harshly [!] and strictly, so that her

fixed ideas may be subdued and banished": Allen).

Often, however, even these will not serve. For, Thuja is

spiritually "petrified" in the alternate sense of the

word as well. Having lost all intuitive spiritual

direction, feeling unwanted, rejected, banished from

God's Grace, he naturally finds himself beset with

fears lest he submit to the chaos and disorder of the dark

forces within him. These feelings, combined with the

earlier mentioned confusion as to his own identity,

may further conspire to render the type fearful of

having fallen "under the influence of a superior power"

(Hering). Lachesis, too, experiences feelings of being

under superhuman control. But this sensation is not all

negative for the serpent constitutional type. There is

usually, we saw earlier, an accompanying surge of

energy, exhilaration, ecstasy which (as many a

Lachesis artist will testify) frequently expresses itself

in a flow of creativity (PI). In Thuja the experience,

unalloyed with creativity, is wholly terrifying.

Further, the nature of Thuja's religious guilt differs

from Lachesis' religious struggles. Although the latter

may possess a similar insupportable yet

unsuppressible conscience, although he also fears to

submit to the underlying chaos in his psyche, yet, due to

his essentially dualistic experience of reality and to the

two warring sides of his nature (the higher versus the

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lower, the loving versus the hating, the rebelling

versus the submissive), he is kept buoyant, vital,

creative. Struggle, after all, is a sign of an active life

force (PI). Whereas, a Thuja assaulted by "anxiety of

conscience" (Kent) experiences a monistic collapse into

guilt.

This morbific mental state, the source of which

reaches far back into the dim and distant past of this or

other lifetimes and carrying as it does a subliminal, if

not overt, "despair of salvation" (Kent), affects,

unfortunately, the more precariously balanced egos—

not the more transgressing ones. For, who are the

persons who feel guilt most profoundly?

Healers working in the psychotherapeutic field or in

spiritual counseling (including, if he so chooses, the

classical homeopath) repeatedly observe that the

most severe and relentless self- accusers are

actually those individuals who have been victims of

humiliation, rejection, physical or sexual abuse,

unhappy childhoods, or other injuries perpetrated on the

psyche: persons who by some complicated emotional

process lake on the guilt of their offenders—while these

last, in contrast, suffer less remorse.

Those who believe in Karma might explain the

victims' feeling of identity with their offender in terms

of past incarnations: today's victim was yesterday's

abuser, who is now experiencing on himself the pain he

inflicted on others (not to be accepted as simple

punishment or retribution nor with a resignation to

suffering [we are instructed by the cognoscenti], but to

be viewed as a challenge, as an opportunity for

consciousness transformation). Other healers may

analyze the phenomenon in terms of the overly

empathizing, overly susceptible psyche too readily

taking on personally any archetypal guilt that is floating

around out there in the stratosphere—that is, of the

sufferer's lapping into some transpersonal "collective

unconscious" experience of mankind, then assuming a

universal (a Dostoyevskiian "We are all to blame!")

guilt. Yet other toilers in the field of the psyche

perceive this characteristic as a perverse switching of

identity in a tortured or diseased soul. By having

allowed himself to be injured, the victim has, in some

manner, become an accomplice to the crime; by

participating, even if unwillingly, in the injury directed

against his person, Thuja feels himself tarred with the

same brush as the offender ("fancies she has committed

a sin": Allen).

Perhaps, too, beneath an excessive assumption of

religious remorse, there resides the (albeit at tunes

unconscious) conviction that just as great sin must

precede great redemption, so great guilt is a necessary

prerequisite to great absolution.

21

Indeed, without this

conviction and hope of absolution, how is the weight of

guilt to be borne?

Be that as it may, there is no guilt so deep-seated,

so self-destructive, so ineradicable as that of the

oppressed or injured individual.

A middle-aged woman was suffering from a

simple urinary disorder: frequent urination at night

with too much urine in proportion to the amount of

liquid consumed. Phosphoric acid had helped her in the

past but was now no longer effective.

The case history revealed her having been

sexually molested by a family member from an early

age and then seduced before she had entered her teens.

Her extreme sexual guilt, despite the fact that it was not

for her to assume blame, established a pattern for later

life. Throughout adolescence and young adulthood, she

had indulged in a series of unsatisfying sexual

relationships in order (by resorting to the similia

similibus cure?) to reach a state of insensitivity

towards the past. In actual fact, her guilt was

compounded when, in her affairs with married men, she

found herself the cause for family breakups or

disharmony.

The sexual paradigm proving ineffectual, the

woman next tried seeking absolution in religion ("she

longs for the offices of the church in order to banish her

sinful thoughts": Allen). For a number of years she

clung tenaciously to the strict established orthodox

beliefs in which she had been raised, attending

innumerable retreats and religious workshops. Then,

failing to find spiritual solace there, she began

frenziedly to espouse one strange religious belief system

after another, embracing each in turn with a fervor and

zeal that her close ones viewed as little short of

fanaticism. ("Now I finally know what real prayer

means—" the convert would earnestly assure one and all

after every change of religious persuasion. "Before it

was all simply empty recitations without genuine

feeling.") As with her former sexual relations, she now

tried on and threw off religions like dresses of fashion:

each new discovery exciting her for a while—none

satisfying. The physician had never encountered any

patient who had worked so hard at being absolved of

guilt—all the while despairing of ever attaining a

state of Grace ("increasing despair which allows no rest

anywhere...day and night": Allen).

Thuja 10M was prescribed. Yet the physician

realized that the homeopathic remedy alone could not

rectify the woman's present religious imbal-

21

This exaggeration of guilt in order to draw out the meaning

and purpose of suffering, clearly parallels the sometimes

necessary homeopathic aggravation of symptoms in order to

cure.

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ance, nor could it break her self-perpetrated pattern of

seduced/seducer (whether with men or religion); and

wary of the amount of legitimate anger and reproach

likely to surface during the healing process ("the waves

of anger and grief that overwhelm me astonished even

myself!" is a familiar refrain), he urged her to visit a

clairaudiant of strong religious bent. Circumventing

the oft-times too lengthy psychoanalytical process, the

channeler helped her client perceive her pattern of

behavior in a larger (past lives) perspective and

instructed her in techniques for accessing the spiritual

realms more directly.

Occasional doses of Thuja would then help the

patient to process and stabilize the changes of enormous

magnitude (and what could be more enormous and

unsettling than venturing into the vast uncharted seas

of the spirit world?) which she was undergoing along

her healing path.

This case was archetypal in its pointing to two

instructive Thuja features. First, and not surprisingly

perhaps in view of the remedy's close affiliations to

the gonorrheal Miasm, how sexual guilt may lie at the

source of the type's religious imbalance.

Thuja does not, as a rule, present a picture of sexual

excess—or the contrary aversion to intercourse. The

remedy, significantly, is not found under either of

these rubrics in Kent's Repertory, nor even under

"lasciviousness."

22

So that in actual fact a sensitivity

and delicacy with regard to sexual matters is

encountered more frequently than Hubbard's

"salaciousness."

22

It is rather that some sexual incident

(not necessarily of prodigious proportions in itself) will

precipitate the whole disturbing issue of our twofold

(part animal, part spiritual) natures. We find seeds for

this confusion already in religious mythology, such as

the account of the Biblical "Fall," where sexuality is

viewed both as Original Sin and as a means of gaining

knowledge and experience. When such views are

consciously or unconsciously held, sexual experience, if

abused or improperly understood, can obviously

contribute to profound spiritual malaise.

Translated into homeopathic terms. Thuja is one

of the remedies most frequently called for in cases of

sexual imbalance: when the awakening of sexuality is

especially troublesome in adolescence; for adults

exhibiting a disproportionate sexual guilt ("I am a great

one for sexual remorse," one patient volunteered. "No

one—but no one—surpasses me there!"); for those who

22

True, Thuja incorporates "lascivious dreams of coitus"

(Hahnemann). But then, listed as this dream is under

"amorous dreams" alongside 150 other remedies in Kent's

Repertory—which constitutional type will cast the first stone

at the possessor of this symptom?

have experienced sexuality too early or experienced the

dark side of romantic love as a truly "Plutonian fire"; also

for persons suffering from the social or moral guilt of

homosexuality.

If an individual feels secure and comfortable in a

homosexual relationship ("remarkable indifference to

the opposite sex": Allen), there is no issue. But if

despite a higher tolerance and acceptance of such

matters in our day and age, due to family, social, or

religious opprobrium, he feels unease, with a need to

hide or suppress this "unacceptable" aspect of his

nature, or if he experiences self-hatred because of his

homosexual tendencies, then a Thuja diathesis can

emerge.

The second prominent Thuja feature of this

woman's case was the vital role of the psychic. The

degree of comfort and assistance that a psychic, a

medium channelling spirits, or a counselor working in

the transpersonal dimensions, can supply to a patient

racked by confusion and remorse is incalculable.

It is healing for information to surface—even if not

of a particularly desirable variety. Among other balms,

it gives the necessary perspective on hardship and pain.

Without understanding the meaning behind his

sufferings in archetypal terms, without framing it in a

context greater than this life, and especially without

some spirit guidance beyond the self to lead the sufferer

through the misty regions of the underworld (like Virgil

did Dantë) and through the dark labyrinths of the

unconscious, many a traumatized Thuja cannot truly

heal.

23

Indeed, Thuja-requiring patients, alter the initial

shying, take to psychic readings and the accessing of

23

The piquant aspect of it is that the guiding spirits do not,

apparently, give vague advice, clothed in ambiguous or

symbolic language. Displaying decided preferences and

strong opinions (eat three solid meals a day or conversely, eat

six small meals a day, cease meditating altogether, increase

your meditation time, contact a certain person, do not contact

him/her, etc.) they can be as practical and down-to-earth as an

old-fashioned governess. The question a physician is tempted

to ask his Thuja patients is: "Do you find your guides' advice

always to be correct?"

"It is seldom 'wrong'" is a characteristic reply. "At times

it can be confusing or seemingly contradictory when, on not

overly important matters, the guiding spirits want one to

make up one's own mind and trust one's own intuitions.

And sometimes their advice seems wrong because it is so

undesirable—or it is given prematurely (they do not always

have the best timing). But on important matters and in

retrospect, when the spirits do come on strong, they are right

on target."

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Plutonian regions like ducks to water. "I'm just crazy

about psychics!" one woman announced to the

homeopath who had sent her, fearful and resistant, for a

reading. And another woman, who also had been pulled

into the vortex of the paranormal despite her original

reluctance, even added, "1 know that Thuja and

Homeopathy have helped me, but it is really the

psychic who has turned me around. Give me a psychic

over any kind of doctor any day!"

Some homeopaths might shrug their shoulders,

thinking, "Ah well, there's no accounting for tastes";

others might sigh over the lack of gratitude in the world.

But there is no gainsaying that those doctors who desire

"the highest good" (Hahnemann) for their spiritually

troubled Thuja patients ought always to have available

as a recourse some avenue for exploring the psychic

realms.

Contra et Pro

Many of the theories expounded in this portrait are,

granted, bold assertions—open to scepticism, in

general, and to dispute on the part of those homeopaths,

in particular, who see little value in dragging the

supernatural realms into our already sufficiently

complicated Materia Medica.

The only forcible rejoinder to scepticism is the

empirical stance.

The sole objective of homeopathic prescribing is

healing (recall the first paragraph of Hahnemann's

Organon: "The physician's highest and only mission is

to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed");

and if the observations in these pages help the

homeopathic prescriber to recognize the need for Thuja

in emotionally troubled and spiritually suffering patients

then this thesis carries validity.

Further, if a patient, with the assistance of Thuja

finds himself less threatened by voices, apparitions, or

someone beside him, less disconnected in mind and

body and less exposed to the undue influence of

minatory spirits; if he feels less of an outsider in this

world and no longer banished from Grace—altogether

more grounded, more spiritually at peace, and better

able to shield himself from the forces (or his moods) of

darkness—then it is immaterial whether his sensations

prior to or post remedy proceed from the subjective

ever-vigilant conscience, an over stimulated imagina-

tion, or from objective entities from other planes of

reality.

In other words, what is material here is that in the

well-stocked arsenal of Homeopathic medicines, Thuja

is one of the most reliable remedies in assisting a

patient, during those menacing spiritual upheavals that

are taking place inside him, to move from a partial and

clouded vision of encroaching other realities ("seeing

through a glass darkly") to a clearer and therefore

healing comprehension of the spirit world ("seeing face

to face").

24

The sceptic could further argue that taking into

consideration the unascertainable extrasensory

perception realms lies outside the sphere of the

homeopathic discipline. But the classical prescriber

knows that the remedies achieve their profound effects

precisely because they do act on the unconscious,

subconscious, or archetypal levels—and that the

efficacy of Thuja on the substrata of the psyche is

soundly rooted in the mental-emotional symptoms

described in the homeopathic literature.

Moreover, the homeopath himself need not have to

experience any paranormal phenomena in order to

respect its validity in others.

25

Nor need he accept the

supernatural as an ultimate truth. In the same way that

Homeopathy, with its "sensations as if", establishes no

clear line between the objectivity and subjectivity of

symptoms and passes no judgment on their "reality"—

so, to arrive at the healing simillimum, it is merely

essential for the physician to hold to the view that it is

the sufferer's perspective and psychic energy, per se,

that count— regardless of any ultimate reality.

Only in this way will both patient and preserver be

enabled to greet the daily widening dimensions of the

world we live in—as well as honor the capacity of our

homeopathic remedies to address the expanding human

consciousness—with a cry similar to Miranda's in The

Tempest, "Oh brave new world that has all these levels

of reality in it!"

In a curious synchronicity, it was precisely in

connection with Thuja that Hahnemann, in the Materia

Medica Pura, Vol. 5 (1826 edition), first opened wider

the doors of the counter-instinctual, counter-logical,

paranormal aspects of the homeopathic discipline. In

his introduction to the remedy, after describing the

paradoxical phenomenon of the microdilutions'

increasing the power of a remedy, he goes on to say in a

footnote: "This discovery that crude medicinal

substances (dry and fluid) unfold their medicinal

powers even more and more by trituration and

succussion...and extend further the longer and stronger

24

For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to

face; now I know in part, but then shall 1 know even as also 1

am known" (Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians: 13: 12)

25

The author herself, lo her infinite chagrin, has never

knowingly been accosted by any spirits, either unsettling or

benign; has never enjoyed a journey into a past life or been

visited by apparitions or prophetic dreams, nor has she ever

conversed with a pixie or an elf.

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[the process] is carried on, so that all material

substance seems gradually to he dissolved and resolved

into pure medicinal spirit [author's emphasis). ..is of

unspeakable value..."

With these words, Hahnemann himself introduced

an added dimension of reality, as it were, into the

homeopathic equation.

The Child and "Vaccinosis"

26

There still remains unaddressed one important

aspect of Thuja—namely, its countering of the ill

effects of vaccination, particularly in children.

27

This

topic has been left for last since only in the light of our

preceding analysis can the remedy's signal role here be

fully appreciated.

Initially regarded as the "specific" for counter-

acting adverse reactions to the smallpox vaccination (cf.

Hering), Thuja's function has since been expanded to

antidoting adverse effects from injection of any foreign

antigen into the bloodstream: "This is a preeminently

strong remedy when you have traces of animal

poisoning such as snake bite, smallpox, and vaccination"

(Kent). And such a well-recognized role does Thuja

play in the last instance that, because no person can

predict for certain which child might be inordinately

sensitive to inoculations, a number of homeopaths will

automatically accompany the compulsory children's

vaccinations with a dose of Thuja in hopes of

mitigating, thereby, their possible injurious affects (cf.

Appendix to Silica chapter in Portraits, Vol. 2).

Certainly Thuja is one of the first remedies to be

considered for any one of the wide range of physical

and neurological disorders: repeated middle ear

infections, eczema, asthma, enuresis, chronic nasal

catarrhs or diarrhea, sleep or eating problems,

epileptiform seizures, whose onset can be traced

back to the time of inoculation. It can play the role of

prime remedy for a particular affliction, of cleanser

after inoculation, or of supportive remedy to, Silica,

Sulphur, and others.

More salient to this analysis, however, are the

vaccination traumas in the mental sphere. The child is

father to the man; and Thuja's powers in this connection

hold the key to its healing action in the whole of the

psychic dimension.

28

26

Burnett's term for the physical and mental traumas resulting

from vaccination (cf. his Vaccinosis and Its Cure by Thuja).

27

For case examples of vaccinosis in adults, consult Burnett,

Clarke, Tyler, Shepherd, and others.

28

Perhaps even the onset of the Thuja "era", described above,

can be linked with the onset of mass vaccination and its long-

term sequelae.

It has been mentioned before, more than once, how

patients requiring Thuja frequently apriori display a

tenuous hold on life with sensations of estrangement from,

and ill-ease in, this world—at times to the point of

feeling "foreign" and disconnected from this plane of

reality.

Conceivably, what happens during vaccination

(here again, we are merely offering a working

hypothesis to serve until a better one is supplied) is that

the injection of a "foreign" (note!) antigen into the

bloodstream of this ultra sensitive and neurologically

extra delicately balanced individual, forces him to lose

his already too fragile grasp of reality and propels him

into some different psychic plane.

In extreme cases—in a truly 'Plutonian' aftermath of

inoculation—the child leaves this plane of existence

altogether. Convincing arguments have been advanced

for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) being

directly related to the diphtheria-pertussis - tetanus

vaccine.

29

Less sensitive victims of vaccinosis will

withdraw only partially, disconnecting from this world in

a milder but still unmistakable form.

For instance, the infant (in a form of altered mind

state) becomes delirious from high fever immediately

after the inoculation or, somewhat later, is perceived to

have "tuned out," exhibiting a certain loss of emotional

or intellectual responsiveness: "child stares after

vaccination" (Hering). Or, according to parental reports,

an older child, after its booster shot, might display a

diminution of social awareness: one will suddenly start

to crawl on all fours in a restaurant or other inappropriate

places, oblivious to the impression it is making;

another will sit dazed, buckled in its seat belt in the car

when all others have gotten out—not moving, as if not

knowing what is expected of it; yet another will begin to

shirk the normal responsibilities entailed in the process

of growing up, such as brushing his hair or making the

bed prior to going to school, and will respond

vehemently when told to attend to the care of his person

or his room (we recollect that the child is "liable to be

much worse in the mornings": Borland). Some

youngsters regress in language skills, develop slowness

in finding words, and later can be diagnosed as dyslexic

or learning disabled.

30

Other forms of sequelae to the booster shots noted

by parents are: the child, hitherto perfectly able to

29

A Shot in the Dark by Harris L. Coulter and Barbara Loe

Fischer

30

Ibid.

Certainly many of these patterns of behavior actually stem

from the original vaccine but, with infants, the correlation is

difficult to prove. Direct cause and effect is more discernible

to parents in the older child—hence alter a booster shot.

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contain its bowels and urine, begins to lose control;

another starts acting silly, giggling inappropriately,

bothering other children by unwelcome touching or

kissing, and later may display inappropriate expressions

of sexuality. Yet other children, in a form of

intensification of rigidity, increase the frequency

and severity of their oppositional behavior ("the child

is excessively obstinate": Hering) and tantrums. The

intractable Thuja child screams in rage and terror and

will not listen to reason when its "fixed ideas" are

tampered with (an article of clothing it has set its mind

on wearing or some particular food it wishes to eat—

regardless of how unsuitable for the occasion) or if re-

quired to interrupt its work or play for meals ("at the

slightest contradiction it throws itself to the ground in a

rage and loses its breath": Allen). It may also carry on

quite out of proportion to a simple admonition or

rebuke and in other ways exhibit a lack of self-

discipline or self-control— thereby exposing itself to

the catch-all label of "hyperactivity".

31

A number of these cases will respond well to Thuja

to a lesser if not a large degree.

Behavioral and mental changes as a result of

vaccination at times assume subtle and even amusing

forms, probably noticeable only to the homeopathically

educated. Thus a two-year-old girl, after her booster

DPT shot, began to wail loudly every time her father

lovingly sang her to sleep at night, as he had been

accustomed to do in the past. As soon as he stopped

singing, she stopped crying; he tried again and, to his

hurt surprise, the same thing happened. Surely this was

a unique variation on the Thuja symptom "cannot

endure soft tender music" (Allen) and "weeping from

music" (Kent), for after one dose of the remedy it never

happened again.

Another case was an older girl of five who, after

she was given her first polio and tetanus vaccines

before going off to summer camp, developed a

tendency to confuse words in an amusing manner.

North Owl Street, to which a friend had recently

moved, she would now refer to as North Howl Street; the

Overlook Lodge near the family's country house in the

Catskills, she insisted on calling Hangover Lodge;

serious discussions with her parents about her behavior

now became serious "disgustions"; and other such

quaint malapropisms—until Thuja, somewhat

regrettably, straightened these out.

A variant form of subtle long-term vaccine damage

was the seven-year-old boy who, like a premature

adolescent, moped discontentedly around the house,

unable to amuse himself—constantly seeking

31

Also to the label of "ADD"or Attention Deficit Disorder the

symptoms of which were discussed earlier under "Mental

Confusion."

stimulation but satisfied with none ("I can't stand life.

It's so boring!"). After a single dose of Thuja in high

potency, he became more content, less needy of

attention and stimulation, more cheerful.

While lying somewhere between the state of total

withdrawal from this world (SIDS) and a partial

withdrawal through regression in social behavior,

awareness, or learning skills, we find a form of

withdrawing from this plane of reality, known as

Autism—the onset of which has also been linked to

vaccination.

32

Naturally, factors other than vaccination, such as

brain damage at birth, high fever or encephalitis, injuries

to the head, can also cause a shutting off and escaping

to another plane. But parents have repeatedly asserted

how prior to the original inoculation or one of the

booster shots, the child appeared to be developing

normally. Then, suddenly, maybe a few hours, days, or

at most weeks after vaccination, the child begins, if

younger, to stare fixedly, gradually to avoid eye

contact ("child stares after vaccination"), or to grow

"averse to being touched". The older child loses its

verbal skills ("child does not speak after vaccination":

Hering).

Hitherto, children afflicted with autism have lived

in their own silent world, seemingly largely unaware of

the reality around them and unable to communicate with

others. But recently a discovery by an Australian

woman, Rosemary Crossley, has allowed us to access a

number of these children's minds. Typing out words,

phrases, and whole sentences on a lap-top computer or a

Canon Facilitator© (a customized typewriter with

ticker tape attached) they are beginning to emerge from

their isolation and make their thought processes

known.

Predictably, amongst the most prevalent themes

that these children communicate are feelings of

alienation and estrangement from other humans: "1

want to be an ordinary person", "1 want to talk like

other children", "I don't want to be different from other

children", "Why was I born different from other

people?", "I don't want to be a freak", "I want to be in

the world with people and not in outer space", "I want

to go to school like other children and not with

handicapped children." And one ten-year-old typed out

for her teacher: "I am grateful to you for treating me

like a normal and not like a handicapped child."

Still others, once they become proficient on the

facilitator, type out (using such remarkable expressions

as "in utero", "incarnate", "inimical planet", etc.) that

they remember how already in utero they did not wish

32

Ibid.

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to enter this world; that they do not know why they had

to be born into this inimical environment; that they did

not wish to incarnate—in short that they do not belong

here, but in some other world. Indeed, a fair number of

these children (as well as those damaged by vaccination

to a lesser degree) will have a corresponding history of

failure to thrive: poor sleep or nursing in early infancy

with either much screaming, as if in protest at being

here on earth, or the contrary— excessive sleeping.

That these silent children, in many ways detached

from this world, do live a life of their own in another order

of reality has long been suspected by caring parents and

caretakers who have observed them stop to listen, as if

to a voice, then smile or laugh or cry or suddenly look

displeased, as if in response to another's address. Now

this strange behavior is beginning to be understood. It

seems as if Providence has not left these children

isolated, with no one with whom to communicate: a

number of them are responding to guiding spirits. One

autistic nine-year-old, once she mastered the fa-

cilitator, astounded her totally unaware parents by

typing out for them that she had a spirit friend called

Samos with whom she was in constant communication.

This spirit friend was helping her understand that the

purpose of her life was to study "neuro-endocrinology"

(a word her parents did not even know) so as to help

discover a neurological cure for autistic children; and

that thanks to Samos, she now realized her purpose here

on earth and was glad to be alive. (The conviction that

they have come into this world 'autistic' so as to help

others is a recurring theme with these children.)

Another girl, who had screamed for three solid days

after her initial DPT inoculation and who at age

fourteen could not even say "Mamma", described how

her spirit friend, Dorothea, taught her to read when she

was four years old; so that by the time she was fourteen

she was reading and typing out essays on Thomas Mann

and Dostoyevskii and writing poetry.

33

The following poem by this girl provides a rare glimpse into

the mind of an autistic child:

To try is to fail, so I am served by neither.

Only appeased for the moment

by my lessened madness

In some learning toward an ordinary show

of what's expected.

You want a normal performance. Well,

I find the task prisons me Behind bars

of mighty opinions

righteously ordained by word wielding others Who

dare to declare boundaries.

I try but little does nothing.

I drain lesions of their poisons-

Today is lanced of putrid yesterdays

and swelling tomorrows.

I foster fighting. I test my health

And yet these remarkable children will not talk.

Most will not even take on the responsibility of dressing

or washing, of brushing their hair or teeth, or even

going to the bathroom by themselves.

Why are these children so determinedly resistant to

growing up ("leaving the womb", "becoming weaned",

"popping out into the world" to use their own

phrases)—why are they resistant to exhibiting their

skills and often brilliant minds? When asked this

question, the reply is always the same: "I can't! I'm too

scared! I'm afraid! I don't want to be independent!" Thus

an inordinate fear appears to be the underlying cause—"a

nameless, bottomless, undefinable, ever-present terror,"

as one autistic youth expressed it, adding that it took

constant work and vigilance not to be overwhelmed by

anxiety and terror.

It is as if the fear and anger and a feeling of

injustice at being injected with a foreign substance

served as a catalyst for succumbing to the greater fear

and anger against all the cruelty, harshness and injustice

on earth. The outside world, with its wars, atrocities,

competitiveness, greed, pain, is so terrifying that the

child wants nothing to do with it. Far better to remain

locked in its own silent (but rich in other realities)

world than venture out into our threatening one. The

resolutely uncompromising child realizes that as long as

it remains mute, it will be cared for; if it exhibits any life

skills (even the most primitive ones), it will be forced to

take on responsibilities and confront the dreaded

independence.

What we observe then in persons afflicted with this

malady is an exaggeration of Thuja's innate

susceptibility to and inability to shield himself from

the negative forces that make up a part of our dualistic

universe, with the corollary inability to relate to the

positive ones—i.e., an intensification of the injured

Thuja's tendency to perceive the world as a place where

experience, instead of being an opportunity for growth,

serves only to ossify his fears.

But more longing, not to open hands

take and hold

But loneliness recognize on each nodding

'yes' hiding needy

don't do mortal prison.

I generally fight. I test my other

By less longing, more to close hands

take and hold

And sense experience in each

nodding yes.

Eve Hanf-Enos

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Not surprisingly, too, there is guilt and remorse:

"I'm so bad—so bad! People hate me!" children type or

write out. Since nothing in their present short lives

could justify such overwhelming guilt or terror, these

young souls could be overwhelmed by some past life

experiences—not merely as remembrances, but

somehow, in an uncontrolled way, reliving the traumas.

Indeed, when they arc asked about how they themselves

interpreted their fears or enforced silence, we find not

infrequently the stern laws of Karma at work here. One

ten-year-old girl wrote in reply—astonishing her

unsuspecting parents who had never even thought of

past lives or reincarnation—"1 need to suffer because in

another life I made others suffer. I killed people."

Eve, the author of the poem quoted above, also

interpreted her autism in terms of harsh karmic

laws. In her

immediate past life she had been a victim of the

Holocaust; and images of the terrors of concentration

camp before she was shot and then, while still alive,

thrown into a gas chamber were always with her,

preventing her from wishing to become a part of this

ugly world. She, too, saw the reasons for her present

sufferings, as well as those of her most recent past life in

her penultimate reincarnation. "I am paying for my past

lifetime," she wrote. "In a lifetime before, I was on the

other side. I did the shooting." And in another of her

extraordinary poems she writes;

...Oh gods I still with wonder sense

This sorrow suffer, itself so intense.

I angels envy so good, so ether clear

An angel I can not now be, in darkness I am here.

I am sorrow saying so saddened me

Terrible desolation soon sagged at me

Sapped my soul, my spirit, so

I am doomed to answer 'no'

To angels who entice with silver words.

I am another sorrow ordained by swords

To cut and lonely path to follow

Today and everlastingly tomorrow.

Perhaps many autistic children are victims of

either great terror experienced in their past lives or of

guilt for crimes they perpetrated—or imagined they

perpetrated—on others. But such suppositions remain in

the realm of speculation. That which is not speculation,

and what we are ascertaining more with every passing

day from similar cases reported worldwide, is that a

number of these children appear to be endowed with

highly developed powers of extrasensory perceptions.

This stands to reason. Trapped by the limitations of

their own bodies, not possessing the linguistic and

social skills necessary to function in this world, with the

avenues of conventional communication as well as the

normal healthy outlets for sublimating their negative

emotions blocked off to them, these withdrawn

youngsters develop paranormal skills. Thus, often they

know exactly what is going on in other peoples minds

and in the lives of distant loved ones. They are able to type out

answers to their parent's thoughts (not words). They can

recount exactly what actions and conversation took

place when a family member was away in another state

or country.

One girl would wake up crying whenever her

mother, in another room, was having a bad dream;

another would have a seizure in school if her parents at

home were quarrelling (later she typed out that she

would not start healing until her parents resolved their

marital conflicts). One little fellow would roll up in the

fetal position and start whimpering and wailing

whenever one of his older brothers, far away, was

undergoing some emotionally traumatic experience;

while another boy would urinate on the living room

carpet whenever he did not like his mother's negative

thoughts (speaking of refined forms of blackmail!)

In a slightly different vein, these children are able

to bring up memories not only of early infancy but of

pre-natal experiences. One child recalled verbatim file

conversations held between her parents about whether

she should be aborted or not; a second child accurately

recounted his traumatic birth experience; a third

described the big intrusive eye of the sonogram; while a

fourth related how she felt "starved" in the womb (her

mother had suffered from severe nausea and vomiting

during much of the pregnancy).

In a word, these ultra sensitive youngsters— and,

later, adults—are burdened with more psychic cargo

than they can carry or know how to wield.

Thuja, to be sure, does not cure autism; and we are

unable to gauge its work in the psychic realms. What

we can gauge, however, is its effect in this, our own,

reality and notice subtle improvements in social

behavior and peripheral skills: in table manners, tantrum

control, bowel or urine control, an increase in attention

span, or a marked decrease in seizure activity.

Children on anti-seizure medication, after they

receive Thuja, claim they feel less "wooden" (recall the

Thuja sensation as if "made of wood"), less passive and

"zombie-like". There can also be some relinquishing of

rigidity and oppositional behavior; or sometimes after

the remedy a child will establish stronger eye contact—

looking at a person instead of staring through him;

another will relate better with family members; at other

times, the child who is intolerant of being touched, as

autistic children often are (one girl wrote out a

fascinating Thuja sensation "as if": "Whenever I am

touched, I feel as if I'm going to break"; and another

girl: "When I get touched, if feels as if my bones get

stuck together and can't get unstuck"), grows more

amenable to physical contact and affection. Older

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children might grow more aware of the world around

them, exhibiting a nascent curiosity about it and a desire

to participate in its destiny. One girl, after a few doses

of 'Thuja, typed out the questions, "How does

Homeopathy work? What do the remedies do? How

long will it lake for me to learn to talk?...There are lots

of wonderful things I want to be able to do."

Finally, Thuja supports other healing efforts

already commenced. For instance, children proficient in

the use of the facilitator, who yet need to have their

hand held for confidence or assistance in neuro-

muscular control (which is impeded by spasms and

weak muscular tone), after the remedy, might grow

bolder—or more coordinated—and ask to have only

their wrist held, or their elbow; or a touch on the

shoulder to feel grounded may be all that is required.

As one older child typed out: "My mind and body used

to go separate ways. Now they are trying to stay

together."

It is also true that Thuja will not work across the

board with all vaccine damaged children despite

Clarke's semi-jesting assertion that ."everyone has been

vaccinated and drinks tea, so everyone can be helped by

Thuja" (quoted in Tyler). In every ailment, including

vaccinosis, individualization remains the cardinal tenet

in homeopathic prescribing. But from observing the

powerful effect of Thuja and Medorrhinum on the

vaccine damaged child or adult, there does appear to

exist some still unexplained link between the sycosis

Miasm and a susceptibility, from inoculation, to

weakened ties with this reality.

Even in non-vaccinated children, a social or

emotional imbalance (not being "with it"; becoming too

easily unhinged when excited or tired; emotionally too

labile and easily upset; "causelessly excited...at one

time cries, another laughs": Allen), often accompanied

by a mild neurological disorder (occasionally taking

the form of head-banging in infants or excessive

rocking in the older child) or some form of stunted

growth or development, can point to a Thuja

diathesis.

34

These afflictions, too, may reflect varying

degrees of tuning out from the world, a certain loss of

grip on reality, or some strong underlying anxiety which

the child seems to have brought into this world from

another lifetime.

34

To avoid unnecessary repetition, the characteristics

described on p. 230 can be applied lo non-vaccinated

children—although seldom in equal measure. Also, those

readers seeking additional symptoms of the Thuja re-quiring

child in general are urged to consult Borland's Children's Types

and Rumen's Delicate, Backward, Puny, and Stunted

Children.

Last we arrive at the serious ("remarkably earnest

mood in a young girl": Allen), precocious, or artistic

(not autistic) Thuja child, of delicate health but

powerful imagination, who has a tendency to "space

out" or get lost in a fantasy world ("happy reveries").

Thuja was the remedy for a six-year-old girl with

poor eating and sleeping habits and cavities in her baby

teeth, who was highly susceptible to the ethereal

currents of the world. She heard voices in the wind and

the sea, claimed that even the rocks off the coast of

Maine spoke to her, and held lengthy conversations with

earth spirits inhabiting trees and flowers. Her parents

had to take her word on these assertions, but that she

displayed a special way with animals— understanding

their needs and feelings, and communicating with them

almost as other children communicate with their peers-

and that she evinced a poetic immediacy when describ-

ing her encounters with nature entities, was visible and

undeniable.

This child, unwittingly, was following in the

tradition of children finely attuned to the spirit forces

of nature. One such precocious little girl, Opal Whiteley,

born and raised in a lumber camp in Oregon around the

turn of the century, kept a diary between the ages of five

and seven that beautifully captures the "almost too

sensitive for this world" Thuja quality ("extraordinary

sensitiveness to every impression": Allen).

I have thinks these potatoes growing here

did have knowings of star-songs. I have

kept watch in the field at night and 1 have

seen the stars look kindness down upon

them. And I have walked between the

rows of potatoes, and I have watched the

star-gleams on their leaves. And 1 have

heard the wind ask of them the star-songs

the star-gleams did tell in shadows on

their leaves. And as the wind did go

walking in the field talking to the earth-

voices there, 1 did follow her down the

rows. I did have feels of her presence

near...

Now are come the days of brown

leaves. They fall from the trees. They

flutter on the ground. When the brown

leaves flutter, they are saying little things.

They talk with the wind. 1 hear them tell

of their borning days when they did come

into the world as leaves. And they whisper

of the hoods they wore then

[buds]...Today...they told how they were

part of earth and air before their tree-

borning days. And now in gray days of

winter they go back to the earth again. But

they do not die...

or in slightly darker pigmentation:

I do so love trees. I have thinks I was

once a tree growing in the forest; now all

trees are my brothers...! did have thinks

about the tree they all were before they

got chopped up [for lumber]. I did wonder

how 1 would feel if I was a very little piece

of wood that got chopped out of a very big

tree. 1 did think that it would have hurt

my feelings. 1 felt of the feelings of the

wood. They did have a very sad feel...

(from The Diary of Opal Whiteley: the Journal of an

Understanding Heart: The Atlantic Monthly Press,

Boston, 1920).

Also, in a typical Thuja fashion. Opal felt she did

not "belong" in the family she was born into, was

convinced that she was a foundling and in actuality the

daughter of French aristocrats from whom she was

somehow separated before the age of four. Her diary,

strangely enough, is peppered with French words and

turns of phrases as well as classical references, which by

no stretch of the imagination could she have picked up

in an Oregon lumber camp in the year 1902.

Although this accessing of the realm of extra-

sensory perceptions is encountered less frequently in

boys than in girls, there are exceptions. The tip of the

penis of a four-year-old was so clogged up with a

heavy, yellowish, crusty discharge when he awoke one

morning that until the crust was peeled off, urination

was impossible. A dose of Thuja 200C prevented a

recurrence of this symptom. It also, incidentally,

assuaged his night terrors from which he would wake up

thrashing and crying out, "Marne! Ypres! Verdun!" For

a long time his parents, thinking that he was shouting,

"Mom! Hepar for Dad!" (a remedy the youngster

habitually received for his sore throats), would try to

assure him that Dad was just fine and had gotten his

Hepar, until one day, when wakened from his dreams, he

sobbingly described shooting and the "big holes" he

was trying to climb out of ("dreams of battle; frightful":

Kent). Certainly this kind of information on World War

I fighting in the trenches did not come from his still

very limited education—nor from watching television

which his family did not even own.

In general, boys who patently require Thuja can be

imaginative, and express themselves with interesting

turns of phrases. They may be truly amusing as they

chatter away like little adults on all kinds of subjects.

Yet sometimes one senses that, for all their

precociousness, they are somehow not quite of this

world. In some indefinable way they are disconnected

from it—not as socially aware as other boys of their

age—talking a blue streak because, underneath, the

sensitive soul suspects that he is different and

handicapped and tries to cover up by a flow of words.

This compensation for his feeling of "foreignness" is

reminiscent of the way people who are hard of hearing

talk at length, without listening, to camouflage their

disability.

Conclusion

The remedy Thuja occidentalis is derived from a

coniferous tree belonging to the cypress/cedar family.

From ancient times, the cypress has ornamented

burial grounds; its aromatic oil was used in embalming;

its wood, practically inaccessible to decay, served to

make coffins and, because of its strong fragrance, was

burnt in sacrificial offering (the Homeopathic

Pharmacopoeia of the United States tells us that the

name thuja is an adaptation of the greek word "thyra"—

meaning to sacrifice). Also, according to ancient

mythology, this tree was sacred to Pluto, ruler of the

underworld and the home of the dead. Thus in a variety

of ways trees of the cypress family are associated with

death.

But being a hardy evergreen, capable of surviving

in most climates and soils and under just about any

conditions, with its ever green branches holding forth

promises of hope for continuing existence, the Thuja

occidentalis is equally associated with immortal life.

These two powerful images—death of the old life

and birth of a new one—stand as fitting metaphors for

the original dis-ease, followed by the remedy's

remarkable healing powers on the psyche of those

dispirited patients who, having lost their direction, must

find it in a realm beyond the one limited by our five

senses; and help us grasp the full significance of this

ordinary, often scrub, conifer's being endowed with the

grandiose name of arbor vitae—or the "tree of life."

Bibliography of works cited

Allen, Timothy F. Encyclopedia of Pure Materia

Medica, Vol. 9. New York: Boericke and Tafel,

1847-1879.

American Institute of Homeopathy. The Homeopathic

Pharmacopeia of the United Slates. 1979.

Boericke, William. Materia Medica with Repertory.

Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel, 1976.

Boger, CM. A Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica.

New Delhi: B.Jain Publishers, 1972.

Borland, Douglas. Children's Types. London: The

British Homeopathic Association, n.d.

--------. Homeopathy in Practice.

Buckinghamshire:Beaconsfield Publishers Ltd.,

1982.

Burnett, J. Compton. Delicate, Backward, Puny, and

Stunted Children. Calcutta: Haren and Brother,

1973.

____ . Vaccinosis and Its Cure by Thuja. Calcutta:

Haren and Brother, 1973.

Clarke, John Henry. A Dictionary of Practical

Materia Medica. Three Volumes. London: The

Homeopathic Publishing Company, 1925.

Coulter, Catherine R. Portraits of Homeopathic Medi-

cines: Psychophysical Analyses of Selected Con-

stitutiona-Types. Two Volumes. Berkeley, Cali-

fornia: North Atlantic Books, 1986-1989.

Coulter, Harris L. Divided Legacy: A History of the

Schism in Medical Thought, Vol. 1. Washington,

D.C.: Wehawken Book Company, 1973.

Coulter, Harris L. and Fisher, Barbara Loc. DPT: A Shot

in the Dark. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,

1985.

Gibson, Douglas M. Studies of Homeopathic

Remedies. Buckinghamshire: Beaconsfield Press Ltd..

1987.

Hahnemann, Samuel. Materia Medica Pura, Vol. 2.

New Delhi: B. Jain Publishing Co., 1978.

-----. Organon of Medicine, Fifth and Sixth

Edition. Translated by R.E. Dudgeon. New Delhi: B.

Jain Publishers.

Hering, Constantine. The Guiding Symptoms of Our

Materia Medica, Vol. 10. Philadelphia: American

Homeopathic Publishing Co., 1879-1891.

Hubbard, Elizabeth Wright. Homeopathy as Art and

Science. Beaconsfield, Bucks: Beaconsfield Pub-

lishers Ltd., 1990.

Kent, James Tyler. Final General Repertory of the

Homeopathic Materia Medica. Revised,

corrected, augmented, and edited by Dr. Pierre

Schmidt and Dr. Diwan Harish Chand. Second

Edition. New Delhi: National Homeopathic

Pharmacy, 1982.

------- . Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica.

New Delhi: B. Jain Publishing Company, 1972.

Roberts, Herbert A. The Principles and Art of Cure by

Homeopathy. London: Homeopathic Publishing

Co.

Shepherd, Dorolhy, A Physician's Posy. Essex: Health

Science Press, 1981.

Tyler, Margaret L. Homeopathic Drug Pictures. Sussex:

Health Science Press, 1970.

About the Author: Catherine R. Coulter, M.A.. is the

author of the two volumes, Portraits of

Homeopathic Medicines: Psychophysical Analyses

of Selected Constitutional Types. This chapter on

Thuja is one of the three new "Portraits" that will be

included in the Materia Medica section of her

forthcoming book, Portrait of a Homoeopath.

Catherine Coulter lives and works in the Boston,

Massachusetts area, where she teaches classical

homeopathy to medical doctors by the preceptorship

method.

Editor's Comment

After reviewing the foregoing article, it became

apparent that much of the content of Ms. Coulter's

article on Thuja would be highly controversial, some

might even say "unscientific." Nevertheless, the

decision was made to publish this very provocative

thesis. The purpose of the Journal is to educate,

stimulate and provoke the reader. Some topics-

assertions in this article, especially those on

reincarnation and spiritual entities, may disturb some

readers. However, the science of Homeopathy does

deal intimately with our patients' subjective

experiences; consequently, even such intangibles as

described in Ms. Coulter's article, when viewed as part

of a patient's experience (case history), become a part of

our science (as Ms. Coulter herself says in the foregoing

article). For our purposes, whether such extranormal

events exist independent of human imagining or are

solely intrapsychic phenomena is basically irrelevant.

We are interested in clinical relevance. If Ms. Coulter's

article helps practitioners better identify the internal

Thuja experience, it will have served a very important

service. It is for this reason that this article has been

published in the Journal. I would like to express my

gratitude to Ms. Coulter for submitting this interesting

article for publication.

Additional Note: Our readers may be aware that

Ms. Coulter is not a licensed health care practitioner.

The publication of this article in the JAlH should not be

construed as an endorsement of homeopathic medical

treatment of the general public by lay practitioners. It

should be noted that Ms. Coulter is one non-licensed

practitioner whose knowledge, skill, experience,

devotion and professionalism with regard to the practice

of classical Homeopathy qualifies her literary

contributions to Homeopathy as uniquely valuable to

conceivably all professional homeopathic practitioners.

It should be further noted that it has been Ms. Coulter's

habit to practice Homeopathy in collaboration with li-

censed medical doctors, whether as a co-worker or, as is

her current practice, a preceptor.

========================================

5. Detecting Early and Late Congenital Syphilis

Symptoms

NEISWANDER C. Allen (JAIH. 73, 1/1980)

Early and late congenital syphilis has been steadily

increasing since 1968. Some large city and county

hospitals have noted a steady rise in early congenital

cases. A general review of the signs and symptoms can

help to alert a doctor to prevent this disease and some of

its serious after effects on the child.

One of the best preventatives is early, adequate

prenatal care, including a blood test for Syphilis, needed

before the 4

th

month when the placenta acts as a barrier

to the spirochete. The more recent the infection in the

mother the greater is the risk of congenital Syphilis to

the child. A mother with late Syphilis may have a

healthy child even though she has had no treatment.

The early congenital signs seen most often in the

infant are skin eruptions. In grand rounds at the L.A.

County Hospital, it was noted that a rash on the buttocks

that could easily be mistaken for diaper rash was found

to be syphilitic. There may be large bullous eruptions

on the hands or feet, and smaller papular eruptions

around the nose and mouth. There may be a

characteristic “old man” look as the child fails to thrive.

There may be a mucopurulent, bloody, nasal discharge.

There may be a chronic catarrhal condition in which the

child seems to have the “snuffles” all the time.

The later in pregnancy that treatment is started, the

greater are the chances that the infant may demonstrate

some of the stigmata of congenital Syphilis.

The major manifestations of late congenital

Syphilis include:

1. Frontal Bossae described by Parrot in 1880. It is a

localized periositis of the frontal and parietal bones.

These appear as bony prominences of exotoses. The

thickened areas produce a groove giving a “hot cross

bun effect”. The overhanging brow may give the

appearance of the “Olympian brow”. This Frontal

Bossae may also be due to rickets, and needs to be

differentiated.

2. Hutchinson’s teeth are widely spaced and shorer

than the lateral incisors. They may be barrel shaped or

peg shaped. Because the middle part of the front teeth

fail to form strong enamel, the middle portion and biting

surface become notched after several years of use.

Sometimes they erupt with this notched or saw tooth

effect.

3. Interstitial Keratitis occurs usually between 5 and

25 years of age. It begins with acute tearing pain, iritis,

photophobia, and later clouding of the cornea and

invasion of the stroma by blood vessels. Interstitial

Keratitis is almost always caused by congenital

Syphilis, but once in a while tuberculosis may be the

exciting agent.

4. Saddle nose this is more or less the result of

syphilitic rhinitis which begins in the early neonatal

period. The bones and cartilage of the nasal cavity fail

to develop properly and a depression results at the root

of the nose. The nasal septum may collapse and cause a

depression further down the nose. In a 12 year study of

271 patients this was a common finding in 199 of late

congenital Syphilis. Since this symptom can occur as

the result of trauma or severe infection, it is not

diagnostic by itself without a further history of the

patient.

5. Short Maxilla. This results in a concave or shallow

dish effect in the middle section of the face. The cause

is attributed to the syphilitic rhinitis which prevents the

maxillar bone from developing normally to hold out the

face.

6. The 6 Year Molars are often called Mulberry

Molars. They present with molars narrower on the

grinding surface at the top than at the gum margin.

They may have a dome-like appearance. There may be

many cusps instead of the usual four which accounts for

the mulberry effect. The enamel is poor, and caries

develop early, and many children lose these molars

before they become teenagers. Mulberry Molars is

definite sign of congenital Syphilis, but there will be

other stigmata associated with it if a careful history is

taken.

7. Deafness is considered to be caused by

labyrinthitis. This eighth nerve deafness begins slowly

in grade or junior high school. Seldom does it begin in

adults. It may begin with vertigo followed by loss of

hearing for high frequencies and then for conversational

tones. It is progressive and involves sequentially both

ears. Spinal fluid examinations are negative for

neurosyphilis. When this occurs due to congenital

Syphilis, other stigmata can usually be found by careful

examination.

8. The child who sleeps on his stomach with his knees

drawn up in a knee-chest position should also be

considered in the homeopathic evaluation of congenital

Syphilis.

9. A person who has a fetish about cleanliness, and

who is always washing their hands, face, and body.

One who is extremely “germ conscious” should be

evaluated carefully for the cause of this symptom.

Boericke’s Homeopathic Materia Medica Pocket

Manual, the ninth edition, lists on pages 825-26 many

remedies for general syphilitic conditions. On page 826

Congenital Syphilis is listed separately with twelve

different rubrics to help to differentiate and

individualize to fit the patient.

In this era of moral laxness it is well to have a high

index of suspicion on children and infants whose

symptoms have one or more of the above

manifestations.

========================================

6. The Evolution of My Practice

SANKARAN Rajan (HL. 20, 3/2007)

Twenty years ago Rajan SANKARAN was one of

the founders of Homeopathic Links. Since then he and

his colleagues in Mumbai have published the Asian

edition, and as a guest editor he has introduced several

Indian colleagues and their articles to the readers of the

international edition. For this celebration issue he was

asked to summarise his development in Homeopathy

over the past decades. To illustrate this journey from

only symptom-based to system-based Homeopathy he

shares a few cases that have shown him the way.

The Editor.

Introduction

I’ve been in practice for over 25 years. Right

through, it has been a search to find a method that gives

consistent results. I found that fundamental to finding

such a method was to clearly perceive what is health,

and what is disease. If this understanding is not clear,

then we don’t know what we are treating. The basic

concepts are not there.

As time passed, the basic concepts became clearer

to me. Each step has made the results more consistent.

Along the way, I developed three systems: Kingdoms,

Miasms and Levels of Experience.

Now practice has become simpler. But to reach

this stage of simplicity, one crosses many different

levels. I would like to share with you, through

illustrative cases, some parts of my journey.

Case 1

1986: This is one of the earlier cases that I saw,

and recorded on video. The man, 58 years old, had had

a heart attack. He also had hypertension and diabetic

ulcers. Particularly, there was a very large ulcer

covering most of the dorsum of one foot, and he had

been advised to get the foot amputated. But, given his

history, the operation was a high-risk one, so surgery

was ruled out. He therefore had few options. The

bones of his foot (metatarsals) had undergone osteolysis

and had dissolved.

He was an Income Tax Officer. He was known for

being responsible and upright and had shown exemplary

honesty and dedication. Apparently, even his bosses

were somewhat afraid of him, because of his

uprightness and high sense of responsibility.

His first heart attack came about thus. He had

conducted a search-and-seizure operation, and found

some papers incriminating the party concerned. He

stored the papers in his office drawer. The next day,

they were missing! He felt that his own reputation was

at stake, and was extremely concerned that it should not

be stained. As a result, he moved heaven and earth to

get those papers back, and finally did! But on the

evening of that day, he got the heart attack.

Having gleaned this background information, I

gave him Aurum metallicum C200.

In Aurum the feeling is that the person must

perform tasks which are impossible or much beyond his

capacity. He demands of himself industry and

responsibility, conscientiousness and duty of the highest

degree, uncompromising principles or goals that are

beyond the possible.

He almost destroys himself in trying to achieve

these goals, because if he does not achieve them, he gets

the feeling of failure, guilt and despair of salvation. It is

as if his very survival depended on his ability to take on

these huge responsibilities. He is afraid of losing the

confidence of others and of himself. He has a feeling

that he may fall down from this high position (Ref. Soul

of Remedies).

Rubrics:

• Delusion, reproach, has neglected his duty and

deserves

• Anxiety, conscience of, as if guilty of a crime

• Reproaches himself

• Industrious

• Loathing, life

• Conscientious, trifles about

• Increased scruples of conscience (Clarke)

• Responsibility, unusual aggravate (Phatak)

He showed much improvement in his general health

and the ulcer. After about two months on the remedy,

an X-ray of the affected foot was repeated. The bones

that had dissolved re-appeared.

Case 2

This 72-year-old male patient came with the

diagnosis of Lyme disease (both IgG and 1gM Western

Blots positive – tests September 2002).

He travels a great deal, across countries, teaching

N.L.P. He is giving these seminars, moving from one

place to another. He explained how he kept moving,

staying for about two weeks to a month in one place,

then back again to his retreat house for about two

weeks, and then going somewhere else. What was

prominent while he was talking was the moving. He

emphasized the moving with his hand gestures.

Each time he goes to a new group of people, he

prepares his talk for about two days and then gives the

seminar. In the beginning of the seminar he feels

unsure and has anxiety about how it will go, but once it

starts it goes well. When I asked him, “what is the

experience of unsure?”, he said he then feels

“physiologically tight”. “My face becomes tight, and

my movement tight. I don’t use gestures and move

around as freely as I would want. Once I start working

that releases and becomes less and less.” When I asked

him what “tight” felt like, he said, “Tight feels like

holding back, lack of movement.” When I asked,

“What comes to your mind with tightness?” he replied, I

don’t have freedom in my face, a stiff face and I don’t

move.”

While listening to his story, it became apparent that

moving and initially feeling unsure during the seminar,

which were both important to him, were aspects of the

same thing. When describing his seminars, he talked of

moving, and when describing the experience of anxiety

of tightness, not moving; he didn’t talk about his

capability to teach or about the subject itself. When he

described how the anxiety before the seminar made him

feel tight, here I realized that tightness is the opposite

of movement.

He got Rhus toxicodendron LM1 to LM3, in daily

doses.

This case demonstrated how, when you come to the

core, everything comes back to the same thing. Ask a

question on something, it’s another path back to the

core.

Usually, with Homeopathy, we think of symptoms

such as “Feels anxiety about performance” and then we

think of Argentum, Medorrhinum, Lycopodium, Silicea.

But if we merely go on these types of symptoms, we

could make huge mistakes. We have to go behind such

apparent symptoms, we could make huge mistakes. We

have to go behind such apparent symptoms to the real

symptoms, which are the sensations underlying the

experience of the symptoms.

This man’s case is not about performance; it is

about tightness and movement. When you can see this,

and bring the case down to that level, it is simple.

Here are some excerpts from the follow-ups:

• “I am feeling better. People tell me I look younger.

My back has stabilized. I still exercise in the

morning and walk in the afternoon. I feel very

comfortable with this. Recently there has been a bit

of congestion in the chest. Mind and mood have

been very good. I have increased my personal

prayer to two to three hours of meditation,

vipasana. I feel much more peaceful, and relaxed.

I am comfortable in the day.”

• “I used to worry about the future; if a seminar was

coming up, that I would make mistakes, won’t

succeed, and others won’t like me. But now I don’t

worry about the future, I feel much easier and know

it will be all right. I have a seminar coming up on

Tuesday morning, and have no worries about it.

Anxiety always used to be there. Even now I have

a little anxiety, but it’s not as intense as it used to

be.”

• “There was may be a tightness inside. Now it’s

may be there, but much less. May be about 60%

reduced.”

• “There’s a change in my attitude towards life. I

don’t set any goal, like I have to succeed, or be the

first.” (Here, he is describing health; the ability to

be in the moment without compulsion. It also

shows awareness, a looking inward. His state is

less intense. It does not have the power on him that

it had. A decrease of the state gives one the ability

to be in the moment.)

• “I just see whatever happens when it happens.”

(This is what we should see in our patients).

• “If I fail, it doesn’t bother me. I feel easy with

what’s coming up. Lately I say I’m becoming a

hermit. I prefer to be at home. They probably

think I’m a bit strange. I don’t move around like

ordinary people. I stay at home. I don’t go out to

restaurants or movies or to meet people. I used to

do it, and didn’t like it. I prefer to be studying or

reading at home. As for the work, I still travel, and

like going from one place to another. When I get

there, I am prepared. I just go in and do the work.

Moving is a part of doing the work.”

• “I feel like a young person again. I’m smiling.”

Lyme disease was gone. The lab reports showed

the infection was no longer active (both IgG and IgM

Western Blots negative – tests February 2003).

Case 3

A child came with recurrent multiple boils on both

lower limbs. He would take antibiotics, but shortly

would develop them again. So they brought him for

Homeopathy. At the first visit he had fever. He

wouldn’t sit down in one place and moved about

constantly. He had with him three brightly coloured

papers, folded into little airplanes. He was constantly

playing with these. He would put one on the table, and

the other one would attack it. He kept doing this

continuously. So I asked him to tell me about the

papers.

He said, “The red one is me. The other two are

enemies. The others will die and I won’t.”

The boy narrated a dream of a black witch with a

net like a fish net. She trapped him and his friends and

started hitting them. He woke from the dream with fear.

When I asked the mother to describe him, she said,

“He is very active and restless, and hits people. He

beats the maidservant in the house. He always hits her

behind my back, the moment I am not around.” The

maidservant said that he jumps on her from behind and

brings her down, then hits her.

I gave him Tarentula hispanica 1M.

Rubrics:

• Striking when not observed.

He responded within days and remains well, five

years later. Two weeks after the first dose he had a

dream again, in which he trapped a ghost and locked the

door. In his previous dreams, someone else had trapped

him. The dreams had changed.

Kingdoms

It took more than a decade of practice to see that

there are essential differences in patients belonging to

the three different Kingdoms.

• The first case was a mineral case. It was about

performance, ability and the need to maintain a

position.

• The second one was a plant case, which exhibited,

deep down, a sensation and its opposite. Tightness

versus movement.

• And in the third case, an animal case, there is the

theme of one versus the other. You are doing it to

me, I am doing it to you. Victim and aggressor.

In Minerals, it is about structure; what I have and

don’t have, what I will lose. It’s about the completeness

or incompleteness of oneself. Am I losing my

completeness? The problem is with the self. In the

Periodic Table of Elements, minerals are placed in rows

and columns according to their atomic configurations,

and, interestingly, these rows and columns seem to

share common characteristics. Each row represents a

particular stage of development of the human being.

For example, the first row is the stage of conception, the

second of foetal life and labour, the third of infancy, the

fourth of security and work, the fifth row has issues

with creativity and performance and the sixth of

responsibility. The Aurum case mentioned earlier is

from the sixth row.

With Plants, it is all about sensitivity and

reactivity. Each family of plants has its own type of

sensation, and its opposite. For example the

Anacardiaceae family (to which Rhus toxicodendron

belongs) has the sensation of stiffness and desires the

opposite, namely movement. Within the family, the

plants may be differentiated by each one’s Miasm.

The Animal problem is “between me and someone

else”. It’s the issue of the survival of the fittest. It’s

about competition, high and low; even “me versus

myself”. Attractiveness. Animals are further divided

into classes and subclasses like insects, birds, reptiles,

mammals etc, each with its specific survival mode. The

survival mode of the spider is the deceit, the trapping,

and the striking which could be seen in the Tarentula

case above. The rubric, Striking when not observed, is

so representative of the spider group in nature.

Miasms

At some point, it also became clear to me that there

are differences in the depth and pace of each state.

They are characteristic of different types of responses.

And these responses correspond to the body’s response

to a specific type of infection. I called the specific type

of response “Miasm”, which corresponds to the way in

which the organism responds to a specific type of

infection. I could identify ten Miasms, namely Acute,

Typhoid, Psora, Malaria, Ringworm, Sycosis,

Tubercular, Cancer, Leprous and Syphilis. This system

helps to pinpoint a remedy more particularly.

Let me clarify my perception of the Miasm in each

of the above three cases.

• The Aurum case had great desperation and a sense

of hopelessness. He had to move heaven and earth

to get the problem solved. His life was very

difficult and there was too much responsibility in it.

The Miasm here is Syphilitic, to which Aurum

clearly belongs.

• In the Rhus toxicodendron case, everything came

and went. They were crises that blew over. It’s the

Typhoid Miasm.

• The Tarentula boy was fast-paced, moving all the

time. The Miasm was tubercular.

Levels of Experience

The third system I worked with concerns the Levels

of Experience. I found that there are seven levels in

which we experience reality or perceive the case.

• Level 1: Name: pathology

• Level 2: Fact: symptoms

• Level 3: Feeling: emotions

• Level 4: Delusion

• Level 5: Sensation

• Level 6: Energy

• Level 7: Seventh

We can perceive any given situation at any of these

levels.

For example, some time ago, I had a problem with

a visa. I had to get one for a particular country. The

consulate was very inefficient and didn’t give my visa

on time. Time was getting shorter and shorter. I called

up the vice consul. He assured me that the visa was in

his hands, and asked me to send someone to pick it up.

I sent someone; they made him wait for six hours, and

told him to come the next day. I called again, and they

asked me to send someone again. Again he waited six

hours and was told to come the next day. I called yet

again, and they told me it was ready. The person went

to pick it up, but was told that it would take three days

to process. Finally, just the day before I left, I got my

passport.

What was my experience of this?

The fact was that I didn’t have a visa and I needed

it. My mind was thinking of facts. Then emotions

came – anger and anxiety. Then I got physical

symptoms of palpitations. I started thinking, “Why is

this happening? Why are they doing this?” I then

thought that there was a conspiracy, they were trying to

harass or persecute me. (I was working on the Snake

Family at that time.) That was my delusion.

So on one level there was the fact. On another the

emotion. On yet another a delusion. If it was a

conspiracy, what should I do? Write about it in the

newspaper?

I felt something in the abdomen and throat; a very

intense sort of symptom, something like choking. I can

only describe it with sounds and gestures, since words

are inadequate. It had nothing to do with the delusions,

emotions or facts.

It felt very familiar. I might have experienced it

earlier when I had an exam or a fight with someone. A

consistent experience that is physical as well as mental,

deeper than the body or the mind, so that it needs

sounds and gestures to express it. It has been constantly

in the background since birth. It has nothing to do with

the outside, actually. It surfaces from time to time. It is

the sensation.

We have to take the case-taking to the level of

sensation. It is the experience of the human being.

Once you get to that level, how do you use it?

Ask the patient to describe it.

Let us consider that he says, “Something is coming

and crushing me” (In Animals, something is doing it to

me). Or he says, “Something is contracting and

expanding” (This is Plant). Or he says, “My whole

structure has been compressed and wants to explode.”

(This is Mineral.) If you come to this level, the patient

could even tell you the name of the remedy!

The sixth level is the level of energy, with sound,

movement, and gestures. It is not kingdom-specific.

But when we focus on it, it becomes evident which

kingdom the patient is in, since the energy and the

sensation levels are very close and the kingdom is in the

sensation level.

The seventh level is the background on which the

energy pattern is imprinted. It is bland, neutral. It is the

witness of the other levels. It is the level from which

the patient can observe his other levels in case taking.

When you have a perception of the seven levels,

life becomes interesting. It’s your unique experience;

you’ve carried it from your birth and will carry it to

your grave, unless you take a homeopathic remedy that

dilutes it. You can only understand it from the level of

experience, not the mind, because the Sensation does

not follow the intellectual logic we school ourselves

with. It doesn’t “make sense” at all; it is total nonsense.

And yet it is an undeniable truth.

The truth is your experience, your sensation.

We also look for nonsense, when we look for the

level of experience. At the Emotion level, expressions

begin on the face. Then, usually, his eyebrows will rise

when he starts imagining; for example, “This boss of

mine is a dictator who specializes in making us feel so

little.” When he gives images, for example, from

human history, such as of Hitler, or books or movies,

universal symbols and archetypes, he’s still at a human

level. When it goes beyond that … it doesn’t make

sense. We usually don’t want to talk about it or even

experience it, because it makes no sense at all.

Imagine, if you would, a 45-year-old man, making

paper planes and attacking one with the other; you

would certainly commit him. So he pushes it down and

suppresses it. “I won’t allow myself to feel it”, so he

develops a physical pathology with the same sensation,

and it becomes a disease with a scientific label, such as

migraine, Asthma or allergic Bronchitis. The doctor

thinks he is a sane person.

He could say, “The headache is killing me”, but if

he did the paper-planes-attacking thing…

The more superficial the level of experience of the

patient, the harder it is to get to the sensation. The more

one lives in the sensation level, becomes aware of one’s

innermost experience instead of pushing it down … just

be aware, don’t act on it of course, especially if it is

something like wanting to choke and kill someone…. it

will spare one a lot of physical pathology.

So the “nonsense” part is a plant, a mineral or an

animal spirit or energy. Each of us carries one inside.

You need to find what is speaking inside. You will start

hearing that language in everyday life and inside of you.

Nowadays, I hear almost nothing else!

In case-taking, we might hear facts, emotions and

stories. We sometimes get lost in stories. We need to

go behind the story. Take the non-human specific word,

or the gesture, and if we make the patient focus on that,

it helps him go beyond.

For example a patient (a 26-year-old female) came

with an eating disorder she’d had for the past eight

years. When asked about it she said it blocks her life.

Before she could go further to describe the disorder, I

asked her to describe “it blocks my life”. From here

she said it was like a glass wall between her and the

world. I asked her to describe the glass wall. And then

we could straight go to her core sensation of being

closed and oppressed as opposed to open and free. She

got Cannabis indica as the remedy. The family,

Hamamelidae, has the sensations of “open”,. “closed”,

“light” and “heavy”, and Cannabis indica lies in the

Sycotic Miasm.

The inner song, as I call it, expresses itself, through

gestures and non-human specific words in everyday

conversations. It opens a secret door, and we explore a

completely different world. In that world, we hear the

source, the remedy speaking directly to us, as it were.

Then we can be sure of what it is.

Homeopathy has become system-based instead of

only-symptom based. And the results are gratifying.

References

1

CLARKE J.H.: A Dictionary of Practical

Materia Medica. Delhi: B. Jain Publishers, 2000.

2

KENT J.T.: Repertory of the Homeopathic

Materia Medica. Delhi: B. Jain Publishers, 1998.

3

PHATAK S.R.: A Concise Repertory of

Homeopathic Medicines. Delhi: B. Jain

Publishers, 1993.

4

SANKARAN R.: The Sensation in

Homeopathy. Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical

Publishers, 2005.

5

SANKARAN R.: The Soul Remedies. Mumbai:

Homeopathic Medical Publishers, 2002.

6

SANKARAN R.: The Spirit of Homepathy.

Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical Publishers, 2001.

7

SANKARAN R.: The Substance of Homeopathy.

Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical Publishers, 2001.

8.

SANKARAN R.: An Insight into Plants Vol.I and

II. Mumbai: Homeopathic Medical Publishers,

2005.

========================================

7. Miracles in a Time of Darkness

Increasing the light of engagement: Healing Autism

with Homeopathy

LUEPKER, Ian (HT. 28, 6/2008)

(This is a Time of Darkness in the Northern

Hemisphere. Every year on December 21

st

, the

Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year.

Yet equally as important, it marks the time when

the days begin to lengthen, minute by minute –

often as imperceptibly as the development and

growth of a child.)

The word solstice means “sun standing still.” The

Winter Solstice signals the return of the sun, and for our

ancestors, the return of light was a powerful symbol of

hope in dark times. Winter Solstice festivals have been

held worldwide throughout history, with Hanukah – also

called. The Festival of Lights – and Christmas, being

the most celebrated in the Western Hemisphere.

For parents of a child on the Autism spectrum,

especially if their child is non-verbal, every day can feel

like a time of darkness – a time when the lights of

engagement, communication, and social interaction

are barely perceptible, if not (seemingly) absent.

As with the lengthening of days and gradual

movement toward the rebirth of springtime, however,

there is always hope. And classical Homeopathy acts

like a spark igniting the light of engagement in an

autistic child; a spark that nurtures the child’s ability to

relate to, and be in presence with their parents, siblings,

friends, and the greater community.

Homeopathy holds the healing potential not only to

increase the light of engagement so that the autistic

child radiates her inner-light outwards, connecting and

illuminating loved ones by engaging, communicating,

and relating. But it also holds the potential to open the

curtains, allowing the morning sun to permeate the child

with the warm embrace of the love, care, and tenderness

expressed by the community surrounding her!

A little light dispels a lot of darkness

When Rebecca picked up her five-year-old son,

Uriel, from camp on a sunny July afternoon, she knew

that he had soiled himself again. She could smell it.

His bag, towel, and lunch box were stained, and the

other children were laughing at him and calling him a

baby. In spite of this seemingly embarrassing situation,

Uriel appeared oblivious to the other children’s taunts.

Rebecca described it as a “disconnect,” saying: “He is

very self-confident, very independent, sure of himself,

and strong-willed! He looked a little worried when I

picked him up, but he doesn’t show any awareness that

the other children are making fun of him.

“He is very literal: ‘’I’m not a baby,’ he said, ‘my

brother (1.5 years old) is the baby!’ In a very rational

way, he able to deflect criticism, but I am concerned

that he is reaching an age where he is going to start

having trouble,” said Rebecca.

“Transitions are very difficult for him. I need to

give him 30 minutes advance notice. In the morning,

when we are getting ready for camp, I need to remind

him to use the toilet. But he has a disconnect between

his brain and body and doesn’t go to the bathroom. It

looks a little like disobedience, but I know that it isn’t,”

she continued.

Rebecca explained that Uriel had always been a

physically sensitive child. “As an infant, he looked like

he was in shock when I would hold him. His eyes were

big and looked afraid. He cried a lot those first four

months. Uriel was never a cuddly kid and disliked

sitting in my lap. When he was three years old, he

didn’t like being too close to other people. He disliked

standing in line because of the jostling and would

wander the periphery, making strange noises. He was

different from the other kids, sometimes he would

scream when people would greet him.

“Smells from perfumes, Lysol, or other cleaning

solutions really bother him. And he is disturbed by loud

noises,” she said. Additionally, Uriel hated having his

hair cut, and his parents would need to cut his

fingernails and toenails in the middle of the night, while

he slept! He was so sensitive o certain fabrics and

textiles that Rebecca had to choose clothing very

cautiously for her son.

When Uriel was four years old, his mother bought

him a giant poster of the planets. This sparked

passionate interest in astronomy and outer space. “I can

look at the sky for long periods of time and wonder

what it would be like on those planets,” Uriel told me.

“I get to see space. I wonder what it is like out there.

You can have stars, the planets. Mars is cold. If you

threw a snow ball at Mars it would never melt!”

“He is like his father in this way,” Rebecca

explained. “Uriel is connected with something that is

far outside of him. He connects with the galaxy in the

same way. He sees beyond himself and at a very young

age was interested in life on other planets.

“Uriel frequently dreams of death. Sometimes he

dreams of us (his parents) dying, or a friend dying, and

occasionally he’ll dream his own death,” Rebecca told

me.

When I asked Uriel what these dreams were like for

him, he replied, “It is like I am floating in the stars!”

“Sometimes he will wake up screaming, eyes wide

open and staring,” Rebecca told me. “We can’t touch

him or contact him. He also has flying dreams and silly

dreams in which he will wake with laughter!

“For a five-year-old, he thinks deeply about a lot of

things. He will sit and read Torah, and his questions are

very deep. He doesn’t accept superficial answers to his

questions either. Uriel will ask, ‘Why is there evil in

the world?’ When he looks up in the sky, it is apparent

that he has a strong sense that G-d exists.”

Rebecca described her son as being very creative

and possessing a precocious memory: “He memorizes

text and plots of movies. He is able to relive Shrek

because he’s memorized the entire script!”

Food-wise, Uriel’s preferences included potatoes,

corn, eggs, ice cream, and a great thirst for ice-cold

water. However, his reactions to corn syrup,

preservatives, gluten-containing foods, and dairy were

strong, and after eating these foods, Uriel would act out

behaviorally and his stools would get even looser than

usual. Between his food sensitivities and his sensory

issues (oral defensiveness), Uriel was on an extremely

limited diet.

“His stools are never solid. They are typically a

mustard yellow color. And the stench is overwhelming

– like being in a barn! Then sometimes he will play

with his stool, smearing it with impunity.”

Disconnected: lost in space

Like many children with High Functioning Autism

(HFA), Uriel’s social understanding lagged behind his

intellectual and conceptual understanding. Oblivious to

the teasing and taunting of his peers, he lacked a social

awareness, and this interfered with his ability to connect

and engage with his peers.

On a physical level, he demonstrated a disconnect

between his colon and brain that interfered with his

ability to make it to the toilet in a timely manner.

Clueless about his bodily needs, Uriel seemed lost in

another world. This type of disconnect can look like

disobedience in a child on the Autism spectrum, but to

Rebecca’s credit she astutely recognized it as non-

volitional behavior.

Many children with HFA struggle with sensory

processing problems, and even as an infant Uriel

demonstrated this tendency. As Rebecca described, his

tactile sensitivity elicited apparent feelings of fear and

shock when she tried to hold him. Infants and young

children with HFA will sometimes respond to being

greeted with aversion and fear, and in Uriel’s case he’d

simply scream. For an infant or young child with HFA

and sensory issues, every social interaction is uncharted

territory, and anxiety levels can quickly rise when

unexpected touch is potentially involved – being

hugged, picked up, or patted on the head, for example.

A budding astronomer, Uriel’s “grand passion”

strongly connected him with the planets and stars rather

than his peers. Lost in space, Uriel’s unique and

unusual appreciation of the worlds beyond planet Earth

is the type of information that makes a homeopath’s

ears perk with keen interest.

Homeopathic Hydrogen lights the way home

Most prominent in Uriel’s case was his passion for

outer space and his separation from the world. I

perceived a strong split between an “other-worldly”

consciousness and his worldly existence. Interestingly,

Rebecca told me that when they would threaten to take

his favorite possessions away as punishment, he’d

laugh! “Material possessions just aren’t that important

to him,” she said. His interest in esoteric subjects

coupled with dilemmas arising due to this earthly

existence (e.g., when it is time to use the toilet) led me

to the homeopathic remedy, Hydrogen.

At the heart if this remedy’s indications is a conflict

between an “other-worldly” consciousness and worldly

existence. People needing homeopathic Hydrogen

have difficulties navigating the mundane aspects of this

world.

Uriel’s dreams of death are a strong indication for

homeopathic Hydrogen. In fact, six different

symptoms specific to dreams involving death are listed

in the indications for Hydrogen in the homeopathic

literature, and Uriel’s dreams are represented in five of

the six. And when I asked what his feeling was like in

these dreams, he replied in a rather “hydrogenesque”

manner (“it is like I am floating in the stars!”).

On the physical level, Uriel had a strong tendency

toward loose stools, and the characteristic nature of

these stools matched Hydrogen’s indications well.

Finally, the type of physical sensitivity exhibited by

Uriel is also an indication for Hydrogen.

Differential diagnosis: slim pickin’s in light of

Hydrogen!

Sometimes, after I take a person’s case, the

indicated remedy is extremely clear to me because of

the person’s unique characteristics, as it was with Uriel.

Even so, I like to be thorough and make sure there isn’t

a better-indicated remedy that I am missing, so I use due

diligence to explore other possible remedies – just in

case!

I briefly considered Helium for Uriel, a remedy that

commonly rises to the surface when working with

children on the Autism spectrum. People needing

homeopathically prepared Helium prefer to stay within

themselves, locked up inside, and they can remain

disconnected from those around them. Interestingly,

this element, a gas, is formed through a fusion between

hydrogen atoms. Because it is so light, it is used to fill

balloons; and metaphorically-speaking, this reflected

Uriel’s tendency to float off into the cosmos,

disconnecting from his immediate surroundings. Even

so, homeopathic Hydrogen seemed to be a better match

for Uriel than Helium since it fit not only this tendency

but many of his other symptoms as well.

Additionally, I considered Phosphorus, a well-

known remedy that matched Uriel’s tendency toward

involuntary stool and his cravings for ice-water and ice-

cream. Though people needing Phosphorus are most

often thought to crave company, a polarity exists within

the indications for Phosphorus, and Phosphorus patients

can also exhibit an indifference to relations and peers.

However, Uriel did not exhibit the fears and increased

sympathy that I have learned to expect in a Phosphorus

patient.

Increasing the light!

I gave Uriel his first dose of Hydrogen 1M four –

and-a-half years ago. In the time since then, he’s had

two more doses of Hydrogen 1M and five doses of

Hydrogen 10M. He has responded to each dose and

continues to shine his brilliant light – illuminating his

peers, family, and the larger community!

I recently asked Rebecca to describe the most

significant changes in Uriel as a direct result of his

homeopathic treatment. “After that initial dose, he

experienced a worsening of his symptoms that

continued to increase in intensity for four weeks!”

Rebecca said. “Uriel would look me in the eye and soil

his pants while denying that he was doing it.” Rebecca

added that her family had recently moved, and Uriel felt

very angry about this transition.

“After six weeks, however, there was dramatic

improvement. He went two full weeks without any

soiling incidents – a first – and he never once had a

soiling incident in school. He was always very, very

happy in school. Unlike before, he would sit with

others in a circle on the rug (though he liked to be a bit

separate), and he would do what the whole group was

supposed to do rather than always wandering off on his

own.”

A practitioner’s aside: dry vs. liquid dosing

Uriel’s worsening of symptoms after receiving the

initial dose of the remedy, followed eventually by

marked improvement, is called an “aggravation” by

homeopaths. Such an aggravation of symptoms is

considered a very good sign that the body is responding

positively to a correctly selected remedy. But as a

practitioner who fully embraces the ethic “first do no

harm,” I would prefer to skip the aggravation period and

move straight to amelioration and healing! Over the last

three years of practice, I have learned by clinical

experience that liquid remedies (LM or C potency in

liquid) are far less likely to incur an aggravation such as

Uriel’s while still producing improvement. Dosing my

patients with liquid remedies (instead of granules or

pellets taken dry on the tongue) has strongly diminished

the likelihood of aggravations, and given me more

freedom to tailor my dosing strategy to the patient’s

individual needs.

Dietary freedom: toward health and balance

“Before homeopathic treatment, the list of foods

Uriel had to avoid would fill a page; and the allowed

foods were only a few,” Rebecca continued. “After

nine months of homeopathic treatment, we accidentally

discovered that he no longer regressed after consuming

previously ‘forbidden’ foods. He no longer has a

limited diet and because he’s also had a decrease in

sensory issues, he now enjoys trying new foods and new

combinations of familiar foods. He loves to cook and

appreciates food like a gourmet, trying to determine the

ingredients upon tasting a new dish.”

Friendship: sharing the light of engagement

“Last Sunday, a child from Uriel’s class called and

wanted a playdate. As I drove to pick up this child and

bring him to our house, I was filled with gratitude that

there was actually a child in the world who called Uriel

his friend,” Rebecca exclaimed. “For so many years, I

was afraid that would never happen. Uriel always

referred to classmates as ‘friends,’ but now it’s really

true. Other kids refer to Uriel as their friend and

actually want to spend time with him. He spends a

ridiculous amount of time calling friends on the phone.

He gets invited to sleepovers and has even gotten in

trouble with his teachers for talking to his friends too

much in class! I know it’s a little unusual for a parent to

be pleased that their child is talking too much in class,

but with Uriel, this is a huge milestone and an indication

of great change and progress.”

Clear communication: bringing light to the darkness

“Before homeopathic treatment, whenever

someone attempted to initiate a conversation with Uriel,

if he would even respond, the conversation always died

immediately. People didn’t often ask me what was

wrong with him, but they would cease attempting to

communicate with him and exchange looks with

others,” Rebecca noted. “Now, people give me the odd

looks when I say that Uriel has ‘issues’. No one knows

what I am talking about. We hear compliments about his

intelligence, his sense of humor, his love of learning,

and his good manners. Teachers tell us that they enjoy

him, that he is a deep thinker who brings up really good

points in class, and that he asks questions and initiates

discussions.”

Sensory issues resolve: removing an obstacle to

engagement

“Uriel never used to snuggle, cuddle, hug for a long

time, or hold hands. I clearly remember the Shabbat

morning about a year and a half ago when Uriel just

slipped his hand into mine, actually held on tightly, and

continued holding my hand for the 25-minute walk to

shul,” Rebecca told me. “It was astonishing. He now

falls asleep at night hugging one brother and wakes up

in the morning anxious to hug the other one.

“A few days ago, I took Uriel for a haircut. He sat

still in the chair, chatted with the stylist about his

interests (customizing computers), and described to her

how he wanted his hair to look. When she was finished

cutting, the stylist said to him, ‘You are the best

behaved nine-year-old I’ve ever had in my chair!’ Uriel

smiled and asked, ‘Really?!’ I nearly cried,” said

Rebecca. “Five years ago, I bought an electric hair

buzzer and began cutting his hair myself because it was

such a horrible experience to bring him to a

professional. He used to scream, cry, twist, kick, bite,

and do many other horrible, hurtful things. Uriel, the

stylist, and I would all be traumatized at the end, and

because of his behavior, his hair would look like he had

cut it himself.

“We used to have to cut his fingernails and toenails

while he was sleeping up through the age of five or six,

and he could only wear clothing that was 100% cotton

and of a very specific texture because of his sensory

issues. He can now cut his own nails, and while he still

prefers a particular kind of clothing, he is able to

tolerate other fabrics and textures,” she noted.

A time of miracles: spreading light in a time of

darkness!

“Yesterday, my husband and I met with Uriel’s

teachers for our fall parent-teacher conference. His

teachers began by saying, ‘I just love your boy!’

Fifteen minutes of completely positive comments,” said

Rebecca, “and they gave me the oddest looks when I

asked if he was ever defiant. It was incredible and an

experience I never, ever imagined I’d have.”

As a homeopath, when I receive a case and

prescribe the remedy that I feel is the best match, I am

never exactly sure how the child will respond. But I do

know two things – that homeopathic remedies are safe

and gentle, and that it is reasonable to expect a miracle!

This time of year is a healthy reminder that even in the

darkest of times, a little light can dispel a lot of

darkness, and there is always hope for a better day!

“In the depths of winter I finally learned that

within me there lay an invincible summer.”

- ALBERT CAMUS

========================================

8. Where it All Began: Homeopathy’s Masterwork

200

th

anniversary of Hahnemann’s Organon of

Medicine

SHALTS, Edward (HT. 30, 1/2010)

This year marks the 200

th

anniversary of the first

edition of the book that remains the cornerstone of

homeopathic philosophy and practice, Samuel

HAHNEMANN’s Organon of Medicine. The story of

its birth and evolution gives a glimpse into the

meticulous and passionate mind of this brilliant

visionary.

Can you imagine a 55-year-old married man with 9

children starting a revolution? I certainly hope you can,

because that describes Homeopathy’s founder Christian

Samuel HAHNEMANN in 1810, when the first edition

of his masterwork, The Organon of Medicine, was

published.

By that time, Dr. HAHNEMANN had already

produced 80 publications. Twenty-one were

translations and revisions of other authors’ works.

Fifty-nine were his own books and articles, thirty-one of

which were original publications on Homeopathy.

It was five years into one of the rare periods in

Hahnemann’s adult life when all the stress, uncertainty,

and wandering seemed to have been left behind.

Pregnant pauses

Due to the economics of his time and ideological

conflicts with medical colleagues, HAHNEMANN was

forced to move frequently to seek better sources of

income and more secure patronage and protection. The

times when he was able to spend more than a year or

two in a single location were rare, but they were also

seminal. In 1785, for example, the newly married

HAHNEMANN and his bride settled in Dresden for

four years and then in Leipzig for another three.

Already disillusioned with the inefficient, barbaric

methods of allopathic medicine of his day, the

medically credentialed HAHNEMANN switched his

attention to chemistry and writing. By 1790, he had

published his famous footnote about the medicinal

properties of Peruvian bark in his translation of Cullen’s

Materia Medica, initiating his work on the homeopathic

Law of Similars---and ushering in the dawn of

Homeopathy.

*

But Hahnemann’s new ideas would have to

incubate for quite some time while he moved his family

as necessary, seeking a living as a scientist, writer, and

translator. It wasn’t until 1805 that his restless life

seemed to slow down again---and as before, the pause

preceded the explosion of one of the great discoveries of

modern time.

In 1805, accompanied by his wife and younger

daughters, HAHNEMANN arrived in Torgau, a small

town on the banks of the Elbe river in northwestern

Saxony, Germany. There, he finally acquired his own

home with a garden. HAHNEMANN continued to

make a living as a translator and writer, but he also had

the opportunity to take long walks and enjoy peaceful

dinners and music played by the family orchestra

formed by his daughters.

His life appeared stationary, but his mind was

constantly working.

The revolution begins

In Torgau, armed with the new homeopathic

method and having seen amazing results from its

application, HAHNEMANN opened a medical practice

to further test and prove his concepts with patients.

Although he soon developed an extensive and

enthusiastic clientele, his medical colleagues were

hostile.

HAHNEMANN the scientist needed to elaborate on

his theory with accurate details. HAHNEMANN the

warrior had to defend Homeopathy against numerous

attacks. In 1806, HAHNEMANN began these tasks

with his essay “Medicine of Experience”, in which he

enunciated the new principle of cure that had unlimited

applications. But there was much more to say, and his

work on the manifesto of Homeopathy went on for five

years, resulting in the first edition of The Organon that

came out 200 years ago, in 1810.

Voice of conviction

The Organon is remarkable for many things, not

least of which is its combination of broad scope and

deep insight. It is a practical manual on how to use

Homeopathy, an elegantly reasoned philosophical

tome, and a passionately argued exhortation to scientific

accuracy. HAHNEMANN was not a man to mince

words or cut corners, and he would settle for nothing

but the highest standards. His voice comes through the

writing loud and clear. In the preface to the first

edition, for example, he wrote:

According to the testimony of all ages,

no occupation is more unanimously

declared to be a conjectural art than

medicine; consequently none has less

right to refuse a searching enquiry as to

whether it is well founded than it, on

which man’s health, his most precious

possession on earth, depends. …It

remains to be seen whether physicians,

who mean to act honestly by their

conscience and by their fellow-

creatures, will continue to stick to the

pernicious tissue of conjectures and

caprice, or can open their eyes to the

salutary truth. I must warn the reader

that indolence, love of ease and

obstinacy preclude effective service at

the altar of truth, and only freedom

from prejudice and untiring zeal qualify

for the most sacred of all human

occupations, the practice of the true

system of medicine.

Quirks of history

HAHNEMANN saw five editions of The Organon

published during his lifetime. Each successive edition

had its own characteristics; some contained more

substantial changes than others. HAHNEMANN

published the fifth edition in 1833, and this was the

latest edition of his work available in any part of the

world---indeed, it was the last edition generally known

to exist---until 1921. The fifth edition stood as the

definitive account of Hahnemann’s thought and practice

during nearly a century, and a very significant century

at that, for in this time Homeopathy spread to many

other countries and grew to be a powerful force in

medicine. Unbeknownst to generations of

homeopaths, however, the fifth edition was not the last

word from the founder….

Mysteries, twists, and turns

Only Hahnemann’s closest associates knew

through personal correspondence that he was working

on a sixth edition at the end of his life. The sixth

edition was initially written in French but remained

unpublished and, curiously, disappeared without a

trace. HAHNEMANN then wrote a sixth edition in

German. He indicated that it was completed in 1842,

but he died the following year before it could be

printed. Although Hahnemann’s widow, Melanie,

claimed she was getting the manuscript ready for

publication, she kept it unpublished for unknown

reasons, and it passed to the BOENNINGHAUSEN

family at her death in 1878.

Dr. Richard HAEHL, A German homeopath and

biographer of HAHNEMANN, reported that the

BOENNINGHAUSEN family guarded the manuscript

very closely and would let no one even see it. On a

visit to HAEHL in 1891, two American homeopaths

inquired about the work. Dr. James WARD and Dr.

William BOERICKE had read Hahnemann’s later

correspondence with its allusions to his being at work

on a sixth edition. When HAEHL told them of its

whereabouts, they offered to purchase it.

Twenty-nine years later, the Boenninghausens,

ruined by World War I, accepted the offer and in 1920

gave up the manuscript, which is now in the library of

the University of California at San Francisco, is a

printed German fifth edition with Hahnemann’s

handwritten additions and corrections neatly placed in

the margins and on interleaved pages. (See photos on

next page.) HAEHL published the German sixth

edition in 1921.

Two hundred years young

HAHNEMANN spent a significant portion of his

adult life sharpening this instrument of medical wisdom

as he refined his understanding and use of

Homeopathy. Encompassing philosophical theory and

practical application, The Organon has been studied

and proven dependable time and again by homeopaths

around the world. To this day, it’s the starting place for

all homeopaths, a very common textbook in

Homeopathy courses, and the book you’ll find most

often in homeopaths’ libraries. It remains an essential

part of Hahnemann’s legacy, the cornerstone of a new

system of medicine.

*While translating Cullen’s A Treatise on Materia

Medica, HAHNEMANN wondered at the author’s

claim Peruvian bark (the source for quinine) was

effective against malaria because it was

astringent/bitter. Reasoning that this didn’t make sense

because other astringent substances didn’t help malaria,

HAHNEMANN decided to ingest Peruvian bark to test

its effects. When he experienced malaria-like

symptoms, he theorized that Peruvian bark relieves

people with malaria because it causes similar symptoms

in a healthy person---the Law of Similars.

=======================================

9. An Ideal of Health

Inspiration from The Organon

GUBBAY, Diana (HT. 30, 3/2010)

Homeopathy offers extraordinary opportunities for

healing. Perhaps no other modality has ideals as high as

ours in terms of goals for treatment. We want to see a

person’s symptoms improve under homeopathic care,

of course. But that is not all. We want their general

level of health to strengthen, too, and their energy and

sense of well-being to be palpably enhanced. The aim

is for the person to feel “well within themselves” in a

way that goes beyond relief from the headaches or itchy

skin that may have provoked their original search for

help. When a case goes really well, we see people make

adjustments in areas of their lives that have been stuck

and unhealthy for years. Jobs, living arrangements,

relationships, and exercise and nutrition routines are just

a few of the places where spontaneous shifts can occur

as people regain a holistic sense of well-being.

Our goals for treatment have their roots in

Hahnemann’s inspirational vision of what it is to be a

healthy human being. But there are some days in my

practice when it’s hard to find the right remedy for

someone, or I’m tired from staying up late to work on

difficult cases. On these days it can seem like the bar

for our work as homeopaths is set unattainably high. A

little inspiration is needed. So I pull The Organon of

Medicine by Samuel HAHNEMANN off my shelf and

read Paragraph 9:

“In the healthy condition of man,

The spiritual vital force (autocracy),

The dynamis that animates the

Material body (organism), rules with

Unbounded sway, and retains all the

Parts of the organism in admirable,

Harmonious, vital operation, as

Regards both sensations and functions,

So that our indwelling, reason-gifted

Mind can freely employ this living,

Healthy instrument for the higher

Purposes of our existence.”

The first time I read this paragraph I got chills up

my spine. I wanted to live my life aligned with

something larger than myself. In fact, many people

have a longing to fulfill a “higher purpose” in their

lives. Here was HAHNEMANN, two hundred years

ago, describing it as a natural outcome of a state of

health. I regularly refer to this paragraph for inspiration

regarding how deep homeopathic treatment can be; we

can be released into a freedom from dis-ease that

emancipates us to explore and express ourselves in the

world in a uniquely satisfying way.

Under a magnifying glass

The language of Paragraph 9, like so much of The

Organon, takes getting used to, but it is worth time and

patience. What did HAHNEMANN mean by these

words, and how significant are they in our lives today?

Let’s take a closer look at it, along with a few other

aphorisms from The Organon that may enhance our

understanding of Paragraph 9.

HAHNEMANN refers to “the dynamis that

animates the material body (organism).” This

reinforces the idea stated throughout The Organon that

the body does not merely run like an autonomic

machine; its functioning does not depend solely on its

organ systems and physical details. Instead, each of us

is fundamentally enlivened (“animated”) by what

HAHNEMANN calls our “Vital Force” or “Life

principle” or “Dynamis.”

1

(These terms are used

interchangeably throughout this article.) in

Hahnemann’s view, these interchangeable terms

describe an organizing principle within each of us.

“The material organism, without the

Vital force, is capable of no sensation,

No function, no self-preservation …”

- The Organon, Par. 10

Harmonious functioning of the mental, emotional,

and physical aspects of a person depends on the

“dynamis,” which is intrinsic to life. HAHNEMANN

draws a distinction that is fundamental to Homeopathy

here. The organism (an individual form of life) is not to

be confused with that which animates it.

“The organism is indeed the material

instrument of life, but it is not conceiv-

able without the animation imparted

to it by the instinctively perceiving and

regulating vital force.” – Par. 15

Take a look at the wind blowing through the leaves

of the tallest tree in your neighborhood, from the base to

the upper-most arcing branches. The leaves are not

responsible for their own motion. They are moved by

the invisible force of the wind. This is like the action of

our Vital Force upon all aspects of our being.

According to HAHNEMANN, our state of health

derives from the fluid action of our Vital Force upon the

organism, keeping all aspects in a state of “harmonious

operation.” We could no more say that the leaf

produces the wind than we could say the symptom

produces the disease.

How we become ill

Having established that life does not exist for us

without the “instinctively perceiving” Vital Force,

HAHNEMANN explains that we become ill when there

is a disturbance to this same organizing, vital principle.

This occurs through a “morbific agent”

2 ___

something

that makes us sick.

“When a person falls ill, it is only

This spiritual, self acting (automatic)

Vital force, everywhere present in his

organism, that is primarily deranged

by the dynamic influence upon it of a

morbific agent…” – Par.11

The Western medical model tends to view the

symptom as synonymous with the disease that needs to

be eradicated. Hahnemann’s view differs. He does not

see the source of disease in the symptom, but in a

disturbance to the life force.

In health, the vital force accommodates the

challenges that might interfere with smooth functioning

of the organism. Encounters with the hot sun, an

irritating boss, or a demanding exam all have the

potential to derail our well-being. When the Vital Force

is in harmonious operation as described in Paragraph 9,

then these influences are accommodated and sloughed

off. We do not remain “stuck” in the dis-ease, and

symptoms do not develop.

The dynamis that presides over every aspect of our

lives is not rigid. Rather it has ease of movement –

“unbounded sway.” With these words we are given the

idea of something unlimited (“unbounded”) and also in

motion (“sway”), suggesting flexibility without limits or

barriers. The flexibility serves to keep the organism in

“admirable, harmonious, vital operation.” This is

more than the absence of symptoms; it is a picture of

health that is fluid, dynamic and full of ease – and it has

an aspect of freedom. The Vital Force is maintaining

harmony in all parts of the organism. As a result, the

body, emotions, and mind are free to explore and

express in any number of ways.

The opposite state of dis-ease occurs when the vital

force has been disrupted from this flow. We know a

disturbance has taken place because the organism shows

symptoms: the hot sun leads to a migraine, the irritating

boss provokes unrelenting anger, and the fear of failing

an important exam results in memory lapses.

What a cold wind can do

This idea of flexibility (unbounded sway) of the

Vital Force can be seen in a simple example on a cold

autumn day. Many people can go out into the first

nipping, frigid air of the season without getting sick.

Others cough a little, but they are fine the next day. A

certain number of people, however, will get sick from

the sudden change in temperature. Colds, Flus, Ear

Infections, Bronchitis, Asthmatic Episodes, and even

Pneumonia may ensue when the person is susceptible.

3

in these cases, the Vital Force is not able to maintain its

stance of “unbounded sway” to keep the organism in a

healthy state.

“It is the morbidly affected Vital Force

alone that produces diseases, so that

that the morbid phenomena percepti-

ble to our senses express at the same

time all the internal change, that is to

say, the whole morbid derangement of

the internal dynamis; in a word, they

reveal the whole disease…” – Par. 12

Although the original derangement is in the life

principle. It is the symptoms of disease that guide

treatment. The symptom picture in its totality indicates

“what needs to be healed” and, if treated successfully,

will lead to the reestablishment of harmony in the

organism and ease of movement of the Vital Force.

[See column one, “Totality of Symptoms,” in the Spring

2010 issue of HT, available on our website.]

“…the disappearance under treatment

of all the morbid phenomena and of

all the morbid alterations that differ

from the healthy vital operations,

certainly affects and necessarily

implies the restoration of the integrity

of the vital force and, therefore,

the recovered health of the whole

organism.” – Par.12

If a state of health is imbued with vitality,

flexibility, and movement, then the converse of health---

disease—must, by implication, impose limits on vitality,

flexibility, and movement. The response of my Vital

Force to the cold wind may keep me from going to

work, taking care of my children, meeting with my

friends, singing in the choir, or taking my dream

vacation. It might keep me from being open to how I

could conduct my life creatively and responsively in any

given moment, because my Vital Force is too

preoccupied with producing a violent cough that keeps

me in bed.

4

Beyond cessation of symptoms

The harmonious vital operation” that

HAHNEMANN refers to in Paragraph 9 of The

Organon is “as regards both sensations and functions.”

For example, we might have the sensation of being cold

as we wend our way home on the first cold evening in

autumn; the function will be the organism’s response to

the forceful wind. When the two act together,

harmoniously, as HAHNEMANN describes, the life

principle in us will respond flexibly to maintain

equilibrium. But when we are susceptible, the cold

sensation penetrates beneath our skin, and the function

is a fever and ensuing cough. The organism adapts to

the morbific influences by producing these symptoms.

We are exposed every day to influences that have

the potential to throw us into dis-ease. It can be the

sudden change in weather that heralds a shift in season

as described above. It can be food or environmental

irritants that provoke allergic responses. Physical pain

is often the most obvious beacon of ill health, but

mental and emotional symptoms can limit us too.

Obsessive thinking, mental dullness, memory loss, or

emotional responses such as excessive grief---or even

excessive joy---can remain “stuck” enough to obscure

our ability to “freely employ this living, healthy

instrument.”

HAHNEMANN shows us in Paragraph 9 and

elsewhere in the Organon that the removal of these

symptoms (through treatment of the totality) is not the

end of the road. The synchronized two-step of

harmonious sensation and function is only in service of

another facet of life. There is something more than

cessation of symptoms that is our goal.

A state of health as a state of freedom

It bears repeating:

“In the healthy condition of man,

the spiritual vital force (autocracy),

the dynamis that animates the

material body (organism), rules with

unbounded sway… so that our

indwelling, reason-gifted mind can

freely employ this living, healthy

instrument for the higher purposes

of our existence.”----Par. 9

When we have recovered from the cold wind, hot

sun, angry outbursts, memory lapses, or more serious

debilitating disease, and we are out in the world again,

what then? Here is where HAHNEMANN inspires us

to understand health as the possibility for our fullest

manifestation as human beings to “freely employ this

living, healthy instrument.” Note the word “freely,”

defined as “not being imprisoned or enslaved, not

controlled by obligation or the will of another.”

5

In

health, we are free, “The healthy condition of man”

brings us out of dis-ease into the realm of freedom.

A state of health

6

frees us so that something else

within us can be fully used. this is our “indwelling,

reason-gifted mind.” It is at once an odd phrase, and at

the same time---sheer poetry.

7

If we are not limited by

the “stuck” pattern of disease symptoms, then the

“reason-gifted mind” that is within each of us is able to

act freely to employ our “living healthy instrument” for

a purpose. This purpose is beyond disease and beyond

health. It is a higher purpose, the higher purpose of our

existence.

HAHNEMANN does not tell us what this higher

purpose is. Yet he tells us that we are the instrument

through which this potential can manifest. What can

Paragraph 9 of The Organon mean for each of us?

1. For further explanation of the translation of

these terms, see the glossary definitions of “life

force” (p. 323), “dynamis” (p.304), and “wesen”

(p. 361) in The Organon of the Medical Art,

edited and annotated by Wenda O’Reilly, PhD.

2. Morbific, meaning “to make sick” from the

Latin morbus disease + -ficare to make.

3. Susceptibility is a topic for a future column of

Philosophy Alive!

4. In long term treatment, we hope to see

susceptibility be reduced: for example, people

who often get sick in fall and winter may

eventually be able to waltz through these seasons

without so much as a sneeze.

5. Dictionary.com

6. The state of health described in Paragraph 9 is

an ideal. It is possible that very few of us attain

this degree of complete well-being. Yet, in

whatever relative state of disease we may find

ourselves, we have the opportunity to respond to

Hahnemann’s suggestion that we fulfill the

“higher purposes of our existence.”

7. Wenda O’Reilly’s translation of The Organon

expresses this same phrase as “indwelling,

rational spirit.”

========================================

10. HAHNEMANN and Homeopathy: Pioneering

Work in Psychiatry

MERIZALDE, A. Bernardo (AJHM. 101, 1/2008)

HAHNEMANN was a pioneer in the area of mental

health. According to Richard HAEHL,

HAHNEMANN began to promote the humane

treatment of the mentally ill in 1793. In 1796,

HAHNEMANN wrote: “The physician in charge of

such unhappy people (the insane) must, indeed, have at

his command an attitude which inspires respect but also

creates confidence. He will never feel insulted because

a being that cannot reason is incapable of insulting

anyone.”

Homeopathy and Psychiatry

The first homeopathic hospital for the mentally ill

was founded in Middletown, New York, in May 1874.

According to the attending physicians, it “…did not

require the use of the opiates, bromides or chloral

hydrate in order to control the patients.” (Stiles, 1875)

A report published in the Transactions of the

American Institute of Homeopathy compared the

patient discharge rates of homeopathic mental hospitals

in the state of New York to those of conventional

hospitals between 1883 and 1890. The homeopathic

hospitals were able to discharge fifty percent of their

patients as contrasted to thirty percent for the

conventional hospitals. The conventional hospitals also

had a thirty-three percent higher death rate. (Talcott,

1891)

A prominent physician who used Homeopathy to

treat the mentally ill was Charles Frederick

MENNINGER, founder of the Menninger Clinic in

Kansas, which is still in operation, but no longer uses

Homeopathy. Dr. MENNINGER was an active

member of the American Institute of Homeopathy and

is quoted as saying, “Homeopathy is wholly capable of

satisfying the therapeutic demands of this age better

than any other system or school of medicine … It is

imperative that we exhaust the homeopathic healing art

before resorting to any other mode of treatment, if we

wish to accomplish the greatest success possible.”

(MENNINGER, 1897)

Few studies on the use of Homeopathy in the

mental health field have been published and even fewer

follow acceptable scientific methodology. Some meta-

analyses show Homeopathy is a viable medical therapy

and can be adapted to modern research methodology.

There are ten high-quality studies on the treatment of

mental problems that include depression, insomnia,

nervous tension, agitation, aphasia, and behavior

problems. Of these ten studies, eight demonstrated

positive effects of homeopathic treatment. None of

those studies have been replicated, but they suggest that

homeopathic treatment should continue to be explored

in the mentally ill. (KLEIJNEN, KNIPSCHILD and

REIT, 1991) (LINDE, et .al., 1997)

Dr. Jonathan DAVIDSON has noted that there are

similarities between modern psychiatry and

Homeopathy, and in his article (DAVIDSON,

Psychiatry and Homeopathy, 1994) he discusses self

healing, microdoses, the disappearance of the symptoms

in reverse order of their appearance, and the diagnosis

by pattern recognition of the symptoms. Other

treatments invoke the concept of similarity as in the

treatment of depression with sleep deprivation or the use

of reserpine in the treatment of refractory depression.

(Ananth & Ruskin, 1974), (Wu & Bunney, 1990)

Tricyclic antidepressants are used in small dosages

in the treatment of panic disorder, yet these

antidepressants tend to cause an exacerbation of those

symptoms at higher dosages in these patients. (Kaplan

& Sadock, 1995)

DAVIDSON and his colleagues concluded that

Homeopathy may be useful in the treatment of some

patients who suffer from anxiety or depression, either as

an adjunctive or sole treatment. The authors noted

several limitations of the study, and felt that only larger,

double-blinded, controlled trials could provide answers

to the questions that arise when using Homeopathy in

the treatment of disease, in general, and in psychiatry in

particular. (DAVIDSON, MORRISON, SHORE, et al.,

1997)

CHAPMAN, et.al., performed a randomized,

double-blind, placebo-controlled study on sixty patients

with persistent mild traumatic brain injury. The results

suggested that Homeopathy used alone or concurrently

with conventional pharmacological and rehabilitation

therapies might be effective in treating patients with

persistent mild traumatic brain injury, a condition which

is notoriously recalcitrant to conventional treatment.

(CHAPMAN, WEINTRAUB, et.al., 1999)

LAMONT, performed a double-blinded placebo-

controlled study on the treatment of forty-three children

with the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD). It showed statistically significant

differences in the group that received homeopathic

treatment compared to the group that received placebo.

(LAMONT, 1997)

Another study of ADHD done in Switzerland

involved 115 children (more boys than girls). It used

standard diagnostic criteria and screening tools to

confirm the diagnosis. Seventy-five percent of the

children were treated with Homeopathy prescribed

according to Hahnemannian criteria. The study lasted

three-and-a-half months. (Frei & Thurneysen;

Treatment for Hyperactice Children: Homeopathy and

methylphenidate Compared in a Family Setting. 2001)

This same research group decided to do a “cross-

over” phase of the study and stopped the remedies.

What they found when the children who had improved

with Homeopathy were selected randomly to receivce

the homeopathic medicine or placebo was that those

receiving placebo deteriorated and then subsequently

improved when the remedy was reinstated; it is

important to note that the study was double-blinded.

(FREI, et.al., 2005)

Hundreds of case reports have been published in

homeopathic journals, during the nineteenth and

twentieth centuries, of patients suffering from mental

disorders who were treated successfully with

Homeopathy. Even though some of the cases were

inadequately evaluated, many of these patients could

meet DSM-IV criteria for a mental disorder.

A case series of 120 patients with diagnoses of

anxiety neurosis, phobias, psychosomatic disorders, or

neurotic depression was published by GIBSON, et.al.

PRIESTMAN described twenty cases of anxiety,

phobias, and hypochondriasis treated with Homeopathy

(PRIESTMAN, 1953).

Reichenberg-ULLMAN and ULLMAN have

successfully treated patients with ADHD, depression,

and behavior disorders. (Reichenberg-ULLMAN &

ULLMAN. Ritalin Free Kids, 1996) (Riechenberg-

ULLMAN & ULLMAN, 1999)

DETINIS presented six cases of patients suffering

from depression with suicidal ideation, chronic pain,

sleep disorder, premenstrual syndrome and anxiety

disorder treated homeopathically.

BODMAN presented a series of cases of

depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, phobias, neurosis,

cerebral sequelae from a stroke, Menniere’s disease,

Migraines, and other conditions treated successfully

with Homeopathy. (DENTINIS, 1994) (BODMAN,

1990)

BOLTZ AND PHALNIKAR presented patients

with acute psychosis who recovered after homeopathic

treatment with long-term follow-up. These patients had

failed to improve with conventional treatment (BOLTZ,

1968) (PHALNIKAR, 1962).

SAINE presented a series of cases of patients with

psychosis, manic-depressive disorder, obsessions, and

neurosis (SAINE, 1997).

SHEVIN presented several cases of patients with

dissociative disorders, character pathology, and post-

traumatic stress disorder treated homeopathically.

(SHEVIN, 1989)

GALLAVARDIN published a series of alcoholic

patients who recovered with homeopathic treatment.

GRAZYNA, M, et. al., presented a series of thirty

men treated for alcohol withdrawal and delirium

tremens. They reported that about thirty percent of the

patients continued treatment for 12-18 months with

most of them abstaining during a long follow-up period

of up to seven years. (GALLAVARDIN 1960/90)

(GRAZYNA & TRZEBIATOWSKA-TRZECIAK,

1993)

Some authors have presented cases of children with

mental retardation who improved with homeopathic

treatment. HAIDVOGL, et. al., presented a series of

forty cases of handicapped children. They reported that

close to 75% of the children responded to treatment

with nearly 50% showing improvement of all the target

symptoms. The authors pointed out that the children

with organic brain injury, autism and definite

syndromes responded well generally in comparison to

the children whose handicap was due to social

deprivation. (HAIDVOGL, LEHNER, RESCH, 1993)

GRIGGS presented a series of four of cases,

including one with a seizure disorder (Griggs, 1968)

WRIGHT-HUBBARD presented four cases of

mental retardation, with seizures, autism, and muscle

twitching who responded well to homeopathic remedies

when there was nothing else conventional to offer them.

(WRIGHT-HUBBARD, 1965)

CORTINA presented a series of twenty cases of

children with enuresis and behavioral problems treated

with Ilex, a plant derived remedy. They reported 50%

improvement in the enuresis and behavioral symptoms.

Unfortunately, the study was not controlled, which

makes it difficult to evaluate. (CORTINA, 1994)

There are a number of single case reports of

patients suffering from anorexia nervosa, anxiety

neurosis, and manic-depressive illness treated

successfully with Homeopathy. BOERICKE reported

an interesting case of a patient suffering from dementia

with psychosis treated with a homeopathic preparation

of chlorpromazine after the patient had worsened with

the usual dosages of this drug. (GRAY, 1981)

(CROTHERS, 1981) (WHITMONT, 1980)

(BOERICKE, G., 1965)

Though the above cited cases provide documented

evidence that homeopathic medicines can be effective

in medical disorders, many other cases reported in the

homeopathic literature do not. Most single case reports

in our literature give only anecdotal information.

Patients with depression and bipolar disorder

respond very well to homeopathic treatment. Some of

these patients have required conventional medications,

but the dosages have tended to be moderate; they have

rarely needed more than one or two medications, and

intercurrent symptomatic problems were treated with

homeopathic remedies. (MERIZALDE, 2003-4)

Patients with Tourette’s disorder have also

responded well to homeopathic remedies, as well as

patients with trichotillomania, anxiety, chronic fatigue

and fibromyalgia, and dissociative disorders, including

multiple personality disorders. These patients have had

poor responses to conventional medications or did not

tolerate the side-effects from them. (MERIZALDE,

2002-3)

Therapeutic Considerations for the Use of

Homeopathic Remedies in Psychiatry

After the homeopath takes a complete case, he or

she selects those symptoms which are uncommon, rare

and peculiar; that is to say, they are outside of the

common or usual. An example of an unusual symptom

might be when a chilly person wants to apply something

cold to his headaches.

The selection of the remedy is always based on the

totality of symptoms of the patient with special

consideration given to their peculiar or characteristic

qualities, such as: congestion of the face, red skin,

glaring eyes, throbbing carotids, excited mental state,

hyperaesthesia of all senses, delirious and restless sleep,

dryness of the mouth, etc., which are found in the

proving of Belladonna. These are the symptoms of an

anticholinergic intoxication and, according to the

theory, can be treated with minimal dosages of the same

substance, following the principle of hormesis.

HAHNEMANN identified two contrasting

biological actions that could be induced by medicinal

substances: the first, the pharmacological, or toxic,

effect of the substance, and the second, the organic

reaction, which represented the drive of the organism to

return to a state of equilibrium. This is known today as

the “rebound phenomenon,” and can be induced by

certain drugs such as vasoconstrictors, alcohol, coffee,

benzodiazepines and narcotics.

This phenomenon, called hormesis, is a dose-

response relationship phenomenon characterized by

low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition observed

in carefully designed and rigorous in vitro and in vivo

scientific research. (Calabrese EJ, 2004)

(MERIZALDE, 2005)

Hormesis may play a role in conventional

pharmacological treatments in psychiatry, such as the

use of tricyclics in the treatment of panic and anxiety, or

paradoxical reactions from benzodiazepines. Perhaps,

the reported increase in suicidal ideation caused by the

SSRI medications could be part of this same

phenomenon. It is also often seen that antipsychotic

medications can worsen psychotic symptoms.

(KAPLAN & SADDOCK, 1995)

A manic state of a quarrelsome and obscene

character, with immodest acts, gestures and expressions,

such as exposing oneself, is characteristic of

Hyoscyamus.

There are thirty-nine remedies cited by

GUERNSEY with symptoms characteristic of mental

illness. In addition to the mental symptoms,

characteristic, physical symptoms are also included in

the amamnesis. (GUERNSEY, 1866) (BOERICKE,

W., 1927)

HAHNEMANN observed that one can often

observe an initial aggravation of the patient’s symptoms

after which improvement begins. A similar

phenomenon has been observed in the treatment of

anxiety disorders with tricyclics. (KAPLAN &

SADOCK, 1995)

The clinical pictures elicited in the proving of

certain remedies can sometimes bear an uncanny

resemblance to modern clinical syndromes. A good

example occurs in the proving of Aurum metallicum.

Provers reported: “Hopeless, despondent and great

desire to commit suicide, disgust of life, feeling of self-

condemnation and utter worthlessness.”

Contrast that description with that of Staphysagria

one is akin to the rejection sensitivity of a patient with

Donald Klein’s Hysteroid Dysphoria or atypical

depression.

As previously mentioned, the remedy is selected

not only on the mental picture but any concomitant

physical symptoms. For example, Aurum seems to

have an affinity for cardiovascular system, while that of

Staphysagria is often for the genitourinary system.

Another interesting picture is that of Arsenicum

album, which is characterized by great anguish and

restlessness; it also has fear of death and of being left

alone. These are symptoms commonly found in anxiety

disorders, especially with panic attacks.

The picture of Natrum muriaticum (sodium

chloride) presents with: ill effect from grief, fright,

anger, etc,; depressed and irritable; gets into a passion

about trifles; wants to be left alone to cry. These

symptoms may be found in a Dysthymic or Adjustment

disorders.

Nux vomica manifests with a zealous fiery

temperament, great irritability; intolerance of noise,

odors, light, or touch. The remedy is also: sullen and

fault-finding, desirous of stimulants, sometimes in

excess, and suffers from constipation. These symptoms

are found in patients suffering from neurovegetative

dystonia, as well as other forms of dysthymia, usually of

organic nature.

These are some of the mental symptoms reported in

the homeopathic Materia Medica.

Homeopathic remedies are non-toxic and safe;

however, they need to be prescribed with care as they

can elicit symptoms in sensitive persons. Just as

someone can react emotionally to an intense movie,

including nightmares that could last several days, or

react to a psychotherapeutic intervention, certain very

sensitive patients can “prove” homeopathic medicines.

In patients who are extremely sensitive the LM

potencies may be necessary. If the symptoms of

aggravation are too intense, an antidotal remedy that

covered the old and the new symptoms will be

necessary, at a lower potency than the remedy that

caused the aggravation (this last recommendation is

based on personal experience). (HAHNEMANN,

1842/1996)

References

ANANTH, J., & RUSKIN, R. (1974). Treatment of

Intractable Depression. International

Pharmacopsychiatry, 218-29.

BODMAN, F. (1990). Insights into Homeopathy.

Beaconsfield Press, England: Davies and Pinsent

Editors.

BOERICKE, G. (1965). Tranquilizing Drugs used

Homeopathically and Homeopathic Tranquilizers.

Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy,

Jan.-Feb., Pgs. 20-23.

BOERICKE, W. (1927). Materia Medica and

Repertory, 9

th

ed. Philadelphia: Boericke and

Runyon.

BOLTZ, O. (1968). Some Original Investigations on

the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Associated

Symptoms due to a Functional Disturbance of

Integration in the Diencephalon using the Principle

of Similia Similibus Curantur. Journal of the

American Institute of Homeopathy, 61(4), 219-234.

CALABRESE EJ, B.R. (2004). The hormesis database:

an overview. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 202 (3),

289-300.

CHAPMAN, E., Weintraub, r., & al, e. (1999).

Homeopathic Treatment of Mild Traumatic Brain

Injury: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-

Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of Head Trauma

Rehabilitation, 14 (6), 521-542.

CORTINA, J. (1994). Enuresis and its Homeopathic

Treatment: Study of 20 cases treated with Ilex

Paraguenses. British Homeopathic Journal, 83(4),

220-222.

CROTHERS, D. (1980). Mental Illness and

Homeopathy. Northwest Academy of Preventive

Medicine Newsletter, 7(4).

DAVIDSON, J. (1994). Psychiatry and Homeopathy

British Homeopathic Journal, 83(2), 78-83.

DAVIDSON, J., MORRISON, R., SHORE, J., & al, e.

(1997). Homeopathic treatment of depression and

anxiety. Alternative therapies, 3 (1), 46-49.

DENTINIS, L. (1994). Mental Symptoms in

Homeopathy, London, England: Beaconsfield Pubs.

FREI, H., al, e. (2005). Homeopathic treatment of

children with attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder: a randomized, double blind, placebo

controlled crossover trial. European Journal of

Pediatrics, 164, 758-767.

FREI, H., & THURNEYSEN, A. (2001). Treatment for

hyperactive children: Homeopathy and

methylphenidate compared in a family setting.

British Homeopathic Journal, 90, 183-188.

GALLAVARDIN, J. (1960/90). Psychism and

Homeopathy. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers.

GAYLORD, S., & DAVIDSON, J. (1998). The

constitution: Views from Homeopathy and

psychiatry. British Homeopathic Journal, 87, 148-

153.

GIBSON, D., & LOND, B., (1953). Some Observations

on Homeopathy in Relations to Psychoneurosis.

The British Journal of Homeopathy, 43(3).

GRAY, W. (1981). Anorexia Nervosa: Case Report

presented at the Homeopathic Conference in San

Francisco.

GRAZYNA, M., & TRZEBIATOWSKA-TRZECIAK,

O. (1993). Homeopathic treatment of alcohol

withdrawal. British Homeopathic Journal with

simile, 82(4), 249-251.

GRIGGS, W. (1968). Normalizing Abnormal Children.

Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy,

235-238.

GUERNSEY, H. (1866). Hysteria. Hahnemannian

Monthly, l (11), 387-404.

HAEHL, R. (1922). HAHNEMANN, His Life and

Work. London: London Homeopathic Pub. Co.

HAHNEMANN, S. (1842/1996). Organon of Medicine,

6

th

Ed. Trans. Brewster-O’Reilly, W. Redmond,

WA: Birdcage Books.

HAIDVOGL, M., LEHNER, E., & RESCH, D. (1993).

Homeopathic Treatment of Handicapped Children.

British Homeopathic Journal, 82(4), 227-236.

HERSCU, P. (2002). Provings- An Annotated Selection

of Historic & Contemporary Writings. Amherst,

MA: The New England School of Homeopathy

Press.

KAPLAN, H., & SADOCK, B.E. (1995).

Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 6

th

Edition.

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.

KLEIJNEN, J., KNIPSCHILD, P., & ter RIET, G.

(1991). Clinical Trials of Homeopathy. British

Medical Journal, 302 (6782), 316-323.

LAMONT, J. (1997). Homeopathic Treatment of

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-A

controlled study. British Homeopathic Journal, 86,

196-200.

LINDE, K., & al, e. (1997). Are the clinical effects of

Homeopathy placebo effects? A meta-analysis of

placebo-controlled trials. Lancet, 359 (9081), 834-

843.

MENNINGER, C. (1897). Some Reflections Relative

to the Symptomatology and Materia Medica of

Typhoid Fever. Transactions of American Institute

of Homeopahy, 430.

MERIZALDE, B. (2003-04). Bipolar disorder: A

Presentation of three cases. American Journal of

Homeopathic Medicine, 96(4), 300-315.

MERIZALDE, B. (2005). Samuel HAHNEMANN:

Hormesis and a Probably Mechanism of Action of

Homeopathic Remedies. American Journal of

Homeopathic Medicine, 98(4), 249-254.

MERIZALDE, B. (2002-03). Trichotillomania.

American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine, 95,

(4), 221-225.

NEATBY, E., STONHAM, T. (1948/1987). Manual of

Homeo-therapeutics (Indian edition). India: Jain

Publishers.

PHALNIKAR, M. (1962). Acute Psychotic Episode.

The British Homeopathic Journal, 51 (2), 103-108.

PRIESTMAN, K. (1951). Fears. The British Journal of

Homeopathy, 41 (2), 93-100.

REICHENBERG-ULLMAN, J., R.U. (1996). Ritalin

Free Kids: Safe and Effective Homeopathic

Medicine for ADD and other Behavioral and

Learning Problems. Roseville, CA: Prima

Publishing, Random House.

REICHENBERG-ULLMAN, J., & ULLMAN, R.

(1999). Rage Free Kids: Homeopathic Medicine

for Defiant, Aggressive and Violent Children.

Roseville, CA: Prima Publishing, Random House.

SAINE, A. (1997). Psychiatric Patients: Back to the

Roots: Steps in case taking. Eindhoven,

Netherlands: Lutra Services.

SCHROYENS, F. (2004). Synthesis Repertory

(Synthesis Repertorium Homeopathicum

Syntheticum), edition 9.1. London: Homeopathic

Book Publishers.

=======================================

11. Look at, then See the Case

SHEPPERD, Joel (AJHM. 102, 2/2009)

Introduction:

Each student of Hahnemann’s Organon finds

something that is especially interesting. Many people

like the sweeping mission statement of §1 and §2, and

often quote those lines. Other practitioners appreciate

the historical perspective offered by HAHNEMANN

when he compares the deficiencies of all previous forms

of medical therapeutics. Those who like the mystery of

the unknown may relish the details of preparing a

medicine with no more original substance in it. The

homeopath who has emphatically rejected the narrow

view of mechanistic biomedicine may make a religion

out of the vital force of §9. The far-ranging thinker

calls the first part of the Organon a philosophy rather

than real, verifiable experimental conclusions. One

group of homeopaths cannot bring themselves to

translate some of the noun objects named in the

Organon. They leave the words “gestalt” and “wesen”

untranslated, for instance, as if these terms are just too

important to say in English.

To me, the Organon is a “how to” manual. How to

verbs are the most important words for me. The first

part of the Organon establishes principles of practice

based on experiments and observations. Practice is

practical. The action verbs in the Organon tell me what

to do. “Help; heal; cure; make sick people well” is what

§1 and §2 say to me.

My favorite aphorism is the first part of §104. It is

telling me to do something that I don’t know how to do.

That is, what I did in the last case won’t work in the

next case. I shall explain further.

The “How to” Part of Aphorism 104

The practical part of the Organon begins with

§82-104. These aphorisms devote considerable effort

listing the necessary skills of the investigation of a

person’s diseases. HAHNEMANN instructs the curing

artisan to be complete, thorough and ask about past

symptoms as well as present symptoms; and to include

all circumstances, such as other treatments, life habits or

family traits. Homeopaths routinely do this now, but it

was quite an innovation to be so complete for a chronic

disease case; it was not done before HAHNEMANN.

This case taking section of the Organon ends with

the statements in the first part of §104. This aphorism

tells us how to turn a list of facts or bits of information

or a list of seemingly unrelated symptoms into a

meaningful picture (“bild”) or a living whole (“ganz”)

or a “gestalt.” We must determine the characteristic

symptoms. How does HAHNEMANN define

“characteristic peculiar.” However, HAHNEMANN

uses multiple aspects of meaning. Table 1 lists the

translation of several different German words that

describe characteristic symptoms.

What does HAHNEMANN actually say to do with

the totality of symptoms? He never uses the word

“analyze.” The dictionary says that “analyze” means

“breaking up something complex into its various simple

elements.”(1) This process covers how we analyze a

person’s whole disease, and break it down into its

component parts, which we call the totality of

symptoms. The discovery of the characteristic

symptoms from the totality of symptoms is another,

different process. What is that technique? We will

consult eleven versions, ten different ones in English, to

reach a greater realization of what to do.

Eleven Different Versions of §104

§82 “When once the whole complex of symptoms,

the picture of any particular kind of disease, is exactly

drawn out, then the most difficult part of the physician’s

task is finished. Then he has it always before him: he

can study it in all its details, in order to discover an

effective opposing force, an artificial counter disease-

force, similar to the existing disorder, chosen out of the

symptom-lists of all the medicines which are known to

him…”(2)

§XCVII “The totality of the symptoms, which

characterize a given case—or, in other terms, the image

of the disease---being once committed to writing, the

most difficult part is accomplished. The physician

ought ever after to have this image before his eyes to

serve as a basis of treatment, especially when the

disease is chronic. He can then study it in all its parts,

and draw from it the characteristic marks, in order the

oppose to these symptoms---that is to say, to the disease

itself---a remedy that is perfectly homeopathic….”(3)

§104 “When all of the prominent and characteristic

symptoms, collectively forming an image of a case of

chronic, or of any other disease, have been carefully

committed to writing, the most difficult part of the labor

will have been accomplished. The image which has

now been construed, forms the basis of treatment,

particularly of chronic diseases. This image is always

accessible to the physician, whom it enables to oversee

all its parts, to mark its characteristic signs representing

the disease, and to prescribe a homeopathic

remedy…”(4)

§104 “When the totality of the symptoms that

specially mark and distinguish the case of disease or, in

other words, when the picture of the disease, whatever

be its kind, is once accurately sketched, the most

difficult part of the task is accomplished. The physician

has then the picture of the disease, especially if it be a

chronic one, before him to guide him in his treatment:

he can investigate it in all its parts and can pick out the

characteristic symptoms, in order to oppose to these,

that is to say, to the whole malady itself, a very similar

artificial morbific force, in the shape of a

homeopathically chosen medicinal substance….”(5)

§104 The Dudgeon translation is used by Boericke

word for word.(6)

§104 “When the picture of any case of disease, i.e. ,

the totality of symptoms particularly defining and

distinguishing it, is precisely written down, then the

most difficult part of the task is already accomplished.

In his treatment, especially of chronic disease, the

physician can always refer to it. He can peruse it in all

its parts and pick out the characteristic symptoms so as

to counter them;, i.e., counter the complaint itself, with

the appropriately similar artificial disease agent the

homeopathic remedy….”(7)

§104 “Once the totality of symptoms that

principally determines and distinguish the disease case –

in other words, the image of any kind of disease – has

been exactly recorded, the most difficult work is done.

During the treatment (especially of a chronic disease),

the medical-art practitioner then has the total disease

image always before him. He can behold it in all of its

parts and life out the characteristic signs. He can then

select….”(8)

§104 “If now the totality of the symptoms

preeminently determining and distinguishing the case,

or in other words, if the picture of the disease of any

kind exactly noted down for once, the most difficult

labor is done. The healing artist then has it always

before him laid down as the basis of treatment

especially of the chronic disease, he can penetrate it in

all its parts and mark the characteristic signs, in order to

oppose them …”(9)

§104 “Once the picture of the disease has been

accurately sketched, the most difficult part of the

physician’s task is accomplished. A record of the

totality of the symptoms, especially those that mark and

distinguish the case of disease, is now always available

to the physician as a complete picture of the illness to

guide him in his treatment. He can pick out the

characteristic symptoms in order to oppose…”(10)

§104 “When the totality of the symptoms that

specially mark and distinguish the cause of disease or,

in other words, when the picture of the disease,

whatever be its kind, is once accurately sketched, the

most difficult part of the task is accomplished. The

physician has then the picture of the disease, especially

if it be a chronic one, always before him to guide him in

his treatment. He can perceive it in all its parts and can

pick out the characteristic symptoms…”(11)

§104 “Ist nun die Gesammtheit der, den

Krankheitsfall vorzuglich bestimmenden und

auszeichnenden Symptome, oder andern Worten, das

Bild der Krankheit irgend einer Art einmal genau

aufgezeichnet, so ist auch die schwerste Arbeit

geschehen. Der Heilkunstler hat es dann bei der Cur,

vorzuglich der chronischen Krankheit auf immer vor

sich, kann es in allen seinen Theilen durchschauen und

die characteristischen Zeichen herausheben, um ihm

eine gegen diese, das ist, gegen das Uebel selbst

gerichtete…”(12)

A Tally of Two Verbs

HAHNEMANN says to do two actions with the

totality of symptoms in §104. We “herausheben” the

characteristic symptoms. The most popular translation

for this is “pick out” according to BOERICKE,

KUNZLI, HAMLYN and HOCHSTETTER. “Lift out”

says O’Reilly; “mark” says FINCKE and

WESSELHOEFT; “chosen out of” says WHEELER;

and “draw from it,” says DEVRIENT. One German

dictionary defines it as “lift out” (13), and another

dictionary mentions “lift or take out; render prominent,

make conspicuous, lay stress on; throw into relief, set

off.”(14)

HAHNEMANN “herausheben” the characteristic

symptoms from the totality of symptoms by doing

what? He says to “durchshauen” the symptoms.

“Study” say WHEELER and DEVRIENT; “oversee”

says WESSELHOEFT; “investigate” says BOERICKE;

“peruse” says KUNZLI; “behold” declares O’REILLY;

HAMLYN says “guide;” HOCHSTETTER says

“perceive; and FINCKE mentions “penetrate.” Some of

these words don’t seem to be related to each other in

any meaningful way. Three different German

dictionaries offer: “to see through, to see clearly to

understand;”(15) “to look through, to see through, to

penetrate;” (16) “see through, look through, penetrate,

understand, grasp, see into the heart of.”(17)

Some of the words that translators choose

emphasize the senses: “oversee, behold, perceive.”

Other words emphasize thinking about the symptoms;

such as, “study, investigate, peruse, guide.” Remember

in §6 that HAHNEMANN says to observe what is

“outwardly discernible through the senses.”(18) He

does not want us to think up symptoms or say, “I think I

understand the symptom,” or make hypotheses or

interpretations of the symptoms. We are to use all the

perceptible signs and symptoms of the diseases in the

individual. We use all five of our senses of smell, taste,

touch, hearing and sight to perceive the totality of the

symptoms of the disease. We do not think the

characteristic symptoms; we see them.

In German there are two words “to see:” “schauen”

and “sehen.” In English we can perhaps compare these

two words with “to see” and “to look.” Here are some

examples:

We can look at a list or look through a list of

sytmptoms.

We can look at something and not really see it if we

don’t pay attention.

We can look through a window because it is

transparent.

Or we can see through a window, which implies

that we actually noticed something that we looked at

through the transparent glass.

We don’t look through a person unless we are

Superman, but we can see through a person if we realize

their unstated motivations or intentions.

Looking at or looking through a list of symptoms of

a disease is not enough.

We must see through the symptom totality and

realize the living whole.

To see the whole we stay with the symptoms; we

stay within the symptoms; we stay with the concrete

observable symptoms only. We do not attempt to see

beyond the symptoms, as if we can see over the horizon

and extrapolate the reality. We do not try to see

something behind the symptoms that seems to just elude

our senses, because we do not believe that the signs and

symptoms are enough. We do not reach above the

symptoms looking for universal ideas or concepts.

These acts of the thinking mind that separates itself

from the seeing mind only introduce theories and

hypotheses. Examples of ideas that we can think up

include taxonomy categories, psychological categories,

and periodic table themes. These are all preconceptions,

assumptions and suppositions borrowed from other

sciences. Choose, instead, to stay with the actual

perceptions.

One homeopathic practitioner hints that we can see

the whole case and recognize the characteristic

symptoms if: “A preparation for this labor involves the

task of making acquaintance of a good repertory and

mastering as far as is possible the peculiar genius of the

best proved drugs, this latter achievement is no slight

task…”(19)

A New translation of §104

For the word “herausheben,” I choose the definition

“make conspicuous.” The dictionary definition is to

make “clearly visible, obvious, plainly evident,

attracting notice, remarkable, noteworthy.”(20)

For “durchschauen” I use the words “make

transpicuous,” defined as “that can be seen through,

transparent, lucid.”(21)

I choose a bullet point format to make the aphorism

more perspicuous; that is, “easily understood, clearly

expressed.”(23) Here is my translation of the first part

of §104:

• Accurately noting down the totality of symptoms

that determine and distinguish the case is the most

difficult part of the task.

• After several conversations, the doctor sketches the

disease picture of the patient as completely as

possible.

• The curing artisan can then refer to his notes at any

time.

• Make transpicuous all the parts.

• Make the characteristic symptoms conspicuous.

• Distinguish the most striking and peculiar

(characteristic) symptoms.

• Then choose the appropriate artificial disease agent

– the homeopathic medicine – the best possible

similarity to the signs to begin the cure.

References

1. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

Oxford: Oxford University Press; Analyze; p.72.

2. WHEELER C, translator. Organon of the Rational

Art of Healing by Samuel HAHNEMANN.

London: J.M. DENT; 1913.

3. DEVRIENT C, translator. The Homeopathic

Medical Doctrine or Organon of the Healing Art of

S. HAHNEMANN. Dublin: W.F. WAKEMAN;

1833.

4. WESSELHOEFT C., translator. Organon of the

Art of Healing by Samuel HAHNEMANN. 5

th

American edition translated from the 5

th

German

edition. Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel; 1875.

5. BOERICKE, W., translator. Organon of Medicine

by Samuel HAHNEMANN. Philadelphia:

Boericke & Tafel; 1935.

6. DUDGEON RE, translator. Organon of Medicine

by Samuel HAHNEMANN. Philadelphia:

Boericke & Tafel; 1901.

7. KUNZLI J, Naude A, Pendleton P, translators.

Organon of Medicine by Samuel HAHNEMANN.

London: Orion Books, Ltd; 2003.

8. O’REILLY WB, editor. Organon of the Medical

Art of Samuel HAHNEMANN, MD. Redmond,

Washington: Birdcage Books; 1996.

9. FINCKE BM, Translator. The Organon of the

Healing Art by Samuel HAHNEMANN from the

5

th

edition transcribed by Maria Mackey. Tawa,

New Zealand: Great Auk Publishing; 2004.

10. HAMLYN EC, presenter. The Healing Art of

Homeopathy. The Organon of Samuel

HAHNEMANN. New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats

Publishing, Inc.; 1979.

11. HOCHSTETTER K, redaction. Organon of

Medicine, Samuel HAHNEMANN. Heidelberg:

Karl F. Verlag; 1979.

12. SCHMIDT JM. Editor. Organon der Heilkunst von

Samuel Hahnemann. Heidelberg: Karl F. Haug

Verlag; 1999.

13. The New Schoffer-Weis German and English

Dictionary. Lincolnwood, Illinois: National

Textbook Company; 1990. Herausheben; p.189.

14. The New Cassel’s German Dictionary. New York:

Funk & Wagnalls; 1971. Herrausheben; p.226.

15. Harper Collins German College Dictionary.

Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers; 2004.

Durchschauen; p.158.

16. The New Schoffer-Weis German and English

Dictionary. Durchschauen; p.93.

17. The New Cassel’s German Dictionary.

Durchschauen; p.113.

18. WESSELHOEFT, p. 66.

19. BALDWIN CA. Hahnemann’s Organon of the Art

of Healing Restated. New Delhi, India: B. Jain

Publishers Pvt. Ltd., reprint edition 2001.

P.31(§104).

20. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

Conspicuous; p.487.

21. Ibid. Transpicuous; p.3373.

22. Ibid. Perspicuous; p.2172.

========================================

PART III

(While Part II features articles from other journals, Part III contains the editor’s own contribution and other original

articles.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOOK SHELF

I. Ein homöopathisches Patientennetzwerk

im Herzogtum Anhalt-Bernburg. (A homoeopathic

Patients Network in the Dukedom Anhalt-Bernburg)

BUSCHE Jens (Karl E Haug Verlag, Stuttgart, 2008

(German).

This is 11

th

book in the Quellen und Studien zur

Homöopathiegeschichte Series which is brought out by

the Institute for History of Medicine of the Robert

Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart with Dr. Robert JUTTE

as the Director of the Institute.

This book covers the family of KERSTEN and his

near relations during the years 1831 – 1835, when

Samuel HAHNEMANN was practicing in Koethen.

The study is in 7 chapters.

The 1

st

chapter is Introduction.

The 2

nd

Chapter describes HAHNEMANN’s daily

Practices during his period in Koethen. During the

period, he brought out new Editions of his basic

textbooks and Materia Medica and Chronic Diseases.

It was from Koethen that in 1831 he gave out to the

world through several publication on prevention as well

as cure of the Cholera Epidemic.

The third Chapter gives the biographical details of

the family of KERSTEN.

The dietetic instructions of HAHNEMANN during

his treatment are discussed in chapter 4. Here are

discussed fresh air, light, walking in the open, food, etc.

The instructions HAHNEMANN gave his patients

through his several letters are also studied here.

Sixth Chapter is titled “Homeopathic Foreign

therapies” by Chamber President BRAUN and Dr. med.

WÜRZLER of the family of KERSTEN.

The seventh Chapter is a Summary.

There is a detailed Annexe containing the key to the

abbreviations used by HAHNEMANN, latin references,

details of the personalities named in the book,

chronology of prescriptions, dietetic questions as well as

other related remarks in respect of each of the family of

KERSTEN.

The book is not only of historic interest but also

discusses the problems presented by the patients and

how HAHNEMANN managed them.

K.S.SRINIVASAN.

========================================

II. My experiments with 50 millesimal scale of

potencies by Dr. Ramananlal P. Patel.

Dr. PATEL begins his book with extensive

prefaces to all the editions of the Organon, the preface

to the 6

th

edition occupying almost 9 pages. Then

comes a list of references arranged alphatically about

193 in number. Next follows a list of contents of the

book – in all 16 Chapters including two appendices.

Then comes three introductory chapters. The first

part deals with the life & times of HAHNEMANN, the

second part with the Organon of Medicine, its

evolution and evaluation and the third part occupies

pages that deals with Dr. PATEL’s initiation and

research work on the sixth edition and 50 millesimal

potencies. The protocol and methodology of the

research work is given on pages 31 to 33.

Chapter I from pages 34 to 53 deals with the 50

Millesimal potencies and their preparation. Details of

the manufacturing process and various technical points

are given and a few sample paragraphs, modified

amended and rewritten by HAHNEMANN in the 5

th

edition for the sixth edition give us an idea of the nature

of Hahnemann’s handwriting.

Chapter 2 gives the evolution of 50 millesimal

scale of potencies.

Chapter 3 compares the same scale with the

centesimal scale and

Chapter 4 deals with the history and a historical

survey of the development of 50 millesimal scale of

potencies.

Chapter 5 gives the reason “WHY” Hahnemann

advocated the 50 millesimals as a further advance in the

method of treatment.

Chapter 6 deals with Dr. PATEL’s earlier

experiences from 1948 to 1968 in dealing with his cases

giving brief notes of about 33 examples of such cases.

Chapter 7 is titled the treatment of diseases with 50

millesimal potencies and

Chapter 8 talks on the selection of the potency

according to various scales of potentization.

Chapter 9 is pretty large one from pages 111 to 129

and deals with the preparation and the administration of

the remedy.

Chapter 10 talks on the repetition of the dose or

what is called as pharmacopollaxy according to both the

5

th

and 6

th

editions of the Organon

Chapter 11 deals with a few observations of Dr.

PATEL during past 56 years.

Chapter 12 gives the advantages in the use of 50

millesimal scale potencies.

Chapter 13 from pages 153 to 179 gives an

approach to cases in Homeopathic practice.

Chapter 14 gives a few case reports of Hahnemann

his approach and his use of 50 millesimal potencies and

also includes Dr. PATEL’s understanding and learning

and experiences in utilizing this scale - covers pages

from 180 to pages 222.

Chapter 15 occupies pages 223 to 457 and deals

with various strategies of homeopathic prescribing and

given us cases dealt with, on Asthma and various

chronic cases and also a large section of Cancer cases.

A protocol for research in the treatment of Asthma and

Cancer cases has also been given.

Chapter 16 gives the concluding remarks of the

author in which he says that freeing the ‘soul’ from the

clutches of disease is a great reward that Homeopathy

offers to suffering mankind. Every case which Dr.

PATEL has treated with 50 Millesimal Scale potencies

has brought tears of ‘joy’ in his eyes – He add’s – that

‘Joy” with tears is the greatest experience in ones life

who follows truth the greatest Homeopathic truth for

the good of mankind.

Appendix I contains a list of remedies still seen in

Hahnemann’s wooden case inlaid Ivory box. These

contain potencies prepared upto millesimnal 1 to 10 and

some remedies like Mercurius solubilis and Sulphur are

prepared upto the 30

th

degree. However in a footnote it

is given that the box containing the potencies made by

HAHNEMANN in the 50 millesimal scale is lost or is

missing or stolen from the Institute of the History of

medicine of Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart,

Germany.

Appendix II gives some details of how the 50

millesimal potencies are administered to patients by Dr.

PATEL both to local patients and to distant patients.

My concluding remarks are as follows. This book

of 460 pages sent to me by Dr. PATEL is his greatest

work that he has brought out at his age. One cannot

read this book in a hurry. For my readers of HCCR I

had to condense the gist of all the chapters for their

benefit. The pages dealing with various cured cases is

exhaustive and stunning can our misinformed and

misguided allopathic friends do the same?

Dr. PATEL is one of the leading stalwarts of

Hahnemann’s system of Homeopathy. He is a

recipient of various awards and is a members of various

committees all over India and abroad. Dr. PATEL’s life

from the clutches of an advanced Osteosarcoma is a

saga in itself. He cured himself by various potencies of

Thuja after failure of repeated operations and other

medications. God in his Supreme Wisdom decided to

save Dr. PATEL’s life, so that he could devote himself

to the cause of Homeopathy and HAHNEMANN and

cure innumerable acute and chronic cases for the benefit

of ailing humanity. Dr. PATEL’s book is not easy to

read – because it contains a wealth of information that is

in fact mind-boggling. I advise all my readers to

purchase this book and go through it – atleast go

through the various case reports and cures that have

been made. The book costs Rs.500 and to my mind

very moderately priced. I would advise all my readers

to go through this book carefully for their benefit.

Dr.D.E. MISTRY.

========================================

III. Euphorbium – Materia Medica Revisa

Homoeopathiae: von Bettina ROSE-BRÜHL,

Klaus-Henning GYPSER (Hrsg.), Wunnibald

Gypser Verlag, Glees.

This Monograph comes in Materia Medica Revisa

Series.

It is understood from the ‘Nachwort’ (Epilogue)

that thereare several Euphorbium and it is difficult to

say who proved which Euphorbium; or for that with

regard to the data collected from toxicological reports

and Case Reports.

HAHNEMANN mentions in his Chronic Diseases

mentioned that formerly the source was from

Euphorbium officinarum growing in the hottest part of

Africa and later from the Canary Isles, being gathered

from Euphorbia canariensis. Symptom No.79 in

Chronic Diseases is from Euphorbium cypariassias.

The Monograph contains 284 symptoms.

There are symptoms which have been missed in the

Repertories. Careful comparison has to be made to fill

this gap in the Repertories e.g. Symptom No.275 in the

Monograph gives: “Shivering (Shaking) of the whole

upper body”.

All symptoms given in the MMR series are reliable.

Excellent get up.

K.S. SRINIVASAN.

IV. Euphrasia - Materia Medica Revisa

Homoeopathiae: von Doris BARZEN, Klaus-

Henning GYPSER (Hrsg.), Wunnibald Gypser

Verlag, Glees.

There are 632 symptoms in this Monograph.

Nearly 35% of the Symptoms of Euphrasia pertain

to the eye and Vision: Dr. Doris BARZEN gives very

interesting information in the ‘Nachwort’: Dr.C.G.

MOHR, a student of HERING was treating a 2 year-old

girl child who suffered from diarrhoea and painful

urging for stool causing anal prolapse, which was not

responding to any of the medicines, over a period of 9

months. At this juncture the child developed coryza

sneezing, photophobia, etc. which called for Euphrasia

which was given in C30 water, every 3hrs. and by next

day the coryza, sneezings were all better. Five days

later a severe diarrhoea came on painless lasting the

whole day. After the last stool, the child got up and said

“Mamma, my thing’s up” and she was found to be

cured of the prolapse. MOHR was very much

astounded and whe he studied the proving in

Hahnemann’s Pure Materia Medica he found in

Symptom No.17 “a pressure in anus when sitting”.

Another interesting report by Dr. Mac FARLAN,

who had been called by a 76-year-old woman suffering

from severe inflammation of the eye. She was also

taking antidiabetic drugs. With Dr. Mac FARLAN’s

prescription of Euphrasia the eye complaints which was

troubling the woman since three months, was relieved in

12 days. Her pharmacist who routinely examined her

urine and sugar level told her that her Diabetes was very

much better. Mac FARLAN was very much surprised

and he gave the woman now Euphrasia 40M. After 8

weeks the pharmacist reported that for the first time in

year her urine was free from sugar. The Diabetes of the

76 year-old remained healed.

As usual the Monographs are excellently got up –

printing, binding etc. and above all gold mine of

Materia Medica.

K.S. SRINIVASAN.

========================================

Repertorization 1A: Respiratory Symptoms,

All Remedies

Repertorization 1B: Respiratory Symptoms,

15 Polycrests Removed

Total

Ars.

Calc.

Lyc.

Nit-ac.

Nux-v.

Merc.

Apis.

Carb-v.

Pul.

Sulph.

Arg-n.

Nat-a.

Phos.

14

12

9

10

9

7

6

8

Rubrics

5

4

3

Nose; OBSTRUCTION; night

2

3

1

3

1

2

Mouth; DISCOLOURATION;

tongue;red

3

2

3

2

3

2

1

3

Mouth; CRACKED; Tongue

fissured

3

2

3

1

2

1

2

3

Respiration; LOUD; sleep, in

1

3

Respiration; DIFFICULT;

ascending

3

2

3

1

3

2

1

2

1

Respiration; DIFFICULT; exertion

3

2

Nit-ac.

Apis.

Carb-v.

Arg-n.

Nat-a.

Ars-i.

Ip.

Am-c.

Aur-m.

Camph

Hyos.

Mag-m.

Nat-s.

Total

12

9

7

6

7

6

Rubrics

5

4

3

Nose; OBSTRUCTION; night

1

2

1

3

2

Mouth; DISCOLOURATION;

tongue; red

3

2

1

2

Mouth; CRACKED; Tongue

fissured

3

2

3

2

3

2

Respiration; LOUD; sleep, in

1

Respiration; DIFFICULT;

ascending

3

2

1

2

3

2

1

2

Respiration; DIFFICULT; exertion

2

3

1

2

Repertorization 2A: Headache symptoms,

All Remedies

Repertorization 2B: Headache symptoms,

15 Polycrests Removed

Bell.

Gels.

Acon.

Chel.

Lach.

Ign.

Spig.

Ars.

Glon.

Total

12

8

6

7

6

5

4

Rubrics

6

5

4

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION; Forehead;

eyes; above right

2

1

3

1

2

1

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION; Forehead;

eyes; behind

2

1

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION; Temples; right

1

2

1

Head Pain; GENERAL; noise, from

3

1

2

1

2

Head Pain; GENERAL; tobacco, smoking,

from

2

1

2

1

Head Pain; PRESSING; outward

2

1

3

1

Gels.

Acon.

Chel.

Ign.

Spig.

Glon.

Nat-a.

Bry.

Carb-v.

Total

8

6

7

6

4

8

5

4

Rubrics

5

4

3

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION; Forehead;

eyes; above right

2

1

3

2

1

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION; Forehead;

eyes; behind

1

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION; Temples;

right

2

Head Pain; GENERAL; noise, from

1

2

3

2

1

Head Pain; GENERAL; tobacco, smoking,

from

2

1

2

1

3

Head Pain; PRESSING; outward

2

1

2

Repertorization 3A: Totality of case,

All Remedies

Calc.

Arg-n.

Sulph.

Ars.

Phos.

Lyc.

Nat-m.

Puls.

Lach.

Total

33

28

31

35

31

28

26

28

Rubrics

17

16

15

14

13

Respiration; DIFFICULT; exertion,

after

3

2

3

2

3

2

3

Respiration; DIFFICULT; ascending

3

2

1

3

2

3

1

Respiration; LOUD; sleep, in

3

Mouth; CRACKED; Tongue fissured

2

3

2

1

2

Mouth; DISCOLORATION; Tongue

red

2

1

2

3

2

1

2

Nose; OBSTRUCTION; night

2

1

2

3

Head Pain; PRESSING; outward

1

3

Head Pain; GENERAL; tobacco,

smoking, from

1

2

Head Pain; GENERAL; noise, from

3

1

2

1

2

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION;

Forehead; eyes; above right

1

2

1

Generalities; WEAKNESS

3

2

3

2

3

2

3

Generalities; COLD; heat and cold

2

1

2

Mind; ANXIETY; health, about

2

1

3

1

Mind; INDUSTRIOUS

1

2

Mind; FASTIDIOUS

1

2

Mind; FEAR; narrow place, in

2

1

3

1

3

Mind; FEAR; robbers, of

2

1

3

2

Mind; FORSAKEN feeling

1

2

3

2

Sleep; POSITION; side on, left

1

2

Sleep; UNREFRESHING

1

2

3

2

3

Stomach; DESIRES; highly seasoned

food

3

1

Stomach; DESIRES; ice cream

2

1

3

2

Stomach; DESIRES; salty things

2

3

1

3

Stomach; DESIRES; sweets

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

Repertorization 3B: Totality of case,

15 Polycrests Removed

Arg-n.

Nit-ac.

Mag-m.

Ign.

Bry

Nat-c

Chin

Carb-v

Acon

Total

28

18

17

15

20

17

13

Rubrics

16

11

12

11

10

Respiration; DIFFICULT; exertion,

after

2

Respiration; DIFFICULT; ascending

2

3

Respiration; LOUD; sleep, in

1

Mouth; CRACKED; Tongue fissured

3

2

Mouth; DISCOLORATION; Tongue

red

1

3

2

1

2

Nose; OBSTRUCTION; night

1

2

Head Pain; PRESSING; outward

1

2

Head Pain; GENERAL; tobacco,

smoking, from

2

1

Head Pain; GENERAL; noise, from

1

3

1

2

1

Head Pain; LOCALIZATION;

Forehead; eyes; above right

1

2

1

2

1

Generalities; WEAKNESS

2

3

1

2

1

2

3

2

Generalities; COLD; heat and cold

1

Mind; ANXIETY; health, about

2

3

1

Mind; INDUSTRIOUS

2

1

Mind; FASTIDIOUS

Mind; FEAR; narrow place, in

2

1

Mind; FEAR; robbers, of

2

1

2

1

Mind; FORSAKEN feeling

2

1

Sleep; POSITION; side on, left

1

Sleep; UNREFRESHING

2

3

1

2

1

Stomach; DESIRES; highly seasoned

food

3

Stomach; DESIRES; ice cream

1

Stomach; DESIRES; salty things

3

2

3

Stomach; DESIRES; sweets

3

2

3

2

TABLE 1

CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS

§153-154, 151,104, 102, 130, 164, 178, 67a, 82, 83, 85, 211-213

Peculiar

Prominent

Exceptional

Special

Strange

Singular

Particular

Unusual

Odd

Uncommon

Marked

Rare

Distinctive

Distinguishing

Genius of the medicine

Eminent

Clarified

Individualized

Intense

Striking

Mental/emotional