Homeopathy Tips Newsletter

One of the more common complaints from clients is anxiety attacks. It seems in this hurried modern world we live in more and more people are having anxiety attacks during the course of their day. There might be many reasons for these, especially from the allopathic diagnosis (Hormone imbalance, thyroid deficiency, mental disorder, etc.) but nothing takes the place of simple case-taking and understanding of how the person is responding to their thoughts or environment.

When someone complains of anxiety attacks it is important to ask them to tell you a story about when this happens. From their story, you will glean much about what it is that is triggering them. Sometimes it may be a closed room or the stuffy feeling that they were experiencing. Other times it might be the presence of a crowd or riding in an elevator. It would be important to know if it was the closed areas of the elevator or the movement that frightened them. Sometimes it is the anticipation of an...

Last week I went over one of the changes that begin to occur as a person heals. This is the state of being in the “Observer”. Another stage of a person's healing that can be a little disconcerting is when the person is changing so fast that everything about their life seems different. This is the main indication of knowing they have entered “No Mans Land”.

“No Man’s Land” is usually very uncomfortable for most people. As they have moved into the observer they become more aware of their interactions with others. Sometimes established relationships will change dramatically as the person becomes more aware of the unhealthy ways they have related in the past. Many times significant relations with family and friends will shift and the person sometimes makes the comment, “How did I get here?” This is one of the most common comments I hear when a person is in this stage of their healing. They are seeing their world differently and the...

I believe I have discussed Hering's Law of cure and the healing response in previous newsletters, but what I want to share today is a subtle indication that a remedy may be working. As a quick reminder, Hering's Law of Cure states that we heal from the top down, inside out, from most recent symptoms to more distant and from most vital to least vital organs. This seems pretty straightforward.

In nearly every case I have seen there will be one or more aspects of this law that is apparent during a person's healing. Often I hear how the client is doing better and has a greater ability to see their own thoughts and process. It is like their thoughts have not changed yet but their attachment to them is different. I call this the "observer". When a client reports that they can really "see" their stuff and observe their own thought patterns it is telling me that they are healing.

When this phenomenon exists it is in perfect alignment with Hering's Law of Cure. The dis-ease has moved from...

It is important to know about the remedies in our Materia Medica and their relationships. I often see a case improve dramatically with a given remedy but not go on to cure. With a little knowledge of remedy relationships, some of the more perplexing cases can be improved by giving a complementary remedy to the first remedy prescribed. It must always be that this second remedy is indicated and not just given routinely.

When you see a child with recurrent high fevers that yield to Belladonna, but the fevers continue to reoccur then often Calcarea Carbonica will be the chronic remedy for these acute states.

Natrum Muriaticum sustains the same chronic relationships to  Apis and Ignatia. It stands to reason since Natrum Muriaticum shares many common themes with both of them. One can see the relationship between the crystalline structure of Salt and the crystalline structure of the honeycomb and crystallizing of honey. Often it will be difficult to tell the difference in...

There are two aspects of Homeopathy that seem to be diametrically opposed to each other but are absolutely necessary for Homeopathy to work. These are the "art" and the "science" that must be brought together to form a whole picture of dis-ease and the correct selection of the remedy. At first glance, it seems as though it would be impossible to marry the two. But careful investigation as to the true meaning of these different aspects can bring homeopathy to the level Hahnemann himself experienced.

I speak often about "seeing the case". This is where the "art" part of homeopathy comes in. The ability to be free of prejudice and let the client "paint the picture of their dis-ease". It is much like art appreciation; where there is nothing to judge about the work of art but to simply take it in and allow it to create the feeling inside. The difference is that it is most detrimental to follow feelings when case-taking. Feelings are usually your previous experiences and it is not good to...

When we have given a remedy, how do we know that it has worked? How do we know that the well-selected remedy that was given with confidence, is right?

The first follow-up is as important as the original case-taking. When we have given a remedy it is essential to determine if the remedy has worked. This can present problems at times. The client does not always report in glowing terms that the remedy has been helping. Sometimes it takes a bit of investigation to find out what has happened since they have been on the remedy. This is where good notes from the original case are essential. We must be able to investigate whether the vital force has responded or not.

I find that the first follow-up is best scheduled for around 4-6 weeks after the initial visit unless there is a very serious condition that is needing more attention. It is best to conduct the follow-up in a similar fashion to case-taking. Let them speak. Many times they will tell you that the remedy has had no effect but when...

When doing homeopathy it is very helpful to have complete knowledge of the repertory, especially the mind section. Obviously, it is so large that it would probably be impossible to memorize it all.  But there are a few rubrics that come up often that it is good to be familiar with. These rubrics can often be seen in case-taking and could help lead to the best remedy.

Study these rubrics and get to know the remedies they contain. Having these as one of the tools in your toolbox will help you immensely.

• Ennui - When there is a weary sense of dissatisfaction.
• Superstitious - When a person trusts in something; saying or action, a fetish, habit, amulet, ie. "knock on wood"
• Weeping; with sympathy for others - When they are easily moved to tears by the suffering of others.
• Stupefaction - A state where the person is unable to react or respond to a situation or life; either through shock and amazement or groggy and insensible.
• Sensitive; to noise - When there is an...

One question about different methodologies in Homeopathic medicine has caught my attention. It is a common challenge when learning about homeopathy to know which method to use and which method works. There is a fairly simple answer.

       If we are doing classical homeopathy, then Hahnemann has spelled out pretty clearly how homeopathy should be practiced. The Organon is the most direct source for this information.  Yet within modern classical homeopathy different teachers and approaches have proposed different methods for achieving success with prescribing.

        The most important point is the homeopath being able to "see the case".  Without this skill, no method will be helpful. What does "seeing the case" really mean? It means that the trained homeopath is observing everything that the client is saying and sometimes very literally, without prejudice. It is imperative to let the words the...

Homeopathy, based on the "Law of Similars", makes the selection of the remedy one of the most difficult tasks for homeopaths. But the question of potency is also one of the big hurdles for homeopaths as well. What are the rules for potency selection? How do we decide what potency to select? There are probably as many opinions as there are homeopaths, but I want to share with you my thoughts. Please include your own below.

Hahnemann explains potency in Aphorism 29 of the Organon.  " ....so in every homeopathic cure this principle of life dynamically altered by natural disease is seized through the administration of a medicinal potency selected exactly according to symptom-similarity by a somewhat stronger, similar artificial disease-manifestation."

What Hahnemann is saying is that the properly selected homeopathic remedy must be given in a potency that is slightly stronger than the dis-ease expression of the vital force. How do we determine what potency is best...