Homeopathy Tips Newsletter

In the course of seeing hundreds of clients, there are those that do better than others. And then there are those that do not seem to respond in any of the expected ways. I define these as "difficult cases."

For every case, the main indicator that the remedy is working is movement. The question I ask myself is, "Is there movement in the case?" Movement to me is symptoms or events in the person's life changing. There will be evidence that the vital force is expressing in a greater way than before. Sometimes this may be indicated by aggravations or return of old symptoms. Other times it is indicated by a greater sense of well-being or new events in the person's life. Anything that can be understood as movement in the case will keep me feeling that the remedy is helping, if only a little bit. Then I must retake the case and look for more clues to a better remedy or trust that their healing is happening but just not on my expected time schedule. These cases are a little more challenging...

Acute illnesses commonly happen during chronic or constitutional care. This can be challenging for homeopaths since the healing response to the original chronic or constitutional remedy can often be disturbed. What do we do then when new symptoms appear?

The approach to acute illness during chronic care is primarily determined by the kind of chronic care that has been given. It is one thing to treat acutes when there has been a healing response to a single high potency remedy. But quite another when the daily dosing of a remedy is now being affected by a new acute illness. Let's go through some of the possibilities and discuss the best approaches.

When a constitutional remedy is working and a new, acute illness happens, the same remedy that has brought the person to the new acute will be indicated and also help through the acute. Often that new acute expression is a part of the greater healing process. I find if the acute is not severe and the suffering is bearable, the best...

One of the greatest challenges for homeopaths is knowing when to let go of an idea about a case. This difficult task arises when we have seen cases similar to the one being received in the present. Often, we will project aspects of a previous case into the case we are working on. This is a process that the mind naturally wants to do. It is a function of the ego to justify and support our thoughts. But this is very dangerous in homeopathy.

Many times we will have had an experience ourselves similar to the client before us. In a casual setting, one would share from a similar perspective our own experience. We can relate to another in this way; it helps us make connections to the person before us. This all comes very naturally in life. But as a homeopath, this tendency creates a very big obstacle if we are to remain unprejudiced observers. Our natural tendency to share our story with another person with a similar story needs to be suspended, especially during the case-receiving...

There are many different adjuncts to homeopathy that can help a person heal. One of them is "tapping." Tapping is an easy, self-directed, and quick way to change the energy of the suffering person. It can be used for mental, emotional, or physical ailments and is very, very safe.

I am unsure of the originator of tapping but it has become increasingly popular in the last few years and for very good reason...it works.

You can tap for a variety of ailments including fears, traumatic situations, anxiety, pain, or virtually anything that you are wanting to feel different about. Very quickly your energy will shift. It is not necessary to understand the mechanics of tapping to have it work.

Tapping is a light finger tap on specific acupuncture meridian junctions that gently stimulate the energy of our whole being. Tapping while speaking about the problem we want to change will interrupt the thought field and create an opening in our consciousness for a new thought form to replace it....

Aggravations are part of the homeopathic healing process. They can be mild or severe. And they can be managed so that they do not interfere with life so much. They can also be mismanaged and even created by improper prescribing. I will go over a  common mistake and how to avoid it.

Posology is the study of potency and the frequency of the dose. The selection of the remedy is based on the individual. The selection of the potency and how to apply it is also based on the individual. This is a slightly different process to select the correct posology.

I find that most cases are much easier to manage with lower potencies and daily dosing. A daily dose is in harmony with our own biorhythms. The sun rises each day and the sun sets each day. By giving a daily dose, one time per day, it is inviting the vital force to respond to the remedy based on our own biorythm.

Because lower potencies are traditionally less aggravating, they are much easier to manage this way. It is simply inviting...

Biochemistry is a foundational understanding of using body constituents to help the body heal. Its roots date back to 1832 where a statement was written in Stapf's Archiv: "All the essential component parts of the human body are great remedies." Another article in the same journal from 1846 reads, "All the essential component parts of the human body act on such organs principally where they have function."

It was in 1873 that Dr. Schuessler published his first article about the biochemical form of medicine. He identified a basic understanding about this medical view. It is based on three main principles.

1. The human body contains twelve vital inorganic elements which are responsible for maintenance of normal cell function.
2. When from some cause, one or more of these elements become deficient the normal cell function or metabolism is disturbed and a condition arises known as disease.
3. By supplying to the system the lacking elements in the form of...

Over the course of the last 10 years, I have found that there are about 700 different remedies that I have prescribed. Some remedies only once and others much more often. But on occasion, there will be a time when after years of not prescribing a remedy, it will be indicated two or three times in one week. Each time this happens, I carefully examine myself for prejudice. But it seems there will be times when the energy of a remedy will be "in the air." This is a good time to learn more about a remedy. Lately, Cicuta Virosa has been coming around. Rather than repeat Materia Medica, I want to share some observations of cases of Cicuta.

Cicuta Virosa is commonly called Water Hemlock. It is very poisonous and even if a very small amount is ingested, it can lead to convulsions and death. Its most common homeopathic indications are convulsions from epilepsy causing stiffness, vomiting, and the head twisting to the side during convulsions.

In all the cases I...

Motion sickness, which includes airsickness, carsickness, and seasickness, is an acute condition that causes a feeling of nausea and malaise. It is usually accompanied by vomiting, headache, and vertigo. There are drugs to help prevent this condition but homeopathy offers one of the best solutions for prophylaxis as well as treatment.

Motion sickness is caused by an overstimulation of the vestibular nerve in the inner ear which controls balance. The condition is usually brought about by motion that is accompanied by acceleration and deceleration. The body has a hard time keeping up with the continual changes brought on by the constant motion and movement.

Motion sickness is common in children who are susceptible to the motions of riding in cars and boats. Once motion sickness sets in, the first symptom is usually nausea. This can be accompanied by sweats or chills, dizziness, hyperventilation, headache, anxiety, inability to concentrate, and sometimes claustrophobia. Vomiting...

In the last two weeks, we discussed the first two phases of the evolution of the student practitioner. In this last part, we will explain the third and final phase of this journey to becoming a homeopath. Once that decision has been made to embrace the journey and commit to becoming a homeopath, the student practitioner begins the evolution to practitioner. As a student practitioner, the challenges are great and the biggest challenge is yourself.

The journey to being a homeopath is fraught with highs and lows, successes and failures. Because this journey is not a straight line, it is easy to get bogged down in self-reproach and defeat. I see this end in much frustration for students. The desire to know it all right now is great. This can lead to many disappointments. I encourage my students to be loving, kind, and forgiving to themselves. Never will everything there is to know be learned. It is an ongoing process. So this third phase somewhat lasts forever. It is good to get...

Last week, we explored the first phase of the evolution of the student practitioner. This phase is filled with the new excitement of seeing and being a part of the homeopathic case. The spark of belief that I too want to be able to do this is ignited. Learning to see people and their dis-ease usually comes fairly easy with the beginners mind. Having a few successful experiences of knowing what is asking to be healed greatly boosts the new student practitioner's confidence. Usually, after six months, a certain restlessness sets in and the new desire to "do" homeopathy arises.

This is the beginning of the next phase in their evolution. It is not the easiest or happiest of times for most student practitioners. The frustration really begins and the realization that they do not know how to use the repertory or find remedies set in. The common question is, "How do you repertize that?" Often, there is no rubric for an idea of the case and this can be quite frustrating. The student...