I have gotten several questions on my recommendation to purchase a kit of the top 100 remedies.
At a time where you may be more aware of the importance in being self-sufficient, I can think of no other single factor than stocking some homeopathic remedies and properly applying homeopathic principles in their use.
Accordingly, I think it is important to have a good variety of homeopathic remedies that can be readily available for most acute (short lived) ailments. Any homeopathic remedy if stored and used properly will last many years. Here is a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” to properly accomplish this…
-Do store the remedies in a dark, cool spot away from other chemicals and cleaners. Homeopathic remedies can be tainted by sunlight, extreme temperatures and extreme odors.
-Don’t use more than one or two pillets from the remedy bottles. I realize that some remedies recommend five pillets be taken under the tongue (sublingual)… this is just plain wrong. It does empty your remedy stash quickly and that is great for the manufacturer (not great for you and not necessary).
-Don’t mix different remedies. This is a controversial subject but can be easily verified by studying the original texts of homeopathy. Remedies are frequently mixed in current homeopathic practice and this is completely against how homeopathy works and should be applied. There are several reasons that this should never be done; the least of which is the possibility of conflicting remedies.
-Do mix remedies in water when possible. Hahnemann almost exclusively prescribed the remedies in a water-based solution over the last years of his life. He also recommended this approach. There are other ways to administer remedies, but that discussion is too lengthy to approach at this time.
-Don’t just pick a remedy from reading a list of commonly applied remedies for that illness. This is allopathic prescribing. Read the next point…
-Do repertorize the symptoms of the ill person to find the appropriate remedy. Just trying remedies one after another is the allopathic way to prescribe remedies. Homeopathy has taken great pains to provide the resources in picking the appropriate remedy for ANY illness. When the proper remedy is found, it will work wonders on the illness. Some basic information on how remedies are chosen (repertorized) is available in previous postings.
My reason for presenting this information at this time is that Washington Homeopathic Products is having a sale on their Top 100 Remedies (here) until the end of the month. I am in no way affiliated with this organization except as a satisfied client from past purchases. Their products are top-notch and except for the occasional “mixture” of remedies, are as close to Hahnemann’s techniques as is commonly found in this country (USA). Their Top 100 remedies are in 30C potency which is fine for most acute ailments and is a good jumping off point for learning acute homeopathy. The kit includes most of the common influenza remedies found (here), but not all of them. You can always supplement these 100 remedies by purchasing others remedies one by one (about $5 per bottle).
A typical bottle of a remedy will have about 80 pillets. Mixing one pillet in a water based solution will handle several occurrences of an illness if done properly. That same bottle of pillets will last many years and would cost about 6 cents per illness.
That is it for now. As some of you are aware, I have recently started an acute homeopathy course and it is taking more of my attention than I previously thought it would. I will be posting a bit less for the next week or two until I catch up. Thanks for all the support and questions!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Influenza… the good, the bad and the self-sufficient
While we haven’t seen the end of this current flu epidemic, the anxiety seems to be subsiding. The mortality rate is falling fast even as the current illness quickly spreads. The World Health Organization (WHO) has ratcheted up their “Richter” scale of pandemic crisis mainly due to the increasing speed and geography of human to human transmission. So where are we now?
Hopefully everyone that has followed this illness has been wary of what may have happened if it had been closer to the pandemic of 1918. Even though it was nowhere near this historic crisis and probably won’t be any time soon, we do have some significant fallout from the current situation and can extrapolate some possible scenarios for future reference.
First, Mexico as the epicenter of this flu is experiencing its own quarantine from within and without. Local businesses are off tremendous business as people have shut themselves in their homes. Airlines are leaving fully occupied and arriving empty in most of the major cities (esp Mexico City). Cruise lines are bypassing the coastal cities for other less contaminated destinations. Add it all up and you have billions of dollars in lost income. This is at a time when their tourist industry was already experiencing a downturn due to increasing violence along the US-Mexico border region.
The Federal Government is predicting that by August or maybe it’s now October, we should see a flu vaccine that will handle this current strain. That is if this strain doesn’t mutate like many flu strains eventually do. The Center for Disease Control is very wary of these flu outbreaks simply because they can mutate and spread quickly.
Locally I can tell you from the first cases to pop up in the USA (close to my location), schools, government agencies, and the like have been closed from the first sneeze and cough. The schools have been closed for a week and will be closed for another week as well. The neighborhood grocery in this area also started a huge hand sanitizing parade while packaging produce in individual containers. Parents have had to either take time off from work to supervise their homebound children or hire babysitters.
We are here…
I don’t think it takes a genius to realize that a pandemic can be devastating. Not only because of the risk to health for yourself and family, but for the economic chaos and disruption or possible closing of local businesses (including basic necessities). How long can a typical household subsist without that local grocery store visit?
If you were sick today with a flu and waiting for a government provided flu dose (Tamiflu/Relenza), you would be waiting for a generic fix that may or may not help. Even the currently available flu shots would be in short supply in a disaster situation, not to mention an actual vaccine that is months away from first stage testing.
If there is one word that comes to mind as this crisis hopefully passes us by, it is self-sufficiency. In a time where a flu pandemic causes untold damage in health and economic terms, relying on oneself is not only smart, but probably the best alternative.
Fortunately, you are aware that homeopathy can provide some measure of immediate help where most other forms of medical attention are lacking. Take some time to read past epidemics of cholera, diphtheria, yellow fever, scarlet fever and flu that were readily treated by homeopathy. And, take some time to study the subject of acute homeopathy in detail.
Look into the purchase of a “Top 100” remedy kit when you are more familiar with how to use it. The top remedies are also known as “polychrests”. They should stand you well in the event that you require a remedy for any acute situation.
Also, keep in mind that the pandemic Spanish Flu of 1918 came in at least two waves and that even a small mutation of existing flu types could prove a much more worthy opponent than even our best medical efforts could absorb.
Thanks for following this blog and here are some helpful links to get you started…
A generic account of the 1918 pandemic. Some good links from this page seem oddly self-explanatory as to what we may experience in future pandemics- here.
A quick set of statistics from homeopathy in several epidemics of the last 150 years is here.
A short article on the basics of dealing with acute illness is here.
My own short list of homeopathic flu remedies is here.
NOTE: While there is generally a certain subset of homeopathic remedies that are effective against the flu, homeopathy is NOT allopathic pharmaceutical prescribing. Homeopathy DOES NOT generally work by giving the same remedy to everyone that has a particular illness. Epidemics are an exception to this rule. To fully realize the efficacy of homeopathy, the user must detail all symptoms of the illness and patient, find the remedy that “fits” that particular set of symptoms and prescribe the remedy in an appropriate potency. For more information, see LikeCure.com.
Edit:
I have gotten several questions on this blog entry and will answer them with the following:
I realize my implications from the above post and here are the facts as far as I can extract them...
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 started in about March of that year with a mild flu that was based on much the same as our current flu (pig, avian, and human viruses). It really wasn’t until the second wave in about September of that year that it had mutated to become a very virulent form of the previous version. I believe it killed about 200,000 in the first month. Approximately 50% of the population came down with that flu.
The current antiviral drugs (Tamiflu/Relenza) will likely have no effect on a mutated version of the current virus. I have now heard that the “swine” flu vaccine (H1N1) provided by the government will most likely be available in January of next year.
I do believe that the current situation can be viewed as a “dry run” for our government and us. If you believe that you will be looked after, that current measures have been adequate, and a forthcoming pharmaceutical antiviral drug will take care of a possible flu outbreak in the future, then fine. I hope you are correct. If you believe that you must be self-sufficient, then I believe that homeopathy is your best bet. It has more than proven itself to any practicing homeopath whether they are a licensed doctor or layman treating their family ailments. You must only understand the proper way to apply it and hopefully I have given you some insight as to this throughout these posts.
I don’t believe anyone knows what will be the outcome of this current flu or whether it will mutate as did La Grippe of 1918. I do know that probability says a pandemic will eventually test our resolve (sooner than later). You can see what past pandemics have caused and you should be well aware of what necessities need your attention in this event.
Sorry if I seem overly cautious, but I have witnessed the frenzy first hand with this current “dry run” and it was not even warranted. A truly virulent epidemic should not take the world by surprise, but it will.
For those that have asked, the course can be found here.
If you don’t think homeopathy works, you don’t know how homeopathy works.
Hopefully everyone that has followed this illness has been wary of what may have happened if it had been closer to the pandemic of 1918. Even though it was nowhere near this historic crisis and probably won’t be any time soon, we do have some significant fallout from the current situation and can extrapolate some possible scenarios for future reference.
First, Mexico as the epicenter of this flu is experiencing its own quarantine from within and without. Local businesses are off tremendous business as people have shut themselves in their homes. Airlines are leaving fully occupied and arriving empty in most of the major cities (esp Mexico City). Cruise lines are bypassing the coastal cities for other less contaminated destinations. Add it all up and you have billions of dollars in lost income. This is at a time when their tourist industry was already experiencing a downturn due to increasing violence along the US-Mexico border region.
The Federal Government is predicting that by August or maybe it’s now October, we should see a flu vaccine that will handle this current strain. That is if this strain doesn’t mutate like many flu strains eventually do. The Center for Disease Control is very wary of these flu outbreaks simply because they can mutate and spread quickly.
Locally I can tell you from the first cases to pop up in the USA (close to my location), schools, government agencies, and the like have been closed from the first sneeze and cough. The schools have been closed for a week and will be closed for another week as well. The neighborhood grocery in this area also started a huge hand sanitizing parade while packaging produce in individual containers. Parents have had to either take time off from work to supervise their homebound children or hire babysitters.
We are here…
I don’t think it takes a genius to realize that a pandemic can be devastating. Not only because of the risk to health for yourself and family, but for the economic chaos and disruption or possible closing of local businesses (including basic necessities). How long can a typical household subsist without that local grocery store visit?
If you were sick today with a flu and waiting for a government provided flu dose (Tamiflu/Relenza), you would be waiting for a generic fix that may or may not help. Even the currently available flu shots would be in short supply in a disaster situation, not to mention an actual vaccine that is months away from first stage testing.
If there is one word that comes to mind as this crisis hopefully passes us by, it is self-sufficiency. In a time where a flu pandemic causes untold damage in health and economic terms, relying on oneself is not only smart, but probably the best alternative.
Fortunately, you are aware that homeopathy can provide some measure of immediate help where most other forms of medical attention are lacking. Take some time to read past epidemics of cholera, diphtheria, yellow fever, scarlet fever and flu that were readily treated by homeopathy. And, take some time to study the subject of acute homeopathy in detail.
Look into the purchase of a “Top 100” remedy kit when you are more familiar with how to use it. The top remedies are also known as “polychrests”. They should stand you well in the event that you require a remedy for any acute situation.
Also, keep in mind that the pandemic Spanish Flu of 1918 came in at least two waves and that even a small mutation of existing flu types could prove a much more worthy opponent than even our best medical efforts could absorb.
Thanks for following this blog and here are some helpful links to get you started…
A generic account of the 1918 pandemic. Some good links from this page seem oddly self-explanatory as to what we may experience in future pandemics- here.
A quick set of statistics from homeopathy in several epidemics of the last 150 years is here.
A short article on the basics of dealing with acute illness is here.
My own short list of homeopathic flu remedies is here.
NOTE: While there is generally a certain subset of homeopathic remedies that are effective against the flu, homeopathy is NOT allopathic pharmaceutical prescribing. Homeopathy DOES NOT generally work by giving the same remedy to everyone that has a particular illness. Epidemics are an exception to this rule. To fully realize the efficacy of homeopathy, the user must detail all symptoms of the illness and patient, find the remedy that “fits” that particular set of symptoms and prescribe the remedy in an appropriate potency. For more information, see LikeCure.com.
Edit:
I have gotten several questions on this blog entry and will answer them with the following:
I realize my implications from the above post and here are the facts as far as I can extract them...
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 started in about March of that year with a mild flu that was based on much the same as our current flu (pig, avian, and human viruses). It really wasn’t until the second wave in about September of that year that it had mutated to become a very virulent form of the previous version. I believe it killed about 200,000 in the first month. Approximately 50% of the population came down with that flu.
The current antiviral drugs (Tamiflu/Relenza) will likely have no effect on a mutated version of the current virus. I have now heard that the “swine” flu vaccine (H1N1) provided by the government will most likely be available in January of next year.
I do believe that the current situation can be viewed as a “dry run” for our government and us. If you believe that you will be looked after, that current measures have been adequate, and a forthcoming pharmaceutical antiviral drug will take care of a possible flu outbreak in the future, then fine. I hope you are correct. If you believe that you must be self-sufficient, then I believe that homeopathy is your best bet. It has more than proven itself to any practicing homeopath whether they are a licensed doctor or layman treating their family ailments. You must only understand the proper way to apply it and hopefully I have given you some insight as to this throughout these posts.
I don’t believe anyone knows what will be the outcome of this current flu or whether it will mutate as did La Grippe of 1918. I do know that probability says a pandemic will eventually test our resolve (sooner than later). You can see what past pandemics have caused and you should be well aware of what necessities need your attention in this event.
Sorry if I seem overly cautious, but I have witnessed the frenzy first hand with this current “dry run” and it was not even warranted. A truly virulent epidemic should not take the world by surprise, but it will.
For those that have asked, the course can be found here.
If you don’t think homeopathy works, you don’t know how homeopathy works.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Influenza Then and Now
Recent headlines have captured the fear of an Influenza epidemic (aka Swine Flu). There is even talk of a worldwide pandemic. The truth of the matter is not really known at this point and the statistics are changing by the hour. There is reason for concern, but we have some solace in knowing that homeopathy has dealt with this type of issue before.
In 1918 there was a pandemic flu called the Spanish Flu. It killed millions of people and wreaked havoc in the medical community. To some extent this flu outbreak was not well documented from the homeopathic point of view. Remember in the early 1900s there were many homeopathic hospitals and doctors (approximately 2000 homeopathic hospitals located in most major cities). While allopathic doctors treated the flu during this outbreak with aspirin, homeopathic doctors treated it with commonly found homeopathic remedies.
A snippet of an article about that time…
"The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster. Influenza constitutes the most widespread and significant respiratory infectious disease in the world, resulting in increased morbidity, mortality and economic loss each epidemic year. Pandemic influenza is a worldwide epidemic usually caused by a new virus variant to which the majority of the population has no immunity.
The Journal of the American Institute for Homeopathy, May 1921, had a long article about the use of homeopathy in the flu epidemic. Dr. T A McCann, from Dayton, Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05%. This last figure was supported by Dean W.A. Pearson of Philadelphia (Hahnemann College) who collected 26,795 cases of flu treated with homeopathy with the above result."**
The rate of mortality is the rate of deaths. Taking the above statistics, allopathic treatment had approximately 6700 deaths per 24,000 patients and homeopathic treatment had approximately 270 deaths per 26,000 patients.
From the above description, homeopathy provided a much better solution to the Spanish Flu outbreak than did allopathic treatment. This is probably because homeopathy is better able to provide a solution to individual sets of symptoms in illness than allopathy no matter what the variation of these symptoms (there is a remedy that applies to any variation of symptoms). Another possibility is that homeopathy needs no name or cause or how the disease is spread to provide a solution that will cure any ailment. In this way, homeopathy can be used in any illness whether it be a known disease or not. To date, allopathy has never cured a viral infection (influenza is a virus as is HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, etc).
The symptoms of swine flu are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Taking the above symptoms (albeit a superficial list), the following homeopathic remedies would fit these symptoms (educated guess)…
Nux-v (Nux Vomica)
Aco (Aconite)
Sul (Sulphur)
Bry (Bryonia)
Ars (Arsenicum)
China (Cinchona Officinalis)
Among other possible remedies.
The above list will be edited when more information (symptoms) become apparent and/or homeopathic therapy is applied and a determination can be made as to the most effective remedies.
A more comprehensive list of homeopathic remedies (with specific symptoms) commonly used to treat various types of flu can be found (here).
EDIT:
The mortality rate in Mexico is holding steady at 6% (according to limited stats and the total amount infected is probably seriously under-reported- which will eventually bring this mortality rate down to logical levels as reports are more accurate). Being at one of the ground zero locations (San Antonio) in the USA hasn't helped in accumulating much further information. Schools and government agencies are closed for the week in this local area. The number of probable infected cases is slightly larger in this area than is reported on the national news but is not high by any means. No particular homeopathic emergency centers are reporting any further information to my knowledge.
For those keeping a symptom "score"... This particular flu comes on relatively quick and in some instances presents considerable vomiting. In Homeopathy, there will almost definitely be two to three potential remedies depending on individual symptoms. This is normal in almost every epidemic that homeopathy has been successfully used.
There is some evidence that the current illness is at least borne out in two phases. The first is general cold type symptoms and the second is gastro-intestinal symptoms with upper respiratory congestion. Tentatively… It is likely that EUP-PER would be a preemptive remedy and ARS for secondary illness.
As of 4/30/09 mortality rates (and resulting stats) are dropping fast (probably less than .1% at this point). Unless WHO/CDC is keeping something back, this epidemic is looking like more bark than bite. Resulting flu strains generated from this one could be the consideration to a Phase 5 Alert from WHO.
If in doubt as to the correct treatment and/or severe illness is experienced, seek emergency care immediately.
------------------
**http://www.want2bwell.com/blank?pageid=23&catstart=0&prodstart=0
In 1918 there was a pandemic flu called the Spanish Flu. It killed millions of people and wreaked havoc in the medical community. To some extent this flu outbreak was not well documented from the homeopathic point of view. Remember in the early 1900s there were many homeopathic hospitals and doctors (approximately 2000 homeopathic hospitals located in most major cities). While allopathic doctors treated the flu during this outbreak with aspirin, homeopathic doctors treated it with commonly found homeopathic remedies.
A snippet of an article about that time…
"The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster. Influenza constitutes the most widespread and significant respiratory infectious disease in the world, resulting in increased morbidity, mortality and economic loss each epidemic year. Pandemic influenza is a worldwide epidemic usually caused by a new virus variant to which the majority of the population has no immunity.
The Journal of the American Institute for Homeopathy, May 1921, had a long article about the use of homeopathy in the flu epidemic. Dr. T A McCann, from Dayton, Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05%. This last figure was supported by Dean W.A. Pearson of Philadelphia (Hahnemann College) who collected 26,795 cases of flu treated with homeopathy with the above result."**
The rate of mortality is the rate of deaths. Taking the above statistics, allopathic treatment had approximately 6700 deaths per 24,000 patients and homeopathic treatment had approximately 270 deaths per 26,000 patients.
From the above description, homeopathy provided a much better solution to the Spanish Flu outbreak than did allopathic treatment. This is probably because homeopathy is better able to provide a solution to individual sets of symptoms in illness than allopathy no matter what the variation of these symptoms (there is a remedy that applies to any variation of symptoms). Another possibility is that homeopathy needs no name or cause or how the disease is spread to provide a solution that will cure any ailment. In this way, homeopathy can be used in any illness whether it be a known disease or not. To date, allopathy has never cured a viral infection (influenza is a virus as is HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, etc).
The symptoms of swine flu are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Taking the above symptoms (albeit a superficial list), the following homeopathic remedies would fit these symptoms (educated guess)…
Nux-v (Nux Vomica)
Aco (Aconite)
Sul (Sulphur)
Bry (Bryonia)
Ars (Arsenicum)
China (Cinchona Officinalis)
Among other possible remedies.
The above list will be edited when more information (symptoms) become apparent and/or homeopathic therapy is applied and a determination can be made as to the most effective remedies.
A more comprehensive list of homeopathic remedies (with specific symptoms) commonly used to treat various types of flu can be found (here).
EDIT:
The mortality rate in Mexico is holding steady at 6% (according to limited stats and the total amount infected is probably seriously under-reported- which will eventually bring this mortality rate down to logical levels as reports are more accurate). Being at one of the ground zero locations (San Antonio) in the USA hasn't helped in accumulating much further information. Schools and government agencies are closed for the week in this local area. The number of probable infected cases is slightly larger in this area than is reported on the national news but is not high by any means. No particular homeopathic emergency centers are reporting any further information to my knowledge.
For those keeping a symptom "score"... This particular flu comes on relatively quick and in some instances presents considerable vomiting. In Homeopathy, there will almost definitely be two to three potential remedies depending on individual symptoms. This is normal in almost every epidemic that homeopathy has been successfully used.
There is some evidence that the current illness is at least borne out in two phases. The first is general cold type symptoms and the second is gastro-intestinal symptoms with upper respiratory congestion. Tentatively… It is likely that EUP-PER would be a preemptive remedy and ARS for secondary illness.
As of 4/30/09 mortality rates (and resulting stats) are dropping fast (probably less than .1% at this point). Unless WHO/CDC is keeping something back, this epidemic is looking like more bark than bite. Resulting flu strains generated from this one could be the consideration to a Phase 5 Alert from WHO.
If in doubt as to the correct treatment and/or severe illness is experienced, seek emergency care immediately.
------------------
**http://www.want2bwell.com/blank?pageid=23&catstart=0&prodstart=0
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Miasms (a thumbnail sketch)
Hahnemann was extremely successful in curing acute illness (that illness that comes on suddenly and leaves just as quickly such as flu, colds, headaches, sprains, diarrhea, constipation, insomnia, etc). He did find that even though his success rate was probably 95%+ (as is common for experienced homeopathic practitioners dealing with acute illness), he was revisiting these acute illnesses every so often in the same patient.
Hahnemann reviewed several decades of his treatment with homeopathic remedies applied to a vast amount of cases. He also reviewed a thousand years of history and came to the conclusion that there was an underlying illness that affects all humans. This base ailment at times makes the more superficial illnesses almost impossible to completely cure. Hahnemann spent the next 15 years compiling evidence and clinical therapy to determine this underlying illness common to all living beings. He termed this basic underlying illness “miasm”. The term miasm can be defined most easily as “pollution”; a base pollution to a living organism giving rise to chronic as well as some acute illness.
So Hahnemann viewed the treatment of illness from two perspectives. One was treatment of acute illness which may or may not be the result of an underlying miasm and two, the treatment of chronic or long term illness which was definitely the result of an underlying miasm.
Hahnemann found that there were three basic miasms common to most if not all people. They are as follows:
1. PSORIC (psora)- called the “itch” disease. It is the mother of the other miasms and affects every living thing on the earth according to Hahnemann. It is spread through skin contact (often mother to child). Some common ailments attributed to the psoric miasm include constipation (sometimes alternating with diarrhea), psoriasis, wide ranging itching, burning ailments, leprosy and other skin related symptoms. It is characterized by under functioning ailments (hypo).
2. SYPHILITIC- called the “chancre” disease. It is created by suppressed syphilis and passed to resulting generations. It can be caused by a primary infection (not inherited) that is suppressed by antibiotic treatment. Some common ailments attributed to the syphilitic miasm include ulcerations of all types, gangrene, insanity, sterility, premature death, heart disease, suicide, destructive cancer, and ulcers of ear, nose, urinary organs, and mouth. It is characterized by self destructive tendencies and ailments.
3. SYCOTIC (sycosis)- called the “figwart” disease. It is created by suppressed gonorrhea and passed to following generations. It can be caused by a primary infection (not inherited) that is suppressed by antibiotic treatment. Some common ailments attributed to the sycotic miasm include abortion, anemia, appendicitis, pelvic disease, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, kidney swelling, gout, arthritis, asthma, eczema, rheumatism, warts, and other urinary ailments. It is characterized by red moles about the abdomen and/or figwarts (clusters). It is denoted by over functioning ailments (hyper).
There is also a fourth miasm defined by J H Allen as Psuedo-Psora or Tubercular miasm. This miasm can be created by suppressed tuberculosis and is passed from one generation to the next or contracted primarily and suppressed by antibiotic treatment. The Tubercular miasm is a combination of psoric and syphilitic miasms and as such is much more complex and lethal than either of these alone. Some common ailments attributed to the tubercular miasm include hernias, swelling (no reasonable cause), bedwetting, some cancers, diabetes, some types of cough, epilepsy, chronic fatigue, influenza, malaria, insomnia, night sweats, heart palpitation, and pneumonia. It is characterized by “restricting” type ailments.
Miasms can be inherited or contracted through exposure to the primary disease that creates them. Inherited miasms are the most common except in our time where it is not uncommon to have exposure to primary gonorrhea or tuberculosis. Even syphilis is making a comeback in Europe and other areas.
The inheritance factor of miasms is one reason that allopathic medicine finds some hereditary component to common chronic diseases.
To make it more complicated, the above miasms can be and are usually bound together creating an even more complex series of symptoms and diseases. It is rare not to find that a patient exhibits signs from all the miasms simultaneously, but there is almost always one predominant miasm at a time. Care must be taken to remove these layers of illness as they are not as easily seen independently like a typical acute disease. After all, a miasm is a “pollution” to the body and not the resulting disease that it creates (only the source).
At the time that Hahnemann expressed his miasmic theory, the homeopathic community was divided on its acceptance. Even today there are some homeopathic practitioners that do not fully accept this theory or apply it properly. I can say after much time exploring this idea, the miasms do exist and influence many diseases that are common today. The most obvious diseases affect urinary organs and also cause rheumatoid arthritis. Generally sycosis is at the root of these chronic urinary disorders as is arthritis. By treating the sycosis directly, the resulting illness is much improved if not eliminated entirely when caught in time (see homeopathic case studies). This is just one minor example of how the miasms are found in common illness and the most compelling reason that common allopathic therapy only holds these illnesses at bay while they slowly progress; treating the symptom and not the cause. Common medical therapy is no match in actually curing the cause of these illnesses (miasms) as it doesn’t believe the miasms exist. Homeopathy can be easily verified to affect these conditions with considerable alleviation when applied to the miasm behind the chronic illness.
What this means to you…
Now you have an idea of the root of many (most) chronic illnesses. You just have to treat this condition (miasm) to verify its existence, but that is often complicated. Homeopathy is very straight forward in treating and alleviating (curing) acute illness. It is just a matter of understanding how to apply it. Chronic illness and its basis in the miasms is much more difficult to treat and does not easily follow the basic concepts in homeopathy. Miasms tend to be woven in layers and are often inextricably combined in different ways. And, chronic illnesses of all types are generated by multiple miasms even as one or another of the miasms can be the most dominating factor. It is because of these various combinations of miasms that chronic illness should only be treated by an experienced practitioner. When such a practitioner is found, a chronic illness will be approached layer by layer and mental as well as physical ailments will fall to the homeopathic remedies available.
Just because chronic illnesses are more difficult to treat does not mean that you shouldn’t learn homeopathy and start to treat your own acute ailments. You will find the basics of treating ALL illness when you start with the basics to treat that next cold or flu. Study homeopathy… it is time well spent and a worthwhile goal towards your renewed health.
Hahnemann reviewed several decades of his treatment with homeopathic remedies applied to a vast amount of cases. He also reviewed a thousand years of history and came to the conclusion that there was an underlying illness that affects all humans. This base ailment at times makes the more superficial illnesses almost impossible to completely cure. Hahnemann spent the next 15 years compiling evidence and clinical therapy to determine this underlying illness common to all living beings. He termed this basic underlying illness “miasm”. The term miasm can be defined most easily as “pollution”; a base pollution to a living organism giving rise to chronic as well as some acute illness.
So Hahnemann viewed the treatment of illness from two perspectives. One was treatment of acute illness which may or may not be the result of an underlying miasm and two, the treatment of chronic or long term illness which was definitely the result of an underlying miasm.
Hahnemann found that there were three basic miasms common to most if not all people. They are as follows:
1. PSORIC (psora)- called the “itch” disease. It is the mother of the other miasms and affects every living thing on the earth according to Hahnemann. It is spread through skin contact (often mother to child). Some common ailments attributed to the psoric miasm include constipation (sometimes alternating with diarrhea), psoriasis, wide ranging itching, burning ailments, leprosy and other skin related symptoms. It is characterized by under functioning ailments (hypo).
2. SYPHILITIC- called the “chancre” disease. It is created by suppressed syphilis and passed to resulting generations. It can be caused by a primary infection (not inherited) that is suppressed by antibiotic treatment. Some common ailments attributed to the syphilitic miasm include ulcerations of all types, gangrene, insanity, sterility, premature death, heart disease, suicide, destructive cancer, and ulcers of ear, nose, urinary organs, and mouth. It is characterized by self destructive tendencies and ailments.
3. SYCOTIC (sycosis)- called the “figwart” disease. It is created by suppressed gonorrhea and passed to following generations. It can be caused by a primary infection (not inherited) that is suppressed by antibiotic treatment. Some common ailments attributed to the sycotic miasm include abortion, anemia, appendicitis, pelvic disease, hemorrhoids, prostatitis, kidney swelling, gout, arthritis, asthma, eczema, rheumatism, warts, and other urinary ailments. It is characterized by red moles about the abdomen and/or figwarts (clusters). It is denoted by over functioning ailments (hyper).
There is also a fourth miasm defined by J H Allen as Psuedo-Psora or Tubercular miasm. This miasm can be created by suppressed tuberculosis and is passed from one generation to the next or contracted primarily and suppressed by antibiotic treatment. The Tubercular miasm is a combination of psoric and syphilitic miasms and as such is much more complex and lethal than either of these alone. Some common ailments attributed to the tubercular miasm include hernias, swelling (no reasonable cause), bedwetting, some cancers, diabetes, some types of cough, epilepsy, chronic fatigue, influenza, malaria, insomnia, night sweats, heart palpitation, and pneumonia. It is characterized by “restricting” type ailments.
Miasms can be inherited or contracted through exposure to the primary disease that creates them. Inherited miasms are the most common except in our time where it is not uncommon to have exposure to primary gonorrhea or tuberculosis. Even syphilis is making a comeback in Europe and other areas.
The inheritance factor of miasms is one reason that allopathic medicine finds some hereditary component to common chronic diseases.
To make it more complicated, the above miasms can be and are usually bound together creating an even more complex series of symptoms and diseases. It is rare not to find that a patient exhibits signs from all the miasms simultaneously, but there is almost always one predominant miasm at a time. Care must be taken to remove these layers of illness as they are not as easily seen independently like a typical acute disease. After all, a miasm is a “pollution” to the body and not the resulting disease that it creates (only the source).
At the time that Hahnemann expressed his miasmic theory, the homeopathic community was divided on its acceptance. Even today there are some homeopathic practitioners that do not fully accept this theory or apply it properly. I can say after much time exploring this idea, the miasms do exist and influence many diseases that are common today. The most obvious diseases affect urinary organs and also cause rheumatoid arthritis. Generally sycosis is at the root of these chronic urinary disorders as is arthritis. By treating the sycosis directly, the resulting illness is much improved if not eliminated entirely when caught in time (see homeopathic case studies). This is just one minor example of how the miasms are found in common illness and the most compelling reason that common allopathic therapy only holds these illnesses at bay while they slowly progress; treating the symptom and not the cause. Common medical therapy is no match in actually curing the cause of these illnesses (miasms) as it doesn’t believe the miasms exist. Homeopathy can be easily verified to affect these conditions with considerable alleviation when applied to the miasm behind the chronic illness.
What this means to you…
Now you have an idea of the root of many (most) chronic illnesses. You just have to treat this condition (miasm) to verify its existence, but that is often complicated. Homeopathy is very straight forward in treating and alleviating (curing) acute illness. It is just a matter of understanding how to apply it. Chronic illness and its basis in the miasms is much more difficult to treat and does not easily follow the basic concepts in homeopathy. Miasms tend to be woven in layers and are often inextricably combined in different ways. And, chronic illnesses of all types are generated by multiple miasms even as one or another of the miasms can be the most dominating factor. It is because of these various combinations of miasms that chronic illness should only be treated by an experienced practitioner. When such a practitioner is found, a chronic illness will be approached layer by layer and mental as well as physical ailments will fall to the homeopathic remedies available.
Just because chronic illnesses are more difficult to treat does not mean that you shouldn’t learn homeopathy and start to treat your own acute ailments. You will find the basics of treating ALL illness when you start with the basics to treat that next cold or flu. Study homeopathy… it is time well spent and a worthwhile goal towards your renewed health.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
YouTube Homeopathy Video Blog 5
WTTV - DEBORAH VIDAL ON HOMEOPATHY - Part 5 Of 6
LINK: 10 minutes
We start this video out with some psychological analysis. I am not a fan of this type of comparison within homeopathy… it is what it is. There are several parts of the video that go way too deep into this. Hahnemann stated emphatically not to confuse treating illness with other forms of medical art. Vidal realizes this when stating not to start “two things at one time” (two forms of treatment, homeopathy and XYZ ).
The interviewer makes a great point about choosing the wrong homeopathic remedy for the illness. If the remedy is not appropriate (homeopathic) to the illness, it will often have no affect at all. This is because it is not similar to the symptoms demonstrated by the patient. Homeopathic remedies act on those symptoms that they create. Now, if the wrong remedy is given over and over for some length of time, the patient will start to “prove” the remedy and will contract that illness (set of symptoms). This takes a considerable amount of time (months to years) and would be beyond common sense to advise a patient in taking a remedy that was not homeopathic (matching the symptoms) for such a period.
There really is no need to be “ready” for homeopathy or chiropractics. This is the same with any medical art. If the patient is seeking out treatment, homeopathy or allopathy for that matter should just work. If you find that homeopathy does not heal your illness, there are generally three possible reasons for this. One, the illness is too far advanced and can only be palliated. Two, the practitioner has not done their job. Or three, the patient is blocking the treatment by not following the rules. The latter commonly is created by alcohol or drug consumption during treatment.
I was pleased that Vidal does quickly mention Auto-Immune diseases. This subject is not easily understood except when questioning its background. We have seen many diseases pop-up over the last 20-30 years with no known cause and no known effective treatment. Homeopathy handles them quite well because it does not require some understanding of the workings of those diseases. It simply looks at the set of symptoms and applies to those symptoms in whatever form they exist. In this way, homeopathy can always be applied no matter how bizarre the symptoms may be and in any combination. In homeopathy, “There is nothing new under the sun”… can’t remember who said that, but I tend to prove it every so often.
Vidal gives a good example of how remedies are chosen by peculiar symptoms. These symptoms are called Strange, Rare, or Peculiar (SRP) and they will often determine the exact remedy for the illness. In the video, her example is of a woman (menstrual symptoms) that wants to be alone but with her family within reach (in the next room, not her room though). As opposed to a person who wants no one even near them (not in the same house or vicinity). Vidal uses the remedy, Sepia (SEP) for this case which is made from Cuttlefish (squid ink). Another example of a case that is fairly rapid in its response to homeopathy.
A good video for some interesting aspects of homeopathy not commonly discussed.
Next, Video 6 of 6.
LINK: 10 minutes
We start this video out with some psychological analysis. I am not a fan of this type of comparison within homeopathy… it is what it is. There are several parts of the video that go way too deep into this. Hahnemann stated emphatically not to confuse treating illness with other forms of medical art. Vidal realizes this when stating not to start “two things at one time” (two forms of treatment, homeopathy and XYZ ).
The interviewer makes a great point about choosing the wrong homeopathic remedy for the illness. If the remedy is not appropriate (homeopathic) to the illness, it will often have no affect at all. This is because it is not similar to the symptoms demonstrated by the patient. Homeopathic remedies act on those symptoms that they create. Now, if the wrong remedy is given over and over for some length of time, the patient will start to “prove” the remedy and will contract that illness (set of symptoms). This takes a considerable amount of time (months to years) and would be beyond common sense to advise a patient in taking a remedy that was not homeopathic (matching the symptoms) for such a period.
There really is no need to be “ready” for homeopathy or chiropractics. This is the same with any medical art. If the patient is seeking out treatment, homeopathy or allopathy for that matter should just work. If you find that homeopathy does not heal your illness, there are generally three possible reasons for this. One, the illness is too far advanced and can only be palliated. Two, the practitioner has not done their job. Or three, the patient is blocking the treatment by not following the rules. The latter commonly is created by alcohol or drug consumption during treatment.
I was pleased that Vidal does quickly mention Auto-Immune diseases. This subject is not easily understood except when questioning its background. We have seen many diseases pop-up over the last 20-30 years with no known cause and no known effective treatment. Homeopathy handles them quite well because it does not require some understanding of the workings of those diseases. It simply looks at the set of symptoms and applies to those symptoms in whatever form they exist. In this way, homeopathy can always be applied no matter how bizarre the symptoms may be and in any combination. In homeopathy, “There is nothing new under the sun”… can’t remember who said that, but I tend to prove it every so often.
Vidal gives a good example of how remedies are chosen by peculiar symptoms. These symptoms are called Strange, Rare, or Peculiar (SRP) and they will often determine the exact remedy for the illness. In the video, her example is of a woman (menstrual symptoms) that wants to be alone but with her family within reach (in the next room, not her room though). As opposed to a person who wants no one even near them (not in the same house or vicinity). Vidal uses the remedy, Sepia (SEP) for this case which is made from Cuttlefish (squid ink). Another example of a case that is fairly rapid in its response to homeopathy.
A good video for some interesting aspects of homeopathy not commonly discussed.
Next, Video 6 of 6.
Monday, March 23, 2009
YouTube Homeopathy Video Blog 4
WTTV - DEBORAH VIDAL ON HOMEOPATHY - Part 4 Of 6
LINK: 10 minutes
Warning… not my favorite video of the group, but a chance to set the record straight -as usual :)
Right off the bat, Vidal makes a quick statement that the mental symptoms (experienced by a patient) can take up to a year to change. This is mostly incorrect. Mental symptoms and especially those that are troubling are the most likely to be the first symptoms to improve. Homeopathy is really the only medical system that I am aware of that connects mental health to physical health intrinsically. Homeopaths will mostly admit that a sense of well-being is the first relieving symptom that is experienced by a well-chosen remedy. It is true that many chronic patients don’t realize their progress for a while… a good homeopath will insist that the patient take down and realize their symptoms before treatment begins and then reflect on those at some later date (as a comparison).
It is hard to quantify the time taken to heal/cure a chronic illness and Vidal is having a hard time expressing this point. When she says that a patient sees no results in two months that should be the exception to a case and not the rule as she makes it seem. Of course homeopathy will take longer to HEAL a patient than “taking a pill”. The pill is not healing the patient… just keeping their symptoms from bothering them. This is not healing, this is not curing. It is called palliation and suppression.
The interviewer makes it seem that the patient must be ready to heal in order for homeopathy to be effective. Believe and it will work? I won’t even begin to go down the road of new age “build it and he will come” philosophy. Homeopathy is a true medical art and not a belief system. The patient must adhere to following the advice of the homeopath… stay sober, eat well, exercise… and take your remedy as advised. That’s it. If the homeopath has done their job, you will get better; you will heal.
CASE OF THE COUGHING BOY
Taking a bunch of remedies incorrectly is NOT a strong reason for then giving a remedy in a higher potency. Vidal speaks of a child with a major coughing problem… children are strong souls with hardy constitutions (as a rule) and will respond better to higher potencies than adults. Children have a strong Vital Force that has not been complicated by bad living and suppressive drugs (yet). They also generally have not had their illness for that long and do not have a compromised response to the remedy. High potency is normally used in these cases as with younger animals (e.g., dogs and cats). They can just handle it better than us old folks. Yes, this is contrary to the way allopathic medicine works… allopathic prescribing is lesser for younger and smaller and more for adult and bigger people. Remember that homeopathy is about the stimulation of the Vital Force… it is just stronger in younger people (esp children) and can be pushed farther in those instances. I am always quite amazed that it works so well in children and animals that are very ill… and the results are often amazingly permanent within a short time.
The young boy with the cough was considerably helped by homeopathy (from attacks every three weeks of coughing and hospital emergencies to one in two years). Homeopathic case books are full of these “miracles”. So much so that homeopaths are disappointed not to have tangible results such as this. Vidal is again beating the stress-of-the-world drum again. The stress of the world today with traffic and twitter is nothing compared to going to the homeopath fifty miles away and leaving a day ahead to get there (uphill both ways!).
Homeopathy IS concerned about the source of illness, but not to the extent that Vidal makes it seem. She over-emphasizes it a bit. Psychology is for psychologists and psychiatrists (et al). There are some concerns of basic fear, delusion, etc, but only to finding the remedy (Simillimum) of the case… not for psycho-analysis. Vidal does not get to the heart of the problem with her case… and that is a discussion of the miasms (still working on a miasm post for your future reading pleasure… can hardly wait).
It is true that the pregnancy and birth of a child can influence basic remedies of that child in illness… but it is not necessary to know this information.
Next, Video 5 of 6 (two more to go… hope you are enjoying the discussion).
LINK: 10 minutes
Warning… not my favorite video of the group, but a chance to set the record straight -as usual :)
Right off the bat, Vidal makes a quick statement that the mental symptoms (experienced by a patient) can take up to a year to change. This is mostly incorrect. Mental symptoms and especially those that are troubling are the most likely to be the first symptoms to improve. Homeopathy is really the only medical system that I am aware of that connects mental health to physical health intrinsically. Homeopaths will mostly admit that a sense of well-being is the first relieving symptom that is experienced by a well-chosen remedy. It is true that many chronic patients don’t realize their progress for a while… a good homeopath will insist that the patient take down and realize their symptoms before treatment begins and then reflect on those at some later date (as a comparison).
It is hard to quantify the time taken to heal/cure a chronic illness and Vidal is having a hard time expressing this point. When she says that a patient sees no results in two months that should be the exception to a case and not the rule as she makes it seem. Of course homeopathy will take longer to HEAL a patient than “taking a pill”. The pill is not healing the patient… just keeping their symptoms from bothering them. This is not healing, this is not curing. It is called palliation and suppression.
The interviewer makes it seem that the patient must be ready to heal in order for homeopathy to be effective. Believe and it will work? I won’t even begin to go down the road of new age “build it and he will come” philosophy. Homeopathy is a true medical art and not a belief system. The patient must adhere to following the advice of the homeopath… stay sober, eat well, exercise… and take your remedy as advised. That’s it. If the homeopath has done their job, you will get better; you will heal.
CASE OF THE COUGHING BOY
Taking a bunch of remedies incorrectly is NOT a strong reason for then giving a remedy in a higher potency. Vidal speaks of a child with a major coughing problem… children are strong souls with hardy constitutions (as a rule) and will respond better to higher potencies than adults. Children have a strong Vital Force that has not been complicated by bad living and suppressive drugs (yet). They also generally have not had their illness for that long and do not have a compromised response to the remedy. High potency is normally used in these cases as with younger animals (e.g., dogs and cats). They can just handle it better than us old folks. Yes, this is contrary to the way allopathic medicine works… allopathic prescribing is lesser for younger and smaller and more for adult and bigger people. Remember that homeopathy is about the stimulation of the Vital Force… it is just stronger in younger people (esp children) and can be pushed farther in those instances. I am always quite amazed that it works so well in children and animals that are very ill… and the results are often amazingly permanent within a short time.
The young boy with the cough was considerably helped by homeopathy (from attacks every three weeks of coughing and hospital emergencies to one in two years). Homeopathic case books are full of these “miracles”. So much so that homeopaths are disappointed not to have tangible results such as this. Vidal is again beating the stress-of-the-world drum again. The stress of the world today with traffic and twitter is nothing compared to going to the homeopath fifty miles away and leaving a day ahead to get there (uphill both ways!).
Homeopathy IS concerned about the source of illness, but not to the extent that Vidal makes it seem. She over-emphasizes it a bit. Psychology is for psychologists and psychiatrists (et al). There are some concerns of basic fear, delusion, etc, but only to finding the remedy (Simillimum) of the case… not for psycho-analysis. Vidal does not get to the heart of the problem with her case… and that is a discussion of the miasms (still working on a miasm post for your future reading pleasure… can hardly wait).
It is true that the pregnancy and birth of a child can influence basic remedies of that child in illness… but it is not necessary to know this information.
Next, Video 5 of 6 (two more to go… hope you are enjoying the discussion).
Monday, March 16, 2009
An Example of Acute Homeopathy (Part 1)
The following is a real life example of homeopathy in action. Names and/or gender have been changed to protect the innocent (nudge, wink).
So you may be wondering how to put this homeopathy together and get something useful from it. After all, it would be a fairly worthless mental exercise if you couldn’t benefit from its truly wonderful properties. So let’s take a case, an acute case.
Let the sick guy sing…
Applying homeopathy to an acute (short lived) illness is pretty straight forward, but there is always room for a few rules. The first rule is to let the patient explain their sickness… in their own words. You as the practitioner should zip it at this point… no joke. There is a great tendency to sympathize with a sick person and fit your own version of pain, cough, sneeze, whatever, into the discussion. Focus on THEIR words and act as if you have never experienced their illness, so you don’t have a clue as to how it may feel.
If you are stuck with one of those “I ain’t sick, nuthin’ wrong here” kind of guys (patients) and you can’t budge even the most simple of symptoms out of him, mention that it sounds like a case for the enema bag. That will usually “loosen” up some symptoms and reasons not to bring out the ole red bladder. A couple of “and what else is wrong?” questions should get the rest of the pertinent symptoms to gush forth (so to speak).
Write like the wind…
While you are listening intently to his exhausting list of symptoms (hopefully a lengthy list), don’t even think you can remember it all… write it down. In fact, list it like you are going to the grocery store to find these symptoms. Then, later organize that list from most important to least important symptoms (even the non-important). Yes, you will find that his eyebrows have not grown back from that last barbeque pit incident, but that “symptom” has nothing to do with this recent bout of illness.
But, that is not a problem here. This brow-less one seems to catch every illness known to man and a few that haven’t even been thought up. Either way, document even the most annoying rant from this poor sick soul.
Our Grill-flaming expert expounds on the expanding pressure just center of his body; an annoying fullness triggered by that last espresso. Well, even Backyard BBQ Bob can dance the barista lombada with the best of them. Lucky for us, he goes on and on just to make sure we realize that he is experiencing real pain. The kind of pain that takes some complaining: extreme manly complaining.
Retire to your fortress of solitude, super-homeopath…
Find a quiet little hide-away far from the moans and groans of your latest victim (um, I mean, patient) and settle in for the duration…
Now the analysis begins. What? You say analyzing is not your cup of tea? Well, if you can use a dictionary, you are good to go on this part too. Simply pick up your repertory and find all of those pesky little symptoms that you listed from the last part.
What repertory? Well, a good start would be the “Boger-Boenninghausen Repertory” (aka, Boenninghausen's Characteristics and Repertory and from now on described as the B-B). At about $30 shipped and a bit north of 900 pages, it is well equipped to keep you riveted for some page-turning excitement (not). Well, it lists most of the symptoms you are likely to come across in repertorizing the BBQ King’s latest illness. You just have to figure out where those symptoms are listed and go to town. And like any good tool, it takes some getting used to. With every little cold and cough, you will eventually get over its hefty bulk. A few key bookmarks (say 20 or so) won’t hurt either.
Listing the rude bricks…
I had a four year old homeopath (honorary degree from Wikipedia U.) consult with me on a case once and discovered that the symptoms listed in the repertory were called “rude bricks”. This may be because the important symptoms can sneak up behind you and hit you on the head. No one knows for sure. For the sake of accuracy, we will call them “rubrics” instead.
Now how I describe a particular symptom may not be the same way Mr BBQ describes his symptoms. I may say that I have a pain in the upper part of my stomach and he might say that he has a pressure kind of ow-ee in his epigastrium. The way symptoms are described in the B-B repertory or rubrics is as generic as it gets, but you do need to know some body parts and their official names. And you need to be able to translate bbq-speak into repertory-speak. So Barbi-Meister is correct in locating and naming the upper part of the abdomen, the epigastrium (lucky for us). Don’t worry, there are only a few of these “doctor” names for common body parts and you will survive learning them with a quick look at any book on anatomy or just checking Allopathy-for-less magazine online when you get stumped.
By the way, a book on anatomy that cost some poor medical smuck $250 is readily available used from half.com or Ebay for pennies on the dollar (I found one almost new for $4). Invest in one and you won’t need to crank up the Google thingie. By the way, we used to use these things called books before Google came along and they still work quite well no matter what you may have heard.
So what do our rubrics tell us. We open the B-B and look for the section on Epigastrium.
Symptom from BBQ Man/ Remedy listed in B-B
BBQ: Pressure in the upper abdomen (epigastrium)
B-B: Epigastrium pressure pg 524: ARS, CARB-V, CHAM, CUP, NAT-M, NUX-V, PHO, PUL, RHUS-T, VER-A
BBQ: Pressure triggered by espresso…
B-B: Aggravations after coffee pg527: CHAM, NUX-V
BBQ: Excessive manly complaints of the pain
B-B: Complaining (excessive) pg532: NUX-V
BBQ: Catches unknown illnesses (all the time)
B-B: Hypochondriasis pg532: NUX-V
BBQ: Flame-broiled eyebrows
B-B: No known symptom No known remedy
As you may note, the most common remedy that is seen in all four of the symptoms is NUX-V (red font for the homeopathically-impaired). This is how it is done (basically). The one remedy that covers the most symptoms wins! Well, not all the time, but here it does… Yippee!
NUX-V is the abbreviation for Nux Vomica… poison nut, “Quaker’s buttons” and it contains among other things, strychnine. Its poisonous properties are well known in controlling pests and use in homicides. And, no matter how much we may gladly imagine the use of the original crude material, we are resigned to give our suspecting Starbucks fanatic the extremely diluted homeopathic variation to affect a cure.
By the way, all the remedies in the B-B repertory are abbreviated. This is to make it easy to remember these Latin-ized, poly-syllabic word conflagrations. Anything to make it easy is alright by me.
Give your $.02 (of remedy)...
We now open our little case of remedies… yes that case of the top 50 or 100 remedies that you purchased some time ago. No? You didn’t get that $150 case of remedies yet? That set that will last most of your lifetime? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting until you get sick? I don’t think Fedex delivers that fast, but it’s up to you to be prepared. For those that are ready with your bottles of remedies, you take one little tiny pillet from the NUX-V bottle and tap it into the cap… walk briskly over to the unsuspecting grill-eyed patient and drop it cleanly into his hand. Bottoms up! He will probably stand deer-eyed and shocked that a tiny pill could do so much (or is that a late night infomercial for Extendz)… anyway, I digress. Synchronize your watches, for within an hour that distrusting look of confusion will vanish from the face of BBQ-Man as fast as he normally finishes the last beer in the fridge. Yes, the bewildered patient will experience some quick relief indeed. And all without the poopy-go-squirt bag you would have had to use before. The End.
Oh, for those that noticed this was Part 1- IT IS Part 1 of 1. And, yes this really did happen… except, it was a capucinno, half fat, mocha, latte, grande, chile-piqueno.
So you may be wondering how to put this homeopathy together and get something useful from it. After all, it would be a fairly worthless mental exercise if you couldn’t benefit from its truly wonderful properties. So let’s take a case, an acute case.
Let the sick guy sing…
Applying homeopathy to an acute (short lived) illness is pretty straight forward, but there is always room for a few rules. The first rule is to let the patient explain their sickness… in their own words. You as the practitioner should zip it at this point… no joke. There is a great tendency to sympathize with a sick person and fit your own version of pain, cough, sneeze, whatever, into the discussion. Focus on THEIR words and act as if you have never experienced their illness, so you don’t have a clue as to how it may feel.
If you are stuck with one of those “I ain’t sick, nuthin’ wrong here” kind of guys (patients) and you can’t budge even the most simple of symptoms out of him, mention that it sounds like a case for the enema bag. That will usually “loosen” up some symptoms and reasons not to bring out the ole red bladder. A couple of “and what else is wrong?” questions should get the rest of the pertinent symptoms to gush forth (so to speak).
Write like the wind…
While you are listening intently to his exhausting list of symptoms (hopefully a lengthy list), don’t even think you can remember it all… write it down. In fact, list it like you are going to the grocery store to find these symptoms. Then, later organize that list from most important to least important symptoms (even the non-important). Yes, you will find that his eyebrows have not grown back from that last barbeque pit incident, but that “symptom” has nothing to do with this recent bout of illness.
But, that is not a problem here. This brow-less one seems to catch every illness known to man and a few that haven’t even been thought up. Either way, document even the most annoying rant from this poor sick soul.
Our Grill-flaming expert expounds on the expanding pressure just center of his body; an annoying fullness triggered by that last espresso. Well, even Backyard BBQ Bob can dance the barista lombada with the best of them. Lucky for us, he goes on and on just to make sure we realize that he is experiencing real pain. The kind of pain that takes some complaining: extreme manly complaining.
Retire to your fortress of solitude, super-homeopath…
Find a quiet little hide-away far from the moans and groans of your latest victim (um, I mean, patient) and settle in for the duration…
Now the analysis begins. What? You say analyzing is not your cup of tea? Well, if you can use a dictionary, you are good to go on this part too. Simply pick up your repertory and find all of those pesky little symptoms that you listed from the last part.
What repertory? Well, a good start would be the “Boger-Boenninghausen Repertory” (aka, Boenninghausen's Characteristics and Repertory and from now on described as the B-B). At about $30 shipped and a bit north of 900 pages, it is well equipped to keep you riveted for some page-turning excitement (not). Well, it lists most of the symptoms you are likely to come across in repertorizing the BBQ King’s latest illness. You just have to figure out where those symptoms are listed and go to town. And like any good tool, it takes some getting used to. With every little cold and cough, you will eventually get over its hefty bulk. A few key bookmarks (say 20 or so) won’t hurt either.
Listing the rude bricks…
I had a four year old homeopath (honorary degree from Wikipedia U.) consult with me on a case once and discovered that the symptoms listed in the repertory were called “rude bricks”. This may be because the important symptoms can sneak up behind you and hit you on the head. No one knows for sure. For the sake of accuracy, we will call them “rubrics” instead.
Now how I describe a particular symptom may not be the same way Mr BBQ describes his symptoms. I may say that I have a pain in the upper part of my stomach and he might say that he has a pressure kind of ow-ee in his epigastrium. The way symptoms are described in the B-B repertory or rubrics is as generic as it gets, but you do need to know some body parts and their official names. And you need to be able to translate bbq-speak into repertory-speak. So Barbi-Meister is correct in locating and naming the upper part of the abdomen, the epigastrium (lucky for us). Don’t worry, there are only a few of these “doctor” names for common body parts and you will survive learning them with a quick look at any book on anatomy or just checking Allopathy-for-less magazine online when you get stumped.
By the way, a book on anatomy that cost some poor medical smuck $250 is readily available used from half.com or Ebay for pennies on the dollar (I found one almost new for $4). Invest in one and you won’t need to crank up the Google thingie. By the way, we used to use these things called books before Google came along and they still work quite well no matter what you may have heard.
So what do our rubrics tell us. We open the B-B and look for the section on Epigastrium.
Symptom from BBQ Man/ Remedy listed in B-B
BBQ: Pressure in the upper abdomen (epigastrium)
B-B: Epigastrium pressure pg 524: ARS, CARB-V, CHAM, CUP, NAT-M, NUX-V, PHO, PUL, RHUS-T, VER-A
BBQ: Pressure triggered by espresso…
B-B: Aggravations after coffee pg527: CHAM, NUX-V
BBQ: Excessive manly complaints of the pain
B-B: Complaining (excessive) pg532: NUX-V
BBQ: Catches unknown illnesses (all the time)
B-B: Hypochondriasis pg532: NUX-V
BBQ: Flame-broiled eyebrows
B-B: No known symptom No known remedy
As you may note, the most common remedy that is seen in all four of the symptoms is NUX-V (red font for the homeopathically-impaired). This is how it is done (basically). The one remedy that covers the most symptoms wins! Well, not all the time, but here it does… Yippee!
NUX-V is the abbreviation for Nux Vomica… poison nut, “Quaker’s buttons” and it contains among other things, strychnine. Its poisonous properties are well known in controlling pests and use in homicides. And, no matter how much we may gladly imagine the use of the original crude material, we are resigned to give our suspecting Starbucks fanatic the extremely diluted homeopathic variation to affect a cure.
By the way, all the remedies in the B-B repertory are abbreviated. This is to make it easy to remember these Latin-ized, poly-syllabic word conflagrations. Anything to make it easy is alright by me.
Give your $.02 (of remedy)...
We now open our little case of remedies… yes that case of the top 50 or 100 remedies that you purchased some time ago. No? You didn’t get that $150 case of remedies yet? That set that will last most of your lifetime? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting until you get sick? I don’t think Fedex delivers that fast, but it’s up to you to be prepared. For those that are ready with your bottles of remedies, you take one little tiny pillet from the NUX-V bottle and tap it into the cap… walk briskly over to the unsuspecting grill-eyed patient and drop it cleanly into his hand. Bottoms up! He will probably stand deer-eyed and shocked that a tiny pill could do so much (or is that a late night infomercial for Extendz)… anyway, I digress. Synchronize your watches, for within an hour that distrusting look of confusion will vanish from the face of BBQ-Man as fast as he normally finishes the last beer in the fridge. Yes, the bewildered patient will experience some quick relief indeed. And all without the poopy-go-squirt bag you would have had to use before. The End.
Oh, for those that noticed this was Part 1- IT IS Part 1 of 1. And, yes this really did happen… except, it was a capucinno, half fat, mocha, latte, grande, chile-piqueno.
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