British Homveopathic Journal July 1989. Vol. 78. pp. 168-170

Faculty of Hom eopathy Midlands Branch 14th A n n u a l Introductory Course and Sympos ium

Fifty seven doctors, including ten entirely new to hom~eopathy, assembled at the Post-Graduate Centre, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, on 12 November 1988, a glorious autumn day, to enjoy another stimulating Symposium.

Following recent precedent, the morning ses- sion divided into advanced and introductory courses, an arrangement which suited the needs of differing ranges of experience.

In her introductory remarks to the new- comers, Dr Molly Hunton, Midlands Branch postgraduate tutor, outlined the history of hom0eopathy from its early Hahnemanian beginnings, through its relationships, sometimes stormy, with orthodox medicine, to its position, and the challenge it faces, in the modern world.

It has been customary at each Symposium for a doctor relatively new to hom0eopathy to recount his or her early impressions and experi- ences. Today it was the lot of Dr M. Curley, of Kenilworth, who spoke firstly of a case of a patient with a long standing eczematous rash, lasting the whole of last autumn and winter, which responded promptly to a dose of Apis mel. She also produced audiograms from a child with glue ear taken before and after treatment with Pulsatilla, which showed a remarkable im- provement.

The remainder of the opening session was taken up with talks by Dr Spence, the Faculty President, who explained the process of drug selection by the matching the drugs to the patients' reactions. With the aid of a video dem- onstration, he illustrated the process of homceo- pathic case history taking in treating two patients with bronchitis who had attended his morning surgery the previous day.

After coffee, Dr Spence took the chair, and introduced Dr Hunton who answered the chal- lenge: 'How does homoeopathy work?'

Homeeopathy had always been a meticulously researched discipline, long before orthodox medicine had adopted a scientific approach. It was important however, that this momentum did not flag, and that, as with orthodox medicine, we must investigate the efficacy and safety of our

present treatment, as well as striving to widen our horizons for the future. It was imperative, she believed, that new medicines should be proved and introduced, and that hom0eopaths should seek to produce a rational explanation of how they worked that was intelligible and acceptable to the orthodox world.

In the meantime, there was enough circum- stantial evidence of hom0eopathy's true value to convince most enquiring minds. Dr Hunton went on to quote the recent findings of Ben- veniste regarding the effect of anti-IgE in potency beyond Avogadro's limit on human basophil degranulation. This was just one more piece of convincing evidence to be added to the scales in homoeopathy's favour.

Dr Spence himself then returned to the basic problem of actually getting started in hom0eo- pathy. He suggested concentrating on just a small number of commonly prescribed drugs. He went on to detail the indications for Aconite, Arnica and Rhus tox. in everyday situations, and finally to caution his audience against excessive enthusiasm. Disappointment and disillusion would inevitably flow from hasty and ill-con-' sidered prescribing.

Also prominent among contributors to the beginners' course was Dr R. A. F. Jack, a found- ing father of West Midlands Homceopathy. Now retired from NHS practice, he was able to look back over more than forty years of experience during which hom0eopathy had proved to him a most useful additional form of therapeutics. While no responsible doctor could avoid using steroids, antibiotics or other conventional drugs when clearly indicated, there were many instances where hom0eopathy could achieve dra- matic results therapeutically, as well as dramatic savings to the taxpayer.

He made no apology for anecdotes (of which he recounted several). Anecdotal evidence was out of favour in present-day medical teaching, but had it not been the foundation of all healing knowledge in the centuries up to our own?

Dr Anita Davies, homoeopathic physician,

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London, took the chair at a simultaneous meet- ing of more experienced doctors.

She first introduced, also from London, Dr D. Ratsey, whose subject was the hom0eopathic management of migraine.

His first step was the imposition of what he called his 'Stone Age Diet ' to which the patient was to adhere for one week, recording faithfully, in order, everything eaten and drunk each day.

Excluded was any foodstuff sprayed, pro- cessed, manufactured on in any way chemically adulterated. In addition, his patients were for- bidden cereals, pulses, biscuits, bread and corn oil. Neither were they allowed sugar or sweeten- ing other than fructose, dairy products, smoked, cured or canned foods, crisps, nuts, and especi- ally tea, coffee and alcohol.

He allowed a breakfast of fresh fruit, grilled fish or meat, fried tomatoes, potatoes or mush- rooms, which might be washed down with a draught of spring water or herb tea.

Other meals could be from an allowed list comprising fresh meat, game and poultry, fresh fish, fruit (as long as home grown or unsprayed). Drinks should be based on spring water, but could include herb tea and dandelion coffee. Olive oil could be used in cooking, and flavour- ing with sea salt or fresh ground pepper was allowed.

Dr Ratsey found that this diet helped a large proportion of patients. Where this was so, items from the forbidden list might be introduced sin- gly on a test basis, three days apart, in the hope of identifying the culprit. If no reaction, they would be assumed safe.

Dr Ratsey then compared and contrasted a number of homceopathic remedies which he had found useful where dietary measures had failed. These included Natrum tour., Spigelia, Glo- noine, Iris versicolor, Arsenicum alb., Bryonia, Belladonna, Nux vomica and Gelsemium.

The next speaker introduced by Dr Davies was Dr G. Burns of the Manchester Hom~eo- pathic Clinic. He shed a new and refreshing light on the vexed subject of depression.

A multiplicity of physical and mental symp- toms were offered by the patient for the doctor to unravel. The patient might on the surface show a picture of despair, apprehension, anx- iety, fear and sadness, together with complex repressed emotions. For example, a bereave- ment may have left incomplete a dialogue between the patient and the deceased. For this, Dr Burns offered the novel suggestion that the patient should sit on the grave and continue the

conversation, although he conceded that crema- tion might create a difficulty.

Among remedies discussed he particularly recommended Nux moschata and Pulsatilla, when clearly indicated.

After coffee, Dr J. Swayne, from Bath, spoke on data processing, a personal interest of his which had developed over the past three years.

The evolution of homceopathy had to some extent been marred by imprecise observation and sloppiness in the recording of data. If we were to Compete with orthodoxy, this impreci- sion must be swept away. Dr Swayne sought to illustrate how this could be achieved with the computer by a most comprehensive analysis of homceopathic prescribing habits of GPs, hos- pital doctors and those in private practice, as well as by a comparison of experienced homoeo- paths' drug selection with that of those new to the subject. Space does not permit a full descrip- tion, but readers are referred to Dr Swayne's published papers.

The final 'spot ' before lunch was a most intriguing view into homceopathy's past, pro- vided by Dr D. R. Holcombe, from Kings- bridge, Devon. His entertaining biographical sketches of some of the great names of yesterday were illustrated by photographs and engravings, few of which were familiar to even the most senior of his listeners. Portraits on view included those of Nash, Boger, Allen, von Boen- ninghausen, Boericke and Kent. Constantine Hering, the celebrated prover (on himself) of Lachesis, was pictured in no less than six stages of his career.

Readers of previous accounts of the Bir- mingham Symposia will need no reminding of the sumptuous luncheon which never fails to tempt the palates of the assembled homceo- paths. Indeed, cynics have been heard to suggest that this might, for some, be the main attraction! Mrs J. Denning, Secretary of the Postgraduate Centre and provider of the fare, certainly excel- led herself on this occasion, and was presented with a bouquet by Dr Hunton in grateful recog- nition of her effort and expertise.

In his introduction to the afternoon session, Dr R. A. F. Jack conferred that filling the open- ing slot was a difficult one, since the speaker must have sufficient vivacity to counter post- prandial langour. However, his confidence in the choice of Dr G. R. Sharp was well placed.

The speaker, who had flown from Stirling for the occasion, was a Consultant in Occupational Medicine. He gave a most stimulating account of

170 British Hom~eopathic Journal

his use of homoeopathy in treating anticipatory anxiety in R A F air crews for whom the taking of conventional drugs was forbidden. Leading remedies in this field were Lycopodium and Argentum nitricum; the former having fear of being alone, of breaking down under stress, and of embarking on new and untried things, while the latter had restlessness with a feeling of time passing slowly as its leading features. Argentum nitricum patients, once they had embarked on the dreaded exercise, lost their fear and per- formed well.

Dr Galen Ives, Head of Psychology, Barnsley District General Hospital, whose talk preceeded the tea interval, opened up new vistas in under- standing homceopathic constitutional types. In answer to the direct question: 'Was it factual?' or 'Was it a delusion?' he felt that evidence placed constitutional typing at a point near to equidis- tant between these two positions. His illustrious namesake, Galen, had devised the humoral theory of human constitutions, in which the mel- ancholic, choleric, phlegmatic and sanguine elements, in their different proportions, fixed the essence of individual character. When the theories of Eysenck were superimposed, dia-

gramatically, on this basic tenet, a whole new understanding of constitutional typing began to unfold.

Following the tea interval, the final session of the day was devoted to consideration of the now topical 'post viral syndrome' by Dr A. Lockie, Faculty Tutor in Homeeopathy from Guildford, Surrey. He was of the firm opinion that whatever homoeopathic drug was selected, complete rest was essential if a cure was to be effected within reasonable time. Where the precipitating viral agent was clearly identifiable, he favoured the use of the appropriate nosode. Unfortunately this was not the case in a high proportion of ME cases, whose onset was vague and insidious. Here, polycrests such as Natrum mur., Sulphur, Medorrhinum and Pulsatilla were often effective.

Dr Lockie's talk brought to an end what was acknowledged to be a highly successful sym- posium, where the quality of the contributions was uniformly high and in keeping with the scientific 'new look' to which hom~eopathy has recently, and with ease, adapted itself.

P . J . E D W I N

Vice President, Midlands Branch, Faculty of Homoeopathy