Introduction to homeopathy

Homeopathy

Introduction

Samuel Hahnemann

• Founder of Homeopathy1755-1843

• Picture from the London Homoeopathic Hospital

Samuel Hahnemann

• Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician who earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1779.

• Scientific advances were beginning to be seen in the fields of – chemistry, – physics, – physiology and – anatomy.

Old Schools

• superstition and lack of scientific rigor. • The treatments of the day, – purgatives, – bleeding, – blistering plasters, – herbal preparations – emetics

• lacked a rational basis and were more harmful than effective.

Discovering homeopathy

• While translating William Cullen's A treatise of the materia medica into German, Hahnemann was struck by a passage that deal with cinchona bark, which was used to treat malaria.

Discovering homeopathy• Cullen described its mechanism of action as a

function of its stomach-strengthening properties.

• Hahnemann did not accept this explanation and took "four good drams of Peruvian bark, twice a day for several days" to attempt to characterize the action of the quinine-containing bark.

• Hahnemann reported that he began to develop symptoms identical to those of malaria.

Discovering homeopathy

• He concluded from this experience that effective drugs must produce symptoms in healthy people that are similar to the diseases they will be expected to treat.

• Today this principal is known as the "Law of Today this principal is known as the "Law of Similars" and is the basis for the use of the Similars" and is the basis for the use of the term homeopathy ("similar suffering").term homeopathy ("similar suffering").

Experimental stage• Hahnemann and colleagues began to test various substances

to determine the types of symptoms they produced. • These results suggested to Hahnemann what the drugs would

be useful to treat.

Experimental stage• With reduction of the dose to infinitesimal levels by multiple

serial dilutions of ten or hundred fold . • Soluble compounds or liquids were diluted in alcohol;

insoluble materials were serially diluted by grinding with lactose.

Experimental stage

• Hahnemann practiced Homeopathic medicine for almost 50 years until his death in 1843

Spiritual Vital Force• In the healthy condition of human, • the spiritual vital force, the dynamis that – animates the material body (organism), – rules with unbounded sway, – retains all the parts of the organism in admirable,

harmonious, vital operation, as regards both • sensations and • functions,

• So mind can freely employ this living, healthy instrument for the higher purpose of our existence....

Spiritual Vital Force

...The material organism, without the vital force,

is capable of no sensation, no function,

no self-preservation

Spiritual Vital Forceit derives

all sensation, and performs all the functions of life

solely by means of the immaterial being

(the vital principle) which animates the material organism in health

and in disease (Organon, sixth edition)

Causes of disease

• Hahnemann believed that the cause of disease is the disturbance of this vital or life force.

• Disturbances in the vital force manifest themselves as specific symptoms.

Causes of disease• The Law of Susceptibility deals with the

invasion of the body by diseases.

Law of Susceptibility

• The Law implies that The Law implies that a negative state of a negative state of mind attracts disease mind attracts disease entities called miasms entities called miasms to enter and/or to enter and/or invade the body. invade the body.

Causes of diseaseMiasms can be acquired – acutely– congenital– latent,

until– negative experience– normal aging

trigger their appearance as– a symptom

then – as disease.

Causes of disease

• Hahnemann argues that specific treatment of Hahnemann argues that specific treatment of such symptoms by opposing their action, as in such symptoms by opposing their action, as in conventional medicine, is not useful in conventional medicine, is not useful in treating disease because the disturbance in treating disease because the disturbance in the vital force remains. the vital force remains.

• Only correction of the underlying disturbance Only correction of the underlying disturbance in the vital force can cure disease. in the vital force can cure disease.

Miasms

Like cures likeSimilia similibus curentur (Like cures like)• Hahnemann recognized that many natural

products produce pharmacological or toxicological effects, which he refers to as symptoms.

• He believed that substances that produce symptoms similar to a given disease should be used to treat that disease.

Like cures like

• He felt that the artificially induced disease (caused by the medicine) would push aside the pathologic disturbance in the vital force and replace it with this new, pharmacologically-induced disturbance in the vital force.

• The body could then overcome this artificial disturbance and a cure would be effected.

Hahnemann's words Like cures like

• This disease-manifestation no longer exists for the principle of life which is now occupied and governed merely by the stronger, artificial disease-manifestation.

• This artificial disease-manifestation has soon spent its force and leaves the patient free from disease, cured.

• The dynamise, thus freed, can now continue to carry life on in health.

Dynamization and Dilution

• Hahnemann recognized that the use of substances that cause symptoms similar to an existing disease would acutely aggravate the condition and present other side effects.

• Thus he advocated the dilution of the substance to the point where the symptoms were no longer present.


• Dilutions are performed as ten or one hundred fold steps.

• Dilutions of 1:10 are designated in the U.S. by the Roman Numeral X – 1X = 1/10, – 2X = 1/100, – 3X = 1/1000, etc.


• Dilutions of 1:100 are designated by the Roman Numeral C – 1C = 1/100, – 2C = 1/10,000, – 3C = 1/1,000,000, etc.


• Liquids are diluted with alcohol (ethanol), water, or alcohol/water mixtures, whereas insoluble powders are diluted with lactose (milk sugar).

Water Molecules Arrangement

Dynamization and Dilution Hahnemann writes of this proposed phenomenon by analogy

to magnetism: • "Only after (a) bar of steel is dynamized, rubbing it with a

dull file in one direction, will it become a true active powerful magnet, one able to attract iron and steel to itself and impart to another bar of steel by mere contact and even some distance away, magnetic power and this in a higher degree the more it has been rubbed.

Dynamization and Dilution • A the 12C (or 24X) dilution, there is a 50/50

chance of one molecule being present.

Dynamization and Dilution • The dilution at which one would expect to

have only one molecule does depend upon the starting number of molecules,

• Assuming that we started with all the atoms estimated to be in the universe, about 6x1079, then we end up with a 50% chance to have one molecule left at 40C (or 80X),

• Still far more concentrated than the 200C dilutions that are commonly dispensed.

Dynamization• The process of dilution combined with

succession to increase healing potency runs counter to the modern principles of Pharmacology.

Dynamization• Conventional practitioners and homeopaths

generally agree that the amount of active substance present in a homeopathic remedy is too small to have an effect on its own (this is why they can be marketed over the counter as harmless).

Dynamization• This dilution is equivalent to one molecule

diluted in a sphere the size of the orbit of Neptune! Thus, high potency homeopathic remedies contain 100% vehicle and no active molecules.

Proving • To attempt determine which

homeopathic remedies would be best for various ailments, Hahnemann and others engaged in a series of provings.

• In what can be viewed as early clinical trials of natural substances, Hahnemann and others self- administered pharmacologically active doses of many different substances, then carefully recorded the symptoms that resulted in a materia medica.

• These provings were based on Hahnemann's early study of cinchona bark

Proving

• Hahnemann stressed that homeopaths should add to the materia medica with his own provings

Treatment • The homeopathic treatment of a patient begins with careful

history taking and observation of the patient. • A list of the patient's symptoms is developed and can be

determined from the materia medica or compared to a repertory.

Treatment • The materia medica contains the results of provings of

thousands of substances. • The idea is to match the patients symptoms as closely as

possible to the symptoms listed for a given substance in the materia medica.

Treatment

• The prescription is based on the symptoms and the behavior of the patient.

• Hahnemann believed that a single remedy should be given at a time, to prevent interference between two or more remedies.

Treatment

• The response to treatment is believed to follow the Laws of the Cure, which state:– A remedy begins to work at the top of the body

and progresses downward.– A remedy works from the inside out; from major

to minor organs– Symptoms go away in the reverse of their order of

appearance.

Definition and Measure of Health

• define what "health" is, • what is the target or goal of treatment is, • in what direction the patient should be guided

during his treatment.


• When the pain is gone, • when the inflammation has subsided, • when a bothersome symptom has

disappeared, • when the pathology is no longer evident, the patient usually is pronounced cured.

Definition and Measure of Health• Yet there may be long-term disturbances

caused by the treatment, especially in deeper or more subtle parts of the human organism such as the immune or hormonal systems or, even worse, in the mental or emotional planes, that are not taken into consideration.


• Such an objective is almost impossible to attain through treatment with allopathic drugs, and that only through some form of alternative medicine practiced correctly, such as:– Homeopathy, – Acupuncture, – Osteopathy, – Naturopathy, etc.,

• can the potential for such a goal be realized.

The Definition of Health for the Physical Body

• Disease, whether expressed through pain, discomfort or weakness, always tends to restrict the individual.

• Its opposite, health, gives a sense of freedom.

The Three Planes of Health

• Physical Body• Emotional Plane• Mental-Spiritual Level


• Every – pain, – discomfort, – uneasiness, – distress or – weakness of the physical body

• results in a limitation of freedom and a feeling of bondage to the pain or discomfort.


• The individual necessarily directs all his attention to the pain, to the exclusion of everything else, and of course loses his general sense of well-being.


• Health is freedom from pain in the physical body, having attained a state of well-being.

The Definition of Health on the Emotional Plane

• Excessive, inordinate passion for anything shows a degree of imbalance within the emotional plane.


• Passion for a cause, that brings the individual to the point where he does destructive actions against others is definitely a diseased state rather than justified idealism.


• Certainly the opposite of passion - apathy - is no more desirable.

• Apathy is an extremely unhealthy emotional state, very much similar to the idea of death.


• What is desirable is a state of serenity and calm that is dynamic and creative, not passive, indifferent or destructive - a state where love and positive emotions prevail, as opposed to hatred and other negative emotions.


• Passion comes from weakness rather than strength on the emotional plane.


Health on the emotional plane is

freedom from passion, having as a result

a dynamic state of serenity and calm.

The Definition of Health on the Mental-Spiritual Level

one must identify the most important mental-spiritual qualities,

which if disturbed may seriously injure the mental equilibrium.


• After much deliberation I have come to the conclusion that peace of mind can be drastically affected by – egotism, – selfishness and – acquisitiveness.

• The more egotistical and seselfish an individual lfish an individual is, the greater his potential for mental for mental derangement.


It is a known fact that a person who is very egotistical can be quite upset when his – authority, – knowledge– attainments

are challenged.


• The same "shocks" that can set off an egotist and destroy him can leave a humble man almost unaffected.

Example of Mental-Spiritual ReactionExample of Mental-Spiritual Reaction

• An egotistical industrialist who fails in his business and loses his factory cares more about the opinion that others now have of him than the fate of the families, including his own, that will have no means to support themselves. support themselves.

Example of Mental-Spiritual Reaction

• It is his ego that has been hurt. It is his ego that has been hurt. • Even if he has plenty to live on without the Even if he has plenty to live on without the

factory, he will feel miserable after the failure factory, he will feel miserable after the failure and is bound to develop a host of symptoms and is bound to develop a host of symptoms because of his "false" and because of his "false" and selfish grief. selfish grief.


• In a similar way, acquisitiveness could become the core of mental disturbance.

• Can you imagine how an avaricious man might react to the loss of his physical wealth and the deep symptomatology that could result?


• Hardly anyone today is totally free from the feelings of egotism, selfishness and acquisitiveness.


• We speak about the insanity of Hitler, Idi Amin Dada, even of the captain in charge of the Titanic whose arrogance cost the lives of hundreds.


• In our own way, every one of us is dealing with similar issues on a smaller scale.

• This "disease" called egotism and selfishness seems to be universal.

• That is why the saints were admired and worshipped ; everyone believed that they actually managed to subdue their egotism and sacrifice their own lives for the sake of others.

Mental-Spiritual Level

Although rare, this "saint-like" attitude this "saint-like" attitude

is the healthiesthealthiest to possess; in such a state

true peace of mind and happiness is achieved.


mental health isFreedom from selfishness in the mental sphere,

having as a result total unification with Truth.

The whole definition of Health

• Health is – freedom from pain in the physical body, freedom from pain in the physical body, – a state of well being; freedom from passion on the a state of well being; freedom from passion on the

emotional plane, resulting in a dynamic state of emotional plane, resulting in a dynamic state of serenity and calm; and serenity and calm; and

– freedom from selfishness in the mental sphere, freedom from selfishness in the mental sphere, having as a result total unification with Truth. having as a result total unification with Truth.

• A truly healthy individual should therefore combine both divine qualities of Love and Wisdom.

Q and A• If we cure somebody of asthma and as a consequence he

develops a heart condition, how do we know that this new state of health is better or worse than his previous condition?

• If we treat a patient with a cardiac condition and he improves, but after a certain period of time he develops a phobic state or an anxiety neurosis, can we say that the treatment benefited the patient?

• If we treat rheumatic patient, so that the pain was better, meanwhile his stomach got ill

Center of gravity • In order for a treatment

to be successful it has to push the disorder's center of gravity more and more to the peripheral, the skin being the final avenue of expression, leaving the deepest parts of the human being - his mental and emotional levels - intact.

Creation vs Destruction

• A good parameter for measuring the health of an individual is the degree to which he is free to create.

• Anybody who is basically healthy will seek to create rather than destroy.

• The person action promotes the interests and good of oneself and others.

Creation vs Destruction

• To the degree that one commits destructive acts toward either himself or others, the degree to which he is diseased is apparent.

What is 'constitutional homeopathy'?

there must be a proper in-depth case taking and

understanding of the patient understanding of the patient And

matched to one single remedy.


To be able to find one single remedy (sometimes called the 'simillimum')

that will address the patient’s symptoms in their entirety,the patient’s symptoms in their entirety, it is necessary to understand as much as possible about the whole of the person's

makeup.


The patient may have several complaints that they have not initially seen as being related,

But from a homeopath's perspective

every symptom, both emotional and physical,

no matter how obscure or where it’s located, is part of the person's expression of disease,

the homeopath will be looking for a coherence that

covers that expression in

one single remedy.


• By cross referencing – the remedies suitable for one symptom – with those for other symptoms, – and taking past traumas, – suppression and – aetiology into account,

• Some remedies occur in more of the headings, or strongly represented than others.

• These top remedies will then be checked in the Materia Medica to further narrow down the options,

• Just one is found that matches the totality of symptoms; that then is the homeopathic remedy, the 'simillimum'.


• Not every patient is suitable for this method initially,

• e.g. due to current allopathic medication or other 'maintaining causes' it may not be effective,

• but the homeopath can still help by using alternative methods until their treatment progresses them to a level where it can be applied.


1. curing the problem you initially came with, 2. improve your overall health and well being, 3. lessen your general susceptibility to illness;

it improves your whole constitution!

THE SINGLE DOSE it's importance in Classical Homeopathy

Why the single dose?• It may be difficult to believe a single dose of a

homeopathic medicine can cure deep seated conditions, especially if we are used to following allopathic regimes where a pill was to be taken several times a day for a week or longer.

• Remember though that in homeopathy we are only looking for one remedy that is homeopathic to the whole of the disease in all its manifestations.

THE SINGLE DOSE - it's importance in Classical Homeopathy

• individualisation - the matching of one patient's symptoms to one remedy

THE SINGLE DOSE

• "what's the remedy for eczema, or the remedy for asthma" etc.? (i.e.non-holistic) - and it won't work that way because it just can't be applied that way

CASETAKING - THE HOMEOPATHIC CONSULTATION

• investigations, the ascertainable physical constitution of the patient (especially when the disease is chronic), – his moral and intellectual character, – his occupation, – mode of living and – habits, – his social and domestic relations, – his age, – sexual function, etc.,

• are to be taken into consideration.


• What happens in a homeopathic consultation (casetaking)

• the homepath listens very carefully to the patient describing their problem

• takes comprehensive notes so he or she can remember in exact detail what was said,

• so when it comes to repertorising, the different headings can be chosen precisely.

CASETAKING - THE HOMEOPATHIC CONSULTATION• More questions that haven't already been covered may

then be asked in regard to – symptoms – medical history– allopathic medications, – vaccinations, – supplements, – dietary preferences, – emotional traumas,– physical traumas, – stress,– lifestyle, – sleep and – dreams, etc.

• because it is surprising how often seemingly unrelated events in our life can have a bearing on our health.


• Homeopathy does not focus on disease diagnosis, but on the totality of the symptoms and individual as a whole, and because of the nature of this initial consultation, clients often find it therapeutic in itself.


• Remember there are no remedies specifically for named diseases in homeopathy, only for symptoms, so to differentiate between the remedies we have to differentiate between the symptoms.

Emotional and mental symptoms in homeopathic case-taking

In chronic conditions the association between the physical and the

mental/emotional may be less obvious and require sensitive investigation to reveal,

in acute conditions the association between the physical and the

mental/emotional is usually very evident.


in chronic illness the patient is quite aware that

their physical suffering is accompanied by a change in mood, if they aren't,

those around them usually are!


• The mental/emotional aspect may be really obvious

• Example – anxiety with asthma, – the delirium of a fever, – the whining or screaming of a teething toddler– Etc…


OR• It may be clear, but not understood to have a

role in differentiating the remedy • Example – Dysmenorrhoea with jealousy – Weepiness– Anger– Etc…


OR • it may be covert • Example– IBS from long held indignation, – high blood pressure from chronically unexpressed

anger– Etc..


OR• it may be that the physical symptoms appear have

no direct relation to a change in the mental/emotional sphere, then it is the mental attributes discernable from the patients overall character which are used,

• Example– benign prostate enlargement in retired business

man, with a domineering personality


• Unlike some schools of thought which insist on a psychological (or 'psychospiritual') causation behind every physical ailment, homeopathy doesn't automatically assume this psychosomatic connection, even though it does recognise such aetiology when it is evident. – (e.g. fainting caused by a fright, – or ulcers from anxiety).

• It is the chosen remedy's homeopathicity which rights the problem, not psychoanalysis.

BODY MIND CONNECTION IN HOMEOPATHY

HOW CAN THE BODY AND MIND BE SEPARATE

WHEN

FEAR CAUSES A WHITE FACE

ANGER CAUSES A RED FACE

SADNESS CAUSES A WET FACE?


• Every emotion you feel has an effect on your body, every thought you have involves a neurological process, every physical change from the norm is accompanied by a corresponding mental/emotional state.


• Sometimes it will be obvious, sometimes subtle, (sometimes denied, but denial is an emotional state too).

• Yet the idea of treating the body and mind separately (allopathy) ignores this truth and so how can it be the in the best interests of the patient?


• "The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole.

• No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul and, if the head and body are to be healthy, you must begin by curing the mind... for this is the great error of our day in the treatment of the human body, that physicians first separate the soul from the body" - Written by Plato in the fifth century BC, echoed by Hahnemann two centuries ago and just as true today as it ever was.

• Therefore homeopathy, a holistic system, always honours the body-mind connection, both in the casetaking and in the choice of remedy.

• Its remedies are effective for, and simultaneously treat, both mental/emotional and physical conditions, whether they appear to exist separately or together.

SUPRESSION in homeopathic case-taking

What is Suppression?• Suppression occurs whenever the patients

symptoms go against the DIRECTION OF CURE, that is, the medicine (or any other circumstances) works against the body's vital energy, causing the disease state to go deeper into the constitution, resulting in greater ill health and a more chronic disease.


• Suppression is not always immediately apparent but can develop insidiously

• Suppression is not (generally) recognized by allopathy as a problem, rather as a solution, whereas in homeopathy it is considered as dangerous and something to be avoided at all costs.

• Suppression is often the AETIOLOGY (causation) of another ailment


• The consequences of suppression are widespread and homeopathic literature is bedecked with cases illustrating how a patient's suffering has been increased as a result of allopathic suppression


• Suppression should be differentiated from side effects of allopathic treatments - suppression only occurs when the direction of cure is thwarted


The good news is:• not all allopathic treatment is suppressive – e.g. pain relief. (although it may still have side

effects).

• homeopathic treatment will undo suppression.


An example:• When eczema is suppressed with hydrocortisone

creams or tar based preparations and then subsequently the patient develops asthma.

• Here the eczema has been suppressed resulting in a deeper condition of asthma – (this problem was even reported in the Sunday

Express). • Better to use homeopathy which can cure

without suppressing.

Cured cases

• http://www.hpathy.com/casesnew/• Homeopathic Cured Cases

http://www.hpathy.com/casesnew/

Cured cases• Author Title Medicines

• Johnson, David A Lac Canis Latrans Case Lac Canis Latrans• Sridharan, Sowmya Losing Weight, Looking Old - A Case of Bronchial

Asthma Phosphorus• English, Mary A Case of Apis to Help Nephrotic Syndrome ``

Apis• Lewis, Elaine Revisitng: Cold Gone Bad! Rhus-tox• Johnson, David Quarrelsome and Needy With Menorrhagia

Culex• Kulkarni, Ajit Revisting: Case of Miss K. P. Platina• Lewis, Elaine Revisting: "Mickey Moose" Has The Sneezies

Nux vomica

Cured cases• Maver, Jennifer A Case of Chronic Inflammatory demyelinative

Poly Neuropathy Disease Plumbum met.• Andrews, Julie A Most Difficult Case

Phosphorus• Scase, Genevieve Crotalus Cascavella and a Splash of Colour

Crotalus Cascavella• Johnson, David Praseodymium bromatum in Fibromyalgia

Praseodymium bromatum• Chauhan, Dinesh I Love Heart

Tilea Cordata• Assilmen, Melissa A Case of Chronic Fatigue - The Metaphoric

Story Calcarea mur.• D'Souza, Leela Brain Stem/Pontine Haemorrhage in Coma

Carcinocin

STRANGE RARE PECULIAR - S.R.P

• During the casetaking process though, the patient may also reveal a symptom or a sensation, that draws attention because it is unusual (the more unusual the better as far as the homeopath is concerned) and which we refer to as 'strange, rare and peculiar'.

STRANGE RARE PECULIAR - S.R.P

• These symptoms should not be waived aside as not fitting in with our preconceptions, but have special emphasis placed on them as being something to differentiate and clearly portray the individuality of the case, whether we understand it or not.

STRANGE RARE PECULIAR - S.R.P - in homeopathic case-taking

• Some symptoms in the remedy's Matera Medica are quite unusual too (when remedies are 'proved', the provers often record symptoms that fall under the heading 'strange, rare and peculiar').


• These symptoms are unlikely to be common to many remedies so if we also find this 'strange, rare and peculiar' symptom in a patient and also in a remedy, then the homeopathic match is made all the easier for it.


• Consequently (and although it might be irrelevant to an allopathic doctor, and the patient may even be shy of mentioning it), the more strange, rare and peculiar a patient's symptom is, the greater help it is to the homeopath because the less remedies there are which are likely to have that SRP symptom.


• This once again underlines the difference between allopathic and homeopathic approaches.

• Allopathy looks for symptoms that are common in order to make a diagnosis whereas homeopathy looks for symptoms that are uncommon in order to individualise.

Examples of just a few SRPs:

• GENERALITIES; JUMPING; sensation, internally (3) : croc., mosch., spig.

• GENERALITIES; SHOT, rolling through the arteries, sensation of (K1400, SRII-581, G1154) (1) : nat-p.

Examples of just a few SRPs: • GENERALITIES; VAPORS, smoke, fumes, as of, internally (22)

: ars., apisin., bar-c., brom., bry., camph., carb-v., chin., ferr., ign., ip., lyc., merc., mosch., nux-v., par., puls., rhus-t., sabad., thuj., verat., zinc.

• GENERALITIES; WIND, draft, sensation of (K1422, SRII-760, G1171) (53) : Chel., Lyss., cist., laur., mez., mosch., nux-v., acon., agar., asaf., asar., bar-c., calc., camph., canth., caps., caust., chin., cimic., coloc., cor-r., croc., cub., cupr., graph., hep., lac-d., lach., med., naja, nat-m., ol-an., olnd., petr., ph-ac., phos., plat., puls., ran-b., rhus-t., sabin., samb., sep., spig., squil., stram., sulph., syph., ther., thuj., thyr., valer., verat.

Causation (AETIOLOGY) in homeopathy

• its importance in case-taking• Causations (aetiology) –

– Shocks, – traumas, – injuries, – poisons, – diet, – drugs, – vaccinations, – stresses, – surgery, – bad weather, etc.,

• are the roots of many acute and chronic disorders and weakness.

Causation (AETIOLOGY) in homeopathy

• Knowing the causative agent in any given problem often makes finding the remedy that much easier.

• It is sometimes possible to prescribe just the best known remedy for the cause, or prescribe tautologically, and see all manner of conditions dependant on that cause clear up from this remedy, even though sometimes it may not have the particular symptoms in the remedy picture.

NEVER BEEN WELL SINCE = NBWS• If a patient has not had good health since a particular

event, • i.e. if they have 'never been well since' that time• and even though a condition may have existed for

years changing slowly over time, they may still need the remedy today that would have been needed at the time of the incident.

• Despite it apparently not covering the particulars of the case, once given it may clear up all the problems that have developed since, from that single situation.

• The power of prescriptions based on NBWS should not be underestimated

Timeline

• A very useful aid to visualisation and for working out which remedy was applicable at which time of life, is to plot the major events on a line between birth and the present.

Susceptability in homeopathy

• What is susceptability?• Susceptability is our inherited and

aquired predispositions to illness, whether it be physical, mental/emotional or both.


• The type or nature of our susceptabilities will depend firstly on those miasms we inherited before birth and secondly on those miasms and dyscrasias we aquired since birth.

• We all know that it's down to susceptability that some poeple are allergic to peanuts yet others can eat them with impunity; that some people get hay fever and others don't.


• So we know which illness's that we do or don't get depends on our susceptabilities and that we all have some degree of susceptability - even the strongest and healthiest among us have our achillies heal.

Susceptability in homeopathy• Modern science has taught us that it's largely down to

genetics so we can understand how influences like red hair skip a generation or will come up in one child but not another; just as do our traits of weakness and strength.

• The reason this is important in homeopathy is because it relates to individualisation and to miasmatic understanding, and therefore to remedy choice and also because it enables us to understand changes that may occur in our susceptability, as that doesn't neccesarily remain static - it can change as a consequence of trauma or other influences (e.g. vaccination)

Miasms in homeopathy

• He associated miasms with specific diseases that had dogged mankind throughout the ages.

• The 'Psora’ miasm(underfunction). • the 'Sycotic' miasm (overfunction)• the 'Leutic' miasm (self-destructive). • the Tubercular miasm (restriction) • the Cancer miasm (suppression).

Miasms in homeopathy• The top Psoric remedy is said to be Sulphur, • The top Sycotic remedy is Thuja, • The top Leutic remedy is Mercury. • Thus knowing which miasm is dominant in a case helps

to determine the remedy. E.g. Itchy skin is an symptom of underfunction and therefore Psoric, so Sulphur will be considered.

• Warts are a symptom of overfunction and therefore Sycotic, and so Thuja will be considered.

• Ulcers are a symptom of self-destruction and therefore Leutic, so Mercury will be considered.

Miasms in homeopathy

• Most remedies can be said to be multi-miasmatic.

ACUTE CONDITIONS• ACUTE prescribing is where homeopathy is used

for acute conditions like – stings, – bruises, – sprains, – food poisoning, – influenza, – measles, – mumps, – diarrhoea and vomiting, – any acute inflammatory or infectious disease

ACUTE CONDITIONSIn acute prescribing:• The effect of the remedies is quickly used up; they

may need frequent repetition and they only affect the immediate condition.

• the remedy can usually be found with a minimum of information

ACUTE CONDITIONS• it doesn't usually profoundly improve your physical

and emotional well being and susceptibilities, beyond resolving the immediate condition (unlike constitutional prescriptions).

• sometimes several remedies may be used in quick succession (e.g.. flu may need Gels. to start, then Eup-per, the Kali-p then influenzinum, as the disease progresses through its various stages).

• it is reasonable to treat yourself and your family for common uncomplicated conditions.

PRESCRIBING FOR ACUTE CONDITIONS• When a patient has an acute condition before

we can decide on a course of action, • FIRST• has the patient recently been prescribed a

constitutional remedy?• Acutes caused by a constitutional remedy are

a healing process and should not be treated unless harm could come to the patient)

BLOCKS TO CURE IN HOMEOPATHY• Sometimes an apparently well chosen remedy doesn't

work. Why?• One possibility is that there is a block to cure• A block to cure can be physical or emotional and related to:

– work – Relationships– Lifestyle– current medication– toxicity – past surgery or injury– other environmental (external) influences– Miasm

BLOCKS TO CURE IN HOMEOPATHY• A block to cure is anything that prevents cure

from the prescribed constitutional remedy (simillimum) alone.

• The block to cure needs to be addressed first and separately before a deeper acting remedy can be effective.

• Sometimes this can be done by changing prescribing methods i.e. giving a homeopathic remedy specifically for the block itself , or it may be that the block needs other strategies to resolve it.

BLOCKS TO CURE IN HOMEOPATHY

You cannot cure starvation with homeopathy nor

can you stop a radioactive fallout

although you may be treat some side effects of them.


• For example • stress at work or in a relationship may

override the patients ability to be healthy and so this needs to be addressed if possible by other methods,

• e.g. by resolving the problem or by removing the patient from the problem.


• Equally toxicity from whatever source, (environmental, work related, medications, recreational drugs, alcohol) may prevent a constitutional homeopathic remedy from working, so it needs to be addressed directly


• Homeopathy can play a part in assisting these processes:

• the extent to which it helps will depend on:A - whether the patient can actually be distanced

from the block to cure or not.B - how amenable the block is to homeopathic or

other therapy

MOST COMMON REMEDIES

Aconite• For the treatment of acute, sudden, and violent invasion,

with fever. Complaints and tension caused by exposure to cold weather , draught of cold air, checked perspiration

• Panic crises: fear of imminent death, vertigo, numbness, tachycardia,(rapid pulse) palpitations, flushes. faintness; . fear with symptoms .anxious restlessness. First remedy to try where the onset is very sudden with fear.


Antimonium-Tart• Great accumulation of mucus, even drowning in own mucus.

Increasingly weak, sweats, becomes drowsy and relaxed with lack of reaction


Apis• Burning, stinging pains. Great swelling

(edematous) & effusions: general & local.


Arsenicum• Anxiety, tremendous, especially about their

health. Despair of recovery. Fear of death, of being alone. Convinced they're going to die (may be too frightened to even say so).Very restless, unless too weak to move


Belladonna• violence of attack and suddenness of onset.

Hot, red skin, flushed face, dilated pupils, throbbing carotids, excited mental state, delirium, convulsive movements.


Causticum• BURNING, AND SORENESS are characteristic.

Local paralysis, vocal cords, muscles of deglutition, of tongue, eyelids, face, bladder and extremities.


Rhus-toxicodendron• Poison ivy, oak. Red, swollen, skin

itching intense. Dry, hot, burning, - restlessness


Sulphur• Heat, burning, Frequent flashes of heat.

violent ebullitions of heat throughout entire body


Anacardium • absent mindedness; very easily offended;

senile dementia; weakening of all senses, sight, hearing, etc.


Aethusa :• For the treatment of intolerance of milk and

marked inability to digest it as well as all the associated symptoms such as easy perspiration (surface of body is covered with sweat),nausea and vomiting, with sweat and great weakness


Aloe • An excellent remedy to aid in re-establishing

physiological equilibrium after much dosing, where disease and drug symptoms are much mixed.

• Adapted to weary aged people.• Good for treatment of diarrhea.


Baryta Carb.• This is indicated in infancy and old age. Loss

of memory; mental weakness, especially for old. Senile dementia; confusion. Childish; grief over trifles.


Drosera :• For the treatment of spasmodic, dry irritative

cough, like whooping cough ,the paroxysms follow each other very rapidly; can scarcely breathe. Cough very deep and hoarse; worse after midnight.

• Treatment of asthma


IgnatiaNo. 1. For Depression , Sadness and Disappointment:• Mentally, the emotional element is uppermost. It is

one of the chief remedies for nervous temperament, easily exited. Rapid change of mental and physical condition, opposite to each other. Great contradictions. Effects of grief and worry. Changeable mood; silently brooding. Sad, tearful, not communicative, sighing and sobbing (take a deep breath that can be heard – indicating sadness). After shocks, grief and disappointment.


Kali Carb : • Alternating mood; very irritable. Full of fears

and imaginations. Never wants to be left alone. Never quieted or contended. Obstinate and hypersensitive to pain, noise and touch.

AnxietyAconitum napellus • A panic attack that comes on suddenly with

very strong fear (even fear of death) may indicate this remedy. A state of immense anxiety may be accompanied by strong palpitations, shortness of breath, and flushing of the face. Sometimes a shaking experience will be the underlying cause. Strong feelings of anxiety may also occur when a person is just beginning to come down with a flu or cold

MOST COMMON REMEDIESArgentum nitricum • This remedy can be helpful when anxiety

develops before a big event: an exam, an important interview, a public appearance or social engagement. Dizziness and diarrhea may also be experienced. People who need this remedy are often enthusiastic and suggestible, with a tendency toward peculiar thoughts and impulses. They often crave sweets and salt (which usually make their symptoms worse).

MOST COMMON REMEDIESArsenicum album• People who are deeply anxious about their health, and

extremely concerned with order and security, often benefit from this remedy. Obsessive about small details and very neat, they may feel a desperate need to be in control of everything. Panic attacks often occur around midnight or the very early hours of the morning. The person may feel exhausted yet still be restless-fidgeting, pacing, and anxiously moving from place to place. These people may also have digestive problems or asthma attacks accompanied by anxiety.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESCalcarea carbonica• This remedy is usually indicated for dependable, solid

people who become overwhelmed from physical illness or too much work and start to fear a breakdown. Their thoughts can be muddled and confused when tired, which adds to the anxiety. Worry and bad news may agitate them, and a nagging dread of disaster (to themselves or others) may develop. Fear of heights and claustrophobia are also common. A person who needs this remedy is often chilly and sluggish, has a craving for sweets, and is easily fatigued.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESGelsemium • Feelings of weakness, trembling, and

mental dullness (being "paralyzed by fear") suggest a need for this remedy. It is often helpful when a person has stage-fright about a public performance or interview, or feels anxious before a test, a visit to the dentist, or any stressful event. Chills, perspiration, diarrhea, and headaches will often occur with nervousness. Fear of crowds, a fear of falling, and even a fear that the heart might stop are other indications for Gelsemium.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESIgnatia amara• A sensitive person who is anxious because of

grief, loss, disappointment, criticism, loneliness (or any stressful emotional experience) may benefit from this remedy. A defensive attitude, frequent sighing, and mood swings are other indications. The person may burst unexpectedly into either tears or laughter. Headaches that feel like a nail driven into the side of the head, and cramping pains in the abdomen or back, are often seen when this remedy is needed.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESKali phosphoricum • When a person has been exhausted by overwork or

illness and feels a deep anxiety and inability to cope, this remedy may help. The person is jumpy and oversensitive, and may be startled by ordinary sounds. Hearing unpleasant news or thinking of world events can aggravate the problems. Insomnia and an inability to concentrate may develop, increasing the sense of nervous dread. Eating, warmth, and rest often bring relief. Headaches, backaches, and nervous digestive upsets are often seen when this remedy is needed.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESLycopodium • Individuals likely to respond to this remedy feel anxiety

from mental stress and suffer from a lack of confidence. They can be self-conscious and feel intimidated by people they perceive as powerful (yet may also swagger or be domineering toward those with whom they feel more comfortable). Taking on responsibility can cause a deep anxiety and fear of failure, although the person usually does well, once started on a task. Claustrophobia, irritability, digestive upsets with gas and bloating, and a craving for sweets are often seen when this remedy is needed.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES Natrum muriaticum• Deep emotions and a self-protective shyness can make

these people seem reserved, aloof, and private. Even when feeling lonely, they tend to stay away from social situations, not knowing what to say or do. (Inhibitions sometimes leave completely if they turn to alcohol, which makes them feel embarrassed afterwards.) Easily hurt and offended, they can brood, bear grudges, dwell on unhappy feelings, and isolate themselves-refusing consolation even when they want it. However, they are often sympathetic listeners to other people's problems. Claustrophobia, anxiety at night (with fears of robbers or intruders), migraines, and insomnia are often seen when this remedy is needed.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESPhosphorus• People who need this remedy are openhearted,

imaginative, excitable, easily startled, and full of intense and vivid fears. Strong anxiety can be triggered by thinking of almost anything. Nervous and sensitive to others, they can overextend themselves with sympathy to the point of feeling exhausted and "spaced out" or even getting ill. They want a lot of company and reassurance, often feeling better from conversation or a back-rub. Easy flushing of the face, palpitations, thirst, and a strong desire for cold, refreshing foods are other indications for Phosphorus.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESPulsatilla• People who need this remedy often express anxiety as

insecurity and clinginess, with a need for constant support and comforting. The person may be moody, tearful, whiny, even emotionally childish. (Pulsatilla is a very useful remedy for children.) Getting too warm or being in a stuffy room often increases anxiety. Fresh air and gentle exercise often bring relief. Anxiety around the time of hormonal changes (puberty, menstrual periods, or menopause) often is helped with Pulsatilla.

MOST COMMON REMEDIESSilicea (also called Silica)• People who need this remedy are capable and serious, yet

are also nervous, shy, and subject to bouts of temporary loss of confidence. Anxiety can be extreme when they are faced with a public appearance, interview, examination, or any new job or task. Worry and overwork can bring on headaches, difficulty concentrating, and states of exhaustion, oversensitivity, and dread. Responsible and diligent, they often overreact and devote attention to tiny details-making their worries (and their work) more difficult. They often have low stamina and come down with colds, sore throats, or other illnesses after working hard or being under stress.

Sleeplessness

Aconitum apellus: • This remedy can be helpful if a person panics

with insomnia. Fear and agitation come on suddenly when the person is drifting off to sleep, or may even wake a sleeping person up.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Arsenicum album: • People who need this remedy are often

anxious and compulsive about small details, and have trouble sleeping if they feel that everything is not in place. They are often deeply weary and exhausted, yet feel restless physically and mentally. Sleep, when it arrives, can be anxious and disturbed, with dreams full of fear and insecurity.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Calcarea phosphorica: This remedy is often

helpful to children with growing pains, and also to adults who have aching in the joints and bones, or neck and shoulder tension that make it hard to fall asleep. The person lies awake for many hours, feeling upset and irritable—then has trouble waking in the morning, feeling deeply tired and weak.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Cocculus: This remedy is often helpful to those

who feel “too tired to sleep” after long-term sleep loss—from getting up with an infant, taking care of someone who is ill, a disruptive work schedule, travel and jet lag, or chronic worry and insomnia. The person may feel weak and dizzy, with trouble thinking, and may be sleepy, irritable, or tearful.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Coffea cruda: Mental excitement and nervous

stimulation that keep a person from sleeping suggest a need for remedy. Thoughts preventing sleep can be happy or distressing. The person may be looking forward to something that will happen in the morning, but feels stressed and exhausted as the night wears on. If the person falls asleep, it is usually very light with vivid dreams, and disturbed by any little noise or motion. (This remedy can also help if overuse of caffeine is the cause of sleeplessness.)

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Ignatia: If insomnia is caused by

emotional upset (grief or loss, a disappointment in love, a shock, or even an argument) this remedy may be helpful. The person is sensitive and nervous, and may often sigh and yawn in the daytime, but find it hard to relax at night. As the person tries to fall asleep, the arms and legs may twitch or itch. If sleep arrives, it is usually light, with jerking of the legs and arms, or long and troubling nightmares.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Kali phosphoricum: A person with insomnia

from nervous exhaustion caused by overwork or mental strain, or following a taxing illness, may respond to this remedy. The person is very weak and sensitive to everything (noise, lights, touch, and pain). Irritability, depression, and anxiety with an empty feeling in the stomach are often seen.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Lycopodium: People who need this remedy often

have no memory of dreams and often doubt that they have slept at all. Insomnia may set in primarily because of worry: lack of confidence can make them doubt their own abilities, although they are usually very capable. Insomnia caused by digestive trouble, especially gas, can also indicate a need for this remedy. The person feels drowsy after meals, but has trouble sleeping at bedtime. Ravenous hunger in the night that wakes a person up is another indication for Lycopodium.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Nux vomica: People who have insomnia after over-

indulgence in stimulants, food, and drink—or after overexertion, either physically or mentally—may benefit from this remedy. They may be able to drift off, but sleep is light, and they often awaken in the early morning (typically three a.m.) and lie awake for hours. On getting up, they are tense, impatient, and irritable, with a feeling that they sorely need more sleep.


• Silicea (also called Silica): This is a useful remedy for nervous people with low stamina who get too tired, then have insomnia. The person often goes to sleep at first, but awakens suddenly with a hot or surging feeling in the head—and finds it hard to fall asleep again. People who need this remedy usually have anxious dreams, and some (especially children) sleepwalk frequently.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Sulphur: This remedy may be helpful if

insomnia comes from itching—or an increasing feeling of heat in bed, especially in the feet. The person is irritable and anxious, and often feels a need to throw the covers off. Lying awake between two and five a.m. is typical. Insomnia that develops because of a lack of exercise may also be helped with Sulphur.

MOST COMMON REMEDIES• Zincum metallicum: People who need this

remedy often have insomnia from mental activity. They can get wound up from overwork—or be naturally inclined toward nervousness and just have trouble relaxing. Their legs and arms often feel extremely restless, and lying still in bed may be impossible. Even during the daytime, a person who needs this remedy may feel a constant need to move the muscles.

Documents

Introduction to homeopathy