Susceptibility to disease is a key concept in homeopathy. Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) wrote the following:

The psychic and physical inimical influences that we encounter in the world and that we call disease agents do not have an absolute power to untune our organism. We fall ill under their influence only when the organism is disposed and susceptible enough to their attack for its feelings and functions to be altered and untuned from the normal. Thus these agents do not make everybody sick each time. [Organon of Medicine: aphorism 31 translation by Künzli et al (1989, Gollanz)]

In this short article I consider the nature of susceptibility and then share an interesting example from my own case load.

Susceptibility to Disease – unsolved mystery

Science writer Philip Ball in his recent book titled How Life Works opens with a true story of two people who caught Covid – one elderly, frail and asthmatic, who suffered from a lung disease (COPD), the second, a fifty-six-year-old in good health. One quicky recovered, the other sadly died. Unremarkable were it was not for the fact that it was the one in good health who succumbed.

Ball goes on to write, “the pandemic reminded us…how little we understand about our bodies and about how they are assailed by the slings and arrows or outrageous fortune.”

This anecdote is an excellent recent example of our susceptibility. Hahnemann recognised this two centuries ago and thus our individuality is one cornerstone of homeopathic prescribing. We are all different and consequently have different vulnerabilities. Some people are prone to respiratory illness, some gastric, some migraines and so on. Such vulnerabilities are – it seems – part of our inheritance. In case taking it is interesting to see how patterns are present across the generations. Hahnemann’s meticulous observations of these patterns across a vast case load led to his concept of ‘miasm’ on which subject I have written before.

Susceptibility, Predisposition and Disease

Simply put, susceptibility is our weak spot – the degree to which we are vulnerable to a particular outside influence. This does not have to be something in nature – perhaps a virus or bacteria or even particular foods – it could be someone! Fear, anxiety, grief – even attraction are very real events, that impact.

Nor are our susceptibilities static through time. The diseases or anxieties of childhood are often not those of out adult years. Like it or not, we will all be susceptible to some morbific (disease causing) influence at some stage in out lives, and the greater that susceptibility the more likely we succumb.

Predisposition typically refers to our inherited traits and tendencies – often perceived through the patterns in disease and in familial medical history. The goal of effective homeopathy is to eradicate or at least calm the influence of this predisposition. It goes further than just strengthening immunity though that can certainly be understood as a core objective.

One important point – applicable to all medicine – it to address ‘maintaining causes’. Diet, stress, living conditions all have the potential to increase susceptibility to ill health. Much of the burden on the NHS stems from these factors alone. Part of the homeopathic practitioners role is at least to have a conversation (not to lecture) around these matters. This is one reason for the emphasis on understanding the ‘totality‘ of a person during the homeopathic consultation – that is to say understanding the whole person and not just the presenting symptoms (another tenet of homeopathic practice).

A Interesting Case of Glue Ear

I recently had a interesting case which demonstates the above. It does touch on the subject of vaccination, which risks generating more heat than light. Two points here. Firstly, this article is about susceptibility not vaccines (on which I have written previously). Secondly, vaccination actually follows the homeopathic principle of like-curing-like or the law of similars. Thirdly, The Faculty of Homeopathy the body representing the medically qualified homeopaths (Doctors for the most part) support immunisation.

Anyway, a young child was brought to me with ‘glue ear’. This is where there is a catarrhal state affecting the ear and the draining tube (eustachian) gets blocked. This tube is small in a small child and more prone to blockage. The risk is hearing loss and sometime grommets are inserted temporarily to help with drainage.

Measles – Susceptability

Today we vaccinate against the measles virus. It is actually a live attenuated vaccine (as opposed to a killed vaccine). So in effect a mild dose of measles is given to stimulate and immune response and protect against the more severe effects of catching the wild virus.

Measles – which is very infectious – is known for its rash (see photo), and it was rather a right of passage for my age group.

It is also a very catarrhal disease, and in days gone by, the number one homeopathic remedy was Pulsatilla known for its ability to resolve catarrhal states (in young and old).

(The late Dr Andrew Lockie in his book The Family Guide to Homeopathy (1989 ElmTreeBooks/Penguin) tells us that in measles there is a pre-rash stage with fever, sore throat, cough dry or with phlegm, watering eyes followed by the rash lasting for 2-3 days after which the temperature returns to normal. I wrote previously on the subject of fever in children here).

Homeopathy

With hindsight, Pulstatilla is the remedy that I should have opened the case with. Instead I gave a related remedy, which did bring some improvement. However, Pulstatilla is really a remedy given at the time of the active disease, which the vaccinated child does not have. For the longer standing (chronic) condition, the remedy is Silica, which the child was subsequently given to good effect.

Given the timeline, my hypothesis is that this catarrh was a reaction to the vaccine – a mild pseud-measles. Had she – as in days of old – caught wild measles then she likely would have been very catarrhal. That was her susceptibility. However, because children don’t get measles any more it wasn’t noticed. In fact it was Grandma who suspected that the child was not hearing so well.

In my past life as a Chemical Engineer, the work of safety specialist Trevor Kletz was was essential reading. He is no longer with us, but one key theme was our – or an organisation’s – ability to forget the past. Something no longer commonplace becomes forgotten.

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Should you care to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

And if you are in an organisation that would be interested a short talk (usually free) – tailored to your needs – please email me.

In this short article I write about the homeopathy and its use in the treatment of acne. I will also share information on the orthodox appoaches by way of comparison.

Comparing Allopathic and Homeopathic Medicine

Before I look at acne specifically, I want briefly to consider the philosophical differences between conventional (allopathic) medicine and homeopathic medicine. Both approaches have validity but the philosophies are different.

Homeopathy has four main laws, working together synergistically:

• The Law of Similars (like cures like) – symptoms recognised as the body’s attempt to cure
• The Totality of Symptoms (mental / emotional; general – your nature; and physical)
• Individualisation (your qualities are unique)
• Medication as necessary to stimulate a harmonising immune response within the organism – minimum dose to stimulate the life force (see below)

Behind these laws there is a fundamental principle that disease is a disturbance of the life force and that pathology (acne in this case) is not ‘the’ disease but the physical expression of that disturbance.

In contrast conventional medicine, takes a different view, though mostly not explicitly stated:

• The ‘law’ is of opposites (hence the prefix anti- before many drug groups) – symptoms represent disfunction
• Its focus is specifics (acne); the totality is of relatively modest importance*
• Disease is generalised – as expressed in diagnostic terms
• Medication acts directly on the symptom – dose proportional to severity

(*lifestyle / hormonal factors would be considered in acne)

Conventional medicine has no concept of life force, but lacks any explanation as to how the trillions of cells in the human body dance is harmony.

What is Acne

The Medscape webpages provide a useful overview of Acne Vulgaris (‘vulgaris’ meaning common). There are other forms of Acne, but the most common is Acne Vulgaris and this will be our focus. It is a chronic condition (meaning not self limiting) caused by excess production of sebum, a natural oily substance, produced by glands on the skin (pores). The majority are associated with hair follicles. The Cleveland Clinic gives a nice overview on their website.

When pores block, the result is that oil is trapped. Bacteria naturally occurring on the skin multiplies and infection can follow. The result is pimples and pustules often containing pus. When the cells rupture around the hair follicles deeper in the skin the term cystic acne is used. The result is painful boil like lesions which risk scarring. If the acne is mild, as is more often the case, it is no big deal, but if it is painful and disfiguring, that is another matter.

Teenage acne is quite common and related to the hormonal changes at puberty. Acne developing after the teenage years is termed adult acne. Severe acne would appear to be in the order of single figure percentages but numbers apprear to be increasing according to this article by the British Association of Dematologists.

Genetic predisposition is – as in most things – a factor that must be considered. It is not unusual to find a pattern across the generations.

Conventional – Treatment for Acne

In the more severe cases where treatment is warranted GPs or specialists will prescribe any of the following where appropriate:

• Salicylic Acid (exfoliates and unclogs pores)
• Benzoyl Peroxide (antibacterial lotion)
• Antibiotics
• Vitamin A derived drugs (Retinoids) – oral or topical
• Hormone treatments such as oral contraceptives

Side effects vary from mild (e.g. redness / dry skin) to potential mood effects with the oral retinoids. This acne support website indicates benefits accruing after 12 weeks of treatment.

Homeopathy – Treatment for Acne

Homeopathic medicine regards acne as a symptom of fundamental imbalance, so the treatment is primarily constitutional. Homeopathy is not quick fix medicine – it takes time – but as mentioned above conventional treatments take time also, but unlike homeopathy the orthodox focus is more on the symptoms than the totality.

Homeopathy takes a particular interest in genetic predisposition. This is the study of ‘miasm’ on which I have written before here and here.

Where infection is present remedies such as Silica and Hepar Sulph may be prescribed. Where pus is not present, then Sulphur might be considered, or Kali Bromatum. But within the realm of constitutional prescribing there are many more possibilities.

Do remember that homeopathic medicines are energetic (I like to say ‘informational’) and not biochemical. I have a blog on this subject which is quite important to understand.

In researching this article, I came across another article titled ‘How Homeopathy Can Help Tackle Acne’ which I judge give a realistic assessment of both the nature of the indivdualisation in homeopathy and duration of treatment.

One Case

In the early days of my practice I did treat a young lady (20s) with quite bad acne. It was interesting because there had been quite a lot going on in her life that was clearly a contributing factor. There was clear hormonal component as well, as the condition worsened around the time of her period. One might think it irrelevant that she often came to that appointment after a stint in the gym, but these two factors alone pointed to the homeopathic remedy Sepia and she made some progress on this.

Unfortunately, she wanted quicker results than I could give (though we had barely reached the 12 weeks advice for orthodox treatment). Looking back, I wonder whether such as Folliculinum (oestrogen in homepathic potency) might have improved matters further – but this is just speculation.

At any rate, one learns. Not just the homeopathic method but setting our expectations at the outset.

There is a high probabilty of success using homeopathy but it takes time.

Lifestyle

Whichever approach is followed, lifestyle factors cannot be ignored. A fundamental tenet in homeopathy is the need to address any exciting cause be diet or drugs (medicinal or recreational) or other factors. The liver in particular has a key role in detoxification so this organ needs to be funtioning well and homeopathy can assist in improving liver function.

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Should you care to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

And if you are in an organisation that would be interested a short talk (usually free) – tailored to your needs – please email me ([email protected]).

Homeopathy takes a different approach to health and healing. When I give a talk on homeopathy I now begin by sharing some facts about the human body. Here are a few:

• we have more cells in our body than stars in the milky way (40 trillion)
• every second ten million of them die and are regenerated
• our cells are 90% water and we are about 70% water by weight
• our body contains 120 billion miles of DNA (who worked that out?)
• DNA carries a hundred trillion pieces more information than the most advanced computer

We like to believe that we are solid – it hurts if you bang into a table, after all. In fact we are fluid, flowing through space and time. If you doubt this look at a picture of yourself when you were young!

And when the time comes – as it must – that we die, the physical body decomposes back to the elements from which it was made.

It amuses me when folk say their hip has worn out. The X-ray does not lie, of course. But the truth is that it is the ability to repair that has failed. Your bones are not like those in the grave – like everything else in the body they are in a state of continuous flux – were it not so broken bones could not heal.

Modern Medicine

Modern medicine has advanced our knowledge of our physical existance remarkably in the last 150 years or so. Like most – if not all – scientific endeavours medicine has its focus on the material world. It started with disection in the 19th century leading to a riskly if profitable trade in dead bodies by the likes of the infamous Burke and Hare with the notable Gray’s Anatomy being published in 1858. Just over a century later (1962) Crick, Watson and Wilkins win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their discovery of the structure of DNA. And less than a half century thereafter (2003) the human genome project concludes. Impressive – I’ll say!

But for all that – as I wrote back in July – we still are pretty clueless as to how life works. And back in January my reflection was on the man as machine model which distilled down is rather how modern medicine perceives our being.

It was I think biologist Rupert Sheldrake who made the analogy with the news reader on the television. Seen by someone unfamiliar with the device, they would conclude that the news reader is inside the television and set about trying to find him or her. A reasonable hypothesis in the absence of greater knowledge. And so science continues its search to explain the origin of life inside us. But maybe … just maybe … it is not.

The Pendulum Swings

Today science is all powerful, but not so long past it was religion that held sway. This is the non-material world of spirit and soul. Religious thought continues to have many adherents though somewhat fragmented according to ones tribe. Much in early herbalism stemmed from religious communities as notable figures such as Hildegard of Bingen.

The late Stephen Jay Gould (a paleontologist) once said that religion and science were two nonoverlapping magisteria (NOMA) separating fact from values, establishing a sort of cease-fire between the respective parties. Good effort but perhaps a bit optimistic, if not naive.

Interesting?

Jean-Yves Le Loup sums up the problem rather nicely in his commentary to Logion 29 of the Gospel of Thomas, one of the gnostic texts discovered by chance in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, which coincidentally I happened to read this morning.

In Logion 29 Yeshua (Jesus) says this:

“If flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of flesh, it is a wonder of wonders. Yet the greatest of wonders is this: How is it that this Being, which Is, inhabits this nothingness.”

Le Loup then comments:

“For spiritualists, matter is a devolved, frozen form of spirit. Spirit is the fundamental reality vibrating at different frequencies, one of the slowest of which produces the phenomenon of matter.

For materialists, on the contrary, spirit and mind are merely products of the increasing complexity of matter. Only chance and necessity rule the behaviour of our synapses and dance of particles that compose us.”

These opposites have their own logic and reason….“but the real marvel is that there is something instead of nothing!”

Homeopathy

I give a brief introduction to homeopathy on this website. There are four governing principles:

• the law of similars (the presenting ‘picture’ of the patient is matched to that of the medicine)
• the totality of symptoms (mental/emotional; general; particular)
• the individuality of the patient
• minimum dose to effect cure

Importantly, Homeopathy perceives disease as a disturbance to the life force. Here are Hahnemann’s words again (see my July blog).

“In the state of health the spirit-like vital force animating the material human organism reigns in supreme sovereignty. It maintains the sensations and activities of all the parts of the living organsim in a harmony that obliges wonderment. The reasoning spirit who inhabits the organism can thus freely use this healthy living instrument to reach the lofty goal of human existence.“

There remains much huffing and puffing by materialists over the nature of homeopathic medicines.

That they cannot work biochemically (like orthodox drugs) is not in question. But experience over 200 years indicates an effect. By analogy, this appears to be informational in quality. Why not? This is the age of information after all.

A More Holistic Perspective

Pictorially I suggest something like the picture below

Homeopathy is usually defined as complementary or alternative medicine. This is fair enough if there was not a pejorative undertone. There is, needless to say, a vast research budget on the right hand side of the diagram and a paltry amount on the left. The consequence is to deny the true potential of homeopathy. The patents problem does not help.

Solution

In India they have two government departments for health: the modern and the traditional. That would be a good start, but power and money rule the day. So don’t hold your breath.

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Should you care to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

And if you are in an organisation that would be interested a short talk (usually free) – tailored to your needs – please email me.

Homeopathy is beneficial in treating injury, either by way of first aid or post hospital care.     It can and has been usefully used in the hospital and clinic. However, current medical practice is for the most part resistant to old wisdom.  

Drawing on Dr Roger Morrison’s Desktop Companion to Physical Pathology, in this blog I will consider bruises and wounds.  

The goal of homeopathic treatment is accelerated healing.   The management of injuries as followed in general medical practice, and taught by first aid organisations still applies.

The Homeopathic Remedy

Homeopathic remedies are potentised ultra-dilutions.  They are not bio-chemical medicines. Rather they act energetically or (I prefer) informationally to stimulate the innate healing potential of the body.  By analogy in this information age, a software download. Thus, they are of particular value where the healing process is slower than anticipated.   Homeopathic remedies are not generally required for minor incidents.  

Homeopathic Treatment of Injury and Plant Families

With a few exceptions the majority of homeopathic remedies used in treating injury (termed vulneraries) are of plant origin.  Interestingly, several sit within a single plant family – the Asterales, also known as the Compostitae.     That this should be so, surely indicates that Creation is anything but haphazard.   Here are the main examples:

• Arnica montana (wundkraut)
• Bellis perennis (common daisy; bruisewort)
• Calendula officinalis (marigold; cat’s claw)
• Chamomilla vulgaris (German chamomile

As an aside, recall from your childhood the relationship between the nettle (Urtica urens) and the common dock (Rumex). You ease the sting of the nettle by rubbing with the dock leaf. In this case different plant families, yet often found growing together. (Homeopathically both remedies have itching of the skin as a keynote; a small example of the like cures like homeopathic principle).

Let’s consider some plants in homeopathic practice that are beneficial in treating injury:

ARNICA MONTANA FOR BLUNT TRAUMA

Even those unfamiliar with homeopathy, have likely heard of arnica. Commonly, used as a cream or ointment containing tincture of the plant and used for strains, contusions and muscle soreness. 

A tincture is usually an extraction of the plant (or part of) preserved in an alcohol water mixture. Tincture in 10% alcohol is a typical starting point in the homeopathic process of making a potentised remedy. 

Do not use Arnica tincture or herbal cream on an open wound as will cause irritation.

The guide word for arnica is BLUNT trauma.  Minor bruises do not need homeopathic treatment though topical use of a salve will do no harm.  

Homeopathic arnica comes into its own after severe trauma leading to deep bruising. The sort of trauma following a fall, car crash or surgery.  In such cases it is the No.1 remedy.  In the event that shock is predominant then first give Aconite (see later).   

Interestingly Arnica also has an affinity to past trauma.   I recall a case taken by the remarkable Prof. George Vithoulkas (still working and in his 90s) when attending a course at his academy in Greece.  The patient had been badly assaulted years ago.  She had not been well since. Vithoulkas opened the case with homeopathic Arnica!

BELLIS PERENNIS FOR TAUMA TO SOFT ORGANS

This is the common daisy. Similar to Arnica, but it has particular affinity in cases of surgery to soft organs and blunt trauma to the abdomen or pelvis (including the womb – say, in pregnancy). 

It is also a remedy where there has been injury to the nerves. 

Apparently, the late Dr James Compton-Burnett, spoke of it being a ‘princely remedy for old gardeners’. In other words of benefit to those overusing their muscles a great deal.  Perhaps less of a hazard in this machine age.  In my text book I find this remedy also as the No.1 for twisted ankles.

CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FOR WOUNDS

The marigold. ‘The’ remedy to prevent infection and promote healing in clean cut wounds. Also valuable in slow healing ulcers and simple (first degree) burns. 

It can be used externally (topically) as tincture or salve and/or internally in homeopathic potency. 

Various creams are available over the counter. However, a few drops of mother tincture in boiled and cooled (i.e. sterile) water dabbed onto the wound is equally effective. 

An eyewash prepared in a similar way, can ease abrasion of the eye. Ditto a mouthwash after dental procedures (it has haemostatic – stops bleeding – qualities).

CHAMOMILLA FOR PAIN

Camomile – more familiar as an infusion, perhaps. Another daisy. In this case to calm pain.

Dr Margaret Tyler was another famous homeopath from the past suggested and alternative name, “cannot bear it”.  Chamomilla is a remedy for pain.  The general keynote is sensitivity beyond that which might be expected.   Hahnemann apparently said not to give chamomilla where sickness is borne with calmness and patience.  It gains its place in settling teething children who are unconsolable.  Given a toy they throw it away.  Only when the child is carried around is there relative ease. 

Similarly the adult in pain must pace the floor, so one might think of its use in certain type of toothache.  

HYPERICUM FOR CRUSH INJURIES TO NERVES

We move to a different plant family. If you are a gardener, you will be familiar with Hypericum or St. John’s Wort.

This remedy is for wounds to areas dense in nerves.  Think of crushing wounds such as fingers caught in a closing door. 

Mentioned also is pain lingering after an epidural or episiotomy or even an amputation.

LEDUM PALUSTRE FOR STINGS

Sometimes known as Marsh Rosemary and in the Rhododendron family.

In common with hypericum, this remedy is for puncture wounds. No.1 for the effects of bites or stings (insect or animal) or stepping on nails, staple guns or such like.

Can be useful in Plantar Fasciitis (heel and arch pain in the sole of the foot)

HAMAMELIS FOR TRAUMA TO VEINS

Better known as Witch Hazel. What arnica is to soft tissue, hamamelis is to oozing congestive haemorrhages such as inflamed veins and surrounding tissues.   Varicose veins come into this category and haemorrhoids (piles) which are simply varicose veins of the rectum.

A specific remedy for bleeding inside the eye after trauma. 

SYMPHYTUM FOR TRAUMATIC FRACTURE

This plant better known to gardeners as Comfrey is also worth a mention. Its specific ‘talent’ is in the healing of fractures (after properly set in place by the orthopaedic department).

To quote “In the case of a fracture a surgeon’s aid is indispensable. At all events, a few doses of Arnica should be administered as it does good in many ways. After the bone has been set …symphytum should be administered internally for a … week or more”. The late Dr Bhanja of Calcutta (The Homeopathic Prescriber).

ACONITUM NAPELLUS FOR SHOCK FROM TRAUMA

Finally, I wish to mention Aconite Not in the specific context of physical trauma, but SHOCK following trauma. The mental keynote for Aconite is “anguish of mind and body; the restlessness; the disquiet not to be allayed.” Ailments caused by fear and fright; fear of death.

Give Aconite first if there is shock. Arnica can follow.

GIVING HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES

Standard advice is to give nothing by mouth whilst awaiting the paramedics etc. Homeopathic remedies can still be given in this spirit. If you have a homeopathic first aid kit, one pill can be put in a little water and a teaspoon given. Or just moisten the lips. And if there’s no water to hand, a tiny pill popped into the mouth still presents no hazard.

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Should you need advice on recovery from some trauma, be it physical or emotional please get in touch. I offer a free half-hour discovery call which you can book via my website. Or send an email to [email protected]

The Society of Homeopaths asked me to write a book review in which the author shares some thirty homeopathy real life case studies and testimonials. The book titled The Joy of Homeopathy is authored by North Yourkshire Homeopathy, Em Colley. This blog is based on that review.

Introduction

Emma (‘Em’) Colley is a graduate of the North West College of Homeopathy. She has practiced homeopathy for some 18 years, and today also teaches and supervises students. 

Chapter one relates the story of her teenage companion (a horse), Kara. Kara had a chronic eye inflammation and was a risk of losing an eye. She was healed by homeopathy.

[btw note that animals only Vets are permitted to treat animals].

Em says that her ‘intention in writing this book is to help [the reader] gain a greater understanding of homeopathy and what it can achieve’.   Clearly her intention is also to spread the word, and so this is a book for the interested lay reader.  Nevertheless her ‘joy’ resonates equally with the professional.  

Homeopathy – its Laws (and contrasts to conventional medicine)

Her opening chapter, ‘What is Homeopathy’, gives an important resumé of the philosophy and principles of homeopathy including its Laws. Of these the most important is the law of similars (in short – like cures like).

Generally speaking, in homeopathy, symptoms reflect the curative effort of the organism which should be supported and not suppressed. (I note that I have not covered this topic for some time, so it is one I must revisit soon).

The next chapter contrasts the homeopathic and conventional approaches (this is a topic I have touched on recently). She reflects on those skeptical of the therapy. Her wish is that ‘the two opposing schools’ might work together harmoniously for the benefit of all.

Homeopathy Real Life Case Studies and Testimonials

She writes that ‘the proof is in the pudding’. So, in magazine style Em goes on to summarise some 30 cases, from patients young and old.  These are grouped according to the focus of the complaint (e.g. headaches, respiratory, skin, mental health etc.).  Patients are of all ages. This is clever, as the breadth of the potential of homeopathic treatment becomes apparent.  And it is also important as even patients sympathetic to the therapy are apt to limit its potential. 

The opening story about her horse is a case in point. A blog from retired GP and homeopath Dr Bob Leckridge comes to mind here. He recalls advice given during his GP training to think twice before sending a patient to a ‘man with a knife’!   None deny that surgery has its place but the risk and consequences have to be weighed.

Chronic illness is often debilitating. Em laments for those who needlessly suffer because ‘there is nothing more that we [orthodoxy] can do’. 

In the closing chapters Em shares some close family experiences of homeopathy used alongside conventional medications and post operatively.

The Homeopathic Consultation

Em reveals the homeopathic process to the reader almost subliminally.  There are greater depths to find on second reading.  What does come across is the care and time she takes in analysing each case. This is also reflected in the words of her patients who write of their experience.

I have blogged previously on the importance of the homeopathic consultation.

In a book of ‘Joy’, the challenges and frustrations of homeopathic prescribing in an impatient and sceptical world, have less emphasis. Neither are they denied, however.

She makes the important point that ‘Homeopathy is not a miracle cure’. Nor is it a quick fix.

Increasingly now, I make it clear to patients / clients that longer standing conditions take time to resolve. Children respond quicker because they have not had time to accumulate many health issues. The clue is in the name – ‘patient’!

Joy

Her joy is in listening, in witnessing healing; in learning and collaborating. These sum up her motivations in the conclusion to this thoughtful and readable work. It comes as an encouragement to all those curious and open to the healing art.  

May I encourage you to investigate whether homeopathy can help with your health needs? I offer a free half-hour discovery call which you can book via my website. Or send an email to [email protected]

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This blog looks at how homeopathy can help with cold and flu and offers guidance on self-help. September marks the beginning of the school year – coincidentally or otherwise – time when respiriatory infections surface.

Naturopathic View

From my bookshelf I pull a book dating back to 1985, written by a naturopath Ross Tattler. On the subject of colds and coughs, he notes the ‘bewildering arsenal of weapons to wipe out the enemy’ that is the common cold. Take a look in the supermarket or pharmacy and you will see that not much has changed 40 years on.

He then writes, ‘How strange it must sound to hear that this is the worst possible of all courses to follow!’

He goes on to tell us that the common cold is not a disease that ‘leaps out and attacks the innocent’. Indeed, he says, ‘it is not a disease…rather the cure of a disease’. In other words the body’s defence mechanisms are at work to detoxify the body and reestablish balance. Consequently, over-the-counter medications, which suppress symptoms, simply delay recovery.

The conventional view is that colds are caused by a virus, a reasonable proposition. Yet it’s not entirely clear how viruses come about, even what they are about (e.g. seasonality). Also not everyone ‘catches’ the cold at the same time, which is slightly strange as viral particles abound especially in urban settings. So, individual susceptibility must be factored-in. For the virus to ‘take’ there has to be susceptibility.

Interestingly, a research facility near Salisbury, studied the common cold for many years, closing in 1990. Much was learned, but no ‘cure’ found.

Discussion as to our nature, and that of a ‘cold’ continues. Meatime, to assume that a ‘cold’ has purpose (however inconvenient) is one reasonable hypotheses. That purpose is a cleansing effort to remove toxins from the body and maintain health. You need a clear out from time to time.

So much for hypotheses, what should you do practically?

Common Themes

If you can accept the above uncertainties, then practitioners of a naturopathic bent are generally well aligned on the approach. Coming up to date, Dr Sarah Myhill formerly a general practitioner now turned naturopath (with a special interest in ME) penned a book in 2020 titled Ecological Medicine. In the Appendix you will find the Groundhog Acute table of guidance.

Common approaches between her thinking and such as Tattler’s earlier work are:

• Take vitamin C to bowel tolerance. Vitamin C greatly reduces any viral or microbial load in the gut. Being water soluble it is very safe because any excess leaves in the urine. Saturation is marked by a loose bowel (at which point stop for 24h and restart at a lower dose). In Dr Myhill’s experience 3-4 doses of 10g should abolish symptoms (Obviously much less for a toddler – say 500mg and a young child 1000mg). It is a matter of experimentation and finding what works best for you.
• Drink plenty of fluids – fresh orange – which you can dilute etc. Hot or cold whichever you prefer.
• A good multivitamin (Dr Myhill sells Sunshine Salt), but I would say that for the common cold Zinc is the key mineral – a daily tablet is typically 10-15mg dose.
• Consider fasting or at least eat in moderation and nutritiously – home made soups are a good idea. Here is one: chicken soup and tlc!
• Rest and sleep – which is not something that comes easily to modern life styles. Discretion is often better than valour

Suppression

Another common theme is avoiding suppressive medications. Don’t suppress your symptoms with drugs (paracetamol etc). Symptoms are the body’s intelligent response; driving return to harmony. Drugs make you feel better but being suppressive, recovery takes longer.

Potentially, by depressing the immune system an infection can deepen, taking hold and risking health further.

As Myhill says – use your brain! She means assessing whether the situation is stable, getting better or worse.

Clearly if a respiratory infection is deepening with the potential of say pneumonia (lung infection) it is time to seek medical help.

War Chest

It is sensible to have some vitamin C (powder is good) and zinc in he medicine chest. There are plenty of options but here is one supplier I came across whilst writing this: https://www.biocare.co.uk/. Higher Nature and Health Plus are others

Homeopathy

Homeopaths like naturopaths understand that your symptom picture has meaning. Both perceive symptoms as the body’s effort to restore harmony.

Consequently, the purpose of the homeopathic remedy (medicine) is to complement the work of the immune system. Not suppress it.

As with vitamins and minerals above, having a simple remedy kit to hand is worthwhile. It will keep for years if looked after.

Classical homeopathic prescribing considers the following:

1. Causation (virus in this case)
2. Location (e.g. nose or throat)
3. Modalities (what makes the symptoms better or worse e.g. hot or cold drink)
4. Sensation (is there anything remarkable about the symptom)
5. Concomitants (anything else going on?)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while (see below for method) there is no response, then try another. The remedy has to resonate.

The task is to match the charateristics of a remedy (medicine) with the symptoms of the patient. As stated, symptoms reflect the body’s attempt to cure, which you want to encourage.

The homeopathic remedy echoes those symptoms and stimulates an immune response. This is the principle of ‘like curing like’ (which is what the word Homeo-pathy means). Properly applied you will get better quicker.

Some Typical Remedies

Here are some characteristics of remedies typically found in first aid kits.

• Aconite – sudden onset, hot, restless, apprehensive, fever. Remedy for inflammations during the first 24 hours. A good remedy to take at onset. (keynote: fever and apprehension)
• Belladonna – similar to Aconite but slightly slower onset. High fever, yet chilly. Wants to be covered. Red skin, glaring eyes – even delirium and rage (keynote: fever and anger – contrast Aconite).
• Gelsemium – classic ‘flu: chills up and down spine. Feeling tired, weak and shaky, not too thirsty, headache. (keynote: ‘dull’, ‘droopy’ and ‘drowsy’).
• Bryonia – hot, irritable, thirsty with cough and headache. Movement makes symptoms worse (keynote: ‘bear with a sore head’!)
• Rhus tox – aching in the bones, teasing cough at night. Restless so better with motion, possible septic state (keynote: muscles stiff but better once moving – contrast Bryonia).
• Arsenicum – chilly, restless. Thinks it useless to take medicine. Thirsty for sips of warm water. Eyes and nose stream and burn, great weakness (keynote: burning yet better with heat – hot drinks or hot applications)
• Ferrum Phos – sits between Aconite / Belladonna (less feverish) and Gelsemium (more active) (keynote: give if no other remedy strongly indicated)
• Nux Vomica – history of mental strain and excessive use of stimulants (coffee etc.). Chilly and irritable with fiery temperament. Must be covered. Cough with bursting headache, dry fever without thirst, gastric symptoms (keynote: crampy, hypersensitive, cold intolerant)
• Allium Cepa – Copious, watery discharge from nose. Eyes red and burning. Possible hacking cough (keynote: think of effects of chopping an onion – also a hay fever medicine)

Taking Homeopathic Medicines

Homeopathic medicines are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth – not the gut. So you let the pill dissolve under the tongue. Note that there is no difference in dosage or approach for children.

A simple alternative approach is to put one or two pills into a bottle of water and shake (they may not dissolve straight away – that does not matter). Then sip on and off through the day (lightly shake each time). Hold in the mouth for a few seconds then swallow.

The active homeopathic remedy is typically absorbed onto a sugar pill. When you put the pill into water the pattern or resonance of the remedy transfers to the water. You can top up the water bottle without adding another pill.

If you see no improvement in 24-36 hours then you should retake your case and try another remedy. Once there is clear improvement then you can stop taking the remedy – the body will take over.

For guidance on the use of homeopathy please book a discovery call via my website or mail me at [email protected].

I am happy to give short talks to groups on homeopathy in general and on the homeopathic approach to the treatment of minor ailments, please email me.

This blog considers the difficult question, How do Homeopathic Medicines Work and complements my July blog on the Vital or Life Force.

This Life Force is all around and what a wonderful summer it has been (excepting some drought) as the crop on my crab apple tree shows:

Recap

Let’s begin with a recap. 

In July I referenced a book titled How Life Works by Philip Ball.  Ball is a former editor of the major science journal Nature.  He tells the reader that despite our increasing knowledge through such as mapping the human genome, we still don’t know what ‘Life’ is.

I then quoted Dr Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician who set down the tenets of Homeopathy in the early part of the 19th Century who wrote this: 

“Without the vital force the material organism is unable to feel act or maintain itself….It is only this vital force thus untuned which brings about in the organism the disagreeable sensation and abnormal functions that we call disease…..“.

The concept of an invisible animating force was not considered controversial in Hahnemann’s time, but is denied by modern science.    Ball correctly reasons that the terminology ‘Life’ and ‘Vital force’ are one and the same (tautology), but neither helps explain the phenomena from a scientific perspective.   

As current science is a reductionist / materialist pursuit, I hazard the assumption that for most researchers the answer must sit within living things, and so the search goes on.  But there is a sense of going down the proverbial rabbit hole.

Finally, drawing on Edi Bilimoria’s magnum opus Unfolding Consciousness, I shared a diagram showing western and eastern variations on the theme of spirit, soul and physical body.  Whilst religious observance has declined in the scientific era, many people still have a sense of something beyond the material.

Who Do You Think You Are?

The above title comes from the BBC programme that looks into genealogy, but I wish to take a different tack. Before we can understand homeopathy and its medicines, we need to understand who we are.

Here is some food for thought:

• human life begins from a single cell which once fertilised divides and multiplies
• the adult human being is composed of some 30-40 trillion cells
• of these some 330 billion are replaced each day
• these trillions of cells act inexplicably in concert throughout life
• for the most part we are oblivious to this harmonious activity
• symptom indicate dis-harmony, or dis-ease
• the adult human is around 60% water by volume – living things are more fluid than solid
• the skeletal system is also in a continual state of renewal (otherwise bones would not heal)
• at death the physical body returns to the elements from which it is formed

The material (physico-chemical) constitution of the body is not in doubt.  But from the above list there are wider processes at play that are not material in nature.  Religious thought (independent of creed) generally accepts that human beings are both material and non-material (spiritual).

Put another way, life is a metaphysical concept. Something beyond the pure physical world.

Anthroposophy

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was an Austrian polymath (philosopher, architect, esotericist, educator).  He founded the Anthroposophical movement (aka human-wisdom).  Steiner thought highly of Hahnemann and anthroposophic medicines are similar to those used in homeopathy.  

Notably, Steiner developed a concept of formative forces, quite nicely summarised by Google AI as follows:

‘Rudolf Steiner’s concept of formative forces refers to subtle, non-physical energies that shape and organise living beings and the natural world, including growth and development. These “etheric formative forces” are seen as originating from cosmic sources and working within a person’s etheric body, influencing physical form, organ functions, and development.’

So here again we see the concept of a life force that is external to the physical body.  

Implications

Accepting the general thrust of the foregoing, then all living things are subject to these formative forces from conception to death. Consequently, any disturbance to these external forces must impact on the physical or material body.  This is disease.  

Hahnemann took the view that the untuned vital force was the seat of most disease. None doubt the adverse effect on health of any shock or trauma or toxins. Consequently, it would seem reasonable that both physical and emotional events impact on the formative forces as Steiner terms them.

Acupuncture is another therapy – a component part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – which again seems to act as a harmoniser.  In TCM unbalanced energy centres (the chakras and nadis) disturb the flow of life giving forces leading to disease symptoms.

Needless to say the concept of healing hands and indeed prayer must interface with these general concepts.

That medical science is solely interested in the physico-chemical (material) is unfortunate.  As a consequence medical science seems to be blind to the metaphysical and other possibilities for healing.

In my June blog you will find details of a most interesting book looking at medicine and healing by Dr Paul Dieppe.

Homeopathic Medicines (and Anthroposophic)

Homeopathic medicines are ultra-dilutions. Importantly, at each step of dilution there is agitation (succussion). The process is rather well explained in this Wikipedia article.

The author deems this pseudoscience because a point is reached where no molecule of the original substance (typically a plant or mineral) remains.  No homeopath denies this. 

As modern medical science is a materialistic endeavour, there can be no effect in the absence of substance.  Here homeopathy disagrees.  

But consider this. I am writing this blog in a room filled with information: radio and television waves, phone signals and internet connections.  Ne’er a molecule in sight.

(You might care to consider the impact of this man-made ‘ether’ on the vital or formative forces. There are certainly some people who are sensitive to mobile phone masts, electrical sub-stations, pylons and such like).

Biologist Rupert Sheldrake (if I recall correctly) made the analogy of the news reader on the television.  To the materialist, he or she must reside inside the television. Thus, you open the device and look at the component parts until he or she is found.  Ridiculous? But is akin to the scientific approach to life – it is in there somewhere. 

Hahnemann – the experimenter

As a matter of interest, Hahnemann initially gave material doses of medicine. In seeking to find the minimum effective dose he happened upon the potentisation process (serial dilution + succussion).  It was a remarkable piece of experimentation.

As the Wikipedia article correctly states, the chemistry of atoms and molecules was in its infancy in Hahnemann’s time, so he would not have known that the dilutions were sub-molecular.

He still got results from his medicines. So some property of the original substance remains. But what?

How do Homeopathic Medicines Work?

How then do Homeopathic Medicines Work? The simple answer is that – as yet – we do not know. However, the body of clinical evidence reaching back 175 years indicates efficacy.

Disappointing? Perhaps, but a detailed understanding of how medicines work has never been essential in medicine. Many drugs are proven useful in a given condition without a clear understanding of why.  To this day much of medical practice is empirical.  

The challenge for homeopathy is not empiricism but the ultra-dilutions.  The implication is that homeopathy acts at the metaphysical level.

It is clear that homeopathic medicines are not biochemical drugs.  They appear to operate rather like a software download. I wish to suggest that homeopathy is information medicine.

Steiner, drew analogy with a bank account. If you overspend you pass the point of no money and have debt (negative money). Similarly, dilution beyond the material results not in nothing but in a negative quality of the original substance. Interestingly, in homeopathy you can give a homeopathic potentised bacteria to negate the effect of actual bacteria in the body.

Medicines though usually made traditionally by pharmacies as described in the Wikipedia article, can also be generated electronically.  I am not knowledgeable on the technology but I infer a quality of frequency.

The late Dr Alistair Jack, GP and Homeopath in the Bromsgrove area, made analogy with a key and a lock. For a homeopathic medicine to work the key has to fit the lock. In current time the analogy might be the remote on you car key. You need the right frequency to unlock the door.

Interestingly Hahnemann knew that a homeopathic medicine could be taken by olfaction (smelling) as an alternative to orally.  Some Homeopaths in the Netherlands use this method exclusively.

Homeopathy Research

The Homeopathic Research Institute was only established in 2009 under the leadership of Dr Alex Tournier and Rachel Roberts.

Its objectives are to communicate and share the existing evidence, and to undertake quality research. Prior to that time there was no global coordinating body for research.

Funding this activity is challenging in the face of scepticism and the powerful commercial interests of the pharmaceutical industry.  Nonetheless good progress has been made as you can read on their website.  And it is not only medicine were homeopathy is proving effective, but also in agriculture.

***

Finally, this year marks the 30th anniversay of the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy (IACH) established by Professor George Vithoulkas on the island of Alonissos in his homeland of Greece. He is now in his 90s and still working. I attended a course there in 2017. The IACH has produced this short video as a tribute. Remarkable man.

***

Perhaps you would be interested in exploring Homeopathy for your health? I offer a free 30 minute discovery call to allow you to investigate further.

Big Pharma and Covid has no immediate relevance to homeopathy, but as August is a holiday month, I thought I would share some interesting material elsewhere from the world of medicine.

Dr Aseem Malhotra – Global Health Award

Dr Aseem Malhotra is a consultant cariologist working in London. He has spoken out about the lack of transparency regarding the safety of the mRNA vaccines. Though a ‘believer’ during the early days of the pandemic, he now concludes that commercial and not health interests were dominant.

Through his cardiology networks he is now all too aware of the increase in heart disease since the wide spread introduction of novel mRNA techology. He is certainly not alone and a year ago posted a blog about a group of physicians making representations to the ongoing enquiry into the pandemic.

Needless to say some bricks come his way, as a quick Google search shows. But he has not been cowed and the broadsheets are now taking note

He has recently received a Global Health Award at an event hosted by the House of Commons. His speech to 100 healthcare leaders, politicians and clinician attending the event is on his website and linked here.

Following his award, Malhorta gave an interview on YouTube which is worth a watch.

Psychological Warfare

He observes how fear is an impediment to critical thinking. And how governments globally played the psychological card.

If you have not read investigtive journalist Laura Dodsworth’s book A State of Fear, I recommend that you do. I found it shocking how the UK government used a team of behavioural scientists to influence public behavior.

The pharmaceutical industry saw an opportunity, and had the wherewithall to influence governments globally. Emergency legislation permitted early introduction of the vaccines, shortcutting the usual testing programmes.

Malhotra refers to a 2022 reappraisal of the safety data in a paper from a team led by Dr Joseph Fraiman in the USA which indicated serious adverse effects from mRNA vaccines.

Evidence

But speaking truth to power is no easy matter. Very little has changed. Mainstream media continues to report that the vaccines saved thousands of lives. But with questionable evidence, Malhotra notes.

Your local pharmacy will happily give you another booster jab today. Incidentally, I was surprised to see a booster roll-out in May at a local care home. Given the seasonality of Covid, surely the time for any booster jab is in the autumn?

I agree with Malhotra’s view on evidence. During the pandemic, I pulled information from Our World in Data to create the chart below.

The initial significant wave (early 2020 – left hand side) is not clearly shown as there was limited data collection. The 2020/21 wave is clear. Then, on the right (end of 2021) is the Omicron wave, which substantially marked the end of the pandemic. By this time the virus had attenuated (reducing serious illness and death).

The vertical lines are shown to pose two questions:

• First, the questionable efficacy of masks in preventing transmission (which is substatially by aerosol not droplets)
• Second, the questionable efficacy of the vaccines – the third (Omicron) wave was unhindered

You may recall that unvaccinated tennis star Djokovic, was barred entry from Australia at the end of 2021. Meanwhild the Omicron wave breached the ‘cordon sanitaire’ of the vaccine mandated population regardless!

Health or Wealth?

Towards the end of the interview Malhotra expresses concern at the latest health initiative from big pharma, namely weight reduction using the new GLP-1 class of drugs. Coincidentally, I penned a blog on this subject back in June. Clearly, I do not have the privileged view of Dr Malhotra, but I suspect he is fully justified in his concerns.

Whence Medicine

Dr Malhotra says there is a huge crisis of trust in the medical profession. In his speech he states, “Trust cannot and will not be restored until there is an honest discussion on how the pandemic could have been handled better, almost certainly through a focused protection policy for high risk and elderly, not by destroying livelihoods and shutting down the economy and stifling children’s education; a legacy effect that will be felt for decades.

But even more immediate and pressing is for the medical establishment to admit they made a terrible mistake with the roll out and mass coercion of the covid vaccine especially for those at low risk, acknowledging a pandemic of the vaccine injured, many of them, perhaps some In this room unaware they are a ticking bomb of premature death from heart disease and cancer”

For all its successes the pharmacological approach to health now completely dominates government policy, medical training and delivery of services. It is a sort of cartel, yet health remains elusive.

The resolution is complex. Big pharma may be one factor, but so is ‘big food’ and wider complex social issues such as poverty, education etc.

The NHS Prevention Programme is the current initiative. Of course digitisation and AI will doubtless mark the new dawn, but whether high tech is slave or master remains to be seen.

On which note, I will end with some light relief in the form of a very funny sketch from Bremner, Bird and Fortune from 2004. Plus ça change, plus le meme chose?!

Do enjoy the last weeks of summer.

***

There are many medical models, be it herbal / naturopathic, traditional Chinese or Indian, and indeed homeopathic. None have sole rights to ‘the’ answer but all have a role to play.

Should you care to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

Homeopathy and The Vital Force reads a bit like a title for an episode of Star Wars.

Actually it is a serious philosophical point. And it is a philosophy that differentiates the homeopathic branch of medicine from the allopathic (orthodox).

Science – materialistic / reductionist

Modern scientific medicine (indeed science in general) has the material world as its focus. Though its successes have been considerable, its emergence is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Leading figures such as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch advanced the concept of germs causing disease less than two centries ago. Medical progress since has been substantially built on the foundations of their work; antibiotics and so on.

Science is a materialistic / reductionist endeavour. That is to say its hypotheses are based on finding something substative be it a cell, or virus or gene. And technological advances enable us to find smaller and smaller things – hence ‘reductionist’.

Dilemma

However – and disconcertingly – science struggles to explain ‘Life’ despite the high expectations from the discovery of DNA and the subsequent mapping of the human genome etc.

It is a point Philip Ball (former editor of Nature) makes in the opening pages of his recent book titled How Life Works.

Science dismisses the concept of an animating vital force. As Ball says, it’s a tautology. In other words Life is, eh…Life.

A fair point, but the question remains.

Who are we?

Professor George Vithoulkas – now in his nineties – who established the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy in Greece, quotes in his seminal work The Science of Homeopathy an ancient Sanskrit text:

“Honour your body, which is your representative in this universe. Its magnificance is no accident. It is the framework through which your works must come; through which the spirit within the spirit speaks. The flesh and the spirit are two phases of your actuality in space and time. Who ignores one, falls apart in shambles. So it is written…“

John O’Donohue in his book (1997) on Celtic Spiritual Wisdom, Anam Cara makes a similar point:

“Your body is, in essence, a crowd of different members who work in harmony to make your belonging in the world possible.  We should avoid the dualism that separates the soul from the body.  The soul is not simply within the body, hidden somewhere within its recesses.  The truth is rather the converse.  Your body is in the soul, and the soul suffuses you completely.  Therefore, all around you there is a beautiful soul-light.“

Samuel Hahnemann, who was the first person to comprehensively document the principles of homeopathic medicine, understood this relationship between the material and the non-material self. In aphorism 9 of his Organon of Medicine (~1840s) he states:

“In the state of health the spirit-like vital force animating the material human organism reigns in supreme sovereignty. It maintains the sensations and activities of all the parts of the living organsim in a harmony that obliges wonderment. The reasoning spirit who inhabits the organism can thus freely use this healthy living instrument to reach the lofty goal of human existence.“

In the subsequent aphorisms (10 / 11) he goes on to say:

“Without the vital force the material organism is unable to feel act or maintain itself….It is only this vital force thus untuned which brings about in the organism the disagreeable sensaton and abnormal functions that we call disease…..“.

The monument to Hahnemann in the photograph at the beginning of this article, is in Washington DC. A testimony to his teaching, which is now all but ignored in medical schools today.

Seeing the forest through the trees

In our enthusiastic study of the human organism we seem to have lost sight of our total true nature. That is to say the immaterial as well as the material self.

Edi Bilimoria in his masterwork ‘Unfolding Consciousness’ presents several models from antiquity showing the layered make-up of man extending from the divine to the physical.

This cropped image below from his book gives you an idea.

If true, then modern medicine is potentially missing half of the picture.

Worse, given the complexity of the endeavour, modern medicine increasingly subdivides the material body to such an extent that even the physical whole gets lost. Dr Bob Leckridge in his blog ‘Keeping our intention fixed on the whole‘ makes the point perfectly.

Yet, modern science – specifically physics – is more aligned to the wisdom of the ancients. The late Harold Saxton Burr (1889-1973) proposed ‘L’ (for life) electromagnetic fields – akin to wireless signals, that inform.

Richard Alabone drawing on his work in radar and television, in his book Making Sense of Life postulates that there is a carrier of biological information to the developing foetus. He suggests that DNA is not the person in his or her entirety as Crick and Watson famous for the discovery of DNA thought. Rather it is something more akin to a code that allows the foetus to search for the necessary information (species; tribe; family) for its development. And most likely it is a process that continues until the last breath.

Dr James Tyler Kent pictured below, was a notable homeopathic doctor working in Chicago in the early 20th century. In his Lectures on Homeopathic Philosophy he wrote words to the effect that your pathology is not your disease but its ultimate, emphasising Hahnemann’s point that disease is a disturbance of the vital life force.

The goal of homeopathic treatment is to correct this disturbance and restore harmony. It is not a quick fix because the vital force – not the homeopath nor the patient – sets the pace. Healing takes time and patience is a challenge in an impatient world.

May the force be with you! Well, like it or not, it probably is.

Perhaps you would be interested in exploring Homeopathy for your health? I offer a free 30 minute discovery call to allow you to investigate further.

At first glance there is no obvious connection between nutrition and homeopathy.  But Dr Samuel Hahnemann who set down the precepts of Homeopathic Medicine wrote in the footnote to aphorism §7 of his Organon of Medicine the following:

“It is obvious that every reasonable physician will first of all remove the causa occasionalis; after that the indisposition usually disappears on its own…..”  

Simply put, first sort out the basics. 

I will come back to Homeopathy later, but I wish first to reflect of one of today’s health challenges, namely obesity.   

Nutrition: Obesity

There have always been some fat people.

From Emperors and Kings; fictional schoolboys (Billy Bunter!); or prodigious talents such as xylophone player Teddy Brown , whom I came across on YouTube recently.   

Balancing calories in and out is one way of looking at the problem. But quite a lot goes on inside our bodies, so for some it is more complex.

But let’s consider the general picture as our diet today does not appear to be ideal.

When visiting the city of my birth (Glasgow) a few years ago, a picture caught my eye. That picture showed citizens queuing by the main station, preparing to take the train to their holiday destination. I took a photo (poor quality due to the light and reflections) and show it below.

It would be at the end of WW2 or just after.  Food rationing was still in place.    By and large everyone is pretty lean.  

Wartime rationing was based on 3000 calories a day, which is rather more than current guidance (2000-2500 calories).

There are some rather good websites on the subject of wartime diets, should you care to browse for half an hour.  Here is one example (the1940sexperiment.com).

Nutrition:  What has changed?

In our history 80 years is but a moment in time. Our genetic make-up does not change that quickly. So, I think we can safety say that we have NOT evolved to carry more weight.  

Wartime rationing was surely constricting (no pun), but what else might have happened since then?

I happen to edit a small journal. In the edition that I am currently working on, there is an obituary to the late Dr Vince Mainey. He was a GP in the Preston area for many years.  I spoke with him not long before his death aged 84 last year, and I quote his words below:

“During the 1980’s I started to notice a decline in the body tone of teenagers; a sure sign of some nutritional deficiency.

“It is no coincidence that the years prior had seen a marked rise in processed food consumption (seed-oil rich), and a concomitant rise in chronic heart disease, diabetes and cancer, not to mention obesity.

“The consequences were not only physical, as an  increasing number of parents were bringing along their children with behavioural disorders. There was also a growing waiting list for CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). Simple dietary changes such as the use of cod-liver oil (Omega 3 rich) so often brought about a quick resolution. Working with those in young offender institutions brought about the same result.

“The work of Patrick Holford has been influential in my thinking around these issues. Sad to say, but if a health score of 90% was widely achievable with sensible  measures, few today would score 30%. I believe that two-thirds of the population have unhealthy diets. Correcting this alone would make a huge difference.”  

I will come to Patrick Holford shortly.

Weight Loss Drugs

Recently I had cause to do a little research into the new weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. 

Broadly speaking (there are technical variations) these drugs are known as Glucagon Like Peptide Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs for short). 

https://www.webmd.com/obesity/mounjaro-ozempic-wegovy-zepbound-difference

Initially these drugs were introduced – about 20 years ago – as treatments for type 2 diabetes.  In this condition, blood sugar (glucose) levels are high. There is ‘insulin resistance‘ as sugar (glucose) is not properly taken up by the cells (insulin’s function). 

In the longer term this is potentially serious. For example, ther can damage to the peripheral nerves (neuropathy) affecting eysight. The charity Diabetes UK explains more:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/type-2-diabetes/symptoms

Insulin is a hormone (chemical messenger). It works in conjuction with another hormone glucagon, both of which are made in the pancreas.   Whereas insulin reduces the blood sugar level, glucagon does the opposite.  Their opposing actions to ensure blood sugar levels remain in range.  

GLP-1 RAs mimic another hormone that is present in the small intestine. As part of the digestive process this hormone boosts insulin levels and depresses glucagon levels. The net result is improved transport of glucose to the cells (necessary to give you energy) and hence reduced blood glucose.  The hormone also slows down the digestive process and signals to the brain that we have eaten sufficient quantity. So it suppresses appetite.

The principal source of blood sugar is carbohydrates. Levels in excess of those needed for energy are converted into triglycerides in the liver, and ultimately stored as fat or adipose tissue which usually accumulates round the middle.

High fat levels result in increased free fatty acids levels in the bloodstream. This in turn – through somewhat complex pathways – inhibits glucose uptake into the cells (insulin resistance).

Consequently, obesity links to type 2 diabetes and one of the challenges of our time.

The links below yake a deeper dive into the subject (should you be interested):

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8740746

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-024-01931-z

End of Pipe Solution

This is a term from my days in the petrochemical industry.  Simply put it means that there was a failure or inablility to address the root cause.    

Though an anti-diabetic medication, GLP-1RAs are now widely promoted online for weight loss. Needless to say it is good business!

That they work is not in question, but as with all drugs there is a balance in risk over benefit. 

Just in the last week the NHS has now approved Mounjaro specifically to aid weight reduction (and not just as a type 2 diabetes medication).

Nutrition: Patrick Holford

Patrick Holford has been looking at nutrition for four decades.  Linked to his website is the following report which explains his philosophophy. Here are a couple of pertinent paragraphs from that report.

“Ask the man in the street what causes diabetes and he’ll probably say sugar and obesity. Yet doctors are taught a lot more about drugs than diet and how to help people lose weight. And I mean a lot. One leading medical school in the UK spends less than ten minutes on diet.

He continues:

“12 million people in Britain are obese and 500 die every week as a result of it. One in three adult Americans are obese, predicted to be one in two by 2030. By 2030 the prediction is that we will have 2 billion people significantly overweight and half a billion with diabetes. Already, for every person who dies from starvation two die from obesity. The solution is diet, not drugs.“

I have a couple of his books on my shelf.

The one pictured is co-authored with Jerome Burne and titled The Hybrid Diet. 

The ‘diet’ is based on an appropriate and sensible balance of ‘good’ (not low) fats such as those in oily fish, butter and olive oil, and slow release carbohydrates such as beans, lentils, oats, fruit, vegetables.  

It recognises the body’s need for both fuels (fats and carbs).   

I am not a expert in nutrition but it seems to make sense, and worthy of comparison with government guidance of 80+ years ago.

Nutrition: USA – times a’ changing?

What is bad over here is worse on the other side of the pond, as Holford says.

Maybe things might slowly start to change as the following quote from the new Health Secretary intimates (American broadcaster ABC report):

Robert Kennedy recently lamented that, “There are almost no medical schools that have nutrition courses, and so [aspiring physicians] are taught how to treat illnesses with drugs but not how to treat them with food or to keep people healthy so they don’t need the drugs.”

He added, “One of the things that we’ll do over the next year is to announce that medical schools that don’t have those programs are not going to be eligible for our funding, and that we will withhold funds from those who don’t implement those kinds of courses.”

Nutrition and Homeopathy 

In common with what is deemed ‘conventional’ medicine Homeopathy recognises different constitutional types.

Look around and you will see those whose build is naturally lean and those heavier set. 

Long distance runners don’t tend to have the build of rugby front row forwards. You cannot change your basic constitutional type. To some extent, then, you are what you are, but…

Mental and emotional circumstances can lead to a shift in state.  This is where homeopathy can help restore equilibrium back to the fundamental constitutional state. 

Homeopathy is commonly considered a form of Energy medicine. Personally, I prefer the term Informational. Homeopathy facilitates change. 

For example, a person stuck in an anxious or unhappy state might compensate by ‘comfort’.  Or the basic metabolism could be off track because of any number of life events.

Shifting such impediments is a catalyst for change. 

The purpose of homeopathic consultation is to explore and identify causation. By extension to find that which needs to change.  Gradually ‘the skies should clear’ and harmony return.

So homeopathic medicines are not weight loss drugs in any direct sense, but they are facilitators.

If you wish to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health, please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

Medicine and Healing are they one and the same thing? In this blog I take a different approach and present a review of a book that I recently came across. It is a book of significant wisdom. The author is respectful to the homeopathic system of medicine, which is refreshing.

Dr Paul Dieppe is a retired academic rheumatologist. Appointed Professor at Bristol at the rather young age of 41. He subsequently became Dean of Medicine at Bristol and later Director of the Medical Research Council’s Health Services Research Collaboration in the UK .

Though “intoxicated by the beauty and power of medical science”, he had long been curious as to the meaning of healing.  So, in the final years of an illustrious career,  he chose to apply his skills and authority in researching the phenomenon at Exeter University.  

The Book – Healing and Medicine

The book is divided into three sections:

• Preparation (influences)
• Investigation (research)
• Integration (path forward)

Preparation

Dr Dieppe ‘sensed’ that medicine was his destiny from a very young age, but knew not why. 

Later, when faced with potentially life threatening events, he again ‘sensed’ that all would be well, despite situations suggesting quite the contrary.

As a student he encountered a rather indomitable consultant who became a mentor. The consultant engaged with his patients in a particular and beneficial way. There was something beyond diagnosis and treatment; the importance of ‘being there’ for the patient. 

He writes that medicine is a science, of course, but it is also an art. Or should be.

Through his clinical career Dr Dieppe encounters patients whose condition did not follow the expected diagnostic trajectory.  In some cases, so called, ‘alternative’ medicine brought apparent results.  At least that was the patient’s strong conviction. 

In one case, the emotional circumstances of the patient proved pivotal. Decades of misplaced guilt were a key causative factor in the patient’s arthritis.

Investigation – What is Healing?

The second section covers his later years at Exeter University and his research into healing.   

He devotes one chapter to the placebo effect.  Treatment by placebo means using a pill or procedure without any understood medical benefit (e.g. a sugar pill). The term comes from the latin word ‘placere’ meaning ‘to please’.

Remarkably, studies show that 70% of osteoarthritis pain relief can be attributed to placebo alone.  Patients are strongly influenced by their expectations, both positive and negative.   

The importance of ‘validation’ – conveying a general understanding of the patient’s problems – appears to be key.   The term ‘placebo’ seems simplistic but despite best efforts no ideal expression has been found. Perhaps, distilled down, “it’s simply a sense of unconditional love”. 

Investigation – Gold Standard?

Randomised Control Trials (RCTs), have long been a thorn in the side of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).  Dr Dieppe argues that “complex  interventions..should not be tested by simple RCTs alone, as they deliberately ‘control’ out the non-specific / incidental effects that might be all important.”

Investigation – Energy?

The author then explores the concept of ‘energy’ in discussion with various healers. One says,”You see, Paul, the key thing is to let go of your own ego, leave that outside the room, and then channel unconditional love for the other person, whoever they may be”.

His own problematic knee is given energy healing to measurable benefit.  He declined the challenge from his medic daughter to have another X-ray.  “Why? … I think I was frightened about the result – either way!  I was finding all this ‘healing stuff’ very confusing”, he writes.

He experiments as trainee ‘healer’, including treating a horse (a beast that “rather frightens him”), showed potential. 

Dr Dieppe considers various forms of healing, including shamanic; bone-setters; pets as healers and indeed homeopathy.  There is also a chapter about the Roman Catholic Shrine at Lourdes, where Dr Dieppe appreciated the “low-tech high-touch” approach, and the sense of equality and value of rituals

Investigation – Homeopathy

The author is impressed when he sits-in during a consultation taken by a doctor homeopath.  Yet, today, medical science considers homeopathy “a useless form of drug therapy”,

He writes:  “We do not understand homeopathy, but that is not a reason to dismiss it. Trials do not show much efficacy, but that is not a reason to reject it either, because, as stated previously, trials are inappropriate for interventions that have to be highly individualised and depend on the relationships between therapist and client.

“Finally, I don’t think we need to completely reject the idea that the diluted substances may themselves have efficacy, even though my own opinion is that the value of homeopathy is much more to do with its similarities to other forms of healing that depend on the individual practitioners.”

[From the standpoint of the homeopath – it would be ideal if it were so! Alas, two hundred years of homeopathic practice show that the remedy has to resonate with the patient’s symptoms otherwise nothing happens. I have written about the nature of homeopathic medicines in an earlier blog which you can find here. There is also an increasingly strong evidence base courtesy of the Homeopathic Research Institute]

Subsequent chapters in this section consider the lay view of ‘healing’, and the value of healing visual art in hospitals (appreciated more by nurses than doctors!) and just being in nature.

In the end the Dr Dieppe reaches the conclusion that “there is an ineffable, spiritual mystery to the Universe. Some call this God; others, love or universal consciousness, whereas healers tend to talk of energy. And it seems that all living things are connected, or can be connected, in some way that is inexplicable to our current scientific knowledge.”

Integrating Healing and Medicine

The first chapter of this section contains short transcripts from interviews with six NHS active or former GPs; three men and three women aged between 48 and 80. 

The author poses three basic questions:

• the meaning of ‘healing’?;
• how is ‘healing’ facilitated?;
• describe someone who was healed?

These are quite challenging questions.   Nonetheless, from the responses he concludes that many health professionals are indeed healers.

Yet, the medical establishment does not recognise healing as such. Whilst science has demonstrable value in exploring concepts, Dr Dieppe warns against science being the sole truth – this is scientism.

Despite the remarkable medical advances in the past half century, he perceives that the narrow mechanistic paradigm underlying the teaching and practice of modern medicine is a problem.  Also industry directs research according to the needs of the business over those of the patient.

Yet, CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) also has its own challenges, “bedevilled by large numbers of well-meaning people pushing a single, favourite intervention”. 

To diagnose and treat belies the fact that “disease is truly complex” involving many socioeconomic factors.

The management of mortality is also failing.  Dieppe quotes a colleague in the USA who said that “deep down Americans now think that death is optional”. 

Reflecting on his remarkable career and his fifteen years of research into healing, Dr Dieppe argues for greater appreciation of man’s spiritual nature, and a shift from medicine as a business based on a single flawed belief system.

He concludes  “Do unto others as if they were you, because, in a sense, they are.”

***

To Conclude

This is such a good book. Will the western medical schools take note?

There are many medical models, be it herbal / naturopathic, traditional Chinese or Indian, and indeed homeopathic. None have sole rights to ‘the’ answer but all have a role to play.

Should you care to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

***

HEALING AND MEDICINE

A Doctor’s Journey Toward Their Integration

Paul Dieppe

Routledge – Productivity Press

ISBN 978-1032610597

Paperback pp272 £33.76

Amazon Kindle £27.59

The menopause is a natural point of transition in a women’s life and homeopathy can ease this time of change.

This is not a topic about which I have written previously. The simple fact is that there are many more female homeopaths than males. For obvious reasons female issues often become the speciality of female homeopaths!

To rather prove the point I was one of a handful of blokes attending the recent annual conference (online) of the Society of Homeopaths titled Wisdom of the Crones. I would say the ratio of men to women was about 1:20. The chosen title may risk censure, but a life lived, equates to wisdom. Age brings its positives!

Be that as it may around 100 attended to listen to a remarkable group of speakers, three of whom joined from the USA (I am not a great fan of online events but one advantage is the ease of crossing continents).

Amongst such a worthy bunch, it is perhaps unwise to highlight one, but I have to say that Karen Allen is always worth listening to. She shared some cases and challenged those listening to reflect on to how they would respond.

Karen set a high bar, but the co-speakers each brought their wisdom and insights.

Menopause

All the ladies presenting would agree to the simple fact that the menopause just as the menarche (puberty) are natural event is the life of every woman. They mark the alpha and omega of a woman’s child bearing years. It has been so since the time of ‘Eve’.

The (very) recent change that see these events as requiring medical intervention is consequently rather strange. Teenagers are prescribed the contraceptive pill to combat menstrual pains and hormone replacement therapy is a common approach to easing the symptoms of the menopause*.

[* Interestingly Karen Allen told participants that the term HRT – hormone replacement therapy – has become HT or hormone therapy, because hormone levels which should diminish at menopause are not strictly being ‘replaced’ at all]

True, I am a bloke so what would I know! I offer no defense other than sympathy.

Still, all the speakers had significant experience in working with women using both homeopathic and naturopathic approaches. Particulary in the case of naturopathic medicine (phytotherapy) there is a harking back to the wise old women (aka ‘crone’) in the village who know of local herbs and their usage.

Medicines

In the Western world the term ‘Medicine’ is now synonymous with biochemical synthetic drugs. But the pharmacy of not so long ago was a very different place. The apothekers of old prepared prescriptions – usually herbal – not just sold them.

Medical Herbalists exist today, Clinic Naturae being one example (I happen to know Rumana – based in Newcastle) and an online search will bring forth some names local to you.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is also quite commonly found on the ‘High Street’ again working with herbal products. Speaker Myriam Shivadekar drew on the TCM perspective in her talk.

One of the speakers, Marilyn Glenville PhD, is a nutritionist specialising in women’s health. She has written an excellent blog on the menopause. As you can read, she uses a range of approaches, from dietary choices to supplementation. Such an approach rarely produces adverse ‘side-effects’.

Looking at my own bookshelf, there is a lot of overlap between that of Dr Glenville and Patrick Holford. He has written many books

As to Homeopathy, its medicines (or remedies) are again rather different. I explained this in an earlier blog in more detail. Homeopathy has long recognised that there are certain remedies that have a particular affinity with the female. Amongst these, Sepia, Pulstailla and Lachesis. Some have correspondence with the naturopathic, such as Agnus Castus.

Travelling back across the ‘pond’ Homeopathy Lauri Grossman shared insights into homeopathic remedies originating from healthy tissue (sarcodes). Amongst these is Folliculinum which is in effect oestrogen and has proven to be a very useful remedy. There are a range of others which come under the heading of the Matridonal Remedies – many pioneered by the late Melissa Assilem

Homeopathy and Menopause – in short

It was very clear from the conference that nutrition, herbal and homeopathic medicines can help significantly with unpleasant memopausal symptoms. Furthermore, it should be re-stated that the menopause like puberty is not a disorder, but a natural period of physical and emotional change to which some women adjust better than others.

There is a delicate balance between the ovaries, hypothalamus and pituitary glands. The goal of treatment in homeopathy and all forms of natural medicine is to bring the body back into harmony; to restore balance.

Perhaps you would be interested in exploring Homeopathy? I offer a free 30 minute discovery call to allow you to investigate further.

I wrote about the treatment of hay fever in homeopathy back in April 2024, but mostly about self-help measures to address the symptoms. In this short blog I wish to consider deeper underlying factors.

Defining Acute and Chronic

The terms Acute and Chronic have specific meanings in Homeopathy.

Acute illnesses typically self resolve, which is to say the life force expressed through the immune system is capable of overcoming the infection in a moderate period of time.

We can all think of simple examples from the common cold, to stomach bugs, ‘flu epidemics and so on.

However, if our immunity is suppressed for whatever reason then acute infections can even kill. This may be a function of environmental factors (malnutrition for example) or simply old age.

So for acutes, you could in short say, ‘kill or cure’!

In contrast, Chronic refers to conditions where life force is unable to restore the natural equilibrium towards a state of health harmony. Compromise is necessary and over time the chronic disease pattern will decline in function.

In aphorism §72 of The Organon of Medicine Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) defines this dual nature of disease. His written style – even in translation – is a little convoluted. But worthy of a read (it is quite short) nonetheless.

Homeopathy and Hay Fever

Many conditions have both Chronic and Acute aspects. Homeopaths speak of the “acute of the chronic”. Stiff joints during damp weather in someone with arthritis might be an example.

The allergic response to high pollen levels is another good example of an acute flare-up of underlying chronic complaint. The trigger – of course – is the acute is the allergic reaction to high pollen count.

But what is the is this underlying chronic condition, you might ask?

After deep study of many cases, Hahnemann’s view was that there was a inherited disposition stemming from the long term consequences of past epidemic diseases.

These he called Miasms about which I have written before.

Since his time other epidemic diseases such as Tuberculosis have left their mark on the constitution of humanity.

Here we are not talking about the active disease form which today is typically treated with anti-bacterial agents (TB is still around), but a genetic taint which finds expression in general health.

A few months back I also wrote a blog on the TB Miasm. It is predominantly this Miasm that sits at the base of Hay Fever.

I have been told that Hahnemann’s case notes (from the late 18th to early 19th century) show little mention of hay fever (allergic rhinitis).

Whilst it is true that tuberculosis has existed for many centuries, it only reached epidemic proportions during the later part 19th century and the pre-antibiotic era of the 20th century. (Antibiotics are a post WW2 therapy).

Thus, it is the long term influence of this epidemic we see today.

Other lifestyle factors likely have a part to play. For one, we are mostly town and city dwellers, and not agrarians. Countryside dwellers suffer less.

Treating Hay Fever with Homeopathy

In my earlier blog, I focused on specific homeopathic remedies that can help with the acute symptoms that appear during the pollen season, though I did mention the importance of consitutional treatment also.

And it is the constitutional treatment that will over several seasons make the longer term difference.

Ideally, the constitutional treatment is during the winter months when the acute symptoms are less troublesome because the allergen levels are low.

Conventional Medications

Most hay fever sufferers take anti-histamines of some sort (Cetirizine, Piriteze etc.). It is not appropriate to abandon these and suffer. The goal is to gradually strengthen the consititution and see if it is possible to gradually reduce reliance on medications.

Homeopathy is individualised medicine – not one size fits all. So unfortunately there is an element of experimentation to see what works best. It takes time, which is challenging in an impatient world.

To get a deeper understanding of your case an in-depth consultation is suggested and if you would care to discuss this further please book a free 30 minute discovery call from my website.

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Sensibly one should steer a clear course away from the topic of Autism and (and Homeopathy in context). It is without doubt a very sensitive topic today touching so many families.  

This blog is prompted by a recent YouTube vlog from Dr John Campbell. He draws attention to recent reports from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the USA. They show the continued rise in autism, (see links to the reports at the bottom of this piece). 

Robert Kennedy Jr, the US Secretary for Health, is to convene a summit of experts in an effort to better understand the problem.  

Whether you dislike President Trump’s administration and / or John Campbell’s take on the matter is not important. The fact is that the CDC reports clearly show the magnitude of the growing problem in the USA.  And a problem not just the USA but many countries across the globe.  

In what follows, I wish to look at Homeopathy in the context of ASD.  This too is not without controversy, so I’ll try and keep things factual.

Definitions – ASD and Homeopathy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability characterized by difficulties with social interaction or communication and the presence of restricted interests or repetitive behaviors. ASD is recognized as a heterogenous condition with wide variation in the type and severity of signs, symptoms, and levels of support needed among persons with ASD (source CDC report)

Homeopathy is holistic system of medicine. Central to its philosophy is:  

• the vitalist principle that states that there is a life force which if compromised results in symptoms
• the Law of Similars, meaning that a substance that can cause symptoms in a healthy person, has a curative action in a person affected by those same symptoms.  
• prescribing on the basis of an individualised holistic totality of symptoms (Mentals, Generals, Particulars)
• giving only the minimum dose of medicine necessary to generate the desired response

So, can Homeopathy assist in ASD cases?   What follows is a look at three authors and homeopaths.

Tinus Smits MD

(1949?-2010)

Tinus Smits was a medical doctor in the Netherlands. Much of his medical practice through the 1990s and early 2000s focused on the treatment of autism.  By the time of his untimely death he had seen over 300 cases.  He worked with Isopathic, Homeopathic and Naturopathic therapies and clearly got results.   He published a book Autism Beyond Despair just months before his passing.

Seeing common patterns across his patient group, he developed a protocol. This he called CEASE, an acronym (Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression).  

In an age of acronyms it was an accronym of its time.  However, the inference of cure or that ‘Homeopathy has the answers’ (see book cover) risked certain censure.

Challenge came after his death from those who saw autism differently. The situation was becoming more complex. Autism was increasingly seen as a spectrum of conditions (e.g. Asperger’s is accepted as being within that spectrum). It is a spectrum that ranges from high functioning to significantly challenged. In part this helps explain the rise in cases.

By 2019 The Society of Homeopaths, mindful of the changing climate, cautioned members who had trained in the protocol to moderate any claims.

Actually, ‘Protocols’ do not sit easily within homeopathic philosophy, and Smit’s work was far from rigid in application. Homeopathy is individualised medicine. Patterns may exist but no two persons are the same, nor respond to treatment in the same way.

Nevertheless, the work of the late Dr Smits was an honest effort to address a difficult problem.

Mike Andrews DSH RSHom

Mike Andrews is on the Society of Homeopaths Register and has specialised in the treatment of Autism for many years.  He published a book in 2014 titled Homeopathy and Autism Spectrum Disorder – A Guide for Practitioners and Families.    He practices according to principles of Classical Homeopathy (which is individualised and does not follow protocols). 

In the years following Smits death, there has been a shift towards seeing autism as a different way of thinking and interacting with the world, rather than a disability as such.  The term neurodiverse has come into common parlance. 

Andrews writes (Chapter 11), “As a practitioner I have always tried to understand the way that a child perceives the world and recognise that society, most particularly education, needs to change its response to the message that these children can bring to us”.  One focus then has been to address “difficulties with some of the symptoms associated with their gift”. Controlling aggression and anger for example. 

Chapter 3 looks at the use of Homeopathy in the treatment of ASD around the world, and reports clinical results. Importantly, in the subtitle to Chapter 5 (The Holistic Approach), ‘Staying the long haul’, he writes that “in Homeopathy we seek slow, steady improvements”. 

He also reflects on Tinus Smits work and contribution.

Mikes contribution is significant and appreciated beyond the UK shores.

Angelica Lemke N.D.

Last on my bookshelf (but there are others) is a 2021 publication  Healing Complex Children with Homeopathy,  from Angelica Lemke, Naturopath and Homeopath based in the USA  (https://homeopathyforcomplexchildren.com/). 

In its opening chapters this book examines (Chapter 1) ‘Healing with Homeopathy’, and (Chapter 2) ‘The History and Practice of Homeopathy’. 

Subsequent chapters consider the different remedy groups (minerals, plant etc.). A useful final chapter (Chapter 10) lists ‘Remedies by Categories of Complex Kids’ (e.g. ‘Angry Children’).  

Geographically, Angelica is on the wrong side of the ‘pond’, but none the less this is a helpful book. 

My impression is that she is a very intuitive prescriber and healer.  She explains that what constitutes healing is different from person to person; which may mean improved function or for those with greater challenges at least finding peace with their child. 

She writes that “People who gravitate towards homeopathy seek greater self-sustainability, want less reliance on institutions to scaffold and support them and tend to question authority.  They understand that there are many variables – including environmental, diet, medical, and ancestral – that contribute to health.”   

She also notes that early treatment after diagnosis yields better results, which given the neuroplasticity of the younger brain makes sense.

Conclusion

The above texts cover some quarter of a century of the homeopathic treatment of autism. 

Perseverance is the order of the day – probably measured in years. As Mike Andrews writes, “Slow Steady Improvements”.

The general schism between the orthodox biomedical model and Homeopathy is unfortunate and unhelpful to parents and carers.  In an ideal world, the different perspectives would usefully be shared; the paths to unraveling the mysteries of autism better understood.  

What RFK Jr’s gathering of minds will reveal, remains to be seen. For sure a better understanding is needed and awaited.

I have only seen two cases in my small practice. One child assuredly got benefit the other – who was high functioning – less so. In line with the authors above I reemphasise that progress comes in small steps over months and years.

Homeopathy is not biochemical medicine. It works energetically on the invisible life force or spirit which animates us from conception to death. It is this the tuning of this same life force that sets the pace of change.

Perhaps you would be interested in exploring Homeopathy? I offer a free 30 minute discovery call to allow you to investigate further.

References

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/autism-epidemic-runs-rampant-new-data-shows-grants.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/ss/ss7402a1.htm?s_cid=ss7402a1_w

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5601a1.htm

https://www.priorygroup.com/mental-health/autism/autism-statistics

https://digital.nhs.uk/supplementary-information/2024/autism-prevalence-in-england-march-2024

How do I find the right homeopathic remedy or, more specifically, how does the homeopath find the most appropriate remedy? This is a good question and the subject of this short blog post.

Previously I wrote about the nature of the homeopathic consultation and I am now going to consider the next step.

The Homeopathic Remedy

I shall not go into to much detail here but every homeopathic remedy or medicine has a ‘picture’. This comes from various sources. One source is the ‘proving’ where a group of people take the remedy and note how it affects them. The resultant data is analysed and collated. Clinical experience adds to this ‘picture’ as does toxicological data from literature (as Agatha Christie can tell us, poisoning by arsenic has definite characteristics!). Please note that homeopathic remedies are potentised ultra dilutions and such as arsenic are not used in material doses.

From these sources every homeopathic remedy ‘picture’ comprises physical, general, and mental / emotional symptoms.

Remedies or medicines have certain affinities, sometimes described as keynotes. For example a remedy may have a particular affinity for a certain system (respiratory or digestion) or organ, or have particular mental or emotional characteristics.

To make matters a little difficult remedies overlap to a greater or lesser extent, leading to a constellation of possibilities. An example from my last blog might be the possible remedies to help with fever. One ‘right’ remedy is an oversimplification.

The remedy ‘pictures’ are compiled into books generally termed ‘Materia Medica’ (from the Latin). There are several – old and new – and practitioners tend to have their ‘favourites’.

The Homeopathic Principle

The word – homeopathy – comes from the Greek meaning ‘similar suffering’. Simply stated the principle is that ‘like cures like’; what is termed the law of similars. This contrasts the dominant medical model which tends to follow the principle of opposites (hence the prefix ‘anti-‘ before many medicines, for example antibiotic). Simply different approaches – that is all.

Following the ‘like cures like’ principle, the general approach is to find the remedy that best matches the ‘picture’ of the patient or client to the ‘picture’ of the remedy.

The Consultation Outcome

From the consultation which can take an hour, the homeopath collects a holistic picture of the client. Obviously this includes the main symptoms that the individual wishes to resolve. These may be clear – let’s say a skin complaint or recurrent headaches or whatever – or more vague (say low energy). This is what needs to be resolved, so must be part of the remedy picture.

However there is more. If the complaint is of a physical nature, there will be a also be a mental / emotional picture. This may relate to the physical complaint (so the physical has impacted the emotional) or it may just be the general nature of the person.

It has long been recognised that people can be grouped into ‘types’. Tall, short, chubby, slim and so on. One of my teachers notes that the entire Materia Medica can be divided between those who are chilly or hot by nature. Hot types wear shorts in winter and chilly a pullover in summer! Sulphur is an example of the former and Arsenic the latter. That is not to say that you cannot have a chilly Sulphur but simply that the probability is lower.

Finding The Right Homeopathic Remedy – Repertorisation

If you are lucky, this may be fairly obvious, more likely unravelling the information received from the consultation presents a challenge. Older age often brings a long history and maybe too much information; youth sometimes the opposite.

The moustachioed gentleman in the photo is Dr James Tyler Kent (1849-1916) who worked in Chicago. In particular, he is remembered for his Repertory of Homeopathic Medicines.

In modern parlance he created a database linking symptoms to charactistics. Below is just one ‘rubric’ of a list of remedies associated with anger. For example, ‘Cham‘ is Chamomilla well known to console teething babies who metaphorically and literally throw their ‘toys out the pram’. Bold print indicates a strong link to the headline MIND – ANGER.

You get the idea.

Rubric example: MIND – ANGER, violent – Acon., Anac., apis., ars., Aur., bar-c., bell., bry., cahin., calc., carb-s., carb-v., Cham., coff., ferr-p., ferr., graph., grat., Hep., hyos., ign., kali-i., lyc., nat-m., Nit-ac., Nux-v., pall., petr., phos., sep., Staph., sulph., Tarent., verat., zinc.

Kent’s Repertory remained ‘the‘ reference work up until the 1970s and remains the foundation for subsequent repertories.

Enter the Computer Age

It should come as no surprise that computers and databases go together like the proverbial horse and carraige. And so today there are several computer packages that should – at least in theory – speed things up. That may be somewhat illusionary as more data can lead to ‘analysis paralysis’. But at any rate they can be useful tools. Here is an example (split in two for legibility).

Input:

Output:

Critically, these programs never provide ‘The’ answer. Just possibilities that become probabilities based on the quality of the symptom picture gathered. The homeopath must then go back to the Materia Medica and make a judgement.

When it comes to computerisation the old adage ‘garbage in, garbage out’ applies equally to the repertorisation process.

So how do I find the right homeopathic remedy, or anyone else for that matter. The answer is that it remains as much an art as a science. Like all things experience counts and that takes time and practice.

If you would like to explore whether homeopathy could help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

Homeopathy is very effective for the treatment of fever in children ( and adults for that matter).

In this blog I wish to share general self-help measures useful for every parent. This article continues my series on Family Care with Homeopathy

I am assuredly not an expert on this matter (my son is now in his 30s!) and so I draw on texts such as Dr Andrew Lockie’s Family Guide to Homeopathy (available second hand from such as Abebooks), pamphlets available from Dr Jayne Donegan and The Waldorf Guide to Childrens Health (Kindle edition).

What is Fever?

Fever (high temperature above 37 deg.C) is not a disease but a reaction to an infection. It is a normal defence response. You can find some good general guidance on fever in children from the NHS. It has become commonplace to give paracetamol containing products like Calpol but this is of questionable necessity. The elevated temperature aids the immune system fight off infection, reducing that temperature is clearly counter productive to some degree.

Dr Donegan in her downloadble guide defines fever in this way:

“Fever – the chemical reactions required for the clean-out process work more efficiently at a higher temperature, as do the white cells in the immune system that help to scavenge and clean out rubbish”

In the Waldorf Guide pictured below, the authors write:

“Fever is a decisive aid to processing and overcoming the bodily challenges that occur during many illnesses. Other functions and activities, such as eating, digestion, sensory perception, interest in one’s surroundings, play and so forth, take second place to the body’s efforts to produce a fever.”

Dr Lockie writes much in a similar vein, noting that there are fevers without a rash mostly of the respiratory sort or ear infections, and those with. Chicken pox comes in the latter category, and such as measles (now rarely seen due to vaccination).

Medical Help

Clearly, there are circimstances when you should contact your doctor, call 111 or go to A&E. In the Waldorf Guide they advise that you do so…

For any fever that significantly impacts your child’s state of health. That is to say accompanied by:

• significant drowsiness;
• headache, stiff neck, other diffuse or severe pains;
• significantly laboured breathing;
• considerable fluid loss through diarrhoea or vomiting or if your baby does not want to drink anything;
• the fever rises above 40°C but your baby’s skin still feels cool;
• Any fever that varies up and down by more than 1.5°C (without chemical fever-reducing medication);
• Your child continues to seem severely affected in spite of effective fever-reducing measures.

The same source notes that febrile seizures (obviously alarming) are not serious if of short duration (<15 minutes). These result from immaturity of the immune system. But, should they last for greater than 15 minutes or repeat, then seek medical assistance.

Seeking advice in an unfamiliar situation (typical for new parents) is no failure, and it is better to err on the safe side.

But children don’t always fall unwell at convenient times or in convenient places (e.g. you are on holiday) so some first aid measures are worth knowing.

Sensible Supportive Measures

Dr Donegan, offers some good simple advice.

If memory does not fail me! – her advice aligns with my recollection of my late mother’s care for me.

In an age of screens it may seem passé but given that the Mk1 human being has not changed that much, her advice assuredly still holds true:

1 – Plenty Fresh air and Fluids

• Fresh air – open the window; during mild weather, nurse outside – at night, open the window even if only a little
• Loose clothing – made of soft, natural fibres
• Plenty of clear fluids – for example:
  • water;
  • half diluted apple juice;
  • ginger, honey & lemon tea* (children seem to prefer it cooled) or stock.
  • avoid artificial sweetners – and Dr Donegan doesn’t favour orange juice
  • small frequent sips are more useful than occasional large gulps , especially in gastric upsets
  • But, breast milk must be continued and babies on formula milk need to restart by 24 hours if they are not weaned
  • No dairy produce – no milk (save breast), including soya, yoghurt, cheese, eggs until well on the mend – as dairy increases mucus, upsets stomachs and may increase fever.

2 – Minimal food

• No food unless hungry and no fever – this is VERY important. Children naturally fast when ill, do not attempt to feed them when they don’t want to eat.
• When the fever is down, if they are hungry feed them a light diet – starch, minimal fat ,to be chewed well, for example:
  • peeled slices of apple;
  • wholemeal toast scraped with Marmite or honey, with no crusts, cut into squares about the size of a postage stamp – give half a slice at a time;
  • mashed potato made with cooked potato, boiling water and a pinch of salt (my favourite as a child was potato mashed with tomato, I recall);
  • vegetable soup, home made;
  • fruit or cooked vegetables; all in very small quantities
  • After diarrhoea and vomiting, no meat, fish, fatty food or dairy up to a week after better. If dairy or normal diet is introduced and symptoms start again go back to fasting or light diet until symptom free
• Honey on a teaspoon is very good for sore throats and stops harmful bacteria from multiplying (not advised in babies less than 1 year)

3 – Rest

• REST is extremely important; if symptoms are minimal then it a child may run around and then rest when tired, otherwise they must rest and sleep in order to get well. Have the child in the room you are in helps, so that they do not feel ‘abandoned’.
• No TV/ computer/ books – audio material or being read to are fine.
• Room temperature cool – between 15.C and 18.C

Children don’t have time to be sick these days, which is a pity as it is an important part of buidling immunity for the rest of our lives.

Dr Donegan says much more, and I do recommend downloading her pdf booklet ‘Nursing children safely through acute illness – Safe Management of Fever’. It costs but £3.50.

Homeopathy for Fever in Children

Here is a list of common homeopathic medicines available in first aid kits.

It is worth stating that no medicine – homeopathic or otherwise – makes you or your child instantly well! Well selected, what it will do is shorten the duration of the illness, and help prevent complications such as a deeper chest infection. Children, in particular, have to get sick sometimes, this is now the immune system learns and resilience builds.

Choosing a homeopathic remedy is like finding the right key for a lock. If you don’t see any improvement in an hour or so (give the remedy every 15 minutes), then reconsider the case and try another remedy. Armed with Andrew Lockies book, I well recall my son at about 4 years old with some infection. There was no response to the initial remedies given (aconite likely and then something else). I then decided to try Gelsemium before calling the doctor. His demeanour changed in a matter of minutes – beginner’s luck!

Alas it is not always that quick. I recall a conversation with a homeopathic vet who told me how he gave his feverish child Belladonna through the night and observed the rapid breathing gradually subside. You are looking for gradual improvement.

• Aconite
  • sudden onset; high fever; dry burning skin; one cheek red; child anxious; dry cough
  • worse in the evening / night; worse in a warm room (uncovers himself)
  • first remedy to give; aconite is a remedy for the first 36 hours only
• Arsenicum
  • restless; very shivery; thirsty for small sips; skin burns
  • worse from cold; better from heat; warm drinks;
  • better from company; from sitting up
  • a remedy for asthma worse at midnight; (also for vomiting and diarrhoea from food poisoning)
• Belladonna
  • another sudden onset high fever remedy; Belladonna has rage and delirium rather than anxiety; red face; pupils dilated; burning hot; worse around 3pm; not thirsty
  • worst for noise; jar
  • better from bed rest; being in a dark room
  • Aconite and Belladonna are the first remedies to think of when a child gets sick
• Bryonia
  • slow onset – over a few days; hot / cold alternates; irritable
  • painful cough; frontal headaches; Bryonia = ‘dry-onia‘ – very thirsy
  • worse for any motion must lie down
  • better for quiet
• Chamomilla
  • whining restlessness; thirsty; hot and numb
  • another one cheek red – one cheek pale remedy; can be associated with teething or earache
  • pains are unendurable; toys thrown! – frantic (mental calmness is not Chamomilla)
  • worse from being uncovered; at night (9pm to midnight)
  • better being carried; rocked
• Ferrum phos
  • fevers with unclear symptoms; slow onset; early stage remedy
  • worse in open air and from touch; worse early morning
  • better for cold applications
• Gelsemium
  • classic ‘flu-like fever; dullness, droopy and drowsy are the three keywords
  • generally not thirsty; trembling
  • worse from motion; bad news; mid morning
  • better after urination; with warmth
• Pulsatilla
  • children like fuss and caresses; very weepy
  • remedy for fevers of childhood illnesses (no1 for measles in the past)
  • chilly even in a warm room (averse to heat); thirstless
  • better in the open air; gentle motion; cold applications

The practical realities of my time availabilty mean that mostly work with longer term conditions rather that ‘acutes’. However, I would be happy – with appropriate notice – to give a talk to any small group who might be interested in the use of homeopathy for first aid at home. Please, email me at [email protected] if you wish to enquire.

Explaing what Homeopathic Medicine is made of, can be a challenge. Our expectations are based on what we find in the high street pharmacy. That is to say drugs that work biochemically, but that is not how homeopathic medicines work.

In this blog I will try and explain what homeopathic medicines are, how they are made, and how they act.

Whilst, old texts do use the term drug, homeopathic medicines are not what we understand as drugs today, and for this reason the synonym ‘remedy’ is often used.

In the picture below taken from the Helios Homeopathy website, some typical remedy forms are shown. In fact these are all just carriers for the homeopathic medicine.

The medicine itself is absorbed onto tablets made of mixed sugar & sugar of milk (sucrose / lactose) or pills made of sugar. You may also find medicated sucrose / lactose powders rather similar in style to the Beechams Powders (basically Aspirin)of old.

How Homeopathic Medicines are made

My source for some of what follows is a little pocket book titled Homeopathic Prescribing published by Saltire Books. The authors are the owners of Freemans Homeopathic Pharmacy

Homeopathic medicines are prepared according to various pharmacopoeias (i.e. standards) adopted by the regulatory authorities in different countries. In short there is a great deal of quality control.

The souce materials vary. About 70% are of plant origin. Most of the remaining 30% come from the mineral (e.g. Sulphur) and animal kingdoms (e.g. Sepia from the ink of the cuttlefish).

Sticking with the world of plants, it is important to understand that Homeopathy is not herbal medicine. The first steps in remedy preparation are similar, however. In that regard, the whole plant, or its root, or leaves (as appropriate) is macerated in a water / alcohol solution and duly processed to produce a herbal tincture. Typically this is a 1:3 concentration in water/alcohol. However it is 1:9 for the usual homeopathic mother tincture, symbolised ø.

How Homeopathic Medicines are Made – Potentisation

This is where homeopathy deviates from herbal practice. Starting with the mother tincture ø, one drop of this is added to 99 drops of water/alcohol and vigorously shaken – the term is succussed – to create the first centissimal potency designated 1c. One drop of this added to another 99 drops of water alcohol and succussed makes 2c and so on.

The common lower potencies in use are 6c, 12c, 30c and 200c. These are often made traditionally by hand. There are also higher potencies, such as 1M (1000c) and above. These by necessity are machine made.

A few drops of the liquid of the desired potency are added to a bottle or vial containing the chosen remedy form – be it tablets, pills or granules – where it is absorbed.

You could just use the liquid, but the solid form is often more convenient to carry round.

Incidentally you can put the tablet or pill into a tumbler of water and with a quick stir go back to a liquid form (useful for babies).

Do not equate potency with strength, but instead something more akin to frequency (aka octaves on a piano). As a very broad guidline lower potencies have greater affinity with the physical and higher with the metal emotional.

Potencies of 30c and below are safe for home use. Home remedy kits mentioned in my previous blogs are typically 30c.

The process of potentisation of mineral remedies is similar but modified to accommodate the fact that many minerals are insoluble. Helios have a nice little video on potentisation.

There are other scales of dilution but the centissimal is the most common.

Controversy

The eternal joke is that there is nothing in homeopathic medicine, there for it is placebo (from the latin meaning ‘to please’).

According to rules set down by the Italian scientist Avogadro (1776 to 1856) beyond the 12c potency there is no molecule of the original substance left. And indeed this is accepted.

Whether Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755 to 1843), who set down the tenents of homeopathy, was aware of this is unknown. The two men were near contemporaries, but their time was not one of instant communications.

Hahnemann’s objective was simply to find the minimum dose of medicine required to cure a patient, and he clearly got results at potencies above 12c. Subsequent generations of homeopaths concur.

It would appear that Hahnemann unknowingly entered the non-matierial world. Possibly the domain of quantum physics. Be that as it may, for the most part homeopathic medicines are not chemical. Nor are they micro-dosing (a subject of interest in current medical circles).

Energy Medicine

For this reason Homeopathy is described as energy medicine or vibrational medicine etc. My preference is information medicine.

To get biblical for a minute, the opening words of John’s Gospel are ‘In the beginning was the Word…’. We live in an informed albeit mysterious cosmos. In a sense everything is information. And this is an information age after all.

Developing this hypothesis, the act of potentisation tranfers some essence of the original substance into a medicinal form. By analogy, the remedy then acts as a ‘download’; information or an instruction to the body.

Side Effects

We are familiar with the leaflet inside medicine packages that warn of the possible side effects associated with the medicine. The good news is that there are no side effects in homeopathy, and here is why.

When you take a biochemical medicine (say paracetamol), there are two effects. First the desired action of the drug (blocking chemical messengers in the brain that relate pain). And secondly, the rebound ‘side effect’ from the body that sees the drug as a foreign entity.

In contrast the homeopathic remedy can have no direct chemical effect (it is not a chemical). But it does stimulate a response. In a way then, the desired effect in homeopathy, is that which is secondary in conventional medicine.

Thus, the secondary effect becomes primary.

Needless to say, the practitioner selects the homeopathic medicine to give a desired response not an undesired.

What can occur in homeopathy is a slight intensification of symptoms. This should be transient and pass in a couple of days.

If you accept that your symptoms – however inconvenient – are the attempt of the body to cure, you can see why there might be this slight aggravation. It is a stimulus to cure.

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If you would like to explore whether homeopathy can help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

The question is whether in homeopathy there is medicine for headaches. The answer is yes, but it is not as simple as taking Acetominophen best known as paracetamol (called Tylenol in the USA).

Pain Killers (Analgesics)

In last month’s blog I referred to an interesting article from the University of Oxford, titled What’s the Point of Paracetamol? Apparently, here in the UK, we each take about 70 tablets annually. Wow – that does seem rather a lot.

Over the counter (OTC) – that is non-prescription – analgesics (painkillers) fall into two categories. Non Steroidal Antinflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) being one. We are all familiar with Aspirin which was first marketed by Bayer in 1899. Another common is NSAID Iboprufen dates from the 1960s. There are others.

On the other hand Paracetamol (and Calpol) is not classified as NSAID. The explanation that follows is from Yale Medicine. I must say I find the lack of certainty around how it works slightly amusing. The more I read, the less clear our understanding of the workings of our bodies seems to become! But I digress.

“As with NSAIDs, acetaminophen is thought to inhibit COX enzymes from making prostaglandins. The difference is that acetaminophen only works in the central nervous system; NSAIDs work in the brain and throughout the body. Acetaminophen is also thought to work by raising your pain threshold—it will take a greater amount of pain for you to feel it. It also targets the heat-regulating area of the brain to lower an elevated temperature, thereby reducing fever.”

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that painkillers do little to address the underlying causes. And they are not great for the liver (which has to eliminate the drugs in time). So, be wary of regular use.

On the other hand if a toothache comes on and you cannot get an appointment with your dentist, then maybe needs must.

Back to headaches.

Homeopathy – Medicine for Headaches

If you have followed my blogs on self-help homeopathy you will know that in homeopathy the aim is to match symptoms to the symptom picture of the remedy.

Unfortunately, this is a little more complicated that popping a paracetamol. Still, it is easier on your liver and gets closer to addressing the underlying factors.

Buy a Kit

One thing you need to have at home is a small remedy kit as mentioned in my earlier blogs on first aid. Both Ainsworths and Helios sell these.

Buy a Book

There are a few practical and simple-to-use guides for those interested in using homeopathy. Here are two easy to use examples:

Homeopathy Medicine for Headaches

Here are some leading indications in homeopathy for treating headaches using home kit medicines (remedies).

Instructions for taking remedies are given in the kits but the key thing to remember is that homeopathic remedies are absorbed throught the mucous membranes of the mouth. Simply put you allow the remedy to dissolve in the mouth. The sugar pills are a carrier for the remedy.

However, my suggestion is that you put two pills in a tumbler of water and stir (they don’t have to completely dissolve). Then take a sip every 15 minutes to start with (stir each time and hold in the mouth a few seconds) tailing off as symptoms improve.

If there is no improvement then select another remedy – this is analagous to trying another key to a lock.

Causation and what makes the headache better or worse are key consideration to choice of remedy.

Argent nitricum

One to think of where there has been exhaustive mental labour (Brain fag). Sensation as if the head was enormously enlarged. Flatulence and possibly diarrhoea (often associated with anticipation – e.g. pre exam nerves). Much better in the open air. May crave sweets which then diagree.

Belladonna

Thobbing pain focused on the forehead. Head hot. Cannot bear noise or a bright light. Worse from lying down. Congested state. Pain tends to be right sided. More likely to start late in the day. Think of this remedy in sunstroke

Bryonia

Keynote here is worse from slightest motion. Wants to lie perfectly still. Very thirsty. Irritable (“leave me alone”). Cause may be constipation. Pain tends to be over left eye. Better for pressure, so one lies on the painful side. Begins in the morning afer opening the eyes.

Cocculus

The Cocculus headache starts at the back of the head (occiput) and neck. Cannot lie on back of the head (i.e. worse for pressure). Association with motion sickness after travelling (hence vertigo). Nausea. Some affinity with irregular menses. Eating or drinking aggravate.

Gelsemium

Headache starts in the back of the head, extending forward causing a bursting sensation in the forehead. Keynote for this remedy is a dull, drowsy and droopy state (especially eyelids), which makes it also a remedy for classic ‘flu. Worse for emotional upset (bad news). Better for head raised high and from urination.

Ignatia

Pain as if a nail driven through the side of the head. Pains shift. Curious contradictory symptoms e.g. sore throat better on swallowing. Key remedy if headache is associated with grief or disappointment. Much sighing. Cannot tolerate smoke fumes. Better for warmth.

Magnesium Phosphate (Mag.phos)

Neuralgic headache (consider in toothache). Intermittent and sharp pains. Better for warmth and pressure.

Natrum muriaticum

Periodic headache of great severity. Visual disturbances and very sensitive to light. Worse sunrise to sunset and better for sleep. May have an emotional cause. Like Ignatia, there is an association with grief, but of a deeper longstanding type.

Nux vomica

Pain in back of the head or over the eyes. Remedy for overindugence (e.g. hangover). Also ‘burning the candle at both ends’ – hence caused by overwork, maybe stimulated by excess coffee or alcohol. Hypersensitve. Worse after sleep.

Pulsatilla

Typically a female remedy. Rapidly shifting pains is a keynote. Better in the open air and worse indoors, especially in a warm room. Generally better for cold things – drink (though not thirsty), food and applications. Easily brought to tears.

If you wish more guidance, or to explore the potential benefits of Homeopathic treatment, please book a discovery call via my website or mail me at [email protected] and I will respond by return

In this blog I describe the unique and important nature of the homeopathic consultation, something particular to homeopathy.

If you would like to explore whether homeopathy could help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

Conversation

The homeopathic consultation or better put ‘conversation’ is of great importance.  Dr Brian Kaplan in his book titled The Homeopathic Conversation says that it is the most important part of the whole process of Homeopathic Treatment.  

Homeopathic Consultation: Knowledge or Listening

The practitioner of homeopathy might reasonably be expected to have an in-depth knowledge of homeopathic philosophy, its medicines and texts.  But all of this book knowledge amounts to nothing if the patient is not disposed to tell their unique story.  Recall that homeopathy matches the ‘picture’ of the medicine to that ‘picture’ of the patient. This according to the natural law of similars (homeo = similar & pathy = suffering or like cures like).

Medicine as Science and Art

Medicine is both Science and Art.  Taking the case is an art that now rather diluted in western scientific medicine inpart due to time pressures. Dr Paul Dieppe in his recent book ‘Healing and Medicine: a doctor’s journey towards their integration’, expands on this. It is a book worth reading.

Case Taking

Brian Kaplan writes:  ‘The approach of classical homeopathic history taking is very respectful of the patient’s feelings and the patient senses this…. This is the major difference between the homeopathic approach and the way I was taught to take the standard medical history….’.

Medical and Homeopathic Approaches Compared

‘The medical approach is to listen for vital clues that will lead to a conventional diagnosis. [Though] you might listen politely as the patient talks about his emotions fears and relationships… this information is relatively unimportant in arriving at a diagnosis. [In contrast] the quality of listening [is] quite different from that of the homeopath who must listen not only to every word but also to the tone of voice in which it is expressed.  This is the beauty of homeopathy….  

‘Good homeopathic case-taking values everything the patient says and the way the conversation between homeopath and patient evolves is led by the patient in contrast to a conventional case-taking which is very much led by the doctor.  The homeopathic history is totally inclusive of a competent orthodox medical history but also covers a great deal of other territory.  The classical homeopath is obliged to listen carefully to every word uttered by his patient.  This is exactly what makes our profession special.  The undivided attention of the homeopath to his patient creates an atmosphere in the room in which the patient feels respected, understood and even loved.  This is the elegance of the homeopathic conversation.’

[Note that there is always value in the conventional diagnosis. Most clients seeking homeopathic advice will have seen their GP and be exploring other options]

Homeopathic Consultation – The NBWS Concept

Perhaps the concept of the homeopathic conversation seems intrusive?  You have a skin problem or arthritis or a problem with your digestion. What more does the practitioner need to know?  For the time pressured GP if you have X best practice says take Y. If there is no improvement get back in touch. 

In homeopathy NBWS stands for Never Been Well Since. It is an important concept that helps explain thee value of the homeopathic consultation.  Quite commonly alongside the main complaint there are several lesser concerns that are of little concern or are well managed.  Homeopathy is (w)holistic medicine, it does not comparmentalise in this way.  Your skin problem and apparently unrelated recurrent headaches or vice versa are still part of the totality.

Back in 2017 I attended a course at the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy on the Greek island of Alonnissos. (close to Skiathos where btw Mamma Mia was filmed!).  Its founder Prof. George Vithoulkas is now 92 years old and still working.  He took the case of one of the lady students I well remember the prescription of  Arnica.  Arnica has an affinity with deep painful bruises and is in the top-ten first aid remedy list. This lady had no bruises – so why Arnica?  The NBWS was trauma from assault decades before.  There were bruises but mental not physical.

The Vital (or Life) Force

Dr Samuel Hahnemann who set down the principles of homeopathic medicine some two centuries ago wrote:

‘The material organism, without the vital force, is capable of no sensation, no function, no self-preservation; it derives all sensation and performs all the functions of life solely by means of the immaterial being (the vital force) which animates the material organism in health and disease.

‘Only the vital principal thus disturbed can give to the organism its abnormal sensations and incline it to the irregular actions we call disease’.

In the story above the vital force of the lady had been disturbed by the trauma suffered those decades earlier. Stuck and unable to reestablish equilibrium itself she needed Arnica to restore harmony. So restored her other health issues may resolve.

Hahnemann’s thinking was radical then and now, yet profound.  Dr James Tyler Kent – one of the most notable 20th century American homeopaths – wrote in a lecture: 

‘This is totally different from calling the results of the disease, the disease, e.g. calling Bright’s disease, cancer or palsy, diseases.  Most of the conditions of the human economy that are called diseases in the books are not diseases but the results of disease…’.

Homeopathy at Home – Everyday Treatments for Common Complaints is a new book written by Marcus Fernandez, Principal of the Centre for Homeopathic Education (CHE) in London. Marcus has been working in Homeopathy for three decades.

The Book

The book is a practical and simple-to-use guide for those interested in using homeopathy to help with typical health condition that affect us all. It retails at under £15. The book describes simply the homeopathic approach and gives guidance on simple prescribing methods.

Buy a Kit

Later, in this blog I will cover Marcus’s top 10 remedy list. However, ideally you need to have a small remedy kit as mentioned in my earlier blogs on first aid. Both Ainsworths and Helios sell these.

Whilst the pharmacies can send a remedy out in 24h, this is not much help when looking after a sick child at midnight on a Saturday (which according to some unwritten law is what always seems to happen!)

Homeopathy at Home – Principles

Let’s start 2025 by restating some basic principles. Homeopathy contrasts orthodox medicine in that it sees symptoms as the attempt of the body to reestablish harmony. What do I mean by harmony? Put simply when there is harmony – that is to say we are ‘well’ – no symptoms are apparent. Given the orchestration of trillions of cells in the human body, this is quite astonishing.

Marcus gives the example of the child who can run around all day, go to bed tired, wake up fully refreshed an run around the next day in the same manner. Boundless energy – that is a body in harmony with itself.

Sadly that state may diminish somewhat as we age, but nonetheless we go about our day pretty oblivious to our bodies and the complexities of its inner workings.

An Example – Pain

One of the most obvious signs of disharmony is pain. The orthodox approach is to manage these symptoms. The marketer’s – you surely notice – encourage us to seek out over the counter medicines like Paracetamol (Tylenol in the USA). Apparently some 35 tonnes per annum of Paracetamol is used per million of the population in the UK. Nice little earner!

Paracetamol is effective of course, but only at the level of suppression of symptoms. It is not curative. Much the same can be said of many prescribed drugs also.

In the end it is the body itself the does most of the healing.

The Supportive Role of Homeopathy

This is where Homeopathy comes in. Homeopathic medicines are not drugs in the conventional sense, they are ultra dilutions and their purpose is to stimulate the innate healing potential that we all have.

Homeopathy at Home – Prescribing

Prescribing homeopathically is not quite as simple as picking up a box of Paracetamol. Nor can you say you take X for Y, though as Marcus’s book shows there are for first aid purposed typically four to six remedies that have particular affinity to each common complaint.

Prescribing homeopathically is governed by the law of similars, meaning that the symptom picture of the patient should match the ‘picture’ of the remedy.

A child (and it typically is a child) with a sudden high fever might be given Belladonna, because the Belladonna picture has high fever of a particular type. The characteristics of an Aconite or Gelsemium fever is different. Thus each remedy has its keynotes – and much of Marcus’s book is about keynote prescribing.

To help identify these keynotes he uses a nmenonic CLAMS.

• C is concomitants – symptoms that accompany the main concern e.g. diarrhoea and a headache
• L is location – what parts of the body are affected
• A is aetiology – a fancy word for cause
• M is modalities – what make the symptoms better or worse e.g. must move or cannot move
• S is sensation – e.g. stabbing pain or burning pain

Another approach is to draw a circle and divide it into four quadrants. Two quadrants are for aetiology (cause) and modalities as above, another is for affinity (= location) and the last covers symptoms (a combination of C and S in the CLAMS method).

Either way the aim is to get as full a picture as possible about what is going on.

Homeopathy at Home – Top 10

Marcus has a top 10 remedy list – here are some example keynotes:

• Aconite – sudden onset, hot, restless, apprehensive, fever – remedy for inflammations during the first 24 hours
• Apis – red, hot, burning and swollen. Think of the characteristics of a bee sting. Useful for bites and stings but also cystitis
• Arnica – Deep bruising and shock – yet the victim makes light of their suffering
• Arsenicum – chilly, restless, thinks it useless to take medicine, thirsty for sips of warm water, eyes and nose stream and burn, great weakness, better for heat, No 1 for sickenss and diarrhoea
• Belladonna – similar to Aconite but slightly slower onset, high fever – yet chilly – wants to be covered, red skin, glaring eyes – even delirium and rage (contrasts Aconite)
• Gelsemium – classic ‘flu: chills up and down spine, feeling tired, weak and shaky, not too thirsty, headache (picture of ‘dull’, ‘droopy’ and ‘drowsy’).
• Hepar Sulph – infections with pus: abscesses and boils, ear and throat infections, styes
• Hypericum – nerve damage: crushed fingers, tooth pain after dentistry work
• Rhus tox – aching in the bones, teasing cough at night, restless = better with motion, possible septic state (muscles stiff but better once moving).
• Nux Vomica – history of mental strain and excessive use of stimulants (coffee etc.); chilly and irritable / contrary with fiery temperament, must be covered, cough with bursting headache, dry fever without thirst, gastric symptoms (keynote: crampy, hypersensitive, cold intolerant)

If you wish more guidance, or to explore the potential benefits of Homeopathic treatment, please book a discovery call via my website or mail me at [email protected] and I will respond by return

Indeed, what is Homeopathic Medicine when compared to what most people understand as conventional medicine, sometimes termed Allopathic Medicine. I wrote a blog on this topic recently but today I would to revisit the topic from another angle as a headline article for this New Year.

Fundamental Question?

Our nature as human beings is the fundamental question in medicine. It is clearly the case that we have a physical presence; skin and bone we assuredly are. It is equally true that within our bodies a myriad of biochemical processes take place every millisecond of which we are blissfully unaware (until something goes wrong).

Only in the last hundred years or so has science been able to unravel many of these processes. Quite a remarkable achievement when you consider the millenia that mankind has walked on this earth.

Machine Like?

It is true that – to some degree – we are quite machine like. The brain a sort of copmputer; the heart a pump; the liver a chemical factory; limbs and joints akin to the parts of our cars that can be replaced when they wear out.

There seems to be no end to this process of discovery, and doubtless with advances in AI there is much more to come.

But…

And it is quite a big ‘But’ as (wo)Man, whilst having machine like properties is rather more than that. The one word to summarise this is ‘ALIVE’.

To be frank we really do not know what this means despite the scientific advances. I have just started to read a book by Philip Ball, titled How LIfe Works. The author both chemist and physicist is a former editor of the journal Nature. Thus far I have only read the first hundred pages, but the general thesis is that the ‘black box of life is far richer and more ingenious than we had guessed’.

Metaphorically it was only ‘yesterday’ when the human genome was mapped (2003). This vast book of codes was anticipated to reveal everything about who we are, right down to our thoughts and emotions. Unfortunately, according to Ball, the grander expectations have been ‘exposed as incomplete, misleading or even wrong’.

I guess it is back to the drawing board.

The Nature of Science

Conventional medical research sits within the domain of the reductionist / matierialist science model. That is to say that any phenomena has to have a physically detectable lineage. And as technology advances scientists can detect smaller and smaller pieces of the jigsaw. All well and good.

On the other hand non-materialist science has been neglected. Many scientists accept the concept but in general academia is not keen on such notions. Polymath Rudolf Steiner was perhaps one of the most notable individuals to consider the nature of life. But he died 100 years ago, though his legacy lives on.

One example might be the vitalist concept. That is to say that there exists a life giving force that animates. The academic problem is that vitalism doesn’t explain much; just another word for life.

Be that as it may I rather like the concept. After all without life (which might be described as death) we know that everything dissolves back to the elements. Even if a skeleton remains, those dry bones are a far cry from those that take us through life. Even our bones are alive; were it not so fractures would not heal!

Moreover science tells us that we are roughly three-quarters water and our cells over 90% water. In a blog I wrote some time back, I remarked that we are really like Mr Blobby, once a familar image of Saturday night TV.

Vitalism and Homeopathic Medicine

Dr Samuel Hahnemann who set down the tenents of Homeopathic Medicine in the early 19th century adhered to a vitalist philosphy. In his seminal work, The Organ of Medicine, he wrote this:

‘It is only the pathologically untuned vital force that causes diseases. The pathological manifestations accessible to our senses express all the internal changes…they reveal the whole disease. Conversely,..the disappearance of all perceptible deviations from health necessarily implies that the vital principle has returned to health.’

James Tyler Kent was a notable Homeopathic physician in the USA at the beginning or the 20th century who said (I paraphrase) that your pathology is not your disease but the ultimates of you disease. In other words it is a disturbance of the vital force that is the causative factor, and the physical pathology is consequent on that.

Trying to understand that causative factor is one keystone of Homeopathic practice. This contrasts a approach which looks the pathology and then seeks to manage the symptoms.

Now I am being a little niaive because obviously conventional medicine is interested in causation. Our New Year resolutions to eat better; drink less; stop smoking and exercise more, are all expression of how to avoid unnecessary damage to the life or vital force, even though it is not expressed in that way.

Homeopathic Medicine Contrasts

But homeopathic medicine contrasts conventional medicine as its focus is on this immaterial vital force. Furthermore its ‘drugs’ are also immaterial, being potentised ultra dilutions. (‘Potentisation’ is a process of step wise dilution (typically 1 in 100) interspaced by aggitation). Whilst the physics of potentisation is not absolutely clear it is quite apparent that something unique to the original substance is retained providing medicinal value. The value of scientific endeavour to better understand the role of homeopathy in the healing process is not in question, but this necessitates a willingness to fund and investigate non-matierial science. Despite 175 years of homeopathic practice the Homeopathic Research Institute was only established in 2011.

Here are the words of Dr Samuel Hahnemann on medicines again from the Organon of Medicine:

‘The influence of medicines upon our organism is exerted dynamically, as if by contagion, without the transmission of the slightest particle of the material medicinal substance. When indicated, the smalllest dose of a properly dynamised medicine – in which calculation shows that there is only an infinitesimal amout of material substance left, so little that it cannot be imagined by the best mathematicians – exerts far more healing power than strong material doses of the same medicine.’

So what is Homeopathic Medicine? It is a system of medicine that perceives disease as a disturbance of the life giving vital force. Pathology arises secondary to that disturbance. The endeavour of the homeopath is to look beyond the pathology taking into account the physical, mental and general nature of the patient and prescribe accordingly in order to bring the vital force back into harmony at which point (ideally) health will return.

As always if you would like to discuss whether homeopathy could help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

This blog continues the study on the use of Homeopathy in first aid; this time I consider Homeopathy for teeth pain.

As before I do recommend purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies. See my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy Without a kit to hand, you cannot do much on a weekend, other than take paracetamol.

This is a subject I have written about before. Having held onto a wisdom tooth with determination, I must now report that it finally met its demise last week.

Not ideal entertainment, but the experience usefully demonstrated the limitations and value of Homeopathy.

Homepathy can help

Homeopathy can help with toothache, but likely you will still need to consult your dental surgeon (to whom I was grateful for an emergency appointment), to find out the underlying cause.  

Homeopathy cannot sort a failed tooth. But, it can help with pain and infection.

Toothache in my lower wisdom tooth responded well to homeopathic Silica some months ago.  Back then the nerves jangled (and some) when touched by hot or cold fluids. It was still a viable if vulnerable tooth. Vulnerable because of a deep filling and some looseness.

Well it did well for some months, but last week pain returned. This time without any reaction to hot or cold. 

This lack of reaction is a sure sign that the tooth is dead.  Root canal treatment is one option, but – I learn – this process is less successful in wisdom molars.  Especially an aged and vulnerable one. The pragmatic reality – alas – was extraction.

Homeopathy for Teeth Pain: Infection

What follows is a short list of homeopathic medicines, commonly found in first aid kits, that can help with tooth infection and threatening abscess formation.   In each case place one pilule in a tumbler or bottle of tepid water. Stir or shake and sip every 10 minutes.  If there is no improvement in an hour, try the next on the list.  

Merc.sol (Mercurius solubilis)

Infections with offensive breath, salivation and a dirty tongue.  Worse at night and for both heat and cold.

Hepar. sulp (calcium sulphide)

Severely painful infections with potential abscess.  Worse for cold drinks, eating, touching the tooth.  Better for warm applications

Silica

Similar to Hepar.Sulp and try if there is no response to the Hepar.sulph.

Homeopathy for Tooth Pain: Neuralgias

If there is neuralgia – due to caries or micro-fractures – without a threatened infection or abscess, consider Belladonna (sudden onset; throbbing pain) or Coffea (excruciating pain with over excitement of the nervous system).  

Homeopathy for Teeth Pain: Teething Children

The most important remedy during teething, when the child is inconsolable, and very irritable (you give the toddler a toy and it is hurled away), is Chamomilla (German Chamomile).  Again one pilule in a little water – stir, and give a teaspoon to the toddler every 10 minutes, until he/she calms down.

After Dental Procedures

Extractions in particular are traumatic.  The best remedy for shock is Aconite, so 2-4 doses at 10 minute intervals will reestablish equilibrium.

Thereafter the most beneficial medicine is Arnica, again one pilule in a tumbler or water bottle of tepid water, stir/shake and sip every 10-15 minutes for a couple of hours.  Arnica promotes the healing of deep painful bruising.

Finally, once Arnica has done its work, put a pilule of Calendula in a tumbler of water or water bottle and take a sip 3-4 times a day for a couple of days. This remedy (origin the marigold flower) aids healing.

You dentist will ask you to rinse your mouth with salt water on a similar frequency. Do this also but 15 minutes apart from taking any homeopathic remedy.

I can vouch for both of these after my tooth was pulled last week!

It is a challenge to explain – simply – the difference between allopathy and homeopathy.  Common to both terms is ‘-pathy’ from the Greek meaning suffering.  ‘Allo-‘ and ‘Homeo-‘ are from the Greek words for ‘opposite’ and ‘similar’ respectively. 

Today allopathic medicine is the dominant philosophy.  ‘Anti-pathy’ might be a better term as most drug groups in modern medicine are prefixed ‘anti-‘.  Thus, there are antibiotics; anti-depressants; anti-histamines; anti-hypertensives and so on.   It is ‘war’ on disease (just like ‘anti-aircraft’ or ‘anti-tank’ etc). Adverse symptoms are suppressed by external biochemical forces (drug).

In homeopathic medicine, symptoms are seen as a pathway to cure.  The body produces symptoms to compensate for some imbalance.  In homeopathy, the patient is given minimum dose of a substance that might cause ‘similar’ symptoms in a healthy person.  In so doing, the body is catalysed to overcome the problem and return to harmony.  Adverse symptoms are overcome by internal or self-regulating forces.

Both are systems of medicine are valid.  Although homeopathy is considered alternative or complementary medicine, it is actually neither; it is just another approach. 

The various forms of herbal medicine – many reaching back into antiquity – may have a hybrid action.  That is to say both biochemical (like modern drugs) and homeopathic.

Surgery, by the way, is a separate discipline although clearly it overlaps with ‘internal medicine’ (which includes allopathy and homeopathy).

Choice

Unfortunately within state run medical provision, there is not much choice today.  The dominant model is allopathic, both in medical education and practice.

As I see it there are three broad approaches to health care, in the following order:

1. Address poor habits or circumstances (e.g. the basics of nutrition, exercise, stress, living conditions etc.)
2. Maximise your self-healing potential (which is significant)
3. If the above fail to produce a result, then consider allopathic medicines and/or surgery

Often little attention is given to the first two items and step three is the entry point.  This is costly to personal health and the nation’s finances.

Money

According to the Journal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society the 2022 drug bill for the NHS exceeded £19bn.  Roughly £270 per person per annum (70m population). And then there are the over-the-counter medications we buy.  Obviously the cost is not uniformly spread across the population. 

Because the NHS is free at the point of use, it is seen as public-spirited, and indeed its staff are, quite clearly.  But behind this lie businesses, and a multi-million dollar ones at that. 

Alongside this sits the fast food industry and – if you excuse the pun – one tends to feed the other.

Perpetual Motion

Whilst there are undoubtably many strengths in modern medicine, there is also a tendency to a self-perpetuating model and a failure to address root causes.

Some start examples are the opiate addiction crisis – notably in the USA – which has cost many lives.  

Obesity, too, is much in the news.  This has led to a growth in prescription drugs, most recently GLP-1 receptor agonists which are also not without hazard, but I dare say profitable.

Years ago there was a popular song about swallowing a fly, you have likely heard it…. here are a few verses

Ending, in summary….

Medicine can seem a bit like that sometimes. One pill to offset the effects of another.  

And the time pressures in General Practice don’t help.   Retired GP Dr Bob Leckridge recently penned this thoughtful blog giving his concerns.

RFK Jnr

Whether you favour the new Trump administration or not, his appointment of Robert Kennedy as Health Secretary looks set to challenge the status quo.   

Dr John Campbell rather hopes he will in this recent vlog. 

The mainstream media labels him as ‘anti-vax’ which is basically language of the playground and not helpful.  If you cannot get the ball go for the man.

Vaccination is the ‘hand-grenade’ question I wrote a blog on before.  Why should discussion be suppressed?

RFK Jnr has been a leading figure in the organisation Children’s Health Defence.  

Relevance to Allopathy and Homeopathy?

Only this…homeopathy is just one small victim of a shift in medical philosophy.  Just over a hundred years ago it was quite mainstream.  The impressive monument below – located in the centre of Washington – celebrates Dr Samuel Hahnemann who set down the principles on homeopathic practice.

The new science saw homeopathy in retreat by the middle of the twentieth century.  A revival followed in the 1980s and then NHS funding was withdrawn in 2017. 

However, many experienced doctors recognise that no single medical system fits all. But their efforts to establish integrative approaches to medicine are rarely well received by the establishment.  Why is this?

I can only assume that such initiatives constitute a threat to the status quo.

Zimbabwean doctor, Jackie Stone who introduces the video below, recently and tragically took her life. She challenged the establishment in her (effective) treatment of Covid-19. The details you can find online. But in the video it is the wider view of all the physicians that makes it a particularly worthy watch (30 minutes)

As always if you would like to discuss whether homeopathy could help with your health please book a free 30 minute Discovery Call via this button.

This blog continues the study on the use of Homeopathy in first aid, this time for Period Pain and Premenstual Tension.

You can obtain First Aid Kits from homeopathic pharmacies such as Ainsworths or Helios.  I also recommend a nice little book of charts to guide remedy selection published by Saltire Books.

If you wish more guidance, or to explore the potential benefits of Homeopathic treatment, please book a discovery call via my website https://allanpollock.co.uk/ or mail me at [email protected] and I will respond by return.

Period Pain & Premenstual Syndrome

For simplicity in this article I focus on Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).  To quote the late Dr Andrew Lockie  in his book, The Family Guide to Homeopathy, PMS is a ‘constellation of symptoms, physical and emotional which affect many women in days leading up to period.’

The female body is rather more complex than that of the male given the hormonal variations over a 28 day cycle.  This may be reflected in the fact that there are many more female than male homeopathic practitioners.  

The female menstrual cycle is a natural connection to the rhythm of life.  As indeed is its onset (menarche) and decline (menopause)   For many this rhythm is without problems but for some it can be debilitating. 

It is worth saying at the outset that it is always worth checking with your GP to rule out any organic problem.    But even if such as fibroids or endometriosis are diagnosed, homeopathic treatment can help.

Whilst pain relief and / or contraception are the common medical approaches, homeopathy – as a holistic form of medicine – takes a wider view.

Homeopathy – Remedies for Period Pain & PMS

There are a many homeopathic medicines, not only those to address specific symptoms but also those concerned with inherited predispositions (a pattern across the generations).   

Here I mention the key useful remedies in typical first aid kits.  Please note the contrasts (some energetic some not; some cold some hot and so on). 

• Calcarea Carbonica (mineral): physical symptoms predominate – low energy so worse for exertion; clumsy; cold sweats; breasts swollen and painful; craving for eggs and sweet things.
• Lachesis (animal): in contrast the Lachesis type is hot (flushes) and vigorous; vocal and inquisitive; worse in the morning; have a dislike of tight clothing around the neck or waist; painful breasts; libido increased; headache; better for warm applications.
• Sepia (animal): this type feels better for vigorous exercise*; otherwise feels tired; jaded and overwhelmed by family responsibilities (consequently uncharacteristically irritable towards loved ones); libido decreased; might feel nauseous in the morning.
• Pulsatilla (plant): someone with fragile emotions, sad and weepy; appreciates sympathy; better out in the open air (consequently finds busy shops unbearable); nauseous. 
• Natrum muriaticum (mineral): prefers their own company; tears are shed in private; they feel sad and irritable; fluid retention is a characteristic; like Pulsatilla better out of doors but in contrast dislike sympathy; 

 * Some years back a young lady came to see me with bad acne which was clearly hormonal in origin.  She often came from a session at the gym. I opened the case with Sepia from which she benefitted somewhat.  She sought a quicker fix than homeopathy (or I) could offer so didn’t continue treatment.  Looking back, the remedy might have been repeated at higher potency and possibly Folliculinum given (this is oestrogen in homeopathic potency).

Out of interest, the Homeopathic remedy Sepia is made from the ink of the cuttlefish. Calcarea Carbonica is calcium carbonate from the shell of the oyster. One likes and is graceful in movement the other less so, as the remedies reflect.

Homeopathy: How to Approach Prescribing

For more on the benefits of purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies, see my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy

Classical homeopathic prescribing considers the following:

1. Causation (in this case there may be no cause as such)
2. Location (physical pain or emotions or…)
3. Modalities (what makes the symptoms better or worse e.g. walking or lying down or hot application etc.)
4. Sensation (the nature or any pain or mood)
5. Concomitants (anything else going on?)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while (see below for method) there is no response, then try another. The remedy has to resonate with you.

The task is to match the characteristics of the remedy or medicine to your symptoms.  Symptoms reflect the body’s attempts to restore balance. 

The homeopathic remedy must reflect these symptoms and thereby stimulates a healing response. This is the principle of ‘like curing like’ (which is what the word Homeopathy means).  

Taking Homeopathic Medicines

Homeopathic medicines are easy to take.  They are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth – not the gut.  The active component is absorbed onto sugar or milk of sugar (lactose) pill or tablet.  Allow the pill / tablet to dissolve in the mouth (chew the tablet to break it up).

An alternative approach is to put one or two pills into a bottle of water and shake (they may not dissolve straight away – that does not matter). Then sip on and off through the day (lightly shake each time). Hold in the mouth for a few seconds then swallow.

When you put the pill into water the pattern or resonance of the remedy transfers to the water. You can top up the water bottle without adding another pill.

If you see no improvement in 24-36 hours then you should retake your case and try another remedy. Once there is clear improvement then you can stop taking the remedy – the body will take over.

With regard to PMS start the remedy 24h before the anticipated symptoms.

A keyword search identified the question “What is complementary medicine in homeopathy?”.   The wording of the question is rather odd, but it is true that homeopathy is understood as a complementary or alternative form of medicine.  CAM for short.   This is the subject I wish to explore today.

If the written word is not your thing, and you would prefer to speak directly to me to discuss whether homeopathy can help you, please click and book a free 30 minute discovery call or email me at [email protected].

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE!

Emeritus Professor Edzard Ernst formerly chair of the Department of Complementary Medicine at Exeter University has assuredly been the nemesis of Homeopathy in the UK. 

From those who have met him, I glean that he is a pleasant and talented physician.  However, it is curious – or maybe refreshing (!) – to find a chair of an academic department who is sceptical about that department’s role of enquiry (which was generally negative to complementary therapies).

Be that as it may, I find myself – strangely – in agreement with a view expressed in his autobiography, namely, that there is no such thing as alternative medicine, just good medicine or bad.

The terms ‘Complementary’ and ‘Alternative’ are unhelpful.   Even within the field of what is considered orthodox medicine their are choices to be made.  Is it to be surgery or drug therapy or maybe both?  What is complementary to one condition might be central to another and so on.  

AGENDA?

There is a bit of an agenda in the use of terms like ‘Complementary’ or ‘Alternative’ in in medicine’ (CAM for short).  The inference is that it is not ‘mainstream’ – so be wary.   However, at the beginning of the 20th century what is now ‘mainstream’ was then ‘alternative’.  

This monument to Dr Samuel Hahnemann – who set down the tenets of homeopathy – was the first erected in Washington DC to a non-US citizen. It is rather more than a blue plaque, so he must have done something worthwhile!

THE ACTUAL QUESTION

So the question before any patient is what is most appropriate for the given condition.  I suggest the following:

1. Put your ‘house’ in order (diet, rest, fresh air, reduce stress etc.)
2. Maximise the innate self healing potential (a ‘tuning-up’)
3. ‘Orthodox’ Medicinal (biochemical) or surgical intervention – these are external rather than innate processes (where innate healing is impossible or the probability of a positive outcome is low).

CAM straddles 1 & 2 on the list. Properly applied it reduces the requirement for 3. 

Sadly, orthodox physicians have limited awareness of the 1 & 2 potential which is a shame (and costly to the NHS). 

One might extend 1 to include sanitation, clean water and so forth. 

The late Tinus Smits (Dutch Physician and Homeopath) wrote, ‘..four fifths of the human population is still starving or dying from illnesses that could easily be healed if they got the necessary ingredients to lead a healthy life’.  

In truth it is less medicine and more the improvements in housing, sanitation etc. that have improved life outcomes. 

WHO OR WHAT IS (WO)MAN?

The insightful, four volume magnum opus, Unfolding Consciousness  the author, Edi Bilimoria, informs us that there are more cells in our body than stars in the Milky Way;  that every second 10 million cells die and regenerate, and yet the body is as if an orchestra perfectly in tune.  Moreover we are two thirds water; more fluid than solid. 

How this should come about is a mystery, one much ignored by modern medical science which has the physical body as its sole focus.

This table, from Volume II, considers the Western concept of Soul and the corresponding Eastern perspective. 

Per the table, Eastern philosophy postulates a seven fold division of subtle bodies extending from the divine to the physical (the most condensed form of energy).

This is pertinent to homeopathic philosophy which is vitalist.  To quote from Hahnemann’s Organon of Medicine – aphorism 9:

‘In the state of health the spirit like vital force (dynamis) animating the material human organism reigns in supreme sovereignty.  It maintains the sensations and activities of all parts of the living organism in a harmony that obliges wonderment…’

Simply put, from conception to death those trillions of cells are orchestrated by a non-material life force.  At the moment of death this life force withdraws from the physical body, which then decays back to the elements from which it was constructed.  

As best I am aware, all religions consider the spiritual body (aka soul) to be eternal.  Hence it is only the physical body that is temporary.

Science

Modern science – including medical science – is materialist / reductionist.  It is concerned solely with the physical world – that which can be seen (albeit with the aid of sophisticated technology).  The Scientific and Medical Network takes a wider view which is outlined in their Galileo Report.

Even mental health problems are understood from a materialistic perspective.   But, where is the mind? To the materialist the mind (and hence consciousness) is a property of the physical brain. 

However, it may be external to the body, and the physical brain a sort of transmitter / receiver.  We believe we are in our bodies, but our bodies may be in us.  

What if the the  roots of our disease or dis-ease sit in the non-material plane?  By way of example, a possible reason for phantom limb pain in amputees is that the limb still exists at the etheric level (which is a sort of blueprint).  

Those of a religious persuasion may be sympathetic, but science remains solidly sceptical. 

Homeopathic medicines appear to have the potential to act on these higher planes.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN MEDICINE 

One cannot deny the advances in modern medicine since the middle of the 19th century and the birth of bacteriology (Koch, Pasteur etc.).  But it has no interest in the spiritual nature of man.  For that we call on the hospital chaplain!

Orthodox medicine adheres (mostly) to the principle of the theory of opposites.  For that reason most drug groups carry the prefix ‘anti-‘ (antihistamine, antibiotics, antihypertensives etc.).  The underlying rationale is a war on disease (cf anti-tank etc.). 

All well and good, but all too often the best modern medicine can do is manage symptoms.

MAN – THE MACHINE

There is similarity between the analytical problem-solving methods used in health care and those of the engineer running a machine.  I have a little quip that modern medicine is ‘chemical engineering with a bedside manner’!  Of course the complexities of machines are as nothing compared to those the human body.  

BUT the human being is not a machine, but an amalgam of the material (physical) and immaterial (spiritual). Medicine should be a mix of science and art.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE

As already mentioned, Homeopathy is vitalist.  Central to its philosphy is the creative life force. 

In the Organon in Aphorism 11, Hahnemann writes:

‘When a man falls ill it is at first only this …vital force everywhere present in the organism which is untuned by the dynamic influence of the hostile disease agent…expressed as disease symptoms’

Thus, Disease is a dynamic imbalance and the role of medicine is to correct this and restore harmony.

Where modern medicine adheres to the theory of opposites, Homeopathy applies the law of similars.  In Homeopathy, symptoms reflect the attempt of the organism to self-cure.  This contrasts the position of modern medicine which often sees symptoms as something to be suppressed.  I speak here of general concepts.  The antibiotic age is not without merit, but neither is the antibiotic always necessary.  Our innate capacity to heal is significant. 

Considered as a holistic totality the objective is to match the these symptoms with the characteristics of the medicine.  This is the law of similars, which is central to homeopathy (the word means ‘similar suffering’)

The characteristics of each medicine come from an amalgam of a ‘proving’ (testing on healthy people), clinical experience and toxicological knowledge.  

The old homeopathic texts use the term ‘drug’ justifiably, but they are quite different in formulation from what we consider drugs today, so the term ‘remedy’ is favoured.  Semantics really.

ON HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES

Homeopathic medicines are serial dilutions (each step typically one part in one hundred or centesimal) agitated at each dilution.  Above the 12th centesimal potency, Avogadro’s number states that no molecule of the original substance remains. 

Hahnemann initially experimented with quite low potencies, but discovered the worth of higher dilutions (to the 30th centesimal).  Although Avogadro was a contemporary, it is doubtful that the implications of his work were understood.  Hahnemann’s objective was simply to find the minimum dose to effect cure.  

Later homeopaths discovered benefit from dilutions up to 100,000 centesimal! These have to be machine made.

Lower potencies have affinity to the material (so closer to modern ‘drugs’) and higher to the immaterial (i.e. mental / emotional).

Ha Ha!

To the materialist scientist such dilutions are hilarious; an impossibility.  But, had Hahnemann accidentally entered the word of quantum mechanics (behaviour of nature below the scale of atoms)? 

Here we enter the world of energy medicine, though I prefer the term ‘information’.  We live in an information age – it is all around and invisible until you turn on your smart phone etc. 

The life force is a form of information – perhaps a frequency complex.  Every living thing on the planet is ‘informed’. 

Wiltshire based cosmologist Dr Jude Currivan in her book ‘The Cosmic Hologram’ draws analogy between the first and second laws of thermodynamics and those of information.   

Thus the homeopathic ‘drug’ acts to inform / educate the organism.  The allopathic drug in contrast acts biochemically and independently of the organism. 

The allopathic drug being foreign to the body creates a secondary response known as ‘side-effects’.  But they are not accidental – an action / reaction response.

Such is not possible with the homeopathic remedy.  In homeopathy, if the organism resonates with the medicine there will be a desired reaction; if not, there will be no response.  As the late Dr R.A.F. Jack (GP and Homeopath) said, it is like a key in a lock, either it fits or it does not. 

COULD HOMEOPATHY HELP YOU?

Quite possibly.  Of course there are no guarantees regardless of the branch of medicine used.  But it is gentle medicine that maximises your innate capacity to heal.

Practitioners of whatever hue, do their best, which is all one can ask.

Despite the many advances in medicine, much still remains a mystery, and maybe always will.  So if you have a health problem that despite best efforts remains please book a discovery call via my website.   

The season for respiratory ailments is once again upon us. In this short article I look at the use of Homeopathy for Flu and Cold as well as other self-help measures.

Frankly, the other self-help measures are the most important.

This blog continues the study on the use of a first aid kit of homeopathic remedies. Kits can be obtained from homeopathic pharmacies such as Ainsworths or Helios.

There is also a nice little book of charts to guide selection published by Saltire Books

Influenza

Here is a nice ancedote. What you would do if a £20 note blows into the garden? With a ‘cold’ you will nip out and get it; with ‘flu you will not! Influenza is not a headcold.

The late Dr Andrew Lockie in his Family Guide to Homeopathy writes:

“Influenza is caused by many different strains of virus and spread by droplet infection. It affects the respiratory tract causing a sore throat, cough and sometimes chest pain, but also produces muscular aches and pains generally, chills headache and fever. Incubation period is 1-2 days, fever lasts 2-3 days, and full recovery may take 1-2 weeks. Young children, elderly people, smokers, diabetics, and people who suffer from chronic lung disease are likely to be hit hardest. Possible comlications are acute bronchitis and pneumonia. One attack only confers limited immunity. Provided there are no complications, best treatment is bed rest and plenty of fluids. Antibiotics are not appropriate unless there is a secondary infection. If your temperature is not back to normal within 4 days, see your GP.”

He continues, “Since each ‘flu outbreak is caused by a slightly different virus immunization – orthodox or homeopathic – can only be partially effective”.

Sensible self-help

Sure, for a ‘head cold’ you will probably muddle through. But you would be ill advised to do that if it is a ‘proper’ influenza. As Lockie says, you need rest. That way your immune system has one task – that is to get fight the virus.

Vitamin C is an excellent anti-viral. Everyone should have Vitamin C in their cupboard. It is very safe because it is water soluble and excess leaves the body in the urine.

Here are some words for a book titled Superimmunity for Kids by Leo Galland M.D. (pub: Bloomsbury 1989). This book was my little ‘bible’ when my son was young. Under the heading Respiratory Infections, Sore Throats, Colds and Flu, he writes:
“I recommend rest, chicken soup and TLC. For severe infections with fever, lots of aches and/ or uncomfortable congestion, I find short megadose therapy of vitamin C helpful.

On Vitamin C: This vitamin has a direct anti-viral effect: it blocks the pathways by which viruses enter cells.

To treat severe colds, viral infection such as sore throats or bronchitis, and flu, I find megadoses of vitamin C very effective…

I recommend the highest dose you [your child] can take. 1000mg an hour, until he begins to get loose bowels (Excess vitamin C…draws water into the intestines). This will establish [the] saturation point. Stop the vitamin C until the next day, when you should give [him] 1000mg every 2-3 hours until the bowels become loose. Stop the vitamins again until the third day, when you should give 1000mg every four to six hours. Maintain this dose until the cold is over, then gradually cut the dose back over two weeks to 1000mg a day.

The anti-viral effect of vitamin C depends on getting the highest level possible into the tissues. Is it safe? Very: not only against viruses but also acute allergic reactions. When should you not give vitamin C? If you [your child] has kidney disease or is too sick to take food and liquid along with it.“

[Personally, I have not found short term high doses to result in loose bowels, but we react individually and Dr. Galland’s guidance on management above is clear].

The mineral Zinc can be helpful also – 25-30mg daily for a few days (say 5).

Recently Vitamin D has risen in prominence as an immune system support, especially during the winter period, as sunlight is necessary for its synthesis. 20mcg (microgram) / 800 IU is a typical supplementation, but in the darkest days 50mcg / 2000 IU daily will do no harm – (how much vitamin D to take).

Short term use of the herbal product Echinacea is also helpful (follow manufacturer’s instructions).

Over the Counter Medications

Paracetamol containing products (e.g. Calpol) bring about symptomatic relief by controlling fever etc. But they have no curative power whatsoever.

Fever has a purpose, which is to kill the virus. Thus use of paracetamol, or aspirin will prolong your illness – even if you feel a little better. Furthermore excess use – especially in ‘flu, risks contracting a persistent fatigue state. Instead follow the guidance above and keep your fluid intake up.

Reflection

Conventional thought of long standing favours the virus theory. Some of iconoclast leanings are less convinced. Even the concept of the ‘virus’ is challenged – it is so darn small that challenge the most powerful imaging technology. Thus, they ask, whether what is seen is truly the entity we call a virus or something else? Perhaps resulting debris consequent on the ‘invisible’ virus?

A little iconoclasm is good; it makes you think.

Be that as it may, it is fair to say that not everyone ‘catches’ the cold even when in proximity to someone coughing and sneezing. So why is one person susceptible and another not?

An esoteric view might be that that our illnesses are a something of a clean out of toxins. And maybe even a ‘message’ that you need to step back from the stresses and strains of daily life.

Your illness could be a life lesson, so reflect on it.

Homeopathy for Flu and Cold: How to Approach Prescribing

For more on the benefits of purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies, see my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy

Classical homeopathic prescribing considers the following:

1. Causation (virus in this case)
2. Location (what is affected)
3. Modalities (what makes the symptoms better or worse e.g. hot or cold drink)
4. Sensation (is there anything remarkable about the symptom)
5. Concomitants (anything else going on?)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while (see below for method) there is no response, then try another. The remedy has to resonate.

The task is to match the charateristics of the remedy or medicine with the symptoms of the patient. The symptoms reflect the body’s attempt to cure, which you want to encourage. The homeopathic remedy echoes those symptoms and stimulates an immune response. This is the principle of ‘like curing like’ (which is what the word Homeopathy means). Properly applied you will get better quicker.

Taking Homeopathic Medicines

Homeopathic medicines are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth – not the gut. So you let the pill dissolve under the tongue.

A simple alternative approach is to put one or two pills into a bottle of water and shake (they may not dissolve straight away – that does not matter). Then sip on and off through the day (lightly shake each time). Hold in the mouth for a few seconds then swallow.

The active homeopathic remedy is typically absorbed onto a sugar pill. When you put the pill into water the pattern or resonance of the remedy transfers to the water. You can top up the water bottle without adding another pill.

If you see no improvement in 24-36 hours then you should retake your case and try another remedy. Once there is clear improvement then you can stop taking the remedy – the body will take over.

Some Typical Remedies

What follows is drawn from Dr Lockie’s book and the remedies typically found in first aid kits.

• Aconite – sudden onset, hot, restless, apprehensive, fever – remedy of inflammations during the first 24 hours
• Belladonna – similar to Aconite but slightly slower onset, high fever – yet chilly – wants to be covered, red skin, glaring eyes – even delirium and rage (contrasts Aconite) (keynote: fever and delirium)
• Gelsemium – classic ‘flu: chills up and down spine, feeling tired, weak and shaky, not too thirsty, headache (keynote: ‘dull’, ‘droopy’ and ‘drowsy’).
• Bryonia – hot, irritable, thirsty with cough and headache. Movement makes symptoms worse (keynote: ‘bear with a sore head’!)
• Arsenicum – chilly, restless, thinks it useless to take medicine, thirsty for sips of warm water, eyes and nose stream and burn, great weakness (keynote: burning yet better with heat)
• Rhus tox – aching in the bones, teasing cough at night, restless so better with motion, possible septic state (keynote: muscles stiff but better once moving).
• Nux Vomica – history of mental strain and excessive use of stimulants (coffee etc.); chilly and irritable / contrary with fiery temperament, must be covered, cough with bursting headache, dry fever without thirst, gastric symptoms (keynote: crampy, hypersensitive, cold intolerant)

For guidance on the use of homeopathy in acute (i.e. self limiting) illness please book a discovery call via my website or mail me at [email protected].

I am also happy to give short talks to groups on the homeopathic approach to the treatment of both minor and chronic (i.e. deeper seated) ailments.

Traditional vs Modern Medicine: one of the incidental learnings from the study of homeopathy is a glimpse into the history of medicine. In fact what is now considered orthodox was once alternative.

Potted History

In fact medicine as currently understood is a relatively recent phenomenon. There were assuredly notable figures back in ancient history such as Hippocrates (460-370BCE) and Galen (129-216 CE) whose influence reached into the 17th century and Paracelsus (1493-1541). In some regards their great influence was a constraint on progress. William Harvey (1578-1657) hesitated for years to publish his thesis on the circulation of the blood which (correctly) challenged ancient wisdom.

Herbalism

We can safely say that excluding early surgical procedures – I dare say much learned on the battlefield – that the majority of medicines in use were herbal in nature. And across the globe today hebalism remains common place. TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine, follows the Chinese diaspora and has a world-wide presence. Similarly in the Indian sub-continent there is Ayurvedic medicine, whilst in the west Naturopathy is recognised, albeit with a lower profile. There are many similar branches of Traditional Medicine in other cultures accross the World. Given the history and global presence you could reasonably argue that these practices are indeed quite orthodox.

Homeopathy

Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) who set down the precepts of Homeopathic medicine was a radical thinker. His system of medicine developed from what was then orthodox. It was underpinned by a new philosophy of the nature of both man and disease. Certain aspects were known to the ancients, for example that like can cure like had been postulated previoulsly. But his theory of miasms, about which I wrote recently, was surely radical. As indeed was his theory on minimum the medicinal dose to stimulate cure. That his is the first monument in Washington to a citizen not born in the USA, has to say something. It is rather grander than a blue plaque!

The Dawn of Western ‘Scientific’ Medicine

A new revolution began shortly after Hahnemann’s death. The bacteriologists, Frenchman Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) and German Robert Koch (1843 -1910) introduced germ theory which confirmed earlier speculation regarding the nature of contagion. Pasteur’s rival Antione Bechamp (1816-1908) contested the theory observing that a healthy immune system resists infection. So the challenge was to define and maintain health. rather than eliminate germs. We can today safely say that both men were right. Improvements in sanitation, nutrition and living conditions are of equal standing to medical interventions.

At any rate the middle years of the 19th century saw the dawn of modern medicine. An understanding made possible by the microscope and advances in chemistry.

Science

The origins of scientific discovery is an interesting study in itself. The World History website gives a taster. In western terms famous names like Galileo and Newton point to the 17th century.

However, as mentioned, in medical terms the 19th century is pivotal. Not only was there germ theory but the first edition of Gray’s anatomy was published in 1858

Hahnemann was actually a notable chemist in his own right and justifiably scientific in his methods.

Money, Money, Money

The industrial revolution was truly that. By the early twentieth century there were two very wealthy men who were likely pivotal in placing what is now deemed orthodox western medicine centre stage. The first was Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), born to a weaving family in Dunfermline, Scotland, who made his fortune in the USA in iron and steel. The second John D Rockefeller, who created Standard Oil. Both established charitable foundations that remain influential to this day.

The Carnegie Foundation funded research into medical education in the USA early in the twentieth century. The report compiled by Abraham Flexner, an educator, set the path for medicine ever since.

There is much to commend the new scientific approach. From the sythensis of Aspirin in 1899, there were precursors to the antibiotics by the 1930s, then Penicillin in the 1940, Corticosteroids in the 1950s, Beta blockers in the 1960s, Paracetamol in the 1970s and so on. Not to mention advances in vaccines and surgery.

The triumphs of modern medicine are extoled, but call into any old churchyard and you will see that our forebears lived longer that you might think.

History Repeats

A century later steel and oil have given way to the information age. We now find the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation similarly engaged. A good thing? – maybe. But I read a recent review of a biography that the foundation’s influence which in financial terms exceeds that of the World Heatlth Organisation and is accountable to none. Nurse educator Dr John Campbell has some concerns.

Alternative Medicine

Emeritus Professor Edzard Ernst who prior to his retirement held the chair in Complementary Medicine at Exeter University. Strangely – for he is not too keen on complementary medicine – I rather agree with an argument he put forward in his autobiography, namely that there is no such thing as complementary of alternative medicine. Just good or bad medicine.

People have to make choices, surgery over drugs for example. Whether or not to use traditional medicines of whatever hue is just another choice. The keywords are ‘Informed consent’. Retired GP Bob Leckridge has wise words on this subject.

Traditional vs Modern Medicine

There is a certain pejorative tone when speaking of Traditional vs Modern Medicine. Old hat versus new – and obviously new is best. For sure it can be, but the to ignore past wisdom is surely folly. Modern medicine does some things very well, but often the focus is on symptom management and not cure. And as we hear daily healthcare within the NHS places a significant burden on the economy.

Should we not be seeking the best of both tradition and new? For the most part medical schools do not teach traditional medicine. Consequently an choice outside the mainstream relies on individual research.

Saddens me a bit.

Do take advantage of a free Discovery Call, if you wish to research whether homeopathy offers any potential to help with your health concerns.

More on Homeopathy First Aid Kits. Whilst with care and attention accidents can be avoided, the unfortunate fact is that bumps and scapes are a fact of life, for adults and children alike. Please note that for many minor things the body will heal quite naturally, so use your medicines judiciously.

Within your first-aid kit you will find several  in medicines in the class of ‘vulneraries’, these being suitable for the treatment of wounds to tissues (and feelings). For ‘vulneries’ think vulnerable (same word root).

Within your first-aid kit you will find several  in medicines in the class of ‘vulneraries’, these being suitable for the treatment of wounds to tissues (and feelings). For ‘vulneries’ think vulnerable (same word root).

Looking at my Ainsworth Kit (see below), I find Apis; Arnica; Calendula; Cantharis; Chamomilla; Hypericum; Ignatia; Ledum; Rhus toxicodendron; Ruta graveolens; Staphysagria.

For more on the benefits of purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies see my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy

How to approach First Aid prescribing

Classical homeopathic prescribing considers the following:

1. Causation (usually clear in the case of a accident)
2. Location (what is affected)
3. Modalities (what makes the symptoms better or worse e.g. hot or cold drink)
4. Sensation (is there anything remarkable about the symptom)
5. Concomitants (anything else going on?)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while (say one tablet or pill three to four times a day for 1-2 days) there is no response, then try another.

The task in classical homeopathic prescribing is to match the charateristics of the remedy or medicine with the symptoms of the patient. The symptoms reflect the body’s attempt to cure. The homeopathic remedy echoes those symptoms and stimulates an immune response. This is the principle of ‘like curing like’ (which is what the word Homeopathy means). Properly applied you will get better quicker.

Remember that homeopathic medicines are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth – not the gut – so you let the tablet or pill dissolve under the tongue.

Remedy Profiles and Uses

In Homeopathy First Aid Kits you will find several  in medicines in the class of ‘vulneraries’, these being suitable for the treatment of wounds to tissues (and feelings).

Looking at my Ainsworth Kit, I find Apis; Arnica; Calendula; Cantharis; Chamomilla; Hypericum; Ignatia; Ledum; Rhus toxicodendron; Ruta graveolens; and Staphysagria.

Apis

Derived from the sting of the bee.  Its affinity is for the skin, mucous (moist inner lining of organs) and serous (outer lining of organs) membranes.  Red, puffy (oedema) and burning might be the key words.  It is useful in rapidly developing conditions like tonsillitis, laryngitis, conjunctivitis and urinary troubles where there is a burning sensation.  Think of apis also in rheumatism when the joint is shiny red and swollen.  Ice cold applications ameliorate (e.g. suck ice with a sore throat). 

Arnica

Derived from a small mountain plant with yellow flowers. Many have heard of this medicine, possibly in its use as a herbal salve. Its primary use homeopathically is in the healing of soft tissue damage where there is bruising.  Another odd characteristic is that people make light of their suffering: “don’t fuss, I am fine”.  Arnica will benefit those unaccustomed to exercise who suffer from overuse of the muscles and joints. Arnica types do not like to be touched.  It even has value in the treatment of influenza (particularly in athletes). 

Don’t apply Arnica in herbal form to an open wound as a rash may develop (use Calendula instead – see below)

Here is a short video of the masterful Prof. George Vithoulkas talking about arnica. The video and sound quality are not great but the guidance is! Prof Vithoulkas is now 92 but still a leading light in homeopathy today. He teaches that this remedy should not be used for minor bruises, rather more serious events where there is real pain or even suspected concussion.

Curiously, the memory of past trauma can benefit from Arnica – possibly years past.  I attended a lecture where Prof. Vithoulkas opened a patient’s case with Arnica because her health troubles began many years previously after she had been badly assaulted by a step-father.

Interesting fact: Arnica like Calendula and Chamomilla are all members of the daisy plant family (Compositae).  The common daisy (Bellis Perrenis) has similar properties to Arnica though not usually in any first aid kit. Botanical families of plants often share common charactistics.

Calendula

Derived from the Marigold.  This is another substance that can be used externally as a herbal salve and internally in homeopathic potency.  It promotes the healing of open wounds including ulcers.  You could dissolve one pill from the kit in a little water and dab that on the wound and also take it internally.  You can buy Calendula ointment, and also tincture (10% solution in alcohol / water) for external use.  Think of Calendua when you might otherwise use Savlon or Germolene.

Cantharis

Derived from a small beetle (Lytta vesicatoria) otherwise know as Spanish Fly (though it is neither a fly nor unique to Spain!).  The keyword here is burning pains.  Consequently there is overlap with Apis.  Its focus is on the genitourinary tract. Think of this remedy in cases of cystitis where there is a constant urge to urinate with burning.    As you might expect it is useful first aid following scalds potentially with blistering. On the mental sphere there may be irritation to the point of rage.

Chamomilla

Most people have heard of Chamomile tea and its soothing effect.  Homeopathically it sits with a group of medicines that display suffering out of proportion to the condition.  The chief characteristic is anger. The inconsolable and demanding teething baby – driving the parent also to despair – often responds well to Chamomilla.  Everything is simply intolerable. A remedy to be considered for toothache, colic, ear infection and even pains of labour.

Hypericum

Derived from the plant St John’s Wort. Should you have the misfortune to jam your fingers in a door think of Hypericum.  This is a medicine for lacerations where there is nerve damage.  It can usefully be used alongside Calendula and indeed ointments containing both are useful in the first aid chest (sometimes called Hyper-cal).  Painful damage to the coccyx will respond well to Hypericum.  It can also be useful in the treatment of haemorrhoids (piles). 

Ignatia

The wounds of Ignatia are primarily emotional.  This is a remedy for emotional shock resulting from bereavement, disappointment or distress.  Moods can swing from from one extreme to the other.  There may be spasm and loss of self control. This remedy should aid a return to equilibrium.  Unlike Chamomilla there is no anger or violence.

Ledum

Derived from the wild rosemary (sage family) this medicine is used to wounds that often have a small point of entry.  So useful in stings and bites or a stab from a nail (it has reputed anti-tetanus properties) or vaccinations.   The books speak of the wounds being ‘cold’ or better from cold applications.  This leads me to think that Apis is better for a bee sting (if hot and swollen), but I confess no personal experience in this.  Try one and if no result try the other!

It is also beneficial should you receive a black eye (so compatible with Arnica).

It can be of benefit in rheumatism (which begins in the lower limbs and ascends), and gout.  Inflammation of a ligament in the sole of foot (plantar fasciitis) can often respond to this remedy also.

Rhus tox.

Derived from a Poison Ivy found in the Asia and North America.  Another ‘swords to ploughshare remedy’.  This medicine is particularly useful in conditions where there is muscle, ligament and tendon damage.  The key modality is worse on the first movement and improves with continued movement (also better from warmth).   The Rhus tox patient is never comfortable for long and continually has to change position.  It is a remedy that often follows Arnica to good effect.

It is worth saying that this medicine has many spheres of action.  Contact with Poison ivy results in blisters and itching and consequently Rhus tox can be useful is such as Chicken pox or Shingles.  Rhus tox can also help resolve a dry cough that is worse at night preventing sleep. 

It is not really possible in Homeopathy to say what any medicine is ‘for’ as they often are ‘for’ many things – but there are affinities.

Ruta

Derived from the herb Rue, this medicine sits close to Rhus tox. as it acts on the muscles, tendons, cartilage and joints.  Like Rhus it is better for movement.  It also has an affinity with eye strain (ocular muscles).  The bruised sensation makes comparison with Arnica.  Homeopathic chemists can supply  Arnica, Rhus tox and Ruta in combination (ARR) given the overlapping characteristics.  The first aid kits tend to have these medicines individually  but it is perfectly possible to take them in alternation or sequentially.  

Staphysagria

Derived from a plant related to delphinium this is another remedy for wounds.  This time clean incised wounds such as post surgery which are proving slow to heal.  Recurrent styes may also be helped with this medicine.   Equally the ‘wounds’ can be emotional often associated with a sense of victimisation. 

Think of the above medicines in a self-help context to promote healing.  If healing is slow it is worth giving me a call to see if one of the these remedies or another can help speed up the natural process. 

In my last blog I introduced the concept of miasm in Homeopathy. This time I focus particularly on the Tubercular Miasm. In modern parlance these are epigenetic factors that underly health. In other words our inheritance. It is reasonable to say that the factors affecting our health divide into two camps: that which we acquire from the environment (viruses and bacteria for example) and that which we inherit.

Tubercular Miasm and Dairy Allergy

Just the other day I overheard a conversation concerning a very young child – perhaps 4 or 5 years old – who had a very severe allergy to milk. To the extent that placing milk in the vicinity was sufficient to bring out a rash. To add insult to injury there were some respiratory and skin issues.

Orthodox medicine will mangage the symptoms with anti-histamines and such like. Will the child overcome the allergy in time? Perhaps.

The Cow, Milk and TB

You probably know that dairy herds are regulary tested for bovine tuberculosis. And have heard of the controversial culls or badger populations, which are a vector for transmission. Compulsory testing dates from the 1950s. It is a serious concern for farmers as when found the herd is slaughtered.

The connection between the cow, bovine TB and milk requires little explanation.

TB – The Human Connection

Unfortunately, we humans are susceptable to the same bacterium, Mycobacterium Bovis, discovered by Robert Koch in 1882. One of the reasons milk is pasteurised (heat treated) is to eliminate the possibility of transmission of the TB bacillus to humans through milk.

TB is a very infectious disease and transmission is primarily by aerosol both in man and cattle. 150 years ago the disease was rife, but it recedes in memory in part due to the advent of antibiotics but also the significant improvements in housing, especially the clearance of slums. Here is a nice article from the Science Museum.

Tubercular Miasm in Homeopathy

As explained in my last blog the concept of miasm, means that a taint in the genome passes through the generations. This is NOT the active disease but a record of its presence in our ancestry.

South African Homeopath Dr David Lilley* – now in his eighties – who trained under Dr Marjorie Blackie, physician to our late Queen, has an interesting hypothesis that certain diseases have a function in advancing humanity. It is perhaps no accident the TB has association with the era of the romantic poets as the Science Museum article shows. Man’s diseases or dis-eases may have deeper meaning and purpose!

(* here is Dr Lilley talking on the archetype of the Wolf)

Be that as it may, identification of the underlying miasm is one pointer to the selection of the homeopathic medicines that will help the patient.

Miasmatic Treatment

Homeopathic medicines (remedies) can be grouped according to the miasm. For example, Phosphorus is a leading anti-tubercular remedy; a remedy with a strong affinity for respiratory conditions (think of how TB affected the lung).

Alas, whilst such as Phosphorus or Tuberculinum** can be used to good effect, resolution of a complex case is rarely as simple as giving one remedy. It would be so nice if it were that simple. There are many medicines in the category ‘aggravated by milk’.

(** a homeopathic preparation based on the tubercular bacillus – remember homeopathy uses ultra-dilutions and should be considered akin to frequencies not molecules – you cannot catch TB from Tuberculinum!!)

The child mentioned above has not been in this world long enough to have acquired her ‘disease’ from the environment. There has to be a genetic link, and inherited predisposition. And it is a fair bet the Tubercular miasm is centre stage.

Should you wish to investigate the homeopathic approach to healing, do book a free Discovery Call from my website

This blog considers the unique concept of Miasm in Homeopathy.

Doctor Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843)

I have written before about Hahnemann, a German physician, who set down the principles of Homeopathic Medicine. The grand monument to him pictured below, dates from the early twentieth century. It is located right at the centre of Washington D.C. and was the first erected in that city to someone who was not an American citizen. One might reasonably assume that he was held in high regard. What we now regard as orthodox medicine was in its infancy. It is fashionable to think that time has eclipsed his work, but is that true?

To some extent he drew together knowledge from earlier times.  The central principle of homeopathy – like cures like (or Similia Similibus Curentor on the statue plinth) – was, for example, recognised in antiquity. 

In his later years, he sought answers to why certain patients would get better and then relapse.  Bearing in mind that even bacteriology post dates Hahnemann, never mind genetics, his hypothesis was a remarkable and he believed his greatest achievement.   Rightly, so.

Miasm in Homeopathy

The similar word ‘miasma’ – that a sort of foul air was a cause of disease was a popular theory until relatively recently.

Perhaps the hypothesis was not entirely wrong as those who can remember the great smogs that afflicted the industrial cities can testify.

However, as the Punch cartoon below shows, it was not much help in understanding water-born diseases like cholera.

However, the ‘Miasms’ of Hahnemannian thinking are different and align with modern genetic theory.  Otherwise put, inheritance.   

Our health is an interaction of ‘toxins’ (for want of a better word) that are either inherited or acquired.  For simplicity let’s say ‘genes’ and ‘germs’. 

Hahnemann found that his many patients responded well to the stimulus of homeopathic medicines. And he understood the concept of contagion even though ‘germ theory’ was unknown at that time.

It was only in his later years that he hypothesised a predisposition and sought to understand the cause.

Miasm: Psora

By a remarkable process of deduction Hahnemann concluded that the vast majority (say 80%) of ailments fell (simplistically put) into the ‘germ’ category.  This he named Psora. 

The word comes from the Hebrew word (Tsorat) for a groove or taint.  You can see the word in Psoriasis, and indeed Hahnemann saw a strong connection between skin complaints and Psora.  

Notable homeopaths of the early twentieth century perceived Psora as a consequence of ‘the fall’. The exile from the Garden of Eden described in the Biblical book of Genesis. 

This is not so quaint.   Disease, expressed as Dis-ease, might be seen as our lot.  If there was no Dis-ease, we’d all be content.  Back in the mythical Garden of Eden, so-to-speak.

Dr Michaela Glöckler, a paediatrician and follower of the teachings of Austrian polymath Dr Rudolph Steiner told the audience at the 2024 conference of the Society of Homeopaths, that man is ‘deficit-arian’. The term caused some head scratching in the audience for a moment!

What she was saying is that human beings are deficient (spiritually) and hence, our earthly journey is to learn and thus reduce this deficit.  Thus ‘dis-ease’ is the catalyst to our spiritual growth and deficit reduction. We are both material (physical) and non-material (spiritual) beings.

In contrast animals are ‘perfect’; they act instinctively. Nor are they troubled by ambition, acquisition, self-fullfilment etc.

Generally stated, Psoric disease do not cause destructive pathology. The organism has the innate potential to overcome Psoric disease. However, medical intervention may be necessary, to bolster the deficient organism and avoid death. Covid would be a good example.

The Social Diseases

The ‘social diseases’ are polite code for Syphilis and Gonorrhoea.  Moral overtones mean that these diseases are spoken of in hushed tones (even today). Yet they were (and are) rife but less devastating due to the advent of anti-biotics.  

A leading, now retired South African Homeopath, Dr David Lilley has a hypothesis that these diseases actually have a purpose in the advancement of the human genome.  As sex is quite popular, what better way to communicate nature’s purpose!

Conceptually these diseases bring necessary metaphoric fire to overcome the weakness and deficiency of Psora and have both a positive and negative slant as this book by Deborah Hayden shows (Pox being in this case Syphilis not Smallpox).

From Beethoven to Oscar Wilde and Van Gogh, the evidence presented shows the contrasting creative influence and madness of the Syphilitic. And in Adolph Hitler the destructive nature.

Miasm: Syphilitic and Sycotic

But Hahnemann’s observation did not concern the active disease states of the ‘social diseases’, rather the taint on the human genome that carries forward long after the death of the original victim; over many generations. 

The characteristic keyword of the Syphilitic Miasm is ‘destruction’, and of the Gonorrhoeal, ‘overgrowth’.  For the latter, Hahnemann used the word Sycosis – from the Greek word for fig (he observed warts of a fig like nature – N.B. there is no connection with similar sounding word ‘Psychosis’). 

To summarise, we have deficiency in the Psoric Miasm; destruction in Syphilitic Miasm; and, overgrowth in the Sycotic Miasm.

Like it or not, all of humanity carries these; you and me.

From a modern genetic standpoint, the influence may be quiescent (even through a lifetime) or active.  This is why I used the term ‘epigenetic’. 

In contrast to the views of Crick, Watson, Rosalind and Wilson who discovered DNA in the 1950s it seems that the genetic code is not entirely fixed.  Envisioned as switches, aspects of the genetic code can then be ‘on’ or ‘off’.

It is a while since I read this book by Bruce Lipton, but he is a leading current proponent of epigenetic theory.

One susprects that Hahnemann would agree.

Miasm: Twentieth Century

Like Syphilis, active Tuberculosis was once rife. It is now treated with antibiotics, but up until the 1950s there were many Sanatoria located in rural locations to treat those with TB. 

Not generally recognised however, is the resultant ‘miasmatic’ taint which probably affects 80% of the population (e.g. hay-fever sufferers are likely ‘Tubercular’).  

The Tubercular miasm is generally understood Homeopathically as an interplay between the Psoric and Syphilitic miasms.

Many of the romantic poets suffered from tuberculosis, demonstrating again its positive creative energy.

Finally, we come to cancer, the disease of our age.  Potentially a mix of Hahnemann’s three miasms:  the deficiency of Psora, the overgrowth of Sycosis and destruction of Syphilis. However, cancer is not a contagious disease so some challenge the hypothesis of a true ‘Cancer Miasm’.

However, the contagious nature of HIV-AIDS – for example – may in time result in a new miasmatic taint that becomes yet another part of our genetic evolution.

Miasm in Homeopathy

Do remember that homeopathic medicines are ultra-dilutions and do not contain the actual bacteria but (for want of a better expression) its resonance. 

So it is possible to give a homeopathic preparation of the bacteria (known as a Nosode). The remedy Tuberculinum is commonly used (because the miasm is so common) where there is a history of respiratory infections. However, it has a wide picture to include mental and emotional spheres.

Many medicines in Homeopathy are weighted towards one of the miasms. Homeopathic Sulphur is Psoric; Mercury is Syphilitic (historically material doses of Mercury were given to treat active syphilis) and so on.

Part of the consultation process is to discover the underlying miasmatic influences. Shop-aholics may be Sycotic (excess); the competitive, Syphilitic (beat the ‘enemy’); hill walkers, Tubercular (need clean air – like TB patients in Sanatoria) and so on. These are just pointers not absolutes.

Some diseases are clearly destructive and therefore Syphilitic, some cause overgrowth (e.g. warts) and are Sycotic and so forth. Giving the relevant nosode may be part of the curative process.

Homeopathy in Practice

I hope that the above shows that there is rather more to Homeopathy that the wits who say there ‘is nothing in it’ (referring to the ultra-dilutions, of course).

Equally I do not wish to give the impression that addressing the miasm resolves all. It is just one piece in a million piece jigsaw that is the human body. Nonetheless Hahnemann’s hypothesis was remarkable and has stood the test of time.

Perhaps Homeopathy could help you? Do take advantage of booking a free discovery call via this website to find out more.

Pulsatilla is a common remedy in Homeopathy. It is a useful remedy for young children in particular, but it is also a good remedy for a cough. But only if the picture fits.

Pulsatilla is a small plant from the buttercup family – an alpine – if you have a rockery it may be there, smiling at you!

How to Approach Prescribing

Continuing with the series on remedies in a typical home first aid kit, the plan was to talk in more general terms about kit remedies for common injuries, but I will leave that until next month.

Instead, courtesy of my adult son, I share a short example of how homeopathic prescribing differs from the orthodox medical approach.

For more on the benefits of purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies see my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy

Classical homeopathic prescribing considers the following:

1. Causation (may or not be clear)
2. Location (what is affected)
3. Modalities (what makes the symptoms better or worse e.g. hot or cold drink)
4. Sensation (is there anything remarkable about the symptom)
5. Concomitants (anything else going on?)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while (say one tablet or pill three to four times a day for 1-2 days) there is no response, then try another.

The task in classical homeopathic prescribing is to match the charateristics of the remedy or medicine with the symptoms of the patient. The symptoms reflect the body’s attempt to cure. The homeopathic remedy echoes those symptoms and stimulates an immune response. This is the principle of ‘like curing like’ (which is what the word Homeopathy means). Properly applied you will get better quicker.

Remember that homeopathic medicines are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth – not the gut – so you let the tablet or pill dissolve under the tongue.

The Problem

My son lives up in the north-west. He recently married, then was off on a business trip abroad and he has raft (no pun) of duties at the local sailing club etc. In short he has had a bit on his plate.

Mum and dad had not been in touch for a few weeks until last weekend, when we learned he was under the weather with a bad cough and eye infection. He had been to the surgery and seen an associate GP who prescribed ointment for his eye. The cough would take its course, he was told.

He barked his way through the phone call, and assured me that there was no possible link between the eye and respiratory symptoms. In accordance with the rules of the animal kingdom, he likes to argue with his ‘old man’.

Homeopathic Prescribing

So what do we know from the five points list above? Lowered resistance due to fatigue is a likely cause. There is an upper respiratory infection, which gives a location. I failed to ascertain if anything made his cough better or worse – apparently it was the same regardless. But I did learn that the cough was loose in the morning (phlegm) and dry the rest of the day. His nose was sore also even though there was little discharge. And his appetite was low.

And what about that inflamed eye and sticky discharge? Was an eye inflammation and a simultaneous cough really a coincidence? I would argue that it was a nice example of a concomitant (item 5 of the list).

Seemed to me that the sum was worth more than the parts.

Pulsatilla in Homeopathy: In the first aid kit for sure

The kit pictured above contains 42 remedies and nearly all have the potential of a cough in their picture. Consequently, there is little hope of hitting the target unless this list is whittled down somethat.

So you need to think about the nature of the cough (dry, wet and so on). Also, the nature of the person, by which I mean what has changed. My son likes to argue with me – so that is not a change!

In homeopathy, there is an expression ‘strange, rare and peculiar’ as such things are often pointers to the necessary remedy / medicine.

There is one stand out remedy in the kit that has both a cough AND eye symptoms. That remedy in Homeopathy is Pulsatilla. A cough and coincident eye symptoms is peculiar!

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

There is an excellent book from Pharmacists Steven and Lee Kayne pictured below and available here. This uses flow charts to guide you to a remedy.

Let’s look at just two – one for cough and one for eye. Now rather than start at the top, go to the bottom and find Pulsatilla, then work up the chart in reverse. This gives you some idea of the relevance of Pulsatilla in Homeopathy and in this case.

With a bit of arm twisting he took some – once he found his kit that languished at the back of a cupboard.

Of course I will be told, he was getting better anyway – which is true. But he’ll get better quicker.

By the way, with any respiratory infection you should consider taking high doses of vitamin C for a week or two. 3000 to 4000mg (3-4g) daily is reasonable. As a water soluble vitamin any excess leaves in the urine. Loose bowels mark the point of saturation – so reduce or stop should that occur.

The Peoples Vaccine Inquiry is a website containing the testimonies of a number of expert witnesses concerning the Covid Vaccines.

Not something I might normally post, but I consider it important. Especially as the mainstream media continue to deliver a upbeat message on vaccine efficacy.

The topic of vaccination is a minefield as I covered in an earlier blog. There are few absolutes; risk versus benefit is always a balance.

What is written below is taken from the website home page:

The People’s Vaccine Inquiry began with a group of experts who were called to submit Witness Statements in the Covid-19 Public Inquiry – Module 4 on Vaccines. As the Inquiry has postponed Module 4 until 2025, these professionals believed it was in the public interest to give immediate access to their expert testimony.

There has been a huge failure in public health over the past few years, which continues on. There appears to be an attempt to hide evidence from the public and we hope this website is a useful resource for the public and healthcare professionals to stay informed of the latest evidence surrounding the Covid vaccines and their rollout. 

Spring Covid Booster

Reflecting on these expert views aired in the Peoples Vaccine Inquiry, I was frankly surprised to learn of the recent spring Covid booster program for the over 75s, especially given the low incidence of respiratory ailments during the summer months (even at the height of the pandemic).

By way of a reminder below is a chart I pulled together at the end of 2021 using Our World In Data. Case numbers were not reported at the start of the pandemic, but you can assume a large peak in early 2020. Thus there were three main waves each over the winter period – the last shown (2021/22) being the Omicron strain. But summers were quiet.

My point is that the even in the first year of the pandemic the case numbers were very low in the summer period. Furthermore, given the mutation of the virus, the current strain is today relatively innoccuous.

It is a truism that the elderly are more vulnerable. But that applies to all things, from ilness to medicines to crossing the road.

Following a talk I gave recently (on Homeopathy not Covid) a lady spoke to me who had swollen fingers after her sixth (!) booster. Sensible? How many boosters are needed?

Another curiosity over past months has been acquaintences, who having coped perfectly well with the virus, then go an get a booster. By what logic does one assume that the vaccine improves on the innate immune system? The vaccines design always lags behind this shape-shifting virus. Well, it beats me.

Excess Deaths

Dr John Campbell a nurse practitioner and educator has an excellent YouTube Channel. For some time he has shared his concern at the level of excess deaths compared to pre-pandemic averages. The number is around 10% in the UK. That there should be any excess mortality after a pandemic is counter intuitive. Here is his Vlog from a few days ago. He is not saying that these excess deaths are vaccine related – there could be various reasons – but they could be a factor. His frustration is that there is neither mention not discussion in the mainstream media.

Back to Risk

Those of you who follow this blog will know that I appreciate the witty writing of Dr Malcolm Kendrick. At the beginning of 2023 the wrote a very perceptive blog. His argument is that there was gross over reaction to the pandemic when cooler heads should have prevailed. 2020 was not a 1918 (my paternal grandfather and one daughter being a victim, by the way – at about 40 and 20 years of age, I estimate).

Hindsight is a great thing, of course, but there were early indications of the likely severity. The cruise ship The Diamond Princess provided data in February 2020 that turned out to be quite accurate for the pandemic overall (mortality rate of around 0.3% – to put this in context about 0.9 to 1.2% of the population dies each year).

Kendrick has a particular interest in heart disease, and in his books notes the consequences of stress on the heart. Unfortunately, assessing the societal impact of lockdowns and such like is rather more difficult than analysing Covid mortality (which is problematic in itself). Suffice to say that the consequences of the ‘cure’ may have been worse than the disease.

One can but speculate as whether the electorate’s view on the handling of the pandemic impacted on the recent election outcome.

Let’s hope that the Public Inquiry yields some lessons for the future.

Homeopathy

Undeniable, is ‘Long Covid’. Though, post-viral sequalae are not unique to Covid. There is a concept in Homeopathy of ‘Never Well Since’ and whether diagnosed with ‘Long Covid’ or not, should you continue to carry some post infection symptoms, do consider homeopathic treatment. If you wish to discuss this further please book a discovery call from this website.

Can Homeopathy help with the stress and anxiety of big events like examinations? Well, yes it can.

As we reach the summer solstice, I now realise that I should have written this blog a little earlier (sorry!) as the exam season is almost over. It will come around again.

In any case stressful events are always with us, so the topic of this blog extends well beyond the classroom.

Homeopathic First Aid

Continuing with the series on homeopathic remedies in a typical home first aid kit, in this blog I focus on kit remedies that have a particular affinity to exam stress.

For more on the benefits of purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies see my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy

Exam time is often marked with anxiety that can impact on performance. Anticipatory fears can cause both emotional and physical symptoms. Homeopathy offers remedies for stress and anxiety that are tailored to the needs (emotional and physical) of the student.

Classical homeopathic prescribing considers the following:

1. Causation (pre-exam fear and worry; loss of confidence)
2. Location (headache, eyes, tummy)
3. Modalities (anything that helps e.g. warm drinks)
4. Sensation (maybe a pain somewhere?)
5. Concomitants (characteristics that may seem unrelated – e.g. how you feel generally)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while (say one pill morning and night for 1-4 days) there is no response, then try another.

Remember that homeopathic medicines are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth – not the gut – so you let the tablet or pill dissolve under the tongue.

A useful tactic on the day of the exam is to dissolve one pill in a water bottle (shake well) and sip during the course of the exam day.

Homeopathy for Stress and Anxiety – Key Remedies

Aconite (origin – plant)

The Aconite picture is always one of sudden onset. Consequently, Aconite is useful when the student has a panic attack that comes out of the blue, helping to stabilise the emotional upheaval quickly.

Argentum Nitricum (origin – mineral Silver Nitrate)

The keywords for Arg. Nit. are anticipation and uncertainty. Well, what else at exam time! It helps those who feel hurried and fearful of failure despite being well-prepared.

Arsenicum Album (origin – mineral, and yes, Arsenic*)

(* Homeopathic Medicines are ultra-dilutions and energetic not material. No molecule of arsenic present!)

The Arsenicum picture is one of anxiety with restlessness and a compulsive concern for order. The student cannot settle and needs to check and recheck they have all the bits and bobs they need on the day.

It is by the way, the No1 remedy for sickness and diarrhoea after eating something that disagreed – so one to have with you on holiday.

Gelsemium (origin – plant)

Gelsemium is better known as an influenza remedy. The sufferer is weak, shaky and apathetic. A sort of paralysis results – a type of fear, that is characterised by ‘why bother’. There can also be diarrhoea from emotional excitement. It is a remedy for courage.

Lycopodium (origin – plant)

Here the keynote is lack of self-confidence and apprehension, although the student may outwardly show bravado. This student may over-prepare because they’re worried about their performance. Lycopodium is well known generally for gastric symptoms, especially bloating.

Kali Phosphoricum (origin – mineral, Potassium Phosphate)

Although a homeopathic remedy in its own right, this is better known as a Schleussler tissue salt. It is a nerve nutrient, beneficial for students who are exhausted mentally from overstudying. It helps relieve feelings of stress and helps in restoring the brain’s energy levels.

Lifestyle Tips for Stress and Anxiety

While homeopathy is helpful in addressing exam stress and anxiety, don’t forget the basics. Maintaining a balanced lifestyle is key.

Sleep

Fatigue exacerbates anxiety; 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night is crucial. Avoid late-night cram sessions and setting a consistent sleep schedule supports the body’s ability to manage stress.

Diet

Fuel the body and mind with ‘clean’ food. Eat nutrient-dense whole foods like vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, nuts and seeds. Staying hydrated and limit stimulants like caffeine. This also helps regulate anxiety levels.

Study Breaks

Constant studying leads to burnout. Take short 10-15 minute breaks every 90 minutes to recharge. Get some fresh air, meditate, or go for a walk to clear the mind before diving back in.

And a curiosity..

I recently listened to a Medical Doctor who suggested this:

Put your right hand between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Then gently place your right thumb in the middle of your left palm, and your middle finger on the outside of the left hand. Now join the tips of your left thumb and left middle finger together.

• Why do this? This position of the hands both stimulates sensitive nerves, but also closes an ‘Energetic’ loop
• The effect is a dramatic improvement in your ability to focus and concentrate. If you do it while learning something, it may improve your retention quite considerably

Why not give it a try!

Chronic Anxiety

We have looked at some homeopathic remedies that can help with the sort of short term anxiety that it typical of exam time.

Howevere, Homeopathy also plays a crucial role in the treatment of deeper seated anxiety states. Here constitutional treatment, involving a deeper assessment of the individual’s overall health, temperament and symptoms. Whilst anti-depressant medications has its place, the homeopathic approach (which takes time – there is no magic bullet) should yield long term benefits and restore harmony.

If you have a deeper seated anxiety problem and wish to explore the homeopathic approach, please book a Free Discovery Call via my website.

Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy may be unfamiliar subjects, but nonetheless are very pertinent to modern times.

The Society of Homeopaths was honoured to listen to pediatrician Dr Micheala Glöckler at their recent conference in London.

German born Dr Glöckler now lives in Switzerland and has a deep passion for Applied Anthroposophy and the availability of choice and cultural diversity.

Anthroposophy (Anthro-po-sophy) is a philosophical system associated with polymath Dr Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). The word means human (anthropos) wisdom (sophia).

Steiner had great respect for Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) who documented the principles of Homeopathic Medicine.  Indeed Anthroposophic medicines are low potency homeopathic preparations.  In the UK, Weleda is one well know name in the manufacture of both homeopathic and anthroposophic medicines.

While writing this blog, I found a interesting (but quite long) article comparing Steiner’s work and Homeopathy.

Dr Glöckler spoke with great passion through the morning session, almost without notes, surely challenge enough, without that of speaking in a foreign language.  Gut gemacht!

Waldorf Schools

Waldorf Education follows the Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner. The name comes fom the town of Waldorf, a town near Stuttgart.

Wikipedia gives a good overview. Do bear in mind that the Wikipedia perspective is coloured by their philosophy which is not as definitive as they would like you to believe.

Children according to Steiner-Waldorf teaching, learn in three ways: imitation; experience (often painful); and, insight or understanding.  Education should be age appropriate.

Education should also be in the real – not the digital world – and that real world incorporates an awareness of Higher Worlds (i.e. the spiritual). 

Dr Glöckler warned us not to delegate our potential (or consciousness) to the internet; to do so risks delegation to the State and potentially the control the powerful and often negative forces.  

Healthy learning is active (analogue) not passive (digital). Ultimately what we truly understand is self-education. 

She moved on to consider in closer detail a child’s development.  There are three seven year cycles: first (0-7) brain, then emotional (8-14); and finally consciousness and responsibility (15-21).  

As a aside (but relevant) children’s author Michael Morpurgo also had something to say on the value of early years education on the BBC yesterday.

Having been a school governor for almost twenty years, I can say that national curriculums and such like are eternal subjects of debate. The rise in home schooling rather demonstrates the dissatisfaction with a one size fits all view-point.

Anthroposophy in Medicine

All across Europe – and even in land of her birth – mainstream medicine increasingly denies the teachings of Hahnemann and Steiner.  The reason, Dr Glöckler explained, is a failure to understand the working principles.  At the core is a battle of philosophies: the technology focused trans-humanistic view versus the spiritual path. 

Each human being has its unique spiritual destiny which is ignored at our peril.  She urged everyone to campaign for the legal status of integrative medicine (see https://eliant.eu/en/).

Modern medicine, for all its benefits, focuses solely on the physical body. This approach is wonderful in emergency medicine, when life is threatened. However the nature of disease – or better ‘dis-ease’ – is much more complex. Your physical symptoms can have roots in anything from infection, through emotional issues to your genetic inheritance.

The book shown below provides some excellent guidance on how parents and carers can treat illnesses and guide their children.

‘Deficitarian’ – The Human as perceived in Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy

Dr Glöckler coined the term ‘deficitarian’, stimulating the ‘little grey cells’ of the audience to action!  

The underlying philosophy of Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy recognises that humans are not perfect by nature; this is both our deficit (hence ‘deficitarian’) and our catalyst to growth.  The ‘deficit’ then, is the gap between what we are and what we must become.  

Life, health and illness extend beyond the domain of modern medicine with its physical / material focus.  Life is neither visible nor material.  Illness may be inconvenient, but it is also a rebalancing process and necessary for long term health (hence a child’s fever is ‘healthy’).  

As humans we live in constant interaction with our environment – from the microcosm (e.g. microbiome) to macrocosm (e.g. cosmos).  A focus on the physical body alone denies the constant interplay between that body (mostly water) with its metabolism (warmth driven), and the immaterial etheric (life force), astral (emotional) and thought processes. Ultimately, we live a life of thoughts. 

Paracelsus – a story

Dr Glöckler retold a story about Paracelsus a notable 16th century Swiss physician. He, together with five other medical men, discuss the cause of death of a man during a cholera epidemic (but substitute any disease you like). In abbreviated form the story goes thus:

The question is, ‘Why did the patient die’?

The first doctor says: ‘It is the [cholera] bacteria that caused the death – obvioulsy the patient died of cholera’

The second doctor responds: ‘As only 10% of those infected from the contaminated water died, you cannot say this. The death could be due to poor natural immunity’.

The third doctor says: ‘Positive feelings strengthen the immune system, and negative weaken. The patient was frustrated in his soul and was not in balance. This is the cause.’

The fourth doctor says: ‘All well and good, but actually the patient’s ego (spiritual identity) was weak, thus his tolerance of frustration was undermined. At the core, this is why he died.’

The fifth doctor then chips in: ‘I looked up the astrological tables; the stars point to a lethal crisis. His life was over, it was his time to die.’

Everyone now looks to Paracelsus, who smiles and says: ‘You are all correct, there are five causes of illness and five ways to health. A good doctor must know all of them equally well and walk with each person the most promising path to healing.’

In this parable, Paracelsus demonstrates the complexity of the human constitution.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is (w)holistic medicine, its consideration goes much further that the orthodox diagnosis.

The latter has value in determining the trajectory of the ailment and the urgency of intervention. However, all too often the outcome is management of symptoms and a failure to consider the underlying cause.

For this reason the initial homeopathic consultation takes time. Its purpose is to try and reveal the underlying cause and reestablish harmony in the body.

I recall one case when attending the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy in Greece, where a patient’s problems originated some decades in the past. The lady had suffered physical assault from her father or step-father. The college principal, Prof. Vithoulkas, opened with the remedy Arnica – a remedy know for repair of deep bruising. Why? Because the body had held that memory.

If you judge you have never been well since some event in the past, physical or emotional, and would like to find out whether homeopathy might help you, please book a discovery call via my website.

The use of homeopathy for uncomplicated urinary tract infection or UTI is the subject of this article. It is a condition more common in women due to the relatively short urethra (tube from the bladder to the outside). A common name for this type of infection is Cystitis.

Urinary tract infection and retention in men is often secondary to another issue such as prostate problems.

If you follow my blogs you will know that Classical Homeopathy follows the ‘law of similars’. Simply put this means that the characteristics of the ailment as experienced by the patient must match the ‘picture’ of the homeopathic medicine / remedy.

The typical UTI ‘picture’ is common; most often a burning pain when having a ‘wee’.

Homeopathic First Aid for Urinary Tract Infections

Continuing with this series on useful remedies in a home first aid kit, in this blog I focus on those homeopathy kit remedies that have a particular affinity for urinary tract infection. For more on the benefits of purchasing a first aid kit of basic homeopathic remedies see my earlier blog Family Care with Homeopathy

Classical homeopathic prescribing for acute complaints considers the following:

1. Causation (commonly bacteria)
2. Location (urethra and bladder but can extend back to the kidneys)
3. Modalities (things that make the complaint better or worse – e.g. hot or cold)
4. Sensation (for example the nature of any discharge – e.g. cloudy or smelly urine)
5. Concomitants (characteristics that may seem unrelated – e.g. how you feel generally)

Consider homeopathic treatment like finding the right key for a lock, if after a taking the remedy for a short while* there is no response, then try another.

*A simple approach is to place one pill of the remedy selected from the first aid kit into your half litre water bottle and shake well. Sip this on and off through the day.

Remember that homeopathic medicines are absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth. You let the pill dissolve under the tongue or in water swish briefly round the mouth before swallowing.

If there is fever, lower back pain or a general unwell feeling, there may be a deeper seated infection.

This warrants a visit to your GP to rule out anything more serious. He/she can arrange a urine analysis and prescribe antibiotics if necessary. While waiting for an appointment trying one or two of the remedies described below is worthwhile.

Urinary Tract Infection: what is it?

In his book, The Family Guide to Homeopathy, Dr Andrew Lockie says the term Cystitis is used rather loosely.

Cystitis proper, is an inflammation that can extend along the whole urinary tract from kidney, through bladder to urethra This usually results from E.Coli bacteria transferred from the bowel (more easily caused in female anatomy).

Then there is Urethritis which is an inflammation of the urethra itself.

Finally, there is Urethral Syndrome, a slightly ambiguous term. Here causation is less clear and bacteria are not considered the underlying cause.

Principal Homeopathic First Aid Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection

Ainsworths (see above) and Helios sell first aid kits that contain several useful remedies.

By the way, looked after (keep in a cool place away from strong sun and heat) remedies will keep for ten years or more. The use-by date is purely a regulatory requirement.

Listed below are some remedies typically found in homeopathy that should address urinary tract infection.

The characteristic burning pain is common to most, so some trial and error may be necessary to find the remedy that best works for you. Try and think holistically – that is to say the combined mental / emotional and physical nature of the patient.

Cantharis

The No1 remedy to try. Severe, burning, cutting pains in the lower abdomen (neck of bladder). Cloudy dark urine . Non stop urge to urinate and an inability to empty the bladder properly.

Apis (bee)

Similar to Cantharis as regards the urinary symptoms. Stinging pains – last drops burn and smart. Symptoms worse for heat. Apis personalities tend to be thirstless, cannot think clearly, are fidgety, tearful, whining and cannot tolerate heat. Think of how one reacts to a bee sting.

Argentum Nitricum

Pain extends from kidney to bladder. Urethra feels as if swollen. Also resembles Cantharis and should be tried instead if there is no improvement. Arg.nit types love sweets, can be impulsive and have a way with words (‘silver’ tongue. Argent=silver).

Arsenicum

Another remedy associated with ‘burning pains’. A major remedy in homeopathy systemically, meaning that there is general malaise (it is valuable for many aliments from skin, to food poisoning to asthma).

The patient is chilly, restless yet easily exhausted. The bladder may feel as if paralysed (so urine scanty). The remedy has a curious modality in that symptoms worsen after midnight.

Belladonna

Another major systemic remedy in homeopathy. Urine retention, and scanty yet constant urge. Involuntary passage. With Belladonna the patient is always hot (contrasting the chilly Arsenicum) and potentially delirious. There may be spasm and cramp-like pains which come and go.

Causticum

Frequent urge to pass urine, which produces nothing (paralysis of the bladder). Then involutary passage or urine made worse with cough or sneeze. Itching around urethral opening, perhaps with vaginal discharge.

Staphisagria

Attack comes on after sexual intercourse or after catheterisation for an operation. Burning sensation almost constant, even when not urinating.

Other self-help measures

Dr Lockie advises increasing fluid intake to 3 litres daily until urine is the normal colour and there is no discomfort. Cut down or cut out tea and coffee.

As acidity is the cause of the burning, you should try and make your urine more alkaline. He suggests taking a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in water twice a day.

Citrus fruits are acid and aggravate. He also notes that potatoes, tomatoes, beetroot, raw carrots, asparagus and strawberries are also problematic.

The herbal products from Vogel have been around a long time, and may also help. You may will probably be aware of the benefits of cranberry juice and possibly D-mannose.

If you are prone to urinary tract infections, then constitutional homeopathic treatment can help. If you wish to discuss this then please book a free 30 minute discovery call from my website.

Privacy Policy

Should vaccine pros and cons be a subject of debate? I last wrote a blog on Vaccines back in August 2022 after reading a book by Dr Suzanne Humphries and Roman Bystrianyk, titled Dissolving Illusions, Disease Vaccines and the Forgotten History. That blog and this are mostly about vaccines, but I touch on homeopathy at the end

Society of Homeopaths Position Statement

Any debate on vaccine pro and cons has a certain minefield quality and so I tread carefully!  As with my earlier blog, I open with the position statement of the Society of Homeopaths with whom I am registered.   You may read it as somewhat political.

“The Society does not permit RSHoms to provide advice on, or participate in a patient’s decisions regarding vaccination. In line with current UK law, they may signpost patient to information on vaccination from reliable sources, including the NHS, so that they can make a fully informed decision. Homeopaths will support patients in their decision.”

And that is the guidance I will follow.

No Argument, No Discussion?

Absolutes keep things simple, but actually most things are not that simple. Including this topic.

Although a long time ago, I was vaccinated as a child (and our family doctor was Faculty of Homeopathy member) and our son also. I am no fundamentalist either way.

However, I am in favour of ‘informed consent’. Retired GP Dr Bob Leckridge covers the point rather well in his thoughtful and recent blog.

I am also rather a fan of the writings of Dr Malcolm Kendrick and I referred to his blog on vaccines both in 2022 and last month.   His last paragraph rather sums up my concern:

‘Yes, Jenner is a now national treasure; vaccination has also become a national treasure. Both exist in a realm above all criticism. This is never a good thing. Particularly not in the world of science. But it has happened. Dare to critically examine either, at your great peril. Try suggesting that the whole concept of vaccination was pure luck, primarily based on a two-thousand-year-old idea, and you will be attacked. This, I guarantee.‘

Risk

Let’s first consider the concept of risk as this is central to the question of vaccination.  

In my past career in the petrochemical industry, risk management was as daily consideration. Here is a simple formula:

Risk = Probability x Consequence.

For example there is a high probability that in the winter months that you ‘catch’ a cold but mostly the consequence is low as you will recover in a few days.  Thus, the high probability is offset by low consequence and the net risk is low.

In contrast – taking the beginning of the pandemic as an example – potentially, both the probability and consequence were high. Thus, there was a case for intervention to mitigate the risk. Whether or not you agreed with the subsequent actions of Government does not matter, it is the principle that I wish to share.

What is an acceptable risk is a rather complex matter. It varies according to time a place.  On a recent overnight train journey in India I found the carriage exit door wide open as we thundered along!

In contrast, there’s a current spat between the operator and rail regulator over the necessity of having central locking on the heritage carriages used on the Jacobite excursion train in the west highlands. 

Clearly different perspectives.

Vaccination programmes are a form of risk management. We balance the risk from the disease against the risk from the vaccine.  

Vaccine History

The timeline shown below is helpful.

I was born in 1954, my son in 1989. I invite you to find these dates and consider how attitudes change.

Now look at the find the full current schedule here.

It seems that we are increasingly risk averse. Granted, in the past there was no choice but to accept the risk as the vaccines had not been developed.

My Favourite Guide

If you wish to research this subject, the book shown alongside is an excellent and thoroughly researched, as the listings at the end of the book show.

Dr Halvorsen carefully considers each disease, its hazards and the associated vaccine.

He also dips into the commercial aspects and marketing strategies. Unfortunately, these sit below the radar. Such matters may or may not trouble you, but like it or not this is a multimillion pound global business, not an altruistic undertaking.

One Example

MMR is a vaccine for Measles, Mumps and Rubella (German measles). It is a combination of three live attenuated viruses.

Back in the 1990s it was the subject of a scare linking it to autism. Halvorsen covers the whole story dispassionately in great detail and I don’t propose to summarise the story here. It is surely the ultimate ‘landmine’ topic. Suffice to say, all concerns have been ‘kicked into touch’.

What is interesting is the risk from measles, the most problematic of the three. Complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and ear infections can result.

He tells us in Chapter 10, Measles – the ‘Killer’ Disease, that at the beginning of the twentieth century this was undoubtably true:

‘The number of people dying from measles was greater than the deaths from smallpox, scarlet fever and diphtheria combined.  However by the time of the introduction of the vaccine in the late 1960s the rate had fallen to one in 10,000 cases’. 

And the hazard is not uniform, as with most diseases the malnourished and immune compromised are at greater risk. This echoes much of what is to be found in book by Humphries and Bystianyk reported in my August 2022 blog.

Risk Revisited

The question arising is the point at which the risk from vaccination exceeds the risk from the disease.

My son with great kindness (and a wind-up!) gave me the book Bad Science by Dr Ben Goldacre. Goldacre, by the way, is less than complementary about homeopathy. Be that as it may, he writes well. Like Dr Kendrick (see Doctoring Data), he recognises the number games that pharmaceutical firms play.

On the subject of risk, Goldacre writes the following:

‘Whenever we take a child to be vaccinated, we’re aware that we are striking a balance between benefit and harm (my emphasis), as with any medical intervention.  I don’t think vaccination is all that important: even if mumps orchitis, infertility, deafness and death and the rest are no fun, the sky would not fall in without MMR.  But taken on their own, lot’s of other individual risk factors aren’t very important either, and that’s no reason to abandon all hope of trying to do something simple, sensible and proportionate  about them, gradually increasing the health of the nation, along with all the other stuff you can do to the same end.’

Which is fair. Except that I don’t think most people are aware of the balance between benefit and harm. You can always have too much of a good thing.

Which brings us back to informed consent and Dr Leckridge’s blog.

Conclusion

Life is a risky business. You can die or be injured by of lots of things.

As a child, I remember borrowing a friends bike. He did not tell me about the poor brakes. My run down the hill ended as I clipped the back of a moving car. No real harm done, but a second earlier I could have crossed in front with worse consequences.

Once I ran into a clothes line getting a nice ‘burn’ a fraction below the eye.

I also saw a school mate knocked into the air by a car (he survived); someone further down the school didn’t when tragically he ran round the front of the bus and failed to watch out for a passing car.

I stand with all the doctors mentioned above. It should be possible to have a fair and open discussion on any medical intervention, the current vaccination programme included. It may be the ‘bees-knees’ in health care, but is the benefit overstated and risk underplayed? A common strategy, Halvorsen notes.

As it stands the ‘system’ incentivises adherence to a rather inflexible policy; hardly an environment of ‘informed consent’.

Homeopathy

Barely mentioned in this article and there are a range of views. Individuality is a fundamental principle in homeopathy, so ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t quite gel. And immunity is not just about antibodies (the end goal of vaccines) but strong innate health.

Dr James Compton Burnett (1840-1901) a notable homeopath from the past, noted that amongst those vaccinated against smallpox a few suffered adverse effects, which he was able to address. As of old homeopathic treatment can address such effects today should they arise.