To briefly recap, my main reference is two small booklets on children’s types. Neither are in still in print which is a pity as they share great wisdom. One was written by a Dr Borland (1885-1960) who was clearly a remarkable physician. In Children’s Types he groups common homeopathic remedies into five groups. These (in the language of his time) are:

1. Fat, fair, chilly, lethargic
2. Delayed development
3. Skins
4. Warm blooded
5. Nervy

The second written by retired GP Dr Anne Wynne-Simmons is shorter and considers just six remedies that characterise six common children’s types.

Children’s ‘Types’ or ‘States’

It is important to note that constitutions are more variable than the term ‘type’ suggests.  Perhaps ‘state’ is a better word choice.  The word ‘type’ suggests permanence whereas ‘state’ is something more fluid. States change according to life circumstances, something that is all too apparent when we see the impact of famine or war on populations on the television.

Nonetheless, we humans share certain archetypical characteristics of our ancestors. The ancient cultures such as the Greeks and Romans observed this. So it is nothing new.

Group 1 – ‘Fat, fair, chilly, lethargic’

In this group we looked last time at Calcarea Carbonica or calcium carbonate (limestone).

Specifically this remedy is made from the inner layer of the shell of an oyster. Many young children or babies can go through a Calc.carb phase, with the common characteristics of chubbiness and a certain lethargy.

In my earlier blog, I omitted to mention a couple of points.  Physiologically, calcium is an essential element in the body, and vital in the mineralisation of the bones. Thus, one physical aspect of the Calc.carb constitution is slower than normal skeletal development. 

On the mental / emotional front Calc salts are very sensitive to criticism and worry about what others think about them. 

By analogy, ‘oysters’ don’t tend to move about much and they hide within their shell (protected from the world).  This is home and the archetypal Calc.carb is a good homemaker.

Note the combination of both calcium and carbon.  Calcium makes up about 2% of body mass (mostly in the bones) and Carbon 18%.  Jan Scholten, is a doctor, homeopath and modern author / researcher who perceives self-worth as a main mental / emotional theme of carbon. It will be a common theme in this article.

CALCAREA PHOSPHORICA

Another Group 1 remedy mentioned by Borland is Calcarea phosphorica or calcium phosphate.  Physically this is a rather leaner picture. The Calc.carb child may segway into a Calc phos. state as they grow.

Borland notes a tendency to growing pains of a muscular nature, and a tendency to headaches if overworked at school.  Calcium phosphate is important in the mineralisation of the outer matrix of bones and tooth enamel. 

To quote Havant based Dr Jonathan Hardy, this remedy comes into usefulness “at any time in life when nutrition and growth are especially important”.  I recall one remarkable case on video (Dr Banerjea) of the transformation a young child with some form of mysterious muscular wasting disease after this remedy was given.   

Phosphorus for Jan Sholten suggests a sympathetic and outgoing nature. Friends are made easily.  Though more outgoing than the Calc.carb. child, the sensitivity to criticism and fearful ness is still there (calcium).  This fear of criticism can lead to overwork at school (a compensation). Headaches may result – even burn-out. 

Calcium and phosphorus are somewhat a combination of opposites. Calcium more grounded than the effervescent nature of phosphorus (think of the phosphorus content of matches or fizzy drinks).

The combination of two elements is always more than the sum of the parts.

Group 2 – ‘Delayed Development’

In my earlier blog I selected Natrum muriaticum (Nat.mur for short) which is a homeopathic preparation of common salt (sodium chloride).  Nat.mur is the responsible yet emotionally closed child. Dr Wynne-Simmons thought a ‘state’ the befalls the eldest sibling in the family.

This time I consider Baryta Carbonica (Baryta carb.) which is barium carbonate.   Another carbon. 

BARYTA CARBONICA

Dr Borland uses the term ‘dwarfish’. He claims that he never saw a Baryta carb child who was up to standard height (though they may be standard weight).

In general everything is late (speaking, walking, dentition and so on).  Excessive shyness is a keynote.  These children are forgetful also and lack concentration.  There can be a tendency to tonsillitis.  Their energy is low. 

Jumping forward in time, Jan Scholten suggest that the Baryta type is a more extreme Calcarea.  He writes “Whilst Calcarea is afraid of what others will think about them, Baryta is convinced that others think them to be worth nothing”.  So they hide themselves away.  They are prone to influence.  They may act silly. Their fears and anxiety means that they only feel secure around their mother and in the home. 

Group 3 – ‘Skins’

Last time I looked at Graphites and graphite is pure carbon.  Dr Borland writes of uncertainty, hesitation, and hopelessness (back to self-worth again).  The Graphites child dreads going to a new school. ‘They are always looking for trouble’, he says.  

The ‘carbon’ perception of self-worth is either solved by acceptance and just getting on with things (hence a dullness in outlook). But if there is no resolution, there is instability, leading to easy upset.   

The Graphites skin tends to crack on exposure to cold.   Graphites may be the archetype but all the ‘carbons’ can have skin issues. 

Now, I’d like to introduce the remedy Petroleum (aka crude oil which is a hydrocarbon – carbon again).

PETROLEUM

Dr Borland perceived Petroleum children as thin and hungry, and often hungry between meals.  These children are sensitive to noise and cold.  Skin eruptions are common at the back of the ears, with cracks, oozing and bleeding.  The fluid which oozes forms a crust.  The itch is worse during the day.  In cold weather the skin of the hands tends to crack, especially at the finger tips.  Itchy eyes, blepharitis or conjunctivitis are common. 

Sea or travel sickness is common with a characteristic headache starting at the back of the head.  

A strange mental symptom – more applicable to adults – is disorientation in familiar places.  

Homeopath Jeremy Sherr creates a nice mind-picture for Petroleum.  He observes that petroleum derivatives (petrol, diesel) allow us to travel.  Yet the petroleum ‘type’ suffers travel sickness and disorientation.  We can travel but we no longer know where we are!  Petroleum is a metaphor for our age. 

Which is why emigrés make communities with fellow travellers. 

To travel is perhaps a search for self worth, or to fulfil a need to work (‘carbons’ find meaning in work)  

Group 4 – ‘Warm Blooded’

Last time I introduced Sulphur and Pulsatilla.  Sulphur being ‘the ‘ archetype of the warm blooded type.  

Next I introduce Iodum (Iodine), one of the halogens in the period table of elements.  Iodine is an important element for the regulation of the thyroid gland. 

IODUM

Dr Borland says that Iodum children are thin and constantly on the move – two keynote features. Despite their hunger they lose rather than gain weight.   Always busy, they are aggravated by heat of any kind.

He teaches us that these children are irritable . Without reason they break out into violence and hitting their brother or sister.  Then they become depressed and lose interest in things.

Scholten tells us that they just cannot keep up with all that is going on in their mind.  So they forget things. This in turn can lead to a certain obsessiveness. 

Catarrhal, asthmatic and abdominal complaints are typical.

Group 5 – ‘Nervy’

Arsenicum and Chamomilla were the ‘types’ of interest in the previous blog.  Both highly strung types, Arsenicum in a more general way, and Chamomilla most notably in its disproportionate response to pain (a tantrum remedy).

I shall close this article with another ‘carbon’ in this group, namely Magnesium Carbonicum (Mag.carb). 

MAGNESIUM CARBONICUM

We now know something of the Carbonicum state, namely the shyness, the importance of self-worth and by extension the dedication to work (which provides meaning).

Here, Borland speaks of a lack of stamina and poor muscular power.  Sleeplessness is a problem. Often they cannot get to sleep at all! 

Mag.carbs have a complete aversion to vegetables. However, they like fruit and have a marked craving for meat, he says.  They are also very sensitive to touch.

Borland does not mention aggressiveness, but Scholten does.  These are perpetually awkward children. From Scholten we learn that this had been the remedy of choice (J.T. Kent) for rebellious children in orphanages back in the 19th century. 

It is one of two magnesium remedies to consider for children of divorced parents (the other being its ‘cousin’ magnesium muriaticum).  The Mag.carb child’s anxiety stems from a feeling that that the parents are quarrelling because of them.   Despite their own temper, these children are peacemakers at heart. Because of the trouble they cause they fear that that Mum and Dad may leave.

***

I hope this and the earlier article give you some insight into the relevance of homeopathy for children, whether their issues are emotional, behavioural or physical – or more likely some combination.

Should you care to explore the power of homeopathy 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 (allan@allanpollock.co.uk)

The post What is the Nature of a Child?- part 2 appeared first on Allan Pollock.

From ‘man’ to ‘men’ and plus an ‘e’ gives a title I could not resist, and an opportunity to introducuce to two homeopathic superheroes.

There have been many notable physicians who chose to put into practice the teachings of the Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), who set down the principles of homeopathic practice in the early 19th century.

Clarke’s and Kent’s fame derives from their writing which remains of significance to this day.

John Henry Clarke (1852-1931)

Clarke, born in Lincoln, went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh achieving his M.D. status in 1877. He went briefly to New Zealand, returning to Liverpool where he planned to set up in practice. There he took the opportunity to learn something of homeopathy from a pharmacy in that city. Subsequently he worked in Ipswich and studied at the London Homeopathic hospital.

By the 1880’s he had relocated to London and was much involved with various homeopathic organisations both at home and abroad.

He was a member of what came to be known as the ‘Cooper Club’. Four notable homeopathic physicians who began meeting over dinner to discuss their cases.

Named after Dublin educated, Robert Thomas Cooper MD (1844-1903), the other founding members were Clarke, Thomas Skinner MD (Edinburgh) (1825-1906), and James Compton Burnett (Glasgow) (1840-1901).

All physicians all of some note, not to mention prodidious workers.

Apparently, Clarke visited his patients in a horse-drawn carraige fitted with a writing desk as he never missed an opportunity to work on his books. No mobile phone distractions then!

The three volume ‘dictionary’ pictured below is his magnum opus. Produced, he reportedly said, to save himself work! It is still in print and available online. Below is an extract of Clarke’s description for Arnica, by way of example (Arnica is No1 for deep bruising).

Clarke: man of opinion?

Clarke was a man of strong opinions and a powerfull pen. He crossed swords not only with the orthodoxy of the time but also homeopathic establishment. The latter he felt failed to stand up for their profession leading to its eclipse.

The fate of homeopathy has always ebbed and flowed. There was a period of decline after the Great War and Clarke’s willingness to teach the lay practitioner was significant. The establishment of such as The Society of Homeopaths results from this lineage.

His later political booklets were controversial. Some were anti-semitic. But I feel these have to be seen in context. At this distance it is hard to imagine the impact of 800,000 British lives lost. Clarke disliked Germans and argued that Germany and Prussia were Judaic nations whose action risked English Christian culture. He was a man of his time.

Given the subsequent consequences of Naziism this seems a stange view. Yet, if you visit German WW1 cemeteries as I have, you find a significant number Jewish graves, which is counter-intuitive given what was to come during WW2. Though relatively few in number (about 1% of the German population), the Jewish population were influential.

Perhaps that is the point he makes? Actually Britain was quite anti-semitic in the 1930’s. Indeed my late mother told be the Jews were barred from membership at her local tennis club. Hard to imagine.

James Tyler Kent (1849-1916)

And so to Superman 2 – if you excuse the pun! Kent’s early history is somewhat enigmatic.

He was born in New York and possibly the result of an incestuous relationship. Be that as it may he was a good student qualifying (Ph.B) in philosophy in 1868 at the young age of 19 in 1868. He gained his medical qualifictions at the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati in 1871.

His first wife died in 1872 when just 19 years of age. A couple of years later he remarried moving St. Louis Missouri, where he taught anatomy.

When his second wife became ill, and his attempts to help her failed, he summoned the local homeopathic physician who cured her. This led to his conversion to homeopathy around 1878. Various posts followed and in 1890 he founded The Post-Graduate School of Homeopathics in Philadelphia.

Funding for that school came from the founder of Pittsburg Plate Glass, a certain John Pitcairn, who was also a notable member of the Swedenborg Church. Swedenborg was a 18th century Christian Mystic and polymath whose thinking influenced Kent’s understanding of homeopathy. Kent clearly saw parallels with Hahnemann’s expressed view that (1) there is an animating life force which (2) when disturbed causes symptoms (disease).

Kent’s Repertory

Be that as it may, his greatest contribution was to compile The Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica a task that took some twenty years.

A repertory is simply a compilation of remedies having correspondence with particular symptoms. Hence, it is an aid to finding the appropriate homepathic remedy. I stress the word aid as the result of repertorisation is one of possibility only. Reference then has to be made to the full remedy picture found in the Materia Medica.

Here is a small example:

Baring minor corrections, Kent’s Repertory was the primary reference work for homeopaths for half a century. The late 20th century saw updates and corrections. As you can see, it is – in modern terminology – a database. Consequently, it lends itself to computerisation and even AI. Type this question into Google AI: “what is a good homeopathic remedy for deep bruises?” and you get this:

Not bad. Now what would Kent have made of this!

Many notable homeopaths crossed the pond to study with Kent. Amongst them Sir John Weir, Physican to the Royal Household and Douglas Borland whom I mention in my article titled “The Nature of the Child”.

The above are but two notables in the field of homeopathic medicine and more can be gleaned from the anals of Hahnemann House Trust should you be interested.

***

Needless to say I stand but on the shoulders of giants, but should you care to explore the power of homeopathy 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.

The post Clark(e) Kent – Supermen (in Homeopathy) appeared first on Allan Pollock.

Back in 2018 I attended a conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London under the banner New Horizons in Water Science – Evidence for Homeopathy at which Jerry Pollack spoke. Being near namesakes, I took particular interest in what he had to say and could not resist introducing myself! He was most congenial which comes across in his writing.

As I write I find that the presentations from the various notables are still to be found on YouTube. Sadly, several are no longer alive, including (Lord) Kenneth Ward-Atherton and Prof. Luc Montagnier. Saddest of all was the loss of Dr Peter Fisher, homeopath and physician to Queen Elizabeth who was killed shortly after the event in a cycling accident in London.

The Book – The Fourth Phase of Water

Although almost thirteen years since first published, Prof. Pollack’s book remains a seminal work on the science of water.  Nicely illustrated throughout by his son Ethan, this book is very readable and intentionally aimed at the non-specialist reader.  As the author says, “if you understand that positive attracts negative and have heard of the periodic table, then you should be able to get the message”.   

You may think that for a substance as ubiquitous as water, all that can be known would now be known. This could not be further from the truth.  Water behaves in very strange ways, and its peculiarities are considered in the chapters of this book.   Moreover, there would be no life without water and as mentioned in an earler article we are mostly water!

The Fourth Phase – ‘Easy’ Discovery?

Well, not that easy. Pollack tells us of past discoveries in water chemistry that ended badly (you could say in tears). Angels may fear to tread – see the section ‘Homeopathy’ below.

The key theme in this book is EZ water – shorthand for ‘exclusion zone’. In Anerican pronounciation EZ is conveniently E-zee (‘Easy’) water.  It is so named due to the ability of this zone to exclude practically everything. 

This zone is present where there is an interface with any hydrophilic (water attracting) surface.  Most surfaces are hydrophilic from ships hulls to blood vessels. On the other hand materials such as Teflon© (as in non-stick) are hydrophobic (water repelling).

Charge of The Light (Brigade)

A water molecule (H₂O net charge = 0) has no charge, but in the EZ charge separation results. The interfacial zone becomes negative (H₃O₂ net charge = -1) and is balanced by a corresponding positive zone (H₃O net charge = +1) in the bulk water. 

The atomic structure in the EZ is stacked honeycomb like, and similar – but not identical – to that of ice.  It is not solid like ice nor vapor. It is liquid but not H₂O; it is a distinct  “Fourth Phase”. 

This charge separation of electrons (-ve) and protons (+ve) creates a pseudo battery. And batteries are energy storage devices.   External energy sources, most notably infra red energy from sunlight, can maintain this state providing energy for useful work. 

One – among many – curiosities of water is that is has a high specific heat compared to most liquids. The specific heat is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature by one degree centigrade. This anomaly may be explained by the fact that some of that energy is used instead to charge the pseudo battery.

Water, Water Everywhere

And it is. You and I are two-thirds water for a starter.

What is more it holds many mysteries. Here are a few mentioned in the first chapter of The Fourth Phase of Water:

• You sink when stepping on dry sand but hardly sink in wet sand at the waters edge (hence wet sand makes better sandcastle than dry)
• Gelatin desert (Jelly) is mostly water, so you would expect a lot of leakage but none occurs
• Solid materials don’t usually slide past one another, but ice is slippy, as the competitors at the currernt winter olympics amply demonstate
• Similarly some feature of water permits minimal friction in a healthy joint (knee etc.)
• Solid water (ice) is strangely less dense than liquid water such that it floats
• There are many unexplained characteristics of clouds, droplets and more besides

The EZ is key to explaining the above as the later chapters in his book explain.

Homeopathy

Few scientists study water, which as the good professor writes, you may find hard to believe. Scientists also. One wrong assumption is that everything about such a common substance must be known. A second is its mystical and sacred qualities, from “holy water” to throwing coins in a fountain.

Pollack summarises one incident in the last category well, and this concerned the work of a respected French immunologist, Jacques Benveniste on the biological activity of ultra high dilutions, whose work suggested that water had the ability to store information – to “remember”.

Water Memory?

Benveniste and his team experimented with ultra high dilutions similar to those found in homeopathic medicines. Beneveniste, as Dr Pollack notes was “less interested in homeopathy than in science”. His team surprisingly found that the ultra high dilutions continued to have biological impact.

The then editor of the scientific journal Nature thought this impossible, despite replication of the experiment findings by three other laboratories. Beneveniste’s paper was published in Nature but with the caveat that Nature was allowed to investigate the scientists work. The appointed “committee of peers”, so called, comprised the then editor, Sir John Maddox, a specialist in scientific fraud, Walter Stewart and a “world class” stage magician James Randi. The initial experiments went well, but when repeated by the visitors it failed. Humiliation followed. It was, as Pollack notes, “not a happy time for French science”.

I cannot tell you whether Beneveniste’s experiments were flawed or not. On the other hand, given Benveniste’s credentials, he surely warranted greater respect. Perhaps he was in error, but there was never any evidence of fraud. He died in 2004. Others have replicated his results since, but as I said, angels fear to tread…

The Fourth Phase of Water stands in tribute to the University of Washington team who had the courage to take a step back and forge a new path to better understand the social (bulk) behaviour of water.

At the London conference Prof. Pollack did hypothesise that the EZ molecular structure was not dissimilar to that of silica and consequently may indeed have information storage potential in the manner of a memory stick. This is not in the book, but the EZ may play a part in many phenomena. Possible candidates are ranked under “out of a limb meter” – some further out than others.

Science Under the Microscope

What makes this book truly important is Prof. Pollack’s assessment of current scientific endeavour.  

He laments the shift away from a focus on “foundational mechanisms” during his forty year career; “a quest for detail seems to have supplanted the quest for simple unifying truths”, he says.  Drawing analogy with the tree of knowledge, science today “focuses on the twigs assuming the supporting limbs are robust”.  For this reason “scientific truth” is to be found in the study of the water molecule and not bulk water phenomena. 

This standpoint seems to me to be analogous to the thrust of current ever-reductionist medical research in contrast to the holism of homeopathy.  It was not always thus, and Pollack gives dues credit to the observations by Russian scientists during the Cold War era and others since (West and East) who postulated the same novel properties now re-discovered and summarised in this book.

***

Needless to say, my personal experience of homeopathy is positive, were it not so I would do something else! So, should you care to explore the power of homeopathy 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.

The post Dr Gerald Pollack The Fourth Phase of Water appeared first on Allan Pollock.

On my bookshelves I have two small booklets on children’s types which I will use as a guide to this short introductory article. Neither are in still in print which is a pity as they share great wisdom. One was written by a Dr Borland (1885-1960) who was clearly a remarkable physician. Titled Children’s Types he groups common homeopathic remedies into five groups. These (in the language of his time) are:

1. “Fat, fair, chilly, lethargic”
2. “Delayed development”
3. “Skins”
4. “Warm blooded”
5. “Nervy”

The second written by retired GP Dr Anne Wynne-Simmons is shorter and considers six remedies that characterise six common children’s types.

Constitution and The Nature of the Child

Homeopaths talk about the ‘Constitutional’ Remedy which is where is an affinity between the nature of the person and a particular remedy. I have written before about how each homeopathic remedy or medicine has a picture. This picture comprises the mental emotional sphere as well as affinities to general or physical states. Constitutional prescribing is about matching remedy ‘pictures’ to the ‘picture’ of the patient. Classical Homeopathy is – in general – about observation and pattern recognition. Hence the natural Law of Similars (Homeo = similar; pathy = suffering).

A pure match with any single remedy is rare if not impossible. In truth we are all mongrels and our ‘picture’ changes over time dependent on what comes our way in life. But there may be a dominant theme.

With children you see what you get. Life’s journey has just begun. In contrast, adults are less open. In order to get on in society, adults learn to conceal their natures to some degree. We control our tempers and tears, for example. The young child does not.

Dr Wynne-Simmons relates the story of two five-year-olds in the same class at school with eczema. From a conventional medical perspective both, having the same problem, would receive the same treatment – let’s say a steroid cream.

The homeopathic perspective is different because the nature of the two boys was quite different. One was shy and anxious about starting school; the other quite boisterous, who settled into his new environment with enthusiasm. Although each child had the same physical symptoms, each case was opened with a different homeopathic remedy. This reflects the holistic approach in homeopathic practice, which means looking at the totality of the symptom picture (not just the troubling symptom). In short we are all unique.

The upside to this is that the healing is deeper. The downside is it can take a bit of trial-and-error to find the remedy or remedies that work. As ever practice makes perfect, and the skill of these doctors was built on years of observation.

Some Common Constitutional Remedies

In what follows I will pick the headline remedy from each of Dr Borland’s groups (plus a couple).

Remember that homeopathic medicines are made by specialist pharmacies. The are potentised ultra-dilutions. You can find more on this in an earlier post. If you are new to homeopathy, please understand remedies such as Arsenicum album do not contain material doses of arsenic!

CALCAREA CARBONICA (Group 1)

This is calcium carbonate, its origin comes from the inner surface of the oyster shell. Calc.carb for short.

Many children will go through a Calc.carb phase. Borland writes that these children are tend to be “over-fat, chilly, lethargic” – bring to mind the easy going placid chubby baby. As toddlers they happily await the world to come to them rather than be explorers. They are not energetic nor sporty and may be a bit slow at school – though thorough in their task. Like the oyster (should you try to prise one from the sea bed) there is an obstinate streak. Generally speaking, they are content and undemanding children. They love eggs but can be constipated. The back of the head can be sweaty – noticeable from the wet pillow at night.

NATRUM MURIATICUM (Group 2)

This is sodium chloride, better known as common salt. Nat.mur for short.

Dr Wynne-Simmons is of the opinion that children are not born to this constitutional type but develop a Nat.mur. protective layer in response to their environment. Perhaps, where a parent is overburdened and the child feels they are not getting the attention they wish. Thus the Nat.mur child may be the older child of the family.

This type is very responsible and quite emotionally closed (keep things to themselves). “They have a dislike of being handled”, says, Dr Borland, and what first appears as shyness is actually anger. “Soothing the child may make matters worse – it is best to be firm”. This child may have a strong sense of justice and Dr Wynne-Simmons writes that the “it’s not fair” phase (common in children) may be more pronounced. This sense of justice may make it difficult to make friends at school as they may be little ridgid and less able to give and take. Later on at school the Nat.mur child may be prone to headaches (frontal) brought on by concentrating too much – working too hard.

GRAPHITES (Group 3)

This is pure carbon, a key component in the human body (19% by weight) and fundamental to life.

This remedy heads Dr Borland’s skins group, though – as he points out – eczema can respond to remedies from other groups (e.g. Calc.carb, Sulphur etc.). You will note that Calcarea carbonica also has a carbon element, and therefore it comes as no surprise that this child may also be on the heavy side, chilly and often constipated.

Borland says (perhaps uncharitably) that Graphites children can be a bit miserable, always looking on the hopeless side of things. They show a lack of assurance. At school they hesitate in replying to a question, and have an aversion to work. They blush easily. However, this constitutional type is often very caring especially to members of their own family.

A notable difference between this type and the Calc.carb is the skin. In the latter it is soft and sweaty whereas the Graphites child has harsh dry skin which tends to crack. Cold weather and playing in water leads to chapped hands and bleeding.

Homeopaths learn that the eruptions requiring Graphites ooze a sticky honey like discharge, the problem areas often being where the skin folds (back of the ear, around the wrists and so on). There can be similar nasal discharges, and eye lids that stick together in the morning.

Though hungry children, they do not like eating fish. Borland also mentions that acute acne with (surprisingly) an aversion to sweets in adolescence can be a pointer to this remedy.

SULPHUR (Group 4)

This is indeed sulphur, the yellow mineral with which we are all familiar.

Sulphur is perhaps ‘the’ archetypal remedy in homeopathy. It’s picture is so broad that the tendency is to dismiss it from consideration.

If you think of a volcano and the sulphurous fumes during a fiery eruption, you come quickly to the picture of heat, hence Dr Borlands classification of “warm blooded”. Calc.carb children tend to be chilly, but Sulphur children are quite the opposite. They cast clothes off if overly wrapped up.

These are not tidy children – if there is a toy box present, it will soon be emptied all over the floor as Dr Wynne-Simmons observes. And he or she will be into everything given half a chance.

Like the explosive nature of the volcano, they are apt to lose their temper but it tends to subside. These children like rough and tumble, are intelligent and enthusiastic about their interests. They may appear lazy, but Dr Borland notes that this could be lack of stamina, as the Sulphur type tires easily.

PULSATILLA (also Group 4)

This a flower, also known as pasque or wind flower. I include this second remedy from Group 4 as alongside Calc.carb it is a classic children’s remedy. The flower likes chalky soils and chalk is calcium carbonate!

It has large flower heads that sway in the wind. Whilst exceptions prove the rule, it is classically associated with the temperament of a girl. The pulsatilla child is affectionate and tearful (alternating with laughter) who wants to please. Typically small children with fine skin and hair, they are quite shy and will hold her parents hand. They like attention and don’t like being ignored. Rich foods (fat) tend to disagree.

Whist the above is the stereotypical picture Dr Borland records a second Pulsatilla type. This child is slightly fatter, less fair, and more inclined to be tearful and irritable, a type easily overlooked when one has the more common picture in mind.

As is expected for this Group, the common theme is the reaction to heat as both types flag in hot weather. A sudden chilling during hot weather can lead to digestive upsets.

Pulsatilla children have a tendency to catarrhal states such as earaches often brought on by exposure to cold. Eye troubles such as conjuctivitis and styes can also trouble.

ARSENICUM ALBUM (Group 5)

The origin of this remedy is indeed arsenic (arsenic trioxide to be precise) and Ars.alb for short. Agatha Christie’s favourite poison! But homeopathy turns swords into ploughshares.

Dr Borland’s Group 5 are ‘nervy’.

Dr Wynne-Simmons observes that these children have a fine build and are neatly dressed. They tend to play quietly and constructively. They don’t like a mess or make a lot of noise. Indeed noise distracts them. Arsenicums like their bedrooms tidy. Very different from the Sulphur type for example. These children can set high standards for themselves and may be good organisers.

Dr Borland, writes that the Ars.alb child is highly strung, finely made and possibly the most attractive of children. But they are easily scared and can suffer from night terrors. There is a restlessness and they never spend time doing nothing. As a consequence, they tire easily. He says ‘inordinately’ tidy – even small boys. These children are upset if they spill jam over themselves and get into a mess; the distress is disproportionate to the cause.

Exposure to cold, makes Arsenicums liable to catch ‘cold’; a watery discharge from the nose that burns the lip the result. These children can be asthmatic, which given their nervy nature, if very frightening. They are also prone to digestive upsets and diarrhoea after eating fruits or ice cream (Ars.alb is the No1 for diarrhoea and vomiting due to food poisoning when on holiday – adults included).

CHAMOMILLA MATRICARIA (Group 5)

Chamomilla sits in the same group, and I mention it also – but only briefly. Its origin is the plant commonly known as German Chamomile (as used in Chamomile tea).

The keynote here is extreme sensitivity to pain, and a consequential “frenzy of rage” (to quote Borland). This child will strike out. It is, he says, almost universal for the furious teething child with tender swollen gums, that are one sided as shown by redness on that cheek. You can soothe a Chamomilla baby by jogging him/her in your arms – but you’ll frighten an Arsenicum!

Of course the above is just an introduction.

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Should you care to explore the power of homeopathy 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.

The post What is the Nature of a Child? appeared first on Allan Pollock.

I touched on this topic in July and return to it from time to time. It is so central to the understanding of homeopathy that I think it a good revision topic to open the New Year.

Given the billions of pounds / dollars spent on conventional medicine, both in terms of research and day to day practise, homeopathy has to be radically different in some way.

There is clearly common ground in such as anatomy and physiology for example.

The difference arises in the understanding of the nature of disease.

And life…

What is Life?

Science writer Philip Ball in his book How Life Works, tells us that despite the remarkable  discoveries, 21st century science still cannot explain life. 

We learn that humans comprise around 40 trillion cells, and billions of miles of DNA (who worked that out?), carrying far more information that the most advanced computer.  Moreover, we are about 70% water by weight; more fluid than solid.  

When death comes, we dissolve back into the elements of which we are composed.

My godmother passed away this past week aged ninety-six. Sad, but she had a full life and little sickness beyond recent frailty. We know she is no longer alive, but what does this mean?

Science

The successes of modern medicine arise from the valid perception of our bio-chemical nature.  The domain of science is the material world; the concept of an invisible (non-material) harmonising and maintaining life force, does not appeal to current scientific thinking.

For the most part modern medicine perceives us as sophisticated chemical plants.  A reasonable stance from the standpoint of a career chemical engineer (ret’d) like myself, but not entirely satisfactory in my opinion!

Dr Samuel Hahnemann

German physician Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), argued that symptoms are but an expression of a disturbed invisible life force. The meticulous Dr Hahnemann, set down the precepts of Homeopathic medicine.

His profound book titled The Organon of Medicine is still in print.  It is not a ‘bible’, but the great homeopaths of the last two centuries (mostly medical doctors) find little to fault even to this day.

In fact the great American homeopaths of the early twentieth century dedicated a monument to Hahnemann. It is but a stone’s throw from the White House in Washington D.C. Apparently the first monument to a non-American in that city and the only monument to a physician in the USA.

For sure Hahnemann did not have the sophisticated technologies of 20th / 21st century medicine, but it would seem that he had something to say that remains pertinent. Strange then that his work barely gets a mention in medical schools.

Back in the 1990s or thereabouts, British physician and homeopath Dr David Taylor-Reilly once said that if only 5% of all that has been written on Homeopathy was valid it would still be worth taking note. Given the weight of books on my shelves, I can vouch for that.

Twenty-first Century Homeopathy

It is a valid criticism that the mechanism of homeopathic medicines is not understood. Research is needed, but it is a costly business. The pharmaceutical industry fund this by patententing new drugs which generate huge profits. Homeopathic medicines – quite different in nature from modern drugs – have, for the most part been around for years, are not patentable so money is tight.

But research is happening. The HRI established a decade or so ago is the main coordinating body and below is a summary for 2025 from their website.

Homeopathy and its Principles

It is a reasonable proposition that life events, acquired or inherited, disrupt the desired natural harmonious state and by extension the life force postulated by Hahnemann.

Harmony needs to be restored.   Vitality and health return.

Central tenets of homoepathic medicine are (1) individuality and the (2) totality of symptoms. 

Your life experience is unique (individuality). The totality of your symptoms (mental, emotional, physical, historical, inheritance) has meaning beyond inconvenience. It is the total expression of the efforts of the life force to harmonise those trillions of cells. 

This leads to another principle, (3) the law of similars. In other words it is better to support these healing efforts rather than suppress then. This contrasts the anti-pathic approach of convential medicine.

This is not to deny the virtue of (say) antibiotics (note ‘anti’), but it is another way of thinking that warrants reflection not dismissal.

The last key principle is (4) less is more when it comes to medicines. Modern medicine treats with more not less (extra strength pain relief say), so this is a controversial subject.

Hahnemann, was physician, liguist and chemist – a polymath of his time. Through experimentation he moved from the material medicines of his day (herbal and mineral) to ever smaller concentrations and got results.

Simply put, he found that the less material the medicine the better it acted on the non-material life force. It is a good place to start. Considering the growing resistance to antibiotics alone, it would be better to reserve their use for heroic medicine where it is needed.

Homeopathy is generally not quick-fix medicine. The timeline for decline and recovery in health are proportional.

The goal is cure and not symptom management.  Of course, we are dynamic beings living in space and time, and our health-span is not without limits.  Nonetheless, the foundations built though childhood and middle years are reflected in later life.

New Year brings my wishes for your good health and happiness.  If disharmony is affecting your health in 2026, consider Hahnemann’s wisdom and homeopathic medicine.

The post PRINCIPLES OF HOMEOPATHY appeared first on Allan Pollock.

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.

***

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 (allan@allanpollock.co.uk).

The post Homeopathy treatment for Acne appeared first on Allan Pollock.

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 info@allanpollock.co.uk

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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 allan@allanpollock.co.uk.

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.

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“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.

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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.”

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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.

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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

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