Christine Laschkolnig_homeopathic Healing

Christine Laschkolnig, M.D.

Homeopathic Healing

 Self-responsibility replacing Fear

Homeopathic Healing Self-responsibility replacing Fear A Pathway to Healing for everybody seeking a self-care alternative to conventional, modern medicine. This beautifully illustrated homeopathic guide gives the lay reader a clear introduction to the action of homeopathic remedies on the physical, mental, and emotional level. 28 carefully chosen homeopathic remedies are presented and described in intuitive, color-coded tables, along with clear instructions for their administration. These remedies can be used to treat one's self and one's family for everything from first-aid to acute ailments. Drawing on her 25 years of homeopathic practice, Dr. Christine Laschkolnig explains the significance of health and disease in respect to the development of children and adults, and presents her deeply-convicted argument for the preferential use of homeopathy in a world gone crazy with medical specialists, pharmacology, and vaccination. The effects of vaccination, on babies in particular, has been a focus of Dr. Laschkolnig's practice in recent years. Indeed the writing of this book was delayed due to her personal interest in this area of medicine! Here she discusses her findings regarding the function of childhood diseases in the development of a healthy immune system, and takes a critical look at current vaccination practice, providing parents with important background information on the immune system and immunization. Not just for mothers and babies, but for the whole family, as well as individuals seeking a natural, holistic approach to their health concerns, this book is a helpful inspiration for everybody who wants to take active responsibility for their health. "She has put all her experience and love into this book. It guides those readers who know to read it well, to our vital desires; to that basic trust that slumbers in each of us – the confidence in the selfhealing powers of our body." Conny Bischofberger (Der Kurier)

C hrist in e La s chko l n ig, M. D .

Homeopathic Healing Self-responsibility replacing Fear

Translation from German by Eva Lepold I l l u st rat i ons by C h ri st i ne L a s chko l n ig and M anu el St rasser

Impressum: Homeopathic Healing Self-responsibility replacing Fear © Christine Laschkolnig, M.D. 2005 ISBN 1439273316 LCCN 2010911434 German Edition 2005 English Edition 2009 Illustrations: Christine Laschkolnig, Manuel Strasser Managing Designer: Barbara DrachHübler Translation: Eva Christina Lepold; parts of Chapter 4 by Jane Spiegel Editor: Alison Mary Boston Typeset in Corporate A www.laschkolnig.com Note: Knowledge and best practice in medicine and homeopathy are undergoing continual development. Insofar as this book mentions any dosage or application, readers may rest assured that the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that such references are in accordance with the state of knowledge at the time of the production of the book. Nevertheless, this does not involve or impy any guarantee or responsibility on the part of the author and publisher in respect to dosage instructions and forms of application stated in this book. It is the responsiblity of the user to examine the manufacturer’s leaflets accompanying each remedy and recommended to check with a homeopathic practitioner possible contraindications. This book is protected by copyright. Any use and commercialization outside copyright legislation, without the publisher’s consent, is illegal.

About the author

Christine Laschkolnig M.D. grew up in Völkermarkt, a little town in Carinthia, Austria, and started her second-chance education by attending evening classes in Berlin where she achieved her Abitur, the German matriculation exam. Next, she studied medicine in Vienna with the firm intention of devoting herself to alternative methods of healing. In 1984, while she was still studying, she started to work under the guidance of Professor Dr. Mathias Dorcsi—the founder of the Viennese School of Homeopathy—at the hospital in Lainz (Vienna). For five years she attended the qualification seminars for homeopathy in Baden near Vienna. Afterwards she continued her homeopathic studies with Rajan Shankaran in India, and other renowned teachers like Sheilagh Creasy in Munich, and Paul Herscu, Roger Morrison, and Nancy Herric in the United States. After finishing her degree of allopathic medicine at the University of Vienna in 1991, she started a practice together with two colleagues and two bodywork therapists, and held her first seminars on homeopathy for laypeople. From 1993 to 1995 she studied at the Dynamis School for Advanced Homeopathic Studies in London founded by Jeremy Sherr and attained another diploma. Christine Laschkolnig M.D. was inspired by various shamans—especially Foster Perry. She supplements her homeopathic work by attending therapeutic training with different teachers, such as Eli Jaxon Bear. Since 1998 she has been running her private homeopathic practice in Vienna and regularly holds seminars on homeopathy for laypeople.

I dedicate this book to my family and friends who believed in me, and with their love, confidence and practical advice accompanied and supported me on my way.

Contents Chapter 1

Theoretical Foundations 14 15 15 15 15 16 21 21 21 23 24

CONTENTS

24 25 26 26 27 27 29 29 30 30 30 31 33 34 35 35 36

Hippocrates—“The Father of Medicine“ Medical Theories before Hahnemann Humoralism Boerhaave—“the Dutch Hippocrates” Brownianism Samuel Hahnemann—“the Father of Homeopathy“ The Rise of Homeopathy in the United States Pioneers and Milestones of Homeopathy the United States Gram, Hering, Kent – Three Fathers of Homeopathy in America The Catalyst of Homeopathy: The Cholera Pandemic The Many Mothers: Women, Medical Education and Homeopathy Reverend Healers and Lay Doctors Domestic Medicine – Domestic Family Practice Downhill: Homeopathy’s Decline Turning the Tables – The Revival of Homeopathy Roots of Analytic and Holistic Perspectives The functioning of the left and right hemisphere Comparison of Homeopathy with Allopathy What is homeopathy? The Law of Similars—“similia similibus curentur” The Law of Similars as Fundamental Homeopathic Principle A mythological Case Study: the Telephos Myth Potentized Remedies So what is left to work with? Proving of Remedies in Homeopathy Example of a Remedy Proving: The Approach of Conventional Medicine (Allopathy) Gender-specific Approaches to Homeopathic Treatment

Chapter 2

38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 45 47 47 47 48 49 51 52 52 53 55 55 57 58 58 59 61 62 64 65 66 70 72 74

Responsibility for one’s Health The First Homeopathic Consultation Important information for a homeopathic therapy Acute Diseases The Beneficial Fever The Flu Childhood Diseases Chronic Diseases What is a constitutional remedy? The Influence of the Constitutional Remedy on Life Themes Inheritance Birth Traumata Sleep and Dreams Relationships Creativity Emotions Suppression Staphisagria Disappointment, Sorrow and Grief Natrium muriaticum Anger Tarantula hispanica Belladonna Nux vomica Fear Argentum nitricum Death: End-of-Life Care Constitutional Therapy for Children Calcium Carbonicum What is the Initial Aggravation? Obstacles to Healing Duration of Action of Remedies

CONTENTS

Practice of Homeopathy

Chapter 3

From Fear to Knowledge

CONTENTS

76 77 78 79 80 81 82 84 84 85 86 87 87 88 90 90 91 92 94 94 96 96 96 97 97 98 98 100 101 101 103 104 105 106

The Roots of Fear Fear and Loss of Confidence Authoritarian Structures The Forgotten Rhythm Fear of cancer Deceptive Prevention The Promotion of Health and the Prevention of Illness and Disease, from a Holistic Perspective Fear of Aging Hormones Menopause—a Spiritual Experience What is the natural rhythm in menopause? Fear of Disease Antibiotics—War in the Body Cortisone Vaccinations—Blessing or Bane? Vaccines and their Additives Can diseases be exterminated? Multiple Vaccines / Vaccinations Do vaccinations guarantee real Protection? Example of the Tuberculosis Vaccine Smallpox Epidemics Example Cholera Epidemic How can Epidemics be Prevented or Controlled? Homeopathy and Epidemics Epidemic Remedies Vaccination Damage What is Real Protection? Immunity and the Immune System Antigen-Antibody Theory The Independent Body Spiritual Perspective Knowledge Homeopathy Seminars

Chapter 4

110 110 111 112 114 116 118 120 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 154 168

Part 1—Description of Remedies Potentization Color Scheme Aconite Apis Arnica montana Belladonna Bryonia Chamomilla Cocculus Ignatia Nux vomica Phosphorus Pulsatilla Sulphur Antimonium tartaricum Berberis vulgaris Eupatorium perfoliatum Euphrasia Ferrum phosphoricum Gelsemium Hypericum Ipecacuanha Ledum Magnesium phosphoricum Phytolacca Rhus toxicodendron Ruta Sambucus Spongia Veratrum album Part 2—Administration of Remedies Part 3—Index of Symptoms Acknowledgements

CONTENTS

Repertory

INTRODUCTION

Introduction Homeopathy is a system of healing which regards every human being as a unique whole—a totality of body, mind, and soul—that has to be treated with individually selected remedies. Each homeopathic remedy is described in a so-called remedy picture. These remedy pictures inspired my creative side, and I started to draw pictures for my seminars in order to offer my participants a deeper insight and understanding of a remedy’s qualities. The pictures were not only a welcome change in teaching, but also simplified the holistic perspective so vital to homeopathy. Finally, the overall positive response gave rise to the idea of creating a “Homeopathic Remedy Picture Book”. But the effort necessary to create a whole book kept me from taking the first step for many years. More and more homeopathic guides kept appearing on the market, and sometimes I gained the feeling that I could “let this cup pass from me” and would not have to take on the effort to tackle a whole book. As the years passed, my inner voice became stronger and stronger. And through the hormonal changes and development of my body, I suddenly had enough power to transform my vision into reality. That was in 1998. The first steps were so easy that I saw my book lying under the Christmas tree in 2001. I was in the flow. But then—due to the vaccination damage I was constantly confronted with in my practice—vaccinations became a preoccupation, and I did not see any possibility of avoiding the pitfalls of its study, which in turn obstructed the book’s journey. Then my creative side got blocked. My pondering and examination of vaccinations occupied much time and energy, and how to include their discussion in my book was far from clear. Finally, I decided to adopt a holistic approach without going into too much detail about the individual vaccines, as there is enough literature and an increasing number of websites dedicated to this topic. In the meantime, as a homeopath I was taking quite a number of unvaccinated kids and saw that their health development differed considerably from that of vaccinated children. Chronic diseases are also constantly increasing. In my youth, allergies were a great rarity, whereas today the number of people suffering from allergies is on a steady increase. Also, diseases like multiple sclerosis and diabetes are more and more frequently diagnosed in adolescence and youth. The conventional allopathic treatment depletes the immune system and entails recurring infections, the treatment of which, with antibiotic therapy, harms the organism even more.

INTRODUCTION

From a holistic point of view, all diseases are a result of disorder in our life force and in our learning and maturing processes, and are hence an expression of that force striving for health. Homeopathic remedies stimulate and accompany our physical, mental, and emotional development. More and more women are looking for alternative methods of treatment and ways which permit their children to grow up in a natural and healthy manner. In my longtime experience as a homeopathic physician, I have observed that women usually find a completely natural and intuitive approach to homeopathy. And children, as soon as they receive homeopathic treatment, start developing a feeling for whether they need a remedy or whether their body can manage its curative process without external support. Being able to independently and successfully treat illnesses for one’s self promotes confidence, both in the self-recovering forces of the body, and our inherent healing ability. Hence, we can assume responsibility for our own health as well as our children’s. Homeopathy—as a holistic method—apparently evokes in women memories of primal knowledge. From a historical perspective, the knowledge and art of healing was always inherent in women. Samuel Hahnemann’s second wife, Melanie d’Hervilly, set a good example. She learned the basics of the homeopathic method, and soon started to work together with her husband Samuel in his practice. In a letter to a friend he described her as “the best homeopath of Europe”. This book introduces you to the basic principles and practices of homeopathic treatment, and presents—out of the abundance of known remedies —28 acute medicines that have proven to be most effective with the most frequently occurring acute illnesses and ailments. The visual presentation of the remedies reflects the holistic view of homeopathy. Furthermore, some practical case studies illustrate various development and recovery processes, and provide you with a deeper understanding of the homeopathic approach to healing. In order to give you some deeper insights in the original sayings of Samuel Hahnemann, this book quotes some paragraphs from his groundbreaking work “The Organon of Medicine”. For the sake of better distinction and organization, I have assigned a specific color to each remedy and each chapter. I chose colors that for me intuitively capture the emotional quality of each chapter and each remedy. When you are seeking a remedy, you may find yourself drawn to a particular color, and I encourage you to follow your intuition.

Chapter 1

Theoretical Foundations

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

Hippocrates—“The Father of Medicine“

14

Hippocrates of Kos (ca. 460–377 BC) was a renowned physician and teacher in ancient Greece. His contributions had a long-standing impact on the practice of medicine. Plato (ca. 428–347 BC), the founder of Idealism, attributed the medical concepts of Hippocrates to Vitalism‚ a belief that advocated the existence of some life force or vital energy in all living organisms. According to this view, diseases arise from imbalances in the vital forces of a living organism. As a consequence, a physician has to understand the “Wholeness in Nature” to be able to find the right treatment for a patient. Hippocrates and his followers wrote down their teachings in the Corpus Hippocraticum, a compilation of about 60 medical texts containing the fundamental principles of ancient Greek medicine. According to Hippocrates, a physician needs a concept that helps them to understand how the individual “elements” from which everything is made interact with each other and the human body. He believed that the body has to be treated as a whole—that a person’s vital force and health were strongly influenced by environment, diet, habits, lifestyle, and so on. Thereby, he covered the whole personality of his patients in his treatment. Hippocrates understood disease in terms of humoralism (see opposite), as an expression of disharmony in the bodily fluids. He also favored an empirical approach and based his views on the observation of diseases and medical conditions. He believed observation and reasoning were the main duties of a good physician. Due to his high esteem of systematic observation for diagnosis and therapeutic treatment, he broke with the ancient tradition of magico-religious medicine which credited disease and healing to supernatural forces like demons and gods. Hippocrates did not treat the disease, rather he treated the whole individual by supporting their natural self-healing powers through a change in diet and life style, as well as through the use of herbal medicines and surgery. In addition to observations of the symptoms in the patient, anamnesis—the knowledge of their medical history, their way of life, constitution, and occupation— were all important premises for chosing the right treatment. Although the notion of asepsis (keeping free of disease germs) was at that time unknown, he insisted on keeping the patient clean and sterile, especially during surgical treatment. For many people, most especially physicians, Hippocrates still embodies the ideal physician unifying scientific thought with high medical and human ethics. These ethics of medical practice are still reflected by the Hippocratic Oath. Extract of the Hippocratic Oath adapted by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, and used in many medical schools today: “I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.”

Medical Theories before Hahnemann Humoralism According to ancient Greek theory the human body contained four substances or fluids—blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile—the so-called humors. Hippocrates assumed that in healthy persons these humors were in balance, whereas an excess or lack of one fluid would affect their health. Humoralism was strongly purported by Galen, another famous Greek physician whose writings on the four temperaments—or humors—influenced Western medicine up to the 18th century. Only new insights in anatomy and pathology made clear that these four fluids did not really exist as liquids in the body. Galen also elaborated the principle of contraria contrariis curantur, the use of drugs with opposite effects to those caused by the disease. This principle would be challenged by Hahnemann’s law of similars, similia similibus curentur. Medical theory in the 16th and 17th century (iatrochemistry) has its origin in alchemy, and was a mix of chemistry and medicine. It put the focus on chemical processes and aimed to explain health and disease by chemical principles. Health depended on proper chemical relations of the bodily fluids.

Although he was principially a follower of humoralism, the Dutch physician, botanist, and chemist Boerhave (1668–1738)—who taught at the University of Leiden—was an eclectic in theory and practice. For Boerhaave, it was extremely important to follow Hippocrates principles when conducting accurate and unprejudiced clinical observation. He became very popular for his clinical lectures. One of his students was Gerard von Swieten, who initiated the First Vienna School of Medicine.

Brownianism The wave of Brownianism in medical science goes back to John Brown (1735–88), a Scottish physician who saw the fundamental principle of life in the excitability of all living organisms. Accordingly, health depended on the right balance of excitation of the organism. Consequently, disease was merely caused by an excess or lack of excitability: stenia, caused by too much excitability, and asthenia, caused by a lack of stimulation. Stenia was treated with calming or debilitating remedies, such as bleeding, cold compressions, dietary restrictions, and drugs that induced vomiting, purging, and sweating. In cases of astenia, the organism was stimulated by application of heat, hot meals, meat, wine and exercise (with the suppression of vomiting, stooling and sweating). In order to reestablish balance the physician had only to decide what state predominated, and administer alarmingly strong doses of the assumed medicines. The personality of the patient was not at all taken into account.

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

Boerhaave—“the Dutch Hippocrates”

15

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

Samuel Hahnemann—“the Father of Homeopathy“

16

Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843), the third of five children, was born on April 10, 1755 in Meissen—a little town known for porcelain manufacturing —in Saxony (Germany). His family had been porcelain painters for three generations. One year after Samuel’s birth the Seven Years War (1756–1763) started, and his family’s financial stability was jeopardized. Hence, Samuel’s schooling was frequently interrupted. It soon became apparent, however, that Samuel was extremely gifted, especially in languages, and he was allowed to attend school free of charge. One of his teachers, Johann Müller, particularly encouraged Samuel’s education, and was possibly the anonymous benefactor who later paid his lecture fees at the Medical Faculty at the University of Leipzig. Hahnemann’s outstanding interest and intelligence, combined with his inherent discipline for self-study, put him far ahead of other pupils and may also have fostered his inclination for independent thought—a characteristic that proved to be very important in his ensuing career. By the age of 20, equipped with proficiency in eight languages, he went to Leipzig to pursue medical studies. During this time, he made his living giving private language lessons and translating, and was responsible for the translations of quite a number of medical and philosophical treatises. But Leipzig, despite its reputation as the best faculty of medicine in Germany, did not satisfy his expectations. For the sake of a better understanding it is useful to consider the scientific climate at the time. Eighteenth century science was marked by a strong focus in theory and attempted to apply new philosophical ideas in medicine, without taking into much account the practical implications: the actual affect on health and the treatment of disease. At Leipzig, Hahnemann became familiar with Humoralism in its old Galenic form as well as with iatrochemistry, which reduced medicine to chemical processes in the body. It was also at Leipzig that he must have come across the more recent theories of the Dutch physician Boerhaave, who was one of the most reputed clinicians of that era. The Boerhaavian School was renowned for its patient attention and acute observation. Apparently Hahnemann was so impressed by Boerhaavian ideals that he transferred to Vienna (Austria), where former students of Boerhaave, such as the famous physician Gerard van Swieten had reformed the medical faculty and founded the First Vienna Medical School. Together with his student and successor Joseph von Quarin, he reorganized the desolate hospitals in Vienna and, like Boerhaave in Leiden, established clinical and bedside observation and teaching.

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

In Vienna, Hahnemann had the chance to work at the hospital of the Brothers of Mercy, under the guidance of Quarin who supported the talented young man in many ways, such as charging him no lecture fees and taking him to visits with his private patients. Hahnemann once said: “To him I owe my claims to be reckoned a physician. He loved and instructed me as if I were his only pupil.” 1 There he learnt how to apply his theoretical knowledge in actual cases: how to assess the state of a patient and to diagnose diseases. He learnt the various contemporary medical techniques—the stimulation and sedation of the organism, inducement of sweating and purging, removing morbid tissue, cauterizing (destroying infected tissue by burning with a heated instrument or caustic substance), injecting, bloodletting, application of leeches, poultices and so on. In short, he learnt all the therapeutic procedures that were state of the art at that time, and which he would bitterly criticize later in his career. For professional reasons, Hahnemann first left for Hermannstadt (in today’s Romania) and returned to Erlangen (Germany) in 1779, where he finished his dissertation and received his degree as Doctor of Medicine in August. In the following years Hahnemann continued to translate medical works, annotating them with critical notes. He also wrote and published articles based on his experiences as a practitioner. He did this not only to earn his living, but also to express his opinion and ideas; his works clearly express his growing doubts and frustration with contemporary medical therapeutics and his comparatively unorthodox opinions. In his medical practice, he frequently observed that the sick were better off without medical treatment. In these first years of practice, Hahnemann increasingly drew on simple treatment based on Hippocratic principles, relying more on the healing powers of nature and the curative effect of diets, than on the administration of strong medicines. This approach gave rise to the so-called Hahnemann’s method, which was known long before he developed other forms of treatment and formulated his principles of homeopathy. In these early years, Hahnemann turned his criticism mainly against malpractice and the generally poor state of medical therapeutics; it was not yet directed towards the medical system itself. He held the opinion that a physician should not just blindly stick to the written word, but should also attempt to know why a certain treatment or medicine was used. Medical theory during that period was marked by extraordinary confusion. Ancient Humouralism was breaking down under the weight of new pathological and anatomical findings, giving way to theoreticians from various faculties. Also iatrochemistry, with its mechanical-chemical focus on bodily

17

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

18

process, was declining. Boerhaave’s eclectic and clinical approach had thrived for a while in Europe, but was challenged by the medical writings of the Scottish physician and chemist William Cullen. It is interesting to note, that in 1790 Hahnemann translated the 1789 edition of Cullen’s famous Materia Medica into German, which inspired him to conduct his experiments with Peruvian bark which later became crucial in the formulation of his new principle of similarity. But first, in the late 18th century, in Cullen‘s wake, another medical wave swept across the sea from the British Isles to the continent: the so-called “Brunonian System”, a theory of James Brown which probably owed its shortlived popularity to its oversimplification (see page 15). In this babel of medical theories the soil was well prepared for such a reductionist theory. Many physicians were grateful to submit to the authority of a single theory that could easily be handled. Hahnemann did not show any obvious interest in the Brunonian system, which he deemed false as it was based only on theory. Nor was he convinced of any of the prevailing theories, and thus was not willing to adopt any of the existing systems that in his opinion lacked a clear guidance or principle. He was dedicated, if not obsessed, to developing a better and more rational and scientific system of therapeutics. It must be mentioned that Hahnemann, who in the meantime had gotten married and fathered several children, was far from being wealthy. On the contrary, the family shared one room for life and work, and bread was scarce. Hahnemann was not, however, prepared to put material wealth before his high ethics and commitment to developing a new medical system, as he was so struck by the falseness of the existing system. Hahnemann finally stopped practicing and focused his attention on chemistry and writing. In an essay On the Great Necessity of Regeneration of Medicine, he stated: “It was painful for me to grope in the dark, guided only by our books, in the treatment of the sick. … To become in this way a murderer or aggravator of the sufferings of my brethren of mankind, was to me a fearful thought.” 2 In 1790 Hahnemann translated William Cullen’s Materia Medica, and was fascinated by the reports on Peruvian Bark (also cinchona or china) used to treat malaria and intermittent fever. Hahnemann experimented with cinchona and observed that large doses of Peruvian bark triggered true attacks of fever in healthy persons that were very similar to the symptoms of intermittent fever in the sick. These experiments sparked the first inkling of the principle that Hahnemann would later describe as “like cures like”: “I took, for several days, as an experiment, four drams of good china twice daily. My feet and finger tips etc., at first became cold; I became languid and drowsy; then my heart

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

began to palpitate; an intolerable anxiety and trembling (but without a rigor); prostration in all the limbs; then pulsation in the head, redness of the cheeks, thirst; briefly, all the symptoms usually associated with intermittent fever appeared in succession, yet without the actual rigor. To sum up: all those symptoms which to me are typical of intermittent fever, as the stupefaction of the senses, a kind of rigidity of all joints, but above all, the numb, disagreeable sensation which seems to have its seat in the periosteum over all the bones of the body—all made their appearance. This paroxysm lasted from two to three hours every time, and recurred when I repeated the dose and not otherwise. I discontinued the medicine and I was once more in good health.” 3 This finding marked a decisive turn in Hahnemann’s career. But it was not until several years later that he became clear about the underlying mode of action—which he later identified as Nature’s Law—the law of similars, in Latin similia similibus curentur. His insight came at the right moment, because his attacks on orthodox medicine were becoming more and more pronounced and he definitely had to counter them. Hahnemann returned to vitalism and Hippocratic principles for diet and hygiene. The most important principle for him was that every person is different, and consequently has to be treated differently, with kindness and awareness of their individual needs and constitution, and with consideration of external influences. 4 Hahnemann vigorously opposed the practice of the “Old School” of orthodox medicine that designated fanciful names for diseases to convey the impression of being able to cure the symptoms. In the preface of the 6th and last edition of his “Organon of the Medicine”, Hahnemann writes: “For the same object the experienced allopath delights in inventing a fixed name, by preference a Greek one, for the malady, in order to make the patient believe that he has long known this disease as an old acquaintance, and hence is the fitted person to cure it. Whenever it can it employs, in order to keep in favor with its patient, remedies that immediately suppress and hide the morbid symptoms by opposition (contraria contrariis) for a short time (palliatives) but that leave the cause for these symptoms (the disease itself) strengthened and aggravated. It considers afflictions on the exterior of the body as purely local and existing independently, and vainly supposes that it has cured them when it has driven them away by means of external remedies, so that the internal affliction is thereby compelled to break out on a nobler and more important part […] This non-healing art

19

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

20

—which for many centuries has been firmly established in full possession of the power to dispose of the life and death of patients according to its own goodwill and pleasure, and in that period has shortened the lives of ten times as many human beings as the most destructive wars—has rendered many millions of patients more diseased and wretched than they were originally” 5 Consequently, Hahnemann was confronted with many attacks from orthodox medicine and chemistry, most especially because his new method was effective and successful. He was booted out of Leipzig, and went to Cöthen, a small town nearby, where he lived and practiced for another 13 years. His reputation grew and extended far beyond Germany. His patients came from far and wide to ask for help and healing—Melanie d’Hervilly, an emancipated French poet and painter, among them. Melanie had been suffering for several years from abdominal pains and after having read the “Organon of the Healing Arts”, disguised herself as a man and traveled from Paris to Cöthen, hoping to find healing and further insight into the fascinating method. Melanie had been interested in medicine her entire life. She had shown an early gift for healing, but at the dawn of the 19th century women were not allowed to study medicine. So she turned instead to painting which permitted her to pursue anatomical studies in hospitals. The fateful encounter led from healing to love, and the 79 year-old Hahnemann, whose first wife had died years before, soon married Melanie. Through her natural gift, and deep belief and interest in homeopathy, she quickly developed a deep understanding of the holistic system of homeopathy. Hahnemann moved with her to Paris and together they opened a practice. Patients came from far and wide to seek their help. In December 1836 Hahnemann wrote in a letter to his German friend, Dr. J. Fr. Hennicke: “Daily, she treats gratuitously a large number of poor patients under my supervision, which now she hardly needs because through her own study of science she progresses daily. Her cures of the worst diseases ... have amazed everybody, and at times, even myself.” 6 The example of Melanie d’Hervilly shows how easily and intuitively the homeopathic system of healing can be grasped. In 1843, Hahnemann died at the age of 88 years. Melanie continued the homeopathic practice successfully and even ran a hospital for the poor. However, four years later, the dean of the Medical Faculty of Paris sued her for practicing without license. The court, not recognizing her degree from Allentown Academy, fined her. She nevertheless continued to practice for several more years. By that time, the orthodox medical authorities in Europe were already seeking to defend their dogmas and exclude women and alternative approaches to medicine. However, in 19th century America, homeopathy wrote a different story—a story of success.

The Rise of Homeopathy in the United States

Now we might ask why and to what degree homeopathy found acceptance in North America. Social phenomena can never be boiled down to simple facts, but still, we can try to identify some factors that created fertile ground for homeopathy.

Pioneers and Milestones of Homeopathy the United States Gram, Hering, Kent – Three Fathers of Homeopathy in America How did homeopathy actually take root in the United States? The man who first introduced it in America was Hans Burch Gram. Gram was born in Boston but had Danish roots, and went to Copenhagen to study at the Royal Medical and Surgical Institute. There he became familiar with one of the leading Danish homeopaths, Hans Christian Lund, and with Hahnemann’s writings, part of which he translated into English. Then he started to treat his own patients homeopathically. Due to resistance from regular doctors, he went back to the USA in 1925 and settled in New York City. At first, Gram also had problems there, but in the long run, his considerable therapeutic success supported the expansion of homeopathic medicine beyond New York into the neighboring states and the rest of the country. Gram was not the only one who transferred homeopathic knowledge and

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

18th and 19th-century medicine in North America stood more or less at the same level as in Europe. It was characterized by a variety of philosophies and schools. Widely practiced methods such as cupping, bloodletting, and treatments with calomel and mercury often turned out to have more harmful than beneficial effects on the patients. Conventional doctors who were aware of this problem felt the need for more efficient and less toxic therapeutic techniques. It’s likely that this growing dissatisfaction prepared the soil for the seeds of the holistic homeopathic philosophy. Other factors, especially among the upper classes, included interests in spirituality, personal freedom, and individual responsibility for health. Many doctors in the United States practiced allopathy and homeopathy side by side, aiming to integrate homeopathy as a complementary treatment, whereas in Europe, Hahnemann wanted to establish homeopathy as the new system of medicine, and strictly rejected all conventional therapeutic methods.

21

practice from Europe to North America and obtained renown and success. Many more each played a part in the expansion of homeopathy. Dr. Adolph Lippe founded the International Hahnemannian Association. Dr. Joseph Pulte emphasized domestic care. Dr. Francis E. Boericke and Dr. Adolph J. Tafel manufactured homeopathic medicines and founded the company that still bears their name today. Dr. Constantine Hering was born 1800 in Saxony, studied medicine in Leipzig and Würzburg, and did his doctorate on De Medicina futura (On Future Medicine). As a student, he was assigned to write a treatise to prove the invalidity of homeopathy. He studied the matter very closely and conducted experiments. An infected wound on his own finger was healed by a homeopathic treatment, and he became an enthusiastic proponent of homeopathy. After a stint in Surinam, he migrated to Pennsylvania in 1833. The most important of his teachings is his Law of Cure, based on the following observations: a. the body seeks to externalize disease, and the surfacing symptoms are part of the curative process; b. on the path of healing, a person’s symptoms will appear and then disappear in reverse order of their appearance, which means that in the process the patient can re-experience symptoms; c. the body heals from top to bottom and from more vital organs to less vital organs. Hering travelled widely, and was involved in the foundation of three medical colleges in North America. A third major figure in the history of American homeopathy was James Tyler Kent, born in 1849 in Woodhull, New York. He studied and promoted regular medicine, and taught anatomy at the University of St. Louis. After his first wife died, he started to study the writings of Swedenborg. He met and married his second wife, who also worked as a physician. When she got seriously ill, none of the allopathic therapies could help her, but with the help of homeopathic remedies she soon recovered. After this experience, Kent dedicated himself to homeopathic studies, and he subsequently taught and served as a dean at homeopathic medical schools. According to Kent, the root cause of all human diseases is an imbalance of the organism. His favored method of using high potencies, as well as his many influential works including the systematic and precise Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica, are still widely used today.

22

The Catalyst of Homeopathy: The Cholera Pandemic In 1841 a cholera pandemic started in India and China and spread through other countries before hitting North America in 1848. There, it became one of the greatest catalysts to the breakthrough of homeopathy, because homeopathy was much more successful than regular therapies. As allopathic therapies depleted the immune system and weakened the self-healing powers, they were not well suited for the treatment of cholera: Mortality rate was between 50 and 66 per cent worldwide. A comparison of the course of disease in numerous hospitals in the United States as well as in Europe show a striking difference between allopathic and homeopathic treatment. Facts and Figures: Comparison of homeopathic and allopathic treatment According to statistics collected by hospitals throughout Europe, the treatment of cholera by homeopathic methods proved to be far more successful.7 Some examples: 8 Cholera

Countries

Mortality Rate with Allopathic Treatment

Mortality Rate with Homeopathic Treatment

Europe 1831

54 - 66 %

24 - 27 %

England 1854

59.2 %

9 - 16 %

Scotland 1848/49

66.45 %

24.25 %

Yellow Fever

The treatment of yellow fever shows similar results. The mortality rate with allopathic treatment in hospitals was around 66%, whereas in homeopathic treatment it was between 6 and 13%. 9 The successful homeopathic treatment of these epidemics gave way to the foundation of the first homeopathic college in Ohio. Homeopathy was popular especially among the middle and upper classes. John D. Rockefeller, the British royal family and many more favored homeopathy as a healing method that envisioned the person as a whole. This preference eventually gave rise to the foundation of 69 homeopathic colleges by regular doctors – starting with Pennsylvania and New York and continuing west. From the beginning there were different schools and philosophies, leading to controversies and struggles about the “right” homeopathic doctrine which have continued up to the present day. In the USA in 1850, more than 600 doctors were practicing homeopathy, by 1880 there were 6000 and by 1901 there were 9664.

23

The Many Mothers: Women, Medical Education and Homeopathy In Europe and the USA until the first half of the 19th century, the medical profession was patriarchal in the extreme. It was difficult for women to gain access to regular medical education. Women faced opposition based on the argumentation that medicine would be beyond their intellectual capacity and would weaken their femininity and morality, and that women in the medical profession should be confined to nursing and midwifery. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman M.D. in America, who graduated in 1849, had been turned down by several medical schools before being admitted to the College of Medicine in Geneva, New York. Only a few colleges admitted some women, albeit mostly with the assumption that women should use the acquired knowledge only for their family and themselves, and not turn it into a serious profession. However, in the mid-1800s, three medical colleges were created for women only. The Boston Female Medical School was founded in 1848 as the first medical school for women in the world. It started as a school for midwives, but by 1850 offered a full medical curriculum. In that year the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania started to offer medical education to women, and in 1863 New York Medical College for Women was founded, inspired by people like Dr. Clemence Sophia Lozier and the suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton. But it was still very hard for women to gain access to the medical profession due to prejudice and opposition from the medical orthodoxy. This conservative attitude prevailed until the 1870s. In 1870 the American Institute of Homeopathy opened its membership to women and 1872 several homeopathic colleges in New York, Boston, Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit, and the Hahnemann Medical College in Chicago, admitted women into their ranks.10 By 1883-1884, 31% of the students in homeopathic colleges and 19% of the graduates were female. Around the turn of the century, 17% of homeopathic physicians were female, in contrast to only 6% of allopathic physicians. 11 Reverend Healers and Lay Doctors The principles of homeopathy are based on vital force and do not, like conventional medicine, split body and mind. Remedies are used to cure both bodily conditions as well as certain “moral and religious weaknesses”12 (which we might today call psycho-social problems). Thus homeopathy was well-received by members of spiritual groups in the USA, above all liberal Christians and disciples of Swedenborgianism. James Tailor Kent linked homeopathy to Swedenborgianism, which recognized that body and soul cannot be separated. In homeopathy, too, the human being is conceived as a spiritual creature, with body, mind and soul embedded in a greater totality. One reverend healer preached, “When the old system (allopathy) shall have quite vanished from the earth, and the new one (homeopathy) shall be

24

established, then will the Gospel of the kingdom of grace be preached as Jesus ordered it to be preached, and received as God intended it to be received.” 13 Consequently, ministers involved in homeopathy offered the members of their churches not only pastoral care and welfare, but also support in curing their physical conditions with the help of homeopathic remedies. The Law of Similars supported their efforts as it satisfied the need for simplicity in treating illnesses. Outside of the contemporary spiritual traditions, too, medical lay persons picked up the art of prescribing homeopathic remedies and offered their services in remote rural areas. As in some states they did not have licenses, and hence no right to collect fees, they worked on the basis of donations. A tradition of domestic medicine and domestic family practice developed.

Domestic Medicine – Domestic Family Practice “Domestic, lay and professional caregivers coexisted through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and even into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Indeed, the domestic and lay spheres of medical practice had been measurably assisted by the professional doctors as part of their desire “to induct the population into a learned medical ethos in which self-help occupied an integral but newly auxiliary role.” 14 The simplicity of application contributed considerably to the popularity of homeopathy, as homeopathic remedies can be easily applied by lay persons in case of acute illnesses. This proved beneficial to the many living in areas in the USA where there were few licensed doctors. For example, Cincinnati was spared the worst consequences of the cholera during the epidemic during 1848-1849 owing to the management of Dr. Joseph H. Pulte. His advice supported families in coping with the first stages of disease until a licensed doctor could be called for assistance.15 Pulte, who at first had nearly been driven out of town because of opposition to homeopathy, became revered after his success in fighting cholera. He published The Homeopathic Domestic Physician (1850) and The Woman’s Medical Guide (1853), empowering women to take care of their own health and that of their family. Homeopathy was closely linked to the women’s rights movement and women’s medical education of the 19th century. For example, the women’s right leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who had heard about the success of homeopathy, became a popular homeopathic lay healer within her community of Seneca Falls, New York. She doctored family, friends, and neighbors armed with a homeopathic domestic medical kit. After the 1852 “easy fifteen-minute” labor and delivery of her daughter and her quick recovery, Stanton wrote

25

to her friend Lucretia Mott: “Dear me, how much cruel bondage of mind and suffering of body poor woman will escape when she takes the liberty of being her own physician of both body and soul!” Stanton argued that the medical and religious authorities manipulated and weakened women. In this context, the domestic medical kit was one of the most important and effective tools in the propagation of homeopathy and women’s self-care and responsibility. 16 Like Stanton, many women were inclined to convert to homeopathy, particularly mothers preferring milder, gentle, and supportive therapies and treatments for their infants and children.

Downhill: Homeopathy’s Decline The 1920s and 30s saw advances in scientific knowledge about bacteria and viruses, as well as the development of antibiotics. Meanwhile, the popularity of homeopathy and holistic views of health went into decline. Homeopathy’s closeness to religion and spirituality led to the prejudice that it was a “sect,” hampering its being recognized as a valid complement to allopathy. Many homeopathic colleges had to close their doors because of a lack of funding, or were transformed into allopathic medical schools. Reductionistic scientific research and materialism split the body from the mind and seemed to be defeating homeopathy. Turning the Tables – The Revival of Homeopathy In the wake of new the growing recognition of Eastern medicine and alternative practices since the late 1960s within the New Age movements, homeopathy is again a dynamic factor in contemporary medicine. Among the around 250 forms of alternative medicine, homeopathy is the 2nd most common and the fastest growing form of alternative medicine, well known for its quick transformative powers by virtue of remedies drawn from the natural world, focusing on the treatment of the whole person and affecting body and mind together. The latest medical scientific research gives clear evidence of the interdependency of emotions and the body. It has been proven that negative emotions and stress considerably weaken the immune system. Hence, it now seems obvious that the human being has to be seen and treated both with respect to mind and body, as homeopathy does. Recent developments show that dogmatic scientific materialism is in decline, and the demand for holistic treatment is rising steadily. This can be measured in figures: “The budget of the National Institutes of Health of the USA for alternative and complementary medicine has risen from 2 to 66 million dollars and according to estimates will soon reach 99 million dollars.”17 If we see money as the chi of society, we might well see that the energy is flowing back to the holistic alternative, permitting us, self-aware and selfconfident, to decide what is best for our health.

26

Roots of Analytic and Holistic Perspectives

Our brain is divided into two halves—or hemispheres—each functioning differently and offering different capacities and styles of thinking. The functioning of the left half can be compared to sequential and linear electronic processes in a computer. The left-brain is associated with prescribed categories and patterns learned in early childhood. Like a computer, the left hemisphere excels in recalling complex sequences. In short, it memorizes processes that are constantly repeated in our life, thereby providing us with some predictability. We have to admit, this is convenient; otherwise the world would seem alien and chaotic. We need these structures and habits for our simplest movements. Without this capacity we could not draw on our knowledge of the alphabet for writing, we could not recall how to form words from letters, how to associate words with their meaning how to make sentences from words, and so on. The left brain is responsible for naming, categorizing and abstraction, which is particularly important in speech, reading, writing, and arithmetic—abilities that are all highly valued in our society. But as important the contribution of the left-brain might be, we do not have to exclusively rely upon its learned sequences and patterns; we do not have to wait until the left-brain has processed some new information in its linear and somewhat laborious manner—because the right-brain, with its simultaneous processing, is better qualified to do it. The right-brain can perceive as a unified whole (for example: a face in its totality); it can relate parts of the world through similarities and perception correspondences and connect them into new meaningful patterns; it can express the diffluent formlessness of intricate feelings and thoughts in complex images. Repetition and predictability are not the strength of the right hemisphere, it lives in its involvement with the new and unknown, the ambiguous, paradoxical, and unconventional. The right-brain is responsible for unifying concepts, whereas the left-brain is analytical, dividing the world into parts. If we were restricted to left-brain thought our world would be neatly put into drawers and compartments, and consequently our actions would always have the same sequences and outcomes. It would be hard for us to develop ideas that could break through the confines of our cyclical habits and thought patterns. From its early stages in kindergarten, our conventional education system fosters the dominance of the left hemisphere. The curriculum divides learning

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

The functioning of the left and right hemisphere

27

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

material into individual subjects, emphasizing and rewarding the skills of the left-brain. The natural creativity of infants gives way to the over-emphasis of analytic thought, and by the end of adolescence the left hemisphere has gained absolute predominance. The neglected right-brain, with its susceptibility to creative play and wonder; preference for wholeness, images, and metaphors; and its capacity to bridge logical contradictions, has lost its equality with the left-brain. According to recent pedagogical studies the prevailing educational system disregards holistic and creative development. This cultural predominance is reflected in medical thought: Conventional medicine is dominated by left-brain thinking, whereas the homeopathic approach is holistic and uses the capacities of both hemispheres.

28

Left Hemisphere

Right Hemisphere

• Propositional thinking

• Imaginative thinking

• Sequential information processing

• Simultaneous information processing

• Focus on details: e.g. a wart

• Focus on the whole: e.g. a face

• Analysis: divides the world into manageable parts and labels them

• Synthesis: connects the world into a set of totalities

• Focus on informative aspects of the world

• Focus on emotional aspects of the world

• Focus on differences

• Focus on similarities and connections

• Critical thinking

• Creative thinking

• Speech and linear thought

• Images – no words

• Knows “how” – pattern user

• Knows “what” – pattern seeker

Comparison of Homeopathy with Allopathy

Homeopathy is a healing system that considers the sick person in their totality and individuality. It views the cause of the disease in the disturbance of the whole personality—with no separation of body, mind and soul. A disease is always an expression of a deep-rooted disorder within the whole system, and therefore needs a remedy that has the capacity to restore the inner balance. Homeopathic remedies address the sick organism at its innermost core; they trigger and support our natural self-healing powers. As death is part of life, and night follows day, health and disease are also two sides of the same coin. The body, with its innate wisdom, feels precisely when it needs illness for its development. The disease itself can be seen as a self-healing mechanism of the body. If the body is strained by too much work, stress, a lack of sleep, poor diet or too little exercise, it fights back. It is an instrument that needs to be handled carefully. When it is treated roughly and carelessly, and its need for rest is not respected, it reacts with symptoms to get attention. Each disease symptom is a message that prompts us to give our life a different direction. Hahnemann laid down the foundations (principles) of his groundbreaking healing method in his main work, the Organon of Medicine in 291 paragraphs. His 6th and last edition was completed in 1842, but his insights are still valid today. Hahnemann named his new medical system according to one of its most important principles—the law of similars—homeopathy. The term “homeopathy” derives from two ancient Greek words: homoios (similar) and pathos (suffering). In contrast to this, Hahnemann termed the conventional medical approach allopathy, with the Greek root allos (different) as it is based on the law of opposites. Allopathy still describes the modern approach of conventional medicine.

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

What is homeopathy?

The most important principles of homeopathy are: 1. The Law of Similars 2. Potentized Remedies 3. Remedy Provings

29

The Law of Similars—“similia similibus curentur”

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

(Let like be cured by like)

30

Allopathy

Homeopathy

External perspective

Internal perspective

Conventional Therapy

Law of Similars

Conventional therapies concentrate on the disease, with no regard to the personality of the sick individual.

Homeopathic healing happens through a remedy whose qualities are similar to the symptoms of the disease.

The Law of Similars as Fundamental Homeopathic Principle Homeopathic remedies act most rapidly if they are as similar as possible to the sick individual. At this time, when medicine is oriented towards the suppression and combat of diseases, this is quite an unusual perspective. How could a remedy possibly act in a way that is similar to the disease? The law of similars can be traced back 2,000 years to ancient Greece, long before the 18th century when Hahnemann developed his homeopathic system of healing. The famous physician Hippocrates (460—377 BC) had already formulated this healing principle: “Most diseases are brought forth by the similar and can be cured by its application.” 18 Also the physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493—1541) recognized the close relationship in healing between poison and remedy, stating that only “the dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy”—another inspiring thought for Hahnemann, who solved this problem with the potentization of remedies. A mythological Case Study: the Telephos Myth On their journey to Troy, the Greeks accidentally arrived in Asia Minor where they fought against the Mysians under King Telephos. Telephos won the battle, but was wounded in the thigh by Achilles’ spear. The Greeks returned home, but Telephos’ wound would not heal. So he asked the oracle and was told: “He that wounded shall also heal.” (Iliad). Hence he went to the Greeks and asked Achill to cure him. Achill said he was no doctor, but Odysseus associated the oracle’s words with the spear, so some cuttings of the spear that had hurt him were applied to the wound, and it healed in only a few days. Also in the realm of modern myth, as in Jane Rowling’s magic tale Harry Potter, the law of similars seems to remain valid. Harry’s magic wand contains a phoenix feather—as does the wand of Lord Voldemort, his greatest adversary. Both feathers came from the same bird!

Hahnemann’s “Organon” § 27 states: “The curative power of medicines, therefore, depends on their symptoms, similar to the disease but superior to it in strength, so that each individual case of disease is most surely, radically, rapidly, and permanently annihilated and removed only by a medicine capable of producing (in the human system) in the most similar and complete manner the totality of its symptoms, which at the same time are stronger than the disease.”

Potentized Remedies

Allopathy

Homeopathy

External perspective

Internal perspective

Analysis

Potentized remedy

Diseases are treated from an external perspective, which often only suppresses apparent symptoms. Treatment concentrates only on individual organs. Accordingly, this approach requires the combination of different medicines for one sick organism.

A potentized remedy acts on the individual from a perspective of indivisible totality. Accordingly, there is a remedy that has the capacity to cover all symptoms.

After his medical studies Hahnemann moved to Dessau where, in addition to his practice, he turned his attention to chemistry. Here, he had the chance to gather experience in the Mohrenapotheke (Moor-Pharmacy) owned by his father-in-law. He soon became perfectly familiar with the preparation of medicines, and because he was convinced that only carefully prepared remedies guarantee a successful therapy, devoted himself to producing only first-class remedies. Until today, it has been common in pharmaceutical practice to extract tinctures from dried plant material. Hahnemann, however, realized that many plants offer more drug strength when processed in their fresh state. 19

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

Hahnemann described diseases as dynamic disharmonies of our existence with nature. Dynamis comes from ancient Greek and means movement and force, and refers to our vital force—the basis of life. Thus health and disease are both dynamic phenomena. Accordingly, only potentized, dynamized remedies have the capacity to trigger profound healing.

31

The Organon § 266 states: “Substances belonging to the animal and vegetable kingdoms possess their medicinal qualities most perfectly in their raw state.” Hahnemann chopped and pounded the fresh plant to a pulp, pressed the juice out, and stabilized it with an equal volume of strong alcohol (in 1827 Hahnemann recommended good brandy20; today it is usually distilled alcohol) . This first step yielded the primary source material, the so-called “Mother Tincture”. Hahnemann details clear guidelines for the pharmaceutical preparation according to the respective raw material such as plants, metals, minerals or other biological material or sources. Organon § 264: “The true physician must be provided with genuine medicines of unimpaired strength, so that he may be able to rely upon their therapeutic powers; he must be able, himself, to judge of their genuineness.” The procedure of potentization or dynamization involves a series of clearly defined succussions (vigorous shaking for liquid potencies) or triturations (grinding for solid potencies), whereby the drugs are mixed with a neutral material, the so-called vehicle. Frequent vehicles are alcohol, water, glycerol, or for trituration, lactose. The Hahnemannian method offers different scales of potencies:

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

d-potencies c-potencies q-potencies

32

decimal scale centesimal scale quinquagintamillesimal scale

1:10 1:100 1:50,000

After the discovery of the law of similars, Hahnemann started to work with diluted mother tinctures and source materials which produced strong toxic side effects. To avoid these inadvertent reactions, Hahnemann diluted them repeatedly and hence discovered the principle of potentization. In his first editions of the Organon, he describes the procedure as ›thorough mixing, stirring, and shaking for several minutes‹ and the like, and did not introduce the terms potentization and dynamization before 1827. 21 The more often, and more vigorously, succussions and/or triturations are applied, the higher the potency or strength of the remedy. Potentization thus is not just a procedure of mixing, diluting or shaking […]; it is about transmission of remedy information. I want to emphasize that homeopathic remedies are not ›dilutions‹ but rather potentizations according to Hahnemann ›dynamizations and reinforcement of strength‹ ” 22 Hahnemann explains this in § 269 of the 6th edition of the Organon: “We hear daily how homoeopathic medicinal potencies are called mere dilutions, when in fact they are the very opposite, i.e. a true opening up of the natural substances, bringing to light and revealing the hidden specific medicinal powers contained within, and brought forth by rubbing and shaking. The aid of a chosen, unmedicinal medium of attenuation is

So what is left to work with? As long as there are still molecules of the source material left in a homeopathic remedy, conventional medicine is prepared to accept their effectiveness. However, as soon as we use high potencies, homeopathy has to face the following reproach: “Homeopaths use remedies, although they do not contain any molecules of the source material.” In actual fact, homeopaths work with high potencies because they do not contain any molecules of the source material: Rather, high potencies contain the information of the source material. Various scientific approaches try to explain the mode of action of these high potencies. There are various theories. It is widely known that the individual steps of succussion transform the crystal lattice of a vehicle—such as water—and leave an imprint or memory of the source material in the vehicle. The Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto did valuable research on the properties of water and published his various experiments on the “Memory of Water” in several books. They show that the mere concentration of a group of people on a certain topic can change the structure of the water, evidenced meanwhile by famous photos of different forms of ice crystals showing imprints of information. 24

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

but a secondary condition. Simple dilution, for instance the solution of a grain of salt within water, will become water; i.e. the grain of salt, with much water, will disappear in the dilution, and will never develop into medicinal salt. The dilution, by means of our well prepared dynamization, is raised to most marvelous power.” The idea was not completely new: Hahnemann knew the works of the ancient Arabic physicians. Avicenna, Serapion, and the famous Abulkasem of Bagdad, had all described the administration of finely pounded gold leaf for the healing of depressive symptoms in the 9th and 10th century. Hahnemann however discovered that potentizing—i.e. shaking and grinding —does not abate a remedy’s strength, but rather intensifies the original pharmacodynamic properties of the source material, or can even manifest such properties. Many more or less medically neutral substances, such as Calcium carbonicum, Sepia, Silicea, etc. that are widely used in homeopathy only turn into remedies by potentization.” 23 Meanwhile, homeopathy has been working for two centuries with potentized remedies that—according to the laws of chemistry—do not contain any molecules of the original substance. This limit, called Avogadro’s number, corresponds to homeopathic potencies of 12c or 24d. So all higher potencies are free of any source material.

33

Proving of Remedies in Homeopathy

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

Since Hahnemann, many generations of homeopaths have proved vast numbers of remedies. The term Proving derives from the German word “Prüfung” meaning examination or test. A proving strongly resembles the outbreak of disease symptoms, which means homeopaths have directly experienced the action of a remedy on their own bodies—and not only read about it or observed it. Our contemporary knowledge about the actions of various remedies comes primarily from these carefully reported experiences and partly from toxicology—reports about the symptoms caused by intoxications, such as after the intake of Belladonna (Devil’s cherry).

34

Allopathy

Homeopathy

External perspective

Internal perspective

Conventional physicians observe the disease with diagnostic methods from an external perspective. They are the experts who pass judgment on the sick from outside.

Remedy provings Homeopathic physicians test the remedies on themselves. As the experience of a proving is analogous with that of becoming ill, they gain insight “from within” and thereby can assist the sick on the same level.

In remedy provings homeopaths become similar to the sick, as they experience the symptoms in their own body. They deliberately put themselves at the same level, which provides them with a deeper understanding of the suffering of their patients. Organon § 108: “There is, therefore, no other possible way in which the peculiar effects of medicines on the health of individuals can be accurately ascertained—there is no sure, no more natural way of accomplishing this objective, than to administer the several medicines experimentally, in moderate doses, to healthy persons, in order to ascertain what changes, symptoms and signs of their influence each individually produces on the health of the body, and of the mind; that is to say, what disease elements they are able and tend to produce, since, as has been demonstrated, all the curative power of medicines lies in this power they possess to change the state of man’s health, and is revealed by observation of the latter.”

Example of a Remedy Proving: A group of homeopaths of both genders, the provers, take a remedy that has been selected by the proving director and is unknown to the provers. They take the remedy until they develop clear symptoms. The process is observed and recorded by proving supervisors who are responsible for two provers at a time. Both provers and supervisors keep their journals until no new symptoms develop. Afterwards the group shares and reviews the experiences they had during the administration of the remedy. All symptoms are collected and summarized into a remedy picture. The provings are conducted worldwide by independent groups of homeopaths and subsequently compared with each other. The whole process from the beginning until the results of a remedy proving are published can take up to two years. Hence, it usually takes several years before a new remedy is adopted into the homeopathic repertory (i.e. the index of homeopathic remedies).

In conventional medicine, the body is analyzed and compartmentalized into individual parts. The attention focuses on “objective” test results and X-rays based on the belief that they will give an actual picture of the ill organism. If an indivisible living organism is divided into parts, it is no longer living or an organism. But in conventional medicine the bodily functions are observed separately—accordingly each organ needs its own medical specialist. Conventional allopathic treatments suppress diseases and only remove the symptoms, but not the underlying cause. For example, a skin rash—usually a signal of internal disturbance—is not regarded as such. Allopathy just tries to combat the problem externally, with adequately strong medication. But if rashes are suppressed, such as in neurodermatitis, the disease moves from the outside to the inside, and frequently produces pulmonary ailments such as asthma. However, the dermatologist does not realize the consequences of his therapy—because lung diseases are not his specialty and the patient usually will attend a lung specialist for the newly developed ailments. This medical approach, splitting humans into organs, often ignores the causality in the sequence of diseases.

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

The Approach of Conventional Medicine (Allopathy)

This compartmentalization is an analogy of the inner separation of the continuum of life that many of us suffer in modern life—the loss of the sense of oneness of body, mind and soul. The need to cling to something objective and measurable, to something that gives us security, to some expert who tells us what to do, is perfectly satisfied by conventional physicians—“the people in the white coats”.

35

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N DAT I O N S

Gender-specific Approaches to Homeopathic Treatment

36

Traditionally it is harder for men to accept the holistic approach of homeopathy; they are used to relying mostly upon the rational capacities of the left-brain. During my first years as a homeopath only a few men found their way into my practice. But they were always present in the reports of the women who brought their children for treatment. They told me about the difficulties they had experienced in explaining to their husbands why they had chosen homeopathic treatment. Apart from denying homeopathy as a healing method, the husbands did not like to spend money on it. However, as the curative effects in the first child became apparent—less infections, better sleep, good and healthy development—soon the mothers were also coming for homeopathic treatment. In the first years of practice it took a minimum of two years until the corresponding male would turn up and tell me that his wife sent him, that he still had doubts about homeopathy, but because the child and his wife had developed so well, he was prepared to try it. I am very happy that many things have changed over the last 15 years. The sequence—first child, then mother, finally father—is the same, but the time span is much shorter, and some men even come without being sent by their wives! Some of them show interest in homeopathy without even suffering from physical ailments. They look for help in their life journey, such as to let go of old, rigid patterns, get out of their shell and find their innermost core. Supported by homeopathic remedies they are ready to make impressive steps forward. They come at intervals of two or three months, undergoing transformative processes with a remedy, until sooner or later a clear picture of the next remedy surfaces. It gives me joy and hope each time I perceive how men start to change their value systems, and how involvement with their own identity and their fathers’ identities gives rise to changes. It is certainly not enough that only women free themselves of their enmeshments. For far reaching social change, the inner development of men is absolutely essential.

Chapter 2

Practice of Homeopathy

Responsibility for one’s Health

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

A homeopathic therapy can only be successful if the person seeking help assumes responsibility for their mental and emotional development. The recognition of their worries and problems is the first step to healing. When patients suffering from chronic diseases discontinue allopathic medication, it frequently sparks an acute onset of the disease. The homeopathic remedy initially causes an outbreak of the symptoms that have been suppressed for years by allopathy. In most cases, this reaction only lasts for a few days. The more consciously we let ourselves into a homeopathic therapy, the faster our healing can take place. Homeopathic remedies are like good friends: they accompany and support our mental, emotional, and physical development, and help us to master difficult situations. But a friendship can only live and thrive when fostered by both sides. The message of a remedy can be compared to a melody that is played on a flute in the woods. In the middle of town, amidst all the noise, it’s not possible to perceive the flute’s delicate sound. In order to recognize the melody, it is necessary to leave town and head into the woods, where silence allows us to hear the delicate melody. Our own contribution to the success of a homeopathic therapy is our willingness and disposition to listen to our inner voice—the melody within the woods.

38

For me, the first homeopathic consultation is an appointment that focuses on the question, “What kind of person is this?” This question was my daily companion during my first years of practice under the guidance of Dr. Mathias Dorsci at the homeopathic clinic in Lainz (Vienna). How does this person perceive themself in the world? As a victim—helplessly exposed to their environment, driven by fears that restrain their ability to decide for themself? Full of despair, without perspective? Not able to get over disappointments, full of grief about painful experiences in the past? Physical ailments, early illnesses, sleep patterns, and dietary preferences are important factors—each and every single problem has its significance—they are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The more pieces are facing-up and put together, the clearer the picture. When the picture is complete, it gives a clear hint to the theme of a remedy, and often the “Gefühlswelt”—or emotional life—of the patient offers the key to the proper remedy. The first homeopathic consultation usually takes around one, to one-and-a-half hours. This is about the amount of time that I, and most homeopaths, usually need to solve the jigsaw and get a clear picture of the theme. Lets take a look what Hahnemann writes in the Organon § 3,4: “If the physician clearly perceives what is to be cured in diseases – that is to say, in every individual case of disease […] – so that recovery will ensue, he must adapt the treatment with respect to the suitability of the medicine […] with regard to the case before him […]. He is likewise a preserver of health if he knows the things that derange health and cause disease, and how to remove them from persons in health.” Hahnemann writes several times about the first consultation, here in § 84: “The patient details the history of his sufferings; those about him tell what they have heard him complain of, how he has behaved, and what they have noticed in him; the physician sees, hears, and remarks by his other senses what there is of altered, or unusual character about the patient. He writes down accurately—in the very expressions used—all that the patient and his friends have said. Keeping silence himself, he allows them to say all they have to say, and refrains from interrupting unless they wander off to other matters. The physician advises them at the beginning of the examination to speak slowly, in order that he may write down the important parts of what they say.”

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

The First Homeopathic Consultation

39

Important information for a homeopathic therapy

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Family history Required hospitalization and operations Physical ailments: when, character of the pain Medication being taken Consumption of coffee, nicotine and alcohol Appetite and food preferences and aversions Digestion Perspiration Sensitivity to heat or cold Sensitivity to weather or drafts Preferred vacation, e.g. seaside, mountains Menstruation Sleeping patterns and position Dreams Mood Fears and phobias Handling of emotions Behavior in family, job, and leisure time

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

For the treatment of children, the following information is of importance:

40

• Mother’s physical and emotional state before and during pregnancy • Birthing experience • Nursing behavior • Developmental stages—Crawling, Walking, Teething, Talking * • Behavior at home, in kindergarten, or school • Eating patterns, appetite, preferences, and dislikes • Sensitivity to heat or cold • Body temperature, perspiration • Sleeping patterns, sleeping position, and dreams • Childhood diseases • Vaccines and reactions • Operations • Family history

In acute diseases the body responds to harmful influences from outside with partly violent symptoms. The symptoms are clearly defined and are an expression that the body is currently overwhelmed by external circumstances and is trying to cure itself by the acute illness. The Organon § 73 states: “With regards to acute diseases, they are of such a kind as to attack human beings individually, the exciting cause being injurious influences to which they were particularly exposed. Excesses in food, or an insufficient supply of it, severe physical impression, chills, over-heating, dissipation, strains, etc., or physical irritations, mental emotions, and the like, are exciting causes of such acute febrile affections.” Acute febrile illnesses frequently occur during childhood. Their suppression by means of antibiotics, cortisone, etc. weakens our vital force and encourages the devlopment of chronic diseases. Vaccinations prevent the development of beneficial acute illnesses. Homeopathic remedies, by contrast, assist and support the self-healing process of acute childhood disease. After such a disease the development of a child often clearly takes a leap. Hahnemann already states in § 149 of the Organon: “When the suitable homœopathic remedy has been selected and rightly employed, the acute disease we wish to cure, even though it be of a grave character and attended by many sufferings, subsides insensibly within a few hours, if it be of recent date and within a few days […] there occurs, by rapid, imperceptible transitions, […] restored health, recovery. Diseases of long standing […] require for their cure a proportionately longer time.” In my practice, I often perceive how much fear febrile childhood diseases provoke in their parents. This stands in contrast to the natural handling of fever illnesses in my childhood. When we—me, or one of my three siblings—had a fever my mother put us on bed rest, treated us with herbal tea (lime blossom or elderflower), and when the body temperature exceeded 104 °F (40 °C) she applied various poultices and compresses (potato, onion, curd poultices, and vinegar compresses) and after a few days we were over the disease. My mother had an unshakeable belief in the self-healing powers of the body and knew, which was common at that time, quite a few domestic remedies: coughs were treated with oil- or mutton tallow poultices. Only in exceptional cases did she call a doctor for help. I would like to note that nobody in my family suffers from a chronic disease. The anxious attitude about increased body temperature is fuelled by conventional medicine and stoked up by media reports on the so-called danger of fever above 101.5 °F (38.5 °C)—it’s a hot topic that sells.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Acute Diseases

41

The Beneficial Fever

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Fever is half the striving of the organism against disease. It purifies the body like fire. (Hippocrates)

42

A fever is a useful symptom, a self-defense mechanism of the body, which helps overcome the cause—invading disease agents or germs. Only a healthy body has enough energy to develop a fever; a sign of a working immune system is one which responds to germs, like bacteria and viruses, with increased body temperature. Most germs get sort of “lazy” and slower in growth when temperature exceeds 101.5 °F to 102 °F (38,5—39 °C), so they can more easily be “killed” by the white blood cells—the bodily defense units. At the same time, the increased heat boosts the metabolic rate and thereby the enzyme activity, which in turn stimulates the internal detoxification and combustion (oxidation) processes. In short, when suppressing fever, you also suppress the body’s natural defenses. Since primeval times humans have gathered round the heat of the fire to warm themselves and cook their food in order to make it digestible, and with that, also warm the body from inside. Ayurvedic Medicine and the Yoga teachings speak of Agni, the digestive fire. With respect to our body Agni is our capacity to digest and transform, and hence, a main source of life that can be nourished by healthy food. Fire has always been associated with purification. One example is the archaic shamanic ritual of firewalking that is still practiced by many cultures worldwide. It is a rite of purification, healing, and initiation that not only leads to inner clarity but (through the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers) gives the opportunity to face our primal fear of the superiority of fire. Another mythological metaphor is found in Christianity: The Purgatory where all the so-called “sins” are burnt and purified. In our western culture fire has been tamed and replaced by microwave, electricity, and gas. And just as we have banished fire from our everyday lives, the fire in our bodies is now also banished. A fever that develops and stays for several days causes fear and panic, and instead of comprehending its cleansing and purifying function, we “wage war on it”, attacking and suppressing it. In analogy to that, the hot flashes women experience during menopause are considered taboo and controlled with hormones without realizing what potential energy lies within (see also Fear of Aging). The fear of fever most probably comes from fever cramps (febrile seizures). Certainly it is terrifying for parents to observe their child experiencing a fever fit—fever leading to convulsions triggered by heat. However, in a normally healthy child, a fever cramp is a rather harmless event—an electric discharge in the brain— it can be compared to a thunderstorm that quickly blows over and cools the air. For the healthy development of a child it is vital not to suppress feverish illnesses on the physical plane and/or on the psychological plane (i.e. their emotional expressions.)

Prolonged chronic diseases weaken the body to such a degree that it does not have the power to bring on a beneficial fever. For example: In my personal experience in a cancer center, when reviewing the medical history of cancer patients, I have observed that they were seldom prone to acute diseases before the cancer. Some patients even proudly reported that they had never missed a day’s work—throughout their entire working life— because of a feverish illness. Meanwhile, conventional medicine has also come to recognize the health-promoting force of fever. Some clinics now offer artificially induced fever therapies for the treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases. Homeopathic Treatment: Homeopathy offers various fever remedies that support the body’s defense system such as Aconite, Belladonna, Ferrum Phosphoricum, etc., each of which suits a particular kind of fever. Acute remedies (first aid remedies) soon show visible effects by soothing fear, anxiety, and physical conditions.

For adults the flu is often the only way to give themselves some rest and peace. The hectic pace of the western life style, driven by performance and consumption, often leads us to neglect our physical needs and rhythms. Funnily enough, our holiday activities often even aggravate our everyday stress. If the body is overwhelmed by the demands of life it responds with illnesses that simply prompt us to pause. If it still has the capacity to generate a fever, this also supports inner processes of cleansing and purification, as does the rest forced upon us by the acute disease. Every disease catalyzes learning and maturing processes that promote our physical and emotional development. As within, so without: Like our environment, our body also has to be respected in its natural cycles and rhythms. And emotional problems can express themselves in physical symptoms. The pandemic of the “Spanish Flu” at the final stages of World War I in 1918, that took the lives of many people, gave rise to the present day extreme fear of the flu. Today the flu is often “bred” in battery hen farms and other forms of inappropriate animal husbandry. Since the introduction of the flu shot or flu vaccination program, the fear of the flu has constantly been fuelled. However, even proponents are aware that the effectiveness of the flu shot is questionable: The effectiveness rate of the flu vaccination is about 70 per cent, which is not overwhelming. However, if repeated annually, the effectiveness rate increases a bit. Vaccine is effective against influenza, but it is not perfect: A study report by Dr. David K. Shay, who led a team from the C.D.C. and eight state health departments in February 2008, found that: “full immunization against

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

The Flu

43

flu provided about a 75 percent effectiveness rate in preventing hospitalizations from influenza complications in the 2005-6 and 2006-7 influenza seasons. (The 75 percent rate could range, according to a standard statistical measure known as “confidence intervals”, from 41 percent to 91 percent.) ” 1 Vaccination does not protect against the illness that we usually call “the flu”; if at all, it can only protect us from a special form of the flu—“Influenza”. Such vaccinations often frequently cause violent illnesses—illnesses that we commonly call the flu.2 In my practice I have seen quite a number of flu-vaccinated people who, since the moment they got the shot, started suffering from repeated viral infections, as well as constant exhaustion.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Childhood Diseases

44

Childhood diseases play an important role in the overall development of children; they are often the only way to leave behind the inherited physical and mental/emotional patterns. The more burdens they bring along from their parents, grandparents, and ancestors the more essential it is for them to let go. In former times, measles were deemed a harmless childhood disease. In my youth, people were aware that the disease would only be serious later in life, and therefore they took care that it developed before the age of seven. Acute childhood diseases, like measles, act as valves in child development and have the capacity to dissolve inherited patterns. On the psychological plane, we can usually observe a visible maturing process in the child after the full development of an acute disease. On the physical plane, childhood diseases encourage the development of the immune system, which is initially transferred by the mother’s milk, and which will stay with us throughout our entire lives. After a childhood disease, such as measles, we are no longer susceptible to that specific disease, but the process has also reinforced our protection against other contagious diseases. An infant gradually learns, through interaction with its environment, how to use its body—to sit up, crawl, walk and run—and to explore speech. Similarly, the immune system, which in newborn babies is not yet matured, needs external stimuli—childhood diseases—to develop its full capacity. Natural immunization obtained by acute illness has no expiry date—it is a life-long achievement that is anchored in the entire body. Most mothers from former generations, when vaccination programs did not exist to the extent of today, knew perfectly about the double importance of childhood diseases: On the one hand, they guarantee life-long immunity against that particular disease, and on the other hand, mark important maturing stages that make the child progressively more independent and stable. Childhood diseases naturally occur in a particular rhythm: after one has fully developed, and the child has recovered and stabilized, the next one will come just in time.

Chronic Diseases The suppression of acute diseases by vaccinations, antifebrile drugs, antibiotics, and cortisone often leaves the body no other choice than to develop a chronic disease. In chronic disease the self-healing mechanism of the body fails. It is not able to shake off disease by developing a beneficial fever. In my practice I daily see children who are afflicted with recurrent infections. They suffer from coughs all winter, occasionally from middle ear inflammations, and are thus physically and mentally exhausted. In most cases, allergic symptoms are the reason why parents finally choose a homeopathic treatment. Many parents get doubts about the frequency of their child’s ailments; they are not willing to regard a monthly infection treated with antibiotics as something “normal”. One mother told me that every time she watches the children play in the sandpit on the playground, she observes that three of four children suffer from a steady itching and constantly scratch themselves for relief. On the other hand it is quite common that mothers, when asked about the development of fever in their children, tell me that luckily their child almost never has any fever; although they would frequently suffer from coughs, a runny nose, and rashes, they would thankfully have no fever.

The purpose of a constitutional remedy is to make conscious the unconscious patterns of behavior. It is a perfect reflection of inner suffering. A constitutional remedy covers the whole individual in its totality, and is determined by how body and soul respond to external circumstances and events. The sheer abundance of remedies offers for each and every individual a suitable remedy—like the specific key that fits a lock. It seems as if creation has given us everything that we need to heal our body, mind, and soul. The remedy reflects—like our environment and partner—our unconscious patterns of behavior. It carries all symptoms within and has the capacity to impregnate our innermost core. It not only cures our bodily conditions, but also harmonizes mind and soul. Blockades melt, freedom arises, and the flow of vital energy is subtly restored to balance. Some patients report they can feel the remedy’s action as intensely as a psychoactive “drug”—their external environment miraculously changes: Their partner, boss, or mother-in-law suddenly seems somehow “different”. After the

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

What is a constitutional remedy?

45

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

46

debriefing, they finally realize that there is no miracle—the environment has only shown a response to their own transformation. Illustration: If one tennis player stops appearing on the court, the other player will soon realize that there are no more matches and also withdraws. The laws of the game and the venue have to be renegotiated. If one “player” moves out of a gridlocked system, all others also gain the freedom to leave their “standpoints”. Our social environment is like a mirror that allows us to become aware of our own changes. The following case study illustrates such a transformation within a healing process after the administration of a constitutional remedy. Before “I am swamped: I explode during my breakdown. I space out, I cannot cling to the world. It is hard for me to stay in my body. I feel expanded, and torn between Sky and Earth. I do not have the strength to take root in this world and want back into the universe. Some force drags me away. I can no longer focus. I tend to strong devotion and intensity. I can let myself get carried away. How do I keep my balance? I feel iron bands looped around my head. I am frozen from inside, drunkenly heavy. Stomach and bowels are crippled. I have no center. I wake up in a state of hightension. Everything is sitting on my head.” After “I am fine. It is incredible how everything moves. I feel the substance concentrating in myself. The remedy connects me, makes me a communicating vessel—as if there is suddenly a bottom. I stand straight and upright. I really feel better. I am now able to deal with my life and perspectives. I got over my fear and doubts, and feel permeable. The clinkers fall off me; it feels like my heart can rest on my abdomen. I have put on 4 pounds (2 kilos) and have the feeling of expanding into the material world.”

The Influence of the Constitutional Remedy on Life Themes

In much the same way that physical similarities and the pre-disposition for certain diseases are hereditary, psychosocial behavior can also be transferred from parents and grandparents onto the children. Every severe disease leaves its trace on the psychological and physical plane, and affects not only the diseased person, but also their offspring. In homeopathic practice it can easily be recognized by the behavior of the children, whether their parents or grand parents, for instance, have suffered from tuberculosis. One way to get rid of inherited patterns is by means of acute diseases. Childhood diseases are an institution of nature, acting like a valve, helping us to leave behind hereditary burdens. A vaccination that suppresses this natural outlet can act as a trigger, as it inhibits the possibility to digest and get inherited themes out of the system. In homeopathic treatment, hereditary themes can be resolved by so-called “hereditary nosodes”. Nosodes are remedies deriving from disease matter, containing the information of the disease on a physical, mental, and emotional plane. All severe diseases do not express themselves only physiologically, but also change the psyche of the individual. Hence, each disease has its corresponding mental and emotional pattern. In most cases these patterns are transferred onto the next generation. Accordingly, the mental and emotional symptom picture shows which diseases were manifested in the family history. Diseases of past centuries often leave a visible imprint on children. The nosodes promote the gradual disentanglement of past entanglements and diseases, and thereby encourage the child’s development to wholeness and inner freedom.

Birth Traumata The circumstances of delivery have an important impact on our development. Stanislav Grof, the famous Czech psychiatrist, realized how much the process of delivery influences our life. Difficult deliveries especially, shape our body, mind, and soul. I had the chance to observe this in a patient: She got stuck in the birth canal, and it took a long time for her to get out. Both she and her mother were traumatized. The shock and paralysis were frozen into her body. She suffered her whole life from the feeling of being stuck and paralyzed in her decisions, and unable to move.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Inheritance

47

Healing Process: Before “My birth was difficult and took very long. My mother was weak and told me that she felt paralyzed. Now it is me who has that paralyzed feeling. I have no energy. My life is stagnating. I feel like I am carrying a huge weight on my back. After “I feel light and free, the weight on my back is gone.” Even after many years or decades, the suitable homeopathic remedy allowed recovery from the shock and paralysis. The vital energy that had been locked by the birth trauma can finally be lived!

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

My own story I almost fell out onto the stairs of the hospital. My mother barely managed to enter the labor room, and ten minutes later I was there. I still have to take care not to take the second step before the first. I have a strong tendency not to approach new things slowly and carefully, but to jump right in. This can be good or bad—depending on the situation. In my homeopathic practice, driven by the gleeful anticipation of a quick and effective response, I am tempted to prescribe high potencies right after the first consultation. Sometimes that works out perfectly fine, and sometimes I have to step back a little, to allow my patients enough time and space for their healing process and not to block their way with my expectations. My long years of practice have taught me to see patience as a virtue.

48

Sleep and Dreams Dreams are messengers of the unconscious and often provide us with clear hints to underlying themes. Recurring dreams especially, are an indication of unsolved concerns and experiences, and offer an important key to finding a suitable remedy. Frequently recurring dreams often spin around flight and persecution, and are characterized by fear and terror—they are reflections of the fear that is increasingly present in our modern everyday life. Anxious dream scenarios, in which the dreamer fails a test or has to take important exams again and has not learned enough, often cause the dreamer to start up from sleep covered in sweat. My own dreams have become true and faithful companions. I have learned to pay attention to them, to rely on their messages in my everyday life, and am still impressed by their wisdom and foresight.

What happens to our dreams after the intake of a remedy? They start to change: Patients who could never remember their dreams suddenly do. Fearful dreams stop or change by suddenly offering a solution. Anxiety-provoking scenarios might still emerge, but are mastered within the dream. Healing Process: Before “I am swimming in the sea—a shark gets closer—and I wake up full of terror with the bursting sound of my bones crushing … A friend gives me a knife to defend myself—I wear it on my calf to oppose the shark. The knife does not harm the beast—again I end up between its teeth.” After “I am swimming in a huge water basin—several sharks surround me—they are swimming along with me, accompanying and protecting me.”

Homeopathy not only offers help when the body rebels, and the past catches up with the present, but also when relationships reach a point of crisis, often cumulating in the feeling of being trapped and having lost one’s freedom. In many cases unresolved problems and enmeshments with parents stand in the way of a satisfying relationship, leading to a lack of mutual understanding in everyday life. The more intense a relationship, the more quickly repressed parent-child conflicts surface. They usually get worse when a child is born and expands the family system. Frequently both partners cannot cope with the roles that they should assume as parents. Far from being adult and mature themselves, they are suddenly confronted with being responsible for their children. Often left to their own resources by society and elders, it is not surprising when their partnership heads into a serious crisis. Women who turn to homeopathy for the treatment of their children, often have to face particular difficulties if the partner is not ready to perceive the limits of conventional medicine. It is a great challenge for women to stand by their knowledge and intuition. Their confrontation with a sick child brings up their own parent-child patterns, particularly any unresolved conflicts. Their own inner conflicts are often mirrored in the child—and are a severe test for the partnership. One deeper meaning of partnership is to become aware of our wounds and those of our ancestors; only then will we be able to heal them. Whether we like it or not, we choose our partners according to early bonding patterns we

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Relationships

49

experienced as infants. These patterns act as blueprints that are mapped on our partnerships. Women often report the injuries, ignorance, disrespect and lack of appreciation they endure in their partnerships. A closer look often reveals that their feelings of inferiority can be traced back far beyond their partnership. The partner is a reflection of their own ego. In an intimate relationship we can’t hide behind the masks we usually wear in our public and professional life. A homeopathic remedy that relates to this lack of self-esteem can provoke big steps in development. The relationship patterns start to change. At their second appointment, women often tell me that suddenly they managed to act in a way that they never deemed possible before. They defend themselves in situations where they used to be helpless; they are able to claim and sort out things that they have carried unspoken for a long time. Suddenly they stand up to their partner, and thereby also allow him to stir from his gridlocked position. Their attitude is no longer purely defined by their environment, but supported by their own inner strength—they have moved from a place of reacting to a place of action.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Healing Processes

50

Case Study 1: Before “I bear the whole responsibility for the family, I am overloaded, have a low threshold of tolerance. I feel my tears, but I can’t really cry. I work on my relationship. Closeness does not seem possible in this relationship; there are too many injuries. I also felt neglected by my mother. I love my husband dearly, but we have so many problems. He is inattentive and never gives me the feeling he likes me. I am exhausted; I have to care for everybody and everything. I shoulder responsibility for everything, and don’t give others the chance to do so.” After “I am aware of my inner strength and can show what I can do. I have my feet on the ground and have confidence in myself. The remedy has opened my floodgates and removed a layer; it has contributed to my unfolding. I am able to feel my softness. Now I am very satisfied with my life. The remedy put me in the right place. I am happy with my family and my partner. I am happy in the morning when I go to work. I have finally landed in the right place in my life. I feel well-equipped for my journey, and hope it will lead me further towards inner strength, tranquility and joy. I feel a quiet, inner smile.”

Case Study 2: Before “The contact between my mother and father was reduced to a minimum. There has never been a comfortable atmosphere.” After “I am fine, many things have happened. For the first time, I managed to have a long and intense conversation with my mother and told her about my feelings about her. I even could tell her my worries. Since then we have had a wonderful relationship and she gets visibly livelier. In the wake of our communication, she was even able to get in touch with my father again. My emotions have changed. Now I perceive my mother as a relaxed and balanced person.”

Everybody has some kind of innate creative potential. In many of us this potential is limited during childhood. Most schools do not have the capacity to encourage individual creativity. If we live our creative side and express our creative energy, we constantly rediscover the act of creation. If every day we perceive the world anew, there is no inner aging. If our innermost self can be expressed externally, there is little possibility for the body to get hard and stiff, and crust over. In creative work our perspective of the world alters; it becomes affluent and flexible. We can feel the permanent transformation of the universe at any moment and the past-present-future axis ceases to exist, culminating in a merging with creation. If a homeopathic remedy enables us to get in touch with our creative vein, we will also find the necessary time and space to express ourselves. Incredible paintings find their way onto the canvas, our inner processes assume a visible form and can be shared with, and understood by, our environment. Healing takes place over the expression of inner processes. As soon as we can manifest our inner events externally, we are on the path to healing.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Creativity

Healing Process: Crohn’s disease; onset of symptoms 1985; diagnosis 1994; Medication: Imurek, Salofalk, Agopton (Lansoprazole) Before “Crohn’s disease has a little room within myself. I have contributed a lot to attract the disease. In the past, I was often very discontented and unhappy.”

51

Physical symptoms: regular diarrhea with abdominal pains and increased blood sedimentation rate. After “After half a year of homeopathic treatment, I stopped allopathic medication. Now I have much more energy. My self-portrait, done before, shows me with my hand on my belly; afterwards, with my arms stretched up high. I feel like I have a wild card. For the first time, I really feel resilient and am no longer so easily upset by others. I like my self-portraits and am painting expressive paintings. I sleep through the night, I quit smoking, and my business thrives. I feel healthy. My disease has lost its form.” The physical symptoms disappeared a long time ago and the blood sedimentation rate is normal.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Emotions

52

Emotions control our bodily functions: fear makes our heart beat faster, roots us to the spot, and covers us in cold sweat. Anger makes our blood boil. Disappointment and grief reduce our energy level, weaken the immune system, and sow the seeds for chronic diseases. The body reflects our temperament; choleric people, who explode like volcanoes, also develop diseases that have a sudden and acute onset. People who tend to withdraw from the world and suppress their emotions develop insidious and chronic diseases, as their body is too weak to fight disease-causing circumstances with an acute fever. The following section will shed some light on frequent emotional issues. Case studies illustrate the inner development after the administration of a homeopathic remedy. There are, of course, many more remedies to address the emotional issues of individual persons. Here I have chosen remedies that characterize the core of the treated problem.

Suppression During the first consultation many problems come to the surface that have been carried along like heavy burdens for many years. I often hear: “I have never spoken to anybody about this.” In the Western world, the direct expression of feelings is mostly a privilege reserved for little children. Soon, starting partly in kindergarten, and certainly at school, the environment sets clear limits as to the direct expression of emotions—and it is often seen as a sign of weakness. Our educational system encourages the intellectual development in children disproportionate to their

emotional competence: They barely learn how important it is to be mindful of their own feelings and those of others. Persons who learned to suppress their emotions early in life have great problems developing respect for their inner life. They allow others to intrude on their personal boundaries and do not defend themselves because they fear being rejected. When emotions are constantly repressed without being expressed, the body responds to the bottled-up internal pressure. Constantly swallowed anger can trigger—according to our individual imprints—stomach ulcers, digestion problems, gallstones, high blood pressure, and the like.

Remedy Example for suppressed feeling

Staphisagria—Stavesacre—is an effective remedy for bottled-up emotions and anger. Staphisagria persons are overly sensitive to their environment and are easily offended. They are quickly disappointed, often feel rejected, and tend to “swallow” their anger and resentment. They react with withdrawal, and don’t show their feelings. Long suppressed emotions weaken the vital energy, and thus also, the body. Accordingly the mood is rather sad and depressed. Occasionally, the bottled-up anger bursts out in violent tantrums about seemingly harmless issues. A classical Staphisagria situation is a partnership which caters only to the needs of one partner—usually the man. Many women tell me about the difficulty to participate actively in their relationship. Quite often, they do not know their own needs. They are used to repressing their own feelings, and instead care for those of their partner. On the physical plane, Staphisagria is often used for the treatment of sharp cuts, making it a good postoperative remedy for surgical wounds. An incision wounds the physical integrity without any possibility of defense. It intrudes into an intact body system by disrespecting natural boundaries. There is no visible struggle against this trespassing. The pain remains in the body—it is repressed and claims much energy. Especially women were, and still are, emotionally and physically “circumcised”. Well known are the ritual genital cuttings of women in Africa. In modern Western medicine, episiotomy is often deemed an imperative “safety measure” in childbirth. Meanwhile medical experience shows that artificially inflicted incisions tend to heal more slowly and to cause long-term conditions. Embodied grief about emotional and physical injuries affects various organs: The skin—the mirror of the soul—responds with exacerbations of

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Staphisagria

53

acne; the teeth are prone to early decay, loose their substance, and hurt while eating; they can’t bite properly anymore—offering no more resistance. The bladder feels like it’s never empty—the physical expression of the bottled-up grief is sometimes accompanied by painful urination—the problem of letting go. Healing Processes

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Case Study 1: Before Physical constraint due to hematomes in both hip joints. Allopathic medication: regular injections of depot cortisone “In the morning when I get up, I have to think twice about which foot to put down first in order to avoid insupportable pain. My mobility is limited; doing sports is impossible.” After “I had the feeling that the blinders, that I had not been aware of wearing, were suddenly removed. Also the violent pains in my hips due to hematomes, which made me think twice before taking a step, disappeared. I was able to go skiing for a whole week—that had not been possible for the last six years.”

54

Case Study 2: Before “I can’t quarrel, can’t shout at anybody. I would like to scream, but it does not work. I carry the problem within myself for weeks. For me, harmony with my environment is the most important thing. I avoid arguments, as soon as they don’t stick to facts. I don’t push my way through, but artificially try to stay flawless.” Physical symptoms: Back pain, stiffness After “I felt like on a ship—no land in sight. And then suddenly—land! Some gates opened inside me. I often said things that I would not have dared say before. I told a colleague that he had a screw loose. He was finished. He was not used to such a reaction. I feel that my aggression now comes to the surface. I can’t hold back my opinion, and show others when I am not comfortable with something. Before I used to play the nice guy—now I can’t disguise myself anymore. Immediately after the intake of the remedy I felt safe and stable. The recognition of my hidden aggression took several weeks.” Physical symptoms: back is stronger, less stiff; posture more upright Emotional effects: more balanced, harmonized and stable

Case Study 3: Before “I had the feeling that my family never really respected and appreciated me. I was scared to do something on my own. It was difficult to follow my own path. I was always discontented with the status quo, and felt unhappy.” Physical symptoms: Allergy, asthma After “I succeed in what I do, can express myself, and push my standpoint through. I can stand up well to my family, and do not allow somebody to trespass my boundaries. I defend myself. It does not affect my soul that much anymore. All conditions that used to inhibit me are gone. I am stable and have stopped taking things so personally.” Also the physical symptoms are remarkably better.

Many people cannot get over bad experiences and carry them within—sometimes for their whole life. It is impossible for them to forgive and forget. They are haunted by buried and repressed events that push to the surface again and again. Painful memories rooted in childhood occupy the innermost self. Their repression absorbs energy—energy that is then lacking somewhere else. The intensity of the pain is independent most of the time: Sometimes childhood events that happened 50 to 60 years ago are as present as if they had happened just yesterday. It is a very deep experience for me when emotions—that have occupied space in the innermost self for years or even decades—come to light in the first consultation.

Remedy Example for the impossibility to forget: Natrium muriaticum

Natrium muriaticum or Natrium chloratum, like table salt, is made of rock salt. It is a remedy for people who carry grief and disappointments experienced in the past. Years later, when asked about former disappointments, these people can burst into tears. Their thoughts spin around negative experiences, their general mood is desperate and hopeless. The emotions are frozen and immobile, like set in stone. Each single disappointment is etched on the memory—dried out and crusted. The inner self of a Natrium muriaticum person feels like dried salt crystals—hard and edgy. Often they are painfully aware of their lack of confidence and dedication to life and creation.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Disappointment, Sorrow and Grief

55

Grief and sorrow prepare the soil for chronic diseases. In analogy to withheld emotions, skin and mucous membranes are dry, and digestion is slowed down and restrained. Ingestion is often too much for the body—it responds with fatigue that only eases with progressed digestion. The joints lose their flexibility, and hurt, especially in cold, damp weather. Natrium muriaticum persons often lack red blood cells, look pale and have a depleted immune system. Hands and feet are cold—despite their sensitivity to cold, they often cannot endure sun and develop complaints. The body is too weak to enjoy the sun.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Healing Processes Case Study 1: Before “I am never really ill, but constantly a bit. In my childhood I felt lonely. From the age of 8 I had to work in my parents’ trade. I was never able to have my way and by the age of 13, I decided to leave. Until today I feel frustrated about my bleak childhood. I am listless, tired and weary. I cry all the time and don’t know why. I feel ugly and can’t manage my daily routine. I am on the ground, like an abandoned, little animal that has been left in the rain.” Dreams: “I am in a situation with no way out and have the feeling I can’t change a thing.” Physical symptoms: Strong acne, irregular menses, headaches, migraine with nausea and vomiting After “I am much happier with everything, as if a load has been taken off my mind. I take things easier. I can leave my past behind and do not want to suffer anymore. I am emotionally fine, calmer, stronger, and have more energy. I jog regularly. And I can put a stop to something that does me no good.” Dreams: “I do no longer startle up from sleep due to terrifying dreams.” Physical symptoms: Since the administration of the remedy, the menstruation cycle is on schedule. Case Study 2: Before “My father neglected me, and I condemned my mother because she did not stand up to him. I felt guilty for being a burden on her. For a long time I was scared of myself—what was so different about me? If I walk through the room, something terrible will happen. I am scared that I won’t manage my life. As a child I never

56

had friends. It was always hard for me to get in touch with people. It is life-threatening to show myself. I am not allowed to have any needs. I attract negativity—then I magnify the problem until the next disappointment comes along. I don’t get enough love, empathy and attention. I don’t have any discipline; I am lazy and constantly distracted. I cannot do anything; and I am not good enough.” Dream: “I am on the run and threatened by snakes.” After “I try to cope with my disappointments in a different way. Now I can perceive my own share and my negative thoughts. A window opened. And also physically I am rounder.” Dream (in first night after the remedy): “I feel lonely, nobody likes me, and I feel like a little child.” Case Study 3: Before “Others always make fun of me. I cry a lot. I feel helpless and defenseless. All insults are stored inside. I feel chained up in this despair.” After “The remedy helped me to find some confidence in myself. I am more eloquent than before. And it is no longer so easy to annoy me. My inner storehouse is filled with joy.”

Anger has many faces—correspondingly, homeopathy offers quite a variety of “angry” remedies. Some of the acute remedies described in the repertory are also used for treating anger. In the first consultation I find out how my patients deal with anger. Most of them feel it, but do not have enough energy to express it; others tell me about the violent tantrums which those in their environment have to suffer. In children anger finds a very strong physical expression—they throw themselves on the floor, bend backwards, and are often not approachable. A tantrum is in many cases only the tip of the iceberg. Many small and large issues have been bottled-up; the outburst happens with the slightest perceived offence. According to the patient’s temperament, the rage is imposed on the people surrounding them in its full intensity, or in a more controlled manner, taken out on the opponent. An outburst of anger—like a high fever—requires a lot of energy. Only powerful people with a high energy level are able to violently express their feelings and anger.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Anger

57

Often we leave it to children to act out the anger and frustration that is more or less tangible in the air. They stress and strain us, and bring us in touch with our own limits. However, anger is only an expression of fear and helplessness—tantrums are mostly just a disguise of vulnerability and insecurity.

Remedy examples of anger with a red face, expressed in an uncontrolled manner:

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Tarantula hispanica

58

Tarantula hispanica is made of the tarantula spider that is found mostly in Italy and Spain. It is a constitutional remedy that is primarily used for children, especially hyperactive ones. The Tarantula state is characterized by restlessness and agitation. The muscles are tense, trembling, and cramped. These children have to move, and run around like they have been bitten by a tarantula. They are overly sensitive; loud colors and light have a tantalizing effect on them. They can develop hallucinations, see ghosts and strange faces, and suffer from nightmares. They tend to have uninhibited and wild temper tantrums. Their behavior is accordingly aggressive and violent—the children hit themselves or others, throw things, and destroy everything that they can get their hands on. Their moods swing between despair and violent outbursts of emotion. Tarantula children react instinctively to music—they have rhythm. Wild dancing or tapping to rhythmic music improves body perception, as it soothes the wired tension in their muscles. Belladonna

Belladonna children are also (as described in the repertory) violent and wild: like the fever that can lead to fever cramps. They are “angels and demons” in one person: angels when they are fine, and demons when they are ill—tearing apart whatever stands in their way, spitting and biting, beating their mother and pulling her hair. They cry, scream and jump about. Their fantasies often play tricks on them; they see monsters and ghosts that terrify them and which they can only cope with through an outward expression that mimics the horrific internal visions. They tend to project their internally perceived danger onto animals: they see dogs as predators, so it is no wonder they are scared of them. In an acute Belladonna state they are not approachable or amenable to anything.

Remedy example for anger with a pale face, expressed in a controlled manner: Nux vomica

As described in the repertory Nux vomica people are full of anger and rage. Their environment often suffers under their repelling and offensive behavior —critically dredging up any mistake. Like the slightest draft causes a cold, also the slightest objection or dissent causes an outburst of anger. Minute ailments render them nervous and irritable, and they hardly can bear pain. With their oversensitivity to all external influences, they react impatiently and spitefully to minor disturbances. The anger seems to be out of control when it arises, but it is checked if they have the feeling that expressing it may demonstrate weakness. Above all, when their anger is directed towards authority figures, they perceive any emotional expression as a deficiency and therefore suppress it. The body responds with digestive disorders, and constipation alternating with diarrhea. Well hidden from the external world, fear and panic underlie their anger. At night the slightest noise startles them, fear of failure at work makes them break out in a sweat, and the thought of disease and death makes their heart race. Healing processes Case Study 1: they leave me alone. It makes my skin crawl when I meet my brother-in-law. It turns me inside out—I really loathe him. He is too stupid for me. I don’t like that kind of people. They are so tiring. I explode in anger, get bright red—then withdraw out of reach. I get stubborn and don’t talk anymore. If anybody starts to tell untruths, I cut them down to size. I want to leave—for weeks or even for months. Physical symptoms: Varices, asthma, allergy Skin: red, rough, coarse, knotty, weeping and itching. After “I am now more calm and serene. I no longer suffer so much from my ailments. Occasionally they are even gone. I am extremely confident and happy that somebody lends me an ear. I do away with my past, and don’t take things that seriously. At a party I laughed so much that everybody said I have changed. I walk underneath a huge shield. I feel like I am on another star—everything bounces back; nobody can get to me.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Before “I am an absolutely healthy person—as long as

59

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

I keep people who I cannot stand at a distance. I have as much vigor as a boxer in the ring. I’ve never before had the power and courage to act against my brother-in-law. I am surprised at myself—I don’t know what has happened to me. I prefer to tell somebody the truth to their face and say my bit rather than always sneaking about. I notice increasingly that I have become healthier and more cheerful. I no longer get angry and I feel distinctively better than last year.” Physical symptoms: “I can walk faster, can even run up stairs—I wasn’t able to do that before.” The skin has healed.

60

Case Study 2: Before Burnout. “I had to learn to draw the line. I thought I had to be there for everybody, and am overworked. I bottle up everything. It’s always too late when I lose my temper, and I say what I think in a rage. I am insulting, and have to apologize afterwards. I am stubborn—it has to be MY WAY! I feel like a tree that has no roots and can’t stand-up any longer—I am scared I might fall over. I feel a great void inside of me.” Physical symptoms: “In the morning, I am totally exhausted. I have hot flashes; I wake up at night with feelings of constriction.” After “I am much better; in the morning I can get up, and am much easier. My attitude towards life has improved. I want to take action and attend courses of further education. Life has become the most important thing. I have a lot of energy—I am like a bubbling spring full of life. Now I have roots and a firm position.” Case Study 3: Before “I am the black sheep of my family. I don’t care what others think of me. I want to live—act, see, hear, grasp and seize. I like to meet new people. My parents did not share any interest in my work. They are not able to take me as I really am. I have to argue out conflicts. I can’t bear unsolved problems—I have to discuss them right away. I feel as solid as a rooted tree, nothing can knock me over. I am able to accomplish everything. I am better, I have the feeling of being invincible.” Physical symptoms: Lack of appetite, nausea after each meal; itchy and flaky scalp; asthma in cold, damp weather

After “The remedy went straight into my emotional bottlenecks. Suddenly I had a very thin skin. I felt vulnerable and sensitive. My self-confidence got scratched. I realized that I am not Superwoman. This feeling of weakness bothers me and spins around in my head. I realized that many things are too much for me. I could talk to my parents like never before. I no longer feel alone, not so much an individual—more part of something, and that sharing is enriching. I am more stable, with my feet on the ground. There were deep conflicts with my partner.” Physical symptoms: “The nausea was suddenly gone, I can digest everything.” The skin shows improvement.

In Chapter 3 “From Fear to Knowledge” the socio-political factors and implications of fear will be discussed in more detail. This section illustrates the homeopathic treatment of fear and panic attacks in the example of a remedy, and some case studies on healing processes. Fear is necessary for sustainment of life. Without fear there would be no caution, no alertness, no morals, and no religious dogmas. Fear and panic spread in the Western world, well nourished both by media through disaster reports, and also by conventional medicine, which demonizes disease and death. More and more people feel permanently threatened by life, which severely harms their vitality and freedom of action. For many, riding on the metro, going through tunnels, going by plane, or climbing a mountain, seem to be impossible hindrances. Panic attacks are accompanied by hefty physical symptoms such as feelings of constriction, vertigo, attacks of sweating, shortness of breath, and a racing heart. Worst are the fear of going mad and of dying. States of fear cause long-term changes in the body: Antibodies decrease; menses can become irregular or sometimes stop completely; tissue regeneration is inhibited; the blood becomes thicker and flows less. Bad blood flow in the bowel mucosa promotes the emergence of allergies. Like the blood, the energy can’t flow freely, and energy levels go down. Though fear is a universal emotion, it has many different forms of expression; accordingly homeopathy offers quite a number of “fear remedies”. Some of them—like Aconite, Phosphorus, Rhus toxicodendron—are presented in chapter 4.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Fear

61

Remedy Example for fear and panic: Argentum nitricum

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

People who need Argentum nitricum—silver nitrate—are nervous and anxious. They can’t think clearly and suffer from poor memory. Typically they are scared of failing exams and in new situations of life. This fear of failing in the right moment has kept many from continuing and finishing their education. Many people are over-ridden by the fear of not meeting the requirements of society and permanently growing challenges. Often they don’t even make a start on something out of fear of failure. Lack of self-confidence and internal insecurity don’t allow those people to feel safe in their external environment: narrow rooms, tunnels, and bridges cause shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat. They avoid crowds and only attend events when a place on the fringe guarantees a quick possibility to escape. Argentum nitricum persons are also scared of never recovering health, and of being alone and abandoned in a cold world. The inner balance, and thus the connection with earth, has been lost. The body responds with weakness, trembling, vertigo and irregular heartbeat; mucous membranes of the stomach and bowels are inflamed. The gums bleed slightly, the tip of the tongue is reddened. The throat feels as if a splinter is impeding swallowing. Ulcers in the stomach and duodenum (bowel) cause violent pressing and burning pains. In nervous moments, such as before exams or other challenges, they often suffer bloating and diarrhea.

62

Healing Processes Case Study 1: Before “I feel downhearted, lonely. Nobody cares about me. I am so poor; I bluster into it, dread changes and cry on any trifle. I am nervous, agitated and suffer from fear and panic attacks. I am scared of driving because I am afraid of having an accident. I am not able to fly in a plane. I am scared of narrow rooms: everything is too tight and I suffer from sweating attacks with racing heart and hot flashes.” After “I have recovered, I am no longer that melancholic. My depression is better, and I can drive again.”

Case Study 3: Before “For years I have been suffering from extreme sweating attacks; the sweat streams down like water. Since my childhood I have been scared of everything: as a child, of sleeping in; today, I am worried about my father, who smokes a lot; before exams, I am restless and nervous; and it is hard for me to speak in front of a group. I probably hide my fear of failure behind my perfectionism. I try to please everybody—only to be sitting pretty.” Physical symptoms: allergies, hay fever; always ice-cold hands After “I am much calmer than before, feel safer, and can’t be stressed that easily. I can stay cooler and know better when to draw the line. I do not suffer anymore from sweating attacks, and also my formerly ice-cold hands are warmer. I suffered from symptoms of hay fever only for a few days, but I am not even sure if that was just a common cold.”

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Case Study 2: Before “I suffer from fear of leaving my apartment, I panic about new situations. My chest is constricted and I have the feeling of going mad. I am scared of my fear. I can’t scuba dive anymore, can’t go hiking, and can’t drive any longer. I can’t even think of going by plane; even crossing a bridge is a challenge—I have the feeling it will drag me down. Within myself I feel powerless and angry. There is still grief, and sometimes, even hatred towards my mother. We had bitter power struggles, and she never tried to understand me.” After “The remedy really did something. The first panic attack after the remedy was as bad as the first one. But then it quickly got better. Once in a while I have the feeling that a panic attack will start, but the body does not develop it. Suddenly I was able to admit my anger. I feel comfortable and free. The images in my dreams are now clearer and more meaningful. I am able to cope with my fears in a different way—I can even smile about myself.”

63

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Death: End-of-Life Care

64

Homeopathic remedies not only escort and support us in life, but also when we approach the end of life. Saying farewell to the body, which acted as intermediary between the material and spiritual world, occurs in several stages. The involvement with death usually starts with loss of fertility during menopause in women, and in men around age forty—when their values start to shift. Often our professional career goals are accomplished, and we start to think about the meaning of life. Modern life deprives us of the possibility to accompany our close relatives until the end of their life. We do not get to know death as an inherent part of life; we are not confronted with it from early childhood as we used to be in former times. Birth and death are banished—hidden behind the walls of hospitals and hospices—we have delegated to institutions what we do not want to face, because it reminds us of our own mortality. It is not permissible to let a dear relative end their life at home within the circle of their family. All people who have managed to accompany their loved ones on their last passage, report that this experience encouraged their inner development. It often changes the perspective of their own life. In contrast to the prevailing repression of death in Western culture, many other spiritual traditions celebrate death as the culminating point of life, whereas we turn it into an enemy that we want to fight with all our forces. However, as long as we see death as an enemy we can’t find freedom. Rather, we are captured: our attempt to run away from it—to avoid it—needs so much energy that could be focused on the preciousness of the moment. We can only deeply enjoy life if we make peace with death. With life comes death—this insight enables us to perceive the abundance of our existence. And as individual remedies support us in difficult situations or conflicts, there are special remedies that accompany us also on the last journey, when we leave the material world behind.

In my practice, I have more and more children who are never really ill, but also never really healthy. The number of chronic diseases is constantly and significantly increasing. The children suffer from recurrent middle ear inflammations, infections of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis with a long lasting cough, diabetes mellitus, etc. Also allergies are on a dramatic rise, above all neurodermatitis—with hefty itching—which robs both children and parents of their sleep, and thus the direly needed recovery of the entire body and mind. Allopathic (conventional) therapies usually use cortisone, which suppresses the symptoms and causes the disease to progress from “outside to inside”—from the skin to the lungs. This often triggers asthma and impaired breathing. As a consequence, natural breathing has to be supported again by allopathic medication. Additionally environmental pollution, preservatives, an unbalanced diet, and lack of exercise, add to poor health in children. It is striking that these health problems especially occur in vaccinated children. This observation is reconfirmed by many other homeopaths around the globe. In general, children are much easier to manage in homeopathic treatment than adults. They do not feign, or wear masks; rather they express what they feel inside, and their body language is mostly straightforward. Their food preferences are clearly defined, and their reaction to a homeopathic remedy immediately visible. There are only a few obstacles to healing as children do not drink alcohol and coffee, and don’t smoke; they sleep when they are tired, and eat when they are hungry. They respond almost immediately to homeopathic therapy, especially in acute diseases. After the administration of a constitutional remedy, it is clearly observable how the child successively recovers to health. S/he is physiologically and psychologically more stable, has more energy and takes important steps in her/his development and maturing process. Mothers often report that their child got through the whole winter with maximum one infection, or with none at all, whereas in the former years s/he used to suffer from recurrent coughs, nasal catarrhs, and respiratory infections—without falling acutely ill and developing fever.

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Constitutional Therapy for Children

65

Remedy Example of a classic Constitutional Remedy for Children:

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Calcium Carbonicum

66

Calcium Carbonicum children seem an anachronism in this fast moving time—children who need their time, who can’t walk within ten months, nor speak within two years. Children who simply need time and space for their development—something that is really scarce in our age. They challenge us to reconsider our current concept of time, as they do not conform to stereotypical patterns, resist excessive demands and mental overload, and abide by their own pace, regardless of any consequences. These children have to be protected for quite a long time. The demands of today are too much for them, and the hectic pace just does not suit them. Calcium Carbonicum is made of oyster shell. Likewise these children love to stay home in their four walls, where they do not have to cope with the hustle and bustle of the external environment. They need the protective shell of their home, more physical contact than others, and usually cling to their soother. Words do not come to them easily; language is not a natural mode of expression, rather it symbolizes more than anything else their feeling of being badgered. Adults learn quickly to be very careful about their words and tone when talking to a Calcium child. Calcium children are quite headstrong and characterized by tantrums due to the panic they develop when forced to change their own rhythm. The child is overwhelmed by fear, and tantrums are the only way they have of expressing their reluctance. There are so many things that scare Calcium children: darkness is especially threatening—who knows what depths might open up and what monsters might come to life? Often they are also afraid of heights. For Calcium children it is vital to keep within a limited setting that is manageable and easy for them to grasp; within this setting—like the oyster in its shell—it can unfold and develop very well. They observe everything that is outside this protective shell, new and unknown, with great caution. It is often hard to imagine the shyness Calcium children display on unknown terrain, as in a familiar environment they are open and communicative. Since this environment offers them their needed protection, here they show their outstandingly strong will and do all the talking.

Case Study 1: Before “The boy is extremely susceptible to infectious illnesses, cries a lot without saying anything. If he weeps, he really blusters into it without explaining why. He even cries, when he doesn’t know what to have for breakfast. He is often very desperate. He suffers daily from abdominal pains and does not like to get up. But despite getting enough sleep, he is always tired, and sometimes sleeps in on school days. Everything is too much for him—also too quick and challenging. He is often scared in situations where there is no obvious danger. He has no confidence in himself, for he is scared of doing things wrong. He often gets angry, makes a great fuss about it, and drums and kicks against the door. Then it is hard to calm him down. He attracts illnesses like a lodestone. He often starts up from sleep with nightmares. He shows a remarkable appetite for eggs and salt, which he could devour in huge quantities.” After “The boy is really much better. He is more calm, balanced and joyful. The aggression is visibly reduced, and he no longer suffers from nightmares. He is more patient than ever, more perseverant and focused in drawing and playing. He learnt to swim. Before now, he wanted to be able to swim, but it did not work. His appetite is much better; his craving for salt has decreased and he does not eat eggs anymore. Also his weariness has become less. Report from school: He has become a different child; he is cheerful and is making great progress. He shows more courage and has started to believe in himself. Also his frustration tolerance is higher.” Case Study 2: Before A worried mother brings her six-month-old girl

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Healing Processes

67

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

suffering from myelitis (inflamed bone marrow) with tenderness to touch, pains, and impaired mobility, and visible swelling on the upper, right arm. Conventional medicine prescribed one year of continuous treatment with antibiotics. After one or two weeks of medication the digestive system responded with violent diarrhea and homeopathy seemed to be the last hope. Homeopathic Treatment: I could perceive clearly the remedy picture of Calcium carbonicum in the girl. Antibiotics were discontinued, the general state improved, the pains and swelling disappeared rather quickly. Now and then symptoms sparked up briefly, but soon subsided after repeated intake of the remedy. After The girl is now nine years old, the inflammation has never occurred again, and her development is fine. In the event of infectious illnesses, Calcium carbonicum is repeatedly taken in increased potencies.

68

Case Study 3: Before A shy and withdrawn boy, biting nails. After The mother reports: “The child was like a shell that opened up. Before he never used to tell me anything, and suddenly my son comes to me with the statement: “I would like to open my bag of sorrows”. It was like a little enlightenment: beforehand he was defenseless, aggressive, but still. Then suddenly he started to defend himself. He has grown considerably in his behavior, and he has gained weight in all directions. He is more independent now—I no longer have to tidy up after him. The problem with his bladder is better, and he does not bite his nails that often.” Case Study 4: Before The mother reports: “The child constantly suffers from infectious illnesses and coughs constantly. His development is rather slow; he is three and still wears diapers. At home he is aggressive and bold, whereas in the kindergarten he is rather shy and submissive. He is a really cuddly child, physical closeness is very important for him. He has a restless sleep, kicks with his feet, and often cries out. Those disturbances increase remarkably with the waxing moon. He loves eggs. He easily sweats, especially on the head and feet.” After Written report of the mother: “The action of the remedy was very obvious in the first days. All the skin rashes he

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

had ever had came out. We could recognize each and every patch of skin, as if it had never healed. But a few days later, the skin was completely okay. The most stunning thing is that one-week after that (i.e. two weeks after the first intake of remedy) he got clean. Suddenly he no longer accepted any diaper, and wet himself only once. During the night he still wears diapers, but the last few nights he has stayed dry. We still can’t believe it—I am not sure whether that issue is sorted. Generally, he has more energy and seems much more balanced.” Half a year later: “He unfolds his strong and (admittedly for his parents) not always easy personality. He is powerful, assertive and has a strong will. I know that he is different in the kindergarten; there he belongs to the silent children. For two weeks he has been sleeping in our bed again—he does not come to our bed himself, he makes us fetch him; with his loud and assertive voice he pulls us out of bed. In that way, he satisfies his strong need for cuddling and physical contact. It is also probably a matter of his (defiant) age that he constantly opposes us. Actually, he is very affectionate and clingy, but at the same time a real bully—sometimes even a little macho.”

69

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

What is the Initial Aggravation?

70

Sometimes the intake of a homeopathic remedy causes a so-called initial aggravation, i.e. the suppressed disease symptoms suddenly become acute. Palliation and suppression only offer a quick relief of symptoms, but do not cure the underlying problems that caused them. In homeopathy, like in all other therapeutic processes, repressed issues surface during treatment. It seems that a problem can only be solved after its deeper meaning has been recognized. The entire body has to experience the disease before sending it off. Likewise, on the psychological plane, repressed emotions do not simply disappear; we have to first become aware of them and consciously experience them anew before we can let them go. The Organon, §158, states: “This slight homœopathic aggravation during the first hours—a very good prognostic that the acute disease will most probably yield to the first dose—is quite as it ought to be; as the medicinal disease must naturally be somewhat stronger than the malady to be cured if it is to overpower and extinguish the latter, just as a natural disease can remove and annihilate another one similar to it only when it is stronger than the latter.” In the initial aggravation, everything that has been “pressed into” the body through allopathic treatment with antibiotics or cortisone come to the surface. The disease cannot “jump out” of the body, but leaves the body step by step, according to “Hering’s Law”: The disease symptoms move and disappear from top to bottom, from inside to outside, from the more vital organs to the less vital ones, and in the reverse order of their onset. Hence the initial symptoms appear later in the healing process. Hence, hitherto suppressed skin rashes may return. The acute onset of the formerly suppressed disease is a critical time—a so-called healing crisis—that needs careful assistance. Basically, it’s a good sign that the right remedy was chosen and the body is on the way to cure itself. After the suitable constitutional remedy has brought the chronic disease into its acute state, it is sometimes necessary to soothe the acute ailments with another homeopathic remedy—a so-called complementary remedy. The longer a disease has been masked and suppressed by antibiotics, cortisone and other allopathic treatments, the more intense the initial reaction of the body. This initial reaction does not however last very long, maximally several days.

Example of initial aggravation after intake of a constitutional remedy:

Case study 2: Before Constant colds with nasal catarrh and sneezing; during the whole winter, repeated bronchitis with fits of coughing; recurring tonsillitis; for the last ten years, headaches before menstruation “I still felt anger and contempt towards my mother, although she had died years ago from breast cancer. She was not able to look after me, because she could not stand up to my father, an alcoholic, who suppressed her.” After “The cold initially worsened, but eased after only a few days. The coughing got better, and the headaches before my menses stopped completely. I fell into an acute depression and cried more than before. Trifles baffled me. My hands were as cold as in former times. I had boils like in my childhood. Even my toenails grew in like then. I slept badly. Everything that had happened 30 years ago, when I used to be a child, came up in my mind. Now my negative feelings about my mother are gone. Instead, my anger suddenly turned against my dead father. I became aware of how much I would have needed him as a child. He had given me nothing; I still get the feeling that I miss something.”

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Case study 1: Before Allergy (for 10 years) with itching eyes, sneezing, and slight pulmonary involvement. After “Every day something different happened—strange things that I couldn’t relate to anything. My lungs felt as if they were getting rid of something. One day later I suffered from stinging headaches. The following day I had orange diarrhea that vanished one day later. Muscle pains followed—it stung here and there—like rheumatism. I had the impression that the remedy would traipse round the whole body. It checked out the body for garbage and then flushed it out. Now I am able to enjoy a walk—despite it being pollen season. Last year that would have been impossible.”

71

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Obstacles to Healing

72

Obstacles to healing are behavioral patterns that can suspend or constrain the healing effect of a homeopathic remedy. In my homeopathic training at the Dynamis School in London, each and every single obstacle to healing was put down on a blackboard. After two hours the blackboard was full. That gave us the impression that everything that we do, especially what we like to do, can inhibit the healing process. Starting with camphor (which can suspend any action of a remedy) to diet: coffee, alcohol, nicotine, mint tea, strong acting herbal tea, aromatherapy, various metals in dentures, the wrong partner, an energy-depleting job—potentially everything has the capacity to inhibit permanent healing. Like every person needs an individually suitable remedy, also the obstacles to healing and freedom differ considerably. In my first years of practice, I felt reluctant about telling my patients to stop drinking coffee (especially in Vienna, the town of coffee houses, where coffee is deemed a staple). It gave me the bad feeling of restricting their personal freedom. And how could I ever want such a thing? But at some point I realized that the idea of not being able to abstain from coffee represents the contrary of freedom. If our choice is limited, because our organism cannot get along without coffee, nicotine, or alcohol, we are trapped in dependence or even addiction. Consequently I started to ask my patients, in a stricter manner, to abandon coffee. That had astounding consequences. Many of those, who initially were skeptical and desperate about the prospective coffee-free time, proudly reported after four weeks that they had managed to refrain from coffee. They did not even miss it. That had a double-acting effect: On the one hand, the action of the remedy was not inhibited, and on the other, with the help of the remedy they had managed to abandon an old behavior pattern that beforehand seemed impossible. This is a fundamental step in self-healing and empowerment. But some patients also enthusiastically tell me that their ailments improved and then admit afterwards that they still had their daily coffee. Many of my patients “must” do their job—they do not like it. That means that they are not actively involved in their job and cannot use and share their creative potential. On the contrary—they lose their energy and balance within this setting of external constraints. These circumstances can reduce the healing action of a remedy to a minimum. Many patients only realize after taking a high potency, to what degree their unfulfilling work situation affects their

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

body and psyche. Luckily I have often observed how many of them suddenly freed themselves from their professional one-way street and chose another direction. The deeper sense of homeopathic treatment is the recognition of one’s own creative potential. Creative art boosts and balances our energy levels. If we manage to convert our beloved “hobby” into a job, and go with the flow, we will have plenty of energy. If relationships lack the nourishing element, homeopathic remedies help us to become aware of mutual entanglements and to develop solutions. Staying in a relationship that only depletes our energy is certainly, in the long run, a decisive obstacle on our way to healing.

73

P R A C T I C E O F H O M E O PAT H Y

Duration of Action of Remedies

74

Homeopathic literature reports cases where the suitable remedy was administered in a high potency only once and the healing effects lasted many months or years, and sometimes even the person’s entire life. Current observation reports that many eminent homeopaths indicate that the action of a remedy—even that of the so-called “simillimum”, the remedy that suits best the innermost core of a person—is limited. The fast pace of modern times seems to put an earlier end to the healing effect of a remedy. As soon as symptoms of the disease return (the energy gets blocked and the same mental and emotional patterns emerge) it is time to repeat the remedy. Depending on the course of action, the same potency as the first can be administered; if the body shows only little, or no improvement, it is time to take the next-higher potency. Physical and psychological themes change after repeated intake of different potencies of the same remedy, and this calls for a subsequent remedy. The process resembles peeling an onion—to get to the core we must start by removing the outermost layer, and then gently continue, and resolve layer by layer, on our way to self-healing. Hereditary nosodes have the potential to treat and resolve inherited themes that can be traced back as far as the grandparents; for example a child suddenly stops nail biting, which has been inherited from the mother and grandmother. Some patients visit me at intervals of three months and are supported in their personal development by homeopathic remedies. It is always fascinating to see how—layer by layer—their personal freedom comes to light.

Chapter 3

From Fear to Knowledge

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

The Roots of Fear

76

“Fear petrifies our wants, congeals our intentions, and sets our energy level at zero. Destroy your feelings of security, and the organism comes to a standstill like a mesmerized rabbit staring at an onrushing car.” 1 During a therapeutic session in India I heard the words: “The mind is not the master, it is just a tool.” In the Western world the capacities of our left-brain hemisphere—linear and analytic thinking—are predominant. Intellect and reason come first; they are the rulers. Thereby we also forget to focus our awareness on being in our bodies, our only real “possession” in life. If intellect is in the forefront, our innate connection with Mother Nature, the universe, and universal consciousness, can hardly be perceived. Reason is always caught in the neverending emergence of thoughts—or how yogis put it, in our mental chatter. We are always thinking about the future, or thinking about (often grief-stricken) events of the past. It distracts us from being in the “here-and-now”—right in the present moment. To hear our “inner voice”—an immediate expression of our genetically anchored knowledge—we need to be mindful of the present moment. We can only really experience inner security and trust when we are truly present. If we loose touch with our “inner voice”, we also loose the ground under our feet, and our confidence in life starts to crumble. If reason demands our full attention, we are no longer aware of our body, which makes it harder to access our inner knowledge. Instead of being in the present, we usually “live” in the future (and often in the bad experiences of the past, which are projected onto the future). Mass media disseminates disaster reports—about suffering, disease, and death—that fan the flames of fear. As the future seems so uncertain and threatening, we look for safety and stability from outside. This loss of the “judgment within ourselves” fosters our desire for objectivity, something that can be measured and scaled: an “objective judgment from without”. The more responsibility we delegate, the greater is our own feeling of helplessness and insecurity. This provides an excellent soil for fear to take root. Just as the responsibility for our inner spiritual development is delegated to religious institutions, so is the responsibility for our bodies delegated to medicine—which observes, analyzes and treats the body externally. Medical procedures such as preventative checkups, vaccinations etc., convey a feeling of security and the bigger the fear of people is, the more they rely upon the external judgments and are willing to use them. The following pages ponder on various roots of fear, roots that often grow trunks so thick that we cannot see the forest for the trees.

Since childbirth has been regarded as a “medical risk”, helplessness and fear during pregnancy has increased. Pregnant women suddenly turn into “patients”—which derives from the Latin word to suffer. Screening and monitoring techniques during pregnancy are getting more and more refined. The quest for diseases and abnormalities is intensified by means of so-called “fetal organ screenings”. Pregnancy is no longer a time of “expecting”, but rather a time of “checking”. (In German we even used to say “to be in good hope”.) The arrival of a new addition to the human race is not anticipated with calm serenity. Many mothers no longer communicate directly with their child, but instead focus their attention on the ultrasound pictures, and any deviation from the “norm” of fetal development leads to fear and panic during the entire pregnancy. Confidence in the innate capacity of our body to manage birth by ourselves is at the bottom. The fear of pain tempts many women to use “supporting measures” such as a planned cesarean or a spinal anesthesia. Responsibility for their own body, and their own child, is handed over to medicine which takes over “patronage” for the new life and “fetches” the children. Thereby the immense power and strength of motherhood, that accompanies a natural and successful delivery, is lost. In the shamanic tradition, the womb (uterus) is the site of knowledge and wisdom. From time immemorial, knowledge about conception, pregnancy and birth is inherently anchored in the female body. Like the monthly menstrual cycle, which takes place in accordance with the rhythms of nature and the lunar cycle, women also embody knowledge of the different stages of pregnancy and labor. Women, who with their own strength bring their children into the world, get in touch with the power of creation. The womb knows when the time is right to release the child; and the child knows when it is time to leave the motherly protection. A natural delivery leaves in our body knowledge of Mother Nature’s wisdom. Women, who have born their children without medical measures, also conceive the strength and security within themselves to cope with the rhythm and physical development of their child. They are not that prone to fear of diseases. If we have enough confidence in the body to bring the child into the world at the right moment, in its very own rhythm, the process leaves an everlasting positive imprint on body and mind.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Fear and Loss of Confidence

77

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Authoritarian Structures

78

Conventional medicine is characterized by the same authoritarian structures that are well known in the Church. The propagation of fear and terror are instruments of hierarchical systems. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan monk and priest, puts it this way: “In the Old Testament, and especially in the message from Jesus of Nazareth, the Bible is constantly calling upon us to overcome fear: “Fear not!” Even so, we have not recognized how demonic fear can be. The Bible is constantly encouraging us to turn against the voice of fear yet we deny it, or label it as “being clever”, “sensible”, or “diplomatic”. People, in powerful positions especially, who want to control others by means of fear are always finding new camouflage names for it such as “loyalty” or “obedience”. Many of us have had the “virtues” of obedience drilled into us since childhood; in reality, the authoritarians just wanted us to knuckle-down under our parents, teachers, superiors, priests, or other figures of authority. Fear has been disguised as the virtue of obedience, or even with a religious vow. This has nothing to do with real obedience. Real obedience arises from the freedom to listen, to make a conscious decision, and if necessary say “No!”. False obedience is the lazy fruit of fear.” 2 Humanity’s yearning to be nestled in some higher wisdom has for centuries been abused by the ruling denomination/church as a vehicle for its own desire for power. In a time of abundant information the terrifying messages of eternal damnation and the fall of man have been recognized as deliberate fear and panic mongering. In western society the image of man as a helpless and unworthy sinner no longer has a place. The old values of sin and penance appear too bizarre. The thirst for knowledge has replaced the need to believe. Religious dogmas are replaced by “objective scientific” truths and certainties, which can only be questioned under threat of illness and suffering. Medicine’s media-effective representatives are given a “pope-like” status. Surrounded with the aura of the latest science, corroborated by so-called “double blind studies” they appear beyond reproach, and beyond reach. Being aware of this mechanism, it becomes clear why they are often called “gods in white coats.” In earlier times the church banished and burnt wise women and natural healers; today orthodox medicine claims healing as its monopoly. Influenced by a male-oriented science, it denies the individual any insight and inner wisdom. According to the old strategy “divide et impera”—divide and rule—the body is divided according to different organ functions—such as skin, lung, bladder—and into various specializations: The dermatologist (skin specialist) suppresses eczema with a cortisone cream, and can cause asthma with this treatment.

The treatment of this asthma, however, lies within the responsibility of a lung specialist. Hence, the dermatologist will not be faced with the consequences of their actions. Not only the specialist, but also the patient, loses any overview, they are not aware of the causality of symptoms, and tend to follow the doctor’s “urgent recommendation” to protect their health. If not, they will be presented with the most terrifying fantasies of suffering and early death. Rebellion against this spoon-feeding and disenfranchisement requires a large portion of civil courage. Any protest is often nipped in the bud due to fear of the threatened consequences.

For millions of years the waters of the oceans have been rising and falling—waves flooding the land and receding again—in the same rhythm; the universe expands and contracts. Human development also follows a predetermined natural rhythm. After every tension there is a relaxation, and experiences are digested during the rest phase. Think of the yoga sleep that follows a dynamic yoga class, which is there to let the body “digest” what it has experienced before. Our internal clock directs the sleep-wake rhythm and is responsible for all metabolic processes. The most visible connection to nature’s pulse is menstruation. Among primitive peoples, without artificial light, all the women menstruate at full moon. To be part of the natural world gives a strong feeling of connectedness and trust. Weeping children calm down as soon as they feel their mother’s heartbeat; it reminds them of the safety of the womb. A regular rhythm soothes and calms, as it is the basis of human existence and hence closest to the origin. The closer human beings are to the origin, the safer they feel. There is also a certain rhythm in childhood diseases: they occur according to individual development as a support to the maturing process. In a profit-driven society, the time to tend to children patiently during their illness is hardly available—hence the attempts to banish illness from everyday life. The increasing trend to travel during the winter season—at a time when the body, like all nature in these climes, needs peace and recreation—to countries with a summer climate, ignores the body’s seasonal rhythms. One works around the clock ignoring the need for weekends and breaks. As long as the economy flourishes no one cares if the trees flower in winter and snow falls in summer. In the western world, our memory of our inherent rhythm has been derailed, and our inner clock has gone out of whack. Conventional medicine, being an analytical method, tends to ignore bodily rhythms and to manipulate according to its own discretion. Artificial hormones suppress the natural cycle;

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

The Forgotten Rhythm

79

night is made into day. A hospital’s medical personnel are expected to work around the clock and always be reachable. Their body’s rhythm is generally denied. So it is not surprising that also the patients’ rhythm is hardly noticed or respected. Men can break their boundaries for a long time without noticing it. This is one of the reasons why women are under-represented in conventional medicine. Their bodies cry out much earlier. They cannot ignore their rhythm all the time, and the dire effects of night shifts are noticeable much earlier. During my clinical training in outpatients I witnessed the following occurrence: A dermatologist had been examining patients, diagnosing and prescribing medication since 7 am. The waiting room was full. At about 11 am an angry patient entered the surgery and complained loudly about the long waiting time. The colleague who had been seeing dozens of patients without a break for four hours, curtly rebuffed him with the following words: “We medics have a life expectancy 10 years shorter than the rest of the population. How dare you complain about waiting a couple of hours.”

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Fear of cancer Allopathy Prevention: • Diagnostic tests • Lab services • Mammogram • Colonoscopy • Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Reinforcement of fear cycle

Homeopathy Prevention: • Healthy diet • Sufficient exercise • Admitting of acute febrile illnesses • Enough sleep • Meditation techniques • Living one’s creativity • Loving care for oneself and others • Constitutional remedy Abolition of fear cycle

The widespread fear of cancer—also strongly promoted by media—stimulates the need to undergo regular “preventive” medical examinations whenever there are any morbid changes in the body. Positive effects of preventive medical examinations are often a healthier lifestyle: diet, and more exercise. On the other hand, deviations from the norm fuel fear, which in turn puts the focus on the disease.

80

Like Masaru Emoto3 shows in his water crystal experiments, water can be influenced by thoughts and music, and its structure thereby changes. Water is an excellent vehicle for information. As the body consists of 70 per cent water, we can then conclude that everything that is thought, and above all said, changes and leaves its imprint on all body cells. Imagine what happens in the body if the thoughts constantly turn around fear and disease? Time and again I observe in my practice how people who have been scared of cancer their whole life, are overtaken by their fear, and they actually develop cancer. This can be seen as a manifestation of their own thoughts in the body. The following text discusses the result of a study about the reasonableness and efficiency of preventive health examinations.

“The marked decrease in cervical cancer in women, simultaneously with the introduction of preventive examinations, boosted a new branch of industry—the “prevention machinery” got going. Those who regularly have their organs screened and scanned, and their bodily fluids analyzed—as to the new credo—do not have to fear cancer. In the excitement of the campaign, it was overlooked that as well as the rare cervical cancer, all other kinds of cancer showed a marked decline. A decrease of 34.9 percent in stomach cancer was clearly achieved, without any screening-program, during the same period as the decrease in cervical cancer. Only one and a half decades, and many millions of dollars later, a few medics started to take stock. Wide-reaching comparative examinations/studies shed light on the number of people who had been saved from death by the screenings. The Swedish cancer specialist Giran Sjönell analyzed data of more than 600,000 women who had, since 1984, participated regularly in prevention programs for the early detection of breast cancer. The final results were quite disappointing: Mortality had not declined 30 per cent, but merely 0.8 percent. Sjönell also found some alarming “side effects” of the screening-programs: Nearly 100,000 women—one sixth—had received a false positive diagnosis. 16,000 women underwent unnecessary tissue biopsy; and more than 4,000 women had had suspect breast tissue (lumpectomy) erroneously removed, or even the whole breast (mastectomy).” 4

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Deceptive Prevention

81

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

The Promotion of Health and the Prevention of Illness and Disease, from a Holistic Perspective

82

Let’s change perspective: Disease prevention from a holistic perspective is the promotion of health. In this sense it applies to our life 24 hours a day. There are many factors that contribute to a healthy body and soul. Hippocrates (460—375 BC) taught: “Regularity in life is a sign of health. Irregular bodily functions or irregular life habits create unhealthy conditions.” Cutting-edge research of chronobiology demonstrates that all bodily functions follow an exact rhythm. To maintain a healthy and resistant body we should respect our inner clock, our physical limits, and treat our body with love and care. Jobs and occupations which require night shifts, irregular working hours, or regular trips into different time zones, have a considerably higher risk of cancer than the rest of the population. Research shows that sleep is a significant predictor of reduced immunity and susceptibility to disease. The body regenerates during sleep, the immune system provides for the smooth cycle of organ functions, and cleans up “defective” cells and potential cancer cells. Our natural rhythm requires about 8 hours of sleep. The natural sleep cycle, starting with darkness and sleep before midnight, is deemed particularly beneficial for body and soul. A quiet and well-ventilated sleeping room without electric radiation (TV or radio), and a rather empty stomach that is not straining the digestive tract, allow for optimal rest and recovery. A regular midday nap, the well-known siesta, encourages our general health and wellbeing. You can probably fill entire libraries on healthy food, but generally fresh and organic foods are the best base for a nutrient-rich diet. In my practice, the socalled food combining diet has often proven to be effective. As different food groups—such as carbohydrates (cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes) and proteins (meat, cheese, milk products)—require different digestion times, it facilitates digestion if they are eaten at separate meals. Life is movement—children demonstrate this. They have a natural need to be outside and move around in nature. Nature is not only wholesome to the body but the energy of the plants, earth, water, and air also nurtures our mind and vital force. We can prevent many diseases and conditions through sufficient exercise: walking, all sorts of sport, dance, etc. Endurance training, as it reduces stress hormones, offers a quick relief; also our brain activity is stimulated by regular exercise, especially when done in fresh air, or at least in a well ventilated room. Bodywork and movement therapies enhance our body-awareness and at the same time center our mind. Especially rewarding are techniques that combine movement with mental focus, as it brings us to the “here-and-now” leading to awareness through movement, as Moshe Feldenkrais put it. If we lack contact with our own self, our body will eventually rebel. In movement the intelligence of the body unfolds. In shamanic healing rites dance

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

helps to get in touch with the higher self. In dance we can express our feelings, embody them, and translate our emotions into motion, and thereby deepen our awareness of the body, free our flow of energy, and embrace life. Dance therapy is a very successful method in working with handicapped people and cancer patients, as the famous Anna Halprin, who healed herself from cancer, has impressively demonstrated in her expressive arts healing movement.5 Also meditative techniques such as Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga etc. raise our energy levels and give us the feeling of being one with the universe. The real experience of the present moment is full of “happiness hormones”. Our bodily state is controlled by our emotions. If we withhold or suppress them, in relation to others and ourselves, they block our vital energy. It is important to take responsibility for our own emotions and inner processes, as it is the first step in dealing with others and ourselves, in a more careful and conscious manner. It improves our interpersonal relationships, creates confidence, and inner peace. In German we have a proverb: “Laughing is the best remedy.” Meanwhile it has been scientifically recognized—even by conventional medicine—that laughter is preventive and therapeutic, and is used in treatment (Clinic-Clowns). Laughter yoga is also thriving, as laughing is an effective stress relief. It brings our attention to the moment; and the positive vibes boost our immune system and strengthen the body—we use an incredible amount of muscles when we laugh. Creative ideas that are put into reality—be it painting, singing, playing an instrument, acting etc.—are an inexhaustible source of energy. We can clearly observe a rise in our energy levels if we allow our inspiration to be expressed— it is like breathing in and breathing out. In German we have a proverb that explicitly shows the relation of “hurting” or “wounding” words and illness, or dis-ease and disease: “Was kränkt, macht krank” (What grieves, makes ill). For the sake of health, we should choose our words carefully and draw the line when people try to offend us. The famous water scientist Masaru Emoto, with his amazing photographs of water crystals, has demonstrated how words, and also sounds, influence and leave their imprint on the structure of water. His photos clearly show the reaction of the water to the different vibrations of words. Love and gratefulness produce wonderful patterns, whereas offending and “hurting” words generate pictures of chaos and destruction. If we consider that our body is made up of 60 to 70 percent water, we can imagine the effect of words on our biological system. Loving thoughts and words “nurture” the body and soul. Personalities like Jesus and Buddha, who had a lasting impact on humanity, gained their insight when they withdrew into nature, and found stillness, and listened to their inner voice. Jesus said: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” My homeopathic teacher, Prof. Dr. Mathias Dorcsi repeatedly referred to love as the highest remedy. Love towards ourselves and towards others has an outstanding healing effect and is the basis for real health.

83

Fear of Aging Allopathy • Hormones

Homeopathy • Constitutional remedy • Nutrition • Physical exercise • Energy work (for example: Yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi)

Aging is a difficult chapter of life in the Western world. Our society, with its focus on material values, no longer has any use or appreciation for the experience and wisdom of age, especially in women. Additionally, women frequently have to face professional disadvantages because of their interrupted career due to the birth and upbringing of their children. The job market is focused on the younger generation and only offers a few flexible job designs for mature women who want to follow a late career. So the dream of eternal youth by aid of hormones is quite understandable.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Hormones

84

Hormones are the body’s “chemical messengers”, transferring information from one group of cells to another. Estrogenic hormones are responsible for the growth and development of female sexual characteristics and reproduction; they control the menstrual cycle, and influence bone structure and fat metabolism. Hormonal production in the female organism follows a natural rhythm. Around the middle years of life the estrogen level in the blood declines and announces the end of menstrual bleeding. These days, conventional medicine interprets these natural changes in the female body as “disease” caused by a “lack” of estrogen. Conventional medicine, with its linear thinking, found a fast solution: This lack could be replaced by hormones. Brochures promised that hormone-replacement therapy would reduce the risk of stroke, breast cancer, and menopausal ailments; skin and breasts would stay tighter, and the threatening age would be kept at a safe distance.6 Recent studies show that these dreams and reality are quite different. The following article, based on a study of WHI, illustrates the longterm effects of hormone-replacement therapy. “For many years estrogen therapy and estrogen-progestin therapy were prescribed to treat menopausal symptoms, to prevent osteoporosis, and to improve women’s overall health. However, after publication of results from the Women’s

The WHI trial was stopped partly because the risk of stroke and breast cancer markedly increased.

Menopause—a Spiritual Experience The 40th birthday marks a turning point of life—not only in women, but also in men. Usually, the children will soon be leaving home; and the partnership will enter a new phase. At that point, many people also start to question their previous profession, and often need a new orientation. Values also start to shift: what used to be important just a few years ago loses importance and the question as to where one’s life’s journey is leading gains weight. The time of hormonal change is, for many women, a challenge; they feel their whole body is in transformation. The loss of fertility is painful—both for women who have children and those who know they never will. Living on in one’s children gives life a taste of eternity; if this path is blocked, the future has a clear ending. The death of one’s own parents comes into view and makes us

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Health Initiative (WHI) in 2002 and March 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now advises health care professionals to prescribe menopausal hormone therapies at the lowest possible dose and for the shortest possible length of time to achieve treatment goals. […] The WHI studied a group of 27,347 women aged 50 to 79 (mean age, 63) taking estrogen therapy or estrogen/progestin therapy. They were followed for an average of five-and-a-half to seven years. The study was unable to document that the benefits outweighed the risks when hormone therapy was used as a preventative therapy, and it found that risks due to hormones might differ depending on a woman’s age, or her years since menopause. In 2003 the National Cancer Institute found a very significant drop in the rate of hormone-dependent breast cancers (the most common breast cancer) among women. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2007, researchers speculated that the drop was directly related to the fact that millions of women stopped taking hormone therapy in 2002 after the results of a major government study found the treatment slightly increased a woman’s risk for breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. The researchers found that the decrease in breast cancer began in mid-2002 and leveled off after 2003. The decrease occurred in women over 50 and was marked in women with tumors that were estrogen receptor positive, i.e. cancers that require estrogen to grow.” 7

85

aware of our own mortality. Until age forty our attention is directed outwards—to our children, family and profession. Children absorb a large portion of their mother’s energy. The ultimate detachment of the parents often happens between age 40 and 50. Inherited patterns can be dissolved once and for all, and no longer stand in the way of one’s own development. Only the loving acceptance of the family roots leads us to true liberty. In primitive societies there are still rituals which enable women to reclaim their energy from their children when they reach puberty. The children are released into life and can unfold and develop according to their own rhythm. The mothers can now use the regained energy for their own creative processes. The Western world no longer knows such rites of passage. Mothers often find it hard to cope with their children reaching adolescence and following their own paths. Also the relationship with their partner is changing; the inner development of the two partners is usually not parallel, and it is necessary to find new approaches for communicating and living together.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

What is the natural rhythm in menopause?

86

During menopause the estrogen level in women goes down and the level of testosterone—the so-called masculine hormone—goes up. In men, it’s vice versa: the testosterone level decreases and the estrogen level rises. During menstruation energy is given off. If bleeding stops, the energy stays within the body. One of the most salient menopausal symptoms is hot flashes. In the shamanic tradition these are deemed an energy potential offered by nature. It seems as if Mother Nature herself is inviting women to live out their creative power. It is notable that menopausal symptoms are only seen as ailments in the Western world. In Eastern cultures such as Japan, where the wisdom of age is honored, the phenomenon of hot flashes is barely known. From a spiritual perspective, menopause is a time of inner growth. It is a chance for women to realize their masculine sides; and for men to develop their feminine qualities. The inner fusion of masculine and feminine parts leads to wholeness and harmony—like Yin and Yang united in one complete circle. When we are in our center, we can finally perceive and enjoy life to the fullest. The time has come to make our dreams come true. We all contain unfulfilled wishes and desires—journeys, hikes, studies, art—which we haven’t yet realized, because we just haven’t had time! Every human—as a part of creation—has their own share of creative power waiting for revelation. The expression of our innermost self in painting, music, movement, etc. nurtures our soul. Aging is a constant internal maturing process. Every day offers many opportunities to experience new things and to become more and more complete. Relationships with other persons develop a hitherto unknown quality. We can perceive, accept, and love them as being part of our self.

Allopathy Suppression of acute illnesses (antibiotics, cortisone)

Homeopathy Assistance and support in acute illnesses

Vaccinations

Acute remedies

Health and disease are two sides of the same coin. The suppression of acute illnesses by means of antibiotics and cortisone encourages the development of chronic diseases. After World War II antibiotics were deemed the magic weapon of medicine and for a very long time no one would ever have imagined that antibiotics could cause disease; but the inconsiderate application of antibiotics has had unforeseen consequences. In addition to being misused for treatment of disease, antibiotics—as so-called performance promoters—are commonly mixed into the fodder of animals, poultry, and fish. They then enter the human body through consumption of those foods. As a result of their misuse, more and more people have developed antibiotic resistance and the former miracle cure has failed. This has led to the development of stronger drugs and stronger dosages. In addition, antibiotic treatment of children in their first years of life distinctively increases their risk of developing allergies.

Antibiotics—War in the Body According to conventional medicine the origin of diseases mostly lies in external agents such as germs, viruses, microbes, etc. Consequently, allopathic medication aims to kill those hostile invaders. Conventional medicine underpins this suppressive treatment, not only by its aim to suppress acute disease symptoms, but also by the alleged prevention of subsequent diseases. The body hosts millions of various germs, which are partly responsible for the regulated functioning of our metabolism. Antibiotics do not fight only the so-called disease agents, but also eliminate microbes that are important for the body. Mass media fuels public fear with terror reports about hospitals that have had to be closed down, about epidemics that spread beyond control, and

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Fear of Disease

87

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

88

about antibiotics that no longer have an effect. The former wonder weapon has turned into a blunt knife. Conventional medicine underestimated the adaptability of their favorite enemy—germs. The development of new antibiotics even stimulates germs to mutate faster than ever. Currently, we have the doubtful honor of observing a race between genetically engineered “super antibiotics” and “super bugs”. “Everything alive is interdependent. If just one link in the ecological chain is destroyed, then life is thrown off balance. This ecological law does not just apply to the world around us, but also to the life within our body. The human body is home to many different life forms and communities. These microorganisms have adapted to us over millions of years and even help us to stay healthy. There are protozoa, fungi, rickettsia, bacteria, chlamydia, and viruses living peacefully amongst us and within us. The many different organisms (though viruses are not really organisms) keep each other in check; each life form comes to an arrangement with the others and often lives at the expense of the others. Certain bacteria feed on fungi; others destroy viruses and excrete substances that are toxic to germs. Thus an accumulation is prevented. We only become ill when this ecological balance is upset and some life forms start to dominate at the expense of others. The micro-ecological conditions can be upset through nutritional influences, medication, injury, and clinical operations.” 8 In the case of illness, the body is declared a war zone, and germs, as the apparent causes of the illness, become enemy troops. Antibiotics, cortisone, and other medication are used to suppress the enemy. The body’s own processes are prevented and undesirable side effects are accepted as being unavoidable.

Cortisone Cortisone (in its natural form often called cortisol) is a so-called stress hormone that is produced naturally in the adrenal cortex. Normally it is released in a consistent 24-hour rhythm, with the highest levels between 3 and 9 am. One of the various metabolic functions of cortisone is a quick boost of energy. Cortisone transforms the protein in the body into carbohydrates that provide the body with quick energy. Why did nature establish such a mechanism? One that breaks down the

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

body’s own proteins in order to exploit them as an internal source of energy? We might shed some light on this by considering the “schedule” of prehistoric humans. Originally, the morning was dedicated to hunting in order to obtain food. This required maximum energy to increase the performance of the body. This high performance was also needed to be able to react to dangerous situations, with the so-called fight-or-flight response. Cortisone also causes a short-time increase in blood clotting, and therefore prevents excessive bleeding in the event of injury. At the same time, painful inflammations are blocked. So it has some quite practical functions that are not harmful if stress is followed by relaxation. Today our body still follows this old rhythm, although our lifestyle has somewhat changed. Usually we do not have to go hunting to get food or run for our lives— rather we are stuck in a traffic jam and in the feeling that we have too much to do and too little time. Due to the steadily rising challenges of our professional lives, we are often prone to constant stress. Work hours that ignore the body’s rhythm, difficult circumstances on a personal level, and lack of rest and relaxation put our body constantly on the alert. This permanent stress triggers an excessive release of cortisone that has a very harmful effect on the body. It can even strain it to exhaustion which, over time, can lead to adrenal insufficiency, widely known as burnout syndrome. Conventional medicine uses the anti-inflammatory properties of cortisone. It is often used for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases such as allergies, asthma, chronic ailments of the intestines, and joint inflammations. Cortisone influences a variety of metabolic processes. Amongst others it inhibits reactions of the connective tissue. This is the basic reason for its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. It inhibits the cell reproduction in the connective tissue, and thereby also reduces its regenerative capacities. Cortisone is primarily used for the treatment of inflammatory skin rashes, such as neurodermatitis. Thereby, the disease is forced to express itself in another organ (usually in the lungs, which often react with asthma). As cortisone interrupts the normal defense mechanism, the lungs can no longer fulfill their natural functions: both breathing and the coughing up of phlegm is inhibited, and infectious illnesses like chronic bronchitis, a sore throat, and inflammation of the middle-ear frequently occur. The constant protein breakdown has a harmful effect on organ structures and may, in the long run, cause osteoporosis, thin skin, or muscle wasting. Constantly high levels of cortisone also affect fat metabolism and blood clotting—the blood gets thicker and does not flow that easily. Thereby, the immune system is depleted and the body’s defense system is weakened, which makes the body in general more susceptible to disease.

89

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Vaccinations—Blessing or Bane?

90

The idea of vaccination is based upon the concept of a “protective wall”—an army installed in the body to arm against potential attacks from outside. From an allopathic perspective the enemies are germs—bacteria, viruses, microbes, and the like. All these so-called “disease agents” are invisible to the naked eye and hence are deemed unpredictable danger. They lurk everywhere, and as soon as children can crawl and have contact with earth it is feared they can’t survive this encounter. Nevertheless, more and more people are becoming aware of the deteriorating effects of vaccinations on their children’s health, and are questioning the necessity of artificial immunization. Allergies—a rarity in my youth—are increasing alarmingly. Chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, permanent infections, and behavioral problems are on a constant rise. Two hundred years ago the ratio of acute illnesses to chronic diseases was 90 percent to 10 percent. Today the ratio is reverse: 90 percent chronic diseases versus only 10 percent acute illnesses. In my practice I am caring for an increasing number of unvaccinated children. Compared to the vaccinated children, they are healthy and less prone to recurrent diseases. They experience, in their own rhythm, the childhood diseases as intended by nature. Apart from training the immune system, each illness also represents a physical and mental maturing process. Women instinctively know about the disastrous consequences of vaccinations but lack the information to stand up to family, husbands, and pediatricians. The question “Will you take responsibility for your child’s illness?” often throws them off balance. Far too seldom do they pose the counter question, “Will you take responsibility for the side effects from vaccination?”

Vaccines and their Additives Vaccination involves the administration of exogenous (i.e. foreign to the body) material into the blood stream to promote the production of antibodies. Vaccines usually consist of germs and various additives. This is partly due to the fact that the concentration of germs in vaccines is many times higher than in naturally occurring disease agents that the body might be exposed to. 9 The disease agents, together with additives, are meant to animate the body to develop antibodies against the disease. The body should be armed against becoming infected in order to fend off acute illness.

Vaccine Additives Against bacterial contamination:

Antibiotics Thiomersal (contains mercury, i.e. damages nerves)

For conserving and stabilizing:

Human Albumin Lactalbumin Hydrosate

To limit germ multiplication:

Formaldehyd Äther Polysorbat Chloroform

Absorption and binding substances:

Aluminum hydroxide Aluminum phosphate

Disease is a form of expression by the body. Frequently, mental and emotional problems can only express themselves by means of physical symptoms. The idea of exterminating disease resembles the idea of wiping out humanity. Childhood diseases offer a good possibility for children to get rid of physical and psychological inheritances. The more charges they bring along from their parents, grandparents, and ancestors the more important it is for them to leave them behind. In former times, measles were deemed a harmless childhood disease. People knew that the disease would only be serious later in life and therefore they took care that it developed before the age of seven. On the psychological plane, children usually show visible progress in their maturing and development stages after the natural experience of a childhood disease. On the physical plane, childhood diseases encourage the development of the immune system, which is initially transferred by the mother’s milk, and which will stay with us and protect us throughout our entire life. In other words, immunization gained after a normal childhood disease, like for example measles, not only offers protection against this specific illness, but increases the immunity in general, and thus also offers protection against other diseases.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Can diseases be exterminated?

91

Multiple Vaccines / Vaccinations

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

In recent years babies and toddlers have been increasingly vaccinated with so-called “multiple vaccines”. This means that an injection of the current hexa-vaccine contains the pathogens/germs from six (hexa) different diseases. These are: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, haemophilus influenza type B, and hepatitis B. Another instance is the MMR inoculation, the triple vaccination against mumps, measles and rubella, normally given to children around 15 months of age. Medicine (the pharmaceutical industry) argues that the cause for multiple vaccines lies in the increasing number of vaccinations recommended by the health authorities. Translated into single injections, an infant would receive 18 vaccinations between the third and sixth month—a number that would rapidly reduce the population’s willingness to vaccinate. From a medical point of view, a single vaccination against several illnesses seems to make sense, since each vaccine, whether single or multiple, contains conservation ingredients, antibiotics, and bonding agents, etc. (see Chapter Vaccines). If several germs can be introduced into the body with a single injection then the burden due to conservation ingredients (with the potential to damage the nerves) is less than with the equivalent number of single vaccines. From a holistic viewpoint a multiple vaccination is a complete overload of the body. As the vaccination expert Dr. G. Buchwald points out: “The number of germs introduced by way of vaccinations is the cause of the immunological disturbances we are faced with today” 10

92

Homeopathy

Overload—Confusion

Clarity

The infant’s/toddler’s own bodily rhythm is ignored and violated. A baby’s small body, which is not yet fully de-veloped and needs protection, is forced to confront six different germs simultaneously. In addition, the potentially nerve damaging conservation ingredients have to be dealt with. What does the small child’s body do with an invasion of several totally different illness pathogens? Horror and shock can spread due to this violent bodily invasion by germs. The flooding with alien stimuli happens at a time when the baby/toddler needs protection and security.

Homeopathic treatment allows the encounter with the inner healer, who is concealed behind every illness. Living through illness by experiencing it with all senses is a learnt and understood lesson. All bodily functions participate and the experience can be a healing encounter. Especially during childhood, illnesses are naturally gone through at certain intervals, as the body cannot cope with more than one illness at a time.

Damage—Injury

Assistance—Support

Previously completely healthy babies can, for instance, scream desperately for hours—“cri encephalic”. Highpitched, shrill screaming is a sign of brain damage. Very high fever of 104 °F (40°C) and more, irritability with restlessness, sudden sleepiness, and sleeplessness have been observed. The attempt to defend against this invasion of germs is strength sapping, and weakens the immune system. The consequence is a permanent increase in chronic ailments.

Homeopathic medicines strengthen, heal, and console body, mind, and soul. They are like a good friend, present in emergencies and supporting the healing process. They ease the progress of the illness and strengthen trust in natural self-healing. The body’s own rhythm is respected. Every illness has its time. Life is a constant learning process and illnesses appear at that point in time when the body is ready to deal with this experience.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Allopathy

93

Do vaccinations guarantee real Protection?

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

The belief in the absolute protection with vaccination remains unbroken, although in 1968 there were already signs of the ineffectiveness and harmfulness of vaccinations. The following text based on a vast field trial using the tuberculosis vaccine in India demonstrates the effects of this so-called “protection”.

94

Example of the Tuberculosis Vaccine Tuberculosis (TB) is a typical epidemic disease which has caused the death of many people. It spread, and had its most disastrous effects, in a time in which the majority of the population lived under completely different hygienic conditions than today. This is evidenced by the decline of tuberculosis cases in Vienna: the number fell from 1,800 at the turn of the century to two reported cases in 1948. But still, during my year of study, conventional medicine emphasized the outstanding achievements of vaccinations in the combat of epidemics, especially with respect to tuberculosis and smallpox. Statistics reveal strange things: The vaccination of tuberculosis was introduced in Germany and Austria around 1949, when the disease had already touched bottom. Both in Austria, and in Germany, the vaccinations had negative effects. The steep decline was interrupted and prolonged. As the introduced vaccination program did not show the intended effect, the WHO decided to start a test project in India. The following text briefly summarizes the results of this study and its consequences, quoted from Dr. med. Gerhard Buchwald’s survey Der Rückgang der Schwindsucht trotz Schutzimpfung (The decline of TB despite vaccinations): “There are countries which have inoculated continuously with the BCG vaccine (the tuberculosis vaccine) since its introduction after the First World War. It is probable that in these countries it was noticed that the clinical course of a tuberculosis illness and/or treatment showed no difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. This is probably the reason why WHO (the World Health Organization) conducted a major field experiment in India. A mainly rural area, about 40 km to the west of Madras, consisting of a population of about 364,000—living in 209 villages and one town—was used as the experimental area. The entire population, except infants less than one month old, was vaccinated with the BCG vaccine. […] Simultaneously a second district, of a similar size and population, was chosen. Here no vaccinations with the BCG vaccine were conducted. When, in 1979 (11 years after the start of the experiment), the WHO presented its first interim report it said: “this interim report was like a shock to the WHO’s “experts”. […] The field study conducted under ideal conditions showed no effectiveness of the BCG vaccine”.

The actual protective effect of this vaccination remains therefore questionable. It is clear that the BCG vaccine has no effect whatsoever. The results of the trial show that the vaccination gave no protection in the first 7.5 years after vaccination. The BCG vaccination has been controversial for 50 years. A meeting in February 1978 in Copenhagen, of Quality Control Directors from various laboratories, confirmed that the vaccines used in the trial had been of good quality. It can be summarized that the current study has shown that the BCG vaccination offers no protection against the bacterial illness. In Germany, it took another 4 years before Director and Professor Dr. W. Brehmer of the Robert-Koch-Institute of the Health Ministry in Germany reported this field trial in “Bundesgesundheitsblatt” (Year 26, nr. 5, May 1983, p. 145) When WHO published the first evaluation of this trial after a 7.5 year observation period in 1979 there was general consternation. The completely negative result shocked international experts and was discussed in the press with reference to future vaccination policies under headlines such as “Bad News from India”. However, in the German trade press, which usually gives high prominence to a further public recommendation of unspecific BCG vaccination of newborns, this important result was hardly mentioned. Information on the vaccination recommendations of the Ständige Impfkommission (permanent vaccination commission) at the Robert-Koch-Institute (STIKO) Tuberculosis: Considering the epidemiological situation in Germany, the non-provability of the effectiveness of the BCG vaccination, and the often grave unwanted medicinal effects of the BCG vaccine, the STIKO can no longer recommend this vaccination. Robert-Koch-Institute March 1998

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

The results were even starker: The vaccinated district didn’t have the same number of sicknesses as the unvaccinated district (this would have proved the ineffectiveness of the vaccine); rather, in the vaccinated area there were significantly more cases of tuberculosis than in the unvaccinated area. This means nothing other than that the BCG vaccine not only offers no protection, but also causes damage. Only 11 years after the start of the study, the result was published under the title: “Trial of BCG vaccines in south India for tuberculosis prevention: First report” (Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 57 (5): 819-827, 1979) Here are the most important parts of the report:

95

So the STIKO took 27 years to take this vaccination off the recommended list of vaccinations after the ineffectiveness of BCG vaccinations became known! This behavior can only be explained by the fact that those responsible shied away from publishing a result that was so embarrassing and disgraceful. In the sanatoria the ineffectiveness of the vaccination was generally known by the beginning of the 1960s, while it was still strongly defended by the vaccination advocates for another 40 years. Hence, for more than 25 years newborn babies were vaccinated one day after birth against the expressed will of their parents.11

Smallpox The WHO’s mass vaccination program with the small pox vaccine in India showed similar results. The WHO noticed that there was always a considerable increase of smallpox infections after wide-ranging vaccination campaigns. An extensive vaccination program in 1967 caused the most severe smallpox epidemic (apart from 1963) with over 60,000 reported cases. Based on these experiences, smallpox was taken off the list of recommended vaccinations in 1970. 12

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Epidemics Conventional medicine regards vaccinations as an attempt to prevent a substantial outbreak of epidemic diseases. An epidemic is a disease that is characterized by widespread occurrence in a given population over a particular period of time. In the history of humanity, they have killed myriads of people. For ages humanity has feared them as fateful menaces. It has to be taken into account that epidemics are closely related to the prevailing conditions of life. At a time when living conditions were far from the hygienic standards of today—water purification plants did not exist and water quality was sometimes very bad—these circumstances offered a fertile soil for the dissemination of epidemic diseases. In the 21st century, epidemics still thrive in war zones—the classical setting for the spread of diseases. Camps that are characterized by an extreme density of people, lack of purification plants, polluted/contaminated water, and malnutrition, all offer perfect conditions for epidemics.

Example Cholera Epidemic Cholera is an infectious gastroenteritis, in plain language: an inflammation of the stomach and small intestine resulting in extreme diarrhea. Conventional medicine holds that a cholera infection is only due to the bacterium Vibrio comma—the comma-shaped bacterium (vibron) that is sup-

96

How can Epidemics be Prevented or Controlled? • Funding and establishment of hygienic living conditions, especially in developing countries (construction of water purification plants, sanitation etc.) • Sufficient nutrition, rich in vitamins • Construction of bright and spacious flats • Species-appropriate animal husbandry and feeding Homeopathy and Epidemics Homeopathy has already proven to be very successful in the treatment of epidemic diseases, even in Hahnemann’s era. Homeopathic treatment showed repeated success in stemming epidemics without any side- and after-effects. Cholera epidemics were also treated successfully, as the following extract on the success of Joseph Pulte (a famous homeopathic pioneer who settled in Cincinnati) illustrates. It represents only one success story of homeopathy in the treatment of epidemics in the States: “A graduate of the University of Hamburg, Pulte opened a private dispensary in 1840 for treatment of the poor. In 1848, he partnered with Benjamin Ehrmann, MD, and in

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

posed to be the disease agent. However, in many cases it is not possible to detect a single vibron in cholera patients and persons who died from the disease. Many healthy people in the affected epidemic region, the so-called asymptomatic carriers (infected individuals without clinical manifestation), do not react in any way with physical symptoms to the disease agents in their blood. Research on cholera has even demonstrated that persons lacking antibodies, or those who have only a few, often resist disease, whereas others with a high number/concentration of antibodies fall ill. Hence, the conventional opinion of vaccination proponents, that more antibodies guarantee prevention of an epidemic, has to be questioned. This view is not completely new. Max von Pettenkofer (1818—1901), a Bavarian medic, chemist, and professor of hygiene in the medical faculty, was convinced that the spread of epidemics is due to external circumstances and could be prevented by hygienic measures. He devoted himself to practical hygiene, and by the introduction of sanitation (such as a clean water supply and proper sewage disposal), transformed Munich into the healthiest town in Europe. Pettenkofer is quite famous for his self-test of cholera: In the presence of his horrified colleagues he drank a whole vial of cholera vibrons—an amount that they deemed to be enough to kill a whole army. Pettenkofer doubted that the external bacteria would be able to trigger the disease and he remained in good health. He thereby proved that germs alone were not able to infect people. Influenza epidemics see Chapter 2, page 41.

97

1849 together they treated 1,100 cases of cholera, reportedly losing only 50 of their patients. Their success caused the desertion of many regulars from orthodox medicine and gave homeopathy a much-garnered reputation in the Queen City.” 13

Epidemic Remedies “The epidemic remedy is a remedy for the disease, not for a sick individual. The genius epidemicus is exactly that remedy; it covers the totality of present diseases, and not only the symptoms that are found in a single patient.” 14 Hahnemann had found Belladonna as the appropriate remedy for an epidemic of scarlet fever and and recommended it to the public, when, in the late 18th century, an epidemic swept the town where he lived. The reason behind the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment lies in its multi-layered action, covering the underlying energetic, mental, and physical origins of a disease, and not just operating on the most obvious—the merely symptomatic level. “Homeopathy is a treatment that makes vaccinations superfluous, as it heals the weaknesses which are the origin of infectious diseases and their complications” writes Dr. Pfeiffer, an experienced homeopathic pediatrician.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Vaccination Damage

98

Dr. G. Buchwald, a specialist for pulmonary diseases and pioneer of vaccination criticism, has illustrated the damaging side effects of vaccinations in about 200 scientific papers and has been a medical adviser and expert witness at vaccination damage trials. He knows the details of more than 1,000 cases of vaccination damage. He has been active in the education on vaccination for more than four decades. His conclusion: “Vaccination does not protect, vaccination is no use, vaccination causes harm!” The number of critics of vaccination is growing constantly. Even conventional medicine can no longer deny its deteriorating effect on children’s health. Many mothers are no longer having their second child vaccinated because they experienced deterioration in their first child’s health after the vaccination. Damages from vaccinations have been consistently denied since vaccinations were introduced. According to conventional medicine, symptoms that appear more than 6 days after the vaccination are not due to, or connected to it. The recognition of illness symptoms that appear in the first days is left entirely up to the discretion of the vaccinating doctor. After careful questioning in my practice as to how conventional doctors reacted to the obvious damage after the vaccination, I have been regularly

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

told that any connection was denied. No one is responsible for it. Any damages are to be considered in connection with one’s own liable behavior. In plain language: If any vaccination side effects occur, the damaged person is to blame. But how is it possible to guarantee immunization (i.e. the circulation of antibodies) for years, and at the same time to deny the possibility of harmful side effects from the vaccine? What vaccination side effects can be concretely observed? Dr. med. Friedrich P. Graf, a German pediatrician stopped vaccinating children 10 years ago because he observed diverse side effects and damages that led him to the opinion that “vaccinations probably encourage the development of various chronic diseases”. The following side effects were observed: a. Increased occurrence of infectious illnesses b. Chronic swelling of the mucous membranes in the nose, ears, sinuses, bronchial tubes and intestines, sometimes also in the urinary tract c. Increase in ear infections often causing impaired hearing/deafness d. Inflamed swelling of the lymph nodes; polyps in the throat and swelling of the tonsils e. Sleep disorders f. Nervous disorders affecting the mucous membranes, skin (neurodermatitis), breathing (asthma, spastic bronchitis), and intestines (colitis) g. Disturbances in the coordination of nerves and muscles accompanied by developmental delays in walking, talking, and the control of stool and urine h. Fever cramps (febrile seizures) i. Brain fits (epilepsy) j. Brain inflammations (encephalitis), subtle and insidious; probably responsible for chronic partial performance deficiencies k. Mental disorders, such as attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in varying degrees (partial attention disorders) l. Emotional abnormalities (aggressive excitement, impulsiveness, addictive tendencies, psycho-organic syndrome (POS)) m. Hyperactivity (hyperkinetic syndrome) overstimulated nervous system n. Unexplained proportion of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

99

o.

p. q.

r.

Research by the scientist Vera Scheibner (Australia), using a machine developed by herself—the so-called cradleguard—gave evidence that after the triple jab (DTP) the breathing frequency of infants changed dramatically, and in some cases led to their death on the 16th day. Following this investigation, Japan raised the vaccination age from 3 months to 2 years. The number of children dying of sudden infant death syndrome dropped rapidly. All kinds of allergies: overreactions to foods, house dust, pollen (hay fever), bee poison (stings), and medicines Unexplained, but suspected, contribution to the development of cancer Unexplained proportion of chronic nerve diseases, e.g. multiple sclerosis, measles, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (polio) and others Unexplained proportion of sterility occurrences, miscarriages and tendency to premature births15

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

What is Real Protection?

100

• • • • • • •

Natural delivery Breast-feeding Well-balanced, healthy diet Caring social environment Hygiene Experiencing normal childhood diseases Acute diseases as natural training for the immune system

Immunity and the Immune System Humanity dreams of being immune—invulnerable and invincible—equipped with an “internal armor”. We would like to be able to resist and be impermeable to everything that could bring illness and suffering. The manifold vaccinations promise safety in a world which is becoming ever more unsafe. Conventional medicine’s promise to arm the body against all kinds of “attackers” (germs, viruses, bacteria, etc.) hits a very archaic nerve. Installing an inner army of fighters in the form of antibodies sounds reasonable. The body, like a computer, is given the newest anti-virus program (vaccinations). But what to do with a new “worm” that the defense program doesn’t recognize? The wish to spare children the experience of illness and suffering and to protect them from the “rough” world is legitimate. From a conventional, medical point of view it is a logical development to want to exterminate certain illnesses with a global vaccination program. According to the analytical methodology of allopathy, the immune system is dissected into separate parts and, like the organs, considered in isolation. However, do we really have a deep and complete knowledge about human immunity? The answer is that knowledge about the functioning of the human immune system is constantly changing and even experts have dif ficulty maintaining an overview.

Conventional medicine’s proof for immunity against an illness is the socalled seroconversion, i.e. the existence of antibodies in the blood after vaccinations. Vaccination introduces germs into the circulation, which are meant to encourage the immune system to form antibodies. In an emergency this “stand-by army” should fend off the illness. The existence of antibodies is meant to ensure continued protection. If sufficient antibodies are present, orthodox medicine assumes that the organism is immune to the vaccinated illness, and during contact with germs from this illness there is no danger of infection or falling ill. If this theory corresponded with reality, and if illness were something totally pointless and useless, then this idea would be impressive. Seen as a wholes “the body is the glove of the soul”.16 The immune system’s reactions cannot be separated from the psychological state of mind. If worries, troubles, and fears, or even a relative’s death have weakened us, then the body’s tendency to fall ill is heightened. We can no longer defend

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Antigen-Antibody Theory

101

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

102

ourselves against sick-making external influences. The background of physical integrity is the mental constitution. The following text demonstrates that the body possesses a competent defense system. A Brief Overview of Immunology “The immune system is spread throughout the body. It consists of 1012 (one million million) cells—the lymphocytes, and 1020 (100 million billion) antibodies that are formed by the lymphocytes and their derivatives—the plasma cell. The continuous production of lymphocytes and antibodies is enormous. Every couple of minutes 10 million lymphocytes and a million, billion various antibodies are made. All alien systems such as viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells, which intend to spread throughout the body are recognized by their anti-gens and attacked.” 17 This shows how complex the immune system is and that it cannot be reduced to the mere presence of an antibody concentration. In the meanwhile, newer developments in biophysics contradict the linear thinking in conventional medicine which simply concentrates on cause and effect. If external circumstances—microbes, germs, viruses etc.—really were the only cause of illnesses, how have we been able to survive thus far? Countless epidemics have plagued humanity; why have enough people always survived? Conventional medicine’s way of thinking ignores the complexity of life. Sticking to the theory of antigen-antibody reactions only picks out a single system in the abundance of regulatory cycles and negates all other factors. By dividing and analyzing life we destroy it. Our organism functions on the basis of complex and intertwined circuits and systems. This microcosm is unpredictable. We consist of a conglomeration of regulatory circuits: up to now we know about 1,500 enzymatic cycles, which are highly interdependent and regulated by particular rhythms. The whole organism is a multidimensional system characterized by various interactions with myriads of factors— partly unknown and not predictable—to be considered. Hence, there are no absolutely predictable results. The desire to keep everything under control leads to the attempt to squeeze life into a “norm”—illnesses and fever don’t fit in. Hence, they are “stemmed” in advance like a river which is prevented from expanding into the meadows to prevent flooding.

Analogy between a river and the immune system:

Healthy river = free river: It floods the meadows and provides them with water. It regulates itself, goes through different levels, changes and adapts its form to environmental circumstances. The river finds its way from its head to its mouth.

Immune System

Healthy immune system is flexible like a healthy river. It adapts itself to external circumstances.

High water is to the river, like fever to the body. It reacts to strong rainfalls and regulates itself by overflowing its banks.

Fever is like a flooding of all organs, leading to an expansion of the blood vessel thereby supplying bodily tissue with more blood, and accelerating the molecular movement in the cells. This offers an essential chance to rebuild oneself and change.

River regulation, obstructed banks = modification of the river currents. The river is blocked and cannot move freely anymore. After long, strong rainfalls the river cannot expand into the meadows because they are gone—either having been replaced by constructions or having dried up. In the long run, this causes floodwaters and damage to the surroundings.

Vaccination is similar to the regulation of a river starting at the source. The prevention of acute illnesses often later causes visible damage, such as chronic diseases. Vaccinations act like a dam and inhibit the self-healing mechanism. Allergies are like flood waters that swamp and infest the body.

The Independent Body Vaccination campaigns give the impression that the body can’t cope with today’s stresses and challenges. The following quote illustrates the potential humans possess. “The construction and organization of a human being is simply a miracle. The construction and most functions have remained unchanged in the last 250,000 years. We are living and working with an archaic system. But the accumulation of knowledge within us has risen hugely. There is nothing comparable in nature.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

River

103

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

104

We consist of up to 100 million million cells, about 15,000 times more than there are people on the planet, and 1,000 times more than there are stars in our galaxy—the Milky Way. A few examples: • Every day 600 million million cells die and the same number are constructed. That is more than 10 million cells per second. • Every 5 days the lining of the stomach and intestine is completely replaced. • Every 6 weeks parts of the liver are renewed; other parts live for up to several years. • Fatty tissue is completely exchanged every 3 weeks. • Each month the cells in the skin renew themselves (the typical skin cell only lives for 2 weeks). • Every 3 months the bones renew themselves: so we have a completely new skeleton every couple of months. • The fetus in the womb forms 250,000 nerve cells alone, every minute. Obviously the immune system is as intelligent as our brain—it can organize, establish order, and has a life-long memory.18 The brain’s genetic blueprint stores the knowledge of millions of years. Each human being refines this knowledge over approximately 80 years. Without our genes’ prior knowledge we would drown in a senseless flood of data. We are thus born—like all other creatures—with an “infinitely vast” store of knowledge; even the navigation skills of a fly, by far surpass the computer board of a plane. 19

Spiritual Perspective

Children come into the world as complete beings and bring with them the history of their ancestors. All they need from us is love, food, protection, and safety so that they can develop and unfold according to their talents. And we can learn a lot from them. There is a story, which I would like to tell you at this point, of a four-yearold boy whose mother was expecting her second child: During pregnancy the boy had obtained the promise of his parents to leave him alone with the newborn baby. When the baby was born, the time came to keep the promise. Curious, the parent watched through the keyhole.

What would the little boy do to his sibling? He climbed into the baby’s cot and asked it: “Tell me about God, I keep forgetting.” Newborns and children bring the divine with them and remind us of the divine nature of humans—and what reception do we offer? At three months their bodies are vaccinated directly into their bloodstreams—flooded with germs in an amount that doesn’t naturally occur, mixed with preservatives, such as formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury etc. They can’t walk, talk or eat; why should their brain be able to cope with such a number of germs? The nerves in the brain, the origin of the whole nervous system, are still unprotected—without a sheath—like a pipe without insulation. The germs can’t do anything but deposit themselves on the brain nerves, and thereby inhibit the development of the nerve sheaths, and hence the development of the brain. “Each vaccination is a deliberate damaging of the brain with varying effects according to its disposition.” 20 Perhaps society would have to face its own shortcomings and deficits if children were allowed to develop unhindered and uninfluenced by diseases. Possibly it is better to prevent a healthy and free development from the start, so that they cannot outgrow anyone in their intellectual capacities?

In his famous dialogue “Meno” Plato (428—348 BC) describes how the famous philosopher Socrates teaches the slave Meno. It is assumed that Meno, as a simple slave, does not have any education and possesses only normal human common sense. The dialogue deals with a complex arithmetic problem. Socrates manages by witty questions to “retrieve” the right answer from Meno. Plato thereby underpins his theory that all knowledge exists in every human being as a sort of collective memory. Thus teaching is more about retrieving and consciously revealing this knowledge, in short: to remind the pupils of the things they already know internally. Plato compares teaching to “midwifery”. The teacher does not produce the knowledge for the pupil, but helps him/her to get it out—like a midwife who does not make the child, but helps to bring it to birth.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Knowledge

105

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Homeopathy Seminars

106

My courses are held in small groups, which are mainly attended by women. The progress of study in all-women groups has shown me how differently men and women approach homeopathy. In the protective circle of an allwomen’s group people speak more openly about their own experiences and problems. As soon as women discover homeopathy as an alternative treatment for themselves and their families, it is often difficult for them to justify their decision to those around them. In a group of like-minded people they are strengthened and supported. The participants of my courses form effective networks and advise each other in the choice of medicines. Apart from learning the basics of homeopathy, there is an opportunity to resolve unfounded fears which form the breeding ground for the oppressive orthodox medical treatments. Women have always had responsibility for their children’s health. The knowledge of healing ability is reawakened by the independent application of homeopathic medicines. Trust and confidence in their own powers of healing are awakened. Mothers are always telling me how their children know what they need and when. Trust in the children’s voices grows. Important decisions - as seen in the immunization question - can be made from a clear and confident base using “gut feelings”. I always look forward to my courses as they are a welcome change in my daily practice routine. It is a pleasure to accompany women who are interested and eager for knowledge. It is fascinating how quickly they grasp seemingly complicated concepts and learn how to apply them. Comments from Participants: Comment 1 The courses have deepened my trust in creation and myself. Once again I can feel my power to give and heal. Comment 2 Attending your courses is always a pleasure. Here I meet men and women, like myself, who want to take responsibility for themselves and their children, and do not want to be at the mercy of orthodox medicine because of their “ignorance” and “fear”. I’m also constantly meeting great women to exchange views with. The courses have had many positive changes for me. I feel the new knowledge has given me the ability to act quickly and according to my intuition in acute situations. I am less afraid and, of course, this is transferred to my daughter.

I can recognise boundaries around me. These boundaries give me strength. This strength I convert to power. My new power is pure energy. And this energy is nothing less than the untrammelled recognition of the “I”: my wonderful body, my buried knowledge, my ancient soul. Comment 4 The courses have helped me to listen to my internal doctor. I am better able to understand and appreciate illnesses and to take the opportunities for change and development. I understand that changes occur on the small matter level. Perception at the mental and physical level is sharpened. I have more confidence and self-assurance. Since using homeopathy on my children they are ill less often. My children have learnt to communicate what they need and demand homeopathy when they need it. Comment 5 Since I have acquired a better understanding of the background of illnesses and am more able to accept them, I have become more patient. In general, cases of illness have become a lot more relaxed. — I have rediscovered confidence in our “functioning” immune system. — I now have the courage to accompany the illness instead of suppressing it. — I trust my intuition again. — I am less afraid. — I have become more patient. — I am more sure in the choice of remedy. — I am generally better at dealing with the constitutional remedy due to a deeper understanding.

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

Comment 3 Dr Laschkolnig’s courses open my inner eye.

107

I would like to conclude this chapter with some words by Ina Vodivnik

F RO M F E A R TO K NOW L E D G E

“I am Ina, a ten-year-old girl. Really often I have ailments such as a sore throat, bellyache, headache, or a cold. Thankfully I know what to take to get well soon. When I feel strong pains, like in injuries, I mostly take Arnica to relieve the pain. But one can also take “globules” (pellets) against a cold. But sometimes just home remedies are enough. I am very proud to know what I need, like pellets, a visit to the doctor’s, cough syrup, home remedies and so on. Also for the flu, there are suitable “pellets”. When I have the flu, I take some of them 3 to 5 times a day—and that helps! Adults often suffer from a headache—I know that from my parents. Then I know what my Mum or Dad should take and bring it to them. Naturally it is nicer and better to be well, but if one happens to be sick now and then, it is important to be well informed what to take to get better quickly.”

108

Chapter 4

Repertory

This brief homeopathic repertory is divided into three parts. Part 1 focuses on the description of 28 remedy pictures, Part 2 details the application of remedies, and Part 3 offers an index of symptoms for quick reference.

Part 1—Description of Remedies

REPERTORY

Nature offers an abundance of homeopathic medicines. In this section I decided to introduce you to 28 remedies, which I deem sufficient for an effective treatment of the most frequent acute illnesses and ailments. Homeopathy distinguishes between the so-called big remedies (polychrests) for widespread use and small remedies which center on a more focused symptom picture. Due to their wide application field, the polychrests are presented first on two facing pages (see pages 106–129). Many of them were tested and tried in Hahnemann’s era. They cover a wide range of physical symptoms and are associated with a specific mental/emotional remedy picture—important for choosing the right constitutional remedy. For the selection of an appropriate constitutional remedy it is necessary to consult a qualified homeopath. The small remedies have a more focused symptom picture and a more clearly defined field of application. Hence, they are presented on one page (see pages 130–145).

110

Potency In my work as a homeopathic physician I have observed that informed laypeople are able to administer higher potencies such as 30c for themselves. For most of the remedies presented in this book I recommend the potency 30c, whereas for Antimonium tartaricum and Berberis 6c has proven to be most effective.

Color Scheme For better orientation, the pages are color-coded with intuitively chosen colors. The following table gives a short overview of the color scheme: Ailments Red/orange

Sudden onset of violent reactions; injuries

Pink

Treatment during pregnancy

Red/blue

Treatment of changeable symptoms

Blue

Shortness of breath, cough

Violet

Hematomes, hypersensitivity

Green

Joints, mobility

Yellow

Nerve injuries, bladder; complementary treatment

Grey

Grief, stiffness, rigidity and exhaustion

Brown

Digestion

REPERTORY

Color

111

Aconite

REPERTORY

Aconite

112

Cause

Indications

• Exposure to dry cold • Icy cold winds • Shock and accidents

• Worried/ anxious facial expression • Red, hot cheeks, or one red and one pale cheek • Dry throat: great thirst, craving for cold drinks

• Hot and dry skin • Hot hands, cold feet • Hot and cold flushes • Sleepless and restless

Better

Worse

• With fresh air (above all croup) • With Rest

• At night • In a warm and stuffy atmosphere • Exposure to light

Aconite is most effective for people who develop violent physical symptoms brought on by atmospheric changes such as dry, cold weather, wind, and storms. The patient experiences severe anxiety, finds the pain unbearable, and is desperate and impatient; their sleep is disrupted with anxious dreams and nightmares, screaming and tossing around in bed. Acute diseases like earache, laryngitis and other viral infections start with fever, which develops quickly and violently, and is characterized by an increased heart rate and a strong, fast pulse. Aconite works best in the early stages of an illness and can prevent the progression and organic localization of the disease. The effect fades quickly and if, after some hours, Aconite has still not brought about any improvement, it will be necessary to administer another remedy selected according to the symptoms.

• • • • • • • •

Tonsillitis Fever-symptoms in flu Earache Laryngitis—first Aconitum, then possibly Spongia First stages of nasal catarrh Diarrhea with hot days and cold nights Heart attack Accidents, shock

Flu First stages of acute respiratory ailments with fever-symptoms Ears First stages of inflammation of the middle ear Croup Sudden coughing in children, mostly around midnight to 1 a.m., accompanied with shortness of breath, triggered by inflammation of the upper airway, i.e. the mucous membrane of the larynx and the vocal cords. Anxious parents, stressed by the child’s illness, can also be calmed by Aconite. Heart attack Sudden onset of pain with shortness of breath, increased heart rate, panic attacks, anxiety, and fear of dying. Aconitum is a first aid remedy, which soothes fear and panic and can moderate the situation until professional medical help arrives.

REPERTORY

An important characteristic of the Aconite state is the sudden onset of intense symptoms that can differ considerably. It is usually accompanied by panic and excitement. Anxiety and tension prevail—as does the fear of imminent death.

Indications

Aconite

Aconite or Aconitum napellus—the Blue Monkshood— is a short-acting remedy for acute illnesses. An Aconite state occurs out of the blue, quickly and violently. It is usually painful and accompanied by worry and fear.

Shock Situations Accidents and severe physical reactions, such as circulatory collapse, numbness and paralysis 113

Apis

REPERTORY

Apis

114

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Tick and insect bites • Bee and wasp stings

• Nervousness, unrest and excitement/ agitation • Oversensitivity to touch and heat • Strong itching

• With cold and/or cold applications/ compresses • Cold beverages

• With heat and dampness • Hot beverages • Touch • At night

The symptoms rush in and develop quickly with pain appearing suddenly and violently, causing shrill cries and screams. Not only the skin, but also the mucous membranes are afflicted. Sometimes the swelling develops in a threatening way; internally everything becomes inflamed and leads to an agitated and nervous reaction to external stimuli. The affected person alternates between apathetic, indifferent behavior, and hefty emotional outbursts. Their emotions have fallen out of balance and trivialities evoke tears and tantrums. In extreme cases they even break things. Being alone seems insupportable and evokes panic attacks. It’s as if a bee has stung the body and disturbed the inner balance with poison.

• Sudden swelling combined with redness • Tonsillitis with glassy, sore throat • Reddening, after tick and insect bites or stings • Headache during meningitis • Lyme disease (Borreliosis) Meningitis Swelling of inflamed brain membranes, causing throbbing and nagging headaches, often accompanied by vertigo. The head feels too big. The headache can be soothed by pressure with both hands. Other apparent signs are the rolling of the head and frequent screaming—highpitched crying in children (the so-called cri-encephalique. ) Tonsillitis Abrupt onset of a sore throat with glassy, reddened, swollen tonsils. Breathing and swallowing causes a stinging pain. A notable indication is the lack of thirst, although the throat is dry. Tick or insect bites/Bee stings/ Lyme disease First pale reddish, and later reddish blue bumps on the skin after a tick or insect bite, causing stinging pain, burning and itching, and over sensitivity to touch. The pain can be eased by cold applications.

REPERTORY

Violently stinging and burning pains—pricking like hot needles—urge for immediate relief. Internally it feels as if the affected parts of the body are tied up and constricted.

Application

Apis

Apis—with its common name Honey Bee—is the appropriate remedy for suddenly occurring swellings and bumps that look like bee stings. The skin and mucous membranes are reddened, shiny and firm. Cold compresses—water or ice-cubes—soothe the skin, while external heat feels unbearable. Touch and pressure worsen the state.

115

Arnica montana

REPERTORY

Arnica montana

116

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Injuries, bruises • Bone fractures • Operations, dental extraction • Giving Birth • Strain, exhaustion

• Overly sensitive to touch and tremor • Wounded, exhausted, anxious

• With quiet, rest and retreat

• From strain, touch and motion

The Arnica state is characterized by the fear of pain. The wounded person does not like to be touched, shuns the approach of others, even to be comforted. In order to protect themselves the unwell pretends to be okay. Shock inflicted by sudden injury triggers anxiety. Especially at night the patient is frequently tormented by fear of death and fearful dreams. The Arnica person is often born with the uncured wounds of ancestors. In trying to get rid of them, they attract all sorts of physical injuries in an almost magical manner—unconsciously they always find some opportunity to wound their body again and again. Not only do children frequently get injured, but also fullgrown adults always find the banana skin to slip on. Injuries can only be cured if one becomes aware of them. It’s often due to these inherited emotional wounds that Arnica persons subconsciously allow their environment to hurt their emotional and psychological integrity and to neglect their personal boundaries. Arnica puts its hand on the wound, comforts and also cures old wounds.

• • • • • • •

Injuries with blood loss Operations, dental extraction Bone fractures, bruising Childbirth Strained and sore muscles Headache Brain concussion

Bruises with nerve pain can be treated alternately with Arnica and Hypericum. Head Violent, cutting headache caused by brain concussion Vertigo and dizziness with the slightest movement Operation Operations harm the physical, emotional, and mental integrity. Arnica improves and speeds up the healing process. Also the administration of Arnica before an operation usually shows positive effects. Childbirth Childbirth usually causes injuries in the blood vessels: Arnica stimulates wound healing and the involution of the uterus after delivery.

REPERTORY

The body feels battered and beat up—as if it had lost its protective shell. The wounded person is restless and tries to find their place, although any movement is painful.

Application

Arnica montana

Arnica montana—Leopard’s bane—has been used for centuries in folk medicine to cure injuries of the blood vessels. The blood soaks into the surrounding tissue and causes bruises (hematomes) or leaves the body through open wounds.

117

Belladonna

REPERTORY

Belladonna

118

Cause

Indications

• After catching cold • Exposure to draft or sun

• Hot, bright reddened head and throat • Cold hands and feet • Brilliant, reddened eyes, dilated pupils

• Dry mucous membranes • Hypersensitive to light, noise, touch and vibration • Visible pulsing of the blood vessels

Better

Worse

• With rest • With warmth • With movement

• Sudden change from warm to cold weather • Exposure to hot sun • Touch and movement

The sensory organs are overly sensitive to light and noise. Children in a Belladonna state easily start crying and are hard to calm down. They often wake from sleep with vivid nightmares and sometimes scream out. Most of them show a lack of appetite and a marked thirst for cold water. The disposition of Belladonna children is as aggressive as the fever. They often show great anger—in their tantrums they throw themselves on the floor, bending backwards, and are inaccessible to the outer world. They beat and bite both themselves and their surroundings. Belladonna not only soothes the temperature, but also the temper; the violent emotional expression fades away—and the children become approachable again.

• Inflammation of the middle ear (Acute Oditis Media) Acute tonsillitis with sore throat and difficulty swallowing • Teething fever • Effects of sunstroke • Fever cramps • Scarlet fever—also prophylactic • Abdominal cramps and colic with tenderness to touch • Mastitis • Dry, barking, painful fits of coughing when lying down Ears Acute inflammation of the middle ear with reddened ear and violently pulsing pains. Frequent screaming while sleeping. Throat Tonsillitis is an acute infection and inflammation of the tonsils causing severe obstructive pains in the throat and difficult, painful swallowing. Cough Dry, barking, coming in fits, especially when lying down Breast Mastitis, inflammation of the mammary glands, often accompanies breastfeeding, causing redness, swelling of the breast and throbbing pains Scarlet fever Headache with fever, vomiting, sore throat and rash

REPERTORY

The Belladonna Fever usually starts at night and is accompanied with great agitation. The child is restless, confused and anxious and often also suffers from scary fantasies and hallucinations of ghosts and monsters.

Application

Belladonna

Belladonna—Deadly Nightshade or Devil’s Cherries—is a classical fever remedy for children and should be administered when high fever with a tendency to febrile convulsions comes on quickly. Fever is the body’s only natural way to fight and burn the germs and viruses that cause infection. Only a healthy body has enough energy to generate fever. However, if the fever overstrains the body, Belladonna can help the circulation and cleansing processes.

Colds Take Belladonna only after Aconitum!

119

Bryonia

REPERTORY

Bryonia

120

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Overwork • Stress • Strain

• Oversensitive to touch • Exhausted • Anxious, irritable • Low-spirited

• With rest • From applied pressure • From lying on the painful side • In cold air • With cold food, drinks, and applications

• With any motion • Bending down • Cough • Deep breathing • Warmth • Touch

They believe that accumulating money and material possessions will satisfy their strong need for security and support. Frequently they are industrious business people, interrupted in their activity by sudden sciatica. As on the physical plane the mucous and serous membranes lack flexibility, Bryonia individuals lack the ability to adapt to the steady changes, and ups and downs in life. They have little access to their feelings, persevere with their own rigidity—they are often incapable to let themselves go with the flow of life. They are skeptical and meticulous, with both themselves and others. Children with febrile illnesses, characterized by dry, burning heat and attacks of sweating on motion, respond very well to Bryonia. They dislike being picked up and carried. Children, like adults, in a Bryonia state cannot stand the slightest objection.

• Dry and painful fever • Dry cough • Stiffness, lumbago, and sciatica • Breast pain • Pneumonia and chest inflammation Distinct from Rhus toxicodendron, which is also administered for a stiff neck and lower back: A Rhus tox state gets better with motion, whereas rest seems unbearable. A Bryonia state, by contrast, is characterized by pain brought on by the slightest movement, while rest improves all symptoms. Sciatica / Lumbago Sudden, painful and persistent stiffness of neck or lower back Cough Dry, painful and bursting coughs Stinging pains in the chest caused by any movement, because the costal pleura cannot slide due to lack of fluids. May indicate the onset of pneumonia. Breast Breast inflammation, often in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding: The breasts are pale, hot, swollen, and hard. The sharp and stinging pains feel worse with any motion and breath.

REPERTORY

This remedy is characterized by a great fear of poverty. Bryonia individuals are deeply rooted in the material world—they perceive life as a permanent struggle for survival.

Application

Bryonia

Bryonia—Wild Hops—is most often used for acute illnesses with slow-starting ailments, usually accompanied by pain on the slightest movement. The mucous (lips, mouth, stomach, intestines) and serous (meninges, pleura, peritoneum, and joints) membranes are dry. The lack of lubricant and the friction of dry parts cause the characteristic sudden and stinging pains brought on by any motion. The patient therefore avoids changing position. Also notable are spells of thirst accompanied by craving for large quantities of cold water, drunken sip by sip. Given the physical breakdown, the patient is irritable, morose, and desperate with a strong desire to be left alone.

Fever Dry and hot—the slightest motion causes excessive sweating

121

Chamomilla

REPERTORY

Chamomilla

122

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Teething • Infant colic • Menstruation

• One hot, red cheek, one pale cheek • Alternately hot and cold flushes • Head sweats • Cannot endure too much attention

• Only by being carried

• At night • From cold • From wind • Anger • Music • Touch

Their mood reflects the development of their own will: with their own teeth, they will be able to eat and digest everything—the preliminary step to “standing on their own feet”. They cannot assess their potential yet. Their reactions are exaggerated and come out in furies. They seem to be overwhelmed by their own energy. Sometimes they cannot bear somebody looking at them or speaking to them—they do not want anybody to come close to them.

• Teething fever • Flatulence and colic • Infant colic (or three-month colic) • Gastro-intestinal catarrh with diarrhea • Painful menstrual cramps Chamomilla is not indicated if the symptoms are accompanied by constipation! Abdomen/Digestion Flatulent colic characterized by cutting and pulling pain accompanied by anger and vexation. Abdominal pain after dinner; burping and a bitter taste in the mouth; bilious or sour vomiting. Intestinal catarrh with diarrhea triggered by teething or colds. Watery green and slimy stools smelling of rotten eggs. Infant colic and cramps at night. Menstruation Painful cramps characterized by dark and clotted menstrual blood and violent cramps in the lower back and womb. The cramps are intense and unbearable, and radiate into the thighs. The colic-like pains can worsen with anger. The women feel great thirst, and consequently a frequent urge to urinate.

REPERTORY

Chamomilla children moan and scream loudly in sudden attacks. They don’t know what they want, desire various things, then refuse them and push them away. They cry when put to bed, and one can only calm them by carrying them around.

Application

Chamomilla

Chamomilla—Chamomile—is a remedy that soothes children suffering from teething ailments with fever attacks. The children are usually oversensitive to all sorts of sensory input, odors, and noise, which makes them extremely impatient, irritable, and whiny. The pains are intense, cramp-like and can escalate into colic. They seem unendurable and worsen at night. A characteristic sign in children is the reddening of only one cheek. The child is restless and moans in sleep; crying and screaming disturb sleep.

123

Cocculus

REPERTORY

Cocculus

124

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Riding in a car, airplane, or ship • Night work, loss of sleep • Physical and emotional strain

• Pale, weak, trembling • Can hardly hold the head up • Vertigo, with nausea and vomiting • Perspiration

• From rest

• From fresh air • Exertion • Sleepless nights • Motion

Our sensory system, with its innate ability to deal with our natural movement, has problems getting used to unintentional external motion. When we are riding in a car or airplane, our body moves with the motion of the vehicle; it is hard to adapt to the changing positions. A rocking ship or airplane deprives the body of a stationary point of reference and disrupts its connection to Earth. Similarly, the inner clock gets confused by travel across time zones—causing jet lag—and even more frequently, by night work. Thereby our natural rhythm is suppressed, and the body begins to rebel. Affected persons are extremely sensitive to noise; they start to feel a deep sadness, and tears come easily.

• Travel sickness with nausea and vomiting • Vertigo when driving or flying • Fatigue and dizziness with headaches after sleepless nights • Menstrual Pains Head Heavy headaches characterized by vertigo and the inclination to vomit on the slightest movement. The empty and dizzy feeling gets worse with eating and drinking. The muscles in the neck are feeble, causing vertigo and faintness when lying down and lifting the head. The tongue feels heavy and lame. The face is covered in cold sweat. Stomach Lack of appetite with a metallic taste in the mouth; spasmodic pains with nausea and vomiting; disgusted by the smell, sight, or even thought of food, thirst for cold drinks Constipation with ineffective urge to stool; flatulence, and colic Menstruation Strong bleeding mixed with clots and cutting, cramp and colic-like pains characterized by great weakness and vertigo, as well as an increased urge to void.

REPERTORY

The body is overwhelmed by, and unable to coordinate the external stimuli and conflicting signals caused by repeated and unintentional movement, and therefore loses its sense of balance and spatial orientation, and is finally urged by vertigo to lie down. Lying down increases contact with stable ground and helps the sensory system regain orientation.

Application

Cocculus

Cocculus indica is the most common remedy for motion sickness, and primarily applied to nausea and vomiting caused by travel and seasickness. Cocculus — Indian cockle — was used in former times in the East Indies to stupefy fish, making them easier to catch. Cocculus affects the central nervous system causing sensory disorders, vertigo, and weakness with a sensation of heaviness. Sometimes individual parts of the body feel numb, start to tremble, and occasionally suffer from cramp-like pains.

125

Ignatia

REPERTORY

Ignatia

126

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Grief • Emotional shock • Broken relationship • Unhappy in love

• Nervous • Sad • Withdrawn from life • Oversensitive

• From rest • With warmth

• From agitation • In the morning after waking • At night after going to bed • From touch

Ignatia people are easily startled, weepy, and sigh frequently, and their conditions reflect their moods, which are just as changeable and contradictory, coming and going in unpredictable cycles. Ignatia people also are sensitive and diligent, and often react in a nervous manner. They are often tormented by irrational fears, above all from thieves and burglars, which indeed rob their sleep. Also the bodily sensations are as contradictory as the mood: the “lumpsensation” in the throat finds relief in swallowing; pains get better with the application of pressure, and worse with gentle touch; and they feel thirsty in cold phases, and no thirst in warm phases.

• Changeable physical and emotional conditions due to shock • Coughs • Gastritis and stomach pain Cough The cough is hollow, dry, and convulsive, and stimulates a tickly sensation that feels like having a feather in the throat. The more one coughs, the more the throat is irritated. The symptoms get worse in the evening and when lying down. Patients suffer from shortness of breath, with a heavy, oppressive feeling in the chest. Stomach Gastritis, stomach and bowel ulcers (duodenal ulcers) Nervous disturbances of the stomach, painful convulsions, and bitter or sour saliva Patients often experience the feeling of having a lump in the throat, sometimes referred to as Globus Hystericus. This imaginary lump is more vividly felt when not swalling than while swallowing. Sometimes they also have the feeling that something is stuck in the throat. Another common characteristic is the feeling of emptiness and weakness, and of a flabby, heavy, hanging stomach. Having an empty stomach stimulates pain, which lessens while eating. Further possible symptoms are: spasmodic yawning, eructation and nausea, flatulence with colicky pains.

REPERTORY

Grief and emotional pain are usually suppressed, which leads to violent inner tensions, that in turn cause repeated convulsions. The emotional state is extremely changeable and swings between melancholic sadness and enthusiasm, laughing and weeping.

Application

Ignatia

Ignatia—Ignatius’ Bean—soothes grief and despair set on by a sudden shock. The loss of partners, relatives, and friends often brings about physical symptoms. Ignatia also helps and eases pain resulting from a broken relationship, or of an unhappy love. The acute mental/emotional pain is physically felt as “a lump in one’s throat”. The shock causes the body to react in a disharmonious and violent manner.

127

Nux vomica

REPERTORY

Nux vomica

128

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Wind • Anger • Overeating • Alcohol • Nicotine • Stress

• Oversensitivity • Excited • Choleric

• In evening • With naps and sleep

• With wind • Cold, wet weather • With anger • In morning • After meals • With fresh air

Emotionally, a typical Nux vomica person is characterized by anger and rage. They think they know everything and always have to be right. Hence, they like to put the blame on others. Their general attitude can be summarized as “the others are to blame!” Scared to show any weakness, when a person of authority incites their anger, they usually suppress their rage. As a result, their inner organs have to cope with bottled-up tension and fury. In place of an outward expression of anger, aggressive stomach acid reacts to this suppressed rage, and thus causing stomach inflammation or ulcers. The intestines are as erratic as the temper—and cause constipation alternating with diarrhea.

• Headaches • Colds with nasal catarrh • Stomach pains with nausea and vomiting • Constipation—diarrhea Head Pressing and bursting headache that feels heavy, accompanied by vertigo triggered by the slightest touch, drafts, or winds. The headaches often follow infections of the sinuses, a running or blocked nose, fever, and muscle pains. The headaches are worst early in the morning or after mental work or meals. The pain is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Stomach The tongue is coated, accompanied by bad breath. The stomach feels like a stone and fights back with nausea, heartburn, burping, and vomiting. There is a craving for rich food, which cannot be digested properly. Meals cause a feeling of fullness, with pressing, cramp- and colic-like pains and flatulence. The abdominal area is extremely tender to touch. Digestion Digestion is irritated, leading to flatulence and cramps. Constipation alternating with diarrhea Painful hemorrhoids, and bloody discharge from the anus

REPERTORY

Nux vomica types often react extremely sensitively to all external influences: the slightest draft often causes a cold, any dissention easily leads to a fit of rage—differing opinions are often taken as an attack on their own position, or neglected altogether.

Application

Nux vomica

Nux vomica—Poison Nut—is a classical remedy for the modern lifestyle characterized by too much work, too little exercise, and too much and too rich food. The needs of the body are ignored: It is abused with food, alcohol, and nicotine and can hardly digest. The alcohol affects the liver, and the nicotine reduces circulation in all organs.

129

Phosphorus

REPERTORY

Phosphorus

130

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Thunderstorms • Fear • Shock • Homesickness • Draft, cold • Overstraining and exertion

• Pale • Weak • Oversensitive • Exhausted

• With consolation and care • Food • Rest and sleep • In softly lit or dark rooms

• With touch • With odors • Light • Cold • Changing weather • Thunderstorms

The mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines are also overly sensitive. This may lead to frequent vomiting after meals and violent diarrhea that is often induced with great exertion. Their physical conditions are often accompanied by a burning sensation. Their “protective shell” is rather thin, and they cannot cope with the threats of the external world. They are haunted by many fears: of being left alone in darkness; thunderstorms especially scare them. They need much protection and caring from their family. Phosphorus people are open, expressive, and extremely sensitive. They are like a candle burning at both ends. They are easily fired-up, and are enthusiastic for anything new. They are very sensitive and deeply empathic to the emotions of others. With this inherent sensitivity for others, Phosphor persons are very good in comforting and helping their fellow people in painful situations.

• • • • • •

Burning pains Headache Eye pain Stomach pain with vomiting Diarrhea Nosebleeds

Head Pulsing, burning headache with vertigo after mental exertion Eye Eyestrain with visual impairment after exhaustion of work Nose Nosebleeds, above all in children Stomach Burning stomach pain with great thirst and trembling weakness, that gets better after eating Digestion Weakening, slimy, and watery diarrhea with burning pains

REPERTORY

Phosphorus children are easily upset by external influences: light dazzles them, odors tend to unsettle them, and the noise of the world is often just too much for them.

Application

Phosphorus

Phosphorus has the best effect on persons who react overly sensitively and anxiously to external influences. The disposition to frequent nosebleeds is usually an indication of a Phosphorus constitution. The skin reacts to the slightest overstraining with blue spots or hematomes. Phosphorus children with their sensitive and fair skin often seem as if they have been beaten up.

131

Pulsatilla

REPERTORY

Pulsatilla

132

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Cold • Drenching • High-fat foods

• Changeable • Weepy/whiny • Affectionate/ clingy

• With motion • Fresh air • Care and consolation

• Rest • Outward warmth • Bed warmth • Menstruation • Extreme heat and cold • High-fat foods

Their nature is characterized by motherly qualities. Pulsatilla women possess a particular aptness in responding to the changeable wants of children. They are flexible, balancing, and harmonizing—all properties that are important for a peaceful family situation. Feelings can be expressed, nothing is inhibited— everything flows. Just like water, it needs no direction, and flexibly adjusts to its outer forms, and consistently finds its way. Tears come easily, cleansing and purifying the body of toxins. Exercise and fresh air are a must for Pulsatilla women. With it, all conditions such as vein inflammations and varicose veins during pregnancy get better. The organism can’t bear sitting or keeping still for a long time. Pulsatilla children are weepy, anxious, and need much comfort and care during illness.

• Pregnancy • Varicose veins and vein inflammations during pregnancy • Earache • Measles Ears Earache at night; inflammation of the external ear canal The outer ear is often visibly swollen, which is occasionally accompanied by purulent discharge from the affected ear, often causing impaired hearing. Pregnancy Pulsatilla has proven useful during pregnancy in preparation for delivery. It acts on the muscular walls of the uterus and can help the fetus get into the regular position for birth, favoring normal labor. It also deeply improves frequent ailments during pregnancy, such as varicose veins, vein inflammations, and indigestion. Measles Pulsatilla is indicated as the initial remedy at the onset of over-sensitivity to light and watery eyes. Further treatment by a qualified homeopathic physician is recommended.

REPERTORY

Pulsatilla adults—mostly women—and children are rather timid and shy, mild and indulgent. They easily adapt themselves to their environment— like, during pregnancy, the body adapts to the growth and necessities of the embryo.

Application

Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla—Wind Flower or Meadow Anemone—is a remedy with a strong connection to female hormonal balance. In conventional medicine it is known and used as a “pregnancy remedy”. In most cases, if taken during the last weeks of pregnancy, delivery is quick and smooth, and without complications. Clear indications for this remedy are poor fat digestion and thirstlessness.

133

Sulphur

REPERTORY

Sulphur

134

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Vaccinations • Suppression of diseases • Strain

• Hot and sulfurous

• In motion • In fresh air • With perspiration

• From water (in skin disorders) • Heat of bed • Strain • Changing (and damp) weather • Alcohol

Both Sulphur children and adults seem rather untidy and chaotic, and are often associated with the absentminded professor type of person. They can, however, perfectly cope with chaos, and are highly flexible and adaptable.

Application Digestion Watery diarrhea with offensive odor, sometimes accompanied by burning pains alternating with constipation Redness and itching of the rectum Skin Dry and scaly skin Itching, and sometimes weeping eczema with burning sensation, made worse by heat of bed. Typically administered • After treatment with allopathic medication such as antibiotics, cortisone, etc. • After vaccinations (according to the individual vaccination or conditions, other remedies can be selected) • As intercurrent remedy, if other well selected remedies don’t show any action • At the end of an illness, if recovery is not accomplished

REPERTORY

Hahnemann often used Sulphur—or Flowers of Sulphur—as the first remedy in his patients due to its purifying and dynamic capacities. Today, it is also frequently applied at the beginning of a therapy, both as a reactant or cleansing remedy—above all, when the disease has been suppressed for a long time by treatment with allopathic medicines. At the same time, Sulphur induces the body to make initially unclear disease symptoms apparent. If carefully selected remedies do not trigger any action, Sulphur can stimulate the responsiveness of the body. Everybody may be in need of Sulphur at some point in their life, as it can induce, continue, and complete many processes. Children especially are often born with many inherited burdens, such as diseases in the family medical history, a difficult delivery, or persistent rashes. Skin and mucous membranes are reddish with burning and pulsing conditions. All skin problems are made worse with contact with water. Characteristic for Sulphur is the so-called “catnap ”. At night, sleep is fitful, full of vivid dreams and frequently interrupted by waking up. Sulphur can treat many of these problems and is also efficient for clearing inherited predispositions.

Sulphur

Sulphur people are friendly and communicative. They have an uncomplicated approach to life, and usually overcome the obstacles they face in a playful manner. They are usually popular and have many friends due to their balanced and often beaming personality— their energy can flow freely and radiate out.

135

Antimonium tartaricum Tartarus emeticus This remedy is indicated for pulmonary afflictions with coughing, the onset of pneumonia, and for the treatment of chickenpox. In former times, Antimonium tartaricum, or Tartar Emetic, was often used to induce vomiting. The lungs are full of phlegm, which can barely be expectorated. Breathing is difficult: quick and short. The patient feels like they are choking, and has to sit up in bed. The rough and rattling coughs often culminate in vomiting a combination of phlegm and food. The chest feels sore and constricted, with burning pains. The overall weakness is accompanied by attacks of sweating, exhaustion, and vertigo causing anxiety, desperation and apathy. Children are restless and only calm down when being carried around.

Application • Cough with deep-seated phlegm • Chickenpox • Onset of pneumonia

Antimonium tartaricum

REPERTORY

Chickenpox (Varicella) The blistery and itchy rash characteristic of chickenpox can quickly be soothed with Tartar emetic.

136

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Cold • Dampness

• Pale • Exhausted • Short of breath • Desperate

• By coughing up phlegm • Sitting up • Vomiting • Movement • Cool, fresh air

• From dampness • Excessive heat • Lying down • Weather changes • Anger

Berberis vulgaris Berberis vulgaris—Barberry—has proven to be an effective remedy for inflammations of the bladder characterized by burning pains during and after urinating. The stinging and cutting pains, in the kidneys and bladder during urination, radiate into the thighs and groin. The urine is cloudy, reddish, and sometimes dark. Often the affected person feels a permanent urge to urinate despite of having a voided bladder. If liver and kidneys no longer sufficiently fulfill their excretory function, this sometimes gives rise to kidney stones and gallstones, which can induce colicky pains. The uric acid level is increased, and can cause rheumatic disorders in the joints. Berberis is typically associated with a quick change in symptoms, especially thirst that alternates with thirstlessness. The mood is rather depressed, indifferent and melancholic.

Application • • • •

Inflammation and pain in the bladder Kidney disorders with back pain Gall- and kidney stones Rheumatic joint pain

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Overweight • Imbalanced, high-fat, and high-protein diet • Colds

• Exhausted • Pale

• In fresh air • After urinating

• With motion • Standing • During urinating

Berberis vulgaris

Joints Changing, rheumatic ailments in limbs, muscles, and joints

REPERTORY

Kidneys The efforts of the body to get rid of gall and kidney stones can lead to hefty, cramp-like, shooting pains in the renal area.

137

Eupatorium perfoliatum Eupatorium perfoliatum—Boneset—is an efficient remedy for “the Flu” (influenza), characterized by a sore chest, accompanied by severe pains in the chest and back muscles, so much so that they feel bruised and sore. The limbs ache so badly that it seems as if the bones are broken, which is actually how it came to have the name Boneset. Due to great inner anxiety, it seems impossible to lie still. The pain is often accompanied by nausea and extreme thirst; then after drinking—to quench the thirst—there is often stomach pain and vomited bile. The cough is so excruciating that the patient has to hold their chest. The violent pain behind the breastbone does not permit normal breathing, and worsens with the slightest movement. Frequent additional symptoms are a sore sensation in the eyeballs, and pulsing headaches. The mood in this painful state is mainly desperate and sad.

Application

Eupatorium perfoliatum

REPERTORY

• Influenza with a sore chest, characterized by deep and violent pain—in the chest, back, and limbs—that is felt right to the bones.

138

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Chill • Viral infections

• Nervous, restless and agitated • Tender to touch • Sensitive to heat

• With calming • From sweating

• From cold air • From coughing • With lying

Euphrasia Euphrasia—Eyebright—is often used for typical symptoms of hay fever, such as a runny nose and watering eyes. The mucous membranes of the eyes and nose are inflamed and reddened, and the eyes hurt and are sensitive to light. Hay fever is the first sign of a profound immunodeficiency. Harmless pollen and pets—which have surrounded us and been part of our natural environment for ages —suddenly become enemies and provoke violent reactions in the body. Allergies are on a daunting rise. They are frequently due to genetic disposition, and often occur in the first year of life after therapies such as vaccination, antibiotics, and cortisone. After some years, hay fever might turn into asthma. From a homeopathic perspective, the purely symptomatic treatment is consequently not medically sensible. Euphrasia can indeed soothe the acute symptoms of hay fever, however, the causal treatment of the disorder requires the administration of a constitutional remedy. Hence, a consultation with a qualified homeopath is recommended.

Application Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye) Streaming eyes Runny nose Hay fever

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Pollen (season) • Dust and house dust mites • Contact with animals

• Red, streaming eyes with sensitivity to light • Runny nose

• In fresh, pollen-free air, such as mountains/seaside • With rest • In the dark

• With sunlight • With winds

Euphrasia

REPERTORY

• • • •

139

Ferrum phosphoricum Ferrum Phosphoricum—Phosphate of Iron—is a fever remedy for children who are nervous, overly sensitive, and pale. Despite their increased body temperature the children seem little affected and are often playing, singing and running around. The fever is undulant—it comes and goes in waves. Ferrum Phosphoricum children do not have enough energy to develop high fever. The mood is as changeable as the fever, and alternates between sad and happy.

Application • Viral infections, common colds, fever coming and going in waves • Middle ear inflammation

Ferrum phosphoricum

REPERTORY

Ears First stages of earache with reddening of the affected ear, characterized by sudden screaming at night followed by quiet sleep The pains come and go in waves.

140

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Draft • Colds

• Changing complexion; pale with easy flushing • Alternately hot and cold flushes • Sweaty hands

• From lying down • With rest

• At night • In motion • With noise • Cold air • Cold beverages

Gelsemium Gelsemium—Yellow Jasmine—is chiefly used for flu with strong headaches that feel as if there is a tight band around the head. The vigorous, dull pain radiates into the neck. A typical Gelsemium state is also indicated by extreme fatigue and weariness, with heavy limbs and muscular weakness that can cause trembling. The head and eyelids feel heavy—almost paralyzed. The eyes hurt and are sensitive to light—sometimes the patients suffer from visual disturbance. The muscles feel bruised and beaten. The body responds to any movement with dizziness that only gets better by lying down. The patient feels a great need for quiet and rest, and to be left alone. The increased activity of the bladder results in a frequent urge to void; sometimes symptoms improve after urinating.

Application

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Common colds • Viral infections

• Weakness and trembling • Fatigue • Oversensitivity • Chills/Freezing

• With rest • In the dark • From urinating

• From moving • In the sun

Gelsemium

REPERTORY

• Flu with dull headache and visual disturbance • Vertigo and dizziness

141

Hypericum Hypericum—St. John’s Wort—is a remedy for nerve injuries caused by bruises and contusions, punctures and incised wounds, and lacerations. These injuries—which induce pressing and throbbing pains—are often caused by nails or splinters in tissues rich with nerve endings, such as in the hands and feet, especially in the fingertips and toes. Also, injuries in the lumbar region, near the tailbone (coccyx)—another site of numerous nerve endings—find relief with Hypericum. The nerve injury can be discerned by intolerable, cutting and piercing pain. Likewise, nerve inflammations with hefty, burning pains often followed by numbness, heal in a short time. The mental state is anxious, agitated, and whiny. Recovery after operations and bone fractures with injuries to blood vessels, nerves, and tendons is effectively improved by alternating doses of Hypericum, Arnica, and Ruta.

Application Nerve injuries due to contusions After falls After operations Inflamed nerves

Hypericum

REPERTORY

• • • •

142

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Injuries • Operations

• Extreme anxiety and restlessness due to shock

• With rest

• From exertion • From touch • From motion • Change of weather • Cold, damp weather, fog

Ipecacuanha Ipecacuanha—Ipecac Root—is an effective remedy for fits of spasmodic coughing accompanied by vomiting that occur predominantly in children. The cough is often preceded by a watery catarrh with copious mucous expectoration. Further clear indications for Ipecacuanha are mucous rales, cramp-like constrictions in the upper chest and throat, and shortness of breath. The cough causes nausea and vomiting of phlegm. The children are agitated and cry a lot; they do not know what they want and are hard to calm down. When the cough is accompanied by fever they can become very anxious.

Application • Rattling cough with shortness of breath and suffocating attacks • Nausea and vomiting with clean tongue • Diarrhea caused by gastric disturbances

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Colds • Indigestible and spoiled food

• Alternately hot and cold flushes • Hot head, cold feet • Sweats • Anxiety, screaming, and weeping

• With fresh air • Cold beverages

• From warmth • Dampness • Over-eating • From motion

Ipecacuanha

REPERTORY

Digestion • Diarrhea due to gastric disturbances caused by indulgence in a mixed diet, high-fat foods, such as ice-cream, pastry, or spoiled food • In Ipecacuanha the tongue is clean. • Note the contrast to Pulsatilla, where the tongue is white or yellow.

143

Ledum Ledum—Marsh Tear or Wild Rosemary—is a remedy for puncture wounds such as stings and bites. It has a good healing effect on infections due to insect stings and bites, or injuries caused by sharp instruments or splints. Characteristic for Ledum is a lack of body heat and general coldness, accompanied by chills. Despite feeling cold, the ailments get worse with warmth and the heat of a bed, whereas cold water and compresses relieve and soothe the pain.

Application • • • •

Joint pain Bite injuries Tetanus Tick bites

Joints: Pale, hot swelling of the joints, especially ankles—with violent, pulling pains starting in the feet and climbing up the legs, getting worse with movement. Skin: Intense itching and blue spots after insect bites

Ledum

REPERTORY

Tetanus: Ledum, immediately after an injury, helps to prevent tetanus

144

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Puncture wounds by stings and bites • Insect bites

• Swollen, pale, and cold wound, or area around the wound

• With application of cold water and compresses, despite general coldness and chills

• At night • With bed heat • With movement

Magnesium phosphoricum Magnesium Phosphoricum is indicated for the sudden onset of acute muscle and nerve pains, and is characterized by sharp attacks of muscle cramps with cutting, darting flashes of pain. The pain seems unbearable and radiates out in all directions. In children especially, it provokes loud and persistent screaming. The pain comes and goes quickly, worsens at night, and with cold. All conditions can be relieved by warmth, pressure and bending double.

Application • • • • •

Headache Nerve and muscle pains Teething ailments Abdominal colic Menstrual cramps

Head: Hard, sharp, and darting electric-like flashes of pain Teeth: Teething fever, with violent aching and abdominal colic

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Teething • Menstruation

• Contorted and twisted with pain • Agitated • Weeping and screaming

• With warmth • With pressure, friction • With bending double

• From cold • From light touch • From motion • At night • In drafts

Magnesium phosphoricum

REPERTORY

Menstruation: Bloating, with colicky and cutting pains that come in waves

145

Phytolacca Phytolacca—American Pokeweed—is a very effective initial remedy for a sore throat and swollen tonsils. The throat feels coarse, dry, and hot, and the burning pains often radiate into both ears. The lymphatic glands in the throat can be swollen and aching. Phytolacca can also relieve rheumatic pain in muscles and joints, due to recurring inflamed tonsils. The mood is consequently quite gloomy and irritable.

Application • Tonsillitis, sore throat • Rheumatic pain with swollen joints • Mastitis in breast-feeding women Joints Pains in swollen and stiff joints, worsening in cold, damp weather

Phytolacca

REPERTORY

Breast Inflamed swelling of the mammary glands with great pains during nursing which radiate from the nipples over the entire body

146

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Cold • Drenching • Damp, cold weather

• Exhausted • Restless

• With movement • Cold beverages

• Hot beverages • At night • During breastfeeding

Rhus toxicodendron Rhus toxicodendron, in its homeopathic dilution, is a very effective remedy for skin irritations, especially rashes that correspond to the effects of contact with Poison Ivy (Rhus toxicodendron). The skin reacts with reddish inflammation, and non-colored blistering accompanied by intense, nettle-like itching with burning and stinging pains. Apart from being an effective remedy for skin ailments, Rhus toxicodendron offers good treatment for muscle and joint pain that has been caused by overstraining or heavy lifting. At first, the ailments often get worse with movement, however, improve considerably after some movement. At night the pains only improve by getting up and moving about. Restlessness, anxiety, and worry about relatives dominate the mood. The external world seems sinister and threatening. Sleep is haunted by nightmares causing frequent screaming and waking. In contrast to Bryonia, the ailments in a Rhus tox state get better with movement and worsen with rest.

Application • Joint pain and aching limbs • Sciatica/lumbago • Skin rashes

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Drafts • Colds • Damp, cold weather • Overexertion • Sprains

• Pale • Restless • Anxious

• With gentle, continuous movement • With application of heat

• With rest • At night

Rhus toxicodendron

Joints Violent pains in the joints and limbs due to damp and rainy weather

REPERTORY

Sciatica/lumbago Acute stiffness in the neck and the small of the back accompanied by nagging pains and the sensation of being torn apart

147

Ruta Ruta—Rue or Bitterwort—has an excellent effect on injured tendons, muscular strains and sprains, contusions as well as periosteal troubles after bruising (the periosteum, i.e. the membrane that lines the outer surface of the bones, can easily be affected—especially when there is only a thin layer of flesh covering the bones). Tendons are elastic bands of tissue that enable our body to twist, run and jump—essentially to move smoothly in all directions. Sudden, harsh movements can pull or tear tendons. The enforced idleness often triggers deep feelings of dissatisfaction with the patient’s own performance that can culminate in a mental state of weakness and despair.

Application • • • •

Eyestrain Bone bruising Contusion Pulled tendons

Eye Red, hot, and painfully burning eyes after visually intense tasks, such as reading and computer work, due to overstraining the ocular muscles.

Ruta

REPERTORY

Joints and Muscles The body feels as if bruised and overstrained Weak jelly-like legs, stiff and painful hands and wrists

148

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Injuries • Sprains and strains • Contusion • Overexertion

• Weak • Weary • Anxious, and easily scared • Restless

• With warmth • With gentle motion

• From cold • From dampness • Wind • From lying and sitting

Sambucus Sambucus nigra—Black Elder—is indicated for dry coryza (or infant’s sniffles), characterized by a dry and blocked nose, severe difficulty with breathing, and a choking cough. Consequently the children are trembling, scared, restless, and cry a lot. They are difficult to calm down, especially at night. The coughing comes in fits, and forces them to sit up. Profuse attacks of sweating are also frequent. Ailments improve with movement, sitting up, and warm covers. One of the main features of Sambucus is a strong tendency to swellings that can turn up at different regions of the body. If the swelling affects the nose, it causes obstruction.

Application • Infant Sniffles—dry coryza • Cough

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Colds

• Anxious • Restless

• From gentle movement • By sitting up

• From dry, cold air • Cold beverages • When lying down • Rest

Sambucus

REPERTORY

Cough: Suffocating cough with shortness of breath during night

149

Spongia Spongia is made from skeletons on Sponges (Euspongia officinalis) which belong to the coelenterates. The remedy is made by slow roasting of the skeletons, hence the full name of the remedy—Spongia Tosta. Spongia is used for extremely dry membranes, accompanied by burning pains in the upper respiratory tract. Due to its organic iodine and bromine content, Spongia is used for treatment of problems with the thyroid and/ or voice box or larynx, causing hoarseness and a frequent urge to clear one’s throat—as if it were literally laced up tightly. Speaking and deep breathing tickle the throat and bring on fits of coughing. The breathing is constricted, like one “is breathing through a sponge”. The patient fears they are not getting enough air and may choke. The slightest exertion causes a heavy feeling, weakness, and exhaustion. Consequently, the patient is whiny and anxious.

Application • Cough • Croup Cough Dry, hollow, and barking cough triggered by mere speaking and breathing deeply.

Spongia

REPERTORY

Croupy cough Spongia is used after Aconite to soothe the fits of choking coughs in children at night, who suffer from a sudden shortness of breath and feel as if they are suffocating, causing fear and terror.

150

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Dryness • Cold • Wind

• Pale • Restless • Fearful

• When sitting up • With eating and drinking

• At night • During sleep • With speaking and singing • With movement

Veratrum album Veratrum album—White Hellebore—is a valuable remedy for diarrhea and is especially helpful on journeys. Circulation is poor, leading to vertigo and fainting attacks; the stomach and bowel membranes are inflamed, reacting with profuse, watery diarrhea. Colicky, spasmodic pains are accompanied by cold sweats, nausea and vomiting. The patient feels chilly—also in febrile conditions. The mood is changeable: the patient desires to withdraw and be left alone alternating with fits of despair, unrest, and irritation.

Application • • • • •

Diarrhea with nausea and vomiting Abdominal colic with cold sweat Travel sickness Vertigo with fear of fainting Menstrual cramps

Cause

Indications

Better

Worse

• Polluted water • Food intoxications • Menstruation

• Pale • Cold perspiration • Chilly

• From lying down • Warmth • Hot beverages

• From exertion • Cold beverages • Cold, damp weather • Menstruation

Veratrum

REPERTORY

Menstruation Violent, colicky and spasmodic pains, accompanied by cold sweat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

151

Part 2—Administration of Remedies Acute Remedies The quicker the onset of an acute illness, the faster the indicated remedy acts. With an abrupt onset of violent ailments, it is useful to dissolve the remedy in a glass of water (see below). If this is not possible, as on journeys, the remedies can be taken repeatedly as pellets or granules.

Remedy intake Pellets:

5 pellets, 4—5 times within 24 hours

REPERTORY

Remedy intake Dissolved in water: Dissolve 5—10 pellets in a glass of water (approx. 125 to 250 ml). Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon (no metal!) 10 times in clockwise direction (only one direction!). Then drink in small sips.

152

Repetition:

Initially, take one sip of the dilution at short intervals (every 10 to 15 minutes). When there are visible improvements, the intervals should be prolonged to one or two hours, or even longer.

Note:

To intensify the action of a remedy, stir the dilution 10-times with a wooden or plastic spoon in clockwise direction before each sip. One glass is sufficient for approximately 24 hours. If further doses are necessary, you can dilute the remedy in another glass of water, and the sips can be less and less frequent. The pellets do not necessarily have to dissolve completely as the remedy is on the outer surface of the granule.

Constitutional Remedies The appropriate selection of a constitutional remedy needs longstanding practice and should only be done by an experienced homeopathic physician. The administration of a constitutional remedy shall be repeated when there is an apparent physiological or psychological aggravation in the patient’s health. The frequency of intake depends on the potency of the remedy: Potency

Frequency and Dose

6c

2 times daily, a dose of 5 granules

30c

1—2 times weekly, a dose 5 granules

200c and higher potencies

once every 4 to 6 weeks, or at even longer intervals 1—3 times a dose of 5 granules, within 24 hours

12c of the same remedy

In case of aggravations within the intervals of the high potency intake, take a dose of 5 granules, 1—2 times daily, for some days

Case Study—Constitutional Remedy A child with bronchitis—i.e. a recurring cough—is administered a constitutional remedy. In the course of the treatment the cough reduces, and there are extended complaint-free periods. The frequency of the intake depends on the state of health of the child, i.e. the remedy is only repeated if necessary. Mothers report that normally they can tell from the behavior of their kids that the disease is approaching some days before its actual onset: The children start to be restless; their sleep is disturbed, and they are fretful, and seem irritated. Even though they have not yet started coughing, it is time to repeat the intake of the constitutional remedy. In many cases, one or two doses of the remedy are sufficient to centre the child. In the case of more aggressive disease symptoms, it is vital to increase the frequency of intake, or to dissolve the remedy in water (see opposite). Dosage is basically the same in children and adults, with children normally responding more quickly to the action of the remedy. Hence, it is not necessary to repeat the intake as frequently as in adults.

REPERTORY

In my practice, the additional administration of the lower 12c potency (of the same remedy as the high potency) has proven very effective. In case of aggravations in the general state of health, as with acute remedies the constitutional remedy can also be dissolved in water and sipped slowly.

153

Part 3—Index of Symptoms This index lists suddenly acute ailments with the appropriate remedies in alphabetical order, respectively. You can identify the suitable remedies by comparing the apparent symptoms of the patient—the so-called symptom picture—with the main indications or keynotes of the remedy listed in the table. In acute diseases the remedy should show visible effects after a short time. If there are no apparent improvements you can choose another remedy in correspondence to the symptoms and keynotes. If the symptoms persist it is recommended to consult a homeopathic physician.

REPERTORY

Caution: In the following cases, immediately seek professional medical help: • After accidents raising any suspicion of inner injuries, blood loss, bone fracture, concussion, and the like. • Violent headaches with suspicion of meningitis or brain bleeding. • Persistent difficulties with breathing, any suspicion of heart attack or stroke: call emergency services, doctor, or ambulance. In all these cases homeopathic remedies can support the healing process.

154

Abdomen Belladonna 30c

Abdominal cramps and colic with tenderness to touch

Chamomilla 30c

Infant colic (three-month colic), flatulence

Magnesium phos. 30c

Colicky pains with flatulence

Veratrum album 30c

Violent, colicky pains accompanied by cold sweat, nausea, and vomiting

Angina Aconite 30c

As first aid, and/or initial remedy

Apis 30c

Dry throat with red, glassy, and swollen tonsils; stinging pain when swallowing; lack of thirst; better with cold beverages

Belladonna 30c

Acute tonsillitis with severe obstructive pain and difficult swallowing

Phytolacca 30c

Onsetting sore throat, with difficult swallowing, and pains radiating into the ears

Bladder / Kidneys Berberis 6c

Acute inflammation of the bladder Cramp-like pains in the renal area, due to gallstones and kidney stones

Belladonna 30c

Mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands) often accompanies breastfeeding, causing redness and swelling of the breast

Bryonia 30c

High fever, with dry mucous membranes accompanied by great thirst and excessive sweating attacks

Ferrum phosphoricum 30c

Undulant fever, coming and going in waves; cold hands and feet; changeable symptoms

REPERTORY

Breast

155

Childhood Diseases see page 161 Cough Aconite 30c

As first aid remedy

Antimonium tartaricum 6c

Rough and rattling coughs; deep-seated phlegm that can barely be expectorated; Onset of pneumonia

Belladonna 30c

Dry, barking fits of coughing, especially when lying down

Bryonia 30c

Dry, painful and bursting coughs, worse with any motion; First stages of pneumonia

Ignatia 30c

Dry and convulsive cough; stimulates a tickly sensation in the throat

Ipecacuanha 30c

Spasmodic cough with suffocating attacks and mucous rales

Sambucus 30c

Suffocating cough with shortness of breath; dry coryza/sniffles of infant

Spongia 30c

Dry and painful cough, better with sitting up Croupy cough, i.e. fits of choking cough in children, mostly around midnight to 1 a.m. Take after Aconite!

REPERTORY

Digestion

156

Aconite 30c

As first aid remedy Diarrhea in hot days and cold nights

Chamomilla 30c

Gastro-intestinal catarrh with diarrhea, also due to teething and menstruation

Ipecacuanha 30c

Diarrhea due to gastric disturbances, due to ice-cream, high-fat or spoiled food

Nux vomica 30c

Irritated stomach after too much food; flatulence with cramps; alternating diarrhea and constipation

Phosphorus 30c

Weakening, slimy, and watery diarrhea with burning pains

Sulphur 30c

Watery diarrhea with offensive odor; often anal redness and itching; sometimes alternating with constipation

Veratrum album 30c

Profuse, watery diarrhea with colicky pains, cold perspiration, nausea, and vomiting

Aconite 30c

As first aid remedy

Belladonna 30c

Reddened ear with violent, pulsing pain, accompanied by unrest and fever

Ferrum phos. 30c

Sudden earache at night, with screaming followed by quiet sleep; especially in pale children

Pulsatilla 30c

Inflammation of the external ear canal with purulent discharge, accompanied by stinging pains and impaired hearing

Euphrasia 30c

Streaming, burning eyes, Hay fever

Phosphorus 30c

Eyestrain with visual impairment after exhaustion of work

Ruta 30c

Red, hot, and painful, burning eyes, due to overstraining after work

Ears

Fever Aconite 30c

As first aid remedy

Belladonna 30c

High temperature and fever cramps

REPERTORY

Eyes

Flu / Viral Infections Aconite 30c

As first aid remedy

Eupatorium 30c

Influenza with sore chest, characterized by violent muscle pain; bruised sensation

157

Ferrum phos. 30c

Undulant fever, cold hands and feet; changeable symptoms

Gelsemium 30c

Flu with strong headaches, characterized by vigorous, dull pain, vertigo and heaviness

Grief Ignatia 30c

Grief and despair after a sudden shock with quickly changing mood swings

REPERTORY

Head Apis 30c

Violent, throbbing headaches, and vertigo due to Meningitis

Arnica 30c

Violent, cutting headache due to concussion, worsening with the slightest movement

Belladonna 30c

Throbbing headache; red, flushed face due to fever and/or sunstroke

Cocculus 30c

Heavy headaches, with vertigo and nausea; inclination to vomit on the slightest movement; fatigue and dizziness after sleepless nights

Gelsemium 30c

Vigorous, dull pain as if there is a tight band around the head; vertigo

Magnesium phos. 30c

Hard, sharp, electric-like darting flashes of pain

Nux vomica 30c

Pressing headache with heaviness and vertigo, triggered by the slightest touch, drafts and winds

Phosporus 30c

Throbbing, burning headache with vertigo after mental strain/exertion

Heart Attack Aconite 30c

158

Sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, fear of dying Call ambulance!

Injuries Arnica 30c

Brain concussion and injuries of blood vessels; open wounds or hematomes

Hypericum 30c

Nerve injuries and inflammations

Ledum 30c

Ledum immediately after an injury helps to prevent tetanus

Ruta 30c

Tendon injuries, sprains and strains, contusions, and bone bruising

Arnica 30c

Muscle pain after strain

Berberis 6c

Changeable rheumatic ailments in limbs, muscles, and joints

Ledum 30c

Pale, hot swelling of the joints with violent, pulling pains; better from application of cold

Magnesium phos. 30c

Sudden onset of muscle and nerve pains

Phytolacca 30c

Pains in swollen and stiff joints worsening in cold, damp weather

Rhus tox. 30c

Violent pains in the joints and limbs due to damp and rainy weather; better with gentle, continuous movement

Ruta 30c

Joint pains, feeling as if bruised and/or overstrained; jelly legs; stiff hands and wrists

Menstruation Chamomilla 30c

Unbearable colic, characterized by cutting and pulling pains, accompanied by anger and vexation

Cocculus 30c

Strong bleeding with cutting pains, characterized by extreme weakness and vertigo

Magnesium phos. 30c

Colicky and cutting pains coming in waves; bloating

REPERTORY

Joints / Muscles / Nerves

159

Veratrum album 30c

Colicky and spasmodic pains, accompanied by cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

Nose / Nasal catarrh Aconite 30c

As useful first aid treatment

Euphrasia 30c

Runny nose and streaming eyes Hay fever

Ipecacuanha 30c

Colds with runny nose and frequent sneezing

Nux vomica 30c

Nasal catarrh due to cold, damp weather and/or wind

Sambucus 30c

Dry coryza/sniffles of infants with blocked nose

Nosebleeds Phosphor 30c

Nosebleeds, especially in children with extremely sensitive skin and mucous membranes

REPERTORY

Operations / Delivery

160

Arnica 30c

Arnica improves and speeds up the healing process and the involution of the uterus after delivery

Hypericum 30c

Nerve pains due to injuries and operations. Can be treated alternating with Arnica and Hypericum!

Sulphur 30c

1. After treatment with allopathic medication such as antibiotics, cortisone, etc. 2. After vaccinations (according to the individual vaccination or conditions, other remedies can be selected) 3. As intercurrent remedy, if other well selected remedies don’t show any action 4. At the end of an illness, if recovery is not accomplished

Pregnancy Pulsatilla 30c

During pregnancy, in preparation for birth, Pulsatilla has proven very useful. It acts on the muscular walls of the uterus and can help the fetus get into the regular position for birth, favoring normal labor. Pulsatilla also deeply improves frequent ailments during pregnancy, such as varicose veins, vein inflammations, and indigestion.

Sciatica / Lumbago Bryonia 30c

Sudden, painful, and persistent stiffness of neck or lower back; the stinging pains worsen with motion; better with rest

Rhus tox. 30c

Stiff neck and lower back; nagging pains and sensation of being torn apart; better with gentle movement; worse with rest

Shock / Accidents Aconite 30c

Severe physical reactions, such as circulatory collapse, numbness, and paralysis

Arnica 30c

Shock and trauma after injuries, blood loss, and operations

Apis 30c

Sudden swelling combined with redness, looking like tick and insect bites or stings; better with application of cold

Ledum 30c

Intense itching and skin irritation after insect bites and stings; better with application of cold

Rhus tox. 30c

Reddish skin rash and non-colored blistering accompanied by intense itching

Sulphur 30c

Itching, sometimes weeping eczema with burning sensation, worse at night

REPERTORY

Skin

161

Stomach Cocculus 30c

Spasmodic pains; nausea and vomiting; disgust with food

Ignatia 30c

Painful convulsions; bitter or sour saliva, eructation and nausea; better when eating

Ipecacuanha 30c

Nausea and vomiting of slimy mucus; clean tongue

Nux vomica 30c

Fullness and bloating after meals, accompanied by colicky pains and stomach cramps

Phosporus 30c

Burning pains, great thirst, and trembling weakness; better after meals

Travel sickness Cocculus 30c

Travel and sea sickness with vertigo, nausea, and vomiting

Veratrum album 30c

Food intoxications; polluted water Poor circulation with vertigo, fainting attacks, abdominal cramps, and watery diarrhea, accompanied by nausea and vomiting

REPERTORY

Teeth

162

Arnica 30c

Dental extraction; improves and speeds up the healing process

Belladonna 30c

Teething fever with restless, disrupted sleep, hypersensitivity, and great agitation

Chamomilla 30c

Teething fever; children cry when put to bed and want to be carried

Magnesium phos. 30c

Teething fever, accompanied by violent pains and extreme restlessness

Tick and insect bites /stings Apis 30c

Red and swollen skin; feeling hot, Meningitis Lyme disease (borreliosis) Better with application of cold

Ledum 30c

Swelling after insect bites and stings; much better with application of cold

C h i l d h o o d D ise ase s Chickenpox Antimonium tartaricum 6c

Blistery, itchy skin rashes

Measles Pulsatilla 30c

As first aid remedy for streaming eyes that are sensitive to light; swollen eyelids Further treatment after consultation with attending physician

Belladonna 30c

Headache with fever, vomiting, sore throat, and rash Prophylactically take 5 pellets, 3 times daily Further treatment after consultation with attending physician

REPERTORY

Scarlet Fever

163

References

REFERENCES

Chapter 1

164

1

Quoted from John S. Haller Jr., The History of American Homeopathy: The Academic Years, 1820–1935, p. 10 referring to a quote in Joseph Hooper, „Sketch of the Life of Hahnemann“, p. 320

2

Quote taken from John S. Haller Jr., The History of American Homeopathy: The Academic Years, 1820–1935, p. 11, quoted in Jospeh Hooper „Sketch of the Life of Hahnemann“, p. 183

3

Rima Handley, A Homeopathic Love Story, p. 61

4

ibid., p. 61ff.

5

All quotes in the book are taken from the English translation of the 6th Edition of the Organon by William Boericke, M.D. (1922) and partly modernized by the editor; see also http://www.homeopathyhome. com/reference/organon

6

Haehl, Richard, Samuel Hahnemann: His Life and Works, Volume II, p. 350

7

For more detailed information, see Haller, Chapter 4, Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics (p. 92-120), especially p. 100.

8

American homeopathic observer (4) 1867 “Asiatic cholera” pp. 320-321

9

Henry D. Paine, “Address Before the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York,” Delivered May 10, 1865, North American Journal of Homeopathy 14 (1866) 413

The Controversy Over Coeducation at Cincinatti’s Pulte Medical College, 1873-1879,” Ohio History, 90 (1891), 102-113; Kirschmann, A Vital Force: Women Physicians and Patients in American Homeopathy, pp. 56-71, 169, 182, 191-192. 12 See Haller p. 236f. 13 Sermon of Reverend Thomas R. Everest (1801 – 1855) preached in the church of St. Augustin, Cheapside, April 9, 1851, quoted in Simpson, Homeopathy: Its Tenets and Tendencies, pp. 39,42, found in Haller, p. 236 14 See Haller p. 226 referring to and quoting Lamar Riley Murphy, Enter the Physician; The Transformation of Domestic Medicine, 1760-1860 (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1991, pp.xiii,xv.) 15 See Haller p. 229 for a more detailed discussion 16 See Anne Taylor Kirschmann, A Vital Force: Women in American Homeopathy. - author. Publisher: Rutgers University Press. Place of Publication: New Brunswick, NJ. Publication Year: 2004, p. 29. 17 [Translated from German] Fenwick, Peter, “In Gehirn, Geist und was darüber hinausgeht,” Grof, Stanislav, et al.: Wir wissen mehr als unser Gehirn, Herder, Freiburg/ Breisgau, 2003, p. 44. 18 Taken from Kurz, Chris, Imagine Homeopathy, p. 26

10 For a closer discussion see Haller p. 136-139

19 Heidemarie Brunner, Homöopathie für Pharmazeuten, p. 12

11 Compare Haller p. 138 referring to William Barlow and David O. Powell, “Homeopathy and Sexual Equality:

20 Steven B. Kayne, Homeopathic Pharmacy, 2nd edition, p. 92

21 ibid., p. 13 7

Compare http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/estrogen; more detailed information on the study available www.whi.org

8

Ulrich Warnke, Risiko Wohlstandsleiden, Popular Academic VerlagsGesellschaft, p. 189

9

Compare Dr. G. Buchwald, Vaccination — a Business based on Fear

23 ibid., p. 13 24 Compare Emoto, Masaru, Hidden Messages in Water, 2005 Chapter 2 1

2

Panel Advises Flu Shots for Children Up to Age 18, The New York Times, Lawrence K. Altman, Published: February 28, 2008; http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/health/28flu. html; also compare www.cdc.gov Dr. med. Gerhard Buchwald, Vaccination — a Business based on Fear, BoD 2003; translated from the German edition: Impfen. Das Geschäft mit der Angst, Knaur 1987

Chapter 3

10 ibid., p. 264 11 Dr. med. Gerhard Buchwald, Der Rückgang der Schwindsucht trotz Schutzimpfung Hirthammer Verlag, 1.Auflage, 2002 12 Dr. med. Gerhard Buchwald Vaccination — a Business based on Fear 13 Joseph S. Haller, The History of American Homeopathy, 2005, p. 60

1

Gabriele L. Rico Garantiert schreiben lernen – eine übersichtliche und für Laien verständliche Erläuterung. Rowohlt, 1983

14 Henry Allen Die chronischen Krankheiten— die Miasmen, Renèe von Schlick, Aachen, 1987

2

Richard Rohr und Andreas Ebert Das Enneagramm Claudius Verlag, 2001

15 Dr. med. Friedrich P. Graf Die Impfentscheidungen Lütjenburger Straße 3, D-24306 Plön

3

Masaru Emoto Messages from Water, Volume I Hado, 1999; Volume II, Sunmark, 2001; www.masaru-emoto.net

4

5

6

Kurt Langbein und Bert Ehgartner Das Medizin-Kartell, Piper, 2002, p. 123 Anna Halprin, Dance as a Healing Art, 2000; further reference www.tamalpa.org. Kurt Langbein und Bert Ehgartner Das Medizin-Kartell

16 Compare Samy Molcho, Body Speech, 1985 17 Ulrich Warnke, Gehirn-Magie Popular Academic Verlags-Gesellschaft, 2. Auflage, 1998, p. 208

REFERENCES

22 ibid., p. 15

Piper, 2002, p. 220

18 ibid., p. 6 19 ibid, p. 97 20 Dr. med. Gerhard Buchwald Vaccination — a Business based on Fear

165

Chapter 4 Repertories: Frans Vermeulen Concordant Materia Medica Boericke, Phatak, Boger, Lippe, Allen, Pulford, Cowperthwaite, Kent, Clarke, Vermeulen Merlijn Publishers Haarlem, The Netherlands, 1994 Prof. Dr. James Tyler Kent Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica. New Dehli, World Homeopathic Links, 1982 Julius Mezger Gesichtete Homöopathische Arzneimittellehre Karl F. Haug Verlag, Heidelberg, 5. Auflage, 1981 Samuel Hahnemann Die chronischen Krankheiten Karl F. Haug Verlag, Heidelberg, 2. Auflage, 1835 H. Imhäuser Homöopathie in der Kinderheilkunde Karl F. Haug Verlag, Heidelberg, 8. Auflage, 1987

REFERENCES

Eugenio F. Candegabe Vergleichende Arzneimittellehre Ulrich Burgdorf Verlag für homöopathische Literatur, 1990

166

Further reading Handley, Rima: A Homeopathic Love Story: the Story of Samuel and Mélanie Hahnemann. North Atlantik Books, 1990 Mendelsohn, Robert S., M.D: How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of your Doctor. Random House, 1984 Mendelsohn, Robert S., M.D: Confessions of a Medical Heretic. Library of Congress, 1990 Mendelsohn, Robert S., M.D: Male Practice: How Doctors Manipulate Women. Contemporary Books, 1982 Critical Books on Vaccination: Coulter, Harris L; Fisher, Barbara: A Shot in the Dark. Paperback, 1977

Coulter, Harris.: The Controlled Clinical Trial: An Analysis. Center for Empirical Medicine, 1991. Delarue, Fernand and Simone: What Price Vaccinations. Happiness Press, 1995 Miller, Neil Z.: Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective. New Atlantean Press, 2002/2008

FURTHER READING

Coulter, Harris L.: Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality: The Medical Assault on the American Brain. North Atlantik Books, 1990

Indigo Children: Carroll, Lee; Tobler, Jan: The Indigo Children: The New Kids have arrived. Hay House, 1999

167

Acknowledgments I want to thank all the people who have accompanied and supported me during the many years I have worked on this book. Special thanks go to: My family for their enthusiastic support, and, above all, my nephew Christoph, whose birth gave rise to the idea of this book - which I completed just in time for his graduation from high school. The numerous women, men, and children who have allowed me to assist them in their development and to incorporate their healing reports into my book. Eva Lepold, who worked day and night (making it difficult to speak to her in the mornings) to translate the book into English, and also shaped and complemented it with her own experience drawn from dance and bodywork. Not only did she translate the book clearly from German into English, she also grasped its soul. Barbara Drach-Hübler, with her outstanding graphic skills, who put a lot of love into the book and designed it with great accuracy and passion for detail. Alexandra Evic, for her patience and ever-friendly temperament—even under pressure—while putting in the text.

AC K NOW L E D G M E N T

Alex Munkas, who conducted the recording sessions, for his professionalism, for his incredible patience in the many takes, and for the way he soothed my nerves. Dolli Melaine from California, who has been assisting me in my inner development for four years, and whose „yoga for the voice“ has put my voice back in its place and uplifted my body and soul. As a native speaker she supervised and coached me in the speech recordings on the CD, and did her best to get the most out of my English. Manuel Strasser, for the skilful illustrations that he produced with great speed, dedication and intuitive comprehension of the remedy themes. Monica Baumann, for supporting me on my spiritual path, and for her guidance in solving ancient problems, which has allowed me to follow my way clearly and uncompromisingly. Linda Benyo and Geoffrey Hoppe from crimsoncircle, for their channelings of Tobias and Adamus, which have reminded me of my roots – my inner home – and comforted me over the years with the certainty that new energies allow us to live our potential on all levels and revive the creative part within ourselves. Jean Tinder, for her mindful proofreading, her support and approval, her trust in the new energies, and her introduction to the American market.

168