Homeopathy Tips Newsletter

As a homeopath, I am often asked to help treat an ailing animal. Prescribing for an animal is not a lot different from prescribing for humans but being able to have a conversation to understand them is different indeed.

I have found that the more domesticated and the closer an animal lives to humans, the more mental symptoms are recognized. This is because as animals live in close proximity to humans and their caretakers, their personalities and subtle moods are noticed more. Most pet owners of cats and dogs, in particular, have much to say about their animals. It is important to listen to their story about the animal to understand their mental, emotional, and physical states. Use any diagnostic evaluations from veterinarians in helping you understand the physical illness. If an illness is diagnosed, it will be very helpful in selecting a remedy that has an organ affinity to their condition.

Horse owners also know their animals well and can tell you a lot about...

It was on March 5 that I first wrote about the COVID-19 pandemic. Oh my, so much has changed since then. Most of the things I talked about then have come to pass. The times we are in are changing rapidly. So I'd like to give another update on what new information has come to light in the time that has passed.

First, about viruses! Viruses are not some protein from outer-space that invades us. They are a by-product and messenger from our own cells. They are called exosomes and are used to communicate to distant parts of our body and, when shedded, to communicate to others of our species. It is a survival tool that has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years. All species have this capability, from plants to trees and others in the plant and animal kingdom.

Every now and again, homeopaths will have a client that is non-compliant. They will not follow recommendations and even some will want to seemingly do battle with you. Here are a few pointers to handle this type of client.

First and foremost, recognize that non-compliance is a part of the client's case. It is a statement of their vital force and how they are responding to their world. For example, refusing to follow recommendations about avoiding coffee is probably the most common form of non-compliance. But there can be other ways that the client can be non-compliant that may be much more serious.

Sometimes your client will refuse to take the remedy. I see this most often when a client is following doctors' recommendations and taking drugs. They will take their drug religiously but to them, the remedy seems to be a novelty or, worse yet, something to blame for changes that are happening. Sometimes this may be correct but to blame the remedy without understanding that it is their...

A pattern I see happening in the world of homeopathy is an attempt to legitimize homeopathy and make it mainstream. This would be nice if homeopathy fit that model of medicine. Unfortunately, it does not. As long as the idea of materialist medicine is a mainstream idea, the real essence of homeopathy will not integrate very easily. And every attempt to do so will only dilute the power and effectiveness of this most wonderful medicine.

Hahnemann uses the word "spiritual" many times in the Organon. In Aphorism 9, he says, "In the healthy condition of man, the spiritual vital force (autocracy) the dynamis that animates the material body (organism), rules with unbounded sway, and retains all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both sensations and functions, so that our indwelling, reason gifted mind can freely employ this living, healthy instrument for the higher purpose of our existence." Here Hahnemann is very clear that the spiritual Vital...

Treating acute and chronic illnesses requires slightly different approaches. The fundamentals are still the same but sometimes we need to alter our focus on symptoms.

In all case receiving, we are looking for the essence of what is asking to be healed. But in acutes, it often seems as if there is no exciting cause. There always is a reason for our illness but, for some people, they just cannot tell you why. Even good case questioning sometimes falls short. This is when we need to alter our focus and look for what is unique about the person's expression of disease.

Mental symptoms are always helpful and should be used if possible. Those symptoms that are common to any acute illness are not very useful. It is the unique, the strange, rare, and peculiar symptoms that can sometimes make finding the remedy a snap. Always ask about what has changed for the person. Often, it may be only one new mental symptom that can be used. It can make the field of remedy choices much smaller if it is...

We all need good strong bones. They play a very important part of our anatomy. Without healthy bones, we cannot be as physically strong as we should. There are a few common conditions of the bone that homeopathy can help with very much. So let’s explore our bones!

Any medical term that has osteo as a part of it refers to the bones. Bones have organic and inorganic compounds. Its organic components include the cells, osteocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, plus osteoid which form about 35% of the bone's compounds. Integral to this matrix is collagen which holds the bone together and helps gives it its strength and flexibility. Healthy bone is half as strong as steel in resisting compression and equal to steel in resisting tension.

Inorganic compounds make up the other 65% of bone. They are mainly calcium salts, most predominantly Calcium Phosphate. These salts form tiny crystals that are held together with the collagen and create...

When receiving cases, the homeopath listens and observes without prejudice. Often, this is a time that the client will share more about themselves than at any other time in their life. Aside from psychotherapy, there are few other modalities that ask the client to speak so much about themselves. This requires a safe place and great trust. The homeopath must earn this by listening intently and never judging the client's suffering.

Our job as homeopaths requires us to determine what is asking to be healed. Often, this is somewhat different from how the client sees themselves. As we determine what is asking to be healed, it often seems as if we must hold some judgment about the client’s sufferings. This is true in a sense. Many times, it is the seemingly inconsequential things they may report that will lead us to the remedy.

After their case has been given, I find that the person is in a very vulnerable place. They have probably shared something they have never...

One of the biggest hurdles I see my students having to overcome is hearing the case simply for what it is. It is very easy to get hooked into the person's story and want to extract many rubrics from the details. But this is the very act that keeps the homeopath from "seeing" the case clearly.

I often speak about getting to the understanding of what is asking to be healed. Without this understanding of the case, the very best selected rubrics and remedies may surely lead to failure. It is only when we fully understand where the vital force is disturbed that we can find the remedy that is best for the case.

The vital force is responsible for ALL expressions in a person's life; not just the symptoms of their suffering. Sometimes the details of the physical suffering taking place become the entire focus and we end up missing a bigger picture of the disease that is staring us in the face. When a person gives their case, they will often talk about many things seemingly unrelated to...

No one likes to be sick. Everyone wants to feel better. Suffering is common to every person on the planet. No one ever gets away without suffering. Everyone has a reason for their suffering. It is not without cause and an opportunity to heal. Everyone has an expectation about their healing, including the treating homeopath. But what we see and how people heal is not always what they or the homeopath wants. The bottom line is, we do not get to choose how, or even if, healing will occur.

If this is the case, then why would anyone ever want to be a homeopath or embark on a homeopathic healing journey? Because we see miracles often and healing does happen. It just may not appear as we might think.

Most people who have been raised in western society have been indoctrinated into the drug, surgery, or radiation model of treatment. Assuming the person takes a drug or has a surgery, the expectation is that the suffering will end and the person will heal. Increasingly, it seems that the...

One of the most common concerns of parents is when their child has a fever and does not feel well. Usually, this is the first sign of an illness and the parents want their children’s temperature to return to normal. They often have acetaminophen and give it to their child routinely to lower the fever. But this is not always the best course of action. Fever is the body’s natural defense and, if understood, can be worked with and not suppressed for the best and healthiest response to illness.

Fever is controlled hyperthermia. Most often it results from an infection somewhere in the body but may be caused by other conditions as well (cancer, allergic reactions, central nervous system reactions). White blood cells, injured tissues, and macrophages release pyrogens that act directly on the hypothalamus causing it to release prostaglandins. The prostaglandins, in turn, cause the hypothalamic thermostat to reset to a higher temperature initiating heat-promoting...