Homeopathy Tips Newsletter

Maybe all of you have heard of Qi or Chi. It is the name of our energy in Chinese Medicine. Qi is an energy that circulates in our being and is throughout our being. It is not just in our physical body but also a part of our being. Wei Qi is a particular kind of Qi that amounts to our defensive Qi. It is somewhat akin to our ability to ward off psychic attack as well as our immune system defence being able to ward off a viral or bacterial attack. Homeopathic healing provides a similar support when we are inspired through our response to a remedy.

During recent international travel I found that there was a cough that was epidemic in Northern Europe. Many people in public places had a very wet cough with much mucous rales. This cough was deep and persistent. After many days of exposure to this cough I was being challenged to keep my Wei Qi up.

People were not at all courteous or practicing good hygiene. They would not cover their face or even turn away. I was amazed at...

The last time I wrote about influenza was back on May 5, 2009; Influenza Pandemic?  Since then we have heard much about the influenza pandemic. One of the comments I had then and still do today is if there is a pandemic, meaning mass populations around the globe of people who are suffering from the flu symptoms, why haven't I seen any cases of influenza locally? Well in the last two weeks there have been 7 cases of influenza that I have seen. This does not seem like a particularly high number of people suffering, compared to any previous year. But I must say the fear around the suffering has been extreme. It seems the media blitz is having it's effects.

There have been 3 remedies that have been most useful so far. Two cases required Arsenicum, two cases Bryonia and 3 cases needed Gelsemium. This is about average in terms of common remedies necessary during the flu season. I differentiated the remedies based on their symptoms. One thing common to all of the cases was the...

Some responses to the last newsletter left me very encouraged about who we are as homeopath's. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in our "role" as health care providers and miss the bigger task at hand. There is a model I teach all of my students that I want to share with all of you that helps define who we are as homeopaths.

     Every science is based on a primary assumption. The primary assumption in homeopathy is there is a vital force that is non-material; spiritual. If we recognize this as the foundation for our healing art then a spiritual model becomes necessary for a greater understanding of our part as the homeopath. 

     Another assumption is that there is a creative energy animating and bringing all things into existence. This creator we have historically given the name G-d. So if G-d is creating all things then I (homeopath) and my client (suffering client) are an extension of G-d's creation. In essence there is really no...

Morgellons disease is the name for a new unexplained skin disorder that seems to be effecting more people all of the time. I have seen 5 cases of this in the last few years but I have an observation that may shed some light on this strange disease.

Morgellons disease is characterised by sores and lesions on the skin that itch intensely. This is accompanied by a crawling sensation on and under the skin. Often this is described as like a worm or a bug. The most recent case described it like a particular starfish with many tentacles extending all around the body. Every person has also claimed there are worm like threads or fibers that come out of the lesion. They each brought these fibers to the appointment for inspection. Each of them looked like a human hair.

Other symptoms include confusion and lack of concentration. It effects short-term memory, but interestingly the patient can remember intimate details of the disease. Often there is severe fatigue.

The...

Homeopathy is at a crossroads. The future looks bright, but I have some deep concerns also. It seems there is a growing divide between those who want to see homeopathy legitimatized by standards and regulation and those who recognize the individual uniqueness of the homeopath, client and remedy. This I do not think can be standardized.

The group that wants to see homeopathy become mainstream medicine strives for a standard model of education as well as competency. This effectively lowers the standard of homeopathy to the lowest common denominator. In this model, every school must teach a standard minimum curriculum and testing. This is the same model that we have seen in the education of children in America. Much emphasis is put on testing with the individual who excels, being ignored. I think we have an educational vacuum in America as we are losing our brightest individuals to a standardized process. Read this very well written article. It is the same for homeopathy as with our...

In modern medicine we have many treatment modalities. Some end in -pathy. I want to explore what each of the pathy's are and how they differ. We all know something about Homeopathy, but there are several other sub-modalities and other systems of medicines carrying the same" pathy". First it is good to understand what "Pathy" means.

"Pathy" means suffering. It is a state of being that is not harmonious with our divine state. We are made in the image of G-d but suffering is inherent to our worldly existence. The "pathy" in all of the modalitites of healing is a suffix to the form of healing system. Homeo-pathy is similar - suffering. It is based on the law of Simila similibus curentur or "like cures like". We apply the law of similars to acheive the healing response. It recognizes the vital force and aims to treat the whole person and cause, not just the symptom. It is a completely different approach than some of the other "pathy's".

Allopathy or hertopathy is the treatment of disease...

I get a lot of questions about antidoting of the remedy. What substances will effect the remedy and will it antidote? The word antidote means to counteract. This would indicate that the substance is capable of antidoting the remedy and counteracting it. Most people consider the "it" to be the remedy.

This is misunderstood by most people including homeopaths. If the remedy is nothing but an energetic vibration that has become part of the material substrate of water, with a very small amount of alcohol to prevent the growth of bacteria and algae, then the antidoting substance in question is not mixing chemically in our bodies and counteracting the remedy. There is nothing there for it to counteract since the persons vital force has either accepted the remedy energy or not.

If there is resonance with the energetic remedy then the vital force can respond. This IS the healing response and the secondary action of the remedy. Too often we assume that the remedy is like a drug that has...

Shingles (herpes zoster) is infection with the Varicella-zoster virus that produces a severely painful skin eruption of fluid filled blisters. This happens when immunity is low, in individuals mostly over the age of 50, who have had chicken-pox previously in their life. The shingles is the re-emergence of the virus that lays dormant in the persons spinal or cranial nerves. When reactivated it spreads through the nerve to the skin where it produces painful sores resembling the original chicken-pox. The outbreak is usually always limited to the  strip of skin where the nerve fibers are located, most often the abdomen or chest or head.

Common symptoms with shingles are chills, fever, nausea, diarrhea, or difficulty urinating in the previous 3-4 days prior to the skin eruption. Others experience pain, itching or tingling sensation as the eruption appears. Clusters of small, fluid filled blisters usually appear. Most often the blisters appear on the trunk and only on one side....

Happy New Year! It is another year and another opportunity to take stock of the world and where we are now. It seems that in this new millennium the changes have come quickly and with more consequence. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the more daily challenges in life and miss the bigger picture of the even greater challenge that is facing all humanity on this planet right now. When I look at how homeopathy can play a part in our unfolding future I see that it is more important than ever.

One of the biggest changes I have seen in peoples health has been in the realm of digestive issues. Without exaggeration I would say that 40-50% of all clients have digestive issues. This has changed significantly in the last 15 years. One has to wonder why this is so. It is my belief that the food we are eating is poisoning us. Modern agriculture and Genetically Modified Organisms have change the health of humans on this planet. We are guinea pigs in a giant experiment. No long term testing has...

Remedy keynotes play a big part in any prescription but they must be used with care. Often in the course of learning homeopathy we are encouraged to study the keynotes of many remedies. This is a good way to learn a little about remedies but never speak to the totality of the remedy energy.

     Yasgur, in Homeopathic Dictionary, describes keynotes as "a symptom that is so apparent, or striking that it strongly suggests or points to a single remedy. For example, pain in the right shoulder blade points to Cheledonium."  Guernsey describes the keynote as "the predominating symptom which readily directs attention to the totality."

      Rarely in case-taking will the client give his story and all of the sympotoms fit in the totality of a single remedy. Often during repertizing we will have 10 or more remedies covering the symptom of a case. If we were to prescribe on keynotes of the remedy only we would still have to choose one or two...