When I went home I looked for any information I could find on mudras on the web and also in our home library. Surprisingly we did have a book that had mudras in it called “Ashtanga Yoga Primer,” by Baba Hari Dass. Baba Hari Dass is the silent guru up at Mount Madonna Center in the mountains outside of Gilroy in California. If you have never been there, it is a wonderful retreat center.

I set myself the task of memorizing these mudras and using them in my meditation practice. One may ask why such a thing would be valuable. The reason I find it valuable is that it gives the mind something to focus on during meditation. Having a focus point helps keep the mind from wandering to its customary thoughts.

I usually combine the mudras with other meditation tools when I use them. These tools are watching the breath and chanting mantras silently to myself. With three focus points even the most restless mind can be quieted and centered.

One of the side benefits I have found from using the mudras is that it taught me that by focusing on my hands at any time of the day I can recenter myself and quiet my mind. I can do this when I am riding a bicycle, washing the dishes, cooking dinner or holding my child or my husband’s hand.

Mudras are a tool for building awareness and bringing one into the moment. I hope that you enjoy the video demonstration of the mudras.

Please notice that I have addressed you as wonderful person rather than as friend or client. The reason I did this is that I have been reading about the life of Fools Crow, who was a great native American healer. He never used the words patient or client to address the people he worked with, because he considered that to be disrespectful. He always called the people either by their names or used the word Person as a sign of respect. Learning from Fools Crow, I am addressing you as person and to show my admiration and love, I put the word wonderful in front of it.

The way that Fools Crow worked was very different from the way I work in many respects, and similar in a few respects. First of all Fools Crow never worked with anyone if he did not feel that they had faith in Wakan Tanka, the Lakota word for the Great Spirit, and faith in him as one of Wakan Tanka’s Hollow Bones or healers. He would place his hand on the person’s shoulder when they requested a healing. If his hand warmed up then he knew that this person would be receptive to the healing work and had the necessary faith. If his hand remained cold, he knew that he could not help that person. With grief in his heart he would let them go. Unlike Fools Crow, I never refuse to heal someone who comes to my office, even though many times I feel their skepticism and lack of faith in me or in homeopathy. When this happens, the healing will often not be successful, though sometimes skeptics end up becoming the greatest believers.

Once Fools Crow took on the healing of the person, that person would live with him for four days and receive four treatments, four times a day during that time.  They would eat with him, sleep with him, pray with him, and do all his spiritual rituals with him. There were many reasons for this, but primarily it was to help the person deepen their own connection with Wakan Tanka, and their own spiritual center, so that Wakan Tanka would shine his healing grace upon them, and so that they would be receptive to that grace.

Fools Crow was a deeply spiritual man and he performed unbelievable feats of healing during the course of his 99 years. People would ask him how he did it, and he would say that anybody who lived as he lived could do the same. How did he live? He lived immersed in worship of Wakan Tanka, Tunkashila (the Great Grandfather), Grandmother Earth, and the Helpers. He meditated daily, performed purification practices, lived a very spiritual life, so that Wakan Tanka would see fit to use him as one of his Hollow Bones. By being a Hollow Bone for Wakan Tanka he would empty himself of ego and impurities so that he could channel Wakan Tanka’s wisdom and healing energy and direct it to the person he was healing. He always maintained that he himself could do nothing and knew nothing. Wakan Tanka did all the work and knew everything. Wakan Tanka showed him what to do, what healing herbs to use, what prayers to utter and dances to dance.

How different this scenario is from the healing that happens when a person visits a homeopath, such as myself. First of all, I only spend a few hours with that person. There is no four day intense immersion with purification rituals, or any spiritual rituals at all.

Our world has become so secularized that even to mention the word G-d has to be done with care and caution. People who come to you often do not have faith in your ability to help them, or even in a higher power. They put the burden of proof on you. As a healer, I can tell you there is a big difference in the experience and the joy the healer has when working with someone when they feel the faith and when they don’t.

Then, of course, we are all in a hurry. To take two hours out of one’s busy day is a big sacrifice. We must get down to business. We must gather the information efficiently, so that we can be in and out of the office as soon as possible. After all we have e-mails to answer, phone calls to return and there is no time for a relationship with the healer, or for any rituals of connection with the healer or with the higher power. This is the reality of modern urban life for most people.

One things that Fools Crow and I do share is love for the person who comes to us for healing. Like Fools Crow I believe that the healer has to be a Hollow Bone. Fools Crow’s rituals of purification were different from mine, but I have my own. Central to that is a daily meditation practice and prayer practice. Like Fools Crow I also know that the healing comes from a higher power than my ego and faulty intelligence. When I am selecting a remedy for a person, I always look inside and ask the higher power for guidance. I ask is this remedy correct? Is this potency correct? Is there another remedy that will be better? Will this help the person?

One thing that Fools Crow did that I do not do enough of is to thank Wakan Tanka for the healing. He displayed constant gratitude. When someone felt better, he said, “Thank you Wakan Tanka for helping that person.” All healing came from Wakan Tanka and he spent his entire day immersed in gratitude. This I do not do, but now that I am aware that I should do it, I am starting to do it, but often I forget to be thankful. Fools Crow never forgot to be thankful. This was probably the key to his success as a healer. The fact that his life was a constant practice of gratitude.

How many times as a person who has visited a healer, a homeopath, a doctor, have you remembered to say thank you? When you are enjoying vibrant good health do you remember to say thank you? When for a moment your pain let’s up, do you remember to say thank you? When you are in pain and suffering do you remember to say thank you? After all, Allah in his infinite mercy, has given you that pain for your own good, even if you do not know the reason for it. Can you trust that and say thank you?

My world is very different from Fools Crow’s, but I want to learn from him how to be a better healer, and human being, so that I can be one of Wakan Tanka’s Hollow Bones.

For those people who have seen me in the past, please remember I am still here, and for others who may benefit from my brand of healing, homeopathy, please spread the word. God bless you this holiday season and always.

In the spirit of healing,

Deborah

In Sankaran’s system of miasms it falls into the typhoid miasm. People needing remedies from this miasm have a feeling that they are in a crisis situation, and need to make a great effort to pull out of it. I would like to present a few snapshot pictures of clients I have had who responded beautifully to the remedy, so that you can develop a picture of your own of the usefulness of this remedy and its therapeutic range.

Client 1. This is a woman in her forties who recently had surgery to remove a ganglion cyst. The surgeon also removed a tiny pain nerve in her wrist and now she fears that she may have complex regional pain syndrome. Her symptoms are pain in the right arm that she describes as an icy hot/burning sensation in the elbow that starts there and moves down into the fingers. “I warm my hand up and then it reaches a point where it can go the other extreme and gets very hot. I have had sharp pains.  I can’t move my hand back and forth.”  

She experiences tight, sharp, caught, pulling, and bruising sensations in the arm. “There is a tightness to the hand, like I want to stretch it, but I am not able to. When I slightly start to move it there is a feeling of pressure and pulling at the incision point like it is caught there.  If I to try to extend it further I can feel the pulling going on. The wrist is swollen. I also have joint pains in the knees and the ankles.  Everything is better when I work out.

“I am worried, anxious and scared. I am regretting having the surgery. I am worried about the future. It is creating, fear, stress and anger. My adrenals have gone into overdrive due to the stress and anxiety.

“I am afraid that I will be incapacitated in some way and not be able to take care of my son. I fear that I will lose my job and not be able to support us.”

Analysis: This case demonstrates so many Rhus tox features: the fear of losing her job, the anxiety about her future, the feeling that she is in crisis and the fear that she will not be able to pull out of it (all typhoid miasm features and Rhus tox is a typhoid miasm remedy). The sensations she has are all Rhus tox sensations, particularly the pulling, the tightness, the tension, the caught feeling and the aggravation on first motion. The amelioration from exercise is also a big Rhus tox symptom.

Client 2. This is a 51-year-old tall, powerful, athletic looking woman. This is how she describes herself: “I am very energetic, high driven, intentional. I have done too much activity. I would work out three to four hours a day, power lifting. The intensity with which I ran my life, I was told, is what probably did me in.

“I have had tremendous stress over the last three years. My mom died three years ago. She was accompanying my dad in the ambulance to the hospital and she died of a heart attack on the way. My father died ten weeks later at the age of 90. My ex-husband whom I had been married to for 27 years died six months before that and I managed his whole estate. He died of alcoholism. 

“I remarried and moved into a new home at that period of time. I stayed strong mentally through all of that. I managed three deaths in six months time single handedly. Tons of stress was put into my body.

Here is her description of her physical symptoms:

“My hips becomes stiff when I sit for more than 30 minutes. I have left hip pain that radiates down the outside of my leg toward the knee. My quads become numb when lying flat or standing. My sacroiliac joint aches.”

This is how she describes the pain: “It feels like a burning sensation that runs down the outside of my thigh. I can’t walk more than three blocks without stopping. I develop a very significant limp after the third block. The pain is basically a burning sensation. I think it is the tendons that are irritated.

“When I get up out of this chair you will see it. I will be very stiff getting out of the chair. I have to think about how to walk. Going into motion after having been stationary is difficult. I am not good for the first five or six steps. Once I get going I am okay for 150 steps consecutively. I can’t stand. That’s when I start getting a lot of pain in my hips. If I go far enough and long enough my right SI joint will get numb too. The stiffness after sitting and the stiffness in the joints feels like it is an internal thing.”

I asked her to describe stiffness: “Long before I complained about these issues, going back to when I was in dance class, I complained about being a frozen turkey. The joints just didn’t want to give. There was no ease. They were tough and resistant, not loose. They needed to be thawed out.

“When I stand up and try to walk I have to force it. It doesn’t flow. I have to make it happen. If it is really bad, I have to tap my foot for a moment to say you are going to have to start working now.

“With any extending position, such as laying down or standing up, my right side will go numb. In yoga twists I feel very constricted. It feels like I shouldn’t do a yoga twist to the left with the right leg. I don’t want to do damage, dancing on injuries and ignoring pain.

“Gripping is another important word. I feel that I am gripping in my hip joints. I am not sure how to let go. My joints can’t relax. My body’s neutral state is tense. I have to make a very conscious effort to relax.

My client has been on this remedy for six months as of the writing of this chapter. Rhus tox has helped her significantly on many levels. She has now resumed her walks in the forest, though is still not quite able to walk as far as she used to, but she is gradually getting there.

Analysis: This case contains a gold-mine of information about guiding symptoms to the remedy.

Here is a list of the Rhus tox modalities in this client’s case that helped guide me to the remedy:

1)         Aggravation from overexertion like Ruta and Arnica.

2)         Stiffness in the joints.

3)         Aggravation on initial movement, such as getting up from a chair after having been seated for a while.

4)         Aggravation from sitting.

5)         Gripping or clutching pains.

6)         Twisting pains like Ruta

7)         History of being married to an alcoholic.

        She has a feeling that she is in a state of crisis, and is putting every effort into getting out of it.

Rhus tox modalities: In addition to the above modalities listed for my client, Rhus tox has many other modalities that help guide to this remedy. In Rhus tox, (perhaps more than in most remedies), it is the modalities that really guide one to use this remedy. Modalities are what make the person feel better or worse. I am including other characteristic symptoms of the remedy in this list.

9)         Internal restlessness, or restlessness of the affected part is a strong indication for Rhus tox.  The patient must frequently change positions.

10)       The patient may have a feeling of apprehension or fear at night. They can feel threatened and on guard.

11)        The Rhus tox patient is typically a chilly patient and is aggravated by cold and damp weather and from getting wet.

12)       The aggravation times for Rhus tox are typically nighttime and morning.

13)       Rhus tox patients tend to be stiff and are ameliorated by exercise and stretching.

14)       A desire for milk and a red triangular tip on the tongue are other guiding symptoms to this remedy.

Here are some conditions where Rhus tox is often indicated:

1)         Sprains. Think of Rhus tox for sprains where the Rhus tox modalities are present. Please see the section on sprains in the Arnica chapter.

2)        Back, shoulder, neck, and hip injuries with the Rhus tox modalities, and where the injured area seizes up. Think of Rhus tox for back injuries from over lifting. I had a call to take Rhus tox a year ago when I sustained a serious back injury when my son jumped on my legs when I was doing the yoga pose where you have your legs straight up in the air. The force of his weight knocked me back and I injured my upper back. The muscles immediately seized up and I felt stuck, tight, and tense in the upper back. I had lost all range of motion. I took a 200C dose of the remedy and received several massages. All of this helped and I recovered within two days.

3)      Any chronic health condition with the Rhus tox modalities.

4)      Acute conditions, and respiratory ailments with the Rhus tox modalities.

5)      Poison oak or poison ivy. Rhus tox is derived from poison ivy.

Taking Rhus tox in potency antidotes the effects of poison oak or poison ivy, because the potentized remedy will antidote the effects of the crude remedy from which it is derived. This is why Apis mellifica, a remedy that comes from bees, can antidote the effects of bee stings. There are many other remedies listed for this condition, so please consult your homeopath to find out which remedy is best for you.

6)       Skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, herpetic eruptions

and rashes where the Rhus tox modalities are present in the case. I recently had a call to treat a man with psoriatic arthritis with Rhus tox. His arthritic joint condition, which presented with Rhus tox modalities is what brought me to this remedy for him.

7)       Arthritic and rheumatic conditions with the Rhus tox modalities.

8)       Sciatica with the Rhus tox modalities.

9)        Plantar fasciitis or heel pain with the Rhus tox modalities.

10)      Think of Rhus tox for a person who is suffering from chronic

effects of car accidents, back injuries or other trauma, where the Rhus tox sensations and modalities are present.

Rhus tox is such a vast remedy, and what I am presenting here does not do justice to it. I could devote a volume to this one remedy alone. One of the most insightful writers about this remedy is Rajan Sankaran. In his book, “The Soul of Remedies,” he talks about the situation that often pushes people into a Rhus tox state. The situation is a child or a spouse of a person who is an alcoholic or abusive in some way. The child or spouse feels unsafe in their own home. They feel threatened by the person they live with and feel that they can harm them even while they are lying in their own bed. I have seen this to be true of many of the people to whom I have prescribed this remedy. This remedy should be thought of for people married to alcoholics.

The remedy falls into the typhoid miasm. The basic feeling here is that they are at risk of losing their position of comfort, be it their home, job security or their health. With the current economic situation where people are indeed losing their jobs and homes, I am observing that this and the other typhoid miasm remedies are called for quite often.

I have decided not to make a cream from Rhus tox, because of what it is derived from, poison ivy, and my concern that it can potentially cause skin rashes. Nonetheless I decided to include it in the book, because it is called for so frequently in first aid situations. If you are an experienced homeopath, you can use this remedy in the higher potencies, but if you are just beginning to learn about homeopathy, please use it in the lower potencies, like 6C, 12C or 30C.

Homeopathy Questionnaire for Children

What is your child’s name?

What is your child’s date of birth?

What is your mailing address?

What are your phone numbers?

Please answer as many of the following questions as you can in preparation for your initial consultation.  If you find this difficult to do, don’t worry about it, we will explore further during your child’s session, and I will help you tell me the story of your child’s illness.  If there is anything you feel uncomfortable discussing in front of your child, you may  write it here or e-mail it to me.

Please tell me about the genetic background of the family:  diseases of parents, grandparents and siblings.

Physical Sphere

1)     What are your child’s physical health complaints?  When did they begin?  What makes them better or worse?

2)     Please tell me about the illnesses your child has had?  How often does the child get sick?  How does she or he behave during an illness?  How does she  appear (pale, flushed, etc.)  What medication or treatments have you used for your child during illnesses?  Are your child’s  illnesses accompanied by fevers?  If so, how high do they go?

3)     Does the child have any problems with digestion or elimination?

4)     Does the child have any skin problems?

5)     Has your child been vaccinated?  Did he or she have any reactions to the vaccines?

6)     Please tell me about your child’s eating habits?  What are his or her food cravings, sensitivities, or aversions? Does the child like eggs?

7)     What does the child eat on an average day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and  snacks?

8 )     How thirsty is the child?  What beverages does the child drink and how often?

9)     Does the child run on the warm or cold side?  Are any body parts colder or hotter than others?  Does the child keep covered during sleep?

10)    Does the child have a tendency to perspire during the day or night?  Where?

11)    What are the child’s physical and emotional responses to the different weather conditions  (sunny weather, thunder and lightning storms)?

12)    Does the child have any sleep problems?  Is there a sleep position that the child favors?  What time does the child go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning?

13)    At what time of the day is the child’s energy level at its highest?  When is it at its lowest?  Is the child hyperactive at any time of the day?

14)    For girls who have started menstruating:  are there any problems with cramps?   Does she have any PMS symptoms?

15)    What are the medications that the child is currently taking?

16)       Has your child had homeopathic treatment in the past? Please let me know the remedies he or she has taken, the potencies, the dates you took them and about their response to the different remedies. Also, please me know about other treatments your child has had for their health conditions.

Personal History

1)     Please tell me the child’s personal history, starting with the mother’s pregnancy.

2)     Describe the first years, whether the child was colicky; how was her sleep, developmental milestones; when the child walked and talked.

3)     Family situation, relationship to parents and siblings.

4)     School – any learning or behavioral problems

5)     Playing with friends; how the child interacts with her peers.

Emotional Sphere

1)     What are the activities the child enjoys doing?  Does she enjoy travel?

2)     How moody is the child?  Does he or she tend to get angry or sad?  How does the child express these emotions?  Does the child have a tendency to cry?

3)     What are the child’s fears and anxieties?  Does she tend to worry?

4)     Is the child sympathetic?

5)      Is the child perfectionistic?  Is she neat or messy?  Does she like to be on time?

6)     Does the child throw tantrums?

7)     Is the child shy?

8 ) Does the child have any nervous habits?

9)     Does the child tend to have nightmares or recurrent dreams?

10)    How does the child respond to reprimands?

11)    Does the child tend to get envious or jealous?

12)    Is the child defiant, disobedient or stubborn?

13)    How is your child’s  self -confidence?

14)    What are the traits your child shares in common with his/her mother?  What are the traits your child shares in common with his/her father?

Mental Sphere

1)    Does the child have any problems with memory?

2)     How is the child’s ability to concentrate?

3)     Is the child religious?

4)     I occasionally  mentor other homeopaths.  Would you be willing to have another homeopath or student homeopath sit in on the case taking process  with your child?

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

Homeopathic Questionnaire for Case Taking

What is your name?

What is your date of birth?

What is your address?

What are your phone numbers?

Please answer as many of the following questions as you can in preparation for your initial consultation.  If you find this difficult to do, don’t worry about it, we will explore further during your session, and I will help you tell me the story of your illness.

Please tell me about the genetic background of the family:  diseases of parents, grandparents and siblings.

Physical Sphere

1)     What are your physical complaints?  When did each of them begin, and what   makes them feel better or worse?

2)     What foods do you have a craving for?  Are there any foods that you have an aversion to?  Are there any foods that aggravate you in any way?

3)     Please tell me what you eat on an average day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?

4)     How thirsty are you?  What do you like to drink?  Do you use ice in your drinks?

5)     Please tell me what your physical and emotional responses are to the following weather conditions: sunny weather, rainy weather, thunder and lighting storms?

6)     Would you say that you are more sensitive to the heat or cold?  Are any parts of your body colder or hotter than other parts?

7)     Is there a natural environment that you prefer or feel better at?  For example, ocean, mountains, desert.

8 )    Do you have any problems with sleep, such as frequent waking, or difficulty falling asleep?  Do you like to sleep well covered, or do you uncover your arms or feet?  What is your favorite sleep position?

9)     What is the time of the day when you feel most energetic?  What time of the day do you feel most tired?  Please be specific as to times, and let me know from when to when?  What time are your symptoms most troublesome?

10)    How often do you catch colds?  What symptoms do you typically have during a cold?

11)    For women: How are your periods?  Are you experiencing any PMS symptoms?  If you are in menopause or perimenopause, are you experiencing any problems?

For men:   Do you have any sexual problems, please explain.

12)    What kind of exercise do you do?  Do you feel better or worse from exercising?

13)    Do you have any problems with your skin?  Please describe.

14)    Do you have a tendency to perspire, day or night, and on which part of your body?

15)    Have you experienced any accidents, which have caused health problems?

16)    Are your fingernails and toenails healthy?  Please indicate if there is any thickening, ridging or discoloration of the nails.

17)    What medications are you taking, and what are they for?

18)       Have you had homeopathic treatment in the past? Please let me know the remedies you have taken, the potencies, the dates you took them and about your response to the different remedies. Also, please me know about other treatments you have had for your health conditions.

Personal History

            Please tell me where you were born, the number of kids in your family, about your relationship with your parents and siblings, your education, work history, marriage, etc.   Please bring me up to today.  I would appreciate you sharing any information that think would help me formulate an understanding of you and your personal circumstances.  Everything you say to me will be kept confidential. This section is very important to my understanding of your case, so please do not forget to complete it.

Emotional Sphere

1)     What are the activities you enjoy doing?

2)     Are you a moody person?  What are the moods you tend to go into?  Do you get depressed or cry easily?

3)     Do you tend to get angry or impatient?  Do you show your anger openly or try to hide it?  How do you express your anger?

4)     What are your fears?  Are there any situations where you feel anxious?  Do you fear any animals?

5)     Are you a worrier?  What do you worry about?

6)     Do you have a tendency to dwell on the past?

7)     When you are feeling upset do you want consolation, or to be left alone?

8 )     Are you a sympathetic person?

9)     Are you perfectionistic in any area of your life?  Which areas?

10)    Do you tend to be neat or messy at home and at work?

11)    Are there any types of people that you do not get along with?

12)    Do you like to read, and if so, which types of reading matter?

13)    Do you experience nightmares, or recurring dream themes?  If you would like to, you can tell me a dream that you feel is significant.

14)    When you have an appointment, do you tend to arrive on time, or do you come late?  How late do you run?

15)    Would you say you are a hurried person, or slow?

16)    Have you had any addictions in your life?  Do you have any bad habits, such as nail biting?

17)    How do you feel about animals?  Are you a big animal lover, or are you neutral or indifferent to them?

18)    Do you have a jealous streak?

Mental Sphere

1)    Do you have any problems with your memory?  What kinds of things do you have a problem remembering?

2)    How is your concentration?  Do you get distracted easily, or have difficulty focusing your attention on tasks?

3)    Are you religious?  Do you have a prayer or meditation practice?

4)    I mentor homeopathic students and visiting homeopaths from time to time.  Would you be willing to allow another homeopath to sit in on the case taking process?

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

I spend a great deal of my day in the kitchen cooking for my family, and once in a while I get distracted and get one of those everyday kitchen burns. This is when I reach for the jar of Urtica urens sitting on the shelf above my cereals, so that I have easy access to it when I need it. This cream relieves the pain and repercussions from the common first degree household burn very easily. For more serious burns, I will usually combine it with Hypericum and Calendula creams, and for very serious burns I will take a dose of Cantharis 30C or Arsenicum album 30C internally to help with the pain and prevent infection.

I had call to use this protocol when my son, who was 20 at the time, burnt himself on a camping trip. He had a third degree burn that covered the entire area of his right forearm. He had burnt himself two days earlier, and unfortunately, did not have his mom’s homeopathic first aid kit with him, so he suffered with severe pain for about four hours when someone found some Arnica cream, which he applied to his arm. This helped take the edge off the pain.

When he came home I applied a combination of the three creams I mentioned above, Urtica urens cream, Hypericum cream to help with the injury to the nerves, and Calendula cream for general wound healing, and then wrapped the arm with a bandage.

By the time my son got home he was already out of most of his pain, but all the pain disappeared promptly after the application of the creams. I also decided to give him a dose of Cantharis 30C. This remedy is excellent for scald burns and third degree burns.

I had a similar burn to my son’s ten years earlier when I poured a cup of boiling hot water on my arm. At that time I applied the creams right away, as I was lucky enough to have them on hand, but I was still in considerable pain, so I decided to take Cantharis 30C. It took away the pain within minutes of the remedy dissolving under my tongue, and I was able to carry on my nightly activities as though no mishap had occurred. Only in the morning when I examined my arm and saw the large blisters, did I realize I had a third degree burn. Would that all hospital emergency rooms and home medicine chests had these wonderful homeopathic remedies and creams on hand to help burn victims effectively and quickly.

The focus of this book is on homeopathic first aid remedies and the application of homeopathic first aid creams, but Urtica urens has a lot of other uses for general health, which I will mention below:

1)         Urtica urens is the first remedy to be thought of for first degree burns.  For second and third degree burns and scald burns, consider taking remedies, such as Cantharis, Arsenicum, Causticum and others. There are 181 remedies listed in my materia medica software for burns, so it would behoove you to contact a knowledgeable homeopath to get help with the treatment of serious burns and their after effects. Urtica urens can also help with old burns that have never healed well.

2)         Utrica urens has a lot to do with lactation. It has a reputation for helping women build up their milk supply when it is scanty, and it also helps nursing mothers who have no milk at all, a condition called agalactorrhea. Urtica urens can also help dry up the milk supply in women who are weaning. The remedy also helps with inappropriate lactation, such as the presence of milk in women who have never had children, or are not currently nursing children. Swelling of the breasts is another symptom of this remedy. I have never actually done this, but it would be interesting to experiment with rubbing the cream on the breasts to assist mothers who want to increase their milk production, or decrease it if they are weaning their baby.

3)         Urtica urens has a big reputation for helping with the uric acid diathesis, or lithiasis, which is the presence of stones and calculi in the internal organs. This means it can help with the pain and inflammation of gout, and with the evacuation of kidney stones, calculi in the urine, and gallstones.

4)         Urtica urens, like Apis mellifica, is one of our remedies for allergic hives.  The word urticaria or nettle rash actually comes from Urtica urens. The rash is an allergic reaction characterized by raised red skin welts, with a white central spot that itches intolerably. Swelling and burning of the skin can also be a feature of the urticaria. The allergic reaction can be triggered by contact with an allergen, such as this plant itself, poison oak or Rhus exposure, or a food allergen, such as fish, shell-fish and meat. This remedy is known to help with all of these types of allergens. The rash can also be triggered by emotional stress and cold weather. The hives of Urtica urens are relieved by rubbing, lying down, and aggravated by warm bathing, vigorous exercise and the snow.

5)         Urtica urens can also help with itching or pruritis (another word for itch) in various parts of the body. It is mentioned in the texts for itching of the scrotum, that keeps the patient up all night. It is also listed for intense vaginal itch.

6)         Urtica urens helps reduce the pain and swelling of bee and wasp bites.  Compare with Apis mellifica and Ledum palustre for insect and bee bites. Urtica urens is one of 93 remedies listed in my computer materia medica software for snake bites. Obviously seek professional help, including the help of a professional homeopath if you have been bitten by a snake.

7)    Here is a list of unusual symptoms mentioned in various materia medicas for Urtica urens:

Chicken pox

Sunburn with intense burning and itching

Urticaria alternating with rheumatism

Urticaria with pinworms

Right deltoid rheumatism

Dr. Compton Burnett used it for the treatment of ague, which is an archaic term for a fever, with paroxysms of sweating and chills, such as a malarial or typhoid fever.  He used this remedy successfully in a lot of such cases.

The most common types of pains that Urtica urens has are burning pains, stinging pains, and stitching pains.

The primary condition that I would use this cream for is first degree burns.  For non first aid uses of the remedy, I would consider taking it in potency and consulting a professional homeopath to make sure you have selected the best remedy for the patient.

Here is a list of conditions that Symphytum can help with.

1)         Injuries to bones, cartilage, tendons and periosteum. Symphytum helps with the non-union of fractures, with mending bones that are slow to heal, and where the wound has penetrated into the bones. It helps with pain remaining in the periosteum or lining of the bones after the wound has healed. 

2)         Injuries to the eyes. Symphytum helps with mechanical injuries to the eyes, such as blows from blunt objects. Examine Arnica and Ruta for this kind of injury as well. Think of Symphytum for injuries to the orbits of the eye.

3)        Like Arnica, Symphytum helps with blows, falls and bruises, and even helps with the tendency to have such mishaps. The remedy can help with bruises to the tendons and bones.

4)        Like Ruta, Symphytum helps with sprains, and injuries from overlifting or straining of muscles, bones and tendons.

5)         Symphytum should be thought of for fractures due to osteoporosis.

6)         Symphytum can help with diseases of the bones, such as inflammation of the bones, inflammation of the inferior maxillary bone and cancer of the bones or sarcomas. It can also help with necrosis of the bone.

7)      Here is a list of other conditions that Symphytum can help with:

a)     Corns

b)     Gunshot wounds

c)     Head injuries, concussions, fractures of the skull, splintered bones.

d)     Perineum wounds

e)     Phantom limb pain after amputation of limbs and fingers.

f)     Psoas abscess and abscesses of the lower limbs.

g)     Tennis elbow

h)     Twisted or sprained ankles.

i)      A symptom that seems out of place is weakness, and prostration from sexual excess.

Here is a list of some of the sensations common to Symphytum: pain as if the bone is broken; gnawing, jerking, pricking, sticking, digging, burning, stitching, and bruised pains.

The best way to remember this remedy is to keep in mind the great affinity that it has with bones and the diseases of bones. When bones are injured the patient will most often be wearing a cast, so I would give a  potentized dose of Symphytum in this instance. 

When someone has fractured a bone, I would consider giving the following three remedies in succession:

First I would give Arnica in potency for the trauma, shock and bruising, and to prevent excessive blood loss from the injury. After several days (or even sooner, if the patient is in a lot of discomfort), I would follow with Ruta graveolens in the 30C or 200C strength. 

I would give Symphytum last so that it will have the longest time to work on the injury and mend the fracture. I would administer this in the 30C or 200C strength. I have seen this protocol work well to heal the fractured bones of many clients over the years.

http://www.homeopathyforhealth.net/2010/02/18/adult-questionnaire/

Prior to scheduling your initial consultation I would like to talk to you on the phone or via Skype, so that we can get a sense as to whether we are a good match and can work well together.

The initial consultation by phone, Skype or in person                                   $350

Follow up consultations by phone, Skype or in person                                 $140

     at less than five weeks from last appt.

Follow up consultations from six weeks to one year since last appt.        $165

Follow up consultations at one year or more since last appt.                      $200

ADDITIONAL SERVICES OFFERED

Discounted Hourly Rate Consultation for Family Members who Schedule an Initial Consultation  within one month of each other:                                              $90/hour

This includes my time to review the questionnaire, take the case, repertorize, compose the letter and mail the remedy.

Quick acute or trauma consultation                                                                      $90

This is available to clients who have already had an initial and follow up consultation. It  is for emergency acute or trauma conditions where a thorough examination of the case is not necessary to make a prescription.

Internet consultation fee                                                                                          $50

This is for requests for advice over the internet where I have to examine the client’s chart to make a recommendation.  This charge does not apply to clients on LM potencies, asking questions about whether to stop or start their bottles.  It also does not apply to the two week progress report after taking the remedy, or when I request a progress report.

Remedy Mailing fee                                                                                                    $30

This fee is for people who request that I mail them a remedy, who do not feel they need a consultation.  This covers cost of mailing, my time to compose a letter, post the information to the clients chart, pack the remedy, and the expense of following up with progress reports.

Frequent E-mail Contact fee                                                  $15/e-mail in excess of 3/month.

This fee is intended to discourage frequent contact with me via e-mail and to compensate me for time and energy spent on responding to excessive e-mails.

I am looking forward to meeting or talking to you on the phone and working with you to improve your health.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns, or if you would like to schedule an appointment.

Thank you for considering homeopathic treatment for your child. The way I work is that I ask you to complete the pediatric questionnaire and e-mail it back to me. This will let me know that you are ready to schedule an initial consultation. The questionnaire facilitates the information gathering process, enables me to begin repertorizing your child’s case prior to seeing him or her, and frees us up to use our time together to explore the root causes of your child’s health problems in a deeper way. Here is the link to the questionnaire:

http://www.homeopathyforhealth.net/2010/02/18/childrens-questionnaire/

Prior to scheduling the initial consultation for your child I would like to talk to you on the phone or via Skype, so that we can get a sense as to whether we are a good match and can work well together.

The initial consultation by phone, Skype or in person                                    $350

Follow up consultations by phone, Skype or in person                                  $140

     at less than five weeks since last appointment.

Follow up consultations from six weeks to one year since last appt.         $165

Follow up consultations at one year and above since last appt.                   $200

ADDITIONAL SERVICES OFFERED

Discounted Hourly Rate Consultation for Family Members who Schedule an Initial Consultation  within one month of each other:                                              $90/hour

This includes my time to review the questionnaire, take the case, repertorize, compose the letter and mail the remedy.

Quick acute or trauma consultation                                                                      $90

This is available to clients who have already had an initial and follow up consultation. It  is for emergency acute or trauma conditions where a thorough examination of the case is not necessary to make a prescription.

Internet consultation fee                                                                                          $50

This is for requests for advice over the internet where I have to examine the client’s chart to make a recommendation.  This charge does not apply to clients on LM potencies, asking questions about whether to stop or start their bottles.  It also does not apply to the two week progress report after taking the remedy, or when I request a progress report.

Remedy Mailing fee                                                                                                    $30

This fee is for people who request that I mail them a remedy, who do not feel they need a consultation.  This covers cost of mailing, my time to compose a letter, post the information to the clients chart, pack the remedy, and the expense of following up with progress reports.

Frequent E-mail Contact fee                                                  $15/e-mail in excess of 3/month.

This fee is intended to discourage frequent contact with me via e-mail and to compensate me for time and energy spent on responding to excessive e-mails.

I am looking forward to meeting or talking to you and working with you on your child’s health.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns, or if you would like to schedule an appointment. I wish you all the best.

1) Thoughts – purify the mind. Feel good will toward all beings, especially the people you live with. Practice forgiveness of self and others.

2) Exert your will to eliminate and overcome resentful thoughts, jealous thoughts, worry thoughts, guilty thoughts, etc. These I call evils of the soul.

3) Keep emotions in balance. Do not indulge in emotional excess, such as excessive grief, excessive hurt feelings, excessive anger, and excessive love or hate. Any emotion carried too far is a shock to the system and can cause illness.

4) Be wary of extraordinary efforts, such as the work involved in putting on a large wedding or Bar Mitzvah. Excessive effort is pushing activity too far, leaving the realm of harmony and balance, and can undermine health. Keep social obligations to a minimum.

5) Avoid excesses in studying. Evenings should be spent in rest, relaxation, family time, and spiritual endeavors, such as meditation. The mind needs time to unwind and relax before going to sleep. Doing homework too late at night and for too many hours in the evening can cause the student to lose his or her spiritual center and health. The feeling that there is nothing one has to do is one of the most healing and joyful emotions human beings can experience. This should be cherished, nurtured and safeguarded.

6) Avoid under working, which can be as damaging as overworking. Work must be in balance. Work gives meaning, satisfaction, feelings of self-worth, and security. When you work at what you love doing you feel happy, fulfilled, like you are contributing to the world. Working at what you do not love doing causes illness. If this is your situation work toward changing it and finding work that is more conducive to you.

7) Consciously place priority on the self in all things. When time is limited and you must make a choice of where to put your energies, always choose the self first. It is okay to neglect your housework. It is not okay to neglect yourself and your family.

Have a strong desire for health. Focus internally and see what works and what doesn’t. Actively eliminate faults and unhealthy habits. Watch out for unhappiness, and make adjustments in your life to bring it into happiness and harmony.

9) Exercise in balance. Neither overdo nor underdo it. Exercise should be a joyful experience. It’s purpose should not be to test your limits of endurance, but a celebration of your body, and an act of personal love. Do not push yourself to the point of exhaustion. When you have reached this point you have gone too far, and it is hard to recover. Exercise prevents osteoporosis, keeps the body flexible, young and graceful.

10) Keep entertainment in balance. This includes watching television, going to the movies and reading. Mental work must be done to process the information and emotions from these sources. This can tire the spirit, the mind, and the emotions, which need plenty of quiet time to balance the excessive intellectual stimulation of modern life.

11) Practice meditation. Meditation is transcending triple time – thoughts of the past, thoughts of the future and thoughts of the present. Make your life your laboratory, and practice non-thought formation when you are sitting, walking, driving, lying, working, washing and cooking, in all activities of your life. Set aside twenty minutes two to three times a day for introspection. This is an ideal. The closer you can come to doing this, the nearer you will be to the goal of perfect health.

12) Reduce sources of conflict in your life. Sometimes meditation can help with this. At other times active choices must be made to reduce tension and bring about peace.

13) Increase trust in survival. Neither be ecstatic about your successes nor devastated by your failures. Not everything is under your control. Sometimes it is necessary to let go of trying to make things happen, and go with the flow. Working hard does not guarantee your survival, and that you will have a reasonable standard of living. Therefore do not judge yourself harshly if you are not a great success, and have compassion for others who are less well off than you. Don’t be afraid to lose what you have. Usually when one door closes a better one opens up down the road.

14) Increase gratitude. Be wary of discontent. One promotes health, the other illness.

15) Eliminate doubting thoughts. These undermine your confidence, reduce your effectiveness, and waste emotional energy. Practice karma yoga when you work. Do your very best while you are executing the task. Afterward have no attachment to the results of your labors. Trust that you have done your best, and let go. Don’t think about it again. Forbid yourself to doubt your performance.

16) As the Buddha says, minimize desires. Possessing too much is as harmful as possessing too little. Seek the middle ground between these two extremes. Guard against greed and asceticism equally.

17) Perfectionism – excessive orderliness, organization, cleanliness, and attention to detail should be avoided. To maintain things in a perfect state requires an extraordinary expenditure of physical, and mental energy. We should be relaxed, balanced and harmonious in the way we work, and the way we maintain our homes and our physical bodies.

18) Responsibility – assuming too much responsibility is harmful, because we expend a disproportionate amount of energy, our life force, in comparison to other people we are involved with. The wise and healthy thing to do is not to take on responsibility for what we are not responsible for. As in all things the middle ground should be adhered to, where we are responsible for just the right amount.

19) Sympathy – being excessively sympathetic is a leading cause of illness and should be guarded against. When our emotions go out to others, they literally go out and we are in danger of losing our center. Once we lose our center it is very difficult to regain it. Watch out for situations where you feel too much sympathy. If you can avoid such situations, do so, if you can’t avoid them do your best to minimize their impact. Offer help when the opportunity arises, but let go quickly, and do not internalize other people’s pain. It can easily drag you down and disempower you, if you allow it to.

20) Weeping over the misery of the world – Lao-tzu, the Taoist sage, says that to spend a finite lifetime bemoaning the miseries of the world is like weeping into a river in fear of its drying up. This is not the most productive way to spend your time. There will always be suffering. It will be around long after you are gone. Be grateful for what you have and enjoy your life. Don’t waste your time crying over what you have no power to change. This way you won’t dissipate your emotional energy, and your power to effect changes within your reach will increase.

21) Alone time – make sure that you have time during the week to be by yourself, time that belongs to you, free of family and work obligations. If you are in a relationship, schedule alone time away from your partner and children each week. This is crucial to having good health. Too much togetherness in relationships is as harmful as too much aloofness. Find a healthy balance between these two extremes.

22) Eating – what you eat makes a difference in your health. Eat as healthy as possible and try to reduce habit foods to balanced levels. Eat a varied diet. Try to eat organic fruits and vegetables, and low on the food chain. Animal protein should be eaten in moderation. If you can eat everything without experiencing digestive problems, that’s wonderful. If not, respect what your body tells you in this regard and eat what you know you can handle. As with all things follow the middle way, eating neither too much, nor too little, but just the right amount.

23) Time bound awareness – living by the clock is a modern phenomenon, unnatural and unhealthy for human beings. Do what you can to minimize the impact of time awareness on yourself. The need to be on time adds an element of tension. It takes our attention from focusing internally on our personal needs and what makes us happy, to focusing externally on an object that regulates our behavior. Waking up by the alarm clock even though we feel a need to continue sleeping is an example of how time bound awareness causes us to stop listening to our inner needs and takes us out of harmony with ourselves.

I have heard many people say, “I have tried to meditate, but I just could not do it. I could not quiet my mind at all, so I gave up. It was just too difficult.” Yes, it’s true it is very difficult. It’s very difficult to break a lifetime of poor mental habits and conditioning, but persistence leads to success, which means a healthier mind and spirit.

I recommend just starting with five minutes a day of sitting quietly, and gradually building up to half an hour, forty-five minutes or an hour per day. If you cannot set aside time for formal sitting meditation, then meditate as you are commuting to work. Don’t turn the radio on. Instead watch your mind as you are driving, notice the emotions that come up, the thoughts, feelings, worries, fears, anxieties and the joys that pop into your head like bubbles on the surface of the ocean. Let those bubbles pop up, but don’t hold onto them. As soon as you notice a thought bubble, set it free, don’t pursue it, come back to quietness and your center. This is what meditation is, this noticing of thoughts, and feeling no attachment, attraction, or repulsion for them, but just noticing those thoughts rising and falling.

As you are doing this, to help quiet your mind you may try some simple breathing techniques, such as counting your breaths. Inhale to the count of five, hold to the count of five and exhale to the count of five, trying to make your breath peaceful and quiet. You may even go into samadhi, which is a state of deep inner calm. You may notice that your thoughts and your breath are inextricably linked. If you can quiet your breathing, your thoughts will quiet of themselves.

Now if you want to start practicing meditation in a disciplined fashion, you will derive the maximum benefit from it. Choose a time during the day, which you can designate to yourself and others as sacred personal time. You can choose to wake up an hour earlier in the morning, which is what I have done, and dedicate this hour to your spiritual life. If it is easier for you to meditate at night or in the afternoon, that will do as well.

Sit comfortably on a firm cushion that gives you good back support, or a straight back chair. If you are sitting on the floor, sit cross-legged, in lotus position if you are an advanced yogi, or with your legs tucked under you. The most important thing, however, is that your back is straight, and that you are not leaning forward or backward. In the beginning this may be very difficult for you to do, but with time your back muscles will become strong and you will be able to maintain this position with no difficulty. Now the chin should be ever so slightly lowered.

Rest your hands on your lap, with the right hand over the left, palm facing the ceiling, or if you are sitting cross-legged on the floor, you may lay your hands on the thighs, palms, up, with the thumb and pointer finger touching. Sit with your eyes closed, or half-way open. Practice the breathing which I mentioned above, and start to watch your mind. I sit for an hour every morning and sometimes it takes me fifty minutes before I start to feel that inner calm. Sometimes I don’t feel it, and sometimes I feel it right away. It is important to be loving and forgiving to yourself and accept whatever happens. There is a beautiful Taoist phrase which says, the mind is a difficult thing to clarify and an easy thing to muddy. What we are doing in meditating is clarifying the mind, and creating some inner quiet and inner space to hear the voice of our inner guidance, or the God that dwells within all of us.

Examples of thoughts that can cause illness and unhappiness are:

• Thoughts self-pity.
• Thoughts of I am not good enough.
• Jealous thoughts.
• Envious thoughts.
• Thoughts about money and survival issues.
• Anxieties about your own health and the health of family members.
• Sympathetic thoughts. (You allow yourself to feel another person’s or animal’s pain, your emotions going out to them, causing you to lose your own center.)
• Thoughts and feelings of grief and sorrow.
• Dwelling on bad things that happened in the past.
• Blaming thoughts.
• Feelings of resentment and anger.
• Thoughts about relationships. Do I or do I not love someone? Do they or do they not love me?
• Craving thoughts. Agitating oneself to buy things.
• Feelings of dissatisfaction or lack of contentment with one’s life, place where one lives.
• Doubting thoughts (I did not do a good job. People will not like my performance). These types of thoughts disempower you and reduce your effectiveness in the world. They also waste emotional energy.
• Thoughts about the news, articles that you’ve read, books, movies, T.V. shows, etc. that have made an impression on you.
• Thoughts about what other people think about you.
• Thoughts about all the things you have to do.
• Obsessive thoughts.
• Fearful thoughts.
• Thoughts about food (that it is not good for you, that it will make you fat).
• Obsession about weight.
• Judgmental thoughts (looking for faults in what people do). 

If you are self-observant, or train yourself to be, you will notice that in response to a thought you might flex your big toe, clench your teeth, tighten your neck or abdominal muscles, feel tension in your chest, contort your facial muscles, raise your eyebrows, alter your breathing rate, experience changes in your bowel movements, increase the frequency of urination, experience sleep disturbances, or sensations of fear and anxiety. This is solid proof that thoughts locate in the body and have health consequences.

All of the above thought categories can trigger feelings of anxiety. If they have become habitual thought patterns, they can lay down the groundwork for illness. Take note of the ones that cause the greatest distress, and work on them first.

When these thoughts rear their heads take an imaginary ax and cut them down at the root, bringing your mind back to stillness. With time you should be able to eliminate or at least minimize these troublesome thought categories, and the moments of mental stillness and calm should increase. These thoughts have had years to plant roots in the mind and it is a long-term process to weed them out. They are the source of our fears, anxieties, vices and illnesses.

There are various meditation techniques that have been developed to still the mind, such as quieting the breath and abdominal breathing, as well as visualization exercises, and sitting meditation. In addition to practicing formal sitting meditation, it is also valuable to regard your life as your laboratory, and practice non-thought formation as you are lying, sitting, driving and walking, and in all activities of your life.

Cultivate and guard the stillness you manage to attain from meditation as if it were a precious jewel. In time it will grow, and you will find that happiness, peace, contentment and wisdom reside within it.

There are many roads to health, but in the end they converge at the principle of purity and health of the mind. The Buddha was a spiritual teacher, but also a healer, he wanted to find the way to eliminate suffering and what he came up with was the Eightfold Path or the Middle Way: “Right view, right aim, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”

As a homeopath, I have come to the same list. The homeopathic remedies cure only if the will to health is there, and though they will stimulate the healing process, they will stop if too many errors of living or evils of the soul are not addressed by the individual. Greater than the power of the remedy is personal responsibility and the desire to grow and develop into the healthiest and happiest human being possible.

Remedies will carry you a long way toward health, but the refining process is a spiritual one involving making the mind, thought processes and emotions as healthy as possible. Meditation is the method for undertaking this refining process, and the will to health and happiness is the driver of the vehicle, good food and right living is the gasoline, and the remedy is the trustworthy mechanic.

When I first started studying homeopathy I thought that the remedies could do everything and that personal effort or responsibility was not that important. After years of observation I noticed that if the remedy encountered an obstacle such as an error in living like over studying, or an error in thinking such as obsessive thoughts or over attachment that one persisted in, the individual would relapse.

When a point was arrived at when the individual should take action to improve the situation, but did not do so, the remedy withheld its blessing, and this withholding until the person sees the light, is itself healing work. When the person puts forth an effort to correct these errors, the remedy resumes its work.

The meaning of this is that the individual has to take personal responsibility to become a healthier individual by making the necessary changes and adjustments in their lives. Going from illness to health is a transformation involving all facets of an individual’s life. It involves letting go of ways of being that stress the system, going beyond convention and questioning concepts that are taken for granted. It entails placing a greater value on the self than society and our conditioning tells us we should.

The following is a chart showing the difference between healthy and unhealthy ways of being and mental processes.

Rajan Sankaran has taken Hahnemann’s work and expanded the three original miasms to ten miasms. I would not be mentioning this concept except for the fact that knowledge of the miasms has made prescribing remedies far more accurate for me. In Sankaran’s system miasms represent a fundamental attitude toward life and pace of disease. This attitude is elicited from the client by asking him to tell you what his attitude is toward the chief complaint. If the homeopathic practitioner can identify that attitude and the pace of the disease he is far more likely to prescribe accurately,

Not long ago I had the opportunity to give a demonstration of how the miasms worked at the fall retreat of Integrated Healing Arts, a health center in Palo Alto, California that I am affiliated with. There was a woman there who had experienced hearing loss, and I wanted to demonstrate to the group how homeopathy worked by using her case as an example. I explained that in order to hone in on the remedy, it would be very helpful to understand her attitude and the pace of her disease. That information would bring us to the miasm that she fell into. Once we knew the miasm the remedy selection process would become much easier, as this would help to narrow down the range of possible remedies. I will list the miasms below and tell you what her attitude would be if she fell into that miasm:

The Acute Miasm: “This hearing loss has come on suddenly and it is a sudden and immediate threat to my survival. I am alarmed by it and in a state of panic. I am terrified that I will not regain my hearing.” The acute miasm is like a sudden storm. You react to it with instinctive terror. Either you survive the storm or it takes you down. Some of our well-known remedies from the acute miasm are Belladonna and Aconite. In this example the woman is in a panic state about her hearing loss.  This is an alarming situation.

The Typhoid Miasm: If the woman in our example needed a remedy from the typhoid miasm, she would view her illness as an emergency, and may even go to the hospital. This is a sub-acute, rather than an acute situation. It is a crisis that needs to be overcome, a critical situation that demands immediate attention. Once it is overcome she will be fine. The typhoid miasm is characterized by a sense of urgency and impatience. There is hope that with the proper effort and care, she will recover. Nux vomica, Bryonia, and Rhus toxicodendron are well known remedies from the typhoid miasm.
The Psoric Miasm: There is a basic optimism in the attitude of people who fall into the psoric miasm. This is the healthiest miasmatic type, as the attitude to life is the healthiest. In the example of the woman with hearing loss, she would feel optimistic about her prognosis. “I will recover.” I have to make an effort, but the situation is solvable.  Healthy children often need remedies from the psoric miasm, such as Calcarea carbonica, Sulphur and Lycopodium.

The Ringworm Miasm: The woman in our example needing a remedy from the ringworm miasm would alternate in her attitude from acceptance that she has this condition to a desire to struggle against it. Basically she feels like she can live with it if she has to, though she would rather not. It is not a life threatening condition. At one moment she is hopeful that she will regain her hearing, in the next moment she gives up and resigns herself to it. Dulcamara, Calcarea sulfurica and Calcarea silicata are a few remedies from this miasm.

The Malaria Miasm: If the woman in our example needed a remedy from the malaria miasm, she would feel very unfortunate to have this problem, and harassed by the hearing loss. She would feel that it was impeding her ability to function. This incident of hearing loss may not be the first time she has experienced this complaint, as periodicity and intermittent attacks characterize this miasm. She may brood about the problem, or go into attacks of rage that she has this condition. Our two biggest remedies of the malaria miasm are Natrum muriaticum and China Officinalis.

The Sycotic Miasm: Our lady with the hearing loss would definitely not want anybody to know about this problem, if she needed a sycotic remedy. As long as she can keep her condition a secret from others, she is okay. If they find out they might think she is too old or unqualified to do her job. This is her hidden weakness, and it is a fixed problem that she has to accept, because it is not going away anytime soon. She has to avoid situations where her secret may be discovered, and she feels under qualified to do her job. Thuja, Silica and Medorrhinum are well-known remedies from the sycotic miasm.

The Cancer Miasm: The woman in our example would be very perfectionistic.  Keeping in control of her life and all things in it would be her modus operandi.  The hearing loss would mean loss of control to her, and she would feel a need to regain control over this situation as fast as possible, otherwise her life would fall apart and we would have utter chaos. She has set high standards for herself, which she feels are beyond her capacity to achieve. She may feel desperate to regain her hearing and therefore control over her life. The task may seem huge to her, but it is not a completely desperate situation. Some well-known remedies from the cancer miasm are Arsenicum album, Argentum nitricum, Carcinosin, Conium, and Ignatia amara.

The Tubercular Miasm: Taking our example of the woman with the hearing loss, if she needed a remedy from this miasm she would have a great love of travel. She could feel bored easily from staying in one place too long, and have a longing for freedom and change. She could feel trapped by the hearing loss, if she perceives it as curtailing her freedom. She may lead a very intense and hectic life as she prepares for her next adventure. Well-known remedies of this miasm are Tuberculinum, Tarentula, Phosphorus and Iodine.

The Leprosy Miasm: The woman in our example would feel like a leper, because of the hearing loss. She would feel like she has been outcasted by society and isolated, because of this problem. No one will want to be friends with her, because she can’t hear what they say properly. She will even possibly loath herself. She may feel less than others, dirty and disgusted with herself for having this problem. She may feel intensely hopeless that she will be able to find a solution to the hearing loss. The most well-known remedy of the Leprous miasm is Sepia. Some other remedies from this miasm are Aloe, and Secale.

The Syphilitic Miasm: As we move from the top of the list to the bottom of the list of miasms, we move from more healthy states to less healthy states, more optimistic attitudes to complete pessimism. The syphilitic miasm is the darkest of the miasms in terms of attitude. Here the feeling is of utter desperation, but she still must make an effort to try to recover. The woman in our example would feel that there is absolutely no hope, but still she has to try to be normal again. She may contemplate desperate solutions, and throw all caution to the wind. The syphilitic miasm is self destructive and destructive of others. Suicide and homicide can be contemplated and successfully executed in this miasm. Paranoid and psychotic states are also often present. The pathology itself may be very deep: ulceration and destruction of tissue may be taking place. Our heavy metals, such as Aurum metallicum, Mercurius and its salts, Plumbum metallicum and Platina fall into this miasm. Our poisonous snake remedies like Lachesis muta are also syphilitic remedies.

Conclusion

The understanding of miasms is extremely beneficial in selecting the homeopathic remedy for the patient.  Matching the symptoms of the patient to the symptoms of the remedy is our first job as homeopaths. Being able to match miasms as well, gives us a way to confirm the prescription and understand the patient in a deeper way. For more information on miasms, please read Louis Klein’s new book: Miasms and Nosodes, published in 2009 by Narayana Publishers.

Level One corresponds to remedies that are below 30C in strength in the centesimal scale, and the LM1 and LM2 potencies in the LM scale. People who need this strength often suffer from diseases where there is already much pathology, and the memory is often severely impaired. Here the only thing the patient can tell you of his disease is the diagnosis. He is not in touch with deeper levels of himself, such as his emotions and dreams. He may even have trouble describing the symptoms and sensations that he feels. Sankaran gives the analogy of asking a person to describe the Golden Gate Bridge. A person who is at Level One would only be able to tell you its name.

Level Two corresponds to the 30C strength and LM3. Here the patient can describe the symptoms well, but is not in touch with his feelings. If you asked him to describe the Golden Gate Bridge, he would be able to tell you many facts about it, such as its height, breadth, where it spans, when and by whom it was built, but can go no further.

Level Three corresponds to the 200C strength of the remedy. Here the patient can describe the symptoms well, and is very in tune with what he or she is feeling, but has little dream awareness, and is unaware of deeper attitudes and beliefs. Going back to the analogy of the Golden Gate Bridge, the patient would say that he is moved to tears whenever he sees the bridge. When the clouds pass overhead and touch the wires at the top of the bridge it fills him with a feeling of melancholy.

Level Four corresponds to the 1M strength of the remedy. Here the patient is able to describe the symptoms and his emotional life well, and going beyond that he can tell you about his dreams, and his perception of life. Sankaran calls this the delusion level. Here the patient is able to express his false view of reality, which he takes to be real. This false view of reality can be a core belief or attitude caused by past traumas, inherited tendencies, or even past lives, which affects the way the individual responds to his current experience. In the earlier levels, even though the patient is under the influence of this false view of reality, he is unable to express it. As we go deeper in the levels, the vital force becomes progressively stronger. Children and healthy adults often respond very well to the 1M strength of the remedy. On the bridge analogy, the person would say the bridge is immense and I feel powerless when I measure myself against it. The delusion here is of powerlessness. 

Level Five corresponds to the 10M strength, or what Sankaran calls the Sensation Level. At this level the person is in touch with the source substance of the remedy that he needs. If he needs a remedy from the animal kingdom, he will express the victim-aggressor theme that is common to animal remedies.  If he needs a remedy from the mineral kingdom, he will express issues with structure, or a lack within himself. If he needs a plant remedy issues around sensitivity will be expressed, which will help the homeopath determine the remedy that is needed.

At the sensation level the patient’s speech, becomes more abstract as she expresses concepts that are non-human specific. Hand gestures come into play as the patient reflects qualities of the source substance, which comes from the non-human world, and can apply equally to the plant, mineral or animal kingdom.  The 10M strength of the remedy is needed by very healthy children and adults, or in people where much of what you see is the source substance, with some of the common human characteristics, such as the ability to speak, are sublimated, as in some autistic children. 

Going back to the bridge analogy, the person would express the energy of the bridge itself through gesture, movement and in their behavior. A few years ago I treated an autistic child with Mercuriu vivus 10M. In addition to having many symptoms pointing toMercurius vivus in his case, he also had a peculiar habit of walking around with two objects in his hand, trying to merge them together, just as rolling balls of Mercury try to merge together. He made great strides on this remedy. His autism occurred upon receiving a flu shot.  Flu shots contain Thimerosol, a preservative containing mercury.  The U.S. government outlawed Thimerosol in children’s vaccines in 1999, but it is still present in the flu shot. Interestingly there was a significant reduction in autism rates in the United States following the outlawing of Thimerosol in children’s vaccines. From this child’s adverse reaction to the flu shot, it is clear that this ban should also be extended to the flu shot.

The sixth level corresponds to the 50M strength. Remedies from the 10M strength on up should only be prescribed by very experienced homeopaths. Severe and long lasting aggravations can be experienced by those who take these remedies inappropriately. In Sankaran’s system of the seven levels and bridge analogy, the person who needs a remedy of this strength would see no difference between himself and the bridge. He and the bridge are one.

The seventh level corresponds to the CM strength in Sankaran’s system and this would correspond to the mystic’s samadhi. All is one.

Furthering our knowledge:

3)      We have learned about the various potencies of the homeopathic remedies and their application, and have had a brief introduction into Sankaran’s Sensation Method and Seven Levels.

 One Remedy at a Time

Hahnemann stressed the importance of giving only one remedy at a time to the patient.  The reason for this is that the remedies are proven one at a time, and our knowledge of the remedies is based on the provings. Since the remedies are not proven in combination, we would not be able to predict what a combination remedy would do. Many homeopaths believe that the job of the homeopath is to find the single substance in nature that is expressing itself in the symptoms of the patient. Sankaran says that disease is the non-human element, or the non-human song, which is playing itself in the instrument of the patient, but is out of place there. The patient’s symptoms, sensations, attitudes, and delusions point the way to that single substance in nature. When the perfect fit has been found, there will be a resonance, which will silence that non-human element, which is out of place and free the patient to be the healthy person he or she is meant to be. What distinguishes a classical homeopath from a non-classical homeopath is adherence to the rule of one remedy at a time.

Where Remedies Come From

Now I want to talk about where remedies come from. Hahnemann and his colleagues proved over one hundred remedies on themselves. Since then thousands of remedies have been added to the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia. The Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States is the official compendium for homeopathic remedies in the U.S. Provings of new remedies are being conducted all over the world, making homeopathy a very dynamic and endlessly evolving science. As I have said before, the remedies come from the animal, mineral, and plant kingdoms. Some people recognize five or six kingdoms rather than the traditional three, and count algae, bacteria, and fungi as kingdoms in their own right, rather than including them with the plant or animal kingdoms. The nosodes would be classed with the bacterial kingdom. Nosodes are remedies that are made from disease substances, such as Tuberculinum, Carcinosin and Medorrhinum.

Homeopaths since Hahnemann’s time have attempted to make the study of remedies easier by grouping the remedies according to their botanical classification and comparing them to see if they have similar properties. This has been a very popular trend in the last twenty years, and Sankaran and others have gone a long way toward mapping plant sensations to help make the selection of remedies derived from plants more scientific.

Other homeopathic researchers have been doing the same thing with the mineral kingdom. Jan Scholten, Rajan Sankaran, Roger Morrison, Louis Klein and others have pioneered this work with the mineral kingdom, showing us that minerals on the same row on the periodic table of the elements share fundamental qualities, as do those on the same column. Homeopaths are exploring the idea that the periodic table of the elements is a map of human development from conception through the highest states of human development.

 Much research has been done by homeopaths, such as Jonathan Shore, who wrote a book called, “Birds Homeopathic Remedies from the Avian Realm,” and Nancy Herrick, who wrote “Animal Minds, Human Voices,” to increase our knowledge of the remedies from the animal kingdom. All of this research on the various kingdoms has extremely practical application in clinical practice, as it helps homeopaths determine what kingdom the patient falls into–animal, plant, mineral, and then to make appropriate selections within the kingdom, so that they can make accurate prescriptions for their patients.

Thanks to the efforts of the homeopathic light-bearers, the work of all homeopaths is becoming more scientifically based, and the practice of prescribing more accurate. The other marvelous thing about this is that the remedy names that we see in our repertories and materia medicas are now coming to life for us, as we begin to connect them in our minds to the substances from which they come. To be a great homeopath, one must understand botany, chemistry, physics, psychology, the nature of consciousness, human disease, the therapeutic action of homeopathic remedies and so much more. It is truly a very rewarding lifetime study.

Miasms in homeopathy

I would be remiss to end this introduction to homeopathy without talking about the concept of miasms. Samuel Hahnemann introduced this term to homeopathy in his little book called, “Chronic Diseases.” It took him twelve years of study to write this book. He wanted to understand how come many patients were not responding to what he considered to be well chosen remedies. He decided that the reason was the presence of a miasmatic or genetic taint, which was getting in the way of their healing. He identified three primary miasms or genetic taints at that time: psora, or the suppressed itch, which he called the mother of all disease, and syphilis and sycosis. The last two come from sexually transmitted diseases.  Other miasms could be created from combinations of these three miasms. The Tuberculosis miasm was a combination of psora and syphilis. Cancer was a trimiasmatic disease, as all three miasms had to be present to create this condition. Hahnemann recommended prescribing intercurrent doses of nosodes in cases that were not progressing to help remove the genetic taint.   

Rajan Sankaran has taken Hahnemann’s work and expanded the three original miasms to ten miasms. I would not be mentioning this concept except for the fact that knowledge of the miasms has made prescribing remedies far more accurate for me. In Sankaran’s system miasms represent a fundamental attitude toward life and pace of disease. This attitude is elicited from the client by asking him to tell you what his attitude is toward the chief complaint. If the homeopathic practitioner can identify that attitude and the pace of the disease he is far more likely to prescribe accurately,

Not long ago I had the opportunity to give a demonstration of how the miasms worked at the fall retreat of Integrated Healing Arts, a health center in Palo Alto, California that I am affiliated with. There was a woman there who had experienced hearing loss, and I wanted to demonstrate to the group how homeopathy worked by using her case as an example. I explained that in order to hone in on the remedy, it would be very helpful to understand her attitude and the pace of her disease. That information would bring us to the miasm that she fell into. Once we knew the miasm the remedy selection process would become much easier, as this would help to narrow down the range of possible remedies. I will list the miasms below and tell you what her attitude would be if she fell into that miasm:

The Acute Miasm: “This hearing loss has come on suddenly and it is a sudden and immediate threat to my survival. I am alarmed by it and in a state of panic. I am terrified that I will not regain my hearing.” The acute miasm is like a sudden storm. You react to it with instinctive terror. Either you survive the storm or it takes you down. Some of our well-known remedies from the acute miasm areBelladonna and Aconite. In this example the woman is in a panic state about her hearing loss.  This is an alarming situation.

The Typhoid Miasm: If the woman in our example needed a remedy from the typhoid miasm, she would view her illness as an emergency, and may even go to the hospital. This is a sub-acute, rather than an acute situation. It is a crisis that needs to be overcome, a critical situation that demands immediate attention. Once it is overcome she will be fine. The typhoid miasm is characterized by a sense of urgency and impatience. There is hope that with the proper effort and care, she will recover. Nux vomica, Bryonia, and Rhus toxicodendron are well known remedies from the typhoid miasm.

The Psoric Miasm: There is a basic optimism in the attitude of people who fall into the psoric miasm. This is the healthiest miasmatic type, as the attitude to life is the healthiest. In the example of the woman with hearing loss, she would feel optimistic about her prognosis. “I will recover.” I have to make an effort, but the situation is solvable.  Healthy children often need remedies from the psoric miasm, such as Calcarea carbonica, Sulphur and Lycopodium.

The Ringworm Miasm: The woman in our example needing a remedy from the ringworm miasm would alternate in her attitude from acceptance that she has this condition to a desire to struggle against it. Basically she feels like she can live with it if she has to, though she would rather not. It is not a life threatening condition. At one moment she is hopeful that she will regain her hearing, in the next moment she gives up and resigns herself to it. Dulcamara, Calcarea sulfurica and Calcarea silicata are a few remedies from this miasm.

The Malaria Miasm: If the woman in our example needed a remedy from the malaria miasm, she would feel very unfortunate to have this problem, and harassed by the hearing loss. She would feel that it was impeding her ability to function. This incident of hearing loss may not be the first time she has experienced this complaint, as periodicity and intermittent attacks characterize this miasm. She may brood about the problem, or go into attacks of rage that she has this condition. Our two biggest remedies of the malaria miasm areNatrum muriaticum and China Officinalis. 

The Sycotic Miasm: Our lady with the hearing loss would definitely not want anybody to know about this problem, if she needed a sycotic remedy. As long as she can keep her condition a secret from others, she is okay. If they find out they might think she is too old or unqualified to do her job. This is her hidden weakness, and it is a fixed problem that she has to accept, because it is not going away anytime soon. She has to avoid situations where her secret may be discovered, and she feels under qualified to do her job. Thuja, Silica andMedorrhinum are well-known remedies from the sycotic miasm.

The Cancer Miasm: The woman in our example would be very perfectionistic.  Keeping in control of her life and all things in it would be her modus operandi.  The hearing loss would mean loss of control to her, and she would feel a need to regain control over this situation as fast as possible, otherwise her life would fall apart and we would have utter chaos. She has set high standards for herself, which she feels are beyond her capacity to achieve. She may feel desperate to regain her hearing and therefore control over her life. The task may seem huge to her, but it is not a completely desperate situation. Some well-known remedies from the cancer miasm are Arsenicum album, Argentum nitricum, Carcinosin, Conium, and Ignatia amara.

The Tubercular Miasm: Taking our example of the woman with the hearing loss, if she needed a remedy from this miasm she would have a great love of travel. She could feel bored easily from staying in one place too long, and have a longing for freedom and change. She could feel trapped by the hearing loss, if she perceives it as curtailing her freedom. She may lead a very intense and hectic life as she prepares for her next adventure. Well-known remedies of this miasm are Tuberculinum, Tarentula, Phosphorus and Iodine.

The Leprosy Miasm: The woman in our example would feel like a leper, because of the hearing loss. She would feel like she has been outcasted by society and isolated, because of this problem. No one will want to be friends with her, because she can’t hear what they say properly. She will even possibly loath herself. She may feel less than others, dirty and disgusted with herself for having this problem. She may feel intensely hopeless that she will be able to find a solution to the hearing loss. The most well-known remedy of the Leprous miasm is Sepia.  Some other remedies from this miasm are Aloe, and Secale.

The Syphilitic Miasm: As we move from the top of the list to the bottom of the list of miasms, we move from more healthy states to less healthy states, more optimistic attitudes to complete pessimism. The syphilitic miasm is the darkest of the miasms in terms of attitude. Here the feeling is of utter desperation, but she still must make an effort to try to recover. The woman in our example would feel that there is absolutely no hope, but still she has to try to be normal again. She may contemplate desperate solutions, and throw all caution to the wind. The syphilitic miasm is self destructive and destructive of others. Suicide and homicide can be contemplated and successfully executed in this miasm. Paranoid and psychotic states are also often present. The pathology itself may be very deep: ulceration and destruction of tissue may be taking place. Our heavy metals, such as Aurum metallicum, Mercurius and its salts, Plumbum metallicumand Platina fall into this miasm. Our poisonous snake remedies like Lachesis muta are also syphilitic remedies.

He proceeded to ingest the China himself, and he became promptly sick with symptoms that were similar to malaria. Once he discontinued taking it the symptoms subsided. From this he concluded that the reason China cures malaria was that it caused symptoms that were similar to the disease malaria. He then formulated the concept of like cures like. Medicines heal when the symptoms they produce on healthy people are similar to the symptoms of the sick person who takes them. The symptoms of the medicines or their healing properties are determined by conducting provings in which healthy people ingest minute quantities of the substance and note the alterations in health on the mental, emotional and physical planes that they experience. When the sick person takes the medicine he comes under the influence of the medicinal substance, which is more powerful than his own disease and displaces it. The medicinal disease is short-lived, and when the medicinal symptoms pass the patient no longer experiences the symptoms for which he sought treatment. He is restored to health.

 Homeopathic Potencies and Methods of Taking the Remedy

Hahnemann also found that natural substances ingested in their crude form could have toxic side effects, so he developed a method whereby he could reduce the toxic effects and augment the power of the medicine to heal. This method is known as potentization. In potentization a substance is diluted from a few to many thousands of times and succussed or vigorously banged between dilutions to release the electromagnetic energy of the substance. The more times the substance has been put through this process the greater its strength, duration of action and depth of action.

The most common potencies prescribed are the 6C, 12C, 30C, 200C, 1M, 10M, LM and CM strengths. These are known as centesimal scale remedies. In the 6C dilution, for example, the substance has been diluted according to the ratio of one part substance to 100 parts water six times. By the time a substance has been potentized to the 12C dilution, the Avogadro number has been passed. This is the number beyond which any trace of the original substance will no longer be visible under an electron microscope.

Decimal scale remedies are also available in the same sequence listed above. In this scale one part of the original substance is diluted in ten parts of water. The decimal scale remedies are not as strong as the corresponding centesimal scale remedy.

As you move into the higher potencies on the centesimal and decimal scale, the remedies have to be repeated with caution, as the doses can hold for many months to many years, and it is not advisable to interrupt a dose that is actively working. For example I had an eleven-year-old boy in my office last year to whom I had prescribed Sulphur 1M on December 12, 2004. He came to see me exactly three years to the day since he took the one and only dose of that remedy. He came for the visit,  because he developed a rash in the armpit area and his mother wanted him to be treated for that. All his other health complaints, such as headaches, stomachaches, and attention deficit disorder had disappeared on the first dose. I received a call from his mother a week after we repeated the Sulphur 1M, and she told me that she took her son to a dermatologist on the same day that she saw me and he prescribed antibiotic cream and hydrocortisone to put on his skin as it was a staph infection. She tried to apply what the dermatologist had prescribed, but the boy refused it as it burned his skin, so instead she gave him the dose of Sulphur 1M and applied Calendula cream topically. She was very excited to let me know that everything cleared within two days. I am mentioning this case so you see the great power and duration of action of homeopathic remedies. That first dose held the boy three years. Homeopathic remedies need to be treated with respect and repeated only when symptoms that have improved begin to relapse for a while.

So far we have learned these facts about homeopathy:

1)         Like cures like.  Remedies are chosen for their similarity to the symptoms of the patient as determined by the provings.

2)         Homeopathic remedies are given in potentized or highly dilute and dynamized form.

A third way the remedies can be administered and prepared is in the LM potency form, sometimes known as Sixth Edition Prescribing, as this was the method Hahnemann recommended in the Sixth Edition of the Organon of the Medicinal Art, newly translated by Wenda Brewster O’Reilly, Ph.D. This is a form of the remedy that can be taken in water on a daily, every other day, or as needed basis. In this method a tiny amount of a natural substance is triturated, which means ground in a mortar and pestle, for three hours and then further diluted and succussed till it has been raised to a dilution of one part substance to 50,000 parts dilutant. This will be the LM1 strength. This is then applied to poppy seed granules impregnated with the remedy, and is also available in liquid form.  If in granules the homeopath will dissolve one or two granules in a 110 ml. or 4 oz. bottle. The patient will then succuss the bottle a specified number of times, such as 5, 8 or 10 times. After that he will take a teaspoon from the stock bottle, add it to 4 oz. of water in a cup, stir and drink a teaspoon, or specified quantity from the liquid in the cup.

By taking the remedy in water and adding succussions to the stock bottle the strength of the remedy is gradually increased or plussed. In this way the stimulus given to the patient is slightly different each time he takes it. The patient can take frequent doses of the remedy, which Hahnemann believed hastened the healing process along. My own experience with clients using the LM potencies is that in sensitive individuals one needs to be cautious with frequency of repetition, and only repeat when there is evidence that the last dose is wearing out, apparent by a return or worsening of symptoms that had been better.

I usually prescribe LM potencies to people who are taking many supplements, or are on prescription medications. It is also useful for people with deep pathology, or weakened vital forces. For people who are not taking any other medications, and have strong vital forces, I prefer to use the centesimal scale remedies as they are easier to use, and patients usually experience fewer day to day fluctuations in their symptoms than with the LM potencies. Centesimal scale remedies set up a healing process where you may have a brief intensification of symptoms in the beginning followed by long-term amelioration, and the time-line for when changes can be expected is more predictable. To learn more about LM potencies, please refer to  Aphorism 270 in the Organon of the Medical Art by Samuel Hahnemann.

Other methods of taking the remedy, which I am gaining more and more respect for are: by olfaction and by proximity (or what I call “the pillow dose.”)  In the olfactory method one holds the medicine bottle containing the dry pellets under one’s nose and inhales over it several times; or one can dissolve a few pellets in water in a glass jar, succuss it and inhale for a few seconds over the bottle. This is an excellent method that I often use during acute illnesses.

To administer a pillow dose, I put a few pellets of the remedy in a small coin envelope, which I then place under the sick person’s pillow. I recommend that the person lay or sleep on top of it for half an hour, an hour, several hours or even over night. I recently helped an autistic child overcome his severe dromomania or running away behavior with a dose of Iodium 1M under his pillow.

From this case you can see that the pillow dose should be given its due respect. I often use the pillow dose method for people who are doing well on a constitutional remedy, but then catch a cold, flu or other acute disease, and they need an energetic stimulus to help them recover. The pillow dose method works beautifully in this situation. There are also some people who are afraid to ingest homeopathic remedies, but are willing to take the remedy via pillow dose, and luckily it works. I have not been able to detect any evidence that this is less powerful than ingesting the remedy. I believe the mechanism by which this works is that rather than taking the energetic field of the remedy into oneself, which is what happens when we ingest the remedy, we enter into the energetic field of the remedy itself, via the pillow dose. Either way, the energetic exchange takes place.

Adding to our knowledge, we have learned:

3)      The difference between centesimal, and decimal scale remedies and LM potencies.  We also learned different ways to administer the remedy.

 One Remedy at a Time

Hahnemann stressed the importance of giving only one remedy at a time to the patient.  The reason for this is that the remedies are proven one at a time, and our knowledge of the remedies is based on the provings. Since the remedies are not proven in combination, we would not be able to predict what a combination remedy would do. Many homeopaths believe that the job of the homeopath is to find the single substance in nature that is expressing itself in the symptoms of the patient. Sankaran says that disease is the non-human element, or the non-human song, which is playing itself in the instrument of the patient, but is out of place there. The patient’s symptoms, sensations, attitudes, and delusions point the way to that single substance in nature. When the perfect fit has been found, there will be a resonance, which will silence that non-human element, which is out of place and free the patient to be the healthy person he or she is meant to be. What distinguishes a classical homeopath from a non-classical homeopath is adherence to the rule of one remedy at a time.

Where Remedies Come From

Now I want to talk about where remedies come from. Hahnemann and his colleagues proved over one hundred remedies on themselves. Since then thousands of remedies have been added to the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia. The Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States is the official compendium for homeopathic remedies in the U.S. Provings of new remedies are being conducted all over the world, making homeopathy a very dynamic and endlessly evolving science. As I have said before, the remedies come from the animal, mineral, and plant kingdoms. Some people recognize five or six kingdoms rather than the traditional three, and count algae, bacteria, and fungi as kingdoms in their own right, rather than including them with the plant or animal kingdoms. The nosodes would be classed with the bacterial kingdom. Nosodes are remedies that are made from disease substances, such as Tuberculinum, Carcinosin and Medorrhinum.

Homeopaths since Hahnemann’s time have attempted to make the study of remedies easier by grouping the remedies according to their botanical classification and comparing them to see if they have similar properties. This has been a very popular trend in the last twenty years, and Sankaran and others have gone a long way toward mapping plant sensations to help make the selection of remedies derived from plants more scientific.

Other homeopathic researchers have been doing the same thing with the mineral kingdom. Jan Scholten, Rajan Sankaran, Roger Morrison, Louis Klein and others have pioneered this work with the mineral kingdom, showing us that minerals on the same row on the periodic table of the elements share fundamental qualities, as do those on the same column. Homeopaths are exploring the idea that the periodic table of the elements is a map of human development from conception through the highest states of human development.

Much research has been done by homeopaths, such as Jonathan Shore, who wrote a book called, “Birds Homeopathic Remedies from the Avian Realm,” and Nancy Herrick, who wrote “Animal Minds, Human Voices,” to increase our knowledge of the remedies from the animal kingdom. All of this research on the various kingdoms has extremely practical application in clinical practice, as it helps homeopaths determine what kingdom the patient falls into–animal, plant, mineral, and then to make appropriate selections within the kingdom, so that they can make accurate prescriptions for their patients.

Thanks to the efforts of the homeopathic light-bearers, the work of all homeopaths is becoming more scientifically based, and the practice of prescribing more accurate. The other marvelous thing about this is that the remedy names that we see in our repertories and materia medicas are now coming to life for us, as we begin to connect them in our minds to the substances from which they come. To be a great homeopath, one must understand botany, chemistry, physics, psychology, the nature of consciousness, human disease, the therapeutic action of homeopathic remedies and so much more. It is truly a very rewarding lifetime study.

Miasms in homeopathy

I would be remiss to end this introduction to homeopathy without talking about the concept of miasms. Samuel Hahnemann introduced this term to homeopathy in his little book called, “Chronic Diseases.” It took him twelve years of study to write this book. He wanted to understand how come many patients were not responding to what he considered to be well chosen remedies. He decided that the reason was the presence of a miasmatic or genetic taint, which was getting in the way of their healing. He identified three primary miasms or genetic taints at that time: psora, or the suppressed itch, which he called the mother of all disease, and syphilis and sycosis. The last two come from sexually transmitted diseases.  Other miasms could be created from combinations of these three miasms. The Tuberculosis miasm was a combination of psora and syphilis. Cancer was a trimiasmatic disease, as all three miasms had to be present to create this condition. Hahnemann recommended prescribing intercurrent doses of nosodes in cases that were not progressing to help remove the genetic taint.

Rajan Sankaran has taken Hahnemann’s work and expanded the three original miasms to ten miasms. I would not be mentioning this concept except for the fact that knowledge of the miasms has made prescribing remedies far more accurate for me. In Sankaran’s system miasms represent a fundamental attitude toward life and pace of disease. This attitude is elicited from the client by asking him to tell you what his attitude is toward the chief complaint. If the homeopathic practitioner can identify that attitude and the pace of the disease he is far more likely to prescribe accurately,

Not long ago I had the opportunity to give a demonstration of how the miasms worked at the fall retreat of Integrated Healing Arts, a health center in Palo Alto, California that I am affiliated with. There was a woman there who had experienced hearing loss, and I wanted to demonstrate to the group how homeopathy worked by using her case as an example. I explained that in order to hone in on the remedy, it would be very helpful to understand her attitude and the pace of her disease. That information would bring us to the miasm that she fell into. Once we knew the miasm the remedy selection process would become much easier, as this would help to narrow down the range of possible remedies. I will list the miasms below and tell you what her attitude would be if she fell into that miasm:

The Acute Miasm: “This hearing loss has come on suddenly and it is a sudden and immediate threat to my survival. I am alarmed by it and in a state of panic. I am terrified that I will not regain my hearing.” The acute miasm is like a sudden storm. You react to it with instinctive terror. Either you survive the storm or it takes you down. Some of our well-known remedies from the acute miasm are Belladonna and Aconite. In this example the woman is in a panic state about her hearing loss.  This is an alarming situation.

The Typhoid Miasm: If the woman in our example needed a remedy from the typhoid miasm, she would view her illness as an emergency, and may even go to the hospital. This is a sub-acute, rather than an acute situation. It is a crisis that needs to be overcome, a critical situation that demands immediate attention. Once it is overcome she will be fine. The typhoid miasm is characterized by a sense of urgency and impatience. There is hope that with the proper effort and care, she will recover. Nux vomica, Bryonia, and Rhus toxicodendron are well known remedies from the typhoid miasm.

The Psoric Miasm: There is a basic optimism in the attitude of people who fall into the psoric miasm. This is the healthiest miasmatic type, as the attitude to life is the healthiest. In the example of the woman with hearing loss, she would feel optimistic about her prognosis. “I will recover.” I have to make an effort, but the situation is solvable.  Healthy children often need remedies from the psoric miasm, such as Calcarea carbonica, Sulphur and Lycopodium.

The Ringworm Miasm: The woman in our example needing a remedy from the ringworm miasm would alternate in her attitude from acceptance that she has this condition to a desire to struggle against it. Basically she feels like she can live with it if she has to, though she would rather not. It is not a life threatening condition. At one moment she is hopeful that she will regain her hearing, in the next moment she gives up and resigns herself to it. Dulcamara, Calcarea sulfurica and Calcarea silicata are a few remedies from this miasm.

The Malaria Miasm: If the woman in our example needed a remedy from the malaria miasm, she would feel very unfortunate to have this problem, and harassed by the hearing loss. She would feel that it was impeding her ability to function. This incident of hearing loss may not be the first time she has experienced this complaint, as periodicity and intermittent attacks characterize this miasm. She may brood about the problem, or go into attacks of rage that she has this condition. Our two biggest remedies of the malaria miasm are Natrum muriaticum and China Officinalis. 

The Sycotic Miasm: Our lady with the hearing loss would definitely not want anybody to know about this problem, if she needed a sycotic remedy. As long as she can keep her condition a secret from others, she is okay. If they find out they might think she is too old or unqualified to do her job. This is her hidden weakness, and it is a fixed problem that she has to accept, because it is not going away anytime soon. She has to avoid situations where her secret may be discovered, and she feels under qualified to do her job. Thuja, Silica and Medorrhinum are well-known remedies from the sycotic miasm.

The Cancer Miasm: The woman in our example would be very perfectionistic.  Keeping in control of her life and all things in it would be her modus operandi.  The hearing loss would mean loss of control to her, and she would feel a need to regain control over this situation as fast as possible, otherwise her life would fall apart and we would have utter chaos. She has set high standards for herself, which she feels are beyond her capacity to achieve. She may feel desperate to regain her hearing and therefore control over her life. The task may seem huge to her, but it is not a completely desperate situation. Some well-known remedies from the cancer miasm are Arsenicum album, Argentum nitricum, Carcinosin, Conium, and Ignatia amara.

The Tubercular Miasm: Taking our example of the woman with the hearing loss, if she needed a remedy from this miasm she would have a great love of travel. She could feel bored easily from staying in one place too long, and have a longing for freedom and change. She could feel trapped by the hearing loss, if she perceives it as curtailing her freedom. She may lead a very intense and hectic life as she prepares for her next adventure. Well-known remedies of this miasm are Tuberculinum, Tarentula, Phosphorus and Iodine.

The Leprosy Miasm: The woman in our example would feel like a leper, because of the hearing loss. She would feel like she has been outcasted by society and isolated, because of this problem. No one will want to be friends with her, because she can’t hear what they say properly. She will even possibly loath herself. She may feel less than others, dirty and disgusted with herself for having this problem. She may feel intensely hopeless that she will be able to find a solution to the hearing loss. The most well-known remedy of the Leprous miasm is Sepia.  Some other remedies from this miasm are Aloe, and Secale.

The Syphilitic Miasm: As we move from the top of the list to the bottom of the list of miasms, we move from more healthy states to less healthy states, more optimistic attitudes to complete pessimism. The syphilitic miasm is the darkest of the miasms in terms of attitude. Here the feeling is of utter desperation, but she still must make an effort to try to recover. The woman in our example would feel that there is absolutely no hope, but still she has to try to be normal again. She may contemplate desperate solutions, and throw all caution to the wind. The syphilitic miasm is self destructive and destructive of others. Suicide and homicide can be contemplated and successfully executed in this miasm. Paranoid and psychotic states are also often present. The pathology itself may be very deep: ulceration and destruction of tissue may be taking place. Our heavy metals, such as Aurum metallicum, Mercurius and its salts, Plumbum metallicum and Platina fall into this miasm. Our poisonous snake remedies like Lachesis muta are also syphilitic remedies.

Conclusion

I am sure this is way more than you expected in an introduction to homeopathy, but if you have read all the way through, you now have a very good basis to understand homeopathy as it was conceived by Samuel Hahnemann and as it has been evolving in recent years.

Please remember that for constitutional homeopathic prescribing you should consult a professional homeopath or a doctor who is knowledgeable in homeopathy. Also remember that homeopathic remedies should be repeated with care and caution. It is very important to have a homeopath working with you who understands the power of homeopathic remedies, how to select them, and how and when to administer them, so that you have a safe and enjoyable experience with homeopathy,

Homeopathy is truly beautiful medicine, because its basis is scientific, the rules for its safe application are known, the guide for selecting remedies is given, and the remedies come from natural substances which are prepared in ways that make them safe to administer to sick people. Ultimately the best thing about it is that it works and it is reliable. You have taken the first step in making miracles happen for you and your family, you have discovered homeopathy.

The concepts behind the Sensation method are truly beautiful.  Sankaran teaches that the task of the homeopathic prescriber is to do the following four things:

1)            Determine whether the patient needs a remedy from the animal, plant, mineral, bacterial, fungal or viral kingdom.

2)            Determine the miasm that the patient falls into.  The word miasm is a broad word that describes the following things:  the miasm is the pace of the illness; the intensity with which the patient feels his symptoms; the patient’s attitude toward his chief complaint; various genetic factors, and possibly even the illness itself, such as malaria and the malaria miasm.

3)            Determine the potency that the patient needs by determining the depth of the illness and evaluating the patient’s vital force.

4)            Determine the remedy for the patient, which should sit at the cross point between the kingdom and miasm. For example if it is determined that the patient needs a mineral remedy of the sycotic miasm, the homeopath will examine the mineral remedies, figure out which row and column from the periodic table of the elements most closely fits the patient’s symptoms, and also fits into the sycotic miasm.  Then he or she will study the material medica of the remedies in the final elimination and choose one for the patient.  In this example Silica would be a remedy that could be considered for this patient as it is a sycotic remedy and a third row mineral.

I am greatly indebted to Rajan Sankaran for developing this system as it has helped to improve my prescribing tremendously, and given me the confidence to tackle more challenging cases.  Please let me know if you would like to make an appointment and experience the case taking process Sensation Method Style, and reap the rewards of a well-chosen remedy.

We are right in the midst of the winter flu season and I know it has been traveling around the neighborhood, visiting my house and my neighbor’s houses.  Well, what can we do about it?  How do we protect ourselves and our loved one’s?  How do we hasten recovery?  Having just gone through this in my household, I would like to share some defensive and offensive strategies that may be helpful to you?

The best offense is a healthy body?  How do you get that?  Eat right; sleep well and sufficiently; exercise to keep the chi, or vital energy moving; pay heed to your spiritual life; nurture your relationships; and be on a good homeopathic constitutional remedy.

Let’s say you are doing all of this, but yet you wake up one morning, and your nose is running, or you notice a cough that wasn’t there before.  This may be the first sign of a cold starting.  There are various things you can do to try to nip the cold in the bud at the incipient stage.  Here are a few suggestions:

What to take at the First Sign of a Cold or Flu

1)         Take Windbreaker.  Windbreaker is a combination Chinese herbal formula put out by Kan Herbs and formulated for children, but of benefit to people of all ages.  This formula is only available by prescription, so please let me know if you are interested in this for your family.  Many of my clients and their families are using this herbal formula and finding that it does the trick.  From my experience it does not interfere with homeopathic remedies.

2)         Take Occilocinum.  This is a homeopathic remedy, which does help some people when taken at the first sign of a cold or a flu to prevent it.  I prefer, however, that if you are already on a homeopathic constitutional remedy, that you do not take Occilococinum, because it can interfere with your remedy.  If you are on a remedy, it is best to consult your homeopath to see if you need a repetition of your constitutional remedy or an acute remedy for the cold or flu.  Please see my  articles on the Swine flu, Influenza, and Chinese herbs and homeopathy for colds and flus.

Supplements to Take if you Haven’t been Able to Stop the Cold at the Incipient Stage

Here is a list of supplements that can help strengthen your body if the cold has already established itself.  I got this list off of the internet in an article about the dangers of the Flu Shot by Greg Ciola.  The link is:  http://www.healthtruthrevealed.com.  The article describes the risk of the flu shot very well and goes into detail about the supplements that I will just list below:

Aloe vera

Bee Pollen

Cayenne Pepper

Colostrum

Echinacea

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential Oils  (may interfere with homeopathic remedies)

Garlic

Grapefruit Seed Extract

Honey

Mushroom Extracts (Shiitake, Reishi, D-Fraction Maitake)

Olive Leaf Extract

Oregano Oil

Oxygen Supplements

Probiotics

Propolis

Silver Hydrosol

Quercetin

Royal Jelly

Vitamin C

Water

Zinc

Call on Homeopathy When You Really Need Help Fighting the Cold or the Flu

Let’s say you are really struggling with this illness and need to bring in the big guns.  If you did not know about homeopathy you might be going to the doctor wanting antibiotics, but you do know about homeopathy, and you know that you can turn this cold or flu to your advantage and even have better health than you had before if you get the right remedy into you.

1)         If you are very fortunate and you know your constitutional remedy, because you have been on it for awhile and have seen improvements in all levels of your being, then repeating the constitutional remedy in water or via pillow dose may be just the ticket out from the grips of this acute illness.  Homeopathic remedies have the power to turn a bad cold or flu around very rapidly.  You should see substantial improvement within 24 to 36 hours of repeating your constitutional remedy, and sometimes much faster than that.

2)         This particular cold or flu may actually call for an acute miasm remedy, such as Aconite and Belladonna, or for a typhoid miasm remedy, such as Ipecacuanha (a wonderful remedy for acute bronchitis, or Nux vomica.  It’s best to consult your homeopath to see whether what you need is your constitutional remedy repeated, or an acute remedy for this particular illness.

3)            Sometimes in homeopathy you are treating disease layers, and an acute illness can herald a need for a new remedy.  Much valuable information can be gathered at this time that can benefit your overall health, so regard this cold or a flu as a friend and as an opportunity to treat to help further your health along.

Conclusion

I would like to leave the wonderful people I have met in my years of service with an inspirational message by Thomas Merton.

“To allow oneself to be carried away

by a multitude of conflicting concerns,

To surrender to too many demands,

To commit oneself to too many projects,

To want to help everyone with everything

Is to succumb to violence.”

In love and service,

Deborah

The biggest challenge of homeopathy to me at that time was the sheer volume of information one had to learn about remedies.  I did not realize that that was a lifetime if not several lifetimes of study, and would not be accomplished within three to four years.

The next biggest challenge was that homeopathy has nothing to do with logic or linear thinking, and I had been trained by my culture and education to think logically and linearly.  This facet of the mind, which I had been trained to idealize and place above all else was practically useless and in fact an enormous impediment to the understanding, of remedies, sickness and the healing of people.

So if you can’t use logic what do you have to stand on in determining the remedy your patient needs.  Homeopaths have taken many different approaches to answering this:  matching the personality profile of the patient to what we imagine the personality profile of the remedy to be; selecting the remedy that covers the maximum number of the patient’s symptoms; prescribing based on keynotes; prescribing using intuition or kinesiology are other approaches.

None of these methods were ever really satisfying to me, and I would often find myself feeling nervous before seeing a patient, because the foundation I was standing on did not feel secure.  The edifice was beautiful, but there were cracks here and there.

It was not until Rajan Sankaran developed his Sensation Method in the early 2000’s that I finally felt that the edifice of my homeopathy could be erected on a strong foundation.  Sankaran wrote a book called Sensations in Homeopathy in 2005.  It was not until I read this book that I really started to feel that I grasped this method on an intellectual level, but it has taken me these four additional years and seeing hundreds of clients with whom I practiced this method that I am starting to feel that I am getting some small proficiency with this method,  It is an extremely difficult method to master, but when you hit the nail on the head and select the right remedy for your client, sparks begin to fly, fireworks go off, and you can relax and expect good results.

I want to invite people who have seen me in earlier phases of my practice to revisit homeopathy and my practice.  Let’s try again with the brilliant Sensation Method and see if we can get the sparks flying for you.

In love and service,

Deborah

Calendula, the yellow marigold, is another member of the Compositae family, like our friends Arnica montana and Bellis perennis, and is a remedy that has as many wonderful uses. I would make sure that all mothers and fathers were familiar with this remedy, if I could. This remedy is truly a friend to children, and everyone else.  Here is a list of some of its uses:

1)            For falls, lacerated wounds, and septic wounds. Calendula is the great homeopathic antiseptic. Germs cannot thrive in the presence of Calendula. Calendula will draw out dirt that is embedded deep in the wound. Apply Calendula topically to all wounds where the skin is broken. If even with the application of Calendula topically, the wound begins to look infected, take Calendula 30C internally, and it will heal that wound up promptly, as I have witnessed with my eldest son and his falls. Just recently my husband was knocked off his bicycle by our dog, Sarah, and got a pretty bad cut on his lower leg. We applied Calendula topically to the wound, but even so after two days there was a bright red area around the sight of the injury, so I gave him a dose of Calendula 30C internally and the wound healed beautifully within a day or two.

Calendula is listed in my repertory for painful wounds, wounds that do not heal, chronic effects from wounds, wounds that tend to break open and heal again, dissecting wounds, festering wounds, gangrenous wounds, gaping wounds, inflammation of wounds, neglected wounds, suppurating wounds, and lacerated, torn or ragged wounds. As you can see Calendula and wounds are best buddies.

Calendula prevents too early scab formation at the wound site, and stimulates the growth of epithelial cells. It keeps the healing agents actively working on the site until the wound is healed. This helps to inhibit scars and infections. Avoid frequent changing of the bandage, because this interferes with the healing process, and causes too early scab formation, which can result in scarring.  Remember when cleaning a wound always clean outwardly away from the wound.

2)         Gunshot wounds. Calendula prevents suppuration and infection of gunshot wounds. I would hope that the hospital staff would give you an internal dose of Calendula for this, as well as apply it topically to the wound.

3)         Diaper rashes. Calendula is very helpful to heal up the diaper rashes of babies. If the rashes are severe, please see a professional homeopath, as the child may need a constitutional remedy.

4)          Promotes healthy granulation of the tissues and prevents peritonitis after surgery. I always recommend my clients who are going through surgery to take Calendula 30C or 200C after they have taken their Arnica, Staphysagria, Hypericum and other pain medications and healing agents to help complete the healing of the wound and prevent infection. Calendula helps prevent keloid formation. I cannot imagine going through a surgery without having this remedy as insurance.

5)         Promotes healing after dental work. I always recommend my clients to apply a compress of a few drops of Calendula tincture dissolved in warm water to the socket of the tooth that has been removed in dental extractions, or to the sight where dental work has been done to promote healing, prevent infection, and bring soothing relief. It also helps to stop bleeding.

6)         Soothing relief during and after delivery. A compress of Calendula tincture dissolved in warm water and applied to the perineum during and after labor can be very soothing and healing to the laboring mother.

7)         Calendula helps with the maturation and healing of abscesses.

8)         Calendula helps to relieve the pain and fever of carbuncles.

9)          In Clarke’s dictionary, I read that Calendula tincture applied on a hot compress, can help in pneumonia and other internal inflammations.  

In summary, Calendula is wonderful to have around the house in many forms, as a cream, in tincture form and as an internal homeopathic remedy. Please remember Calendula as the favored topical application of homeopaths for wound dressing.