In homeopathy there are no 'theories' or 'principles'. Everything, but truly everything, is guided by practical experience. You can compare it to driving or swimming lessons. If you want to learn to swim, you must get into the water. You will not learn to swim by sitting at home and devouring page after page of books about swimming. It is similar with driving a car – if you want to be a driver, you must first and foremost sit in a car!
You cannot learn homeopathy without the support of a good teacher who guides us through many practical cases. Let me explain:
Under Lycopodium one can read in Boericke's Materia Medica: 'In almost all cases where Lycopodium is the remedy, urinary or digestive disorders are present.' Does this mean that Lycopodium is not indicated for other illnesses? If you do not have a good teacher at your side, the true meaning of many statements is easily misunderstood.
Case example:
A mentally ill 45-year-old man no longer goes to work. He is so unsettled that he needs someone at his side even when using the toilet. During the case-taking the patient makes the following remark: 'Doctor, you don't need to give me anything for my mental complaints. Give me something for my stomach and digestion instead. My mental symptoms only ever occur when I have digestive problems.'
For example, in Boericke under Gossypium it says: 'A powerful remedy for promoting menstruation…' What does that mean? We cure the patient and with her also the delayed or suppressed period; the patient regains a regular menstrual cycle. Only through clinical examples can we grasp the meaning of what is written in Boericke's Materia Medica.
Case example:
A 40-year-old patient complained, among other things, of shortness of breath and limb pain. She gave us only vague information until we asked her about her menstrual cycle. She immediately told us: 'Doctor, this bloating and pains only ever occur when my period is late. Please give me something so that my period becomes normal again.'
Boericke's Materia Medica is written in the language of our patients.
Success will only ensue if a case is taken on as an impartial observer and a good listener. A good case history is half the battle.
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Photos: Shutterstock - Lycopodium moss close-up (Lycopodium annotinum) in the forest © Nataliia Melnychuk
