Even in Hahnemann’s time homeopathy was derided as a mysterious pseudoscience. Yet homeopathy is precisely a highly precise scientific discipline. Pinpoint accuracy and versatility form the core of the homeopathic method, which no one should distort at will beyond recognition.
In practice homeopathy stands or falls with the intelligence of the individual practitioner. Unfortunately there are many homeopaths who do not remain true to the method and prescribe their remedies by “routine”. The following example is intended to illustrate this.
Case study 1
Dr X, a 33‑year‑old radiologist, requests homeopathic treatment in writing.
“Dear Dr K … I would like to undergo homeopathic treatment for the following symptoms:
1. Sexual desire is very limited. For a year I have suffered from a urethral stricture. My wife and I would like children, but sexually I am not very active; I have almost no libido. I ask for your support here.
2. Three months ago I had a right‑sided pneumonia with severe coughing. The cough is gone, but I still have pain in the chest (on the right where the infection was).
3. High blood pressure (up to 150/100). The blood pressure is only controlled with medication if I take twice the prescribed dose.
4. I am severely overweight. I have noticed that I keep eating more and continue to gain weight. I love sweets and fast food. I currently weigh 118 kg. Please help me.”
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT IN CASE MANAGEMENT IS THAT WITH EACH PATIENT, WITH EACH NEW CASE, WE WILL LEARN SOMETHING. Every case is unique. There is a significant difference between a practitioner who prescribes by default and a true homeopath. The average practitioner would repertorise the following symptoms:
Impotence Hypertension Obesity
If you are inclined to follow that line of thought you will join the ranks of the routine prescribers and fail in practice. Let us examine the genuine homeopathic approach more closely. (What the patient tells us is only the thread from which we weave our picture of him. We must take up this thread — that is, the symptoms — and create a comprehensive picture). In the present case we must use the following symptoms for repertorisation:
The patient’s age – he is 33 years old.
1. He suffers from impotence and hypertension. These two symptoms must be viewed from a completely different perspective, because they usually occur together in older patients (60+). Our patient is only 33. The term premature ageing suggests itself. In other words: this man must be treated as though he were an elderly patient.
2. He himself is a conventional physician. His hypertension responds inadequately to drug treatment. The concept of ‘poor reactivity’ plays a role here.
The two symptoms mentioned above are ‘general symptoms’. We should work up our cases using the general symptoms as often as possible. The craving for sweets and the ravenous appetite are secondary here.
FROM SAMUEL LILIENTHAL’S ‘HOMEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS’:
Constitution, age … (pages 233–234) – for old people – elderly people become very fleshy: Kali carb., Aur‑met., Op., Sec., Amm‑carb., Fluor‑ac.
(We consult this rubric because it concerns a 33‑year‑old patient showing symptoms of a premature ageing process.)
We look up the six remedies in this rubric in Boericke’s Materia Medica. To confirm the correct remedy it is often sufficient to read the first lines or the introduction of the remedy picture:
The remedy Ammonium carbonicum was confirmed in Boericke by the following lines:
“The disease manifestations corresponding to this remedy are often found in rather corpulent … who are always tired and fatigued … The mucous membranes of the respiratory tract are especially affected. Corpulent patients with weak hearts.”
HOW TO CONFIRM A REMEDY USING BOERICKE’S MATERIA MEDICA: If the remedy you have selected is truly the simillimum, it will already be confirmed in the first sentence of the remedy description. If your chosen symptom is only mentioned in the second sentence it will be printed in italics or occur in connection with an adjective or adverb.
Let us return once more to Lilienthal’s Volume 1 ‘MIND AND SENSES’ and look more closely at Ammon‑carb. Our remedy choice is confirmed here:
… often makes mistakes when speaking and writing; … melancholic, depressed …
The attentive reader will have found numerous syntax errors in our patient’s letter. An important symptom! For this reason alone we did not correct the patient’s mistakes.
Prescription: Am‑c. 10M, single dose, followed by placebo. The patient’s health has improved significantly; he remains under treatment.
In homeopathy one must decide: do you want to prescribe exclusively by routine or practise genuine homeopathic medicine?
Case study 2
The 27‑year‑old Ms XYZ writes to us about the following complaints:
“Dear Dr K, I am very depressed and angry because I have problems with my in‑laws. To be honest, I am not satisfied with my life at the moment. I am constantly worrying about something.
The medicine you prescribed is now completely used up. My childlessness causes me great distress; I have now been married for 4 years.
My excessive hair growth is only marginally better; I cannot say I am cured. My hair is falling out, I have dry skin with stretch marks. Joint pains trouble me as well. Sometimes I have mild visual disturbances and headaches. Every morning I wake up tired and listless. My body aches, I have back pain and because of these pains I cannot force myself to do anything. I am totally unmotivated. Please send me a remedy for my complaints.”
The following sy
mptoms are used for repertorisation:
1. Anger (an emotional symptom)
2. Grief – anxiety
3. “Every morning I wake up tired and listless.” – Sleep, unrefreshing.
4. Lack of drive and motivation – laziness.
In Kent’s Repertory we find the following:
‘Anger’ (key remedies) and ‘Sleep – unrefreshing’ (key remedies) = Nit‑ac. If we look up this remedy in the Materia Medica of the mind symptoms we will find that it does not fit our patient. If you repertorise and the remedies produced do not fit the patient, you must always assume that the repertorisation was incorrect!
‘Sleep – unrefreshing’ is indeed a general symptom, but it is not significant in lethargic patients (unmotivated and listless). In the present case we should concentrate on another general symptom: the patient has hair loss, visual disturbances and headaches.
If two or more symptoms above the neck are present, you should consult Kent under the rubric ‘Blood rush’ in the chapter ‘Generalities’.
Among the key remedies in the rubrics ‘Anger’ and ‘Blood rush’ are Acon., Nux‑v., Sulf.
If we read these three remedies in the Materia Medica of the mind symptoms, we find the following description under ‘Sulphur’: … Venous lethargy, tends to spend hours doing nothing, takes no interest in anything … Is too lazy to get up …
Prescription: Sulphur 10M, single dose in the morning: The patient continues to improve; she remains under treatment.
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