An introduction Part 1

© Mary Aspinwal l

Compi led by Chr istel van Kr ieken

HOMEOPATHY

This two part course aims to teach those new to homeopathy:

• The History and Philosophy of Homeopathy

• The Essential principles: The Law of Similars, The Law of

the Minimum Dose.

• The type of injuries and illnesses which can benefit from

self prescribing

• The type of illnesses and injuries that should be treated

professionally

• Some practice exercises to match symptoms with remedies

What have you heard about homeopathy?On your piece of paper, write down anything,

including myths or dubious statements you have

heard about Homeopathy…

In pairs, tell each other about any experiences of Homeopathy you have already had, and if possible give one example where you have seen it work…

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES?

homeopathyhomeopathyhome

opathy

blah blah blah…

Part 1 Session Outline:

1. A brief History of Homeopathy

2. Hahnemann and the first proving

3. The Law of Similars

4. The Law of the Minimum Dose

5. Hering’s observations on the Direction of Cure

6. Kent and his Repertory

7. Question and Answer time

8. Choose the remedy exercise

1. A Brief History of Homeopathy

Over 2000 years ago Hippocrates wrote that there were two approaches to healing:

1. The use of contraries (Antipathic medicine)

2. Similars (Homeopathic medicine)

Examples of antipathic medicines:

• A laxative to ease constipation• An anti-inflammatory to reduce inflammation• An antacid is given to reduce stomach acidity• An antihistamine to reduce an allergic reaction

Can you give an example of an antipathic medicine?

Homeopathy uses similar suffering to restore health (Similia Similibus Curentur or Like Cures Like)

Do you know what the remedies Allium–cepa, Apis and Lachesis are prepared from?

Allium-cepa

One of several common

hay fever remedies,

prepared from the red

onion

A healthy person

chopping an onion will

often get a runny nose

and streaming eyes.

Apis mellifica

Angry red swellings

(whatever the cause)

may be treated with Apis

made from the sting of a

bee.

Lachesis (snake)

Blood poisoning may be

treated with Lachesis, or

other remedies made

from a snake’s venom

Paracelsus1493-1541

In the early 16th century

a German doctor named

Paracelsus, now known

as the father of

chemistry, strongly

criticized the use of

contraries and stressed

his belief that like

cures like

Samuel Hahnemann1755-1843

However, it was not until

the late 18th century

(over 200 years ago)

that Homeopathy, as it

is known today,

emerged. It came about

when another German

doctor, called Samuel

Hahnemann began to

have trouble with his

conscience…

Hahnemann’s conscience…“ I cannot reckon on much income from practice […] I am too

conscientious to prolong illness or make it appear more

dangerous than it is […]. It was agony for me to walk always in

darkness, when I had to heal the sick, and to prescribe

according to such and such a hypothesis concerning diseases,

substances which owed their place in the Materia Medica to an

arbitrary decision […]. Soon after my marriage, I renounced the

practice of medicine, that I may no longer incur the risk of

doing injury and I engaged exclusively in chemistry and literary

occupations”. (Castro, 1990).

2. The first proving

Whilst translating a medical text by Scottish doctor named Cullen, Hahnemann was dissatisfied by the explanation that Quinine’s efficacy in malaria was attributed to its bitterness.

He decided to

experiment by

taking it!!

“My feet and finger ends etc, at first became quite cold; I

grew languid and drowsy; then my heart began to palpitate,

and my pulse became hard and small; intolerable anxiety,

trembling, prostration throughout my limbs; then pulsation in

the head, redness of my cheeks, thirst, and, in short, all the

symptoms that are ordinarily characteristic of intermittent

fever, made their appearance, one after the other […]. Briefly

even those symptoms that are of regular occurrence and

especially characteristic –as the stupidity of mind, the kind of

rigidity in all limbs, but above all the numb, disagreeable

sensation, which seems to have its seat in the periosteum

(the bone-surface), over every bone in the whole body - all

these made their appearance. The paroxysm lasted two or

three hours each time, and recurred, if I repeated this dose,

not otherwise; I discontinued it and was in good health.” (Castro,

1990)

3. The Law of Similars

This was one of those Eureka!! moments. Hahnemann realised that if healthy people took a particular substance and recorded their symptoms, then somebody suffering from similar symptoms could be cured using that substance

What do you imagine Hahnemann did

next?

What kind of substances?

What problems do you think would occur testing a substance like that?

4. The Law of the Minimum Dose

How did Hahnemann overcome this obstacle?

What did he discover when he tested these dilute substances?

Back to the drawing board

There are several stories about what happened next….

The process of shaking and bashing somehow imprinted the energy of the original substance into the liquid/dilutant so that it continued to have a medicinal effect, but the toxic effects disappeared during the dilution process

Potentising a mother tincture

Remedies come in different potencies e.g. 6x, 12x, 6c, 12c, 30c, 200c, 1M, 10M etc.

Which are the most potent and why?

X= the process of dilution by a factor of 10 C= the process of dilution by a factor of 100M= the process of dilution by a factor of 1000

‘M’ being more diluted, ‘M’ is more potent….less is more.

Constantine Hering 1800-1880

5. Hering’s observations on the direction of cure

• As a student in Leipzig, Hering was asked to repudiate the claims made by Hahnemann put forward in his Organon of Medicine

• Instead he became a fervent convert to Homeopathy

• His zealousness resulted in a poising from the bushmaster snake whilst collecting venom for a proving

• His wife recorded each poisoning symptom meticulously for his next Materia Medica

• This was the remedy we now know as the frequently prescribed Lachesis

A prolific writer and prover, however most memorable is Hering’s direction of cure…

Symptoms move from above to below: head to toe (especially true of superficial symptoms related to skin, muscles, and joints)

Symptoms move from within to without (from deeper tissue/organs to the surface)

Old symptoms reappear in reverse order

Direction of cure

…and in reverse order of their appearance

Mrs. Smith

From above downwardFrom within outwards…

eczema - hay fever - asthmaand the direction of cure

Hering’s observations have been found to hold true in the majority of cases, but the example given here, of eczema/hay fever/asthma, is one that homeopaths see often

So what seems to be the problem?

What is dis-ease?

DISEASE

The difference between Homeopathic and Orthodox medicine

Homeopathy (and other holistic approaches) sees symptom manifestations as of a persons dis-ease

Orthodox medicine sees symptom manifestations as the disease

6. Kent and his Repertory

• A great philosopher and writer of Materia Medica

• But he is also known for his book of symptoms called A Repertory

• Universally acknowledged to be the most accessible of its time

• It is still in widespread use today• Now computerised Repertories are

avaialble and are of great help in choosing from around 3,000 remedies

J.T Kent 1849-1916

It is safe to use for babiesThe English Monarchy uses it

Remedies are made from plants

7. Question and Answer time

tHERE’S NOTHING in IT, ONLY A PLACEBO

tHERE ARE NO SIDE EFFECTS

It WORKS on babies and animals

⌘⌘

⌘⌘

Homeopathy

Homeo

means man

Pathy

means suffering

The suffering of

man

Time for a break…

Any further questions?

8. Choose the remedy exercise…

8. Choose the remedy exercise

Find the best remedy:

1. You have trapped your hand in a car door. The pain is indescribable; screaming up your arm.

Hypericum perfoliatum

8. Choose the remedy exercise

Find the best remedy:

Ledum palustre

2. Your child was playing in the garden quite happily when he was stung by either a bee, a wasp or horsefly. The area doesn’t seem very red or hot, but it is swollen and the child is howling. He is listless and wants to sit with a cold flannel pressed against the bite.

Find the best remedy:

3. Your friend has a high temperature and seems very anxious. She says she thinks she is going to die and although it is nearly midnight she seems very upset when you mention you may have to go home soon. You have never seen her like this before, usually she is so fit.

Aconite

8. Choose the remedy exercise

Find the best remedy:

Mercurius-vivus

4. Your wife had a couple of fillings at the dentist three days ago. She went straight to bed complaining of flu and has been there ever since. She can’t seem to get comfortable and keeps throwing her covers on and off. She is drinking about 2 liters of water a day. When you go to bed all her symptoms seem to get worse!

8. CHOOSE THE REMEDY EXERCISE

8. CHOOSE THE REMEDY EXERCISE

Nux-vomica

5. Your husband is constipated and very irritable. It may be because he has been eating too much rich food or drinking too heavily, but when you try to question him about this, he snaps at you. You notice he has on an extra jumper and keeps drinking cup after cup of steaming coffee.

Find the best remedy:

End of Part 1

An introduction Part 2

© Mary Asp inwal l

Compi led by Chr is te l van Kr ieken

HOMEOPATHY

Part 2 Session Outline:

1. Introduction to Miranda Castro’s Handbook

2. Choose the Remedy Exercise

3. SAFETY FIRST

4. What can be treated…

5. The Secrets of Taking a Good Case

6. Mirror, mirror on the wall who is healthiest of all?

1. An introduction to The Complete Homeopathic Handbook

Miranda's website

The Materia Medicas and Repertories

• The external and internal Materia Medicas sections (p.28-164 ) describes 90 of the most commonly-prescribed remedies in detail

• The Repertory section (p. 165-198) is an index of all the symptoms listed in these remedy pictures

What you need:

• Blank repertorising sheet

• Sample cases (for rotating in groups or pairs)

• Materia Medica

• Repertory

Further study:

• The Secrets of Taking

a Good Case (hand

out)

2. Choose the Remedy Exercise

Repertorising sheet (blank)

Repertorising sheet (case 4)

3. SAFETY FIRST!• Serious injury should NEVER be treated without professional help

• A handout has been provided on the diseases you can treat and those you cannot.

• If you are worried, call for help FIRST, then give the appropriate remedy whilst you are waiting for help to arrive.

WARNING SIGNS

If the person you are treating has ANY of the following, seek medical help immediately:

WARNING SIGNS:• Backache or fever, with urinary

infection• Bleeding, heavy or unexplained• Breathing, rapid, shallow or

difficult• Burns, severe or larger than your

hand• Chest pain, severe• Confusion, following trauma or

over-exposure to sun• Consciousness, lost or impaired• Convulsions• Delirium• Dehydration, especially in

babies, small children and elderly• Drowsiness, unexplained or

unexpected• Headache, severe• Fever, above 40c or persistent or

with a stiff neck• Fits

• Fluid, watery/bloody, from ears or nose following head injury

• Movement, full range lost or impaired

• Puncture wounds, near vital organs

• Speech, lost or impaired • Stool, pale or white• Streaks, red running toward body• Swelling, rapid or severe (esp of

mouth or throat)• Thirstless, prolonged with fever

or diarrhoea or vomiting• Urine, profuse or scanty or

bloody• Vision, lost or impaired• Vomiting, unexpected, repeated• Wheezing, severe• Yellowness, of skin or eyes

4. What sort of complaints can be treated at home?

Provided there are none of the warning signs present, you can treat:• Minor injuries e.g. cuts;

bites; stings; burns; bruises

• Acute illnesses.

Examples of acute illness are the common cold; coughs; flu; food poioning; cystitis; infectious childhood illnesses (mumps, measles, chicken pox etc).

If acute illnesses recur frequently, this points to an underlying susceptibility which means you should seek constitutional treatment.

NEVER treat serious injuries or complaints without expert help.

Serious degenerative diseases; frequently recurring symptoms; skin symptoms (including warts and verucas); asthma; hay fever; persistent constipation or abdominal pain; ulcers; lumps and bumps (apart from bruises) all need constitutional treatment by a qualified homeopath.

HEALTHWhat is health?

Mirror , mirror on the wall, who is the healthiest of all?

Jim

Margaret

John

End

Grazie

di cuore!!!

References:

Aspinwall. M. (n.d). An introduction to homeopathy. Retrieved, http://www.homeopathyworld.com/ Course_notes_INTRO_HOMOEOPATHY.pdf.

Castro, M. (1990) . The complete homeopathic handbook. London, United kingdom, Macmillan.

World Health Organisation, (1948). Offi cial Records of the World Health Organization , No2, (p. 100): Author.

Web links:Mary AspinwallMiranda CastroKent's RepertoryThe Organaon of Medicine. S. HahnemannIntroduction to MacRep VimeoChristel Homeopathy. Facebook

Image refernces:• Woman in wheelchair,

http://www.getconnectedtoday.com• Couch potato, http://www.123rf.com • IT analyst, http://www.cbtplanet.com• Writing notes, http://www.softchalk.com • Conversation,

http://www.beautynewsnyc.com• Antacid, http://fphoto.com/• Allium cepa1,

http://www.shutterstock.com• Allium cepa2,

http://www.homeopathyandmore.com• Apis, http://commons.wikimedia.org• Swelling, http://www.123rf.com• Lachesis, http://blog.hmedicine.com• Blood pisoning,

http://ask.metafilter.com/• Paracelsus, http://www.levity.com• Hahanemann1, http://en.wikipedia.org• Quinine, http://jeanhuets.com• Hahnemann2,

http://www.allthingshealing.com• Bible,

http://dadsteachthebible.blogspot.co.nz• 19th century rider,

http://www.electricscotland.com• Ledum1, http://www.drzimmermann.org

• Doctors saddle bag, http://www.liveauctioneers.com

• Potentisation, http://thenaturaldoctor.me

• Hering, http://www.homeoint.org

• Direction of cure, http://homeopathy101

• Timeline, http://www.2020site.org

• Asthma, http://www.rayur.com

• Homeopathy pillules, http://www.biomedheals.com

• Oil light, http://www.kiplinger.com

• Drugs, http://www.redpepper.co.ug

• Kent, http://www.narayana-publishers.com

• Tea break, http://www.smashingapps.com

• Hypericum, http://en.wikibooks.org

• Miranda Castro book, http://www.fishpond.co.nz

• Miranda Castro2, http://www.skylarkbooks.co.uk

• Miranda Castro3, http://www.homeopathyhome.com

• Baby with eczema, http://www.theguardian.com

• Hayfever, http://www.breathingspace.co.uk

• Orgenon, http://www.homeobook.com

• Homeopathic remedies, http://www.aznaturalhealth.com/

• Homeopath in office, http://www.britishhomeopathic.org

• Old lady writing on the floor, http://www.flickr.com

• Girl in bed sick, http://www.masterfile.com

car door, http://footage.shutterstock.com

child on grass, http://www.everydayfamily.com

in bed sick, http://riepie.blogspot.co.nz

in bed sick and scared,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

woman in bed fever,

http://www.detectivehome.org

man constipated,

http://www.gastricsurgeon.com

Hermes, http://listverse.com

Hering’s MM, https://openlibrary.org

Macrep, http://www.mangialavori.com

Macrep Vimeo, http://vimeo.com/43520283

Ledum2, http://commons.wikimedia.org

Aconite1, http://mybyzantine.wordpress.com

Aconite2, http://www.ageless.co.za

Mercurius, http://montagepages.fuselabs.com

Hermes, http://www.thaliatook.com

Nux vomica1, http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu

Nux vomica2, http://raf.dessins.free.fr

Homeopahtic remedies,

http://drshreya.blogspot.co.nz

http://www.gapyear.com