Homeopathy Tips Newsletter

It helps to have a guide when receiving cases. It is easy to get lost in the process and miss a valuable opportunity to get to really know about your client. The hardest part is being an unprejudiced observer. It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking we know something that may or may not be true for our client. I find that letting go and asking for divine help to be the fastest way to get out of my own way. It is the most effective way to release our prejudice.

Here is a list of points to remember during the case. Following this will help greatly so you will not miss anything your client offers. Your clarity will be the difference between a perfect prescription and failure. The key is getting out of our own way. 

Case Receiving Protocol

1. Ask for help - Set your intention by aligning yourself with "Divine Help." Be an open channel so all will be revealed and to be a clear, unprejudiced observer. Do not attach emotionally to the person. You might as well be taking your own cas
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Hahnemann recognized the spiritual basis for homeopathy. He spoke about it often in the Organon and gave us a guide for spirituality as well as healing. He referred to the vital force as a spirit like dynamis that animates our body (Aphorism 15). As homeopaths, we must always remember that it is the outwardly manifesting derangement of the vital force that is recognizable as dis-ease. In every case, we should be diligent to keep this in mind. Doing so can be a constant reminder of our own spiritual essence.

Hahnemann also told us to be unprejudiced observers (Aphorism 6). This means to lay our prejudgment aside. We must not hold contempt for another and treat them with respect, dignity, and as if we have never seen or heard a story like this before. It is a good practice to be this good of a listener to all people. When we meet another, it is following the higher call of homeopathy if we meet them without prejudice.

Hahnemann also told us that our high and only mission was to restore...

Somewhere along the line of our human development, we learned to always try to do our best. Many times this is translated as "we need to do better." In many cases, as a person is healing they go through a phase of seeing their dis-ease as never before, as if finally the clouds parted and they can now see the sun. I often call this process "moving into the observer." But in the course of healing, I see another common pattern of thinking that people go through. As they become more consciously aware of their dis-ease, they often go into self-reproach.

We all have learned and probably taught our own children through discipline. When the toddler runs into the street for the umpteenth time after being told not to, eventually some discipline may come. After repeated attempts by the parents to discourage the behavior, the child learns (eventually) that discipline works. We often don’t see evidence of this until the child grows up and becomes much more responsible but the discipline we have re...

It is easy to become fanatical about homeopathy, especially when dealing with other modalities that can be suppressive or interfere with the healing process. It is one of the biggest challenges to homeopaths today in this world of allopathic medicine. What is the best way to deal with this when your client is seeing other doctors and using other modalities as well?

I have found that educating my client is a process that needs time and needs to be repeated often. I find during the initial interview and discussion that the usual client hears and retains about 20% of what was discussed. They will come with a list of all of the drugs being taken and all of the different modalities of healing they are using in their approach to healing. Some of them do not work so well with the homeopathic approach.

The first step is getting them to take responsibility for their own healing. I usually share what I know to be true about homeopathy and how it can help them. It is really necessary to get the...

We have 37 acids in our Materia Medica that have wonderful uses in homeopathy. Let's explore what’s common about all of the acid remedies and learn a little more about a few of them.

The acid remedies all have a common theme; a person being worn out. All acids will burn and eventually will burn through substances. In the same way, the acid remedies are for those individuals that are burnt out. There is a certain self-destructiveness to these remedies.

There are many ways this burnt-out state can appear. It could be from too much work over an extended period of time. It could be from too much mental activity, too much sex, too much travel. The person does not seem to have a limit on the pattern of the self-destructiveness. Eventually, it leads to the complete breakdown of the system, either mentally, emotionally, physically, or all of the above together. Any number of things can add up to a depleted state for the person and the acid remedies are potential remedies for helping the pers...

As a homeopath, I am often asked to help treat an ailing animal. Prescribing for an animal is not a lot different from prescribing for humans but being able to have a conversation to understand them is different indeed.

I have found that the more domesticated and the closer an animal lives to humans, the more mental symptoms are recognized. This is because as animals live in close proximity to humans and their caretakers, their personalities and subtle moods are noticed more. Most pet owners of cats and dogs, in particular, have much to say about their animals. It is important to listen to their story about the animal to understand their mental, emotional, and physical states. Use any diagnostic evaluations from veterinarians in helping you understand the physical illness. If an illness is diagnosed, it will be very helpful in selecting a remedy that has an organ affinity to their condition.

Horse owners also know their animals well and can tell you a lot about the temperament as wel...

It was on March 5 that I first wrote about the COVID-19 pandemic. Oh my, so much has changed since then. Most of the things I talked about then have come to pass. The times we are in are changing rapidly. So I'd like to give another update on what new information has come to light in the time that has passed.

First, about viruses! Viruses are not some protein from outer-space that invades us. They are a by-product and messenger from our own cells. They are called exosomes and are used to communicate to distant parts of our body and, when shedded, to communicate to others of our species. It is a survival tool that has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years. All species have this capability, from plants to trees and others in the plant and animal kingdom.

Every now and again, homeopaths will have a client that is non-compliant. They will not follow recommendations and even some will want to seemingly do battle with you. Here are a few pointers to handle this type of client.

First and foremost, recognize that non-compliance is a part of the client's case. It is a statement of their vital force and how they are responding to their world. For example, refusing to follow recommendations about avoiding coffee is probably the most common form of non-compliance. But there can be other ways that the client can be non-compliant that may be much more serious.

Sometimes your client will refuse to take the remedy. I see this most often when a client is following doctors' recommendations and taking drugs. They will take their drug religiously but to them, the remedy seems to be a novelty or, worse yet, something to blame for changes that are happening. Sometimes this may be correct but to blame the remedy without understanding that it is their own...

A pattern I see happening in the world of homeopathy is an attempt to legitimize homeopathy and make it mainstream. This would be nice if homeopathy fit that model of medicine. Unfortunately, it does not. As long as the idea of materialist medicine is a mainstream idea, the real essence of homeopathy will not integrate very easily. And every attempt to do so will only dilute the power and effectiveness of this most wonderful medicine.

Hahnemann uses the word "spiritual" many times in the Organon. In Aphorism 9, he says, "In the healthy condition of man, the spiritual vital force (autocracy) the dynamis that animates the material body (organism), rules with unbounded sway, and retains all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both sensations and functions, so that our indwelling, reason gifted mind can freely employ this living, healthy instrument for the higher purpose of our existence." Here Hahnemann is very clear that the spiritual Vital Fo...

Treating acute and chronic illnesses requires slightly different approaches. The fundamentals are still the same but sometimes we need to alter our focus on symptoms.

In all case receiving, we are looking for the essence of what is asking to be healed. But in acutes, it often seems as if there is no exciting cause. There always is a reason for our illness but, for some people, they just cannot tell you why. Even good case questioning sometimes falls short. This is when we need to alter our focus and look for what is unique about the person's expression of disease.

Mental symptoms are always helpful and should be used if possible. Those symptoms that are common to any acute illness are not very useful. It is the unique, the strange, rare, and peculiar symptoms that can sometimes make finding the remedy a snap. Always ask about what has changed for the person. Often, it may be only one new mental symptom that can be used. It can make the field of remedy choices much smaller if it is ex...