Homeopathy elementary

By

www.hpathy.org

Course Content

Chapter 1 - What is homeopathy?

Chapter 2 - How homeopathy differs from allopathy?

Chapter 3 - What ailments can be treated with homeopathy?

Chapter 4 - Is homeopathy safe?

Chapter 5 - How are homeopathic medicines administered?

Chapter 6 - How are homeopathy medicines selected?

Chapter 7 - What are the sources of homeopathy medicines?

Chapter 8 - How are homeopathy medicines prepared and what are

homeopathic potencies?

Chapter 9 - How do homeopathic medicines work?

Chapter 10 - Short Materia Medica of some homeopathic medicines.

Chapter 11 - Assorted queries from 'Ask Dr. B'

Chapter 12 - Where to find more information?

Chapter 13 - Online Test

Chapter 1 - What is Homeopathy?

Definition - Homeopathy is a therapeutic system of medicine that is based on the

principle of similars- like cures like - which means that a substance that can cause certain

symptoms in a healthy person can cure similar symptoms in an unhealthy person. Homeopathy

aims to aid and stimulate the body's own defense and immune processes. Homeopathic

medicines are derived from a variety of plants, animal materials and minerals. These medicines

are prescribed to fit each individual's needs, given in much smaller and less toxic doses than

traditional medications, and are used for both prevention and treatment. Established 200 years

ago by German physician Samuel Hahneman, and is recognized by the World Health

Organization as the second largest therapeutic system in the world.

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Homeopathy is a system of medicine, which was discovered and developed by a German

allopathic physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, between 1792 and 1842.

The then prevalent system of medicine was not at all scientific (in its modern sense). The

knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology etc. was not advanced enough. Most of these

sciences were still in their infancy in the 18th century. Most of the disease causing organisms

and conditions were still unknown to the medical fraternity. So the treatment for most diseases

was eclectic. Everyone treated their patients according to their own whims and fancies. Methods

like bloodletting, leeching, purging, giving crude doses of mercury etc. were the common

treatment for most disorders.

Dr. Hahnemann was very dissatisfied with the limited knowledge of human organism,

disease process and the effects of medicines being used. So, he left his medical career and took

up translation work to support his family.

While translating Dr. Cullen's book of medicine (Dr. Cullen was a professor of medicine in

university), Dr. Hahnemann came across a line in which Dr. Cullen attributed the curative action

of Cinchona bark (from which quinine is prepared) in malarial fever to the fact that it was bitter.

Dr. Hahnemann was not satisfied with this explanation as there were so many bitter substances

around but none other showed any curative action in malarial fever.

To find the truth, he decided to investigate the action of Cinchona bark extract by taking

the medicine himself. After taking the medicine for 2 days, he found that symptoms similar to

malaria developed in him. He was amazed with this observation. He repeated the experiment on

many friends and family members and found the same results. So from this observation he

deduced that Cinchona bark is able to cure malaria because when taken by a healthy human

being, it can create malaria like symptoms.

Then he started working on this concept further to find if this a specific observation or a

general truth applicable to all drugs. He tested medicines with known therapeutic values on his

friends and family and discovered that this is a general law which decided the curative action of

all medicines. He called it 'Similia Similbus Curantur' or 'Like Cures Like'.

Simply stated, it means that a medicine can cure those symptoms in a diseased person,

which, it can produce in healthy individuals. It has been more than two centuries since he

discovered this law. Since then it has been tested millions of times and has stood the test of

time.

Today there are more than 400 Homeopathy Medical Colleges in the world, at least

5,00,000 practitioners, and millions of patients using Homeopathy. Homeopathic medicines are

available in most countries and in some countries like India, Pakistan, and Norway, the legal

status of Homeopathy is already at par with allopathy.

After discovering that one basic principle in 1792, Hahnemann established Homeopathy

as a full system of medicine in the next 50 years. Homeopathy became very popular in the 19th

century. It went through a phase of decline in 20th century when the sciences considered

auxiliary to allopathic medicine (anatomy, physiology, pathology, surgery) became more

advanced; modern drugs like antibiotics and painkillers came into existence; and insurance

companies took hold of the medical practice. But now, as apparent limitations of these modern

wonder (!) drugs are being realized and more work is being done on scientific and clinical

research in Homeopathy, this science is gradually coming back to the center-stage!

Chapter 2 - How homeopathy differs from allopathy or

conventional medicine?

Have you ever wondered about the days of your great grandmother, when there were no

antibiotics, steroids, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs to fight disease with? How did the

people used to get cured of their illness till a couple of decades ago? The people did not used to

succumb to every minor and major illness. Most of the time they used to get out of it. But how?

What used to kill the bacteria, viruses, and parasites causing disease in those days? Their own

immune system!

Yes! our body has a very strong defense mechanism, capable of fighting most disease

conditions. When our body suffers from any disease, body activates its defense system and

fights the disease causing agents. Now medicine can help in overcoming disease in two ways.

One is to add foreign chemical or biological agents in our body in the form of antibiotics

and antiviral drugs. These work by killing the bacteria and viruses respectively. In this process

they weaken the body's inherent defense mechanism, as our body's own army of white cells

becomes secondary. This is how allopathy or conventional medicine works. It kills the bacteria

but does nothing to remove the predisposition of disease and the weakness of immune system,

which initially resulted in the establishment of disease process. Instead, it weakens it further,

predisposing it to more and frequent diseases.

The second way in which a medicine can help the body in overcoming diseases is to

strengthen our body's inherent immune system and let the body take care of the disease causing

agents. In this way two objectives are attained. First, the disease is cured very rapidly and

effectively without the side-effects of the modern wonder drugs(!). Secondly, in this process as

the immune system is further strengthened, the predisposition to disease forms is overcome and

their recurrence prevented. Thus there is overall health benefit. This is how Homeopathy works!

Chapter 3 - What Ailments can be Treated with

Homeopathy?

Almost all ailments are amenable to homeopathic treatment. But Homeopathy is best

known for its ability to treat chronic ailments. The reason for this is that Homeopathy is the only

system of medicine which offers curative treatment (not palliative) in many chronic ailments

which have been declared 'incurable' by other schools of medicine. Be it skin disease, chronic

gastric and intestinal disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, asthma, allergic disorders,

menstrual complaints, other hormonal disorders, arthritis, psychological disorders etc. All these

and many more chronic ailments have been affected curatively by Homeopathy. The only major

limiting factors are -

1. Gross structural and pathological changes.

2. Very low vitality of the patient.

3. Unavoidable presence of certain causative or maintaining factors.

Then Homeopathy is also known to make surgery unnecessary on many occasions. Many

a tonsils, adenoids, appendices etc. have been saved with Homeopathy. Benign tumors and renal

stones also respond well to homeopathic treatment.

Even in cases where curative treatment is not possible, like advanced cases of arthritis,

malignancies etc. management and palliation with homeopathic medicines is very effective and

improves the quality of life of such patients without making them suffer with the side-effects of

the modern wonder-drugs ( ! ).

Homeopathy is also very effective in the treatment of acute ailments. And the action of a

rightly selected homeopathic medicine is usually faster than any other medicines. Not only is

this, under proper homeopathic treatment the tendency to frequent recurrence of acutes and

their tendency to become chronic aborted. One last thing! In Homeopathy, it is said that

Homeopathy never fails, it's the Homeopath that fails. And although Homeopathy has it's

limitations, most 'curable' cases that do not respond to Homeopathy are due to improper

selection of medicine or potency and case management. So if you do not get benefit from

Homeopathy at first, don't dump Homeopathy - dump the Homeopath!

Chapter 4 - Are Homeopathy Medicines Safe?

Yes! They usually are. Homeopathy medicines are given in sub-physiological doses (as

dilution). They do not have any chemicals or added colors in them. Since they work 'with' our

immune system and not 'in spite' of our immune system, they usually do not cause adverse

reactions. Homeopathy medicines usually do not have any side-effects (as understood in

conventional medicine) and they can not cause structural damage in general. They can be given

to infants and pregnant woman too.

This does not mean that homeopathic medicines are totally harmless. The medicines are

harmless only when selected properly and used in moderate potencies for a limited time or when

taken under expert guidance. If the person taking the medicine is too sensitive or if the medicines

are used in very high/very low dilutions (depending on the patients sensitivity) for long periods,

medicinal symptoms can appear in a person.

Homeopathy medicines have a very profound action on human economy, so they should

not be taken without consulting a qualified homeopath.

In many countries, homeopathy medicines are available as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs,

which do not need a prescription. If you plan to use homeopathy remedies as home-remedies, at

least follow these guidelines -

- Do not try to treat any chronic ailment yourself.

- For acute conditions, use medicines in lower potencies like 6c, 12c, 30c etc.

- Do not repeat the medicine more than 3/4 times a day.

- If the medicine does not give desired results in a day or two, seek professional help.

There is no such thing in this world as 'totally-safe'. Homeopathy medicines are safe only

when used judiciously.

Chapter 5 - How Homeopathy Medicines are Administered?

This one is relatively easy to understand. The medicines are available in the market in 2

forms - liquid and medicated globules (sugar pills).

If you have the medicine in liquid form, you can take/administer it in the following ways -

- 2 to 4 drops of liquid medicine dissolved in 2 - 4 teaspoons of water can be taken as one

dose.

- The liquid medicine can directly be taken on the tongue also, 1 - 2 drops at a time. The

medicines have high alcohol content, so this is not the most preferred way, especially for

children.

The liquid medicines can also be used to medicate sugar pills. To medicate the globules,

following steps are followed -

* Fill a small glass/plastic vial (bottle) (1 to 4 drachma size) with sugar pills. Keep the

filled level slightly below the neck of bottle.

* Depending upon the size of vial, put 5 to 15 drops of medicine in the vial. The ideal

amount is that which is able to moisten all globules and there is no free fluid left at the base.

Keep this as a standard, whatever be the quantity of globules.

* Then put the cap of the vial back and shake it slightly to ensure that all globules get

uniformly moistened.

* If there is excess fluid left at the bottom, it should be drained by slightly tilting the vial.

In old days, it was recommended that the medicated globules should be dried on blotting paper

before use. These days this rule is not followed strictly and is not known to make any difference

either.

If you have the medicine in medicated globules, 1 to 10 pills can be taken at a time,

depending upon the size of globule. Theoretically, the size and number of globule does not

matter much. 1 globule of any size can be taken. But as the pills are very small in size, 4 to 6

pills are often taken as one dose for the sake of convenience.

Sometimes, homeopathy medicines are dispensed in 'sugar of milk' powder, instead of

cane sugar pills. This method is also equally effective. It is specially suitable, if you need to

dispense just one or two doses of a medicine.

Homeopathy medicines can also be administered by olfaction or by gently rubbing them

on skin. These methods are not very popular and not known to be equally effective. But they do

work!

Homeopathy medicines for the LM scale are dispensed in a special way. It is a bit

complicated. You will learn about it later.

Chapter 6 - How Homeopathy Medicines are Selected?

Before we deal with this, let us first understand some basic words and definitions.

Case Taking - The process of initial consultation of a patient with a homeopath in which

the patient presents his/her history/complaints to the physician in detail.

Materia Medica - A book which contains information about the action of various

homeopathy medicines.

Repertory - A dictionary like index of symptoms. Each symptom is followed by a list of

medicines that have produced that symptom during proving.

Drug Proving - A process in which a medicinal substance is given to a group of healthy

people and the signs and symptoms thus produced are recorded.

Now we come back to the original question of how the homeopathy medicines are

selected.

When a patient comes to a homeopath for the first time, the homeopath takes a detail

interview to find out as much as possible about the complaints of the patient as well as about the

patient himself. The discussion goes beyond the disease name, to the actual signs and symptoms

experienced by the patient, the aggravating and ameliorating factors, accompanying ailments,

causative factors, maintaining factors, physical and psychological makeup of the person etc. This

whole process of understanding the 'person' who is ill can take many hours (in chronic ailments).

After a homeopath gathers this information he/she uses the repertory to find out which

medicines are most indicated for the case. Then the homeopath uses his/her knowledge of

Materia Medica to find out the remedy that best fits the case.

This is a long process and requires lot of skill from the homeopath. These days special

software are available which help a homeopath in the process of case analysis and

repertorization.

In acute cases like fever, cough, diarrhea, cold etc., such detail case taking may not be

required. Only the symptoms of the acute ailment may be sufficient to prescribe a remedy.

Chapter 7 - What is Individualization?

Individualization is the process of differentiating an object or a person from a class or

group of similar objects or persons.

It is a character of homeopathy that all its practical processes are governed by the process

of individualization. In its drug-proving, its study of the Materia Medica compiled from those

provings; its examination of the patient and study of the case; its selection of the remedy and its

conduct of whatever auxiliary treatment is required, it always seeks to individualize.

Individualization of Drugs

Homeopathy recognizes the individuality of each drug and substance in nature. Its

method of testing or 'proving' drugs upon the healthy human beings is designed and used for the

purpose of bringing out the individuality of each drug so that its full power and relations are

established. During a homeopathy drug proving the effect of a drug is closely studied on all parts

of the body and in large number of people. This gives us the full range of action of the medicine.

The crude sensations and symptoms like headache, colic, diarrhea etc. are not of much

use to a homeopath and in homeopathy drug provings, much finer symptoms are elicited. For

e.g., if a medicine produces headache during a homeopathic drug-proving, then the symptom is

completed with the location of pain, type of pain (throbbing, aching, bursting, burning etc.),

aggravating and ameliorating factors, concomitant symptoms etc. The complete information

allows us to differentiate various medicine producing headache in drug-provings or to say in

other words the information allows us to differentiate various medicines capable of curing

headache.

Individualization of a Case / Patient

No one would argue that all healthy human beings are anatomically and physiologically

alike. And no one would argue that inspite of that similarity in our structure and functions, we all

have our individuality. We all have our way of thinking, reflexes, emotions, expressions, built,

desires, aversions, likes, dislikes, hobbies, thermal reaction; patterns of sweating, salivation,

sleep, dreams; susceptibility to various external influences and diseases etc. These and many

other traits help to create our individuality.

As we all have an individuality in health, we also have an individuality in disease. The

signs and symptoms of a disease are nothing but the reaction of a person to the disease causing

morbific agent or stimulus. Every person reacts to any external agent according to his/her

individuality and so a persons individuality is reflected in his/her disease too.

In every case of a disease, a person gives two types of symptoms - Common and

Uncommon. Common symptoms are those symptoms which are found in most cases of a

particular disease. For e.g.; Fever with shivering is a common symptom of malaria, burning pain

in esophagus and sour eructation are common symptoms of gastric acidity. Common symptoms

help us in disease diagnosis and in suggesting the prognosis and general management to a case.

Uncommon symptoms are those symptoms which are found in very few patient suffering from a

particular disease / condition. They reflect the individual reaction of a person to a morbific agent.

Such symptoms help us in individualizing a patient and selecting a similar remedy for him. For

e.g.; a person suffering from fever can be restless or dull, may have perspiration on a specific

part like face or soles, may have thirst for cold or warm drinks, may feel better in the evening or

in morning hours etc. Such characters reflect the individuality of a patient and are of great use to

a homeopath in selecting the right remedy.

Homeopathy recognizes the individuality of each patient. The entire examination of a

patient is conducted with a view to discover not only the common symptoms of a case/disease by

which it may be classified diagnostically and pathologically, but the special and particular

symptoms which differentiate the case from others of the same general class, are sought to find

out the individuality of the patient..

It recognizes the fact that no two cases or patients, even with the same disease, are

exactly alike. It maintains that a true therapeutic science must enable the physician to recognize

these differences and find the needed remedy for each individual. In clinical practice these

'differences' are usually the deciding factor in the choice of the remedy. It is said that

homeopathy does not treat disease, it treats the patient. In other words, it individualizes!

Chapter 8 - Concept of Health

What is health? How do you define it?

* Health is a state of being free from any disease.

* Health is a state of perfect harmony between all the organs and systems of the body.

Or is there more to health? Let us explore.

The first definition of health has a basic fault in it - it tries to define a primary state

through a secondary state. Health is a primary state. It cannot be fully defined through a

secondary phenomenon, disease. And then there is a larger question. Does being free from any

disease which can be given a name, makes one healthy? I think, no. I know so many people who

have no known disease and yet they are not healthy. I know a woman who likes to show off her

tons of jewelry to those who can't have it; a woman who snobs at everyone. She has no known

disease. But would you call her healthy? I know a man, who is a couch potato. He goes to his job

and does nothing else. He does not help his wife with family responsibilities. He behaves with

her as if she is his servant. He has no known disease. But would you call him healthy? I know a

man who brags about his achievements till everybody around drops dead. He has no known

disease. But would you call him healthy?

'Health' is an elusive word. Most people who consider themselves healthy are not. And

many people who are suffering from some known disease, may be relatively healthy. Health is a

concept which does not merely relate to the absence of disease, of healthy working of organs, or

having good thoughts. Health is a holistic concept. It relates to a person as a whole. Not just the

person you see, but also the person you 'feel'. Health is a triune of three parts:

- Emotional Health

- Mental Health

- Physical Health

Let us explore each one of these.

Physical Health :

This is probably the easiest to define and yet it is sometimes the most difficult to understand.

Physical health can be defined as a state in which all the body parts are anatomically intact and

are performing their physiological functions perfectly and harmoniously. It is a very simplistic

definition, but it basically covers everything like:

All the body parts should be there

All of them are in their natural place and position

None of them has any pathology

All of them are doing their physiological functions properly

And they work with each other harmoniously

This may seem a bit idealistic to some, but here we are talking about the ideals. But even this

definition does not cover it all. Let me give an example. There are lots of people around us who

catch a cold with every change of season or with every sudden change of temperature. Now in

common parlance, we say that these people have low immunity. But the fact is that most of these

people have normal blood counts and normal immunological tests. So when these people are not

down with cold they are in perfect health as per the above definition. And yet they are not

perfectly healthy. Their system breaks down with every stressful condition. So we can add

another aspect to the above definition of physical health:

The anatomical and functional integrity of the body parts and systems should be

maintained under moderate stress.

Now a bit more tricky part. Read the following statement carefully.

'Not falling ill at all is also not a sign of good health'

This statement needs to be understood carefully. It is a normal phenomenon to

occasionally get a cold, a fever, or a stomach bug. There is nothing wrong in getting an

occasional acute ailment. It is quite natural and also good for our immune system. Occasional

sickness keeps our immune system in a ready state.

But you might have seen many people around you, who never seem to get an acute

illness. People who have never had a cold or never had a fever in ten years. Not all of these

people are healthy. In fact many of these people are more ill than their counterparts who keep

getting their occasional acutes. I say this because these people are not super humans and most of

them are not in 'ideal' health either. The fact is that these people do get affected by environmental

factors and other stresses. But the result of these forces is not seen on physical plane. Such

people are more affected on the mental and emotional plane. They become 'dis-eased' but their

disease is not easily apparent on the physical level. If you want to cross-check my statement,

then go to a mental asylum and inquire about the rate of prevalence of acute ailments. You will

find it extremely low. Now let us move on to the mental health.

Mental Health :

When we talk about mind, we basically refer to our capability to perceive, comprehend,

think, judge, and remember - the intellectual and reasoning faculties. Now pause for a moment

and think. Think about all the people you know, who have rather strange perceptions of people

around them, or about certain cultural and political ideologies. People whose perceptions are

delusional. Think about the people around you who need to be told everything twice before they

understand you. Think about the people who either do not think at all (thoughtless ones) or who

think too much. People who take wrong decisions even when facts are against their decision.

And then think about the children at school who do not seem to remember anything. And the

housewife who looks for her specs while wearing them on her nose.

I do not intend to say that all such people are mentally ill. But many of them are. Not

everyone can have the same level of mental faculties, but these signs do show that these people

are not in their optimum mental health.

I will not talk here about the mental sickness that takes some of us to asylums. My focus

here is on the concept of mental health and not on mental sickness. Although they are totally

related but there is a difference of degrees.

There is no absolute definition for mental health as there is a great variation in the level of

mental faculties among people. But still we can set some reasonable standards. Some of the

markers of mental health can be:

having a mental aptitude near or above social average.

having the ability to perceive things as they are, and not as one thinks they are.

having the ability to understand the social structure and ability to comprehend vocal and

other forms of communication within that social structure

having a reasonable ability to make judgments regarding good and bad or right and

wrong.

having the ability to remember and reproduce information collected through various

senses or through learning to a reasonable degree.

These are just some of the basics and even these cannot be given a measuring scale. The only

measuring scale we have is that of social average. But even that has its limitations. The concept

of mental health is so vast that whole books can be written about it- without reaching to any

conclusions!

The modern medical science does not consider a person mentally ill, if he or she can not be

given a disease label to wear. But look around you and you will see so many 'mentals' moving

around. Most of us are unable to recognize when our mental health starts to fail. The reason for

this is that when our mind is affected, our ability to reason and judge ourselves is also affected.

And so people often do not realize that they are not in optimum mental health, until the things

start taking bad shape.

As we appreciate changes in the normal functioning of body parts as probable signs of

disease, similarly, we should appreciate the subtle signs which reflect a change in our mental

being. Most mental deviations cannot be labeled as 'disease'. They are at best 'deviations' that

need correction through social and medical therapies.

Emotional Health :

Our brain is the part which regulates both our mental and emotional faculties. So these

two are highly related. In fact, most of the people who suffer from some psychological disease

are both mentally and emotionally ill. But in this part, I will specifically focus on the emotional

health.

Technically speaking, our emotions are neuro-hormonal reactions occurring in response

to some physical or mental stimulus, which in turn, affect our response to the same stimulus on

the physical and mental plane. This may sound like a very unromantic explanation, but it is a

fact. Emotions do not come from our heart, they are generated in our brain. All the emotions we

feel - love, joy, hate, anger, sorrow etc. are nothing but some primitive algorithms that are

processed to generate response on the physical and mental level.

Let me give an example. Suppose somebody abuses you. Afterwards you feel angry

towards that person. The question is how is this 'anger' generated? And why only 'anger' is

produced? Why do not you fall in love when somebody abuses you?

First, let me answer the second question. What kind of emotional response is generated

depends on two factors - our subconscious mental awareness and, through social learning. Our

subconscious mental awareness is probably a mental reflex action that comes without learning.

For e.g., a young child also shows reaction to anger and shouting. This is what is inherent in us.

The second thing that affects our emotions is our learning. Through social learning we are taught

the meaning of love, joy, hate, anger etc. and we are taught to differentiate them.

Now I come back to the first question as to how 'anger' is generated. The moment

somebody abuses you, your mind perceives it as a threat or offense based on its social learning.

To counter this threat, the mind needs to prepare the body and itself for some reaction. Based on

the perception of stimulus, some neuro-hormonal reactions are generated which create

'emotions'. What we perceive as 'anger' is the after result of that processing. Our mind generate

negative thoughts towards the concerned person. The concentration level of mind increases and it

is focused on the current situation. Our eyes become prominent. The winking rate decreases,

muscles in face and the other parts of the body become tense in anticipation of further action.. In

this state we say a person is 'angry'. But this is the primary response occurring as a reflex

phenomenon. There can be a secondary phenomenon like you can also hurl abuses or hit the

person, or just walk away. This secondary reaction is based on the intensity of emotions and the

integrity of the regulatory mechanisms in our brain.

Other kind of emotions are also generated in a similar way. There is a primary stimulus

which generates the 'emotions' based on the perception of stimulus, and which leads to

appropriate physical and mental response.

I have delved deep into the probable mechanism of emotions so that it becomes easy to

understand how our emotional health can fail just as our physical health does. As the

physiological reactions taking place in our liver or lungs can go awry, so can they go wrong at

the emotional level. Our brain can produce too strong an emotional response for a small stimulus

or it may produce a very weak response against a strong stimulus. The response may persist for

too little a duration or too long a duration.

Let me give some real life examples to explain this. It is normal to be angry when

somebody abuses you. But if you can't let that anger go for a very long time, then everything is

not right with you. It s normal to feel sad when somebody close to you passes away. But if you

try to kill yourself after that, then you are not emotionally healthy. If you always feel elated (not

just happy) without any good reason then you are not emotionally healthy.

These are only a few raw examples. Our emotions show very fine variations from person

to person. There is no measurable way to define emotional health. The three basic attributes that

can be given to an emotionally healthy person are:

An emotionally healthy person is -

able to show correct emotional response based on the stimulus

able to express his emotions (actually, able to express the thoughts generated as a result

of emotions)

able to regulate the mental and physical response generated due to an emotion.

There are so many people around us who are unable to cry when they need to; who are

unable to fight when they need to; who fear every passing wind; who lose their ability to reason

when they fall in love. These people do not have any 'disease' and yet these people are not

'healthy'!

The Triune:

So far, I have discussed the three components of health as separate entities to understand

each one of them more thoroughly. But emotional health, mental health, and physical health are

not separate entities. You cannot have a healthy mind without a healthy body or healthy

emotions and vice-versa. The degree to which one of these components is affected can vary from

person to person, but ultimately it is the person as a whole that is affected.

This understanding of the human being is why I like Homeopathy so much. And this is

the reason why Homeopathy is so different from every other system of medicine. The dominant

medical school still has to realize that just as the parts of a human body can not work in isolation,

they also can not fall ill in isolation. There can not be a disturbed liver or a damaged lung unless

and until there is a primary disturbance which affects the person as a whole. We can not forget

that every part in our body and every cell in those parts has come from a single cell. A cell which

had a life force of its own. How can any one dissociate the body parts which have all come from

one single cell?

Leave aside the differentiation of parts, even the classification of health as emotional,

mental, and physical is not totally true. These are components which can not be separated -

neither in health, nor in disease.

Factors for Failing Health :

While discussing physical, mental, and emotional health, I did not discuss the causes for

the derangement of health. I left that part because there is hardly any cause which affects one

plane without affecting the others. Our mind and body are so closely integrated that when one is

affected there are bound to be repercussions on the other. Let me give some examples to

elaborate this. Even a small cut in your hand (physical plane) can make you worry (mental plane)

about the bleeding or injury in general and can make you angry (emotional plane) with yourself

that you were not careful enough. Again, mental anxiety (which often results from emotional

problems) is a well known cause for peptic ulcers and hypertension. These are not isolated

examples. Nearly every known disease, be it physical or psychological, can be associated with

signs and symptoms on the other planes.

Now let me elaborate some of the most common factors affecting our health.

1.Genes: -

Yes! our genes are one of the biggest factors in deciding the way in which our health gets

deranged. They also decide which plane is affected the most in a particular person. Through

ages, it is known to humanity that children tend to inherit their 'mother's nose' or their 'father's

eyes'. But what most of us do not realize is that children can also inherit the 'father's

temperament' or 'mother's thought process'. And as children inherit the physical and mental

makeup from their parents, they also inherit the tendencies and susceptibilities to acquire

diseases. For example - it is a well known fact that conditions like obesity, hypertension, peptic

ulcers, crohn's disease, diabetes, depression etc. often run in families.

Defective genes sometimes directly result in diseases. What we commonly call as genetic

disorders. But even the 'emotional instability', 'tendency to worry a lot', or the 'tendency to catch

a cold frequently' can be attributed to our genetic inheritance.

2. Lifestyle and Social factors: -

Our contemporary life style is the second biggest factor for failing health of people.

Increasing sedentary habits, long working hours, reduced rest hours; diet containing highly

processed food, poor in fiber content and with loads of artificial colors and flavors; increased

anxiety and tensions related to education, career, job, performance, etc. are some of the factors

that are responsible for decreasing the health status of our society at large. Coupled with

environmental factors and allopathic drugs, these factors are playing havoc with our health.

3. Allopathic Drugs: -

Even allopaths say that allopathic drugs are one of the biggest cause of health problems

today. Allopathic drugs not only have their side-effects, but their excessive use is decreasing the

immunity level of our society at large. The pill-popping culture is an open invitation to chronic

ailments. People keep suppressing their ailments and keep working until their body finally gives

up.

4. Environmental factors: -

Increasing pollution of our air, water, and earth is a well known factor in the increasing

level of many diseases. There is a high level of asthma and other allergic complaints in urban

areas. Depleting ozone layer is a known factor in increasing rate of skin cancers. Noise pollution

is a recognized factor in increasing anxiety and stress levels in our society.

These are some of the major factors. One factor that I have left and which is commonly

considered a cause for illness is - bacteria, viruses, and parasites. What about these? Are they not

a major cause of disease? Yes, they are a cause of disease - but not a major one. The ability of

these microorganisms to make a person sick relies on two factors:

virulence (quality and quantity)

immunity

Plus there is a third factor that made me say that bacteria, viruses etc. are not a major cause of

human sickness:

Social health

If a person gets infected by a potent microbe and has a low immunity against it, then he may

fall ill. But bacteria and viruses are not a cause for decreasing health status of our society. Man

himself is the cause for it.

People through their lifestyle and drug-abuse, decrease their immunity and create fertile

grounds for these microorganisms. And people themselves act as the carriers and create

conditions for their spread. Think of it this way - if there is no drug abuse, no sexual perversions,

no promiscuity - what will be the rate of infection of HIV or Hepatitis-B? Extremely low. And

that applies to most of the modern diseases in some way or the other. Bacteria and viruses cannot

rage a war against us - it is us who help them kill us!

What about Spiritual Health?

I could not have left this one! Homeopathy does consider that we all have a 'spirit like'

vital force, which animates us. And it is this spirit like vital force which gets deranged before we

fall sick. Also most of the humanity believes in God. And if you believe in God, you cannot

logically disbelieve the spirit within us. And since homeopaths themselves are human beings and

deal with other human beings, we cannot just shun the beliefs of a large proportion of humanity.

We need to work with them and on them.

The first question that comes up in context of spiritual health is whether you believe in

spirits? And then there are related questions like - do you believe in God? good spirits and evil

spirits? afterlife? hell and heaven? etc. etc. All are very philosophical questions and the only

answer scientific reasoning can give to them is - 'NO'. But I believe there is more to life than just

science and so I will give my views regarding these questions in relation to the question of

spiritual health.

To begin with, yes! I do believe in human spirit and God too. Wait! Don't jump to any

conclusions. Not yet. There is a big question that follows this one. What do you understand by

God and human spirit? Well! I don't know if there is something ethereal like God and spirits. For

me God means 'Good Deeds'. I don't believe there is any God in idols and churches or heaven. I

believe if there is any God, he is within us. The 'Goodness' in you is the God you think about. I

do not know and can not know if there is a dynamic human spirit that animates us. What I know

is that life itself is dynamic. And the spirit I believe in is the summary of our physical, mental,

and emotional health. For me 'human spirit' is what a person really is, apart from what he appears

to be. I believe what goes around, comes around. What you sow, is what you reap. So if there is a

hell, it's right here and if there is a heaven, it's right here. I am not aware of my past-life or

afterlives, if I had any. But I have this life to live - the life that I am aware of - and I want to live

it healthily. That's my spirit!

Chapter 9 - What are the Sources of Homeopathy Medicines?

Homeopathy medicines are prepared from a number of sources like plants, minerals,

animal products, energy forms etc. Sometimes even diseased tissue is also used as a crude base

for the preparation of homeopathy medicines.

Homeopathy is the only system of medicine which has been able to successfully use all

forms of matter and energy for therapeutic purpose. Even otherwise harmful substances like

arsenic, snake poisons, disease products and tissues etc. are successfully prepared to yield

therapeutic benefits homeopathically.

The magic of it all lies in the way homeopathy medicines are prepared. We will study

that in our next chapter. For now, here is a list of sources of homeopathy medicines along with

some examples of medicines prepared from each source. Go through them carefully. Many of the

medicinal sources are going to raise questions in your mind like 'How can a medicine be

prepared from this substance?' or 'Are homeopaths nuts to use this as a drug?'. Do not worry.

You will get your answers soon. None of these medicines are given in crude or physiological

doses.

Here is the list of medicinal sources with examples of medicines from each source -

Plant Kingdom –

Aconite napellus, Arnica montana, Belladona, Chamomilla, Chelidonium, Drosera,

Dulcamara, Euphrasia, Hyoscyamus, Pulsatilla, Gelsemium, Allium cepa, Cinchona officinalis,

Baptisia tinctoria, Rhus tox, Digitalis, Oleander, Thuja, Lycopodium Calendula, Coffea, Nux

vomica, Agaricus muscaris, Aloe etc.

Animal Kingdom –

Apis mel (honeybee), Blatta orientalis (cockroach), Culex (mosquito), Tarentula (spider),

Cantharis (spanish fly), Sepia (cuttle fish), Carbo animalis (ox hide), Lecithin (egg yolk), Lac

caninum ( bitch milk), Vipera (snake poison), Lachesis (snake poison) etc.

Mineral Kingdom –

Aluminum, Argentum (silver), Aurum (gold), Cuprum (copper), Platinum, Ferrum (iron),

Graphites (carbon), Lactic acid, Oxalic acid, Petroleum (mineral oil) etc.

Sarcodes (healthy secretions/extracts) –

Adrenalinum (adrenal gland), Insulin, Pancreatinum (pancreas), Thyroidinum (thyroid

gland) etc.

Nosodes (disease producing agents, disease products or diseases tissues) –

Carcinocin (cancer tissue), Medorrhinum (gonorrheal virus), Psorinum (itch eruptions),

Tuberculinum (tubercular pus), Anthracinum (spleen of anthrax affected animal), Influenzium

(influenza virus) etc.

Imponderabilia (energy forms) –

Luna (moon), Sol (sun's ray), X-Ray, Electricitus (electricity) etc.

Chapter 10 - How are Homeopathy Medicines Prepared? What are Homeopathic

potencies?

To answer these questions, I will take you into the process of discovery of the methods of

preparation of homeopathy medicines.

When Dr. Hahnemann established the 'Law of Similia', he started prescribing the

medicines he had tested. He used to give crude, material doses as was the norm those days. For

e.g.., If a patient came with symptoms of malaria resembling the symptom picture produced by

china bark, the patient would be given the crude extract of the china bark (cinchona) as a

medicine.

Dr. Hahnemann observed that these crude medicines, although acted curatively, produced

lot of unnecessary side effects. He also realized that many substances, which are poisonous in

nature, can alter the human state of health, but can not be used in crude form. For e.g.., When a

person ingests some arsenic, the person suffers from severe vomiting and watery diarrhea. But

arsenic being a poison could not be used on the law of similars for similar cases of cholera. To

reduce these undue limitations, Dr. Hahnemann started to reduce the dose of drugs. He would

take 1 part of medicine, mix it with 9 or 99 parts of alcohol or water or sugar of milk and would

shake it or grind it. While experimenting with this process, he soon realized that the medicines

prepared in this way were acting better than the crude medicines. With every successive dilution,

he found that the medicines were acting better and more deeply.

Exactly when and how Dr. Hahnemann stumbled upon this method of drug preparation is

not known. This discovery has become one of the most controversial discovery of medical

science ever.

Now a days, medicines are prepared in two basic scales of dilution - decimal and

centesimal. In decimal scale, the medicine is diluted in a ratio of 1:9 in every successive

preparation (potency) (1X, 2X, 3X, 4X...and so on). In centesimal scale, the medicine is diluted

in a ratio of 1:99 in every potency (1C, 2C, 3C, 4C..and so on). The medicines are strongly

shaken after every dilution (there is a specific method for shaking).

The controversy starts here because after 24th decimal dilution (24X potency) and after

12th centesimal dilution (12C potency), the medicine gets so diluted that even 1 molecule of the

original drug substance can not be traced in the medicine(!!!!! the Avogadro's number is

crossed)). Yet the medicines work! and work better than the lower potencies.

This is a big scientific puzzle. Our current concepts of physics and chemistry are not able

to explain what is left in these medicines at such dilution that works curatively. A 12C is

considered a low potency by homeopaths. Homeopaths frequently use potencies as high as 30C,

200C, 1000C, 10000C and beyond.

The current hypothesis is that the method of shaking somehow transfers the

'electromagnetic signature' of the drug substance to the diluting vehicle. What this signature is

and how it gets transferred should be left as work for physicists. What is important for the patient

and the homeopath is that the medicines work and work very effectively. It has been clinically

verified millions of times. Very soon, you yourself will start appreciating the power of small

doses of homeopathy.

Chapter 11 - How do Homeopathy Medicines Work?

In the last 2 chapters, while discussing the method of preparation of homeopathy

medicines, I told you that homeopathy medicines are usually given in sub-physiological doses. It

means, the homeopathy medicine 'Arsenic' does not contain even a single molecule of arsenic

and the homeopathy medicine Cinchona(or china) does not contain any bark extract in it.

(Beyond 12 C potency)

So if there is nothing chemical left in these medicines, then how and why do they work?

Big questions. And Frankly speaking, I do not have any specific answers to them either. This is

an unsolved puzzle. We have just started putting the pieces of this puzzle together. There have

been many double blind clinical trials which have undoubtedly shown that homeopathy

medicines have definite medical properties. Some newer concepts in modern physics like

'memory of water', nuclear magnetic resonance, kirlian photography etc. are also being used to

find the physical basis of homeopathy medicines. The initial results are very encouraging and I

expect a full answer to this puzzle within the next few years.

The current hypothesis regarding the action of homeopathy medicines is as follows -

Diseases as characterized by various names (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, peptic ulcer,

OCD etc.) are not definite entities. They are 'states' - states of deviation from health. Diseases as

we know them, are just the final stage of a long process. Homeopathy recognizes all diseases as a

process and not as an entity. Homeopathy medicines when given to a healthy human being,

create an artificial disease like state which is called proving. When given to a sick person having

a similar 'disease state', the medicine (somehow) stimulates the body's defense mechanism

(possibly through neuro-endocrine axis) in such a specific manner that the body itself

compensates the diseases state and the process of healing starts.

The way clinically health is restored through homeopathy medicines has been

documented extensively and millions of times. What transpires within the body is of academic

interest. What is of primary interest to people who are sick and the people who want to heal, is

that homeopathy medicines can restore a persons health. This is the bottom line, which no one

can deny!

Chapter 12 - Myths about Homeopathy

Myth 1. Homeopathy is an unproved science.

Fact: Homeopathy is based on experimental pharmacological and clinical data. Over the

years, homeopathic medicines have been extensively studied for their efficacy in a variety of

data.

Myth 2. Homeopathic medicines are only sugar pills which act more as placebos and have

no medicinal value as such.

Fact: Yes, indications. Clinical studies have been conducted in India as well as other

countries. The physical basis of the homeopathic medicines is still not clear but there is enough

clinical data to prove its efficacy. All the principles of homeopathy are based on sound logic and

experimental the white sugar pills, as such do not have any medicinal value. But these act as

vehicles or carriers for the medicines, which are alcohol based. Otherwise the medicine can be

taken directly or dissolved in water. Homeopathic medicines have been scientifically studied the

world over and found to be effective in a wide range of diseases. Thus they are not placebos.

Myth 3. Homeopathy is slow acting and cannot be used in acute cases of diarrhea, fever,

cough, cold, etc.

Fact: Homeopathy is fast acting in acute cases and can be effectively used in treating

infections, fever, cold etc. Unfortunately, people tend to go to a homeopath only when the acute

problem becomes chronic. Naturally, these cases take longer to treat. Also, most people take

recourse in homeopathy in cases of arthritis, allergic asthma or skin conditions etc., which take a

longer time to treat with any other medicines.

Myth 4. Homeopathy is a 'magic remedy' that can treat any disorder.

Fact: Homeopathy like any other field of medicine, has its limitations. For example, it

cannot treat cases where surgery is unavoidable, many dental cases, etc.

Myth 5. Homeopathic doctors are quacks who do not have formal training in the field of

Medicine.

Fact: Qualified doctors practice Homeopathy, in most parts of the world. In India, there

are over 200 homeopathy medical colleges and world over the number is close to 500, which

offer degree and post -graduate studies n Homeopath At present, there are over 2,00,000 trained

homeopaths in India and at least half-million across the globe.

Myth 6. One has to follow strict dietary restrictions while on homeopathic treatment.

Fact: Some patients are asked to abstain from onions, garlic, coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol

etc. as these substances interfere with the action of certain homeopathic medicines. But then,

restricting alcohol and tobacco is also safe and healthy.

Myth 7. Homeopathy is only useful in chronic cases.

Fact: Very often it is - where everything else has failed! But the true reason for this

perception is because people turn to homeopathy so late when everything else has failed! After

years of allopathic treatment often an illness becomes chronic, the treatment will now naturally

take longer than in case of using homeopathy right from the beginning, the recovery period is

very less. Homeopathy medicines are equally effective in chronic and acute ailments.

Myth 8. Homeopathy cannot be used in diabetic patients.

Fact: It can be used! The minute amount of sugar globules (the little round pills) taken

daily does not matter. Sugar intake in the daily diet is significantly higher than that taken by a

few globules. In very severe cases, the dilution may be taken as drops in water or over lactose.

Myth 9. The homeopath gives the same white pills for all types of illnesses. How can they be

really effective?

Fact: Depending on the illness, homeopaths medicate with different medicines. The

sugar pills serve only as a vehicle for transfer of the medicine. The selected medicine, out of a

range of more than 3000 different dilutions, is targeted to the individual problems.

Myth 10. Are there really no side effects of homeopathic medicine.

Fact: Generally there are no side effects of homeopathic medicine if prescribed in

potencies of 3CH and above. However, some tinctures and triturates in very low potencies like

Ix, 2x have some side effects of minor nature. Sometimes, homeopathic medicines in higher

dilutions may also elicit drug-proving in sensitive individuals. But just like any other medicine,

homeopathy medicines should be used with caution and in chronic ailments, they should not be

taken without consultation with a qualified homeopath.

Chapter 13. Short Materia Medica

A brief discription of 8 homeopathy medicines (aconite, arnica, arsenic, belladona,

carbo veg., pulsatilla, nux vomica and ignatia) is given here to make you familiar with

homeopathy materia medica, medicines and their application. The descriptions are not very

exhaustive and have been simlified for better understanding. Many keynotes of each medicine

are given in bold. Do remember them.

ACONITE:

Often there are times when you feel that you are about to fall ill. The stage when the

disease has not localized, yet you can feel dis-eased - technically called the prodormal phase of

an acute illness. Aconite is a medicine that can be taken in the prodormal stage of most acute

ailments, especially, if they develop suddenly. It will abort the illness in most cases.

Aconite is a medicine to consider whenever complaints appear suddenly. You were fine

till 2 hours ago and now suddenly you develop pain in throat - aconite could be the remedy. You

went into cold air, entered a warm room and suddenly started sneezing, aconite can be the

remedy at this stage before the cold has fully gripped you. Similarly, if you suddenly develop

fever, your skin feels dry and hot, there is dryness of mouth and you feel thirsty and there is

redness of face - aconite could be your remedy.

Often in aconite patients, you will find that they get more disturbed even with slight

ailments. They become more anxious and restless. They may even develop an undue fear of

disease and death. The ailments are slight but the slightest ailment puts them off the track.

That is aconite for you in brief - just remember acute ailments, sudden onset, anxiety and

restlessness!

ARNICA:

Arnica is a medicine which is best known for its ability to heal in cases of injury,

especially, when the injury results from a fall, blunt instruments, concussions, and

contusions. In injuries where there is an element of shock or where the muscles are more

affected with a sore, lame, bruised feeling in whole body, as if beaten, arnica is often indicated.

Arnica can work wonders in injury cases where the flesh is not torn. If there is

ecchymosis or internal bleeding after an injury or if there is pus formation in soft tissue or bones

(without lacerations) after injury, arnica is often indicated.

Many times it happens that you meet people who tell you that they suffered some injury

or met with an accident many years ago, but they still feel the pain in the injured parts. Arnica

can even heal such effects of very old injuries.

The arnica patient is very sensitive to touch. More sensitive than most people. The pains

are often worse at rest, by touch, by motion, and better by lying down.

Arnica has more use than described here. But if you remember injury, sore/lame/bruised

feeling, ecchymosis, and sensitivity to touch - you will be able to put arnica to good use!

ARSENIC ALBUM:

Arsenic is a medicine with a very diverse range of action. It can prove useful in many

acute ailments like diarrhea, cold, gastritis, fever etc. It is also a very deep acting medicine useful

in many chronic ailments. Whatever be the ailment the arsenic patient shows some characteristic

features.

To begin with, the patient requiring arsenic often feels very prostrated, very tired. The

feeling of fatigue is usually not in proportion to his/her ailment. The patient feels more tired than

he should for the severity of his/her ailments. At the very same time, the patient also feels

mentally restless. Although the patient feels tired, he can not rest in one place. He/she will

continue to move or change his position as long as the body permits.

There is lot of anxiety too regarding his disease and health in general. The patient

exaggerates the disease and may even feel that his/her disease is incurable (even simple diarrhea

or cold!!). The feeling leads to fear of death.

The complaints of arsenic patients are often worse around midnight and midday - more

around midnight. The pains felt by a patient needing arsenic are often burning in nature. The

arsenic patient usually feels better by heat (except in headache), hot drinks, hot application etc.

The arsenic thirst is also very typical. The patient feels thirsty but drinks small

quantities at frequent intervals. There are some other symptoms of arsenic too that you should

be aware of -

* Arsenic is often indicated in gastric derangement ( gastritis / diarrhea / vomiting) after

cold fruits, ice-cream, ice-water, old food (cases of food poisoning). The diarrhea of arsenic

patient is often worse after eating or drinking.

* In asthma, the arsenic patient can not lie down. Feels better by sitting and bending

forward.

* Arsenic patient often becomes nauseous with the smell or sight of food.

That's arsenic in short for you!

BELLADONA:

The acute conditions in which belladona often finds indication are cold, sore throat, fever,

headache, dentitional problems of children, and acute painful inflammations of all kinds.

The patient catches cold very easily and the cold usually settles in throat. The patient

develops sore throat, the tonsils enlarge, throat appears red, feels dry and painful, more so on

the right side. The cough is dry, short and is often worse at night.

The pains pointing towards belladona are usually throbbing or pulsating in nature. The

pains are often very intense and they start suddenly (not gradually). In headache also, the

congestion and throbbing pain is found. During headache the face becomes red and there is

throbbing pain in the head. The pain is worse by lying down, noise, light, and exertion. It

becomes better on applying pressure.

Belladona is often indicated in primary stages of inflammation, when there is lot of

redness, congestion, and pain in the affected part. It is specially useful in the pre-suppurative

stage (before the pus has formed).

In fever also the redness and heat characterizing the congestive state predominates. The

heat can be very intense with little sweat. The skin feels dry and red. The head appears more hot.

The patient often has no thirst during fever.

Belladona is also useful in many other conditions. Congestion, redness, heat, and

throbbing pains are the keynotes to remember for you.

CARBO VEG.:

Carbo veg., made from charcoal, proves useful when the vital power becomes low from

loss of vital fluid, from grave or serious diseases, from effects of drugs etc. It helps when

reactivity is low.

The typical Carbo veg patient is fat, sluggish, lazy and has a tendency to chronicity of

complaints. It especially suits to old people with low vitality and to people who have never

recovered fully from the effect of some previous illness.

It is a lifesaver remedy for the state of collapse in cholera, typhoid or other grave

diseases, when the patient is almost lifeless, with cold body (head may be hot), breath cold,

pulse imperceptible, respiration quickened and there is desire to be fanned.

Hemorrhage, where the blood is dark, oozing from shock, after surgical operations,

persists for hours or days. Alco bleeding gums.

Weakness, flatulence, and air hunger are present with most of the complaints.

Carbo veg has pronounced action on the gastrointestinal tract. Digestion is slow, food

turns into gas. Aversion to meat, fat and milk which cause flatulence. Loud eructations which

ameliorate. Heaviness and burning after eating. Abdomen distended, esp. the upper part. Can

not bear tight clothing around waist.

That's carbo-veg for you!

PULSATILLA:

On account of its changing , shifting symptoms, this remedy is known as a weather cock

remedy. It is preeminently a remedy for females - mild, gentle, plethoric, sluggish, yielding

disposition - who cry readily.

Thirstlessness, chilliness and shortness of breath is often present with digestive and

menstrual disorders. Mucus discharges are profuse, bland, thick, yellowish-green. Symptoms

often change, shift or appear contradictory.

Mentally, the patient is mild, timid, emotional and fearful. Easily discouraged and

offended. The patient craves sympathy, which ameliorates. Has a clinging nature. Children like

fun and caress. In females there is often morbid fear of opposite sex. Also there is fear to be

alone, of dark, of ghosts in the evening. Although the pulsatilla is patient is very mild, she is also

very irritable at the same time.

Pulsatilla is very useful if menses are delayed at puberty or when the menses are late,

scanty and painful. It also helps if the labour pains are weak or when the pains after delivery are

severe or when there is bleeding after delivery. It also helps when the milk is suppressed or

scanty.

Pulsatilla patient is usually worse by warmth, heat, closed room, evening and eating

rich food and is better by cold, open fresh air, gentle motion and weeping.

NUX VOMICA:

Nux vomica is an everyday remedy. It corresponds to many diseased conditions to which

a modern man is prone. It is useful in those persons who lead a sedentary life, doing much

mental work, or remain under stress and strain of prolonged office work, business cares and

worries. Such people are are apt to indulge in wine, woman, rich food, stimulants and drugs, and

suffer in consequence.

The typical nux patient is rather this (may be potbellied), spare, quick, active, nervous

and irritable. Nux affects nerves causing hypersensitiveness and overimpressionability - both

mentally and physically.

Mentally, the patients is active, gets angry easily, is impatient and can not stand pain.

Nux is the remedy for males who are zealous, optimistic, ambitious, fastidious, faultfinding,

headstrong and self-willed - the achievers. The focus is often on 'I', 'Me' or "Mine'. The patient

is usually oversensitive to external impressions like noise, light, odor, touch etc.

Nux is a very good remedy for gastric disturbances. The Nux person craves beer, fats and

stimulants. There is heaviness in abdomen an hour or two after eating, must loosen clothing. The

patient can not do mental work for 2-3 hours after a meal. Constipation; with frequent,

unsuccessful desire; passing small stool. There is sensation as if not finished after stool.

Nux patient is usually chilly, can not bear cold. Patient is usually worse in morning,

mental exertion, after eating or overeating, touches noise, anger, dry-cold weather,

disappointment of ambition etc. and better by free discharges, naps, milk and rest.

IGNATIA:

Ignatia is a remedy which often comes into play when there is history of suppressed

anger, grief, loss of loved ones, or disappointed love. Persons who become mentally of

physically exhausted by long-concentrated grief. Such people often have desire to be alone.

They are amicable in disposition if feeling well, but easily disturbed by very slight emotion;

easily offended. The slightest faultfinding or contradiction excited anger, and this makes her

angry with herself. The person becomes moody. Mental conditions change rapidly from joy to

sorrow, from laughing to weeping.

Children when reprimanded or scolded, get sick or have convulsions in sleep.

Ignatia especially suits to women of a nervous temperament who have a mild disposition. But

they are quick to perceive and rapid in execution (unlike Pulsatilla). Ignatia patients often have

involuntary sighing. Also they have an avers\ion to tobacco/smoking.

Ignatia is called the remedy of contradictions as it presents lots of contradictory

symptoms like thirst during chill, pain in throat better by swallowing, cough worse by coughing,

piles better by walking etc.

Ignatia is also oversensitive to pain. And pains usually occur in small circumscribed

spots.

Another interesting feature of Ignatia is that its patients often sweat on face while eating.

That's Ignatia for you!