One of the main features in PULS. is a morbid dread of the opposite sex.

Yet it also has: ‘Exaggerated sexual desire; nymphomania; wild, beside herself with sexual thoughts; uncontrollable sexual desire’ as for instance in Kent’s’Lectures on Hom. Materia Medica’.

Can someone please explain the appearent contradiction, or is it that the Pulsatilla
patient may be inclined one way or the other, and if, which is the more commonly observed?

Thanks for any input, Gernot

I have noticed that these contradictions occur in many of the remedies. For example, in Lycopodium under male sexual organs we find "immoderate excitement, or absence of sexual desire". I have also seen this with regard to appetite and other symptoms. Some remedies are strong in certain spheres, such as Lycopodium in the sexual sphere, so they may cause (or correspond to) different symptoms in that sphere. For example, if we were to prove Lycopodium, one person may experience a heightened sex drive whereas another experiences a diminished sex drive. This could account for some of the contradictions.

It may be human nature to want to view things as static or fixed. Certainly, this world view is inherent in the English language. However, Nature, whence the remedies come, is in reality much more fluid. I think this is reflective of the life process in general and the healing process in particular. There is a dynamic interaction that occurs when someone takes a remedy (or any medicine), and this can't always be predicted or controlled (much to our dismay ).

[ 04 May 2001: Message edited by: Tomi ]

The remedies have polarities. For instance, there's a Pulsatilla on this board who has an aversion to company!--which at first made me think of nat-mur; but her desire for fresh air and lack of thirst, etc.
led her homeopath to recognize Pulsatilla, which she took and it's working very well.

Snoopy

Every remedy works along a particular axis - for Nat-mur it may be Talking about their problems. One Nat-mur person will never talk about their problems, another will almost hysterically blurt everything out. Another axis for Nat-mur is Crying, some cannot cry at all, others cannot stop crying. Another axis is Brooding over the past, some cannot get over it at all, while others espouse the philosophy of positive thinking (a very Nat-mur philosophy)and think only of happy things.

This is mainly because a person COMPENSATES for the feelings he has. The feeling of Pulsatilla is to cuddle and caress and hug and sit in someone's lap.Sex comes easily to them as they are so physically affectionate. However, in some cultures this is seen as very inappropriate beaviour, and the Pulsatilla person will then COMPENSATE for this feeling by going the other way, by avoiding the opposite sex all together. Both behaviours come from exactly the same place, they only seem to be different.

The axis is one of Affection, so a Pulsatilla is bound to have some issue regarding it. It can also be moderated by any other characteristics the person displays of the remedy - for instance Disgust and Religious fanaticism, other Pulsatilla traits. This will cause them to fight their natural urge to flirt and cuddle.

__________________
David Kempson.<br />Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine.<br />Lecturer Australian College of Natural Therapies (Brisbane Campus)<br />Member AHA, AROH, HMA<br />Member Australian Homoeopathic Association. Member#0442.

I CAN SPEAK FROM ONLY MY OWN EXPIREINCES WITH PULS BECAUSE I JUST STARTED TAKING THEM ABOUT 1 1/2 WEEKS AGO. I CAN SAY THAT I HAVE EXPIRIENCED AN INCREASE IN SEXUAL APPETITE, BUT I HAVE TALKED TO OTHERS THAT HAVE EXPIRIENCED THE OPPOSITE. I THINK IT DEPENDS ON THE PERSON AND HOW THE PULS REACTS TO THEM

This topic is well documented in the Organon,§ 63 - 65. Energies are in constant flow. The equilibrium within all the levels, mental, emotional and physical, is the best possible
state to be in, the state of perfect health. Since we are constantly exposed to outside
stimuli, nothing is static and hence this state of perfect health is only very rarely
achieved. The next best thing is a state of near health, where no symptoms are
experienced.

The vital force is busy at all times, attempting to achieve this balance (homeostasis)within the system. In his Organon § 63, Hahnemann calls the outside influence the “primary action” which affects the organism in one way or another. The vital force takes on this primary action:

Quote from § 64: “... our vital force seems to behave in a purely receptive or passive way. It is as if it were forced to receive into itself the artificial power acting from without, so allowing its state of health to be changed.”

The reception of an outside stimulus creates a ripple in the vital force. I see the goal of the vital force’s receptivity in that it brings movement into the system. According to Isaac Newton’s law of motion: “Action and Reaction are equal and opposite” The primary action calls for a counteraction (secondary action) to take place, producing...

Quote from § 64 a. “... the exactly opposite condition (counteraction, secondary action).”

and further: “The intensity of this reaction is proportionate to the effect (primary action) exerted on it by the artificial disease agent and, of course, to its own energy as well.”

Paragraph 65 of the Organon illustrates many examples of this law on the physical level,
for example

Quote from § 65 “ The heavy stuporos sleep of Opium (primary action) is followed on the next night by greater insomnia counteraction, secondary action).”

(In Murphy's MM we find under Opium/Sleep in bold/italic: "Great drowsiness, Profound coma, but also sleeplessness from acuteness of hearing)

Most often, this motion primary action / counteraction happens on a very subtle level,
and the many daily stimuli are dealt with immediately without any perception on the
individual’s part. Thus this action - reaction is the body’s function of health-maintenance in the case of minor stimuli as well as health promoting in cases of more intense stimuli or when the vital force is unable to cope with the stress and becomes stuck. It is a very important feature of the vital force, for without it, the possibility for healing in a stuck
state of imbalance would not be given.

Pathological State:
If any primary action is not followed by a counteraction, the condition becomes imbalanced, hence pathological (the energy is stuck). At that point, the vital force
produces symptoms which are the defense mechanism’s sign language and a cry for help.
With accurate case taking of these symptoms and the prescribing of the remedy most
similar to the totality of the symptoms, the primary action can be intensified, causing
movement in the energy and inducing the vital force’s counteraction, which leads to the
opposite of the symptoms’ manifestation - their removal. This causes the stuck,
imbalanced state to flow again and therefore, homeostasis, the state of health can be
re-established.

The balancing system works both ways, from “bad to good” and from “good to bad”. It is
all about balance, as any kind of excess is unbalancing the system and needs to be
brought back to a balanced state.

Since the remedies are a form of energy, these laws pertain to ALL of them too, each in it's unique signature.

Claudia

Many thanks to all respondents and their comments which I found to be helpful.

Again I realize, even after many years (as a layman), that in Homeopathy nothing is ever black and white but highly complex, and it emphasizes to me the need to diligently keep studying the relevant literature on the subject.
This also makes me wonder, how many good practioners we have out there.

This is in no way meant as any criticism of the profession. Thank God, we have alternatives to conventional medicine; but the sheer complexity of all facets of Homeopathy, whether casetaking, choice of remedy, attenuation, frequency of same etc., makes one doubt – especially when considering differing schools of thought – if the average practioner is capable (also think of the relatively inadequate remuneration) of rendering a service as espoused by the hahnemannian ethic.

Thanks again,
Gernot

It's strange,but I don't see homoeopathy as all that hard. Some cases are, and if you are having a hard day anyway it can be very frustrating trying to understand the patient sitting in front of you. I would say that 80% of my patients improve on the first remedy I give them, and when speaking to my colleagues, we often agree on remedy choices, or can at least see how it was chosen. I wonder do we make it seem very hard here with all the ideas we throw around?

__________________
David Kempson.<br />Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine.<br />Lecturer Australian College of Natural Therapies (Brisbane Campus)<br />Member AHA, AROH, HMA<br />Member Australian Homoeopathic Association. Member#0442.

David, I would like to second that last statement; I suppose it is inevitable that in this medium there is a tendancy to overcomplicate homeopathy. Certainly I have noticed this trait in myself when I am working with books & paper cases, it can all get terribly cerebral, when in fact the laws of nature & homeopathy are simple, straightforward realities.
That's why it's so nice to hear of experiences, and thanks Somer, for sharing yours with us here.
Louise