Has anyone else had much success with Jan Scholten's periodic table/elemental component method of diagnosis? I seem to get consistently good results with it, and was wondering if others have found it to be as useful.

I have had a few cases come in that I would have struggled with before, that were made so much clearer by examining the component minerals. I have sucessfully prescribed known remedies in new ways, and little known or unknown remedies with great success (Mag-nit, Mag-fl, Mag-sulph, Am-phos, Am-brom, Am-sulph,Calc-mur,Baryta-iod, Lith-c,Vanadium , Chromium).

And yes I know it is controversial, but I am interested to see how others are using it, if at all.



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David Kempson
Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine
Member A.H.A(Australia)

Hi David, As you know, I'm currently studying...and just recently was directed to read up on the miasm's (namely in Herbert Roberts for an introductory overview, which was great after having read Chronic Diseases by good old Sam, himself ).

And, in his book, Prinicples and Art of Cure....
he talks about the elements present in our bodies...and even possibly in the rem's - or at least the influences of the elements on the remedies....

remembering that this book was written way back - (I'm guessing around WWI cuz there is only a reprint date in the book! argh) - possibly even before all of Einstein's theories were published (course, I could be wrong...but it's not like I have those dates at the top of my memory, and am far tooooo lazy to look it up).

Anyhow, there must be more 'old' literature that talks about it - and, I wonder where J Scholten got his idea of even viewing the rem's and cases this way.

It is interesting, although I can't say I understand it very well (YET lol)...so if you feel inclinded to give me the gist of his theory on why this works so well, I'd be most grateful to hear a bit of a synopsis , er - or more .

Regards,
Lisa

David,
this is not directly related to your question. In another thread for some heart-complaint, U had reported a wonderful cure with ammon-brom. I wanted to know what were the indications that U found in that case. I had made a similar post in that thread but think U didn't see it.
One thing I would like to say regarding the scholten way is that I often find it difficult to obtain such meds as most of them are not very commonly used. Any idea where the whole lot of them can be obtained??
Also the method definetly works but one needs to be on the lookout for those meds in the patients because most of them are very small and have no place in our reps. And also when U are on the lookout for something there are fair chances that U may miss what is more obvious(like a plant or animal rem).

As David K knows I also use Scholten - but with me it is when I have a case that won't rep out to my satisfaction. I have just given Osmium to a patient and she has a reaction to it with a recent old symptom returning so I am hopeful. This was chosen because leadership was the issue (The Gold series) and when I read through Scholten's version of this element it fitted her situation to a T. It was too good a chance to miss.
I also have had success by taking 2 elements feom my rep and putting them together. When I look up the combined remedy in Scholtan I am amazed at what I find. e.g. Calc and Silica were the top 2 remedies in one case and I wasn't happy with either of them but when I looked up Calc Silicata it was Bingo!!
I am still learning with this though as it is a lot to take in.

David ,

Thanks for the explanation!

Ditto! Thanks David...
And this 'concept' can't be THAT new since Herbert Roberts was even talking about it. My point is that I think while it can be dangerous to go off half-cocked with something unproven, it is also silly to rule out progress and possible ways of better understanding the remedies.

Why wouldn't elements be something to consider? I bet Hahnemann might have given all this a real go if the table even existed back then - (and probably better than anyone today! he was such a genius, wasn't he! Think about all he accomplished in just one lifetime - truly amazing!) and possibly even have gotten further along with understanding the relationship, than those who attempt it now (no offence to those who are trying, though!).

Anyhow, it is not a method I will use or practise - at least not until I FIRMLY have the basics down!! I'd say about 5 years or more = at least .

Thanks again, David .
Lisa

[This message has been edited by Lisa~Annan (edited 06 February 2001).]

The concept is not new - Kent often talked about remedies in terms of their component elements. But Scholten has gone even further - he looks at the element's position on the periodic table and draws comparisons/similarities between other elements in the same position.

He has devised 18 stages, in which remedies occupy the same position on the table , and looks at the characteristics of the series - Carbon, Silicum, Iron, Silver and Gold.

For instance, Iron remedies are concerned with Work, Task, Duty, Skills, Crafts, Perfectionism, Usefulness, Practicality, Order, Rules, Control, Feeling observed, Criticism, Exams, Failure, Guilt, Crimes, Feeling pursued.
This includes such elements as Kali, Calcium, Titanium, Manganum, Vanadium, Ferrum, Cobolt, Niccolum, Chromium, Cuprum,Zincum, Arsenic,Selenium, Bromium.

If you find a patient with problems in this area, then you can narrow the search to an Iron series remedy. By discerning the stage the patient is at, the theory goes, you can pinpoint the particular remedy.

The issue might be about Loss, which is stage 15, and this would lead you to Arsenic. The issue could be about Enemies obstructing them, which is stage 12, and leads to Zinc, or the issue could be about Postponing, which is stage 5, and that would take you to Vanadium.

It is a totally new way of analyzing the case, and often calls for somewhat different questions. In my malaria case (in which the patient had completely recovered in two days) she had a huge issue with being criticised - so this is the iron series. Her reaction to criticism was to withdraw which is stage 1 or 2 - Kali or Calc. She was strongly hurt by what people said, and took their opinions very seriously, which is typical of stage 2, which is Calc. So I had half the remedy.

She also had big issues around learning and communication and friendships, which are themes of Phosphorous. So I combined the elements to get Calc-p and voila! Not only did her malaria clear up, but she admitted to me that she was no longer reacting to criticism so badly. In fact, she said, her confidence had increased, and she was able to shrug off other's opinions and not withdraw.

It is definitely an advanced method, I have been studying it for 2-3 years now. It takes time to get used to it.

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David Kempson
Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine
Member A.H.A(Australia)

Dear Dr Bhatia,

I thought I'd answer your questions seperately, since that last post of mine was so long-winded (do I like to talk/type or what?).

With my tachycardia case, Ammonium-brom was selected entirely by Scholten's method. The issues that were covered by the remedy were

Resentment, hatred of a parent
Bitterness and disappointment
Idealisic child who learns the world is a hard place.

These are Ammonium issues. An Ammonium person cannot stop complaining and seething about the person who has hurt them. Sometimes you wish they would just go on to something else, but of course they can't. They spit their hatred out, go on an on about it. But they never seek revenge, they just hold it all in (and get sick from it of course). It is a resentment that festers, but if you prick it in consultation, it keeps leaking out, sometimes pouring out, till you realise this whole person's life has been poisoned by the bitterness.

The other issue in the case was Guilt. Guilt for things done, things he couldn't help, things about himself that he felt cast him out from normal society. Guilt over his strong passions which he felt could hurt someone if let loose.

Guilt is the Ferrum series, but most strongly indicates Bromium. Bromium people feel they have committed some sort of crime which has forced them to flee society, they often don't fit in, feel that society condemns them for their actions and their feelings.

It is true that this method will only help you find a remedy for people who need minerals. I have to rely on more traditional methods for plants and animals.But Scholten has already presented the Compositae plant family in a similar format, and Vermeulen has presented both the Cactus and the Lily families, all with themes to help the practitioner narrow his search down.

And I still use alot of plant remedies.

I get most of my remedies from a pharmacy called the Similimum in New Zealand, but you can get alot of them from Helios in England and of coursed from Jan Scholten himself in Holland. And Scholten always said that if he didn't have the exact remedy he wanted, he would do with what he had - you may want to give Strontium-fluoratum but only have Calc-fluor, which is in the same Stage but a different series. He is very practical like that.

Hope that helps.

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David Kempson
Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine
Member A.H.A(Australia)

It always refeshing to hear such open-mindedness. This system has caused some division unfortunately, with some very famous homoeopaths denouncing it. And yet I have had such good results, and it as helped me to understand traditional remedies much better.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, the very basic theory is that a mineral remedy can be understood by breaking it down into its components, for instance Calc-phos can be understood by looking at Calc and Phos. This is not new stuff, but what Jan Scholten has done is expanded those themes associated with the element by looking at all the remedies that share it.

For example, the themes of Phosphorous are

Communication
Preserving relationships -fear of losing them
Friends
Brothers and sisters
Exhanging with others- sympathy and diffusion
Exchanging love
Homesickness
Sharing relationships
Learning, speech, curiousity
Craves fish,Sensitive to thunderstorms
Travelling
> short sleep, >rubbing

The themes of Calc are:

Unsure about their task
Feel watched in the way they do their work
Uncertain when he recieves criticism
Uncertain during exams
Normality
Passivity
Uncertainty makes them check everything
Protects himself with routine
Sensitive to what others think about them
Protects themselves by withdrawing

So some of the themes of Calc-phos could be

Sensitive to what others say about his ability to learn.
Withdraw from communication with others
Fear they will say something people will criticize

I recently cured a case of malaria in a patient that had both Calc and Phos characteristics using Calc-phos.

I will post some more on this method after I see my patients today.




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David Kempson
Dip.Homoeopathic Medicine
Member A.H.A(Australia)

Hi

E.A Farrington has written an exelent Materia Medica "Clinical Materia Medica". He divide the remedies in the 3 kingdoms. He talks about them in relation and all the different plant families and their remedies in relation. Like the snake poisens how it act on man and what is the differens betwen the different snake poisens. Scholten and Sankaran must have read him, and Kent also talks about this. So what is new and what is old in new wraping.

KSF