Shirl, do you know what Denise is referring to?

Snoopy

I'm a little confused by your post David, but you said something that I'm praying is true. That hopefully Mike will come out of this aggravation in better shape than before because maybe it was truly a homeopathic aggravation and not a proving. Otherwise we wasted a whole year, $700 and Mike suffered horribly for nothing.

I don't think the problem was repeating the remedy too soon (if that's what you're referring to Denise), because it was about 4 months after the last one (30C ars) by the time Mike was able to find time in his schedule for another follow-up. And he was doing well until about a month before he went in for the follow-up and then he started relapsing so that's why we scheduled another appt.

Shirl

[ 19 July 2002, 01:30: Message edited by: Shirl ]

4 mths may be too soon if the patient does not need the remedy at that time. But it is probably more likely that the jump was too high - 30c to M without repeating the 30c or going to 200c.

Did the homoeopath give a reason for going to M so suddenly?

__________________
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,

The homeopath meant to give a 200 and gave a 1M by mistake!

Snoopy

Dear Shirl,

I have followed your posts over the last couple of weeks or so with a mixture of amazement and distress. Nobody likes to see anyone else suffering, especially those closest to us. Attempting to prescribe or read remedy reactions via email or posts is difficult enough when communicating with the person directly. It would be impossible, for me at least, to attempt to do this by proxy. In this type of situation one could only guess at best because there is a lack of visual, auditory, or literal descriptions from your husband as he himself experiences them. I'm wondering if you are taking a little too much responsibility for your husband's condition and projecting some of your own fears and misgivings on to the entire situation? I sincerely hope you don't misread my forthright manner as criticism, this is not my intention. All of us who contribute will offer support, words of encouragement where possible. However, if it was me who was suffering acutely with IBS symptoms it would be me asking advice, I would not expect my partner to take responsibility for any situation in life that I found myself in. I would ask for support yes, but responsibility taken, no. I understand how your husband's condition in turn affects all family life, livelihood etc, how it evokes fears about the future and how you would be longing for things to "return to normal". Was "normal" healthy?

This brings me to the next point. During the course of my own constitutional treatment many years ago, my own homoeopath took a couple of wrong turns, one provoked an asthmatic-like acute episode which necessitated a visit to the emergency casualty ward. It scared the **** out of me at the time. It also fortuitously placed me in a position where I knew I had to take serious stock of some life habits and behaviours and make some new decisions. Having a history of significant exposure to asbestos dust, wheezing every time I walked up a short hill, and wanting to continue smoking a packet of cigarettes a day with no regard for the consequences suddenly didn't make sense anymore. It happens in life that when we are willing to make just one change, other changes follow and so making any conscious or unconscious decision in life can be used to your own advantage or disadvantage. A pill, allopathic or homoeopathic, will not take away all your life experiences, your past, your present, your future. If they could, this would be akin to robbing you of your successes in life -which are more often than not borne out of supposed failures, and homoeopathy is not bigger than life itself. However, homoeopathy can facilitate these changes, smooth the way so to speak, when the symptoms and indicators are read correctly. I was impressed that your initial homoeopath had the strength of character to admit he erred when administering a higher dose than he intended. He could have lied, panicked, changed remedies rapidly and caused more disruption, but he didn't. Possibly he felt he really was on the right track regardless of the high potency and stood his ground. This takes courage and certainty, not always an easy path.

Individualization is the centerpiece of homoeopathic prescribing. This is why a standard rote prescription of 6C, three times a day, for ALL chronic cases will not work. Hahnemann is quite clear, only when necessary, do we repeat daily doses. Hahnemann managed acute and chronic cases with the full range of potencies that were available to him. I have not read one case of his that he started with 6C, three times a day, for days or weeks on end. This is a method that was promoted by an American homoeopath named Robin Murphy and gained some popularity in the 80's. Several of my colleagues and I in this town adopted the method and later abandoned it because of the many accessary aggravations and lost cases it produced. One needs to wait and watch after a single dose, or a short series of doses, to allow the action of the Vital Force to complete the curative action of the remedy. That's all we aim for, the smallest necessary stimulation of the Vital Force. Cases where there has been unnecessary repetition of a remedy, or multiple dosing by several different remedies, or interspersed with treatment by other 'energetic' medical systems (acupuncture) make a case harder to manage, especially with hypersensitives, but certainly not impossible.

Regards,
Chris

[ 19 July 2002, 12:13: Message edited by: chrisg ]

It may be possible it is the end of a very long and intense aggravation - if he now becomes better than he was before, then the remedy was correct, but the potency was too high OR he simply needed this level of aggravation. We cannot choose the path the patient takes, although we can influence it.

If he goes back to the way he was after Ars 12 but no better, then the remedy was repeated too soon.

If he goes back to the way he was before Ars 12, then the remedy was incorrect, and the higher potency has cured the palliation he experienced.

Management of a case includes not just potency selection, but also knowing when to do nothing. If a patient is experiencing improvment, it is best to do nothing. At the very most, repeating the same potency if you feel the case needs a little more prodding. But jumping to a higher dose so quickly, even with the right remedy can produce terrible results. The homoeopath in this case should have waited a little longer - I try not to repeat a remedy until I see the case start to relapse or there has been no further improvment at all for at least 4-5 weeks. If I am in doubt, I wait or give placebo.

If a patient develops new symptoms, or the reappearance of old symptoms that do not resolve on their own, then I would consider increasing the potency if the symptoms still fit the remedy, or change the remedy to something more appropriate.

Case management is harder than choosing a remedy. Anyone can choose a remedy - only a skilled practitioner (and a patient one) can properly manage a case.

But it is important to keep in mind now, that Mike may actually get much better - I hope he sees the homeopathy as beneficial then and doesn't mix the results up with all the other stuff he has done.

[ 19 July 2002, 00:30: Message edited by: DavidJK ]

__________________
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.

Wow, Chris, you really touched on a number of issues that have arisen in the course of this whole thing.

First of all, yes...I am taking quite a bit of responsibility for Mike's condition. Someone has to cause he is one of those people who would just sink into illness without knowing what to do. He's extremely passive in that area and I'm just the opposite so there's no way I could just sit by and watch him deteriorate and do nothing. But admittedly, I've felt a great deal of guilt over having chosen the path for Mike to follow, the dr, and the whole thing. It was my idea for him to try homeopathy in the first place. And he was quite angry with me for awhile for my having influenced him in that direction. Deep down inside, I know it wasn't my fault that the dr made a mistake, but I still feel bad about it.

And as far as the dr's honesty in admitting the mistake...it wasn't like that. He told us that he was going to give Mike the 200C, then gave him the 1M (in the bottle labeled 1M) and then noticed after Mike took it that it was 1M. At that point, he tried to say that maybe that was the best dose for Mike afterall (and I'm still hoping that's the case), but what else could he say since there was no way to hide the mistake. If it turns out that Mike gets a true healing from this mistake, then I will be grateful TO GOD for guiding the dr's hand in the process.

As for the 6C's 3x/day, that bit of advice from Snoopy is what got Mike through a number of acute aggravations and I'll be forever grateful to Snoopy for helping us with that. We stopped the 6C's yesterday when Mike started feeling better and I'm happy to say that he's feeling better today, too. He hasn't had a migraine or IBS attack in about a week. So we're not going to use that anymore. But it was a first aid measure that really came in handy for us.

But you're right, Chris, about our needing to make some changes in our lifestyle and priorities, and this whole incident forced us to. We've always eaten healthy and taken care of ourselves, but I see an attitude change in both of us that's long overdue. We're reprioritizing what's important to us and what's not. We're cultivating an attitude of gratitude, as my old pastor used to say, and learning to be happy with what we have, even if it isn't perfect. Mike's health prior to starting treatment wasn't great, which is why I pushed for him to do something about it. But HE was comfortable with it and I was the one who had a problem with it. And it wasn't MY place to decide FOR him what he should do or not do about his health. If HE was happy where he was, then I should have respected that. This will release me from a lot of responsibility I was taking on for his health. So there have been some gains to all of this.

In any case, it's good to know that total strangers will come to your aid when you are in trouble. That's one of the totally cool things about the internet, huh?

Take care everyone!

Shirl

Dear Shirl,

Did I hear you say Mike's feeling better? Wow! That's great! Listen, if he should start to relapse, heaven forbid; at the first sign, start the 6C's again. Chris is right, remedies should not be taken if they're not needed, but if they are, there's no value in not giving them and allowing the case to get away from you. A 6C given in time, may only have to be given once.

Also, regarding Chris' point about your taking responsibility for Mike's health, believe me, Shirl, you can be quite sure that this is happening in virtually every household in the modern world; in fact, the show "20-20"--Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters--did a piece a few years ago on how men will absolutely NOT go to the doctor no matter what, and have to be literally taken forcibly by the wife and children. It's not uncommon for men to be holding the whole family hostage with their illnesses, refusing to go to the hospital or doctor and yet being clearly infirm. What woman doesn't wish her husband would take responsibility for his health? Anyway, don't feel bad, you're not alone!

Snoopy

[ 20 July 2002, 04:56: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

Thanks Snoopy! I wish I had seen that episode of 20/20 with Mike! I don't know how Mike could be in such denial about his health problems. They were so obvious to everyone that my family and his parents were all expressing concern over how thin he had gotten and how pale and gaunt his face was looking. How am I supposed to not worry after that? But I need to let Mike deal with it from here on, cause it's affecting my health now. I doubt I've even had a chance to do any healing from my remedy of two weeks ago.

I'll remember the advice about the 6C's, too.

Shirl

Dear Shirl,

it is probably not best to take a remedy as soon as you perceive a relapse - it is better to wait a couple of days and see if Mike is able to deal with it himself. The purpose of the remedies is not to take over the vital force's role, just to help it along when it really needs it. Many times my patients may perceive a relapse, when it is just the natural ebb and flow of their health, and they quickly return to their (now)normal level of health. I have had many instances where the patient imediately takes another dose and gets a huge aggravation.

Patience is always the key.

__________________
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.