Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about starting to build my dispensary, and I'm a little bewildered. From what is sometimes said on the Lyghtforce list, not many of the pharmacies follow Hahnemann's instructions when making remedies, especially when it comes to the LM's. Seeing that is what I want to use, what pharmacies would you recommend, and which should I avoid?

Felix

If you are on the lyghtforce list, you might want to ask Julian Winston who he uses, since it is he that has the information on the correct method of producing the LM potency.

__________________
Regards,<br /><b>Simone H</b><br /><br /><i>Aude Sapere</i><br /><br />"Never be a passive listener or learner" ~ Christian Gottfried Hahnemann

Hi Felix,

"HOMOEOPATHY INTERNATIONAL" in West Bengal. Email them at homoeoin@cal3.vsnl.net.in
Ask for a catalogue and price list. There is a condition of minimal quantity purchase. But if you get together with some other people (like many of us did here in Brisbane via the AHA) and go halves in cost with the 5g vials you will probably still have more than a life-time supply of LM remedies. The costs therefore are not prohibitive. You could have a proficient LM pharmacy for life - for relatively the same cost as buying a new computer. Alternatively, start with the polychrests and go to LM 10 and expand at a later date.

This company was founded by Dr Harimohan Choudhury. http://www.minimum.com/p7/engine/auth.asp?n=88

in the uk, the pharmacy selling the LM potencies that are produced exactly in accordance with the organon 6th ed is freemans in glasgow. some of these have been bought from contintental european pharmacies [mainly germany i think.]

helios pharmacy also produces reliable LM potencies, often made from scratch by themselves, which are according to the organon EXCEPT that the plant remedies were not triturated up to the 3c, but succussed.

the difference this makes according to my teacher is that the triturated remedies are faster acting, whereas you might get a gentler slower response to the non-triturated LM's.

granule for granule freemans is cheaper for LMs if you get practitioner discount, since they supply 7g vials for a few pence more than helios 2g vials.

with both these pharmacies a practitioner discount is offered, but only freemans gives discount on LM potencies.

I emailed JW and he said: Simillimum, Helios and Natural Health Supply were the three he knew of that made them the correct way - any others he wasn't sure of. I'll ask him about what you said, though, Anna.
It's a good idea, Chris, but unfortunately we are so trained in using C potencies that's all most of the students feel comfortable with. Did you learn how to use the LM's at school, or did you teach yourself? I'd be happy to do that, but it would involve other people's health.
Also, when you have to use a nosode, say, do you use LM's or a centesimal? If Kent said not to use a nosode under 200c (unless it was Tub Av or Bacc), what is the equivalent LM? Seeing it's a new remedy, do you go back to LM1?
(Tell me if this is in the Organon or 50 mill potencies, so I don't keep bugging you)

Hi Felix,

"It's a good idea, Chris, but unfortunately we are so trained in using C potencies that's all most of the students feel comfortable with. Did you learn how to use the LM's at school, or did you teach yourself? I'd be happy to do that, but it would involve other people's health."

The practice of homoeopathy always involves someone else’s health, whether you are using Centesimals or LM’s. I know, stating the obvious. The bit of paper you get at the end of formal studies means you have attained a certain level of education. That’s all. The only way you can understand how the art and science of homoeopathy works is through experience with patients and lifelong study and observation. Nobody is an expert, being a practitioner means we ‘practise’ homoeopathy, more experience allows you to get better at practising. I recently had the opportunity to review a critique of one of Hahnemann’s last cases he worked on before his death. Madame Heoguart (DF-11, p.349). At different times over the months of treatment Hahnemann administered Centesimals, LM’s and another mysterious potency, and at one stage he used Cocculus 30C which turned out to be the wrong remedy and totally mucks up the case for a while. So you see even if by the end of your career you make the occasional mistake in prescribing, cause some upset, you will still be in distinguished company! If you are comfortable using Centesimals, stick with them. If you are comfortable practicing according to the 4th edition Organon dry dose, stick with that, but read the later and lesser writings of Kent where, towards the end of his career, he advised caution with regard to the high and strong doses. If you seek more flexibility with case management and posology study the 5th and 6th editions of the Organon, in particular the case management procedures for LM remedies in aphorisms 245 – 263, and the administration of medicine aphorisms 272 – 285. I learned next to nothing about LM’s at my college. Vithoulkas was the popular homoeopath then and we were supposed to find the one grand constitutional essence for the person, so case management wasn’t a big priority because the one essence remedy was supposed to cure everything. But that was then, and this is now. There’s a lot of information available, ’50 Millesimal Potency in Theory and Practice’ by Dr. Harimohan Choudhary is a good place to start. David Little’s site www.simillimum.com has an abundance of information and I expect his soon to be published Homoeopathic Compendium will become a standard text.

"Also, when you have to use a nosode, say, do you use LM's or a centesimal? If Kent said not to use a nosode under 200c (unless it was Tub Av or Bacc), what is the equivalent LM? Seeing it's a new remedy, do you go back to LM1?
(Tell me if this is in the Organon or 50 mill potencies, so I don't keep bugging you)"

You can use nosodes either in LM or Centesimal potency. I'd start with LM 1. The very nature of nosodes makes them heroic in action and they must be treated with the greatest respect as to repetition. There are some good case examples in Choudhary’s book pp56-57, and I’ve read other successful examples in the simillimum classroom. I’m not sure why Kent advised as he did. Be aware that Kent’s aggravations may have had something to do with giving several pills in the one dose. He believed it didn’t matter if you gave one pill or several in the one dose. But it does matter when the patient has a high degree of sensitivity, if you are using a heroic medicine and if there is a significant degree of pathology. Before the administration of a nosode the vital organs and eliminatory channels of the patient must be assessed. If the vital organs are compromised by organic pathology and the channels of elimination are blocked, don’t use nosodes. A good friend of mine was given Tuberculinum by his homoeopath recently and his heartrate fell dangerously low. He has a history of valvular heart disease. If you look in Boericke p658 way down the bottom, “The remedy should not be given without a most careful cardiac examination.” All these bits of advice are written by homoeopaths who have had specific experiences with specific patients. You can’t afford to take shortcuts in casetaking.

Regards,
Chris

I had never heard of LM potency prior to this post. So I did some research on the net--and found out that the LM potency was articulated in the 6th and final edition of Organon---"the icing on the cake". I also read that LM potency was the fastest remedy to a cure--much faster than C potency.

So why is the LM potency not utilized by many homeopaths? I have visited 3 homeopaths and none used the LM potency.

One post pointed to the fact that many are not educated in LM potency. If this is the case, I think the system of homoeopathic education needs to be overhauled. A system should be in place to distinguish those who are competent with LM and those who are not.

If I visit a "qualified homoeopath", I would expect the homoeopath to be familiar with the "best remedies" to a cure.
Is this fair to a patient?
I don't think so. I think it is a disservice to the patient.

Your thoughts.

Faisal, the reason I don't use LMs is the same reason I don't usually use low potencies. The person taking them has to be very conscious of how they are doing in order to repeat them at the right time. If some things get better and other things get worse, then they need to understand Hering's Law in order to know if it's time to repeat or if they need to make another appointment to reevaluate the remedy choice. It's also hard for them to know how long is enough time to wait until things stabalize. I find that as a homeopathic patient, even with my knowledge, I get impatient, so just think how much worse that is for a lot of people who have spent all their lives taking allopathic medicines several times a day and sometimes getting immediate results. Most of my clients do not have the awareness and the understanding of homeopathy to repeat them properly. My experience has been that they get many more aggravations from improper dosing than from taking a single high potency. If I could talk to each client several times a day and monitor how they are doing, it would be easy. But I don't have the time to do that. The right remedy will generally cure regardless of potency. I have less aggravations with high potencies and the clients find them MUCH easier to use, so that's how I prescribe. Occassionally I will use a low potency or an LM, but only under special circumstances. Homeopaths have had excellent results for several hundred years using high potencies, so given all of the above reasons, I will continue to use them instead of LMs.

__________________
Shirley Reischman

Bold my emphasis.

I would suggest reading the following article, for a different viewpoint on Hering's "law" and whether it is necessary to understand it or not.

http://www.homeopathy.ca/articles/heriing_law.html

[ 21. August 2002, 01:05: Message edited by: Simone ]

__________________
Regards,<br /><b>Simone H</b><br /><br /><i>Aude Sapere</i><br /><br />"Never be a passive listener or learner" ~ Christian Gottfried Hahnemann

Thanks for your post Chris, I'll chase down the book and website you suggested. I just wish we could spend a semester on LM posology, instead of mentioning it here and there, and never being taught exactly how to go. You can only learn so much from books, we need cases.
Shirley, I agree that homoeopathy has been able to cure with centesimals, and that they are easier to use. But if they offer an opportunity to cure with less chance of aggravation, then I think that it would be helpful for experienced homoeopaths to use them more consistantly, so they can pass that knowledge on. We are so good at new provings and new theories about remedies, but the theories about posology maybe could use a bit more attention from the modern perspective. I mean, Hahnemann was doing it for a reason.

That aside, I guess it is harder for patients to follow. Perhaps I'll try introducing the idea of LM's to my more knowledgeable patients first, the ones who have a decent understanding of how homoeopaths look at cases, and try and build experience that way.