Greetings! I’ve just added the Boericke "Pocket Manual" to my small library and am sort of rededicating myself to the goal of learning more about the discipline and making homeopathy my primary approach to self-treatment. But I don’t have a practitioner to help me. In my own case it is not super-critical right now. But I have one elderly relative facing advanced metastatic cancer--the allopaths in just this past week seem to have officially given up on her--and another who is fairly healthy but becoming dependent on ibuprofen for a sciatica-type problem.

So I was wondering if someone would be so kind as to advise what do you think is the best way to go about identifying a competent homeopath locally and/or someone who can fruitfully consult via phone or e-mail. We are all located in the New York metro area, for what it’s worth.

I would also be most interested in thoughts anyone has about whether homeopathy can help either of the abovementioned relatives--and if you have tips on persuading mainstream-minded elders to give homeopathy a chance.

A final question: I came across a Web site for a homeopath in New York state who says that he is "board-certified in homeopathy." I thought there was no such thing in the U.S.? He gives his credentials as "D.Ht". Can someone update me on the professional status of homeopathy in the U.S. or point me to a link?

Thanks!

Avalon

This is taken from the NCH cover page. You can go to their site from the home page of the BB.

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Shirley Reischman

Thanks, Shirley, that's very helpful. I'm a bit overwhelmed and appreciate any and all time savers!

The sciatica patient can be helped very easily.
The cancer patient can certainly be palliated with homeopathy. He or she should be able to get through his final days without pain or suffering, even if a cure cannot be found. Arsenicum is a big remedy here that would be needed in at least a 30C, and I would want to have ascending potencies up to 10M for pain, restlessness, anxiety, fear of death; plus it is a cancer remedy itself with an affinity for the respiratory and digestive systems and it's just invaluable in cancer. Cadmium Sulph is another cancer remedy that could help someone with stomach cancer or just if there's a lot of nausea or vomiting as part of the case. Alfalfa tincture, 5 drops in 2 oz. water three times a day for emaciation and appetite loss. Aurum for bone pains worse at night and despair. So, you see, there's a lot homeopathy can do even if it's too late for a complete cure. Of course, they also say that the cancer patient is in severe vitamin C deficit, so any way more vit. C can be safely given would also help.

Snoopy

Thank you Snoopy, you addressed my concerns quite precisely without benefit of much detail. Palliation seems to be the appropriate focus now for my family member with cancer, yes. There are metastases to the liver, spine, eye, and possibly the lymph nodes, and she is losing the battle to maintain her weight, so the three remedies you mentioned as well as the herbal Alfalfa all sound worthy of consideration.

I don’t doubt homeopathy can help any ailment, really--and in a recent example, speaking of Aurum metallicum, a friend in her late 40s who had spent at least a year nearly unable to walk, on the worst days, from severe plantar fasciitis has little or no pain now. But my relatives are people getting close to the end of life expectancy. I don’t hold out much hope for *any* treatment when the patient is in the late eighth or early ninth decade as they are. By the same token, we have to worry all the more about allopathic methods at that stage of life, and I know for the relative with the musculoskeletal problem, the daily doses of ibuprofen will begin to take their toll at some point; obviously it would be far better to ameliorate the pain with homeopathy, nutrition and some sort of PT. I was thinking of ordering the book "Homeopathy for Musculoskeletal Healing" by Asa Hershoff (comments anyone?)

Do you know what the symptoms are? What kind of pain? Location? Cause? Sudden or gradual attacks? When is it worse? What makes it better? What aggravates? I'm sure Asa's book is very good but I haven't seen it--though it could be burried in my book case for all I know, better have a look!

Snoopy

Glad to hear the positive comments on Hershoff. I could frankly use some help in that department myself and the discussion of Ruta vs. Rhus tox alone might be well worth the price of admission!

Snoopy, the complaint is about leg pain. It's been going on for a long time, eight or nine months, maybe a bit longer. Originally he complained of back pain too, but now he only mentions the leg. I do know that it is particularly bad when he gets up from a seated position--sometimes the knee almost gives way--and when he goes down stairs. It also gets worse if he walks for a long time. An orthopedist evaluated him last year and thought he saw some arthritis in the spine on X-ray that might account for the pain. I believe it's on the right side, but I'm not 100% certain.

Hershoffs book is brilliant, well worth buying. I use it all the time with patients. There is an amazing differientiation between Rhus Tox and Ruta.

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RSHom - Registered Homeopath

Dear Avalon,

I looked up in Murphy's repertory:

Legs, sciatica.

There are many subrubrics, including right or left side, descending, rising from seat and many others. If we had more information, we'd be better able to decide. For instance, does he have complaints lying down in bed? Does he have to roll over to the painless side to get up? Is he better for hot showers or does warmth aggravate? Is he better for flexing his leg? Stretching his leg?
Is living in a damp environment a possible cause?
Does he have to lie in a particular way? Is there numbness involved? Does pressure help or make worse? Ruta and Colocynth look good, but we could have more to go on.

Snoopy

[ 06. May 2003, 19:36: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

Thanks so much for offering to further consider my dad's ailment. I'm going to question him about specific attributes and will post again later this week. I would dearly love to get him down at least to where he only takes the Motrin after (or prophylactically before) a round of golf... better yet, not at all.