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Volume 83, Number 1, January 1994
the patient sought advice in the first place. Some interesting observations are presented by Jonathan Shore. An interesting paper that covers a topic that will be relevant to many general practice physicians. A patient with iron deficiency anemia J A m Inst Hom 1993; 86: 41-49.
Spreading the word W. SHEVIN American hom~eopath William Shevin states that 'from a social perspective, one of the biggest problems homoeopathy faces is that there are simply too few practitioners'. How to remedy the situation is a problem that occupies some part of most Faculty meetings! Publicizing homeeopathy, promoting patient selfcare, encouraging research and attempting to persuade universities to include exposure to complementary medicine in undergraduate courses are all strategies we are actively following. In addition, the pursuit of 'clinical excellence' through continuing training programmes is vital. Medicine, and its allied professions, are slowly accepting homoeopathy, and this is important for the integration of the discipline into the whole spectrum of therapeutics available, rather than continuing with a 'side-line' status as in the past. How to get more doctors practicing homeopathy Horn Today 1993; 13 (1): 1.
Veterinary applications P. H A M A L C I K The growing demand for hom~eopathy in veterinary practice is reflected by the increasing number of articles appearing in the journals. The British and the Germans have made most progress, with the French not far behind as a result of their work in proving medicines on animals. Farre, the French veterinarian, is reported to have tested around 90 medicines on a variety of animal species. His results reveal that the drug pictures are similar to those obtained in humans as far as objective symptoms are concerned. In this reprinted introductory paper some of the advantages of veterinary homoeopathy are discussed and a few examples of treatment given.
An overview of homoeopathic therapy in veterinary medicine Biol Ther 1993; 1: 15-17.
Epilepsy A. SALAM Z A H I D Towards the end of last year 'Epilepsy awareness week' was organised in Madras, with calls for the deletion of a passage in the Hindu Marriages Act that gives epilepsy as a ground for treating a marriage as void. In an editorial the Journal of the Homoeopathic Medical Association of India asks for homoeopaths to document cases, something that could usefully be adopted in the UK. The treatment of epilepsy in childhood is reported by a Pakistani physician, using Belladonna initially, continuing with Calc. carb., a major medicine for convulsions, in single doses of 1M, 10M and 50M potencies. The case was followed up for almost 2.5 years with no relapse. Epilepsy in a child Horn in mod med 1992; 4:53.
Complementary methods of treating sinusitis D. PETERS, D. TAYLOR-REILLY, A. FERGUSON, M. MclNTYRE The rubric 'complementary medicine' covers a variety of holistic approaches that may seem alike only in their being outside orthodox care and training. However, they often face the same problems. In this article experienced practitioners from 3 different disciplines present their own views on the same case study involving a 47-year-old textile worker who does not want to resort to beclomethasone nasal spray to treat his sinusitis. The hom0eopath is interested in any familial tendencies and long term associated catarrhal problems (isopathy, pathological or constitutional prescribing is possible), the osteopath sees the problem as associated with musculoskeletal tension in the jaw and neck (improved by manipulation and relaxation facilitation), and the medical herbalist considers the condition as a constitutional disturbance with gut symptoms and lethargy (a decoction of 14 Chinese herbs is suggested). Future articles and reviews will expand on the therapies themselves and make fascinating reading. How I would treat chronic sinusitis Cornpl Ther in Med 1993; 1: 81-87.
English-language journals reviewed by Dr S Kayne, French-language journals by Drs D. CadoLeclerq and E. Callebout, German-language journals by A. R. Meuss, and both Portuguese and Spanish-language journals by Dr Ivan G. Torres Ruiz.