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The ‘constitution’ in homœopathy
British Homoeopathic Journal April 1993, Vol. 82, pp. 132-134
International press abstracts and reviews
inability to react, which the author considers is the nucleus of the remedy. Some examples of the inability to react are: - - d r e a m s that her limbs are broken --delusions that heavy black clouds over her, sees dark objects and people --thinks she is going crazy --unconscious during labour --indifferent to housework tasks which prevents her from doing anything else. Revista Homeopatica 1991; 17: 12-24.
Can vaccines cause diseases?
JOAN M O R A , XAVIER U R I A R T E Dr Mora, a homoeopathic physician, and Dr Uriarte, a naturopath, from Spain, question the role of mass vaccination in the causation of allergic and autoimmune diseases. They believe that one should not make this correlation with all diseases that affect the human race, as some authors have, and try to give a more scientific explanation based on their clinical practice. They have observed that children especially may develop allergic diseases after vaccination, and even though many patients have a history of allergy in the family, there is a clear connection between application of the vaccine and the appearance of allergic disease. There are also many indications that these diseases have increased in the last 20 years and that although environmental factors have influenced this increase, mass vaccination must not be underestimated. The authors' therapeutic success with the medications listed in the rubric 'Vaccination, after' seems to prove their hypothesis. Another factor is the low IgA level in children under 4 (vaccination period), which is found to be even lower than normal in children who have post-vaccine reactions. Finally, the authors observe that many vaccines introduce attenuated viruses. They believe this can result in autoimmune disease. Revista Homeopatica 1991; 17: 4-8.
The Lueticum child
JACQUES L A M O T H E A French homoeopathic paediatrician tries to establish a new picture of Lueticum, describing its characteristics in children. He states that considering only the syphilitic miasm as characteristic of Lueticum, we would only find it in criminals and aggressive psychopaths, and not in children. However, in children the picture is as follows: Physical appearance: Various congenital malformations, small children with elderly aspect, cephalic disproportion, large head, small eyes), rickets, scoliosis, dental caries. Mentals: Unstable children, variable moods (sometimes irritable and sometimes indifferent), aggressive reactions, violent and destructive actions, difficult to educate, variable development, can be brilliant students with cruelty to other children or animals or present psychomotor difficulties. Tendency to lie, aversion to company, wary, extremely obsessive with fear of contagious diseases. General symptoms: Skinny children, burning pains worse at night, symptoms worse at sea but better in mountain climate, ulcerations in different body parts, growing pains worse at night, insomnia, infantile epilepsy, chronic catarrh and recurring abscesses. Revista Homeopatica 1991; 17: 25-32.
Mental symptoms of Actaea racemosa
LUIS R E C A R D E D E SILVA The mental symptoms of Actaea racemosa (or Cimicifuga) are described, starting with those extracted from the Spanish repertories of Drs Murata and Eizayaga from Argentina. The same is then done based on different materia medicas from authors such as Allen, Boericke, Kent, Lathoud, Jouanny, Vannier, Vijnovski, Nash, Wheeler and Marzetti. A practical analysis of Actaea follows, relating certain mental and physical symptoms to Actaea's
The 'constitution' in hom~eopathy
M. F U R L E N M E I E R The concept of 'constitution' has caused much confusion in the field of homoeopathy. Over 132
133
Volume 82, Number 2, April 1993
the years, two different schools of thought on the subject have developed and these are getting further and further apart, though their representatives are not aware of the source of the problem. Some hom0eopaths reduce the extremely rare 'pure constitutional type' to a few traits and characteristics (often calling this the 'essence') and believe that o n c e a person has been labelled in this way, one and only one homceopathic medicine (e.g. 'coward' = Lycopodium), given in high potency at long intervals will deal with practically every problem. Others extract symptoms and syndromes, usually changing, and try to 'cover' these with the indicated medicine. The result is that their patients are given different medicines in quick succession. The dichotomy developed on the basis of wrong assumptions and a failure to grasp concepts clearly. As a result, --'constitutional' disease is often equated with 'chronic disease'; --constitutional medicines are believed to be medicines that have a 'holistic' effect in a given case; - - constitutional diseases are thought to be due to failure to pass on information within the computor-like personal equilibrium and to respond to a few doses of the similimum; --according to Kent, the constitution is the totality of symptoms and can only be influenced to a limited extent, so that the constitutional remedy will be needed again and again; --according to Boenninghausen, 'constitutional' symptoms are holistic and personal and not to be equated with pathological symptoms; - - a 'constitutional state' may be due to continued exposure to a toxic substance in small doses, and it rapidly cured by giving the similimum in high potency; - - i f someone repeatedly develops the same condition or disease picture (e.g. Pulsatilla), we speak of a (Pulsatilla) type and a few doses of the similimum make the 'type' which was merely a state--disappear; --considering the uniqueness of the individual in health and disease, the problems inherent in the idea of 'constitution' emerge clearly. Nothing would be further from our minds than to remove the individual differences
between 'early risers' and 'night people', for instance, and the aim of homoeopathic treatment clearly is to deal only with pathological symptoms and signs. Hahnemann only used the term 'physical constitutions' once in his Organon: ' . . . apart from the indescribable variety shown by people with regard to the physical constitutions they are born w i t h . . . ' , i.e. phenomena seen in health. It therefore is a puzzle why some believe there is a particular 'constitutional remedy' that is indicated for every individual constitution. Zschr Klass HomOop 1992; 36: 180-86. Calcium carbonicum
G. v. K E L L E R Catarrh, skin eruptions or some form of minor haemorrhage which on occasion signal improvement following hom0eopathic medication are easily misinterpreted, particularly if they occur only weeks after treatment was given. A case is presented where the patient developed a slight head cold 3 weeks after taking Calcium carbonicum and at the s a m e time experienced rapid improvement in the chronic symptoms (tennis elbow). Caution is indicated in interpreting this kind of process. If a second prescription was made in order to deal with the new complaint, e.g. the catarrh, it is important to consider if the improvement was due not to this, but to the first prescription. Zschr Klass HomOop 1992; 36: 189-91. N a t r u m carb. vs N a t r u m sulph.
M. WOLF A study of source works (Allen's Encyclopedia, Hering's Guiding Symptoms, Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases) have shown confusion between Natrum carb. and Natrum sulph, in the following rubrics in Kent's
Repertory: Natrum sulph, given where it should be Natrum carb.: --Mind, Estranged, wife, from his (p. 39). --Vertigo, Air, open, in, amel. (p. 97). --Vertigo, Lying, while (p. 101). --Vertigo, Turning, as if in a circle (p. 105). - - E a r , Itching in, left (p. 291). --Nose, Dryness, inside (p. 334). --Mouth, Saliva, sour (p. 417). --Mouth, Taste, bad (p. 422). --Teeth, Air, streaming from (p. 430). --Stomach, Aversion, food (p. 481).
International press abstracts and reviews
inability to react, which the author considers is the nucleus of the remedy. Some examples of the inability to react are: - - d r e a m s that her limbs are broken --delusions that heavy black clouds over her, sees dark objects and people --thinks she is going crazy --unconscious during labour --indifferent to housework tasks which prevents her from doing anything else. Revista Homeopatica 1991; 17: 12-24.
Can vaccines cause diseases?
JOAN M O R A , XAVIER U R I A R T E Dr Mora, a homoeopathic physician, and Dr Uriarte, a naturopath, from Spain, question the role of mass vaccination in the causation of allergic and autoimmune diseases. They believe that one should not make this correlation with all diseases that affect the human race, as some authors have, and try to give a more scientific explanation based on their clinical practice. They have observed that children especially may develop allergic diseases after vaccination, and even though many patients have a history of allergy in the family, there is a clear connection between application of the vaccine and the appearance of allergic disease. There are also many indications that these diseases have increased in the last 20 years and that although environmental factors have influenced this increase, mass vaccination must not be underestimated. The authors' therapeutic success with the medications listed in the rubric 'Vaccination, after' seems to prove their hypothesis. Another factor is the low IgA level in children under 4 (vaccination period), which is found to be even lower than normal in children who have post-vaccine reactions. Finally, the authors observe that many vaccines introduce attenuated viruses. They believe this can result in autoimmune disease. Revista Homeopatica 1991; 17: 4-8.
The Lueticum child
JACQUES L A M O T H E A French homoeopathic paediatrician tries to establish a new picture of Lueticum, describing its characteristics in children. He states that considering only the syphilitic miasm as characteristic of Lueticum, we would only find it in criminals and aggressive psychopaths, and not in children. However, in children the picture is as follows: Physical appearance: Various congenital malformations, small children with elderly aspect, cephalic disproportion, large head, small eyes), rickets, scoliosis, dental caries. Mentals: Unstable children, variable moods (sometimes irritable and sometimes indifferent), aggressive reactions, violent and destructive actions, difficult to educate, variable development, can be brilliant students with cruelty to other children or animals or present psychomotor difficulties. Tendency to lie, aversion to company, wary, extremely obsessive with fear of contagious diseases. General symptoms: Skinny children, burning pains worse at night, symptoms worse at sea but better in mountain climate, ulcerations in different body parts, growing pains worse at night, insomnia, infantile epilepsy, chronic catarrh and recurring abscesses. Revista Homeopatica 1991; 17: 25-32.
Mental symptoms of Actaea racemosa
LUIS R E C A R D E D E SILVA The mental symptoms of Actaea racemosa (or Cimicifuga) are described, starting with those extracted from the Spanish repertories of Drs Murata and Eizayaga from Argentina. The same is then done based on different materia medicas from authors such as Allen, Boericke, Kent, Lathoud, Jouanny, Vannier, Vijnovski, Nash, Wheeler and Marzetti. A practical analysis of Actaea follows, relating certain mental and physical symptoms to Actaea's
The 'constitution' in hom~eopathy
M. F U R L E N M E I E R The concept of 'constitution' has caused much confusion in the field of homoeopathy. Over 132
133
Volume 82, Number 2, April 1993
the years, two different schools of thought on the subject have developed and these are getting further and further apart, though their representatives are not aware of the source of the problem. Some hom0eopaths reduce the extremely rare 'pure constitutional type' to a few traits and characteristics (often calling this the 'essence') and believe that o n c e a person has been labelled in this way, one and only one homceopathic medicine (e.g. 'coward' = Lycopodium), given in high potency at long intervals will deal with practically every problem. Others extract symptoms and syndromes, usually changing, and try to 'cover' these with the indicated medicine. The result is that their patients are given different medicines in quick succession. The dichotomy developed on the basis of wrong assumptions and a failure to grasp concepts clearly. As a result, --'constitutional' disease is often equated with 'chronic disease'; --constitutional medicines are believed to be medicines that have a 'holistic' effect in a given case; - - constitutional diseases are thought to be due to failure to pass on information within the computor-like personal equilibrium and to respond to a few doses of the similimum; --according to Kent, the constitution is the totality of symptoms and can only be influenced to a limited extent, so that the constitutional remedy will be needed again and again; --according to Boenninghausen, 'constitutional' symptoms are holistic and personal and not to be equated with pathological symptoms; - - a 'constitutional state' may be due to continued exposure to a toxic substance in small doses, and it rapidly cured by giving the similimum in high potency; - - i f someone repeatedly develops the same condition or disease picture (e.g. Pulsatilla), we speak of a (Pulsatilla) type and a few doses of the similimum make the 'type' which was merely a state--disappear; --considering the uniqueness of the individual in health and disease, the problems inherent in the idea of 'constitution' emerge clearly. Nothing would be further from our minds than to remove the individual differences
between 'early risers' and 'night people', for instance, and the aim of homoeopathic treatment clearly is to deal only with pathological symptoms and signs. Hahnemann only used the term 'physical constitutions' once in his Organon: ' . . . apart from the indescribable variety shown by people with regard to the physical constitutions they are born w i t h . . . ' , i.e. phenomena seen in health. It therefore is a puzzle why some believe there is a particular 'constitutional remedy' that is indicated for every individual constitution. Zschr Klass HomOop 1992; 36: 180-86. Calcium carbonicum
G. v. K E L L E R Catarrh, skin eruptions or some form of minor haemorrhage which on occasion signal improvement following hom0eopathic medication are easily misinterpreted, particularly if they occur only weeks after treatment was given. A case is presented where the patient developed a slight head cold 3 weeks after taking Calcium carbonicum and at the s a m e time experienced rapid improvement in the chronic symptoms (tennis elbow). Caution is indicated in interpreting this kind of process. If a second prescription was made in order to deal with the new complaint, e.g. the catarrh, it is important to consider if the improvement was due not to this, but to the first prescription. Zschr Klass HomOop 1992; 36: 189-91. N a t r u m carb. vs N a t r u m sulph.
M. WOLF A study of source works (Allen's Encyclopedia, Hering's Guiding Symptoms, Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases) have shown confusion between Natrum carb. and Natrum sulph, in the following rubrics in Kent's
Repertory: Natrum sulph, given where it should be Natrum carb.: --Mind, Estranged, wife, from his (p. 39). --Vertigo, Air, open, in, amel. (p. 97). --Vertigo, Lying, while (p. 101). --Vertigo, Turning, as if in a circle (p. 105). - - E a r , Itching in, left (p. 291). --Nose, Dryness, inside (p. 334). --Mouth, Saliva, sour (p. 417). --Mouth, Taste, bad (p. 422). --Teeth, Air, streaming from (p. 430). --Stomach, Aversion, food (p. 481).