THE HOMOEOPATHIC CONVERSATION. THE ART OF TAKING THE CASE

Media Reviews research to physicians to increase the awareness of validated treatments that are regarded as alternative. What I found very refreshing about this book was to have the surgeon and oncologists viewpoints woven into the section on professional settings and personal perspective. This reflected a real sense of integration that is often lacking. I think it is important for all of us offering complementary therapies in the cancer care setting to be reminded of how our colleagues would view these different approaches and what kind of information would be helpful to them to advise patients appropriately. I noticed in the chapter by Sheila Weitzman that she had listed helpful questions that she encourages parents of children to ask about each of the therapies that they might approach. Throughout the book we are reminded that research is important to help clarify the very important questions of effectiveness and safety. She also raises the issue of what is complementary and what is alternative. However, it is also important to acknowledge that there are some ‘alternative’ approaches that may be highly significant to an individual that will need very careful evaluation to avoid people’s access to those treatments not being obstructed. Sometimes when I read the stories of people who have chosen to use alternative treatments in the cancer diagnosis I am reminded that some colleagues might ask what if that individual had taken up chemotherapy or radiotherapy, might the cancer have been cured at that point making other approaches unnecessary. These are the kind of hard questions that face all of us as we make our uncertain way through and support others in this challenging life event. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to take this debate forward with a better knowledge of complementary and alternative medicines.

INTEGRATED CANCER CARE Edited by Jennifer Barraclough Published – Oxford University Press I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in research into and integration of complementary therapies in cancer care. There have been a number of books published from America, including Lerner’s ‘Choices in Healing -Integrating the best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer’ and ‘Comprehensive Cancer Care- Integrating alternative, complementary and conventional therapies’ by Gordon and Curtin. However, this is the first to reflect the British perspective. The book is divided into three sections. The first section defines the principles of holistic care, its evaluation in providing complementary therapies within the state-funded system of healthcare. This is followed by a section on selected therapies and finally a section exploring different professional settings and personal experiences. What I liked about the book were its wideranging contributions, from healthcare professionals in the palliative care and oncology setting through to the personal and emotive views of people who have lived through or are living with the cancer diagnosis. The chapter on selected therapies offered very helpful information. With my particular interest in the homeopathic approach to cancer care I was slightly disappointed that the chapter on homeopathy did not focus more on its specific use. As there is very little published data on the role of homeopathy in the cancer setting it may have been worth referencing what is available. This would include a case study from a palliative care setting integrating homeopathy with conventional approaches,i the use of complex homeopathic preparations in the management of children with chemotherapy-induced stomatitisii and the more recent randomized placebo-controlled trial investigating the role of homeopathy to limit side-effects of radiotherapy in women with breast cancer.iii Although Iscador can be given as a homeopathic dilution, most of the research has been done using Iscador as a herbal preparation. Iscador is usually given in the context of an anthropsophical medical approach although traditionally the Homeopathic Hospitals have offered to support patients in their desire to use Iscador. I found the chapter on Nutrition hard to follow at times with the density of techinical details although it is a good resource for anyone researching in this area. Goodman raises a very important issue which holds true for most therapies which is one of improving the communication of published

C 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2001) 9, 195–197 °

Elizabeth Thompson doi:10.1054/ctim.2001.0460, available online http://www.idealibrary.com on

REFERENCES 1. Thompson E, Hicks F. Intrathecal baclofen and homeopathy for the treatment of painful muscle spasms associated with malignant spinal cord compression. Palliat. Med. 1998; 12(2): 119–21. 2. Oberbaum M. Experimental Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Stomatitis using a Homeopathic Complex Preparation: A Preliminary Study. Biomedical Therapy 1998; XVI(4): 261–5. 3. Balzarini A, Felisi E, Martini A, De Conno F. Efficacy of homeopathic treatment of skin reactions during radiotherapy for breast cancer: a randomised, double-blind clinical trial. Br. Homeopath. J. 2000. Jan.; 89(1): 8–12. 2000; 89(1): 8–12.

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VIDEO REVIEW CRANIAL MANIPULATION, by Leon Chaitow Published by Churchill Livingstone A lecturer of mine recommended ‘cranial therapy’ as an interesting research area in complementary therapies. I decided to introduce myself to the field by watching the video ‘Cranial Manipulation’ by Leon Chaitow, published by Churchill Livingstone. Leon Chaitow is introduced as an internationally known osteopath, also senior lecturer at the University of Westminster, London. He is the author of a series of three books dealing with ‘Advanced Soft Tissue Techniques’, the book ‘Palpation skills’ – a workbook about assessment and diagnosis and editor of the ‘Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies’. His latest book is the text recommended as a supplement to this video ‘Cranial Manipulation – Theory and Practice’. The video is aimed at students beginning to learn cranial manipulation, and practitioners. Chaitow gives the introduction to the subject himself. He reads the text consisting of very novel terminology off the screen, which made it very difficult for me to follow. Firstly, he examines an energy analogy: a sailing boat with a physical structure of a mast and sail. One can assess all the powers of the boat itself and also one can measure the power of the wind and how it affects the boat. This is what cranial manipulation (CM) is about – subtle movements that may be felt when applying CM that can be interpreted as energy. Some practitioners’ objective is to modify energy factors, others deal with mechanical restrictions, and others again evaluate and deal with the whole mind/body complex. The ideal practitioner deals with all three. Many of the exercise and treatment methods suggested in this video are attempts to modify the structural components of the complex. The viewer is referred to the anatomy of the skull with all its 22 individual bones. What the viewer does not know at this point is that it is necessary to learn the names of these bones before one can continue watching the video. The beginner of CM is advised to get hold of the following: a disarticulated skull, a whole skull, a high quality illustrated anatomy text (preferably Gray’s Anatomy) and volunteers to practice on. The four main palpation exercises that follow are aimed at the viewer to become familiar with the individual cranial bones on the living skull with reference to the cranial atlas. The next step is to become familiar with its landmarks and sutures. Chaitow takes the viewer through every important landmark of the skull, introduces ‘cranial motion’, the ‘V-spread’, and the ‘Fourth Ventricular compression’ (4-VC, which is said to be the most widely used of all cranial treatment methods). The remainder of the video shows treatment sequences, which aim to improve

venous sinus drainage and are said to be useful for chronic fatigue, ‘foggy brain symptoms’, chronic headaches, chronic sinus congestion and hearing difficulties. The beginner of CM is warned about the possibility of emotional discharge by the patient. The patient can become flushed and a change in skin colour can be observed, the breathing pattern may alter and the patient may express a wish to vomit/cry or begin laughing/crying. The video finishes by showing several muscle energy techniques, positional release techniques and specific cranial techniques. To summarize the main points about this video, it can be said that the theory of CM is being explained, but without knowing the terminology, it all seems very difficult to comprehend. The speed of the word-flow and the practise exercises, which are shown at the same time, is very fast. However, I can recommend this video if you are more familiar with CM and have had some experience with cranial therapy before. Perhaps it would be advisable to study Gray’s anatomy first, though. Katja Schmidt doi:10.1054/ctim.2001.0461, available online http://www.idealibrary.com on

THE HOMOEOPATHIC CONVERSATION. THE ART OF TAKING THE CASE Dr B Kaplan Published by Natural Medicine Press, 2001, ISBN 1-903952-00-X, 206 pp This is a beautifully written book by an author who is well respected and, indeed, well loved, by those who know him. After reading it, you’ll have a sense that you know him too. That’s because the main theme of this book is actually about the importance of the consultation in homeopathy. More specifically, about the importance of the people in a consultation. The choice of title ‘The Homeopathic Conversation’ is very astute in this regard. A conversation won’t exist without people. What the reader probably doesn’t anticipate is the bringing into the foreground of the participant who normally hides in the background - the doctor. As Brian points out, most homeopathic teaching focuses on case analysis and remedy knowledge, but the most important starting point is the case taking. Much of the teaching on case taking is a bit mechanical, but at least it puts the patient at the centre of the process. What this book does is ‘turn the camera around’ as the author suggests to show the ‘case taker,’ to put the spotlight on the other half. Not that the patient is in any way neglected in this book. There is a wealth of helpful tricks and tips and practical suggestions about how to conduct the case taking, and how to ‘see’ the remedy pictures.

Media reviews

This is a very practical book and will be of great use to many students who read it. That, however, is not its main strength, nor its uniqueness. Brian reveals himself in this book. He does this by telling his own story. We learn about his early experiences in learning and practising medicine, about his discovery of homeopathy and about his motives and his enthusiasms. We get a picture of who Brian Kaplan is and how he works. Stories have to be understood within their contexts. The context here is of an ‘independent practitioner’ working with a strongly psychotherapeutic model. There is a nice exposition of his main influences - homeopathic and non-homeopathic. It is interesting to see how these latter are psychotherapists - Freud, Jung, Reich, Rogers, ex-

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istential psychotherapy. The lessons Brian has gained from these traditions is the importance of self-awareness, of the need for an understanding of who the therapist is within the ‘conversation’ and how they can engage themselves as human beings in the struggle to help their fellow human beings, and of how good practice is about good relationships. I highly recommend this book. It is written with humility and humour. It’s engaging. It’s also very practical. The book achieves this because the author shares his immense experience with the reader, and he also shares his self. Bob Leckridge doi:10.1054/ctim.2001.0476, available online http://www.idealibrary.com on