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Jose Miguel
Mullen, MD, MD (H), MFHom. |
| HOMEOPATHIC
NEWSLETTER |
number eleven
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THE VITAL FORCE |
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“One single Unity, one single Harmony”. Hippocrates
Some time ago a patient, quite knowledgeable in
Homeopathy, told me she felt I place too much emphasis on the Vital Force.
Of course, her comment set me thinking. And I ended up
concluding that I actually do not place sufficient emphasis on the Vital Force—after all, the Vital Force is what actually cures in
Homeopathy.
I consider that no Homeopathic remedy has ever cured a
patient, in the same fashion that no firefighter has ever put out a fire. All a
firefighter does is to direct the nozzle of the hose to the base of the fire.
It is then the water that puts out the fire. In a similar fashion, a
Homeopathic remedy directs the Vital Force to the base of the patient’s
imbalance, and it is then the Vital Force that eliminates the patient’s
imbalance and consequently also all the disease-syndromes that arise from that
imbalance.
Furthermore, I believe that the three pillars that
sustain Dr. Hahnemann’s monumental work are the Vital Force, the Law of Action
and Reaction and, of course, the most famous of them all, the Law of Similars.
And, if somebody would ask me which of the three is the most important, I would
reply by asking which is the most important leg of a tripod.
At any rate, this patient’s comment and the brainstorm
that followed led me to decide to write something on all three legs.
I will start by describing the Vital Force, and how it
interacts with each one of us in health and in disease.
I shall discuss the Law of Action and Reaction in the
next issue of this Newsletter.
As for the Law of Similars, I think I have described it
sufficiently in “Dr. Hahnemann and the Homeopathic principle of ‘Like cures
like’ ”, in issue # 9 of this Newsletter, and in “Simillimums and similars”, in
issue # 5.
There is an immaterial element that pervades the Whole
Universe.
Where that immaterial element condenses into simple
atoms and molecules we say that we have “matter” and we call the immaterial
element “energy”. And we say—it has been demonstrated—that matter becomes
energy all the time and that energy becomes matter all the time.
Whenever that immaterial element condenses into very
complex molecules, and those molecules then associate and thrive and reproduce
and move and talk and think and love we call those very complex molecules
“Living Beings” or, in our case “Humans” and the immaterial element “Vital
Force”. And we say that living Beings become Vital Force all the time and that
Vital Force becomes living Beings all the time.
The immaterial element that pervades the Whole
Universe, call it Energy or Vital Force; it is always one and the same
immaterial element. The only thing that varies is what it condenses itself in.
It is a little bit like electricity. Electricity is
always the same simple thing. How we perceive it depends on what it passes
through. If it passes through a simple filament it will become light. If it is
a TV set, image and sound. And if it is a computer it will become all kinds of
astonishing things. The filament, the TV set and the computer are only the
things that come alive because electricity courses through each if them in a
different manner. But electricity always is and remains the same simple thing.
In this sense, us Humans are both condensations and
terminals of the Vital Force.
Every Human culture has been aware of the existence of
the Vital Force since the dawn of Time. For instance, Vedas call it
Atma
, ancient Egyptians kah and
the Chinese Chhi. Greeks of old called it Pneuma (if considered as the breath
of life, as in Genesis
2:7) or
Physis (if considered as what allows
living beings to thrive, procreate and become)
.
The Vital Force and the complex molecules in which it
condenses become one single, live entity.
If the Vital Force and the complex molecules integrate
harmonically we will have a healthy living being. In such a healthy entity, the
Vital Force thoroughly permeates and impregnates each and every complex
molecular structure, every organ and structure. Such harmony is perceived as
health, peace and joy
Each Whole living being is an
individual
.
And each individual is
unique.
No two things that are identical in Nature
.
There are no two clouds, two sunsets, two rivers, two
hills, two stars, two creatures that are exactly alike.
In a similar fashion, Whole Human Beings, or rather,
each Whole individual Human Being is preciously unique and unlike any
other individual Whole Human Being that has ever existed, exists,
or will ever exist.
This awareness of each patient’s individualized; unique
Wholeness is one of the linchpins of Homeopathy
. It is also the only coherent starting point of any correct Homeopathic
evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
The relationship between the Vital Force and each
individual set of complex molecules is not uniform, nor do all Whole individual
Human Beings progress in a straight line in life.
In fact, nothing in Nature progresses in a straight
line.
Everything in Nature, including us, develops in a
sinusoid line. Nights gradually follow days, winters summers, systoles
diastoles and so on again and again and again. The imaginary mean may be
straight, but the actual movement goes from the mean to a zenith to fall from
there back onto to the mean and through it down toward a nadir to then rise
upwards toward the mean and beyond again and again. Such progression is an
elegant succession of curves upwards and downwards in health and harmony
In health, the Vital Force and our complex molecules
integrate beautifully.
Our complex organisms, when healthy, find greater and
greater comfort as the sinusoid curve approaches the mean, because under these
circumstances they feel more and more strongly vitalized This is so because, at
those times, the Vital Force mingles more and more intimately with our complex
molecules everywhere.
Conversely, our organisms feel increasing disquiet when
the bond strains as the curve courses toward the zenith or the nadir and then,
of course, they again feel better and better as they again approach the mean.
All organs are happy then, and the individual feels in harmony with him or
herself, with Nature, with those who surround him or her and ultimately with
the Universe.
This straining followed by relaxation happens again and
again during the sinusoid of our daily healthy life.
In this sense, each healthy person is a bit like a ship
, soundly built and ballasted
, as it sails through the seas.
If that ship could feel, it would become uncomfortable
when it reaches extreme, say, starboard
; to then feel better and better as it sways towards center. To feel again more
and more stressed as it sways toward the prow or the stern or wherever—all the
more when the seas grow rough.
In a similar fashion, we all go through periods when we
feel fine, followed by others when we don’t feel so well; moments that, in
turn, are again followed by others of increasing well being.
The important thing to judge how things are going is
not the highs and the lows, but rather the trend or the mean of the sinusoid curve. A trend
that is even in health, descending in disease and ascending during
convalescence into health—health, disease, and/or convalescence that become manifest, in each individual Human Being, in his or her own uniquely individual way.
The grip of the Vital Force is not equally as strong on
all organs and structures.
This fact is of only academic importance when the
individual is balanced and in harmony, that is, when he or she is healthy
because in health the grip of the Vital Force on all tissues is more than
enough to assure a proper vitalization.
There is a constant struggle between the Vital Force
and Nature.
Nature likes things simple. Like atoms and simple
molecules.
The Vital Force, on the other hand, needs extremely
complex molecules in order to dwell in them, and thrive.Consequently,
the existence of each healthy Whole living being is a tug-of-war between Nature
and the Vital Force.
Nature always prevails at the end. Death marks the
point where complex molecules gradually become atoms and simple molecules, that
are too elementary to allow the Vital Force to nestle within them, and
flourish. It is then that the living being becomes pure Vital Force (or, same
thing, the simple element that pervades the Whole Universe), and Nature (which
is a form of condensation of the same immaterial element).
In healthy individuals, death happens gradually at the
end of a good life fully lived, at the time when that individual is ready for
it. I’m sure you’ve seen people who die in this fashion, though unfortunately
they are few and far between. They are usually very old and peaceful, with
pleasant countenances, who very willingly, gradually and serenely flicker away,
fulfilling the old adage that says, “when you were born, you were crying while
everybody around you smiled. Live in such a fashion that, when you die, you
smile while all those around you cry”.
Things are so different in disease and disharmony,
alas!
In disease and disharmony, the patient’s balance is
lost.
The elegant lines of the sinusoid curves of health
become a jerky, distorted, distressed and exaggerated succession of blurred
lines.
Here the fact that the Vital Force has an unequal grip
in diverse organs and tissues becomes dramatically evident and important.
Because poorly vitalized organs will start screaming for help when imbalance
and disharmony catapult the patient beyond the limits of his or her normal
zenith or nadir. Each one of these cries will be registered by the patient as
distress and by the Doctor as a disease-syndrome.
If the Doctor is an Allopath, then he or she will
engage in the ultimately futile task of combating each disease-syndrome as it
appears. This is ultimately a futile task because the patient’s imbalance will
inevitably worsen as the Doctor cures each individual disease, since there is
nothing in the Allopathic armamentarium capable of correcting the progressive
imbalance that is at the core of every disease-syndrome. Therefore, as soon as
one disease-syndrome is brought under control, another will be likely to
appear.
If, instead, the Doctor is a Homeopath, then he or she
will correct the imbalance that brought about the disease-syndrome in the first
place, and thus will make both the disease-syndrome afflicting the patient and
its underlying imbalance vanish.
There are two kinds of diseases, acute and chronic.
In acute diseases, something external (like a change in
the weather, for instance) or internal (such as stress at work, or the grief
triggered by the death of a dear one) throw that patient out of balance.
In many instances, balance is re-gained with relative
ease, and the individual returns to his or her normal limits, the Vital Force
regains a good grip everywhere and all ends well.
But there are patients in whom the imbalance becomes
permanent or chronic. And since
nothing is static in Nature, unless that imbalance is corrected, it will also
become progressive.
These unfortunates are like listing, poorly ballasted
vessels as they course through life. Each commotion inside or each disturbance
of the seas will inevitably worsen the pitch. The list will eventually become
so marked that anything, even the slightest breeze or the smallest wave or the
least displacement of the cargo, will make that hapless ship capsize and sink
long before reaching its destination.
In this constantly worsening panorama, the Vital Force
will first strain and then loosen its grip on one organ after another. Each of
these organs will cry for help, adding to the misery of the patient, until a
premature death will do away with the patient long before he or she is ready
for death.
And here again will Allopaths treat one
disease-syndrome after another, improving each disease-syndrome and bringing
about some betterment of the patient’s quality of life. This as the Vital
Force’s grip becomes weaker and weaker in organ after organ, bringing about one
new disease-syndrome after another, as the patient’s imbalance worsens onto
death.
While here also, Homeopaths will correct the
progressing imbalance, allow the Vital Force to re-gain a good grip everywhere
and cure the patient as his or her diseases simply evanesce.
Information obtained from Dr. Hahnemann’s Organon of Medicine
(English translation of 6th Edition by Jost Künzli, MD, Alain Naudé
and Peter Pendleton) and from the 6th Edition of my book
Understanding Homeopathy and Integrative Medicine.
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HOMEOPATHY AND ADVANCED CANCER
PATIENTS |
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Cancer is a term that encompasses a multitude of
diseases, and also many stages of those many diseases.
Cancers are divided into two large groups, lymphomas
and leukemias on the one hand and, on the other, malignant solid tumors.
Lymphomas and leukemias arise from tissues related
directly or indirectly with the immune system.
These diseases tend to appear when these tissues are
disorganized and deranged.
Lymphomas and leukemias cannot be treated locally but
systematically, due to the fact that they don’t start in some localized point,
but rather all over.
Malignant solid tumors, on the other hand, tend to
arise from one or a few localized areas in a particular organ or structure.
From there they grow and invade surrounding tissues. Then, clumps of malignant
cells are shot to distant organs where they colonize and form what we call
metastases.
If left untreated, malignant solid tumors go through
three consecutive stages. In the first they grow within the organ where they
originate. In the second stage they invade surrounding structures. And in the
third and last stage they hurl metastases all over and thus become generalized.
From here on, I shall only discuss malignant solid
tumor-bearing patients only.
There is universal agreement that, in their first
stage, malignant solid tumors must be removed. Perhaps some other form of
treatment may be associated to Surgery, but they must be extirpated as early
and as thoroughly as possible. Surgery is the only possibility of cure for
early cancer-bearing patients.
Save for some few instances—about which more
later—treatment options stop being curative as solid malignant tumors continue
to evolve.
This is true even as early as when the tumor has only
invaded surrounding tissues. Here Allopathic wisdom says that the tumor must be
irradiated, if the tumor is X Ray sensitive, in order to devitalize and make it
smaller, and thus diminish its potential to intoxicate, invade, dislocate and
cause pain.
Once the tumor has spewed its metastases afar, and thus
become generalized, Allopathic wisdom says that such patients must be treated
with Chemotherapy.
Dr. Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915), a famous German Physician
and Bacteriologist, coined the term “Chemotherapy”. He defined Chemotherapy as
treatment with “magic bullets”, pure chemical formulas that would annihilate
the disease but spare the patient.
Modern drugs, including those used in advanced cancer
patients, are pure chemical formulas synthesized in large Pharmaceutical
companies.
Each new potentially useful chemical formula starts its
pilgrimage by being tested against unicellular organisms and then laboratory
animals according to very stringent Research Protocols, in order to find out
each particular drug’s possibilities and limitations.
If the new drug successfully overcomes these hurdles,
then it is ready to be tested in Humans.
In the case of the drugs we’re interested in here, that
is, those potentially useful for cancer, patients used in early preliminary
stages of Clinical Research must be suffering from actively growing advanced
malignant solid tumors that are resistant to known forms treatment.
This is only fair because, at this stage, it is not
known whether the new drugs are useful or not. And it isn’t fair to expose
patients to something that may well be useless and/or of potentially loaded with
severe toxicity.
Aside from bearing an actively growing malignant tumor,
these patients must be resilient enough to withstand the onslaught of unknown
new treatments, and also to have enough reserves of vitality left to be able to
respond to the drugs being tested.
This means that they are not supposed to be terminal or
pre-terminal.
These early stages of Research must be done in
Hospitals. In special units that are state of the art and where in-patients can
be thoroughly and exhaustively studied according to a Research Protocol every
worker has agreed to abide by beforehand. And where patients can instantly be
switched to other forms of treatment if their condition deteriorates
dramatically during the course of the experiment.
Only after the new drug has successfully gone through
the stage of Human Research it becomes ready to be placed in pharmacies’
shelves and to be sold at large.
Testing of anticancer drugs, according to strict modern
Research Protocols, started in the 1930’s. Literally thousands of chemicals
have been tested since then.
A small number of those drugs passed successfully
through the microorganism, animal and Human stages of Research and, of those
chemicals, only some have proven curative in some rare malignant solid tumors
such as seminoma, dysgerminoma, neuroblastoma, femenine choriocarcinoma, Wilms’
tumor of the kidney,
Ewing’s sarcoma of the bone and a few others.
In most other instances—that is, in the large majority
of the malignant solid tumors—these drugs may produce transient improvements,
some temporary shrinkage and even disappearance of the tumors and also perhaps
some minimal increase of the cancer patients’ survivals, exceptionally more
than that.
This scarcity of results is due mainly to the toxicity
of these chemicals. In a nutshell, these drugs tend to
indiscriminately attack all rapidly growing tissues, be they normal or
cancerous. And there are several normal very fast growing tissues that are
essential for life, such as the bone marrow and the lining of the digestive
tract.
When one administers these drugs to most cancer
patients, therefore, they do indeed attack the tumor, but they also harm normal
tissues such as the bone marrow and the lining of the digestive tract. And,
more often than not, the bone marrow and the digestive lining are more
sensitive to the action of these drugs than their malignant counterparts.
Consequently, Doctors are forced to stop the treatment long before the tumor is
seriously damaged. The end result in most instances is that, shortly after the
short onslaught brought about by treatment, the tumor resumes its growth
unabated.
Frequent toxic effects are nausea and vomiting,
weakness, a drop of blood cells with the consequent real if temporary risk of
infections, diarrhea, temporary hair loss, difficulty urinating and a
significant drop of the quality of life. Add to this a considerable pecuniary
disbursement.
And the long-term toxic effects of these drugs can also
be somber.
In a recently published study of survivors of childhood
cancers of the 1970s and 1980s, it was found that these patients became
vulnerable, years later, to
diverse
forms of heart disease, new cancers, severe cognitive dysfunctions,
cerebrovascular accidents, renal failure, musculoskeletal problems, diseases of
the thyroid, hypothalamus and/or sex and pituitary glands, osteoporosis,
hearing loss and blindness.
Patients
included in this study were long-term survivors—likely cured—of leukemia,
cancers of the nervous system, lymphomas, Wilms' tumor of the kidney,
neuroblastoma, soft-tissue sarcomas and bone tumors. (Oeffinger, KC, et al "Chronic Health Conditions in
Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer" NEJM 355:1572-1582, 2006).
The therapeutic usefulness of these drugs, as far as
their capacity to cure advanced malignant solid tumor-bearing patients, is
admittedly modest.
But, on the other hand, these past seven plus decades
of unceasing research along these lines have provided us with a veritable
treasure trove of knowledge in the fields of immunology, genetics, molecular
and cellular biology, interaction of drugs and subcellular fractions and the
like.
The scarcity of useful anticancer results, though, begs
the question, shouldn’t we start looking for other forms of treatment in areas
not adequately explored yet?
There is on record several very interesting studies
performed in the 19th and early 20th Century, a time when
there were still Homeopathic Hospitals where cancer in-patients were adequately
treated and followed up, but these studies lack the refinements of statistics
and other sophistications of modern Research.
Most of those favorable results are thus open to
question.
All those Homeopathic Hospitals are closed now, or else
have turned Allopathic. An iniquitous document called the Flexner report, as
well as other factors, sounded the death knell to all
Homeopathic
Hospitals
and
Medical
Schools
early in the Twentieth Century. Now there are no Homeopathic Hospitals.
However, a Homeopathic Physician called Todd Rowe is currently creating a
Homeopathic
Medical
School
and Hospital in
Phoenix, AZ.
Meantime, unfortunately, there is nowhere to carry out
clinical trials using Homeopathy and other forms of Complementary Medicine in
advanced cancer in-patients according to modern and stringent protocols.
Therefore, if any studies are to be done according to
rigorous modern Protocols, and in the absence of Homeopathic Hospitals, such
studies will perforce have to be carried out in Allopathic Hospitals specially
equipped to conduct Clinical Research in advanced malignant solid
tumors-bearing patients.
I, for one, would unhesitatingly jump at the
possibility of participating in any serious study where Homeopathy and other
forms of Complementary Medicine could be tested in advanced cancer patients in
an adequately equipped Hospital under rigorous Research Protocols.
And so find out, once and for all, if the studies that
fizzled so ignominiously one Century ago, when Homeopathic Hospitals were
forced to close or convert, are really valid in the treatment of advanced solid
malignant tumor-bearing patients or not.
A challenge I believe is as worthwhile as it is urgent,
particularly considering how limited, toxic and expensive forms of treatment
now en vogue are—and also because of how desperately many of our fellow Human
Beings are awaiting something that may effectively relieve their suffering.
This is not a time to leave any stone unturned.
(Information for this article is the consequence of 23 years
of field work and study as cancer researcher and of 25 years—and counting—of
field work and study as a Homeopathic Physician).
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Profiles of Homeopathic remedies: SILICEA |
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The remedy Silicea is made of silica.
Silica is the stuff glass is made of.
And the main flaw of glass—and of
Silicea patients, too—is brittleness.
And also rigidity. Don’t push, don’t twist or
Silicea will shatter and break to pieces. And
Silicea patients are very much aware of this.
Awareness of brittleness and the need for rigidity,
then, are Silicea’s main
characteristics; the primal source from which all other characteristics derive.
Characteristics such as insecurity, lack of self-confidence, self-effacement
and submissiveness.
All consequence of an overwhelming necessity of
avoiding the possibility of a clash or conflict with others that may shatter
their brittleness. Much of Silicea’s stamina is spent in attempting to stubbornly maintaining some semblance of
stability—no changes, please.
So Silicea has little energy left for anything else, and this struggle also undermines his or her
self-confidence.
By the same token, and also in order to maintain
stability, Silicea will do anything
to reach the top of his or her chosen calling—although
Silicea will do the outmost to hide this facet of his or her
personality. And Silicea will be very
successful in his or her efforts to hide this need to become the king of the
heap.
All he or she will show to the world are his or her
meekness and vulnerability as lures to excite in others a desire to protect and
love Silicea. All this lame duck
display as he or she single-mindedly and obstinately pursues his or her
relentless progression to the top.
Silicea is frightfully obstinate. Things must be done in precisely one single and unique way. Not because of a need to impose his or her
will on others or from love of power but because, unless some order is kept,
things may get dangerously out of hand and trigger change.
And because once Silicea
reaches the top he or she will have the power to impose and maintain
stability.
By the same token, contradiction becomes a constant
real and present threat; so much so that Silicea
is one of only two remedies that can become violent if contradicted.
There is also dread of failure, another very real
danger for Silicea.
Shy and irritable, Silicea
fears to expose him or herself to stressful and potentially disastrous
situations such as exams or public speaking.
The enormous efforts spent in protecting him or herself
before and during these ordeals may leave Silicea
exhausted for a long time.
Fear of failure is what makes
Silicea such a conscientious and punctilious perfectionist. A job well
done can appease others and predispose them favorably.
It is also this fear of failure what makes him or her
keep other people at a distance—no matter how genial and companionable
Silicea may appear to be on the surface.
Failure can also expose his or her vulnerability, and
thus make sharks smell blood in the water. And that can be very dangerous.
The proximity of other people makes
Silicea uncomfortable and anxious. Other people
may not be sufficiently thoughtful or considerate, and may also discover
Silicea’s insecurities. Furthermore, they may press too hard and
inadvertently shatter him or her.
Which is why when sad,
Silicea wants to be left alone; and also why any attempts of
consolation by others aggravates and even make him or her mad.
Silicea is also famous for its greed—money is a very convenient cushion between its owner and others. It is
also this need to keep others at a distance what makes
Silicea become irritable after sexual intercourse.
Silicea is neat and likes to keep things clean and in their place.
Not because of an obsession for order; but because
neatness and order convey a pleasant feeling of stability—and stability is very
close to the rigidity these patients so desperately need to protect themselves.
Silica also yields firmness and resilience to the stalk
of grain in the fields. Stalks break in the wind when the ground lacks silica.
Meaning that, without silica, stalks become vulnerable
to the elements.
This mixture of
vulnerability to any stimulus and miss-trust of others, together with neatness
and perfectionism, make teachers adore Silicea
children. Teachers also admire their meekness, neatness and desire to
please. They respect Silicea’s mistrust—that
teachers misread as an admirable independence—, while their hearts go out to
their vulnerability.
They are also elated about how easily these children
can be disciplined. One single glance suffices.
In years to come, Silicea will learn to exploit, and use as a tool for survival, this response they can so easily elicit to
their display of meekness.
In this context, allow me to tell you a story about an
acquaintance of mine, an immigrant like me. This man is a very nice, meek
individual who has the sweet, wet eyes of a doe. He is thin, personable and
brilliant in his field of endeavor. He tends to be retiring and his manners are
impeccable. “Once” he told me “I had an interview with a woman everybody was
scared stiff of, an Immigrations officer. She was very mean and demanding and
biting. A veritable ogre. Well, as soon as she saw me she changed, and became
kind and nice and motherly. The interview was a breeze”. Well, at that time I
wondered if this acquaintance of mine was Silicea.
In time he became my patient, and I didn’t have to
sweat a lot to find him the remedy.
He was indeed a textbook
Silicea patient,and the
treatment was a success.
(Information was obtained from the writings of Drs.
Hahnemann, Allen, Bailey, Boericke, Candegabe, Nash, Farrington, Vijnovsky,
from notes obtained in class when I was studying in the Escuela de Post-Grado
de la Asociación Médica Homeopática Argentina and from my own experience).
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HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT OF RADIATION DISEASE |
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Radiations are usually composed by subatomic particles
that move at very high speeds in a straight line. They have a very short wave
length. Radiations can hit and harm molecules and atoms that happen to be in
their path.
Atoms are like infinitesimal solar systems, where the
nucleus plays the role of the sun and where electrons orbit around the nucleus
as planets do around the sun. Two or more atoms constitute a molecule. There is
a lot of “empty” space between the nuclei and the electrons. And consequently
the possibility that radiations may hit some “solid” aspect of an atom is
remote. Unless, of course, one uses a powerful and concentrated beam of
radiations, such as it happens when X-Rays are used in the treatment of
cancers—or in warfare. Here the damage can be extensive and long lasting. But
damage can also happen even after something as innocent as an X-Ray, albeit
fortuitously.
Unless the radiation is massive, the organism provides
specific molecules that can mend the damage caused by the impact. Still, there
is a possibility that the mending may be imperfect or insufficient. If this is
the case, and after several cycles of cellular reproduction, this defective
mending can mushroom into cellular deaths, cell monstrosities and even cancer.
So it isn’t a bad idea to use a Homeopathic remedy
before having an X-Ray or something similar done, all the more because
Pharmaceutical drugs are not all that useful in this respect. One single 30 CH
(Centesimal Hahnemann) dose of the remedy X Ray by mouth before the procedure
is likely to be sufficient.
The remedies listed below can be useful for patients
who have developed radiation sickness. A 30 CH potency may be useful when
administered if those patients’ constitutional remedies have proven
insufficient to control the damage produced by radiations.
Needless to say, these remedies are formally
contraindicated in patients undergoing radiotherapy, for they may potentially
blunt the effect of the treatment. Any of them, though, could be considered for
the treatment of lesions brought about by theX-Ray
therapy. In this instance, they can be used after the treatment is finished,
and only under the supervision of the Radiotherapist and a properly trained
Homeopathic Physician.
Allow me to remind here once again that Homeopathic
remedies have virtually no side effects and no toxicity, no allergy-inducing
capacity and no potential to damage embryos and fetuses.
Dosage schedules and frequency of administration, like
everything else in Homeopathy, should be determined individually. However, and
as a general rule, I would consider starting treatment with a 30 CH twice a
week either until the Doctor notices a therapeutic effect or else until two months of useless treatment has elapsed.
Cadmium jodatum should be considered for ulcers and destruction of tissues.Tissues
may be hardened. Useful if there is pain and constipation with frequent desire,
if the abdomen is bloated and if there is itching in the anorectal area only
during daytime.
China
officinalis should
be considered for consequences of loss of organic fluids.
Fluoric acidum is important if there are burns and destruction of
tissues, dilatation of veins, weakness of lower extremities, loss of memory,
mental confusion and indifference to loved ones.
Kali phosphoricum should be thought of if patients appear to be having a nervous breakdown or neurasthenia. There is profound sadness and
indifference to happiness. The patient finds it difficult to concentrate and
prefers being in company although he or she dislikes speaking. There may be
weakness in the back and extremities that worsens with exercise. This weakness
exhausts and depresses the patient, as also does pain.
Phosphorus can be useful if the patient is very fearful, desires
company and is thirsty for cold drinks that he or she vomits as soon as they
warm up in the stomach. Patients tend to feel better in the morning.
Radium bromatum should be considered for patients who fear being alone, have sharp pains all over their
bodies, are very restless and need to move all the time. Pains can be sudden,
like electric shocks or very sharp needles. These pains may awake the patient
at
4
AM. There may be itching all over. Patients are worse at night, by the warmth of the bed, by washing, and
at dawn and
noon. They may also be worse in open
air, after sustained movements and sleeping, and during hot baths. There may be
anemia (low count of red blood cells).
Strontium carbonicum should be considered if there are strong palpitations, thumping in arteries and congestion of the head. Patients are better
with heat and if immersed in hot water, and worse with cold, if touched or
massaged, and at night. Patients may display a clinical picture similar to that
of surgical shock.
X-Ray should be considered if there is a sensation similar to
electricity coursing along arms and legs. Useful for stubborn burns that refuse
to heal. There may be anemia or leukopenia (the latter means low white blood cell count).
(Information was obtained from the writings of Drs.
Hahnemann, Allen, Bailey, Boericke, Candegabe, Nash, Farrington and Vijnovsky,
and also from notes obtained in class when I was studying in the Escuela de
Post-Grado de la Asociación Médica Homeopática Argentina).
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Edited by Jose Miguel Mullen, MD, MD (H), MFHom.,
Homeopathic Physician.
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