Editorials

Just Five Sentences

Editorial, November 2013

When my wife Janice needed some lab work, we visited a nearby allopath. We’d never met him before and it was a pleasant surprise. He saw us within fifteen minutes, not the usual 1-2 hour wait of most doctors. I was delighted to find he was an empathic listener, warm, caring and patient. After we explained that we both practiced holistic medicine, he never pushed allopathic drugs, just mentioned they were available.  As he inquired about Janice’s health issues, it was clear he had an excellent head for detail and nuance. I couldn’t help thinking “He would make a fine homeopath!”  Being conversant in homeopathy, Janice naturally described her health problems with a rich tapestry of subjective symptoms. After 20 minutes, when she was finished talking, I looked down at the doctor’s notes and saw that he’d only written five sentences. He’d taken in everything she said, but those few lines were all that were relevant in the allopathic paradigm. Allopathy has no way to connect with those important clues the patient offers. I had to lament all the talented and dedicated allopaths who will never get to see their true potential as healers.  They deserve better than to spend four years in medical school learning only to suppress symptoms.

A recent article in Forbes business magazine was titled: Why Medical Schools Should Not Teach Integrative Medicine.” The powers that be are afraid that if medical students were exposed to holistic methods, they might embrace them. Medical school is exactly where homeopathy should be introduced. Once an allopath is entrenched in a busy practice, he or she is unlikely to change views. After that, there exists a wall of knowledge between allopathy and homeopathy.  It’s only a wall of ideas, but it’s as palpable as brick and mortar. 

 

In this issue:

We have a brief presentation from the Yorkshire College of Classical Homeopathy with articles by the founders, Anthony and Monica Robinson, along with student’s impressions of their college experience.  Yorkshire offers a three year professional course which includes Dr. Paul Herscu’s Cycles and Segments approach.

Homeopath and author Vatsala Sperling presents an excellent interview with the renowned homeopaths Dr. Bhavisha and Sachindra Joshi.

We have excellent articles from Kiran Grover, Dr. Amit Arora, Elaine Lewis, Grant Bentley, Cor vander Meij, Dr. Douglas Borland, Dr. D. Macfarlan, Dr. Vijaya Patil, Drs.  Ruhul Amin and Biplab Chakraborty and Robert Medhurst.

Our intriguing cases this month are from Dr. Dinesh Kowshik,  Dr. Pranali Kamat, Dr. Peter Prociuk, Dr. Kumar Mishra, Dr. Siva Kumaran, Verina Henchy, Dr. Sadeghi Seyedaghanoor, Dr. Punit Sarpal and Joana Vogler.

Be sure to see the Plant Doctor (send your questions), Tips and Secrets, Elaine Lewis’s Tidbits and Quiz and the new Cartoon and the Crossword puzzle.  Keep sending your questions and comments.  If you have a case or article that you’re proud of, do send it to [email protected]

About the author

Alan V. Schmukler

Alan V. Schmukler is a homeopath, Chief Editor of Homeopathy for Everyone and author of ”Homeopathy An A to Z Home Handbook”, (also in French, German, Greek, Polish and Portuguese). He is Hpathy’s resident cartoonist and also produces Hpathy’s Tips & Secrets column and homeopathy Crossword puzzles each month. Alan is a recipient of the National Center for Homeopathy Martha Oelman Community Service Award. Visit Alan at his website: Here.

7 Comments

  • I am very glad to see you keep the files of Kaviraj on plants and agrohomeopathy. He was such a jewel for us and his research and generous sharing still informs and reminds us of possibilities.

  • Footnote to aphorism 104 says it all:

    1 The old school physician gave himself very little trouble in this matter in his mode of treatment. He would not listen to any minute detail of all the circumstances of his case by the patient; indeed, he frequently cut him short in his relation of his sufferings, in order that he might not be delayed in the rapid writing of his prescription, composed of a variety of ingredients unknown to him in their true effects. No allopathic physician, as has been said, sought to learn all the circumstances of the patient’s case, and still less did he make a note in writing of them. On seeing the patient again several days afterwards he recollected nothing concerning the few details he had heard at the first visit (having in the meantime seen so many other patients laboring under different affections); he had allowed everything to go in at one ear and out at the other. At subsequent visits he only asked a few general questions, went through the ceremony of feeling the pulse at the wrist, looked at the tongue, and at the same moment wrote another prescription, on equally irrational principles, or ordered the first one to be continued (in considerable quantities several times a day), and, with a graceful bow, he hurried off to the fiftieth or sixtieth patient he had to visit, in this thoughtless way, in the course of that forenoon. The profession which of all others requires actually the most reflection, a conscientious, careful examination of the state of each individual patient and a special treatment founded thereon, was conducted in this manner by persons who called themselves physicians, rational practitioners. The result, as might naturally be expected, was almost invariably bad; and yet patients had to go to them for advise, partly because there were none better to be had, partly for fashion’s sake.

  • Yes, he summed it up so beautifully! He was so far ahead of his time, that 200 years later the medical world still hasn’t caught up with him. In spite of the best intentions from well meaning allopaths, the results are often disastrous.

  • There are two things, that governs the whole universe.1material and 2 immaterial.just like our body and soul(spirit).having these two,we say ourselves human being.the matter(body) is guided,regulated and coordinated by the immaterial soul(spirit,vital force). for ex. In operation theatre the patient’s in.if doesn’t survived, we say take the body out.who has left abode.yes, our real keen,the soul,immortal governing spirit,the vital force has left abode.
    Our fellow, allopath doesn’t consider this fact.they try to treat the material body by the application of material doses, and get physiological chemical reactions in the term of after effects.
    Modern medical practitioners say that 70% – 80% diseases are psychosomatic.which our master, Dr Hahnemann,taught to the community 200 years ago.
    Optimisticly, it would be better for all medical graduate to study the philosophy of holistic medicine in the way of betterment of the society.
    Thanks to Dr Alan V. Schmukler, drawing attention towards this side.

  • You hit the mark, Alan ! Although I honor the physicians interest to help their patients it’s pitiable that they’ve often not taken further steps to see wherein ture cure lies, be it the used methodological system or merely empathy. Hopefully, Janice is better now !!

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