Interviews

Carolyn Ramos

Written by Elaine Lewis

Carolyn is an expert in homeopathic software and a representative for Miccant. This interview is a lot less boring than it sounds!

I have in front of me the lovely and fabulous, Carolyn Ramos, my CARA representative from Miccant.com, who unfortunately knows me only as a pest!  (Examples:  “Carolyn, can I have another Activation Code?” …   “Carolyn, it’s Elaine Lewis again; can I have another Activation Code?” …  “Carolyn, it’s Elaine Lewis again; remember that interesting story I told you about how I ordered a computer from ebay but they sent the wrong one?  And then my daughter, Shana, dropped it, so I took it to my cousin in New Jersey who owns a computer store but wasn’t able to fix it but charged me hundreds of dollars anyway?  Remember that computer?  Well, I don’t have it anymore.  Hello????”) 

But Carolyn, I’m actually in a position now to help you, as CARA Professional will now (thanks to me) become known as the most recognized name in homeopathic software the world over!  You may now say a few words about CARA Professional.  Oh, unfortunately, that introduction took so long, our time is up.  Please accept this lovely parting gift.

Carolyn   

Do I know you?

I don’t think so.

I’m only here because someone named
Vito called and said he was your manager!

What a sense of humor that Vito has!

I have a homeopathy practice in downtown Toronto.  I sell homeopathic software by Miccant.com, including our latest and greatest, ISIS [editor’s note: Isis has changed its name to “Vision”.  “Vision” has now replaced CARA Professional].  I sponsor seminars in the Toronto and Ottawa areas for select homeopathic teachers including: Alize Timmerman (Holland), Frans Vermeulen (Sweden), Alastair Gray (Australia) and Jane Cichetti (USA).

Miccant developed the very first software back in 1986.  Our aim is to make the software EASY to use!  The top of the line program offers 8 repertories and over 360 volumes of materia medica.  To see for yourself go to www.miccant.com there’s a 2 week free trial.  

Speaking of Jane Cichetti, isn’t she the best?  I interviewed her for the Hpathy ezine.  Not that you’re not the best too, Carolyn!  (It is Carolyn, isn’t it?)

She is a lovely person. I met her in Philadelphia.  She is a good friend and colleague of Alize Timmerman, as well.  Come on up for the seminar.  It is a lovely time of year in Ottawa in October and Jane will be very interesting.  She has just come out with her first book on Dreams which Dana Ullman published.  The seminar will be in regards to this new work.

Speaking of Miccant software, let me ask you about the “Expert System”!  For those of you who don’t know, these computerized repertory programs enable you to select the rubrics in your case and find the top remedies just by clicking “repertorize”; but, the “Expert” analysis, apparently, finds the remedy that George Vithoulkas would have found if he were here taking the case!  (Well, obviously, if George were here, he’d be leaving….)

                  

                                                  Elaine, I will try to explain.  The ‘Expert’ system is a mathematical calculation based on a few variables.  

I was told there would be no math.

Not only do you know exactly how it works, you can also change how it works to suit your own preferences and findings. 

Yeah, I don’t think so….

As supplied, this relationship between the strategies has been very carefully chosen and has proven successful against real cases.  It uses 5 techniques when it examines your case.  The first 4 are the repertorisation strategies used elsewhere, namely Weighted rubrics, Stress Significance, Emphasise Small Remedies and Emphasise Strange, Rare and Peculiar.  The final technique utilises rubrics you mark as causative in your case.

The expert system examines each of your case rubrics in turn and automatically applies the 4 strategies to each of them.  It then looks for any rubrics marked as causative and applies a special boost to all remedies contained in those rubrics.

Wow!  I am almost following this!

Once this has been done the system then ‘balances’ all of the strategies in relation to each other.  This relatively simple technique remains mathematical in approach (as do all similar systems) but yields remarkably good results (as you will find).  Does that take away some of the mystery for you? 

Sort of; but, let’s quickly change the subject if we may!  What about acute prescribing?

Miccant has a wonderful program called AKIVA that fills that role.  Containing an interactive question and answer for each of 64 conditions, Akiva gently guides you to the most indicated remedies.  The questions have been carefully prepared to provide a detailed and thorough homeopathic consultation.

For each condition Akiva provides basic medical information.  Where appropriate, Akiva also provides color photographs of conditions along with other support information, for example herbs that might help, nutritional supplements you should consider and even suggestions from folklore!
Akiva contains information on over 100 remedies.
It is downloadable from the www.miccant.com site and offers three free tries before it requests an activation code.

Yes, the dreaded activation code!  Carolyn, I’ve often wondered if the use of similar rubrics skews the results toward an undeserving remedy?

It does matter!  Similar rubrics should be “combined” or you really will skew your results.  In ISIS you need just highlight all the rubrics you would like to combine, click “Combine” and your new, single, rubric will appear.

How did it all start for you?  Is there an interesting story?

Well, as a matter of fact, I was not in the healing profession at all, I was working in Commercial Real Estate management.  My daughter, 18 months at the time, erupted with eczema in the creases of her elbows. I took her to the pediatrician who gave me the requisite 2 minutes and a prescription for hydro-cortisone cream.  I wasn’t pleased that I received no information on what could have caused it and I really didn’t want to use that on so little a person, so went in search of other answers.  I learned about food allergies and ways of dealing with them and eliminating them, and then found homeopathy which cured her.  She is now 13 and has not been back to the doctor since.  We have handled everything with homeopathy.  I stopped vaccinating at that time, as well.

From that time on, I studied homeopathy and started to practice about 3 years later.  I have studied with The British Institute, Lou Klein’s 2 year Master Clinician course, Jeremy Sherr’s 3 year Dynamis course, Jan Scholten, Frans Vermeulen and Alize Timmerman is now the homeopath that I study with most often.

Due to the way I found homeopathy I often talk to mothers’ groups, both prenatal and post partum to give them some other way to deal with their pregnancy, delivery and baby needs.

I just love learning!  The more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t know.  With each of these teachers, a different part of homeopathy and therefore, the world, comes to the forefront.

With Jeremy, he is the Master of Philosophy.  He was my first ‘teacher’ and changed the way I thought about things.  He is able to bring so many diverse teachings into the teaching of homeopathy.

Lou teaches another end of the spectrum, to look for the little things.  He knows so many remedies!  I learned how to recognize a general type of remedy – a carbon, an acid, a spider or drug.  Then to focus in on that with some of the smaller members of our materia medica.  I probably learned a couple of hundred remedies with Lou.

Now with Alize, I have found someone that I intend to study with for awhile.  She is pushing the boundaries of homeopathy and I find that fascinating.  I think it has to evolve and I like how Alize is working to find what comes next.

Can you give us any tips on case taking?

Tips on case-taking….. hmmm.  Listen a lot and speak only a little.

Do you remember what your daughter’s eczema remedy was?

Funny, I don’t remember the remedy that did it for my daughter’s eczema, but over the years she has been cured many times.  I do remember one ‘crisis’ of 14 plantar warts that took a few tries to find the magic remedy – Nitric Acid made them disappear within a week.  My daughter just came in to talk to me one morning and said “look, they are all gone!”  There was nothing at all there, just lovely pink skin.
Ahhhhh, the wonders of homeopathy!

If people want to see you as a practitioner, what should they do?

I practice from my home and so require prior appointments.
TORONTO HOMEOPATHICS
270 South Kingsway
Toronto, ON
M6S 3T9
(416)604-0017

Thanks Carolyn, we’ll be talking!!!!!  (Hello??????)

About the author

Elaine Lewis

Elaine Lewis, D.Hom., C.Hom.
Elaine is a passionate homeopath, helping people offline as well as online. Contact her at [email protected]
Elaine is a graduate of Robin Murphy's Hahnemann Academy of North America and author of many articles on homeopathy including her monthly feature in the Hpathy ezine, "The Quiz". Visit her website at:
https://elainelewis.hpathy.com/ and TheSilhouettes.org

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