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| Hpathy Ezine - April, 2006 | |||||
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Dr. Luc De Schepper<-- Interviewed by Dr. Manish Bhatia |
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Dr. B - Dr. Luc, welcome to the Hpathy Hot-Seat. You are the homeopath of the month for Homeopathy 4 Everyone, world’s leading homeopathy e-journal and I would like to welcome you on behalf of the whole Hpathy Team and the homeopathic community that is part of the Hpathy family. Luc, can you please tell us how your journey into the world of homeopathy began? Dr. Luc - My journey in alternative medicine began
almost immediately after graduating from medical school in Gent,
Belgium in 1971. Coming out of school, I replaced, to earn some
money, a physician going on vacation for 14 days. The work was so
boring and fruitless that I immediately went to school in Amsterdam,
Holland, the Dutch Doctors' Acupuncture Association, where besides
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) I was first introduced to Homeopathy.
At the same time I went to Paris, France to follow a similar school.
I have never stopped learning since then. Dr. B - When you started out with homeopathy 30-35 years ago, homeopathy was struggling very hard for survival in Europe and US. What made you chose it above anything else as a career? Were the initial years difficult as a homeopath? What were the most difficult aspects of being a homeopath during those times? Can you share with us what was the state of homeopathy in the western hemisphere when you started your career as a homeopath? Dr. Luc - When I started my career at that time,
any alternative branch was largely unknown and very little practiced
as any form of medicine (holistic included) had to be practiced
by a licensed MD. Since not much money was involved, few of my colleagues
were interested. I chose TCM and Homeopathy because both sciences
have many things in common and they appealed to me because of their
common sense approach: the individualization and the single remedy
prescribing were two aspects that attracted me. Was it difficult
to start? The amount of patients from the beginning on was staggering
in view of the results I had. I was still very naive at that point
and probably often was Dr. Lucky but I studied hard everyday besides
practicing and with that, each day was a better day. The only difficulty
I had was the jealousy of my colleagues who went so far as to refuse
to treat their and my patients if they continued consulting me.
That never stopped my patient load as results speak above all. Dr. B - You first trained in TCM and then moved on to Homeopathy? Was it a natural transition or was it difficult for you to relate the laws of homeopathy with your knowledge of conventional medicine and TCM? Dr. Luc - As I mentioned before, TCM and Homeopathy
have many things in common: the natural cure, working as an energetic
medicine with the Qi or Vital Force, observations of exteriorization,
emotions linked to pathology in organs, balance between organs,
etc. It is a natural marriage. This year in the US I will teach
my advanced students how to incorporate many practical clinical
aspects of TCM into finding the homeopathic simillimum. They are
very enthusiastic about this new possibility which makes them understand
the patient much better. Dr. B - Homeopaths in general do not recommend their patients to undergo any energy-based treatment during homeopathic treatment. It is considered that homeopathic medicine works on an energy plane and any other such treatment may interfere with the homeopathic treatment. What is your opinion on this? I am asking you because you are trained in TCM and have used this modality successfully with homeopathy. Which treatment modalities are compatible with homeopathic treatment in your opinion? Dr. Luc - Hahnemann, himself, recommends "allopathic
intervention" in dire acute need like drowning, poisoning,
etc. to restore vital signs. Also 10% of surgical operations ARE
necessary, those of obstruction and stenosis...as to have more time
to find the simillimum. Regarding employing other modalities WITH
homeopathy one must apply common sense. When the patient comes to
the office and is on many allopathic meds, we must never change
anything of these meds the first visit. Rather prescribe the simillimum
(yes it still works in spite of allopathic suppression) and only
reduce/eliminate allopathic meds when the remedy "takes".
I also never recommend starting another modality with the initial
homeopathic treatment, as we want only ONE change to start homeopathic
treatment. But when they already undergo TCM treatment, I do not
change anything either. TCM and vitamin therapy and Ayurvedic system
work well with homeopathy. Dr. B - You have written more than a dozen books on homeopathy, acupuncture and holistic health? What drives you as an author? Which of your own work is your favorite and why?
Dr. B - Which other works by contemporary homeopaths do you find most readable and thought provoking? Dr. Luc - Unfortunately, I have found very little
contemporary work that has caught my attention. Too many people
claim they invented something new but when one reads through their
work carefully, either Hahnemann already did it or the newest "discoveries"
are nothing but sidestepping homeopathic principles, confusing students
and patients alike. Giving a "new name" to your kind of
homeopathy does not mean you invented something new, especially
as I see that such practitioners remain stubbornly 4th edition Organon
prescribers. You know what I hear from sincere students all over
the world? Why are there so many different opinions among homeopaths?
Indeed before embarking on "new" discoveries, homeopaths
would do well to study the Organon and Chronic Diseases side by
side carefully. Much confusion and battle between homeopaths would
be saved. And to those who dismiss the Organon as an old dusty book
and "it is not the bible," I have the questions: "Tell
me what aphorism is wrong in the Organon? And, "Who in these
modern times has found anything new to write in a 7th edition?"
There are many obstacles to the cure, but the homeopath is often
the first one. And we don't have to wait for allopaths to destroy
homeopathy as Pseudo-homeopaths do the work much better. Dr. B - In your seminar at Jaipur, you were saying that most homeopaths still practice according to the 4th edition of Organon. Why do you think homeopaths from across the world have not been able to come out of the teachings of the 4th edition of Organon and that of Kent? Dr. Luc - That is a very good question and we
should ask these people. There is NO plausible reason for hanging
on stubbornly to the 4th edition of the Organon. Why
would you want to cause unwarranted similar aggravations in your
patients? Why would you delay the cure instead of achieving it in
half of the time (§246)? Why would one follow Hahnemann's "barbaric
methods" (his words) instead of achieving a gentle and speedy
cure (§2)? Much blame has to be given to Kent who should have
known the 5th edition (1833) but for some reason that I could never
find, only used high potencies (first change of the 4th edition)
but never applied the two other major and more important changes
of the 5th edition: the water solutions and the repetition in judicially
selected intervals of the simillimum WHILE the patient is improving.
All too often I hear from other practitioners: "I am doing
the water solutions," and see that they do it in their own
way resembling the typical allopathic way: "Take a dose everyday
and come back to me when the remedy solution bottle (RSB) is empty!
NOTHING in homeopathy is mechanical: those people sin against "individuality"
(see §281)one of our homeopathic principles. I have "donated"
two of my important books to Africa and India in the hope that it
will stimulate them to follow Hahnemann's advanced methods. Dr. B - You have traveled across the world – from Africa to Asia, from Europe to US. Where have you seen the maximum growth of homeopathy as a system of medicine and where do you see the most potential? Dr. Luc - In my opinion India has the greatest
possibility to flourish since homeopathy is accepted by so many
people, there are many schools and there is support from allopathy
and the government. But they only will succeed IF they raise the
quality of their teaching. Similar to S. Africa, they have 5 to
6 year full time schools, but in both continents, I found the quality
of their allopathic studies much better than their homeopathic ones.
India has good things going for it and I like how the students get
in contact and serve the poor people with their mobile units. But
what is the purpose of seeing 100 patients a day, if management
is not understood? It is a universal problem, not an Indian one,
but at least India has the infrastructure to make it better. Dr. B - You have worked hard to introduce homeopathy to nascent areas like Kenya and China. What is your vision about the growth and spread of homeopathy in such areas? We need many more people and much more resources to accomplish on a global level what you have been trying to do alone. Do you think that there should be an international umbrella organization of homeopathy to take up this work?
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Dr.
Luc - I always say to myself, "This is going to be
my last book," but now I realize I will never stop writing
as I study daily homeopathy, philosophy, psychology, alchemy, TCM,
etc. and want to integrate many practical modalities into homeopathy,
always with the goal of understanding the patient better and therefore
resolving his problem easier. Certainly, "Achieving the Simillimum,"
which I wrote on demand of my own students is my favorite work as
it fills the gap of the most neglected and difficult part of homeopathy:
What to do on the second and subsequent visits? I sincerely hope
it will unite all homeopaths to finally practice with the more advanced
Hahnemannian methods. 
Dr.
Luc - I wish there were some of my esteemed colleagues
and teachers coming with me on such travels, but so far I have had
no takers. They are probably too busy making money. Of course homeopathy
worldwide would profit from successful exposure in case of tragedies.
We need a structure like "Doctors without Borders," but
our equivalent "Homeopaths Without Borders" is only in
its infancy stage. Lack of money is of course a great reason and
I wish that those philanthropists who give millions of dollars to
vaccinations, and now what I read "to teach nurses in India
in advanced (sic) methods of treating AIDS" (What is that suppose
to mean?) would give to Homeopathy. I hope to see it still in my
time that homeopaths do unite in such a way and that they do receive
the recognition and financial support from governments. 
