Nancy, wake up, it’s time for your interview! We don’t have a moment to spare, we’re sandwiched in between Frederick Schroyens and Dr. Luc De Schepper; but if we try really hard… I’m sure we can blow them both out of the water!
As worthy as that goal seems….
But I need to come up with a very imaginative opening question! Let’s see….. Who are you?
I AM Nancy Gahles, definitively. No one else would want to be me!
Oh, no, I can’t accept that! You’re famous! Your picture is everywhere! Are you married?
I am married to Stewart and have 2 children.
Would that be Stewart Gahles? Who are your children?
Well, first there’s my son Skylar, who is responsible for introducing me to homeopathy.
Is his name Skylar Gahles? How did he happen to introduce you to homeopathy?
At age 2, he developed acute attacks of allergic respiratory airway syndrome.
OMG! I hate Allergic Respiratory Airway Syndrome! What was that like for the two of you?
It’s a lot like asthma, enough to make a mother’s hair turn grey. As a chiropractor, I initiated treatments that helped to relieve his symptoms but I began searching for something like……a constitutional! I discovered homeopathy and the rest is history.
OK, that’s a wrap, everybody!
Did you actually want to hear what happened?
Oh. Well, if you’re not too busy….
It subtly insinuated itself into my life.
Huh? Oh. You mean homeopathy?
I do remember when my son had colic. Nothing, but nothing, was helping! Walking, rocking… the endless crying! I gave him a tab of Hyland’s colic tablets and IMMEDIATELY he quieted down and went to sleep! I thought, “What is this??!” I believe that is when my quest began. When the next crisis arose, I again looked at homeopathics but as a layman I chose combinations that said “Asthma” on the label.
Did the asthma remedy help?
Alas, no. Then I sought to study. Read some books. Took classes with Lawrence Galante privately. He was the director of the now defunct Atlantic Academy of Classical Homeopathy. I went one Saturday a month just to get my feet wet and to learn enough to help my own family. I didn’t register for their whole program because I wasn’t planning to become a practitioner. Then I was led to a seminar with Jeremy Sherr, which blew my mind! From that instant I knew this was bigger than me and I had to take the plunge. I went kicking and screaming into the profession!
Oh my goodness! And you were allowed in? I didn’t know the NCH was so violent.
It was very strange because I had resolved to use homeopathy only for my family as I didn’t want to get into all the “emotional” stuff with my patients.
Oh right, the emotional stuff! Say no more! The yelling, the screaming, the shattering of glass, the bloviating!
Elaine, what profession are you in, exactly? Anyway, as I was saying, little by little, as the beauty of the art unfolded, I was enraptured and passionate and, like being in love, I couldn’t contain it within myself.
Whoa! Nancy, this column is rated PG! A lot of children read this column! And by “a lot of children”, I mean Shana—and only if her picture’s in it, so, I will have to put her picture in here somewhere!
Hi Shana!
I wouldn’t want to leave out MY beloved daughter, Jade!
Oh yes, by all means! Do you have any stories to tell about Jade and homeopathy?
Jade was having difficulty learning to read. This confounded me. Conventional investigation revealed no overt reason for this. At the age of 8, she said, “So, who really cares?”
Oh, well that’s easy! Tell her California Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Cares. Really cares.
Elaine, you seem to have missed the point.
I took her out of “conventional” school and home-schooled her. On our journey of discovering her learning style, I found her remedy.
It’s always in the last place you look.
Jade doesn’t learn by rote. She had difficulty decoding words. By the time she sounded it out she lost the meaning of the sentence and therefore, didn’t know what she was reading. No comprehension, leading to frustration and lack of self confidence, as in, “I must be stupid.” I consulted with Nick Churchill who gave her, first, Calcarea phos and then we arrived at Anacardium which kept her in good stead until lately when we switched to Germanium which Jo Daly prescribed.
Tell us about Germanium.
I’m not an engineer…
(Gasp!)
…but I do know that Germanium is used in industry as a one-way conductor of information–only incoming, not outgoing. (Jan Scholten or Jeremy Sherr will know the answer.) Therefore, a person who needs this remedy has features of an inability to process outgoing information. Remember we are people, human beings, not the element itself. There is simply a “similar” of function.
I suppose that a 2-way remedy, whatever that is, is one where the person is able to take in and give out information reliably and with an ease of flow.
I have treated many children with processing difficulties and all manner of aspects of those issues along the autisitc spectrum with both homeopthy and chiropractic thanks to my lovely daughter. (She is in a private high school at present where her learning styles are validated, enhanced and celebrated. She still does not perform well on standardized tests, does not like to read but is happy, well adjusted, chooses healthy relationships and is comfortable with her style of learning and living and is in active pursuit of a college that fits her as well.)
Autistic people are “trapped” in their own world. They take in stimuli–indeed, are quite sensitive to external impressions–but they are unable to connect with the outside world. They cannot communicate their thoughts, feelings or emotions. They cannot connect with another person.
That is so true. What did you find special about Jeremy Sherr?
Jeremy’s seminar was an advanced one and I was just dabbling in the concept, so, when he drew a diagram of the Mappa Mundi theory I was amazed. I have a rather broad background in all types of healing and knew that if these principles applied to homeopathic treatment then it was a discipline that had depth, merit and was worthy of my consideration. More than that, a passion of inquiry was ignited in me that has not been extinguished to this day.
I’m sure you know that my next question is going to be: What is the Mappa Mundi?
Oh, my God! I’m lucky if I can remember my own name!
I know, I have the same problem; but, it’s probably back at the beginning of this article; hold on. OK I found it, it’s “Nancy”.
Thank you. As best as I can explain it, the Mappa Mundi is a representation, a diagram showing all the elements: Earth, Air, Wind, Fire…
Oh my God! They’re my favorite group!
No, Elaine…not the people who sang “Dancing In September”! (Though now I can’t get it out of my mind!) I was trying to say that Mappa Mundi is a representation, a diagram, showing all the elements—the names of which I dare not repeat—interconnecting with the temperaments—choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic—and then with the seasons and with stages of development and with Chinese meridians and with systems…brain, heart, spleen, etc. This all in a wheel-like arrangement outlined with sensations and desires like hot/sweet; cold/sour; dry/bitter; states of consciousness…love, joy, will…foolish, needy, fear…alienation, indifference, etc., a map of the territory in which you live if you can map it out into quadrants and parts of the circle. So complex and yet so dynamic in its consideration of the totality of everything that exists! That is, of course, what we are made up of. One with everything that exists. When we are not flowing interconnectedly with all and through all the elements, we are stuck. Where we are stuck can be plotted on the map. Then we call for help to get us onto the right track again. Sort of like GPS on your car. Where are you stuck? How did you get there? And, how the hell do you get out of this mess!! 1-800-homeopathy.
I hope that’s an actual number, because I just called it! Are your children homeopaths too?
My children who are now 14 and 16 are fairly well versed in using typical first aid remedies, their favorites being Calendula and Arnica.
Several years ago, I took a trip to Philadelphia for my Mom’s birthday and to see the Annual Flower Show.
Oh! So you’re the one holding up traffic on the Expressway! The Annual Flower Show is in progress as we speak! Aren’t there any flowers in New York? You had to come all the way to Philadelphia? We Philadelphians sit on the Expressway for hours every March waiting…just waiting for the Flower Show to end! Here’s an idea! Flowers! Courtesy of Donald Duck! (I had him flown in from Disney World!)
Elaine, you’ve never been to the Flower Show, have you? Anyway, as I was saying, I was just about to have dinner when I got a call from the neighbor who was watching my son. He had taken a pretty bad fall on the ice and she thought that maybe his arm was broken. My husband was not home yet and didn’t have a cell phone so I called my daughter to take charge. A few hours later, I checked in and my husband said that he would wait for me to get home as it seemed alright. I asked, “Is it black and blue?” “No.” Is it swollen?” “No”. So, I took my time getting home. On arrival the arm was clearly fractured but there wasn’t any predictable bruising or swelling and he wasn’t at all uncomfortable. On x-ray examination, the fracture was severe and required surgery! My daughter said, “Well, I kept giving him Arnica and icing it until you got here. He said he was alright but I knew he was hurt.”
This would probably be a good time for me to relate an interesting anecdote. One of our readers wrote to me today with the following Arnica story:
Elaine, Your advice in that article [“Homeopathy and Sports Injuries“] finally made a believer out of my honey when he broke a toe earlier this winter. I think he was as disappointed as he was relieved [apparently he didn’t want to believe that homeopathy could work] that, unlike a previous toe fracture, there was NO swelling, NO bruising (just a little redness), much less pain, and much more rapid healing, haha!
I mention this because it so mirrors your story above; but let me ask you this question, how would you answer the criticism that maybe the ice was responsible for the whole thing?
As a chiropractor for 26 years I have treated hundreds of acute sprain/strains where all the ice in the world does not help to keep the swelling at bay! I have never seen it have much effect on the actual bleeding from the tear in the tissues only the resultant edema. Many, many times I have seen Arnica, before my very eyes, resolve the immediate tissue bleeding within minutes leaving no trace of a bruise and no swelling. In fact, this is the mainstay of my pediatric bumps and bruises practice. Commonly, a child will fall, bang the head and you can watch the “egg” grow and discolor and upon taking Arnica, internally or topically, watch the “egg” disappear and resolve as if it never happened!
Brilliant! So, Nancy, since you mentioned Nat-mur…
I don’t remember mentioning Nat-mur….
In that case, why not tell us about the famous National Center for Homeopathy (the NCH) of which you are a part?
The National Center for Homeopathy is a nonprofit organization that promotes homeopathy through education, publication, research and membership services.
I have been a member of the Board of Directors for 3 years and have been graced to be a part of the dynamism that makes up that group of people dedicated to the art, science and philosophy of homeopathy. Increasing the awareness of homeopathy and thus making it available to all people has been a daunting task but one which the NCH has advanced in full measure.
Our marketing and media committee is responsible for the ads, radio and TV spots that bring the message to the average viewer as well as behind-the-scenes work with educators, politicians and legislators. Our education committee has developed an “On The Road” program that will be held in varying educational settings across the country. The first of these will be held at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA June 9-11, 2006 . FIRST RESPONSE HOMEOPATHY: Disasters, Epidemics and Emergencies.
I’m going to be there for sure!
One way that you can participate in these efforts is to become a member of the National Center for Homeopathy. For a mere $55./year, you tell us that you care about homeopathy and want to keep it alive and growing. In return, you get our commitment to continue to do our very best. You also receive the fabulous magazine HOMEOPATHY TODAY and are invited to submit articles and cases of your own.
I couldn’t live without “Homeopathy Today”, and you shouldn’t try to either!
To subscribe, just go to https://homeopathycenter.org/ and scroll down to “Homeopathy Today”.
It’s really important to become a vital part of the community of homeopaths, whether you’re a practitioner, pharmacist, veterinarian or just a mom or dad trying to take care of your children. The NCH needs you and your unique contribution to homeopathy.
The NCH also needs your membership dollars to sustain our vital force. Join now so you can register for the next NCH Conference which is in San Jose, California, April 7-11, the first ever joint homeopathic conference! Look me up and tell me that you’re there because you read about it here!
We also send out an e-newsletter; plus, you can participate in our monthly live chat with all the celebrities of homeopathy.
That is so true! I just “chatted” with Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman last month! I was shocked that no one had any questions! And I thought, Oh my God, isn’t anybody going to ask Judyth a question? So, there I was, throwing questions together off the top of my head, frantically, just to keep her from leaving!
So you’re the one!!!!! “What is homeopathy?”….”Where can I find a homeopath?” I never heard such inane questioning in all my life! You’re not coming to the next one, are you?
No.
Good. See you there.
_____________________________________________
Dr. Nancy Gahles
Health & Harmony Wellness Education
Doctor of Chiropractic
Certified Classical Homeopath
Member, Board of Directors, National Center for Homeopathy
Columnist, The Wave newspaper, Homeopathy Today,
CAM expert , Ask The Experts, Mothering Magazine and NaturalMedicine.com
Ordained Interfaith Minister
