In my rural practice based in Vermont I have many farmers among my clientele. Some of them raise beef cows, and some raise dairy cows, sheep for wool and lamb, alpaca and horses. Some folks grow seasonal vegetables, fruits and corn for the cattle during the brief time between mid-April to mid-October when there is no snow on the ground.
Some of these farmers have formed a study group and they routinely use Homeopathy for their organically raised farm animals. Once in a while they check with me about a remedy or two and tell me about their success stories with other remedies that they have used.
It is also very common for me to field questions from clients about application of Homeopathy for their household pets – mostly cats and dogs and occasionally, you might find me scratching my head about what to recommend for a guinea pig.
I am amazed on a daily basis to see such deep commitment to Homeopathy among rural organic farmers and when a set of four Homeopathy at Wellie Level (HAWL) books arrived for review, it gave me a venue to send a message to many other farmers and pet owners amongst us that Homeopathy is indeed as useful for farm animals and pets as it is for people.
HAWL books are done with a light-hearted cover. The patient, a Holstein cow, is on the examination table and the veterinarian is saying to her, “So Daisy, tell me from the beginning.”
You and I know very well that Miss Dairy can moo as loud as she wishes, but other than that she is not going to say a word! And this is what makes Homeopathy for farm animals such a profound experience. The animals say nothing, and do not describe their symptoms in words. We get just a set of subjective expressions and a set of objective observations. The remedies have to be found based on these data. For these reasons, I find Homeopathy books tailored to farm animals and pets very highly desirable and useful. The farmer can take action and see the results of his remedy choices based on these simple books.
The number 1 HAWL book is a materia medica compiled by Chris Lees. In this quick book you can find extremely brief information on 27 remedies, their indications, organ-specificity, mentality, modality and a cartoon describing the gist of the remedy.
There are a few cases too. For example, I read one on use of Urtica urens for drying up milk. The full case was presented in 61 words!! Only thing that I found missing is a table of contents. This simple addition will definitely enhance the in-the-field utility of the book.
The number 2 HAWL book is by the late Trevor Adams. He had compiled this book for teaching a HAWL course which he’d taught for over 40 years. This 32-page books begins with how to take a case and maintain a treatment sheet.
The repertory mentions symptoms and remedies that are found to be useful for various situations encountered amongst farm animals. Hopefully, in the next edition, the publisher will include boldface, italics and plain fonts for the remedies as this style is routinely used in repertories around the world.
A page is devoted to deciphering remedy name abbreviations. A set of keynotes for 29 remedies and constitutional picture of 19 polychrests complete this book.
Book 3, compiled by Jenny Grist, deals with udder problems in just 20 pages! There is a repertory for udder issues, with remedies listed in bold, italics and plain fonts, and an ultra-brief materia medica describing the remedies and their indications.
Book 4 was compiled by Chris Auckland, Trevor Adams and Geoff Johnson. All contributors are veterinary doctors with training in Homeopathy. In just 19 pages the book goes into a general view of naturally healthy sheep, a plan for a shepherd’s year and an annual cycle of the sheep’s life. Remedies are mentioned for various symptoms / situations, for example, lambing difficulties- Caulophylum, mastitis – Phytolacca, Bryonia, Lachesis, Merc sol. Very easy to follow, really.
All four books have devoted a page for resources, but only UK suppliers are mentioned. In the USA, farmers might wish to check out I and E organics, Ohm Pharma and Washington Homeopathic Products as sources for homeopathic remedies.
These books are all spiral bound. The book covers have a plastic sheet protector, the pages are heavy-duty coated sheets of card stock, giving you an indication that the set of books is rugged enough to withstand the rough and tumble of a regular life on the farm.
If you or your clients have farm animals like sheep and cows and you are into using Homeopathy for these animals, then absolutely, this simple, brief, practical and no-fuss set of four books is for you.
Happy reading.
Where can the books b purchased? How much? In what yr were they published? Do you have any bio information on the authors?
Thnx