Essential Steps in Using Homeopathy in Your Practice
by Dr. Chambreau, DVM - A lecture transcription
Beginning to understand the basic principles of homeopathy and starting
to recognize cure, palliation and suppression (the responses of the body to
any treatment modality) are essential steps to using homeopathy in your practice.
Studying these philosophical underpinnings of health enriches your experience
of veterinary practice and opens wonderful new ways to nurture your clients
and their animals.
While embarking on this extensive study (many courses and
books are available, see end of article) there are immediate ways to give homeopathic
remedies in your practice. You notice I say giving homeopathic remedies, rather
than treating homeopathically, for the latter requires applying the principles
of homeopathy to every case and finding (or attempting to find) the similimum
- that medicine that matches the totality of symptoms presented by the patient.
In the talks today, I will briefly cover the philosophy, guiding principles,
preparation of medicines, how to actually start prescribing, treatment of acute,
chronic, and then confused cases, and how to learn more about homeopathy.
A True Understanding of Homeopathy
A true understanding of homeopathy comes from understanding how an individual
becomes sick and how that individual relates to its environment.
SYMPTOMS
Homeopathy maintains that the "vital forces" of the body may be afflicted
with inherent weaknesses. Triggers, such as viruses, stress, bacteria, and
poor diet, produce in the body certain recognizable symptoms. Symptoms are
signs that the body is trying to heal itself. Treating symptoms of an illness
only hides those signs of illness for a short time; eventually, if the illness
is still present, those symptoms will reoccur. Homeopathy endeavors to treat
the entire patient, using the symptoms as clues, and to recognize the whole
patient in the context of its environment.
CHAIN OF EVENTS
When energy fields are upset, illness results and usually the illness follows
a pattern of progression. Recovery requires following that pattern in reverse.
Normal function of an individual may be impaired, inflammation occurs, pain
is sensed, and actual anatomical or physical changes take place. Examples
of these changes are bladder stones, arthritic joint changes or thickening
of organs with scar tissue.
TIME TO TREAT
The best time to intervene with remedies is when the illness is in the energetic,
functional phase. Once pathology has occurred, the holistic practitioner
must be very patient and allow time for the pathology to inflame and then
heal at the energetic level. Healing may take a time equal to the presence
of the illness.
VITAL FORCE
In the early 1800s, a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann described
what is termed the "Vital Force" of the body (called CHI by the Chinese).
Many modern physicists say that everything is energy or that everything
changes from matter to energy. Is it any wonder that energy changing medicines
such as acupuncture and homeopathy can affect cures at a more profound level
than matter-based medicine? Move that Vital Force out of balance and diseases
ensue. Different symptoms may appear in different parts of the body. The
goal of homeopathy is to treat the WHOLE individual, not just individual
symptoms.
REMEDIES
Detailed study is required to understand the interaction of specific remedies
and how they interact with each individual symptom in that particular patient.
More stress will result in more symptoms, so remedies may need to be modified
throughout recovery from an illness. Through the years remedies have been
proven to be efficacious in treating diseases that cause symptoms that would
occur if that same remedy were given to a healthy individual. This gives
rise to the saying "Like treats like". Remedies that create certain symptoms
can successfully be used to treat those symptoms that occur due to abnormalities
in the vital force.
Medicinal substances will restore the ill individual's energy balance,
causing a cure. Dr Hahnemann states: "…the stronger disease destroys the
weaker: It has a similar action, and because of its predominance, takes
over precisely those parts of the organism until then affected by the weaker
one, which since it can now no longer act, disappears".
HOMEOPATHY'S GOAL
The goal is to cure - to completely rid the body of disease such that no
symptoms of the disease ever come back, to achieve a level of wellness such
that acute injuries heal quickly with no intervention, and to acquire and
maintain a level of vitality, health, and wellness complementary to the
whole being. As Dr. Hahnemann stated "Cure, which is the elimination of
all the perceptible signs and symptoms of disease, means also the removal
of the inner modifications of the vital force which underlie them: In this
way the whole disease has been destroyed."
IN THE NEAR FUTURE CASE STUDIES WILL BE PRESENTED
Case studies based upon Dr. Chambreau's practice experience will be displayed
to show how the homeopathic approach to treating disease can be beneficial
to animal patients.
HOW DID HOMEOPATHY BEGIN?
Homeopathy's roots go back at least as far as the Greeks. It was formalized
by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann, in the late 1700s. In 1790, while translating
Cullen's herbal materia medica, he disagreed on the mechanism of action of Cinchona
officinalis, the bark used to treat malaria (quinine). He proved Cullen's explanation
wrong by taking doses of the bark once or twice daily and developing some symptoms
typical of malarial fever. They would last 2-3 hours, then disappear, not to
recur until he again took the medicine. From this he saw the essence of a new
system of medicine.
In 1796 he wrote an essay in which he clearly articulated the fundamental
principle of similia similibus curentur (like cures like; law of similars) and
used the new term, "homeopathy" ("homeo"-like, "pathy" - disease). By 1810,
he had published the first edition of The Organon, which detailed the
practice of homeopathic medicine . The final 6th edition (completed in 1842) is still
the main homeopathic textbook in use today. Additional understanding has accrued,
but no major deletions - what a powerful statement of its efficacy. If you very
carefully study The Organon, and books on the remedies, you could eventually
be a successful practitioner.
He and his colleagues were very successful in the treatment of individuals,
both for acute (often epidemics of fatal diseases like cholera) and long standing
ailments. Many animals were also treated by the original homeopaths, as patients
would ask their physicians to help their animals in the same way they had been
cured. Modern homeopathic veterinarians do successfully treat epidemics such
as Parvovirus, kennel cough, panleukopenia, etc. Most importantly, we treat
the much more prevalent chronic disease that we recognize in the form of all
the many "diseases" such as chronic allergies, diabetes, UTI, URI ... and so on.
While homeopathy fell out of favor in the United States during the early
20th century, it continued to be used throughout the rest of the world. According
to various studies, 40% of people are referred to homeopathy at some point by
their physicians in most European countries, and in India, South American and
other Asian countries, it is the most common form of medicine practiced. Now
many Americans are requesting homeopathy. Most practitioners completing the
year long training course who can devote themselves to homeopathic practice
have 1 to 2 month waiting lists within 2 years. The demand is definitely there
for homeopathic treatment for animals of all species.
WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY?
Many people, including some of your clients, confuse homeopathy with holistic
medicine. Holistic medicine is the perspective of looking at the whole individual
as I covered in the first talk. Homeopathy is a system of medicine that first
identifies the underlying energy pattern of an individual - composed of all
the diseases they have ever had, what things make their ailments and themselves
feel better or worse any individual characteristics and preferences. Medicines
are "proved", tested, on healthy people who take the homeopathic dilution until
they are symptomatic. Each medicine, then, has its energy pattern so we give
that medicine that matches most closely the energy pattern of the individual.
The beauty of this system is that the body is stimulated to heal not just the
current ailment, but the underlying pattern that is responsible for causing
all of its ailments, now and in the future. How is an animal treated homeopathically?
A case is taken (to discover the underlying energy pattern of the individual),
books are used to chose a remedy that has been proven (tested) on healthy people
(Repertories are indexes of symptoms to narrow your selection down to several
remedies and materia medicas are detailed descriptions of the medicines so you
can select the one remedy to give at this time), the best potency (strength)
to match the ill animal is chosen and administered properly, and most importantly
the principles of health and healing are followed to determine the effect of
the medicine on the animal and to indicate what to do next. Now, in more detail....
WHAT ARE THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HOMEOPATHY?
1. The body heals itself (or tries to) by producing "symptoms". How does
a being (person or animal or plant) get ill? There is an essence (vital force,
or chi) with inherent weaknesses. When triggered by viruses, bacteria, stress
(physical, mental, emotional), poor diet, vaccinations, the aging process, or
environmental stressors, the body produces symptoms in an attempt to recover
balance. An analogy is that of a slide projector. When a light (trigger) shines
through the slide (vital force), images (symptoms) appear on the screen. Merely
removing a symptom by surgery or topical treatment is like cutting a hole in
the screen to remove the image. This does not get rid of the defect on the slide
(vital force), and so the symptoms recur or new, deeper symptoms appear. Symptoms,
therefore, are good - they are evidence that the vital force (energy field of
the body) is doing the job of attempting to re-balance itself.
2. There is first an energetic imbalance, then physical manifestations. Most
beings seem to follow a sequence when getting ill, and need to follow the reverse
to recover permanently. At first, illness is an energetic imbalance observable
only at an intuitive level - "Doc, I know my cat is getting sick." Second, there
is a functional disturbance, seen for example as a cat going to the litter box
frequently, with a normal U/A. Then there is inflammation, which is easily seen
by a fever, or inflammatory cells on the U/A, or the cat showing pain on urination.
Last, there is pathology, evidenced by a thickening of the bladder wall, stones,
and chronicity. The ideal time to treat is when the imbalance is still at the
energetic or functional level. Once pathology has occurred, we must be very
PATIENT to allow time for the pathology to inflame and then heal at the energetic
level. This can take about a month of healing for every year the vital force
has been ill. This energetic basis of the body was called vital force by Hahnemann.
The Chinese use the term chi. Modern physicists now say that everything is energy,
or changes from matter into energy. It is not surprising that energy medicines
like acupuncture and homeopathy can effect cures at a more profound level than
matter based medicine.
3. There is one on-going "disease", not just separate, acute episodes.
4. To really heal, the totality of symptoms must be addressed, not just the
current problem(s). This treats the underlying imbalance (one disease). Every
time the energy field is triggered and moves out of balance, it produces symptoms,
but they may be different symptoms and even in different systems each time.
Successful holistic treatment must be based on all the symptoms and all the
idiosyncrasies of THIS animal. There is only one "disease" to be treated, and
it has been there since birth (and maybe before). Different remedies are often
needed at different times because we only see part of the underlying imbalance.
An analogy is to think of an iceberg. There is a large, unseen portion underneath
the water (the deep energy imbalance) and a few peaks visible (the symptoms
we can see and are being asked to get rid of). The goal is to dissolve the body
of the iceberg along with the peaks, not just blunt the peaks. When there is
more stress (bacteria, environmental, emotional, etc.) the water level drops
and we see more peaks (symptoms). As a homeopath, I am thrilled to see more
or new symptoms (along with overall or deep level improvement). Since the vital
force (energy field) is reacting more strongly and clearly, I can select the
next homeopathic medicine more accurately.
5. Like cures like. Similar replaces similar. Provings. How do we know what
each remedy can be used to treat? Homeopathic remedies are given to healthy
humans, and the symptoms that appear are carefully recorded over a period of
months. When an ill person shows the same symptoms and characteristics of a "prover",
the medicine will cure the ill person. For instance, when a prover takes homeopathically
prepared Arsenicum album they become restless, anxious, chilly, have diarrhea
and vomiting among many other symptoms. When a person (or animal) who has started
diarrhea and vomiting also reports that they are chilly, anxious and can't seem
to keep still, you would prescribe Arsenicum album.
The medicinal strength of Ars-alb would be stronger than, and similar to,
the energetic imbalance of the ill person, and so would replace the illness,
causing a cure. Hahnemann states: "the stronger [disease] destroys the weaker:
it has a similar action, and because of its predominance, takes over precisely
those parts of the organism until then affected by the weaker one, which since
it can now no longer act, disappears. In other words, as soon as the new disease
agent (remedy), similar to the first but stronger, takes over the patient's
sensations, the vital principle, because of its unity, can no longer feel the
weaker similar one; it is extinguished, it exists no more, since it is never
something material but only a dynamic affection." Once the dynamic (energetic)
imbalance is corrected, the physical manifestations disappear - even bony proliferations,
cancerous growths, bladder stones, etc.
6. The goal of homeopathy is cure. Hahnemann says: "Cure, which is the elimination
of all the perceptible signs and symptoms of disease, means also the removal
of the inner modifications of the vital force which underlie them: in this way
the whole disease has been destroyed." The present symptoms go away and never
come back, acute ailments and injuries heal quickly with little or no treatment,
and the animal has glowing health, vitality, energy, adaptability, and healthy
offspring. Baby, a big black cat, came to me at 9 years of age. She had been
receiving Depo Medrol injections for 8 years at an ever increasing frequency,
now every 6 weeks, to keep her from licking her abdomen raw and bloody (diagnosed
as Feline Endocrine Alopecia). I treated her homeopathically for 9 months before
her abdomen was free of lesions. That was 8 years ago. She has never had skin
lesions since then. One year later, she recovered quickly from an upper respiratory
infection for which 2 other cats in the house had to be treated for 2 weeks.
A year after that she again recovered quickly with no treatment from the same
fever of unknown origin that the fourth and fifth cat in the house suffered
with for a week or so. Since then (1991), I have not had to treat any of the
5 cats. They are on a homemade diet and have not been vaccinated since I began
treating Baby.
WHAT IS IN THOSE LITTLE SUGAR PILLS?
When Hahnemann first started prescribing according to the law of similars,
people would become much more ill before recovering, especially in acute or
epidemic situations, so he experimentally diluted the medicines and found them
to be as efficacious with only slight aggravations. Homeopathic medicines are
carefully prepared by pharmaceutical houses. The higher the potency (higher
number of dilutions and succussions), the stronger the action (yet often more
gentle). How are homeopathic remedies made? Hold on to your hat, now, or your
disbelief will blow it far away. As I said before, physicists are currently
teaching how every thing, all matter, is really energy, so keep thinking matter=energy
as you continue to read.
Herbs, minerals and body substances are diluted significantly
beyond Avogadro's number, which says there are no molecules of the original
substance left in a 6.12 x 10(-23) dilution. The Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of
the United States gives exact directions for the preparation of the tinctures
(different for every remedy) and the subsequent potentization (the same for
every remedy), that the homeopathic pharmaceutical companies follow to prepare
the medicines. One drop of the tincture is diluted in 99 drops of diluent (water
or alcohol) and shaken (succussed).
This makes a 1c potency. One drop of this
is diluted in 99 drops of diluent and shaken to make a 2c. One drop of the 2c
is diluted in 99 drops of diluent and shaken to make a 3c. Commonly made potencies
are 6c, 12c, 30c, 200c, 1M (1,000c), 10M, 50M, CM. A 1M potency of a remedy
has a very strong energetic effect on the body compared to the milder potency
of 6c. However, the potency must match the energetic level of the ill animal
to be most effective, and to be less likely to cause stressful aggravations.
Another dilution range is produced by diluting one drop of the tincture with
9 drops of diluent (instead of 99) and shaking to make a 1x potency. Then the
process continues producing common potencies of 3x, 6x, 12x, 30x and 200x. A
third range is the Q or LM scale of potencies. These are so different that we
will not address them in this talk. You can read how in The Organon. The liquid
dilution (of any remedy of any potency) is then impregnated onto sugar granules
that come in 5 different sizes.
The #10 granules are poppy-seed sized and need
no crushing before putting in the mouth, so I recommend them for animals when
available. The larger granules, #20, #35 and tablets (triturate and compressed)
need to be crushed to a powder before pouring into the front of the mouth. To
repeat, the more a substance has been properly diluted and succussed, the stronger
its action on the body, and the less frequently it should be given.
WHAT POTENCY DO I GIVE TO MY PATIENTS?
The following guidelines will give you an idea of what potency to choose.
The most important part of choosing a potency is to evaluate the vital force,
or energy level of your patient. Just because they can perform (run a long time,
track all day, produce milk) does not mean their vital force is strong. They
need to be alert, curious, interactive, and not showing too many of the previously
mentioned subtle signs of illness to need the higher potencies. Much reading
and practice is needed to become skilled at this part of the homeopathic prescription,
so the following are merely brief guidelines.
The LOWER potencies (3x, 6x, 6c etc.) are more material, less energized and
less powerful. The higher potencies (200c, 1M, 10M, etc.) work at a much deeper
level. The Q(also called LM) potencies are very gentle and very powerful.
- LOWER potency: Give MORE frequently.
- HIGHER potency: Give LESS frequently.
- OLDER animal Give LOWER potency LESS frequently.
- YOUNGER animal Give HIGHER potency.
- HEALTHIER animal with more vitality (even with one serious symptom)
- Give HIGHER potency
- DEBILITATED animal, especially with severe tissue changes - Give LOWER
potency.
- Animals GETTING DRUGS along with remedies (phenobarb, antibiotics, pred,
etc.) Give LOWER potency MORE frequently.
- RULE OF THUMB: START LOW. YOU CAN ALWAYS GO
HIGHER.
- Q (LM) POTENCIES: Start at every 3-5 days, increase to daily; then go
up to LM2.
- REMEDIES ARE NOT TO BE GIVEN CONTINUOUSLY, FOREVER. The owner MUST be
reporting to the homeopath when symptoms return or new ones develop or when
the overall health and vitality are not improving.
SCHEDULE OF CHRONIC TREATMENT
The following chart is a guide to determine which potency to go to next,
no matter where you start on the chart. Also it indicates about (on average)
how long to wait before re-prescribing. WHERE TO START ON THE CHART:
- Older, moderate vitality: dog (age 8-12), cat (age 12-18): Often start
at 6C. The time of treatment can vary considerably. Most animals will adhere
to this schedule. Some will need to move much more slowly or more rapidly.
The reaction of the patient is always the guide.
- Young to middle-aged, good vitality: dog (age 4-8), cat (age 6-12):
Use the schedule below, but begin at level 12C or 30C.
-
Young, strong vitality: dog (age 0-4), cat (age 0-6): 200C to 10M to start.
May go up to 50M or CM. (At first, it is best to start at 200c) Choose a
starting point on the chart from the guidelines above. You will not necessarily
go through the whole chart, for the patient may need only one dose and be
cured. You only re-prescribe when the evaluation of the response to the
remedy indicates repetition. Hahnemann felt that above 30c, it is better
to repeat each potency no more than twice.
- 6X, one dose once a day for 2 weeks, or more
- 6C, one dose 1-3x/day for 2 weeks or more
- 12C, one dose 1-3x/day for 2 weeks or more
- 30C, once, repeated as needed, possibly every 10-14 days
- 200C, once, repeated as needed, possibly every 3-6 weeks
- 1M, once, repeated as needed, possibly every 4-8 weeks
- 10M, once, repeated infrequently, if ever
- 50M, once, repeated infrequently, if ever
- CM, once, repeated infrequently, if ever If you have to repeat 30c every
7 days, or 200c more than every 3 weeks, or 1M more than every 6 weeks,
and give more than a few times, you are probably palliating or suppressing.
SCHEDULE OF ACUTE TREATMENT
These are different because the vital force is expressing itself, sometimes
too strongly, so any potency can work, and will need to be given more frequently
than above. Here we match the potency to the strength of the disease (high
fever, explosive diarrhea and vomiting) as well as the inherent vital force
of the patient.
- Serious, sudden, life threatening conditions: 30C to 10M, every 2-4
hours
- Moderate conditions (URI, cystitis, minor injuries): 30C, 2x/day for
1-4 days
- If only low potencies are available 6X, 12X, 6C 4x/day 12C, 30X 3x/day
HOW CAN I TELL IF THE REMEDY IS CURING?
There are three main responses to giving a homeopathic remedy, or any
type of treatment. Nothing, of course, may happen. CURE - The current symptoms,
no matter how long they have been there, go away and stay away forever.
The animal is healthy in all the ways we measure health (or many at least).
The animal's vital force is healthy enough to respond to viruses, etc. and
get sick occasionally. There usually is an aggravation of symptoms before
the final improvement.
PALLIATION - The symptoms go away too fast for the
degree of pathology. Then they return, unchanged, or slightly worse. Treatments
have to be continued or at least repeated at frequent intervals. Even when
treating homeopathically, the animal eventually gets worse.
SUPPRESSION
- The symptoms go away too fast for the degree of pathology, and the animal
gets sick on a deeper lever (mentals, internal organs, cancer). If you realize
you have palliation or suppression - find a better remedy!! Or switch to
conventional treatment or refer to an experienced homeopath.
Hahnemann says that inability to cure is usually the wrong remedy or
not waiting long enough, so ...WAIT WAIT WAIT
Some indications that a cure is in progress, and you must not retreat
The most important is the animal FEELS BETTER OVERALL and HAS MORE ENERGY
- 1. MOST SYMPTOMS DISAPPEAR, ONLY A FEW LEFT.
- 2. IMPROVEMENT - EVEN IF SLOW (potency too low, disease very deep)
- 3. SYMPTOMS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGE. (Especially if changes are mental,
emotional, or physical generals rather than local symptoms or pathology.)
FOLLOWS ANY ASPECT OF HERING'S LAW
Improvement is from:
- Inside the body to the outside.
- The top to the bottom.
- Most important organs to least important ones.
- Most recent symptoms to the oldest symptoms, even recurrences of very old problems.
- DISCHARGES COMING OUT AND CONCURRENTLY MIND IS BETTER - Diarrhea, vaginitis, skin, eyes, nose
- NEW SYMPTOMS AND PATIENT FEELS GREAT.7.
IN DOUBT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING. PRESCRIBE: EITHER A NEW REMEDY OR HIGHER OF THE SAME:
- New symptoms do not fit the current remedy picture and animal
is not better overall.
- Symptoms change and the patient feels worse.
- All symptoms are worse and persist.
- There is no change and you have waited an appropriate time for that potency,
or longer. How long should you wait? Each situation will be different. If
the cat with an abscess is eating and feels OK - you may wait 2 or 3 days
to see if there are any changes in the abscess. If the bitch has not resumed
her contractions in 30 minutes, you will need to give another remedy or
an injection of pitocin.
Dr. Hahnemann's The Organon, beautifully covers all areas of homeopathic
prescribing as well as Kent's Lectures on Homeopathic Philosophy, and many
more.
WARNING If the animal is better for a few days then worse, then better
after the next remedy, then worse - be sure to get clinical evaluation (x-rays,
blood, physicals). If, for example, a vomiting animal is better, worse,
better, worse, etc., with the remedies, there may be a blocked digestive
tract.
DETAILED STEPS HOW TO GET READY AND START TREATING
First, buy as many books as you can afford. A Repertory (Kent or better)
and a Materia Medica and The Organon will be essential. You will need many
books.
- Decide what category(ies) you will be treating and study ahead of
time. a. Choose what conditions you want to treat, write out all the symptoms
you have seen in many animals, choose
- 2-10 remedies that are likely to fit this picture, and learn some of
the characteristics of these remedies. or b. Choose which remedies you want
to start prescribing, and study them, so you will recognize a patient needing
that remedy, regardless of the illness. or c. Continue to study so you can
repertorize and select remedies for any patient. 2. Using the above potency
guidelines, decide which you want to order.
- Order remedies. If you are already sure you will be practicing homeopathy
for many years, you may want to save money and order a kit or two. Jim Klemmer,
Washington Homeopathic, and others have good kits. See the Sources list.
Store away from sharp heat/cold changes and away from odoriferous substances.
I feel that #10 granules are the best size for animals. Some practitioners
prefer dispensing liquid 20% dilutions.
- To administer, pour 2 to 10 of the #10 granules in a folded piece
of paper, or syringe cap, and pour into the FRONT of the animals mouth to
dissolve on the tongue and gums. If some comes out it does not matter. If
the potency is 12c or above, the quantity is immaterial - you could give
1 of these poppy-seed sized granules, or give the whole bottle. The analogy
for quantity of homeopathic remedy to be given is electricity. If you touch
an uninsulated wire with your tiny finger you will get the same charge as
grabbing with your whole hand. Remedies are energy based, so the effects
are not quantity related. Frequency and potency are important, not quantity.
Again, the size of the animal does not matter - a shrew and a rhino need
the same amount -"some" dissolved in the mouth. It is usually all right
to touch the remedy, though not with a hand that's rubbing liniment or other
odoriferous substance. The remedy can be given in mild or ice cream since
the carrier is milk sugar. Even food will usually not inactivate a remedy,
though if there is poor response to the remedy, you won't be sure if it
was your poor prescribing or antidoting by food.
- Learn how to evaluate response to treatment so you know what to do
on follow up. One possibility is always to go back to conventional medicine.
- Learn obstacles to being able to cure. Most homeopathic veterinarians
quickly see the biggest obstacle - vaccinations too often and too many.
You should not vaccinate while an animal is under treatment. Remember, the
package insert says to vaccinate only healthy animals. If an animal is getting
poor quality nutrients, she will not be able to respond as quickly, if at
all, to homeopathic treatment. A raw meat, vegetable and maybe over-cooked
carbohydrate diet is ideal. Environmental and emotional factors can also
hinder cure, as can a client who demands symptoms go away fast and cannot
be patient.
TREATING YOUR FIRST CASE
If you have decided to treat cat fight wounds or abscesses homeopathically
you would have learned four or five of the remedies that are good for this
(see following, and materia medicas and repertories). When an injured cat
is presented, you would ask a few questions to determine if the cat fits
the characteristics you learned for one of those remedies. If it did fit,
you could suggest homeopathic treatment. If not, you would proceed with
your conventional treatment. Even from the beginning, train yourself to
look at the whole animal, not just the presenting complaint.
- How is the
animal acting now? Ask the owner how she normally acts when not sick.
- Notice any odors, discharges, temperature of the skin on torso and
extremities.
- Perform a complete physical exam.
- Especially important are characteristic symptoms. These can often
be noted quickly once you learn to look for them. A characteristic symptom
is one that makes you hesitate, that does not fit the picture, that is contrary
to what you would expect. Examples include gastritis that is better from
eating a large meal, itching eruption that gets better with scratching,
a lameness that is better with exercise or better from cold damp weather,
or symptoms that occur periodically (every 7th day, every 4PM, annually),
etc.
- General characteristics (traits) of the patient include: temperature
preferences, moods and personalities, affected by seasons or weather conditions,
mental aberrations, tendency to discharges, swellings, suppurations, appetite
tendencies. Characteristic and general symptoms are those that characterize
this individual animal.
- Common symptoms that will not be as helpful in the remedy search would
be itching red skin, vomiting hairballs or food or clear froth, being a
"nice" animal, blood tests, stiffness, liking a certain brand of food, description
of the tissue pathology, etc.
- List all the symptoms with their quantification. This is very important
for your follow up evaluation. "Itching less" will not help your evaluation
as much as "itching was 10 on a scale of 1-10 and now is 3, after a flare
up to 12 occurring 4 days after giving the remedy"
- Use the abbreviated homeopathic veterinary books, my remedy and disease
notes that follow, and/or the repertory (index of symptoms with the remedies
that can cause those symptoms) to select 3-5 possible remedies.
- Then read about these in the materia medicas (descriptions of the
remedies) and choose the one that fits the most characteristic symptoms
of this animal.
- Decide on the vitality of the animal, the pathology of the disease,
the harm that could happen with inflammation and choose the best potency.
(Might be what you have on hand, so you refer to the schedule of treatment
for frequency of administration.)
- Give the remedy and decide when to re-evaluate.
- Evaluate the response to the remedy and decide what to do next.
YOUR FIRST PATIENT of the night has been hit by a car and is lying on the
table. The first thing you notice is that as you approach, the dog looks
in a friendly way towards you, but as you draw near, he growls, or shrieks,
or withdraws - clearly indicating an aversion to being touched. When you
see this characteristic symptom and there is history of trauma, give a dose
of Arnica. Then proceed with your examination and treatment. When you walk
into the next room, this dog is cowering and seems terrified of you, and
the owner says that ever since being left in the basement accidentally,
she has been that way.
There you might start with a dose of Aconite. The
next 3 patients are cats with bite wound abscesses. The first is timid and
does not mind you palpating the area which seems to be painless and has
been oozing serum. You would start with Silica. The second cat seems fine
until you touch the abscess, when he freaks out with the pain, so you give
Hepar sulph. The third cat is drooling, and has red gums. The abscess is
painful to the touch and has a foul odor.
This cat might respond well to
treatment with Mercurius vivus. Interspersed with these "clear cut symptom"
patients, who have characteristics and generalities that seem to match one
remedy, are many animals where you cannot select a remedy that you have
confidence in, or where you realize immediately that there is not a clear
cut picture, with no characteristic symptoms and indistinct generalities
("well, she is sort of nice, occasionally mean and no temperature preferences
and sometimes thirsty and sometimes not"). Until you have further training,
do not treat these homeopathically unless the owner requests and then you
may want to work with a trained homeopath.