Homeopahic Book pdf ہو میو پیتھک بک

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Homeopathic CLINICAL CASES Vol. 1 Presentation and Analysis by the method of

Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis

Athos Othonos Homeopathic Medical Doctor

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CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 A CASE OF LACHESIS 1.1 The homeopathic case taking begins from “Good Morning, doctor!”

1.2 Non-verbal clues 1.3 “Maidservant”! 1.4 Loquacity and syphilitic behavior 1.5 Present Disease 1.6 The syphilitic image of “the mother that sacrifices herself for her close ones” 1.7 Syphilitic accusations for other doctors 1.8 “That‟s how false diagnosis is reached in Homeopathy!” 1.9 Reconfirmation questions 1.10 Overprotective and religious hypocrite 1.11 Syphilitic inconsistencies 1.12. Syphilitic Exaggeration 1.13 Again, back to reconfirmation questions 1.14 Necessary explanations and support 1.15 Fixing the patient‟s wrong conceptions 1.16 Why a homeopath must be a doctor 1.17 Giving directions to the patient 1.18 Standard explanations and standard questions 1.19 Idiosyncrasies “live among us” and “inside us”!

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1.20 The question is: “What are your motives when you learn or teach Homeopathy?” 1.21 Repertorising and Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis 1.22 If you don‟t remain moral then your knowledge is lost

CHAPTER 2 A CASE OF VALERIANA 2.1 The “Granny” Medicine, the “Mother” Medicine and the “Grandchild” Medicine! 2.2 Present Disease 2.3 A brief necessary introduction to Homeopathy 2.4 General physical questions 2.5 General psychological questions 2.6 Evaluation of headaches and evaluation of aversion milk 2.7 Tracing possible idiosyncrasies by Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis 2.8 Ironic and temperamental 2.9 Nervous symptoms, insecurity and extroversion 2.10 Tracing fixed ideas, jealousy and insecurity 2.11 Intellect and ambitions 2.12 Final diagnosis and explanations to the patient

CHAPTER 3 A CASE OF STRAMONIUM - MOSCHUS 3.1 “Soul leaves the body first and then mannerism!” 3.2 “…as if I am in the bottom of the sea drowning!”

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3.3 Nervous, neuro-vegetative or hysterical symptoms? 3.4 Differential diagnosis of fears and suicidal tendency 3.5 Tracing Irritability 3.6 A possible case of Stramonium; differential diagnosis from Aurum 3.7 Differential Diagnosis from other hysterical idiosyncrasies 3.8 Repertorising has become a modern homeopathic curse 3.9 Prescription time

CHAPTER 4 A CASE OF NATRUM CARBONICUM 4.1 Present disease and allopathic history 4.2 Tracing his miasmas and idiosyncrasy 4.3 Explanations to the patient 4.4 Evaluation of heat and cold 4.5 Sweat, taste, position of sleep 4.6 Individual history and its importance in idiosyncratic diagnosis 4.7 Evaluation of irritability 4.8 “Tidy or untidy?” 4.9 Evaluation of introversion 4.10 Evaluation of fears and overprotectiveness 4.11 Self-confidence and sexual desire 4.12 Tracing several possible idiosyncrasies 4.13 Final diagnosis

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CHAPTER 5 A CASE OF NUX VOMICA 5.1 Genotype first and then Phenotype 5.2 Hierarchy: first the whole picture, then psychological symptoms and then physical symptoms 5.3 Present Disease 5.4 The homeopathic point of view about bacteria and viruses 5.5 How allopathic diagnosis of disease can indirectly help us towards homeopathic diagnosis of idiosyncrasy 5.6 General physical questions 5.7 The pace of interrogation 5.8 General psychological questions 5.9 Analysis of irritability, arrogance and tidiness 5.10 Introversion/extroversion, fears and fixed ideas 5.11 Differential Diagnosis 5.12 Final diagnosis

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PREFACE This book is about Homeopathic Clinical Cases which have been recorded by me. They are presented and analyzed live, step by step, to my students who are medical doctors trained in Homeopathy.

My main aim is to initiate my students to the art and science of Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis (MID), a special method of homeopathic diagnosis developed after many years of clinical practice.

Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis is based on the general miasmatic and idiosyncratic picture of the patient taken as a whole in accordance with Classical Homeopathy. As a result I am not interested so much in the specific symptoms of the disease but on the contrary I greatly value the general physical and psychological characteristics of the patient when in a state of health.

Thus, in everyday clinical practice I make no use of any Repertory or Materia Medica or Computer Expert System of any kind. The above are not needed if the doctor is well acquainted with the Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Homeopathic Materia Medica, that is, with the “essence” and true picture of the basic Homeopathic Idiosyncrasies.

Step by step, I show to my students how to “translate” any image, sound, smell and touch projected by the patient into valuable miasmatic and idiosyncratic information. The same “translation” is done for every intention, thought, opinion, emotion and behavior of the patient. Moreover, valuable diagnostic information is drawn from his secondary behavior, that is, from the “image” he projects to others. This is of great value especially in syphilitic idiosyncrasies.

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All the above “translated” data gradually reveal to the eyes of the experienced and unbiased homeopathic doctor, the “puzzle” or “picture” or “essence” of the person that corresponds to a certain Homeopathic Idiosyncrasy. This is very essential in Classical Homeopathy. Once you have revealed the idiosyncrasy of the patient you can administer the similar homeopathic remedy and achieve a successful treatment.

Much said! Enough with theory! The cases speak by themselves! Do enjoy them!

Important Note: Anyone who wants to fully understand Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis apart from this book must read my books: 1. Homeopathic Materia Medica 2. The Art and Science of Homeopathic Case Taking 3. Homeopathy and Universal Laws

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CHAPTER 1

A CASE OF LACHESIS

1.1 The homeopathic case taking begins from “Good Morning,

doctor!” 1.2 Non-verbal clues 1.3 “Maidservant”! 1.4 Loquacity and syphilitic behavior 1.5 Present Disease 1.6 The syphilitic image of “the mother that sacrifices herself for her close ones” 1.7 Syphilitic accusations for other doctors 1.8 “That’s how false diagnosis is reached in Homeopathy!” 1.9 Reconfirmation questions 1.10 Overprotective and religious hypocrite 1.11 Syphilitic inconsistencies 1.12. Syphilitic Exaggeration 1.13 Again, back to reconfirmation questions 1.14 Necessary explanations and support 1.15 Fixing the patient’s wrong conceptions 1.16 Why a homeopath must be a doctor 1.17 Giving directions to the patient 1.18 Standard explanations and standard questions

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1.19 Idiosyncrasies “live among us” and “inside us”! 1.20 The question is: “What are your motives when you learn or teach Homeopathy?” 1.21 Repertorising and Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis 1.22 If you don’t remain moral then your knowledge is lost

Good Evening! Tonight we move on to the second part of our lectures, the advanced and more live. We will hear recorded clinical cases and at times stop and analyze these cases by the method of Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis.

It‟s time to reap what we have sown! It‟s action time! It‟s time for you and me to check what have you learned! It‟s time “to catch fish”. No more theories. We have a man in front of us talking live and a doctor in front of us asking live; and that‟s how things are done in real life, in a homeopathic medical office. You may not see the patient but I will tell you all what is needed about his image.

Let‟s move on! From time to time I will stop the hearing for comments. During the hearing any time I ask a question and the patient answers I want you to write down any important symptom along with its evaluation, for example irritability grade 2 or 3. You should skip any physical or psychological characteristic that is not important or that is not of grade2 or 3. Whenever you can‟t make up your mind about the specific rubric that corresponds to the patient‟s answer you can note down his exact words in brackets if you think that they are of any value.

It is also crucial to note down and evaluate any non-verbal information as well as your comments about the feeling that the patient creates to you. For example I say “hello” to the patient and he makes a certain remark

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irrelevant of his disease. If you think that this is important you can write down his exact words and your remark like “loquacious”, “rude”, “vulgar”, “biting”, “ironic”, etc. But be very careful not to jump hastily into conclusions.

As the hearing goes on whenever a certain idiosyncrasy crosses your mind don‟t forget to write it down on the top right side of your paper as possible idiosyncrasy of the patient. You will have to take it in consideration during the procedure of case taking and reject it or confirm it at the end during differential diagnosis. While hearing the answers of the patient if this certain idiosyncrasy matches again and again his symptoms and image, then underline it once, twice or even three times accordingly. This procedure forces you to become an active listener and not a passive one and that is what I, myself actually do while taking the case. And that‟s what makes me also an active case taking doctor and not a passive one.

Try to be brief regarding your notes. For example you can write h3, instead of hot 3 or irrit2 instead of irritability 2 using the abbreviations I gave you. It‟s now time to listen to the patient. Open your ears, minds and hearts and listen!

1.1 The homeopathic case taking begins from “Good Morning,

doctor!” -Hello, doctor! How are you? How are things going on? Are you fine? -Yes, fine, thank God. -The little girl in the photo in the waiting room, is it your daughter? -Yes, she is my daughter. -All the best! She is a real beauty! Do you have other children also or is she the only one? -I have two more daughters, older ones.

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-Two more! Wow! Three daughters! That‟s a blessing! I also have two daughters, I had them married and each one has given me a daughter. -Well, that‟s a lot of women! -I now have four daughters! That‟s a very good thing! It‟s a blessing from God!

It‟s time to stop the hearing. Please, tell me what you have noted down up to now. Always bear in mind that the homeopathic case taking starts from the very first contact with the patient. From the very moment he calls us to fix an appointment. Let me remind you that we have dealt for a whole lecture with non-verbal information that can be drawn from the patient, i.e. how he fixes his appointment, how he behaves at the waiting room, the way he sits on the chair, his body structure and style, etc.

If you start noting down information only after you have asked him “medical questions” you have already lost too much and too valuable! Although it may seem strange to you, I have already reached my final diagnosis of the “simillimum” of this patient with much certainty solely from her non-verbal characteristics and from our first “non-medical” conversation. I have already noted down her most possible idiosyncrasy and you will confirm this later so as not to be biased during your hearing of this case.

It‟s not that I am a magician! It‟s just that firstly she is a typical case already giving us a lot of information and secondly I have a lot of experience in Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis. Believe me, you will be able to do that after only a few years of training and practice; take my word for it! So it‟s time to listen to your remarks and observations.

-I noted down a certain comment she did. -What comment?

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-The one about your daughter‟s picture. -What information can you draw from what she said? Don‟t tell me yet what idiosyncrasy her comment reminds you of. First give me a rubric or even a comment. -Loquacity. -Right! We have the first signs of loquacity! Never be absolute and definite about anything. We have the possibility of loquacity. What possible loquacious idiosyncrasies can you think of? -I think that she is a Lachesis case. -Any other loquacious idiosyncrasies or any idiosyncrasies that are very social and talkative? -Pulsatilla. -Yes, Pulsatilla and also Phosphor and sycotic Sulphur. Ok? Don‟t stick to only one idiosyncrasy. Let your antennas, your minds and your hearts open! In this case I would note down Lachesis as my first choice and then Pulsatilla as a possible second choice.

Now I start building scripts and stories inside my mind. She is a woman around sixty years old, very talkative and asks things that usually someone that comes to my office for the first time doesn‟t ask. So she sees that picture in the waiting room and starts chatting about my children and about how nice is to have children and grandchildren from her own experience, etc. The very minute she behaves like that we start noting down Lachesis and Pulsatilla.

1.2 Non-verbal clues Let me give you some more clues about her, some more non-verbal information since you haven‟t seen her and you don‟t have an image of her in your mind. She is slightly fat and has the body type of Lachesis, the one that Allopathic Medicine calls “Cortisone Facies”. She is also dressed in a kirsch style just like Lachesis does.

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Clues start piling up in favor of Lachesis but be careful! Underline Lachesis but still don‟t be biased. Remain unprejudiced observers. We are at the case taking phase that we gather information and we note down things. It‟s not yet the phase of reaching to final conclusions. Let‟s go on listening to her case again. Stay tuned and open your senses, minds and hearts!

-What do you do for a living? -I am a private employee. -What exactly do you do? -I am a maidservant for old people. -Before we go on to see what brings you to me I am going to perform a quick check up because in Homeopathy we are interested to examine you as a whole… -I brought some test results with me, they are not recent ones, only the… -We will see them later on. We will see them… -It‟s about blood glucose… -Let me first do to you a quick check-up and we are going to see your test results right away. Let me check your blood pressure first. -Yes, yes. -Did you ever have problems with your blood pressure? -No. I never had high blood pressure! I always had low blood pressure, a 100 or 105 since… the last thirty years. -I see… -I never… -Give me a minute to examine your blood pressure and we will talk about everything…

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-Yes, doctor!

1.3 “Maidservant”! -It‟s time to interrupt the hearing for comments. Let me hear your remarks. -That word “maidservant” seems peculiar to me. -Excellent! Bravo! “Maidservant”! What kind of a word is this! Even a person with not a sensitive antenna would notice that. -What does she mean by “maidservant”? -She wants to say that she takes care of old people and she uses this oldfashioned term. But you see we are not interested in the etymology of the word because we are not literature teachers; we are homeopathic doctors. We have an ordinary low-class woman and when I ask her “What do you do for a living?” she says: “Maidservant for old people”. The question is: “Why does she use such an unusual word?” It‟s not a word commonly used in every day conversation; it‟s an old-fashioned term. In fact it‟s a word of Ancient Greek origin (“therapenida” from “therapevo” = to nurse).

My guess is that she uses this very formal old-fashioned word because she considers what she does as something depreciatory from a social point of view. So instead of saying “I take care of old people” that could cause – according to her - in other‟s minds the picture of a woman wiping dirty old men full of shit, she employs this nice formal old-fashioned term for her job. It‟s not that she is pompous like a Platina. In fact a Platina would feel shame to say that she does such a kind of job.

Please, be very careful about what I say! The above don‟t reflect any personal opinion of mine. I don‟t consider taking care of old people as something depreciatory. Of course, not! This has to do with certain social opinions and what really interests us as homeopathic doctors is how this

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certain individual interprets things. We are mainly interested in her subjective, individual interpretation of the one and only reality.

As doctors and especially as homeopathic doctors we shouldn‟t judge people according to social patterns or according to our individual patterns and opinions. That would be very wrong and would moreover spoil our diagnosis. But that doesn‟t mean that we don‟t take in consideration the usual social patterns, the prevailing social patterns, since these affect most of our patients.

We are interested in what is peculiar about our patient. And a woman of her age and class using such an unusual and old-fashioned formal word for her profession is definitely something peculiar and strange and thus characteristic. She uses a pompous term for a socially depreciatory job. That‟s an exaggeration! And from what I have taught you exaggeration is a characteristic of… -Lachesis? -Yes, but don‟t just stick to a certain idiosyncrasy. Exaggeration is characteristic of Syphilitic Miasma and syphilitic idiosyncrasies. So apart from noting down Lachesis on the top right part of our paper we also note down “syphilitic miasma” or “3”, which is the abbreviation for the latter. Write it down, now! See how we draw information in an indirect way when it comes to Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis?

What other information do I have from the previous conversation? I confirm that she is loquacious. She has an unrestrained loquacity. As you must have noticed I find it very difficult to stop her from talking in order to move on to the check-up that I want to do first before starting questions. She keeps telling me that she has some test results and I keep telling her that I will see them later on. I am forced to interrupt her many times in order to go on. So I have confirmed “loquacity” and I suspect that she “exaggerates” and that she is probably “syphilitic”. Let‟s return back to our live case.

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1.4 Loquacity and syphilitic behavior -What‟s your usual blood pressure? -110 over 65. -I see. -I even had 170 many years ago, about 14 years ago but it was a rare thing. Normally my blood pressure is what I told you. -From my check-up I see that your blood pressure is 110 over 60 and your heart rate is 86. These are normal ratings. -Yes, yes! -Let me check you with another special device now. -Oh, I know this device! -How‟s that? -I‟ve been treated by Mr. X the homeopathic doctor and by Mrs. Y the homeopathic doctor. -So let me examine you… -Yes. What do you want me to do? Simply hold it? -Hold this a bit tight and I will examine your ear externally so as to trace your basic predispositions, that is, the weak points of your organism. Your spine is very sensitive. Did you have any problems with your spine? -Yes! I have suffered with my back… -I also see that your knees are sensitive. You also have a sensitive hormonal system and a sensitive peptic system. Do you have any symptoms from your belly like pain, distention or constipation? -Not particularly. -I also trace a lot of tension, a lot of anxiety. You have a very sensitive Autonomic Nervous System.

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I must again interrupt for comments. Have you any other clues up to now? -… -Ok. We reconfirm her loquacity. But have you noticed that she has an urge to tell me that she has been examined in the past by this and that homeopathic doctors? The question again is why does she do that? -For self-confirmation or to show that she knows a lot of doctors. -Not for self-confirmation. I believe that she does very well with herself. She hasn‟t got any self-confirmation problems at all! It is I that i am the receiver of her message! She wants me to take care of her, to give special attention to her case. The message is: “You must know that I have also been treated by other homeopathic doctors that are your professional rivals, so be careful and take a good care of me or else I will return back to them!” -You mean to say that she tells you that on purpose? -Yes, indeed! That‟s exactly what I mean! It‟s a deliberate action. There is a definite purpose to it. It‟s not something accidental. She just isn‟t a psoric Pulsatilla who says something without any hidden and intentional purpose. It‟s a meaningful action due to her syphilitic miasma. Get it? See how we trace her miasmas and her Simillimum? That‟s what I mean by Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis!

Our questions are never accidental and so is our evaluation of the patient‟s answers. We grab the patient by the throat! We are not just casetakers or indifferent recorders of the patient‟s answers. We are not employees of a company that does market research so as to simply write down our clients answers to a certain fixed questionnaire. If you just write down things passively so as to pass these answers to a superior for evaluation then you‟ve already missed the most valuable clues.

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Any homeopathic case taking should be “aggressive”, active and a detective-like procedure; a Sherlock Holmes action! Our aim is to strip our patient naked from all his masks, from all his fake images, from all the lies he tells to himself and others so as to reach his real self, his naked self, the truth and nothing but the truth. We want to see him as he is and not as he seems to be. We want to get rid of any social mask he carries with him. We want him naked because that‟s the only way to reach a correct diagnosis of his idiosyncrasy and the only way to cure him successfully.

That doesn‟t mean that we don‟t respect him or that we judge him or that we want to expose him in any way. We are not being smart to him and we are very cautious, discreet and tactful. But that doesn‟t mean that we have to buy all the crabs he is selling to himself and to others around him. Let‟s move on to our hearing.

1.5 Present Disease -Let me put things in an order. What is the main problem that brings you to me today? -Well… it‟s my nervous system. -What do you mean by that? -Well… let me start from the very beginning of things. The last five years I had to face excessive physical work. -I see. -Too much physical work! Too many obligations! My kids were engaged and I wanted to help them get married… too much work, my feet were killing me, my back also… all these things together… and in order to cope I had to take pain killers. But not just one or two! I was taking even seven a day so as to cope with my shift because my work is very difficult and there were also times that I worked 24 hours round the clock… -How many pain killers did you say that you have you been taking?

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-Around seven a day. -I see. -So I‟ve reached a certain point… nevertheless, I was in a very good mood, I was so pleased to cope with all that I had to do, I did what I wanted to do, I was working and… not to mention that I really needed the money… so I helped my second child to get married on May and in October my husband died. -When did that happen? -Two years ago. -He died from what? -It happened unexpectedly just one week after my youngest daughter‟s marriage. He had that cough… anyway we went to the hospital, they told us that he had lung cancer that also spread to the glands and to the center of the skull and so we did chemotherapy. But they told us that he had two types. The one was oat cell and the other squamous. -I see. -Squamous, was it? I think so, well… something like that. Any way he had two types of cancer. The one, the more primitive one, the squamous did not react to chemotherapy and so we had to do radiotherapy. We did radiotherapy, he improved but the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy decreased his white blood cells down to only one hundred. On leaving the hospital with so… he obviously caught a cold while walking… what you can expect from a person with only one hundred white blood cells… anyway we knew he didn‟t stand a chance… -So, I understand that you were already very tired and then this thing with your husband happened and things got much worse. -Then I continued taking all those pain killers in order to take care of my grandchildren and then my older daughter got pregnant… and… well I had a very tough day today… (tears) -Don‟t feel bad to express yourself… let it go. If you suppress it, it will only become worse.

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-I managed to keep some kind of balance for the kids because… but then I just couldn‟t pull myself together. -What did you feel then? -I just couldn‟t walk. But I kept working, working all the time because I wanted to complete my Social Insurance stamps project so as to earn a better pension. There was a point that in order to go to work I had to support myself on the wall while walking. I couldn‟t walk. I felt swollen all over like a balloon ready to burst. I happened to work at “X” hospital. -What‟s left of all those symptoms now? -Well I did some tests and they found that I had something going on to my liver. I realized that it was due to pain killers and so I stopped them. It‟s been two years since I stopped pain killers… I take not even one. I kept not being able to walk. I feel my feet, my knees as if cut. My hands as if cut here; weakness. On top of that my thyroid got worse. It has countless nodules. They just can‟t count them. -When was the first time that nodules were traced in your thyroid? -Then. -You mean two years ago? -I suffer from hypothyroidism for many years, around ten years. And I am on T4 treatment. -I see. -For a while that treatment managed to keep things steady and then I stopped it. They told me that it has caused goiter to me. -Let me check your laboratory tests. -Ok. But I don‟t know if this is… -Please, give me your file. -But I have other tests also. -Don‟t worry I will check all of them.

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-I was in a hurry and on leaving the house I took everything with me, all the files mixed up and did not have the time to check what you may need or not.

1.6 The syphilitic image of “the mother that sacrifices herself for her close ones” -Well, it‟s time for a break. Before we go on we have to discuss; any comments? -I believe that she is that kind of person who is always complaining that she tires herself for others. She adopts the role of the “victim” although she likes interfering in all matters. You can understand that she interferes to her daughters‟ life when she says “I had them married… I did this… I did that, etc”. -So, you think that she projects to us a certain kind of image. Isn‟t it so? What kind of image is this? It‟s that kind of image that usually a lowclass Lachesis projects to her close ones and to society. That she is the mother and woman that sacrifice herself for her family. That she was working hard although she couldn‟t walk and had to take pain killers by the dozen so as to cope with hard work. That her husband died tragically and was left alone to take care of her children and again take of her children and always take care of her children and so on!

There is an exaggeration, a syphilitic exaggeration to her sayings. A psoric Pulsatilla, for example, would not have exaggerated like that even if she had lived likewise. On the contrary, this woman exaggerates and projects the image called “I am the mother that sacrifices for her children”.

Do you remember when I referred to idiosyncratic pictures while lecturing on Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Materia Medica? Does this case remind you a certain image of Lachesis? I mean the image that she projects to others that she is that fine mother that sacrifices for her

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children and family? The one who is the “victim” of life situations? So we are justified and have every right to write down “loquacious 3” and “Mrs. Kate 3”.

(There isn‟t any proper word in English for the translation of the Greek word “katina” so I use the word “Mrs. Kate” or “Kate” and I explain how this word originated in modern Greece. About 50 years ago many poor young girls came from their small villages all around the country to Athens to work as maids to rich houses. At that time the name “Katina or Katerina or Kaiti” (Kate in English) was very popular for young peasant girls. These girls were considered by their Athenian employers as lowcultured, gossipers, always dealing with little unimportant every day matters, cunning and devious. After some years and up to now, this term is used for any woman of any age, either of low-class or not, who is of low culture, dealing with little every day matters, gossiper, cunning and devious. It‟s also used as a verb “katinizo” (behave like Mrs. Kate) to express the same traits of character. As a matter of fact many young low class girls of that time on the process of becoming grownups were affected by the idiosyncrasy Lachesis which has these certain traits and even today Lachesis is a very popular idiosyncrasy among Greek women over 45 years old.)

But please, be very careful! I don‟t use the word “Mrs. Kate” with a depreciatory disposition. I only give to it the usual meaning that it has to our everyday Modern Greek society. It‟s just a descriptive term and not a depreciatory on my part, comment.

I am also justified to note down “exaggeration 3”. This tendency for exaggeration is obvious also from the fact that she used to take so many pain killers. She also says that she couldn‟t walk but at the same time she says that she continued working long hours; you see the one excludes the other.

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You must have also noticed that she tends to show off to me her medical knowledge although it‟s but a very poor and confused one. She refers to the two types of her husband‟s cancer, the course of his disease, the treatments he has undergone, etc. On top of that on the one hand she brings her laboratory tests to me in order to tell her my scientific opinion and on the other hand she lectures to me about it! Isn‟t that a syphilitic state? -Yes, indeed! -We have already reached to a miasmatic and idiosyncratic diagnosis of the Simillimum with much certainty because she is such a typical case. I deliberately chose this as our first clinical case because it‟s a characteristic and easy case. Nevertheless if we had to do with the “tough businesswoman” image of Lachesis things would not have been so easy. But this “Mrs. Kate” Lachesis image is so crying out: “Give me Lachesis, give me Lachesis!” (laughing)

But, this doesn‟t mean that we will stop taking our case and give Lachesis at this very moment. We still have to differentiate from relative to Lachesis idiosyncrasies that are also in the habit of faking, for example hysteric idiosyncrasies. Anyway, I must say, that her symptoms are not that hysteric so as to suspect a hysteric idiosyncrasy, let‟s say Cimicifuga.

During case taking we should also note down her specific diseases, the time of their onset and the possible circumstances during which they appeared. In this case the patient admits that her problems started after becoming very tired from work and family taking care and especially after her husband‟s severe disease and death. We note down “ailments after family problems” something that definitely suits Lachesis due to her great attachment to family matters.

You must have also noticed that since I had a clear picture of the patient‟s idiosyncrasy I tried to overcome her loquacity or else I would need a whole day to complete my examination. That doesn‟t mean that we

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shouldn‟t listen patiently to our patient but on the other hand when you have such a loquacious patient you must focus on what‟s important for you as a doctor.

It‟s your duty as doctors to check all the test results that the patient carries with him no matter if he is already diagnosed and labeled with certain diseases. Never consider as granted the diseases that the patient tells you he has. It‟s your obligation to confirm or reconsider any allopathic diagnosis and even reconsider his allopathic treatment if needed. Many times I have examined patients and found out that they didn‟t suffer from the diseases they have been diagnosed for or that they suffered from another disease.

At times the diagnosis of the disease was correct but although they were cured a long time ago they still they were on unnecessary medication. Don‟t hesitate to order new diagnostic tests if needed either to confirm or reject the diagnosis of a disease. You see, you should always act as a doctor and never limit yourself to being just a homeopath. For me being a homeopath is being a doctor that acts in a homeopathic holistic way. Let‟s move on.

1.7 Syphilitic accusations for other doctors -It was summer, must have been July, last year when I went to Mr. X (homeopathic doctor). -Yes. -I told him that I know you, he told me that you know each other, that you had some time to… I went there because my hairdresser told me so… you were at Piraeus for a while? -No. -Never? -Never!

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-I thought so because my brother was treated by you and I had the impression that you had your office at Piraeus. -No, not to Piraeus. -Were you here? -I had my office for one year at the center of Athens and after that, since many years I am here at Galatsi area. -I see! Anyway, ok… nevertheless, I was treated by that doctor last November… I woke up, I slept… I had a very nice weekend, I woke up around 5 o‟clock Monday morning and I was dizzy and stumbling. You see I use to wake up for work around 5.30 a.m.; around 5 o‟clock. I used to go… -Were things turning round? -Yes, that‟s exactly what happened! (She stands up and shows to me how things were turning round) -Oh, I see. -And this happened while I was still in my sleep. I woke up and couldn‟t… -When did you say that this happened? -Last November. I was under homeopathic treatment, I had already slightly improved, and I know it was still very early to see great results… I know that homeopathic medicines take a long time to act… well to cut a long story short I went to the hospital, they kept me for four days and they found that… you can see the papers from the hospital right there on my file… -I can see it. -They found nothing pathological… there are some test results here also, let me show you… they found nothing abnormal but a professor asked me what happened in my life. I didn‟t say a word, I just looked at him and he said: “I get it!”. He understood that something had happened, any way…

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-You see, this kind of vertigo is mostly caused by stress so when a doctor finds nothing abnormal it is expected to ask if something happened. -I also did other tests… -I see that you had a CT scan and it was normal. You also had an ultrasound of your carotids and it was also normal. -Yes, yes, there was nothing wrong with it, nothing wrong. I was ok until December. From that time on I was worse again. I believe that I was maybe… I don‟t know, at the beginning of depression. That‟s how I felt. I stopped being treated by Mr. X (the homeopathic doctor) and then I went back to him on May and he told me that my treatment was spoiled by the turpentine they used so as to paint the radiology department of the hospital… -I see… -I started treatment again, I was slightly better and then I had severe problems with my back. I just couldn‟t do anything. The minute I woke up at night I wore my supporting back belt but still I couldn‟t stay standing. On wearing my belt… this test here I think it‟s called glycohemoglobin… because my blood sugar was high… -You have blood sugar 167. -Yes, and he asked me… I was treated by a dietician because I had gained many kilos, I was 83 kilos… I only have these prescriptions of the doctor, I don‟t have all others, I have only the first prescription and this here is the last one. These two were easy to find… this prescription I had to repeat it two more times… that is, I started things from the beginning…

-You mean that you took Ignatia 1M the first day and the second day Ignatia 10M? -I did as he ordered, the way you see there on the prescription. -I see, I see!

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-Why did I leave Mr. X? Because my back gave me a lot of pain and I also had pain here on my hip and it was impossible for me to walk and they gave me a pain killer at work. So I phoned him to ask him if that pain killer affected my homeopathic treatment. He told me “No” and I told him “I‟m in great pain” and he told me “I don‟t know”. I may have been a nuisance at that time calling him, I don‟t know, but he also told me “Take care of your back because when it comes to this case I can‟t help you, I can‟t do anything about it”. I did some bathing in the summer and my back got a lot better.

It‟s time to stop the hearing for the sake of discussion. Listen to me. There‟s this woman and the hairdresser tells her to go to that doctor and she goes. Does that ring a bell to you? I say that we have to do with a “Mrs. Kate” case. I repeat again that this word is used for the sake of description only and with the usual meaning and that doesn‟t mean that I have any kind of negative feelings towards her.

Then, she jumps into an irrelevant matter: “Did you ever have your office at Piraeus?” and then again returns to what she was saying. As I have already told you during Materia Medica lectures this jumping from one subject to another, even to irrelevant ones, is characteristic of Lachesis loquacity.

Another important clue is that she accuses others to me, as Lachesis most of the times tends to do. Being a syphilitic person she finds an indirect way to accuse other doctors and say that they are useless. She does that on purpose so as to flatter me in order to take good care of her.

Then she says “I know that homeopathic medicines take a long time to act…” and someone could think that she is positive towards Mr. X finding excuses for him and the next minute she says that Mr. X did not help her. This is a “blow hot and cold” technique, very frequently employed by Lachesis and syphilitic individuals! It‟s what I have told

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you many times about Lachesis that for example she will tell you about her husband “My husband is so good but… but… but…” and after one good thing she finds ten bad things to say against him!

But you may also come up with a Lachesis patient that has exactly the opposite behavior: She may start saying so many good things about her previous doctor and then find an excuse that she stopped going to him because “he was expensive” or “because he was far away from her house”. Both of these seemingly opposite behaviors/phenotypes are but secondary behaviors belonging to the same primary behavior, to the same genotype. She does this so as to make you try to win her as a patient and at the same time not charge her much. Again you see clearly the element of expediency which is a syphilitic trait.

Have you noticed that even if I didn‟t ask her, she told me: “Why did I leave Mr. X?” and gives a certain reason? Mr. X told her something about her back pain and she interpreted it that he couldn‟t help her or that he didn‟t want to help her. What matters is that she accuses previous doctors on purpose, so as to motivate me to take a good care of her. See how things work! What matters is not so much the behavior of any patient but the intention that lies behind it!

Another clue is that she had a nervous vertigo about a year ago and this is something common for Lachesis when upset. Many times she says something for which she seems to be certain and then the next minute adds: “Maybe”, “I don‟t know”, “I am not sure”, “I think so”. This is hypocritical behavior and hypocrisy is definitely a syphilitic element and also belonging to Lachesis.

Up to now I have noted down: “Loquacity 3”, “Mrs. Kate 3”, “Exaggeration 3”, “Hypocrisy 3”, “Accuses other doctors 2” and “Syphilitic 3”. You won‟t find most of these rubrics in any Repertory but

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it doesn‟t matter. What matters is that these characteristics are very important and critical for our diagnosis of the patient‟s idiosyncrasy.

I must, of course, stress that for the time being, all these are merely clues. We haven‟t yet reached our final diagnosis and it‟s not yet a certainty that she is Lachesis indeed. Clues keep coming and piling up, but still we should not stop gathering data yet. We should not be hurried and impatient. Up to the very minute of writing down the prescription or even up to the very minute the patient leaves our office, new clues could alter our final conclusion. Let‟s move on.

1.8 “That’s how false diagnosis is reached in Homeopathy!” -Are you now still in pain regarding your back? -Very much! Nevertheless I wake up in the morning, I am in pain and I feel… but then while walking things get better. What really troubles me is this melancholy, this depression as I call it but I don‟t have any suicidal tendency. -I see. -It‟s just that I have that… being absolute, being… sometimes also that… that I am all the time tired. -Whenever you are forced to… -If I am forced to then I manage to work. -So when you have to do something do you manage to do it? -Yes, I work all the time, I never sit to rest even for a minute. -From what I see here these are the medicines that my colleague gave you for your back pain: Rhus Toxicodendron 30CH, ten capsules. -I don‟t know anything about it. I told him… -You have been taking these for five days, one in the morning and one at night.

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-He told me “I will give you this and that” and I told him “Well, doctor, these are all Chinese to me”. -I see. -I am not a doctor… I don‟t know… you do. Well you see… -Are you on any other medication at the moment? -I am on T4 only. -Only T4. -T4, 75mg and at times 100mg… the endocrinologist at the hospital proposed that I should take also some thyroxin… -Ok… -Because my gland was dried out. I was completely dried out. Anyway, now… in the past T4 100mg caused weeping to me. But I can‟t be sure about it because… -Does tight clothing annoy you? -Yes, now they do! -If you wear something with tight neck or a polo neck blouse not to be able to stand it? -Yes, yes, I pull it all the time! -Or if your bra is even a bit tight not to stand it and the minute you enter your house to take it off? -Yes, yes, the happiest time is when I take it off! -So, anything tight annoys you either pressing your belly, your chest or your neck? -Yes, yes, yes! The only tight thing that I can stand is my shoes. I want my feet to be pressed firmly to my shoes and not be able to slip out.

Well it‟s time to stop this rushing stream of words of our patient that threatens to drown our brains! (laughing). While talking about depression

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she says: “But I don‟t have any suicidal tendency”. I don‟t recall asking her that! Not even her previous statements could drive us to such an extreme conclusion. So why does she say such a thing? Simply because she knows that she is exaggerating about her so called “depression” and she doesn‟t want you to think that she is “on the edge”. See how quick and perverted her thoughts are? She is definitely syphilitic! Now let me ask you something. Do you think that this person is tired or not? -No, I don‟t think so! -But, nevertheless, she says that she is “tired 3”! What do you say my dear colleagues? Is she tired or not? -One thing is certain: She is a very strong person. -My dear fellows, how could we say that she is “tired 3” when she is doing all that tremendous amount of work? All these statements about exhaustion are nothing but crabs. She is not tired! Ok, she may be doing a lot but she is not tired; she copes with all of it and goes on.

So, if you have a “case taker” who believes everything his patients tell him and writes down “tired 3” and then goes to the Repertory or to the Computer Expert System and searches for “tired” idiosyncrasies, then he is all wrong! That‟s how false prescription is reached in Homeopathy! She may be projecting this to me but I don‟t buy it! But, still, interpreting her behavior, I draw some other very valuable characteristics. That she is exaggerating and that she is hypocritical. See what matters in true Homeopathy? Not what the patient says but what we conclude from it! -But if she isn‟t tired why does she say so? -To make an impression; to attract interest; to project a certain image: the image of the tired, suffering woman. -And for what reason? Shouldn‟t we examine the purpose of this behavior? -Yes, certainly! She projects this image so as to attract attention and manipulate people around her. Her motive is to dominate, to rule, to do

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things her own way. She does this to her husband, children and close ones and even to her doctor.

She also says: “Well, doctor, these are all Chinese to me” and a minute ago she was lecturing to me about her disease, test results and medication as if she were a scientist and had a firm opinion”. My conclusion is that she is hypocritical. Is hypocrisy anything else than saying something and doing the opposite? Isn‟t hypocrisy to pretend to be humble and at the same time be pompous and project knowledgeable opinions about all things! That reminds me of those priests and bishops that are flattered to be called “your holiness” and “your highness” and at the same time pretend to be humble. Scribes and Pharisees! Let‟s move on.

1.9 Reconfirmation questions -Does it sometimes happen that you wake up suddenly at night due to a chocking sensation in your throat that makes you jump out of bed? -Oh yes, especially lately. And I also feel a smarting sensation in my throat. -Do you easily wake up in the morning? -No, I never did. It was hard for me to wake up at 5 a.m., very hard. -But if you sleep many hours and you wake up late in the morning do you feel… -Refreshed? -No! I mean if you feel worse instead of better. -No, no, I feel better. -So, you feel better… -But even now I just can‟t sleep long hours. -How many children did you say you have? -I have two daughters.

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We cut the hearing for comments. As you must have noticed I cut to the chase and go straight to reconfirmation questions because I am already very certain that she is most probably a Lachesis case. In addition, I have spent enough time fighting her loquacity and little doubt is left to me about her idiosyncrasy. That‟s why I suddenly ask her if she has aversion tight clothes or if she wakes up with a chocking sensation at night or if she feels tired when sleeping long hours. All these are strong Lachesis characteristics. -But she was negative about that last one… -Yes but she probably wakes up tired because due to her work and family matters she sleeps late at night, has to wake up very early and does not get enough sleep. Anyway, that doesn‟t mean that a certain person has to have all the characteristics of an idiosyncrasy in order to match it. Even if some parts of a puzzle are absent that doesn‟t erase the whole picture.

Why do you think I ask about how many children she has? Don‟t forget that on entering my office and on asking about my children she already told me that she has two daughters. I am not that forgetful and certainly I am not asking for reasons of social conversation. No! I just open a conversation to this certain matter because I want to confirm what I have already suspected: that she is an overprotective “Mrs. Kate” mother. That‟s why I ask her!

And as you will further see I do it in an indirect way because it would be foolish and wrong to ask her directly: “Are you overprotective to your children?” It would seem as an accusation and she wouldn‟t answer sincerely. Let‟s go on.

1.10 Overprotective and religious hypocrite -How old are your daughters?

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-The one is 27 and the other 22 years old. -Even if they are grownups now, are you still worried about them? -Oh yes! Very much, very much! -Even when they go out and are slightly late? -Yes, yes, of course! -Even now that they are grownups do you still tell them “Eat!”, “Dress well!” and “Be careful!”? -Yes! If their husbands aren‟t nice to them or if they don‟t indulge them I get angry and upset, yes, yes, yes! -When facing problems or misfortunes do you often feel the need to draw comfort from faith in God or from praying? -Yes, yes, yes! That is indeed my comfort, my refuge! But lately my heart is frozen. I find no joy in anything while in the past I was happy even from little things. I was so much enjoying my life and feeling nice. I could be easily pleased. But now joy is a rare thing. -I see. -Recently my first grandchild was born. My husband wasn‟t there to see it, he didn‟t make it! I felt a great coldness in my heart. There are times of course that I feel joy, there are some times indeed the last six months, but most times I feel nothing.

Again, it‟s time for conversation and evaluation of what she said. There are so many comments on my part that in the end you„ll consider me a great gossiper! (laughing) Now, watch carefully! We have already confirmed that she interferes to everything; to her children and I say even to her grandchildren or even to her son in laws.

She is around 60 years old, has raised her children, her children start giving birth to her grandchildren and still she wants to interfere to her children‟s and grandchildren‟s life! Not out of altruism! This is a clear

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case of tendency for domination. She may project this tendency covered in a veil of “pathological love” for her family but I just don‟t buy it. This is all crab to me! Just bullshit! This may seem on my part as insensitiveness but my job is to have a clear sharp mind and see things as they are and not believe to false fairy tales that people project to others. If I am tricked by the patient I simply won‟t be able to help him.

Another thing about her: Religious hypocrisy! She said about faith in God: “Yes, yes, yes! That is indeed my comfort, my refuge!” If I “translate” it correctly she isn‟t the woman that has a true faith. She is the one that pretends and shows off that she is a true believer. Being a true believer and being a hypocrite believer are two different and in fact opposite things. Again we come across her syphilitic ability to pervert things. Let me ask you another thing: Is her heart “frozen” as she says? -Her heart frozen? -Yes, that‟s what she said. Is her emotion flat? Does she need Psorinum? Because if she is indeed as she says she may need Psorinum. -No, I don‟t believe she is like that. -Could she be Sepia who also can‟t find joy in anything and her emotion is flat? Is her heart frozen? -No. -How frozen is her heart? I insist asking. I want evaluation from you. Is she frozen emotionally at grade 0, 1, 2 or 3? Be careful! Never investigate things only by your mind. Use also your heart and your whole existence. It‟s not only what a person tells you that matters! It‟s also how he says it! Does this person look “frozen” emotionally to you? Good God, no! From the minute she entered my office she hasn‟t stopped talking, laughing, expressing emotions, accusing others and communicating! Only because she used the terms “depression”, “melancholy” or “my heart is frozen” should we accept it? No! For God‟s sake, no! -But what about her attitude towards her first grandchild? She does not want it and doesn‟t feel love towards it!

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-Come on! Give me a break, will you! She may say whatever she likes! I don‟t buy it! I bet she is as overprotective to her grandchild as she is to her daughters. -I am also sure that she interferes a lot. -You bet! She is a natural at it! It‟s in her blood! It‟s in her idiosyncrasy. She just can‟t help it! Let me be clear again. I am not accusing this woman right now. I don‟t have any negative feelings towards her. I am a Sherlock Holmes right now dressed as a doctor. I try to be unbiased in order to “strip” her from lies and see the truth unmasked in order to help her.

It‟s true that my expressions may seem slang or even vulgar to some of you but I must be sharp and emphasizing in order to give you the truth and nothing but the truth, in order to penetrate not only the veil of her illusions but also the veil of your illusions too! Am I clear enough? I think I am!

If we accept what she tells us, if we are deceived by her false syphilitic image and her projected false intentions then we are screwed. We„ve lost the case! We will prescribe a psoric medicine instead of a syphilitic one. We will prescribe for example Pulsatilla or Phosphor instead of Lachesis. And thus we won‟t be able to help her. And if we are sincere to ourselves we must never say “Homeopathy didn‟t help you!” but instead we ought to say “I couldn‟t help you!”

During this case taking I haven‟t followed the usual procedure: general physical questions, general psychological questions, reconfirmation questions. She was so loquacious and such a typical homeopathic picture that she forced me first to confirm that she is Lachesis as I have suspected from the very beginning. Then I proceeded to the usual physical questions just in case I missed something or just in case she was a relative to Lachesis idiosyncrasy but not Lachesis.

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The very analysis of this case is done right now, live, in front of you. I haven‟t listen to this hearing before our discussion and this recording happened some days or weeks ago. Let‟s go on.

1.11 Syphilitic inconsistencies -Are you hot or cold in general? -I don‟t like heat. I can stand cold and feel better in cold than in heat. -I see. -When I turn on the heater even slightly I want to sleep with windows open. -How about irritability? Do you easily get angry? -Irritability? I was never irritable! -Never? -Never, ever! Not even in my menopause phase. -Did you have flashes of heat during your menopause? -Yes, I had plenty, yes, and for too long. Now I feel angry; a certain kind of anger. -Why so? You are angry about what? -I get angry on trifles. -Do you express your anger? -No, no!

I just can‟t help interrupting the hearing. What did she just say? She said that she is angry about trifles while a minute ago she said that she was “never, ever” irritable! This is a clear inconsistency. Our goal as doctors is to find out why she has this inconsistency. Is she idiot? Is she

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dementing? Or is she a syphilitic idiosyncrasy saying other things and doing other? Our patient is definitely not stupid or suffering from dementia. On the contrary she is very smart and even cunning. Thus, as a result we end up considering this inconsistency as a syphilitic behavior and especially as a Lachesis behavior.

What else have I noted down in the form of rubrics? “Worried about her children 3”, “Overprotective 3”, “Religious hypocrisy 3”, “worse heat 2”, “history of flashes during menopause 2”. The last one is also a Lachesis symptom. Now, what about irritability? I note down “Irritability 2”, “Expresses her anger 2”, no matter what she says. Let‟s move on.

1.12. Syphilitic Exaggeration -I may get angry with the baby; my daughter‟s baby is now 26 months old. I adore it! She is… she is the light of my life, I could say! Ok, it will be naughty at times, but then what can I say to a baby? -Right. -You see I get angry and so I avoid letting my daughter bring it to me for babysitting, but on the other hand I feel bad about it. -Do you easily cry? -Yes, yes. -Will this happen also in front of others? -I try to avoid it, but when I am alone I cry a lot.

Comments, please! She said: “She is the light of life!” Wow! Aren‟t such exaggerated statements a characteristic of syphilitic individuals? If she is “the light of her life” how come she avoids babysitting it? Because the baby, the “light of her life”, makes her angry! You see, Lachesis creates a vicious circle and in the end she is trapped herself into it. On the one hand

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she suppresses others and on the other hand she is suppressed by these relations.

It‟s what happens with the shepherd and the sheep. He enslaves them in order to make money and at the same time he becomes their slave since they depend totally on him and he must therefore satisfy all their needs. Perpetrator and victim caught in the same spider net woven by the perpetrator.

She is overprotective and repressive to her grandchildren but she is tired and wants to find a moments peace also. But how can she avoid “the light of her life”, as she frequently says to her daughter, thus giving her the right to ask for baby-sitting all the time? So she tries to find excuses to avoid babysitting, for example that she is tired or sick.

Someone could say: “Come on! Isn‟t she human? Doesn‟t she have the right to rest as any human being could ask? Give me a break, man! You are the one who is exaggerating right now!” Well, sorry but that‟s not the right diagnostic attitude on the part of the doctor! It‟s not my job to participate in a conversation with her about her excuses. I am not a judge and it‟s not my concern to find who is more right than the other, she or others around her.

I am a doctor. My sole aim is to take an objective picture of my patient. To diagnose what‟s his trap and prescribe that similar medicine that will help him get out of his trap. If he wants to get out, of course! So, it‟s not my job to empathize with her or to give her right or wrong. It‟s not my job to fight alongside her against the “unjust society” and “vain life”! What really interests me is to diagnose that she is exaggerating and that this may point out Lachesis. Let‟s go on.

1.13 Again, back to reconfirmation questions

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-You are also very emotional, aren‟t you? -Yes. -So easily moved? -Yes, I do!

Let me interrupt again. I seem to be doing a great mistake at the moment. I always keep telling you that during case taking we don‟t guide the patient by asking for example “You are emotional, aren‟t you?” Instead I always tell you to ask in a more general way like “Are you emotional or not?” So, why on earth, am I doing the opposite from what I told you?

I do it on purpose because I have already reached with great certainty to my diagnosis and the only thing I aim at is to give her a push, a motive, an excuse to take out her exaggeration. I induce her to play the role of the victim! This will reconfirm my original diagnosis of her syphilitic miasma and her Lachesis essence.

She may be a cunning fox but I have to be more cunning for the sake of true diagnosis. Pulsatilla is the true emotional idiosyncrasy, thus she has nothing to do with this behavior because this is a syphilitic behavior. Pulsatilla is on the contrary psoric regarding ideas and principles and sycotic regarding expression. See how valuable is the knowledge of Miasmas when it comes to diagnosis and differential diagnosis? Shall we move on? Ok, let‟s go.

-What about your personal problems, deep felt matters and misfortunes? Do you want to talk about it, discuss it with others? -No. -None? -Look! Let me tell you something. I never had friends and friendships.

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-Why so? -I always believed that nobody could be my friend the way I understand friendship. For example some people confided to me their deep felt matters and I never revealed it. I never trusted people. On the other hand, I never had such close discussions with my husband.

Well, more comments. Is she introvert or extrovert? -She is not extrovert. -She says that she has no friends but the question is “Do you believe her?” -Well, I say that she is extrovert. -You see, Lachesis may be also extrovert but usually she is introvert because she is afraid that others may gossip about her. She is such a gossiper herself that she believes that, as a rule, others do the same thing. So she is suspicious most of the times. Let‟s move on.

-I see that you are very sensitive! -Yes, doctor! Very, very sensitive! -You keep thinking about all things; investigate all things, being fussy! -Yes, damn me! Yes, a lot! -Not just sensitive, but over-sensitive! -Yes, yes doctor! -So, as your doctor, what is it that I see in you after I have examined you? I will tell you what I see to confirm that I got you right, that I understood you well. I would say that many people are confused regarding your personality. Those who are not so close to you, who don‟t know you well may say “a very strong person” and may even say that you are even a bit harsh. On the other hand, those who are very close to you, who know you better may say: “What a sensitive person! She is oversensitive!”

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I would say that they are both right in some way. How is this possible? It‟s possible because you are both very strong intellectually but also very sensitive emotionally. Mentally you are very strong; you have a quick, effective thinking; very energetic and restless so if somebody forces you not to do anything and rest you will get sick in a few days.

Your mind works at very high speed so it‟s always difficult for you to be tuned with slow thinking people. Or when they are slow moving people. If imagine that when you work with slow moving people you tend to do it all by yourself. But, on the other hand, you are very sensitive emotionally. You think a lot. You investigate things a lot. You deal a lot with little things. You easily get upset with little things. -Bravo! You are so right doctor! That‟s exactly who I am! -And I think that you try very hard to be alright with yourself and all others and when you discover that there are no mutual feelings and no positive response then ingratitude drives you crazy! I would also say that you are being very strict with yourself. You accept no excuses. You press yourself a lot. I say all these in order to understand if I got you well. -You are so right! You are so inside my mind!

It‟s time for comments. Sometimes at the end of my case taking, when I have reached to a final conclusion I talk to my patient and tell him what I have understood of him. I tell him what I think is his “essence”. I do this for two reasons. First this is a special way to reconfirm my diagnosis and secondly this reassures him that I really got him and this makes him feel safe and hopeful for the outcome of our treatment. But, I try to be very careful, that is, whenever I have to do with syphilitic persons that project a different image from what they really are, what I say to them has to do with what they project and not with what they really are. -You mean that you tell them what they want to hear?

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-Mostly yes! If you can‟t tell someone the bitter truth then you are in some way forced to tell him his “own” truth. It may not seem a nice or moral thing to do and that‟s why I do it only at the office as a mere medical technique. My intention certainly isn‟t to grab her money. If my intention was syphilitic and egoistic that would be immoral and unacceptable. Only if my motive is to gain the patients trust, only If I intend to use it for his own sake so as to be patient and cooperative, only then am I excused to act like that.

Be careful! Lachesis is cunning and therefore she wants to have a smart doctor standing opposite her. If I was that kind of doctor who made all the time flattering comments in order to gain her as client she would have said to herself: “Oh my God, what a slimy moron!” Don‟t you ever think that patients are stupid just because we happen to know a few more things about idiosyncrasies! What I have described is just a personal technique of mine that is used strictly in specific cases and with moral intention. It‟s time to proceed to the phase that we explain to our patient how he will apply his treatment. Let‟s move on.

1.14 Necessary explanations and support -Well, I told you my conclusion because… -Yes, I know, yes… -You had so much troubling you, they kept piling up and at the end you collapsed. -I knelt! -Both physically and psychologically. And you know what? When you feel tired due to psychological reasons this is worse than being tired from physical exertion. You may dig for hours and not feel as exhausted as you feel when you are stressed or upset. -You know something, when I was helping my girls for the wedding ceremony I was tired to the limits. I used to work night…

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-I see. -…then I slept for two hours and then I got up, went home and worked like hell. -In general you are a strong and active person but when somebody is distressed… -Yes, yes, now I am totally… -I know… -And I strongly believe that, that vertigo was… you see I was ready to get better and that vertigo… -I see… -Homeopathy did help me but that vertigo was the death blow. -I understand.

Let me stop for a minute. What I do at this point of examination is human support. I say some things to show her that I understand her and support her and I communicate emotionally with her. I try not to overdo it and not to act in a strange or unaccepted way. As a rule I try to give explanations to my patient about the causes of his disease, his present status of health and what one can expect from my treatment. We must express ourselves as doctors to the patients using simple terms and in a few words and furthermore, in a human manner.

Many doctors speak in a scientific and very formal manner using statistics and numbers and that‟s wrong. The patient wants clear and simple explanations not lectures. Accordingly if I go to a lawyer I don‟t want him to confuse me with legal terms and formal conversation. “Keep it simple”, is always a very good rule. Let‟s move on.

1.15 Fixing the patient’s wrong conceptions

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-Don‟t worry! We‟ll fix things. Don‟t worry! -Yes, yes. -I have seen this kind of problems been overcome by our treatment so many times that I don‟t worry about it. I believe that as soon as the “batteries” of your Nervous System are charged, you„ll do fine. -My Nervous System… that‟s what I believe too doctor, my Nervous System is completely ruined. -We‟ll take care of it, don‟t worry. -Are all these things caused by my thyroid? -No. -Does it have to do…? -Don‟t be confused! It‟s simple. Your Nervous System collapsed and this affects your thyroid and in turn this gland may affect your Nervous System. It‟s a vicious circle. The one thing affects the other and so on.

Let me interrupt for an important comment. At this point I try to fix the patient‟s wrong ideas about his health problems, wrong ideas that Allopathic Medicine inserted into her mind. She tells me: “Are all these things caused by my thyroid?” Being homeopathic doctors we are aware of the Law of Hierarchy and the Law of the Whole. Imbalance and illness begin from up downwards but secondarily the malfunction of a lower organ can, in turn, affect the function of higher organs. So I explained to her this law in a few simple words without insisting on theoretical matters.

You see, wrong ideas and opinions about reality can and may cause imbalance and illness if they are combined with other causes of illness. Many people think that ideas are just words that have no effect on the material body but this is totally wrong. When you have a wrong program or a virus in your computer doesn‟t this cause malfunction to your system? How can this not be of significance when it comes to wrong

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ideas fixed into our psyche and brain? There are consequences for every wrong idea that lies into our psyche and brain. When I say “wrong” I always mean any deviation from normal, from natural.

That‟s the reason why during our first lectures we‟ve talked about Universal Laws and how they can be used to judge if something is natural and normal or not. Using these laws in three special lectures we have also traced what is normal or abnormal in family, affairs and sexuality and gave examples of how our false ideas can create problems, imbalance and illness.

For example this certain woman has wrong ideas and attitude towards her family and children. She has that domineering attitude, wants to control everything and decide about everything and becomes overprotective. Doesn‟t that affect her psychology and body function? Doesn‟t that affect her children? It certainly does!

The etiological chain of Illness, as we‟ve many times said, is: Intentions, Desires, Miasmas, Idiosyncrasy, Mental Patterns, External Conditions, etc. Do you think that all these are theoretical without any practical value? I don‟t think so! I‟ve already given you a specific example, an individual case in which all these play a significant role; in fact, a very important role! For example, we‟ve used all these in diagnosis when judging if she is really tired or not; if she is “Mrs. Kate” or not; if she is faking or not. It‟s time to move on.

1.16 Why a homeopath must be a doctor -This weariness I feel, this weakness… -It‟s definitely psychological. -Psychological? -Definitely psychological. When…

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-Isn‟t it caused by my thyroid? -No! It‟s clearly psychological. -Isn‟t it caused by the nodules of my thyroid? -No, it‟s not caused by your thyroid since your blood tests show clearly that your thyroid hormone levels are normal. So, your thyroid‟s function is normal and cannot affect your psychology. Your thyroid hormone levels are normal; only the levels of your anti-thyroid antibodies are slightly increased. There is no problem regarding the function of your thyroid gland. -I thought that maybe my thyroid was the problem… -No! You may have nodules in your thyroid gland but they don‟t affect its function, its hormones level. -At the hospital they told me that I should be operated and have my thyroid removed. -I don‟t think that there is such a need if we take in consideration both your test results and your condition. Moreover I expect you to be cured by our treatment and avoid such unpleasant things.

It‟s time for comments. Let me ask you something: If I wasn‟t a medical doctor and did not know how to evaluate her test results, her condition and the medication she is on, how, on earth, could I treat her? Why should he trust me? I must be a doctor to apply Homeopathy and in fact a very good one. A good homeopath must first be a good medical doctor. This is absolutely necessary because Homeopathy is Medicine after all.

Whenever a patient comes to us we have to treat him as a whole according to our homeopathic laws. We have to treat both his mind and his body. How can we act as some homeopaths or even as some homeopathic doctors do, and say “I will only ask you if you are cold or not, if you like sweets and if you are irritable. If you have any diseases and physical symptoms or for anything that has to do with tests or drugs

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you should consult an allopathic doctor!” Is that Homeopathy? No! Is that Medical Practice? Of course not!

Let me tell you something. Let‟s suppose that our patient has tachycardia and great irritability that are caused by his hyperthyroidism. If I am not a medical doctor and I am not aware of this, then I could consider these symptoms as idiosyncratic characteristics of my patient and prescribe a wrong homeopathic remedy.

Furthermore, if I am not a medical doctor how can I evaluate if he really needs the chemical drugs that he takes for his thyroid? And if he doesn‟t need them how can I take the responsibility to gradually stop it? Isn‟t my medical duty to overcome any obstacle that obstructs my treatment? How can I cure any person if he takes chemical drugs that not only he doesn‟t need but on top they cause him a pharmaceutical hyperthyroidism?

These drugs may not spoil the energy action of my homeopathic remedies but they cause an artificial disease to my patient and block his system. I definitely have to be a medical doctor and a good one in order to diagnose such obstacles and moreover to propose medical solutions. Let‟s move on.

1.17 Giving directions to the patient -So, you‟ll be taking my medicines as follows: You will have one separate capsule and you will use it in the morning of the first day. After that you‟ll have one flagon with 30 capsules from which you‟ll take one capsule per day every morning five minutes before breakfast, on empty stomach. This treatment will last for one month and you will consult me again in about one month‟s time, see how things went and decide how to proceed from that time on. -Should I continue taking the drug given by the orthopecic?

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-Yes, you should continue Glucosamine Sulphate, because it helps your joints. -I see, I can take it; because it helped me. -Yes, there is no problem taking it together with our medicines. -So, I can take it… -It helps your joints and we don‟t have to do with some kind of drug with severe side effects. -What about those drops that is for the swelling of my feet? My feet become enormous… -I will take care of your feet, don‟t burden your organism with too much drugs. -Ok. It‟s just that I have this flagon full of such drugs… should I toss it away? -I checked it and my opinion is that there is no need for it. -I see, I see, OK.

Well, let me make some remarks. Again we come across the absolute need that a homeopath should necessarily be a medical doctor and a good one. She places on my desk several chemical drugs that she already uses. I have to decide for her. Should she continue them? Are they really needed? Do they help her or not? Do they have severe side effects or not? Can all these be combined with my homeopathic treatment or not?

In this specific case I told her to continue the drug given for her joints because it didn‟t have severe side effects on the one hand and it could give some help to her joints on the other hand and later on, if she improved we could stop it. I told her to stop taking the other drug given for the swelling of her feet because I knew from my experience that not only it wouldn‟t help her but it also had some severe side effects. You see, there are some drugs that you can stop from the beginning of the

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treatment, some that must be stopped gradually and some few ones that it‟s wrong to stop. How can you decide about such things if you aren‟t a doctor?

And what, on earth, is this ridiculous conception: “I am a homeopath but I am not a doctor!” How can you practice medicine without being a medical doctor? Would it seem a normal thing to you if somebody told you: “I teach kids but I am not a teacher!” or “I fix cars but I am not a mechanic!” or “I will built a house for you but I am not a civil engineer!” or “Get on my plane but let me tell you that I am not a pilot!” (laughing)

It‟s very important that the doctor is approachable. You have to be. You have to have the patience to explain in simple words to the patient what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Some doctors say: “My job is to write it down to you and the pharmacist will explain all about it”. It‟s as if they are telling the patient: “Hey, lady, don‟t bother me with such little stuff because I am a great doctor and I don‟t have time to explain such little things to stupid people!”

You see, we must as doctors realize that we have a human being facing us and asking our help. It‟s true that sometimes some patients are indeed “a pain in the ass”, but still they are patients, that is, suffering people and we have to have patience. Let‟s go on.

-There is a slight possibility, when you take the first capsule, during the first hours or few days to have a headache or feel sleepy. I say that to you so as to expect it and not worry about it. This is not a side effect. On the contrary it‟s a very good sign for me that our treatment has begun. We name this “Therapeutic Aggravation” and if it doesn‟t happen that don‟t mean that you are not going to get well. It‟s not necessary to happen and in fact most of the times it doesn‟t happen.

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Therapeutic Aggravation can only cause what I‟ve already told you and it can never aggravate psychological symptoms. It affects only physical symptoms and only those that you already have. It‟s never a problem because it quickly passes off and gives place to general improvement both physical and psychological. You will call me in two weeks‟ time to inform me how are you going on and in one month‟s time I will see you again in my office. Ok?

1.18 Standard explanations and standard questions So, that‟s what case taking is all about. Let me tell you something. As you will find out during our hearings to come, I usually use standard questions during case taking and standard explanations to the patient regarding how to follow the treatment. Life, experience and routine force you to act in a rather standard way. But, most of the times, it‟s not what you say that matters but how you say it and who you are. Words are communication signs. It‟s who uses it that gives color and brightness to it.

As you must have noticed case taking as I see it, is a complete allopathic and homeopathic examination. It includes present disease, pathography, test results, medications, homeopathic case taking and the art of human communication. That is how I do things and that is what I propose to you to do. Any questions? -If I examine a person that I know well, then it‟s easy to see his inconsistencies and from his past life to know if what he says is as he says it is. But when I am to examine a stranger, a person that I see for the first time then you definitely must have some great experience in order to say “things aren‟t the way he presents it to be”. -On the contrary I tell you that when you examine a close friend it‟s even harder to be objective! That‟s because you have already a picture in your mind that is not always unbiased. Your emotions are involved most of the times and they don‟t let you see clearly. On the other hand, when you examine a stranger there is a lack of any emotional interference and you tend to be more objective.

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1.19 Idiosyncrasies “live among us” and “inside us”! So, when you‟ll become well acquainted with human idiosyncrasies, you‟ll be surprised to see that your mother, father, wife and kids aren‟t as you‟ve imagined! And I do hope it will be a nice surprise and not a terrible one! (laughing) All these people that we see in our office, for example the “Mrs. Kate” Lachesis, the cruel Arsenicum or the psychotic Hyoscyamus, are indeed people that “live among us”.

These people are the parents of some of us, or the kids of some of us or the companions of some of us. Moreover these idiosyncrasies affect also us and “live inside us”. It‟s not something that affects only others! It definitely affects us also! You see doctors aren‟t excluded from illusion and illness! (laughing)

1.20 The question is: “What are your motives when you learn or teach Homeopathy?” Each and every one is affected by illusions. Psoric persons have psoric illusions that aren‟t in general less illusive than sycotic or syphilitic illusions. Today, our hearing had to do with a syphilitic person and it may seem a kind of an extreme case to you, much different from your illusions because it happens that most of you are psoric persons. But nobody is excluded from illusion if you happen to live on planet Earth! Nevertheless, it‟s not accidental that in the beginning of these lectures there were plenty more students from all miasmas and now most of you left are psoric persons.

This is not accidental. Up to a point it has much to do with the way I teach Homeopathy. For example, a syphilitic person would like to learn Homeopathy in order to dominate others and gain money and fame and not in order to heal and help others. Moreover he would have liked to learn it quickly and superficially and he wouldn‟t stand me talking for

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hours about philosophy and Universal Laws and ethics and all those unprofitable things that I dwell on. Apart from that I didn‟t promise any fancy diplomas to you so what motive do I give him so as to have the patience to withstand my busting his balls with philosophies? (laughing)

Anyway, I made it quite clear to you from the beginning of this course that I promise you nothing else but to do my best to transfer to you everything I know about Homeopathy. If I wanted to take advantage of you in any way I would have done it like some other homeopathic teachers do. I would have promised fancy diplomas, I would have filled your heads with promises for money and glory or I would have promised that you will become my close associates. I could also have flattered you in order to become my fans.

Being an experienced homeopathic doctor I have the ability to diagnose the idiosyncrasies and miasmas that affect you and I could easily manipulate you. I would promise money to the greedy one, fame to the ambitious one, ideals to the idealist, religion to the religious one, security to the insecure one and so on. I wouldn‟t do anything different from what politics, salesmen and “gurus” of any kind do to their “clients”.

On the contrary, from the first minute I took care to give you counterincentives by saying in a straight and clear way: “I will give you any knowledge I have about Homeopathy and as long as I am in the mood to do it. You‟ll get no diplomas of any kind from me. You aren‟t going to be my associates when you complete the course and you‟ll have to be independent. I will help you as much and as long as I can, I don‟t want any money of yours and then you‟ll be on yourselves”. In fact I do wonder why you are still here listening to me! (laughing)

I am not interested in manipulating you and taking advantage of you. I was treated that way when studying Homeopathy and I don‟t want to make the same mistake either to myself or to you. I have one more reason

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to avoid any “business co-operations” with you. I am afraid of my egoism and ambition and I don‟t want to become just another “great professorguru” sucking money and ambition out of you. In a few words, I don‟t want “to become a caliph instead of another caliph” as “Is-No-Good” wants to become in the homonymous comic. (laughing)

Don‟t forget that most of those who have been trained hardly and cruelly as trainee soldiers become hard and cruel trainers in the end. Also, most repressed people often become the worst repressors later on and many poor people become the most scrounge nouveau riches and so on.

That‟s why I try to speak straight and clear to you. I think that this is the best for you and primarily for me. Even if some of you don‟t have the ability or the will or the time to become homeopathic doctors I really don‟t give a dime about it! It‟s up to you! At least, I did enjoy teaching you!

1.21 Repertorising and Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis As our first clinical case I must admit that I have chosen a long and characteristic case. Due to her loquacity you may have become a little tired and dizzy. But that was her main idiosyncratic characteristic: loquacity and especially syphilitic loquacity. In fact it was a typical Lachesis loquacity that you‟ll never forget! How can you! (laughing) -She didn‟t say any specific physical symptoms like specific pains, etc. -We were not interested about such symptoms. -Moreover we haven‟t asked her about her physical symptoms. -Why should I? She didn‟t have any symptoms leading to the diagnosis of a specific physical disease. Moreover, from the homeopathic point of view why should I ask in details her physical symptoms? What good would it make to me regarding diagnosis of her idiosyncrasy? I practice

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Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis as a method of homeopathic diagnosis. I don‟t do Repertorising!

If I did Repertorising dwelling on her physical symptoms, it would have been as if I had a treasure full of gold in front of me and I had picked that bronze worthless bijou and looked at it amazed with that stupid happy expression on my face. If I started asking “How is your pain? When do you have it? What makes it worse or better?” then I would have lost my focusing. I would have lost my concentration on that ocean of characteristic valuable mental symptoms and non-verbal clues that this person presented from the first minute she entered my office. So, why choose faux bijou when I have in front of me real diamonds?

Furthermore, if I dealt with her physical symptoms, her being such a syphilitic and inconsistent person, she would have given me such incredible answers that I would end up in false diagnosis. Or I would end up prescribing a superficial idiosyncrasy based mostly on physical symptoms and I would have lost the diagnosis of her true miasmatic idiosyncratic nature. Therapeutic results would have been superficial or none.

If I focused on her physical symptoms or disease I would have given her Rhus Toxicodendron or Bryonia as the previous homeopathic doctor did and accomplished partial alleviation but not constitutional treatment. Or if I didn‟t focus on her miasmatic background I would have done the same mistake as the previous doctor who prescribed Ignatia 1M for her based on the fake secondary picture of the “hurt and disappointed victim of life cruel circumstances”. And I would have prescribed again and again, Ignatia 1M, Ignatia 10M and so on.

Can you picture the dead end that faces any doctor that hasn‟t got the correct attitude and technique regarding homeopathic case taking? In order to have correct diagnosis and good therapeutic results you have to

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have the right attitude, correct theory, true knowledge of the idiosyncrasies and the right technique. As Hippocrates said Medicine is both Art and Science.

Let me tell you something else. To be honest, I would be deadly bored if I did Repertorising like a robot asking this specific physical symptom and then that and then look at the Repertory or at the Computer Expert System and then back to the physical symptoms and so on.

A man is but his soul! A man is not his body! I am interested in grabbing him from the throat and strip him of all his fake images and see straight right into his mind and soul through his eyes. And say: “What are you? What kind of a man are you, for God sake?” And the answer would be his Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Identity! And the medicine that I would give him would cure him in depth. I wouldn‟t care to judge him the least and I would respect him the most but I wouldn‟t buy his crab. I wouldn‟t care about his bronze bijou. I would only be interested in his gold and diamonds!

Whenever I have a patient in front of me I feel that I have a unique individual facing me; a special human being; a puzzle to be solved by me. True homeopathic knowledge gives me the incredible ability to read his mind and soul, to see his malfunctions, to see the causes of his imbalance. This gives me the incredible chance to learn from his mistakes and not to do the same mistakes myself. Got it?

This is what is “magic” in Homeopathy; this is what is “magic” to my eyes! When you refuse Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Homeopathy and choose Repertory, then magic changes into masturbation; a mental masturbation! (laughing) Repertorising resembles mechanic masturbation while Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis resembles a complete psychosomatic orgasm! What would you like to choose for you? (laughing)

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That‟s why I often say that there are as many Christianizes as many Christians; as many loves as many lovers; and as many Homeopathies as many homeopathic doctors. If you want light you have to earn it. If you want to stay in the dark you just don‟t have to do anything.

1.22 If you don’t remain moral then your knowledge is lost You must realize that if you didn‟t have the will and patience to listen and assimilate the past 19 long lectures then you wouldn‟t be able to understand and enjoy today‟s analysis of this live clinical case. There is a certain line of hierarchy in all things. I couldn‟t just start your training with analysis of clinical cases. What would I analyze if you didn‟t know anything about Universal Laws and nothing about the fact that Illness is caused by the violation of these laws.

If we haven‟t discussed thoroughly the causes of Illness and haven‟t referred to miasmas and human idiosyncrasies you wouldn‟t be able to fully understand why and how Lachesis causes psychosomatic illness to this specific woman of our case. If we haven‟t talked about what is normal and abnormal behavior in a family how could understand the pathology of this woman? You wouldn‟t understand the syphilitic and domineering attachment of this mother to her children.

Furthermore if I didn‟t insist that the attitude of any doctor should be moral and natural according to Universal Laws you would be in danger of being manipulated by me and you would be facing the temptation of manipulating your patients. And I would be in danger of manipulating you and becoming a homeopathic “guru”. This homeopathic knowledge that is moral, natural and positive would have easily turned into an art of manipulating patients and people for money, glory and fans.

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But, as people say: “Nature revenges! And this is done through the Universal Law of Action and Reaction. Believe me! Many homeopathic doctors started with good intentions and became very good healers but as their intentions became immoral due to money and fame, they lost their true knowledge and the ability to diagnose correctly.

Such a tragic case is the one we came across today. The homeopathic doctor that this woman attended was a colleague of mine many years ago. He was a nice young man then with true moral intentions and enthusiasm. He was taught true Homeopathy from my teacher and from me since I was older than him. But then after years he lost the path and ended up giving to this woman who is a typical clear case of Lachesis, Rhus Toxicodendron 30CH ten capsules two per day or Ignatia 1M and again Ignatia 10M and again and again!

He knew Lachesis well, he was taught well, he knew the homeopathic laws, he was taught the true art of case taking… he knew it all! But in the process of life he lost his morality and so he lost his clear thinking. If your heart is confused then your mind is also confused! Easy come, easy go! Or to be more precise regarding true knowledge and wisdom we should say: “With great difficulty come, easy go!”

You haven‟t studied Homeopathy theoretically more than a year and you have only seen a few cases in my office but I believe that it was easy for you to identify this typical Lachesis image even from the very beginning of the case taking. But, that experienced doctor after consulting her for months could not see this thing and give her Lachesis. What can I say! Whom God wish to ruin he first drives mad!

Can you realize that you may be in front of a huge elephant and think that he is an ant bear just because they both have a trunk? This happens when you seem to see but you don‟t see. That‟s why I say again and again that since homeopathic doctor is the measuring device of the soul and body of

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the patient, if he is to reach a correct diagnosis he has to be well tuned and calibrated.

I am really glad that we‟ve reached this point of theoretical knowledge because from now on every time you‟ll hear a recorded live case or every time you examine a patient you‟ll know that true theory is not a waste and is fundamental for any practice.

Your training may have been done without a prescheduled program, nevertheless, it was carried out according to my experience and according to the Universal Laws of Hierarchy and Whole. It was imperative that first you had to listen to theory and philosophy and then get acquainted with the true pictures of homeopathic idiosyncrasies. Then it was time for homeopathic case taking and now it‟s time for analysis of clinical cases. What follows is the clinical practice next to me in my office and then on your own. That is the correct hierarchical order of things.

Let me remind you that I taught you Repertorising only at our last theoretical lecture and stressed to you that I only use it for acute conditions side by side with Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis. So, that‟s its place and usefulness. Last, alternative and supplementary! Toes are one thing, brain is another and soul is another. There is a hierarchy in all things and we must not violate it. Or else you‟ll have to do with the Universal Law of Hierarchy and its anger! (laughing)

I know I have become loquacious but please don‟t give me Lachesis… (laughing). I assure you that this is another kind of loquacity! (laughing). It‟s a psoric loquacity regarding ideas but also a sycotic regarding expression. I understand that you‟ve already started making guesses about my idiosyncrasy… but what can I do! Some things are just inevitable! So sleep on it! (more laughing)

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CHAPTER 2

A CASE OF VALERIANA 2.1 The “Granny” Medicine, the “Mother” Medicine and the “Grandchild” Medicine! 2.2 Present Disease 2.3 A brief necessary introduction to Homeopathy 2.4 General physical questions 2.5 General psychological questions 2.6 Evaluation of headaches and evaluation of aversion milk 2.7 Tracing possible idiosyncrasies by Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis 2.8 Ironic and temperamental 2.9 Nervous symptoms, insecurity and extroversion 2.10 Tracing fixed ideas, jealousy and insecurity 2.11 Intellect and ambitions 2.12 Final diagnosis and explanations to the patient

Good Evening! Before we go on with more clinical cases I will make a digression; as you must have already noticed it must be an idiosyncratic characteristic of mine. (laughing)

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2.1 The “Granny” Medicine, the “Mother” Medicine and the “Grandchild” Medicine! Last night I woke up at 3 a.m. and started thinking; you see that‟s not something unusual for me. It must be my inspiration time. (laughing) It is probably one more idiosyncratic trait of mine.

It so happened that a question crossed my mind: “What‟s Homeopathy?” You are so damn right if you tell me: “Good Lord! After 25 years of homeopathic practice, how on earth, can you think of such questions?” Well, it doesn‟t seem strange to me because Homeopathy is a great part of my life not just as a profession but also as philosophy and way of life.

Let me go on. An analogy crossed my mind. There was “Granny” Medicine prevailing until 1850 A.D. Granny Medicine was a person with principles and strict morality. Think of her as a psoric combination of Natrum Muriaticum and Nux Vomica. She believed in the principles of Hippocrates, practiced herbal medicine and was very strict about ethical matters; she also didn‟t have much relation with Technology. So she was very idealistic and also very conservative, finding it difficult to adjust to technological evolutions.

Around 1850 A.D, her daughter “Mother” Medicine, that is, Modern Medicine, being at her puberty, reacted strongly against her mother. She was a syphilitic combination of Lachesis and Platina. She thought that she had the ability and strength to change Medicine and Humanity in general. She had an aversion for tradition, past ideals and conservative methods of diagnosis and treatment. She was in favor of quick, drastic and promising new treatments. She studied thoroughly the human body, invented technological diagnostic tests, discovered bacteria and promised that she would annihilate all human diseases and even overcome aging. She was so confident and even arrogant; she started playing God!

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One must admit that she did wonderful things in many fields: modern diagnostic tests, transplantations, operations and drastic chemical drugs for every disease. These modern drugs stopped symptoms immediately but did not cure chronic problems because they were simply suppressing diseases causing many severe side effects.

Then it was time for “Grandchild” Medicine that is, Holistic Medicine to make their debut. She had genes both from their mother and grandmother. She was inspired by the ideals, laws and principles of her grandmother but was also fond of technology and evolution. Being young, enthusiastic and idealistic she now wants to renew Medicine. That‟s what Homeopathy and Holistic Medicine is for me; the renewal of Medicine.

Homeopathy is not just a new kind of herbal medicine since it acts on the Energy-Etheric Level, thus effecting deeper therapeutic results. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry have entered the energy Era the last 100 years while Modern Medicine is still dealing only with the Material Level. It‟s time for Modern Medicine to enter the energy Era also through the push from Energy Holistic Medicines like Homeopathy and Acupuncture.

It so happen, of course that Homeopathy, the Grandchild Medicine is still going through her puberty. It may move on to something revolutionary or it may adjust to the system, as most teenagers do and become that typical, conservative “Greek Mother” resembling Allopathic Medicine! (laughing) It‟s up to us homeopathic doctors!

I gave my answer to my question “What‟s Homeopathy?” It‟s about time to give your answer, each and every one of you. What‟s Homeopathy for you? It‟s also time for you to wake up at 3 a.m. in the morning philosophizing! (laughing)

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Now, let‟s move on to our second hearing of a live clinical case. The procedure is as follows: we start hearing the recorded case and you note down rubrics and comments that we shall discuss whenever we stop the hearing for discussion. Next time I will give you a paper of mine with the abbreviations of symptoms, diseases and usual rubrics. I will also give you a list of usual rubrics and what idiosyncrasies usually have these rubrics at grade 3 or 2. It‟s seems like a brief Repertory but please use it only as I told you that we use Repertory: only as a reminder.

If you use it any other way I won‟t do anything to you until I die. Then I will get up from my grave and haunt your office telling to your patients: “He practices Allopathic Homeopathy! Run for your life!” (laughing)

2.2 Present Disease Let‟s move on. This clinical case is about a young woman 25 years old. In the waiting room I usually address my new patients using the plural but when entering my office and after greetings I don‟t speak in a formal manner so as to help my patient feel comfortable. That doesn‟t mean that I stop being polite and discreet. Let‟s go on.

-Well, what brings you to me? -Acne rosacea, as my dermatologist told me. -Since when? -Four years. -Did you take any drugs or are you still taking? -I‟ve tried several ointments and at times I‟ve used antibiotics but nothing worth mentioning happened. -Any other health problems? -No, nothing worth telling you.

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-What about your menses. Is it normal? -Yes. -Have you done any hormonal tests? -Yes and they were normal. My gynecologist did ultrasound to me but there were no polycystic ovaries. Everything was normal.

2.3 A brief necessary introduction to Homeopathy -I see. Before going on I would like to tell you a few words about your case and what we can do about it with Homeopathy from my experience. Acne rosacea differs a lot from common acne. Common acne happens during puberty to most teenagers and most of the times isn‟t a troubling and insisting situation. On the contrary acne rosacea happens many years after puberty and is a rare and more troubling disease. There is always a skin predisposition as a background that is irritated at a certain time giving chronic symptoms.

So, if we prescribe antibiotics we merely suppress temporarily the symptoms and the bacteria growth but we don‟t cure the fertile ground for the development of the bacteria so the disease keeps relapsing. A similar thing happens if we give hormonal treatment or other drastic chemical drugs which again suppress merely the symptoms or the disease. Not only we keep having relapses but we may suffer from their severe side effects. It‟s always important not to go fix the “body of the car” and damage “the engine”.

Unfortunately, nowadays, most chemical drugs merely suppress the symptoms or even worse the disease but don‟t achieve causative treatment. If you enter any common pharmacy you will see at the shelves: antitussive drugs for cough, antipyretic drugs for fever, antiemetic drugs for vomiting, anti-inflammatory drugs for inflammations, antidepressant drugs for depression and so on. Our aim in Homeopathy is not just to

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suppress symptoms or diseases but to cure the causes of Illness in general so as to overcome diseases permanently.

I am a medical doctor, I was specialized in Homeopathy and I apply it the last 25 years. From my experience such problems as yours can be cured completely and permanently in most patients. This is done by balancing the whole organism which in turn balances also the hormonal system.

You may wonder, of course, why any hormonal abnormalities haven‟t been traced by the lab tests. This is not a rare thing, because normal ranges of hormones are very wide and fluctuating all the time, so there may be an imbalance that cannot be traced. Hormonal disorders affect the secretion of sebaceous glands of the face thus creating a fertile ground for acne. Subsequently, any external medication like for example ointments are but a superficial treatment and not a curative one. We need to act more internally and in a more causative way.

So, I will ask you several questions in order to identify your idiosyncrasy, your personality, because in Homeopathy we always administer that medicine which is similar not to your diseases but to your idiosyncrasy. This homeopathic medicine will mobilize all therapeutic mechanisms of your organism and thus balance you as a whole.

Homeopathic drugs are natural because they are prepared mainly from minerals and plants but still they are not simply herbs or vitamins. They are considered drugs, are prescribed by doctors and sold by pharmacies, but, nevertheless they cause no side effects at all! They are so harmless that can be given even to babies and pregnant women without second thought or any special precaution.

Nor do we have any problem if during our treatment any other chemical drug is needed. Homeopathic drugs act on the energy level and chemical

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drugs act on the material level so there is no interference between them. Nevertheless, the less chemical drugs with side effects a person makes use of the better for his organism. At this point I will start asking you several questions in order to decide what homeopathic medicine suits your idiosyncrasy.

It‟s now time for discussion of the case. So there comes to me this 25 years old young woman with a history of acne rosacea the last 4 years. She complained for nothing else so first I gave her a brief but necessary introduction to Homeopathy since it‟s her first consultation regarding Homeopathy. But even if she visited other homeopathic doctors in the past, since there are so many weird and false ways of practicing Homeopathy it is essential that I clear things out and present what is correct from my point of view.

During this introduction we explain to the patient in simple words what is it that he has and why allopathic treatment didn‟t help him. Then we go on explaining how Homeopathy works and what‟s our experience regarding treatment of his specific diseases. We also answer to the question what are homeopathic medicines, how they work and if they have any kind of side effects.

It‟s important that this introduction be done before to start asking about his physical characteristics or personal matters. We have to explain to the patient that we ask all these because we are interested in diagnosing his idiosyncrasy apart from his disease and that this is a crucial thing in Homeopathy because for each patient we administer the similar to his idiosyncrasy homeopathic medicine.

From my experience this is a good way of making a working relation between the doctor and the patient and then you can go asking anything you want because a human contact has already been established. The patient sees that he has in front of him a doctor that is human and

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approachable but at the same time well informed; that he cares to explain to him all about his problems and that he knows well what he does and has a certain program of treatment.

Furthermore he doesn‟t give him the impression of the arrogant scientist that says: “I needn‟t explain anything to you because you don‟t have the knowledge to understand; I am a great scientist and you know nothing; don‟t ask much, just follow my orders, pay me and off you go!” (laughing) Let‟s move on; it‟s time to start noting down what you consider important.

2.4 General physical questions -Are you hot or cold in general? -Cold. -During winter time do you want much clothing or not? -Yes I do, I do want much. -What about your feet? Are they cold during winter? -Very cold! -Does it often happen that your feet are at the same time cold and sweating during winter time? -No. -Does it often happen that if you go out after washing your hair without drying it, to have headache or catch cold easily? I mean if you have a very sensitive head regarding cold. -I often have a headache if I get cold but since my hair are dense and long I never go out if I don‟t dry it well. -Do you usually have brittle nails, cracking easily? -No.

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-Do your lips crack easily? -No, not particularly. -Is your skin dry or greasy? -A combination of both, I would say. -Is your hair greasy, oily? After how many days do they usually need washing? -I wash them day after day; they need three or four days to become oily. -Are you thirsty or not? -Normally thirsty. -Do you like sweets a lot? -Yes. -Do you go and buy it or do you eat it only if it‟s there? -I don‟t ask for it but if it‟s there I will eat it. -Do you like salt and salty food or not? -Oh, yes, I do like it. -Does this mean that you crave salty chips and salty dried nuts? -Yes, I eat it a lot. -Will you add salt to your food even before tasting it? -I do it but not always. -Do you like fatty meat or crave fat in general? -Yes. -Even boiled fatty meat? I mean for example the skin of a boiled chicken? -I don‟t prefer cooked meat. I prefer roasted meat. -Do you like cold water? -Not very cold.

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-Do you prefer it from the fridge even in winter? -No, of course not. -What about sour things like lemon and vinegar. Do you like it a lot? -Just lemon. -Do you like the taste of fresh milk? -No, I don‟t. -Does it cause you distention or indigestion? -Yes, it causes bloating to me. -Ever since you were a baby? -Yes, my mother used to force me to drink it. -What is your favorite position of sleep? On your back, on your belly or on sides? -On the sides. -Left, right or both? -Sometimes left, sometimes right. -Whenever you lie on your left side, the side of the heart, does it sometimes happen to hear its sound and say to yourself “I will change position so as not to press my heart”? -No, no. -How about salivation coming out of your mouth to the pillow during night time? -From time to time. -Did you have warts on your hands or feet in the past? -No. -Did you have relapsing vaginitis, urine infections or anemia in the past? -I had anemia once or twice in the past.

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-Do you prefer the sea or the mountain? -The sea. -Do you like it a lot? -Yes, very much. -Is it the love of your life? Does it calm you even by watching it as if it were a remedy for you? -Yes, indeed.

2.5 General psychological questions -How about irritability? Do you easily get angry? -A lot. -What usually makes you angry? What usually bothers you? -When others press me to do something; when they insist I am pissed. -Any other behaviors that annoy or irritate you? -Rudeness and injustice. -Whenever you get angry do you express your anger or keep it inside? -If it‟s a close person I do express my anger a lot. But if it‟s at my job environment I keep it inside. Nevertheless I will find a way to show my nuisance. -When somebody offends you, insults you, not necessarily at work where you can‟t express yourself easily, will you put him down a peg? -Yes I will; I just can‟t tolerate him being on top of me. -How will you put him down a peg? By yelling, by arguments, by being ironic or by being snobbish? -I may become slightly ironic. -If somebody greatly offends you, do you bear grudges at him, not forgetting it?

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-If he is a close one, not so much, but at work if they do something to me I don‟t forget it. -Do you even want to pay back? -No, I don‟t do it. -Are you usually moody, temperamental? Do you have ups and downs all the time during the day? -Yes, that happens indeed; one time angry and then not. -Even without any reason? I mean that you may say to yourself: “What‟s the matter to me? Why am I angry?” and then after a while this passes off just like that. -Yes, that‟s me! -If you try reading in a bus or in a car do you become dizzy? -Yes, that‟s something that happens to me since my childhood. -Whenever you feel sleepy do your feet or body become cold? -Yes. -Do you often have headaches? -Yes, ever since my childhood. -If you go downtown where there is a lot of traffic and people do you often have a headache? -Yes, I just can‟t stand traffic and crowds. -Does your headache start there or on coming home? -On coming home; it also causes dizziness to me.

2.6 Evaluation of headaches and evaluation of aversion milk It‟s about time to stop this hearing. I deliberately let the hearing take its course so as not to have many interruptions as last time. I wanted you to

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feel the rhythm, the tempo of my case taking. What have you noted down as capital, as grade three rubrics and what as grade two? -I noted down her characteristic headache. -What idiosyncrasies have crossed your mind? -First Valeriana, then Natrum Muriaticum and then Nux Vomica. -Any other comments? -She has those ups and downs, that characteristic moodiness that matches Valeriana. -Other comments? Anybody else? -I noted down the fact that when she returns home from downtown traffic she feels that dizziness and headache which also matches Valeriana. I would also add that she is cold grade 2 and that she has an aversion to fresh mild since childhood. -What idiosyncrasies have aversion to fresh milk even since childhood? Before you answer to me, first tell me if someone doesn‟t like fresh milk since childhood what grade of aversion is this? -Grade 3. -Right! It‟s grade 3 or at least 2 to 3. So, what idiosyncrasies have aversion to the taste of fresh milk? -Natrum Muriaticum? -From top to bottom we first think of Silica and Natrum Carbonicum and then Natrum Muriaticum. -But her nails aren‟t brittle like Silica‟s. -Right. But we are not at the phase of differential diagnosis right now; we are at the phase of tracing possible idiosyncrasies. So we don‟t exclude any idiosyncrasy that comes to our mind. So, up to now, possible idiosyncrasies are first Valeriana and then Silica and maybe Natrum Carbonicum. What else? -Natrum Muriaticum.

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-Yes… even that and Nux Vomica. What are her main rubrics up to now? I say that she is “cold grade 1 to 2” not to say only 1. I was not convinced that she is very cold, at least from the way she was saying it. She has “headaches grade 2 or even 3” because it‟s something that she has ever since her childhood. She has “desire for salt 2 to 3” and “aversion fresh milk 3”. She also has “desire for sea 3” which is a sycotic characteristic. What sycotic idiosyncrasies have this characteristic? Medorrhinum, of course! But, nevertheless, Valeriana and even Natrum Muriaticum may have a strong sycotic tendency. Our patient also has “irritability 2 to 3”, which is an important characteristic of hers. -Furthermore, she says that she gets angry whenever pressed or from injustice which are also traits of Valeriana. -Right! I also note that she says that she expresses her anger according to conditions which means that she is flexible and not a rigid person for example like Platina who will express her anger under any condition. She expresses her anger more easily to her close ones and that is also a trait of Valeriana; when she can she is like a wild cat showing her nails to others! She also said that even at work, she will find some way to show that she is annoyed and that she “just can‟t tolerate him being on top of me”. This is indeed a very strong characteristic of the insecurity of Valeriana.

2.7 Tracing possible idiosyncrasies by Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis So, you see, we are already able to trace certain directions, certain possible idiosyncrasies. That‟s how things work whenever we employ Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis that I have taught you. If I just note down the patient‟s answers without evaluation and puzzling at that very minute and then after ending all the questions start thinking about possible idiosyncrasies then I‟ve lost the case. You have to ask, evaluate, wonder about possible idiosyncrasies, note them down, ask again, evaluate, wonder and ask again and so on. The more you ask, the more you trace and the more you know where all this is going to.

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It‟s like that game of ten questions. A person writes down a certain object without you knowing it and then you have only ten questions to find out what he has in his mind. As you proceed his answers direct you to certain routes and your questions become more specific and more targeted. First you are guided to possible objects and finally you end up with the one and only one right object.

Things get worse if I say I will take the case and will study it later in my convenience to decide what to give. I did that, years ago, whenever I had a difficult case but after a while I found out that it doesn‟t work. What matters is “here and now” because you are in the middle of a “fight” and you have the chance to act according to the moves of your “opponent”. What good does it make if you film the fight and watch it later on TV? Then, from your couch, you don‟t have the chance to fight back and change the course of the fight.

In the office you have the chance to do differential diagnosis and ask again and again in order to decide what the most similar remedy to his picture is. You can change as many times as you like the “optic angle” from which you can see the patient. You can also wonder if he is this or that idiosyncrasy and ask specific questions that characterize the idiosyncrasies you have in mind.

You are not a paleontologist having in front of you a dead fossil that you have all the time to examine whenever you want. You have a living creature in front of you who is always in motion and action and these constant changes are the ones that will give you valuable clues for your diagnosis.

2.8 Ironic and temperamental Irony is a very strong characteristic of Valeriana. She may have said that she is slightly ironic but I don‟t buy it. She doesn‟t want to seem “mean”

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to me and this syphilitic state according which she is something but wants to show that she is something else, is indeed confirmative of Valeriana. Don‟t forget that Valeriana is syphilitic and “hidden”. She likes to project an image quite different from her real qualities.

Our patient is also very temperamental, temperamental 3. Be careful! This has little to do with the fickleness of Pulsatilla regarding her mood. Pulsatilla is not moody regarding irritability; she is fickle regarding her emotions. She is easily glad and easily depressed from slight causes because she is very sensitive, very emotional. Moreover she is psoric and romantic regarding her ideas but very sycotic and fickle regarding her expression while Valeriana is syphilitic.

Valeriana has ups and downs during a day with no profound reason. Nothing happened and nothing crossed her mind but still she has those inexplicable ups and downs. It‟s an internal moodiness largely independent from external factors. See how we must compare idiosyncrasies using our knowledge of miasmas? That‟s why I call my method Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis.

Our patient has another characteristic feature. Most of the times that she goes downtown to the traffic and crowded places she earns a headache that characteristically begin on returning home. And that is also a strong trait of Valeriana. Let‟s move on to our hearing.

2.9 Nervous symptoms, insecurity and extroversion -Whenever in a party full of strangers do you feel comfortable or not? Not if you appear to be comfortable but how you feel? -Ok… if there are many unknown people I don‟t feel so comfortable but I adjust and act normally.

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-Compared to the average of other people of your age, regarding cleverness, smartness, I.Q. and not regarding diplomas or success, do you feel on the average, lower or higher? -Ha, ha… what can I say? On the average. -When angry do you want to break something or throw something? -No! No! -Are you tidy? Do you want everything to be in order? -Normally. I don‟t overdo it. -What about your personal problems, your deep felt matters? Do you want to talk about it to others or do you keep it inside? -I always need someone to talk to. -To how many people will you speak about your personal problems? -To one or two. -To these close persons will you speak by yourself or do you need a little push? -No, I talk. -When you are upset from something personal and someone not from your close ones has heard about it and comes to console you, how do you feel? Do you just listen to him, feel better or does consolation annoys you or irritates you? -Well, I will listen to him. -Does pity annoy you or make you angry? -Yes it does! I don‟t like others to feel pity for me.

It‟s again time for conversation. At the beginning of our case taking the patient mentioned incidents of dizziness. First of all I have to see if this dizziness is pathological or not, i.e. if it‟s caused by low blood pressure or anemia or if it‟s of nervous or hysteric origin. Now that I have a more

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complete picture of her I tend to consider that she has enough nervous and hysteric elements, so I am justified to consider her dizziness as a nervous symptom as is also her headaches. That is something that suits Valeriana. Now let me ask you something: Is she insecure or not? What have you to say? -She is. -My opinion is that she is cool. -Well, I tell you that she is insecure. On the one hand you see a young lady that looks cool, answers with certainty and without much thought, has clear opinions but on the other hand if she finds herself in the presence of many strangers then, although she doesn‟t project it, she doesn‟t feel nice. This matches Valeriana‟s insecurity; on the one hand she acts as if she is modern and strong and confident and on the other hand whenever she goes to a new place she is anxious about the impression she will make to others; she is very careful about how to speak, how to dress, how to eat, etc.

Platina, on the contrary, is so confident and certain about her cleverness and beauty and this is radiated all around her. Medorrhinum is also confident but in another way; he has that wide-boy air: “That‟s who I am whether you like it or not!”

Nevertheless she surely doesn‟t have the insecurity and lack of selfconfidence of Thuja or Gelsemium. The way she talks and her answer about her cleverness have nothing to do with the above two idiosyncrasies. When asked about her cleverness she says “on the average” but I don‟t buy it! I think that she says so, in order not to be characterized as freak or fruitcake. Is she in any way fastidious? -No. -Correct! How about introversion or extroversion? -I think she is on the average.

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-I think that she is expressive. -Ok, expressive, but what about introversion or extroversion? -She might be introvert. -I would say that from her whole picture she seems to be careful to talk about her personals. She is careful what to say and what not to say and this also suits Valeriana. Let‟s move on.

2.10 Tracing fixed ideas, jealousy and insecurity -Have you got any fears or phobias? -No. -How about fear of heights, I mean to look down from your balcony? -Not particularly… only if it‟s from very high above. -Does it happen that on leaving your car, house or job to have the doubt that you haven‟t locked the door or that you have left the oven on or the boiler? -Once in a while. -Will you go back to have a look at it when you are already on the street? -Maybe, once in a while. -Does it happen sometimes that you‟ve already checked things before going out and then when on the street, still to wonder if you‟ve forgotten something else? -No, no. -When walking on the street to have the tendency to count steps, cars, and say “one, two, three, four, etc.” -No. -Are you superstitious? To say I saw this thing so things will go bad or well?

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-No. -Do you like mixing sweet and salty food? Eat sweet and then immediately salt and so on? -Not particularly. -Whenever you are in a car next to the driver do you sometimes have the feeling that opposite cars are heading towards you and want to step on the breaks or shout to the driver? -No, only slightly. -Does it happen that you have a lot of “what if…” crossing your mind? What if this happens? What if that happens? -No. -Are you afraid of diseases? -No, not much… just like all other people. -Whenever you listen about heart attacks, strokes, cancer, etc. are you afraid that it may also happen to you and become worried? -No, not particularly, only for a moment. -Any other fears? -I am mostly anxious about how things will go? -Are you jealous? -Ha, ha… at a normal degree. He didn‟t give me any reasons… -What about your companion? Do you want not just to love you but to show it to you all the time and deal with you? -Ok, normally… who doesn‟t want such a thing?

Once again, we stop the hearing for discussion. I ask her about her fears and she tells me about her insecurity regarding future. Be careful! We always take in consideration the patient‟s present status. She is 25 years old and starts thinking: “I didn‟t get married, I have no children yet, my

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job is not standard yet, etc…” She doesn‟t have the confidence of a Platina and she doesn‟t have the cool feeling and the easy-going thinking of a Medorhinum or of a sycotic person. She is a Valeriana full of insecurities.

You see, from a certain point on I have reached my diagnosis and since my first choice is Valeriana my aim is to confirm this or reject it. Whatever she tells me from now on rings bells to my ears confirming or rejecting possible idiosyncrasies.

I also check and cross check if her non verbal data, her style and the “air” of her whole personality suits Valeriana or if some data contra-indicate Valeriana. It‟s as if I have already placed 10 pieces on my puzzle and these indicate Valeriana. From this time on any new piece I choose to place tells me if my diagnosis is correct or not. If it fits it makes my diagnosis stronger. If it‟s neutral I leave it apart and take it in consideration. If it doesn‟t fit at all I start thinking: “Did I do something wrong? Is she a different idiosyncrasy?” And I keep searching until I reach a diagnosis with great certainty.

For example she has this insecurity that suits Valeriana. Valeriana is also ambitious, wants to do much regarding her life, wants to find a man and create a family the way she likes, wants security and standards, has specific dreams to fulfill, wants a man that she can manipulate in order to fulfill her dreams, etc. Is she jealous or not? -She is jealous. -What grade? -Two. -Well, I say two to three. -And how my dear colleagues did you reach to such a conclusion? -She said so.

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-When? -She said that she is jealous normally. -Yes, but the way she said it… -Bravo! It‟s the way she said it that counts! You see I may say “yes” and actually mean “no”. It reminds me of a certain joke: If a woman asks a man if he could have married her and he says “Possibly” then it‟s a “no” but he doesn‟t want to make her feel bad. On the other hand, if a man asks a woman the same thing and she says “Possibly” then it‟s a definite “yes” but she doesn‟t want to be considered as an easy target. (laughing)

It‟s not what the patient says that interests us; it‟s mostly what lies beneath it, if it does. Did you notice that when he answered about jealousy she laughed feeling embarrassed? There‟s a very good saying in Greece: “His lips say one thing and his heart another!”

And this definitely suits Valeriana because at this age, young Valerianas want to project the image of the “modern and liberal woman” and of course, a liberal girl can‟t be jealous. On the other hand you may come up to a Valeriana that answers straight away: “Yes, I am jealous, indeed and I will tear him to pieces if he cheats on me!” She will say this laughing but at the same time she will definitely mean what she said. You see Valeriana is a syphilitic idiosyncrasy and may project herself in many different and even opposite ways. The primal tendency is what matters and not the final secondary behaviors.

There are times that she says she isn‟t jealous and at a certain point she even believes it. But if her companion cheats on her then things turn upside down. The once “confident” and “cool” woman becomes pathologically jealous, torn to pieces, very insecure and revengeful!

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When I‟ve asked her if she wants her companion not just to love her but to show it all the time she says: “Who doesn‟t want such a thing?” This could be the answer of a Valeriana but it could also be a Palladium case. Nevertheless, Palladium is more hysterical, more complaining and is very much affected by the comments and opinion of others. If our patient was a Palladium idiosyncrasy she would say that she likes others to show her that they love her and care about her, grade 3 and she would be proud to say it. She would also like her own people to deal with her and even if they dealt very much with her she would still be complaining in a “kitty cat” way.

But Valeriana wouldn‟t admit that she wants others to deal with her a lot. Moreover, if there was an exaggeration on this matter she may even be annoyed. This happens because she thinks that her privacy is violated. She could also consider this behavior as hypocritical and not sincere, since she is so mistrustful of others.

So, our patient in her own way shows that she likes her companion to deal with her but she says “who doesn‟t want such a thing” in order to conceal that she is abnormally jealous; again she tries to maintain the image of the modern and liberal woman who is “cool” and never a “Mrs. Kate” case.

She said that she is afraid of height at a degree 1 to 2. So I started asking several questions in order to trace fixed ideas which is the characteristic of Argentum Nitricum. Nothing confirms that and so I go on tracing other idiosyncrasies.

You see, at first I employ no guiding during case taking. It‟s the phase of tracing. But after a while, when the patient shows definite signs of certain idiosyncrasies or miasmas, things change. I start guiding the case by asking specific questions that regard specific characteristics of these possible idiosyncrasies. It‟s not that I arbitrarily guide the course of the

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case taking. It‟s simply that life shows me certain routes and I explore them.

In this certain case, even from the very beginning her style and non verbal elements indicated Valeriana. But still, I started asking general routine questions because I had to go through Phase One, the phase of gathering information so as to be certain about my initial suspicions. During the first phase I have to be guided in a general way and see if my patient‟s idiosyncrasy can be listed in one of the following idiosyncratic families: Egoistic, Neuro-vegetative, Hysteric, Nervous, Irritable, Phobic, Psoric, Sycotic, Syphilitic, Psychotic, Intellectual, etc. It‟s time to go on.

2.11 Intellect and ambitions -Do you like reading books? -Yes, but I don‟t have time for this the last few years. -What books do you like to read? -History, literature, novels… -What kind of movies do you enjoy watching? -Quality movies. -If you won the lottery and could make all your dreams come true what would you like to do professionally or what would you like to do with your life? -I would like to travel. -And as a profession? -To open a store. -What kind of store? -A restaurant or a cafeteria. -Any other profession?

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-I would like to become a photographer… I‟ve attended some seminars of this kind. -Would you like to make a career or do you simply want to make a living out of your job in order to have a good time? -Well, I would surely like to do something worthy.

Comments! Time for comments! I‟ve asked questions about her intellectuality, books, movies and such staff. She doesn‟t seem to be very intellectual as Lycopodium or Sulphur would be. Nevertheless, being a genuine Valeriana she says that she likes reading books although not lately, because she wants to be considered “cultured” and not an ignorant person. But I don‟t buy it at all! Even her tone of voice while answering does not persuade me about her answer. She simply likes to project a certain image, as Valeriana does. You see, most of the times Valeriana is one thing and projects another.

I also asked her about her attitude towards profession. I am not interested in what a patient does as a profession but what he likes to do or would like to do. Because, very often, we choose our profession forced by certain conditions and our choice does not agree with our likes and dislikes or with our abilities. Since I am mainly interest in what she really likes I deliberately tell her “If you won the lottery what would you do?” because then she feels free to say whatever she really wants.

She said that she would like to open a store or restaurant or cafeteria and this is a sycotic answer. Don‟t forget that she has some sycotic characteristics and that she is very fond of the sea, grade 3. But the answer that suits Valeriana is when she says she would like to be a photographer and that she has attended some relevant seminars. Don‟t think that she definitely has the ability to become a good photographer or that this is the dream of her life. It‟s rather a past teenager choice or to be more precise a past teenager image she projected to others so as to be considered “cultured” and “art-oriented”, etc.

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2.12 Final diagnosis and explanations to the patient Many new data confirm Valeriana, again and again so I don‟t ask anything else as confirmation or as differential diagnosis. I have already excluded Silica because the latter is characteristically psoric and not syphilitic as our patient. I also excluded Natrum Carbonicum for the same reason and due to the lack of any other characteristics of it.

Nux Vomica does not suit the case regarding style or tendency for fastidiousness. She was a clear case of Valeriana from the beginning to the end. Clear, of course, for anyone who has the knowledge of Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Materia Medica and the “eyes” of the miasmatic, idiosyncratic detective! How do I end my case? It‟s time for explanations. Let‟s go on.

-Ok! I am done with your interrogation… your sentence is decided… I am joking, of course! I am not here to judge people. I am here to simply diagnose your character, your type as a person. To take a picture of you so as to give you the homeopathic medicine that suits your idiosyncrasy both physically and psychologically and thus help you with your problems.

As a conclusion, I would say that many people are confused as to your character. They may see you and think: “What a calm person!” or “What a strong person!” or “What a confident person!” but my opinion is that this isn‟t you! I think that you are very temperamental and that you have a lot of inconsistencies. I mean that you may seem strong and secure and confident but you are very insecure. Or you may seem calm but in fact you are very nervous and anxious and at times also reactive. I also believe that if they ask you something in a polite manner you don‟t have any problem giving it to them but if you think that they are trying to force you to do something or if they aren‟t straight enough then you become very reactive…

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-Yes… it‟s true that I am a reactive person. -Ok, then, I will prescribe for you some capsules; you will take one first capsule…

I now stop the hearing because it‟s meaningless to hear any explanations about how she should take her medicines, what to avoid, etc. These are things that we have already heard during our first clinical case and there is no reason on rehearing it since they are standard explanations done to all patients. What really interests me is for you to understand why I said the last sentences to her. Why I said to her a brief conclusion about her character.

I do this for two reasons. Firstly because I want to show her that I “got” her, I understood her, that I have a clear picture of her and secondly because I want her to confirm or reject my diagnosis. So during this brief conclusion I describe in a few words what her main characteristics are. Of course, if I have to do with a syphilitic person, as is this case, I am obliged to be very careful to what I say in order not to offend her and even talk about her negative traits in a rather neutral or even “positive” manner. In brief I may have to sugar the pill, but not in order to manipulate her but in order not to offend her.

So, as you must have noticed, I grabbed her by the throat, I let her no space for bullshit and irrelevant talking, then I traced her possible idiosyncrasy, confirmed it, did differential diagnosis and finally gave her the miasmatic idiosyncratic remedy that suited her whole picture. That‟s how a homeopathic case taking should be: quick, aggressive, unbiased, not guiding but at the same time purposeful.

I must always be ready to change my diagnosis even at the last minute when my patient says “Goodbye doctor” if new elements come up. Even a phrase or a gesture or a meaningful glance may change my diagnosis. If

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you are mortal you must be able to accept that you may be mistaken any time, any place, no matter how good you are at what you are doing. “I know one thing for sure, that I know nothing!” as great Socrates said!

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CHAPTER 3

A CASE OF STRAMONIUM - MOSCHUS

3.1 “Soul leaves the body first and then mannerism!” 3.2 “…as if I am in the bottom of the sea drowning!” 3.3 Nervous, neuro-vegetative or hysterical symptoms? 3.4 Differential diagnosis of fears and suicidal tendency 3.5 Tracing Irritability 3.6 A possible case of Stramonium; differential diagnosis from Aurum 3.7 Differential Diagnosis from other hysterical idiosyncrasies 3.8 Repertorising has become a modern homeopathic curse 3.9 Prescription time

3.1 “Soul leaves the body first and then mannerism!” This is a follow up case, that is, I examined this lady about a year ago, she did well, but now she comes again to me complaining of a great relapse. Since it‟s not her first time ever, I have valuable information about her from last time‟s prescription. I know what idiosyncrasy she was then and what are her miasmatic characteristics and past history. But, nevertheless, I shouldn‟t be biased and say to myself: “I gave her that medicine then and she did well so I will repeat it and see”. I must

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reconsider, recheck and crosscheck in order to be sure that this is indeed again her present idiosyncrasy.

To be honest, from my long lasting experience people don‟t change easily. My dear colleagues, we, humans, are so predictable, so foreseeable and this is a fact even if it hurts our human egoism! Don‟t forget the saying: “Soul leaves the body first and then mannerism!” This mannerism is but our Etheric Body, which by nature only slightly changes during a person‟s earthly life. Not to say that only few people really do want to change and at the end only a few manage to change!

But, let‟s get back to our case. She is a woman around 40 years old and she is escorted by her father. Do you think that such a thing is accidental? Nothing is accidental in life and that‟s why, we, homeopathic doctors, consider nothing as accidental. Her father is a low-class, ordinary person, empathizing with his daughter‟s condition and full of anxiety. She is always escorted to my office either by her father or by her husband. They enter my office and I say to her:

3.2 “…as if I am in the bottom of the sea drowning!” -Come in; come in please, to talk to me. -I don‟t know how I will be able to do such a thing, doctor! -Why? Is your voice blocked? Are you cold? -No, no, doctor. My throat is blocked, I have a lump… -Like the old symptoms you had in the past? -No! Not a chance! Worse than that! Lump in my throat, difficult breathing, fainting tendency, my eyelids tremble, numbness… -Please, tell me something: Since when do you not feel well? -Since last month everything is at its top.

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-Did anything special happen? -No, doctor. Nothing! All are fine! -I mean if something happened to you or great changes happened to your life. -No, no! Nothing, nothing! I was so fine, excellent, my relation with my husband OK, but then all of a sudden… gradually all these symptoms began. - (Father) She can‟t go anywhere alone doctor, I have to carry her all around myself, she is so afraid… -What can I do? I am so scared! I just can‟t! I feel so insecure! -Afraid of what? -I don‟t know! I am afraid! I don‟t know what I am afraid of! Not even to the super market I don‟t go alone. -Afraid of what? -I don‟t know… I feel bad. -Are you afraid that you might die? -I feel that I am dying, that I collapse but at the same time I want to jump from the balcony. -Does that mean that you have the tendency, the impulse to do it? -Since I have all these symptoms it‟s so easy for me to do it. If I return to my house and there is nobody there then I could do it right away! I‟ve got no problem to do it! Why? Because, I am so tired with this thing! -What thing? -With what I have due to weariness. It‟s as if I am at the bottom of the sea and I try to get out and I am drowning and I get panicked. I get anguish and try to do several things and I get panicked. I do several things, I am beating my chest and go around so as not to collapse. I keep holding myself so as not to fall.

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3.3 Nervous, neuro-vegetative or hysterical symptoms? It‟s time for comments. What‟s the matter with this woman regarding her symptoms? What kind of symptoms are these regarding the general categories of symptoms that we‟ve talked about? Of what kind are her symptoms? -Neuro-vegetative. -Neuro-vegetative, nervous or hysterical symptoms? What‟s the matter with her? -Hysterical symptoms. -Let me remind you how important it is to distinguish among categories of symptoms once again and ask you once again: Are her symptoms neuro-vegetative, nervous or hysterical? Take in mind that one category does not exclude the other. -Where is her husband? -Probably home or at work. Her father brought her and he seems to be very well informed about what happens to her. -Why? Is he living with them? -No. He doesn‟t live with them but he keeps him busy all the time accompanying her here and there.

Well, it‟s time for answers. I believe that her symptoms are mostly hysterical. For a start she is definitely a plethoric person. She rushed into my office and started saying this and that, exaggerating all the time and I had to stop her and ask several questions in order to understand what the matter with her, is. If you have a hysterical patient and act like an allopathic doctor and take for granted what she says about her physical symptoms then you are in bad trouble because you‟ll think that she has most of the diseases that exist in this planet!

All this ocean of symptoms that are seemingly pathological is but an illusion. It‟s not that they are physical symptoms. They are indeed

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hysterical symptoms. The way she talks and expresses herself, the fact that she carries her father here and there although she is an adult woman around forty, the fact that she insisted to have her father in my office during the examination so as to convince him that she is seriously ill, all these make me believe that she is a hysterical personality. She may also have some neuro-vegetative symptoms or some phobias but her main symptoms seem to be hysterical. Of course, we will see about it as her case unfolds.

What else does she tell me? I say to her: “Come in please to talk to me” and she says: “I don‟t know how I will be able to do this, doctor”. And I ask her: “Why? Is your voice blocked? Are you cold?” I deliberately asked this in order to give her motive for exaggeration although I got the hysteric picture from the beginning and furthermore I knew her personality from her last examination.

3.4 Differential diagnosis of fears and suicidal tendency Then she tells me that she is “afraid when alone”. This could be a case of Phosphor who is afraid of being alone because he thinks that he might have a heart attack or a stroke. It could also be a case of Argentum Nitricum who has fixed ideas about his health or a case of Arsenicum who is afraid of death and wants someone by his side to take him to the hospital on an emergency. But her fear is vague, it‟s not something specific. Although I deliberately keep asking what is she afraid of she doesn‟t give me any specific answer.

Then she says “I want to jump from the balcony”. These are the exact words of the patient but then is she telling the truth? We should never take for granted what our patient says and especially if he is a syphilitic person or a hysterical one. We always have to cross check what the patients says. If I believe her then I have to think of Aurum Metallicum due to her suicidal tendency. I just note it down for the sake of differential diagnosis.

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If I am not a well trained homeopathic doctor I might think: “She wants to jump from the balcony grade 3 and she can‟t restrain herself so give her Aurum Metallicum!” Wrong! Nothing could be more wrong, my dear colleagues! Why? Because an Aurum person would not reveal this so easily and profoundly and moreover in front of her father. She would have only confided it to me, the doctor, after much pressure. Aurum is psoric and introvert and not an exaggerating syphilitic person. See how valuable is miasmatic knowledge!

She doesn‟t have any suicidal tendency at all! She is faking! She is giving a performance in front of me and especially in front of her father, who will of course inform also her husband about her “extreme” condition. That‟s why he wanted him in my office in the first place. I told you that nothing is accidental for the experienced homeopathic doctor. I see such cases almost every day! In conclusion, she is faking.

An Aurum person does commit suicide and usually nobody knows a thing about it before it happens while a hysterical person all the time says that he has suicidal tendency to all around him just to draw attention but he never commits suicide. He may attempt to in a most slight and non dangerous way, ensuring his safety and especially in front of others! How on earth can you give a performance if you don‟t have any audience? Be careful! Our patient may be hysterical but she isn‟t stupid!

A syphilitic person and especially Lachesis could also talk about suicide. She tells to her husband or children in a loud complaining voice: “You are driving me to the grave! I want to die and save myself from this burden you cause to me! You don‟t understand me and you don‟t care at all about me!” or “You are driving me crazy!” or “You are going to make a sick person out of me! You‟ll drive me to the hospital!” She may say to the doctor especially in front of her husband and children: “I want to die doctor… I know it‟s a sin, but I want to die!” or “If I didn‟t love my husband/children I would have killed myself!”

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It‟s more than certain that she doesn‟t mean what she says! She certainly doesn‟t want to kill herself! And certainly doesn‟t want to become sick or die! She doesn‟t have any suicidal tendency! Not even suicidal thoughts most of the times. She loves her life! She projects a fake suicidal tendency deliberately in order to draw attention, create guilty feeling to her own and thus manipulate them and do things her own way. It‟s so simple. She declares “oversensitive” and “a victim of life and others” and all around her must do whatever she wants so as not to “upset” her.

This is also the case with this woman. She deliberately projects her fake suicidal tendency and this is a syphilitic action in order to manipulate her father and husband. They keep running after her and keep satisfying all her whims. So I start thinking: “Hysterical person or syphilitic person like Lachesis”. After all, she is loquacious and exaggerating and dynamic like Lachesis and she is handling her father and possibly her husband in a very efficient way. That‟s why he wanted him in my office during examination.

Furthermore, she presents her symptoms in a dramatic and exaggerating way. She says: “I feel as if I am at the bottom of the sea and I try to get out and I am drowning”. Exaggeration is a syphilitic and hysterical characteristic. So I note down possible idiosyncrasies like syphilitic Lachesis and hysterical idiosyncrasies like Lilium Tigrinum, Asafoetida, Moschus, Cimicifuga, Cyclamen and Cactus. Let‟s move on.

3.5 Tracing Irritability -When you say “I am beating my chest” what do you mean? -I hit the doors, I punch… -Do you strike your head with your hands or feasts?

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-Yes, I have such great strength… I have no sense of my power and I cause pain to myself. -Do you pull your hair? -Very much. -Do you want to tear your clothes? -I did it today. Today it‟s the second day that I have this thing although I take three pills a day. -Do you burst your anger on others too apart from yourself? -Yes, yes! -What do you do? -I push them, beat them… not that I will get a knife or do such things… I just take it out of me. I usually don‟t burst to others. I want to run away. When others don‟t let me go away I hit them to let me go. -Do you want to throw something or break something during your anger? -I have the tendency to do it but I reason myself and say “Why break things? It‟s a waste!” And then I hit myself. I do like this and like that (she shows to me how she hits her head with her hands). -Do you bite your hands when angry? -Yes, yes! -Does bright light annoy you or make you angry? For example the bright light at night in the living room or the bright light of the sun? Not if it irritates your eyes but if it makes you angry. -No, I want light, I like light.

It‟s again time for comments. Is this woman self-controlled during her anger burst or not? What‟s your opinion? You are doctors and you have to decide! It‟s up to you to decide! It‟s your burden and your cross to carry! The patient has the right to say whatever he wants, whatever comes

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into his mind but it‟s your obligation to clear things and come to an objective conclusion. -I think that she is self-controlled. -How do you support what you say? -Because she thinks before doing something. -Bravo! She did say: “I have the tendency to do it but I reason myself and say “Why break things? It‟s a waste!” So this thing reveals a person who isn‟t uncontrolled and who on top of that behaves conscientiously for her own interest or at least semi-conscientiously.

She is very irritable and irascible, she is not faking anger, she expresses her irritability very much but she is not out of control and on top this is a hysterical behavior aiming to draw attention so as to do things her own way. Another fact that reveals exaggeration and matches her hysterical personality is that she may take three pills a day (sedatives). Some hysterical patients may often overdose or take any pill that is available, relevant or not to their disease.

3.6 A possible case of Stramonium; differential diagnosis from Aurum What does this kind of irritability remind you of? A case of Stramonium, I would say. She bursts her anger to herself; she hits her head with her hands, bites her hands, pulls her hair, tries to tear her clothes and all these help her take it out of her. All these are strong characteristics of Stramonium.

After irritability questions I asked her deliberately about her relation with bright light because I have already suspected Stramonium. This idiosyncrasy usually becomes irritable from bright artificial or natural light. She refused having this but the absence of any single characteristic does not contra-indicate any diagnosis. It‟s a piece of information that

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doesn‟t fit to the whole image of the puzzle and has to be taken in consideration but it doesn‟t contra-indicate our diagnosis.

So, up to now, we have many characteristics of Stramonium and moreover, its general irritable personality. Stramonium is not a typical hysterical idiosyncrasy although it may have some hysterical elements. I say this because our patient is very hysterical in general. -Isn‟t Stramonium a male idiosyncrasy? -Not particularly. I must remind you that I‟ve told you that Stramonium is mainly a female idiosyncrasy. It‟s not accidental that it will mainly affect adult women or boys. Boys are not yet men and they can sometimes be hysterical although hysteria is mainly a female characteristic. Accordingly, it‟s not accidental that apart from boys hysteria can be found also in gay men or in effeminate men.

I am not being critical at gay men at the moment. I just try to give you my experience as objectively as possible. I just can‟t shut my mouth so as not to displease gay men or for the fear of being characterized as not liberal or as racist. Nevertheless I have already told you my medical opinion about homosexual men during a whole lecture about sexuality.

A man could also rarely be hysterical without being homosexual but usually unbalanced men become violent or neurotic while unbalanced women become “Mrs. Kates” or bitches or hysterical. If the two sexes are different in a normal state then they are expected to be different also in an unbalanced state. Let‟s move on.

-I am a very anxious person doctor. While reading I don‟t breathe; I do all things full of anxiety; I can‟t eat; I almost eat standing; I can‟t sit by the table. Anything that must be done in a relaxed state makes me nervous.

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-So, if I understood well it‟s not that you want to suicide but it‟s that with all these symptoms that you suffer you say to yourself: “If I died I would save myself from all this suffering”. -Yes, yes, yes! There are days that I am like that and other days that I can control myself. -Are you hot or cold? -Cold. Very cold lately! Very, very cold! Especially my hands are icecold. And I feel my blood frozen, not moving! My lips and eyes are frozen. My lips tremble all the time, are numb… I feel terrible.

Now it‟s again time for analysis. As you must have noticed it‟s time for differential diagnosis. I ask again about her supposed suicidal tendency so as to confirm or reject Aurum. Her answer confirms to me that she doesn‟t have any suicidal tendency and that she isn‟t Aurum. But what‟s more important is that she doesn‟t have the general miasmatic and idiosyncratic picture of Aurum. Keep always in mind that the whole picture is what counts more and not any isolated characteristics no matter how intense they are. Anyone who sticks to details, just “can‟t see the wood for the trees”!

Have you noticed how I ask? I say “So, if I understood well…” This is a way of bringing back to focus a matter that I have asked for but did not insist then. Now it‟s time to clear things completely and at the same time do differential diagnosis.

3.7 Differential Diagnosis from other hysterical idiosyncrasies Why do I ask if she is cold or hot? Because it‟s time for differential diagnosis from other hysterical idiosyncrasies. Her great irritability and hysteric personality reminds me of Moschus and because the latter is characteristically a very cold idiosyncrasy I have to ask about it.

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See how important it is for the homeopathic doctor to have a very good knowledge of the Materia Medica? If you have a good background of idiosyncratic pictures inside your mind then each time a patient says something this reminds you of certain idiosyncrasies. This knowledge of Materia Medica is at the same time important for diagnosis and for differential diagnosis. Let us again proceed to the hearing.

-Does it often happen that things drop down from your hands? -Such a thing happened today. -Do you sometimes feel as if your vision is blurred and then restored? -Yes, yes! -Or that sometimes you hear well and other times not so well? -No, my hearing is ok but my eyes keep blurring at times and are numb. -Do you often have hic-cough? -Yes, quite often. I may have it all day. I also feel that my tongue is turned backwards and that I am chocking. I feel that I have something big inside my throat that is chocking me and I want to get rid of it. -How about tendency for fainting? -Yes and dizziness. I feel as if going to faint. My throat is squeezing me right here and there are many times that I just can‟t talk, as if… I think that I can‟t talk. -Sensation as if falling from high above? -At times when I am standing I feel as if looking like this. (from above towards down) -Do you have the feeling at times that a lump is rising from your stomach to your throat and is chocking you? -You bet! -Do you want to swallow all the time in order to push it towards your stomach?

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-I do have this lump and I can‟t swallow. -Are you chocking while eating? -Yes I do! -Does this happen often? -Yes, yes! I‟ve already told you that I even avoid eating. -Does your sweat smell badly even if you slightly neglect washing yourself or if you neglect using deodorant? -It‟s easy to smell badly, even if a day goes by without washing.

It‟s again, time for analysis. What do I do at this phase? I took my notes about idiosyncrasies that I keep in a dossier and I ask questions that refer to the basic characteristics of hysteric idiosyncrasies so as to complete my differential diagnosis. It‟s just impossible for anyone to remember all features of all idiosyncrasies and during differential diagnosis sometimes you need to have these notes in front of you. On the contrary this is never done during diagnosis because at that phase if you start looking at notes then you‟ve lost all the important verbal and non-verbal information that the patient gives you.

Since she is so cold there is less possibility to be Lilium Tigrinum or Asafoetida that are hot idiosyncrasies and increased possibility to be Moschus which is a very cold idiosyncrasy. Since she is cold grade 3 could she be Arsenicum? No! I doubt it because her general miasmatic and idiosyncratic picture doesn‟t suit the latter.

Nevertheless there are many superficial homeopathic doctors that practice Repertorising and could easily think accordingly and say: “She is cold 3, she is egoistic and says that she is fainting and gets very scared which is fear about death 3, so why not give her Arsenicum?”

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But this is very wrong! It‟s so wrong to do Repertorising, so wrong to focus on isolated symptoms or isolated groups of symptoms because you don‟t take in consideration the general picture of the patient, his essence, his main idea, his core. The whole is exceedingly more than the sum of its components! The essence is above the sum of each and every symptom. What also counts is the feeling that a patient creates to you provided that you are a well-trained, experienced and unbiased observer.

But, only on this condition! Or else you‟ll end up like those charlatans that have no knowledge and experience but they say that they have “instinct” or “spiritual gift” or “supernatural perception”. You have to be very careful about these things especially since Homeopathy is not yet a fully recognized Academic Therapeutic System and many non-medical doctors or many ignorant doctors are fond of becoming “gurus”. Mind and heart, logic and feeling, knowledge and perception must always go hand by hand or else imbalance is the result.

She told us that things drop down from her hands and this is a Moschus feature. She also told us that her vision and hearing are weakened from time to time and then return to normal. That can‟t be pathological since it comes and goes just like that and especially in a hysterical personality. It‟s a hysterical symptom and a feature of Moschus. She also has nervous hic-cough and nervous fainting tendency. She has dizziness but not as characteristically as Lilium Tigrinum and apart from that the latter is quite hot.

She also has that lump in her throat that makes it difficult for her to talk and it is chocking her. This reminds us of the hysteric lump of Asafoetida although it doesn‟t rise up from her stomach. Her sweat is offensive and that is also a trait of Asafoetida but the latter is hot. Nevertheless you shouldn‟t exclude any possible idiosyncrasy due to isolated features so I keep Asafoetida in mind not only for the present but also as a possible remedy for the future.

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3.8 Repertorising has become a modern homeopathic curse Up to now, on my list of possible idiosyncrasies there are first Stramonium, then Moschus and then Asafoetida. See how important it is to have a very good knowledge of Materia Medica in order to be able to evaluate every single clue that the patient gives us during case taking? Or else you will be examining for hours and hours asking “Are you hot?” “Yes”, “I see, let me look at the Repertory to see what idiosyncrasies are hot”. “Are you irritable?” “Yes”, “I see, let me look at the Repertory to check what remedies are irritable at grade 2”. “Do you like sweets?” “Yes”, “I see, let me look at my Repertory or Computer Expert System to see what idiosyncrasies have desire sweet 3”, etc.

I tell you, you‟ve lost your patient! He will get so bored answering and furthermore he will start doubting about your abilities as a doctor. To his eyes you will resemble an employee of a statistics company whose job is just to ask questions and write down answers without knowledge and profound goal. You will not be the detective, the hound-doctor, the doctor that can read his mind and see his soul!

Even if you just ask questions, note them down and then leave Repertorising for later after the patient has gone, even then you are wrong. You may not bore the patient but still he will understand that you don‟t guide the case taking, that you don‟t make purposeful questions; you just have a list of questions to ask.

To his eyes you are a listener and a typist! You are not a detective! You don‟t fight him! You don‟t evaluate him, you don‟t question his answers. You don‟t play with him like the cat plays with the mouse. The patient may not be a homeopathic doctor but he is not stupid. He can feel what you are doing. He may not know why you are asking but he feels the way you ask, the way you do your job and the look in your eyes!

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A doctor that does Repertorising resembles those employees that perform those standard psychological tests that are easy to find in magazines. These tests ask standard questions like for example “Are you sensitive? How often do you cry? If you cry every day you get 10 points, if you cry twice a week you get 5 points and if you cry less than that you get 2 points, etc.” After completing all questions then you get a score. If your score is from 0-15 points then you are characterized as “insensitive”, if your score is from 15-30 points then you are “sensitive” and finally over 60 points you are “oversensitive”! Congratulations! You are now entitled to enroll to the “OGC Club”, that is the “Oversensitive Guys Club”! (laughing)

If you leave Repertorising for later, then you just have to evaluate written answers without having in front of you the live picture of your patient, the vibration of his personality and all his non-verbal data. On top of that you‟ve lost the chance to ask questions in order to clarify and evaluate his answers, not to mention clarification questions that serve differential diagnosis.

3.9 Prescription time In this specific casel, diagnosis started from her exaggerations, her loquacity and the ocean of her weird symptoms to end up in three main features: Irritability3, hysterical personality3 and syphilitic personality2. Through specific questions we‟ve narrowed down our diagnosis to three possible idiosyncrasies: Stramonium, Moschus and Asafoetida.

Her whole picture as well as the intensity and the specific trait of her irritability lead me to choose Stramonium as her simillimum for the time being. I prescribed Stramonium 1M, that is, Stramonium at the thousandth potency. Moschus is the second possible idiosyncrasy and Asafoetida is the third possible idiosyncrasy.

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I told the patient that I will re-examine her in one month‟s time but that she should call me in 2 weeks. If when she calls me is even slightly improved then I don‟t change my treatment and I wait and see and reexamine at the follow up in one month. If when she calls me nothing changed then I will re-consider and think first of Moschus and Asafoetida and then of any other remedy.

You must know that, nowadays, most of our patients don‟t have a clear idiosyncratic picture. I mean that there isn‟t only one clearly prevailing idiosyncrasy. Next to the simillimum, lie also closely other relative idiosyncrasies. It‟s as if the person stands on more than two legs. Nevertheless, at a given moment, only one remedy is the most prevailing and most similar to the patient and this is the one to be prescribed as the simillimum. This complexity of the patient‟s picture often demands a very good differential diagnosis.

On the course of treatment when the imbalance caused by the prevailing idiosyncrasy comes to an end, and as life takes its course, other coexisting idiosyncrasies may take the place of the former prevailing one becoming in turn the simillimum. You see, life is in constant motion and it‟s our obligation as doctors to follow her course if we want to complete successfully any treatment and achieve cure.

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CHAPTER 4

A CASE OF NATRUM CARBONICUM 4.1 Present disease and allopathic history 4.2 Tracing his miasmas and idiosyncrasy 4.3 Explanations to the patient 4.4 Evaluation of heat and cold 4.5 Sweat, taste, position of sleep 4.6 Individual history and its importance in idiosyncratic diagnosis 4.7 Evaluation of irritability 4.8 “Tidy or untidy?” 4.9 Evaluation of introversion 4.10 Evaluation of fears and overprotectiveness 4.11 Self-confidence and sexual desire 4.12 Tracing several possible idiosyncrasies 4.13 Final diagnosis

(Important Note: In the course of training the author omits the hearing of standard parts of case taking that don‟t play any role in diagnosis or differential diagnosis of the idiosyncrasy of the patient like greetings, clinical examination and explanations to the patient. These parts were not omitted in the hearing and analysis of the first clinical cases for reasons of complete presentation.)

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It‟s time for the analysis of another clinical case. Let‟s move on without any delay.

4.1 Present disease and allopathic history -What brings you to me? -My bones and feet cause to me a lot of pain. -You mean the joints of your toes? -Yes and also here at my calves. -Do you feel the pain in your muscles or in your bones? -I can‟t be sure. -Since when do you have these symptoms? -It‟s been about two or three months. I had these about 15 years ago and you treated me and I got well. -How long did our treatment last then? -Two or three months if I recall well. -Did anything happen two months ago before these symptoms start? Any kind of injury, intense physical exercise or anything that upset you? -Nothing physical… but I was upset then. -How long ago? -A long time ago. -How long? One year, two years or more? -It‟s been two years. -What happened then? -Not something particular… I got divorced 5 years ago and then my new husband is very repressive, very jealous…

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-So you feel repressed… -Yes, yes, that‟s it! -Any other health problems apart from this? -I feel oppression to my chest at times. -Since how long do you feel this oppression? -Lately… let‟s say the last two months. -Do you also feel a lump in your throat? -Yes. -Do you sometimes feel as if this lump is rising from your stomach to your throat chocking you? -Not from the stomach, just a lump in the throat. -Do you often feel chocking when you eat or drink something? -No, but my voice becomes hoarse when I have this. -Do you feel this lump whenever you get upset? -Yes, but other times also. -Any other health problems at the moment? -I have a back pain at times. -Since when? -The last 15 years. -Any other health problems? -No. -Do you take any drugs of any kind at the moment? -No, but lately I take aspirins for my pains. -Did you have any severe diseases in the past or have you been operated? -No. I had a cryosurgery for HPV.

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-When was HPV diagnosed? -Six years ago and it was then that I had the cryosurgery. -Any other problems? -I often suffer from fungi at my vagina, I take drugs and ointments but every now and then I have it again.

4.2 Tracing his miasmas and idiosyncrasy We stop the hearing for analysis. As expected we always start from her present disease. She said that I‟ve examined her 15 years ago for the same ailments, was treated for 2 or 3 months and was cured. She stopped the treatment and remained ok and now after 15 years has the same problem with her feet the last 2 or 3 months. -How old is she? -Around forty. -As you must have noticed I insist asking why her symptoms relapsed after 15 years. She tells me that she got divorced 5 years ago, that her new husband is repressive and jealous and that she suffers from anxiety the last 2 years. Then she mentions symptoms like oppression chest, lump throat and hoarseness whenever upset.

What kind of symptoms are these? Could it be physical symptoms, nervous symptoms, neuro-vegetative or hysterical? My first impression of her was that she had been an introvert and psoric person. So, after mentioning the oppression to her chest I immediately suspected Natrum Muriaticum and asked her if she had that nervous lump in the throat which is characteristic of the latter.

Next, I wanted to differentiate from the hysteric lump of Asafoetida but her answer did not verify something like that. If this lump was a physical symptom of a physical disease then she would have had it all the time and

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not when upset and it would tend to deteriorate as the physical disease run its course.

I have already been guided to certain directions. Let me remind you that I often told you in the past that the kind of symptoms that the patient has can be very useful guiding us towards the patient‟s miasmas and idiosyncrasy. It is important to trace the nature of the patient‟s symptoms, that is, if they are psoric, sycotic, syphilitic, nervous, neuro-vegetative, hysterical, etc. I have already noted down possible idiosyncrasies like the psoric Natrum Muriaticum or the neuro-vegetative Phosphor and Argentum Nitricum. Can you now see what I mean when I say that you shouldn‟t be passive listeners but aggressive detectives? Let‟s go on.

4.3 Explanations to the patient -Well, it‟s time to tell you what is the matter with you and what can Homeopathy do about your problems. Every human being is born with certain predispositions, certain weak points. We could say that this is his medical “dowry”. As long as the “car” is new and hasn‟t faced any rough dirt roads these predispositions do not manifest themselves. As years go by and several things stress us then symptoms and diseases appear.

I believe that what have upset you the last few years are not irrelevant with what you have developed now. These incidents irritated your predispositions and caused these recent symptoms.

There are two ways to treat diseases. The one is the common treatment with chemical drugs. If you go into any pharmacy you will see packed at the shelves: antitussive drugs for cough, antipyretic drugs for fever, pain killers for pain, anxiolytic pills for anxiety, antidepressant for depression, and so on. But all these drugs don‟t do causative treatment; they merely suppress symptoms.

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And that‟s why we end up giving the same drugs for years and years without any permanent cure, not to mention their side effects. I am a medical doctor and I apply Homeopathy many years. Relief of symptoms isn‟t something bad but yet it‟s not enough. We have to go on and try to cure the diseases and the patient as a whole.

And that‟s what we are doing with Homeopathy. Our aim is to have a causative and permanent cure. This is done by mobilizing the defensive mechanisms of the patient, both physical and psychological. The patient‟s organism is wiser than any doctor and can do miracles if properly aided.

Homeopathic medicines are natural because they originate from minerals and plants although they are not just herbs or vitamins. They are considered as medicines that must be prescribed by medical doctors and bought from pharmacies that have homeopathic stock. Yet they have no side effects at all. They are so harmless that can be given without any second thought even to babies and pregnant women. Nor do we have any problem if they are combined with any chemical medicine during our treatment. Homeopathic drugs act on the energy level while allopathic drugs act on the material level.

Your relapsing vaginitis will never be cured by external ointments or antibiotics. These drugs may temporarily suppress the growth of fungi but they won‟t cure the real cause, i.e. the predisposition you have at this system. That‟s why things keep relapsing and you keep taking chemical drugs again and again. Our goal in Homeopathy is to lessen the predisposition, strengthen your immune system and your organism as a whole and thus cure your problem permanently.

The same thing is true for your joints. By painkillers or by antiinflammatory drugs we can relieve temporarily but we cannot achieve

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complete cure, not to mention their side effects. Again, the main goal should be to cure permanently the existing arthritic predisposition.

I will now ask you some questions about your idiosyncrasy, your character, your organism in general. I will do that because in Homeopathy we always give to our patient that medicine that is similar not to your diseases but to your idiosyncrasy.

It‟s about time to stop our hearing for discussion. I‟ve explained to my patient what the matter is with her according to my opinion as a homeopathic doctor. Next I compare his past allopathic treatment with the homeopathic one to follow. This is done for two reasons. Firstly because I have to explain to her what Homeopathy can do with each and every of her diseases. Secondly because there are many illusions in the minds of both doctors and patients about what Man is, why he gets ill and how diagnosis and treatment should be. You see, it‟s my duty to “heal” also these illusions because illusions are causes of illness and truth is a healing power.

I have to stress to her the importance of the psychic level and its influence on her body and that she got ill because she had a certain physical predisposition on which acted the imbalance of her mind. This may help her think in a different way. She may even try to avoid being upset and being so sensitive and thus become more balanced. But enough with philosophical matters; let‟s go back to our hearing.

4.4 Evaluation of heat and cold -Are you hot or cold in general? -Cold. -Very cold? -Yes.

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-Cold, freezing hands and feet? -Yes. -Must you wear socks in bed at night to keep your feet warm? -Yes, yes. -Your feet apart from being cold, are they also often at the same time wet? I mean at the same time cold and wet? -Only at times. -Rarely? -Yes, rarely. -If you have washed your hair and haven‟t dried it well and go out do you get a headache or catch a cold easily? -No, no. -Are your nails brittle? -I wouldn‟t say that. -Do your lips crack easily? -No.

It‟s time for evaluation of her symptoms. Is she cold and how cold? -I would say cold 3. -How about her extremities? How cold are they? -Grade 3. -I agree, because she must put on socks to keep them warm. Did you notice that I said “at the same time cold and wet” twice using a stressed tone of voice? Why did I do such a thing? Because many patients say “yes” but they mean that usually their feet are cold and when warmed up they perspire and their feet become wet. But this doesn‟t mean that they are at the same time cold and wet. We must always try to be specific and

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clear when asking the patient anything or else he will give us a wrong answer. Is this clear? Now, what idiosyncrasy was I asking about with the former questions after she told me that she was very cold? -Silica. -Right! Silica and Calcarea Carbonica. So, I note down Silica and Calcarea Carbonica not only due to the patients relation with cold but also because I‟ve already traced a possible psoric personality due to her physical symptoms and due to her whole image. Let‟s move on.

4.5 Sweat, taste, position of sleep -Do you sweat a lot, normally or less than normal? -Rarely. -Does your sweat smell badly even if you slightly neglect to wash yourself or neglect using deodorant? -Not, particularly. -Do you like salt? -Normally. -How about lemon, vinegar and sour taste? -I like sour things. -Do you prefer fruit, for example oranges, to be unripe and sour or ripe and sweet? -Sweet, not sour. -How about fat and fatty food? Do you like it? -No. -Not if you avoid it for reasons of healthy nutrition or obesity. -No, I don‟t like it. -How about cold water?

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-Not much. -Do you like the taste of fresh milk? -I‟ve never been drinking milk! -You didn‟t like its taste or did it bother your stomach or couldn‟t digest it? -When I was a child they forced me to drink it and then I didn‟t like it at all. Now… neutrally. -If you drink it does it bother you? -Yes, yes.

Let‟s discuss her answers. The most important symptom is her “aversion to the taste of fresh milk”. Even from childhood she was forced by her parents to drink it although she hated its taste. But now she says “neutrally”. Why so? I think that she keeps hating it and has symptoms drinking it but since doctors tell her “women must drink milk so as not to develop osteoporosis” she forces herself to drink it.

See how secondary factors can alter the manifestation of a primary idiosyncratic tendency? So you must always bear in mind that we are mainly interested in the patient‟s primary tendencies, in his primary behavior and not in his secondary ones. This aversion to milk grade 3 is a strong characteristic of Silica and Natrum Carbonicum, so I also note down Natrum Carbonicum as a possible idiosyncrasy. Let‟s go on.

-What‟s your favorite position of sleep? On your abdomen, on your belly or on the sides? -On the sides. -Right, left or both? -Right.

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-When on your left side, does it sometimes happen to hear your heart‟s bit or feel that you press your heart? -No. -Do you have saliva coming out of your mouth at night? -At times, yes.

I stop the hearing again for evaluation of her answers. As you must have noticed whenever her answer is not characteristic I don‟t insist asking anything else on the matter and move on to another subject. But whenever I need clarifications or whenever I suspect a strong characteristic either due to her words or due to the tone of her voice and grimaces then I keep on asking.

For example when she tells me that she sleeps on her right side I suspect Phosphor who avoids sleeping on his left side so as not to burden his heart and so I insist asking for clarification. You see how things are done? We let ourselves be driven by the patient, by his strong likes and dislikes, by his answers. The flow of life is what guides us!

We are not passive questioners simply noting down her answers only to be evaluated later on by the study of any Repertory or by the “genius mind” of the author of a Computer Expert System. No machine can replace a motivated clear human mind! And nobody else‟s mind can replace your mind or relieve you from your responsibility as doctor to diagnose and treat successfully to the best of your ability. You must always carry your cross, yourselves, to the top of Golgotha hill! You just can‟t avoid it! (laughing) Let‟s move on! Let‟s carry our crosses! (more laughing)

4.6 Individual history and its importance in idiosyncratic diagnosis -Did you have any warts in the past?

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-Yes I did have and I treated them by laser. -When did this happen? -About 7 years ago. -Did you have in the past any problems like herpes of genitals, urethritis, gonorrhea or such kind of diseases? -When I visited you 15 years ago and after I got well and stopped the treatment I had herpes zoster. -Do you often develop common herpes on your lips? -At times if I get upset. -How about aphthae? -At times if I am on antibiotics. -Do you prefer the sea or the mountain? -The sea. -Do you like it a lot? Are you very fond of it? Are you crazy about it? -I like it a lot but it‟s not that I am crazy about it.

I stop for comments. Now pay attention in order to see how her individual history can be of any diagnostic value to us regarding her idiosyncrasy. She came to me 15 years ago, did her treatment, got well and then after the treatment she developed herpes zoster. Is this accidental? No! I don‟t think so!

For anyone who knows true Homeopathy this is not accidental! It‟s in accordance with the Law of the Course of Illness! Homeopathic treatment improved her general state of Health and thus her Illness subsided to a more external and less important for the organism level. It passed from the musculoskeletal system to the skin and from that level to balance. And this balance lasted 15 whole years!

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And why did the old predisposition return back? It‟s very likely that the personal problems she had the last 5 years played a significant role but I believe that this was not the only reason. In fact I believe that there were two more reasons: two suppressions of external skin and mucous diseases. That is, the suppression of warts by laser therapy 7 years ago and the suppression of HPV by cryosurgery 6 years ago.

These two external diseases served a certain purpose. They were of course imbalances but being on an external level they served as safety valves for the decompression of internal pressure thus preventing the Illness from affecting a more internal level like the musculoskeletal one.

For us, homeopathic doctors, the individual history of any patient is not accidental. It obeys to the homeopathic medical laws; those laws that have to do with the hierarchy of the several levels of Man and with the course of Illness. If it‟s not accidental then it can be of use to us regarding idiosyncratic diagnosis.

In Homeopathy, we never say: “In the past you had eczema and now you have asthma. These are two separated and irrelevant diseases. The one is of interest to the dermatologist and the other is of interest to the pulmonologist. You see how the lack of any laws in Allopathy and the exaggeration of specialization, deprives us of valuable information and understanding about the patient as a whole?

That‟s why I note down not only any past symptoms or past diseases of the patient but also insist on when did these happen and in what circumstances. Furthermore, it‟s of great importance to see what happened first, what second and after how much time, etc. All these do matter to us, homeopathic doctors. Nothing is accidental in Universe and

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so nothing is accidental in Medicine and Homeopathy. “Accidental” is a word that only exists inside ignorant minds!

I also asked if she often develops cold sore. Why so? Because Natrum Carbonicum and Mercury often suffer from herpes of all forms. Borax on the other hand often suffers from aphthae. Let‟s move on.

4.7 Evaluation of irritability -How about irritability? Do you easily get angry? -Yes. -What, usually makes you angry? What kind of behaviors annoy you or irritate you? -When somebody is indiscreet or not polite. -Any other behaviors? -My companion… when he is grumbling about little things or when he is jealous at trifles. -Give me an example. -Well, the day before yesterday he made a whole scene shouting because I was out on the balcony… you see he suspects neighbors, people passing by… everybody.

Now, let me say a few things. She says that her husband is extremely jealous. Just because she said so that doesn‟t mean that we should take it for granted. I always have to confirm whatever she says. So I ask her: “Give me an example”. I always ask for examples in order to verify things. Each patient interprets any event in his own individual idiosyncratic way and according to his spiritual level. Furthermore, he talks about it in his own individual idiosyncratic way. I am interested in two things: what‟s the objective reality and what‟s his individual interpretation.

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So I must first verify that indeed her husband is jealous and furthermore as jealous as she says because I may have to do with an exaggerating woman. Or I may have to do with a psychotic, insane woman. I have to know the truth in order to diagnose my patient‟s idiosyncrasy.

Her answers and her whole psoric personality have convinced me that she is telling the truth; that indeed, her husband is insanely jealous. From my experience I suspect that he may be Hyoscyamus. That could also explain why my patient is so repressed by him, not to mention that she, herself, mentioned her husband‟s jealousy as the main cause of her imbalance. Jealousy is a terrible thing not only for the person that is addressed to but also for the person that is governed by it! It‟s a green little Martian creature! (laughing)

I can also reach to another conclusion: that she is psoric. Why so? Could any sycotic person endure such a burden of jealousy and develop such an imbalance without arguing intensely? A sycotic person would not stand such a behavior for long, not to say for years. She would have divorced him for sure or she would have forced him “to shut the fuck up” – I deliberately use sycotic expressions. In general, she would have handled this situation in a dynamic way. She would either “fight” or “flight”.

On the contrary, a psoric person isn‟t able to handle such situations. She is hurt, does not express it, suffers quietly and develops nervous symptoms. Isn‟t that our very patient? Yes, indeed! See how important is miasmatic diagnosis?

Did she tell us: “Hey, doctor, I am a psoric person!” (laughing) No! We have come to this conclusion out of knowledge, laws and observation. Indirect information is very valuable for our homeopathic diagnosis and

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especially regarding Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis that I teach to you. It‟s time to move on.

-Whenever you get angry do you express your anger or do you keep it inside? -Only when I can. -Do you express your anger to strangers? -No, mostly to my own people. -To your husband? -No, not really. I prefer not to speak so as not to have fights going on. Only at times I express my anger. -Do you want to throw something or break something when angry? -Yes, I do it; now that I am full of anger I do it. -Do you mean that you often throw things? -Lately, yes. -Even things that can be broken? -Well, not things made of glass but the day before yesterday I broke the telephone. -Do you hit your hand on the table or slam the door behind you when angry? -No, no. -Do you want to hit your head with your hands or pull your hair or tear your clothes? -No, no. -Do you easily calm after you have expressed your anger? -Yes. -Do you mean… “Friends again”?

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-Oh no, I don‟t forget it.

It‟s again time for discussion. She says that she is irritable. At what grade? I don‟t think that she is irritable; perhaps 1 or 2 due to present circumstances from her repressive and jealous husband. She bursts her anger only a little and mostly to her own people but not to her angry husband. She is definitely psoric but not as psoric as a typical Natrum Muriaticum would be. Besides, she is quite cold while the latter is usually hot.

If we also take in consideration the strong aversion to milk we come to think of Natrum Carbonicum. When she bursts her anger she becomes calm enough but she doesn‟t have the characteristic bitter hurt feeling or the introversion of Natrum Muriaticum. Let‟s go on.

4.8 “Tidy or untidy?” -Are you tidy or untidy? -Tidy. -Do you mean very tidy? To have everything in order, everything in its place, everything perfect? -Not as much as in the past. -When visitors change the order of things at your house, ash-trays, chairs, etc. does this annoy you? Not if you say something, but if it annoys you. -Yes, it does a little. -When visitors leave and it‟s late at night and you are tired will you put all things back in place no matter what or will you leave it as it is? -Now I leave it as it is.

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Interruption for comments; what have you to say about her tidiness? -She was very tidy in the past but not so now. -What grade now? -Two. -Yes, definitely not tidy 3 now. As you must have noticed I asked some questions about tidiness so as to verify things but I did not insist since she seemed definitely not tidiness 3 like for example a Nux Vomica case. This tidiness 2 suits both Natrum Muriaticum and Natrum Carbonicum due to their psoric and very responsible nature. Let‟s move on.

4.9 Evaluation of introversion -What about your personal problems, your deep felt matters? Do you want to talk about it to others or do you keep it inside? -I may talk to my mother or to the girlfriend of my son… -Even your deep felt matters? -Well, they already know most of what I am experiencing… -If somebody, not so close to you, has learned that you are very upset due to something personal and comes to console you, to tell you “don‟t worry, it will pass…” how do you face consolation? Do you just listen to him, feel better or are you annoyed or angry? -I may get angry. -Why so? -I don‟t know… I may get angry. I get angry with my mother whenever she starts saying several things. -Oh, I get it! Mothers most of the times tend to be quite annoying but I don‟t mean that. I mean when somebody else not so close comes to console you… -I become more upset.

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-Does it annoy you that he has learned about your personals? -No. -Do you cry easily? -Yes. -Does it happen in front of others? -No, I don‟t want others to see me like that. I will go away. -Do you cry in front of your husband? -No.

Let us stop again for evaluation. Is she introvert or extrovert? -Introvert. -What grade? Two or three? -Two. -I say three. -I say two and a half… (laughing) -Well, you shouldn‟t laugh. There aren‟t any absolute things in life. I will agree that she is introvert two and a half, i.e. 2 to 3. I ask her about consolation and she says: “I get angry with my mother whenever she starts saying several things”. I don‟t take that as “consolation aggravates” because mothers tend not to console but to argue and grumble all the time. She may have a domineering Lachesis mother that keeps interfering to all her personal matters accusing her all the time that she doesn‟t divorce her “scamp” husband and that she is “good for nothing”, etc. How could she not get angry? But this isn‟t “consolation aggravates” of course.

That‟s why I repeat the same question emphasizing on other people, other than her mother. Her answer is “I become more upset”. This answer isn‟t

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the typical answer of a Natrum Muriaticum but nevertheless she wants to cry alone like the latter one. So she seems to be very close to Natrum Muriaticum but not just like it, something that leads me towards Natrum Carbonicum. Let‟s move on.

4.10 Evaluation of fears and overprotectiveness -Have you got any fears about anything? -No. -Fear of heights? When looking down from a balcony? -No. -Whenever you hear about heart attacks, strokes, cancer, etc, do you start worrying about your own health? That it may happen to you also? -Yes. -Not if it affects you for a little while and then you forget it but if you worry a lot and start checking about it. -Not much. -Any other fears? -No. -Do you have kids? -Two. -How old are they? -Twenty three and twenty two; two boys. -If they are late do you worry a lot? Start thinking bad things? -Yes. -Even if they are 15-20 minutes late do you worry a lot? -No, not so much.

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-Even now that your children are grownups do you run after them saying “Eat your food!”, “Wear enough clothes!”, “Be careful!”, etc? -Oh, not so much! I know that they are grownups now and I don‟t do that.

Let‟s stop for discussion. I ask about her children so as to see if she has the overprotectiveness of Lachesis. She doesn‟t seem to be like that. At first she says that she worries so I insist asking but this time exaggerating a little my question deliberately and after my new question she says: “No, not so much”.

If she was a “Mrs. Kate” Lachesis she would bite my bate and would exaggerate about how much she cares about her children because she “loves them so much” and “worries” about them, etc. It‟s very important to have the flexibility to push the patient this or that way, to “play” with him “the game of questions and answers” so as to verify things. It‟s like a fisherman who moves his bate here and there in order to draw the attention of the fish. Let‟s go on.

4.11 Self-confidence and sexual desire -Compared to the average people of your age are you cleverer, less clever or on the average? I don‟t mean quantity of knowledge or diplomas; I refer to cleverness. -Normally, on the average. -Do you like reading books? -Yes, but I don‟t have time. -What kind of movies do you like the most? -Social movies. -Around 11 o‟clock in the morning do you have the urge to eat something?

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-No. -Do you eat quickly, hastily, even if you have time? -I try to eat slowly. -Does that mean that you have the tendency to eat hastily but you restrain yourself let‟s say for health reasons? -No, I don‟t have the tendency to eat hastily. -If you eat late at night do you have indigestion? -No. -How about your appetite? Low, high or normal? -I may say high. -How about your sexual desire? Low, high or normal? -Nothing, nothing at all. -Let me clear things; do you have zero desire? -Yes, zero. I don‟t go for it but if it happens then ok, I feel good. -But you don‟t make the first move… -No I don‟t go for it. -But if you have sex then will you enjoy it? -Yes.

We must stop for analysis. I asked some questions to see if she is Lycopodium but nothing came up. I asked about her appetite not because I expected to have any characteristic answer. She is psoric and introvert so I couldn‟t just suddenly ask about her sexual desire. So I asked first about her desire for food so as to jump to sexual desire in a less abrupt manner.

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At first she answered about sexual desire: “Nothing, nothing at all”. She seemed spontaneous and emphasized her answer. But I insisted asking in order to be sure about it. It finally turned out to be a lack of desire for sex grade 1 case and definitely not an aversion sex since she enjoys it whenever it happens. If we take in consideration how adverse things are with her companion then we could even predict that this woman under other circumstances would have normal or above normal desire for sex.

A superficial homeopathic doctor could say: “She said that she doesn‟t have any desire for sex, “nothing at all” and that is something expected since her husband is a menace”. So he could easily note down “aversion sex 3” and prescribe Sepia. I have seen this happen many times and it‟s wrong. You always have to verify things and take in consideration the whole picture of the patient. In this case the defining thing is that whenever she has sex she enjoys it. Even if she enjoys it only at times or rarely this can‟t be considered an aversion sex case. “Low desire for sex”, “lack of desire”, “lack of enjoyment”, and “aversion sex” are four different things and shouldn‟t be confused.

This “low desire for sex” could easily be the case of a Natrum Carbonicum or Natrum Muriaticum troubled woman. Such psoric idiosyncrasies are very sensitive and giving and if are troubled from life and especially from their husbands it‟s something quite expected to have decreased desire for sex. Under normal conditions Natrum Muriaticum can be considered a hot person regarding sexual desire and if things are going well with her husband she does enjoy sex. Let‟s move on.

4.12 Tracing several possible idiosyncrasies -Do you sometimes feel as if having a black cloud over your head? -No. -Those pains that you have in your muscles and bones do they make you feel as if bruised or injured?

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-No. -Lately, do you feel up to the neck from anger, as if you are ready to burst although you never express it? -No. I get angry only when something happens and then I get over it. -When somebody offends you greatly do you keep it inside and want to pay back? -I want to but I don‟t do it. -Does it stay inside you for very long? -Yes, I feel bitter about it. -Do you feel bitter for long? -For a while. -Ups and downs regarding your mood or irritability during the day but without knowing the reason? I mean without being caused by something or by some thought? -No.

Let‟s stop the hearing for comments. As you must have noticed I asked to see if she is Cimicifuga or Staphisagria. None of the two seemed possible. Then I asked about Valeriana. At first she seemed as if being revengeful but she wasn‟t. What she had as characteristic was that she keeps feeling bitter after a great offence. This suits Natrum Muriaticum or Natrum Carbonicum and not Valeriana. Let‟s go on.

-Whenever you try to read in a moving bus or vehicle do you get dizzy? -No. -If you go downtown to the traffic jam, to crowded streets and smoke do you often have a headache? -No.

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-Does the sun bother you a lot to the head in the Summer? Must you wear a hat all the time or seek for shade? -Yes, kind of. -Do you sometimes feel estrangement from other people? As if you are on the one side and others on the other? -No. -How about constipation? -Not often. -Does noise annoy you a lot? -Only loud music. -Do you easily have dark rings beneath your eyes? -Yes, kind of. -When you lose weight does this happen mostly to your face, hands and feet but not to your hips? And when you gain weight does this happen mostly to your hips? -Yes, indeed! -Do you often need a soda to help you digest? -No. An apple is what I want.

Let‟s do some analysis again. As you can see I go on doing differential diagnosis. I ask about her relation to the sun and if she has that feeling of estrangement. She has the first in some minor degree but she doesn‟t have the second. Both of them are traits of Natrum Carbonicum. She easily develops dark rings beneath her eyes and has that pear-shaped body like the Natrums do. Another Natrum trait of hers is that she easily gains weight at the hips and moreover it‟s very difficult to lose weight from the same area. Let‟s go on.

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-Does food warm you up whenever you are cold? -Yes, right away. -Do you often feel an annoying feeling or an empty feeling at the stomach area and want to eat often and little food each time? -No, but I am often hungry. -When lying on your left side do you often feel palpitation? -Sometimes, yes. -Does it often happen to read a page of a book and forget the previous one? -No. -Did you have any difficulty getting pregnant? -No.

4.13 Final diagnosis Let‟s now reach to our final diagnosis. As you must have noticed I went on asking about several traits of Natrum Carbonicum. So, what are we going to prescribe for her? -… -It seems that I am again the one to give the answer! I start thinking: She isn‟t hysterical and she isn‟t Phosphor. She didn‟t have any traits of Argentum Nitricum. She could be Silica but she hasn‟t enough characteristics of the latter. She hasn‟t got any characteristic fears that could make her a Calcarea Carbonica case. So I am left with only two possible idiosyncrasies on hand: Natrum Carbonicum and Natrum Muriaticum.

But she doesn‟t have the intense introvert and psoric picture of Natrum Muriaticum. She is more like Natrum Carbonicum who is a more extrovert version of the Natrums and furthermore she bursts her anger

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more often. Moreover she is cold like a Natrum Carbonicum and not hot like a Natrum Muriaticum. She also has that characteristic aversion to milk who is a strong trait of Natrum Carbonicum and only slightly if not, a trait of Natrum Muriaticum. But what matters most is her psychological picture that suits more a Natrum Carbonicum and that‟s what I‟ve prescribed for her. Any questions or objections of any kind? None!

Well, to conclude, that‟s what homeopathic case taking is, in action. It‟s not as easy as it seems to you at the moment because during these first live clinical cases I talk too much and give you many clues. But I have to do this in order to explain to you how things are done. As you must have noticed I apply in practice all those theoretical stuff that we have been through during many past lectures. I mean the technique of case taking, the attitude of the doctor towards his patient, what‟s normal and what‟s not, the Homeopathic and Universal Laws, etc. I don‟t say this in order to take the credits; I say it because I want to show you that if you have a theory and practice joint closely together, then your practice can be very successful.

During our analysis I also tried to show you what an easy thing is to make mistakes especially if you give much value to the physical symptoms which, from nature, are of a more general character. Or how easy is to reach to wrong conclusions if you focus only to some psychological characteristics and not to the whole picture, to the miasmatic traits and to the feeling that the person creates to you.

That‟s why I named this method of diagnosis that I teach to you as Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis. It‟s not that I have discovered America! It‟s that I apply something that is but the application of Homeopathic Laws in homeopathic case taking having in mind the knowledge of Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Materia Medica. Art and Science applied in clinical practice. Nothing more, nothing less!

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CHAPTER 5

A CASE OF NUX VOMICA

5.1 Genotype first and then Phenotype 5.2 Hierarchy: first the whole picture, then psychological symptoms and then physical symptoms 5.3 Present Disease 5.4 The homeopathic point of view about bacteria and viruses 5.5 How allopathic diagnosis of disease can indirectly help us towards homeopathic diagnosis of idiosyncrasy 5.6 General physical questions 5.7 The pace of interrogation 5.8 General psychological questions 5.9 Analysis of irritability, arrogance and tidiness 5.10 Introversion/extroversion, fears and fixed ideas 5.11 Differential Diagnosis 5.12 Final diagnosis

Before we go on with analysis of a new clinical case I feel that I have to answer to a question addressed to me privately a few minutes ago. John told me that on hearing a lecture about Nux Vomica from another homeopathic doctor very much focus was given on the trait of overstimulation and less focus on fastidiousness and asked me why so.

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5.1 Genotype first and then Phenotype It‟s of extreme importance to apply Universal and Homeopathic Laws in every step of our medical practice. That is also true when we try to understand the characteristics of any idiosyncrasy so as to build its complete miasmatic idiosyncratic picture. So according to the Universal Law of Hierarchy what comes first are the miasmas and will of the individual and then come his thoughts, then his emotions and last his behavior.

As we move from up to down or from the center to the circumference, symptoms tend to become more diverse and thus less important to our diagnosis. “Genotype” is the primary state and is one for all persons that are affected from the same idiosyncrasy while “Phenotype” is the last link of the chain and things tend to become numerous and diverse. Genotype is one while there are many phenotypes. The final behavior of any person affected by the same idiosyncrasy becomes diverse due to factors like sex, culture, way of life, previous life-deciding events, moral values, education and the specific phase that the person is going through.

For example, you may come up with a Phosphor person that has no neuro-vegetative symptoms at all only because he is in phase A, i.e. in a very balanced state. That doesn‟t mean that he isn‟t Phosphor. If you examine his primary tendency, i.e. his psoric moral values - altruism, good intentions and honesty - and his sycotic expression then you have a strong foundation for your diagnosis of the whole picture. But if you focus only on his secondary behavior, that is neuro-vegetative symptoms and fear about health then you may reach to wrong conclusions.

So during our lectures on Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Materia Medica I focused on the genotype of any idiosyncrasy, on the primary miasmatic idiosyncratic features and not on secondary phenotypic behaviors. It‟s not strange that many idiosyncrasies and especially the syphilitic ones have

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plenty of phenotypes, plenty of secondary behaviors and sometimes even opposite ones.

For example you may find a Lachesis introvert grade 3 and a Lachesis extrovert grade 3. You may see her adopting the image of the “poor sensitive helpless victim” or see her adopting the image of the cruel, strong perpetrator. Nevertheless, these two seemingly opposite phenotypes/secondary behaviors have the same genotype/primary behavior: the syphilitic domineering tendency. In the first phenotype the person dominates indirectly and in the second the person dominates directly.

5.2 Hierarchy: first the whole picture, then psychological symptoms and then physical symptoms As you must have also noticed during the description of the characteristics of any idiosyncrasy I deliberately didn‟t focus on the physical symptoms so as not to lose focus of the whole image and of the psychological symptoms. Physical symptoms have of course their value but mostly as confirmation of our conclusion that has been reached through the whole picture and the psychological symptoms.

Moreover it‟s quite impossible for anyone to remember all these thousands of physical symptoms while it‟s easier to bear in mind the essence of the psychological picture of the few decades of basic idiosyncrasies. Then and only then, after one has come to certain possible idiosyncrasies and only if yet needed, he can refer to any Repertory in order to verify that the physical symptoms of the patient are in accordance with the whole.

Repertorising and Computer Expert Systems have failed to give successful prescriptions because they leave out very important aspects of case taking like non-verbal clues, “feeling” of the patient, miasmatic

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aspect of the patient, primary and secondary behaviors, etc. These two methods fail to focus on the hierarchy of symptoms. They fail to give more credit to symptoms that hierarchically are of more importance like miasmatic characteristics, psychological symptoms and primary behaviors.

No Computer Expert System or Repertorising Method can judge and apply hierarchy as an intelligent human being can do. Nor do they have any heart and conscience to evaluate the heart and mind of the patient standing in front of them. The only thing they do is to count symptoms and compare it to Materia Medica.

I have many times told you that homeopathic diagnosis is like a thousand pieces puzzle. If you are sensitive and smart enough to use your heart and mind and grab from that ocean of pieces only the red hat and the rosy cheeks of the Little Red Riding Hood and the teeth of the bad wolf then, if the essence of the puzzle matches the tale of the Little Red Riding Hood, you‟ve solved the case! You definitely know that this is a Little Red Riding Hood idiosyncrasy! (laughing)

All other hundreds of pieces lying in front of you can only be useful in confirming your diagnosis that has already been done with the help of Miasmatic Idiosyncratic Diagnosis. No Computer Expert System and no Repertorising can do that! Only a jet can take you across the Atlantic! Little boats may do the same thing at times but after much time and effort. It takes heart and skills to fly a modern jet while a boat seems easier but would you prefer a jet or a small boat? (laughing)

Now, let‟s move on to our today‟s clinical case. I want you to write down symptoms and characteristics and evaluate it as I‟ve taught you so as to be able to discuss what you have written down. This is a case of a 40 years old public employee woman.

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5.3 Present Disease -What brings you to me? What‟s your main problem? -I have a certain sensitivity regarding my voice. I catch colds easily and can‟t speak. -Since when? -The last 3 years. -How did this start? Did anything happen? Did you have a severe cold? -No. -How does this thing start? What are the first symptoms? -Hoarseness. -So first you have hoarseness and then you can‟t speak? -Can‟t speak at all. Then cough begins. -Do you feel any phlegm running down from your nose to your mouth causing the cough? -I don‟t know, I can‟t say. -Do you feel something inside your throat that causes this cough? -As if I have a ball. -Do you feel this going up from your stomach to your throat? -I feel it over here. -When coughing, do you have any expectoration? -No. -Nothing at all? -No. -When swallowing, do you feel any pain?

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-No. -Do you also have fever? -Only once last year. -Any other symptoms? -I have intense cough and pain below my ears or inside it. -How often does this happen? -Last year I had it 3-4 times. -When this acute condition is over, is your nose completely free and your voice fully ok? -Yes. -Do you smoke? -A lot. -Do you have any other health problems at the moment? -No. -Did you have any other diseases in the past or done any surgery? -No. -Are you taking any drugs at present for any reason? -No, only some vitamins. -Do you have children? -Yes. -How old are they? -Four and two years old. Last year that I had the high fever I didn‟t have time for me because my kids had relapsing colds and I kept taking care of them.

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-I see. So it‟s time for me to tell you what is the matter with you and what are we going to do with our treatment. Every person is born with certain predispositions, certain weak points… -I forgot to tell you that my mother has the same problem. -I see, so you have this certain inherited predisposition. Well, as I told you we are born with certain predispositions that as time passes and as we face several stressful conditions then these predispositions cause symptoms and diseases. -Let me also add something that has to do with my organism‟s defense. They found that I have HPV. -You mean that you did some test? -No, not some test. My gynecologist examined me and told me that I have this thing externally and I was worried a lot. -My personal opinion is that often there is too much worrying about something that doesn‟t worth it. -What can I say…? I don‟t know… only recently I‟ve first heart about this thing.

5.4 The homeopathic point of view about bacteria and viruses -Let me tell you something. Bacteria, fungi and viruses are but the “scavengers”, “recycling” agents and “decomposers” but never the cause of any so called “infectious” disease. They tend to grow only where there is fertile ground for their growth and multiplication.

Nor can they be the cause of cancer because the latter is the height of physical disorganization and in order to reach such an extreme state it is definitely needed to have psychological and physical weariness for many years. The growth of microorganisms is only one of the local results caused by the general imbalance of the organism and not the cause of Illness.

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The dirty room is the cause of the presence of cockroaches and other insects and not vice versa. In turn, of course, these microorganisms will cause changes but they are not the cause of this vicious circle. Many times such tests for HPV or any other microorganism could be falsely positive, i.e. the test appears positive regarding abnormal growth of the microorganism but no such thing happens.

But even if the presence of a microorganism is true that doesn‟t mean anything. Every single minute there exist on and in us all kinds of bacteria, fungi and viruses. What really matters is the balance between them and our organism. If our organism and defense mechanisms collapse, then and only then can a microorganism cause problems.

Nevertheless, we can treat any such imbalances and infectious diseases with the application of Homeopathy. We do mobilize all physical and psychological mechanisms of the patient and thus achieve cure.

Homeopathic medicines are natural; they originate from minerals and plants but that doesn‟t mean that they are simply vitamins or herbs. They are considered medicines that are prescribed only by doctors and bought only from pharmacies but still they have no side effects at all. They are so harmless that can be given even to babies and pregnant women without any fear of side effects. Nor is there any problem if they are combined with any chemical drug whatsoever. Homeopathic drugs act on the energy level while chemical drugs on the material level. We do try of course to avoid chemical drugs so as not to burden our organism but there is no problem if a patient during our treatment has to make use of antibiotics, painkillers on any other drug.

I will now ask you some things because in Homeopathy we prescribe for every patient his own similar medicine. That is, the one that is similar to

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his idiosyncrasy, to his type and character both physically and psychologically.

5.5 How allopathic diagnosis of disease can indirectly help us towards homeopathic diagnosis of idiosyncrasy It‟s time for comments. I want your allopathic diagnosis. What‟s the matter with this woman? -We haven‟t got any typical diagnosis of a certain disease. -Nevertheless, you have to reach to a conclusion. You are allopathic doctors and you have to make up your mind about her disease. -Pharyngitis. -She said that it starts with hoarseness and then she has cough and pain below or inside her ear and this happens 3-4 times a year. What‟s the matter with this woman? -Perhaps, a kind of pharyngitis? -Well you see, all my arguing is about that “a kind of” you said. So, what‟s the allopathic diagnosis for this woman? -… -We definitely have some symptoms from the upper respiratory system. The first thing that could come to one‟s mind would be an allergy. That‟s why I ask her if she is absolutely free of symptoms during intervals. If she had an allergic rhinitis she would only have seasonal symptoms or she would also have symptoms during intervals. But her symptomatology is not seasonal and she is absolutely free of symptoms during intervals. I also ask if this sensation of a “ball” in her throat is rising from her stomach to her throat. Why do I ask this? I do it in order to see if she has the typical hysterical symptoms of an Asafoetida. Does this person seem to be hysterical to you? -Not for me.

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-I agree with you. She doesn‟t seem to be hysterical but that is something we must check as case taking proceeds and we start asking about her psychological characteristics. So she doesn‟t seem to have something allergic or hysterical, instead she seems to have a physical disease. She has a chronic sensitivity of the upper respiratory system with hoarseness or loss of voice. We must take in consideration the hereditary predisposition from her mother‟s side and the fact that she is a heavy smoker.

I insisted on reaching a typical allopathic diagnosis because in an indirect way this can lead us to possible idiosyncratic families. If we have neurovegetative symptoms we search for neurovegetative idiosyncrasies. If we have hysterical symptoms we head for hysterical idiosyncrasies, and so on. If I have to do with insisting allergic symptoms I could think of sycotic idiosyncrasies.

She also says that she has been diagnosed with HPV infection. As you must have noticed I explained to her my homeopathic opinion about the so called “infectious” diseases and the role of microorganisms. I did that in order to lessen the stress and fear that my allopathic colleagues caused to her especially when they say that HPV can lead to cervical cancer. It‟s important to support our patient and to neutralize any allopathic illusions that affected his mind and heart. But it‟s time to move on. What idiosyncrasies crossed your mind up to now? -You mean from the feeling he creates to us or from the way she talks? -No, I mean from the diseases and symptoms that she suffers from. I may have up to a point not a clearly hysterical personality in front of me but that sensation of “ball” in her throat is worth examining Asafoetida in due time. I also have to compare this sensation with the nervous sensation of a lump in the throat of Natrum Muriaticum. No other idiosyncrasy comes into my mind and heart for the present being so I note down these two and move on.

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5.6 General physical questions -Generally are you hot or cold? -Cold. -Do you want much clothing? -Yes, quite enough. In the past I was even colder but recent winters aren‟t so cold anymore. -Are your feet and hands cold in winter? -Not particularly but I do want to keep them warm. -Do you sometimes have cold and wet feet at the same time? -No. -Does heat bother you a lot? -No. -How about perspiration. Do you sweat a lot, normally or less than normal? -Normally. -Does your sweat smell bad if you slightly neglect to wash yourself or neglect to use deodorant? -I guess not; nothing special. -Do you like sweet things? -Not much. -Do you like salt? -I can do without it. -If your food is salty can you eat it? -I prefer my food with less salt than normal. -How about sour things, lemon or vinegar?

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-Mostly lemon. -Do you prefer fruits to be sour/unripe or to be sweet/ripe? -Ripe. -How about fat? Do you like fatty meat? -I don‟t eat it because I shouldn‟t eat it. -I am interested mostly if you like it‟s taste no matter if you avoid it for health reasons. -I don‟t like it. -Do you like cold water? -Yes, I do. -Even in winter do your prefer your water from the fridge? -Not so much; half from the fridge and half from the tab. I used to drink it from the fridge even in winter but then I had problems with my throat and stopped it; now my habit has changed. -Do you like the taste of fresh milk? -Yes. -What‟s your favorite position of sleep? On your abdomen, on your belly or on the sides? -Sides. -Left, right or both? -Right. -Sometimes if you lie on your left side, on the side of your heart, do you feel pressing it or hear it beating? -No. -Do you have saliva coming out of your mouth at night on the pillow? -No.

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-Did you have any warts in the past? -No. -Did you often have vaginitis or urine infections in the past? -No. -Anemia in the past? -No. -Do you prefer the sea or the mountain? -The mountain.

5.7 The pace of interrogation Again it‟s time for analysis. As you must have noticed, whenever I asked a question and her answer wasn‟t characteristic I went on without any delay to my next question. The pace of interrogation at this case was very quick. From what I remember I happened to have an extra urgent appointment and I was late and I had to be very quick.

I always examine on appointment and try not to squeeze a lot of appointments so as to have the comfort to examine my patient thoroughly. I also never answer telephone calls while examining patients. Every day between 4.30 and 5.30 in the afternoon I answer to phone calls of my patients that have to do with the progress of their treatment. Nevertheless, at times emergency appointments do happen and you have to do your job quickly and at the same time properly.

I must say from my experience that a quick pace of interrogation is better than a normal or slow one because you are forced to have all your antennas open and working hard in order to reach a quick and correct diagnosis. So, what‟s worth noting down from our patient‟s answers? -That she is cold.

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-Right. She is cold 2. In the past she must have been cold 3. Apart from that she used to like cold water 3 but now it‟s either desire for cold water 2 or even 3 but she avoids it because of her throat problems. We are not sure if it‟s desire for cold 2 or 3 at the moment but we shouldn‟t stick to such details because it‟s the totality of symptoms that matters. Nevertheless, I note down Phosphor as possible idiosyncrasy on the event of desire cold 3. You must have noticed that I stressed to her that I wasn‟t interested so much on what she does but on what she desires. Let‟s move on.

5.8 General psychological questions -How about irritability? Do you easily get angry? -No. -Not if you burst your anger but if you get angry inside easily. -Well, some things do make me angry. -What makes you angry? What situations? What behaviors? -Untidiness! Very much! -Other behaviors? -Slow people; and stupidity also. -Whenever you get angry do you express your anger or do you keep it inside? -I do. I take it out. -No matter what? -Yes, but with tact. -When somebody offends you will you take him down a peg? -If he is a complete stranger I may let it go; I even go away. If he is someone I know then I will answer.

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-If somebody strongly offends you do you bear grudges? Not to forget it no matter how much time will pass? -No, not much. -Are you temperamental? To have ups and downs regarding your mood or anger during daytime even if nothing happened or nothing crossed your mind? -No. -Do you have a constant nervousness without reason? -My mind always operates at high speed because I have a lot in my mind that must be done. -Do you want to throw something or break something when angry? -Yes. -Often? -Not often, rarely. -Even things that can be broken? -No. Not such things… I never damage things. -So, I see you are very careful even when bursting your anger… (laughing) -Yes, that‟s it! Ok, I may hit my head on the table or slam the door… but that‟s it. -Do you like tidiness? All things to be in place, everything in order? -All of it! All of it! -You mean even on the point of becoming fastidious? To have this thing here, the other there, everything in perfect order? -Yes, yes! -When visitors move ashtrays, chairs, bibelot, does this annoy you?

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-I want them to have a good time and after that I will put it back into place. -When visitors leave the house and it‟s late at night and you are tired, will you put all things back into order or you may do it next day? -If I leave it just like that I will not feel well. Anyway, if I leave it as it is, then I won‟t let anyone come to my house next day. (laughing) I will arrange not to work the day after the gathering so as to stay home and take care of it. All of it must be done! No way! -Do you want to be punctual to your appointments, right on time? -Yes. -Do you manage to do so? -Yes I do. -If the person to meet delays to come to your appointment does this annoy you or make you angry? -Yes, very much! -Will you make a comment, will you make a remark? -Yes, I‟ll find a way. -If he is very late will you go away? -I‟ve also done that! -You are in the line in a bank and someone tries to go ahead of you. Will you say something? -Yes! Yes! You see I never go ahead of anyone. I always wait patiently my turn. -While walking on the street someone throws garbage… will you make a remark? -Not much. -Do you want to have a program in your life and not only at work? To say: “I will do these things today, those things tomorrow, etc”?

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-Yes, very much! -If somebody changes your program does that annoy you or make you angry? -Yes. I don‟t want others to spoil my program. -If bills are left unpaid or anything unsettled do you get very annoyed? Do you want to settle everything the soonest possible? -Right away! I put them in my program right away. -Does it often happen to wake up at 4 to 6 a.m. and not be able to sleep again because you keep thinking of all the things you have to do in the day to come? -Yes, that often happens to me. I have so much in my mind. I just can‟t relax. At night if I don‟t do all housework and if I don‟t put my children to bed I just can‟t sleep; it‟s impossible to sleep. -Does noise annoy you a lot? -Yes, it does. -Even the tic-tac of a clock in your bedroom? -No, not so much.

5.9 Analysis of irritability, arrogance and tidiness It‟s time for comments again. What have you to say about her irritability? Is she an irritable person or not? At what grade? -Grade two. -I agree. What makes her angry? You must take in consideration that this is a very important question. -Untidiness makes her angry. -When asking such important questions we always leave our patient to talk and say as much as possible. If he gives a short answer we push him to talk. Furthermore, we ask about things that we suspect that he has at

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grade 2 or 3. She says that she gets angry from untidiness, from slow people and from stupidity and I think that she definitely means it. Can you think of any possible idiosyncrasies that match these answers? -Nux Vomica for untidiness. -Yes, right! But she is also annoyed from stupidity and she says so although not asked specifically. Any spontaneous statement is stronger than a guided answer. That‟s the reason why we should always try to ask in a general way and leave our patient express himself unbiased. For example such general questions are: “What annoys you?”, “What makes you angry?” or “What bothers you in general?” Our questions become more specific when we do differential diagnosis. Even then we try not to put words in the mouth of our patient so as to have an unbiased answer. Any other possible idiosyncrasy? -Platina. -Bravo, Platina it is! -Is it true that Tarentula Hispanica is annoyed from slow people? When they act slowly? -Yes, she might be, especially if she is a nervous person but this is not a very strong characteristic of hers. On the contrary it‟s a very strong trait of Platina and Valeriana and sometimes of Coffea Cruda because she functions at high “revolutions”. Lachesis also could say “yes” to such a question because she is very active and quick and always wants to do things. I examined a Platina today who told me among other things although not asked: “Stupidity annoys me a lot, doctor!” -You mean that all these idiosyncrasies that feel superior to others are annoyed by stupidity? Can you elaborate on Platina? -Platina can‟t stand people that she considers inferior of her standards but only when she has to cooperate with them. She doesn‟t have any problem with people she thinks as inferior if they have nothing to do with her. She will tell you that she simply accepts them as they are or even feels sorry for them.

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But if the considered inferior person is her companion or her husband or her child then she is so annoyed! A Platina mother once told me: “How did I give birth to this child? I just can‟t believe it! He just can‟t be my child!” Platina feels shame if her own people are even a mediocre according of course to her standards. She will even not hesitate to comment on it.

Valeriana also cannot be tuned with people that are slow regarding mental function. She may also feel shame for her “slow-minded‟ companion although this is in favor of her when it comes to manipulate him, a thing that often has the tendency to do. A “slow-minded” companion or child spoils her image to others.

She also has another special trait. Being very quick when it comes to mental function and being very self-centered she demands that her companion always be tuned with her and understand all her thoughts and intentions and whims the minute she thinks of them, even without expressing them by words. The background is “since you love me and know me you should have understood before my saying anything and react accordingly!”

Our patient said that when irritated she goes away. This behavior could be a Platina behavior. Platina tends either to express her anger intensely saying “Who do you think you are?” looking down on you as if you were a worthless worm or leave in a snobbish style giving you again the same look. Medorhinum when someone “busts his balls” will shout: “Get off my back, will you!”

This certain patient expresses her irritability and often intensely. She may hit her hand on the table or slam the door, i.e. she is sycotic regarding expression of her irritability. What idiosyncrasy can do this? -Medorhinum.

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-Right, Medorhinum, but also a Nux Vomica could do this. A Stramonium would be much more intense and would burst his irritability towards himself also. Now, as tidiness is concerned what is your evaluation? Give me a grade for it. -Two to three. -I think it‟s three. -I also think she is tidiness 3. She has many and intense characteristics that show tidiness 3. For example she says that when visitors leave late at night and even if she is tired she will put all things back in order. She also says that if rarely she doesn‟t do this she won‟t let anyone come to the house next day. Or she will plan not to work next day so as to take care of everything.

She also has that waking up at 4-6 a.m. in the morning without managing to sleep again because of the worries she has in her mind for the day to come. And that she just can‟t sleep if everything in the house isn‟t in order and kids to bed. Everything must be as it should be. This is not only a Nux Vomica characteristic. It could also be a Natrum Muriaticum case due to her tendency for consistency and her psoric tendency for completing any task undertaken. But I think in this case it‟s more likely a Nux Vomica case expressed by the motto: “Order for the sake of order!”.

Don‟t forget that Nux Vomica usually has two kinds of insomnia. The one already mentioned and the other during which she can‟t sleep at night because she hasn‟t had the time to finish everything “she should have done”. So, we have many characteristics of Nux Vomica. We note this down to bear it in mind and go on.

5.10 Introversion/extroversion, fears and fixed ideas -Do you want to talk about your personal problems, your deep felt matters or do you keep it inside?

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-I want to. -To how many people will you talk to? -To one. -Will you say it all or will you keep some things for you? -Everything. -Oppression chest or sighing or lump throat when upset? -No. -If somebody, not from your close ones, has learned that you were upset from something personal and comes to console you how do you feel? Better, just listen to him or worse, that is, feel annoyed or angry? -It‟s not a problem but I don‟t say my personal problems to others. -Do you cry easily? -No, not easily. -If you do, do you want to be alone or it doesn‟t matter if it happens in front of others? -Definitely alone! -Any fears or phobias? -Not something particular. -If your husband is even a little late do you worry a lot, as if something bad has happened to him? -Not particularly but I will call him. -Do you get very worried about the children telling them all the time “Eat!”, “Wear enough clothes!” or “Be careful!”? -Not much. -In general, can you ignore anything that is not in its place or not properly done? -Nothing wrong escapes me!

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Again it‟s time for comments. Is she introvert or extrovert? -What did she say? Did she say that she confesses her personals only to one person? -Yes, only to her husband. -Then she is mostly introvert. -Let‟s say introvert 2. She also wants to cry alone grade 3 so we have to think of Natrum Muriaticum and it‟s time to start differential diagnosis. Let‟s move on.

-Whenever you hear about heart attacks, strokes, cancer, etc, are you also worried about you? Afraid that it may also happen to you? -No. -Are you afraid of heights, for example to look down from a balcony? -Yes. -From what floor up, do you start being afraid? -Up to the third floor I am alright. -On leaving your house, your car or your job do you often have the doubt if you have locked the door or if you have left the kitchen open or the boiler on? -I check it before leaving. -After checking it when you are on the street do you still have doubts about it? -It may cross my mind. -Will you go back again to check it? -Yes.

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-After going back and after checking it again on leaving do you still have doubts? -No, not again. -When walking, do you have the tendency to count numbers, steps, cars etc? -No. -Do you want to wash your hands often just because you are afraid of germs? -Not much. -Are you superstitious? To say to yourself: “I‟ve seen this sign so something bad may happen”? -No.

Again, it‟s time for discussion. Which are the new important characteristics? -Fear of heights. -Give me a degree. -One. -I would say one, two the most. She says that she is afraid from the third floor up but the way she says it is not so convincing. Does she have any fixed ideas? -Yes, she has some obsessive behaviors. -Yes, she does! I mean the thing she has when leaving her house… but still it‟s not at a capital degree. As you must have noticed I asked many relevant questions in order to evaluate the degree of this symptom, in order to find out if she were an Argentum Nitricum. But she doesn‟t seem to be so. Let‟s move on.

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5.11 Differential Diagnosis -Do you like reading books? -Yes I do. -Around 11 o‟clock in the morning do you often get hungry and want to eat something? -No. -Do you eat hastily even if you have time? -Yes, that‟s it. -If you eat late at night do you often have indigestion? -No. -Are you indecisive? Not to be able to decide easily to do this or that? -No. -If you are to speak in front of people, to make a presentation about something you know very well, do you feel comfortable or do you have intense stress worrying that you won‟t do things right? -Yes, I am stressed. -But does it last only a few minutes? -Yes.

It‟s time for analysis. What idiosyncrasy am I asking for at the moment? -Lycopodium. -Correct. I„ve asked about Phosphor, Argentum Nitricum and now I am asking about Lycopodium. She doesn‟t have any special characteristics of the above idiosyncrasies so I go on. You see I have Nux Vomica in my mind as the most possible idiosyncrasy but still I have to differentiate from other idiosyncrasies just in case. Let‟s move on.

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-What are your favorite movies? -Not something particular. -How about documentaries about Nature, animals… such things? -Sometimes, yes. -Compared to the average of other people of your age, regarding cleverness, do you feel above average, normal or below average? -Normal. -When walking, do you sometimes have the sensation that you are taller than others or that others are shorter? -No. -When in between sleep and awakened state, do you sometimes feel that your hands, head or feet become larger? -No. -Do you love dancing? -No.

5.12 Final diagnosis At this point differential diagnosis came to an end. I have asked again about Lycopodium and then about Platina and Tarentula Hispanica. As you must have noticed I didn‟t insist because nothing characteristic came up. It‟s now time for decisions to be made.

Most of the characteristic symptoms point towards Nux Vomica. And in fact this is in accordance with the general image of this woman and the feeling she creates to me. She gave me quite a systematic and thorough description of her physical symptoms. She was very specific and clear as to her answers and often her answers were short and to the point. All the above reveal a very well organized personality and this is in favor of Nux Vomica.

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Other things that suit the latter idiosyncrasy: cold 2, annoyed by untidiness 3, has no problem to burst her anger but she does it with tact, has a lot in her mind and is very active, controlled burst of anger, wakes up at 4 to 6 a.m. and can‟t sleep again because she is worried about things that must be done during the day and finally the most important characteristic is fastidious 3.

After excluding Platina and Natrum Muriaticum I prescribed Nux Vomica 1M. She followed my treatment and did well, thus confirming that my diagnosis was correct.

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