Page 13 - Autumn 18

Bob leckridge opened the Congress presentations by urging us to focus on Uniqueness and consider not just what is different, but what connects us. This allows us to create bonds of care, where we slow down, and approach both the patient and the choice of medicine without judgment. We shift our perception from objects and categories to experiences, events and concerns. Seeing with the heart, and genuinely caring, allows us to recognise and celebrate the unique, and think outside our box of preconceptions. The Iain McGilchrist book “The Master and the Emissary” was highly recommended to understand how the sides of the brain affect our worldview.
geoff Johnson expounded on the themes of Animal Energy. Disease is possession by energy which is not of that species. That energy makes us special, and it also may create pathology. The crux of prescribing is recognising the movement and behavior of the individual that will lead us to the similimum. This may be the energy of spiders, scorpions, lacs, minerals, and so on. At times, the animal may share or be the prescription for the owner; herds of cows may reflect the owner’s identity.
charles forsythe made many of us at least slightly worried – in his own relentlessly cheerful way – with his discussion of Toxicological Obstacles to Cure. Charles is a member of the British Society for Ecological Medicine [bsem.org.uk] and he presented his professional and personal insights into how we poison ourselves and our family. Avoidance of toxin exposure is ideal, combined with optimising health with constitutional treatment. Toxins act synergistically, and individuals vary in susceptibility. Man-made toxins are especially problematic, because our detoxification pathways have not evolved to cope with these compounds. Investigators determined the toxins most commonly bound to our DNA, thereby having the greatest potential for harm. The list includes virtually all the things with long names in our personal care products, soaps, pesticides, hair dyes, and
preservatives. The take home was that, as a general rule, if we wouldn’t eat it, we probably shouldn’t put it on us. In addition, our cookware is trying to kill us; Charles suggested eschewing metal and coated items in favour of ceramic or glass. For a chap who has poisoned himself multiple times, including by exposure to dog waste bags, Charles was pretty upbeat about the whole thing, giving hope that perhaps we aren’t totally doomed.
Does anyone else think that Jonathan hardy has the smoothest, most relaxing voice? Fortunately, his material on the Butterfly Remedies was so engaging that it was easy to stay alert during his lecture after lunch. Insects, by virtue of their unique property of metamorphosis share common themes of duality, need to change, and self-validation through work. “Stuff” is a common theme, with insects craving expensive stuff, and butterflies talking about not having stuff. Butterflies desire freedom, are restless, and playful. They may have been abandoned, and they are indecisive. They speak rapidly, disjointedly, and may mumble. This was illustrated with two cases: one of gender dysphoria, and another of a woman coming to terms with her sexual identity as a lesbian.
elizabeth Thompson explored the position of Homeopathy within the Integrative Medicine Model. As we move from an illness model to the global health model of wellness, none of the modalities will be locked out, because a diverse range of approaches will be considered to support the patient needs. She recommended the book by Sophie Sabbage, “The Cancer Whisperer” as an excellent example of how this can work in practice. Cases were presented using multiple modalities with homeopathy to restore health, as well as cases where homeopathy can assist with adverse effects of conventional medicine. Elizabeth posited that some of the antagonism between CAM and the conventional community may have been due to the CAM community being too ‘up ourselves’. Food for thought!
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