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HOMEOPATHIC DOCTOR LOVES A GOOD PUZZLE

The Nature Of Homeopathic Healing

   Dr. Howard Fine, a Naturopath, and a practitioner of Classical Homeopathy for 30 years, has opened his new family practice at 1150 Grove Street, San Luis Obispo. When he was just a kid, he knew he was interested in medicine, but he had no idea he would end up a detective. Conventional medicine catalogs symptoms that many patients have in common to arrive at a course of treatment. In homeopathic study, it is the strange, rare and peculiar symptoms of an individual's illness which set that patient apart from others with the same ailment and will eventually lead the doctor to the most effective remedy for that person. While most patients with a diagnosis of measles will have common symptoms, they will also have symptoms which don't seem to make sense in terms of usual diagnosis.  So even though 7 people in a room may all have symptoms of measles in common, all 7 may require completely different remedies because of their strange, rare and peculiar symptoms. One patient may be  thirsty with a fever, one may not; one may desire consolation, another may crave solitude. The challenge lies in accessing the unexpected symptoms when determining the correct remedy.

 Imagine a circular jig-saw puzzle. This particular one, for our purposes has: 

1. a central set of pieces which all fit together perfectly ( the patient , including all of their strange rare           and peculiar symptoms)

2. an outer ring (symptoms common to a number of people with the same diagnosis)

3. an intermediate circular piece (the remedy) which reflects precisely the undulating shape of the          center piece.

Let's imagine that the completed puzzle is the sum  total of the patient. Now imagine that each of the central pieces represents a distinct aspect of the patient's "health picture". That is, the patient's symptoms: physical, mental and emotional; their medical history and family background. It's all well and good to have this information, but it is how it is used by the homeopathic physician that will dictate how effective a treatment will be. In this way the remedy choice is "customized" to the individual, rather than dictated strictly by the diagnosis of the illness. Pin pointing  these strange, rare and peculiar symptoms is the job of the homeopathic Physician. Generally, a one and a half to two hour initial session for chronic (on -going) conditions allows the physician an opportunity to dig deep into the complex "picture" of the patient. Once the remedy picture is clear, a remedy which matches the convolutions of the patient's central puzzle pieces can be chosen. If the remedy piece fits precisely, a state of good health can be re-established. The detective has done his job well and completed the puzzle.