Editorial: Spring treasure trove

One of the joys of editorship is to come in contact with a vast array of information and with those who share it with us. Recently, we were sent a little jewel: an abstract on homeopathic research carried out in 2006 by the biochemist Dr. Elzbieta Malarczyk, PhD, Professor emeritus at the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland. Since 2000, she has been studying the effects of homeopathic dilutions of phenol on the enzyme processes of fungi and bacteria. She has also undertaken studies of classical homeopathy in cooperation with medical doctors; this cooperation yielding many popular articles. Her research confirms what homeopaths have known for over 200 years: increasing potentisation according to the homeopathic principles of dilution and succusion has an obvious and predictable effect on living material even at sub-Avogadro dilutions (those where no molecules of the initial substance remain). The paper has been presented in short at a recent congress on complementary medicine in Florence, Italy, but given the abundance of information available at the congress, its importance seems to have been overlooked. Yet, this research could be rated as having the same importance as the works of Montagnier, no less.  

For those of us who see the effects of accurate homeopathic prescriptions every day, no one would be surprised at the outcome. Some might not even consider that it is necessary to try to convince disbelievers that “homeopathy works” and yet, it is heartening to see that such research is being carried out. One would hope that it attracts the attention it deserves, adding yet another piece of evidence in support of the veracity of homeopathic dilutions. Through such research, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sweep aside homeopathy as “nonsense” or “against the laws of nature”.

This issue is another “treasure trove” issue; a Spring firework of cases sent in from all winds.

Enna Stallinga, from Holland, has been collecting butterflies – remedies for those sensitive and flighty souls for whom earthly existence feels too harsh, and who tend to flutter off rather than remain grounded. From these cases, we gain a feeling for the butterfly world in our patients, and see the profound effects that these remedies, until recently completely unknown in homeopathy, can have.

Manish Panchal of India describes the case of a young boy with recurrent coughs and colds and attention-seeking behaviour. It is this behaviour, as well as his pronounced food desires, which leads to a remedy that improves his health and happiness, despite the scepticism of the boy’s father. Manish describes the remedy, made from a common food source, in such a way that we can easily recognise it in our practices, a remedy which will be much-needed in our times.

Francine Lys of France tells the fascinating story of a young girl with an obsessive compulsive disorder; the continual need to put everything in order due to the terror in her mind. In doing so, Francine shows a relatively unknown side of a well-known, frequently used remedy, and demonstrates how one can trust our patients to tell us what we need to know.

Valerie Lovelace of the US goes deep into her patient’s dark history of abuse and drug addiction, and further back into a violent childhood, matching this state of utter bleakness with a Lanthanide remedy, in order to bring healing and release.

Jean-Jacques Demarteau, a Frenchman practicing in Switzerland, uses a wide variety of techniques to elicit the necessary information from a young patient with secondary encopresis. Again, we see how, when one listens carefully and is ready to try whatever approach seems right, the patient simply “tells” us the remedy, or in this case, draws it.

Last but not least, Martin Jakob from Germany brings the fruits of a proving of Saussurea obvallata, a plant of the Carduceaceae, a subfamily of the Asterales, and aligns it with Jan Scholten’s themes of the plant families. He places this plant at stage 10 of the Carduceaceae, noting that the theme of “freedom fighters”, for which this family is known, is not as marked here due to its position at the top, where one no longer needs to fight. This is more for the guru, the one who is at peace on the outside, though there may still be some shadows on the inside. 

As you can see, this issue demonstrates beautifully the different styles of practice and the need to remain open to that which our patients bring to us. We wish you much reading pleasure, and hope to receive some of the cases that have made your own work so satisfying.

Photo: Ranunculus; Jürgen Weiland