Editorial: the Papaveraceae family

This month we have a collection of cases from the Papaver family, centered on its key remedy, Opium. The response to Opium’s extreme sensitivity to pain, be it physical or emotional, is to dissociate and numb the pain. The cases show variations on this theme: Urvi Chauhan describes a man with severe arthritis, who experiences pain as intolerable and whose dream reveals an equally painful situation. Ulrich Welte’s case is of a man whose problems started after a fall and who subsequently no longer felt any pain. Alex Leupen tells of the “benevolence” of the Opium family. Referring to Karl Marx’s statement “religion is the opium of the people”, he presents the case of a man who responded well to Sanguinaria for his allergies and headaches. Deborah Collins has a collection of short cases of Opium, showing how it is sometimes necessary to follow up a “dissociation remedy”, such as Opium, with one or more which address the different layers of a problem.

We hope, as always, that you will enjoy this first issue of the year 2011. As we enter our second year of editorship, we would like to invite you to comment on the content of the journal to enable us to continue creating issues that respond ever more closely to your needs, wishes, and desires; criticisms, suggestions, and praises, all welcomed! We wish you a fruitful, fulfilling, and peaceful new year.

Photo from Wikimedia
A lone diya (lamp) in the prayer room; Ribhu Dey