,

A Case of Fibromyalgia

,

  Wade is in many ways your classic Vermonter. Old school classic. Not one of the expatriates from the coastal regions who fled some alloy of the congestion, affluence and boredom of their native sub/urban life and whose taste for progressive views and Subarus have today come to define ‘Vermonter’ in the mind of much of the rest of the country.

Bona fide old school.   A hardscrabble youth produced a self-described hellion who left home in his early teens, eventually found his way into the army for a few years, and in due course became a trucker before ‘retiring’ to a life of carpentry and woodworking.   Largely self-educated and self reliant, Wade maintains a keen curiosity about the world and especially the people who inhabit it.

,

Hair of the Dog

,

Daniel (not his real name) was distraught and in tears the first time we met.   It wasn’t an appointment - he had just dropped by the office with his wife to ask if homeopathy might help. Waves of emotions passed over his face as we spoke and he seemed barely able to contain whatever pain he was experiencing within himself.  There was no physical illness as far as he knew – or so he explained, but mentally Daniel felt at the end of his rope and wasn’t sure if or how to carry on. Actually, when the time came, I wasn’t sure he would show for his appointment. We had set it up for a few weeks out because of some traveling he had planned and my schedule. In such an acute state, who knows what might happen between now and then? But, in fact, there he was right on time…

,

Swaziland Homeopathy Project

,

The first thing that really caught my eye in Swaziland was a box of condoms. I had flown into Johannesburg that morning, hopped on a minibus headed to the Swazi capital, Mbabane, a four hour drive eastward. As we approached the South African – Swazi border, the bus began climbing steadily and finally stopped at the crossing that was nestled in a low mountain pass.   We were instructed to disembark to present our documentation to the immigration officials.

The driver led us into a low-slung building where we queued up at a window, handing over our passports to be stamped one by one. It didn’t take long. I hardly had time to read the few posters on the wall reminding one and all of the deleterious effects of graft and corruption on the Kingdom.   When my turn came and I approached the window, there it was on the shelf in front of me – a big box of condoms free for the taking.

A Case of Hypothyroidism

Looking back on all the consultations I’ve given over the years, there are some that stick in my mind as being especially instructive – where I learned something new or had a particular insight into the homeopathic process.   One such case occurred about 10 years ago at a time when there was a great deal of excitement amongst a certain segment of the profession about some novel ideas about the relationship between the patient and the ‘simillimum’ - the remedy most reflecting his or her inner state.

When we met, the patient, a woman I’ll call Eliza, had recently been to see a physician complaining of feeling inordinately fatigued and subsequently been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. There was nothing unusual about either the diagnosis or the main presenting symptoms. Hypothyroidism, especially amongst women, is common – one could almost say epidemic in the modern world, and, low energy is perhaps the premier symptom associated with it.

, ,

Going Against the Tide

, ,

Not long ago, I was talking with a young couple, a relative and his wife, who were expecting their first child sometime next spring. After inquiring into how the pregnancy was going, plans for the birth and offering some congratulatory chitchat, I asked about their thoughts on vaccinations. Not that surprisingly, the father-to-be replied that they were intending to vaccinate, but what was surprising were the reasons he articulated for doing so.

To paraphrase his reply, he said that it was ‘tough out there’ if one doesn’t vaccinate a child. Not tough in the sense that the child might suffer from illness, but that the societal pressure is difficult to resist. The issue wasn’t whether vaccines were safe or necessary, but a fear of being ostracized and isolated.   Presumably they were referring to pressure being exerted by medical authorities and schools, and perhaps even extending to friends, work colleagues and family as well.

Call for a Free Preliminary Consultation

1-505-557-6470