In August of 1988, my wife and I along with our 3-year old son arrived in the village of Saxtons River, VT to settle into a new life in a somewhat ramshackle house rented from a cousin. Only two years removed from the jungle villages of Sri Lanka followed up by an interim stay in Connecticut, we arrived with few belongings save our clothes, some tag sale furniture and kitchen items, my wife's sewing machine and my professional equipment - a treatment table, acupuncture needles, along with about one hundred large glass jars full of Chinese medicinal herbs.
Foxglove
Elaine is a woman in her 30's with two young children, all of whom I had been treating off and on for a number of years. Prone to headaches, menstrual irregularities and appetite dysregulation, she generally responded to homeopathic treatment positively. Lean and tall, Elaine always had a pleasant, gentle manner about her, agreeable, quick to smile and laugh.
A Serious Young Man
Michael is a high school student with PANDAS who I have been treating for the last several months. He developed the condition at the age of 8 after a bout of strep throat that was treated with antibiotics. The strep kept on reoccurring and Michael began exhibiting odd behaviors. He would wiggle or shake his body and make stepping patterns with his feet or tapping patterns with his fingers. Then he started with various tics that presented like slurping and sniffing.
Sticks and Stones
One of the most common and potent ways to denigrate a human being or a group of human beings is to identify them by a disparaging label. To achieve its intended effect, the label, if chosen well, need not be complicated or creative. It must merely serve two purposes: to quickly conjure up in the listener's mind a negative image or association and, just as importantly, to put in place a barrier that hinders meaningful communication.
Food of the Gods
A woman we shall call Elaine first came for a homeopathic consultation a number of years ago. A teacher and artist in her 50's, she had struggled with depression for nearly her entire life, along with bouts of severe insomnia when she would go sleepless for days. A few years earlier, she had seen another homeopath who had been able to help her to a certain degree. But since Elaine had moved out of the area and was still prone to frequent relapses, the homeopath suggested she consult with someone else.