Donald Trump’s Homeopathic Remedy, a Postscript. Does he need Benzene petroleum?

Entrenched fear such as experienced by PTSD afflicted people can be paralyzing. In his recent NY Times an Opinion piece Professor Richard Friedman of Weill Cornell Medical College describes a a study from the Journal Biological Psychiatry that works by offering a means of altering emotional memory, the associations we have between various stimuli and experiences and our emotional response to them. According to Dr. Friedman,

“It has been an article of faith in neuroscience and psychiatry that, once formed, emotional memories are permanent. Afraid of heights or spiders? The best we could do was to get you to tolerate them, but we could never really rid you of your initial fear.”

The current standard of treatment for phobias of this sort involves desensitization (or “exposure”) therapy: under safe conditions, a repeated presentation of the feared object or frightening memory. Alongside his toxic memory the patient logs a new unthreatening memory in his brain. The problem though is that with any exposure to the frightening trigger his old fear reawakens with increased intensity.

In the study a group exposed to a tarantula in a glass jar for two minutes before being given a beta-blocker called propranolol (commonly prescribed to patients for performance anxiety) outperformed control groups getting either propranol or exposure therapy alone. Despite having been induced to be arachnophobes this group was able to touch the tarantula within days.

Moreover the effect held: by three months and for long after, many could comfortably hold the spider in their bare hands. The explanation is that in blocking the effects of norepinephrine (a chemical similar to adrenaline) in the brain subtracts stress from memory reacquisition, thereby enhancing learning. Blocking norepinephrine in other words prompts mental reconsolidation by disrupting the way a memory is put back in storage after it is retrieved.

How wonderful is that? And consider the implications for treating PTSD.

Sure, but we offer the following caveat: Homeopathy addresses the very same problem more efficiently, less expensively, in deeper and in more natural fashion:

1. As opposed to relying on a “middle man,” the in between measure of pharmaceutically softening up memory so that fear can be unlearned, homeopathy directly awakens a response already in place that is only waiting to happen;
2. In place of a costly traditional pharmaceutical the correct high potency homeopathic remedy, inexpensive to begin with needs be give only seldom to achieve its deep effect;
3. Arranging to create exposure to a triggering event is dispensed with in homeopathy;
4. The homeopathic effect will be lasting because it is more deep, permanent in fact. A correctly prescribed homeopathic addresses buried issues predisposing the traumatized individual to his or her specific fear. But other, seemingly unrelated symptoms improve as well. For example, an individual whose arachnophobia treated with the homeopathic snake remedy Crotalus Cascavella will notice adjunctive improvements including fear of being alone, despair that he or she will never get well, and reduction in general body tension (especially of the neck).

If you have PTSD, talk to your homeopath about trauma-specific remedies.

During childbearing years women may develop uterine fibroids. According the Mayo Clinic such growths called leiomyomas or myomas are not cancerous and seldom develop into cancer.

However, they are problematic. The most common symptoms of uterine fibroids include:

• Heavy menstrual flow
• Extended menstrual periods, meaning seven days or more
• Pelvic pressure or pain
• Frequent urination or difficulty with voiding
• Constipation
• Backache or leg pains

Your homeopath would never prescribe a remedy based on one symptom alone, or strictly on the basis of medical diagnosis for that matter. Instead, her interview with you will explore features peculiar to your personality and symptoms apparently unrelated to the fibroids. In total this information provides vital context and the basis for your homeopathic prescription. That said, there is one remedy that must be considered (if only to be ruled out) when a woman presents with uterine fibroids: Aurum Muriaticum Natronatum.

Derived from a chloride of gold this remedy has an especial relevance for the female reproductive organs. Mental and emotional hallmarks of women for whom Aurum Muriaticum Natronatum are indicated include: tendency to be judgmental, a concern that justice is always done and a generally sharp mind. These features reflect the Aurum (gold) component of the remedy reflecting someone who is responsible, holds high standards and is at the top of her game with respect to career.

Correct as she usually is in her judgments it is not surprising that her assessments of others are also highly critical. And yet she will her express her opinions in a reserved manner. This is because chloride remedy-states have to do with the presence of loss, a grief that due to her excess of dignity she constrains. A skilled homeopath suspecting the presence of a grief that lurks in her history need not, like a therapist prompt its disclosure. The mere certainty that it is there can provide sufficient context for uterine fibroids as to recommend a prescription of the Aurum Muiatcum Natronatum remedy.

After she has taken an accurately prescribed dose of this remedy relief from uterine symptoms along with shrinkage from the fibroids can be expected. As they never quite say in the TV drug commercials…

Talk to your homeopath about the remedy, Aurum Muriaticum Natronatum!

A handful of homeopathic remedies may come to mind (any one of which could spare you a long-term course of suppressive, often creativity-killing medication)…

Though not a major depressive disorder dysthymia is a serious state of chronic depression. It can persist for as long as two years. A bad mood that simply does not lift, a serious, prolonged and joyless funk, dysthymia can start to feel like it is part of your personality.

It’s not.

As I have said again and again, your classical homeopath will never prescribe solely on the basis of a western diagnosis. No, it is always the client in all her blazing uniqueness that the homeopath’s prescription must match. That said, a client complaining of being in a chronically bad mood, a continuous funk or of being joyless might prompt the homeopath to consider a short list of remedies. If all of these are ruled out, no big problem. Your homeopath will shift gears and find an accurate alternative. There are approximately 35,000 remedies in the homeopathic armamentarium. Your practitioner is adept in narrowing the field of candidate remedies!

In alphabetical order the remedies are:

Adamas, Cactus Grandiflora, Natrum Mur, Psorinum and Sepia

From the standpoint of the mental and emotional features only (every remedy-state displays characteristic physical symptoms and behaviors as well) differentiation is as follows:

Adamas—Made from diamond, this remedy is given when the client’s joyless features above all else a profound sense of discouragement.

Cactus Grandiflora—Made from a desert cactus this remedy probably most closely matches the spirit of the dysthymia definition. It is joyless, with a sense of isolation. The person seems prickly, offputting to others.

Natrum Muriaticum—Made from sea salt this is one of the more common manifestations of dysthymia. The client’s joylessness is rooted in entrenched grief. Her subconscious strategy involves keeping her loss under wraps. She is sad, cannot cry and joylessly goes about fulfilling her duties, especially as a caretaker.

Psorinum—Made from the exudate of a scabies infestation the dysthymia of a client needing this remedy reflects poverty consciousness, a feeling of never having enough for his future needs. Though his joylessness concerns the futility of his ongoing endeavors he perseveres in being (though dysfunctionally so) entrepreneurial . His appetite is often ravenous since he feels he must eat like there is no tomorrow.

Sepia—Derived from the ink of the cuttlefish the dysthymia of an individual needing this remedy is flavored by confusion (just as the fish’s ink muddies the waters). Due to entrenched resentment and bitterness that has come to undermine her native optimism she now finds hope to be toxic. Exhaustion and half-heartedness now contaminate her love relationships.

As they almost but never quite say in the television drug commercials:

Got dysthymia? Talk to your homeopath about…

Brain injuries resulting in concussion usually involve temporary loss of normal brain function. Sports injuries, falls or vehicular collisions are often to blame. Delayed onset of symptoms days or weeks following the injury is not unusual. It can include: head or neck pain, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, tinnitus and fatigue. More vague symptoms such as feeling dazed or confused, sleep disruption, extremities tingling or numbness can also appear and linger.

Conventional medicine has little to offer to speed healing from brain trauma. But homeopathy does offer excellent options. In particular, three remedies must be considered following any concussion. These are:

1)   Arnica Montana. Made from Leopard’s bane and well-known for any musculo/skeletal injury, this is the first remedy of choice for brain trauma under all conditions. A key aspect of the Arnica state is a state of denial, the feeling that “Uh, I’m okay…” when that’s not actually true. The delusion of wellbeing results from there existing a level of consciousness in each of us that is deeply invested in our intactness. When a serious injury involving for example, amputation, or brain trauma occurs, this level of consciousness, says to itself, “Right now the facts don’t match up with my understanding of intactness.” It then concludes, “I am out of here” and departs. At the spiritual level, Arnica works by means of drawing the soul fully back into the body. With intactness of bodily consciousness reestablished, healing can then be maximized. (Note to parents, coaches, executives and players involved with football: buckets of Arnica should be available on the game field’s sidelines).

2)   Natrum Sulphurica. When for a prolonged period of time following head trauma an individual is never quite the same, this remedy comes into play. Aspects pertaining to the Nat Sulph state worth noticing include susceptibility to dampness, melancholy, digestive complaints, and a depressive sensitivity to being ignored or not listened to.

3)   Cicuta Virosa. Made from Northern water hemlock this is the remedy to consider when lingering concussion symptoms include unwarranted childishness, grimacing, unusual anxiety, avoidance of company and muscular spasms.

These and other indicated homeopathic remedy direct the victim of a concussion to going back on track. So it is good to remember as they never quite say in the television drug commercials:

Got concussion? Talk to your homeopath about what Arnica, Natrum Sulphurica, or Cicuta Virosa can do for you!

Though millions of dollars annually are spent on the war on cancer, to my knowledge not a dime has ever been spent researching a major clinical find: An acupuncture point known as Root of Tumor (or Pee Gun) whose sole action involves the dissolution of tumors and the undoing of cancer. Perhaps this should change.

The point and its method of treatment was taught to me by Dr. James Tin Yau So in 1978. Dr. So was the bearer of a renowned acupuncture lineage in China and an immensely experienced clinician for whom the New England School of Acupuncture (oldest in the country) was founded in 1975. A beloved teacher whose devoted students number in the thousands, Dr. So may be considered the father of acupuncture in the US.

Within Dr. So’s clinical lineage, Root of Tumor (or Pee Gun) has a long history of empirical validation. An “extra,” or non-meridian point, even within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory its action is not readily accounted for. According to Dr. So needling of the point is forbidden. Instead, Pee Gun is treated by direct (scarring) moxibustion (the burning of an herb, Artemisia vulgaris) on the skin). Done properly this is not as bad as it sounds as the heat builds gradually and is over just as it is about to become painful).

The following verbatim account given by a patient who also happens to be a close friend illustrates Pee Gun’s action:

Following a biopsy December 17th, 2006 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  At the time of the biopsy my hemoglobin was 7.4.  I was incredibly tired, itched a lot and had terrible night-sweats, all common symptoms of NHL. 

 New Year’s Eve 2006-2007 was spent with friends in Boston.  Their home on the second floor required a climb of about 16 steps, a trip I could only make on my hands and knees and was exhausted when I reached the top.  I could barely stay awake for the event, even after an afternoon nap.

New Year’s morning, at about 9AM, we drove our children to Logan airport, about a forty-minute trip.  I drove there and back and almost immediately went to bed and slept for several hours into the afternoon.

When I awoke, Jerry asked if I would be interested in having an acupuncture treatment.  He said it was not a common treatment but one he learned from the founder of the acupuncture school he attended. 

I sat with my back to him. My husband and Jerry’s wife helped distract me from the pain of having moxa burned 14 times on 2 places on my back.  The process must have taken about a painful hour, after which I again took to sleep for a few hours.

When I woke up I drove my husband and myself to meet other friends for dinner in a neighboring town.  There we partied until late into the night and only left because my husband reminded me that our hosts would be waiting up for us to arrive.  When we got there I bounded up the stairs I could only have slowly climbed hours before.

 January 4th was my first meeting with the oncologist.  To every one’s surprise my blood count was 9 that day.  When I began chemo February 5th with my blood count 10.2, I knew that the acupuncture treatment was largely responsible for my road to full health.  I went back to playing tennis February 15th, 10 days after my first of 6 chemo treatments, fully energized and full of stamina for the 1 1/2 hours of play.  I have been cancer free for 8+ years. Ms. ML.

Dr. So taught acupuncturists to fearlessly treat seriously ill people and moxibustion was a principal weapon.

The point’s location:

Three and a half cun (finger division measured according to width of the patient’s middle finger’s crease between first and second digits when the finger is bent) bilateral from under the 12th thoracic vertebrae.

Please note that not all practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine are trained in or comfortable performing this treatment. To have Pee Gun treated find an acupuncturist with experience and skill in direct moxibustion.

My suspicion is that intense heat stimulus to Pee Gun is anti-oxidative and promotes cancer cell apoptosis. For research and also clinical purposes it is likely that in place of direct moxibustion a less onerous method of treatment such as laser heat stimulaton could work.

IF YOU ARE A CANCER RESEARCHER SEEKING MORE INFORMATION OR AN ACUPUNCTURIST DESIRING TRAINING IN THE USE OF THIS POINT,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

We all could stand to know: What exactly is going on within the body approximately three inches lateral to under the twelve thoracic vertebrae?

While awaiting our answer, as they almost but do not quite say in the television drug commercials…

Talk to your acupuncturist about the anti-tumor point, Pee Gun!

Jerome Groopman’s article, “Inflamed, Debate Over the Latest Cure-All Phase” Misreads Chronic Inflammation’s Genuine Meaning

In his recent article in The New Yorker Magazine, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/30/inflamed Dr. Jerome Groopman says: “For centuries, scientists have debated whether inflammation is good or bad for us. Now we believe that it’s both: too little, and microbes fester and spread in the body, or wounds fail to heal; too much, and nearby healthy tissue can be degraded or destroyed. The fire of inflammation must be tightly controlled—turned on at the right moment and, just as critically, turned off. Lately, however, several lines of research have revealed that low-level inflammation can simmer quietly in the body, in the absence of overt trauma or infection, with profound implications for our health” (italics are mine).

If it is true that scientists endlessly debate the goodness or badness of inflammation common sense may dictate otherwise.

When the vital force is strong an acute illness features a perfectly timed inflammatory response of exactly the right “amount.” Groopman’s understanding of two kinds of inflammation, one too much and the other too little both describe what homeopaths such as myself would ascribe to a chronic illness. In the case of too little inflammation, an underlying psychic issue or overwhelming pathological intrusion stymies and overwhelms the immune system rendering the normally healthful response inadequate to the problem. In that case the remedy chosen must address the underlying mental/emotion problem, not just the physical manifestation. Groopman’s notion of too much inflammation, an immune system that fails to turn itself off represents the chronic condition of autoimmunity, rampant in modern times. In that case addressing why the immune system has become hysterical needs to be addressed.

Groopman’s unwillingness or inability to ask WHY inflammation is quietly simmering in the body in the absence of overt trauma or infection reflects a blind spot in medicine, the connection (actually identity) between chronic inflammation and autoimmune conditions. Rather than asking how best to control inflammation so that the right amount is produced he and his fellow scientists should be asking, “Why is there so much autoimmunity of which chronic inflammation, the body’s battling phantom antagonists is a mere symptom?”

Chronic inflammation of the brain for example, such is seen in conditions like Alzheimers disaease and autism reflect glial tissue overload. A newly emerging concept, glial overload refers to systematic metabolic degeneration leading to a general overheating of the nervous system’s neuroglial cells. This is described as the degeneration phase f(the last phase in a cascade of six) described in the field of homotoxicology.

Glial overload refers to an ongoing neuroinflammatory process that is damaging to the mitochondria (cell powerhouses) in different regions of the brain and activates a special type of glia known as the microglia. Microglia function as macrophages in the brain and spinal cord (like little Pacmen that eat other cells) and thus constitute the first and main form of active immune defense in the central nervous system. So activating the microglia, the brain’s main immune defense cells, begins the process of autoimmunity in the brain that my book, Autism Reversal Toolbox refers to as the Neural Autoimmune Miasm.

Gut glia can become dysregulated due to toxic overlaoad, but also via genetic and epigenetic causes that prompt gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. As I have written in Autism Reversal Toolbox,

“A developmental explanation is helpful. As we develop from child to adult, our intestines must rise to the challenge of breaking down food so that the immune system can fully mature and the microbiome [i.e. gut flora] can be well balanced.”

The ileocecal valve is the nutritive hinge between the inner and outer universe, just as the lungs are the respiratory hinge between the inner and outer universe.[1] (Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Small Intestine/Heart relationship thus reflects how the intestines augment the sense of self, with the Heart representing one’s soul). That a strong sense of self and confidence among one’s peers reflects Small Intestine/Heart balance is borne out by a recent discovery that the gut’s germs influence our behavior: the behavioral preference of germs in a healthy microbiome is for the host to be socially adept, able to bond with others.[2]

Leaky gut, on the other hand (the breakdown of the mucosal lining), reflects a sense of general danger such as can prompt inflammatory anxiety and the diminished ability to overcome social and other challenges within the sense dimension of Taste.

 _______________________

[1] The ileocecal valve, positioned between the ileum (last portion of your small intestine) and the cecum (first portion of your large intestine) is a hinge in that it has the dual function of allowing digested food materials to pass from the small intestine into your large intestine while also blocking waste materials from backing back up into your small intestine.

[2] Zimmer, C. How bacteria may control us. New York Times Science section, 8/19/2014, pg. D1.

Anacardium Orientale

The condition known as Tourette’s Syndrome is a neurological ailment in which people compulsively make sudden movements or sounds. Known as tics, these can include uncontrollable throat clearing, odd gesturing or the blurting of curse words.

Regarding a condition discussed homeopathically the point will always be made that no one remedy effects a cure in every instance. With regard to a client suffering from Tourette’s though, it would be surprising if your homeopath did not closely consider one remedy in particular: Anacardium Orientale, made from marking nut, the prime remedy for compulsive cursing.

Confirmatory features for prescribing Anacardum include: a tendency in the client to eat rapidly. In fact he feels better from stuffing his food down. His manner of eating parallels an emotional need to stuff down horrific feelings of low confidence and inadequacy. In mind-body terms the sensation of “stuffing down” extends to physical symptoms such as bowel function where a constipated sense of having a plug in the rectum is reported. Tightness of the head, a sensation of an encircling band is often spoken of.

Most importantly the homeopathic interview with an Anacardium client reveals struggle with horrific inner conflict. As if possessed by battling angels, one good angel and the other one bad, the inner drama vents a polarity: cruel behaviors (reflecting the hardness of the marking nut’s outer shell) alternating with remorseful and abject helplessness. Conjoined with cursing the individual is readily offended, indecisive and prone to mind fog.

The beauty of homeopathy is how it makes sense of otherwise mystifying conditions. The Anacardium individual diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome is not only treatable, meaning likely to greatly improve, but his or her condition can also be understood in terms of Anacardium’s existential theme: lack of inner unification resulting from having been dominated or humiliated.

As they do not quite say in the television drug commercials: “If you or someone you know is suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome, ask your homeopath about Anacardium Orientale.”

You are feeling perfectly alright. But then it is time for your regular visit to the OB/Gyn, or annual physical exam with your physician. Now in the office, one glimpse at her white lab coat and your mouth goes dry and your heart jumps into your throat. Struggling to contain a mounting, uncontrollable fear: “What if they find something…..?” your heart beat is racing. The cuff is placed around your arm, then tightened. What a powerful pulsation. “Hmm, your pressure is through the roof,” the nurse calmly intones. A few more readings and after multiple deep breaths your blood pressure finally drops. As usual, nothing is found wrong with you. Time to go home. But what an ordeal! Wouldn’t it be nice if just for once the be-well visit were not so damned stressful?

Homeopaths seldom select a single remedy for a single symptom. In fact, their prescribing usually entails eliciting additional features and symptoms. Like a character witness testifying on behalf of a defendant, such information works to confirm the aptness of a judgment, in this case the correctness of a remedy. So saying we discuss Aurum Muriaticum, a remedy whose “character” we now implicate in the treatment of White Coat Syndrome.

Derived from chloride of gold, Aurum Muriaticum is chiefly prescribed for heart ailments featuring angina, arrhythmia, palpitations, uterine fibroids and even malignancy. Within the mental and emotional sphere it comes up for depression. But many remedies address this same constellation of ailments. What distinguishes Aurum Muriaticum from competing remedies? Moreover, what renders it relevant in high blood pressure in the doctor’s office? Narrowing the field for our consideration are Aurum Muriaticum’s keynote mental features. These are specifically:

Anger when thinking of his ailments. Delusion that he has every disease; if left alone he thinks about nothing but his ailments

So no homeopath would recommend giving this remedy to just anyone suffering from White Coat Syndrome, he or she would consider prescribing it when: 1) The client has a history of depression, especially if this mental state is tied into general Aurum characteristics (that include a susceptibility to guilt and carrying heavy responsibility in life); and 2) When such Aurum features are found crossed with a history of grief; and 3) The requisite heart features we have listed are evident. An appropriately golden opportunity then present itself: Not only can a prescription made that treats fear of doctors, but the underlying cause of fear as well. Chronically ongoing but undetected stresses of the heart when the client is outside of the doctor’s office may then be dealt with as well.

In similar discriminating fashion fear of the dentist can likewise be addressed. A list of remedies to be considered in this case would include: Alumina, Alumina Silicata, Calcarea Carbonica, Pulsatilla, Sillica, and Tuberculinum.

As they don’t quite say in the television commercials:  Ask your homeopath about…!

Cocculus Indicus

When undertaking a long air flight, especially one crossing multiple time zones never forget to take along some Cocculus 30. This remedy possesses several memorable, keynote prescribing symptoms: 1) Ailments from nightwatching (meaning, loss of sleep but especially due to the stress of caring for or worrying about a sick relative or acquaintance); 2) ailments from motion, such as carsickness; a sense of time passing too quickly. Insofar as flying often denotes worry, stress, distortion of time and sleep patterns, not to mention an excess of motion it is easy to see why Cocculus suggests itself as a prime remedy for jet lag. Having recently undergone 17 hour flights from Boston to South Africa and back I can personally attest to this remedy’s usefulness. My jet lag was absolutely minimal. My recommendation is that one take a dose before flight, and also every few hours during the flight.

Other symptoms suggesting the appropriateness of prescribing this remedy include: profound sadness, a feeling of being capricious and stupid, excessive sensitivity, introspection, and distractibility. In more physical terms there is often a sense that one’s head is swimming, a readiness to nausea, weakness, prostration, tendencies to spasms. One of the most unusual indicating signs (not always present) is a sense of one’s being hollow.