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stead she was analyzed as ADD, she would have homeopath was interested in what made Maria tick. Her fears, pleasures,
been bundled in with restless children who bite, food interests and aversions. Even her sleep positions would be useful to a
but Maria wasn’t a restless biter. Regardless of homeopath sniffing out the cause and remedy choice for such an individual.
the differences between the personalities within The homeopath appeared curious, like a detective seeking clues, in
the diagnostic categories, all of those in it would spite of Maria’s spicy language, as she looked for pieces of the puzzle as
be given the same drugs, often in the same to what may have sparked the original changes in Maria. That’s when her
frequency. Despite the diagnosis, the prognosis mother relayed the string of ear infections “treated” by antibiotics. The
would have been the same: psychotropic drugs homeopath was interested in this information and focused in on which
for many months, maybe years. antibiotics were administered.
Even more important, conventional medi- One antibiotic had been used for the first and second ear infections.
cine has little or no interest in the etiology of By the time the fifth infection presented, Maria was put on a daily dose
an illness. "Idiopathic" is a common term in al- of another, more powerful antibiotic for close to a year. What followed
lopathy. It means “we have no idea how you got was a series of stomach pains, alternating diarrhea and constipation, and
sick.” Homeopathy considers the exciting cause impressive temper tantrums. Maria’s parents relayed how she would slam
to be a critical factor. In light of these factors, her legs against the wall sometimes for hours, when she was supposed
Maria’s family sought the aid of a homeopath. to be sleeping. They also awkwardly confessed that Maria began using
True to form, the appointment with the curse words, even though they couldn’t figure out where she had learned
homeopath had to be rescheduled twice before them; particularly the pungent, sexually explicit ones she spewed when
Maria was ready to cooperate without a tantrum. she entered kindergarten.
When they finally met, the interview was com- One of the more disturbing symptoms was that at the age of ten Maria
forting. Even Maria seemed less agitated. became fearful of dying. This was no run of the mill fear, but sometimes
They learned that homeopathy is a dis- terrorizing panic. She blamed her parents for bringing her into this
tinctive treatment for distinctive people. The wretched world; words that seared Mrs. Reyne’s heart.

LIARS DON'T PLAY CHESS

No one can lie to us and get away with it if we’re not disposed to being vulnerable. I caution my student-clients that
stepping into the conventional medical arena needs to be played like a game of chess. You wouldn’t place your precious
queen on the middle of the board, pull your hands away, and simply hope for the best. A seasoned chess player would
imagine what the other player may do with his bishop or knight. Then he’d visualize his next set of options based on
those potential moves.
Maria was the Reynes' queen. Initially, they unwittingly relied on that first antibiotic to remove the early ear infec-
tions. Now they know they should have done their homework and asked what the long term effects of antibiotics could
represent. They also agree that they should have asked what would happen if they had refused antibiotics. Now they
wish they had known of the later manifestations of suppressed ear infections and the dangers of the drugs used to treat
them. Today the Reynes admit that they had not learned to play the game well enough. This doesn’t mean that a doctor
is necessarily an opponent. Yet it must be acknowledged that no one will consider our queen as valuable as we do. And
unfortunately in our litigious world, doctors are required to practice defensive medicine. That is, superfluous drugs and
tests are often ordered because the attending doctor could be legally responsible for not having followed the standard
of practice, regardless of his private opinion.
Equally important, pediatricians and family practitioners are not educated as to the long-term effects of drugs because
there are no double blind tests done on children, nor are they tested on adults for more than a few months. The only
way for a doctor to recognize future issues is to have stepped outside the box and observed it clinically. He’d have to be
aware of the time line and connect the dots on his own. This often doesn’t happen unless some adverse effects happen
to members of his own family.
Interestingly, in England, childhood otitis media is usually treated with nothing but a good dose of rest and perhaps
an analgesic (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Otitis-media/Pa ges/Treatment.aspx). If and when the ear drum ruptures,
as it is allowed to do, the pediatrician expects that it will subsequently heal satisfactorily on its own, often allowing the
events to end permanently.
As parents, it is up to us to learn the moves to make on the chess board. If we don’t do our homework, we’re easy
prey to an alliance that has already memorized a sequence of moves designed to direct the parent seamlessly onto their
side of the chess board. If we’ve done our groundwork, we will recognize the patterns and block the offense.
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