by Dr. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Dr. Robert Ullman
Animals Heal Far More Than They Harm
The mere mention of a cow these days sends chills up the spine of many a farmer, tourist, or non-vegetarian, especially in the United Kingdom. Attacks by grizzlies and sharks terrify hikers and swimmers and encounters with pit bulls can result in maimings and even fatalities. The majority of these unfortunate incidents occur are the result of humans rather than the animals- either due to overcrowding to the point where wild animals no longer have a safe place to live, poor judgment on the part of those in the proximity of these animals, or simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time (unless one believes in a higher purpose even for apparent tragedies).
Although the media is more likely to portray the dangers of animals than their healing abilities or heroic efforts, they are well known. Research studies abound documenting speedier recovery from serious illness and enhanced longevity of those with beloved pets. Books such as Peaceful Kingdom: Random Acts of Kindness by Animals and Animal Angels: Amazing Acts of Love and Compassion, both written by Stephanie Laland and published by Conari Press, recount incredible true stories of a wide array of animals ranging from elephants to rats who have heroically saved the lives of humans and other animals species alike. Another relatively unknown method by which animals can heal humans is as the source of homeopathic medicines. If you are at all familiar with homeopathy you are aware that Apis (honeybee) is a common and highly effective medicine for bee stings and swellings of many parts of the body due to causes varying from allergic reactions to bladder infections to systemic edema. You probably have no idea of all of the other homeopathic animal medicines that are available to heal humans.
The Limitless Source of Homeopathic Medicines
There are currently over 2000 homeopathic medicines available throughout the world and new substances are being proven every day. This is a very exciting time for homeopaths, and for patients needing these new medicines. Nearly any substance in nature can be potentially made into a homeopathic medicine with the exception of those that cannot be extracted in the first place or elements or mineral salts that are too unstable to compound. In the past it was believed that many, if not most, individuals needed what are called polychrest remedies (the most commonly known and prescribed 45 or so medicines). Many of us have come to believe that such an assumption was due to the if all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail” mentality. The more thorough the case taking and the finer distinctions between each medicine, the more often these new substances might be just what the homeopathic doctor ordered. This concept is not without controversy. In fact, there are a number of more traditional and conservative homeopaths who question the need for these new provings, considering them to be unnecessary, and leading us down a precarious path of divergence from the masters of the past. We find the emerging information to be cutting edge and full of possibilities, as long as the provings are conducted in a sound, consistent, and complete manner.
The Latest Developments in the Mineral and Plant Kingdoms
Jan Scholten of the Netherlands was the best known homeopath in recent years to analyze the periodic table in a systematic and highly useful way. His two books Homeopathy and the Elements and Homeopathy and Minerals are considered pioneering works in this field and have allowed many of us to prescribe medicines that would have never occurred to us previously. Jan set the framework for us and many others are filling in the gaps, conducting more thorough provings, and collecting and documenting cases in which these relatively uncommon medicines are effective. Jan’s most recent work, Minerals in Plants, includes an analysis of 22 mineral constituents of 100 plant medicines. If, for example, we have a case with many plantlike features but with Sulphur characteristics as well, we may need to prescribe a plant high in sulfur. Divya Chhabra of Mumbai (Bombay) is differentiating in greater depth the subtleties of each line of the periodic table, particularly those rows that contain the elements Strontium and Barium. We just returned from her seminar in Berkeley which was groundbreaking and highly inspiring, and has allowed us already to prescribe Cesium, which were previously unknown to us.
The plant kingdom is currently the most challenging to homeopaths due to the large number and wide variety of its members, the challenge of developing a system that encompasses all plants, and because so little information was compiled about botanical families used as homeopathic medicines until the past few years. A wide array of plants has been made into homeopathic medicines and proven, however there has been little understanding of plant families and their relevance to homeopathic prescribing. This is changing dramatically due in great part to the efforts of Asa Hershoff, David Warkentin, Massimo Mangialavori, Jan Scholten, Lou Klein, and Rajan Sankaran who are helping us to understand the themes of the various plant families so that we can prescribe them more appropriately. It is particularly exciting to us as naturopathic doctors, because we have used these substances botanically for nearly 20 years and also, as gardeners and hikers, to have the plant kingdom come alive for us in a new and very practical way.
Old and New Homeopathic Animal Medicines
The best known animal medicines in homeopathy include Apis (honeybee), Sepia (cuttlefish ink), Lachesis (bushmaster snake), Cantharis (Spanish fly), and Tarentula (tarantula). The problem, until relatively recently, was that most of us were relying on a few of these substances to cover all patients who needed animal medicines. We did not grasp when to prescribe other snake medicines such as Naja, Cenchris, or Elaps, for instance, instead of the mere widely known Lachesis, or when to prescribe Latrodectus mactans, Aranea ixobola, or Mygale rather than Tarentula hispanica. Now we have a much greater ability to decide precisely which insect, snake, or spider to choose. Groundbreaking work in animal provings has been conducted by Nancy Herrick in her book Animal Mind, Human Voices, which includes eight new animal medicines: rat, elephant, lion, wolf, dolphin, dinosaur, butterfly, and horse. The information in her book has allowed us and many others to successfully prescribe these medicines for the first time. Others including Jonathan Shore, Jeremey Sherr, Misha Norland, and others are teaching us about bird medicines such as eagle, hawk, and falcon.
There are certain characteristics common to those patients needing animal medicines in general. They include competitiveness, struggle for survival, attractiveness, jealousy, conflict between one’s wild and domestic natures, liveliness, animation, and expressiveness, a feeling of dirtiness, disgust, and being less than human, issues around nurturing; aggressiveness, flamboyance, vigilance, territoriality, and affinity or aversion to animals. Once it appears evident that an individual needs an animal medicine, we need to differentiate which animal family and, then, which particular animal. Those who challenge the entire idea of these new medicines fear that we and other homeopaths may prescribe Lac caninum (dog’s milk) merely because a patients comes in wearing a tee shirt with a golden retriever image or Lac delphinum (dolphin’s milk) for a child who raves about Flipper. In the hands of a thorough homeopathic prescriber, this information simply increases our possibilities manyfold but the prescription must still be based on carefully elicited symptoms of the patient, data from well-conducted provings, an in-depth analysis of the case, and well-differentiated study of materia medica. We and other homeopaths have certainly prescribed animal medicines incorrectly, but this at times can be true true of any homeopath, avant garde or traditional.
Our Best Friends
The animals that most of us know and love best are dogs and cats. These beloved domestic animal medicines provide us with three important homeopathic medicines: Lac caninum (dog’s milk), Lyssin or Lyssinum (the saliva of a rabid dog), and Lac felinum (cat’s milk). We devote the next section of this article to the two dog medicines in order to contrast the dominated versus dominant sides of the animal kingdom. Though there is not enough room to discuss Lac felinum, we refer you to an excellent proving by Divya Chhabra printed in Homeopathic Links about five years ago.. We will wander further afield for our next two columns in which we will discuss medicines made from farm animals such horses and cows and, later, medicines from the sea.
We are grateful to Rajan Sankaran for his in-depth teaching seven years ago about Lac caninum and Lyssinum. Since that time we have prescribed these medicines successfully many times. Prior to our exposure to Rajan and his Bombay colleagues, the only thing we really knew about Lac caninum was that patients needing it often had pain or other symptoms alternating from one side of the body to the other. And that those who could benefit from Lyssin exhibited fits of rage and fear of water. The scope of these medicines has expanded vastly since then. These three medicines have in common the above characteristics of animals in general in addition to certain traits resulting from the domestication of dogs and cats. We are talking here about tame, house pet canines and felines rather than their wild and feral counterparts. Think about a dog who must behave in a certain way in order to please his owner for displeasure can deprive him or food, shelter, and affection. The millions of dogs in this country abandoned to shelters and, tragically, euthanized, are reminders of just how precarious the plight can be of a domesticated dog left to his own devices.
Lac caninum
The principal theme of humans needing Lac caninum is that of being the underdog. These individuals develop a feeling of worthlessness and inferiority epitomized by an image of being looked down upon or even despised. Also prominent in this remedy, as well as in some other animal medicines, is a sense of disgust with oneself and of dirtiness. This state may arise after a child has been sexually abused, mistreated, unfavorably compared, or rejected or repudiated by her parents. She begins to feel unlovable, less than, and of little consequence. As you can well imagine, this can be a setup for codependent relationships, addictions, or chronic depression. The image of being dirty or disgusting may be represented by dreams of snakes, urinating, or vermin. The circumstances may seem so unbearable that the individual escapes through dissociation, leading to the sensation of floating common to those needing Lac caninum. Other common characteristics are breast problems, ( we used this medicine successfully with a woman who lost her child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and wanted her breast milk to dry up quickly), a strong desire for pungent condiments such as pepper or mustard, and an affinity for or an aversion to dogs and/or cats. Those needing this medicine can demonstrate a more aggressive, amoral, malicious, rude demeanor, however we have mainly seen the milder, self-deprecating side. What we have seen most commonly in patients responding favorably to Lac caninum is a profound increase, even transformation, in self-esteem. Meg, whom I have treated for hypoglycemia, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression tells her own story in Judyth’s book, Whole Woman Homeopathy. She has needed seventeen doses of Lac caninum over the past eight years.
Meg: To give you an idea of what homeopathy has done for me, it is necessary to understand a bit of my background. Like a lot of us, I had a sample, while growing up, of all of the types of abuse, from sexual to emotional, that a girl can experience right in her own seemingly normal and loving middle class home, and, while I’m sure that experience has certainly shaped the unhealthy aspects of my personality, a large part of myself has always been, right from the beginning, rather inspired by and connected to life. Later on, though, there were large segments of my life where to keep that in any kind of perspective at all was a tremendous challenge. In my thirties, there were definitely times when any ability to maintain insight and clarity was completely obscured.
Fourteen years ago, after a night devoted to helping me through a rather difficult and terrifying asthma attack, a friend took me to her homeopath. My symptoms at that time ranged from chronic asthma to a very out-of-control vertigo and hypoglycemia as well as a stubborn case of tendinitis in my right arm. There were also many attendant emotional and mental symptoms that made it very difficult for me to hold a job, think clearly, talk to people, make friends, and express myself either verbally or in writing. All of these disabling problems led to my feeling extreme isolation, alienation, and imprisonment with no choice but to mistakenly regard myself as gradually becoming mentally ill. But, I could remember better days. My life had slowly and unarguably changed so that by that time I hardly resembled the bright, young college student of ten years who felt so inspired and passionate about poetry, philosophy, and literature. Where did she go?
Today I am a different woman. For a large part, most of the symptoms from which I initially suffered are pretty much gone, if not at least under control. I have a much clearer sense of self, feel worlds better about myself as a person and a woman, am in a happy relationship, and moved to a place I really enjoy living. I feel happier and healthier than I have in many years. Even though I live quite far from Judyth, I still connect with her when I need to and she sends me a medicine. I’ve been working with Judyth for nine years. In the last analysis, I think what homeopathy has done for me is to make it possible for me to come into alignment with my essential healthy self. It continues to do so today, bringing me clarity and control over my life and laying the groundwork for powerful changes in the sense of further personal growth and development as well as giving me a broader perspective into my own life and life in general.
Lyssin
The image that comes to mind when we think of Lyssin is of a ferocious, rabid dog foaming at the mouth. Having used this medicine frequently for aggressive, violent children, this picture is not so far from the truth. Those needing this medicine generally share the common theme of feeling tormented, just as a dog might feel if he were continually kicked and mistreated by his owner. Or a child beaten or molested by his or her parents. Rajan aptly describes this state as “a controlled animal gone crazy: the dog that obeyed the master but was treated so badly that it lost all its control and jumped on and tore at its own master. (The Soul of Remedies). Those needing Lyssin can strike out, bite, spit, kick, lick, growl, and bark. Also common is fear or dislike of water and a desire to cut or stab with a knife. We have seen a wide variety of physical symptoms in patients needing this medicine.
Tommy’s case is excerpted from our first edition of Ritalin-Free Kids: Tommy was brought to us at eleven years old for a behavior disorder. A neuropsychological evaluation two years prior to our seeing him evaluated his functioning as below grade level in math, reading and written language in addition to inconsistent memory and weakness in visual and auditory recall and difficulties with logical reasoning. However, Tommy’s parents sought out homeopathic treatment because of his severe, assaultive tantrums. His outbursts had worsened after he was put on Imipramine for bedwetting. Ritalin improved his attention and eye contact, but had no significant impact on Tommy’s tantrums. He had even been hospitalized for one month on a children’s psychiatric ward for evaluation. His parents considered homeopathy their last resort prior to giving Tommy up for institutionalization.
This young man talked like a Mafia hit man. During his fits of rage, he was mouthy and would hit his parents, sister, and grandmother. He fought with all his might, as if it were life and death, broke windows, and punched in doors. Tommy demolished his classroom after his teacher gave him too much homework. At eighteen months he bit another child severely. Tommy’s mother described his father, who also had problems with anger, as having “a foreboding intensity.”
Teasing was the worse thing that could happen to Tommy. He slugged his brother or anyone else who gave him a hard time. He lied and stole from his brother and was particularly impressed by Jurassic Park and other movies where “guys got eaten.” He loved dogs and hated cats. Tommy’s family’s cat attacked him; Tommy retaliated by torturing the cat. Fascinated by knives, Tommy brandished them menacingly. Tommy thought nothing of slicing open the stuffed animals that he hated. This youngsters mother was terrified that Tommy might hurt or even kill someone during his violent episodes.
Five weeks later after taking a dose of Lyssin 1M , Tommy’s parents reported a definite improvement in his temper and moods. Two and a half months later Tommy’s behavior at school, camp, and at home was much better. His striking out, swearing, and aggressiveness were significantly diminished. A year later Tommy’s attitude and behavior continued to improve to the extent that institutionalization was no longer a consideration.
The Whole Menagerie
We’ve given you a glimpse of the possibilities of healing with homeopathic animal medicines. As you can imagine, these patients are some of the most fascinating in our practice due to their attractiveness, intensity, and animated personalities. Tune into our next two columns to learn about barnyard and aquatic animal medicines.
Recent Comments