Advanced Disease and Back Pain

“Um, I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

Have you ever been asked a question that leaves you feeling a bit perplexed because you don’t know exactly what it means?

Well, recently, I was asked a question by one of my Academy of Practical Homeopathy® students, and I felt precisely that. Perplexed.

I bet now you’re wondering what the question was! It must have been a real stumper, right?

Well, here it is: Can homeopathy treat advanced diseases?

On the face of it, that doesn’t seem like it would be a confounding question, does it? Especially not when the public has been indoctrinated to fear the word “advanced” when placed before certain diseases.

But let’s take a step back, my friends. What exactly is an “advanced” disease?

Does it mean the sufferer has experienced 30 years of eczema? Does it mean they’ve had arthritis so long that their fingers are now deformed? Are we talking about a lifetime of scoliosis?

Let’s expound on that last example … scoliosis. People can have scoliosis and not have pain. Certainly, the extent of the curvature could be the cause of the pain, but it doesn’t mean it has to be.

When taking a case of someone who blames their back pain on “advanced” scoliosis, the first thing that ought to be asked is, “Describe the pain and when it’s at its worst.”

“Well, it’s really bad first thing in the morning when I get up. I just feel beat up! Then as the day goes on, I feel a little bit better. Sometimes I even feel considerably better by afternoon!”

So, does that mean their scoliosis doesn’t exist in the afternoon? Is their spine only curved in the morning?

More than likely, that pattern of pain indicates it may not be caused by the scoliotic bones at all! The sufferer may well have scoliosis AND back pain from, say, the stress on muscles from overuse or from sleeping in the wrong position or from eating inflammatory foods … or … or … or.

The same thing can be said when people tell me, “Oh, Joette, you just don’t understand. Walking in the morning is just too painful because my knee joint is bone-on-bone!”

Then, why can they walk in the afternoon with considerably less pain or even without pain at all? Did cartilage suddenly build up in the joint after lunch?                               

Perhaps it’s just not the “bone-on-bone” condition that is fully responsible for the pain.

Look, I’m not dismissing the diagnosis. I’m not a medical doctor, so I can’t and don’t debate the diagnosis. But I can say from years of experience that just because a sufferer has received a diagnosis does not mean that it is a disease that belongs to them forever — that they are defined by the disease! “I’m an asthmatic.” Or “I’m a victim of RA.” Or “My knees are bone-on-bone.”

It’s decidedly easy to fall into that mindset. Why? Because words have power — particularly those words that, in a rather sneaky way, lead us to believe that there is no hope for our particular condition.

 Indeed,  I urge folks to take their illness in stride. Don't point it out to yourself. Let it roll off your back. Just like a duck.” Otherwise, we will be a victim — a casualty — of every ill that comes our way. And there will be plenty.

Indeed, don’t we already have enough “victims” in our society today?

As you know, in Practical Homeopathy®, we highly value diagnoses. But here’s when a diagnosis can become a wicket that is sticky— when adjectives get involved.

“Oh, Joette. I don’t just have irritable bowel syndrome. The doctor told me I have advanced IBS.”

“My case isn’t going to be easy because I have chronic depression.”

“You probably have never seen this before, Joette, but I have dyshidrotic eczema!”

“Look, Joette. I don’t think homeopathy can help me because this isn’t garden-variety eczema. Mine is nummular eczema‼”

“I’m going to have to learn to live with the pain, Joette, because the doctor said I have advanced arthritis.”

Again, we’ve been indoctrinated to fear the adjectives to our conditions. Once a sufferer hears that adjective — whatever it might be — in most cases, they will never hear another word until they experience a shift in the condition. They get scared; they believe the “insert-adjective-here” condition is permanent, can never change and will likely advance.

Frequently, people look for a way to complicate their conditions — to make them unique. But that’s not how the Practical Homeopath™ sees illness. I’ve seen “advanced” psoriasis turn around. It may take a couple of years, but I’ve seen it!

Positive results require utilizing a well-chosen homeopathic medicine and applying a tincture of time. I’ve witnessed incalcitrant irritable bowel syndrome make an about-face within months.

I’ve also observed individuals with so-called “advanced” back conditions who rarely experience pain. So, the Practical Homeopath™ doesn’t flinch at the adjective.

We just boil it down: “Is the back pain worse in the morning upon first getting up and then gets slowly better after continued movement?”

“Yes.”

As Sergeant Joe Friday used to say in Dragnet, “Just the facts, ma’am.”

If it turns out that the generalized homeopathic protocol doesn’t act fully, then we can always go back and more closely examine the etiology. But at this point, it can oft be simply “back pain worse in the morning upon first getting up.” It’s as simple as that.

And what would the homeopathic protocol be for that back pain that’s worse on first movement? Why, we would immediately consider the medicine nicknamed as the “rusty gate” remedy, Rhus toxicodendron. Think about a rusty gate. It’s resistant and noisy upon first movement, then gradually loosens over time. Doesn’t that sound like our morning back pain?

So, that’s why we will add Rhus tox to our list of must-have medicines in your homeopathy kit.

In this case, we would turn to the Banerji Protocol of Symphytum officinale 200 mixed together in the mouth with Rhus toxicodendron 30, twice daily — halting after very much better or if absolutely no improvement is seen after giving it due time to act.

We already discussed Symphytum, the premier medicine for bones, in a recent blog on Shin Splints. So, when coupled with Rhus tox, it creates a time-honored protocol for joints, muscles, ligaments and bones. This method has been shown to be effective for joint pain regardless of the cause — overuse, menopause or arthritis, just to name a few.          

“But you don’t understand, Joette. This is advanced back pain.”

No matter! Even though someone scared the bejeebers out of the back pain sufferer with that adjective, the most effective protocol is often (of course, not always) still Symphytum officinale 200 mixed with Rhus toxicodendron 30!

Now, homeopathy is not magic. It doesn’t cure all. There is nothing that can do that. But it certainly has a solid enough track record to offer hope in many situations that have been insinuated as hopeless.

So, no more thinking, “My condition is advanced. I’m hopeless. Nothing can help me now.”

Oh, nay, nay, my friends. Homeopathy has been shown to help sufferers in a small way, in a medium way and, in other cases, all the way for the last 200+ years — whether the conditions are  “advanced” or not.

Pass on the good news of homeopathy!

Warmly,

P.S. While we’re talking about pain, if you want to learn more, take a deep dive into my course, Make It Stop! Escape From the Prison of Chronic (and Acute) Pain Using Practical Homeopathy®: Learn Effective Methods to Uproot Pain, Often for Good. Not only do I cover other, more specific back pain protocols, but I also instruct on headaches, frozen shoulder, shingles, arthritis and various organ pains — just to highlight a few. And remember — all of my Mighties (Joette’s Mighty Members) qualify for a 10% discount on course purchases.

If you’re not quite ready to consider a course, then joining a Gateway to Practical Homeopathy® study group will be just the learning opportunity you’re looking for. It’s the same way I began my studies — except you’ll benefit from my years of teaching experience. The curriculum, which I recently revised to reflect my current teaching methods, is easy to follow. Plus, you’ll make lifelong, like-minded friends who will be there to support you throughout your genuine healthcare path.

I offer something for every level of interest in homeopathy. So, join me today and learn how to become your family's trusted healthcare provider!