Happy Labor Day Weekend!
While tomorrow commemorates Labor Day, this week also marks an exciting milestone in my Labor of Love — The Academy of Practical Homeopathy®. We are sending out general admission acceptance emails to our Founding Pioneer Students!
As I’m putting the finishing touches on The Academy’s foundational lessons, I’m reminded of how many people ask me about the difference between classical homeopathy and my preferred practice of Practical Homeopathy®. So, it occurred to me that an abbreviated portion of this lesson might also benefit all my blog readers.
In classical homeopathy, the homeopath will choose one medicine and one medicine only.
The theory is that one person-specific medicine will act so deeply it will address the whole constellation of ills in one person. Thus, when employing classical homeopathy, only the person should be treated — not the condition. (That is to say, GI bloating in one person will be treated quite differently than in another person with the same condition.)
I used classical homeopathy full-time in my practice for 15 years, even taught this method at a nursing college and wrote about it extensively. However, my opinion changed over time. Not only can this method be limiting, it’s also unnecessarily complex and difficult to accomplish.
I use the example of my imaginary friend, John.
John’s life is a mess. Without going into all the details that I go into for The Academy, let me just summarize his issues:
John can’t consume wheat because that causes severe pain and bloating, but he also suffers a bloated belly from simply having eaten anything at all.
He’s always suffered from chronic dizzy spells and a sense of fullness in his ears — instigated by exposure to freshly cut grass. But John has to mow the lawn!
Unfortunately, as he mows, he makes a wide pivot with his mower and walks too far into the street. At that moment, the mailman’s truck barrels around the corner and wallops John, torpedoing him up against a coconut tree.
John regains consciousness in the ER with a multi-fractured tibia, cracked patella, and several developing coconut-shaped hematomas.
While in the ER, the nurse attending to him confesses that she’s going home early because she has a budding lung infection and should probably be home in bed.
Days later, John has surgery on his tibia, where two pins are screwed into the bone. When he awakens hours later, his consciousness is met with vomiting — most probably from the general anesthesia but possibly from the looming lung infection that the drug-administering nurse had shared with him.
The next morning, the surgeon checks his incision. Unbeknownst to them both, the surgeon has MRSA on his fingertip, and he gives John the gift of a virulent bacterial infection — planted right at John’s surgical site.
Days later, John finally arrives home and seeks comfort in his own bed when he notices an envelope on his pillow from his wife:
“Dear John, I am leaving you. By the time you read this, the mailman and I will be in Las Vegas — getting married.”
Now, John has relentless nausea from the drugs and excruciating pain from the pins in his leg, a surgical site infected with MRSA, a developing lung infection, a bloated and nauseated abdomen from hospital food, a muzzy head and ears from his allergies, and intense grief at the loss of his marriage.
So, I ask you:
Using the classical homeopathy paradigm: “What is John’s ONE remedy?”
You’re right. That’s an impossible question to answer. Conditions rarely come neatly packaged so that only one medicine may be chosen.
Using Practical Homeopathy® — specific protocols for specific conditions — John will require several homeopathic medicines.
I will train The Academy students how to take this case and provide John with a complete schedule of homeopathic medicines addressing each issue — with some remedies serving dual purposes to handle more than one issue. As we witness less and less need for the particular homeopathic associated with each condition, we will judiciously remove it from his schedule accordingly. Certain homeopathic medicines will remain in John’s schedule for only days and others for weeks and months.
Of course, John’s schedule (and the rationale behind each choice) is too much to share in a short blog post format. But I always endeavor to give you one remedy in my blogs.
So, let’s look at the MRSA infection.
Now, keep in mind, his MRSA infection may not become evident for a few weeks. But when it presents, the Banerji Protocol of Hepar sulph 200, twice daily, is the protocol of choice for John’s MRSA infection.
John will heal over time. His surgical wounds will heal — as well as his broken heart. His bone will knit, and his case of bronchitis and even the MRSA will clear.
But what have we done for John by utilizing Practical Homeopathy®? First, we’ve hastened his recovery from multiple conditions. Second, as a bonus, we’ve neither suppressed his symptoms nor numbed his pain with synthetic drugs.
We have facilitated — and accelerated — John’s recovery. And more importantly, we have protected him from the ravages of more drugs for pain, more antibiotics for MRSA, antacids for his leaky gut, and perhaps an anti-depressant for his emotions would most likely have been applied — wreaking their own havoc with side effects.
Wait. There’s one more advantage I can teach in short order to anyone willing to learn.
Once John is fully healed, he will have a new-found trust and admiration for Practical Homeopathy®. As a result, he will most likely go forward in life with greater confidence.
(Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if he developed an understandable aversion to U.S. Postal trucks and the men who drive them.)
So, I urge you: Learn how to treat all the “Johns” in your life.
Warmly,
P.S. We’ve received overwhelming interest from an outpouring of applicants hoping to become Founding Pioneer Students in The Academy. Consequently, we’ve been busy making some tough decisions. But make them, we have!
As acceptance letters go out, potential students will have a short time to confirm their enrollment in The Academy. However, if they delay their confirmation (or decide now is not the right time for them), their spot will be made available to someone else.
I can assure you that The Academy will take you on the most wondrous, delicious, intellectually stimulating and meaningful adventures in your life. More than just discovering homeopathy, you’ll be learning more about yourself. You will develop a deep and abiding confidence that comes from achieved competence — allowing you to treat your family, extended family, church or community efficaciously, safely and quickly.
Arnica montana may be a reasonable approach, as the fictitious John is sufferring from bruises that run soul-deep.
Interesting way to assess; His poor heart, bones, and injuries.
Poor John! How about Symphytum Officinale for his bones; Aconitum for shock; Arnica for the bruises; Bovista for food intolerance. The Hepar sulph you mentioned might also be good for his lungs. I don’t know how to address his allergies, since I have yet to take that class. I’m really new but I’ve learned so much from you, Joette. Thank you so much.
You’ve got it, my friend!
Question: in another one if your blogs, you talk about the Banerji protocol for MRSA being Hepar Sulph 200 every other day and Hypericum 200 mixed with Arsenicum Album 200 three times a day. Is this still the case, or has the protocol changed with time?
I’ve used both ways.
I want to take this course, but have to cut my internet off and move this week and I wanted to learn this to help my elderly mother who died of sepsis this April. Everything you say makes sense and hope I can take this course next year for my own health.
After the derogatory treatment of my mother and myself and the arrogance of the medical community, I want self empowerment
to decide for myself.
Oh my goodness. Poor John. What was John prescribed for his chronic dizziness and fullness in his ear? Not sure if chronic dizziness means John suffers from vertigo and fullness in his ear means ear ringing. I am interested in learning what to take for vertigo and ear ringing. A heart felt thank you Angela
I discuss this condition on this blog. Just key in the words “joetteCalabrese vertigo”.
How do I get information?
If you go to my homepage you’ll likely find what you’re looking for.
I’m thinking Aconitum for shock, carbo veg for bloating, belladonna for pain, Nat Mur for depression, Ignatia for anxiousness.
Nice job, Pamala.
My morbid sense of humour had to chuckle at him being thrown into a coconut tree resulting in coconut sized hematomas!
Wouldn’t Hypericum suit the pain in his legs from the pins beyond the Arnica because of all the nerves there? Or would that only be considered as the symptoms present?
Those are good choices, Staci.
I have been studying a bit of classical homeopathy as well as being a student of yours as finances allow. In looking at some of the theories about your practical homeopathy and the Banerji protocols, I have seen allegations that protocols cause issues to go deeper rather than being uprooted. Much like what you describe happening with allopathic treatment. While I don’t believe that’s true I wanted to hear your response to this in order to deepen my understanding. I know carefully selected protocols can uproot chronic illnesses, as I’ve successfully overcome acid reflux by studying and selecting an appropriate protocol. I had been on PPIs for over 20 years and they could only increase the medication to keep reflux down to a dull roar. After 3 months on a protocol I am needing the protocol less and often forget it altogether. I NEVER forgot to use my PPIs without consequences.
I truly appreciate all the information you so generously make available.
It doesn’t sound like you’ve suppressed or driven the condition in deeper to me.
Enough said.
The classicals will eventually come around, just like I did.
That’s what I thought. Just making sure I’ve got my thoughts straight. I like learning everything I can about all things homeopathy. I truly appreciate all the time and effort you have put into sharing your knowledge.
You bet, Dawn. Pls. turn your friends on to this blog. We need the world to know about this.
Poor fictitious John. I’ll never forget when you told this story to my group of ladies during a Q&A… we laughed so hard we cried, namely because we thought you had said that on top of it all, John contracted an STD from his wife, too! Our sides were in stitches!!!
Riley, I remember.
‘ Makes me smile thinking about our time together.