AANP Homeopathic Psychiatry

AANP Summer of 2014 Additional Slides Not Covered During the Actual Presentation ! Sharum Sharif, ND W H Y H O M E O P A T H Y ? T H E H O M E O P A T H I C R E V O L U T I O N • In the book “The homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People & Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy”, Dana Ullman mentions the names of numerous famous figures in history who have and continue to use homeopathy, including: 11 American presidents, 7 popes, Mother Teresa, 2 UK prime ministers, heads of the state of France, Germany, Norway, Mexico and India, Mahatma Gandhi, Charles Darwin, J.D. Rockefeller, Dickens, Tagore, Beethoven, Chopin, Van Gogh, Tina Turner, etc. • Refer to the “Testimonials for Homeopathy” page as well as the “Psychological Conditions” page on my clinic site, www.DrSharif.com. H O M E O P A T H Y, M O R E T H A N J U S T A G O O D I D E A ! • There are lots of reasons why homeopathy is more than just a good idea: • “It has no side effects. • It is safe for pregnant women, babies and elderly people. • It is not expensive. • Production, storage and distribution are uncomplicated. • It does not induce therapy resistance. • It does not create more dangerous viruses and bacteria. • It has been effective in many epidemics in the past and is effective in today’s epidemics. • Current experience indicates it to be also effective for collective trauma.”* • * Editor of the book “Homeopathy and Mental Health Care”, Dr. Harry van der Zee, MD W H Y H O M E O P A T H Y ? A D D I T I O N A L R E A S O N S … • Remedies are planet friendly- we don’t have to worry about running out of natural resources as we do with herbs. • Convenience of use: In the treatment of chronic illness, patients only need to take their remedies, on average, once a month, and they improve on all levels (physical, mental, and emotional), and continue to improve until they are healed. • There are conditions that do NOT respond to other therapies as well: Examples: Warts, autism, the flu, etc. W H Y H O M E O P A T H Y ? I N C A S E O F E P I D E M I C S … . “After a short training, health workers with any level of education can successfully treat main epidemic diseases. Using a homeopathic kit of remedies costing virtually nothing they can then treat thousands of patients. This treatment is safe, effective, low skill, low tech, knows no therapy resistance and is without side effects. Even in the most remote places, far from any medical facility, the method can be used successfully.”* ! ! * Book “Homeopathy for Diseases: Vital Remedies for Epidemics, Trauma and Chronic Diseases”, Harry van der Zee, MD What is Visual Homeopathy (VH)? ? Who can practice it? “Visual Homeopathy” (VH) is a term I developed to describe a video-based approach to learning homeopathy rather quickly. Cases are taken by keen visual observation and carefully listening to the patient. In some cases, I might ask a few questions to confirm my assessment. ! The VH technique is developed to encourage ND’s to incorporate basic homeopathy into their practices. Does the word “visual” mean that you don’t listen or talk to the patient? No. The word “visual” in “Visual Homeopathy” does NOT imply that you do not listen or talk to the patient. I initially came up with the word “visual” since I found visual observation of my patients to be the most helpful aspect of the case-taking process. ! If I arrive at a person’s constitutional remedy by merely looking at them, I always double check by asking them the key questions. My visual dx is based on pattern recognition. Audio aspect of case taking… • You can tell much about a person by just listening to him/her: – Quality of the voice at any given point. High versus low, etc. – The way the voice varies over time – The amount of silence or pause between uttering words – Choice of words – Speed with which the person talks – How talkative the person is… • Example: Daughter was able to ID a pulsatilla over the microphone! Critics of the VH Technique • I have come across a few homeopaths that think I am oversimplifying homeopathy. • I’d like to point out that I definitely practice classical homeopathy, just teach it differently, using more modern techniques such as videos. Additionally, I spend less time on minute physical symptoms, and much more time on helping the students develop a feeling/sense for the remedies. What is Constitutional Homeopathy? A “constitutional” homeopathic remedy matches the person on the physical AND mental/ emotional levels, and thereby can significantly help a person on all three levels. The patient’s personality traits and behavioral patterns are absolutely key in finding the true “constitutional” remedy. ! ! Note: There are COMBINATION REMEDIES you can obtain for various mental/ emotional/physical complaints. This practice is certainly not considered “constitutional” homeopathy. I use certain combinations such as UNDA drops for detoxification purposes ONLY, but do not ever treat the mind using such formulations. The results are truly not at all impressive, and in fact, you could hurt your patients with such poor quality prescriptions. Examples: Formulas for fears, anxiety, etc.