On Saturday 13th July, 2019, I was invited by my homeopathic
colleague, Imogen Spencer, to join her in delivering presentations at the Study Day of the Association of Registered Colon Hydrotherapists which was held at Imperial College. My brief was to include reference to the gut through the vagal nerve and a more detailed overview of the microbiome from a homeopathic perspective. At the same time, I was invited to introduce my book - 'Touching Base with Trauma: Reaching Across the Generations - a Three-Dimensional Homeopathic Perspective' which meant the underlying issue of trauma was a major theme of my focus. The audience was very receptive to this and much dialogue was created through this approach. This is how the 'power point' was presented:-
The Microbiome and Homeopathy:
Supporting the optimising of the microbiome in its diversity with Homeopathy.
The healthy microbiome of e.g. the Kenyan Masai tribe as long as they adhere to their original diet.
The corruption of the food supply and the increasing use of toxic fertilisers/genetically modified crops which contribute to the breakdown of the microbiome.
Theory of Homeopathy:
Homeopathy works by taking into account the whole symptom picture.
In this process, a hierarchy of symptoms is worked out according to established principles.
All these principles are laid down in the Organon - the fundamental textbook for Homeopaths.
Hippocrates and the Gut:
Quoting Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine - 'all disease starts in the gut'.
Recognition of the importance of galvanising the movement of the bowels as the first step to cure whatever the main set of presenting symptoms.
Dis-eases' such as those manifesting as autism, auto-immune, inflammation of the bowel, cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, affecting respiration and the skin, are found to now all originate in the gut, thus confirming Hippcrates' statement all those years ago in Ancient Greece.
Defining the Symptoms:
Allowing the patient to describe the symptoms in their own words and facilitating them to express this, e.g. depression - is it circumstantial or is it more habitual? How limiting is this to the lifestyle of the patient?
Looking to the trigger to the disease state - this could e.g. be due to a medicinal drug that the mother took in pregnancy, a history of trauma in the earlier life of the patient or their ancestor which has impacted them.
Symptoms may intensify before they improve as a sign of recovery, However, at the same time, energy and mood should improve.
The Phenomenon of Stress:
How this is expressed often 'epigenetically' - i.e. through role models via the family line.
Most serotonin neurotransmitters, and at least half of the dopamine ones originate in the gut and are transmitted to the brain through the vagus nerve.Equally, cure usually comes through the gut to the brain.
Gastric distress is often due to 'undigested emotions'. This is illustrated through specific remedies such as Lycopodium and Magnesium Muriaticum (details of which were read out from the book - 'Touching Base with Trauma..'.)
The Microbiome in the Infant:
Shedding light on the development of the microbiome in the infant which only starts to develop at the age of 6 months. (Bear in mind that it can take up to 2 years for the vagus nerve to fully develop.)
Until this early development, the infant's health reflects that of their mother (this includes any trauma she may have experienced or medications she may have taken in the early phase of development).
Therefore, the child may need the remedy indicated for the mother when she was pregnant or while breastfeeding.
Saccharum Album (Sugar Cane):
Analysing the materia media of this remedy, as a way of demonstrating how sugar acts through the process of 'putrefaction' to undermine the microbiome.
Other remedies which markedly crave sugar such as Argentum Nitricum, Cina, Lycopodium, Medorrhinum, and Sulphur, will be shown to affect the digestive process in an equally damaging way.
Charting how addiction to harder substances develops through the reliance on sugar as a reward in the earlier stages of 'dis-ease'.
Okoubaka (a remedy derived from the bark of a West African tree):
It is effective for allergies and their influence on both the physical body and the mind.
It can support cases where there are behavioural or learning issues with an allergic background either in the presenting patient or their ancestor.
It acts by eliminating toxic effects of the foodstuffs imbibed by the patient, so is becoming increasingly important as these influences intensify.
Much food for thought!