In the Ring of Fire- Challenges and Lessons in Homeopathic Practice
by Varda Wilensky, RSHom(NA), CCH
This essay is an attempt to describe the homeopathic challenges and lesson learnt in the process of treating side effects of conventional cancer treatments.
Here is how it began: In 2007 I took on the challenge of working at a clinic, Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic serving women with cancer, offering alternative complementary therapies.
The initial challenge was to be in the face of 'terminal' illness prognosis. Friends and colleague frequent reaction: Cancer? Isn't that depressing? The reality is that seeing patients in the clinic is less of an emotional burden then seeing similar pathology in private practice. The clinic is a supportive community of patients and practitioners alike: a greenhouse to a budding practitioner.
The comfort and confidence I gained in the cancer clinic spilled over to my private practice, which evolved in the same direction, namely treating cancer patients mostly in conjunction with allopathic treatments. Most patients I see seek homeopathic services or are being referred, following chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, hoping to recover from acute or chronic debilitating side effects from cancer treatment.
The challenges in a nutshell:
~ Prescribing homeopathy simultaneously with allopathic medicine (heavy duty medicines)
~ Evaluating the effect of prescribed remedy in face of daily intake of allopathic medicines, and acupuncture treatments.
~ Treating chronic debilitating side effects
~ Performing a balancing act of prescribing constitutionally while treating acute side effects so it does not become chronic
Acute vs. Constitutional
As a practitioner dedicated to adhering to the 'tried and true' of classical homeopathy, my goal is bi-fold: addressing debilitating side effects of allopathic treatments to improve comfort of daily life, while addressing the patient’s constitutional state to increase vitality and optimize healing potential. This can be a juggling act at times.
The following case illustrates the experience of a 28 years old woman with 3 episodes of cancer:
Lymphoma at age 14 / 1993
Parotid cancer age 24 /2004
Breast cancer age 28 / 2007
She came to see me 2008 following breast cancer surgery and chemotherapy. Her Chief Complaints were low energy and wish to avoid cancer.
Observation: right side facial paralysis and excessive lachrymation, due to damage during parotid surgery in 2004. Smiling would make the paralysis more obvious; therefore she trained herself not to smile. She had been looking for work for a while and was never in relationships.
I noted her weak voice and non-assertive disposition; it would be easy to ignore such a person, put her aside, as she seemed to meld with the walls.
Considering her medical history, her weak voice and weariness, I prescribed Conium 200C in a split dose. Following the interview I noted to myself that in a better state of health this woman would get a job and find companionship.
During the 1st and 2nd follow-ups she reported increased energy and I noticed her voice was gradually getting stronger. I prescribe no additional remedy as progress was notable.
The 3rd follow-up was a surprise: I did not recognize her in the waiting room, with a new, sassy haircut and bright color outfit. She no longer melded with the wall.
In the following months, as her emotional state improved and maintained, I focused on treating her facial paralysis, addressing it as an acute state resulted by mechanical damage during surgery, the focus being the nerves and tear ducts. I prescribed alternately Hypericum, Arnica, Plumbum and Cadmium-sulph, low potencies in water for daily intake, one remedy at the time while watching for their effectiveness.
What I had learned was how to timely bring up what was not stated by the patient, namely depression and paralysis: Once one is used to live within certain conditions, one does not complain about it, not being aware of it, as it is their ‘normal’ state. Such was her depression.
Homeopathy and Other Modalities
Typical to most patients that go through rigorous allopathic treatments, they have much to say about how they had been treated since their diagnosis. It can be a bad experience, a good experience, but one is unlikely to collect relevant homeopathic information during the initial part of the appointment. But that's ok; while the patients are mostly grateful for a listening ear, I hope to gain insight to prescribe a miasmatic remedy to begin with. The initial appointments are important to build up and increase the trust, which is so fundamental for healing.
When it comes to follow-ups, it can be challenging to evaluate the effect of a prescribed remedy while the patients receive other alternative treatments. If any readers experience similar mind boggling situations would appreciate the elated feeling I experienced when a patient reported that not only that the homeopathic remedy was effective, but the acupuncture treatment was an enhancement, working along with the remedy. Following is a brief review of a case and the patient´s testimony:
Three years ago a cancer patient came to see me following chemotherapy for breast cancer, leaving her with debilitating neuropathy. It was during the 3rd appointment that I fully understood specific sensations and was able to prescribe effectively: She reported chilliness in general, tingling in her frozen fingers and mostly lack of sensation. Her strongest and most striking experience was her perceived reality (AKA delusion) of her arms being cut off, separated from her body.
A month following the prescription of Baptisia, she reported the positive effect of the remedy. She eventually developed a deeper relationship with the remedy, connecting its effect of 'melting away' of the frozen extremities, and thus she knew when she needed more.
During consecutive follow ups she had told me that during recent acupuncture treatments, while the needles were in, she had experienced the same melting away sensation, which was intensified but limited to the duration of the treatment. She added joyfully that she experienced some pain in her hands, and described the effect of the acupuncture as immediate, although limited to the treatment duration.
Witnessing the two modalities working together was grace. This is a fact of our practice, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where people often try any available modality. Apparently we need to learn to work with it.
Acute, Constitutional & Prophylactic
We are taught by our masters the irrefutable fact that the pathology is a physical manifestation of the whole.
Nowadays, it is questionable if malignant pathology is an expression of the individual's constitution or a take over of an overwhelming exposure to toxins. One can argue that not everyone who is exposed to same amount of toxicity will develop similar pathology, particular malignancy of same organ. What shall I do? I play it safe: when in doubt, I treat first as acute.
The following is a case of a 39 years old male who came to see me following radiation treatment for parotid cancer, Chief complaint: Loss of taste and diminished salivation.
The intense burns on the chest led me to conclude he suffered internal burns just the same. I prescribed Radium-brom and Urtica consecutively, but the remedy X-ray proved to be the most effective.
Within 3 weeks the internal and external burns were improved: he gradually gained taste, and the saliva secretion increased. By then he was scheduled to start the first round of chemotherapy.
During the initial interview, his wife did most of the talking. The patient seemed to me shy; his wife said he was sad. He seemed to be totally comfortable, even relieved when his wife shared information about him. What she had told me helped me understand his constitution. This information was not necessary for the immediate acute prescribing for the burns, but came handy as follow:
In preparation for the upcoming chemotherapy I prescribed Silicea: It was his constitutional remedy as came through during the intake interview. The fact that Silicea is a front-line remedy for radiation fortified my decision at the time. Some people seem to go through Hell during chemotherapy, while some just sail through it. In this case the patient belonged to the latter.
I have checked in with him by phone now and he is doing well. There is no return of the cancer and has been declared free of it. He is working full time again and is happy with his kids and wife. It is difficult to know what each remedy has done in such circumstances but we do what we can do and hopefully it all helps in the healing process.
Tittle of Essay: In the Ring of Fire, Challenges and Lessons in Homeopathic Practice
Submitted to: California Homeopath January 28, 2011
Author: Varda Wilensky, RSHom(NA), CCH
1199 Sanchez St. San Francisco, CA 94114
Tel: 415/585-1940
Bio: Varda Wilensky had been in private practice for ten years and at Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic for five. Credit for her education is due to Pacific Academy of Homeopathy, Hahnemann College, Rajan Sankaran and Arthur Hill Grimmer.