Healing with Homeopathy

by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, ND, MSW, and Robert Ullman, ND

Homeopathy for Children in Sweden: Celebrating 100 Years in a Surprisingly Restrictive Climate

The Promise of Homeopathic Treatment for Children with Neuropsychiatric Problems in Sweden

Yael Judisman, a mover and shaker among the Stockholm homeopaths, had a vision, and we fortunately became part of it. Yael, a Swedish homeopath married to an Israeli photographer and director of an innovative nonprofit foundation in Tel Aviv, doesn’t just dream about change. She makes it happen! Our initial Skype conversation with Yael, after we accepted her gracious invitation to present at the conference on the Homeopathic Treatment of Children with Neuropsychiatric Disorders, was astonishing and disturbing. Despite Sweden’s progressiveness and open-minded attitudes in so many areas of society, this is not the case with homeopathy. In fact, it is illegal to use homeopathic medicine with children under the age of 8 years, the homeopathic nosodes (including Tuberculinum and Carcinosin) are not allowed, and it is not legal for pregnant women to consult an alternative medical practitioner. This restrictive atmosphere comes, apparently, from an outdated scope of practice and the government’s belief that small children and their pregnant moms should be protected from possibly harmful therapies. This, to our way of thinking, is ironic and misguided, since homeopathy is especially safe and effective in pregnancy and with young children.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Swedish Association for Scientific Homeopathy, Yael invited some of the world’s leading homeopaths in the field of treating children with behavioral, learning, and developmental problems and chose what she considered to be the finest conference venue in Sweden, Saltsjöbaden (an elegant, pristine saltwater bathing retreat about 40 minutes outside Stockholm). Her goal was to set the stage to change this outdated attitude and legislation. If anyone can accomplish that, from what we have observed, it is Yael!

Iceland:

A Land of Active Volcanoes, Home-Grown Bananas, and Elves

We took advantage of our Swedish invitation to stop in Iceland for five days – a fascinating, underpopulated, geothermal, volcanic paradise which, over the past few years, has exploded in tourism. Travelers like ourselves, fascinated with the idea of exploring the land of the Vikings, find Reykjavík a convenient stopover between Europe and the US. We felt right at home with the volcanic landscape (like our homes in the Pacific Northwest and Southern Chile) and were very impressed by what this remarkably creative and self-reliant population of about 330,000 has been able to accomplish. The volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, thermal baths, and nearly untouched terrain are idyllic. This country is known for producing a remarkable number of innovative thinkers considering its small population. Perhaps the scant daylight in the winter months contributes to this.

Recent accomplishments include growing Icelandic bananas in geothermal-powered greenhouses, and drawing 1,400,000 tourists to their pristine paradise during the past year. Their goal is to produce 100% of their own produce within three more years. Seeing what the Icelanders have been able to pull off, including digging themselves out of massive amounts of volcanic ash following their unexpected eruptions, we wouldn’t put anything past them! Yet this is a country that kicked out its banks and bankers at the time of the economic meltdown (beginning in 2008); one with no army; one prison with only 180 beds (half of them generally occupied by foreigners); where folks may leave for other (usually Scandinavian) countries but inevitably return; where the unemployment is under 3%; where health care and education are free; and where 50% of the population is said to still believe in elves.

Sweden: Sophisticated, Robust, Socially Liberal

Our three unplanned days in Stockholm prior to the conference were filled with fascinating, multiethnic experiences and much time spent in museums and eating great, healthful food. We found ourselves captivated, and deeply moved, at the Nobel Museum by the diversity, dedication, and inventiveness of the laureates and returned a second day to be present for the announcement of the winner of the Literature Prize, Svetlana Alexievich of Belarus. The film interviews with many of the laureates were remarkable in their diversity and their brilliance. Our hope and dream is that someday homeopathic medicine will be duly recognized and honored for its genius – perhaps the individual(s) who finally elucidate its method of action. Impressive in a different way was a small museum dedicated to the oppression of the Roma (“Gypsy”) people, historically and, unfortunately, even today in Sweden. A lively and often misunderstood, diverse group of people with deeply ingrained traditions, they have long mesmerized us with their story, energy, and music. We were aware that they originated in Rajasthan (northern India); that they dispersed to Macedonia, Romania, Spain, and elsewhere; and that they had been decimated (500,000 to 1 million murdered) in the Holocaust. One of the Roma who has dedicated his life to the struggle for their equality was in fact at the museum offering a workshop to a group of Swedish students. Apparently field trips to museums and other public sites of interest are a large part of their education.

The Swedes were tall, blonde, muscular and robust, much like the Icelanders.

The Conference: Unity and Diversity in Homeopathy

Our homeopathic experience began with a simple yet elegant home-cooked Mexican vegetarian meal at the home of Yael and Igal. The ice was quickly broken as we mixed comfortably with our Swedish, German, Dutch, British, Irish, Indian, and French counterparts and their partners, who hailed from as far as South Africa. Homeopathy was our common language, along with our shared awe at the sheer, pristine beauty of the conference site, which provided magical morning mist, clear blue skies, serene forest, and remarkable mirror images reflected in the still saltwater.

Bob led off with two long-term cases of children on the autism spectrum. His goal was to show that common homeopathic remedies could be used effectively to produce profound results in this population. He intentionally chose two children who began treatment prior to age 8, in order to bring home the safety and efficacy of starting early (especially since this is not allowed in Sweden). Although many of the homeopathic medicines that we use are not in fact legal in Sweden, he chose to avoid those in his presentation. Alexander Tournier, a British/French physicist who is establishing a laboratory for homeopathic research at the University of Heidelberg, provided a survey of contemporary homeopathic research. He is deeply convinced that it will be possible, in the near future, to finally demonstrate, from a research perspective, exactly how homeopathy works. We sincerely hope that he is right, since such scientific corroboration is long overdue and could potentially make significant inroads into the recognition and respect of homeopathy worldwide. (For further information, visit the website of the Homeopathic Research Institute, or HRI.) Joseph Schmidt, a German historian, provided a theoretic and historical overview of the medicine.

Hilery Dorrian, from the UK, focused on the gut–brain connection in autistic children and provided an overview of the bowel nosodes, a relatively little-known group of 12 homeopathic medicines introduced originally by Edward Bach of Bach Flower Remedy fame. She explained how these remedies can be used effectively in some cases along with the constitutional prescription. Philippa Filbert, also from the UK, provided an overview of previous research models, particularly concerning children with ADHD (including the 2005 study designed by Jennifer Jacobs, MD, in which the two of us were the prescribers), but also a successful Indian study of autistic children.

The second day of the conference began with a wonderful video presentation by Dinesh Chauhan from Mumbai, a longtime student, and later colleague, of our mentor, Dr. Rajan Sankaran. Dinesh has developed a brilliant method of drawing out children, including those who are nonverbal, through drawings, sounds, and patterns, to find the best remedy for them. His two cases, one of a child with asthma needing Ambra grisea (whale) and the second an ADHD case needing Python, were quite remarkable. Dinesh provided great insight into how to enter the world of the child and to find the corresponding simillimum (best homeopathic medicine) to help him or her. Jurgen Weiland of Germany presented two beautiful cases of young children with behavioral problems who responded beautifully to Teucrium, from the mint family, and Mygale (pink tarantula spider). Bert Brueker, a Dutch homeopath practicing in Sweden, provided an introduction to the CEASE method taught to him by Tinus Smits, a deceased Dutch homeopath whom we invited to present at our International Foundation for Homeopathy Case Conference around 1994. He developed a rather novel approach in treating children on the autism spectrum, which included “homeopathic detoxification” as well as isopathic preparations in ascending potencies of substances, such as pharmaceuticals, which may have contributed to the decline in the children’s development. Finally, Judyth presented two fascinating long-term cases of children with violent behavior who needed homeopathic animal remedies, one Lac leoninum (lion’s milk) and the other Peregrine Falcon. Both cases illustrated the significant role for substances from the animal kingdom in treating violent, aggressive children and hopefully made a case for expanding the homeopathic pharmacopeia in Sweden to include these medicines. Judyth referred to the recent extensive and compelling Huffington Post exposé of Risperdal by Alex Brill, which is all the more reason to use a natural, do-no-harm approach such as homeopathy with sensitive, vulnerable, and sometimes damaged children.

A Meeting of Minds

Hopefully the goodwill, inspiration, and diversity of expertise of this international group of homeopaths can contribute not only to an ongoing sharing and meeting of the minds, but also to expanding the scope of practice of homeopathy in Sweden in some tangible way. At this time in history, perhaps more than any time previously, with the ever-growing rise in Big Pharma in the treatment of children with behavioral, developmental, and learning problems, we believe that gentle, safe, effective homeopathic approach is more needed than ever.

Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Robert Ullman are licensed naturopathic physicians, board certified in homeopathy. Authors of the best-selling Ritalin-Free Kids and Homeopathic Self-Care, as well as Rage-Free Kids and A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism, they have been pioneers in their field for over 30 years. Visit their redesigned, user-friendly website, www.healthyhomeopathy.com, with lots of free articles and minibooks, as well as information about their 9 books and their practice. They live on Whidbey Island, Washington and in Pucón, Chile, and practice at the Northwest Center for Homeopathic Medicine in Edmonds, Washington. They treat patients in person and by phone or videoconference. Contact them at 425-774-5599, drreichenberg@gmail.com, or drbobullman@gmail.com.