Homeopathy: A Healthy Times Product Review
By Mike Bundrant, Publisher
Part of being a mature adult is learning to live with problems. “Life is difficult,” claims the late M. Scott Peck, MD with the famous first line of his book, The Road Less Traveled. Growing up requires learning to accept this fact. Once we do, life becomes much easier.
Some of life’s specific difficulties, however, are very hard to accept. For these, we typically search far and wide for any cure available. Such was the case with me in a quest to cure a lifelong difficulty, Restless Leg Syndrome.
A syndrome is a “collection of symptoms” and in the case of RLS, these symptoms drive you crazy. Imagine lying in bed night after night, dead tired, yet unable to sleep because of an irresistible urge to move your legs. This is a neurological condition (see rls.org) for which there is no known cause or cure. I cannot number how many nights I have spent pacing the house, exhausted, yet unable to sleep because my legs and feet seemed to think it was time to party!
Over the years I have read every known book on sleep disorders published in the 20th century. I tried numerous vitamins, herbal formulas, nutritional protocols/detox programs, exercise programs, bodywork methods, sleep regimens and lifestyle alterations. I’ve tried hypnosis, NLP, progressive relaxation, meditation and extensive psychotherapy. At times I’ve resorted to over-the-counter and prescription medication.
RLS has motivated me to learn a lot and I have benefited in numerous ways from all of the methods above, for which I am grateful. Yet, I still suffered with RLS and was not ready to give up my search for a cure.
Then, I tried homeopathy with John Cassone of Temecula Homeopathy. Over the years, people I know and trust have used classical homeopathy with success in treating a variety of issues, both mental/emotional and physical.
A homeopathy intake interview is quite different than what you’d expect from a traditional doctor. A homeopathic doctor spends 2-3 hours with you and assesses your case from a broad and deep perspective, asking you to venture with him into the patterns that underlie your condition. Here is a small sample of what the discussion was like:
Mike: This RLS is awful.
John: Say a little more. Describe “awful” if you would.
Mike: I mean, it’s so agitating to have to move your legs when you’re trying to go to sleep.
John: So, what’s “agitating” like for you?
Mike: Huh? Well, a lot of things can be agitating. Life is agitating at times, people are agitating sometimes, business can be agitating.
John: Go on…
Now is when I pause, wondering if John would be OK if I really opened up and mentioned the feeling that has surfaced. There aren’t very many people who want to hear what’s really going on, are there? Before we make ourselves vulnerable, we need to know that the person on the receiving end can “handle the truth”. John is waiting patiently, unruffled by my silence. He seems comfortable with himself, so I decide to dig a little deeper.
Mike: You know, I really hate it when people assume they can tell me what to do…I have a very hard time giving up control, you know. I have to be in control, period. If I feel like someone is in authority over me or has control of my destiny…or, hell, even expects things of me, I begin to feel agitated, kinda like I am trapped…
If you think this is starting to sound like psychotherapy, you're right. It sounds like it. But John isn’t doing counseling. He is gathering information in order to determine which homeopathic remedy is best for me as a whole person. To accomplish this, he expects you to open up a little, describe how you feel and even make analogies that describe your predicament.
According to John, “Classical Homeopathy is a system of medicine that uniquely captures the mental state, the emotional state and the physical state. It is truly holistic, as treatment addresses what is called the ‘totality of symptoms’. A skilled homeopath will investigate what is being expressed by the entire organism until a clear pattern of disease can be understood. This is much different than giving 5 different drugs for 5 different symptoms. The classical homeopath will give one remedy that strongly correlates to the central pattern.”
What are homeopathic remedies? John explains, “The remedies are made from highly diluted, natural substances that trigger a healing response. Because the remedies are prescribed based on the totality of symptoms, the response is global. This means that much more than just the immediate complaint gets better; the entire immune system begins to heal. Seemingly unrelated stress is often relieved because it was equally part of the illness as a whole.”
The Results
It took me at least a month without symptoms to believe that my battle with RLS is over. Before writing this review, I waited 6 months in order to ensure that the results were lasting. When I lie down at night I still half expect my legs to start to churn, aching to move. Yet, I typically just fall asleep within 15-20 minutes. Peace, at last! Beyond that, my historic case of moderate social anxiety has eased considerably.
John and I have had to adjust my remedy and dosage a few times in order to stay on course. When I begin to feel symptoms returning, I know it is time for another round. I check up with John every few weeks, as life is dynamic and so are our needs.
I wish I had the space to begin a discussion of the nature of homeopathic remedies and the underlying principles upon which their application is based. Furthermore, I’d address the controversy homeopathy has caused among skeptics. Suffice it to say that these are worth exploring, as homeopathy represents a paradigm shift for most of us. Attempting to understand and measure homeopathy while hanging onto traditional assumptions is tough to do.
What matters most to most people, however, is the result. I stand behind mine and am willing to provide further details to anyone who might inquire.
A final thought: it is interesting to note that a modality that offers so much also requires something more from us. To reap the benefits of a properly prescribed homeopathic remedy, we need to open up to our doctor – to actually tell him or her our story, complete with all the embarrassing feelings and prejudices we tend to hold. The cures we seek end up being matters, not merely of symptom elimination, but of personal transformation.
Go see John Cassone with a chronic skin rash and you’ll likely end up discussing things as seemingly unrelated as the bizarre dream you had last week. Are these, in fact, related? Take the remedy he prescribes and find out what happens to that rash. Then watch for other changes in yourself that may surprise you.
