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Patient Fact Sheet
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| What is Homeopathy? | |||
| What to Expect? | |||
| Responsibilities of the Patient | |||
| What Interferes? | |||
| Emergencies | |||
| Taking Homeopathic Medicine Remedies | |||
| Office Procedures and Appointments | |||
| Charges | |||
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| What is Homeopathy? | |||
| Homeopathy
is a highly systematic, scientific method of therapy based on the
principle of stimulating the organism's own healing processes in
order to accomplish cure. The basic system was devised and verified
by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, 200 years ago. Homeopathy's
astounding success rates in both chronic and acute diseases has
resulted in its not only standing the test of time, but rapidly
achieving widespread acceptance in Europe, India, and South America
as well. According to the World Health Organization, homeopathy
is the second most practiced form of healing in the world, with
Chinese medicine being first. |
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| Throughout
history, disease has been viewed from two fundamentally different
perspectives. First, as a malfunction of specific parts of the body,
or secondly, as results of deeper disturbances of the person as
an integrated whole. The former viewpoint is the basis underlying
standard medicine (which is called "allopathic medicine": "allo-"
meaning "other" and "pathy" referring to "suffering"). Whatever
symptoms arise, they are counteracted by drugs in a reactive fashion:
a decongestant for a runny nose, an analgesic for pain, steroids
to counteract inflammation, etc. |
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| In
homeopathy ("homeo-" means "similar"), each of us is viewed as a
total, complete individual, no aspect of which can be separated
from any other. To be effective, any valid therapy must be based
on a deep understanding of and respect for the uniqueness of each
individual. In homeopathy, each patient is evaluated as a whole
person - mental, emotional and physical, and the prescribed remedy
is based on the unique patterns found on all three levels. This
means that each person is given the remedy that will stimulate their
particular organism; thus ten people with arthritis might receive
ten different "constitutional" homeopathic remedies. |
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| Moreover,
any valid holistic therapy recognizes that the organism has its
own mechanisms for healing, however incomplete the process may be
in any given moment. These healing mechanisms include all chemical
and physiological processes so well elucidated by modern science
and more subtle processes as well, that are yet to be known. In
homeopathy, we begin with the assumption that every individual is
fundamentally a mystery, but that there are identifiable laws of
cure which we must always follow. To include both the knowable and
the unknowable in our understanding, we homeopaths speak of the
vital force - - the dynamic energy or etheric plane of the organism
which animates everything we call life (including not only the physical,
but emotional and mental/spiritual levels as well). It is this vital
force which is being stimulated specifically by homeopathic remedies.
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| Symptoms
are a sign of the vital force trying to heal. This is a fundamental
concept that must be understood by all patients and practitioners
of homeopathy. It is an easy concept to understand in the situation
of an acute illness such as a cold or flu. The body will produce
a fever to kill the virus and a discharge to eliminate it. Often
we find that a strong organism is able to produce a high fever to
overcome the cold quickly. A weak organism may only be able to muster
up a low fever and in this case it may take longer for the cold
to pass. |
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| Even
in chronic disease the organism tries to defend itself, and the
symptoms it produces are evidence of this defense. Unfortunately,
chronic illnesses are chronic - that is, continue unabated for a
long period of time - because the organism's vital force is not
strong enough to overcome the imbalance. Instead, it smolders along
in its best attempts to keep the situation from getting worse. If
nothing is done to strengthen the vital force, the patients will
find themselves limiting their lives more and more in an effort
to conserve energy and prevent deterioration. The task of the doctor,
then, is to gather as much information as possible about the totality
of symptoms - mental, emotional, and physical - in order to understand
all the ways in which the vital force is already acting. The remedy
ideally will stimulate the vital force in precisely the ways in
which it is already acting thereby enabling it to overcome even
chronic disease. This is the famous Law of Similars. In homeopathy,
prescriptions are based solely on the language of the vital force
as it manifests in symptoms verbalized by you and the physical observations
made by the doctor; it is not based on laboratory data, machine
technology, extrapolation from animal studies, etc. |
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| However,
homeopathy is not herbal medicine. Homeopathic remedies are prepared
from over 2500 mineral, plant, and animal sources. Each remedy has
been experimentally tested on human beings in order to determine
which type of individual responds most strongly to which substance.
(This tells us the type of person whose vital force will be strengthened
by that substance) It is as if there is a kind of resonance between
each person in any given moment and some mineral, plant, or animal
substance. The task of the homeopath is to match the total picture
of symptoms, provided by you, with a homeopathic remedy, which will
effectively resonate with your vital force as a whole. It is this
powerfully stimulated vital force which then cures whatever disease(s)
may be present. |
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| Thus
the basic law underlying homeopathy is the Law of Similars: Whatever
substance produces symptoms in a healthy person will cure those
symptoms in a sick person. |
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| Professional,
FDA-approved, homeopathic pharmaceutical companies prepare remedies
in environments carefully controlled for temperature, odors, dust,
light and humidity. They are prepared according to the standards
set forth in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States.
The original substance is serially diluted an incredible number
of times, the vial being vigorously shaken between each dilution.
Paradoxically as it may seem, the more the original substance is
shaken and diluted, the more its curative power is increased while
eliminating all toxicity. We routinely use remedies more dilute
than Avogardro's number, the point beyond which there is no molecule
of the original substance left! Our remedies are extractions of
energy or force - which current research in physics suggests is
a resonant transfer of information to directly stimulate the energy
plane of the patient. |
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| What to Expect | |||
| It
is important to make clear that homeopathy is not a panacea, and
it is not free of difficulty. Although most people receive great
benefit over time, there are rare patients who are not curable for
whatever reason. In chronic cases, homeopathy usually does not produce
immediate relief of symptoms; indeed, in about two-thirds of cases,
the expectation is that there will be a healing crisis before cure
follows - usually brief and not always noticeable. |
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| Cure
is the goal of homeopathy, and our results show that 80-90% of our
patients can expect at least great strides toward that goal. Our
definition of "cure" is the attainment of a high degree of health
without having to depend on drugs, special diets, or other treatments.
George Vithoulkas, the foremost homeopath in the world today, defines
health in terms of FREEDOM: Health on the physical level is freedom
from having to put undue attention on the body because of pain,
weakness, etc. On the emotional level, health is freedom from being
bound by the various emotions. (Not a mere absence of emotions,
but a dynamic state of feeling all emotions while not being trapped
by any); and on the mental level, health is clarity and Selfless
Creativity, the ultimate state being unification selflessly with
Truth. |
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| On
average (always with noticeable exceptions), homeopathic cures take
three months to two years, depending on the severity of the condition,
the hereditary, strength of the vital force, and the amount of previous
drugs. Appointments are scheduled initially for 1 1/2 hours. The
time is spent doing a verbal interview, which is an exhaustive review
of all limitations - emphasizing the mental and emotional levels
but including physical as well. Follow-up appointments are spaced
4-6 weeks apart in chronic cases until clear progress is being made,
at which time they may be stretched to 2 months, 6 months, or annually.
If you feel it might be desirable, relatives or close friends are
welcome to be present during the interview. With acute or more severe
symptoms, visits will be scheduled sooner, according to the need
of the person. |
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| The
remedy is given in one dose on the tongue, with a few of the pellets
under the tongue or in a solution, usually at the conclusion of the interview - or
sometimes after a few days to allow time for studying the case more
thoroughly. The majority of patients experience some degree of healing
crisis within days after the remedy. This is usually mild or unnoticeable
but can sometimes be more energetic; the length of time depends
upon the individual case and the presence or absence of drugs, but
most commonly is only a few hours to days. It is during these crises
that it is important to remember that all symptoms are attempts
of the vital force to heal. An intensification of symptoms after
a remedy is a good sign that cure will (gradually) ensue. Cruel
as it may seem, the best advice is, "Wait." Likewise, it is best
to minimize any treatments or medications; they will merely delay
the cure. |
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| Even
once the healing crisis is completed, you may experience a return
of old symptoms from your past. These are not signs of a setback
but rather a sign of the vital force reaching back to clear up old
obstacles. Even old childhood complaints or emotions may recur;
these are transient and rarely intense. |
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| Remedies
are given in a single dose; because they are stimulating your own
vital force, they do not have to be repeated in most cases, for
some time. Usually, however, there are "layers" of symptomatology,
each layer requiring a separate remedy. This may be needed within
a few months, or more commonly after a year or more. Meanwhile,
the previous dose continues to act for months to years, constantly
pushing symptoms away from the deeper mental and emotional regions
and outward to the physical plane, eventually onto the skin or mucous
membranes, and finally to ultimate elimination. During all this
time, we continue to have follow-up visits to evaluate progress,
but usually another dose will not be given. |
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| Responsibilities of the Patient | |||
| As
you can imagine, homeopathy is highly demanding on the prescriber.
Getting to know patients in such depth and subtlety takes a lot
of time and energy, and it takes many years of supervised training
and hard studying to begin to master the art as well as the science
of homeopathy. Meanwhile, we must deal with healing crises, antidoting
influences, previous drug suppressions, and sometimes, many other
problems. So, be patient with your doctor if an incorrect remedy
is given or more time is needed to allow the symptom picture to
become clear. We make mistakes, of course, and we admit them when
we do. Our hope is that we will have the knowledge and wisdom to
recognize then so that we can avoid perpetuating them. |
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| Homeopathy
places great demands on patients as well. There are antidotes to
be avoided, of course, but the primary demand on the patient is
self-observation. To prescribe correctly, we need information
about those aspects that are most peculiar, most unique,
most unexplainable by ordinary logic. This requires a good deal
of attention on your part, something that does not come easy to
some of us. |
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| Homeopathy
demands perseverance and patience. The slow progress
towards cure can sometimes become a severe test of faith and understanding,
especially in our quick-fix culture. Nevertheless, the demand to
"Wait" is crucially important. The most common mistake in homeopathy
is to give a remedy too soon - even after months and years have
passed! The vital force knows better than we do what pace is optimal
for cure, and it follows distinct laws of cure recognizable to the
trained practitioner. |
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| What Interferes? | |||
| There
are basically two ways by which you can interfere with the action
of the remedy: by antidoting it and by suppressing
symptoms. |
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| Remedies
may be antidoted either partially or completely by various means.
The resulting relapse is usually partial and temporary (two or three
weeks), or the relapse may be complete and permanent. It is not
automatic that a remedy can be repeated in this situation because
it would interfere if not really needed. In addition the picture
may change subtly, making the prescriber's task exceptionally difficult.
The best approach is to allow three weeks to recover; if that fails,
the case must be taken again in its entirety. |
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| Ways by which remedies may be antidoted; therefore, please avoid: | |||
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| 1) Coffee: | |||
| Coffee frequently antidotes remedies, probably because of a combination of medicinal ingredients in coffee beans. Even decaffeinated coffee will antidote, so it is not the caffeine. The amount needed to antidote varies from person to person, but since it is possible for only one cup to wipe out the effect of the remedy it is recommended that you drink no coffee at all. Tea, Coke, diet drinks, and chocolate (containing caffeine) are okay. But, diet drinks with Aspartame are toxic. Commercially made coffee flavoring is okay also, as in some ice cream, toffees and tarts. Avoid any real coffee product (regular, decaf, Kahlua, real coffee desserts, drinks, etc.) | |||
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| 2) Menthol - Eucalyptus - Camphor: | |||
| Even skin or mucous membrane applications of camphor can antidote remedies. Avoid anything that has significant amounts of camphor such as deep heat rubs, liniments, Vicks, Ben Gay, Tiger Balm, some massage compounds, some cosmetics, many lip balms, Australian Tea Tree oil, some Chinese candies, most cough lozenges, and others. Learn to read labels! | |||
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| 3) Allopathic Drugs: | |||
| Allopathic drugs are designed to remove specific or local symptoms, without regard to the person as a whole. This approach leads to suppression of symptoms, which weakens the vital force and may antidote the remedy. For this reason, prescription allopathic drugs should be avoided except in severe emergencies and always discussed with your homeopath. If you are on allopathic drugs prior to your first visit, do not stop them on your own. It is often possible to begin homeopathic treatment while you are on prescription drugs and discontinue them, as your system becomes stronger. Over-the-counter drugs are generally safe if used sparingly. Antibiotics very often antidote the remedy; occasionally a patient may need one, but we can usually try other treatments first. | |||
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| 4) Routine Dental Work: | |||
| For some unknown reason, actual drilling on teeth seems to antidote remedies with a high degree of reliability. Therefore it is recommended that you complete any necessary drilling prior to starting homeopathic treatment, so that you can avoid any drilling, for six months to a year or two, while under homeopathic care. If, however, a condition occurs which requires immediate dental attention, allow the work to be done and follow-up with your homeopath three to four weeks after the dental work is complete. Routine x-rays and manual teeth cleaning are no problem; one exception is the ultrasonic cleaning device, which sounds like a drill and does antidote. Novocain, gum surgery, and even general anesthesia are not problems. | |||
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| 5) Acupuncture: | |||
| Acupuncture used systemically, with needles or especially electro-acupuncture or moxa, may antidote remedies. Because it is a powerfully curative system in its own right, acupuncture is an extremely good choice for chronic conditions - but a choice it must be, because both systems interfere with each other. Acupressure, however, is okay, and local acupuncture first aid needles, for injuries, are safe. Interestingly, Chinese herbs when prescribed by a trained specialist do not generally antidote, whereas over-the-counter Chinese herbal combinations often do antidote. | |||
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| 6) Other Treatments: | |||
| Please don't start new treatments at the same time - whether that is an allopathic drug, herbal or energetic treatment. It is important to know what each is doing. One doctor/prescriber may be able to integrate homeopathy and say osteopathic treatment because of their experience with both over time. Please discuss treatments with us. | |||
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| 7) Miscellaneous: | |||
| Experience has identified other specifics which commonly antidote remedies: | |||
| * Mothballs in the house (brief exposure is no problem) | |||
| * Electric blankets (okay to use to warm the bed if turned off during sleep, and you must pull the plug out of the wall socket; water bed heaters and foot warmers are okay) | |||
| * Hot Springs - sometimes (Minerals added to bath water are okay) | |||
| * Australian Tee Tree Oil (camphor product) | |||
| * Swedish bitters | |||
| * Pau d"Arco tea (or strong herbs) | |||
| * Specifically, Sunrider and Km products | |||
| * Strong aromatic substances (Heavy duty DEET, ammonia, etc.) | |||
| * MRI's | |||
| * Nervous system or consciousness -altering drugs like cocaine, marijuana, etc. An occasional glass of wine or beer is okay. | |||
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| 8) Anything to which you are particularly sensitive: | |||
| Avoid large exposures to foods, chemicals, or substances which you know cause severe, life-threatening reactions in your particular system - i.e. bee-stings, shellfish, medications in susceptible people. | |||
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| 9) Usually Bach flower essences, like Rescue Remedy are okay. | |||
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| 10) Don't use other oral Homeopathic remedies (labeled with X or C). | |||
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| Homeopathic
ointments like Traumeel or Calendula are fine.
Filler.
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| Suppression
occurs whenever a specific symptom is removed without strengthening
the organism as a whole. Any therapy (even homeopathy) is capable of
producing suppressive responses when it focuses in on "a branch" and
neglects to pay heed to "the whole tree". What the patient
experiences during a suppression is that one or two specific
symptoms may leave but in general the person as a whole is worse -
i.e. energy is low, as is enthusiasm for life. An example of
suppression would be a patient who suffers from high blood pressure
using a drug to only stop that symptom, and eventually
ending up apathetic about life, lacking libido, and depressed.
If suppression occurs during homeopathic treatment - whether by
other medications or other therapies - the result will usually not
be an antidote, but progress toward cure may be temporarily hampered.
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| Emergencies | |||
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If
your state of mind or physical symptoms are potentially life-threatening
e.g.) very suicidal or having significant trouble breathing, etc.
always go to the Emergency Room, a close Urgent Care Center for
treatment, or call 911 for transport. Call me as soon as you can,
but in an urgent situation, use whatever treatments are necessary
in that moment. |
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| Taking Homeopathic Medicine Remedies | |||
| 1)
Wait about one hour before taking the remedy, if you have just eaten,
brushed your teeth, or drank something. (If the situation is urgent
- rinse the mouth with some water, and wait 10-15 minutes; then
repeat the remedy 30-60 minutes later or as instructed). |
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| 2)
It is fine to eat, drink or brush your teeth, 15-20 minutes after
the remedy has dissolved in your mouth. |
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| 3)
Do not open the medicine bottles in sunlight, or around strong odors.
Store them at room temperature - in a drawer or cabinet without
other odors. The remedies are fairly stable for many years, but
I would not keep them in places like your car, if it were hot outside. |
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| 4)
We wait and observe what happens after taking the remedy - sometimes
improvement is immediate, sometimes a symptom may be aggravated,
and then gradually improve - like an old roadblock being lifted,
or progress may be very slow and gradual. It is in your own vital
or life force (intelligence in your mind-body) that is activated
to rebalance your system. Every symptom is important and even old
symptoms, may return briefly, as part of a deeper healing. The correct
remedy will also assist your whole system in developing more resilience
and health into the future as well. Over time people can notice
major shifts in their attitudes and consciousness. Old problems
may no longer be seen as obstacles and new levels of freedom and
creativity can arise over time. |
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| Office Procedures and Appointments | |||
My
answering service will take routine calls between 8 am - Midnight.
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They
are instructed to take any urgent or emergency call 24 hours/ day
or night. |
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There
will be a charge for appointments that are not canceled, 24 hours
in advance, at the rate for the time we have scheduled for you e.g.)
50 minutes or 25-30 minutes. |
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I
return phone calls as soon as I can - that may be in a few minutes,
or if it is a hectic day, several hours later. On rare occasions
- for various reasons -(my pager may not have received your call,
or a wrong phone number may have been transmitted, etc.) |
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I
may have missed your call. If it has been all day - (8-10 hours)
and I haven't called you back, then, go ahead and leave a second
message. |
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Have
a seat in the outer waiting room when you arrive for a visit and
I will come out to meet you there. |
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| Charges | |||
| Initial Interview @ 1½ - 1¾ hours = $375 | |||
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| Initial Visit - 1 hour = $250 | |||
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| Visit/Session - 50 minutes = $190 | |||
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| Visit/Session - 25 minutes = $95 | |||
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| Brief Visit - 15-20 minutes = $60-70 | |||
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| - 10 minutes = $40-45 | |||
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| Phone Consultation: | |||
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a)
No charge if I asked you to call for a check-in or a brief question.
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b) If
we are doing an extended phone contact, taking your case for an
acute prescription, or a scheduled 30-50 minute visit, the
charge will be according to the service time listed above.
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Sandra
Kamiak, MD
14567 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, Ca. 95070-6039 Phone:408-741-1332 
Fax:408-741-5791http://SandraKamiakMD.com |
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