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Questions and Answers About Homeopathy

by Tim Shannon, ND
Reprinted by permission.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH AUTISM, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE LOWER FUNCTIONING, WITHOUT LANGUAGE, OR NOT TOILET TRAINED?

Minimal, most of my patients on the spectrum are Asperger's. I've only treated a few truly low functioning autistic patients. I've had several others who have come to me saying a previous provider diagnosed them autistic, but I think the diagnosis is being used to liberally. Most of my patients are children or adult Asperger's or high functioning autism.

My practice has a broad scope: ASD, OCD, PTSD, ADD, Adolescent Self harm, Suicidal depression, Schizophrenia, Bi polar disorder, Eating disorders, mild to profound depression, mild to profound anxiety disorders, etc. I also see a number of patients with more physical chronic illness as well - auto immune disorders, Post partum depression, severe PMS, Vertigo, skin complaints, etc. I do treat autism, but it is by no means my mainstay. I know that this is a list for autism, but like many homeopaths, I treat many many different health complaints. So I can only answer questions contingent upon my experience.

WHAT DO YOU THING ABOUT NOSODES?

I am not sure what you mean here. Nosodes are homeopathic Rx's like any other. If you are asking about using nosodes to "clear" a case, or something along those lines I have no answer for you. All my prescriptions are constitutional based.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HEAVY METAL TOXICITY?

I believe it to be a contributing factor for SOME patients. There is such an emphasis on it these days, even in cases where the theory has no bearing on patient outcomes. We live in a time where we think that we have to answer every question by being able to point at "something" as a cause. But this is not always feasible or particularly useful. If a patient has had exposure to heavy metals, and then responds favorably to their removal - well, the conclusion is obvious; It mattered for that patient. But to continue to beat away at trying to remove heavy metals when their removal yields mediocre or zero results is something else.

Homeopathy has the ability to deeply heal the system at a level that is prior to heavy metal exposure. This means that we are treating our patients at the level of "susceptibility." I mean to say that some patients when exposed have minimal negative symptoms. While others exposed to a fraction of toxins have violent reactions. That patient with super sensitivity needs to have their system strengthened so that they can withstand a reasonable exposure - because in this culture & this world, they will be exposed. We all know that vaccines, and thimersol in particular, is triggering autism and other issues in a percentage of children. This underlines the idea that it MUST be at the level of susceptibility that these children are effected. Otherwise all children would get autism from vaccination. De-toxing patients is one possible answer, but it should not be the only answer. Ideally all patients with true toxicity issues would use a healing modality that includes healing at the level of susceptibility.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN USING SUPPLEMENTS?

I don't use them in my practice. That doesn't mean I don't believe in them. It is simply not my expertise. I find that my hands are full, over full really, keeping up with homeopathy. I am fine with letting others have expertise in nutrition. I choose to put my focus on homeopathy because I believe it to be a deeper healing modality. But do nutrition and supplements help, the answer is obvious. For many, it has been a life saving modality, for others it has clearly helped, while in others, no clear improvements can be seen. Like anything else, it is a treatment that some respond to.

DO YOU USE DRY OR LIQUID REMEDIES, AND DO YOU FEEL THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN ONE IS BETTER OVER THE OTHER?

I primarily use liquid potencies in practice, though I do use dry pellets at times as well. For most cases now, I give lower doses, such as 6c or 9c and in some cases LM's or Q potencies. All those doses are given in water as a "test dose." This means they get one dose in water to test for their response. It is a beautiful way of managing cases and avoiding aggravations. In addition, it seems to really support people in progressing more smoothly. I tend to use dry pellets when I have a patient who is relatively a-symptomatic. I'm using the Rx in pellet form in this instance to stimulate a reaction to show that my Rx is accurate. Other cases where I use dry pellets are for patients who are not so capable at repeating doses regularly.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU DOSE, AND WHAT POTENCIES DO YOU USUALLY START OUT WITH FOR CHRONIC CONDITIONS LIKE VACCINE/ANTIBIOTIC. ETC.INDUCED AUTISM AND RELATED CONDITIONS?

I dose as often as the patient requires a repeat. If I give a test dose of 6c in water for an Asperger's patient and they respond well for 3 days, then I have them repeat every 4 days. I tend to start low to avoid negative responses. It is always easier to start from too low a dose and go up, then have to wait after an aggravation to move forward. Often aggravations are not necessary, though they can't be entirely avoided. I do my best to avoid them of course. The dosing for vaccine and toxic exposure related ASD is the same as for anyone else. It is individuated to their need and sensitivity.

HOW LONG BEFORE YOUR TYPICAL PATIENT SHOW IMPROVEMENT?

Most patients will show improvements within a few days of the test dose. Most often the day after. There are some exceptions, but that is the norm.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE IF IT IS TIME TO TRY ANOTHER REMEDY?

Everything I do is based on a "baseline." This means when the patient, or the patients parents present for the initial history, we develop a baseline. This is simply a list of symptoms that are chronic and consistent for the patient. Once that is established, I have a definitive measuring stick to tell me if my Rx is accurate, mediocre, or totally off. I change the Rx if I see that the patient is not showing clear improvements in his/her baseline in a reasonable time period.

DO YOU FEEL THAT THE MORE AFFECTED CHILDREN WITH AUTISM ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO TREAT?

I think you mean lower functioning autism here? If so, as I said above, most of my patients are higher functioning - they respond wonderfully. I simply don't have enough clinical experience with low functioning autism to say much. Hope some of these answers were of some use and that other homeopaths on the list will bring their clinical wisdom to bear.

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