Dr Christina Chambreau Tells You How To Get Started In Homeopathy ~ Show #25

Dr Christina Chambreau Tells You How To Get Started In Homeopathy ~ Show #25

See past shows with Dr Christina Chambreau

This is your opportunity to listen live, comment and ask your questions. The very personable Dr Christina Chambreau listens carefully to your questions and provides helpful responses, whether you want to know when to arrive, where to stay, what you need to apply or how to prepare, etc.

The notes below are in addition to the radio show, not in place of it.

Getting started in homeopathy

Homeopathy versus Homeopathic Remedies
Many people think they are using homeopathy when they take Arnica for a strained muscle or injury, or Apis for a bee sting, or Nux vomica for a hangover. This is merely using homeopathically prepared substances to treat specific conditions. Sometimes they work and sometimes they do not. It is fine to do this, and if taken for a short time, is totally safe. This is not homeopathy, which is a deeply curative modality.

What you can learn in a short class
These radio shows have been covering each topic in 30-40 minutes stints and eventually much of the material covered in a short class will be covered, though not in as orderly a fashion as a few hours to days dedicated to learning basic homeopathy. Links to classes are found on my site.

Christina will be teaching 3 classes in the next 2 months from coast to coast. In Portland, OR on May 6 I will teach a 4 hour Introduction to Veterinary Homeopathy (1-5PM) at the Naturopathic Medical College Campus.

Shirley Casey teaches the same basic principles in her Homeopathy for Wildlife Rescue classes – hours to days long.

Many, but not all, human classes cover these same principles. You want to look for teachers that are covering at least most of the following keys to understanding true healing.

1. History and principles
Even in 4 hours you will learn the basics – history and basic principles of homeopathy. Once you know this, even your “remedy for a condition” choices will be more successful.
2. Case taking
This is important to any form of treatment. If you know precisely where you are when you start, you will be able to evaluate if the treatment was deeply healing. You find what is characteristic about this animal. You can also monitor health over time if you have been carefully looking at all the symptoms, including the Early Warning Signs.
3. Remedy preparation and selection
Knowing how remedies are made (creating a vibrational pattern of over 4,000 different substances) and tested (on healthy humans, rarely animals) to produce the list of symptoms characteristic to that remedy frees you from merely looking for a remedy for a disease. Learn about the specific books (and computer programs) to help you match the characteristics of the animal to the characteristics of the remedy.
4. Administration of the remedy, potency selection and frequency of dosing
Matching the strength (potency) and frequency of the remedy to the illness is a key to successful treatment. Many animal prescribers still use the 4th edition dry dosing, while others are using the 5th edition (plusing) or 6th (LM potencies). Many of the “rules” of homeopathy are myths – you can successfully treat an animal by giving the remedy in the food. Understanding these rules helps you decide which to follow.
5. Evaluation of response to remedies
This is critical to any form of treatment, so important to learn and review frequently. It is not enough to have the symptoms go away. Drugs can do this, herbs, etc.
1.    Cure is our goal

The symptoms disappear proportionate to the length of time they have been there. The animal feels better overall. There is often some indication that the vital force has reacted (old symptoms briefly return, skin or more external symptoms appear…). Over time the symptoms do not return and the animal continues to feel well.
2. Palliation can happen with any treatments

The symptoms quickly (too quickly for the length of time they have been there) resolve, but there is no improvement in general. There are no indications that the vital force has reacted curatively and soon the symptoms return, unchanged. Over time the animal feels more ill.
3. Suppression is what we do not want

The current symptoms go away too quickly and more severe symptoms appear. Treat an injury with Arnica and the pain disappears in seconds, but your dog begins to cough deeply over the next few days. Treat an itchy dog and they become aggressive, or very timid.

6. Obstacles to cure
Hahnemann spoke of many obstacles to cure for people and in a 4 hour class I will mention the main ones for animals – diet, vaccines, chemical toxins, environmental toxins, emotions of the family, exercise.

Learn more in longer classes
June 2 & 3 I am teaching in beautiful Maine at Healing Spirit Farm. Each of the above topics will be covered in much more detail. Students will purchase the basic books of homeopathy, if they wish (Organon, Repertory, Materia Medica) and learn how they are organized and an overview of how to use them. The obstacles to cure will be covered in more depth, as we are doing in these radio shows.  Many more case examples will be used and many questions answered.

What you can learn in a week long class
June 16 to 22 is part of a wonderful series of classes in Bowie Maryland, sponsored by Prince Georges Feral Friends. They started the classes to replace the National Center of Homeopathy summer school when it ceased. In addition to my class, they offer Reiki, Neonatal Kitten Care, Nutrition and Chinese Medicine. After the first Holistic Health for Animals day and the Introduction to Homeopathy for Animals day, the intermediate course spends an entire day on each of the above topics.
1. Case taking

An entire day is spent learning about modalities, characteristics, common symptoms. You learn ways to elicit symptoms from animals who cannot tell us if heat makes their ear feel better (similar to case taking with infants). You learn how to use diagnostic tests in your symptom list. It is critical to have a master symptom list with each one measured quantitatively, even if you are merely treating a first aid or emergency problem.
2. Repertorization

An entire day is spent learning how Kent organized the repertory (index of symptoms) and how to be specific enough with the animal symptoms so you can match to the human symptoms in the book. Karen Allen’s book – A tutorial and workbook for the homeopathic repertory (2nd edition with my animal additions) is key to further study and can be used by you listeners to begin to understand the complexities of this tool.
3. Remedy Selection

Selecting the remedy, potency, method of administration is a packed day learning how to use the Materia Medicas (books about the remedies’ characteristics) to narrow down the choices of remedies from the repertory work to one remedy. How and how often to give the remedy is key as well.
4. Response Evaluation

Evaluation of response is key to deeply curing our patients and using many case examples students begin to see the differences between cure, palliation and suppression.
5.  Practice

The final day uses cases from the class and other sources to review and practice the entire process.

Taking a year or multi-year class is the best way to become a great homeopath for animals – your own or others.
Each of the days Christina spends in the week long class is expanded to multiple days of study. There are dozens of books to read and study. Using remedies, reporting back the results and being coached take many days and months as you absorb this brilliant system of healing.  Multi-year classes are also available over the internet.