Heart and Soul

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HOMEOPATHY TODAY
Reviewed by Jay Yasgur

A new book concerning homeopathy and the emotions has recently been published. Homoeopathy: Heart and Soul by Dr. Keith M. Souter is a handsome paperback of 280 pages. It is sectioned into three parts.

In part one, Emotions and Homoeopathy, Souter offers a basic section on the principles of homeopathy and makes the case for the importance of emotions in homeopathy (nothing new there). He talks about "vulnerable constitutions," defines emotions, discusses how people cope with stress and offers strategies of homeopathic treatment.

The second part and bulk of the book deals with thirteen specific emotional problems: fear, phobias, bad habits, love, hate and jealousy, fixation, sadness, etc.

Part three consists of a materia medica and therapeutic index. The materia medica portion is rather bland and consists of one word or one sentence descriptions.

Generalities, modalities, mental symp- toms, likes/ dislikes, physical features, and disease and emotional tendencies are compiled for some sixty remedies. Though I did not look deeply at each remedy I noticed right away a mistake that many of us make. Under Aconite he states that "it is not very good for chronic illness."

This is untrue, as you may well know, as "monkshood" is a miracle worker in chronic conditions as well as in the acute situation. It is unfortunate that Aconite has this "acute" stigma. This should once again remind us not to stereotype our remedies.

What makes this book special, aside from its user-friendly schema, is the use Souter makes of flow charts, or algorithms. Flow charts have recently become popular because of the ease with which one may arrive at the indicated remedy or group of remedies.

Certainly this does not eliminate the need for repertory study. Flow charts may be helpful for finding the indicated remedy but where they are really useful is in the process of learning remedies, especially groups of remedies.

This facet will be particularly useful for the beginning homeopathic student and is thus one of the strengths of this book. You can get an easily digestible lesson in the "emotional group of remedies" from this book without having to flip through the classic materia medica and repertory texts for hours.

However, like I mentioned a moment ago, nothing can replace referencing the repertory I mean, when you repertorize don't you find yourself getting sidetracked by all sorts of interesting hors d'oeuvres: one tasty-bit leads you to another, eh?

Pretty soon 45 minutes have gone by before you realize that you still haven't found the initial repertory rubric you were looking for!

Homoeopathy: Heart and Soul is a readable and useful look at the homeopathic treatment of emotional problems. With anything there are plusses and minuses, and in order to know what tools are best for you, you need to know you.

Some people will find this book absorbing and others won't; however, I do feel that overall, Souter's book will be of benefit to the beginning and intermediate student who wishes to become familiar with the "emotional" component of homeopathy.

Homeopathy Today
Volume 16, Number 4, April 1996
Reprinted with permission from the National Center for Homeopathy

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Contents

Introduction -- 7 to 8

Part 1: Emotions and Homoeopathy -- 9-54
Ch. 1 Our Emotional Life -- 10-16
Ch. 2 The Principles of Homoeopathy -- 17-26
Ch. 3 The Importance of Emotions in Homoeopathy -- 27-33
Ch. 4 Vulnerable Constitutions -- 34-44
Ch. 5 Mixed Emotions and Coping -- 45-54

Part 2: Specific Emotional Problems -- 56-169
Ch. 6 Fear -- 56-68
Ch. 7 Phobias -- 69-83
Ch. 8 Fixations -- 84-93
Ch. 9 Sadness and Depression -- 94-101
Ch. 10 Grief and Bereavement -- 102-105
Ch. 11 Anger and Irritability -- 106-112
Ch. 12 Love, Hate and Jealousy -- 113-120
Ch. 13 Exhaustion and Chronic Fatigue -- 121-128
Ch. 14 Sleep Problems -- 129-133
Ch. 15 Body Image and Eating Disorders -- 134-139
Ch. 16 Premenstrual Syndrome and the Menopause -- 140-153
Ch. 17 Bad Habits -- 154-165
Ch. 18 Shock, Trauma and Abuse -- 166-169

Part 3 -- 172-287
Taking the Remedies -- 172-173
Materia Medica -- 174-253
Therapeutic Index -- 254-259
Useful Addresses -- 260-265

Index -- 266-287

Acon. -- 176
Alum. -- 177
Am-br. -- 178
Am-c. -- 179
Anac. -- 180
Apis -- 181
Arg-n. -- 182-183
Arnica -- 184
Ars. -- 185
Arum-t. -- 186
Aur. -- 187
Bar-c. -- 188
Bell. -- 189
Bry. -- 190
Cact. -- 192
Calc. -- 193
Calc-p. -- 194
Caps. -- 195
Carb-v. -- 196
Caust. -- 197
Cham. -- 198
Chin. -- 199
Cocc. -- 202
Coff. -- 203
Coloc. -- 204
Cupr. -- 205
Equis. -- 206
Gels. -- 206-207
Graph. -- 208
Hep. -- 209-210
Hyos. -- 211
Hyper. -- 212
Ign. -- 213
Iod. -- 214
Kali-p. -- 215-216
Lach. -- 217-218
Lil-t. -- 219
Lyc. -- 220-221
Merc. -- 222
Nat-c. -- 223
Nat-m. -- 224-225
Nit-ac. -- 226
Nux-v. -- 227-228
Op. -- 229
Ph-ac. -- 230-231
Phos. -- 231-232
Pic-ac. -- 233
Plat. -- 233
Puls. -- 234-335
Rhod. -- 236
Rhus-t. -- 237-238
Sabad. -- 239
Sep. -- 240
Sil. -- 241-242
Spig. -- 242-243
Staph. -- 243-244
Stram. -- 245
Sulph. -- 246-247
Tarent. -- 248
Thuj. -- 249
Valer. -- 250
Verat. -- 251
Zinc. – 252

Cimic. -- 200
Cina -- 201
Cocc. -- 202
Coff. -- 203
Coloc. -- 204
Cupr. -- 205
Equis. -- 206
Gels. -- 206-207
Graph. -- 208-209
Hep. -- 209-210
Hyos. -- 211
Hyper. -- 212
Ign. -- 213-214
Iod. -- 214-215
Kali-p. -- 215-216
Lach. -- 217-218
Lil-t. -- 219
Lyc. -- 220-221
Merc-sul. -- 222
Nat-c. -- 223
Nat-m. -- 224-225
Nit-ac. -- 226-227
Nux-v. -- 227-228
Opium -- 229
Ph-ac. -- 230
Phos. -- 231-232
Pic-ac. -- 233
Puls. -- 234-235
Rhod. -- 236-237
Rhus-t. -- 237-238
Sabad. -- 239
Sepia -- 240-241
Sil. -- 241-242
Spig. -- 242-243
Staph. -- 243-244
Stram. -- 245
Sulph. -- 246-247
Tarent. -- 248
Thuj. -- 249
Valer -- 250
Verat. -- 251
Zinc. -- 252

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