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Anyone who wants to know Hahnemann’s work should have unfettered access to it and guidance in understanding it. I am actively working on uploading many of his works under resources: articles by others, and I write on these different topics as I study them myself. Grab a cup of something warm and cozy and come study with me <3.

May you find something helpful

-B

For a complete list of all posts, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Why does Advil work? Palliation for small, temporary complaints
Medicine in General, Philosophy, Hahnemann Brittany Harris Medicine in General, Philosophy, Hahnemann Brittany Harris

Why does Advil work? Palliation for small, temporary complaints

I was told palliation - defined as giving an “anti” treatment (antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, etc) - would “drive the pathology deeper” or “make someone worse in the long run!” But the question in my mind was always: “but painkillers get rid of my headache - and I don’t get some horrible disease after using them, and the headache doesn’t immediately come back when the painkiller wear off, so what’s going on?” Well, I recently found what Hahnemann says on the matter in the introduction to Opium.

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Symptoms are downed trees; causes are beavers
Philosophy, Medicine in General Brittany Harris Philosophy, Medicine in General Brittany Harris

Symptoms are downed trees; causes are beavers

I know there’s a beaver in the woods where I walk my dog. The paths where I walk are filled with trees with old teeth marks and scars in them and old stumps, pointed at the top like a spear. Then last year, I found a tree with fresh wood shavings around its base; teeth marks in its trunk. For a week, I returned to the tree every morning and found more shavings, more cuts in the trunk. Finally, one morning, the tree was on its side. Then the morning after that, it had been dragged towards the river. Then the next day it was gone.

But I have never seen a beaver. I have never seen their house either, although I am constantly searching for it.

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Is your lifestyle causing constipation?
Philosophy, Wellness Brittany Harris Philosophy, Wellness Brittany Harris

Is your lifestyle causing constipation?

Probably not. For whatever reason, constipation seems to be the thing patients often tell me is “only” due to their lifestyle. And true, for stuff to be moving regularly, you need adequate fiber, water and exercise. But most people I meet are doing these things and still suffering - this is what is considered a “dynamic disturbance” in homeopathy.

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Symptoms that are Perceptible to the Senses
Organon, Philosophy, Repertories Brittany Harris Organon, Philosophy, Repertories Brittany Harris

Symptoms that are Perceptible to the Senses

In aphorism 6 (and his essay, the Medical Observer), Hahnemann details that we need to only include symptoms that are perceptible to the senses in our list of symptoms. In other words, when compiling a list of symptoms that need to be cured by a remedy, we should not include things like “needs grounding”, or “likes security”. Rather, we include only things that are factual, or able to be touched, seen, smelled, heard or tasted. These classic five senses can also include proprioception (your ability to balance or tell where you are in space), which is sometimes lumped in with touch. 

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Are we treating the root cause?
Philosophy Brittany Harris Philosophy Brittany Harris

Are we treating the root cause?

Just as pulling a plant out by the root will make sure it doesn’t come back, removing the cause of disease will theoretically make sure the disease never returns. But how can we ever know what this root “cause” is? And if we can never truly define it, we can never truly treat it.

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Does cold hurt in the long run and coffee make you tired? primary and secondary effects of medicines
Remedies, Philosophy Brittany Harris Remedies, Philosophy Brittany Harris

Does cold hurt in the long run and coffee make you tired? primary and secondary effects of medicines

Hahnemann believed that in homeopathy, you should only prescribe based on the primary effects of medicines. The primary effects of coffee are to increase your energy and mood. Would you ever say that coffee causes sleepiness and depression? No. Opium’s primary effects are to remove pain and make you sleepy (among others). Would you ever casually say that opium makes you more awake and makes you feel more pain? No. You might say that in the long run coffee makes you tired and opium increases pain, which is how we colloquially talk about secondary effects of medicines, but we wouldn’t say coffee primarily depresses you or makes you tired.

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Hahnemann's Miasms - the Quick Version
Philosophy Brittany Harris Philosophy Brittany Harris

Hahnemann's Miasms - the Quick Version

Hahnemann's Miasms are one of the most controversial theories in homeopathy. The original theory put forth by Hahnemann in the 1800s has been misinterpreted by many homeopaths for hundreds of years, with lots of authors adding or subtracting from Hahnemann's original theories, making a crazy mish-mash of ideas. Untangling the ideas and figuring out who said what and why is just impossible (at least for me!).

But Hahnemann laid out his theories in his book on the topic called Chronic Diseases. Here, I explain what Hahnemann meant in this book, and what his original theories were.

Whether or not you agree with the theories or use them in practice is entirely up to you (I don't use them much, but my thinking about practice has in fact changed dramatically after reading the book), but I think all homeopaths need to have a basic working idea of what Hahnemann meant, so that we can at least start to understand how we got to where we are today!

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