The Homeopathic Therapeutic Subject Reference

Language
English
Type
Paperback
Publisher
Benchmark Homeopathic Publications
Author(s) Sandra Perko
5+ Items In stock
Delivery time 24 hours
Special Price €29.00 Regular Price €53.95
This book is designed as a type of repertory, but is unique in that it is arranged by conditions rather than by symptoms. As an example, there are approximately 200 remedies listed in major repertories as having burning pain in the stomach, an all too common modern-day complaint. But, since this symptom can be indicative of many different conditions, the practitioner who is looking for a remedy specifically for excess stomach acid would find the listing Hyperchlorhydria most helpful. In addition, among the distinctive remedies listed there for this condition, Acetic acid, Chininum arsenicosum, Grindelia and Robinia are not well known remedies which would ordinarily come to mind for this condition, and would therefore generally be overlooked. In this book you will find definitive consideration of such therapeutic subjects as Fibromyalgia, Hyperactivity, Aneurism, Mitral Valve Problems, Bronchitis, Lazy-Eye Syndrome, Anemia, Macular Degeneration, Psoriasis, Emphysema and many more. More importantly, it offers the reader a way to access the experiences of a select group of master homeopaths in specific clinical therapeutics.

There is also a Blood Chemistry and a Urinalysis section which information may aid in the final confirmation of specific remedy indications. As an example: suppose you are debating between two or three strongly indicated remedies, and one of them is well known to have a strong effect on the liver. The fact that a blood chemistry work-up in this case happens to indicate significant elevated liver enzymes may be just the needed information for an effective remedy choice.

The book ends with an extremely helpful Appendix, where you will find specific remedies listed for their known effectiveness on body systems and individual organs, such as those remedies which appear to target the Circulatory, Digestive, Nervous, and Reproductive systems, etc. For example, while Bryonia is listed as the only remedy under chest, aching, sternum in most repertories, in this Appendix, under the Musculoskeletal System Bones, you will find an even more specific indication aching pain at the end of the sternum, a relatively unusual symptom found under an equally uncommon remedy, Trillium pendulum. Where else would you expect to find an effective remedy for chronic fallopian tube disease? Would you ever think of the remedy Eupion, as listed under the female reproductive system, or of Palladium, a rare specific ovarian remedy? Thus, you will find, with relative ease, many small and/or rare remedies that you would not normally even consider.
More Information
ISBN9780965318730
AuthorSandra Perko
TypePaperback
LanguageEnglish
Publication Date2008
Pages606
PublisherBenchmark Homeopathic Publications
Review

This book review is reprinted from Volume 22, Spring 2009 edition of Homoeopathic Links with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Francis Treuherz, England

Here is a new book of therapeutics by an experienced homeopathic practitioner and author. The book is an alphabetical compendium of clinical terms and sub-terms with short listings by remedy under each heading. Her reference sources are briefly mentioned in the introduction but there is no comprehensive bibliography. These sources are limited to authorities which are few in number but very reliable: Bodman, Boericke, Blackie, Dewey, EA Farrington, Foubister, Roberts, Shepherd, Wright-Hubbard and the Central Council Homeopathic Research (CCHR) of India. The book is simply laid out in two columns in Times font and looks as if it has been exported from a word processor with no further attention paid to layout or design.

The use of a limited number of source books is an advantage in that we can imagine that this book is reliable, and this is the author's experience. But it is also limiting as the strict criterion for inclusion is a clinical term. Chickenpox, for example, has Urtica urens as the sole remedy listed as it is so mentioned in Boericke and no other book uses the clinical term. Ergo, the criterion has become a straitjacket. As an example I looked up Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which has been exercising my mind and wrist recently, and find again only one entry, which includes prescribing two remedies together, Graphites and Thiosinaminum on the suggestion of Foubister. On the other hand from the Metrorrhagia entry I learned something from the remedies listed. I have perused many more and very valuable entries. Then I discovered another section not mentioned anywhere, on Page 557: for organ remedies. This is also useful but you would not expect it after Z, and with Burnett not used as a source it is very partial.

The lack of good design matters in a reference book as it hinders quick navigation. There are no headers or footers, so in a large entry, Headache for example, there are no signposts, there is no letter of the alphabet visible, or any noticeable cross-reference. There is no further index, and no comprehensive remedy reference list, and no mention of which author is responsible for each section. So the simplicity is deceptive. I would contrast the lack of organisation and aesthetic found here with the accessible approach of Asa Hershoff in his Homeopathy for Musculoskeletal Healing (North Atlantic Books, 1996).

So my verdict on this book is simple: there are some extremely valuable references here, all in one place, but with insufficient tools for easy navigation. The book has to compete with computer software. It would be great if it were accessible on my laptop, so why not look for a shell program and redesign it not only as a book but as a Mac and Windows program? This book could be gem for every consulting room as it stands, and even better with more development.

 

This book review is reprinted from Volume 15, 2009 Edition of The American Homeopath with permission from The American Homeopath.

Reviewed by Laura Sholtz, RSHom (NA), CCH, FBIH

The author's newest book is an unusual repertory in that, instead of being arranged by symptoms, it is ordered by specific clinical conditions cited by master homeopaths. This is not a book for beginning homeopathic students, nor for self-diagnosis; it is intended to complement the use of other repertories by focusing primarily on underused or generally little-known remedies, the type-one remedies, rather than the polycrests. These "little" remedies should also be considered when searching for the simillimum, and with this book we are given the gift of specific citations stating the clinical, pathological or therapeutic term where the author(s) used the remedy to heal the listed condition. That is the difference between this repertory and others: this repertory cites only references where the exact clinical term is included in the homeopath's work.

Dr. Perko states that this guidebook is by no means comprehensive; as reference sources she has chosen to use the Central Council for Homeopathy Research of India, plus the work from ten "...master homeopaths whose work I have admired and depended upon..." (p. v): Frank Bodman, William and Oscar E. Boericke, Margery Blackie, W A. Dewey, E. A. Farrington, Donald Foubister, Herbert A. Roberts, Dorothy Shepherd and Elizabeth Wright Hubbard. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is more than enough for one book and a unique addition to a homeopath's library.

The remedies listed are ungraded so that "...no one remedy is considered more important or is given more weight than any other remedy under a specific listing." (p. vi) This encourages and frees the practitioner to consider each remedy as a possible simillimum, without any emphasis on more frequently used or widely known remedies. "...how many times in a difficult, unresolved case, might the very remedy that we so desperately require be, in fact hiding in a group of small untapped, underused remedies that never really get the attention they so richly deserve?" (p. iv) Within these pages "...we are able to find rare remedies for clinical conditions... For example: Sialorrhea, Descemetitis, Hemoralopia, Metritis, Dacryocystitis, Hydrothorax, and Pyelitis..." (p. viii) Familiar remedies are also listed alongside the lesser-known remedies.

In this meticulously researched book, "Conditions are listed by their pathological or therapeutic term." (p. vi) For instance, there are entries for Restless Legs Syndrome, Retained Placenta, Tobacco Addiction, as well as Mercury Poisoning and Vaccinosis. Quotations from the authors' materia medicas are included, making this a crossover book, including both the repertory plus a collection of miniature materia medicas. For instance, one of the remedies listed under "Malaria" is "Elaterium-Ecbalium-Urticaria and mental disorders coming on as a consequence of suppressed malaria." (p. 296) This is part of a direct quotation from Boericke's Materia Medica, focusing only on the listed condition. Under each condition and following each remedy is a direct quote, ranging from one line to several paragraphs, depending on the specific clinical information quoted. In addition, many entries are cross-referenced: under "Blood Chemistry" the reader is referred to "See also Biochemistry...See also Urinalysis" (p. 5I); under Phlyctenula one is referred to "See also Blisters.. .See also Conjunctivitis." (p. 385)

At the back of the book is an appendix that cites "Organ Specific and System Specific Remedies." (p. 557) Eleven systems are included, with remedies following each system. "The Appendix may be especially helpful for finding rare conditions in organs or systems..." (p. vii), plus valuable for unearthing additional uses for those smaller remedies. For instance, in the "Musculoskeletal System" under "Bones" is listed "Nitri spiritus dulcis-Boring in facial bones; in angles of the lower jaw." (p. 580)

While this text is an excellent addition to homeopathic reference books, there are three improvements I would suggest in future editions: the addition of an index, headings at the top of each two-page spread, and more references included from the materia medicas of other (and, in future editions, potentially additional) authors. Dr. Boericke's work stands alone on too many pages. With no index, and many conditions continuing for several pages, it is time-consuming and frustrating to find the therapeutic term quickly, without searching through many pages.

Even without these improvements, I find The Homeopathic Therapeutic Subject Reference to be exceptional and would recommend this guidebook to any homeopath; it is a singular and useful addition to homeopathic literature.

Review

This book review is reprinted from Volume 22, Spring 2009 edition of Homoeopathic Links with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Francis Treuherz, England

Here is a new book of therapeutics by an experienced homeopathic practitioner and author. The book is an alphabetical compendium of clinical terms and sub-terms with short listings by remedy under each heading. Her reference sources are briefly mentioned in the introduction but there is no comprehensive bibliography. These sources are limited to authorities which are few in number but very reliable: Bodman, Boericke, Blackie, Dewey, EA Farrington, Foubister, Roberts, Shepherd, Wright-Hubbard and the Central Council Homeopathic Research (CCHR) of India. The book is simply laid out in two columns in Times font and looks as if it has been exported from a word processor with no further attention paid to layout or design.

The use of a limited number of source books is an advantage in that we can imagine that this book is reliable, and this is the author's experience. But it is also limiting as the strict criterion for inclusion is a clinical term. Chickenpox, for example, has Urtica urens as the sole remedy listed as it is so mentioned in Boericke and no other book uses the clinical term. Ergo, the criterion has become a straitjacket. As an example I looked up Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which has been exercising my mind and wrist recently, and find again only one entry, which includes prescribing two remedies together, Graphites and Thiosinaminum on the suggestion of Foubister. On the other hand from the Metrorrhagia entry I learned something from the remedies listed. I have perused many more and very valuable entries. Then I discovered another section not mentioned anywhere, on Page 557: for organ remedies. This is also useful but you would not expect it after Z, and with Burnett not used as a source it is very partial.

The lack of good design matters in a reference book as it hinders quick navigation. There are no headers or footers, so in a large entry, Headache for example, there are no signposts, there is no letter of the alphabet visible, or any noticeable cross-reference. There is no further index, and no comprehensive remedy reference list, and no mention of which author is responsible for each section. So the simplicity is deceptive. I would contrast the lack of organisation and aesthetic found here with the accessible approach of Asa Hershoff in his Homeopathy for Musculoskeletal Healing (North Atlantic Books, 1996).

So my verdict on this book is simple: there are some extremely valuable references here, all in one place, but with insufficient tools for easy navigation. The book has to compete with computer software. It would be great if it were accessible on my laptop, so why not look for a shell program and redesign it not only as a book but as a Mac and Windows program? This book could be gem for every consulting room as it stands, and even better with more development.

 

This book review is reprinted from Volume 15, 2009 Edition of The American Homeopath with permission from The American Homeopath.

Reviewed by Laura Sholtz, RSHom (NA), CCH, FBIH

The author's newest book is an unusual repertory in that, instead of being arranged by symptoms, it is ordered by specific clinical conditions cited by master homeopaths. This is not a book for beginning homeopathic students, nor for self-diagnosis; it is intended to complement the use of other repertories by focusing primarily on underused or generally little-known remedies, the type-one remedies, rather than the polycrests. These "little" remedies should also be considered when searching for the simillimum, and with this book we are given the gift of specific citations stating the clinical, pathological or therapeutic term where the author(s) used the remedy to heal the listed condition. That is the difference between this repertory and others: this repertory cites only references where the exact clinical term is included in the homeopath's work.

Dr. Perko states that this guidebook is by no means comprehensive; as reference sources she has chosen to use the Central Council for Homeopathy Research of India, plus the work from ten "...master homeopaths whose work I have admired and depended upon..." (p. v): Frank Bodman, William and Oscar E. Boericke, Margery Blackie, W A. Dewey, E. A. Farrington, Donald Foubister, Herbert A. Roberts, Dorothy Shepherd and Elizabeth Wright Hubbard. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is more than enough for one book and a unique addition to a homeopath's library.

The remedies listed are ungraded so that "...no one remedy is considered more important or is given more weight than any other remedy under a specific listing." (p. vi) This encourages and frees the practitioner to consider each remedy as a possible simillimum, without any emphasis on more frequently used or widely known remedies. "...how many times in a difficult, unresolved case, might the very remedy that we so desperately require be, in fact hiding in a group of small untapped, underused remedies that never really get the attention they so richly deserve?" (p. iv) Within these pages "...we are able to find rare remedies for clinical conditions... For example: Sialorrhea, Descemetitis, Hemoralopia, Metritis, Dacryocystitis, Hydrothorax, and Pyelitis..." (p. viii) Familiar remedies are also listed alongside the lesser-known remedies.

In this meticulously researched book, "Conditions are listed by their pathological or therapeutic term." (p. vi) For instance, there are entries for Restless Legs Syndrome, Retained Placenta, Tobacco Addiction, as well as Mercury Poisoning and Vaccinosis. Quotations from the authors' materia medicas are included, making this a crossover book, including both the repertory plus a collection of miniature materia medicas. For instance, one of the remedies listed under "Malaria" is "Elaterium-Ecbalium-Urticaria and mental disorders coming on as a consequence of suppressed malaria." (p. 296) This is part of a direct quotation from Boericke's Materia Medica, focusing only on the listed condition. Under each condition and following each remedy is a direct quote, ranging from one line to several paragraphs, depending on the specific clinical information quoted. In addition, many entries are cross-referenced: under "Blood Chemistry" the reader is referred to "See also Biochemistry...See also Urinalysis" (p. 5I); under Phlyctenula one is referred to "See also Blisters.. .See also Conjunctivitis." (p. 385)

At the back of the book is an appendix that cites "Organ Specific and System Specific Remedies." (p. 557) Eleven systems are included, with remedies following each system. "The Appendix may be especially helpful for finding rare conditions in organs or systems..." (p. vii), plus valuable for unearthing additional uses for those smaller remedies. For instance, in the "Musculoskeletal System" under "Bones" is listed "Nitri spiritus dulcis-Boring in facial bones; in angles of the lower jaw." (p. 580)

While this text is an excellent addition to homeopathic reference books, there are three improvements I would suggest in future editions: the addition of an index, headings at the top of each two-page spread, and more references included from the materia medicas of other (and, in future editions, potentially additional) authors. Dr. Boericke's work stands alone on too many pages. With no index, and many conditions continuing for several pages, it is time-consuming and frustrating to find the therapeutic term quickly, without searching through many pages.

Even without these improvements, I find The Homeopathic Therapeutic Subject Reference to be exceptional and would recommend this guidebook to any homeopath; it is a singular and useful addition to homeopathic literature.