Wouldn’t it be lovely if we were all perfect?
Wouldn’t it be lovely that, when you went to your Physician, she never made a mistake, never had to commit to extra study, and was naturally brilliant at everything?
Good luck with that.
We all know that life just doesn’t work that way. We might not want to admit it, but it’s true. No one is perfect. No one has all the answers. And no one learned anything worth knowing by doing everything right, all the time.
You’ve come on this site to learn about me, and maybe a little bit about Pure Homeopathy. Maybe you’re just a little curious. Maybe you’ve been to other homeopaths, and it didn’t work for you. Maybe Pure Homeopathy sounds like the perfect fit. It feels right, it resonates with you. You’re ready to jump right in, book an appointment, and get started – right now.
Whoa! Hold your horses, Batman! Guess what? Pure Homeopathy is not perfect. It has some serious problems. Some people would say, insurmountable problems.
This blog post is about getting real. It’s about being blunt. It’s about taking responsibility.
Let’s both take a deep breath, and plunge into the icy waters…
The single greatest limitation that Homeopathy faces is the PHYSICIAN! Actually that’s not completely accurate. I’ll rephrase:
The single greatest limitation in MEDICINE (regardless of the style/modality) is the Physician. It’s not the patient, it’s not the diagnosis – it’s the Physician.
WTF? Why on Earth would you actually admit to that, Elisabeth? And in public? Are you crazy?
Guess what? I’m human. It is an undeniable fact. And because I’m human, I’m susceptible to human frailties. If your physician denies this, lean over and check his pulse, just to make sure he’s breathing.
So, I’m going to be completely up-front with you and tell you what some of my many limitations are, and you can judge for yourself if you’re OK with them. In no particular order, they are:
1) LACK OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE
2) LACK OF EDUCATION
3) PREJUDICE
1) LACK OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE
The single greatest mistake that each and every one of us makes is that we think we know something when we don’t. Or we pretend to know something when we don’t. Or we’re too afraid to admit when we don’t know something. Some people call it Ego. I call it Lack of Self-knowledge.
There is only one way to improve this Lack of Self-knowledge that I know of. I’ve found regular meditation is my most powerful tool to help me remain humble and self-aware. Meditation helps me to acknowledge my own neediness and failings, and allows me to give them the space they need. And since I deal with my personal angst in my personal time, I have the freedom to focus on your needs and fears when we’re together. This makes your time about you, and not about me in disguise.
Is it perfect? Of course not. There is no escaping the human condition. All I can do is observe when I am no longer being objective, and gently remind myself to put myself aside.
Believe it or not, this happens a lot. I often say to patients, “Please give me a moment. I’m no longer being objective.” I take the time for a few quiet, cleansing breaths and gently bring my attention to what’s really important – you.
2) LACK OF EDUCATION
I have definite holes in my Education. I never hide this from my patients. To do so would be a violation of Sacred Trust. And, since brevity is the source of wit, I will be brief:
1) I am not a Medical Doctor. I have no intention whatsoever of ever going to Medical School. Ever.
2) I am not qualified to make a medical diagnosis.
3) I am not qualified to make any changes to your prescription medication. That is between you, your MD, and your pharmacist. I can suggest that you talk to your MD about re-assessing your prescriptions when the time comes. I also provide information about the serious side effects your medications can have.
4) In case of a serious illness or emergency, please consult your MD immediately or to proceed to the nearest Emergency Room. Don’t worry – you’ll have the next 12 hours or so to experience how effective Homeopathic First Aid really is while you’re waiting in Emerg (provided that you have your First Aid Remedy Kit with you and a phone).
5) I am studying Human Physiology and Anatomy at the University of Alberta, one course at a time. This will take years to complete. Some people would say this isn’t enough, but I beg to differ. What I am learning is less detailed than what is expected of a Conventional Physician (I freely admit to this), but if their training were a corollary for Clinical Success, there would be very few sick people in the world indeed.
I am a staunch Pure Homeopath. My entire view on health and disease is coloured by my training, which leads me to my last point….
3) PREJUDICE
When I mean prejudice, I don’t mean the lunacy that motivates the KKK to burn crosses, or the train-wreck that is the current American Presidential Election. What I’m talking about is, the I’m-digging-in-my-heels-because-I-refuse-to-budge kind of prejudice.
My greatest prejudices are 1) conformity, and 2) my refusal to be “a good little student”. Here’s a brilliant little parable to demonstrate my point:
The Animal School by Leo Buscaglia from his book Love (1972)
The animals got together in the forest one day and decided to start a school. There was a rabbit, a bird, a squirrel, a fish and an eel, and they formed a Board of Education. The rabbit insisted that running be in the curriculum. The bird insisted that flying be in the curriculum. The fish insisted that swimming be in the curriculum, and the squirrel insisted that perpendicular tree climbing be in the curriculum. They put all of these things together and then wrote a Curriculum Guide.
Then they insisted that all the animals take all of the subjects. Although the rabbit was getting an A in running, perpendicular tree climbing was a real problem for him; he kept falling over backwards. Pretty soon he got to be sort of brain damaged, and he couldn’t run anymore. He found that instead of making an A in running, he was making a C and, of course, he had always made an F in perpendicular climbing.
The bird was really beautiful at flying, but when it came to burrowing in the ground, he couldn’t do so well. He kept breaking his beak and wings. Pretty soon he was making a C in flying as well as an F in burrowing, and he had a helluva time with perpendicular tree climbing.
The moral of the story is that the person who was valedictorian of the class was a mentally retarded eel who did everything in a half-way fashion. But the educators were all happy because everybody was taking all of the subjects, and it was called a broad-based education.
We live in a world that wants us to conform, to be the same as everyone else. That’s OK for assembly line products like cars and lightbulbs and Ikea dishware, but it’s a disaster in Medicine. I absolutely refuse to accept mediocrity/conformity/sameness. We are all unique manifestations of Source. If we’re unique manifestations of Source, how can we expect to be treated the same as everyone else? This in non-sensical.
So when people ask me “is there a remedy for gout” or “how much will my treatment cost” or “when will I get better” I simply don’t know. I don’t know because I have never seen a case just like yours, and I never will see a case just like yours ever again. Thank God for that! We wouldn’t want every day to be the same as every other day, would we?
Over to you.
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