Newsletter - 2003 Winter

Seasons Greetings From Murray Bast

I would like to use this newsletter to wish each and every one of you a happy New Year. May 2003 bring you everything that you wished to achieve in 2002 and even more.

I also want to thank everyone who attended our homeopathic seminars in late November and early December for all your feedback and comments. The days were very successful and we accomplished our goal, which was to educate local people on the ever-growing field of homeopathy. With your feedback we are diligently planning changes for next year.

I want to extend an invitation to all of you on our mailing list to join us this January at our Annual Farm Seminar. We bring in guest speakers and have a chance to get acquainted over a catered meal. The seminar will be held on January 21^st and repeated January 22^ndand will cost the same as last year. Pick a day that suits and call us at Head Office to reserve your seat. To get all the details of the day see the flyer enclosed with this newsletter. n

A Look At Homeopathy

Over the course of the next two newsletters we will continue running a series on homeopathy. In our last issue we discussed what homeopathy is, the definition and history. In this issue we will briefly review what we learned in the last newsletter, examine a reference book that is used to practice homeopathy and how it was compiled, do a case study to demonstrate the difference in treatment depending upon the symptoms, and finally we will also examine a few remedies and find what they are made of. In the next issue you can look forward to discussing more in depth the origins of some more homeopathic medicines, preparations and how to use them.

Homeopathy is a wonderful, and fundamental system. In order to use this system we must study it. We must also understand the basic fundamental principle of homeopathy, which is the law of similars. As we discussed in the last newsletter, this law formulates the parallel action between the toxicological power of a given substance and its therapeutic action. For any one who wishes to apply homeopathic therapeutics, this law implies indispensable knowledge of the action of these different pharmacologically active substances upon healthy subjects. This is known as pathogenesis or in other words the provings that Hahnemann developed. Put even simpler, pathogenesis is simply the set of symptoms which any given substance produces in a healthy individual.

We know that people or subjects involved in these experiments are otherwise similar and develop different modalities of pathogenic symptoms when the same agent is administered. This is why when doing a proving you need good numbers of people to keep the sample representative. The subjects are defined by specific psychosomatic criteria that may help the homeopathic physician to find the appropriate remedy.

Each substance is classified by the symptoms that it produces in a comprehensive reference book called a Materia Medica. In this book the symptoms are recorded by which system of the body they occur in. For example the digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system, humeral (mental/emotional), etc. This compilation constitutes a pathogenesis, a complete

picture of the disease and describes the changes in the way of feeling and behaving that occurs in a healthy individual when the named substance is given.

The Materia Medica was mostly written by Hahnemann based on his provings, but also includes other remedies that were proved by other famous homeopathic doctors.

The symptoms listed therein are of local, general, functional and a behavioral nature produced by pharmacologically active substances. When we know the Materia Medica in detail then we can take into account the symptoms of the patient’s disease and try to perfectly match the picture of disease to a remedy similar to that. The Doctor will then prescribe a substance whose experimental

modalities correspond to those of the patient’s disease. The remedy given is called a homeopathic remedy, and the system of medicine called homeopathy. The word homeopathic comes from the Latin word "homeo" meaning similar and "pathos" meaning suffering. Naturopathic medicine uses homeopathy but consists of an even more encompassing approach using vitamins, minerals, and herbs as well.

Case Study

Let us examine one example in livestock:

We have an animal that has a thick discharge from the ears with an unpleasant smell. This same animal has a catarrhal inflammation of the sinuses with discharges that are thick, stringy and yellow. There can be an inflammation of the stomach. In dogs and cats this inflammation can cause retching and vomiting, in livestock such as sheep, goats, and cattle, the animal just appears to have a poor appetite. These animals are often relieved by eating something, but their stools tend to be blood stained. Their urine may contain mucous, pus or blood. In the female genitals there may be a yellow discharge coming from the uterus. The skin may have problems in terms of eruptions with ulcer formations on these eruptions. The interesting thing about this animal is that there is no fever present but there is anemia and lassitude, which means that the animal does not want to move. To determine the best remedy we must take into consideration all of these symptoms and then compare them to the pictures of illness in the Materia Medica. After studying, the best-matched remedy would be Kali Bichromicum or Kali Bich. This remedy applies to all mucous surfaces and should be indicated as a good remedy whenever there is a yellowish discharge involved. It should also be remembered in such conditions as bronchial pneumonia, or problems of severe sinus discharge. It may be used for pyometra or uterine type infections and also it may be used with certain types of ulcerative conditions of the skin.

Homeopathic methodology consists of matching the symptomatic clinical pictures of the remedies effects on a healthy person or animal to an unhealthy person or animal’s picture of disease. This must be done every time and in every situation to determine the remedy or remedies to be prescribed.

Homeopathic methodology leads to an individualization of therapy. It treats each case separately and does not treat each one in an identical manner.

Continued On Page 6

Profile of a Dealer — John Sweeting

John has been farming in Peterborough County for the last 15 years. John, his wife and daughter live on their certified organic farm where they raise organic crops and livestock. The farm has been certified organic since 1994 and produces crops including spelt, soybeans, grains, and even had a "pick your own" organic strawberry patch that attracted customers all the way from Belleville to Toronto.

In 1991, John began the three-year transition toward obtaining organic certification. Recognizing that until the 1920’s, agriculture was, in general terms, organic, John believed that the same agricultural practices of the past could be applied today including the use of crop rotation, cover crops and composting.

The next phase was to bring the livestock into certification. Due to the lack of knowledge about livestock products available to meet organic standards, John operated his beef and sheep herd on the premise that the animals would receive enough mineral nutrients from the organic feed that was produced on his farm. Over time, the ramifications of that decision became evident with breeding problems due to a lack of certain elements in the feed. In his pursuit to remedy the situation, John learned of some producers that were using Bio-Ag Kelp Meal and began feeding Kelp to his livestock. The improvements to the health of the beef and sheep herds were definite!

In the fall of 2001, John attended an organic milk producers meeting to hear Murray Bast, owner of Bio-Ag speak. This meeting introduced John to the Bio-Ag line of livestock products. After using Kelp, Mineral, and NTM Salt, the true reward came in the 2002 calf crop, with vibrant, healthy calves.

In the spring of 2002, John accepted a dealership position with Bio-Ag. His territory covers East-Central Ontario from Highway 12 to Highway 62, and from Lake Ontario to Haliburton. John has been busy promoting Bio-Ag’s products by conducting farm visits, speaking to farm groups and attending farm shows.

The future is exciting for John and his family as John continues to share with others the benefits of Bio-Ag’s products. John can be reached at home by calling: 1-705-939-6188, or faxing your questions or orders to 1-705-939-6266. n

Homeopathy - Continued From Page 3…

The Materia Medica is an important tool that helps us to define a remedy that will work in the same direction as the patient’s reaction. It is this reaction that the remedy tries to stimulate. There can be a danger of unpleasant reactions if certain remedies are mixed or if an individual is sensitive to a given substance. The stimulation of the remedy must not be too strong. It must act as a support to the organism. Should an adverse effect happen, immediately antidote the remedy by giving peppermint tea or coffee and contact a qualified professional.

Also equally important to note is the potency. As Hahnemann said, "In order to bring about a prompt, gentle, and lasting improvement, you need to use infinitesimal doses." The correct potency goes a long way in the patient’s recovery. Small doses do not mean small action. The potency determines how long acting the remedy is and choosing the correct remedy determines how effective the treatment will be.

Some people wonder how sometimes potentially toxic materials are completely safe. The answer is that after being diluted and succussed there is virtually no physical trace of these elements left in the remedy. The reaction of the remedy is not chemical; it acts exclusively through a specific physical state, which is capable of making only the effected organism react. This occurs because the organism is sensitized to the remedy. To better illustrate the process we might liken the organism to a radio receiver or antenna, such as you would have in a f.m. or a.m. radio system, which is capable of receiving and amplifying only the waves for which it is tuned into, or the waves to which it is sensitized to. This makes the remedy effective and at the same time you can see how it is not harmful.

Homeopathy is a safe and effective system of medicine when used properly based on the provings found in the Materia Medica. Through studying past cases and researching the Materia Medica we can successfully determine how to treat problems when they come up. In the next issue we will look more in depth at the origins of some homeopathic medicines and preparations and learn how to use them. n

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