NOW REPRINTED WITHOUT ERRORS!
At last, a method for confidence building in treating and managing cancer cases.
Dr AU Ramakrishnan, author of “A Homeopathic Approach to Cancer” is one of the most well-known specialists in the treatment of cancer worldwide. Over the last thirty years, he has treated more than 15,000 cancer patients and has developed a highly specific homeopathic method for treating different kinds of tumors including his famous plussing method.
During his long-time practice, Dr Ramakrishnan has made adjustments to his prescribing when necessary. In this volume, he shares the refinements to his protocol. For example, a previously, rarely used remedy shows efficacy in repeated cases or perhaps a one time change is made for a particular patient’s individual circumstance, then found to work for others.
It is a systematic and simple to follow practical guide describing the homeopathic treatment of over 25 types of cancers. It also includes over 100 case examples along with strategies for handling the many stages this disease can take, including terminal situations. The book also contains updates of cases previously published.
The hope is for homeopathic doctors and practitioners to become comfortable treating cases with serious pathology. Patients too should become familiar with options for their own care that can be used exclusively or alongside their conventional treatments. Many of the most frequently asked questions are answered here to help patients and practitioners make the best decisions in each situation.
Dr Ramakrishnan’s method has proven effective in many cases and this new volume will surely help in deepening the knowledge of this promising approach.
- Author: A U Ramakrishnan
- ISBN: 9783955820893
- 208 pages
- Edition: First
- Hardback
- Published in 2016
- Printed in Germany
Reprinted with the permission of The Alliance of Registered Homeopaths, from the 'Homeopathy in Practice' Journal, Summer/Autumn 2016 edition. Reviewed by Amanda Bate, RSHom.
This book is a nice size, a bit bigger than A5, but not too thick to be overwhelming and not too slim to make you think there would not be much content.
The cover is a muted pinky colour with a picture of a crab, the sign of Cancer in astrology.
This is the book to read if you have patients with cancer. I love it! I have great respect for Dr Ramakrishnan, having heard him speak about cancer many years ago and just a few years ago attended his course in Aberystwyth. I found him to be a lovely man - kind and helpful, humorous, knowledgeable of course, and quite happy for others to have a different view or way of prescribing. He often said, 'this is what I have found works'. He said to me once that if my experience taught me something then I should go with that, rather than follow someone else's experience.
If you buy this book do read it cover to cover because there are little gems of information to be found on every page from the Introduction through to the Conclusion. He is clear in what he says, with no ambiguity to leave you wondering if what is written could be taken this way or that; and, although his book raises questions for me, overall it provides more understanding and confidence about working with people who have cancer.
The layout of the book - The list of 'Contents' begins with a 'Preamble' which includes: 'Introduction', 'Bird's Eye View', 'Acknowledgement', 'A Brief Introduction to Homeopathy', and 'Directions for Homeopaths'.
Dr Ramakrishnan briefly refers to his father, who was also a doctor, his mentor, and inspired him to complete the conventional medical training. Afterwards Dr Ramakrishnan began his homeopathic training with Margery Blackie at the London Faculty of Homeopathy. His brother and sister also became homeopathic doctors and it was their deaths from cancer which focused his attention on cancer 40 years ago.
This book is based on his latest refinements in case-taking and record keeping. He acknowledges and credits the late Catherine R Coulter, co-author of his first book A Homoeopathic Approach to Cancer (2001), who guided him in developing structure and system in recording his results with cancer patients, and Melissa Fairbanks RSHom, for editing and clarifying much in this book. He is continually motivated by the encouraging results he sees among the 15,000 patients with cancer he has treated.
The 'Bird's Eye View' is by Eileen Isison, who has worked with and for Dr Ramakrishnan for 17 years. She sounds as if she knows her own mind and, before this book was begun, she went through her records:
... to determine if my perception matched the facts in relation to success. I am aware of my biased view, believing that everyone with cancer should follow Dr Ramakrishnan's protocol because I think it is so brilliant. I was shocked, as the results were better than even I had imagined.
I think the fact that she did this checking to ensure she was not biased towards the book just from her respect for Dr Ramakrishnan, adds weight to the book.
In a clearly defined box there is a caution which says this book is NOT a self-care manual but is written for trained homeopaths. I was pleased to read this because, although I feel we do need to empower people, it does worry me when people try to treat themselves with homeopathy for serious pathology, because if things go awry it could be homeopathy which gets the bad press not the patient's lack of knowledge.
The two short sections 'A Brief Introduction to Homeopathy' and 'Directions for Homeopaths' go hand in hand. Do not assume that you know what will be covered in these pages; do read them, because Dr Ramakrishnan explains why he developed his method of frequent repetition of two remedies alternating weekly. Dr Ram is a classical homeopath, so why does he change the way he worked with cancer patients? These two quotes make it clear to me: 'With cancer, if you treat the classical way, you can sit and watch hundreds of thousands of people die classically' and (the first two aphorisms in the Organon): 'The physician's high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed ... The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of health ... in the shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way ...'. These 'rules' are the permission needed to adapt the prescribing to the urgency and severity of the condition.
Next are three sections, where we get to the cases:
Part 1: Frequently Cured Types of Cancer - Main Remedies and Cured Cases. This section begins with a list of Dr Ram's most frequently used and most strongly indicated remedies - for example, Bladder: Causticum, Conium, Staphysagria, Terebinthina, Thuja. Next are 98 pages containing short cases for 26 types of cancer Dr Ram has seen in his patients, from Bladder to uterus and including children's cancers and a rare one - thymoma. What is incredible but a bit daunting for me is that he is confident to stay with remedies for four months even though some of the most disturbing symptoms do not appear to be changing. In the very first case, of a patient first seen in 2002, he stays with two remedies for four months, before sending the patient for a further sonograph which shows the mass has reduced. He continues the remedy for another four months with no significant changes but a further cystoscopy shows the mass to be greatly reduced to, by then, the size of a marble, surprising all the doctors. After another four months on the same remedies plus one more remedy, the patient is well, and still well and symptom-free in 2012.
How homeopaths like myself who are not medically qualified might persuade the medics to do further tests on the NHS is not covered in this book ...
Part 2: Palliation for Situations Beyond Cure - Dr Ramakrishnan knows only too well some patients come to homeopathy when their condition is advanced and they have tried everything else and may have metastasised to a more difficult area to treat. Dr Ramakrishnan says homeopathy still has a lot to offer these people by reducing the worst symptoms which often enables patients to recover some strength, both physical and emotional, therefore helping them regain some quality of life. He mentions, briefly, ascites and oedema and the best remedies he finds will help. Adhesions are a later stage problem but, even there, Dr Ramakrishnan says homeopathy can help and that the best remedy he has found is Graphites. He reiterates the important of continuing the plussing method, even if the patient is in hospital. He gives 28 cases of 14 different types.
Part 3: Gentling the End of Life - Dr Ramkrishnan says that homeopathy can provide relief in some of the major complaints but also helps patients to only need smaller than usual doses of allopathic drugs, which means patients remain alert until the very end, when often they drift away in their sleep. 'Many families find this is an incredible gift.'
He does not write about remedies in this section as he says, 'there is no recipe'. We homeopaths need to change prescriptions as needed and he recommends lower potencies for quicker response. However, practical as ever, he suggests using the potency to hand and to choose a different potency for each change of remedy. He no longer uses the plussing method at this time; tablets may be given or added to water and sips taken or lips moistened. He includes three cases.
The few pages of 'Most Frequently Used Remedies' cover cancer nosodes, cancer specifics and organ-specific remedies - a very useful mini materia medica.
In 'Remedies for Palliation for the End of Life' he lists 11 remedies, again a mini materia medica, and a note at the end about which ones are most frequently used for pain control.
'Directions for Plussing' is exactly what it says.
Next is 'Homeopathy with Conventional Medicine'. I love Dr Ramakrishnan's solid stance on surgery and whether or not homeopathy should be used when a patient is having chemotherapy or radiotherapy - I am not going to hint which stance he takes but leave it for you to discover!
Then follows 'Prevention and Recurrence' and 'Statistics.
'Frequently Asked Questions with Answers' is a good section because it answers many of the questions that popped into my head as I read the book. Questions include:
- This all sounds very complicated, can you tell me how long a treatment will take and what liberties can be taken with the plussing?
- Do you ever use the preparation from a patient's own tumour?
- What about coffee, alcohol and diet?
... and many more. Some of his answers give me pause for thought as my experience, very minimal compared to his, has taught me differently; but that is one of the main things I really admire in Dr Ramakrishnan, the fact that he thinks it is fine for people to have different ways which work for them - a good teacher wants his students to think for themselves and not just learn from the master. In my opinion Dr Ramakrishnan is a great homeopath and teacher.
If you see people with cancer in your practice, I urge you to read, read and read again this book.
