Visual Homeopathy Identifying the Most Common Homeopathic Constitutions Within Minutes - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Visual HomeopathyIdentifying the Most Common Homeopathic Constitutions Within MinutesSharum Sharif, ND

2. Biography Received my ND degree from Bastyr University in 2003.Practice in Kent, Washington, with my wife Michelle Sharif, ND. (We have a resident ND and a nutritional health counselor working at our clinic.)Received undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Washington. Worked as a software engineer for Microsoft and other software companies for about 5 years prior to going to Bastyr.Completed a two-year course through NESH (New England School of Homeopathy) with Dr. Paul Herscu, ND, and Dr. Amy Rothenberg, ND. Also attended many seminars by Henny Heudens-Mast, the famous homeopath from Belgium.Affiliate Clinical Faculty at Bastyr University.Favorite modalities: Constitutional Homeopathy and Biotherapeutic Drainage. Also use other modalities including lifestyle counseling, diet, nutritional medicine, herbs, hydrotherapy, etc. Specialize in complex conditions that are not responding to allopathic or conventional naturopathic therapies. Author of the book Visual Homeopathy.

3. Why am I here today? I find that most NDs, unfortunately, do not use homeopathy in their practices, and if they do, they often end up prescribing mainly on physical keynotes and recommend the wrong remedies because they are NOT carefully taking the patient’s personality profile into consideration. As a result, they are often unable to help their patients, and in some cases, even hurt their patients with the wrong remedy. I am here to share with you:1) How important it is to use homeopathy in your practice2) How easy it can be to learn basic homeopathy

4. Why Homeopathy? 1) The remedies are the most effective tool we have in combating a myriad of serious ailments (including suicidal depression). 2) Due to the deep-acting nature of homeopathic remedies, if they are chosen properly, they are the most curative medicines available for the treatment of disease. 3) The remedies are extremely inexpensive, and can easily be made available to everyone on the planet (especially in the case of a pandemic). 4) Homeopathy is planet friendly- we don’t have to worry about running out of natural resources like we do with herbs. 5) The remedies are extremely convenient. In the treatment of chronic illness, patients only need to take their remedies once a month (at the most), and they improve on all levels (physical, mental, and emotional), and continue to improve until they are healed. Note: Dr. John Bastyr’s most favorite modality, in his own words, was homeopathy.

5. Articles on “Why Homeopathy?” Under the page “Why Homeopathy?” on the www.VisualHomeopathy.com website, you will find two articles on this subject: 1) First article: “Advantages of Homeopathy”2) Second article: “Advantages of combining naturopathic medicine and homeopathy”

6. Examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of homeopathy Gavin’s example: 10 year old boy with complaints of ADD, bedwetting, periodic cough for past two months, chronic constipation and chronic dry skin. Naturopathic treatments? Homeopathy treatment? Nat mur 1M

7. Examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of homeopathy, MOREVideo of warts in a boy, before and after homeopathic careVideo of suicidal depression, before and after homeopathic care

8. Is homeopathy by itself sufficient in healing your patients?In some cases yes. In majority of cases, no. In children, homeopathy is often sufficient in curing their various ailments. In adults, however, you will find that you have to use all the tools available to us as naturopaths in order to help your patients completely heal from the various chronic ailments they are suffering from. (Refer to “7 Steps to Healing” article on my clinic website: www.DrSharif.com for more information. Note: Constitutional homeopathy is only one of the sevens steps to healing even though it may be one of the most important therapeutic tools available to us.)

9. What is Visual Homeopathy (VH)? Who can practice it? “Visual Homeopathy” (VH) is a term I developed to describe my approach in identifying people’s constitutional homeopathic remedy rather quickly by sheer observation, in most cases without repertorization. The VH technique is developed to encourage ND’s to incorporate basic homeopathy into their practices.

10. Visual Homeopathy Seminars and Seminar NotesI offer weekend seminars on Visual Homeopathy a few times a year at several naturopathic schools. We watch short clips from a pool of 400 actual patient videos and Hollywood movies demonstrating the various remedies. (We watch numerous videos for each constitutional type.)My Visual Homeopathy book is available through my clinic in Kent, Washington: www.DrSharif.com The seminar notes (around 40 pages) for the VH seminars are available free of charge on the website: www.VisualHomeopathy.com The notes for today’s seminar are published in the AANP book or CD-ROM passed out to attendees.

11. Testimonials for Homeopathy itself and the VH Seminars You can view/read numerous testimonials by both patients and students on my websites: www.VisualHomeopathy.comwww.DrSharif.com As can be seen in the testimonials (as well as the nearly 400 actual patient videos shown in the VH seminars), homeopathy is a highly effective therapy, and the VH technique is well liked by the students because they are easily able to find the correct constitutional remedy.

12. What is Constitutional Homeopathy? A “constitutional” homeopathic remedy matches the person on the physical AND mental/emotional levels, and thereby can significantly help a person on all three levels.

13. How many major constitutional types are there? In my opinion, you will see 15 or so remedies very commonly in a primary care naturopathic practice. We will cover these remedies in today’s talk.

14. What is acute prescribing and how does it differ from constitutional prescribing? “Acute” prescribing is what is routinely utilized by most naturopaths. As helpful as this can be in many situations, it is not nearly as powerful as “constitutional” prescribing. The reason is that an acute remedy is only addressing a few of the patient’s symptoms, as opposed to a constitutional remedy which captures the patient in his/her entirety, covering physical as well as mental/emotional aspects of the patient.

15. What potencies are typically prescribed in homeopathy? Any potency (weak or strong) can be used for any method of prescribing (acute or constitutional). Typically, however, the weaker potencies (12C or 30C) are recommended for acute and the stronger potencies (200C, 1M, and 10M) are used for constitutional prescribing. (Much more on the subject of dosing in the Visual Homeopathy book.)

16. Identifying a Red Rose… Do you need a plant identification book to identify a red rose? Identifying Calc carb, Phosphorus, or other very common (polycrest) constitutional homeopathic types is just as simple as identifying a red rose! Using the Visual Homeopathy technique, I can identify over 80% of my patients’ constitutional remedies within seconds to minutes, with almost 100% accuracy.

17. Do you have to repertorize to find a person’s constitutional remedy? In most cases, the answer is no. Using the Visual Homeopathy techniques, you do not have to spend hours trying to find a person’s constitutional homeopathic remedy by “repertorizing” a case. In fact, I rarely repertorize my patients, and find the correct remedy in nearly every case. Repertorization is useful if you do not know a patient’s remedy with a high level of certainty, or if they are not a top polycrest.

18. What is needed to practice VH?1. A familiarity with the ESSENCE of each of the top remedies, and their main few traits. 2. Astute observation skills to discern the ESSENCE of the patient. With just a little training and practice, you can easily become very proficient in this approach to constitutional prescribing.

19. Two-step approach to VH prescribingKnow the kinesthetic/energetic feeling of the common 15-20 remedies (polycrests), and understand the top 2-3 main keynotes for these remedies. THEN:2) Match the patient to one of these remedies.

20. Interpreting human behavior is critical in constitutional homeopathy Interpreting human behavior is the emphasis of my weekend seminars. Finding the correct remedy is not as much about learning homeopathic remedies as it is about learning how to identify various human traits.

21. Challenge #1 in Constitutional Homeopathy The most important word of caution in constitutional homeopathy is that you must not be fooled by the patients’ superficial words and gestures:Not everyone who is angry is Nux vomica, andnot everyone who smiles is Phosphorus! 

22. Challenge #2 in Constitutional Homeopathy The fact that no two individuals of the same constitution are identical is another major difficulty in finding the correct constitutional homeopathic remedy for a person.

23. Some of the VH descriptions are very unique… Since I am looking at the remedies from a kinesthetic/energetic viewpoint, I have included certain information about the main polycrests in my book that is definitely not found in other homeopathy books. Examples: -Carcinosin has a “tight” energy. -Silica looks like Pinocchio. -The “three I’s of Ignatia”: irritable, industrious and idealistic.

24. Listen to and look at your patients very carefullyIn order to properly interpret your patient’s behavior and personality characteristics, you will have to be very observant and attentive while talking to your patient (or watching the VH videos). You are trying to learn the essence of the patient, and should not be confused by superficial aspects such as the patient’s nationality, gender, age, educational background, etc.

25. The main three VH toolsPolycrest Table: This table contains the main traits of the most common polycrests.2) Polycrest Algorithm: Classification of the top polycrests into three categories.3) Intensity Graph: Categorization of the top polycrests based on their “intensity”.

26. I) Polycrest Table This table contains the main traits of the most common polycrests. Note that many remedies can have the traits listed in each box; the ones listed are the most likely to have that trait. For example, under “very sensitive and gentle”, I have listed Nat mur and Pulsatilla. This does not mean that other remedies cannot be sensitive and gentle; however, these two remedies are definitely on the sensitive and gentle side.

27. You should be able to sense these traits, but can also ASK… You should be able to sense many of the traits listed in the Polycrest Table yourself, and not have to ask the person whether they possess them. Patients are not going to volunteer a lot of this information. Additionally, most of us cannot see all of our own personality traits (especially the “bad” ones)! If you see the word “ASK” next to a word in this table, it means that you may simply be able to ask the patient whether they possess that particular trait or not.

28. How to find the remedy using the Polycrest TableIdentify the traits in boxes that best capture your patient, such as soft, organized, etc. Find the remedies that are in common amongst the boxes you picked.Choose the one remedy from this list that matches your patient the best. Finalize your opinion by referring to ALL the keynotes under the algorithm section in the Visual Homeopathy book or notes (or any Materia Medica) for the remedy you have picked.

29. EXAMPLES for use of Polycrest TableSoft and organized: The only remedy in common between these two boxes is Carcinosin. Hard working and irritable: The only remedy in common is Ignatia.Serious and flat affect: The only remedy in common is Kali carb.

30. II) Polycrest Algorithm This algorithm classifies the top polycrests into three categories:1) “Soft and Sweet” - Pulsatilla, Phosphorus, and Carcinosin. 2) “Angry/Irritable” – Nux vomica, Lachesis, Ignatia, Causticum and Kali carb.3) “The Others” - Calc carb, Nat mur, Sulphur, Sepia, Staphysagria, Silica, Medorrhinum, and Lycopodium.  

31. Meaning of the terms in the Polycrest Algorithm1) “Soft and Sweet”: The remedies in this category almost always smile at you. They are often soft, sweet and warm-hearted. 2) “Angry/Irritable”: These remedies tend to be angry and/or highly irritable. 3) “The Others”: This category includes constitutional types that do not nicely fit into the “soft and sweet” category nor the “angry/irritable” category.

32. The key in using the Algorithm The key in using the Polycrest Algorithm is in being able to correctly put your patient into one of these three categories. Ask yourself during the interview, what state is the patient in for the MAJORITY of the time? Example: Anyone can be angry, but is every constitution angry much of the time? No, but Nux vomica has a constant undertone of anger to their personality, and is therefore listed under the “angry/irritable” category.

33. Animal analogies in the algorithm For each of the main remedies, I have noted an animal that best captures the essence of that remedy. The animal analogy is written in parenthesis.

34. A person is a subset of a remedy, not vice versa!!! Not all of the statements about a particular remedy have to be present in every person who needs that remedy. For example, not all Sulphurs have to be lazy. Not all Pulsatillas are thirstless.

35. Comparison and contrast between similar remedies… In the “Seminar Notes” available at www.VisualHomeopathy.com, I have written about how similar top polycrest remedies compare and contrast. If you are stuck between two very similar remedies, you will find the comparison and contrast section extremely useful. For example, if you are trying to decide whether your patient is Pulsatilla or Phosphorus, both of which are in the “soft and sweet” category, then you should refer to this section.

36. Which physical symptoms/keynotes are important? The physical symptoms listed under each remedy in my notes are what I consider to be the MOST important ones because you will most likely actually encounter these in your patient population. Examples: Nat mur is often dry- They are often constipated and/or have dry skin. Phosphorus has weak lungs and female Phosphorus individuals tend to have heavy menstrual bleeding. Pulsatilla is typically thirstless despite of having a dry mouth! As far as typical physical complaints such as headaches, abdominal pain, joint pain, etc., any remedy can have any symptom, so you must learn the symptoms that are most relevant for each remedy; otherwise, you will have a very difficult time learning homeopathy.

37. How do I use the physical keynotes? I first pick a remedy that matches a person’s personality traits and behavioral patterns. THEN, I will use the physical keynotes as “confirmatory” symptoms. Example: Once I see a reserved and polite person who matches the constitution Nat mur, then I ask them about dryness in their body: “Do you tend towards constipation? Do you have dry skin?” And, Nat murs often do have dryness in their body. So, if the answer is yes, then I feel better about my prescription. If no, I might still prescribe Nat mur, thinking that they are a rather physically healthy Nat mur.

38. Black or dark brown hairBlond, light brown or red hairCarcinosinPhosphorus or Pulsatilla 1. “Soft and Sweet” Remedies:

39. Is the patient’s hair color natural? In using the previous illustration, you need to know if the patient’s hair color is natural, or is it dyed? I have never met a Carcinosin patient who does not have dark hair! However, Pulsatilla and Phosphorus individuals can come with any hair color. Realizing the above point can be useful in helping you identify a person’s constitutional remedy if they are in the “soft and sweet” category.

40. PulsatillaExtremely mild and softSweet, but their sweetness is not as real as PhosphorusEmotionally needy/clingy- love to hug. People pleasers. “Momma’s baby”Very social Often selfish. Only thing that matters is their emotions Can be annoying and/or hyperVery weepy. Sometimes can’t control crying SRP (Strange-rare-and-peculiar): Thirstless, but often with a dry mouthEasily changeable mood. Emotional swings (Bipolar type)Often are blond in the U.S. Pulsatilla men sometimes appear gay because of softness/sensitivityEar infections even in adults (Kids get a lot of ear infections too)(Animal: Baby animals of all sorts such as baby duck or baby chick, or a cat when it’s curled up on the couch)

41. CarcinosinVery kind and sweet (probably the kindest remedy, even more than Phosphorus) Kind and often romantic eyesPassionate people who have a sense of longing/romance in eyesHave many fears and worries“Tight” energy (a bit tense, but not forceful)Why tense? Because of too much fear/worryBlack or dark brown hair (I’ve never seen a blond Carcinosin) Clean and organized (fastidious) Love to dance (in most cases). Why? To release their tension. Sometimes uncomfortable socially (try too hard to be nice) Blue hue to their sclera(Animal?)

42. PhosphorusWarm and very social (Can socialize with anyone)Relaxed like Sulphur (but not arrogant like Sulphur) Expansive (especially the large body type) and dispersed energy (as opposed to Carcinosin whose energy is tight). Can be forgetful or confused.Bubbly personality and very talkativeComfortable with themselves (versus Carcinosin which is uncomfortable) Emotionally independent and stronger (as opposed to Pulsatilla who is needy and dependent on others)Much more giving than Pulsatilla Tendency towards respiratory problems (chronic cough, asthma, recurrent bronchitis or pneumonia in cold months, etc.)Tendency towards heavy bleeding (nasal, menstrual, etc.)Least controlling of all the remedies (Animal: A very social and friendly dog, or some teddy bears)

43. 2) Angry/Irritable RemediesCausticumIgnatiaKali carbLachesisNux vomica

44. CausticumAll about social welfare/justice for all Great anger over injusticeVery sincereAlways strong personalitiesSometimes irritable. If irritable, their irritability might feel a bit like Ignatia. OCD (checking and rechecking tasks compulsively)Body temperature is coldAlmost always some neurological symptom 

45. Ignatia Three I’s of Ignatia: Irritable, Industrious, and Idealistic.Raw nerve feeling about them (irritable)Touchy and often bitchyType AOften high strung- Idealistic- hard working to reach their idealsPredominantly a female remedy Sigh often to release the tension insideCan be very critical of othersConnect well with othersBody temperature is not an issue (unlike the other intense remedies)Sometimes there is a feature in their face that is “off”, not symmetrical The shape of the lips is often a giveaway- they reflect anger(Animal: A cat whose tail is being stepped on)

46. Kali carbVery rigid, inflexible and dryExtremely organizedOverly seriousSimilar to police officersCannot read the emotion behind their eyes- they have a cold feeling

47. LachesisPassionate, intenseAggressive: Often ready to attack like a snake when upsetExtremely mean and vicious at times Very verbal and enjoy engaging with you emotionally during the interviewFeel hot/warmOften have left sided symptomsLoquacity in most cases(Animal: Snake)Note: There is a gentler subtype of Lachesis that is much nicer.

48. Nux vomicaExtremely angry type Type AWorkaholicVery masculineVery organizedBody feels cold Usually, they have definition to their facial bones (unless very overweight)(Animal: Lion)

49. 3) “The Other” Common RemediesCalcarea carbonica (Calc carb)LycopodiumMedorrhinumNatrum muriaticum (Nat mur)SepiaSilica StaphysagriaSulphur

50. Calcarea carbonica (Calc carb)Hard workingStubborn Harsh/tough energy, but not intenseAlways chubby or overweight Emotionally and intellectually simple people (Animal: Ox)

51. LycopodiumBossy towards those with less authoritySubservient (due to fear) towards those with more authorityVery poor self-esteem Some are introverted, and some are extrovertedOften right-sided problemsAbdominal bloating(Animal: Any animal that puffs up to try to look bigger)

52. MedorrhinumExcessively social (more so than Sulphur and Phosphorus)Gaze right into your eyesFull of desiresMany fears

53. Natrum muriaticum (Nat mur)Reserved (averse to consolation, at least when initially upset)Very properVulnerable and gentle (overly sensitive)Quiet and not very talkativeCan get teary-eyed rather easilyThey can be the nicest people- even nicer than the “soft and sweet” category, but are not necessarily “sweet”; they are just nice and properOften artisticPerfectionistBody is on the dry side (look for constipation and/or dry skin)(Animal: Turtle with head tucked in)

54. SepiaSTASIS IS THE CENTRAL THEMEOften (not always) flat affect and flat voice- They appear boredCan be nasty and rude when upset (or even when not upset)Disconnected and indifferent to family and othersOften have the “sepia” (sallow yellowish brown) colored skin.

55. SilicaVery poor physical health (numerous physical ailments) Extremely organized Extremely detail orientedExtremely stubborn (but can also give in easily, as opposed to Calc carb who is stubborn and does not give in!) As a rule, not the warmest people (personality wise) Can physically carry themselves like royaltyOften very thin (like Pinocchio), never fat (as opposed to Calc carbs who are always chubby or overweight)Almost always have constipation and/or other GI issues(Animal: Mouse)

56. StaphysagriaShy Suppressed anger (ready to explode) - You can feel the anger under the surface, in an overall nice person! (This is in contrast to a Nux, whom you will definitely know is angry- it won’t be under the surface!) Come across sweet/polite (but not as sweet as the people in the soft and sweet category)They internally feel like royalty

57. SulphurSocial Intellectual, always trying to figure things out, and has an opinion about everythingOften arrogantSome tend to be lazy and messy Relaxed energy, not tight. Their relaxedness is similar to PhosphorusEccentricThey all feel warm/hotOften has problems with skin and/or acid reflux

58. 3) Intensity Graph

59. Spikes on the Intensity Graph This graph is a major overgeneralization, and does not represent all possible states of each remedy. It shows, in a simplified way, the general essence of each of the most common remedies based on their intensity. The spikes in the graph represent anger or emotional outbursts. Pointy spikes represent more intense (and tense), abrupt outbursts. Rounder spikes are softer and gentler outbursts.

60. More on the Intensity GraphVery intense and angry: Nux vomica, Lachesis, Causticum, and IgnatiaMedium to high intensity: SulphurMedium intensity: Calc carb (very level energy in a rather healthy way)Medium to low intensity (lively, but not angry): Carcinosin, Phosphorus, and PulsatillaLow intensity, but w/ intense anger outbursts: StaphysagriaLow intensity: Silica and Nat murLow intensity and energetically “flat”: Sepia (Note: Not all the top remedies can be illustrated on this graph.)

61. Polycrests versus Non-polycrests… If your patient’s mental/emotional picture does not match any of the main polycrests, then you are likely dealing with a non-polycrest constitution. It is far more difficult to find a remedy for your patient if they have a constitution that is not a poly-crest.

62. Let’s watch some patient videos…

63. How are you going to learn these top remedies very well? Reading homeopathy books by itself is definitely not sufficient in finding the correct constitutional remedy for your patients. The VH tools discussed here are meant to help you, but are not a replacement for actual patient observation (either in person or on video). Basically, you need to closely observe at least several people of the same constitution to develop a feeling for that particular constitutional type.

64. Watch the actual patient videos on www.VisualHomeopathy.com There are numerous actual patient videos on the Visual Homeopathy website (on various pages). Please feel free to watch all these videos for learning more about the most common constitutional types.

65. Visual Homeopathy Book My Visual Homeopathy book covers: -Materia Medica of the most common polycrests, with comparison and contrast among these remedies -Subject of dosing and re-dosing -Key questions to ask patients -Definition of what I mean by certain words in Visual Homeopathy (such as intensity, sweet, etc.) -What each constitution can expect from their remedy -Mechanism of action of homeopathy -Other ideas on homeopathic theory and practice

66. Homeopathy and the Pandemic Flu What is the Genus Epidemicus? It is a remedy which is found to be curative in the majority of cases of the same disease (i.e. epidemics or pandemics). Hahnemann taught that the genus epidemicus remedy should be chosen by the uncommon characteristic symptoms of all the patients, not the common symptoms of the epidemic disease.

67. Homeopathy and the Pandemic Flu Check out Dr. Paul Herscu’s website on the flu: http://www.hersculaboratoryflu.org/ Herscu Laboratory has developed a number of tools that may be useful in the tracking and clinical treatment of the current flu pandemic. One of the tools is a questionnaire that tells you if the patient is a good candidate for the genus epidemicus remedy. I recently personally spoke to Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife, Dr. Lisa Oz, regarding the concept of genus epidemicus. Hopefully, they will investigate this concept and talk about it on the Dr. Oz show.

68. More Videos to be Posted on VH.com I will be placing more videos on the VH site every once in a while as I gather new ones. Therefore, keep checking this site periodically if you are interested in watching more videos.

69. Thank you for your interest in homeopathy! In my opinion, homeopathy is the most effective tool we have in combating pandemics and a myriad of serious ailments (including suicidal depression). Therefore, it brings me great joy to see so many people (practitioners and patients alike) interested in homeopathy. Enjoy the rest of the AANP!

70. Contact InformationName: Sharum Sharif, NDClinic name: Whole Health Clinic Office phone: 425-656-0700Clinic website: www.DrSharif.com. Feel free to read my blogs regarding homeopathy and other subjects.Teaching website: www.VisualHomeopathy.com. The dates for VH seminars are announced here. Email me if you would like email notification of future classes.Email: SharifND@yahoo.com Feel free to email me with your questions, or if you would like to host a VH class in your area.