An integrated approach to treating cancer cases

Traditional Classical Homoeopathy, which utilizes symptoms, rubrics, and keynotes, has stood the test of time. More contemporary ideas like kingdom, levels, miasm, and sensation have brought Homoeopathy into a new era, and never before has the connection between the patient and the remedy source been so clear.

These contemporary ideas have become very popular and have led to many successful cases. What I have found is that the integration and utilization of both the traditional and modern approaches bring about consistent, reproducible, and very positive results.

Homoeopathic practice is based on scientific principle but the practice is an art of understanding the perception of each individual. We need to match our patient’s symptoms to the most appropriate homoeopathic remedy from among the 4000 remedies that we have in our Materia Medica. Today, we have extensive literature, the Repertory (an index of symptoms alphabetically and systematically arranged), and the latest software programs to help us master the art of practice.

Consistency of results is the most important achievement in practice. It is the test of any methodology. In Homoeopathy, the traditional method of Repertory, Materia Medica and Keynotes, with its comparison of the symptoms of a remedy to that of the patient, has led to many beautiful results and has been the foundation for homoeopathic practice.

In the past two decades, newer ideas of classification of the remedy according to Kingdom and Miasm have emerged. Along with this development, an understanding of the importance of knowing the exact experience of patient in terms of Sensation has been rediscovered. This has reawakened the idea of generalization, practiced by Boenninghausen – this tenet holds that we can generalize the local sensation and that what is true of the part, is true of the whole.

Furthermore, the discovery that each remedy has the qualities of its Source has given a new dimension to our understanding of the Materia Medica. Use of this thematic understanding according to Kingdom, Subkingdom and Source information, along with Miasm, has been termed the Sensation approach. Simply, this approach addresses the conceptual side of Homoeopathy. This method has appealed to the artistic side of many homoeopaths, and it has been used extensively.

Personally, I have found that the most consistent results come when the artistic side and the logical, traditional side are integrated.

When we see this integration our prescriptions become more grounded, complete and sure. In remedies that are sufficiently well-known, a third aspect that has to be considered: the Genius – the main idea, the flavor, the essence, or the grand general of the remedy. When we use these three aspects: the Genius, Materia Medica and Repertory, integrated with the concepts of the Sensation approach, then we are using an integrated approach and not a fragmented one. I have found that this integration has given me the best results in thirty years of practice.

The word, ‘integrate’ means to make integral. Integral means that all the parts of a system are both interlinked and essential to its full function, to its completion. Sensation, Symptoms and Genius are the three integral parts of remedy selection, and all three are essential to its completion.

For the last several years, I have dealt with numerous cancer cases and have come up a conclusion that there are two types of cases we come across. There are cases that come to you who are purely wanting homoeopathic treatment i.e. by default they do not undergo surgery or radiation or chemotherapy. Then, there are those that along with surgery or radiation or chemotherapy the patients have a desire to take homoeopathic medicine. In either case, homoeopathy has a very important role to play and by using this synergistic approach to treat patients, we can achieve great results.

1. Case of Esophagus cancer

This is a case of a 48-year-old male who was diagnosed with esophagus cancer in 2012. When the patient came to us, the reports were as follows:

• In October 2001 – cytology of ulcerated lesion of stomach, high grade malignant lymphocyte, lymphoma of stomach, large cell type. Treatment taken (2001), 6 chemotherapy and 28 radiation sessions. The patient was fine until 2011, where he again had problems and underwent investigation.
• February 2011 – Endoscopy suggested cancer of the esophagus over the lower third (lesion 0.9cm in thickness, 3.7cm in superior – inferior aspect), radiation induced gastritis with stricture in corpus.
• October 2011 – Biopsy of esophagus suggested invasive Squamous cell carcinoma poorly differentiated.
• PET Scan – esophagus lower third lesion 0.9*3.7 cm with enlarged pre and paratracheal Lymph nodes and Supraclavicular lymph nodes. Lesion on 5th rib.
• Treatment plan as of October 2011 – 2 chemotherapy done post-chemo PET Scan (Dec 2011): significant reduction in lesion. Reduction in mediastinal lymph nodes. No evidence of lesion in 5th rib. Then 28 radiation (August 2012) wall thickening of lower thoracic esophagus and GE junction, few supraclavicular lymph nodes.
• August 2012 (Biopsy lesion esophagus): poorly differentiated invasive squamous cell carcinoma

At this point in time, the patient was losing weight and needed to dilate the stricture of his esophagus very frequently. He had difficulty in eating and was very depressed. He refused to take chemotherapy or undergo any surgery.

Prescription: Cobaltum metallicum, Condurango 30, Carcinosinum adenostomach and Uranium nitrate (via Plussing method – 200, 1M, 10M)

First, I started the treatment with Cobaltum metallicum to nullify the side-effects of radiation. Then, I started giving him Condurango in 30C. It has a very similar picture to esophagus cancer, for example it has tumors, stricture of the esophagus, cancer of the stomach with constant burning and vomiting, food seemed to stick behind the sternum. Also, in between, I gave Adenostomach Carcinosin (30C, 200C, 1M via the Plussing method).

Almost one year has passed, the patient has started to gain weight and now lives life with a good appetite. Since the prescriptions, there was no need for dilation of the stricture. His mood is fine and he is doing very well. In between, I also prescribed him Uranium nitrate in 200C, 1M and 10 M via the Plussing method over three consecutive days.

2. Case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Mouth

This is a case of a 44-year-old male who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. He had a history of tobacco chewing. On observation, his whole left cheek was ulcerated and the mucosa appeared to have a lot of irritation and an irregular appearance. A surgeon had advised for surgery and chemotherapy but the patient had refused all of these lines of treatment and opted for homoeopathic treatment instead. When he came to “the other song” clinic (Mumbai, India), he was losing weight and had stopped working. Further, there was no sensation felt on the left side of the cheek or any kind of taste or pain.

In his case, I found that on one side of his life, he is completely dependent on his father, on the other side, he wants to be on his own and take responsibility of the family. His father was like a protective cover for him (like a womb) and most importantly, he had a peculiar symptom: he was breathless in the dark. In my understanding, he was stuck in the stage of development where the feeling is: “Can I be on my own or do I need to depend on another?” This patient required a Carbon remedy.

This case is beautifully represented by many keynote rubrics:

• Respiration difficult dark in (in this rubric, we have the remedy Carbo veg)
• Mouth ulcers cheek inner (in this rubric we have the remedy Carbolic acid)

Complete Millenium repertory:

• Mind, Del. Imagination wrong he has done
• Mind. Suicidal Disposition
• Dreams Falling
• Mind starting, startled dreaming agg.
• Mind, Obstinate headstrong
• Mouth Ulcers, cheeks in a
• Mouth injuries – Tobacco creates a lot of irritation
• Generalities, Tobacco agg.
• Mouth Ulcers
• Respiration, difficult dark in

Boericke’s Materia Medica:

Carbolic acid is a powerful irritant and anesthetic. Appetite is lost and there is a desire for stimulants and tobacco.

Prescription: Carbolic acid 30C, 200C, 1M via Plussing Method, given every month.

After this prescription, the patient’s ulcer considerably reduced in size and the area healed well. He has regained the sensation of taste. He has started to work, has even put on weight, and is not depressed anymore. Several months have passed, and he is continuously getting better. I have not advised a biopsy, which can be an irritant to tissue and can aggravate the cancer.

3. Case of Meningioma

This is a case of a woman in her thirties, who was suffering from meningioma. She had a waving sensation from her ears to her brain; she needs to bend up her knees for relief. She is unable to inhale fresh newspaper smell. Her husband’s and sons’ manners are important wherever they go – the husband should not drink alcohol and the sons must behave. She is very sensitive about her privacy and how her husband behaves outside; she dislikes misbehavior. It is important for her that her husband must talk and behave decently.

She spoke about an incident where she felt that “when a person is not needed he is thrown in the dustbin, even if the person has helped in bad times.” She has a lot of respect for her boss at work, as he has not taken undue advantage of her. She does not want someone to tell her that her husband is a drunkard. She will tell her husband and son to eat and drink properly. She has not had a complete education but she feels her children should get a good education. Her ambition is that her son should be a good host and well-mannered boy. She feels very alone and she talks to God, saying: “God, please, you be with my husband – he is not driving the car properly.”

One of her saddest incidents was when her husband told her to get out of the house; she felt very hurt. She felt she had no importance and did not like that he tried to throw her out. She dreams of a huge lion turning into swami (God); of her dead mother; of Goddesses; of having lunch with doctors.

Prescription: Colchicum 200C

This patient was given Colchicum from the Liliaceae family. Colchicum is from the Malarial miasm and has the following rubrics:

• Misdeeds of other agg. – from Phatak’s Repertory (DDX.Staphysagria)
• Sensitive, odors to
• Delusions of animals
• Dreams of animals
• Fear of animals

From Phatak’s Materia Medica:

In Colchicum, extreme impressions, such as strong odors, contact, and misdeeds of others make him quite beside himself. Modalities from this remedy include: worse from the smell of food and better from stooping and doubling up.

Sensation understanding:

• Forced Out
• Excluded, left out (I am neglected)
• Constricted (held in)
• Constrained
• Lots of efforts to be included
• Theme of food, social position, morality

Themes of the Malarial Miasm:

• Stuck and intermittently attacked
• Between Acute and Sycotic
• Unfortunate, harassed, imprisoned feeling
• Dependent

Report before treatment: “The CT study is essentially within normal limits, except for a small incidental midline flax cerebri meningioma. There is, however, no evidence of an extracerebral surface haematoma detected.”

Report after treatment: “There is no evidence of any abnormal enhancement or mass lesion seen. Conclusion: no significant abnormality detected on this scan.”

Follow-up: as per the reports, there was no significant abnormality detected on the scan, and there was no evidence of any abnormal enhancement or mass lesion seen.

Photos: Shutterstock
Colchicum; Zanozaru
Skinny male torso; Bayanova Svetlana