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Homeopathy: An A to Z Home Handbook
by author Hélène Meurer

by Alan V. Schmukler
(Llewellyn, 2006, 351 pages)

Alan Schmukler turned to homeopathy after years spent working in hospital intensive care and emergency rooms where, he says, “There was a lot of ‘saving,’ but not much healing.” His role since has been to educate, inform, and promote easy access to homeopathy, an internationally recognized medical alternative that costs just pennies per treatment.

Homeopathy’s more than 2,000 remedies are derived from natural substances that mimic specific illnesses and stimulate healing for everything from colds to West Nile virus. Remedies are scientifically rendered from plants, minerals, animal substances such as bee-sting toxin and snake venom, elements such as phosphorus, sulphur, gold, and silver, and agents of diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, and influenza.

This home handbook is intended for lay readers with no previous training in diagnosis. Schmukler writes without medical jargon but with enough detail to satisfy a wide audience. He purposefully translates disease descriptions word-by-word into plain English, taking pains to make each remedy description distinct. One section teaches how to interpret symptoms so as to treat without knowing the exact name of the disease.

Schmukler suggests remedies for the acute phases of chronic ailments, such as asthma and arthritis, and pushes further to address pain from cancer as well as the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. His A-to-Z guide is designed to help readers in emergency situations quickly find first-aid solutions for cuts, sprains, bruises, and burns. “You don’t need perfect knowledge for good results,” insists Schmukler. At the same time he stresses that even trained homeopaths might have to try several remedies before arriving at the right one.

Additional approaches not usually found in similar books are also included. The pages for preventing illness speak to homeopathy’s traditional vaccine-like properties. We’re reminded that homeopathic remedies are effective against viruses where antibiotics fail, and that homeopathy can sometimes help in avoiding surgery. The section on “Remedies for Specific Occupations and Activities” offers tips to athletes, carpenters, dentists and patients, farmers, fishers, nurses, postal carriers, truckers, and many more. There is help for illnesses triggered by emotions such as grief, fear, depression, and anger.

Schmukler’s handbook is a comprehensive modern look at the 200 most commonly used remedies that should help satisfy everyone’s health questions through homeopathy.

Hélène Meurer is a writer and book reviewer who enjoys life in Victoria, BC.

Source: alive #294, April 2007