The Homoeopathic Treatment of Eczema

Review

This book review is reprinted from The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.

Reviewed by Miranda Castro

At last a book on homoeopathic therapeutics that takes the whole homoeopath into account!

I must admit that my heart sank a little when I saw the title - I am tired of books on homoeopathic therapeutics that lead the conscientious homeopath off track. And then my heart lifted when I saw who had authored it and I was not disappointed. This is not a recipe book - you cannot become an expert at curing eczema simply by dipping into this book. This is a serious study guide for those interested in treating people who have eczema. Robin explains the principles of constitutional, classical prescribing - succinctly and efficiently. This in itself is a tall order.

It is finely produced by Beaconsfield Publishers. I love seeing their books on my shelf in their trademark burgundy and navy blue and racing green colours. They are thoughtfully edited and their design is always pleasing. John Churchill (head honcho) has a knack of picking books that immediately become classics for the serious student of homoeopathy and the homoeopathic practitioner. This is one of those.

The Homoeopathic Treatment of Eczema describes the whole homoeopathic picture... as it relates to the treatment of eczema. Robin manages to convey the complexity of the homoeopathic process while at the same time breaking it down into many of its component parts in a way that is accessible.

The parts included are as follows:

A brief run down of the orthodox medical definitions of the various types of eczema and related skin conditions, as well as the conventional medical treatments. Some common rubrics are included here, although these are rather scanty in places. I particularly appreciated Robin's comments about collaborating with a patient's GP.

Case-taking of the eczematous patient. This chapter helps to focus the practitioner on the information needed to be able to go to the next step. It has useful advice for the student homoeopath and timely reminders for the experienced practitioner.

Case analysis. This chapter includes an invaluable discussion of characteristic symptoms as well as a wide range of cases to demonstrate the different types of patient and to encourage flexibility in analysis and remedy selection. The cases are mostly fairly brief and I felt somewhat envious of the clarity and simplicity of some of them.

Reasons for failure comes next and it is a short chapter that discusses some common scenarios with failed cases. Robin includes three of his own.

Case management logically follows, with advice about potency and aggravations as well as the practical management of the eruptions with external creams etc. This section is oddly brief and the adjunctive measures such as diet are addressed rather skimpily.

The last section of the book, and the largest (one third of the book), is taken up with a Materia Medica of forty-two remedies. Each one lists the characteristic symptoms of the skin and itch symptoms as well as a short list of characteristic mental and most useful general symptoms.

The pictures are keynote reminders and are well sketched. I was delighted to see a large number of so-called small remedies listed, with clear descriptions given. This is not a complete Materia Medica and I assume that those using it will not mistake of trying to fit their patient into one of the forty-two remedies listed. I can think of a couple of patients of my own whose eczema cleared up with remedies not given here. However, it is useful to have the strong symptoms listed in one place, and I will have to keep the hook to hand to refer to with future patients suffering from eczema!

The last few pages are given over to the doctrine of signatures and describe a whole remedy... not a remedy for eczema either... to remind the reader that the homoeopathic process is more than the sum of its parts. To finish by putting us back in touch with our art. How lovely.

Finally, this book has more indexes than you usually get, There are three in total: a general index, a remedy index and a separate index for rubrics. The first two work well but I couldn't make much sense of this last index (which masquerades as a mini-repertory). This may be the book's weakest point (a very small weakness considering its considerable overall strengths). It includes a few of the symptoms from the Materia Medica and some from remedies mentioned throughout the text, but is not complete.

The Homoeopathic Treatment of Eczema will be useful to students and practitioners alike. Robin's common sense is sprinkled throughout and, as an added bonus, his unique, characteristic and gentle touch shines through and makes it more than your average textbook. I can only hope that it sets a precedent for all future works on homoeopathic therapeutics.

The Homoeopath - Number 71
Autumn 1998

This book review is reprinted with the permission of the National Center for Homeopathy

reviewed by Francis Treuherz MA, FSHom

Recent homeopathic publishing has concentrated in a few areas such as new forms of materia medica, expanded repertory, provings, research,inspirational philosophy, introductory texts for lay people, and some history. There have not been many books on therapeutics for practitioners, with notable exceptions like Idarius, Moskowitz and Perko in pregnancy and childbirth, and Hershoff in musculoskeletal problems. Many of the old nineteenth century (or modern Indian?) therapeutics books simply extracted the symptoms from materia medica for the relevant pathology or body section. Some like Lilienthal's monumental Therapeutics were more ambitious and attempted to deal with the whole of human sickness in one volume.

This new text on eczema by a former editor of The Homeopath is welcome in that it is carefully created within a context of holistic classical prescribing. Robin Logan reassesses the relationship of mental and pathological and particular rubrics from a classical standpoint. He also looks at the symbolic and linguistic meanings of how patients express themselves verbally and through their symptoms. There are discussions on topics like small and large totalities, and one sided cases. These aspects are of general value and takes the book beyond eczema, so that the principles could be generally applied to any pathology.

The book begins with dermatology, to explain the diagnoses and terminology, to distinguish both the language used and the different approaches of the allopaths and the homeopaths. This is necessary to ensure that all readers are at the same starting point. There is an emphasis on the need for the homeopath to be in contact and collaboration with the medical general practitioner where possible.

The succeeding chapters predictably centre around taking, analysing and managing the case, with an examination of reasons for failure, and aggravations. These are all illustrated with short cases. Much of the data for helping the reader through the different typical eruptions comes from Roger van Zandvoort's Complete Repertory. Throughout the book there are short extractions of 4 or 5 relevant rubrics from MacRepertory and a general acknowledgment that using the computer repertory is helpful. These short rubric listings are most interesting and really help to emphasis one of the central messages: that accuracy in case taking can lead to locating precise skin and other rubrics, and that these rubrics are valuable. My only criticism is that the familiar repertory charts were not shown, with the possibility of visual comparisons between remedies and families, and I hope that this can be improved in a future edition; indeed I shall offer to help create them.

There is a comprehensive materia medica, with short mental and general indications as a context for the skin symptoms and what the author calls "the itch." Included are such small gems as Oleander and Skookum chuck alongside the predicable polychrests. The index is very thorough with an index of remedies, and of rubrics in addition to the usual general index.

One might say that Robin Logan is economical with the truth. His style is focused, brief and to the point, and his descriptions and suggestions are accurate, based on experience and he is honest about difficulties as well as successes. This book may be usefully read by students and experienced prescribers. Excuse me while I go and have a good scratch.

Homeopathy Today
October 1998

This book review is reprinted with the permission of the American Institute of Homeopathy

Reviewed by George Guess, M.D., D.Ht.

Robin Logan has set an exemplary standard for homeopathic textbooks with The Homoeopathic Treatment of Eczema. It's to our benefit that he has set aside his editorial duties and taken up his pen.

He begins this work with a listing of a variety of eczema diagnoses and repertory rubrics that correspond to the pathological findings in each, then lists various skin conditions that may resemble eczema. Chapter 2 thoroughly delineates the essentials of case taking in eczema cases, from the minute details of the skin eruption to the nuances of constitutional inquiry. Chapter 3 - "Case Analysis" - emphasizes the flexibility required in deciphering many eczema cases. Using numerous case examples as illustrations, Mr. Logan describes multiple case analysis strategies. Some cases are solved solely by attending to the particulars of the eczematous rash, others by complex constitutional emotional and physical characteristics, still others by combinations of the two, and so on. The chapter is a clear, concise, and masterful rendering of the homeopathic approach regardless of the disease entity being entertained. Several of the cases given, which are solved by attention to the details of the eruption, are very illustrative of the often overlooked necessity of attending to every striking detail of a case lest critical information be overlooked. Chapter 4 - "Reasons for Failure" - very thoroughly reviews both practitioner and patient shortcomings that lead to disappointing results. Chapter 5 - "Aggravation and Case Management" - admirably discusses eczema aggravations after treatment and their management potency selection and prescription timing, and topical applications, dietary and nutritional measures. Again, throughout the first five chapters numerous and illuminating case histories are provided. The last part of the book is reserved for materia medicawritten specifically with the skin and eczema in mind. All of the characteristic eczema symptoms of both major and important minor eczema remedies are listed; additionally mental and general keynotes are included to provide ready reference to confirmatory symptoms. The book is well indexed.

It would be a great boon to homeopathic education if Mr. Logan and other authors would create additional texts covering other disease conditions using the format of this fine book as a template. The Homoeopathic Treatment of Eczema is must reading for any homeopathic physician - novice or old hand - who endeavors to treat eczema patients.

Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy
Volume 91, Number 4 - Winter 1998-1999

This book review is reprinted with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Bharati Ankalgi, B.H.M.S., Nepal

Eczema is notoriously difficult to treat. Many homecopaths experience this difficulty. In this book 'The Homoeopathic Treatment of Eczema', Robin Logan provides us a detailed approach for the treatment of eczema.

In his introduction, Logan tells us that his book is based on classical homoeopathy and his approach to the cases is a holistic approach. He attempts to achieve a cure by applying a comprehensive knowledge of materia medica.

This book consists of six chapters along with an appendix, general index, remedy index and rubric index. The examples of twenty two cases are very interesting and useful in understanding the chapters more clearly.

In the first chapter 'Dermatology', Logan starts with the quote from James Tyler Kent in 'New Remedies and Lesser Writing'. 'If you do not know the sickness you are apt to think all things strange and unique.' In this chapter, Logan gives detailed ideas about the allopathic and homoeopathic approaches to dermatology, along with brief description of various skin conditions. Each dermatological condition is explained together with repertorial language rubrics.

For example: Eczema varicosum.
Also called hypostatic eczema or gravitational eczema, arising from impaired venous return.

Rubrics
Extremities; Eruption; ankle; eczema; varicosum
Extremities; Itching; Lower limb; varices
Extremities; Varices; leg; Itching
Generalities; Veins; Varicose; distended, engorged, plethoric, itching
(Page 8).

Logan mentions allopathic treatment, complications, other skin conditions that resemble eczema, definition of relevant terms (ex. Aroela reddish ring around the skin lesion). The importance of collaboration with the patient's general practitioner is also discussed in this chapter.

Further chapters are about taking the case of an eczema patient, case analysis, reasons for failure, aggravations, case management and materia medica.

The section on case taking offers us informative guidelines for the eczema patient and important things to keep in mind about case taking for various age groups. In this section there is also a comparative study of symptoms reported during case taking and various remedies and rubrics of repertories. This is very useful, especially for the student and new practitioner in homoeopathy.

In the chapter 'Case Analysis', there is a discussion and analysis of seventeen very interesting cases. This section is based on homoeopathic knowledge of the 'Organon' and the importance of it while treating the skin. After going through these cases, we are able to learn what skin symptoms are useful, not only as a part of the totality, but to recognise that these often hold the key to resolving some very difficult and different situations.

In the section 'Reason for failure' the author covers the important areas where we might fail while treating the eczema cases. It is quite important to educate the patient and gain the confidence of the patient, to have knowledge of the effect of suppression, the importance of lifestyle and diet. Also covered are: the elusive simillimum, what is the result of 'going to deep', being too shallow in a case. This section is illustrated with two good cases.

In the chapter 'Aggravation and case management', three good illustrating cases are presented. Further discussion is about the most suitable potencies, repetition of doses, management of aggravations, response of patient towards aggravations, dealing with the layers, treating aggravations, how to deal with deteriorating cases, use of topical ointment, dietary advice, the role of nutritional supplements and their action during the treatment. These topics become very clear after reading this section.

The last chapter is materia medica. This consists of 42 remedies with the most important general keynotes of each remedy, based on a combination of the author's experience, repertory study and previously recorded symptoms by the masters. Each remedy is explained with its characteristic symptoms, nature of itch with modalities, characteristic mental symptoms and useful general symptoms. This section is very valuable, as it contains various information on polycrests and small remedies.

In the appendix section, the importance of essence and doctrine of signatures are presented. This concerns the artistic side of homoeopathy while dealing the cases. Here Logan tells us more about how to study the remedies.

The new practitioner, students and experienced practitioners will find this a most useful book while dealing with cases of eczema. What I missed is the presentation of the essence of the remedies especially in the materia medica section which would contain valuable information. Various skin conditions are mentioned very well in this book but if pictorial representation would have been included, the book would be perfect. The language of this book is very simple and easy to understand.

The physical aspect of this book, binding, paper, etc., are excellent. The book is very handy. It is a very useful book. Everybody will benefit from it by re-verifying previous eczema cases and also in dealing with new cases.

This book will help every physician and student to find a deeper understanding in cases of eczema.

Homoeopathic Links
Volume 12 (3)
Autumn 1999