Homoeopathy

Dr Bach had a long-standing interest in homoeopathy, and his interest in the use of flowers sprang from a deeply informed understanding of its principles. And yet, the flower remedies are not homoeopathic in nature. In this section we analyse and comment on their similarities and differences, and explore how they are used separately or together in therapeutic practice.

A dynamic duo

Gael Mariani and Martin Scott analyse the role of the Bach flower remedies within a homoeopathic understanding of treatment

Ellen and Jack

A case study in the combined use of Bach flower remedies together with conventional homoeopathic treatment

Bach flower remedies and homoeopathy: a dynamic duo

By Gael Mariani and Martin J Scott

Every student of the life and work of Dr Edward Bach is aware that his ultimate creation, the Bach flower remedies, had their origin in his early grounding in homoeopathic medicine.

Before his contact with homoeopathy, Bach had gained recognition for his creation of bowel vaccines. As his awareness of homoeopathic principles grew, he was inspired to make homoeopathic versions of these remedies, which are still in use today as the Bach Bowel Nosodes. Later, in an attempt to move away from using toxic products (diseased bowel flora taken from faecal matter) as a base for remedies, Bach started attempting to emulate the bowel nosodes with a system of plant remedies.

Initially, Bach was creating plant remedies that were in fact homoeopathic remedies, made by triturating (grinding) plant material and subjecting the mother tincture to successive stages of dilution and succussion according to the normal homoeopathic procedure. Using these remedies he was able to replicate closely many of the therapeutic uses of the bowel nosodes: Impatiens corresponded closely with the Proteus nosode; there was a correlation between the indications for Mimulus and the Gaertner nosode, tending to be indicated for individuals suffering from fears, apprehension and nervousness; Clematis was similar to the Bacillus nosode which was marked by lack of focus, and so on.

It is important to remember that at this stage in their development, the remedies were very different from the Bach flower remedies as they later became. Though each remedy was characterised by distinct –mentals’, there was far more emphasis on physical treatment. Bach prepared his original plant remedies in a range of potencies, again according to standard homoeopathic protocol.

It appears from Bach’s writings that at this stage in his work he was employing the traditional –proving’ method to discern the therapeutic use of his remedies: ie assessing the temporary effects of the remedy on a healthy tester. Homoeopathic remedies are capable of causing provings because they work as artificial disease-inducing agents, ie they engender an artificial disease on the organism. They undermine and neutralise negative energy vibrations (diseases) in the body by replicating or synthesising, in energy terms, their precise frequency and alleviating or removing them according to the natural principle of similar resonance ('Similia Similibus Curentur' - let like be cured by like). When the energy pattern of the natural disease – or, as Hahnemann puts it, 'dynamic mistunement’ – is met by a correctly chosen remedy that vibrates 180º out of phase with it, a 'cancelling out’ process occurs.

Thus, a disease in the body caused by a toxin such as lead can be attenuated or even neutralised by the same toxin converted into a homoeopathic remedy – Plumbum Metallicum – the energetic imprint, or signature, of lead. Likewise, a tubercular-type pulmonary/respiratory disease can be treated using the homoeopathic remedy derived from diseased lung tissue – Tuberculinum. Correctly applied, homoeopathic remedies are capable of destroying the real disease or at least weakening it enough that the body’s natural self-healing ability can overcome it and render it latent. If a homoeopathic remedy is applied where not needed, such as on a healthy prover, the artificial disease can become temporarily visible through 'proving symptoms’. In very high potencies this can cause quite distressing symptoms, although they will normally disappear of their own accord.

It would seem that through the provings carried out with the early homoeopathic versions of what later became the Bach flower remedies, Bach gained a good deal of his understanding of the kinds of mental/emotional states each remedy could potentially help to treat. This information, though gained –homoeopathically’, was carried through and remained relevant to the Bach flower remedies as they later became. There are interesting correlations between some of the Bach flower remedies and their homoeopathic counterparts. Star of Bethlehem, for example, as a homoeopathic remedy has a wide range of physical applications but on the mental/emotional side can be used to treat states of despair, emotional collapse and prostration: this echoes the uses of the flower remedy as we know it today.

However, it is clear that when Bach created the method for producing his flower remedies, he created a type of remedy quite distinct from homoeopathy in its function. Flower remedies are not artificial disease-inducing agents, and cannot cause provings (ie there is no possible risk in taking the –wrong’ flower remedy).

Instead, they appear to work on a different principle: while homoeopathy is a system of medicine that attempts to address disease at its energy root, flower remedies do not address the disease itself, but rather feed positive energies into the system to nurture and sustain it. If homoeopathic remedies operate by the Law of Similars, it might be said that flower remedies operate according to the natural Law of Opposites: they are antipathic to the emotional imbalance in the same way that food is antipathic to hunger and comfort is antipathic to pain. This is not to be confused with the antipathic use of chemicals to suppress symptoms of disease, which is the basis of conventional drug therapy and encourages the furtherment of disease.

Bach and Kentianism: ‘Treat the Person’

Bach’s involvement with homoeopathy came at a time when homoeopathic medicine was heavily influenced by the teachings of Dr James Tyler Kent (1849-1916). Kent’s work is the origin of many of the defining concepts of what has popularly (and erroneously) become known as –classical’ homoeopathy. These include the idea of constitutional types and the constitutional remedy and the idea that one should ‘treat the person, not the disease’. In truth, despite the fact that the credit for these ideas has generally been laid at his doorstep, the originator of homoeopathy, Dr Samuel Hahnemann, was quite clear in his writings that his system of medicine did not merely ‘treat the person’ but treated, attacked and destroyed, the disease! Hahnemann did not use constitutional remedies or identify constitutional ‘types’. This fundamental fact, clearly stated in Hahnemann’s writings, has been all but forgotten in the neo-Kentian age of homoeopathy.

It seems highly likely, though Bach never mentions Kent by name, that it was in this Kentian environment that his understanding of homoeopathy was formed. It is probable that this is what gave rise to Bach’s concept of ‘type remedies’ that are similar in notion to ‘constitutional remedies’. Part of Kent’s contribution to homoeopathy was the increase in emphasis on the mentals, or the emotional/psychological aspects of the patient. He was the first to advocate the idea, later taken up by Bach, that the mental/emotional plane is the origin of all disease and that treating the patient’s psychological problems, character weaknesses, faulty thinking, etc, will remove all disease from the body: ie ‘treat the person, not the disease’.

This idea, which actually bears little relation to Hahnemann’s ideas, is echoed all through Bach’s writings and may have given rise to his belief that his flower remedies would be the ‘new, improved’ and purer version of homoeopathy; indeed, a replacement for homoeopathy. Some of his reported cured cases would appear to bear testament to his theory: for instance the case of a woman cured of malignant glandular disease using Rock Rose (Collected Writings). Bach writes that the remedy was selected for the patient due to her great fear and panic on being told of her condition. Rock Rose was administered and the symptoms cleared.

It would be easy to conclude (as Bach did) that in this case treating the woman’s fear was enough to cure the disease. However, we are not told when the case was conducted. As late as 1930 Bach was still using homoeopathic versions of his remedies (Some Fundamental Considerations of Disease and Cure, 1930). Interestingly, if we examine the homoeopathic Materia Medica we see that the homoeopathic remedy Rock Rose is indicated for malignant glandular disease. It may well be that Bach used the homoeopathic version of his remedy in this case. If so, we cannot claim that ‘treating the person’ cured the disease. (It is also illogical, because the woman’s fear was expressed only after diagnosis, and thus it cannot be claimed that the emotions caused the disease).

Another similar case, conducted in 1930, involved a –strong-willed’ farmer suffering from a neurological disorder involving weakening of the facial muscles (cf Bell’s Palsy) and paralysis of the neck. Bach administered Vervain, apparently on the strength of the farmer’s mental/emotional characteristics, and the case was cured. However, if we return to the Materia Medica we see that the homoeopathic remedy Vervain or Verbena is indicated for neurological disorders, epilepsy, muscle weakness and spasms. Again, we know that Bach was producing homoeopathic versions of Vervain around the time when this case was treated. So while in his writings it looks ostensibly as though he is performing these cures with flower remedies as we know them today and that his theory of –treat the person’ is being proven, under scrutiny it appears more likely that these are homoeopathic cures and not supporting his theory at all.

If the theory of ‘treat the person / mentals / character faults, and the disease will be cured’ were correct, we would have in flower remedies a miraculous treatment for all types of disease, from the mildest acute illness to the most deeply-seated neoplastic chronic disease; and indeed we could regard them as a replacement for not only homoeopathy but for all types of medicine. Unfortunately, disease is rather more complex than this, and its effective treatment involves many more dimensions than simply alleviating the patient’s emotional problems.

The uses of flower remedies

What we have in flower remedies, both those developed by Bach and those developed since, is a system of therapy that ‘treats the person’ (or more accurately, the person’s mental/emotional/psychological problems, tendencies and imbalances). Flower remedies are not, as Bach hoped, an improvement on, or replacement for, homoeopathy as a system of medicine. They are, however, an extremely effective therapy within their main therapeutic jurisdiction, ie the mental/emotional/psychological realm. In this area they are more effective, more sophisticated, and more finely-tuned than homoeopathy and are thus better suited to psychotherapeutic treatment than homoeopathic remedies. Their great efficacy on the mental/emotional level allows them to play an extremely significant role not just within their own specific therapeutic range but within a wider medical context as well. Their benefits include:

Treatment of fears, anxieties, depression, effects of past trauma, unconscious distress, characterological issues, etc. (psychotherapy)

Helping with mental fatigue, learning difficulties and lack of concentration

Helping patients to cope with gloom and despondency while ill and receiving medical treatment (whether homoeopathic or conventional, or both), Aiding in recovery of the sick by encouraging a positive outlook and sense of hope (psychoneuroimmunology)

Helping to maintain vitality and immune-system strength by aiding in removal of psychogenic toxins

Helping to promote and encourage health by aiding (on the mental/emotional level) in the prevention of progressive vicariation (the process by which toxic loads gradually weaken the system and allow the triggering of chronic disease)

Aiding the organism to throw off acute illnesses, eg colds and flu

Palliating certain ailments by offering relief of frustration: eg the use (topical or oral) of Impatiens / Cherry Plum in itches and skin conditions – not the same thing as a cure of the disease, but helpful in relieving maddening symptoms while medical remedies, eg homoeopathic remedies, are taking effect

In some cases (where progressive vicariation is not far advanced, the chronic disease is only newly established or has not yet fully manifested) restoring the patient to an asymptomatic state by boosting the self-healing power: eg regulation of psychogenic (stress-related) hormonal imbalances that have not yet become deeply entrenched as disease

We can see from all this that the Bach flower remedies are a vitally important form of therapy, playing several key roles within both homoeopathic and conventional medicine. Properly used, they are a powerful tool that can be used by any homoeopath or other physician wishing to enhance and extend his or her existing modalities; in the hands of the psychotherapist they offer a highly effective means of helping to unlock the psyche and release tensions without the use of drug therapy; and in the hands of the ordinary user they offer an unparalleled means of helping oneself deal with the everyday strains of life.

For an example of how Bach remedies and homoeopathy can work together, the homoeopathic remedies addressing physical aspects of disease or pathological damage, and the Bach remedies providing support while addressing the vitally important emotional/psychological aspects, please see the case of Ellen and Jack.

Ellen and Jack

By Gael Mariani and Martin J Scott

A case study of treating a stroke victim and her carer with Bach flower remedies and homoeopathy.

The authors became involved in the following case as part of research on stroke treatment for the British Institute of Homoeopathy in 1999. Ellen, 78, had been wheelchair-bound and severely disabled since suffering a paralysing stroke nearly nine years previously. She lived with her husband Jack, 75, who was her main carer and bore the brunt of the duties involved in looking after her.

Ellen’s symptoms: left-sided paralysis extending from the face to the foot. She was unable to walk or rise from her wheelchair. The muscles of the left arm and leg were severely atrophied and the physiotherapist at the hospital had given up on her eight years previously. Her bladder control was very weak and she suffered urinary incontinence. Her complexion was grey and deathly. Ellen’s mental / emotional state was very negative, one of complete apathy and prostration. She was beyond despair and essentially waiting for death. She seldom spoke and failed to respond to jokes and stimulation. A friend had bought her a little electronic keyboard, hoping she might learn to play tunes on it and gain some mental stimulation, but she never expressed any interest in it.

Jack suffered from several minor age-related physical problems, but the main concern was his emotional state. He was very depressed and worn down by the burden of coping with a household on his own and caring for a disabled spouse. He suffered from bouts of resentment against Ellen for –making him’ do all the work; then the resentment would lead to strong feelings of guilt and then apathy. He had not come to terms with the shock of Ellen’s stroke, and was completely overwhelmed by the load he had to bear. The house was showing signs of neglect and it was clear that he was sinking under the strain. He always presented a brave and cheerful front with Ellen, as well as with visiting friends and relatives; however behind this façade was a man on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

The case called clearly for a dual approach involving treatment of the physical level for Ellen, using homoeopathy, and of the mental/emotional level for both Ellen and Jack, using flower remedies. In this case the Bach flower remedies alone were used.

Ellen’s treatment

The main homoeopathic remedy used was Arnica, being the principal homoeopathic remedy in the treatment (and prevention) of stroke. This was given in 30c potency, three a day for five days and then once a week thereafter for six weeks. She was also put on a combination of all twelve of the Dr Schüssler Biochemic Tissue Salts to help build up her strength. Other remedies used were Causticum (addressing her weak bladder, to complement and reinforce the action of Arnica), and Sulphur (an important remedy in protracted diseases and long-term post-stroke treatment). Bach flower remedies were administered alongside the homoeopathic remedies, four times daily in the traditional manner and comprised: Star of Bethlehem for the trauma of the stroke; Wild Rose for the state of apathy and resignation that had descended on Ellen; Gorse for the hopeless despairing and near-catatonic state she was in; Sweet Chestnut for much the same reason; and Clematis to help return her to a more grounded state.

Jack’s flower remedies were: Star of Bethlehem again, for the traumatic shock of what had befallen his wife as well as the pain of coping; Gorse for the deep despair he was feeling and the sense that life was a torment to him; Willow for the tendency to brood and feel resentment; Chicory for self-pity; Pine for guilty feelings, Agrimony for tending to bottle up his negative feelings and concealing his woes from people who would have done more to help if they had known about his problems; and Oak and Gentian to help give him back the strength and courage that he had lost.

After one month, there had been a marked improvement on all fronts.

Ellen looked much perkier. Her complexion had improved greatly and there was a rosy tinge to her cheeks that had not been there before, as well as a look in her eye that we had not seen previously. She was able to talk to us, and even tell a little joke. On the physical level, her bladder control was improved and she had experienced some tingling in her paralysed limbs.

Jack was coping much better. He felt more energised and had tidied up the house. He no longer experienced the crippling waves of black despair. He was beginning to talk more about his feelings.

Two weeks later we returned again and could hear music as we knocked on the door. To our surprise, when we entered the sitting-room Ellen was picking out tunes on her keyboard. They had some good news: on a routine trip to the hospital it had been discovered that Ellen’s muscle tone was –inexplicably’ suddenly much improved, to the extent that the doctors were considering restarting physiotherapy work with her. This was undoubtedly due to the Arnica, which is known to improve muscle tone.

After a further two weeks, we called at Jack and Ellen’s home in passing, to deliver some more remedies. Jack answered the door, and his eyes were wide. –She’s walking,’ he said. Initially we thought he was joking, but when he led us inside the house we saw that Ellen was walking around the room with the help of a stick: this was the first time since the stroke that she had risen from her wheelchair and been able to move about on her own. She had felt so confident and optimistic that she had decided she would try this, and to her great joy it had succeeded. After a week or so of practising and strengthening her underused limbs, she was able to go to the bathroom on her own, which was a major breakthrough. Soon after this, she resumed physiotherapy sessions and her mobility continued to improve.

The combined effects of physical and mental/emotional therapy were a dramatic turning point in the lives of these two suffering individuals. While the homoeopathic remedies were very instrumental in helping to resolve the long-term effects of stroke damage and restore muscle tone and neurological functioning, the Bach flower remedies acted as a catalyst to boost hope, courage and a positive outlook. With Ellen, the result of this dual approach was an eighty per cent restoration of her quality of life. This striking case underlines the benefits of using Bach flower remedies to complement medical therapy as well as prescribing them on their own as a stand-alone therapy.