The Montreal Institute of Classical Homeopathy

Classical Homeopathy and Autism

by Kate Hudson, BA, N.D.

Classical homeopathy has been used with some success to alleviate symptoms, both mental and physical, or to cure individuals with autism. For many parents who have seen a large overall improvement in their autistic children, homeopathy has played a major role.

In traditional classical homeopathy remedy selection has been based on trying to address the person in totality looking at the following:

• Behaviors
• Physical Symptoms
• Emotional Symptoms
• Genetic weaknesses (also identified as miasms or constitutions)
• Environmental factors such as vaccinations, drugs or other environmental toxins

If the remedy is correctly selected based on the whole individual then improvement is seen in all areas. Based on the idea that our own individual weaknesses leave us susceptible to disease, the vital force weakness is addressed to restore true, global health. In autistic individuals homeopathy is trying to determine the individual’s susceptibility to autism to both cure and prevent a re-occurrence of symptoms. In classical homeopathy there is no set protocol such as in the Timeline or Sequential methods. Although the potentized forms of vaccines have been commonly used to successfully treat ASD individuals, it is advised that we always take a full case and give the remedy that most closely matches the individual’s expression of their disease or suffering at that time. It is also understood that while the vaccine remedy may help with the effects of the vaccine, that once that clear has been done, we might then uncover the underlying susceptibility which indicates the individual’s sensitivity to the vaccine in the first place.

Even though there is a relatively high rate of cure with ADD/HD individuals, it is still believed that a full recovery from autism through homeopathy is not usual. However, many homeopaths see big improvements in the symptoms and behaviors of ASD individuals, even if a complete recovery is not cited. It is generally thought in the homeopathic community that starting treatment as early as possible improves the chance of a successful recovery from autism. Ideally treatment should begin before age 5. It is often observed that as children with ASD age, they seem to get further and further away from us and it is harder to bring them back. Cases are also often complicated by other interventions such as allopathic drugs, vaccinations, behavioral therapies, etc.

Most homeopaths see curing autism as a long term project that can take months or even years as they try different remedies in their quest to understand the individual well enough to select the true similimum. Sometimes there is an element of trial and error as the homeopath experiments with different remedies and potencies in order to find one that resonates with the child. When they do find a remedy that resonates then the effect is usually quite evident and significant improvements can be seen.

Homeopaths will ask parents to not introduce any other treatments or interventions in the earlier stages of homeopathy so they can observe the direct effects of the homeopathic treatment.

Some of the significant homeopaths and individuals who have contributed to the success of classical homeopathy to cure autism are the following:

Amy Lansky, PhD:

Amy Lansky is the author of the well known book “The Impossible Cure”. Amy’s own son was cured with homeopathy which led her to become a homeopath herself and to write her book as a way to let others know about the effectiveness of homeopathy in curing autism. Even though she does not personally treat autistic individuals, Amy Lansky is very active in promoting and educating people about homeopathy and in referring parents of ASD children to homeopaths who can help. Her book is a wonderful introduction to homeopathy and helps parents of children with autism to understand homeopathy’s course of treatment and select a homeopath. (www.impossiblecure.com)

Dr. Luc De Schepper:

Dr. De Schepper is a classical homeopath who has made key contributions to treating individuals with ASD. He has had much success both in working with ASD as well as ADD/ADHD. His website contains links to many articles he has written on treating autism and ADD with homeopathy. His work involves a lot of research and observations on ASD and he has come up with many theories about it, such as the susceptibility to vaccines being linked to the syphilis miasm which can be linked to the common remedies of ASD. He also theorizes that this susceptibility explains why ASD children are more susceptible to mercury and why mercury has been a prominent remedy in treating autism. He also links this back to a syphilitic family background. Although he stresses the importance of individualization of treatment, he points out that the remedies most likely to work in any destructive type of disease such as autism would be syphilitic remedies.

He also stresses the importance of treating the mother and is interested in the mother’s experience during pregnancy and possible events, traumas, and a family history that might lead to the emergence of the syphilitic miasm. (www.drluc.com)

Pierre Fontaine, RSHom., CCH:

Fontaine focuses on trying to find the individual qualities of the autistic child, despite the difficulty in this condition to find these. He tends to use mainly animal remedies, although he does use minerals and plants as well. Basing his work on Temple Grandin’s work in her book “Animals in Translation,” he observes that rather than being hypersensitive, children with autism are hyper perceptive like animals, taking mental pictures and remembering minute details. This can be what leads to the need for routine in their lives and the difficulty in adapting to change. These characteristics are also perceived in the animal kingdom. Remedies are prescribed on each animal’s extraordinary and individual hyper perception and how it links to that child’s individual perception. He also stresses the need to “feel” the child rather than to base remedy choice on a mechanical rational approach. (www.homeopathicservices.com)

Dr. Tinus Smits:

In his treatment of autism, the late Dr. Smits worked mainly with vaccine clears, using potentized forms of the vaccines that seemed to trigger the autism. He also works with potentized forms of antibiotics and other allopathic medicines that have been administered to children.

In his general work with homeopathy he explored the idea of layers of human experience leading to the use of one remedy after another. As explained by Dr. Smits:

"In this regard a distinction has to be made between the individual layer with eventually sub-layers, caused by vaccination, allopathic drugging or important emotional afflictions, and the universal layers, treating lack of self-confidence, affective problems, incarnation problems, lack of boundaries, old traumas (victim problems), guilt (bully side) and duality, the last obstacle to our unification with our higher self our soul. In totality there are seven universal layers. At the individual layer everybody needs his individual remedy, but once arrived in the universal layers only a few remedies can be used. These remedies are: Carcinosinum, Carcinosinum cum Cuprum, Cuprum metallicum; Saccharum officinale; Lac maternum; Vernix caseosa; Rhus toxicodendron; Anacardium orientale; Hydrogenium. This aspect of universal layers, where the individuality of the patient seems to be lost, can be for the classical homeopath a big obstacle. But once the patient enters these universal layers practice proved to me that these remedies were the best ones to resolve their problems and to help them to evolve to deeper awareness and more stability in both physical and emotional, mental and spiritual health".

His work appears to be a crossover between the Timeline or Sequential method, and the classical approach.

(http://www.tinussmits.com/3845/inspiring-homeopathy.aspx)

Judith Reichenberg-Ullman, Robert Ullman:

The Ullmans have been instrumental in bringing awareness to the use of homeopathy in ASD and ADD/HD individuals. Their books on the subject are “Ritalin Free Kids”, and “The drug free approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism”. They have a fairly conventional approach to working with autism, applying a classical homeopathy approach. They tend to look at the case in a psychological way, working predominantly at the level of emotion, looking at the child’s behavior and fears, aversions, modalities. They have been very successful in their work with ASD individuals and have contributed greatly to this area of research in homeopathy. (www.ritalinfreekids.com)

Looking forward to the MICH Method

As we move forward into practicing Classical Homeopathy with the MICH method, we look forward to seeing further success in the treatment of ASD individuals. By providing a compassionate space for the client to express their inner world, in whatever way they choose (this may be non verbal), the MICH method allows full exploration of the individual’s disease or suffering, at the energetic level of vital sensation. This is important, not only in bringing us to an accurate similimum, but in allowing the client to participate in their own exploration and healing as they become more aware of their own perceptions and disease expression.

References

Websites:

1. http://www.recoveredfromautism.com/homeopathy.htm
2. http://www.impossiblecure.com/autism.html
3. http://www.drluc.com/ASDHomeopathic.html (6th Feb 2008)
4. http://www.classicalhomoeopathy.com/caseaut.htm
5. http://www.cease-autism.com/3842/autism.aspx

Books:

1. Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, by Amy L Lansky.
2. Ritalin Free Kids: Safe and Effective Homeopathic Medicine for ADHD and Other Behavioural and Learning Problems, by Judith Reichenberg-Ullman and Robert Ullman.
3. A Drug Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism: Homeopathic Care for Exceptional Kids, by Judith Reichenberg-Ullman, Robert Ullman, Ian Luepker, and Bernard Rimland.

Kate Hudson graduated from the Montreal Institute of Classical Homeopathy (MICH) in May 2009 and now works as a facilitator at MICH and as a homeopath with both adults and children. She is deeply passionate about the practice of homeopathy and it's ability to bring awareness and clarity to each client, leading to greater freedom on all levels of their being, mental, emotional physical and spiritual.