I was very recently alarmed by the drug combination given to one of my patients. He was prescribed simvastatin, aspirin and clopidogrel ( also known as Plavix). I am not at liberty to discuss his case other than to say that he nicked his skin whilst shaving and it took a long time to stop the bleeding. Two of the above drugs are major blood thinners. When I take a patient's case, I need to know the drugs that they have been prescribed by their GP/Consultant. I have access to a BNF ( British National Formulary, used by all medical staff, who routinely prescribe drugs) and this is very helpful as some symptoms that patients describe to me are drug symptoms and not real symptoms of their disease.

 My patient's drug combination niggled at me (I am not allowed to intefere with his prescribed medication, as this has to be done through his GP), however, the drug combination was bothering me to such an extent, that I decided to study some Journals this morning that this particular patient had previously given me. He'd given me a number of back issues of WDDTY - What Doctors Don't Tell You, which are now, thankfully, available to buy in large Newsagents.  These were all last years Journals, but for some bizarre reason, the very first one that I opened, sent a chill down my spine. This particular Journal is dated 6 April 2012 and I found myself on page 6 - Drug News. The article reads as follows:-

ROUTINE DRUG COMBINATION IS A KILLER

"Routine treatment for people who've suffered a stroke is aspirin with Plavix (clopidogrel) to stop further blood clots - but the drug combination is deadly.

The two agents increase the risk of bleeding and death, a major safety trial has discovered. So great is the risk that the trial has been abandoned, and doctors are being told to stop prescribing the drug combination. ( Hummm that's strange, it's obviously not made it across the pond!).
 
The trial, which began in 2003, monitored the health of 3020 patients given eithern aspirin and Plavix or aspirin and a placebo. It was stopped prematurely in August 2011 when researchers discovered the high risk ( no doubt they had a lost a few patients on the way!) the drug combination posed."

The above information was presented at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference, 1-3 February 2012, New Orleans,LA.

I have sent my patient a copy of the article and asked him to contact his GP immediately. To anyone reading this article, if you do know of anyone taking this prescribed drug combination, please ask them to contact their GP and refer them to the above article. I wonder how many more poor people in this country have been prescribed this drug combination and, sadly, may have died prematurely as a result!

I should like to extend my thanks to WDDTY for publishing the article.
 
 


 

What a year it’s been for gold, despite the fact the UK Government flogged off the “Family silver” back in the late 1990’s. There’s still plenty around with the Olympic and Para Olympic gold medals being won by the score (slight exaggeration). Those very well deserved medals are not small either; they are large, bright, shiny discs, the size of a DVD!

In 2014, I wouldn’t be surprised if the folk around Stirling don’t develop gold fever in their rush for gold. Yes, there’s gold in them hills and perhaps, who knows, it may become a panner’s paradise! I can just imagine the headlines in the Stirling Observer, my local newspaper….

"Stirling Gold rather than Sterling Silver. Gold fever hits town as city dwellers rush to the hills!"

Actually, the gold is to be mined  around Tyndrum, which is North West of Stirling. Looks like these young people have already decided to get in on the act!

Dunblane has also been caught up with gold, thanks to Andy Murray. It has an ugly post box that was painted gold over night. I don’t think the Post Office has ever moved so fast to get one of its post boxes painted. It’s a pity they don’t move as fast to get the rest of the post boxes repainted in there fine red and black. It may have been 10 years ago since they were last painted; perhaps it will take them another 10 years to think about it!  Let’s hope there are lots of gold medals won in the Commonwealth games all around the UK, that way, there may be a chance that more will be repainted, at least in gold! If that’s the case, the Hampshire couple, who have recently been doing a tour of the golden boxes, will be kept happy for a while longer! Perhaps the Post office won't stop there either, you never know they may do bronze and silver post boxes  for the commonwealth games!

As for the Egyptians, 
they just couldn’t get enough of the stuff!  Some of them even had themselves buried in it, no wooden caskets from the local DIY would suffice for them! Egyptians gold was believed to have a magical potency and believed to contain significant religious properties. Gold did not tarnish nor deteriorate but, more importantly, it shone like the sun god and was therefore referred to as the “Flesh of the Gods”.

In Homeopathy, Aurum Metalicum ( Metalic gold) is a very interesting remedy to study. No remedy produces more acute mental depression than Aurum Met. The love of life, of self protection is perverted. He/she loathes life, is weary of life, longs to die and thus seeks methods to commit suicide. There are several other remedies that correspond to suicidal depression but there is a particular type of person, the character of the individual who requires Aurum Met.

The extreme depression and loathing for life does not occur overnight, and certainly not without earlier stages. For the Homeopathic practitioner, the very best strategy is to prevent the final stage of the Aurum depression, to prevent the possibility of suicide.

The pathological Aurum condition usually arises in people who possess a serious introverted character. They are generally closed people, responsible and quite refined. They can avoid superficial contact and tend to remain rather aloof or self-contained. Generally, they are very disciplined and highly ambitious. They appear to have the fundamental conviction that they are destined for a superior and esteemed position in life. It is their egotistical quality that will cause difficulties for them later on in life.

Relationships.

The idealistic Aurum enters a relationship with the whole of their energy giving themselves entirely. Total idealistic romanticism. The Aurum needs the warmth of affection from a relationship. After a time they will begin to observe the little foibles about their partner, becoming inwardly critical.

Business and financial success are very important to Aurum. They go into business because of a financial dream. Despite being competitive, hard-working businessmen, they retain a level of sensitivity. They are very sensitive about their obligations, so much so, that when faced with serious financial failure, with no way to meet their obligations they will be unable to see anyway out of their predicament. They feel that they must ascend the ladder of success, if not, if they fail, they feel all is finished. The Aurum invests their belief in high ideals, typically wealth, justice and prominence.  They become deeply depressed and wish to leave this world if their belief system is shaken. Their depression is very deep that they will be prone to commit suicide, mostly by jumping for a high place. 

FEARS

There is a tremendous fear of having heart disease, reaching states of panic. The mind seems to be obsessed with the idea of being something wrong with the heart. The will not tell anyone about it except a specialist. They also pray a lot, there praying becomes is desperate as their mental state becomes more and more precarious.

Aurum Metalicum is a very big remedy and it can be studied further. I have only focused upon some of the mental/emotional aspects. Further information can be found on the educational Homoeopathic websites.

Disclaimer: The above information is strictly for educational purposes only.

London 2012 Olympics was quite spectacular and a showcase for the world’s finest athletes. I was one of the lucky ones to have been there during that time and although I couldn’t get a ticket for the athletics, I was happy to attend a weightlifting event. More than anything else the Olympics brought out the very best in people, not just in those who took part, but those attending to watch the events.  The volunteers and members of the public made London 2012 fantastic.

Now my husband wouldn’t describe me as a great sports fan, nor would my friends, but even I would have loved to have seen Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and Chris Hoy compete live in their events but, like many, I had to make do by watching them give their all on the TV. Sadly, television cannot really convey the speed at which these people can run/move their legs; they must literally be going like the clappers! Actually, I think one could blink and miss Usain run his 100 metres. The fastest man on earth gone in a blink!

 Whilst watching Chris Hoy cycling, I thought if the electricity supply should fail during the stadium illuminations, which were exceedingly impressive, they could always use his legs to power the generator!

Firstly, Usain Bolt has a lovely face, is very tall, slim and super fit, and as far as I am concerned, when it comes to running, is in the supersonic speed category.  However, the Asiatic cockroach, on the looks front, is ugly (unless of course you are a fellow Coc), has disgusting habits (just loves decaying organic matter, sewers & drains) but in common with Usain shares the supersonic speed category, in the bug world of course. Try and catch one of these critters when they decide to pay a night visit to one’s bedroom…..now that’s something else! Swatting the Mozie is one thing, but swatting the Coc, is something else!

Usain Bolt ran the 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, a Coc can move 12 feet per second (approximately 3.7 meters per second, about a third of the speed Usain, blame my husband if the math is wrong, not me), no mean feat for a relatively small bug, well, not that small, compared to some! The male Asian Coc can fly; after all, it has to have something positive over Usain! If there was a Bug Olympics, the Coc, would be a main contender for the Gold! It could compete in two events, running and the long jump!

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with the Coc. Having lived in the Tropics, they are never far away. If you don’t like bugs, large or small, then perhaps a visit to the Tropics is not for you. They are part of life and the people who live there permanently just have to get used to them. A case of like it or lump it, after all, what else can they do.  Even when I lived in a 9th floor apartment in Colombo, Sri Lanka, I was amazed at how those critters could make it to the 9th floor. One can be above the Mozie line, but height, certainly doesn’t put off the Coc. I wouldn’t be surprised, if it was hot enough in the UK, they would find their way up to the top of the Shard in London! One has to admire their tenacity to succeed in making it to the 9th floor, if nothing else. This critter posed for me on my balcony, possibly thought he was in the pink! The tenacity required by the Coc to get to the 9th floor must equate to that of Mo Farah who runs 120 miles a week!

During their nightly visits the speeds at which a Coc can move makes trying to crush one nigh impossible. They seem often to survive a blow from a shoe, or perhaps. I just don’t have the technique…… hummm. I should consider taking up hammer throwing!  Further, I am convinced they have some form of armour plating which, most probably, would allow them to survive a nuclear attack.  In Sri Lanka they quite often get ‘morteined’, Mortein is a rather nasty spray, not good for the Coc, nor, for that matter, humans either. One sprays the Mortein with great care. I feel sure that they are adapting to that as they don’t run out of steam that quickly!

During my visit to India with Dr Shanthakumar, we visited Homco, a large, Homeopathic medicines manufacturer, based in Allapuzah (Alleppey) in the state of Kerala. On our tour of the plant Dr Suresh, the Chief Pharmacist, I came across a very large stainless steel container of very dead Cocs in pure alcohol. Me being me and forever inquisitive, I most definitely checked that they were very dead!   This large container would be used to make the Homeopathic medicine – BLATTA ORIENTALIS!

BLATTA ORIENTALIS (Asiatic Cockroach) is a common insect found in the Tropics. You can be very sure where there’s humidity you’ll find them and, believe me, there are plenty!   It is a large species of cockroach measuring 1 to 2 inches in length. It is a dark red brown to black in colour and has a glossy body. The female has a somewhat different appearance to the male (not unusual!) appearing to be wingless at a casual glance but actually has two very short and useless wings just below the head. The male has long wings, can fly, and I can certainly attest to that. It may only be for a couple of meters but hey ho, that’s enough.  It is slightly darker in colour and has a more narrow body - nice & trim like Usain!

HABITAT – Often found around decaying matter, in sewers, drains and any other damp locations…..lovely!!!

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Blatta Orientalis patients have a tendency to catch cold, as well as sensitivity in the bronchi, which are easily irritated and inflamed. The patient would often start with a common cold which develops in to severe bronchitis and coughing; this in turn creates respiratory problems, which eventually turns into chronic asthma.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REMEDY

It was found accidently to relieve asthma in a patient who took tea in which the bug had been infused.

Great oppression of breathing

Restlessness

Profuse perspiration

Inability to move or lie down

Loud wheezing worse during the night

Inability to raise the excess mucus

Aggravation cold wet weather

Professor George Vithoulkas, a world authority on Homeopathic medicine, states that it has been his experience that aggravation occurs in humid, cold weather, with a smell of mould. 

INTERESTING FACTS 

In the USA, a 5 year, Multi-million dollar study on the causes of asthma in the inner-city, found that exposure to Cocs was an important cause of asthma related illnesses and hospitalizations among children.

Please see www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/published/9368259 for information on the study. They could have saved the US tax citizen a fistful of dollars by doing some extra studies beforehand!

PLEASE NOTE

The above information is for educational purposes only.

There are no Homeopathic remedies for a disease label, such as Asthma per se, and it would be very fool hardy to think that one could treat oneself with such a condition. Homeopathic medicines are prescribed for the individual, not for the disease label.

Acknowledgments to Professor George Vithoulkas, Hpathy.com, the photographers (click on the pictures for their links) that captured some great Olympic moments and last,  but certainly not least, the humble Asiatic Cockroach.

The article below was published by Hpathy.com

My first visit to the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka was in 2006. I never imagined I would be returning so soon or so often! In February 2007 I returned to the capital, Colombo, to embark upon an intensive one month course in Clinical Acupuncture, only to discover that using people as pin cushions, wasn’t quite my forté! Initially, it hadn’t been the acupuncture programme that had attracted me, but the Homeopathy that had been mentioned on the web site (I was already in India doing post graduate Homeopathic studies, so it was just a mere hop across the ocean). However, I soon discovered at that clinic, that it wasn’t the type of Homeopathy that I should wish to practise, nor advocate. It was during that month that I was very fortunate to meet Dr Shanthakumar, who then invited me to spend time with him in his clinics. I jumped at the opportunity to do so and the rest is history.

Sri Lanka only has two seasons – hot and very hot! As a Westerner, one has to get used to sweating 24/7, as the climate, particularly along the coast and in Colombo, can be very hot and steamy. As well as the beautiful people of Sri Lanka, one has to get used to ants, supersonic cockroaches, and mosquitoes, as they are all part of living in the Tropics and you either ‘put up and shut up’ or ‘go home’. Adaptability is all that is required, along with patience, understanding and a sense of humour.

Dr Shanthakumar currently not only has three clinics in Sri Lanka – Wellawatta, Colombo, Katubedda & Hatton, but also travels to India every month, where he sees patients at a Hospital in Salem, Tamil Nadu.  He studied Homeopathic medicine in Kombakonam, Tamil Nadu, India some 30 years ago and he continues to study. Even with his busy clinics, he still manages to do an inordinate amount of reading, teaching in Colombo, monthly visits to India, attending Homeopathic seminars from time to time, as well as being actively involved in building a systematic Homeopathic educational programme in Sri Lanka. He is a quiet, humble man, who eats, lives and sleeps Homeopathy. If you wish to argue a point with him, you had better know Homeopathy, the Materia Medica, and of course, the bible of Homeopathic Medicine – The Organon. He is a true Hahnemannian and practises according to the Cardinal Principles of Homeopathy.

There are three languages spoken in Sri Lanka – Sinhala, Tamil and Sri Lankan English. Thankfully for me, Dr Shanthakumar is able to speak all three, but his native tongue is Tamil. With a 35 year civil war (now ended, thankfully) in the country, that has resulted in thousands losing their lives, life certainly hasn’t been easy for him or his family, but that has never stopped him helping the people of Sri Lanka with Homeopathic medicine.

In 2007, I lived in Wellawatta, a Tamil suburb of Colombo, affectionately known as little Jaffna (the Tamil dominated city in the north of Sri Lanka). It was very convenient for both the Acupuncture clinic and Dr Shanthakumar’s clinic, as I could take a nice early morning stroll down to the Indian Ocean before starting time. Dr. Shanthakumar starts his consultations early in the morning, any time from 7am onwards. He consults up until around midday then takes a rest until about 4.30/5.00pm. Colombo gets very hot and humid during those hours and one doesn’t want to be walking about in the strong sunlight without either a hat or an umbrella. It really is only ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’ that go out in the midday sun. Of the occasional white tourist that I have come across on my visits, they would not look out of place in Wellawatta fish market, next to the Lobsters!

Once Dr Shanthakumar resumes, he could be seeing patients until 11pm or even midnight. I would also travel with him to another clinic along the coast on Saturdays and then, occasionally, up to Hatton in the hill country. He would make that journey every Sunday, leaving his house at around 3.30 am to catch a bus which would take about 4.5 hours to wind its way up the mountain side. Patients were always waiting for him to arrive. He would then spend his day there, not leaving until about 7.30pm, arriving back in Colombo at around midnight. I would have liked to have gone to Hatton more often, but travelling those roads didn’t quite suit me. I would feel quite ill when I arrived and I soon learned to make it a habit to eat very little before leaving or returning to Colombo, after all, I didn’t wish to regurgitate the contents of my stomach half way up and down the mountainside!

Dr Shanthakumar had, and indeed has, a variety of cases to deal with from Alopecia Universalis, Diabetes, Dengue Fever, Epilepsy, Psoriasis, Gangrenous wounds, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, MS, Lupus, as well as the more ‘run of the mill’ ills that occur around Monsoon time, to name but a few. He would either translate for me during his case taking or would explain the case afterwards. He will spend as long as it takes for him to be satisfied that he has a full picture of a case, even if some of the patients have to wait a while. All of the above have been treated successfully by his Homeopathic prescribing, even where there have been numerous pharmaceutical drugs used, and in some cases, many different homeopathic medicines, which have caused disease aggravations or put the patient into a proving!

During those months, I also did a great deal of reading as the doctor has quite a library! He always reminds me that in Homeopathy, let  WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW be your constant questions and always follow the Cardinal Principles.

WHO - None other than the great master Dr Samuel Hahnemann

WHAT -  Ideal cure is rapid, gentle, permanent restoration of health in whole.

WHEN - In the shortest possible time.

WHERE -  In a sick person.

HOW -  In the most harmless way on easily comprehensible principles or bases.

Having been so engrossed in my life in Sri Lanka and loving every minute of it, even though I had some difficult moments, when my time came to leave, I found it very difficult and heart wrenching. Living and adapting to a different culture over a period of months means that one has to go through re-adaptation to one’s native culture upon return! Fortunately for me, I have been able to return nearly every year since 2007. In 2008, I spent 3 months with Dr Shanthakumar, travelling to India with him for 10 days. One forgets how big India is (I had forgotten about taking a 29 hour train journey across India in 1991) and with huge travelling distances, one travels through the night and catches up with sleep on trains and/or buses so as not to waste valuable time. Together we visited a number of Homoeopathic Medical Schools and Hospitals in Tamil Nadu; Homco, a large, public owned, Homoeopathic Medicines manufacturer in Alappuzah, Kerala and The Dr R P Patel Institute of Homoeopathy in Vadodara, Gujarat, as well as attending a 3 day Homoeopathic Seminar in Salem, Tamil Nadu. It literally was a case of planes, trains and automobiles!

I recall spending a whole day at the Sarada Krishna Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. The whole trip was very special to me, but that particular day made me feel as though I’d died and gone to a Homeopathic heaven! Even now, I wish that I could go and study at that school for 5.5 years to gain a BHMS – Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery. It would be at least beneficial to get the aspects of their training which one cannot possibly get in the UK, unless one wishes to go down the allopathic route! India has the best systematic Homeopathic education in the world and it is so wonderful to be in a country and environment where Homeopathic Medicine is given the respect that it rightly deserves and to be with so many like minded people. It is a world away from what happens in the UK!

I have very recently returned again from Sri Lanka, having spent 3 months with Dr Shanthakumar. During that time, I looked after his main clinic in Wellawatta, Colombo, whilst he was in India. He has a very busy practice dealing with a very variable work-load, from serious acutes to chronic and deep pathology. People come from all over the island to consult with him, now that they are able to travel safely and more freely. He also treats patients from different parts of the world from time to time. I love spending time in his clinic and I have learned a great deal from him.

There are numerous cases that I could share from my time with Dr Shanthakumar. I shall mention 2 cases.

Harisha

In 2007, I met Harisha at the Acupuncture clinic and asked him if he would like to have some Homeopathic treatment, and for a while he came under my care. Up until that time, he had been receiving Acupuncture and Physiotherapy (the Acupuncture was stopped during his Homeopathic treatment but the Physiotherapy was continued). I have always tried to visit him every time I have returned to Sri Lanka. Harisha had the misfortune of being involved in a very serious road traffic accident about 10 years ago which resulted in him being in a coma for 3 months. As well as brain injuries, one side of his body took more of the accident impact than the other and most of his time has been spent in a wheelchair. After studying his case, Dr Shanthakumar and I decided on a course of Homeopathic treatment. Initially, he received a short course of Arnica, and later, Natrum Sulphuricum. Following those two remedies his speech improved quite dramatically and as he had been very good at Mathematics before his accident, I enjoyed testing my knowledge with him of what I could remember of my A level maths!

After I left Colombo in 2007, Harisha wasn’t able to continue with the homeopathic treatment, for a variety of reasons, but had continued to improve. He is now able to stand up from his wheelchair by himself, wear socks and footwear and even manages a few steps. However, during my recent visit, I was shocked to see the size of his left leg. From his knee to his toes it looked like an elephant’s leg (he had conveniently forgotten to mention his problem over the phone to me, that 11 months ago he had suffered a puncture wound to this leg.) He had been visiting the hospital and had been given numerous courses of antibiotics. The leg was puffed-up and very hard. He’d mentioned that he was about to embark upon further drug treatment, which alarmed me, so I managed to persuade his mother to allow him to visit me in Colombo to see Dr Shanthakumar. Harisha lives 5 hours by bus from Colombo and travelling by bus in Sri Lanka can be an experience in itself! Indeed, it ranks as one of the ‘must do’ experiences of serious travellers.

Dr Shanthakumar took his case and he was prescribed three remedies – Bovista 30c (1 dose) given on his visit; Ledum Palustre 30c (1 dose) to be taken the following day and finally, Arsenicum Album 0/1, his constitution to follow on. Since my return to Scotland, I have spoken to Harisha and his leg has now returned to its normal size and he said that he was feeling much better within himself. His mother perhaps finds that he is now getting less angry towards her!

Serious Acute – Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever Stage II

During my time at the clinic on 8 February 2010, the father of a young boy (4 years) came to the clinic. His son had been hospitalised in Colombo with Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, Stage II. The child was in a complete collapsed state, with low blood pressure. He could not eat, talk nor walk. His platelet count had fallen to below 20,000 and he was sweating on the forehead. A blood transfusion had been considered but the hospital doctors were not sure what to do. The gentleman came to Dr Shanthakumar for help because he and his family had had Homeopathic treatment from him in the past. The doctor considered the case and gave the boy’s father one dose of Veratrum Album 200c, in a powder, to be placed in water with advice on administration. The father was also told that he must stop the medicine immediately once the child urinated. 

The following day, the child’s platelet count had gone up to 26,000 and by the fifth day it was up to 250,000. The child was discharged by the hospital on 15 February 2010. On 2 March 2010, the child was brought to the clinic and he was given one dose of his constitutional remedy – Calcarea Carbonica 200c.

I have never stopped being amazed by Homeopathic medicine and the dedication, knowledge and skill of Homeopaths like Dr Shanthakumar.



I really love my time in Sri Lanka. Having lived there whilst the war was still going on, I know that life hasn’t been easy for the people and many things have happened which are very distasteful, beyond most people’s comprehension. However, the Sri Lankan people show a remarkable resilience that only those who have lived in and through war situations can even begin to understand. They haven’t been afforded the luxury of moaning and wailing about their lot, they have just had to get on with their lives as best that the circumstances at the time would allow. I have made wonderful friends in Sri Lanka, and despite the problems, that only humankind appears to create, it is a very beautiful and interesting country.

Dr Shanthakumar' main clinic is located in Wellawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka

I visited my GP, on numerous occasions and was eventually diagnosed, after 6  months,  with M.E. The delay was because they were not sure whether it was ME or  MS.
I was offered the usual pharmaceutical drugs of the day, and not feeling at  all happy about taking them daily, nor the long list of side effects, I decided  to take full responsibility for my own wellbeing. After having  tried almost everything in the alternative and complementary health field, I  eventually found Homeopathy. Alas, hindsight is such a wonderful thing because,  had  I known then what I know now, it would have been my first and only choice  of medicine. Since that time, my love and passion for this truly amazing  therapeutic science has continued to take me across the world to enhance my  knowledge and experience.

After completing a four year   intensive programme in Classical Homeopathy at the Scottish School of   Homeopathy, Glasgow, Scotland, UK and gaining my professional registration in  2006, I then went to do further Homeopathic studies in India & Sri Lanka. I  am fully qualified, insured, and a Member of the  Alliance of Registered Homeopaths.

In Asia, India has the largest Homeopathic medical infrastructure in the world in terms of education, research (Central Council of Homeopathy) and medical facilities and, there, Homeopathy is considered on a par with conventional medicine.  Across  Europe alone, over 100 million people benefit from Homeopathy and you should be
one of them!

As well as my practice in  Stirling, I have been assisting Dr A Shantha Kumar at one of  his very busy  clinics  in Colombo, Sri Lanka; dealing with both serious and chronic cases.