Sample Case Final Exam

This final evaluation will help you to solidify what you have learned and give you an opportunity to test yourself. There is also a link to a reading list at the bottom of the page.

Some are a repeat of important concepts from the Pre-Primer main but some are new and there are case questions at the end. Please take a moment and go through this entire (10 question) section. Clicking on the answer window will close it as will selecting another answer,

Once again, thank you for taking this journey with us.

Questions

Incorrect. That is a common but INCORRECT assumption. The symptom is only that, a symptom. To cure the underlying the problem, the symptom needs to be healed from the inside and not suppressed.

Correct - We may have only driven the symptom to a deeper level. We call this suppression and that may cause the vital force to exhibit the imbalance in a more serious manner.

1. If we give a medication and make the symptom go away, that means the health problem has been solved.

True
False
Please make a selection

Correct . The basis of homeopathic medicine is to have the body do what it does best - heal. The remedy stimulates the body to start this process by giving it a way to begin the process.

Incorrect. The remedy is NOT like a drug. It only starts the ball rolling. The body does most of the work.

2. Homeopathic remedies stimulate the body to heal itself. .

True
False
Please make a selection.

' Correct - This is a DANGEROUS misconception. Homeopathy is a POWERFUL form of medicine and has tremendous power to heal. If used improperly it also has the potential to harm. This is especially true in older weak animals and that is why careful prescribing and monitoring is ESSENTIAL.

Incorrect. This is a DANGEROUS misconception. Homeopathy is a POWERFUL form of medicine and has tremendous power to heal. If used improperly it also has the potential to harm. This is especially true in older weak animals and that is why careful prescribing and monitoring is ESSENTIAL.

3. Homeopathy is harmless.

True
False
Please make a selection.

Not the best choice! This might have made the overall case worse and more difficult to treat. Even though there was some blood, the cat was improving and to suppress this symptom during an aggravation could have caused the cat to stop eating or something else on a deeper, more difficult to treat, level. Patience (while watching her closely and communicating with the homeopath, regularly) in these situations is usually rewarded with an improved patient.

You are correct. This was a mild aggravation and blood is not unusual with diarrhea in cats and dogs. By looking at the overall case and not only at one symptom, we saw that the whole cat was much better even if this one thing appeared "worse". By waiting and letting the body deal with the problem (while we watch carefully) we allow the body to heal in the proper manner..

4. In our sample case, Fluffy's diarrhea started to have some blood in it but the cat was feeling better in every other way. Fluffy's mom should have:

Given the anti-diarrhea medicine from last year when Fluffy had a similar
bout of diarrhea with blood.
Wait and watch closely while letting the remedy do its work in helping the body to heal.
Please make a selection.

You are correct. - Treating only one or two symptoms is a hallmark of conventional or allopathic medicine and may stop us from treating the REAL cause of the problem. A homeopath looks at the total health picture. and tries to prescriber on every important aspect of the case.

Incorrect. When we get focused on only one or two main symptoms we can get a false picture of the entire case. Those symptoms are important and can be the main reason we are seeing the case but they are, usually, NOT the entire picture and may NOT, accurately, show us the path to the deepest healing. This does NOT mean these are not important symptoms but they should not stop us from looking at the WHOLE picture to we can try to find the BEST remedy.

5. Homeopathy is concerned with the total health picture, not just one or two symptoms.

True
False
Please make a selection.

Correct.- Since the body wants to heal from the inside out and from more to less serious levels, we could look at these symptoms in that way. We could also remember that the latest symptoms, usually, want to resolve first, then the earlier ones. Since the patient is feeling and acting better, we would like to believe that the return of the arthritic pain is a temporary return of an old symptom on the healing path and we need to address it without suppression so that the emotional does not deteriorate again. This is not always easy to interpret or treat but it can be done and can mean wonderful tings in the patient's life. We would, of course, take the patient's comfort level into account and not allow any undue suffering. There are many other tools we can use that can help while the healing continues. To cure the underlying the problem, the symptom needs to be healed from the inside and not just suppressed.

Incorrect. That is a common but potentially false assumption. The symptom is an earlier issue that had been suppressed with drugs and later his emotional state got worse. We would like to believe that the return of the arthritic pain is the return of an old symptoms, on the healing path and we need to address it without suppression so that the emotional does not deteriorate again. This are not always simple to interpret or treat but it can be done and can mean we are on a true path to healing and need to be careful not to fall back into old habits. We would, of course, take the patient's comfort level into account and not let them suffer. Fortunately, there are many other non-drug therapies that may help while the healing continues. To cure the underlying the problem, the symptom needs to be healed from the inside and not suppressed.

6. A 10 year old dog was being treated with homeopathy for uncharacteristic aggression. His aggression resolved after several months of treatment, but he began to limp on the back legs and have trouble getting up after resting. This was something that the dog had been treated for in the past but had not been a problem for a year. How would you view this development in light of the improved emotional state and the increased energy and interaction on the dog's part.

Does this symptom bear any relation to the homeopathic treatment?

This may be the return of an old problem now that the Vital Force is stronger and better able to deal with it.
This means the dog is getting worse and we should get him on some anti-arthritis medication
Please make a selection.

Correct.- 'Correct The symptoms' movement from the deeper emotional plane to the physical (functional) plane is usually an indication that the remedy is acting in a positive way.

Incorrect. 'No, the symptoms' movement from the deeper emotional plane to the physical (functional) plane is usually an indication that the remedy is acting in a positive(curative) way.

7. In the above case, the apparent movement of the symptoms from an emotional level (aggression) to a more physical level (limping) is an indication of a further decline in the dog's health?

True
False
Please make a selection.

Incorrect.- It is wrong to look at this case only as one symptom without remembering the aggression and the then the limping were all stages in the pathology or levels of the illness. The body, finally, became strong enough to move the inner problems to an outside (and less "severe") level.

Correct. This is one of the most difficult phases of healing. The skin rash could be severe and it makes us want to DO SOMETHING. We always need to be coming from a place of love and patience and less from a place of fear and help the body THROUGH this toward healing, rather than going back to the old symptoms. Please re-read through the Homeopathic Primer to remind us of this concept.

Incorrect. If we used a powerful ANTI-inflammatory right now, we might push the disease deeper again and the next time we treated, the body might not be strong enough to get back to this healthier stage. Please re-read through the Homeopathic Primer to remind us of this concept.

8. With additional homeopathic treatment over time, in the case above, the limping improved and the dog started to develop a severe skin rash on his head and neck. The homeopath's reaction would probably be:

To suggest a cortisone shot now that there is only a skin rash
Wild panic that the immune system is now involved
To jump for joy since this could be an encouraging development in the case
Please make a selection.

All of these are CORRECT- It is a mistake to look at this case only as one symptom without remembering the aggression and the limping were all parts of the illness. The body, finally, became strong enough to move the inner problems to an outside (and less "severe") level. Interfering with the natural healing by using a strong drug can make all of these things happen. It might even make things worse either by reverting to an old pattern or even seeing more severe issues arise. Liver disease, chronic diarrhea, even tumors are some examples of deeper issues that could appear. So, we need to be compassionate and not allow suffering but also remember the ultimate goal is REAL healing and not hiding a symptom with suppression.

9. In the case above, what might happen if the dog had a cortisone injection to stop the itching?

The aggression might return as the suppression drives the problem deeper .
The case might never respond as well to homeopathic therapy since the Vital Force was doing its job and the cortisone interfered with it .
The aggression might come back in an even worse form like aggression with seizures or very destructive behavior
Please make a selection.

Correct- We have experience with many, many tricks and hints that can help the patient through the discomfort of a skin reaction without having to resort to medication. That is why not panicking and communication with the office can be so important.

Incorrect We have experience with many, many tricks and hints that can help the patient through the discomfort of a skin reaction without having to resort to medication. That is why not panicking and communication with the office can be so important.

10. In the above case there are things that can be used to help soothe the itching while the body heals itself ?

True, there are some therapies (Oatmeal baths, Green tea Soaks, Bach Flowers, Aloe, Calendula, T-Shirts, even a new remedy) that are can be used to help alleviate some of the distress and move the case through this stage.
False, there is nothing we can do but watch and wait or give drugs

Please make a selection.