The Attention Deficit able to capture it all!
A mother has come for consultation with her 11 year old boy diagnosed by his teacher as having an attention deficit disorder. The consultation reveals, however, a disturbing fact: this bright young man is the best student in his class! Maybe he is a little too enthusiastic and effervescent. However, it is clear that young Jonathan does not need a long explanation to get the point. As soon as he gets what his teacher is about, his interest shifts to something else.  A few further questions  (yes, he loves fish, he is often thirsty, his hands are warm, his imagination is prolific and sometimes when he is too excited his nose bleeds) and a prescription of Phosphorus 200 k will “sedate” the boiling energy of this little genius … who, certainly , never suffered from attention deficit disorder!
Attention Deficit Cast by Grief
Eight year old Paul has an attention deficit, but the real problem is of a different kind. During the past year, his school scores have dropped dramatically. The child is often daydreaming, inattentive and even “lost”, according to his teacher, who suggests he visit a paediatrician and consider taking “Ritalin”. The consultation revealed that Paul’s parents had separated 18 months ago and that the child drowned his grief (and energy) in deep silence.  Being more introverted than before and a few other symptoms, such as morning headaches, his eyes dry quickly when he is in front of the computer screen, nail biting, all lead to a prescription of Natrum Mur. The child cried abundantly after taking the remedy, and in the following weeks his energy and his smile returned and his school performance  improved.  Could the prescription of Ritalin help to deal with Paul`s grief?
Irritability And Hyperactivity Caused By Parasites
For months, Jessica, anxious and cold sensitive, often had to visit her school principal. Irritable and sometimes violent, unable to sit calmly in class, she was diagnosed with behaviour troubles and hyperactivity. However, it had taken a few minutes of consultation to understand the source of her problem.  Considering her intense anus and nose itching, I asked the mother if the child grinds her teeth, if she gets a short dry cough at bed time and has a strong desire for pastry. Having affirmative answers to all these questions, I concluded that the child has worms (parasites) and a prescription Cina alternating with Arsenicum Alb modified completely her behaviour in the space of a week! Would the Ritalin prescription fight the cause of Jessica`s problem?
Hyperactivity and Diet
Kevin is a Mister Dynamo. If his uncontrollable energy could be directed in to a different channel, it could illuminate half the city of Paris. But now Kevin is 6 years old and his teacher cannot bear with this hyperactive child anymore. Kevin’s  young father wanted to avoid him taking chemical drugs, but admitted not knowing what to do with his child. The consultation revealed that Kevin`s consumption of sweet food could be recorded in the “Guinness” record book! Subject to frequent colds and flu, sunken eyes, deformed nails , Kevin’s hyperactivity would attenuate after a few doses of Tuberculinum 200 k and a change his regime. Would Ritalin or any other chemical product of this kind address the cause of Kevin`s problem?
Dyslexia, Violence, Vaccination
There are other causes able to engender symptoms of attention deficit and behavioural disorders. A dyslexic kid (Lycopodium) often will be a problem in his class.  Another child has vision problems.  I had a case of a child being frequently beaten by one of his parents, who behaved violently (Anacardium).   There are excessively timid children who are lacking self-confidence (Silicea) and never dare to pose questions.
Finally, it’s important to note all the causes of children with attention deficits and hyperactivity and the secondary effects of vaccination that are often evoked. Since children receive their first vaccination at a very early age (2, 4, 6 months) it is not always easy to observe the way the immune, nervous or endocrine systems are affected by the injections.  On the contrary, every homeopath interested in the secondary effects of vaccination would find a whole number of other problems (asthma, insomnia, eczema, herpes, headache, diarrhoea, allergies, convulsions, etc.). Sometimes, it isn’t easy to make a direct connection between the problems of attention deficit / hyperactivity and the vaccines these children have received.
All these cases and, in particular those of Jessica, Kevin, Paul and Jonathan, demonstrate well known principles to all homeopaths.  If a prescription (or  counselling) allows eliminating the energy perturbation caused by these symptoms, the latter will effectively disappear.
The importance of recognizing aetiologies was highlighted in a remarkable way in the initial aphorisms of Hahnemann’s  Organon (3) , “To be a genuine practitioner of the medical art, a physician must clearly realize what is to be cured in diseases, that is, in each single case of disease”.  Evidently, those who prescribe pharmaceutical drugs are not aware of such considerations.  One of the most fashionable causes used by modern medicine is attributing the troubles of attention and behaviour problems to a genetic factor. It is a subtle way of saying “the child is like this!” and the prescription of Ritalin can only control the most disturbing aspects of behaviour.  Certainly, like any treatment not directly concerned with the cause, the application of pharmaceutical drugs does not lead to a genuine recovery but to a suppression of the symptoms, resulting in many more or less severe secondary effects (arresting growth, “zombie effect” character modification, loss of appetite, various neurological troubles, etc.)
The Surprising Principal Remedies
After more than 30 years of practicing homeopathy, I found that some remedies have a greater ability than any others to truly modify the terrain and eradicate the symptoms attributed to attention deficit or/and to hyperactivity. Let’s look at how the repertoires (Kent and Murphy) treat that subject:
Concentration difficulties in children, : Aeth 1, c bar 3, carc 2, graph 1, lach 1, med 3, ph-ac 1, phos 2, sil 1, Tub 1, zinc 1
Hyperactivity, child:  anac 1, ars 2 ars-i 1, calc-p 1, carc 3, Cham 2, Cina 2, coff 1, hyos 3, jod 2, med 3, merc 1 Nux-v 1, stram 3., tarent 2., thuj 1., tub 3., vera 2t.
The remedies best covering these two symptoms are:
Medorrhinum (6)  Carcinosin (5) Tuberculinum (4).
These are three nosodes having extremely profound actions.
And if these two symptoms are due to side effects of many vaccinations received by child as happens often in case of AHDH:
Immunization, (vaccination) following: acon1, ant-t.2 apis.2, ars2, bell1, bufo.1, carc.3, crot-h.1, echinacea,1 gels 3, hep 3., hyper 3., ign 1., influ 3, kali-chl 1., kali-m.2 lach 3., led 3., Maland 3., med 2., merc.2, mez.3, ped.2 , psor.2, sabin.1 sars.3, sep.1, sil 4., sulph3, thuj 4., tub.2, vac.3, vario.2
The Repertorisation of the three symptoms (attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, following vaccination) yields the following result:
Carcinosin (8); Medorrhinum (8); Tuberculinum (6); … Silica (5); Thuya (5); etc.
Obviously, the prescription of each of these remedies must be confirmed by a few characteristic symptoms to better follow the principle of “totality of symptoms”.
The “Carcinosinum” child suffering from attention deficit and / or hyperactivity was often in infancy great insomniac. Often we find the hypersensitive child  reacting very badly to reproach, easily captivated by music (iPod?) and dance and with brown birthmarks as well as  a tendency to be allergic to many foods. Parents or other family members might struggle with cancer (which is increasingly more often the case).
The same efforts to find characteristic symptoms should be made in order to confirm Tuberculinum  (a great susceptibility to cold, flu’s, otitis)  or Medorrhinum (presence of Molluscum contagium, strong tendency to bite nails, etc).
To Be Or Not To Be Adapted?
Finally, allow me to share a few personal comments regarding a number of ADHD diagnoses. Multiple times I was surprised to learn that the same children who had been diagnosed with AHDH could remain immobile and perfectly attentive for hours when watching a movie like “Harry Potter” or “Lord of the rings”. It appears that these children do not suffer from any disturbances of attention or hyperactive behaviour when they are inspired, fascinated or just interested in a subject or in an activity! It leads to the question: does the modern educational system meet the aspirations of its young clientele? Most programs are designed to contribute, one way or another, to the consumer society. Is it possible that some young souls are deeply annoyed by this type of program and therefore have difficulty adapting their behaviour to the expectations of this society?  As Krishnamurti said, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” The fact that so many children now have ADHD these days is a message in itself.

He says these instructions he is giving are general in nature. That there are more specific ways to understand this, but he is asking us to grasp the whole of what he is sharing. These are a general introduction to the idea in Aphorism 83.
 
The practitioner shall bear in mind only what is applicable for each individual case. This is the greatest challenge for homeopaths. We must be able to discern disease from health. If we do not know how the derangement of the vital force expresses itself through each individual it will be very difficult to ever find the medicine that is most homeopathic for the individual. We must be able to see the case. See the disease clearly.
 
This demands nothing but freedom from prejudice. This is the key to seeing the case clearly. If we have any prejudice, then we might as well be giving the remedy to ourselves. Our pre-judgments about diseases, other cases we have seem before that are similar, judgments about the individual or their lifestyle etc. must be dismissed during the case receiving, and analysis.
 
Sounds senses are a must for the homeopath. His/her powers of observation must be very clear. We need to be able see all of the behaviors and descriptions of the patients disease. We must hear their words. We must be able to feel the case without taking the case on. This empathy versus sympathy. Our senses are a collection of all of our sentient faculties, and we must constantly work to refine them in ourselves.
 
Attention in observing and fidelity in tracing the picture of the disease. The fidelity in tracing the picture requires us to be very diligent. We must not be halfway in our attempts to see the picture of the disease. We must ask open ended questions we don't lead the case. We must investigate the roots of this disease. By asking about family history or questioning family members we can gain more clarity about the disease.  This diligence is something that gets refined each and every case that we work on. We are not just tracing the picture of any disease; we are tracing the picture of this one individuals disease.
 
When we break down what Hahnemann is saying we can see that there is much to be considered in even a general description of a very small Aphorism. He did not make mistakes with his words or the meaning. Every good homeopath must study the Organon. We have a very good guideline that is applicable in every case we see as a homeopath. We must follow these instructions. They will be what will improve our skills and our lives as we help the lives of others.

References

https://www.resonanceschoolofhomeopathy.com/blog/aphorism-83

Foot
‘I have neuropathy of the feet, it is like wearing ankle socks with no sensation from the ankle down’.
‘Then I have throbbing in the toes, heals, ears.  It is better for warm water baths. It is worse for cold.’
‘I have pain in the heals at night, it keeps me awake, spasms and twitching.’
Rubrics(Complete Dynamic) 
Mind; Ailments from anger; suppressed                
Mind; ailments from; anxiety; prolonged                                                  
Nose; hay fever; annual; coryza
Extremities; insensibility; night, < cold
Generalities; food and drink; cabbage; aversion
Prescription
LM1 Staphysagria
Review 6 weeks later
Character 
‘‘Nothing extreme happened but I am calmer, more content with me, less alone feeling’
‘I don’t feel I am loved for the person I am, I do feel alone at times but not as deep as I have felt’
‘I feel it in my solar plexus, my gut, going upwards, to my heart’
Foot
‘Boot is off, much better’
Prescription
LM2 Staphyisagria
Review 6 weeks later
Character
‘I feel I am strengthening and making more decisions for myself. I feel I have ‘drive’ again. I am an enthusiastic person usually. When I get into doing something I complete it and find myself leading the way for other people. I am a bit all in and all out when it comes 
to interests and work.
Foot
‘Foot is up and down’
Rubrics
Foot, pain , standing from
Foot, pain, wetting, agg
Self, want of confidence
Sleeplessness, midnight after
Prescription
LM3 Silicea
Conclusion
F.M. continued to come to me periodically for a year in which she was able to let go of ‘issues’ in her life one by one and feel her confidence increase over time. Her foot resolved itself also in this process.
References
https://abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Sil

Rubrics 
Bold(Daring) cheeky
Cheerfulness, happiness
Eyelids, margins
Ears , internal
Coryza, discharge, yellow
Nose, sneezing
Thirst
Prescription
LM2 Calc carb
Review 6 weeks later
Chesty
‘DF is much improved. He wakes only occasionally and has lots of energy getting out of bed.’
‘He is eating well and drinking more water’.
‘He is teething and I can hear him becoming chesty again’.
Prescription
LM3 Calc Carb
Review 6 weeks later
‘He is doing well in the creche. Has made lots of new friends. He is in good form and if a cold comes he just seems to recover. It doesn’t develop into anything’
Prescription
No prescription
The Present
Calc carb has remained this child’s ‘go to’ remedy for this Mum. 
She has followed up by doing the prescribers course with the Irish school homeopathy.
References
https://ish.ie/shop/home_prescribers_course/
https://ish.ie/clinics/

People complain, very often,  about feeling unwell whilst not being able to recognize that their complaints are self-inflicted.  Take for example the heavy smoker, who has a chronic cough or the person with a myriad of digestive issues, who insists on eating fast food most of the time.  
 
Other examples include people that are not even aware that their habits cause distress to their body.  The person who is underweight, with no energy and chronic health problems for instance. The homeopath will ask about diet and receive the answer that the diet consisted of nothing fresh, all pre-packaged food with low nutritional value resulting in too low an energy level to cope with a busy  young family. A result of this self-neglect leads to the prescription of pharmaceutical medications that can often exacerbate the condition in the long term, whilst possibly giving short term relief. 
 
Self-medications  with supplements can cause new illnesses, knows as ‘iatrogenic’ disease.  As Dr Hahnemann, says in Aphorism 74
‘Among chronic diseases, we must unfortunately include all those widespread illnesses artificially created by allopathic treatments.’
 
So, the removal of what Hahnemann referred to as ‘causa occasionalis’ (maintaining causes) must surely make sense and pave the way for true healing to begin. Whatever medication, in whatever medical discipline, will not be fully effective until this is done.
In Aphorism 77, Hahnemann states
‘Diseases engendered by prolonged exposure to avoidable noxious influence should not be called chronic, they include diseases brought about by:

• The habitual indulgence of harmful food and drink
• All kinds of excesses that undermine health
• Prolonged deprivation of things necessary to life
• Unhealthy places, especially swampy regions
• Dwelling only in cellars, damp places or other close quarters
• Lack of exercise or fresh air
• Physical or mental over exertion
• Continuing emotional stress etc.

These self-inflicted disturbances go away on their own with improved living conditions if no chronic miasm is present, they cannot be called chronic diseases.’ 
 
What can you do if you feel as though you are engaging in self-destructive behaviors?

• Start by identifying the behaviors in your life that you feel are getting in the way of reaching your goals. Insight is an integral part of changing your behavior. 
• Get real. Find ways to stop minimizing these unhealthy behaviors and rationalizing their presence. Examine how a behavior really impacts your life.
• Don’t get down on yourself. Being overly critical of yourself or thinking that you are “weak” creates a worse self-concept, often leading lower self-esteem and confidence. 
• Make it harder to act impulsively. Do you find that you overeat when you are stressed? Keep foods that you tend to binge on out of the house. Do you overspend when you are sad? Only withdraw enough cash for your weekly expenses and make access to your debit/credit cards more difficult.
• Practice mindfulness. Focusing on the present can help you to more readily identify your emotions and the behaviors that are getting in the way of your goals. 
• Start to self-reflect. Journaling or keeping a daily log of healthy habits can be a great way to build positive patterns of behavior.
• Seek professional help. Meeting with a counselor or psychologist can be an important part of reducing unhealthy behaviors. A psychologist can help you to identify triggers that lead to your self-defeating behaviors and provide tools to help you replace them with healthier options. 
• Voluntary groups are also a source of support such as the AA, Aware, Pieta House, Samaritans, Console, Men’s shed, Women’s shed

 
What is important to recognize is that through individualization and the identification of circumstances peculiar to a patient, obstacles to cure can be removed; only then can true individualized homeopathic treatment begin. Although the language in the Organon of the Medical Art could possibly benefit from being updated, it is clear that the underlying message is to enjoy a healthy lifestyle suited to your unique constitution, which is balanced on every level.
 
Reference
https://www.findahomeopath.org/news/2016-07-10-getting-to-the-route-of-sickness-by-removing-maintaining-causes-and-obstacles-to-cure
https://organonofmedicine.com/aphorism-208/