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IsitnotPartoftheDealinPromotingaMethodofPracticetoalsoDemonstrateitsEfficacy?
InterviewwithAndrSaine,N.D.,F.C.A.H.
PARTI|PARTII

ThefollowinginterviewwasconductedonSeptember13,2001byDrs.RalfandKarinVigoureuxofNeunkirkenSeelscheid,Germany,atthetime
of their threeweek visit with Dr. Saine in Montreal, Canada. Parts of this interview were originally published in German in the Zeitschrift fr
KlassischeHomopathie200448(3):117127.

Question: During our time in your office, we noticed that you mainly treat patients with severe conditions. What is the reason for
this?
Andr Saine: It is not always this way as sometimes I have easier cases. An example would be when a patient asks if I would treat other
membersoftheirfamily.Iusuallyreferthemtocolleagues,butsometimesIaccepttheminordertobeabletoobservetheinfluenceofheredity
fromonegenerationtotheother.Itis,however,correcttosaythatmostofmypatientscometomewithseriousconditions.ItallstartedwhenI
waspracticingwithmyfatherover20yearsago,andsawmainlypatientssufferingfromveryseriousconditions.Isawseriouscasesrightfrom
thebeginning,andIquicklybecamecomfortabletreatingpatientsothersdidn'twanttosee.Workingwithseverelyillpatientsisrarelyboring,and
is in fact often quite challenging. It is a good way to test your skills, the method used, and the limits and possibilities of homeopathyand
ultimatelytoimproveitinitspracticalapplications.

Question:Whatarethelimitsofhomeopathy?
Andr Saine: The limits of healing with homeopathy are, as a rule, the limits of the innate (instinctive) healing capacity of the organism. For
example, when you lose a finger, we know as a rule that it does not grow back. This is true with or without homeopathy. That said, you will
nonethelessnoticethatthehealingprocessiscommonlyacceleratedbeyondnormalexpectationswithhomeopathy.Forinstance,itisobviousthat
injurieshealfasterwithhomeopathy.Whenpeoplearetreatedbeforeandaftersurgery,surgeonsalwaysremarkhowwellthesepatientsrecover.

Peoplealsorecoverfromgrieffasterunderhomeopathy.Healingwithhomeopathyis,ingeneral,
paraphysiological,thatisbeyondnormalphysiology.WhatImeanhereisthatweobserveanincreasein
thespeedofthenormalprocessofrecoverybuttherearenonewprocessesofhealing.Mechanical
problemsareoftenobviouslimitationstohomeopathy.Forinstance,achildbornwithanimperforate
rectumisobviouslynotacaseforhomeopathy.Ifsomeonehasadislocatedlimb,theremedywillnot
bringthedislocatedpartstogether.Thisdoesn'tmeanthatthepersonshouldnotalsobetreatedwith
homeopathy,butyouhavetouseprimarilymechanicalmeansforpurelymechanicalproblems.In
comparison,addressingthedynamicaspectofcaseswithhomeopathymakesamajordifference.For
instance,someonewithaherniateddiscwillveryoftenbegreatlyrelievedwithhomeopathy,likely
withoutaffectingthemechanicallesion,butinsteadbydealingwiththereactionoftheorganismtothe
mechanicalirritant.
Casesofdiseaseprocessesthataretruelimitsoftheorganismtorepairitselfwillalsoreveallimitswithhomeopathy.Take,forinstance,patients
with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc. We observe, among other things, an
inflammatory process targeting specific tissues, with eventual destruction of these tissues. Using homeopathy we can stop the disease process
therefore,theinflammatoryprocesswillstopandtheaffectedlesionswillhealtotheextentthattheorganismcanhealthem.Theendresultof
theinflammatoryprocessisscartissue,andthiswillremainpermanentevenwithhomeopathy.

Question: Let us talk about other conditions often found in your patients. What about the limits of homeopathy in patients with
cancer?
AndrSaine:Cancerdoesnotseemtobeapurelydynamiccondition.Toagreatdegree,cancerappearstobetheresultofabusefollowedby
theeventualfailingoftheorganism'sdefensemechanism.Thereisalimittothedefensemechanismofthebodyaswellastoitsreserveofvital
energy.Incancerpatientsthecapacityofthebodytokeeporderisoftenbeingoverwhelmedasaresultoflongtermirritationandawaningof
defensemechanismcommonlyassociatedwithaging.Weareallsusceptibletodevelopingcancer,buttodifferentdegrees.Thelongerandmore
intense the abuse to the organism, the greater an individual's risk of developing cancer. For instance, if you take one hundred people and you
scrapetheirskinwhileexposingittoultravioletrays,atsomepointskincancerwilldevelopinmost,ifnotallofthem.Inessence,everyperson
willdevelopcancerundertherightconditions.

So,oncethepersonhascancer,theaimistofindoutifyoucantriggerachangeintheirresponseandrecreateorderinthatperson.Theextent
oftheresponsegreatlydependsonthecapacityofthebodytohealitself.Thoughthisisrelativetoeachindividual,therearerulesthatcanhelp
us determine prognosis. The younger the person, the more localized and the slower the growth of cancer, the better the prognosis with
homeopathy.Themorethedevelopmentofcancerwasprecipitatedbyanintensestressandthemoretheimpactofthisstresscanbeannulled,
thebettertheprognosis.Themorevisibleatumoris,thebettertheprognosis,asthisisveryhelpfulinmonitoringtreatment.Also,thefewerthe
symptomsand,especially,thefewerthecharacteristicsymptoms,thelessgoodistheprognosis.Despiteallthis,Ihavealsoseenoldpeoplewith
metastasesfromarapidlyprogressingcancerrespondveryfavorablytoawellindicatedremedy.Thehigherthedegreeofsimilarity,thegreater
theresponseofthepatienttotheremedy.Whatwecannotpredict,however,istheextentofthisresponse.Willitbesufficienttoovercomethe
cancer?Thisisanunknownrightuptotheend.

Letmegiveyouanexample.OnceIhada73yearoldwomanwithmultiplemyelomawhowentthroughtheusualrouteofchemotherapywithout
any favorable response. When conventional medicine had nothing else to offer her, she came to homeopathy. In spite of being in a weakened
state,havinganadvancedcancer,andbeing73yearsold,sherecoveredcompletelyunderpurelyhomeopathictreatment.Thepointisthatthe
extent of the response always remains unknown when the prescribed remedy has a high degree of similarity, even though there may be, as in
thisexample,manyfactorsthatwouldinitiallysuggestalessfavorableprognosis.

Question:Howmanypatientswithcancerhavebeencuredunderyourcare?
AndrSaine:Thisisasomewhatcomplicatedquestiontoanswer.Ifwedefinecuredasapatientwhoisfreeofanysignofcancerforatleast
fiveyearsafterhavingbeentreatedwithonlyhomeopathy,aminorityofpatientswouldqualify.Inthefirstplace,manyofthepatientsthatIsee

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havealreadyreceivedconventionaltreatmentandhavecometohomeopathyinaweakenedstate.Secondly,Ihavetreatedagreatnumberof
patientswhowereconcurrentlyundergoingconventionaltreatment.Inthethirdplace,themajorityofpatientsthatIhaveseencametomeinan
advancedstateofcancer,oftenwithseveralmetastasesorinadesperatestate.Inmyexperience,thekeyisalwaystofindthemostindicated
remedyforthepresentingstate.Ifthisisdonewithaccuracyeachtime,therewillbearesponse.Whatwedon'tknow,asImentionedbefore,is
theextentoftheresponse.

Theresponsemaybefavorableenoughtoremovethesufferingbutnotenoughtostoptheprogressofthecancer.Thereisafinelinebetween
palliationandcureintreatingcancerpatientswithhomeopathy.Oftenthepatientmaysaythatundertheindicatedremedytheyfeelmuchbetter,
butthecancercontinuestogrowandspread.Thisisacomplicatedsituation.Insuchcase,theclinicianmustthendeterminewhetherthecancer's
growth has lost its momentum and the same remedy must needs to be continued perhaps in a higher posology, or whether a complementary
remedy must be searched for to address the later stage of the disease. You can easily see the difficulty facing the inexperienced clinician. To
successfully treat patients with cancer, you need to be, first of all, a very good clinician, second, a very good homeopath and third, have some
experienceintreatingcancerpatients.Ifyoucancombinethesethreefactors,thenyoursuccessintreatingthesepatientswillbehigher.WhenI
saysuccess,Imeanyouwouldbeabletofindtheremedythatisindicatedineachofthedifferentchangingstages,becauseitiscommonwith
cancerpatientsthattheremedywillchangeoften.

Looking back at my own practice over the past 20 years, I cant say exactly how many cancer patients I followed for five or more years after
theirrecovery.Iamnotsure.Perhapsfivetoten.Forvariousreasons,manypatientsdon'tkeepintouchwiththeirphysicianaftertheirrecovery.
There are also some patients, many of whom had responded well to homeopathy, whom I have followed until their death. Then complications
developedinthecourseoftheirtreatmentandoftennotrelatedtotheircancer,gotthebestofthem.Iamremindedofayoungmaninhismid
twenties who came with a relapsing acute lymphocytic leukemia and having refused further conventional treatment. He came to me in a very
advancedstatewithcachexiaandwewentthroughsomehardtimestogether.Itreatedhimforabouttwoyears.Hebecamequitewell,andearly
in his remission he returned to his work of driving trucks long distances. Several months later, while on the job late one night, he received a
severe blow to the abdomen. He phoned me in the middle of the night. It sounded as though he had internal bleeding. I told him to go the
hospital, which he refused to do. Instead, he went to bed and died in his sleep. No autopsy was performed. I have had a few similar cases, in
whichthepatient,family,friends,andIworkedveryhardandthepatientdiedforotherreasons.

Inmanyothercasestherewasaresponsetotheremedy,buttherewasapointatwhicheithermyskillswerenotgoodenoughoritwasbeyond
theabilityoftheorganismtorecover.Oftenaremedyhasbeenfoundthatlookslikethesimillimum.Thepatientimprovesonalllevelsthetumor
growth slows down considerably, eventually stops growing, and even begins to regress. Then a standstill is reached. The search for a
complementary remedy can now be a difficult task. I am still working at perfecting the art in this field. It is very interesting and extremely
challengingwork,butitisnotforeveryone.Practitionerswithlessthanseveralyearsofsolidpracticeshouldnotundertakethesepatientsalone.

Question:Whataboutincurablecases?
Andr Saine: I am uncomfortable using the word incurable. Often, the use of the expression incurable cases only reflects the limits of our
present knowledge rather than true knowledge of what is incurable. History teaches that the limits of homeopathy have been further extended
withincreasedknowledge.Incurableisoftenjustanopiniontobetakenwithagrainofsalt.Abroadknowledgeofwhattypesofconditionshave
beencuredisamorereliablemeasureofcurabilitythantheopinionofasinglepractitionerwithhisorherpracticeastheonlyframeofreference.
Manycasespreviouslythoughttobeincurablewithhomeopathyhaverecovered.Manyprofessedhomeopathshavesaidthatcancerpatientsare
notcurablewithhomeopathy,butthatisnottrue.Patientswithcancercanrecoverwithhomeopathyastheirsoletreatment.Wecannotalways
knowaprioriwhoiscurableandwhoisnot.Whenwefail,howdoweknowwhetherthecauseoffailureisduetoinaccurateapplicationofthe
method,orthecasewasbeyondtheorganismscapacitytorecover?IcannotsaythatIhavemasteredthetreatmentofpatientswithcancer.But
I can foresee that in the future we will go beyond our current results. I have seen some extraordinary results of people with poor prognoses
recovering under homeopathic care. We have just scratched the surface of treating people with cancer. I have seen great potential, but I have
alsoseengreatdefeat,greatdisappointment.Idon'tliketoteachabouttreatmentofthecancerpatienttobeginners,becausenotmanypeoplein
homeopathy are able to do this well only experienced homeopaths with advanced knowledge should attempt it. The margin for error is very
small.Tobesuccessfulwithsuchcasesoftendemandsofthepractitioneronehundredpercentaccuracyonehundredpercentofthetime.

Question:Howisyoursuccesswithpatientswithautoimmunedisease?
AndrSaine:Thisiseasiertoanswer.Ifwehavefavorabletherapeuticconditions,meaningthatthehomeopathfindstherightremedyand,the
patient is compliant and has a lifestyle favorable to recovery, I would say that 100 percent of patients with serious autoimmune disease should
recoverwithhomeopathy.Wehavetobeclearagainaboutwhatismeantbyrecovery.Itmeansthattheinflammatoryprocessstopsandthereis
a certain amount of tissue regeneration, but within the limits of the organism's capacity to heal. Certain tissues may be permanently destroyed
andwillnotreturnevenunderthebesthomeopathiccare.Whatweobserveisthatwhatiswithinthecapacityofthebodytohealwillberestored
undergoodhomeopathictreatment.Sothismeansthatinthebestofcircumstances,thediseaseprocessofallpatientswithautoimmunedisease
should stop under homeopathy. Success will be reduced when the skills of the practitioner are not adequate, when the patients lifestyle is not
conducive to good health, when the stressors in the patients life keep overwhelming the capacity of the organism to recover health, e.g.,
someone with an inconsolable grief, or when the patient is not compliant or cannot readily describe his or her symptoms, which may be due to
allopathic medications masking or altering the symptoms. Realistically speaking, only about 5 percent of compliant patients with full blown
autoimmune diseases but with favorable lifestyle conditions will now be problematic for me. In some cases it is related to defective
symptomatology,whilewithothersitisduetolatestageofseriousdisease.Iamthinkingofapatientwhocametomeinaveryadvancedstage
of pneumonitis. Despite very good response to homeopathic remedies, eventually, after many months of struggle, the patient died. There are
certaintypesofconditionsthatwillalsotendtobemoreresistanttotreatment,allopathicorhomeopathic,suchasafullblowncaseoflupusora
caseofinveteratepsoriasis.Onlytheexperiencedpractitionerwillknowhowtohandlethesecasessuccessfully.

The study of patients with autoimmune disease is an excellent way to demonstrate the superiority of homeopathy over any other form of
treatment. Not only will the vast majority of patients recover their health and become free of medications and their side effects, but at such a
relativelylowcostandwithminimalburdentooursociety.

Question:Youhavealotofchildrenwithepilepsyandcerebralpalsy.Howdotheyreacttohomeopathy?
AndrSaine:Iftheygetproperhomeopathictreatment,theyhaveanoptimalchancetoregainhealth.Ihavefollowedanumberofpatientswith
cerebralpalsyovermanyyears.Itistrue,however,thattherearelimits.Theabilityofthenervoussystemtoregenerateisquitelimited.Within
theselimits,however,thetreatmentofpatientswithepilepsyisexcellent.Iwouldsaythatinthegreatmajorityofcasesofepilepsy,thenumber
andintensityoftheseizureswilldiminishtothepointofcompletedisappearance.IhaveonecaseofcerebralpalsythatIhavefollowedforabout
15years.WhenIfirstsawthisboy,hewastwoyearsoldandhadabout150grandmalseizureseveryday,despitebeingundertheinfluenceof3
anticonvulsivedrugsatdoublethemaximumdose.Thisboyhadneverinallhislifehadabowelmovementwithoutaid.Hehadnovoluntarily
movement, made no sound, and didn't respond to his environment. After about six months, he was off all allopathic medications and became
responsivetohisenvironment.Hedevelopedthereflexofpushingforstool,whicheventuallybecamenormal.Thenumberofseizuresdecreased
overtheyears,andhenowgoesmonthswithoutone.

Question:Howareyourresultswithpatientswithseverepsychiatricconditions?
AndrSaine:Thisissimilartopatientswithcancerinthatnoteverybodyshouldtreatthesepatients.Youcannotimprovisewithseverepsychotic
cases. A mistake can be a serious one. You have to be a good clinician, you have to know homeopathy very well and you have to have some

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experience in psychiatry. At the very least, you must know the manifestation of psychosis or work with somebody who has experience dealing
withpsychoticpatients.Asinanyseriouscondition,youhavetobepersistentinapplyinghomeopathytotherule.Then,andwithabitofpatience,
success will come. So again you need a good practitioner, a compliant patient, and the appropriately supportive environment for the healing to
happen. In cases of psychosis, a supportive environment is very important to obtain success with homeopathy, as most of us do not have the
benefitoftreatingsuchpatientsinaninstitution.Patientswithdepression,mania,andanxiety,evenwhenseverelyaffected,tendtorespondvery
well to homeopathy. Some cases of autism have responded wonderfully well. On the other hand, patients with idiocy or imbecility who show
neurologicalimpedimentstendtohaveunfavorableprognoses.

Neurotic patients are yet another story. When the neurosis is primarily the result of a certain environment, then homeopathy will help only
minimally. What Hahnemann says in the footnote to paragraph 17 and in paragraph 208 of the Organon applies very well to these patients, in
whomthemindistheprimarysourceofdisease,insteadofitsbeingtheresultoftheuntunementofthevitalforce.Suchcasesneedmorethan
homeopathy.Thereisanoldsaying,Letthewordhealtheword.Whenpeoplearemakingthemselvessickprimarilyfrommisuseoftheirmind,
wrongthinking,beliefsorthepoweroftheirimagination,theyshouldnotbetreatedwithmeansdirectedatthevitalforce,butwithmeansdirectly
addressingthecause,whichinthesecasesisthemind.

Question: During the three weeks we observed your practice, we saw impressive results and heard very positive feedback from
patients. Frankly, we have never encountered this level of success before. What can be done to help other people to practice
homeopathywithsimilarresults?
Andr Saine: Better education is clearly the answer. I will first answer this question for students of homeopathy. The history of homeopathy
clearly teaches that the most successful practitioners have been the ones who have fully studied, understood, and conscientiously applied the
workofHahnemann.Historyalsoteachesthateducationinhomeopathyhasbeenoneofhomeopathysweakestpoints.Toofewpractitionershave
beenwelltrainedandhavedonethenecessaryworktoachievemastery.Inherenttohumannatureisthetendencytolookforeasymethodsand
short cuts to accomplish difficult tasks. Such an approach should be commended as long as it is not at the expense of success. When this
tendencyisappliedtothestudyandpracticeofhomeopathy,itis,asarule,followedbyfailure.Disciplineinlearningthedepthoftheworksof
HahnemannandofthegreatHahnemannianswillyieldthebestresults.Toomanypractitionershavelearnedhomeopathythroughseminarsand
too few through their own study of the work of Hahnemann. A way to turn things around would be to develop institutions with teachers and
practitioners who have done their homework and would thus be able to train qualified students with the highest standards of homeopathic
education and practice, even with the objective of publishing the clinical results of such a project. If well done, the results obtained will be
impressive.

Toansweryourquestioninregardtoestablishedpractitionerswhowouldliketoimprovetheirsuccessrateandforwhomitmightbedifficultto
getridofbadhabits:theywouldhavetofollowsomewhatthesamepath,fromHahnemannupwards.OnceduringaseminarImetapractitioner
whohadattainedanunusuallevelofaccuracyinfindingthecurativeremediesduringpresentationsofpapercases.Outofacrowdofoverone
hundred practitioners he would repeatedly be the only one who would know the remedy prescribed. During dinner I asked him how he had
becomesogood.Hesaidthatafewyearsprior,IhadsuggestedduringaseminarthatstudentsstudyalltheworksofHahnemann.That,hesaid,
isexactlywhathedid.Withdisciplineandhardwork,hehadreachedahighlevelofunderstandingoftheworksofHahnemannanditsapplication.
Thereisnoreasonotherscannotfollowthesamepath.Idonotrecommendpeopletoattendseminarsunlesstheyareofferedbyexperienced
and able Hahnemannians. Otherwise, they will learn more by staying home and studying the works of Hahnemann and the ones of the great
Hahnemannians.

Groups of welltrained Hahnemannians would then easily be able to demonstrate the superiority of their practice over any other, whether
allopathic,orofothercomplementarymedicalpractices,orthepracticesofotherprofessedhomeopathicschools.

Question: That sounds interesting. But isn't it unrealistic to think that the representatives of the different schools of homeopathy
wouldbeabletounifyandparticipateasone?
Andr Saine: I agree with you however, is it not part of the deal in promoting a method of practice to also demonstrate its efficacy? This will
likely be accomplished when more research is invested in homeopathy. You have to understand that it is easy to present at a conference or
seminaranisolatedcaseofapatienthavingrecoveredwitharemedythathasnoprovingandthatnobodyknowsanythingabout.Perhapsthe
curativeremedywasfoundbyintuitionandnomethodofferingconsistencycouldleadtosuchaprescription.Thatisfineforthispatient.However,
as it is not reproducible, such results are haphazard. Out of 100 patients, how often would such an approach be successful? If it's a shot in the
dark, then there is not much that we can learn from it. On the other hand, with careful application of the method of Hahnemann, we obtain
systematic and predictable success. Such success can be repeated time after time from one qualified Hahnemannian to the other, from one
patient to the other. Moreover, this method can be taught. Our failures are the exceptions and not the other way around. You can also test the
efficacy of a system of therapeutics, including systems based on departures from Hahnemann's homeopathy, by observing the results obtained
withagroupofpatientswithaseriouscondition.Themoreseriousthedisease,themorethepatient'ssensitivitynarrowstoonespecificremedy.

Therefore, to successfully and systematically treat patients with serious problems, you have to be a very good prescriber. On the other hand,
peoplewhoareoverlysensitivebynatureandhavealessseriousconditiontendtorespondpositivelytoamuchgreaterrangeofremedies.With
suchagroupofsensitivepatients,manyinfluencescouldproducechanges:suchasthewrongfoods,weatherchanges,minoremotionalstresses,
happynews,numerousmedicines,etc.However,toprovokethereversalofaseriouschronicdisease,somethingfundamentalmustbeaffected
and this, therefore, confirms the validity of the method used. That is how you come to appreciate the teachings of Hahnemann and those who
confirmedthem.Atpresent,thereisnotmuchmoneyinvestedinhomeopathyforresearchbutoncethewordisout,suchstudieswillbedone.In
the meantime, hopefully, philanthropists will step up and fund the greatly needed research into homeopathy and homeopathic institutions. More
peopledeservetohaveaccesstosuchanefficaciouswayofregainingandpreservinghealth.

Ifawelldonestudycomparingtheefficacyofdifferentmedicalpracticeswasperformed,itiscleartomethathomeopathywouldbefoundtobe
farsuperiortoanyother.Forexample,suchastudycouldbedonewith100patientsbeingtreatedwithallopathy,100patientswithHahnemannian
homeopathy,100patientswiththemostpopulardeparturesfromhomeopathy,100patientswithChinesemedicine,etc.Attheendoftwoyears
theresultswouldbeanalysedintermsofgeneraloutcomeofhealthintheshortandlongterm,theiatrogeniceffects,andthecostofachieving
such results. Because the results of such studies depend on the quality of the practitioners, each school of medicine would have to assign only
theirmostqualifiedpractitioners.Thistypeofstudywouldsurelyprovideeyeopeningresults.TheNationalInstitutesofHealth*havethemoney
to research homeopathy. The way to open the eyes of health officials would be to conduct a study using patients with serious chronic disease
whose care is very costly to governments and insurance companies, and who create a lot of morbidity and mortality in society. If we could
conductsuchstudies,theoutcomewouldbeshockingformany.

Question:Whichtypeofdiseasewouldyouchoose?
AndrSaine:Iwouldthinktheeasiestwouldbetostudytheoutcomeofpatientswithautoimmunedisease,becausesuchcasesareconsidered
incurablebyconventionalmedicine,areverycommon,andcreateagreatburdenforoursocietyandonourhealthcaresystem.Also,fullblown
casesareeasytodiagnoseandeasytoassesssubjectivelyandobjectively.Moreover,suchpatientsarefoundeverywhere.Autoimmunediseases
makeupavariedgroupofmorethan80chronicillnesses.Over50millionAmericansareaffectedwithautoimmunediseaseswithmorethan$86
billioninhealthcarecostsannually.Autoimmunediseasesarethefourthleadingcauseofdeathanddisability,followingheartdisease,cancer,and
iatrogenicdiseases.Researchonthetherapeuticoutcomewithsuchpatientswouldbeagreatopportunityforhomeopathytoshowitsvalue.

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Oneofthecriteriaforpatientstobeacceptedinsuchastudywouldhavetobethepatient'swillingnesstobetreatedbyadifferentapproach.Do
you know which parties would be most interested in the outcome of such studies? The insurance companies and the government who, as third
parties,presentlypayforthecurrentexorbitantcostofhealthcare.Patientswithautoimmunediseasearecurrentlyreceivingpalliativecareyear
afteryearatveryhighcoststothepatientsandthirdpartyproviders.Withhomeopathy,peoplerecoverandmaintaintheirhealthataverylow
cost.Intheconventionalsystem,itisnotunusualforpatientswithautoimmunediseasetotaketwo,three,orevenmoredifferentdrugssuchas
steroids,analgesics,andnonsteroidalantiinflammatorydrugs(NSAIDs).Incontrasttothecostlypalliativecarecurrentlyprovided,homeopathy
wouldrestorepeople'shealthatafractionofthecost.

Question:Thesedays,youarecompletingyourbookabouttheworkofAdolphLippe.Howdidthisbookcomeabout?
AndrSaine:Morethantwentyyearsago,Istartedtogothroughtheoldhomeopathicjournals.MyinterestinwhatIwasfindinggrew,andin
1982 I started a systematic search of the old literature, going through some journals volumebyvolume and pagebypage. I collected and
classified the best articles according to subject and author, looking specifically for articles by Hahnemann, Hering, Jahr, Lippe, Joslin, Bayard,
Dunham, Bnninghausen, Wells, Guernsey, Charg, Nash, Allen, Kent, Harvey Farrington, the Pulfords, and Pierre Schmidt. I then realized that
whatIwaslearningwasmuchmoreimportantthanwhatwasbeingofferedbymodernteachings,andthattheworksofmastersofthepasthad
been largely forgotten and needed to be reintroduced. I also realized that the best of these works by far were the ones of Adolph Lippe.
Therefore,in1988,IdecidedtopublishtheworksofLippeandnow,in2001,thebookisinitsfinalstageofwriting.

Question:Whyisittakingsolongtowritethisbook?
AndrSaine:First,IhadtofindallofLippe'swritings.ThistookmanyyearstoachieveasthejournalsarescatteredthroughouttheU.S.Itmust
havetakenthousandsofhoursjusttogatherthematerial.ThenIreadthroughmostofitthreeorfourtimes.Ialsohadtofindandreadallthe
differentauthorsandtextstowhichLippereferredinhiswritings,whichalsotookaconsiderableamountoftimetocomplete.ThenIplannedthe
book.Toedithiswritingswasrathersimple,buttodrawthelessonsoutfromLippe'sworkisnowtakingaconsiderableamountoftime,asIhave
towrite,forthefirsttime,entirechaptersoncertainkeyaspectsofthehistoryofhomeopathy.Iusedmostlyprimarysourcessinceverylittlehad
beenwrittenonsomeofthesekeysaspectsofourhistory.TodrawoutallthelessonscontainedinLippe'sworks,andipsofactoinHahnemann's,
hasbeenanincrediblelearningexperience.

Question:Whatcanweexpect?
Andr Saine: Out of about 3,500 pages of journal articles, I selected about a quarter of it as Lippe's best writings. I then organized them by
subjects: philosophy, materia medica, posology, clinical cases, specific clinical subjects, his defense of pure homeopathy, etc. Throughout this
work,onecannotfailtodevelopaclearunderstandingofwhatpurehomeopathyis.Anotherimportantaspectofthisbookisthatitrecounts,for
thefirsttime,thehistoryofhomeopathyfromtheperspectiveofpurehomeopathy.LippewasthegreatdefenderofHahnemann'swork,theAjax
of homeopathy, as Bayard called him. During the second half of Lippes professional life, he continuously confronted and denounced departures
fromhomeopathy.Inmybook,Itrytogiveanaccountofthesevariousconflicts.Youbegintorealize,andthenbecomeprofoundlyconvinced,
that one of the great lessons contained in Lippes work is that the more you understand and apply the work of Hahnemann, the greater will be
your clinical success. In other words, departures from the pure methodology taught by Hahnemann have, without exception, been met with
failure.Thegreatlessonisthatthefundamentalprinciplesofhomeopathymakeupsuchasuccessfulformulathatanychangefromithassofar
beenfortheworse.

Inthefirstpartofthebook,IhaveincludedchaptersonLippe'sextraordinaryclinicalsuccessandhisgreatcontributionstohomeopathy.Icame
totheconclusionthat,withoutLippe,homeopathywouldhaveprobablybeenrememberedonlyasmedicalfolkloreofthenineteenthcentury.The
workofLippeissecondonlytoHahnemann'sinimportance.Why?BecauseLippewasabletoconfirmtheworkofHahnemannandtodemonstrate
itinaveryclearandconvincingway.Nooneelsehadsuchgreatclinicalsuccessandwrotesowellandsoextensivelyinexplainingit.Itishard
forsomepeopletoreadHahnemannanditcanbediscouragingtomany.ButwhenpeoplereadLippe,theconsensusregardingitsclarityandthe
force of his teaching is unanimously positive. Also, it is much easier to understand Hahnemann once you have read Lippe. One should start by
readingHahnemann,followthisbyreadingLippe,andthengobacktoHahnemannwhothenbecomesveryclear.Finally,yougobacktoLippe,
andthenitbecomesevenclearer!

Aftersuchrigoroustraining,itisdifficulttoimaginesomeonewantingtodepartfromsuchaperfectmethod.Itwouldbelikebeinggivenamap
withallthemajorobstaclesexplainedandwithinstructionsastowhattodoandthen,somehow,notachievingsuccess.Itisdifficulttoimagine.

TheminoritythatwillreadthebookinitsentiretyandwillcometoanunderstandingofLippesworkarelikelytomakesignificantandpermanent
changesintheirmethodofpracticinghomeopathy.IfpeoplelikeLippehadnotexisted,itisverylikelythatyouandIwouldnotbetalkingabout
homeopathy today. It would have disappeared and people would say, oh yes, it was something that existed two centuries ago. But Lippe, by
convincing his colleagues of the urgent need to preserve pure homeopathy, was the one responsible for homeopathy reaching us in the 20th
century. Lippe and his colleagues started the International Hahnemannian Association (IHA) in 1880. This kept the tradition alive until its last
meetingin1959.

Besides helping found this institution, Lippe particpated in the foundation of four homeopathic journals, the last one being the Homoeopathic
Physician,whichwaspublishedbyLippe'scloseststudentsfrom1880until1899.Throughthesepublications,awholegenerationofpractitioners
wereinspiredbyLippeandhiscoworkers,thusperpetuatingpurehomeopathyintothe20thcentury.HerewefindnameslikeEdwardBerridge,
Henry C. Allen, Thomas Skinner, W. P. Wesselhft, E. B. Nash, Edmund Lee, Walter James, James Tyler Kent, W. A. Yingling, D. C. McClaren,
AlfredPulford,HarveyFarrington(son),etc.H.C.Allen,forinstance,editedanotherHahnemannianjournal,theMedicalAdvance,from1884until
hisdeathin1909,aswellasfoundingtheHeringMedicalCollegeandHospital,oneofthefewhomeopathiccollegesthatwasgrantedafavorable
reviewinFlexnersMedicalEduation.AllthishistorycanbefoundinmybookonLippe.Oneinevitablyseesthecommonthreadunitingallthose
who have mastered homeopathy: they simply followed the same path of consciencious study and application of the method taught by
Hahnemann.

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