This book review is reprinted from Volume 27, Number 3, May/June 2007 edition of Homeopathy Today with the permission of the National Center for Homeopathy
801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 306
Alexandria, VA 22314
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E-mail address: nch@igc.apc.org (Internet and e-mail).

Homeopathy: An A to Z Home Handbook
Alan V. Schmukler

Llewellyn Publications, 2006
351 pages, softcover, $16.95, ISBN 0738708739

Reviewed by Teresa Kramer

AT FIRST, THE TITLE MADE ME THINK, "I've already got stuff like this." Turns out I don't have anything quite like it, and I'm glad I have it now! Alan's book is a perfect companion to the NCH's First Response Homeopathy in Epidemics and Emergencies course: a ton of information, including some you hope you will never need but are better off having, especially in this well-organized, easy-to-use form.

After explaining "the what, how, and why of homeopathy" clearly and succinctly, Alan presents an amazing compilation of ailments from A to Z. He begins with the treatment of abscesses and ends with wounds and yellow fever. There are entries on the homeopathic treatment of anthrax, dengue fever, Ebola, hanta virus, and gangrene. There are also remedy scenarios for more common problems: earache, grief, flu, toothache, etc.

Included among the descriptions of possible remedies are a number I had never heard of ( Cadmium sulph, Mephitis, Convallaria) and others whose names were only vaguely familiar to me (Dioscorea, Picric acid). I won't find those in my home remedy kits, but I'm glad to know they exist.

Polychrest remedies are mentioned over and over, of course. Annoyingly repetitive? Not at all. Each brief description is directly applicable to the particular situation. This makes for a more digestible byte than the comprehensive description in a materia medica. Encountering remedy descriptions repeatedly in slightly different situations is a good review, even for people who have studied homeopathy for years. For novices, the repetition of the keynote symptoms of polychrests drums in the "personalities" of these remedies. Nosodes may perhaps receive more attention than is their due in a book aimed at non-practitioners. Still, even that makes for interesting reading.

In some instances, Alan has also added "first aid measures that can help the victim". No need to go looking for other books when acute help is needed. I really appreciate having so much in one place!

Faced with an actual acute situation, I would surely find Alan's alphabetic organization by common names of disease states helpful. Alan stresses, of course, that you can find the remedy "when you don't know the name of the ailment." For a newbie to homeopathy, however, that's a really hard concept to get your head around.

In the 1960s, living in a developing country and bent on experiencing natural childbirth, I could have used Alan's chapter on pregnancy and birth. Of course, professional homeopathic care would be far preferable, but when none is available, as was true in my case, Alan's advice would be priceless. I'll certainly send a copy of the book to our daughter in the Peace Corps who has recently encountered dengue fever, up close and personal!

The book is stuffed with intriguing tidbits such as "Pulsatilla should only be used in the third trimester and as a 30c or higher." That one sent me to Google, where I found that herbal Pulsatilla is believed to cause birth defects. Information in the brief chapter on "Organ Remedies" probably goes well beyond the competence of laypersons. On the other hand, it contains the sort of information that the people who attended NCH's First Response course in Philadelphia recently were obviously eager to have.

Alan talks about using homeopathy preventively, and the information provided might be very valuable in a pinch. The chapter devoted to "First Aid Remedies for Specific Occupations and Activities" is surely unique in homeopathic literature. Alan begins with remedies an activist might want to carry (Arnica for trauma, Euphrasia for the effects of tear gas, etc.) and proceeds to suggest a mini-kit for astronauts, bartenders, truckers, welders, and others. If he gets that sort of information into the hands of the general public, Alan might indeed achieve his goal: "to help homeopathy move from our exclusive club, into the mainstream."

Alan's book is sturdily bound and has been carefully copy-edited. He calls it "a handbook for survival" and notes that the book "is not meant as a substitute for professional medical care, when that care is available." With this book (and hopefully a first -aid course or two), he assures the reader, "you will be able to act, even if imperfectly." Heaven forbid we should find ourselves responding to a life-threatening or cataclysmic event, but if we did, this book would be a godsend!

Alan believes homeopathy is "magical, exciting, and empowering." Having his book-already dog-eared and visibly well-loved-certainly makes me feel empowered!