This book review is reprinted from the British Homoeopathic Journal Vol 91, April 2002, with permission from Peter Fisher, Editor.
Resonance: The Homeopathic Point of
View
Richard Moskowitz
Reviewed by David Riley
Many books on complementary and alternative medicine and homeopathy are informative; but few are rarely as elegantly written and readable as this one. Although this book is targeted towards the educated consumer wanting to understand homeopathy, it is also ideal for healthcare professionals who want to know more. I cannot remember when I last read a book about homeopathy or any other therapy that was so well written. This is not a 'how-to' book with a cookie cutter approach to a fixed body of information, but rather a thoughtful explanation of how homeopaths approach health and disease. It reads like a well-told story.
Dr Moskowitz introduces the first section on 'Fundamentals', with an account of how he became interested in homeopathy and how, against the odds, this medical anomaly continues to grow and even thrive in a medical world enamoured with high technology. He then proceeds to discuss why patients keep seeking homeopathic treatment (they feel it works) and some of his personal experience with homeopathy. The principles of homeopathy, many of which are not self-evident, are discussed with a depth of reflection not often seen. Moskowitz weaves in the history of the vitalist tradition in medicine invoking three principles: healing implies wholeness, all healing is ultimately self-healing, and healing applies only to individuals. From there he proceeds to discuss the Law of Similars and its implications for medicine, the role of provings in the development of homeopathy, the principle of minimum dose, the totality of symptoms, and the 'Law of Cure'. These principles come together to form a mosaic leading to the, perhaps surprising, conclusion that 'although conventional methods appear to be incompatible at times with homeopathic philosophy, in practice they complement each other quite nicely ... and on the whole fit together ... better than might be expected'.
In the second section Moskowitz reviews some of the remedies commonly prescribed in homeopathy and creates a series of excellent images of more than 30 remedies from the plant, mineral, and animal kingdoms and how they might be used therapeutically. His descriptions are fluid and elegant, clearly based on a deep understanding of the many dimensions of the Materia medica. He explores the multiple levels on which these medicines are used by homeopathic prescribers ranging from mental images and physical symptoms to spirituality and the psychology of interpersonal dynamics.
The final section focuses on the therapeutic applications of homeopathy to specific disease states. Moskowitz wisely does not attempt to create the definitive guide to the homeopathic treatment of disease. Instead he relies on anecdotes, cases, and personal experience to describe homeopathic treatments for a variety of medical conditions. By taking this approach he has clearly come down on the side of revealing his experience and those of his patients rather than trying to prove that homeopathy works.
A series of short appendices give a very brief discussion of homeopathic research and a more complete discussion of the historical development of homeopathy from the time of Hahnemann to the present day and mentions the variety of ways in which homeopathic remedies are dispensed to patients.
If I had to pick one book on homeopathy to give to a fellow healthcare professional or interested consumer on homeopathy this would be it. Although healthcare professionals will have a deeper appreciation of the therapeutic sections of the book,, every reader will enjoy the literary style and intelligence that Moskowitz has brought to bear on this subject.
Homeopathy (formerly the British Homeopathic Journal)
Volume 91, Number 2, April 2002