Homeopathic Healing for the Whole Family
During the 4th and final year of medical school, students must decide what they want to do with their lives. I knew I wanted to practice Holistic/Integrative Medicine from the very first day of my Freshman year, so a Family Practice residency seemed best suited to prepare me for my future career. I also loved the idea of treating patients of all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and of being able to get to know and care for entire families. What a privilege! Family Physicians were also the most open-minded doctors I had encountered, and I felt they would be most supportive of my maverick (spoken with a Minnesotan accent) tendencies.
Fast forward to July, 2003. A mother brings in her 14 month-old son, Silas, to see me. She is sleep deprived and exhausted, as her little one still wakes up 3 or 4 times a night wanting her breast. Up until a few weeks prior, he was waking up every 45 minutes like clockwork. Despite this severe imposition on her biological clock, Pam Rowen-Herzog is possibly the most unconditionally loving mother I have ever encountered. She exudes genuine warmth, joy and kindness that is palpable. When I think of the mother archetype, Pam comes to mind. She and her husband Bob have since added 2 more beauties to their family. I am blessed to count all 5 of them as my patients. My heart melts when they walk through the door. All 3 boys are cute beyond cute, and are living proof of Love’s daunting power. Despite the fact that you won’t find 2 parents who take better care of themselves (under the circumstances) and their kids, this family has had its share of health challenges. It took a few attempts to find the right remedy and potency for Silas, but when we did, the result was dramatic. From the first dose of Calcarea phosphorica 30C, Silas’ awakenings dropped by 80%, from five times a night to only once, and within a week, he was sleeping through the night without interruption. Whenever the remedy was stopped, his insomnia immediately resumed. Eventually, two years later, Silas was able to sleep soundly with-out homeopathy.
Pam consulted me in August, 2004 while pregnant with her 2nd child, Ezra. She suffered from nausea during all 3 of her pregnancies, but this pregnancy was by far the most difficult. She was vomiting 4 times a day, repulsed by food, and the nausea was constant, 24/7. Homeopathic Cocculus didn’t help, so I switched her to Sepia the following day. A couple of months later, my mind drifted towards Pam, wondering how she was faring. I picked up the phone and called her. What I discovered shocked me. Her condition had greatly deteriorated. The constant nausea had progressed to incessant vomiting, even in the middle of the night, and she was locked in the bathroom. She had tried everything known to man, to no avail, and was deeply depressed. When I finally got to speak to her, she told me, “I’ve been praying to die—for an angel to relieve me of my suffering. ” I brought her back in the office, reevaluated her, and sent her home with a new homeopathic remedy. As she was leaving my office, she turned around and informed me she had been craving ice (eating it). “Come back, Pam”, I asserted. This additional bit of information swung the pendulum in favor of another remedy, Pulsatilla. In order to determine which of these 2 different remedies strengthened Pam energetically, I used Applied Kinesiology (muscle testing). Sure enough, Pam tested strong while holding the Pulsatilla, but weakened when she held the original choice. Within 20 minutes of taking Pulsatilla 200C, Pam felt “this HUGE burden lift off me. The next morning, after being bedridden for three months, I felt 90% better and actually went with my family to the balloon fiesta. ” Before long, she was completely healed. As there are a handful of folks who would dispute my angelic nature, one could say that the angel of Homeopathy answered Pam’s prayers.
The Rowen-Herzogs; Arlo, Pam, Silas, Bob & Ezra
My first meeting with little Arlo, the youngest of the 3 boys, occurred in March of last year when he was 13 months old. He had been sick for 2 ½ weeks, with an ear infection. During the previous 72 hours, his condition had deteriorated— labored breathing at night, high fever, wet cough. “He’s miserable”, Pam lamented. Arlo’s vital signs were disturbing. He was breathing rapidly (44 breaths per minute), and his oxygen saturation was quite low at 85% (normal 95%-100%) Fortunately, he did not seem to be in any distress. His chest was surprisingly clear, although his low oxygen level meant that his lungs were compromised, and I suspected either pneumonia or RSV. He also had a double ear infection. Because I have learned to treat the patient and not a lab value, I decided it was safe to treat him homeopathically for 24 hours, knowing that Pam and Bob are very conscientious parents who would notify me immediately if his condition worsened. Arlo was scheduled to have a chest X-Ray the following day if he had not responded. He was given a single dose of Hepar sulphuris calcareum (Hepar sulph) 200C.
At his follow up appointment, Pam shared that “1 hour after taking the remedy, his eyes got brighter, his energy improved, and he slept better that night. Within less than 48 hours, he was fine. ”
Dr. Stephen Weiss examines a very cooperative and present Ezra
However, his ear pain recurred shortly thereafter. Arlo had already had numerous bouts of otitis media in his short life, all of which were successfully treated at home by Pam. Homeopathy distinguishes between acute care—treating the acute symptoms a patient presents with--versus constitutional treatment, which strengthens the patient as a whole: body, mind, emotions and spirit. Arlo’s ear infections were clearly a chronic problem, and thus required an hour-long constitutional homeopathic evaluation. The first remedy, although well indicated, did nothing, and he was back in the office 2 weeks later having awakened in the middle of the night screaming with pain in both ears. This time Mom shared some crucial new information. It had been at least 6 months since his last tooth had erupted. His drooling had increased and he was gnawing on his fingers. When he didn’t get his way, he would strike out and hit his parents in the face. One week after a single dose of Calcarea phosphorica 200C (nicknamed Calc fuss), Pam jubilantly called the office to inform me that Arlo had cut 4 new teeth, and his ear infection had cleared up. It has now been 9 months since he was treated constitutionally, and Arlo hasn’t had a single ear infection. His disposition has also dramatically improved; boxing and gang membership no longer loom in his future.
Although I specialize in Classical Homeopathy and consistently get the best results using this healing art, I have post-graduate training in numerous other alternative therapies including Herbology, Ayurveda, craniosacral therapy, applied kinesiology and family constellations, as well as a great deal of experience using nutritional supplements, vitamins and minerals. I have helped many patients with trigger point injections of homeopathic Traumeel. Spirituality is one of my passions, and it seamlessly weaves its way into my work. Being Board Certified in Family Practice, I am also blessed to be able to utilize Western Medicine’s array of diagnostic tools (bloodwork, X-Rays, CT scans, MRIs, etc…) and western treatments when absolutely necessary.
“We’ve had so many dramatic cures with Dr. Weiss! I am truly grateful. I never cease to be amazed at how much he cares for his patients; he certainly is in the right field of work. ”
—Pam Rowen-Herzog, ABQ
If you want to have the pleasure of meeting this exceptional family yourselves, check out one of Pam’s classes in spiritual birthing or mindful eating, or enroll your child in the Tierra Madre Waldorf School, where she is one of the founders and Co-Chair of the Board. The Grandfather Cottonwood Waldorf Preschool Coop is run out of her home. Or call Bob, a writer and physical therapist whose current passion is teaching classes on the interface between brain research and spirituality (a Renaissance Man). Both can be reached at 505-244-3433. And if you want to experience exceptionally powerful, safe Integrative Medicine for the whole family, call my office today at 505-872-2611 and join the ranks of the Rowen-Herzogs.