Title: Homeopathic Strategies and Maps for Acute Conditions (Part-1)
Author: Dr.Gaurang Gaikwad
Publisher: Dr.Gaurang Gaikwad
Year: 2024
This is the fourth and newest book by Dr.Gaurang Gaikwad of Mumbai. I have reviewed two of his other books earlier.
There are hundreds of books on treating acute cases in homeopathy, but what differentiates this book from the rest is the highly systematic and structured approach it follows. For example, the first twenty five pages contain a wealth of information, starting with a concise schematic diagram, of case taking and analysis. There is a good discussion on tongue examination (inspired by the work of Dr.Prakash Vakil [1]). For those practitioners who consult multiple repertories during case analysis, there is a table on page 22 showing which repertory is recommended in what type of cases. Very practical!
The various ailments covered in this volume are:
1) Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
2) Throat Infection
3) Cough
4) Fever
5) Otitis
6) Headache
7) Gastric Colic
8) Renal Colic
9) Diarrhoea
For each ailment, multiple maps are presented first. Each map is a simplified anatomical sketch showing relevant symptoms along with potential remedies. Where appropriate, a flowchart and schematic table are also given to differentiate the symptom pictures. Following this, some of the common remedies (for that ailment) are discussed with key indications and rubrics. It is nice that in some cases Dr.Gaurang also recommends the use of Biochemic Tissue Salts. Discussion on each ailment concludes with Case Excerpts, mostly from the author’s own practice. Instead of merely giving a table of symptoms and corresponding remedies as many cookbooks do, adopting this formal structure makes the presentation quite engaging.
After a detailed presentation of the various ailments, there is a chapter on Potency Selection, often regarded as a confusing and debatable topic. Here Dr. Gaurang shares his recommendations on when to use what potency in the form of a convenient table. There are some books that focus only on potency, see for example [2], [3] and [4].
Following this is another interesting section regarding Follow-ups. What happens if a patient is already under homeopathy treatment for a chronic condition and is now presenting an acute picture? How to prescribe for this patient? This is one of the four possible scenarios discussed in this section and I found it quite informative.
The next section is a collection of 66 Cases along with their analysis. This will be very useful for beginner homeopaths to check their understanding of the concepts presented in the book.
Kudos to Dr.Gaurang for publishing yet another useful book for homeopathy practitioners, in spite of his busy schedule. Since this book is Part-1 of a series, I am sure more will follow soon. In addition, I fervently hope that Dr.Gaurang will find time to write a book (or a series!) on treating advanced pathologies such as Cancer, Parkinsons, Alzheimer, Renal Failure, etc.
I feel that the contents of this book must be made available as a software package (a web app or a mobile app) as well. The reason is quite simple. In the present age of technology, most busy practitioners will find it easier to quickly check the app if they need any assistance to solve a case, rather than browsing through the hardcopy book. Of course, the app has to be implemented well with usability in mind. Preferably, it should be based on the new Generative AI paradigm as I had outlined in my earlier article. I hope someone from Dr. Gaurang’s team will take note of this suggestion!
Have a nice week!
References
1) Prakash Vakil, “Tongue That Does Not Lie”, Narayana Publishers, 2013.
2) Sumit Goel, “Decoding the Dose: Evolution of the Concepts of Homeopathic Posology”, B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd., 2010.
3) Joe Rozencwajg, “The Potency”, Emryss Publishers, 2010.
4) Michelle Shine, “What About the Potency? (A Comprehensive Guide to Homeopathic Potency and Dosage)”, Food for Thought Publications, 2004.
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