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This book is a collection of cases treated by Dr. Nikam. But the book has more
- it has a soul. It is a story of a man, his dreams, a homeopathic
hospital and his relationship with his patients. Dr. Nikam established
his ‘Aditya Homeopathic Hospital and Healing Center’
at Pune, India in 1995. It is a unique hospital in the sense that
it is devoid of all the mechanical setups of a conventional hospital
and yet boasts of a healthy O.P.D. and I.P.D. The critical patients
are admitted to keep them under observation till they show significant
recovery. The book contains 33 cases treated by Dr. Nikam in his
hospital.
Each case begins with an introduction of the case, which is followed
by a summary of the disease pathology. Following it, is a more detailed
and structured presentation of the case, with past history, family
history, generals, modalities and particulars listed in a systematic
manner. After it there is usually a brief conversation to explore
the mental causes and characteristics of the case. Then the key
aspects of the case are listed under the ‘Totality’,
on the basis of which the remedy was selected. The remedy is listed
followed by the follow-ups. In the end a D/D is presented among
the possible remedy choices.
There are a few things that I like about the cases:
1. The cases are presented in a standard and systematic manner.
2. Nearly all the cases are backed by conventional diagnosis and
pre and post-treatment diagnostic tests. It lends a scientific
value to this work and the results would be very hard to dispute.
3. There is no need to read a 30-page conversation to find the
core or essence of the patient and hardly any subjective interpretation,
unlike many cases published these days.
4. The physical symptoms are given as much importance as mental
symptoms.
5. The disease pathology is explained in each case. You don’t
need to flip your medical books or search the internet to remind
yourself of the diagnosis.
6. The differential diagnosis among the possible remedies is a
joy to read. It was good enough to reignite my interest in studying
Materia Medica regularly.
The cases are varied: Appendicitis, Hepatitis, Glomerulonephritis,
Porphyria, Necrosis, Coma, CAD, Gangrene, Impotency, Thrombocytopenia,
Myasthenia gravis, PDA, Wilson’s Disease and much more.
The cases highlight the precision in prescribing. Most cases were
cured with just one dose of the indicated remedy in 30C potency.
The repetition if any was infrequent. Classical approach has been
used in most cases, but it was also interesting to see the use of
Scholten’s work at many places, especially in making a final
D/D among the indicated group of remedies.
Reading this work was an enriching and motivating experience. If
every homeopath documents his/her cases so systematically and presents
them in such fashion, nobody would ever be able to raise any questions
about the efficacy of homeopathy. I would rate this book very highly
and recommend it to every homeopath.
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