In this article Antonie Peppler, the founder of Creative Homeopathy talks about Orthomolecular Medicine and how we can use information instead of supplements. With this, she touches on symptom language and how our subconscious mind communicates messages through the body—what we call somatization. Also, she explains that all physical matter has a psychological imprint.
Information instead of Supplements
The psychological significance of magnesium, iron, and selenium
In treating seriously ill people, it is common to prescribe trace elements, minerals, or vitamins as supplements. This is an attempt to stabilize the patient raising his energy level to the point where he can continue to live. While serving to enhance energy levels, supplements do not change the patient’s life situation.
If you look at it from a spiritual perspective, disease arises when the patient represses his personality and individuality in favor of conforming. In other words, he has ignored his need to exist. He is possibly so ignorant of his demands that he finally even loses the meaning of his life. Resignation appears, and with it, the desire for death is the only thing in life that still seems to make sense.
If supplements are used in such a situation, the energy level grows, and with it, the hope for finding solutions to life situations and conflicts. The patient has hope of getting another chance to fulfill his needs. Nothing more happens, however. If a person wants to heal from a severe illness, he must find and acknowledge his fundamental problem and the requirements that must be satisfied. Then he must become active and change accordingly.
Supplements alone are not enough!
Expanding consciousness is necessary to create health on a deeper level.
Some of the substances given as supplements are:
- magnesium
- iron
- selenium
Magnesium is used, for example, for cramps, and heart attacks, while iron is used, for example, for anemia, and during pregnancy, and selenium is used, for instance, with cancer and to stabilize the bones.
Supplements in Homeopathy
These substances can also be found in homeopathy. There are various magnesium compounds used. Magnesium carbonicum will be taken here as a representative of this group. The same goes for iron = ferrum. As a representative, we have chosen Ferrum metallicum. For selenium, Selenium metallicum was chosen.
As is well known, the difference between a homeopathic remedy and a material substance remedy is that the former has been very highly diluted and dynamized (shaken). In Hahnemann’s words, the smaller the dose, the more helpful the remedy. Today we would say: the higher the potency, the more influential the healing – provided the correct remedy was selected.
In contrast, to supplement therapy, the homeopathic remedy has a regulating effect. It does not matter whether there is too much or too little substance in the body. The homeopathic remedy will regulate both excess and lack.
It can be, however, depending on the significance of the homeopathic remedy, that other substances (chemically known as antagonists) are needed to complement the treatment. These are also given as homeopathic remedies. The complementary remedies, translated into their symbolic psychological meaning, represent connections to the conflict issue of the patient.
Magnesium carbonicum
As mentioned above, magnesium is given as a supplement for heart attacks. Seen symbolically, a heart attack signifies that a person with high expectations of others has done much, perhaps worked a lot for someone, and received nothing in return. Or at least, nothing of that which he had expected as compensation for his activities.
For example, the man of the house brings in a lot of money for his family. Indeed, he is not home much, but he wants to provide his family with a high quality of life. His wife takes the money but probably understands with a “high quality of life” that her husband is available at home with her and the children and is available. This misunderstanding occurs often enough, and often enough, it ends with the man who feels sad, deserted, and unjustly treated having a heart attack.
To understand what’s going on here more easily, I am quoting a few passages from my book, “The Psychological Significance of Homeopathic Remedies.”
The psychological significance of Magnesium carbonicum as a homeopathic remedy is:
“Believes his own needs can only be attained through war.”
Psychological significance of Magnesium carbonicum
Life Situation of psychological Magnesium carbonicum
The patient’s life situation, which reflects Magnesium carbonicum is in a defiant state of war. He does not feel understood, not accepted, and, therefore, would prefer to run away. However, he doesn’t dare to do so because he is unwilling to give up his social connections. He hopes that, eventually, those in his surroundings will freely acknowledge his actual needs and thank him for his contributions. However, this doesn’t happen, so he becomes small, plays the diplomat, and doesn’t expose himself.
The longer this condition lasts, the tenser the situation becomes for all concerned. The more defiant people begin to relate to each other, the greater the distance between them.
In homeopathy, it is well known that after a dose of Magnesium carbonicum the remedy Chamomilla is required.
Chamomilla means: “Lacks feeling of belonging leading to anger and defiance.” In place of or in addition to Chamomilla, Colocynthis can also be the follow-up remedy: “Gut level anger from conforming and suppression of irritation.” The unfolding of these collected misunderstandings and their psychological issues leads the patient to his basic disorder, his original misunderstanding.
Necessary follow-up and complementary remedies for Magnesium carbonicum: ars, bry, cham, coloc, elec, merc, nux-v, puls, rheum
Ferrum metallicum
Iron is given as a supplement for anemia and during pregnancy. Anemia, a condition in which there are a low number of red blood cells, develops when a person has rubbed himself raw in the daily battles of life when he does not come into his rightful place as an individual and all of the joy of life disappears.
Transferred to pregnancy, the patient probably is not devoting herself with joy to her task as a mother. Perhaps she connects too much responsibility to pregnancy or believes there is no room left for her needs.
Here the battle of the personality has progressed a step further, as with the previous remedy, Magnesium carbonicum. Rigorous limitations are set in nutrition and what one can undertake. Personal confinement is much more massive, and every breaking of the rules can be painfully felt.
One’s joy in life seems to have disappeared over an unreachable horizon. The daily routine already presents the greatest of difficulties, and one becomes a burden to oneself. The disease progresses until the battle is finally given up for the loss.
The psychological significance of Ferrum metallicum as a homeopathic remedy is:
“Life is a bitter struggle.”
Psychological significance of Ferrum metallicum
The actual life situation of Ferrum metallicum
Finds in life a battle instead of joy. Has lost the joy of life through shock and violence. Life is experienced as hard and joyless. No trust in a partner. There is no joy in life for me, which has always been confirmed. He believes that nothing comes as a gift and that he must serve others for a long time until something has been earned. It Feels affirmed by a hard life—a remedy for suffering.
Necessary follow-up and complementary remedies for Ferrum metallicum: arn, ars, bell, calc-p, chin, chin-ar, cupr, hep, hydrc, ip, jod, kreos, mang, merc, nat-m, kreos, puls, sulf, thea, verat
After Ferrum metallicum it becomes clear that the personality must continually battle for any hope of joy in life and suffers under this condition. There are enormous hurts that have not been overcome (Arnica montana) and dependencies (China officinalis, China arsenicosum, Cuprum metallicum) that were probably entered into for the sake of being loved and for feeling secure (Jodum). Instead of love and security, there came hurt (Arnica montana), physical or emotional rape (Kreosotum), and confinement (Thea chinensis) to which the personality has grown accustomed. Lightheartedness (Manganum aceticum aut carbonicum) must be learned again.
Selenium metallicum
Selenium is often used as a supplement in cancer therapy. This is supposed to strengthen the bones and teeth. Seen symbolically, the bones stand for the structure of the personality, and the teeth represent self-assertion.
In this situation, the personality sees itself confronted with what seems to be an irresolvable conflict that demands the deployment of one’s entire forces. However, the challenge is often seen as hopeless.
The inner battle has progressed so far that the patient lets himself fall into a lingering illness. The “enemy” appears so powerful that any resistance seems impossible. To preserve the still existing reserves for the final battle, a decision is made all too often to give in to hopelessness.
A striking indication of this situation is the loss of hair. Suppose we remember that only a few generations ago, it was customary with a capitulation to a conqueror or before a coming execution that a person’s hair was cut off. In that case, the meaning of this sign becomes clear. Our subconscious attempts to make us aware that we have already given up inwardly.
The psychological significance of Selenium metallicum as a homeopathic remedy is:
“Comes to terms with the lingering illness because of weakness.”
Psychological significance of Selenium metallicum
Life situation Selenium metallicum
Comes to terms with the lingering illness because of weakness. Lack of confrontation and passivity cause weakness. Complete suppression of sexuality. Depressive resignation. Hopelessness. Has lost his belief in himself. Great perfectionism blocks dynamic movement in life and weakens it.
Important follow-up and complementary remedies for Selenium metallicum: alum, bov, bry, calc, graph, ign, lach, merc, mur-ac, nat-m, nux-v, puls, sep, sulf, thuj
After Selenium we see that the personality finds itself in emotional chaos (Acidum muriaticum) because of the lack of confrontation (Pulsatilla pratensis). A false desire for harmony (Sepia succus) and holding onto the past (Natrium muriaticum) have led to life leaving the personality behind or the character preventing its own impulse from participating in the flow of energy/life (Thuja occidentalis), leaving no personal standpoint in life behind (Alumina). The personality follows her own preconceived patterns (Bovista lycoperdon) rather than living lightly in the moment.
Final Conclusion
In these extensive studies, the final conditions are described, along with the loss of strength and energy that goes along with them. The central issue in every case, however, is that the personality ultimately decided, instead of demanding satisfaction of its own needs in clear communications, not to seek their fulfillment and only to undertake a substitute activity.
Such a person does not allow himself that which he needs so urgently but willingly dedicates his available energy on an unconscious level to a goal that neither suits him nor helps him in any way out of his current situation. For this reason, homeopathic treatment cannot neglect to find the causes of this compensation. Only when his own needs have been recognized, and the personality directs those energies that had earlier been bound in defiance toward their satisfaction, can a condition of fulfillment be attained. With this step, he can again feel the joy of life. He has found a new lightness and doesn’t waste his time anymore, just “beating around the bush.”
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