A patient's experience of the treatment for Polyarthritis.
It all started with what I thought was a strained wrist caused by removing suitcases from an airport carousel however even though I wore wrist support it didn’t improve and the back of my hand became swollen and painful. A consultation with our regular doctor produced a prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs which had no effect at all and then my other hand began to swell up.
Our regular doctor requested a blood test from a local laboratory and recommended a consultation with a rheumatologist. At this stage I had become concerned that I was just going to become another “experiment” and find myself on a treadmill which I would have difficulty in getting off once it had started. I was within the French health service which is very good but I feel that they tend to rush to the pill bottle before being absolutely sure what they are treating; in my case that certainly seemed to be true.
A friend gave us the name of a general practitioner who now only practises homoeopathy. In France it is illegal to practice homoeopathy unless you are already a fully qualified and registered doctor. We had had no previous experience of this form of treatment but this doctor was very well thought of in the community and the French are generally great supporters of homeopathy. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain from seeing him. He lived in a nearby village and so we decided to find his consulting rooms and seek a “rendezvous”. His appointments diary was full for the next three months but realising my problem and the discomfort I was suffering he promised to give me the benefit of the first cancellation he had.
I was able to see the doctor and the consultation lasted one and half hours while he unhurriedly reviewed my entire physical and mental condition. I had already received the blood analysis from the laboratory (In France documents of this kind belong to the patient, not the doctor) and from this he diagnosed Polyarthritis. By this time the discomfort, weakness and stiffness had spread to my arms, neck and shoulders. I was having difficulty dressing myself and I had to have my food cut up for me. I had also lost about 2 kg in weight and felt constantly tired.
During the course of the consultation the doctor explained that he believed that a cure for this type of illness was effected by the body itself with the help of prescribed homoeopathic medicines which I could obtain from any pharmacy but he warned me that the treatment would take some time to take effect. He told me that this condition could not be cured with cortisone, it would only mask it, but he could relieve some of the pain by a course of acupuncture.
To cut a long story short, I had a another consultation a month later when I had further acupuncture and a revision of the medicines I had to take. I was then given a subsequent appointment for two months later. By this time there was a substantial improvement in my condition and I was able to do many things which hitherto I had been unable to do. I had also recovered the weight I had lost. Even the doctor admitted that my recovery had surpassed his expectations and he was aware that I was able to shake him firmly by the hand for example.
That last appointment was in October 2009 when he again revised my medication and found some tension that still existed in my shoulder and neck. I was given a further appointment for February 2010 and instructed to cease all medicines fifteen days before going to see him. By the middle of December my recovery was so good that I was able to spread 1½ tonnes of gravel on the lane leading to our house, unaided.
There are many people who express doubts about homoeopathy but this episode demonstrates that it can be made to work. However, you do have to be very disciplined in following the prescribed course to the letter. There is little doubt that the food we eat in our family, which adheres to that recommended by Sir Robert McCarrison and Surgeon Captain T.L.Cleave, also made a contribution to the healing process; fresh whole foods organically produced where possible.
