The Supplementary
Treatment Of Depression
Using Homeopathic and Bach
Flower remedies

The Supplementary
Treatment Of Depression Is
Useful For
• Patients who will not take antidepressants
• Patients who develop side effects on anti-depressants
• Treatment resistant depression

Samuel Hahnemann 1755-
1843

The “Like Cures
Like”Principle (similia similibus curentur)
The drug which cures is capable of producing symptoms similar to those which it cures (eg.onions for colds)

Materia Medica
• Symptoms produced by poisonings
• Symptoms produced by provings
• Symptoms relieved when remedy given for other symptoms

Taking A Homeopathic
History
• Presenting complaintaetiology,modalities
• PMH
• DH
• FH
• SH
• Generals-environment,food
• Mentals-personality,anxieties,mood

Patient
Symptom Picture
• Physical characteristics
• Local & general symptoms
• Temperament
Remedy
Drug Picture
• Toxicology
• Provings
• Experience

Repertorisation
• Repertories-books or computer programmes
• List symptoms under body systems and the remedies which produce them
• Ideally choose prominent symptoms in each area-mind,general and local
• Aetiology
• Peculiar symptoms

How Are Remedies Prepared
?
• From- plants,minerals,animals,disease macerated in alcohol = mother tincture
• Serial dilution - 1 part added to 9 or 99 parts of solution = 1X or 1C potency
• Succussion in between dilutions
• Common potencies :- 6C, 30C, 200C,
1M, 10M, 50M

Precipitating Factors
• Acute grief reaction - Ignatia
• Suppressed grief - Natrum Mur.
• Emotional shock - Opium
• Worry,grief,homesickness,disappointed love - Phosphoric Acid
• Resentment - Staphysagria
• Loss of property - Aurum

Aurum (Gold)
Often suicidal thoughts - talks of suicide and desires death,but also fears it.Dreams of death.
Ideas of worthlessness,critical of self and others
Broods,wants to be alone.Sensitive to noise
Craves alcohol-can feel better for it
Often unable to cry

Natrum Sulph.(Glauber’s Salt)
Often suicidal thoughts,but fights against them
Often early morning wakening, 4-5 am
Hates coversing
Poor memory
Periodicity,down every spring

Arsenicum Album(White
Arsenic)
Depression and anxiety or agitated depression.Very restless,never placid
Despairing,hopeless,irritated
Fears + + death,being alone
Lack courage,aggressive to others
Very tidy
Hallucinations of smell and sight
Exhausted after slight exertion

Cimicifuga(Actea Racemosa)
Depression & anxiety-
“like a black cloud”
Often pre-menstrual or puerperal
Feeling of impending evil
Fears- going mad,being killed
Hallucinations-rats and mice

Calc .Carb.(Chalk)
Depression with psychomotor retardation
Sit staring in front,heavy,dull, not restless
Broods over little things
Fears- insanity,illness,dark, “something terrible” will happen
Sensitive to injustice to others
Silent tears
Poor memory

Phosphoric Acid
Extreme indifference
Settled despair - often after grief, worry, homesickness, disappointed love
TATT
Impaired memory
Often young people
Useful in PVFS with depression

Phosphorus
Disinclined to work,study or converse.
Weary of life.Indifference even towards own children.Weeps before menses.
Anxious and restless esp.in dark or twilight.
Memory poor.Dread of death when alone

Ignatia (St.Ignatius`Bean)
Acute grief reaction usually expressed, often remorseful and self-critical
May be silent and brooding

Natrum Muriaticum (Salt)
Depression following grief, rejection prolonged grief reaction
Indifferent (usually sympathetic)
Anxiety,hypochondriacal
Poor appetite,bad dreams
Afraid will go to hell,but may feel suicidal
Worse pre-menstrually

Staphysagria (Delphinium)
Suppressed resentment or guilt
(esp. sexual)
Difficulty expressing anger
Anxious, irritable, hypochondriacal
Very sensitive to remarks of others
Prefers to be alone

Edward Bach 1886-1936

Cherry Plum
• Uncontrollable fears
- going mad , suicide
• “Out of control”

Sweet Chestnut
• Intense severe suffering.Feel trapped. Isolated.
Silent tears. Not usually suicidal , but feel ttere is no way out.

Gentian
• Depression when the cause is known eg. disappointment in job or love.
• Disillusion , doubt .

Gorse
• Hopelessness , despair
• More profound than
Gentian , but not so acute as Sweet
Chestnut.
• Useful in terminal illness , patients in long term care .

Mustard
Depression when cause unknown .Out of the blue “like a black cloud”
(cf.Cimic.) Lifts of its own accord Not as hopeless as Gorse.
Can be useful for
SAD

Star Of Bethlehem
After effects of loss , grief .
Depression that feels like a loss .
Can seem to cope superficially , but no joy ,anhedonia .

Honeysuckle
Useful for regrets after a bereavement .
Keynote - “ Living in the past”

Clematis
Can be useful in grief .
Lack of concentration , thinking of lost person
May escape into alcohol or drugs .
Keynote - lack of interest in the present .

Hornbeam
Mental fatigue and lassitude .
Don’t want to get up , can’t be bothered .

Olive
Exhaustion, longstanding
.
overwork, burn-out
Overtired , can’t sleep
.
More physical than
Hornbeam .

Pine
Guilt .Punish themselves
Often insidious depression .
Unhappy relationships because they feel unworthy .
Feel guilty if they relax or go on holiday workaholics .

Willow
“ Victim mentality “
Not true depression , but may present as such .
Resentment ( cf. Staph
)
Not happy with improvement
Put responsibility for their feelings onto others (opp. Pine )

Elm
Overwhelmed by responsibility .
Usually temporary .
Normally capable
,take on too much and feel inadequate and depressed .
Less physical than
Olive

Wild Rose
Apathy and resignation .
Chronic illness or situation .
Reluctant to change .
Flat affect .Sit down heavily

Scleranthus
Uncertainty, changeable .
Useful for mood swings , cyclothymic or bipolar illness .
“ Bach remedy lithium”

Outcomes for Patients with
Depression 1996 - 2000 n=24
GHHOS
0=No improvement
1=Minor ``
2=Moderate ``
3=Major ``
4=Cured
7
6
5
4
3
2
10
9
8
1
0
0 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ DNA