Homeopathy and Dementia

VOLUME 1: FISH REMEDIES

It seems we have always known fish is good for the brain. Now, in this first of two volumes on homeopathy and dementia, master homeopath Louis Klein comprehensively examines, with the application of homeopathic fish remedies, one of the biggest health issues currently facing the ageing population.

The homeopathic perspectives of cognitive decline are described, and a fascinating exploration of the general themes of fish remedies follows. Materia medica of the 32 fish remedies includes the natural history and dementia indications and a Clinical Focus Guide. The book comprises not only known fish remedies like Gadus morhua, Oleum jecoris or Serum anguillae but also many unknown remedies like New Zealand kahawai, white sturgeon, great white shark, Atlantic herring, electric eel, guppy, angelfish, wels catfish, tuna and brown trout. As well, there are many illustrative cases, case vignettes and selected notes from the various provings, both modern and historical. Volume 1 concludes with definitions of all the various pathologies that come under the umbrella of ‘dementia’.

There is currently a dearth of information on the homeopathic treatment of dementia. This major text from Louis Klein is one of the first to tackle this crucially important topic in such an extensive manner and will therefore be essential for homeopaths working with seniors and immensely valuable to all practitioners. Volume 2 will follow, with remedies from the other kingdoms and a detailed lifestyle guide.

• Author: Louis Klein
• ISBN: 9783955822521
• 600 pages
• Hardback
• Published in 2022
• Printed in Germany

• View PDF

Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, from the New Homeopath Journal, Summer 2023 edition. Reviewed by Jenni Tree.

Louis Klein is indeed a master clinician with an unflagging gaze on the most difficult and obscure pathology. He marshals vast amounts of information into recognizable systems, producing books that distil the information disseminated in his lectures and teaching clinics. And so it is with his latest book, twenty years in the making, and in his signature clear style.

 This is Volume One of a projected two volume set on homeopathy and dementia, and concentrates on 'fish' remedies, of which there are forty sets of materia medica, including two on cod - Oleum jecoris (cod liver oil) and Gadus morhua (cod bone). I remember cross-referencing these two when editing Viktoria Bodrogi's Waterworld book of fish remedies, only to find they did not share a single rubric! It was through a close study of Oleum jecoris that Klein came to an insight into this remedy and indeed fish remedies in general. His 'fish' work started almost twenty years ago, with a coalescing of different trains of thought, insight and information.

He had begun to see an alarming increase in the number of new patients with pathology of the brain and cognitive decline. Patients also feared 'the fate of ending up like their relatives with Alzheimer's  disease with no effective conventional treatment.' He started to think of the problems through the lens of disease categories, rather than the normal route of homeopathic classification. However he is quick to remind us that someone with dementia or Alzheimer's disease still requires careful individualisation. In this very full volume he incorporates both his conventional allopathic and homeopathic research to create a wide spectrum of understanding for homeopathic physicians.

The book is beautifully produced, hardback, good quality paper stock, stitched and bound, and in full colour, with each remedy illustrated. The headband and lint are in goldfish gleaming orange! There are running headings for ease of navigation. The book is a pleasure to handle.

There are four sections and an index

Section 1, the introduction, works through the homeopathic approach to Alzheimer's disease and dementia; an overview of fish homeopathic remedies, and fish symbolism.

Section 2, contains about 460pp of materia medica of the 41 fish remedies, in alphabetical order (Latin), with the common names alongside. Each remedy starts with a colour plate of the fish, Keywords, and interesting information. For example:

"The zebrafish, Danio rerio, gets its names from the horizontal stripes, reminiscent of a zebra, running the length of its body. They have been a useful scientific model for vertebrate development and gene function since the 1970s. Research with zebrafish has led to new approaches in many fields, such as oncology, teratology, regenerative medicine and neurobiology to name a few. They have been used in opioid addiction research, in the testing of novel therapeutic agents and also to compare sleep patterns in humans. An amazing feature of this species is its ability to regenerate certain types of cells (in the heart of lateral line) if they are developed during development.

Zebrafish have been genetically engineered to crease the GloFish (tm) which has pink, red, yellow, purple, green, orange and blue fluorescent coloration."          Who knew???

The body of the Materia Medica continues with Natural History, Distinguishing Homeopathy Features, Dementia indications, Homeopathy Commentary, and then the very clear and useful Clinical Focus Guide (Mind and disposition, Physical Focus, Sensations, Relationships) and Modern Homeopathy Sources. Each remedy ends with both Homeopathic resources and references, and full general resources and references.

Where cases are available, these are included in the materia medica text.

Klein throws his net wide and trawls information from many homeopaths, past and present, weaving their material in, including current work from Scholten, Sherr, Sankaran, Mangialavori, Schadde, Hardy, Fatula, Theriault, Shukla, Vervarcke, Bodrogi, van Grinsven, Brown and more.

Section 3 looks at Grouping the fish remedies - Klein uses six groupings; carp, catfish, salmon, scorpionfish, shark and sturgeon, and a final grouping based on habitat. In working across a natural order of animals, it is useful to be able to group certain animals, in this case fish, in order to offer some predictability. If one remedy in a group doesn't quite fit the case, then perhaps a related remedy might be better. Such groupings enable one to add new remedies with some knowledge of dispositional information right from the start. The most accurate way to group fish might be to use the scientific taxonomy, and from that to work onto Scholten's number system based on the periodic table. There is also a representation of grouping by habitat, as espoused by Viktoria Bodrogi in her book Waterworld - Fish in Homeopathy.

Section 4 gives an overview of dementia and Alzheimer's, and creates definitions and distinctions between the two and also makes extension into similar diseases to include Downe's syndrome, Huntingdon's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Kleins' interest in Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, which grew out of his research into Prion diseases and ideas of cannibalism (fish often eat their own eggs and also young fry). This section is clear, concise and of immense use to the homeopath, showing onset, symptoms, causes and risk factors and treatment outcomes. It is immediately possible to see the use of homeopathic remedies in these cases.

Louis Klein's book offers us in-depth information. Here is a synopsis of general fish themes, to pique your interest, and alert you to a possible 'fish' case.

It takes decades for a newish set of materia medica to infiltrate our minds and our practices, and the time is ripe for the fish remedies. Their use will become more prominent as the population ages. In a departure from his usual methodology, Klein has produced a book that looks at a particular tranche of diseases through the lens, in Volume 1, of the Fish Remedies. In Volume 2 he will follow the theme of Homeopathy and Demtnia looking at remedies from other kingdoms. This is a massive, beautifully produced and very timely body of work.

Jenni Tree is the Editor of New Homeopath, and editor of many homeopathic books, including Waterworld, also about fish remedies, by Viktoria Bodrogi.