Plastic Wrapped: The Homeopathic Proving of Cling Film

This is to give you information about a new medicine in the homeopathic Materia Medica. The proving took place at the beginning of 2004. The information has been well tested during a five year probation period. We are now in a position to confirm its domain and indicate its potential.

• Author: Stuart Deeks
• ISBN: 9780956447203
• 208 pages
• Paperback
• Printed in United Kingdom

• View PDF

Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, from "The Homeopath" magazine, Summer 2010 edition. Reviewed by Petra Woods.

Stuart Deeks, the proving co-ordinator and editor of this book, has been involved with several provings at the South Downs School of Homoeopathy. This book includes not only the story and the proving of cling film, which took place early in 2004, but also sixteen cases over the following five years where the remedy was prescribed with a marked curative action.

After the introduction to provings in general and the story of the proving of cling film in particular follows the text of the proving over nearly 60 pages. The text is divided into the usual chapters, each one concluding with rubrics (taken from Murphy's Homeopathic Medical Repertory and new additions). Only 11 provers were involved in the proving, with 2 of them not being included in the proving text (one took placebo, the other one is included under additional notes, as are the notes of supervisors). Rubrics are therefore often based on the experience of just one or two provers. After the additional notes of supervisors and 'discarded' provers follows a very concise summary of Materia medica, chakra relations and related remedies, as well as a comparison with the remedy Polystyrene (another oil-derived substance).

Then comes the main part of the book: sixteen cases of the curative use of Plastic wrap (the remedy name for cling film). The majority of these cases are from the author's ownpractice. Three cases are from two other proving participants and the remaining four from a different homeopath. It is in these cases that the remedy Plastic wrap came to life for me: The language of the patients and the way they interact (or fail to) with their environment runs through all these cases as a clear thread. Though I would have wished that the indications for other prescribed remedies had been made clearer. After the cases follows a short summary of a psychic 'reading' and meditative proving which had taken place in 1997 already. My feeling is that this was included not so much for new information gained, but to be comprehensive.

Chapter Nine is about the 'Cinderella Connection', which is where the author sees the strongest parallels to the remedy Plastic wrap. You will have to read the book yourself, but just as a little teaser: Diana Princess of Wales is considered by the author to be of the Cinderella archetype and therefore might have benefited from the remedy.

This remedy seems well worth to be considered in daily practice and I will surely keep it in mind for my patients. I would have wished that the book was designed more clearly, to make the information more accessible at a glance. I guess I will need to get my own highlighter out...

Reprinted with the permission of The ARH, from 'Homeopathy in Practice' magazine Autumn 2010 edition:

Reviewed by Jo Ketteman:

This recently published book brings together the work that has been collated over the past five years since the proving of the remedy Cling film in 2005.

The cover of the book is bright and colour­ful with a 'freehand' style typeface. My instant reaction was that it looked like a pre-teenage fiction book: like the latest novel from Jacque­line Wilson, the beloved author of many prepubescent girls. These modern 'classics' generally deal with the difficulties of modern family life; a tattooed mother who finds bring­ing up her daughters hard, the emotional adjustment to growing up, and life with a foster family. When reading the proving I was atje to see that this apparent link was no accident!

The rationale behind choosing this remedy for proving is outlined at the beginning of the book. Plastics have been increasing in use since the 1950's, and over the last forty years there has been increasing evidence of their effects on the marine environment and a hormonal disturbance in the human population. Eleven people took part in the tradtional proving, both male and female. Their symptoms are collated and displayed within the usual format - Mind and emotional res­ponse, physical symptoms, dreams, materia medica. The proving is then compared to the remedy Polystyrene. Polystyrene was proved by Rajan Sankaran in 1995; it is another oil-based substance and there are several areas of similarities that come out in the proving.

The following section of the book looks at the remedy in practice, with evidence collected from the experience of 16 cases, recorded by Stuart Deeks and three other homeopaths. Generally in proving books these sections work well for me; seeing the evaluation of symp­toms within the practical clinical environment, I think, really helps the reader to get a deeper understanding of the remedy. In this book the cases are covered in some depth. The words of the patients are used throughout and by then referring back to the repertory section you can see how the selection of Cling film came about. The cases show how the remedy fits in alongside other prescriptions, given-both before and after Cling film. Generally the cases cover a period of around two years, but one of the cases gives a five-year picture, offering the reader a greater depth and knowledge of the outcome, following this innovative prescription.

Next, Stuart details the experience of the meditative proving of the remedy. 13 people took part in this section of the proving. They each 'took' the remedy separately; no group meditation took place. Their experiences are recorded here and cross-referenced with similar symptoms that appeared in the more traditional type proving. I like the addition of this section. First, undertaking both styles of proving gives a thoroughness, and second it snows the similarity of findings. (At this point I feel I should confess to loving the idea of meditative provings and the newer remedies, and so this section just confirms my beliefs.)

The next section is a fascinating chapter on links that Stuart has made between this remedy and the fairytale of Cinderella. He looks at the fairytale in some depth. He examines its various forms from the more traditional Broth­ers Grimm version via Disney to the oldest known version from China written about 850-860 AD. He then draws comparisons with the proving of the remedy. For example, in the Grimm version, Cinderella expresses a desire to go to the dance and this unexpected longing to go 'clubbing' was experienced by one of the proving supervisors. Similarly we all know about Cinderella's glass / silver slippers, and in one of the cases he draws the link with a dream of 'being at a party wearing glittery, silver dance shoes'.

Following this analysis of the fairytale and proving symptoms, Stuart then makes an interesting observation about the picture of the remedy

and the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, think that this could be extended further to look at modern culture in relation to X Factor contestants as well as the images contained in the Jacqueline Wilson stories. I can definitely see how this remedy could be extremely useful in homeopathic practice.

Stuart concludes by saying how we are living in the Plastic era, and maybe this remedy will play a significant part in treating individuals of his time.