The Child's World: New Approaches to the Homeopathic Treatment of Children

Homeopathic prescribing is undergoing a tremendous evolution due to the recent advent of ideas such as the grouping of remedies into families, connecting a child’s remedy to the mother’s during pregnancy and understanding how the remedy source is expressed through the patient’s symptoms, called source-based prescribing. These advances are also having a positive impact on the treatment of children. The Child’s World elaborates on the ways the new ideas in homeopathy can benefit children.

Linda Johnston is a leading teacher of homeopathy and combines classical homeopathy with the new teachings of Rajan Sankaran and the Bombay group. It is the first book of its kind which shows how the new method can be applied in children with stunning success.

"This comprehensive book is beautifully written by a very experienced physician." - Rajan Sankaran

"Dr. Johnston scientifically and artistically presents cases that bring the best of homeopathy to the forefront." - Divya Chhabra

The publisher:

Generations of homeopaths have successfully treated children using the traditional approaches of materia medica, repertory, keynotes and classification into children types. As successful as these methods have been, there have always been some cases that were not helped. As a result new ideas and advances have taken place to expand our skills and knowledge for better results.

About the author:
Dr Linda Johnston has been a active member of the homeopathic community worldwide since the inception of her homeopathic practice. After completing her medical training from the University of Washington, USA in 1979, she had one further year in family medicine prior to starting her own private medical practice in 1981. Linda began her homeopathic training in 1986, and began practicing the same year. Linda’s main focus has always been her clinical practice of homeopathy, which she continues to this day.

Contributing to the homeopathic community through writing and teaching are both important to Linda. From 1991 – 1996, she developed and taught a two-year homeopathy curriculum in 4 different US cities to train licensed medical practitioners. She is also a well-known teacher internationally.

Author of numerous articles for homeopathy journals, Linda is also the author of Additions to the Homeopathic Repertory from Kent’s lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica (Christine Kent Agency, 1990) as well as a popular book for the general public, Everyday Miracles: Homeopathy in Action (Christine Kent Agency, 1991). Since her debut public lecture in 1987, she has made hundreds of radio, television appearances, in addition to print media interviews educating the public about homeopathy.

• Author: Linda Johnston
• ISBN: 9780955906510
• 207 pages
• Paperback
• Published in 2010
• Printed in United Kingdom

Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, from the magazine 'The Homeopath' Winter 2010. Reviewed by Janet Snowdon.

There are many homeopathic books concerned with different aspects of philosophy and materia medica but few concerning the treatment of children. This book goes a long way to filling that gap. It is divided into different sections, a discussion of the traditional and newer methods of treatment, child development in general, case taking and cases, relationships between mother and child, interaction with the prescriber and the environment and finally the relationship between the homeopath and the parents.

Linda recognises the success there has been for generations in the treatment of children. She carefully describes these methods, repertorisation, keynote prescribing etcetera. She notes the common and most important factor in the treatment of children, in all methods, past and present, that of observation. The sensation method is clearly described, showing how it is a development of what has gone before in homeopathy and is rooted in the basic, unchanging principles on which our therapy was founded. However many cases elude us and Linda demonstrates the need for delving deeper into the unconscious processes,of the patient to elicit the source of the symptomatology. The second section deals with the emotional and physical development of the child. This is informative and helpful but if I had a criticism of the book it would be that this section is repetitive in parts and implies a dearth of understanding on the part of the reader.

By far the most useful and exciting section deals with cases. The symptoms of each case are clearly described in the patients' words. The practitioner's method of case taking and cognitive process are explained in detail. The analysis is clear and the progression to the remedy is convincing and informative. Repertory rubrics and provings are used to further substantiate the reasons for the prescription. All the cases were difficult and required great skill to reach the source of the problem. Cases of Dr. Sunil Anand, an expert in the treatment of children are included and contribute greatly to the usefulness of the book. Most practitioners will have experienced that sinking feeling when confronted with the suffering of a small baby covered in eczema. Linda showed how skilful and thorough examination of the mother's state led her to the remedy, Cenchris, the three month old baby required for the eczema that entirely covered her body.

Interestingly Kent's proving of the remedy includes the symptom, "Itching all over the body, flying all over the body".

I have already found this book to be of practical use in my everyday practice. It has informed and encouraged me in my case taking of children. It is accessible and easy to read. I just wish there were more cases as I found them enormously instructive.