Last year we celebrated the 250th Anniversary of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of Homeopathy. Reading and hearing about his discoveries, his biography and his particular genius was a voyage of discovery for many of us. It offered a chance for us to look back at the many patients who have been helped regain a better state of health, and at the reasons why we are still struggling for acceptance in so many different countries.
Homeopathy has of course been used in Germany, France and most other European countries for centuries. Its effectiveness and application in practice is unquestioned. It is only in recent years (since formation of the European Union) that there have been regulations passed to curtail or reduce the production and use of homeopathic remedies there. Since the 1950’s, some German physicians have given us another means to test and measure the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies.
Here I will introduce you to the concept of electronically testing your homeopathic remedies before giving them to your patient.
Some of the History and Development
In the mid-1950’s a German physician by the name of Dr. Reinhold Voll worked with a small group of colleagues that included Dr. Franz Morell (who later became the ‘father’ of MORA-Therapy) and Dr. Fritz Kramer to find a way to objectify and measure the acupuncture and meridian points of traditional acupuncture. Great progress was made and they developed a machine that would not only locate the points but also measure them. It did not take them long to figure out that, logically, there were more meridians and points than those listed in the ancient acupuncture texts. Logically, you say? Well, we have ten fingers and ten toes. The Chinese said there were terminal points for two meridians on one finger yet only one meridian point on other fingers. Why? Well, the research of the German physicians quickly showed that there were two meridians on each finger and each toe, and they went to work to figure out what these meridians were represented.
As they did more measurements, it became clear that there were differing measurement values on each point and that these variations were linked to the health or dis-order of the meridian or point that was being measured. Finally, they were able to set standards for what would be normal, what would represent inflammation (or acute) and what would represent degeneration (or chronic) situations. To date there have been more than 900 points identified and cataloged according to their location and indications.
The number of physicians involved in the study group grew and they arranged to meet once a year, to talk about their findings and results. The story goes, that at one of these annual meetings in Freudenstadt, they were doing demonstrations on each other and discussing cases they had worked on since they last saw each other.
One doctor was tested by Dr. Voll before lunch and found to have some serious heart problems. After lunch they were going to try and determine the extent of his problem and then suggest a treatment program for him. But when they returned and tried to continue the testing, all the values had returned to normal. They wondered what was happening? How could this doctor suddenly be so healthy? They took off their jackets and got to work trying to solve the mystery. And, guess what? All of the measurements were back to indicating that the doctor again had a serious heart problem. What was different? After much discussion, they discovered that the doctor was carrying his heart medication in the pocket of his suit jacket. After more trials with the doctor holding the remedy and then putting it down and then holding it again – medication testing was ‘born’.
At this point it did not take them long to find that various homeopathic remedies (and other alternative therapies) would alter the point measurement values.
Electro-Acupuncture According to Dr. Voll, or EAV, been used around the world for decades, as a means of diagnosing disease and of determining treatment programs. It is not the objective method that the German doctors were seeking, but as a subjective electronic measurement method, it has become an invaluable tool in assisting homeopaths to choose treatments for their patients.
How does it work?
EAV is in essence a point based method of diagnostics. It is based on precise measurement of the many ‘acupuncture’ points with a device that has been designed and calibrated to specific electronic standards and which uses brass contact electrodes. Put simply, they are measuring the electrical resistance between a contact electrode (usually a brass cylinder held in the patient’s hand) and the brass electrode tip on a specially designed probe held by the doctor and touched to the acupuncture points of the patient. The remedies are then placed into the circuit with the patient, to measure their effect on him. Basic testing devices such as the MORA RM-10 Super can be incorporated into a homeopathic practice with relative ease. Many books and manuals are available that discuss the points, the type of disorders to be measured on each point and the usual remedies that will respond.
Have there been more developments?
As the years have gone by, there have been many technological and conceptual developments and refinements of this method. Many doctors did not want to spend the time to learn so many points – or didn’t have time to test them on every patient. This is why we began to see other approaches and methods arise.