I didn’t realize I should have started having colonoscopies at 35 until after my sister called and gave me all of this information.

I have asked my doctor for a referral for a colonoscopy, but am having a difficult time getting one. How can I get my doctor to order this test?

D.I

A.Most cases of colon cancer are not hereditary and occur after the age of 50. So, for most people, it is recommended to begin screening for colon cancer at age 50.

I saw K.J. for his first follow-up visit two and one-half months later, on November 2,1994. He said he felt 75 percent better and had a much more positive attitude.

The pain and aching of the joints was gone and the muscle spasms he had complained about were much reduced. He started riding his bike and going to the gym again. He suffered much less from depression and short temper than before. He had become more patient, and his relationship with his children had improved.

On January 11 of 1995, K.J. felt “infinitely better.” He had no more feelings of dread, and the old events from the past were now resolved. He began to see more opportunities for himself in the future.

From then on I saw K.J. about two to three times per year. In March K.J. went through a healing crisis, from which he emerged with increased energy and well being. He even organized, and participated in, a bicycle marathon on Long Island. In November of 1995 I suggested he stop the remedy.

He started to complain of a slight sagging in energy and more tiredness on the physical level. I continued Carcinosin again after this short break, and currently K.J. is taking the LM/14. This spring I am planning another exploratory break in his homeopathic medication.

At this point I had filled 14 pages of notes and was faced with the task of finding the essence of this case. In difficult cases with much pathology I feel it is particularly important to find the common thread, no matter on what plane it resides. There were several key phrases that stood out in my copious notes, the most prominent ones focused on his physis, for example: “My whole identity is wrapped up in my body;”

“My whole emotional outlook is wrapped up in my body;” “If I can’t succeed physically, I can’t succeed emotionally.” I saw K.J.’s strongest identification as his emphasis on the physical body and its obviously deteriorating state giving him a sense of failure. Additionally, this was accompanied by a very strong Fear of failure, which was one of the most important rubrics I used. This theme of failure was primary in K.J.’s life and served as the key to resolving the rest of the case.

Another essential component was the unresolved griefs that he had experienced throughout his life: The death of his father at age 16, the loss of his first sweetheart, the death of his best friend through cancer, and the loss of the idol image of his big brother are the most important ones. While the repertory lists many “grief” remedies, I opted for the smaller rubric Ailments from prolonged and unresolved grief, on the basis that K.J. had made it quite clear that he had not gotten over any of these emotional traumas.

Additionally, K.J. made several comments relating to his Anxiety about health, and his strong Fear of cancer, which he expressed on several occasions throughout the interview; he was terrified of getting cancer himself. Perhaps this was why he went along with his friend’s denial of the disease.

There are numerous other rubrics in this case that confirm Carcinosin as the indicated remedy. Among the long list of confirmatory symptoms are a history of domination by others, love of the ocean, love of nature, desire for chocolate and garlic, and amelioration by thunderstorms.

I think that while Carcinosin is an under-prescribed remedy, it will prove to be one of the great polychrests of this time in our western technological civilization. Its essence is one that is endemic to the lack of fulfillment on all levels in one’s life, something that is all too pervasive in today’s society. Tethered to that component reside fears of failure and about health, a great love of nature and sense of profound awe at her wonders and powers.

Because of the deeply seated aspect of grief found in Carcinosin, it is easily overlooked in favor of more frequently used remedies like Natrum muriaticum and Staphisagria. It also shares many of the attributes found in Sepia cases and should be considered when those remedies fail to produce the desired results.

The Treatment

From K.J.’s first appearance in my office, it was quite obvious to me that his vital force was extremely weak and fragile. As the interview progressed, his demeanor and language confirmed this impression. The fact that his body was degenerating and falling ill with one ailment after the other, many of them observed only in much older people (e.g. arthritis, gout, Bell’s Palsy, and especially herpes zoster), was further evidence of his failing constitution.

Taking the Case

K.J. began by saying that his problems started with his neck. Once he had led a very active and competitive life, but now, after “giving things up because of the problems” over a period of eight years, he felt useless and fearful: “I am 43 years old, something is very wrong here. I can’t throw, swim, run, I can’t fix things.” Truer words were never spoken, but I needed to find out what exactly those things were that needed “fixing.”

K.J. continued, “My whole identity is wrapped up in my body. If I can’t succeed physically, I can’t succeed emotionally. Something is eating away at me.” In the course of the interview, I took 14 pages of notes, of which about nine were all physical symptoms. But it became very clear that this case had its roots on a deeper emotional, mental, and spiritual plane.

To get at the heart of this, I had to find the thread that would link all of the component parts into the totality of symptoms. Throughout the case-taking, in relating his personal and emotional story, K.J. spoke of the tragedy of his father’s death when he was 16. He had also lost his closest friend to cancer; up to the very end, while supporting his friend, they both were in complete denial of the situation. He told of his difficult childhood with a domineering mother and a mostly absent father. His brother, whom he idolized very much, fell from grace after getting involved in legal trouble and had to spend some time in jail.

In his relationships K.J. had encountered plenty of disappointment, grief, and regrets. He spoke of a lack of stability and a sense of “un-fulfillment” as permeating his early adult years. All this manifested as broken relationships, dropping out of college, and experiencing a “kind of floating around.” Fears, anger, rage, abandonment, betrayal, and a sense of aloneness came through clearly in the interview. “I didn’t know what to do with myself,” he told me. Even though K.J. thought of himself as a writer, he had stopped writing after his second marriage, after he had just finished a piece about his father.

K.J. couldn’t get over things. His father’s sudden and untimely death, the loss of his first girlfriend, the death of his best friend, and his brother’s fall from grace all had a firm grip on him. His mother’s relentless and domineering behavior was another piece of the matrix which enveloped and encased him. He sought solace in the strong family ties that his first wife had, but soon had to admit that his commitment was not genuine. Everywhere he was surrounded by the failures of his life.

Eventually K.J. married again, this time to a woman he truly loved. However, his pathology was already too advanced and he began to develop physical symptoms of joint pains and frequent injuries, spinal problems, arthritis, herpes zoster, gout, Bell’s Palsy, and the like. K.J.’s world was falling apart, now also on the physical level.

A.The BAK implant is a device used to fuse bones in the lumbar spine (lower back). Fusion is often the best option for treating instability, which is defined as abnormal motion between the vertebrae (spinal bones). There are many different causes of instability, including herniated or degenerative discs. Many different techniques for fusion exist. After doctors perform a solid fusion, no motion exists between the two vertebrae that are fused. All fusion surgeries involve the use of bone graft.

A.In a technique known as lumbar vertebral interbody fusion, the problem disc is removed and a device is inserted between the vertebral bodies. There are various types of these devices, and the BAK implant is one. It is a hollow lightweight metal cylinder with many holes in it. Bone graft is packed within the cylinder. After the problem disc is completely removed, the cylinder is threaded into the space where the disc used to be.

The BAK can be inserted either through an incision in the back or, more frequently now, an incision in the abdomen with an approach to the front of the spine. Two physicians often carry out this procedure, one being a general surgeon who performs the approach to the spine. An orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon can then perform the fusion with the BAK device.

Because the cylinders are porous, they allow the bone graft to grow into the vertebrae on either side, thus connecting those two bones. These devices yield a high rate of fusion with excellent stability. Furthermore, they help restore the distance separating the two vertebrae, which helps take pressure off the nerve roots. In general, this procedure is used for a person whose prior back surgery has failed or who has evidence of instability. It is not recommended for people over 60 years old or those with significant osteoporosis (bone thinning).

At this point I had filled 14 pages of notes and was faced with the task of finding the essence of this case. In difficult cases with much pathology I feel it is particularly important to find the common thread, no matter on what plane it resides. There were several key phrases that stood out in my copious notes, the most prominent ones focused on his physis, for example: “My whole identity is wrapped up in my body;”

“My whole emotional outlook is wrapped up in my body;” “If I can’t succeed physically, I can’t succeed emotionally.” I saw K.J.’s strongest identification as his emphasis on the physical body and its obviously deteriorating state giving him a sense of failure. Additionally, this was accompanied by a very strong Fear of failure, which was one of the most important rubrics I used. This theme of failure was primary in K.J.’s life and served as the key to resolving the rest of the case.

Another essential component was the unresolved griefs that he had experienced throughout his life: The death of his father at age 16, the loss of his first sweetheart, the death of his best friend through cancer, and the loss of the idol image of his big brother are the most important ones. While the repertory lists many “grief” remedies, I opted for the smaller rubric Ailments from prolonged and unresolved grief, on the basis that K.J. had made it quite clear that he had not gotten over any of these emotional traumas.

Additionally, K.J. made several comments relating to his Anxiety about health, and his strong Fear of cancer, which he expressed on several occasions throughout the interview; he was terrified of getting cancer himself. Perhaps this was why he went along with his friend’s denial of the disease.

There are numerous other rubrics in this case that confirm Carcinosin as the indicated remedy (see the listing of rubrics in which Carcinosin appears in the Synthetic Repertory by H. Barthel and W. Klunker). Among the long list of confirmatory symptoms are a history of domination by others, love of the ocean, love of nature, desire for chocolate and garlic, and amelioration by thunderstorms.

I think that while Carcinosin is an under-prescribed remedy, it will prove to be one of the great polychrests of this time in our western technological civilization. Its essence is one that is endemic to the lack of fulfillment on all levels in one’s life, something that is all too pervasive in today’s society. Tethered to that component reside fears of failure and about health, a great love of nature and sense of profound awe at her wonders and powers.

Because of the deeply seated aspect of grief found in Carcinosin, it is easily overlooked in favor of more frequently used remedies like Natrum muriaticum and Staphisagria. It also shares many of the attributes found in Sepia cases and should be considered when those remedies fail to produce the desired results.

The Treatment

From K.J.’s first appearance in my office, it was quite obvious to me that his vital force was extremely weak and fragile. As the interview progressed, his demeanor and language confirmed this impression. The fact that his body was degenerating and falling ill with one ailment after the other, many of them observed only in much older people (e.g. arthritis, gout, Bell’s Palsy, and especially herpes zoster), was further evidence of his failing constitution.

My treatment plan for K.J. was to start with an LM/1 of Carcinosin administered according to Hahnemann’s guidelines (see Sidebar), which he gives in the sixth edition of the Organon, in footnote 134 to Aphorism 248. I have observed in such weakened conditions numerous beneficial consequences of the use of LM potencies because of the flexibility and adaptability to the patient’s response. It is precisely this flexibility in succussion of the remedy, number of administrations per day, and number of dilutions after succussion that allows this posology to shine in cases such as this.

I saw K.J. for his first follow-up visit two and one-half months later, on November 2,1994. He said he felt 75 percent better and had a much more positive attitude. The pain and aching of the joints was gone and the muscle spasms he had complained about were much reduced. He started riding his bike and going to the gym again. He suffered much less from depression and short temper than before. He had become more patient, and his relationship with his children had improved.

From then on I saw K.J. about two to three times per year. In March K.J. went through a healing crisis, from which he emerged with increased energy and well being. He even organized, and participated in, a bicycle marathon on Long Island. In November of 1995 I suggested he stop the remedy (he had progressed to the LM/14 by that time). He started to complain of a slight sagging in energy and more tiredness on the physical level. I continued Carcinosin again after this short break, and currently K.J. is taking the LM/14. This spring I am planning another exploratory break in his homeopathic medication.

A. Many over-the-counter cold and allergy remedies contain either antihistamines, decongestants, or both. Most are very safe, but one common decongestant, ephedrine, can be dangerous for people with palpitations.

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are heart stimulants that can increase the heart rate, cause premature beats or increase their frequency, and in some cases, cause or aggravate a heart rhythm abnormality such as atrial fibrillation or tachycardia. Ephedrine can also counter the action of beta blockers, so it’s best to avoid ephedrine if you’re taking these drugs.

Over-the-counter drugs that contain antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine or phenylpropanolamine, shouldn’t be a problem. But certain prescription antihistamines have been known to cause dangerous arrhythmias. One drug, terfenadine (Seldane), is no longer available in the US, but astemizole (Hismanal) is.

In rare cases, these drugs can prolong the QT interval – the part of the heartbeat during which the ventricles contract and then relax.

It’s dangerous to take Hismanal if you have liver disease or are taking certain drugs, including antiarrythmics (such as quinidine, sotalol, and procainamide), certain antibiotics (erythromycin and ketoconazol), and the antireflux drug cisapride. If you’re prescribed Hismanal, be sure to tell your doctor about any other medications you’re taking.

I truly feel insane sometimes. We just moved four months ago, and I’m 2,000 miles away from all my friends and family and everything I’ve ever known. I am home all day by myself with nowhere to go, no one to talk to, and no money to get therapy OR child care. I think maybe I just need someone to tell me my situation isn’t hopeless, and a way to deal with this extreme sadness and feeling that I am lost and alone.

You’ve certainly undergone some tremendous changes in your life in the past few years — marriage, pregnancy, giving birth, graduating from college, and moving far away from your support network. It’s no wonder you’re feeling overwhelmed and alone.

I suspect that most young mothers (or any woman who once was a young mother) can empathize with what you’re going through. I hope you’re posting and sharing your situation on some of the message boards in the Better Health community, or participating in some of the chats. I bet those channels could provide you with immediate support from people who’ve been there … and survived.

But “real-life,” face-to-face resources are also important. I understand that money is a problem when it come to therapy or child care, but I wonder if there might still be some options available to you. For instance, many communities offer reduced-fee counseling services through agencies such as community mental health centers or family and children’s clinics. Churches often offer mom’s groups or “mother’s day out” programs to give Mom a break from child care. I also hope you can begin to make friends in your area as soon as possible, especially with other mothers of young children.

Although caring for your daughter is, of course, very important, so is taking care of YOU. Perhaps you need to establish some interests and activities in your life apart from those of wife and mother. What about talking with your husband about how you’re feeling, and problem-solving together? Your daughter (and probably your husband) will ultimately benefit from your increased happiness … as, of course, will you.

Health patterning — Allegedly, a process of facilitating “unitary well-being.” It includes imagery, mediation and therapeutic touch.

Mysticism — In philosophy, it is the belief, tendency to believe, or doctrine that there are momentous realities apprehensible only subjectively and nonrationally.

Paranormal — 1. Outside normal human experience and scientifically inexplicable. 2. Supernatural. 3. Relating to alleged paranormal events, such as ESP or psychokinesis.

Paranormalist [adjective] — Showing acceptance of alleged paranormal events.

Postmodern (postmodernist) — Of, relating to, or being any of several movements that emerged in the 20th century against establishmentarian nontraditionalism (which was characterized by rationalism, objectivism, realism and faith in technology).

Reflexology — 1. Variation of acupressure whose postulate is that all bodily organs have corresponding external “reflex points” (on the scalp, ears, face, nose, tongue, neck, back, arms, wrists, hands, abdomen, legs and feet), and that manipulating these points can enhance the flow of “energy.” 2. Foot reflexology. 3. Zone therapy. 4. Macroreflexology and microreflexology. 5. A type of shiatsu that focuses on the hands and feet.

Science of Unitary Human Beings (SUHB) — The “conceptual healthcare system” created by Martha E. Rogers, Ph.D., the author of “Reveille in Nursing” and “An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing”. According to SUHB, all humans are only manifestations of a whole that is both knowable and unknowable.

Therapeutic touch — Derivative of the laying on of hands, initiated in 1972 by Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N., and Dora van Gelder Kunz, a clairvoyant born in the Dutch East Indies. Nursing professor emerita Dolores Krieger is the author of “Accepting Your Power to Heal: The Personal Practice of Therapeutic Touch”, “Foundations for Holistic Health Nursing Practices: The Renaissance Nurse, Living the Therapeutic Touch: Healing As a Lifestyle, The Therapeutic Touch: How to Use Your Hands to Help or to Heal”, and the “Therapeutic Touch Inner Workbook: Ventures in Transpersonal Healing”. TT theory posits chakras and manually transmittable “human energies.”

Unitary health care (unitary nursing) — A mode of nursing based on the work of nursing professor Martha E. Rogers, Ph.D., during the 1950s in New York. It includes Health Patterning and Unitary Pattern Appreciation.

Unitary pattern appreciation (pattern appreciation) — A “process” based on the theory of the Science of Unitary Human Beings and developed by W. Richard Cowling III, R.N., Ph.D., reportedly to promote understanding of one’s “underlying energy.”

Vitalism — The theory or doctrine that something nonmaterial and nonchemical is basically or partly responsible for life or for human life.

Some admirers of the late NYU Dean of Nursing Martha E. Rogers have effectively promoted an incorrect interpretation of her theoretical framework — the Science of Unitary Human Beings (SUHB) — in connection with TT. According to SUHB, the world is organized into irreducible fields, and each human and the environment constitute two such fields, which interact continuously and are mentally perceptible. Unlike TT theory, however, Rogers did not posit “life energy,” nor “human energy fields” that could be manipulated. No objective observation of these alleged fields, nor of the irreducible fields that Rogers posited, has ever been published in any notable scientific journal. Furthermore, they are inconsistent with what is known in science.

Caring Science is a brainchild of Jean Watson, Ph.D., R.N. — past president of the National League for Nursing (the source of American nursing schools’ accreditation), the former dean of the University of Colorado’s School of Nursing, and the founder and director of the Center for Human Caring at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Caring Science rests solely on a set of conjectures about the significance of compassion and empathy, and some qualitative studies (in other words, studies distinguished by comparisons that are not accurately quantifiable).

Neither Caring Science nor SUHB qualifies even as a body of scientific knowledge.

Postmodern nurses tend to exploit and degrade not only the word “science” but also the term “theory.” Theories are the goals of science. In the scientific domain, a theory is: a well substantiated, comprehensive, predictive explanation, generally approved in the scientific community, though not final, of a phenomenon or set of data. This hardly describes the state of affairs in the nursing academic community, many of whose major theorists are propounding not authentic, predictive explanations, but rather theories in the popular sense of the word — in other words, speculations. Nursing graduate students are likely to be exposed to such speculations as King’s Systems Framework and Theory of Goal Attainment, Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort, Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness, Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, Orlando’s Nursing Process Theory, Parse’s Theory of Human Becoming, and Watson’s Theory of Human Caring (the harbinger of Caring Science).

Because there is much dissonance among such putative explanations, each cannot be well substantiated. Indeed, all of those cited above are not much more than abstractions of little use to nurses working in health care facilities. Moreover, their use can conduce to spending time pointlessly.

Evidently to ward off criticisms such as ours, the nursing academia, in the form of Jack R. Phillips, R.N., Ph.D., has described “bad science” as of elements and activities that bring dissolution of wholeness or do not enhance the awareness of wholeness.”

The Bottom Line
Among the expressions that the postmodernists of the nursing academic community have not perverted is one that best fits what they centrally advocate: junk science. By making scientific principles subordinate to their ideals, such academics put nurses at risk legally and patients at risk medically. In addition, they are delaying the progress in the field that can come only with scientific rigor.