Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy
Complete Reviews and Interviews
Complete Reviews and Interviews
Dr. Joseph Mercola
The Mercola Newsletter (www.mercola.com) — An interview also appeared on Mercola.com but is no longer accessible.
In Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, author Amy Lansky tells the incredible story of how homeopathy was used to cure her son of autism. Although Lansky is not a medical professional, she has a Ph.D. from Stanford and worked for NASA as a researcher. She has more than enough scientific training to provide a compelling and easy to understand description of how homeopathy can be used to treat ‘incurable conditions’ like autism. Along with this compelling testimonial, Lansky provides an in-depth account on the history, philosophy and practice of homeopathy, as well as dozens of other testimonials on the power of homeopathy in curing various health problems.
Impossible Cure covers all aspects of homeopathy from how it was developed to supporting research available today, including a guide to current homeopathic resources, and interweaves fact with the personal experiences of many people. The result is an introduction to homeopathy that stands out from the rest and is appropriate for anyone interested in homeopathy, whether they are at the beginner or professional level. There is also an entire chapter devoted to reviewing the scientific evidence supporting the validity of homeopathy. This chapter should help reassure skeptics.
Also useful is Lansky’s use of sound evidence and personal insight to share her unique perspective on why homeopathy is a worthy alternative to traditional medicine. After two decades working as a computer scientist, Lansky was so moved by her son’s healing that she left her career to become an advocate and practitioner of homeopathic medicine. Her enthusiasm, belief and knowledge in homeopathy comes through in her writing and serves as an important guide on how and why homeopathy is a truly effective way to overcome chronic disease and restore mental, emotional and physical health.
Larry Dossey, MD
Executive Editor, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine;
Author: Healing Beyond the Body, Reinventing Medicine, and Healing Words
“Many of the greatest advances in science and medicine begin as observations that don’t fit in. Homeopathy — the ‘impossible cure’ — is just that sort of challenge. Amy Lansky is a skilled guide to the world of homeopathy, and she dispels much of the mystery surrounding this form of therapy. Impossible Cure is a valuable insight for anyone wishing to know more about homeopathy and how it may fit into their search for health.”
Julian Winston
Editor, Homeopathy Today (USA)
Editor, Homeopathy NewZ (New Zealand)
Author, “The Faces of Homeopathy,” and “The Heritage of Homeopathic Literature”
Impossible Cure is the finest general introduction to homeopathy I’ve yet read. Lansky’s writing is magnificently crafted, and all her facts and figures are as straight as can be. She weaves together a seamless exposition about homeopathy — what it is, how it developed, what research exists, and with it gives us her personal journey of discovery…
I have a goodly number of “homeopathic introductions” in my library. Many are just rehashes of the same old stuff. A few really do “step out” and present the material in a new way. This book takes the furthest step — in part because it is the most recent and can draw upon the latest thinking and research — but also because the author drew on the experiences of many people to help her and coupled that with her excellence as a word crafter. This book should be read by everyone interested in homeopathy, from the rank beginner to the seasoned professional. It has something new in it for everyone– no matter which level they are on… Bravo for Amy for having the vision to see it and the skill to make it happen.
Bernard Rimland, PhD
Director, Autism Research Institute; Founder, Autism Society of America
“By writing Impossible Cure, author Amy Lansky has accomplished a (nearly) impossible task: provide a clear, comprehensible, and compelling exposition of homeopathy. Her autistic son’s remarkable response to homeopathic treatment motivated computer scientist Lansky to bring the long-neglected science of homeopathy to public attention. She has succeeded admirably. Impossible Cure is timely, informative, and remarkably reader friendly. An excellent, must-read book. Highly recommended!”
Lia Bello, RN, FNP, CCH
Review for Homeopathy Today (July/August 2003 Issue)
This new book is one of the clearest and most comprehensive introductions to homeopathy in recent times. In Impossible Cure, Amy Lansky, PhD, explains in a remarkably reader-friendly way the science and art of homeopathy. By including dozens of patients’ stories as well as interviews with practitioners, she weaves a well-crafted overview. Her language is not complex, making it accessible to the non-technical reader. This book may very well contribute to the transformation of homeopathy from the ugly duckling of medicine to the swan that it deserves to be.
The book is written from two vantage points: that of a loving mother sharing the heart-wrenching story of her son’s struggle with autism and how homeopathy cured him-and that of a skeptic delving into the mysteries of healing. Amy Lansky was a computer scientist working for NASA when the journey of her son’s healing with homeopathy began. In her words, “It did not take long for me to realize that my son’s miraculous cure from autism was far more revolutionary than any computer program or technological gadgetry.” She also soon decided that she had to write a book to let others know about homeopathy.
Lansky shares the story of how her son, Max, recovered fully from moderate autism. The fact that her son’s homeopath found the simillimum on the first try makes it all the more amazing and gives hope to us all. At first I thought that the title, Impossible Cure, was too dramatic for an introductory book on homeopathy, but after reading about Max and the other vignettes of healing, I have decided that it is appropriate.
The story of Max’s cure is followed by chapters that delve into deep issues, such as, “What is Disease? What is Cure?” Lansky acquaints the reader with the relationship between the symptom pattern and the simillimum. In order to do this, she presents a historical picture of the development of the varied strategies homeopaths may use when they choose a remedy and its potency. LM potency use is included, so the book joins just a handful of others modern enough to speak of this relatively new phenomenon.
Lansky gives a short explanation of related applications of homeopathy outside the classical homeopathic paradigm, including combination remedies, isopathy, anthroposophic medicines, homeopathic prophylaxis, homeopathic “specifics,” cell salts, intuitive and machine-generated prescribing, Flower Essences, herbalism, and energy healing. Lansky states here that it is “important for patients to understand which treatment methods are actually ‘homeopathy’ and which are not.”
Impossible Cure also includes up-to-date information on homeopathic research and its significance in relation to modern medicine. The author’s skill at word crafting is noticeable here-whereas other books’ descriptions of chaos theory, ultra dilutions, and cluster physics had lost me, this book has actually made these complex theories understandable to my brain – no small feat!
Lansky guides fledgling consumers through finding a practitioner, experiencing an initial interview, taking a remedy, and responding to it This is a great help to someone who has no idea what to expect when stepping into homeopathy. The chapter, “Cure is Possible,” relates many success stories drawn from an impressive, international list of practitioners, patients, and their family members – including dramatic reversals of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, fibromyalgia, and mental illness. These are instructive cases illustrating the efficacy of homeopathy.
Impossible Cure sticks to principles and philosophy, completely foregoing any discussion of materia medica and how-to information. It reminds me of George Vithoulkas’ little book, Homeopathy: Medicine of the New Man, which I used to recommend to new patients back in the ’80s. Since then there have been many good books that have tried to tell the whole story of homeopathy, like Ullman’s Discovering Homeopathy, Koehler’s Handbook of Homeopathy, and Ullman and Reichenberg-Ullman’s The Patient’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine. But it is refreshing and somehow even more legitimate to hear it from Lansky, a cured consumer. My only criticism of her book is that it is lacking perspective on how difficult it can be and how long it takes to become an accurate and effective classical homeopathic prescriber. Though we proponents of homeopathy tend to remain optimistic about the potential for cure, the many complicated cases that go uncured with homeopathic treatment should also be factored into the equation.
Modern issues surrounding the tenuous position of homeopathic practice in the U.S. are discussed in the chapter, “The Road Ahead.” Issues of licensure, certification, legal practice, access to remedies, homeopathic training, and health freedom legislation are covered. Few other books address these timely issues.
Since most people, even in enlightened circles, still do not understand homeopathy and its potential, the homeopathic community is faced with the challenge of getting the word out – and the even larger challenge of providing accessible, affordable, professional, homeopathic health care – thereby liberating society from the monopoly of conventional medical care. Homeopathy must grow into a viable healthcare choice for the many – not just for an elite few – and this will take massive education at the grassroots and a shift in how homeopathy is now accessed.
Impossible Cure succeeds in demystifying homeopathy’s approach to healing and will help people understand what embarking on homeopathic treatment is all about. The facts and history are accurate and well-documented. Everyone interested in homeopathy can enjoy this book, from the rank beginner to the seasoned homeopath. The book speaks of the promise that homeopathy holds for those who step forward to use it and for practitioners who work with it daily to cure their patients.
Louis Klein, RSHom
President, Luminos Homeopathic Courses Ltd., Luminos Schools, and Homeopathic Master Clinicians Course (www.homeopathycourses.com);
Author: Clinical Focus Guide to Homeopathic Remedies and Luminos Homeopathic Provings
“Homeopathy is the emerging therapy that offers hope for truly curing chronic disease in a profound way. This book is a comprehensive introduction to the full extent of what homeopathy can do for you. By providing case histories, deep yet understandable explanations of homeopathy (including its relationship to modern medicine), and clear information on what it means to be a homeopathic patient, Impossible Cure is an invaluable resource. A perfect book for patients and first-year students of homeopathy.”
Michael Castleman
Author: The Healing Herbs, The New Healing Herbs, Nature’s Cures, Blended Medicine, and other consumer health books
“Amy Lansky watched in disbelief as homeopathy did the impossible — cured her son, Max, of autism. She delved into the controversial therapy and has become an articulate, passionate advocate for the healing art most physicians continue to dismiss as ‘impossible.’ Her book is filled with a mother’s love and a scientist’s skepticism. The result is one of the best introductions to homeopathy I’ve seen. Two thumbs up for Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy.“
Richard Pitt, CCH, RSHom (NA)
Director, Pacific Academy of Homeopathy, San Francisco
In Impossible Cure, Amy Lansky is … enlightening us to the potential of homeopathy and its fascinating history. Her personal experience of finding a homeopathic cure for her son’s autism is extraordinary enough. However, she has laid out one of the most complete pictures of homeopathy ever written. Extremely well researched, she has managed to make it accessible to an average reader in a way that will open people’s minds about homeopathy. It will also help others already in the health-care field to learn about the potential of homeopathic treatment and to recognize that, in homeopathy, we have one of the most unique and complete systems of medicine available. Like a hidden treasure sitting in a basement for two hundred years, the jewels of homeopathy need to see the light of day. Impossible Cure will help do this. It is a superb document, and for those of us who practice and teach homeopathy, it is an exciting development — one that will help homeopathy take its appropriate place in medicine today.”
Shelley Hall
Reviewer for Homeopathy Now — Newsletter of the West Coast Homeopathic Society (Canada)
“In Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, Amy Lansky presents an intelligent, provocative, and insightful account of both the historical development and present-day issues of homeopathy. Set against the backdrop of her sons Max’s encounter with the tragically limiting childhood disorder of autism, Lansky explores the philosophy, the science, and the practical realities of this healing art in a dynamic and passionate, yet clear and rational voice… Stylistically speaking, one of the distinguishing qualities of this book is the very personal nature of it. Rather than feeling lectured to, the reader is included in what is a vast inquiry and journey of discovery in which homeopathic principles and concepts are carefully explained and illustrated… This is the book for the serious-thinking inquirer of homeopathic medicine and the issues surrounding this alternative healing art. It is reader friendly, comprehensive in scope, and full of experiential insights and depth of exploration.”
Wayne B. Jonas, MD
Director, Samueli Institute;
Former director, Office of Alternative Medicine, NIH
“An accessible guide to one of the most mysterious of healing arts.”
D.Patrick Miller
Fearless Books Review (www.fearlessbooks.com)
Here’s a timely medical pop quiz: After heart disease and cancer, what is the No. 3 killer of Americans today? The answer is shocking, and all the more so for not being the stuff of screaming headlines, Congressional inquiries, and public outrage. According to a 2000 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the third leading cause of death in the most medically technologized nation on earth is modern medicine itself, with at least 225,000 deaths yearly attributed to medical drugs, hospital errors or infections, and unnecessary surgeries (
In fact millions of Americans are already engaged in such a reevaluation on a firsthand basis, turning to a variety of alternative health care treatments in record numbers. Once-exotic approaches such as Oriental acupuncture are increasingly commonplace, and the next alternative modality due for greater public awareness may be the traditional Western practice known as homeopathy. In her book Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, former NASA research scientist Amy Lansky, Ph.D. sets forth the case for a revival of this holistic healing art in a well-written and ultimately inspiring volume arguing that the cure for what ails us medically is a very different perception of how the body works — and the best way to help it set itself right when it isn’t working so well.
Serving equally as a history, polemic, and layman’s introduction to a distinct medical discipline of which most Americans are ignorant, Impossible Cure is the result of the author’s own philosophical conversion after witnessing the total homeopathic cure of autism in her son Max. During and after that experience, she learned about so many other dramatic cures via homeopathy — of Alzheimer’s, cancer, HIV infection, and acute diarrhea in children, to name just a few — that she quit her two-decades career in computer science to become an advocate and practitioner of this alternative medicine. This meant a big change in the care of her own family as well: “I would no longer dream of doing things I had done routinely for years — suppressing fevers with aspirin or acetaminophen, coughs with cough suppressant, skin problems with cortisone, or combating ear infections with antibiotics.”
Still, for a scientifically-minded mom to abandon conventional medical care of her family would seem to require more evidence of homeopathy’s efficacy than a handful of miraculous anecdotes, even if she experienced one of them firsthand. Thus Dr. Lansky shares what she has learned about the little-known research in the field, summarizing “hundreds of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies [proving] that homeopathic remedies are indeed effective medicine” and providing some details on particular studies of homeopathic benefits for allergies, flu, postoperative pain in children, drug and alcohol recovery, and more. She also points out that homeopathy is a well-established treatment mode outside the US, being integrated into the national health care systems of the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries.
In fact homeopathy was once far more accepted even in the United States, giving conventional “allopathic” practice a run for its money in the 19th century. The fact that it fell out of favor is the major factor in its reputation here as the “black sheep” of medicine, although Dr. Lansky claims that the bad rep of homeopathy has far less to do with medical efficacy than medical economics — not to mention the American penchant for the quick fix of symptom suppression. By the mid-20th century, the author reports that allopathy had become “…easier to practice and much more financially lucrative. Because homeopathy requires individualized treatment for each patient, it tends to be time-consuming. There are very few circumstances in which a homeopath can say, ‘Just take this medicine for that condition.’ Instead, remedy selection is tailored to the unique symptomatic profile of each patient. This makes homeopathy a much more arduous medical art, as well as much less financially profitable than allopathy.”
No wonder that homeopathy became a shunned practice, leading to the modern paradox of treatment that allows a licensed MD to dispense homeopathic treatments without any training whatsoever, while certified homeopaths cannot even say they are practicing medicine (in the US, homeopaths are limited to dispensing treatments as “recommendations” and insurance is nonexistent). Lansky’s book is clearly a shot across the bow of popular opinion to change this situation, and her effort appears well-timed. Minnesota, Rhode Island, and California have all recently passed bills legitimizing some forms of alternative practice, and similar legislative efforts are underway in at least eight states. As the American health care system looks increasingly like a stalled Titanic about to break in half, the resurgence of an alternative medical approach that actually does have a track record of success could occur much more quickly than anyone suspects.
But as Dr. Lansky admits, a significant stumbling block for the popular acceptance of homeopathic practice is that even its advocates cannot explain exactly how it works. The “Law of Similars” conceived by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the brilliant and sometimes eccentric founder of homeopathy, states that “a disease can be cured by a substance if that substance can cause, in a healthy person, symptoms similar to those of the disease.” Thus, the typical homeopathic remedy consists of an ultradilution of some natural substance (anything from pure minerals to flower pollen to snake venom) that, if undiluted, would cause a healthy person to exhibit the same symptoms as the sick person being treated. This mechanism is not in itself exotic; conventional vaccinations work on a similar principle, although they introduce much more toxic material into the body and are thus inherently riskier than homeopathic remedies.
At any rate, ultradiluted homeopathic remedies seem to spur a natural immune response that speeds the body’s healing of itself. By contrast, conventional allopathic medicines apply various natural and synthetic substances designed chiefly to suppress symptoms rather than to stimulate a natural healing response. In fact, many allopathic medications actually stress the body’s immune system (as in the case of antibiotics, steroids, chemotherapy, and many others), and can lead to more serious medical conditions than the ones they are used to treat.
The mystery of homeopathy is that its remedies are so diluted that they often contain less than one molecule of the substance that supposedly triggers the body’s healing response. Chemically speaking, that means the substance can no longer be detected in the solution. But as Dr. Lansky reveals, recent research into the nature of ultradiluted solutions suggests that there may be more to the homeopathic method than the placebo effect and good intentions. Of several angles of research being pursued currently, one of the most intriguing suggests that ultradiluted substances may leave a subtle “electromagnetic signature” in water that triggers the body’s response because it may be “just this kind of electromagnetic signal, conveyed in water, that is the key to how information is carried within biological organisms in general.”
But Lansky concludes that it is less important how a remedy works than the fact that it does; after all, the actions of many conventional medicines are not fully understood. And in fact allopathy does sometimes make use of homeopathic remedies, notably in the case of the heart treatments known as digitalis and nitroglycerin. Lansky also makes it clear that the shift to a homeopathic point of view is just as much a matter of philosophy as technique. Unlike allopathy — which views the human organism as a machinelike aggregation of systems whose malfunctions can be disparately treated in much the same way a mechanic would fix a car — homeopathy attends chiefly to the “vital force” that animates the body, aiming to help that force regain its complex and dynamic balance. This vital-force concept is similar to the “chi” of Oriental medicine and the “prana” of yoga and Ayurveda.
While the symptoms of disease are the homeopath’s clues to treatment, she is ultimately less interested in suppressing or eliminating those symptoms than in restoring the body’s natural mechanisms for self-healing and maintenance. And it is precisely that holistic focus, Dr. Lansky asserts, that enables homeopathy to produce total and sometimes miraculous cures in cases where conventional medicine would assume that the most a patient can expect from treatment is a little more time to live or partial relief from pain and suffering.
Buttressed with research references, recommendations for further reading and a guide to current homeopathic resources, Impossible Cure presents an uncompromising call for a rethinking of conventional medical practice in the US. “In the 19th century, homeopathy, an inherently energetic system of healing, was perhaps before its time,” asserts Dr. Lansky. “Now that the philosophical ramifications of modern physics and quantum reality are beginning to enter our collective consciousness, it may finally be time for homeopathy to take its rightful place as a leading energy-based medicine of the 21st century. Indeed, homeopathy may be one of the only truly effective means we have for overcoming chronic disease and restoring our mental, emotional, and physical health. Shouldn’t we have it available to us?”
Greg Cooper
Owner, Minimum Price Homeopathic Books (www.minimum.com)
“We have never had this kind of response to an introductory book.”
Doug Brown, CCH, RSHom(NA)
Homeopathic practitioner and Editor, NASH News (Newsletter of the North American Society of Homeopaths)
“After I gave Impossible Cure to my 80-year-old mother to read, she exclaimed, ‘Now I understand why you’ve become so obsessed with homeopathy!’ The power of this book to demonstrate how fascinating, miraculous, and valuable homeopathy is to the general reader is what makes this book invaluable to my practice. I recommend it to all my patients. They then understand more deeply the value of their own homeopathic experience, and become empowered to transmit that excitement and enthusiasm to their family members and friends.”
Francis Treuherz
Homeopathic practitioner, United Kingdom. Reviewer for The Homoeopath (UK journal)
I have so many introductory books on homeopathy for the general reader, I thought it would be impossible for there to ever be another interesting one, and yet, here it is, Impossible Cure. This is the story which parallels the lives of so many of us. That is, a busy and successful professional has a sick member of her family, impossible to cure, only to discover homeopathy, which of course works. She becomes an advocate for homeopathy, retrains and becomes a professional homeopath herself. Amy Lansky was working in Silicon Valley in the heart of the Californian computer industry, when her son was diagnosed with autism, which was eventually cured with homeopathy. She writes with verve and clarity about her family’s story.
This is more than an account of the personal road to cure, for the author’s stance has become political: – Amy writes of the legal challenges facing our profession, and her work in the struggle for health freedom in her home state. The last chapter focuses on issues like licensure, training, recognition and access to remedies. She has gone one step further than most of us by joining the Californian Coalition for Health Freedom. Her book has become a best seller on Amazon.
Max and Izaak, (her sons) were treated by John Melnychuck, who studied at the London College of Classical Homeopathy; the book has a foreword by Richard Pitt, who studied at the Tiverton branch of the College of Homeopathy. Both of these homeopaths are now resident in California. Amy herself studied at the School of Homeopathy (Devon) among other places. She practises and preaches the same type of homeopathy as we do.
There is a well-written explanation of the origins and meaning of homeopathy, especially its rise and fall and rise over 200 years in the USA and elsewhere. The principles are well described, and so is the scientific literature. There are also some real live short case histories, and here I must declare an interest, as one of my own is included. There are miracle cures of both acute illness and life threatening emergencies. The one that impressed me most is a case of varicose veins in the legs, of traumatic origin. They suddenly became worse as part of the remedy aggravation, and then, within five minutes of receiving the remedy, these tough gnarled old varicosities disappeared. This is the most exciting introduction to homeopathy you could read and pass on to your potential patients. This book will help them understand what to expect and how to go about the new experience of becoming a homeopathic patient. And this is a most useful book for you to have when preparing your own talks, full of lively references and quotations all ready for you to use. It is a charming book. Having cast her critical eye over this review my wife is even now reading it with pleasure.
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD
Homeopathic practitioner, New Zealand. Reviewer for Links Homeopathic Journal
“This book is going to be an international best-seller… This is a book of hope for the public… a book of information and of testimony that is going to do more for homeopathy than any political bickering has been able to do until now.”
John Melnychuk, CCH, RSHom(NA)
Homeopathic practitioner, Palo Alto, California
“Amy Lansky’s new book, Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy is now the best patient education book available. It is a compelling and entertaining read; even after 10 years of full-time practice, I couldn’t stop reading and put it down! Impossible Cure is also well researched and informative. It contains easily readable and comprehensive introductions to philosophy, history, and more recent scientific and clinical studies. Impossible Cure is an excellent book for both clients and first year students of homeopathy. My patients who have read it are much better informed and provide better case information. I find it a bit easier to manage their cases since they have learned quite a lot about what we are looking for in Homeopathy. You should have no problem selling copies to clients — mine are snapping them up!”
Begabati Lennihan, RN, CCH
Director, Teleosis School of Homeopathy, Boston, Massachusetts
“I have just read Impossible Cure and I am ecstatic! It is a perfect general introduction to the concepts of homeopathy — the book we have all been waiting for. I am telling all my patients and students that it is a MUST READ.”
Bonnie Rotenberg
Homeopathic practitioner, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
“In my practice I’ve been dispensing [Impossible Cure] to eager clients. They return with a new understanding that I was never quite able to convey.”
Maggie Foran Taeger
Homeopathic practitioner, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
“Amy Lansky has written the ultimate user’s guide to homeopathy. This is the book I have been waiting to pass along to clients, family, and friends, for purposes of: 1) initiating a real understanding of the nature of homeopathy and its philosophy; 2) overcoming skepticism due to misunderstanding and prejudice; and 3) familiarizing potential clients with the conventions of homeopathic practice. This last point includes promoting understanding of the role of the client as a partner in the healing process. All this is presented in an enjoyable manner, in a conversational style, but rigorously supported by Ms. Lansky’s research and documentation, and by her fine understanding of homeopathic principles. She enlivens her subject matter with real-life stories gathered from a spectrum of homeopathic clients, and with stories of her own interesting experiences with homeopathic healing, including the cure of her son’s autism. Its thorough and scholarly treatment sets Impossible Cure apart from other books on the subject written for the general public.”
CWellens
Amazon Reviewer
“With the anecdotes and stories of how people are using homeopathy to address various ailments, it is a riveting read. I read the entire book in two evenings; it was that interesting and exciting.”
Richard P. Gabriel, PhD, MFA
Poet and computer scientist
Author: Patterns of Software (Oxford) and Writer’s Workshop & The Work of Making Things (Addison-Wesley)
“When I started to read Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy by Amy Lansky, I thought I would be reading about her search to cure her son — and in fact, that story is the heart of the book in several senses. But I didn’t expect to find … one of the most important discussions … on bringing the health professions up to date with the rest of contemporary science… This book — on the surface a human story about the search for cure in one particular case — is perhaps one of the most important books of the early twenty-first century.
Rebecca Brown (Rebecca Reads)
At the core of Impossible Cure is Amy Lansky’s story of how her son was cured of autism. It also provides an in-depth & exciting account of the history, philosophy, science & experience of the Homeopathic healing system.
In America, over a century ago, homeopathy was well known & highly successful. However, with the codification of the medical system & the rise in influence of the pharmaceutical companies, it was relegated to the edge of medicine, precisely because it is inexpensive & somewhat miraculous, dealing with “The Law of Similars” which is way beyond the established medical practice of heroic, invasive rescue. Once again, Homeopathy’s time has come, & Impossible Cure will go a long way to bringing it to everyone’s attention.
Hahnemann (no one uses his Christian names), the creator of the Homeopathic System, was born in Meissen, Germany back when our understanding about vaccinations was just beginning, back before the United States of America existed, in an era when universities taught medical studies, & medical theories were based primarily on the balance of our bodies’ “humours”.
Chapter 2 of Impossible Cure is devoted to Hahnemann’s story, his scientific discoveries & the harassment he received for them. By 1810 Hahnemann had published the first edition of Organon — his comprehensive text on the principles & practice of Homeopathy, still used today by students & practitioners alike. Homeopathy, to put it simply, (forgive my errors, one & all, I am a mere reviewer of books & can only tell my Readers what I have learnt) is a total understanding of patients’ predicaments, from what they eat, to where they’ve been, how they are feeling, where they sleep, & the use of certain, specific diluted organic substances to assist the body in healing itself.
Clearly Homeopathy is much more complicated than that & Amy Lansky has done a good job of explaining it for the layperson, so much so that practitioners from many schools of alternative medicine recommend it highly.
While Amy Lansky has written her book to be accessible & exciting, it is not one you would read from cover to cover at one sitting because it is part reference, part textbook, part memoir & a thorough account of her research into this alternative approach to health care.
Years ago when I worked for a doctor who used Homeopathy, I often met students from Bastyr University situated north of Seattle, where Homeopathy has been taught for 25 years, gleaning many insights into how this healing works. I was always pleasantly surprised at how gently & thoroughly the remedies cured what ailed me from colds, arthritis, allergies, deafness & the like. Now, Homeopathy is being used to heal chronic modern ailments.
Impossible Cure is much, much more than a memoir of a son’s recovery. Amy Lansky took an intense course in alternative medical practices, focusing especially on Homeopathy. It might make you do a double take about this little-known & extraordinarily gentle form of healing were you to learn that HRH Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has used it all her life, & not at all because she is wealthy — because it works!
If you are at your wit’s end & have found no hope or ease from your ailments within the established medical system, I do suggest you immerse yourself in Impossible Cure & see how it may help you.
Amy Lansky graduated from the University of Rochester with degrees in mathematics & computer science, & received her doctorate in computer science from Stanford University. As a result of her son’s illness she studied at Misha Norland’s School of Homoeopathy in Devon, England; the Homeopathic Master Clinician’s course with Louis Klein: studied with Simon Taffler, Sadhna Thakkar, Jan Scholten, & Alize Timmerman. She has served as coeditor of The American Homeopath, the journal of the North American Society of Homeopaths. She is an executive board member of the California Health Freedom Coalition. She is an amateur musician, a vocalist with several local rock bands & is currently studying piano composition.
Interview with Rebecca Brown 2/15/04 (Rebecca Reads)
Rebecca:
At the core of your book is the story of how your son was cured of autism by Homeopathy. What drew you to this system of healing?Amy:
I had been interested in alternative medicine for some time, mostly for myself. Like most people, I was a dabbler — picking up things in health food stores, taking a Tai Chi or Qi Gong class, etc. My first real introduction to homeopathy was an article in Mothering Magazine (a progressive parenting magazine) about the treatment of childhood behavioral problems. The author, Seattle naturopath Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, ND, claimed to have a success rate of 80% in cases of ADHD. We were already struggling with my son’s autism at the time (he was 3 1/2) & somehow this short article immediately struck a chord with me. I got a referral to a homeopath the very next day. The rest is history.Rebecca:
How does Homeopathy differ from “regular” medicine?Amy:
Homeopathy has a completely different perspective about what health, disease, & cure is all about. Like many systems of alternative medicine, homeopathy does not view & treat disease in terms of isolated physical or mental symptoms — headaches, foot fungus, depression. Instead, all of the physical & mental symptoms that a patient is experiencing are viewed holistically — as part of a single “disease”. Their headaches, fungus, & depression are viewed as symptoms of a single underlying condition that must be treated.In “regular” medicine, each symptom is treated separately, usually with a different medicine, & often by a different doctor. It’s not unusual for a person to be taking 10 medicines every day. From a homeopathic standpoint, these medicines are usually just suppressing or palliating the symptoms, not curing them. In fact, such medicines are viewed as dangerous, because they simply “push around” the symptoms, without treating their fundamental cause.
In contrast, a classical homeopath will select a single remedy that corresponds to the entire symptom picture of a patient. Remedy selection is highly individualized, because everyone is different. If 10 people came to a homeopath with migraine, each one might receive a different remedy. A successful prescription is also holistic in its effects — it can lead to a cure of the entire person. It is not unusual for a single remedy to improve sleep function, regulate the menstrual cycle, remove migraines, improve mental outlook, & clear up back pain. My book is full of amazing first-person anecdotes of wide-ranging cures. I’ve experienced them myself.
Rebecca:
What can Homeopathy help heal?Amy:
As the title of my book, Impossible Cure intimates, Homeopathy can heal many things that people think are impossible to cure. As you know, my son was cured of autism. Under the care of an experienced homeopath, patients can find cures, or at least substantial improvement, for most forms of chronic disease — e.g., allergies, asthma, migraine, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, arthritis, & much more.Homeopathy, of course, can also treat acute diseases — both bacterial & viral — very effectively. Many moms know that a how-to book & remedy kit in the home can do wonders in these situations. Treatment by a professional homeopath, however, is usually preferable. Homeopathy also has a 200 year history of success in treating even the most virulent of epidemics — cholera, typhoid, flu, diphtheria, even smallpox.
Rebecca:
When is Homeopathy not useful?Amy:
In general, once pathological tissue changes have occurred that are difficult for the body to remove or repair, homeopathic cure becomes more difficult. Homeopathy can help the body to heal itself, but when even this is not remotely possible, it too becomes more limited.For example, homeopathy can’t set a broken arm or close an open gaping wound, but it can help the body to heal the broken bone & the wound faster. Homeopathy can enable the cure of cancer because the body often has the potential to absorb or expel tumors, but I have never heard of a homeopathic cure of Type 1 diabetes, because the pancreas is simply too damaged to repair itself & produce insulin anymore. Fortunately, most diseases are functional; that is, they reflect an inability of the body to work optimally. Homeopathy has the ability to restore this functionality.
Rebecca:
How does Homeopathy work?Amy:
That’s a good question! From a biochemical viewpoint, homeopathy’s mechanism of action is still not understood. Homeopathy is an “energy” medicine, as is acupuncture. The remedies are thought to operate primarily on the body energy or, as homeopaths call it, the vital force. It is here where disease is thought to originate, & it is here where cure begins. A repaired vital force can enable the body to function properly again & heal itself.The way the remedies operate is according to homeopathy’s central therapeutic principle — the Law of Similars. Homeopathy’s founder, Samuel Hahnemann (a German physician of the early 1800s) discovered that if a substance could cause the symptoms of a disease, it could also cure that disease. His first experience of this was with Peruvian bark (the source of quinine), which to this day is used as a treatment for malaria. He took some Peruvian bark himself & soon developed the sweats and sensations of malaria. When he stopped, the symptoms went away. He deduced that this was why Peruvian bark cured malaria — because it could also cause malaria symptoms in healthy people.
Homeopaths choose a remedy for a patient based on this same law. They try to find the substance that has been proven to cause symptoms similar to those being experienced by the patient — both mental & physical. Giving this remedy to the patient creates a kind of action/reaction response — the remedy acts (produces the symptoms being experienced), & the body reacts in counteraction by removing the symptoms.
Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that. As many of your readers might know, homeopathic remedies are prepared from ultra-dilutions of natural substances. The pill you take might be made from arsenic or from a flower, but from a chemical standpoint, there is not even a single molecule of arsenic or flower in it. Instead, the “energy” of arsenic or the flower has been transferred into the ultra-dilution that was used to prepare the pill. Most scientists would say that there’s nothing inside it at all!
Being a scientist myself, my book tries to tackle this issue from a scientific point of view. It includes a discussion of several medical trials that prove that homeopathy does work (& that its success is not due to the “placebo effect”), & it also discusses how homeopathic remedies might actually be working. In particular, recent research in biophysics has shown that there really might be something in homeopathic ultra-dilutions; somehow, the structure of the water in them has been changed. In the past 10 years, more & more scientific results have begun to support the findings of the homeopaths from the 1800s. Within the next 50 years, the validity of homeopathy may finally be proven in the lab.
Rebecca:
Are there many Homeopathic practitioners in America, and where can we find them?Amy:
Unfortunately, there aren’t as many well-trained homeopathic practitioners out there as I’d like. For example, there are only about 300 certified classical homeopaths in the USA & Canada. You can find them at www.homeopathicdirectory.org.Some naturopaths, acupuncturists, osteopaths, & chiropractors also practice a bit of homeopathy. My advice is to pursue serious homeopathic treatment only with a practitioner who uses homeopathy as their primary modality. Unfortunately, there are also some people out there who say they are doing “homeopathy” but whose services have nothing to do with homeopathy — even if they are handing out “homeopathic” remedies. My book provides guidance in selecting a good homeopath & preparing for homeopathic treatment.
One of the reasons for the low numbers of homeopaths in the USA is that homeopathy isn’t licensed by any state. So most homeopaths, like most alternative practitioners, have to operate in a kind of legal gray-zone. Luckily, health freedom laws are being passed or promoted in several states right now that will make the practice of many safe unlicensed forms of alternative medicine (including homeopathy) completely legal. I was involved in the passage of a health freedom law in my home state of California in 2002.
Rebecca:
What other alternative healing processes have you explored?Amy:
I have tried traditional chiropractic, network chiropractic, ayurveda, Qi-gong, Reiki, massage, acupuncture, cranio-sacral work, and traditional osteopathy. Since my son’s cure from autism (which began in 1995), my family primarily uses homeopathy. We occasionally see a traditional osteopath & I find Reiki very helpful too.Rebecca:
What do you hope readers will take from your book?Amy:
My primary motive for writing Impossible Cure was to let everyone know about homeopathy — & to provide them with enough information so that they too can find a cure. I want to give people hope & knowledge.Most people are not being well-served by the current health care system. They should know that there is another way — a way that is usually safer, more effective, & much less expensive, especially in the long-term. Given my own experiences, I find it completely unacceptable that homeopathy is probably the least-understood form of alternative medicine today.
Of course, I am especially motivated to reach other parents with autistic children. My son’s cure was a miracle & I want other children to be saved as well. It’s not simple though. Homeopathic treatment of something as serious as autism (or any other form of chronic disease) cannot be done through self-treatment. People need to learn a lot about homeopathy to find a well-trained practitioner & stick with it. A well-educated patient is crucial in homeopathy because patients must be active participants in their own treatment.
Happily, I can report that I personally know of several families who have pursued homeopathic treatment of their autistic children because of my book. Many of these children are already showing great improvement. Saving one more life makes all of my efforts worthwhile. Thank you Rebecca, for helping me to reach many more people with my message!
Rebecca:
If this remarkable system of healing has caught your interest, do check out my review of Impossible Cure. & get yourself a copy, it is fascinating!
Disclaimer: Impossible Cure is based on information from sources believed to be accurate and reliable and every reasonable effort has been made to make the book as complete and accurate as possible. However, such completeness and accuracy is not guaranteed.
Although Impossible Cure discusses the homeopathic method of treatment, including stories of cure using various remedies, it is intended only as a general introduction to homeopathy. It is not meant to give specific recommendations of medical, psychological, or other advice regarding the treatment of particular illnesses. Nor does it make any warranties or guarantees of any sort that any of the information provided in the book (or that provided in any of the books, material, or the services of any practitioner recommended within the book or this web site) will produce any particular medical, physical, emotional or other result. This book is not intended to be a replacement for good medical diagnosis and treatment by a licensed physician or for care by a certified health-care practitioner. Readers are strongly cautioned to consult with a licensed health-care professional before utilizing any information in Impossible Cure, and if they choose to pursue to homeopathic treatment, to do so under the supervision of a licensed physician and a certified homeopath.
Please note that Amy L. Lansky, PhD is not a licensed physician. Her doctorate is in Computer Science and was granted by Stanford University. She has closed her homeopathic practice as of January 2007, but is happy to correspond with parents to provide referrals and support via email (see contact form on this site).
There is no confidential, professional, or other relationship between you and Amy L. Lansky, PhD created as a result of the information provided in Impossible Cure or this web site, or as a result of E-mail or other forms of communication between you and Amy L. Lansky, PhD. Amy L. Lansky, PhD and R.L.Ranch Press will not be liable to you or any other party for direct or indirect compensatory, special, incidental or consequential damages.