Jan de Vries: A Life in Healing

A middle-aged lady came to see me at my London clinic one day looking extremely healthy and happy. Although she lives abroad and I had not seen her for a number of years, I instantly recognised her. Her friendly smile now lit up her face but I could not help but remember a very different picture, as we had experienced a particularly anxious time when trying to treat her as a young girl. She smiled at me as she said, ‘Can you believe how well I am? I now have three children, and I just wanted to come to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done for me.’

I was so pleased to see her because I sometimes get depressed when I dwell on the many illnesses and diseases I see every day. It is very heartening when one is able to see the evidence of how nature can help people, particularly those who have come to the end of the road in terms of what conventional medicine can offer them. This particular patient had been crippled with arthritis at a very young age. Her doctors were unable to help her but, thankfully, with the application of acupuncture and the prescription of some remedies, I was able to turn her situation around.

I was once called to a London hospital where I found the distraught parents of a young girl sitting helplessly at her bedside. They had come from Nigeria in the hope of finding help but the doctors were baffled as to what was wrong with their daughter until they eventually diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This is a chronic, multi-system inflammatory disease that can affect any and every organ, and by the time the diagnosis was made, she was in such a bad way that she was not expected to live more than a few weeks.

From her bed, the young girl looked up at me with big brown eyes as if pleading, ‘Please help me.’ I talked to her and, indeed, I too was worried because, after carrying out some iris diagnosis, feeling her pulse and looking at her tongue, I could see that her system was being poisoned. She had an extremely congested lymphatic system and a lot of skin problems, both of which are indicators of SLE. I took a blood sample, which was extensively researched and, from that, it was concluded that a lot of poisonous material had been accumulating in her system, probably for a few years.

I immediately set about prescribing some remedies for her – such as a strong antioxidant, Petasites, very high levels of vitamin C and as much beetroot juice as she could drink. After I saw the results of her blood test, I also phoned Alfred Vogel and explained the situation to him. As luck would have it, he said that he was actually going to be taking a break from his travels to visit London and he would be willing to see her.

A week later, he joined me at the bedside of this young girl in one of London’s foremost hospitals. Vogel was also shocked at what he saw and said that we would need to use a strange, old-fashioned remedy that his grandmother regularly used when faced with serious problems. I was fascinated by his story of how the roots of couch grass were extremely helpful in cases such as this and immediately went to get some fresh couch grass juice via a friend in London who had agreed to help us. Vogel looked at her compassionately, took her pulse and said, ‘I am sure she is going to make it.’ Although she was critically ill at that time, he was right.

As soon as she awakened each morning, this young girl was given a small glass of fresh couch grass juice to drink. Fortunately I had planned to be in London for a few days and was therefore able to call on her after she had taken the initial dose. As her temperature continued to rise, the doctors were becoming increasingly alarmed that she would not pull through but, nevertheless, they were all willing to help. Once she started to show signs of improvement, they began to have faith in what we were doing and became so supportive that they left it up to us to do what we felt necessary as, scientifically, they could do nothing further to help this young girl. The end result was that she survived – with a simple helping hand from nature.

I have told the story many times of when I was in a quandary over a patient’s needs and Vogel advised me to go to the seaside or into the fields to ponder over what nature could offer to help. I am pleased to say that I have never been disappointed by the many answers that have sometimes been literally lying at my feet. The answer often becomes clear when I can actually see the herbs, plants or even trees which might offer me a clue, through their signatures or characteristics, as to what I should use to help a patient.

Situated across from Vogel’s house was the Ida Wegmann Institute and I vividly recollect when we went there to study what they were practising. Vogel reminded me of one of their main remedies – Mistletoe (Viscum album) – and explained why they had chosen mistletoe preparations to help treat cancer patients. When he saw mistletoe growing in an oak tree, he used to say to me, ‘Look what that is doing. The mistletoe is growing like a parasite on the tree just as cancer grows like a parasite in the human body.’ It has been proved that Mistletoe can stimulate cell metabolism and, as this is generally weak in cancer patients, mistletoe preparations offer a valuable treatment. It is sometimes known as ‘the plant of life and death’, as it has both negatives and positives. It gives a clear message – ‘Please use me. I am growing here like a parasite, killing this tree, just as cancer does, in this tree of life, which is what Man really is. Use me homoeopathically so that I can attack and kill off the cancer cells in the body, which are slowly killing this life within us.’ During my years in practice, I have repeatedly been amazed at the remarkable results that can be achieved by using this parasitic plant.

Sometimes we are blind to what is going on around us. We must open our eyes to find the herb, plant or tree created by God that can help us. I am a firm believer that God has kept his promise by supplying us with everything in nature that we need to heal and protect our health – although it is up to Man to discover how these plants can be used. Instead of spending millions of pounds in finding out what happens on the moon or in examining the stars, we should be investigating and researching what is out there in nature and how it can be used to alleviate human suffering. After all, that is our greatest responsibility. Vogel used to say in his lectures, ‘We are each other’s debtors. We have to help each other in this often difficult life, and by sharing in each other’s difficulties, we are helping wherever we can, which is of the utmost importance.’

A well-known gentleman entered my consulting room recently. I immediately recognised him and was aware of the high position he held. He looked sharply at me and, before even sitting down, asked, ‘Do you practise intuitive medicine?’ As nobody had ever asked me that before, I pondered over it for a moment. I asked him to sit down and enquired what he really meant by his question. He explained that he had followed my work for a long time, had read my books and was of the opinion that I must do a lot through intuition. He then asked if I believed in the sixth sense. I replied that I believed there are five tangible senses and, indeed, I did believe that intuition was a sixth sense. This response seemed to reassure him, as he then said he wanted me to treat him. I proceeded to examine him, carried out the necessary tests to confirm what was wrong and, fortunately, his treatment was successful.

Whilst writing this book, and thinking about that particular gentleman, I recalled an incident that took place an extremely long time ago when Alfred Vogel and I were waiting for the arrival of our train. A young family of five were also at the station – the parents and their three children. In that dank station, Vogel focused his attention on one particular child and became eager to talk to the family. Eventually he went up to them and enquired what was wrong with their child. The mother started to cry and said she was so pleased that we had approached them, even though she had no idea who Vogel or I were. With Vogel’s knowledge and experience, he intuitively knew that there was something seriously wrong with that child and he wanted the mother’s confirmation that he was correct. As it turned out, the parents stated that their daughter had leukaemia.

While Vogel spoke to these parents, he asked me to take down some notes. He then explained who he was and offered his help. He asked me to send some medicines for this child, free of charge. He assured the family that we would keep in contact with them and help their child to the best of our ability. After we had all the information we needed about this young girl, and received her parents’ agreement to treat her, their train arrived and, as it pulled out of the station, I caught a glimpse of the happy expression on Vogel’s face as he had yet again given help where it was needed. Many years have passed since our encounter at that dark station when everyone showed concern for that lovely young girl. Her parents wrote faithfully to me and, today, it is comforting to know that their daughter is alive and well.

Vogel was also blessed with a seventh sense. When he was faced with tremendous worries, he tried to look at problems from a humorous angle. That seventh sense – the sense of humour – was something that frequently helped him through difficult times. Like Vogel, having a sense of humour has helped me when things have not been easy, as I have written in Fifty Years Fighting. It is therefore important to look forward and never to lose that sense of humour. After all, it takes much less effort to smile than to frown.

When I helped to launch Vogel’s first book, The Nature Doctor, in Holland, I was very aware that he had written it as he wanted to share his knowledge with others. It soon sold over 500,000 copies. Virtually every household in Holland now owns a copy and it has sold over 2,500,000 worldwide. This book, however, is only the tip of the iceberg in relation to the knowledge Vogel had. It provides first-hand advice on natural healing methods but he ends this informative book by saying:

We only have one chance at this life and so we must make the most of it. No one wants to live with problems, so we must do all we can to minimise or eliminate difficulties. On a daily basis in my practice I hear patients say, ‘Oh well, I have a problem. I will have to live with it.’ This is not true. If you have a problem, then you must make every effort to eradicate it, in order to have as fulfilling a life as possible.

It is said that ‘you get out of life what you put into it’, or ‘you reap what you sow’. When we invest in our health, it is essential that we do so sensibly. As I have said in a previous chapter, there is nothing common about common sense. We should all set aside some time to sit down and contemplate where we are going wrong. Our own intuition will guide us and help us to restore balance. If we have lost that sense, then we have lost everything. My mother used to stress the importance of listening ‘to your inner voice’, which will tell us what we should or shouldn’t do. By being in tune with our bodies, we will achieve greater happiness and enjoy good health.

In coming to the end of this autobiography, I would like to add how grateful I am to my Creator for letting me be a little part in this life. Although I am only a small drop in the ocean, it is comforting to know that everyone on earth belongs to that ocean. I am also grateful to those who have shown me the way to truth, reality and understanding. When I look at the sun, the moon and stars, the fields, the trees and flowers – in fact, all that is around us – I am thankful that I am a small part of that great creation, where I have seen that nature will always overrule science.

The last time I met with my great friend Alfred Vogel, we reflected, with grateful thanks, on the many years we had worked together and the part we had been able to play in alleviating human suffering. Looking back over the many positive results we had achieved made us both feel very humble that we could be used to show a way forward in a world where so many systems have failed. And nearly 40 years after we first met, we both agreed that nature is still our best friend.

Nowadays, many people in the Western world are obsessed with body image. It would, however, be more beneficial if they became familiar with the way their body works rather than just the way it looks, as it is vital that we learn to recognise the warning signs when something may be going wrong. The last thing I want to do is turn people into hypochondriacs or neurotics but we need to pay attention to our bodies when they tell us to ‘STOP’. A lot of people, including myself, often ignore the warning signs and try to carry on regardless. If this is allowed to happen, then the body will draw on its own reserve energies, and as soon as these energies become low, our immune system is laid open to attack. This is what happened to me in Australia when I contracted a virus and then developed diabetes. I had been working too hard, preparing for Alfred’s arrival, and my resistance to infection was low. Contrary to general opinion, you cannot catch a virus easily; the body must be susceptible to attack, and this can have disastrous results.

The other day, I had a visit from a lady who was 103. It was apparent that she was incredibly alert and intelligent from the questions she asked me and she also told me about the daily duties she was still able to attend to. I was so impressed at how sharp-witted she was that I knew there must be an explanation, so I explained to her that I was in the process of gathering a wide variety of information for a new series of books that I was going to write called Jan de Vries’s Health Secrets. I told her a little about my great friend Alfred Vogel, remarking on how fresh his mind had been right up to the end and how he had given me many tips, and then I asked her if she would mind letting me into her own secret. She told me the same thing that my grandmother had told me when she was 98 years of age: ‘The secret to good health and a bright mind is to keep yourself up to date with everything.’ Although by that time in her life my grandmother could no longer see and needed the help of an assistant, she still made sure that she kept her mind active by doing daily crosswords.

This lady told me that as well as keeping up to date she kept in tune with her body and whenever something went wrong – even if it was something like a minor cold – she took action straight away. She is one of the countless people who believes that Echinaforce from Alfred Vogel is an outstanding remedy and, like Vogel (who used Echinaforce throughout his life because of the fine composition of this remedy), she didn’t believe in discontinuing it. She informed me that she had been taking Echinaforce for the last 30 years, ‘to keep me fit and healthy’. I am often asked if there is any reason why Echinaforce cannot be taken continuously and my view is that Echinacea is an immune booster while Echinaforce is an immune balancer. Echinacea should be taken when immunity may be low to give the system a boost, while Echinaforce helps to maintain a high level of immunity. During the 50 years I have been in practice and in all the years I have worked with Echinaforce, I can honestly say that I have never come across a single side effect and I have witnessed the tremendous benefits that people have obtained from this excellent treatment.

This elderly lady was very well informed, as she told me that she had read about Samuel Hahnemann’s belief in the vital force in the body and wanted to ask me about it. He said something along the lines of, ‘I make sure that my vital organs are taken care of and that the vital force is in tune.’ It is this vital force and its healing mechanism which are stimulated by homoeopathic or herbal remedies, and naturopathic therapy is used to release blockages which sometimes can occur in this vital force. Hahnemann put a lot of emphasis on the fact that the vital force should flow freely. In my own practice, I have often seen in acupuncture that, by relieving one small energy blockage, the whole body is then allowed to strive to get back into tune.

We see with homoeopathic remedies that they often work as an adjunctive and supportive mechanism to standard medical therapies. They are certainly not a replacement. The medical establishment, however, sometimes believes that this is the aim of complementary therapists – to replace them – and there are those who would like to see homoeopathy banned for that reason. Although this medical art has been used for centuries to treat illness, it was not designed for severe or chronic conditions, and we really have to try and understand how they work. My 103-year-old patient was completely familiar with that fact and I was amazed how, even with some of the constitutional remedies that she told me about, she was able to control some pain that she experienced.

It is quite amazing what one is capable of achieving with the use of homoeopathic remedies. This lady mentioned to me how she once managed to clear a nasty allergy by taking Vogel’s Luffa Complex, and as I had a little time to spare, I told her the story about the development of this remedy, in which she was totally engrossed.

I am still acquainted with the Swiss chemist who had a tremendous input into Vogel’s remedies. He worked on Luffa Complex with his team of co-workers and they developed this marvellous preparation by combining seven healthy plants from various parts of the world, though, of course, Vogel was involved at every stage. The first ingredient used was Cardiospermum halicacabum, which was later discovered to be extremely valuable in the treatment of allergies and skin problems, and is found in large quantities in Madeira. It also contains a North African remedy called Ammi visnaga (or Khella) which comes from the bark of a tree and is used to bring relief to those suffering from cramps and spasms. In addition, it contains a natural histamine which makes it invaluable to hay fever sufferers. Okoubaka is another component, which is taken from the bark of a tree in West Africa and is regularly used to neutralise poisons. Aralia racemosa comes from North America and is of remarkable help in treating respiratory problems and troublesome coughs. Mexico is the source of the next two ingredients. A plant called Galphimia glauca grows there, which greatly helps strengthen the tissues in the body, while the Larrea mexicana plant, which has quite a pleasant scent, can be found in the north of the country. Finally, there is Luffa operculata, one of the main ingredients in Luffa Complex. This comes from Colombia. So, natural resources from around the world have been brought together to formulate this excellent remedy, which I have often prescribed with great success for those whose bodies are slightly out of tune.

While writing this chapter, I recalled an elegant young couple who came to see me one busy Saturday. They made such an attractive pair and yet I could see by the expressions on their faces that something was bothering them. They were certainly in tune with each other, but their body energies were completely out of tune. It does not take a lot for this to happen and everyday incidents can easily accelerate this imbalance. The man was almost in tears as he told me that everything had been fine until one day when he was at work he got a phone call to inform him that his mother had died that afternoon. The person who conveyed this message was certainly not diplomatic and this news had a devastating impact on the fellow. The following day, he felt unwell and started to cough (which was probably a nervous cough). With each day that passed, he became more ill, and his wife became worried when she realised that he was still not right after his mother’s funeral.

A series of little incidents occurred which caused his health to go completely out of tune. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to communicate with anyone and had become totally withdrawn. On top of that, his sexual desires had diminished to such a level that he no longer felt capable of having a loving relationship with his wife. He was a sad young man but, as he said, he had an attractive wife who showed him great compassion and they would do anything possible to get things back in order.

There were a lot of things that needed to be done. First, he still had not come to terms with the grief he felt for his late mother and, to offer him some help in this direction, I prescribed Ignatia, which greatly assists in taking the sting out of bereavement. He had an extremely unhealthy diet and had started to drink excessively as a way of drowning his sorrows, which, of course, had the effect of further reducing his sexual appetite and he felt he had come to the end of the road. I went over all this with him in detail, then adjusted his diet and, because he was desperate to get well, he was very willing to cooperate. I introduced wheatgerm into his diet and even included some wheatgerm capsules from Alfred Vogel. I managed to cleanse his liver with the introduction of Milk Thistle Complex and then stimulated his prostate (as he also had problems in that area) with the fresh herbal extract Saw Palmetto. I also prescribed some Vitality Essence, together with some extra Vogel vitamins. He reported to me three weeks later that things were starting to improve, except he still had many problems with his sleep pattern. We managed to rectify this with some Valerian Hops (25 drops taken half an hour before going to bed).

In the eighteenth century, a man called Samuel Hahnemann travelled all the way from his homeland of Germany to visit the oldest medical school in Europe, which is now part of Edinburgh University. Hahnemann is credited with being the founder of homoeopathy as we know it today and while in Edinburgh he had a lively conversation with his peer, Professor Merridge. When the professor asked him, ‘What is health?’ Dr Hahnemann immediately fired back at him, ‘What is illness?’ Basically, illness is disharmony wherever it surfaces in the body, ‘an aberration from the state of health’ – whether physical, mental or emotional.

Vogel subscribed to many of Hahnemann’s beliefs. He too was conscious of the fact that in order to achieve the best result for patients, it was not solely a matter of treating the physical symptoms; the mental and emotional state of a patient also had to be taken into account in order to harmonise the entire body. As I learned while I was studying in China, this principle is also fundamental to Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture – the aim of which is to harmonise that which is out of harmony in the body. The importance which the Chinese have long attributed to this state of being becomes gloriously apparent when you visit the Forbidden City in Beijing. One of the most amazing rooms in this breathtaking complex is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which was used for important state occasions such as the enthronement of the Crown Prince, the celebration of the Emperor’s birthday, and so on.

Today, many serious health problems are resulting from a lack of harmony in people’s bodies and their lives in general. Sadly, problems caused by emotional imbalance are increasing at an alarming rate as people’s mental health is under sustained attack in the modern world, with the result that more and more people are seeking relief through strong pharmaceutical products that can be very addictive. The side effects of drugs such as tranquillisers and antidepressants have received a lot of attention in the media in recent years, and of course these drugs only treat the symptoms of the problem rather than getting down to the root cause. It is very important when treating patients that we achieve harmony between the three bodies, and this is where complementary medicine, with its use of herbal or homoeopathic remedies, is of great benefit.

Over the course of his research, Hahnemann developed four fundamental principles. The first of these is ‘similia similibus curentur’ or ‘like cures like’. This means that a remedy that produces symptoms of a disease when given to a healthy patient can alleviate the problem in a patient suffering from the disease. This discovery can be applied to any condition and to any individual – in measles, for instance, the principle is not to suppress the illness, but to bring it out of the body. A homoeopathic remedy will probably make the measles a little worse before they are out of the system. Instead of assuming that symptoms represent illogical, improper or unhealthy responses that should be treated with drugs or surgery, Hahnemann believed that symptoms are positive, adaptive responses of the body to deal with an imbalance that has occurred. It is often said that God’s creation, the body, is very intelligent – in fact, supremely intelligent.

The second principle is ‘the minimum dose’, which resulted from Hahnemann’s attempts to work out a way of administering therapeutic doses of medicines while avoiding side effects. He believed that large doses of drugs actually made a patient’s condition worse, while small, diluted doses enabled the body to fight off the disease. The way that he produced medicines was called ‘potentiation’ – the third principle. Homoeopathic remedies are made through a process of serial dilution, and the remedy is vigorously shaken through each stage to ensure its dynamic nature. Finally, the fourth principle is ‘the single remedy’, meaning that only one homoeopathic remedy should be administered at a time.

Homoeopathic practitioners believe that people differ in the way their bodies react to an illness, according to their temperament. Consequently, this calls for the need to match the characteristics of the patient (i.e. taking into consideration their temperament, personality, and emotional and physical states) with the remedy to be prescribed (whether it be a plant, mineral or other substance). A homoeopath therefore studies the person as a whole, treating the individual rather than just the disease. As a result, patients suffering from the same illness may actually be prescribed different remedies, which many people find difficult to comprehend.

Vogel and I were certain that God had created a remedy in nature to treat every illness and disease but believed that it is up to man to find the particular remedy that should be administered. It is, therefore, vital that the practitioner treating the patient is educated in the ways of homoeopathy, because one incorrectly prescribed remedy – even in its lowest potency – can cause a great deal of damage. Throughout our many years of practice, both Vogel and I unfortunately came across many cases where such damage had been done by wrongly prescribed medicines. One woman who stands out in my mind came to see me while I was giving a talk in a health food store in Kent. She had been suffering with various problems for over two years and told me that she had been prescribed the constitutional remedy Sepia. While this can be a wonderful remedy and has helped many people, it was completely unsuitable for this woman’s symptoms, which had continued to get worse. I immediately prescribed Ovarium and she soon contacted me to thank me, as she was feeling so much better.

I cannot praise Vogel enough for the extensive research he carried out – even to the extent of testing remedies on himself – before prescribing a product. He went to great lengths to ensure that his remedies had no side effects and, as part of this process, he considered the effects that the treatments would have on all three bodies of Man. As described earlier, these brilliant remedies have provided the backbone for my work throughout the world.

Vogel and I talked a lot about Hahnemann’s methods, one of which was to form an image of a person – and by looking at that image and talking to the patient, it becomes easier to determine where the problem may lie. I recall a mother and her little girl who came to talk to us following one particular lecture. I immediately sensed which type of characteristics this child had and realised that she was very much what we would term a ‘Pulsatilla child’. The person usually in need of Pulsatilla is a blue-eyed, blonde-haired individual, has a sensitive disposition, bursts into tears easily, needs comfort, hates quarrelling, has difficulty in digesting fatty foods, sometimes has poor circulation and, because the Pulsatilla type is often over-conscientious, has problems with the ears, bladder infections and diarrhoea. When answering Vogel’s questions, the mother confirmed that these were precisely the problems affecting her child, who particularly suffered from recurrent bladder infections. Vogel and I had come to the same conclusion about this child without exchanging a single word. As her whole constitution pointed to the fact that she really needed to be treated as a Pulsatilla child, I wrote down on a piece of paper that her mother should give her Pulsatilla D6. A very grateful letter later followed from her, stating that, within a week, her daughter’s problems had cleared up.

In homoeopathy, the combination of an individual’s physical and mental characteristics is called their ‘constitution’, and Pulsatilla is what would be described as a constitutional remedy. When such a remedy is applied, one has to be extremely careful, as sometimes the symptoms will initially get worse. This is because, as Hahnemann advocated, there is a requirement to stimulate the body’s own defence mechanisms to fight the illness and remove it from the body rather than, as in conventional medicine, suppressing the symptoms and, thus, keeping the illness within the body.

This brings to mind another case that Vogel and I worked on together, where we had confirmation of Hahnemann’s principles being so appropriate in this day and age. In this instance, we were consulted by a young policeman’s wife. She was totally despondent when she first came to see us. Not only had she been on the verge of ending her own life on several occasions but she had also almost ended the lives of her husband and two children when she lost control and tried to drive her car into the river in an attempt to drown them. Various specialists had diagnosed her condition completely incorrectly – with their opinions varying from depression to ME – and some even admitted that they did not know what was wrong with her. When we saw her, however, I quickly remarked to Vogel that she had many characteristics of someone in need of Gentiana.

After finding out a bit about her medical history, Vogel and I were in total agreement that she had serious problems. Her lymph glands in her neck, armpits and groin were all swollen – and I commented to Vogel that her whole system seemed to be poisoned. Our diagnosis was confirmed when the results of a blood test showed high levels of toxicity within her body. Her lymph system had become completely congested with waste material, which had infected her blood and, as a result, her system had become very toxic. She had a lot of amalgam in the fillings in her teeth, her diet was appalling and, due to her prolonged ill health, a great strain had been put on her relationship with her husband.

We both looked at this woman who was so poorly and distraught. She was physically, mentally and emotionally imbalanced. I suggested that we started by giving her a combination of Gentiana and the homoeopathic remedy called Arsenicum, and then carry out a thorough detoxification. We started to treat her with the two constitutional remedies – one to be taken for the first month, then followed by the second – talked to her at length about ways of improving her diet and, following that, detoxified her system with the Detox Box of Alfred Vogel. This is a ten-day elimination programme during which the patient takes Calendula Complex, Frangula Complex, Milk Thistle Complex and Solidago Complex in regulated amounts.

The Vogel Detox Box arose from a discussion that Alfred and I had during a trip to Canada in the 1970s. One morning while we were eating breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we looked around at the variety of different foods people were eating. When we noticed what one particular family had selected, we both shook our heads. Because I practise Chinese facial diagnosis, I commented to Vogel that the entire family had liver toxicity. We then discussed the best way in which to give the body a thorough spring clean. As a consequence of that talk, the Detox Box was conceived, which is now recognised all over the world as being one of the finest products on the market. Detoxification is not only a great way of spring cleaning the gall bladder, liver, bowel, kidneys and stomach, but it also starts the detoxification process of the lymph system.

During a later trip to San Francisco, when I conducted a consultation in a health food store, I learned that this treatment was particularly popular there because in that part of the United States there was a lot of pollution in the air and people wanted to do everything they could to clear it from their system. Later on, I devised a diet to be used in conjunction with the Detox Box and, today, I am happy to see that this treatment is still sold all over the world.

To find harmony between the physical, mental and emotional bodies is not an easy task. We have to contend with a lot of negative influences such as pollution, which undoubtedly has played an enormous role in the escalation of many modern illnesses and diseases. Now in the twenty-first century, we are witnessing a daily increase in the number of people suffering from allergies, as their immune systems are unable to cope with the poisonous chemicals that are all around us. As well as pollution, allergic reactions can be caused by such things as artificial food colourings, but whatever the cause they should be seen as an alarm bell indicating that something in the body needs attention. This situation is only made worse by the increase in stress caused by pressures at work, unforeseen circumstances and unhappiness. Health problems resulting from asthma and bronchitis are also increasing by the day.

I remember when a girl, aged about eight, came to see us. She was in complete turmoil. Not only did she suffer from hyperventilation and panic attacks but she was also slightly asthmatic. When we started to dig into her medical history, we soon discovered where her problems lay. Her system was being attacked by three obvious problems, namely, (a) her living conditions, (b) her unhappy family life, and (c) the most appalling diet. That unfortunate child was taking three different inhalers, in addition to other medication, just to keep her condition under control. The house in which she lived was filthy, exacerbating her allergy to dust, and her life circumstances in general were appalling.

In an attempt to get her condition under control, we first looked at ways of improving her diet, which entailed the withdrawal of cow’s milk and cheese, and the introduction of supplements of B, C, D and E vitamins. We prescribed the anti-allergy homoeopathic remedy Luffa Complex, which is also ideal for desensitising the system, together with herbal Drosinula Syrup and some Passiflora to make her calmer. I also taught her some exercises to help her relax and gave her some acupuncture. Importantly, I was also able to talk to her parents about the home situation and gave them advice about diet and lifestyle. Later on, I also added some homoeopathic remedies to her treatment. She was a lovely girl, who thankfully followed our advice to the letter. Today, when I still sometimes see her, I think back to what her circumstances once were. Her case is a perfect example of how it is important not just to treat a patient’s physical symptoms but also to look beyond these and get to the root of the problem as best we can.

I am aware that we all lead busy lives today, but it is now more important than ever that we make time to look thoroughly into the background of illnesses and diseases to try and find out how they started and in what circumstances they developed. This reminds me of a young woman who came to see me while Vogel was working with me in Scotland. Although this girl consulted us about a minor problem, we both became aware that, deep down, there was more to it than she had led us to believe. It was only when we examined her situation in greater detail that we both became aware that she was suicidal. She finally confided in us that she had personal problems – and this is where homoeopathy often comes into its own. When we carefully delved a bit deeper into her background, we realised that she was actually suffering from a severe emotional imbalance. It emerged that she had been in a relationship for many years but the relationship never really progressed and, when she finally realised that her boyfriend had been stringing her along, she became extremely distressed, as she was very fond of him. Sadly, women often take relationships far more seriously than men and it is easy to appreciate how such an emotional incident can have a detrimental effect on a person, like this girl, who was actually slowly dying of a broken heart. This might sound implausible but I have actually witnessed this happening once during the years I have been in practice.

When we chatted a little bit more to her, and Vogel and I pointed out certain things to her, sharing with her a few things we had learned about life and relationships along the way, she nodded, and I could see that she was starting to take in what we were saying and beginning to trust us. It became apparent that she was also consumed with jealousy, as this particular fellow had been seeing other women while involved with her but, even in spite of this, she still loved him so much.

We realised we had our work cut out in getting this emotional upset completely out of her system but, thankfully, we were eventually able to help her. In addition to some homoeopathic remedies, we also prescribed some flower remedies and after she had recovered from this whole unpleasant experience, she asked me to explain how we had been able to treat her. I told her that the symptoms she had were not the disease, only evidence of a disease, and that one of the benefits of homoeopathy is that it goes to the source of the problem. I told this young lady that she had been completely out of tune with her body because of her failed relationship and, as mentioned earlier, the three bodies (mental, emotional and physical) must be in tune with each other to bring harmony. The constitutional remedy that we used in this instance was Aurum and she listened intently as I told her that, in homoeopathy, we have learned the precision of a healing system which conceives all symptoms as part of a larger whole, which appears to stimulate the body’s natural force, rather than attacking parts. Homoeopathy will work with us, not against us.

Unfortunately, many people are still sceptical about homoeopathy. I remember when I was invited to attend an important talk given for health insurers in Holland. As the main speaker was one of the most eminent pharmacologists in Holland, this generated a lot of interest, which was evident by the number of professors, doctors and scientists who attended. I wasn’t terribly pleased at having to be present at that particular talk as I felt this professor was opposed to homoeopathy and herbal medicine. This was confirmed when he started the discussion by saying that the benefits of homoeopathy could be likened to the situation where a little boy fell in the street and his mother gently kissed his wound to make it better – it offered comfort but not real results.

A very lively debate developed and at the end he admitted that I had managed to make him think again. Not long after that discussion, which was covered extensively in the Dutch media, Vogel had an interview with that particular professor. I was very interested when the professor told him that most doctors in Holland were major users of herbal remedies. Vogel told him that even in countries where the governments were opposed to natural medicine, herbal medicine was taking over, as people wanted freedom of choice. As Vogel and I often said, you cannot argue with results.

There is a growing consensus in the world that the massive amount of money allocated to medical research has failed to achieve any significant improvement in Western societies’ levels of health. The incidence of major, chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease continues to climb, and homoeopathy offers a time-tested method that meets the need for additional non-toxic therapy. It is reassuring to know that, when homoeopathic remedies are administered properly, there are no side effects. This is a very important part of the whole concept of homoeopathy, which encompasses all areas of medical care, from prevention to emergency and acute care, as well as the treatment of chronic diseases. It offers the individual improved health and quality of life. As I stated in Fifty Years Fighting, I cannot understand why medical practitioners would resist this system, or why they would insist on administering aggressive drugs instead of looking for a more natural solution.

Luckily a change of attitude is now taking place all over the world with more and more scientific tests being carried out to prove the efficacy of herbal and homoeopathic remedies. As we are gaining ground, it is greatly encouraging to see how natural medicine works in instances where orthodox remedies might have failed. I often mention one of Vogel’s sayings in lectures, ‘We are born in nature, we belong to nature and if we obey the laws of nature, then we obey the laws of God.’

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, a lively discussion unfolded during an evening lecture when Alfred Vogel answered a series of interesting and unusual questions that were put to him by an attentive audience. Although I had listened to him countless times and, in my 40-plus books, have written extensively about the many ailments that afflict people, because that particular evening was so memorable, I felt it would be a good idea to highlight some more of the issues discussed, as those queries are similar to the ones on people’s minds every day. As I have often said, questions lead to wisdom.

One question came from an elderly lady who stood up and said that every single night, after just a few hours’ rest, she would waken up and could not get back to sleep. Consequently, when it came time for her to rise in the morning, she was so sleepy and tired that she felt unable to cope with the day’s events. Her doctor had prescribed sleeping tablets but she commented that these made her feel like a zombie.

Vogel replied that there were many reasons why people might have difficulty in getting to sleep or experience irregular sleeping patterns. He said that if people waken up at roughly the same time each night, then this may be as a result of tension, worries, drinking caffeine-laden beverages (such as coffee or cola drinks), sleeping during the day, lying on an uncomfortable mattress or eating a meal too late at night. He even commented that watching an exciting television programme just before going to bed could stimulate the mind and keep people awake. His advice was to try not to have a nap in the afternoon, to go for a walk in the evening and definitely not to drink alcohol, tea, hot chocolate or coffee at night, although a cup of Bambu coffee would be an acceptable substitute. Drinking this half an hour before retiring, with a spoonful of honey added to it and 25 drops of Valerian Hops can often rectify sleeping difficulties.

On the same theme, another lady stood up and asked how she could wean herself off sleeping tablets. She explained that she had been prescribed them for years and when she tried to come off them, she had difficulty sleeping and experienced other symptoms such as palpitations and heavy perspiration. Vogel informed her that, although sleeping tablets might have a calming effect, as they are basically tranquillisers, they contain ingredients that influence the central nervous system, which has a knock-on effect on other parts of the body. To take a drug like this can give rise to many problems. It can especially affect the endocrine glands and sometimes the lymph glands, where waste material can lodge. He urged her not to stop taking this medication suddenly but to gradually reduce the dosage. In the meantime, to help alleviate any withdrawal symptoms, she could take some natural alternatives. He also suggested that she either went for a walk or perhaps a cycle ride in the evening; or, if she had a dog, she should take it for a walk before going to bed.

Looking rather embarrassed, the woman then told Vogel that she had an irrational fear of going out of doors and asked if there was anything he could recommend that would help her to overcome this phobia. Vogel advised her to take the remedy Avena sativa, which has a restorative action on the nervous system, and not to give in to the fear but instead strive to overcome it. He recommended that she went out with a friend who could offer her support and, each day, to go a little further away from her home. He tried to offer reassurance by saying that the feelings of panic she experienced would gradually lessen until they no longer troubled her. He also suggested that she took some herbal remedies, such as Ginsavena, which is of great help in such circumstances.

The manager of a large company asked the next question. He had tried to get extra sleep but found it impossible unless he smoked several cigarettes before going to bed. He continued by saying that, although he had tried to stop, he was unable to sleep without them. Vogel informed him that, in dealing with any addiction, it takes approximately three weeks for the palate to become accustomed to the elimination of the addictive substance. He stressed to this man that if he could abstain from smoking for that three-week period, then he would most probably be over the worst of any withdrawal symptoms. He acknowledged that the first few weeks would be difficult but if he also examined his diet to ensure that he ate healthily, this would make things a bit easier for him. He was aware that a great deal of effort would be needed but said that the end result would make it worthwhile. He recommended he take five drops of a homoeopathic remedy called Tabaccum

JAN DE VRIES: A LIFE IN HEALING