Anatomy & Physiology for Homeopaths Out Now!
01 August 2008 at 16:24
The School of Health, with Elaine Watson, launch a brand new course for homeopaths! This new Anatomy & Physiology course is the first of its kind! It was created from scratch specifically for students and practitioners of homeopathy. The course was fully piloted before launch and has been extremely well received.
Homeopathy students and professionals need to know about anatomy and physiology as part of their homeopathic training but in the past this has been treated as a ‘bolt-on’ subject that students have not enjoyed. With the move towards higher standards in the teaching and practise of homeopathy, it is becoming increasingly recognised that you need a sound understanding of key aspects of orthodox medicine to be a safe and effective practitioner.
Elaine says” For years it has distressed me that students really struggle with understanding A&P and generally give up on what should be a most wondrous experience. How can you expect to be a practitioner of a healing art without a desire to know how the body works? How can you hope to learn a subject if you are anticipating that you can’t do it? This course is the result of many years of careful observation of the meteoric pitfalls the subject has had for students and represents an attempt to revitalise their interest. I have attempted to provide learning experiences for all students whether right or left brain-biased and to infuse their study with some humour to maintain the momentum. The work has been chopped up into “bite sizes” as befits the modern world of learning and thereby actually managed to keep me interested too! I hope with this course that A&P will be given a good shake up and re-establish itself alongside the other wonderful disciplines in homeopathy.”
The study of anatomy and physiology has, in the past, presented many problems with very few texts being specifically written for homeopaths. There are many fine medical books, but their content is usually too detailed or too biased towards the needs of orthodox practice. Doctors are trained in a mechanistic model in which the body is divided up into parts which have a separate function and which can be repaired or even replaced if they stop working effectively. This approach to medical science demands that the doctor has a very sound understanding and knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the body. Thus medical students are expected to commit to memory vast amounts of information relating to the subject. Homeopathic practitioners have a different approach to healing the human body but this does not mean that studying anatomy and physiology is unnecessary. Indeed quite the opposite is true as the holistic approach to healing requires a deep understanding of the interactions of the organs of the human body . In addition it is essential that homeopaths can communicate with the medical profession when necessary as well as their patients who may have had conventional treatment before consulting a homeopathic practitioner.
This new course integrates anatomy and physiology with materia medica, homeopathic philosophy and case taking to provide a stable spring board for the study of pathology and disease at a later date. Students will be able to learn to incorporate the language of the patient, both verbal and postural into their understanding of their disease process and understand why a particular organ or body system is in disharmony. If this is combined with a sound understanding of anatomy and physiology they will have a very effective approach to healing and homeopathy.
The course has been written by Elaine Watson who has been practising homeopathy for over 13 years and has taught Anatomy & Physiology and Pathology & Disease to students of homeopathy since 1993. Her academic path has been an interesting one starting with a Zoology degree, specialising in Marine Biology, from the University of St Andrews. This was followed by a Master’s degree in Soil Microbiology from the University of Aberdeen. She trained as a homeopath at The British School of Homeopathy.
Mani says “It has been great fun working on this course with Elaine, I have learnt so much. Elaine has a wonderful writing style that is humorous and enjoyable to read, at times I laughed out loud. Who would have thought the study of anatomy and physiology could be so entertaining? Elaine has skillfully blended many learning techniques so through carefully devised activities the students draw, recite, write, copy, repertorise, research and colour. But Elaine’s real expertise is in connecting homeopathy with anatomy and physiology in a meaning and memorable way. The new course is a real gift to homeopathy.”
With The School of Health’s new course knowledge is easily gained from the comfort of your home and at your own pace. The course provides a simple means for students and homeopaths to extract relevant material from carefully selected textbooks and to guide you step-by-step through study in an interesting, enjoyable and easy way.
The course is available at retail or trade so colleges can buy them in bulk and at discount with or without tutor marking.
who is the course for?
Students, colleges and professionals in homeopathy
why is A&P so important?
The study of medical sciences is an essential part of the education of a homeopath:
• It enables the homeopath to distinguish symptoms common to disease from those that are
idiosyncratic to the patient – the latter being invaluable for a proper assessment.
• It enables the homeopath to know how the disease is likely to progress should treatment be ineffective.
• It helps the homeopath know when to re-prescribe or to refer to another health-care specialist
or medical doctor.
• It helps communication and confidence both with patients and other health professionals.
• It provides an understanding of conventional diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, and how these
may affect and modify management of the case by the homeopathic practitioner.
aim of the course
To learn how the body works as a whole, as well as its individual systems. The objective is to give the necessary knowledge and understanding of this subject in order to support and complement your homeopathic practice. The intent is to understand how each system works and connects with others rather than to learn it all by heart.
content overview
A brief overview of the contents of the course is given below:
Unit 1 : Cell, Membranes, Skin, Digestive system
Unit 2 : Skeleton, Bones, Muscles, Nerves, Musculo-skeletal nutrition
Unit 3 : Respiratory system, Cardiovascular system
Unit 4 : Blood, Resistance and Immunity, Excretory system
Unit 5 : Liver, Endocrine system, Brain and Nervous system
Unit 6 : Reproductive system
Student quotes
“Really like the links with homeopathy, easy to digest and great to have the short modules!”
“Wonderful, really easy to follow, interesting and absorbing. I really like the way the homework incorporates all the different learning styles. I have previous experience of learning A&P and that has been very dry and unstimulating. I now enjoy it much more and find I am learning it in much more depth and retaining the knowledge.”
“I found the course to be comprehensive and quite chatty in style. I liked the way it was broken up into chunks.”
“I have studied Anatomy & Physiology before so was dreading it. But I can honestly say that it has completely surprised me. I have loved the variety of learning – I can’t believe how much I have learnt just by drawing a picture – it was so much better than any way I have learnt Anatomy & Physiology before – I like the way it ties in the homeopathy.”
“I am really enjoying it! I think it is wonderfully clear and well set out.”
“Found this very enjoyable because I am interested in science and have studied it before. It’s fascinating how the body works. I’m actually reading more detail than I need to because I enjoy it so much. It’s a very helpful course and I like the different work that is set, it really helps to remember what you’ve learnt.”
“I was afraid of it before I started and I thought it will be hard work. But as soon as I started I found I couldn’t stop because I enjoyed it so much.”
“I think that Elaine’s course is fantastic and I have really enjoyed working my way through it. The variety of learning approaches that she has incorporated makes it an engaging process. The exercises set within the course summarise and consolidate the learning well and will be really useful to refer back to.”
“I am finding the course very user-friendly. Ross & Wilson as a stand alone text book is quite mind boggling for someone who hasn’t studied biology. The course breaks it up into digestible chunks. I am enjoying the activities and find the explanatory sections very useful.”
“With the links to homeopathy, it makes it interesting and feels relevant.”
“I am very impressed with the design, layout and content of this new course. The mix of activities allows the student to employ a range of study skills, and by doing this, each student is enabled to try their hand at different learning styles and discover what works for them. It is full of vitality and interest for the student, and provides lots of connections back into their homoeopathic study.”
“I wish so much that you had written this course earlier! All the different methods of learning that you have used are fantastic and break up the monotony of what had been a difficult and disappointing learning experience for me.”
“I enjoy doing this and appreciate the extra information that I have learned in addition to my A & P course decades ago for nursing.”