Copyright 2025. Self-published. 348 pgs.
[there is no additional publishing information or book ISBN number]
Reviewed by Karin Cseak, DO.
The following is a short summary of the layout and content of this book.
Dr Kellerstein believes that the homeopathic method begins with employing Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)1 in case taking. By fostering an understanding and connection between yourself and your patient you mirror the effects of a remedy’s image: “How it mirrors the suffering it is meant to alleviate.” Through the employment of visualizing a patient’s symptoms on an axis of X and Y, Kellerstein illustrates an approach that, while possibly unconventional, maps the importance of specific symptoms upon which the practitioner can focus.
Cultivated from the challenge of a lack of descriptive verbal imagery from patients, Kellerstein developed his method like so: Along the Y axis you align the patient’s values and past experience, with the top representing broad, value-oriented questions, while the bottom of the Y axis represents all of the patient’s prior experience with their symptoms. Along the X axis you align the sequence of events before, at the time of, and directly after the first experience with their symptoms, allowing yourself to map out the progression of the state of the patient; for example, from chill to fever, from fever to sweat. With this framework he states that the challenge of diagnosis is greatly reduced.
Beyond this, placing significance on the patient’s objective symptoms rather than only the apparent illness is essential to making a case. While taking a case, keep in mind the following questions:
Through these questions one may find what is truly important when taking a case. By approaching a case as not just a list of diagnoses and symptoms but rather as a history of your patient’s personal and medical experiences you find the true heart of a case.
After the initial steps of taking a case, following up and managing a case becomes a personal textbook of a person’s history. Finding the correct posology based on the patient’s history is essential. Individualizing a remedy to a patient is, of course, key. One patient’s sensitivity or aggravation to a remedy rarely translates across the board. The true healing process is a long and arduous journey, and a case shows the chapters of this journey.
Throughout chapter two, Kellerstein works through previously published homeopathic cases (by the old masters) and reanalyzes them using his own case-taking process. Within each given example are questions raised by his students, followed by his own insightful opinions regarding what is best to focus on in each case. While these interjections can shift attention from the given cases and method of analysis, they do provide a new perspective and give greater detail to questions a new homeopath may need answers to. Kellerstein also delves into exactly what qualities make a great homeopath, as well as what traps a new homeopath may fall into and how best to avoid them.
Within chapter three there are, once again, a variety of published cases and examples of how doctors manage and follow up with their patients. Knowing exactly how to best treat each individual patient is key to case management. Knowing the sensitivity, ideal posology and aggravations of the individual is essential. Again, each studied case is full of students’ questions and Kellerstein’s answers on how to approach the management of a case using his own methods. An extensive segment of questions and answers ends chapter three. These bits of insight from Kellerstein answer many important questions that any new homeopath may have and provide a new perspective for those with established practices.
Index: A good index in the back of the book lists symptoms, remedies, and reactions to remedies, in relation to specific cases referencing those things.
I felt there were a couple of potential cons to this book. First, a lack of focus on the method. When reading through particular cases, each case is frequently interrupted by student’s questions and Kellerstein’s answers. For some this may be an enjoyable ‘stream of consciousness’ way to learn, but for others it may be hard to follow. This book also may not be as useful for experienced practitioners who are successful with their established methods of case taking and analysis. Unless one is looking for a new perspective on how to take a case, this book might not be impactful for such doctors.
There are also definite pros to this book as well: I feel it is a good book for new homeopaths who are just starting out, or for those who like this approach to case taking and analysis. It might be especially useful to the practitioner who is interested in NLP. Additionally, the book gives a new and interesting perspective on old cases, with new methods of case taking and analysis.
About the reviewer: Karin Cseak, DO, is an osteopathic physician, and has been practicing classical homeopathy and osteopathic manipulation for the past 20+ years. She has served on the Board of the American Institute of Homeopathy and is past president of the Ohio State Homeopathic Medical Society.
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