| Bastyr University » Academic Degree Programs » Interviews » Staff Interview | March 16, 2010 |
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Dr. Mann Practices Powerful Medicine (Homeopathy) with Heart
In a sense, you could say that Richard Mann, ND, chair of the homeopathy department and clinical faculty member at Bastyr Center, discovered natural medicine by reading Ghandi's autobiography, My Experiment with Truth. "Ghandi said in his autobiography that mud treatments would cure anything from a snake bite to constipation," says Dr. Mann. "At the time, my wife's knees were deteriorating, so my wife and I experimented with using a homemade mud treatment on her knees. It worked just like aspirin, without the side effects." Interesting, he thought, considering that the rheumatology clinic that he and his wife had initially consulted had prescribed 10-20 aspirin per day. This experiment was one of several things that led Dr. Mann to become interested in natural medicine. Shortly thereafter, he enrolled in the newly-established Pacific College of Naturopathic Medicine in Guerneville, California. At Pacific College, Mann started learning about homeopathy from some inspiring naturopathic physicians. "Some of the best teachers I've ever met in my life were at that school," he says. "Many of them ended up at Bastyr." After Pacific College closed, Mann transferred to Bastyr University, where the "homeopathy bug" really bit him. "In my clinical shifts, I was lucky to see the benefits of homeopathy for a little girl with asthma and a girl with a history of sexual abuse where there were deep and profound cures with homeopathy," he explains. "Once you see that, you're hooked." Homeopathy is a simple and subtle medicine, but can have powerful, sometimes life-changing results. Homeopathy was founded by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German physician who first coined the word homeopathy ("homoios" in Greek means similar, and "pathos" means suffering). Based on the "law of similars" or "like cures like," homeopathic remedies contain substances which would, in overdose, cause symptoms similar to those the patient is experiencing. For instance, someone with allergies can be given a substance that might normally cause allergies, but when given the homeopathic preparation, which contains a small, very safe and often undetectable amount, it stimulates the body's self-healing capacities. Actually, the law of similars was previously described by Hippocrates and Paracelsus and was utilized by many cultures, including the Mayans, Chinese, Greeks, Native American Indians, and Asian Indians, but it was Hahnemann who codified the law of similars into a systematic medical science. The remedies work holistically, addressing the mind, body, emotions and spirit. Before he knew anything about homeopathy, Mann was already interested in the mind-body connection. After graduating from San Francisco State University in the early '70s with a major in literature, Mann traveled throughout India, Nepal and Tibet on what turned out to be a year-and-a-half journey of spiritual discovery. He marveled at how people in those countries could maintain their serenity in adverse conditions. He was so impressed that he returned to the Bay Area to pursue a doctorate in Buddhist Meditation and Theology at what is now the California Institute of Integral Studies. Mann has studied homeopathy extensively since then, having graduated with a medical degree from Bastyr University in 1988 and flying a few times a year to Europe to study with his favorite teacher, a Belgium homeopath, Henny Heudens-Mast. For the past 14 years, Mann has studied with the best homeopaths around and has attended countless conferences and seminars. "Mastering homeopathy is a lifelong process," he explains. What is his motivation? "To be a good homeopath, you have to love people," he says. "Not only patients, but I also really love my students," he says. "I'm an advocate for them, and I'm committed to them." If you would like to make an appointment in the homeopathy department at Bastyr Center, call 206.834.4100. Initial homeopathy appointments last 1 3/4 hours and follow-up appointments last one hour. 
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