by Kim Silorski, M.D. • November, 2007

Click image for photos.

The lovely, ancient town of Antigua, Guatemala was the setting for the Third Pan-American Homeopathic Congress, November 14-18, 2007 In a convent dating to 1500, attendees from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala, many of whom traveled by bus, gathered to study and learn about homeopathy.

Surrounded by three volcanoes, one of which is in eruption all the time, this valley town provided a dramatic background for the sharing of information. Among the speakers were Dr. Ernest Giampietro from Argentina and John Millar from Canada. A representative from RADAR gave extensive instruction on the use of their software. The attendees were delighted to have these illustrious speakers from outside Central America. The low salaries prevalent in these Central American countries makes it prohibitive for students and practitioners to travel long distances; these conferences, the HWB organization and the Homeopathic School of the Americas afford the opportunity for homeopathic education and exchange of ideas.

Speakers from the Central American countries were well represented. The Guatemalans surprised me with their advanced knowledge; presenters from El Salvador and Honduras were also excellent. In addition to dealing with other problems, they use homeopathy to help children and also abused women. Some are from very rural areas where the low cost of homeopathic treatment provides economic as well as health benefits. A significant problem practitioners face is acquiring the products or dilutions they need, as manufacturing on a large or commercial scale does not exist. Costa Rica is an exception; pharmacies are considered laboratories where drugs can be legally produced.

My topic of homeopathy for children was a source of surprise to the local newspaper, Trubuna Libre, and so they sent a staff member to interview me. I very happy I was able to do away with their concept that homeopathy is not appropriate for children with acute illness.

During the conference I stayed in the convent, which had accommodations for the attendees at a very reasonable rate. During the evening we could see flames erupting from the “volcano de fuego” (the fire volcano) and during the day we could hear rumbling. It was a wonderful experience.

I was very happy to have been invited to the congress next year in San Salvador. I hope we can reach out to more people in need. The people of Central America love homeopathy and it is a pleasure to teach them.

Click image to see the diploma.