Portugueses naturopath Cristina Pombo decide to expand her knowledge of hemeopathy at the
International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, and qualified as a homeopath three years later.She recounts her experiences
as a student of Professor George Vithoulkas in Alonissos, and how his teachings inspired her.
My experience as a student of Prof. George Vithoulkas in Alonissos. I first visited Alonissos in August 2006.
After working 10 years as a pharmacist, first in a pharmacy and afterwards in the pharmaceutical industry, I felt so disappointed with conventional medicine I decided to change my life and study a different approach to health and disease. The choice of Homeopathy was not random, I had already a good experience with it, treating my oldest son of recurrent otitis and loss of hearing, back in 1993. So, in 2002 I started attending a Naturopathy course in Lisbon, Portugal, where I lived. The course had also a Homeopathy component and at that time, it was the best alternative of education in Homeopathy (In Portugal alternative medicines only started to be legal in July 2003).
Four years of studies gone and a lot of money spent, I was sure I didn’t have the knowledge I needed to practice Homeopathy as an alternative therapy and system of medicine.
I didn’t want to lose more time so I searched for the best Homeopathy education possible and a friend recommended Prof. George Vithoulkas Courses, he had seen online. I remember at that time I felt surprised, I didn’t know Greece and didn’t have any idea about this Greek Professorwho had won the Alternative Nobel Prize in 1996, because of his fantastic work with the science of Homeopathy.
I contacted the International Academy of Homeopathy in Alonissos and booked the first summer course available – at that time it was in august with the Italian group.
I flight from Lisbon through Frankfurt to Athens, then went by bus to Agios Konstantinos, then by boat to the Greek island Alonissos in the North Sporades; it took me one and a half days. At that time I didn’t know of a better and quicker way to go, so the whole journey was an adventure in itself.
After the last part of my journey, about three hours by boat – the Flying Cat, I arrived to Alonissos port, Patitiri. While walking to get a taxi to Votsi, the small, nice place where I stayed because it was the closest to the Academy, I saw a rounded gray head coming out of the water in between two boats resting in the sunny port. Two big deep dark eyes looked at me and blinked just before diving in the sea. That was my first warm welcome in the Island of Homeopathy.
My first impression of the island was that it was very simple, unspoiled and with a very clean and warm blue greenish water. But the best was still to come…
The course was starting the day after, but as soon as I could, I walked up the steep sunny road to see my future school for the next week. With a nice and welcoming garden and a terrace with a splendid view to the sea, it was beautiful! Light coloured stones were joined in a quite classical way to build the house of Homeopathy, full of good energy and knowledge – The International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, where so many doctors and other health specialists had study, and where I was, ready to start studying too – I felt so lucky!
The course comprised five days of teaching, with lectures starting at 9.30 am and continuing until lunch time, around 1.00pm. After the lunch break, the sessions started again at 5.00pm and continued until dinner time, at 8.30pm. It was built mainly around live cases that were being live video with Prof. Vithoulkas consulting a patient in his office nearby. After each case Prof. Vithoulkas would come and joined us in the auditorium for case analysis and detailed teaching concerning the patient complains and health history, discussion about the remedy chosen and differential analysis with other possible remedies, as well as commenting about the prognosis of the case.
The first time I saw Prof. Vithoulkas taking a case and follow his teaching, analyzing the rubrics chosen to repertorise, explaining the choice of strategy to follow, comparing the different possibilities of remedies and in the end explaining the remedy chosen, left me mesmerized and inspired – I wanted to learn this way of helping patients regaining their health, I wanted to learn Classical Homeopathy at the very best level, with the best teacher.
The siesta time was the only I had to explore a bit the surroundings and especially to go and enjoy the best water I knew in Europe, home of that lovely monk seal I spied.With a beautiful aquamarine color, crystal-clear and warm – diving in it was divine and I thought the Aegean Sea was my favourite now.
After that summer course, my knowledge of English allowed me to start studying Homeopathy, seemed to me for the very first time, in London where the Prof. Vithoulkas Video Course, a three year complete course on Homeopathy, was being held. After two years, still studying, I started to help some patients and in 2009 I started my own private clinic in Lisbon.My confidence and enthusiasm helping patients have been unshakeable, even after downfalls, because studying Homeopathy is really a life commitment.
Every summer, sometimes more than once, I’ve been returning to Alonissos and to Prof. George Vithoulkas teachings, because I know by experience that every time he gives a lecture, every time he talks with us about Homeopathy, those moments are so precious and full of experience and deep insight, moments to keep and cherish forever.
Lisbon, Novenber 2018
Cristina Pombo
