Homeopathy Tips Newsletter

Remedy Relationships in Homeopathy

It is important to know about the remedies in our Materia Medica and their relationships. I often see a case improve dramatically with a given remedy but not go on to cure. With a little knowledge of remedy relationships, some of the more perplexing cases can be improved by giving a complementary remedy to the first remedy prescribed. It must always be that this second remedy is indicated and not just given routinely.

When you see a child with recurrent high fevers that yield to Belladonna, but the fevers continue to reoccur then often Calcarea Carbonica will be the chronic remedy for these acute states.

Natrum Muriaticum sustains the same chronic relationships to  Apis and Ignatia. It stands to reason since Natrum Muriaticum shares many common themes with both of them. One can see the relationship between the crystalline structure of Salt and the crystalline structure of the honeycomb and crystallizing of honey. Often it will be difficult to tell the difference in...

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The Art and Science of Homeopathic Prescribing

There are two aspects of Homeopathy that seem to be diametrically opposed to each other but are absolutely necessary for Homeopathy to work. These are the "art" and the "science" that must be brought together to form a whole picture of dis-ease and the correct selection of the remedy. At first glance, it seems as though it would be impossible to marry the two. But careful investigation as to the true meaning of these different aspects can bring homeopathy to the level Hahnemann himself experienced.

I speak often about "seeing the case". This is where the "art" part of homeopathy comes in. The ability to be free of prejudice and let the client "paint the picture of their dis-ease". It is much like art appreciation; where there is nothing to judge about the work of art but to simply take it in and allow it to create the feeling inside. The difference is that it is most detrimental to follow feelings when case-taking. Feelings are usually your previous experiences and it is not good to...

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Handling the First Follow-up in Homeopathy

When we have given a remedy, how do we know that it has worked? How do we know that the well-selected remedy that was given with confidence, is right?

The first follow-up is as important as the original case-taking. When we have given a remedy it is essential to determine if the remedy has worked. This can present problems at times. The client does not always report in glowing terms that the remedy has been helping. Sometimes it takes a bit of investigation to find out what has happened since they have been on the remedy. This is where good notes from the original case are essential. We must be able to investigate whether the vital force has responded or not.

I find that the first follow-up is best scheduled for around 4-6 weeks after the initial visit unless there is a very serious condition that is needing more attention. It is best to conduct the follow-up in a similar fashion to case-taking. Let them speak. Many times they will tell you that the remedy has had no effect but when...

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Mind Rubrics in Homeopathic Repertorizing

When doing homeopathy it is very helpful to have complete knowledge of the repertory, especially the mind section. Obviously, it is so large that it would probably be impossible to memorize it all.  But there are a few rubrics that come up often that it is good to be familiar with. These rubrics can often be seen in case-taking and could help lead to the best remedy.

Study these rubrics and get to know the remedies they contain. Having these as one of the tools in your toolbox will help you immensely.

  • Ennui - When there is a weary sense of dissatisfaction.
  • Superstitious - When a person trusts in something; saying or action, a fetish, habit, amulet, ie. "knock on wood"
  • Weeping; with sympathy for others - When they are easily moved to tears by the suffering of others.
  • Stupefaction - A state where the person is unable to react or respond to a situation or life; either through shock and amazement or groggy and insensible.
  • Sensitive; to noise - When there is an...
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Case-Taking Methodologies in Homeopathy

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One question about different methodologies in Homeopathic medicine has caught my attention. It is a common challenge when learning about homeopathy to know which method to use and which method works. There is a fairly simple answer.

       If we are doing classical homeopathy, then Hahnemann has spelled out pretty clearly how homeopathy should be practiced. The Organon is the most direct source for this information.  Yet within modern classical homeopathy different teachers and approaches have proposed different methods for achieving success with prescribing.

        The most important point is the homeopath being able to "see the case".  Without this skill, no method will be helpful. What does "seeing the case" really mean? It means that the trained homeopath is observing everything that the client is saying and sometimes very literally, without prejudice. It is imperative to let the words the...

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Potency and Homeopathy

Homeopathy, based on the "Law of Similars", makes the selection of the remedy one of the most difficult tasks for homeopaths. But the question of potency is also one of the big hurdles for homeopaths as well. What are the rules for potency selection? How do we decide what potency to select? There are probably as many opinions as there are homeopaths, but I want to share with you my thoughts. Please include your own below.

Hahnemann explains potency in Aphorism 29 of the Organon.  " ....so in every homeopathic cure this principle of life dynamically altered by natural disease is seized through the administration of a medicinal potency selected exactly according to symptom-similarity by a somewhat stronger, similar artificial disease-manifestation."

What Hahnemann is saying is that the properly selected homeopathic remedy must be given in a potency that is slightly stronger than the dis-ease expression of the vital force. How do we determine what potency is best...

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What Does It Take to Be a Homeopath?

What does it take to be a homeopath? We often think of those in the healing arts as equivalent to the medical profession and being a doctor; after all, we are helping people with their acute and chronic medical issues as well as their mental and emotional challenges. But being a homeopath requires much more than being a medical doctor. Because the allopathic medical model is built on a materialistic premise, the whole of modern medicine is based on diagnosis and physical treatment by drugs, surgery or radiations.

Homeopathy is based on a spiritual, non-physical premise and requires that the homeopath see the patterns of the physical expression to understand the dis-ease. It is not based on a diagnosis but on a collective understanding of the person's symptoms and deviations from health. This makes the homeopathic "diagnosis" somewhat less diagnostic and more of a synthesis in the understanding of the person. Luckily we have the person's vital force showing us constantly their...
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Handling Difficult Cases

In the course of seeing hundreds of clients, there are those that do better than others. And then there are those that do not seem to respond in any of the expected ways. I define these as "difficult cases."

For every case, the main indicator that the remedy is working is movement. The question I ask myself is, "Is there movement in the case?" Movement to me is symptoms or events in the person's life changing. There will be evidence that the vital force is expressing in a greater way than before. Sometimes this may be indicated by aggravations or return of old symptoms. Other times it is indicated by a greater sense of well-being or new events in the person's life. Anything that can be understood as movement in the case will keep me feeling that the remedy is helping, if only a little bit. Then I must retake the case and look for more clues to a better remedy or trust that their healing is happening but just not on my expected time schedule. These cases are a little more challenging...

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Treating Acute Illness During Chronic Care

Acute illnesses commonly happen during chronic or constitutional care. This can be challenging for homeopaths since the healing response to the original chronic or constitutional remedy can often be disturbed. What do we do then when new symptoms appear?

The approach to acute illness during chronic care is primarily determined by the kind of chronic care that has been given. It is one thing to treat acutes when there has been a healing response to a single high potency remedy. But quite another when the daily dosing of a remedy is now being affected by a new acute illness. Let's go through some of the possibilities and discuss the best approaches.

When a constitutional remedy is working and a new, acute illness happens, the same remedy that has brought the person to the new acute will be indicated and also help through the acute. Often that new acute expression is a part of the greater healing process. I find if the acute is not severe and the suffering is bearable, the best...

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Every Case on Its Own

One of the greatest challenges for homeopaths is knowing when to let go of an idea about a case. This difficult task arises when we have seen cases similar to the one being received in the present. Often, we will project aspects of a previous case into the case we are working on. This is a process that the mind naturally wants to do. It is a function of the ego to justify and support our thoughts. But this is very dangerous in homeopathy.

Many times we will have had an experience ourselves similar to the client before us. In a casual setting, one would share from a similar perspective our own experience. We can relate to another in this way; it helps us make connections to the person before us. This all comes very naturally in life. But as a homeopath, this tendency creates a very big obstacle if we are to remain unprejudiced observers. Our natural tendency to share our story with another person with a similar story needs to be suspended, especially during the case-receiving...

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