So you have decided to give homeopathy a try and you have a remedy that seems to have characteristics that match the characteristic symptoms of your ailment… Now what?

This question is a great one… and very important.

Any of us who have been exposed to ordinary medicine are accustomed to dosing medicines mechanically, e.g.,  every four hours, every 12 hours, once a day and so on…

Homeopathy is very different. In homeopathy, the remedy is always taken as needed (and not mechanically) and dosing stopped when improvement is noted.

With homeopathy, the patient or homeopath first chooses an appropriate remedy at a particular potency (we will talk about potencies in another article). If one has an acute condition, particularly one that is intensifying or ascending, the remedy can be taken with frequency. (What is an acute condition? Generally speaking, an acute condition is one that lasts for a short time but can begin rapidly and have intense symptoms.) In an acute state that is intense or ascending rapidly (rapidly rising temperature, rapidly ascending pain, etc.), a dose of the remedy may be needed every 5-30 minutes until relief is noted. In other instances such as for acute conditions that are less intense or ascending more slowly, the remedy should be taken once with a wait and watch period to follow to allow an opportunity to asses changes in the case.

These dosing rules apply to newborns, children, adults and the elderly. Adhere to them and you will have success with homeopathy. And with any medical condition, consult with your physician if you have any concerns about the severity of your illness as it may first require medical diagnosis and/or intervention and monitoring.

About Dr. Samet:

Dr. Lisa Samet N.D. provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a weekly column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine and she's a partner with Dr. Andre Saine N.D. Dr. Samet graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998 and has been practicing in Montreal since then. She was born and raised in New York.

Dr. Samet has chosen to focus on homeopathy because in her experience it is the deepest healing modality available in that it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but can actually stimulate the body to start to heal itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as remotely using Skype.  Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet

photo credit: makelessnoise