remedy relationships

There is some confusion among the homeopathic fraternity as to the actual use and logic of remedy relationships.

Some authors give contradictory statements.

See the following statements.

Ip does not go well with Ars. this fact must be remembered in treating respiratory complaints.

Wheeler C.E. and Douglas K.

An introduction to the principles and practice of homeopathy

Ars is a complimentary in Asthma. Nash.

We will deal with these contradictory stands some other time, in a different thread.

Many times we find some author mentioning one remedy as an antidote, another author mentioning the same medicine as a follower. Some may even say that the remedy is complimentary to the first one.

The confusion gets cleared if we understand that, there are no univesal antidotes, followers or complimentaries.

One medicine can act as an antidote for a particular group of symptoms, the same medicine can act even as inimical for another group of symptoms, and for some other group of symptoms, it may be a good follower.

Let us take the case of Ipecac and Ars.

Ars is a complimentary to Ipecac in gastic disorders, abdominal affections.

However if you give Ipecac for respiratory complaints, and if too large a dose or too frequent repetetion, brings about gastric disturbances,it is possible that those symptoms match that of Ars, and in such cases you can antidote the excessive action of ipecac with Ars.

So if the medicine is used as an antidote for removing troublesome symptoms,it can be termed both as a follower and antidote.

You normally find three or four medicines mentioned as antidotes for every medicine.

Does it mean you can give any one of those medicines mentioned as antidotes blindly, in case of a need to antidote and expect results?

No.

You must know which medicne can antidote which set of symptoms.

Similar is the case with followers and even complimentaries.

Knowing these remedy relationships is good. They serve as a reference on what medicines can be considered next. However, it is always the symptom complex that emerges which will help us to choose one among these antidotes/followers.

Sometimes you may have to go out of these relationships, and choose an altogether different medicine.


Another note on complmentary actions of medicines.

Even if two medicines are mentioned as complimentaries, it doesn't mean they can be alternated.

It means the symptom complex may change to warrant the use of the complimentary for some time, and the case may change once again to demand the first medicine. Some medicines are known to produce these cyclic changes, and you have to use them only when the symptoms indicate them.

Not automatically.

For example Puls may remove the feeling of being hot, and make you sufficiently chilly to warrant use of Sil.After a few days of using Sil, the symptoms may change again, the person may become hot again, and may need Puls again. This is how the complimentary relationship is established.

Routinism will never bring lasting results in homeopathy. Each case is to be judged on its own merits.

Each change of symtoms need an analysis to choose the next medicine.

Nothing is pre determined or automatic.

Murthy