Introduction to Homeopathic Medicine.

This page is intended to help you evaluate for your self the disparate advice that is sometimes given on this forum. Being aware of the information on this page should give you enough of a grounding to assess the methods of other posters on this forum.

Choosing a homeopathic medicine

Homeopathic medicine relies on taking, in a very dilute form, the substance which would produce the same symptoms as you are experiencing in a healthy person. In order to work out which substance would best reproduce your symptoms, a lot of detail is necessary. As an example, most homeopathic remedies can be prescribed for headaches; only some of those if the pain is in the right temples, fewer still if it recurs in the evening, and finally only one remedy if the headache is accompanied by a running nose and sore throat. The art of prescribing homeopathic medicines is to drill down, in this manner, to find the one remedy which matches all your symptoms.

In addition to the forum, we have an online remedy finder, which allows you to see which remedies fit which of your symptoms, and hopefully, which one fits all your symptoms.

However...

Without spending a lot of time with a skilled homeopath, it is not always possible to find the simillium (the one remedy which matches all your symptoms). In some cases, such as babies and animals, it may simply not be possible to get all the required information, as the patient can not describe their pain. There are a couple of shortcuts which have been employed:

1. "One size fits all"
   In the headache example above, somebody might suggest a remedy which cured their own, or their friend's headache. In some cases, this will work consistently, for example, most homeopaths would use Arnica Montana to treat bruising without considering other symptoms. In other cases it works on all the people they've given it to, as there are common factors, such as environment, or genetic susceptibility, if all the patients are family members. In other cases, this simply won't work
2. "Combination remedies"
   Certain groups of medicines can be combined on a single pill. This is much easier to prescribe, but some people simply do not respond to combination homeopathic medicines, or respond only in a short-lived and minor way.

There are regulars on this forum who have a bias toward either of these methods; this is necessary as they answer a large volume of posts. People who answer queries here do so out of goodwill; not for personal gain. They are not employed by ABC Homeopathy, and are not paid for their efforts.

Taking a particular homeopathic medicine often, for a long time, particularly in high potencies, is generally considered bad practice. While homeopathic remedies are in themselves free of long term side effects, this can lead to other health problems while your immune system is directed to your initial symptoms.

And finally

We don't say this because we're legally obliged to, but because it is the truth, and it is important:

You should not treat anybody's post on this forum as medical advice; you should assume that people responding to your post are not medical professionals. Do not stop taking prescribed medication without first consulting your doctor. If your symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

Beware outrageous claims. It is up to you, and you alone to judge the merits of any opinions offered here. Like on any internet forum, it is easy enough for somebody, wanting to endorse their own point of view, to invent a second identity, and say they tried what was suggested and it worked for them.