There's a remedy for that! Eugenie Rowson

Frequently asked questions about homeopathy

• How does homeopathic medicine work?

  Homeopathic medicine stimulates the body’s own immune system and healing mechanisms. By strengthening our own natural self-healing forces, we can overcome illness or dis-ease, and bring balance and order to the body and mind.

• How should I store homeopathic remedies?

  Never touch the remedy, as this is easily contaminated. Remedies should be kept in a cool, dark place, protected from sunlight and are best stored in dark glass bottles.
  
  Bottles or containers must be firmly or tightly closed to prevent the loss of alcohol through evaporation, which causes the remedy to deteriorate. Remedies should be kept away from strong-smelling substances such as perfumes, essential oils, mint, menthol, camphor, eucalyptus, soaps, garlic, spices, etc. Storing remedies in
  the medicine or bathroom cabinet or kitchen cupboards is not a good idea.
  
  Remedies should also be stored away from electrical or battery-operated items
  such as the microwave, TV, hair dryer, fridge and especially cell phones. A bedroom cupboard is often the best bet.
  
  NOTE: Our range of remedies has been carefully chosen so that each can be used over and over again for many different ailments. Take care of your remedies – the more carefully they are stored, the longer they will last!

• Who can use homeopathic remedies?

  For everyday, minor complaints and common ailments, homeopathic remedies are suitable for everyone, including infants. However, women who are pregnant or breast feeding must always seek the advice of a homeopathic doctor, pharmacist or healthcare professional first.

• How soon should I use a homeopathic remedy?

  Homeopathic medicine can be used at any stage of illness, but the sooner the better. If conventional medicine has already been used (such as an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, antidepressant, antidiuretic, antihypertensive, antifungal, anti-acid, etc.), which functions by suppressing the symptoms, then the immune system is likely to have been compromised. In this instance, it may take a little longer to excite the immune system to heal those particular symptoms as well as any side effects or toxicity that may have been caused.
  Do not just stop taking any medicines prescribed by your doctor. Only stop a prescribed medication under your doctor’s supervision.

• How do I choose a remedy?

  Consider the symptoms, keeping these points in mind:

  • the location of the pain, discomfort or disorder on the body
  • the sensation of the symptoms, i.e. what it feels, looks (including colour and texture), sounds, smells or tastes like
  • the modality, which is the condition that makes the symptoms feel better or worse, e.g. weather, temperature, position, time, place, movement, etc.

  
  1. Use all your senses and powers of observation to determine what is strange, rare, peculiar, different, unusual or a change from the norm. Some other aspects to consider:
  
  2. Choose the remedy that best describes the symptoms. Try to choose only one remedy but if the choice is difficult, then a maximum of three can be chosen and taken at the same time, provided they are not listed under Remedies that disagree.
  
  REMEMBER: There is no wrong remedy. You can only err by not trying and therefore not assisting the body to heal.
  
  Selecting the best remedy may take a little practice but you will get better at it. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, said that even if you take the ‘wrong’ remedy, it is bound to do you some good!
  
  Please refer to our A - Z list of common aliments
  
  
• Which remedy potency (strength) should I use and how often?

  200c (or decimal dilution 200D)
  
  This is our preferred potency for most acute ailments. Take hourly for the first day, thereafter four to six times a day until symptoms improve or change. The more acute the symptoms, the more often you should take the remedy.
  
  Reduce how often the remedy is given as symptoms improve, and stop taking the remedy when symptoms have disappeared.

• What is the difference between herbal and homeopathic medicine?

  Herbal remedies are similar to homeopathic remedies in that they are derived from naturally occurring plants, but they differ from homeopathic remedies in that herbal remedies are made directly from the basic plant and prepared in different forms such as a tea, tincture, compress, suppository, dried and pressed into tablet form, or put into capsules, etc. Homeopathic remedies are made from many different naturally occurring substances such as plants, minerals and metals.

• How much remedy should I take? What is the best dose?

  Always follow the directions on the bottle. If there are no directions, the same dose can be given to both adults and children, however, a baby has such a little mouth that half an adult dose is sufficient. Tip: How often a homeopathic remedy is taken is much more important than how much is taken.

• What should I expect after taking a remedy?

  If the symptoms suddenly worsen at the beginning – this is called initial reaction and is a brief flare-up or aggravation of existing symptoms shortly after taking a homeopathic remedy. The remedy excites and acts as a catalyst to the immune system which strengthens and focuses the body’s healing mechanisms on the symptoms. This is an indication that the right remedy is at work.
  
  If the remedy works – the symptoms or condition will improve. Initially you will feel an improvement in general well-being, followed by an improvement of physical symptoms. As a general rule, acute (sudden and severe) ailments respond more quickly; while minor, less acute or chronic (long-term) complaints take longer to improve. If the symptoms change – stop using the current remedy and select another remedy that describes the new symptoms.
  
  If the remedy does not appear to be helping – re-evaluate the choice of remedy by reading again through the A-Z descriptions carefully, and select a remedy that more accurately describes the symptoms. Always try a remedy for at least 24 hours. Only if it does not seem to be helping, or the symptoms have changed, should you select a new one.
  
  Always seek the advice of a homeopath, homeopathic pharmacist, doctor or healthcare provider if there is any question, doubt or concern as to an individual’s progress while using homeopathic medicine.

• Are there any side effects or risks of homeopathy?  

  The remedies on this website have no known side effects or negative interaction with any other medication. Never stop taking the medicine prescribed by your GP or specialist without his or her consent.
  
  There is always one risk with all forms of self-treatment, be it homeopathic, herbal or otherwise, and that is the delay that may occur before the best remedy is identified.
  
  The only way to reduce this risk is to try to select the best homeopathic remedy as soon as possible. If you are in any doubt as to the best choice of remedy for a particular symptom, seek the advice of a homeopathic pharmacist or doctor
  sooner rather than later.
  
  NOTE: If symptoms are severe, do not waste time – seek the help of a GP, homeopath or healthcare provider immediately. If there is any question, doubt or concern as to an individual’s progress while using homeopathic medicine, seek the advice of a homeopath, homeopathic pharmacist, doctor or healthcare provider.
  
  Use your instincts and common sense. If symptoms show no improvement, seek professional help.

• How is homeopathic medicine made?

  A natural substance is ground down and soaked in a water-and-alcohol solution for some time, and is then filtered. The strange thing is, the substance is then discarded and only the water-and-alcohol solution is retained. This solution is called the mother tincture. From the mother tincture we take one drop and add a further 99 drops of fresh water-and-alcohol solution (this dilution process is known as attenuation), and this solution is shaken vigorously.

  This new solution is called the 1st dilution or a 1c potency. From the 1c potency we take one drop and add a further 99 drops of fresh water-and-alcohol solution, shake vigorously (known as succussion) and this gives us the 2nd dilution or a 2c potency.

  This successive dilution process continues up to the most commonly used potencies such as 6c, 12c, 30c, 200c, 1M (1 000th dilution), 10M (10 000th dilution) and even 50M or MM.

  The potentised solution or remedy is either sprayed or dropped onto blank sugar and lactose tablets, pillules or granules, or is used directly as an oral spray or as drops under the tongue or in water. It can also be added to creams, ointments and lotions for topical application.

• How do I take a remedy?  

  The tablet or pillules should be taken by tipping one dose into the cap or lid of the container and then tipping this into the mouth, either onto or under the tongue. This can either be sucked or crushed with the teeth and allowed to dissolve in the mouth. If the remedy is swallowed by mistake, a second dose should be taken but this time allowed to dissolve in the mouth.

  For infants and small children the tablets or pillules can be crushed between two plastic spoons (never use metal spoons) and sprinkled onto the tongue, a little at a time, or the teat of a bottle or dummy can be dipped into the powder and placed in baby’s mouth to suck on.

  To maximise the effect of the remedy and absorption in the mouth, try not to drink or brush your teeth 10 minutes before or after taking a remedy.

  Creams, ointments and lotions should be rubbed onto the skin as directed. Sprays can be sprayed into the mouth.

• How can homeopathy work for me?  

  1. Homeopathic medicine is governed by three principles:

  The 1st principle – The ‘Law of Similars’ is that like is cured by like. This means that whatever the body is doing, whatever the symptom, a remedy must be chosen that is known to provoke similar symptoms.

  The 2nd principle – An ‘infinitely small dose’ is used. Whatever a substance can cause in a strong physical dose, so it can cure the same symptoms once a homeopathic solution is made from that substance if given in the minutest dose. The minute dose acts a catalyst to the healing mechanisms of the body.

  The 3rd principle – The ‘totality of symptom’ must be considered. For example, when you bash your knee it becomes bruised and inflamed. The bash or impact was the cause of the injury and your body attempts to heal the injury by inflaming the area to increase blood flow, etc. The knee starts to feel bruised and is painful to touch. In other words, the bash has stimulated the body’s healing mechanisms, which are now apparent as inflammation, bruising and pain. Therefore, to encourage and speed up this healing process, we need to find a remedy that excites a response from the body in the same way, and encourages inflammation, bruising and pain, thereby getting it all over with as quickly as possible! The most similar remedy in this case would be Arnica.

  2. How the body heals
  
  There is something called direction of cure, which refers to the fact that the body heals itself in a specific direction or order – not just in any old higgledy-piggledy order. The body heals itself in order of priority, from the top down, and from the inside out. Mind and head first and then downwards; internal organs before skin.

  Therefore, if the body is in a state of healing, we should feel or observe an improvement of symptoms in this direction – for example, a person should notice initially that they feel better emotionally, and that their state of mind (and issues that relate to the mind such as mood/emotion, appetite) is improving before there is a noticeable improvement with symptoms lower down in the body, such as digestion.

  Based on direction of cure, a fever will improve before a skin rash; nausea and vomiting will improve before diarrhoea. It is also advisable to focus on prioritising the symptoms in this direction – e.g. concern yourself with treating nausea and vomiting before diarrhoea, because this is the order in which the body is inclined to heal itself. Of course, it would be best to find a remedy that helps with all three – but if the remedy is working, then the nausea and vomiting should improve first.

  3. Be positive and patient. Persevere
  
  Homeopathic medicine works as a catalyst to the immune system and this can take time. Be positive and patient – a positive, patient and determined attitude overcomes much adversity. A limited mind attracts limits, while a positive mind will always find a positive way!

  4. Keep a record
  
  Space for your own notes and observations has been provided throughout this book, so that you can keep a record of which remedies you have tried. Try to develop this book into a personal homeopathic journal for yourself. Many of the notes and stories in this book have been taken from my own scribbles and references, jotted down in the margins of my books and manuals over the years. Being able to check back on what has been observed, learnt and understood is so important.