How to Choose A Homeopathic Remedy

Choosing A Remedy

Remedies are selected based on a complete review of the symptoms and the individual.

One of the key principles of homeopathy is that the choice of remedy is based on the principle of "like cures like." This means that a substance that causes certain symptoms in a healthy person can be used to treat similar symptoms in a sick person. The homeopath will take into account a patient's individual symptoms, as well as their overall physical and emotional state, to determine the most appropriate remedy.

In order to select the most appropriate remedy, a homeopath will use a rubric. A rubric is a category or grouping of symptoms that are used to select the most appropriate remedy. A rubric typically includes a list of symptoms and a list of remedies that are associated with those symptoms. For example, a rubric for a headache may include symptoms such as a dull, aching pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and nausea. This process is known as "repertorization" and it's used to identify the most suitable remedy for a patient.

It is important to note that the selection of a homeopathic remedy is not based on the diagnosis of a specific disease, but rather on the patient's overall symptoms and state of health. Therefore, the same remedy may be prescribed for different patients with similar symptoms, but with different underlying causes.

One of the benefits of homeopathy is that it is considered a safe and gentle form of medicine. Homeopathic remedies are said to never be worse than the illness. If the wrong remedy has been selected, simply stop that remedy and try another without side effects.

When the right remedy is selected, results will be seen relatively quickly in acute situations. It may take 4-6 weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a remedy for a chronic condition at which time symptoms will be reevaluated and new remedies selected.

In eastern medicine, we are said to heal from the inside out and in reverse order of the symptoms that developed. As you peel back the layers of healing, you may need to change remedies, especially as deep-seated chronic conditions begin to heal.