How to decide what homœopathic remedy to use?
People frequently ask me “have you got something for xyz?”
The concept of homœopathy for first aid acutes provides a short list of remedies that may be thought of when the presenting complaint arises and helps with quick prescribing. Emphasis here is “short list” you still have to differentiate which remedy to use on the presenting symptoms. e.g. Bryonia is useful when the patient doesn’t move because it is too painful, Gelsemium is useful when the patient doesn’t want to move because they don’t have enough energy to do so.
There is also a branch of homœopathy that uses specific protocols using specific homœopathic remedies for specific diseases (Banerji protocols, Joette Calabrese) leading to this idea that you can just say the name of a disease and there is a specific remedy for it.
When successfully selecting a homœopathic remedy for any situation having a symptom that is considered strange, rare and peculiar (an SRP symptom) is very helpful. It is also often referred to as a keynote symptom.
Here are a few examples from my own household over the years.
When my son was a baby he developed a very high fever. I tried the usual first aid remedies to treat this (Aconite, Belladonna, Chamomilla) but his temperature continued to go up, reaching 40.5oC. This is a very dangerous situation as the child could start to convulse.
I was on my own at the time, living 30 minutes drive from the nearest hospital and also homesteading a small herd of dairy goats. If I called an ambulance to go to the hospital, I would be stuck there in the morning and no-one would be at home to milk the goats. If I drove myself, I would have a screaming baby in the back seat for 30 minutes, unable to sooth him without making the trip even longer. But the situation was getting serious so I decided I ought to drive to the hospital. I packed an over night bag and changed my son’s nappy ready for the journey.
Inside the nappy was “chopped, green spinach type stool”. I had read about this symptom in my studies but had never seen it so it had never made much sense to me. This triggered me to understand that this was my guiding symptom. I sat down, wrote what symptoms were in front of me on a piece of paper so I could get a handle on the anxiety I was feeling. Then I looked these up in my repertory. The highest scoring remedy was Phosphorus, seconded by Belladonna which I had already tried to no avail. At the time (16-17 years ago) I had never heard of Phosphorus being used for acute fever but this was my last attempt before making the trek to the hospital.
I made the dose up in water and gave a teaspoon. His temperature dropped half a degree in 5 minutes. And then continued to drop half a degree every 5 minutes for the next half an hour or so until it was normal. He slept, I slept, we slept late the next morning! And everything cleared up completely.
A few years later, during another episode of fever, I was again failing at finding the right first aid remedy for my son. I had tried 11 remedies and still no effect! He was thrashing about on the sofa and screaming. It was so upsetting for both of us. During the screaming, with his mouth wide open, I noticed his tongue was completely white. I rejoiced, finally here was a symptom that could help me. I looked in the repertory and found a rubric for white tongue with one remedy – Antimonium crudum. Confirming this by reading the materia medica, this remedy covered the symptoms he was displaying along with a concomitant symptom of “ailments from disappointed love”. His father had been for a visit and had just left again. After administering this remedy, my son’s fever resolved and he healed from this episode completely.
So understand that there is not really any “this for that” remedy in homœopathy. When using this approach you can obtain quite good results as the remedy you use may cover most of the presenting symptoms, which makes you feel more comfortable and you are able to deal with any residual symptoms, allowing them to clear up on their own. Even homœopaths who use this approach for chronic disease, tend to do so to get the case moving and then follow up with more individualised treatment.
However, if you have an unusual symptom, this is the key that helps you find the right remedy where you will witness the most amazing cures.
Disclaimer: This information is supplied for educational purposes only. Sources include published literature and anecdotal experiences of myself and other men, women and animals. The information is not intended for the treatment of any particular individual person or disease. If you are suffering any particular complaint please consult professional help.