Homeopathy: Case taking, and  the Curative Journey

 

The homeopathic process   

 

      Homeopathy is a powerful and effective healing modality. However in order to receive the benefits of this amazing medicine certain methodologies must be followed.  First of all homeopathic medicines do not directly heal disease.  Unlike other medicines, homeopathic remedies work to unlock your bodies natural healing responses. We were all born with an incredibly powerful and responsive immune system. Instead of suppressing the symptoms of disease with strong but harmful medicines,  the homeopathic approach seeks to gently stimulate your body’s innate healing abilities. In other words we don’t seek to overpower your body but rather we seek to empower your body.

     Because we follow Hippocrates dictum, “First do no harm”,  your professional homeopath will whenever possible suggest that you limit or discontinue any unnecessary medicines. If you are taking allopathic medicines, then your homeopath might suggest that you have a conversation with your medical doctor about the need to continue on those medications.

    If the goal is for your body’s immune system to function well, then anything that interferes with your immune response could be a limiting factor for true healing.

 

 

 The case taking process

 

    First and foremost a good homeopath will  seek to understand you as a  unique person.  They  want to understand your physical, mental, and emotional makeup. The are looking for the threads that run though all these areas. Only after they are successful at understanding you on many levels can they  perceive  a good homeopathic remedy that will match your particular constitution.

 During the case taking process the homeopath should  do their  best to listen deeply to you. They will ask questions that will elicit responses that help them to understand you. There is no preparation you can do for the interview. It’s best to just come and share spontaneously whatever comes up for you during the intake.  The initial interview will take between one and three hours, and most follow ups take between twenty  minutes to an hour.

 At the end of the case taking you may be prescribed a remedy or  the practitioner may study the case notes for some time before they prescribe.
They may also have you return for some follow up questions before prescribing. 

 

 

The curative journey

​

     Finding a really good homeopathic constituional remedy for each patient is difficult work and takes years of study and practice. It may take two, three, or even sometimes four visits before the best remedy is found.  For this reason it is best if patients plan on sticking with the homeopathic process for some time, at a minimum six month to one year.

 After the correct remedy is found it will take time for the body to find balance. During this process it is extremely important that the patient work closely with their homeopathic practitioner. There will be twists and turns and apparent relapses, not because homeopathy does not work, but to the contrary, these ups and downs occur  because this is how natural healing works. It is not linear, it is a wave that slowly and surely evens out in the direction of optimum health.

 The well trained homeopath understands how to navigate the healing process. They know when to change the strength of the medicine and when to give a temporary secondary medicine to keep the healing process on track.  For these reasons regular follow up visits are essential to the entire process. Prospective patients should expect that they will need somewhere between five and ten  follow up visits during the first year. Without attending the follow ups there is very little chance of true healing to occur, even if the best remedy is found on day one.