The Homeopathic Healing Process

You may be given one single dosage (one to three small globes) of a remedy in the office, or directed to take the remedy on a regular basis. A dosage is understood to be one globule, unless directed otherwise. As the remedies stimulate your body's own healing systems several things can occur:

       (1) If your symptoms improve and you are taking a remedy on an on-going basis you need to stop the remedy, wait and observe. The remedies stimulate your own healing systems; once a change occurs you don't need to stimulate the body any more.

If you continue taking the remedy there is a chance that the positive results will reverse themselves and you will start "proving" the remedy. This means that you will experience a worsening of symptoms or experience new symptoms under the action of the remedy.

If the symptoms come back after stopping the remedy you simply need to restart it. You can start and stop the remedy as many times as necessary as long as the remedy continues to be helpful. If the remedy doesn't seem to work as well as it did initially it is a sign that a different remedy may be indicated. If this happens, stop the remedy and call your doctor.

At times several remedies are needed in succession to achieve a complete healing. In acute conditions you may need a different remedy as soon as one hour after the initial remedy. The involvement with homeopathy is more intensive than with conventional therapies.

       (2) The symptoms could get worse after the remedy. It is not unusual for the correct remedy to cause a slight and brief aggravation of the symptoms you suffer. Such an aggravation is benign and a good sign. It should be tolerable and last no more than a few hours or up to three or four days. This should be followed by a progressive improvement. Please note that if you are taking the remedy on a regular basis you should stop it if there is an aggravation or as soon as the symptoms start improving noticeably.

If you are taking a remedy regularly and the symptoms become intolerable, if they worsen progressively, or last more than three or four days stop the remedy and call your doctor. This may mean that the remedy, or the strength of the remedy, is not right for you and some adjustments need to be made.

Sometimes the remedies stimulate your body in a way that brings to the surface certain constitutional vulnerabilities or old, long forgotten, symptoms. This can be a good sign. Homeopaths have noticed that in the course of healing the body goes through old symptoms as if attempting to heal "old wounds" that had not healed completely. These episodes should be mild, tolerable and short-lived; they should last no more than three or four days. They are often called "healing crisis" and are usually a form of a discharge or an eruption. You can continue taking the remedy under these circumstances. As long as the symptoms are not too uncomfortable it is best to let them run their course. If the symptoms get progressively worse, or last more than three or four days, stop the remedy and call your doctor. At times the discharges can last a couple of weeks or more even after stopping the remedy.

Finally, in general, you will know the remedy is helping if you notice an improvement in your general well being, your energy, stamina, and emotional state. Local physical symptoms usually are the last ones to improve.

It is said that it takes one month of treatment per year of disease to achieve a cure. Usually it takes about three to six months to assess how homeopathy is working for you. It is recommended to see your homeopath at least three to four times a year when you have noticeable symptoms.

       (3) If there is no change in your condition it means that either the remedy or the dosage is not correct and your case needs to be reevaluated.