Here’s a question for you…. What kinds of statements are practically useless to a homeopath? Here are a few: I’m sick! I have a virus. I have a headache! I have a sore throat! I don’t feel well! I’m depressed! What do you have for an upset stomach? I
Here’s a question for you…. What kinds of statements are practically useless to a homeopath? Here are a few:
I’m sick!
I have a virus.
I have a headache!
I have a sore throat!
I don’t feel well!
I’m depressed!
What do you have for an upset stomach?
I have a pain here, here, and here.
Do you have anything for a cold?
I have anxiety attacks.
I have a fever.
People are used to dealing with “regular” doctors, and don’t know how to give their symptoms to a homeopath. We have no single remedy for “headache”, “anxiety”, ”cold” or any other diagnosis. We can only prescribe after hearing the WHOLE case, and you’d be surprised at what we consider important! If you tell a homeopath you’re sick, the response will be A Flurry of Questions; and here they are now:
Questionnaire
1. Describe the complaint or complaints in your own words in as much detail as you can. Don’t forget to include the onset (did the complaint come on suddenly or gradually)?
2. Etiology–this means the CAUSE, if you know it. What caused you to get sick? Think about what was going on at, or around, the time of the occurrence? The answer may be obvious if you were stung by a bee, ate a big fatty meal, or fell out of a tree; but, less obvious etiologies would include things like the weather, suppression (“I was very angry but said nothing.”, “I had a rash and suppressed it with some sort of cream; after that, I started feeling bad.”), over-studying, receiving good news or bad news, having to put up with rudeness, loss of vital fluids–from diarrhea, nursing a baby, bleeding, etc.; loss of a loved one, loss of property, jealousy, fright, use of drugs–prescription or otherwise– never recovering completely from an infection like the flu or other illness, loss of sleep, surgery, too much alcohol, too much junk food, getting the feet wet, drinking cold water on a hot day, embarrassment, breathing in dust, over-exertion, exposure to toxins, vaccinations, etc.
3. Sensation–describe the pain or other feeling you have. Does it extend anywhere, does it shoot anywhere? For instance, “It feels like there’s a crumb in my throat, I’m constantly trying to swallow. The pain shoots to my left ear.”
4. Appearance– anything remarkable? Red skin, droopy eyes, etc.?
5. Location–where on the body is your complaint located?
6. Modalities–What makes your complaint better or worse? Don’t say “nothing”, THINK!!!!! This question is very important to us. Consider the following possibilities: hot or cold applications, weather, bathing/showering, warm rooms, fresh air, drafts, motion, sleep, a certain time of day, massage, assuming a certain position; stimuli (conversation, noise, light, touch, pressure, rubbing, music, company, consolation, etc.), eating, drinking, ice, hot tea, milk, sweets, chocolate, etc. Remember, these are only examples. Think about your case: what makes you feel somewhat better? What makes you feel worse? Another way of thinking about this question is, what does the complaint force you to do? For example, if you’ve doubled over in pain, then you are better for “bending double”.
7. Concomitants (other symptoms that are “along for the ride”)–Another way of saying this is, “What ELSE is there?” It could be anything: burping, salivation, dizziness, sneezing, anxiety…it could be important or unimportant. For example: Headache with irritability, headache with runny eyes, menstrual cramps with burping, diarrhea with chills, etc.
8. Discharges–color, odor, consistency and sensation. (A discharge is anything liquid that’s coming out. So, for instance, runny nose, diarrhea, runny eyes and so on.) So, for example, “I have a runny nose that’s clear, watery, and burns my upper lip.”
9. Generals–these are all the symptoms that begin with the word “I”: I’m hot, I’m cold, I’m hot one minute and cold the next, I’m thirsty, I’m tired, I’m sad, I’m irritable, I’m hungry, I want to be left alone, I want pickles, etc.
10. The mentals: Is the complaint changing you mentally and emotionally? Think about irritability, panic, anxiety, weepiness, self-pity, confusion, crying, dullness, apathy/indifference, overly cheerful, optimistic, and so on.
11. What have you been saying? For instance: “I’m fine, leave me alone.” “Don’t leave!” “I wanna go home!” “I want ice”, “I want quiet!”, ”Turn that music off!”, etc.
12. What are you doing? For example, tossing and turning, pacing, fidgeting, moaning and groaning, calling people on the phone for support, just lying down and not caring about anything, etc.
13. Describe your thirst and appetite–are you thirsty, not thirsty, what temperature do you want your drinks, what kind of drinks do you want, just sips, or gulps, frequently or infrequently? Are you craving certain foods or avoiding certain foods?
14. Fever? Can you describe it? For instance, is it constant, or does it come and go? Is it a dry fever or accompanied by perspiration? Anything else you can say about it, like, goes away outside, worse in warm rooms, worse in hot bath, etc.?
15. Sweating? Describe. When does the sweating occur? Where on the body? Does it leave a stain of a particular color?
16. Odors? Are odors an issue, such as bad breath, foul or unusual odors of any sort? Any identifiable odors–like sulphur, onions, fish, etc.?
17. What is most striking, peculiar or identifying about your condition?
18. Is there a diagnosis? For instance, the flu, teething, colitis, diabetes, etc.
19. Describe your energy–are you nervous, quiet, restless, agitated, sleepy, dull, prostrated, collapsed, stuporous, anguished, desperate, active, cheerful, energetic, bubbly, etc.
20. This question only applies to complaints of a more chronic nature: I need to know what you eat, drink and “take”. I need to know how long you wait between meals; so, a typical way to answer this question might be:
“For breakfast, I generally have a donut and a cup of coffee and I take my arthritis pain medicine. Sometimes I might have orange juice (Tropicana) and sometimes I’ll go to McDonald’s and have an Egg McMuffin. I usually eat lunch around noon and I’ll have maybe a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard on rye and a pepsi and I take my arthritis pain medicine again. At 3:00 I usually have a candy bar or a bag of potato chips and a soda. After work I have one or two drinks at my local bar before I go home. I might have a pizza for dinner or order out, maybe Chinese food and I take my multi vitamin tablet then. I might have chocolate ice cream before bed or maybe a slice of apple pie and I take my arthritis pain medicine again.”
You might even say what you had to eat today, or yesterday if it’s still early.
Don’t try to make it look like you eat health food when you don’t! That’s not going to help me. I would rather hear the absolute awful truth because it is easier for me to solve a case if there is something in it that’s striking, like missing meals or eating mainly sweets or salty things or never eating vegetables or fruit, etc. Also, if you crave something but are deliberately not eating it for health reasons, that information will help me too.
Please save this questionnaire for the next time you ask your homeopath for help. This questionnaire enables your homeopath to find your remedy!
As you can see, Homeopathy is very particular. We don’t treat “colds”, we treat your cold. Consider that the last time you had a cold, it was nothing like the cold you have now!
Here’s an example for you. Let’s say you have the flu. Are you restless with your flu? Anxiety-ridden? Thirsty for sips of water? Do you need company? Are you chilly? Weak? Do you have diarrhea? Do you have burning sensations? If so, this is an Arsenicum flu! It is totally unlike a Gelsemium flu, which desires NO company, has NO thirst and NO anxiety and is not restless at all. I’ll bet you never stopped to think before how differently the same disease can be experienced by two different people. When we know how you experience your complaint, then we can prescribe for it!
So, what I’m trying to say is, don’t lose your questionnaire!
Elaine Lewis
Elaine Lewis, D.Hom., C.Hom Elaine is a passionate homeopath, helping people offline as well as online. Contact her at LEWRA@aol.com Elaine is a graduate of Robin Murphy's Hahnemann Academy of North America and author of many articles on homeopathy including her monthly feature in the Hpathy ezine, "The Quiz". Visit her website at: http://elainelewis.hpathy.com/ and TheSilhouettes.org
Very Very useful post for people wishing to get help from homoeopathy through WWW as well as for newbies who wish to make a good questionnaire form.
Should be considered for it’s stickyness in patient guidance forum …
Thank you. Yes, You’re probably right about needing a questionnaire in Patient Guidance.
Wow Elaine – even as a student, I know the brilliance of this article! Perhaps because I am already an herbalist and energy worker and have similar issues. I will say that homeopathy may kick up the bar a notch though!
Thanks for a dose of awesomeness!
Wow, I didn’t know a questionnaire could be ‘awesome’, but, thank you!