This is a tough one because there is no formula per se; nonetheless, we do have a guideline: Take the indicated remedy in a 30C potency 4 times a day for two or three days. Now, here come all the “buts”. But: 1. If after 24 hours
This is a tough one because there is no formula per se; nonetheless, we do have a guideline: Take the indicated remedy in a 30C potency 4 times a day for two or three days. Now, here come all the “buts”.
But:
1. If after 24 hours there is no indication that the remedy has had any effect, it’s probably the wrong remedy and you should try to find another.
2. As soon as the remedy starts to work, which may be as soon as 5 minutes, don’t do any repetitions unless the case either stalls or relapses. The homeopathic remedy is like the ignition key that starts your engine, once you’re moving there’s no need to start it again unless you stall.
3. If you’ve taken the remedy and have gotten only slight improvement, put a few of the pellets into a disposable cup of water and take a sip. I have seen remedies totally fail when taken “dry”, only to have the same remedy decidedly work when put into water. If you need to repeat the remedy, always dose from the cup of water you’ve made, and stir the cup before dosing again with something disposable, like a straw or plastic spoon, don’t go back to the pellets once you’ve gone to a cup.
4. If your complaint has come on suddenly, you should see the remedy work fast.
5. If you’re in a very severe case, don’t think you have to wait 24 hours. The acute remedy should work in 15 minutes. Let’s take an injury, for example. Within 10 minutes, some relief should be felt. If not, repeat the remedy in water as stated above. Wait another 10 minutes. If there’s no response, look for a better-suited remedy.
6. Let’s say you’ve had a cold for 2 weeks. We would not expect you to be better in 10 minutes. This situation is better suited to the “4 times a day for 2 or 3 days” guideline. Here is a range of responses I get from people who have been helped in this way: “In 6 hours my throat was better!” “By the next day I knew I was getting better.” “I only took one dose, because I forgot to take the remedy after that, and the next day I was better anyway, I couldn’t believe it!”
7. Whenever you’re repeating a remedy, it’s OK to take the first dose dry, but try to take subsequent doses in a cup of water, stirred before each sip, as explained in #3. This protects you from accidental “provings” (a kind of aggravation) and accidentally antidoting the remedy.
8. If your symptoms get worse after taking a remedy, don’t despair. This has happened to me, though only once. It only means that the potency was higher than necessary, but the good news is that this is almost always an indication that the remedy chosen was correct and an improvement is sure to follow. Give the case about half an hour to settle down.
9. The wrong remedy: The wrong remedy generally will do absolutely nothing, meaning you’ll have to check your acute prescribing book and make another choice. However, sometimes the wrong remedy may cause an unsettling feeling, not the same as when the right remedy causes a temporary worsening of the symptoms in the case. The way to antidote a disturbing remedy is to take an equal or smaller dose of the same remedy; so, if you had taken three pellets dry on your tongue of the wrong remedy, antidote with one pellet of the same remedy. If you had dosed with a sip of water, antidote with an UNstirred, smaller sip of the same water.
10. There are definitely occasions where the right remedy has been tried in a 30C and it hasn’t worked. This is because the case is so intense it needs a higher potency. This has happened to me at least twice. The first time, I remember that I sensed that maybe the 30C of Arsenicum I had taken had done some good, and going with that intuition, I tried Arsenicum 200C and it worked beautifully; and I also recall a recent incident, this was another case of eating bad food, which Arsenicum is so well-known for curing, and taking Ars. 30C did not work at all this time. I had moved on to other seemingly well-indicated remedies such as Carbo veg. and China and Veratrum alb. and none of them worked. As a last resort I said, “Let’s try Arsenicum in the 200th potency,” and voila! a total victory. Even having said all this, what if all you have is a 6C? I would put the 6C in water, stir before each dose and give a sip every 5 to 10 minutes in a severe case, maybe once every half an hour in a less severe case. Always remember to take your remedy less and less often as improvement sets in, and, it should go without saying, if the remedy makes you worse, stop taking it!
Elaine Lewis
