A common comment I receive from patients and fellow homeopaths alike is..."The remedy didn't work."
Maybe you visited a homeopath, dished out a bunch of money and failed to see results. Maybe your homeopath was surprised that it didn't work! Or maybe you tried a homeopathic remedy on the advice of a friend who raved about how it worked for them and you tried it....with no change in your symptoms.
This kind of 'result' (or lack thereof) is not that uncommon AND it doesn't mean that homeopathy is a useless medicine.
In fact, homeopathy is both highly complex and very simple. It can be used by the stay-at-home mom and by the professionally trained homeopath. And the neat thing is that both can get incredible results for the professional and the average person.
So why is it that sometimes homeopathy seems to work for one person and not work for another? Why is that a homeopathic remedy that has been 'well prescribed' fails to work when you (as a homeopath) thought it was well prescribed? Does this mean that you should give up on homeopathy all together and find something that works?
There are a number of different reasons why homeopathic remedies fail to work.
1. It was the wrong remedy.
Now, this seems completely obvious to you now...but when you had taken the remedy you thought it fit your symptoms perfectly! Or maybe you took a remedy for motion sickness on the advice of a friend thinking "I have motion sickness...this should work for me too!" It had worked wonders for them and so you decided to give it a try. However, it did nothing to relieve your overwhelming nausea and vertigo. So where di you go 'wrong'?
How to choose the 'right' remedy.
Homeopathy works on the principle of 'likes cures likes.' What this means is that you need to match the symptoms you are experiencing as close as possible to the symptoms of the remedy. This means that there are many different remedies for the same condition. Taking that a step further - you have to match your exact symptoms to the specific symptoms listed in the remedy's description. Let me give you an example. Motion sickness is experienced differently by many people. There are several homeopathic remedies for motion-sickness including tabacum, nux vomica, cocculus indicus, petroleum, borax, argentum nitricum and more. Each remedy has slightly different symptoms ranging from vertigo, feeling nausea on a plane vs in a car, dizziness, feeling better when you're outside or the window is open vs feeling better with your eyes open or closed. If you took a remedy that didn't match your symptoms than most likely that remedy won't work! To learn more about which symptoms are specific to which remedy - google homeopathy & __________ to do your own 'remedy research.' It can take a bit of time to learn how to do this well - but it's well worth the effort and there are no side effect from trying different remedies!
2. It was the wrong potency
. Most remedies you can purchase at your local pharmacy or at the local health food store are in 6CH or 30CH potencies. These generally work pretty well for most occasions and situations. However, if you find that you've taken a well prescribed homeopathic remedy in a 30C potency and after a while it seems to just stop working (even though your symptoms might be the same!) it might just be because it's in the wrong potency.
How to choose the 'right' potency.
I'd suggest in a situation like this that you consult a professional homeopath to help you with this one as you may not have access to a higher potency. They also can help you figure out if it is actually the right remedy and just the wrong potency...or the wrong remedy altogether!
3. It worked initially...but then it stopped!
Ok, let's assume that you took a well-prescribed homeopathic remedy and it worked initially and then it stopped working. What do you do?
What to do:
Well, often in cases where there is an acute (or recent) trauma a remedy needs to be repeated at more frequent intervals. This is becauseyour body's healing energy has 'used up' the energy of the remedy. This commonly happens with increased intensity of symptoms. For example, when there is a lot of intense pain or anxiety you may find that you need to repeat your remedy at more frequent intervals until the symptoms start improving. (*If you do not find any relief after 3 doses of a remedy you should stop taking and find a remedy that more closely matches your symptoms.)
4.
You need to go a bit deeper.
Homeopathic remedies can affect your physical symptoms which is often how most people use them at home. Think: burns, cuts, bruises, food poisoning, nausea, etc. But if you suffer from a CHRONIC health issue such as GERD, IBS, joint pain or inflammation, gallstones, recurrent UTIs, hormonal acne, painful periods, anxiety or any other long-standing issue, the 'look it up myself online' will probably not work.
WHY? Because with chronic disease or long-standing health complaints there is often a connection to deeper issues including emotional or mental traumas, family history and more.You may get temporarily relief of symptoms through self-prescribing for chronic disease but to really up-root an issue you will want to see a professional homeopath.
How to go a bit deeper.
Homeopathic remedies have the power to 'touch' your emotional and mental state and impact those chronic and long-standing health issues. However, this requires the guidance of a professionally trained homeopath. Homeopaths study homeopathic medicines for 3+ years so that can learn how homeopathic remedies can be used to go deeper and uproot long-standing issues and chronic disease states.
5.
You did something to 'antidote' the remedy.
An antidote is something that cancels out or counteracts something. So, maybe you took a great remedy for that bee sting pain and swelling or maybe you were prescribed a remedy that worked really well and then suddenly it just stopped working as well.
Consider & remove the antidotes you may have been exposed to.
Although I rarely find that much antidotes a homeopathic remedy, some common antidotes are: taking a remedy within too close a time period to mint, mint tea, brushing your teeth, and coffee, or using camphor or menthol within a few minutes of taking a homeopathic remedy. If you are using any of the aforementioned products, try to keep a 30 minute window before and after taking a homeopathic remedy before using these products.
6. Your lifestyle might be the culprit.
I'm just going to say this: There is NO magic pill. Yes, I have seen homeopathic medicines do miraculous things for people. BUT...if you are expecting a homeopathic remedy to work overnight and expect that you can continue living a life that includes eating like crap, eating foods that you are sensitive too, not getting enough sleep, poorly managing your stress, taking in too many toxins (drugs, alcohol, food), you don't need a genius to tell you that you probably won't see any improvement in your health even if you've been prescribed a great homeopathic remedy.
Make a few lifestyle changes.
We all know that our bodies can only handle so much. We need to get enough sleep, eat nourishing foods, minimize toxin exposure, get adequate water intake, exercise daily (or a couple of days a week), expose our bodies to sunlight, and manage our stress. These are basic needs of EVERY person on this planet and there's no way that you can have good health if you don't take care of yourself!
7. There is an underlying weakness.
Ok, so this point is more geared towards the homeopath that wonders why a well selected remedy didn't work or towards that person who paid the homeopath and saw little to no improvement for the symptom they visited the homeopath for.
Sometimes we can see a client or be a patient and feel that a well prescribed homeopathic remedy should be enough to see some change or improvement in symptoms. However, there are some times when a well-prescribed homeopathic fails to touch the symptom that is needing attention. I see this commonly in cases of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).
Treat underlying weakness.
As a patient you'll need a homeopath who can address underlying organ weaknesses. You may possibly, if you are dealing with something like hypothyroidism, need to see your MD to be put on the appropriate medications to support your thyroid while the homeopathic remedy works silently in the background. You may need to work with a naturopath who can give organ support herbs while the homeopathic remedy works in the background. Homeopathic remedies work on your body's natural healing ability - but if there's a weak link in the chain - then your body will keep hitting this weak link and not finish the cure. Don't give up on homeopathy just because you hit a wall. It can be overcome; you just need someone to guide on that journey!
Ok then! I think that's it for now! I hope that gives you some clarity as to why sometimes you get results and sometimes you don't.
For the self-prescriber out there - keep it up! Homeopathy is a great system of medicine that gives you the freedom to treat yourself and your family naturally and safely. And you can make 'mistakes' without worrying about any side effects. But also, know what you don't know and know when to ask for help!
In Health,
Rachel
