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How do I know I’m getting ‘good’ Homeopathic treatment?
by: Karen Jonas, FSHomMed e-mail: naturaldoctor@yahoo.com
Your choice of homeopathic practitioner determines the extent of health benefits you are likely to experience when using homeopathic remedies.
You may be thrilled to discover that Arnica can heal your bruises in less than 4 hours but you may appreciate Arnica’s ability to help you recover from a concussion or stroke, more.
The most important component of professional homeopathic treatment begins with the use of ONE Homeopathic Remedy made from ONE substance (not a group of substances/remedies). Homeopathic text books describe the symptoms assoicated with ONE substance/remedy based on human trials of this remedy, therefore using a combination of many remedies can make it difficult to evaluate the success of a specific treatment.
Over-the-Counter combination remedies, available in health stores and pharmacies,
are excellent for consumers to self-treat minor health conditions as there is a good chance that some health benefit will occur.
However, if combination remedies are recommended by your natural
health care provider it indicates that your health issues have not been clearly understood or that the provider’s understanding of homeopathic remedies is limited.
Many natural health care providers recommend homeopathic remedies to their patients.
Unfortunately, this does not make them a homeopathic practitioner, nor does it mean that you are getting optimum health results from the homeopathic remedies you use.
The difference between First Aid and professional homeopathic treatment
will be seen in the type of remedy selected, how often the remedy is taken and the strength (potency) of the remedy. A First Aid understanding of homeopathic remedies will result in a standard treatment plan that uses a very small range of homeopathic remedies and is recommended to nearly every patient.
A professional homeopath knows that there are an infinite number of treatment plans available, uses a wide range of homeopathic medicines and designs a unique treatment plan to ensure you achieve your
optimum health benefit from homeopathic treatment.
What to look for in Professional Homeopathic Treatment:
General Guidelines for Patient visits:
1) First Visit for chronic illness – 1 to 4 hours.
2) Acute illness visit or follow-up visit – 15 to 45 minutes.
3) Follow-up visits are generally scheduled for 4 to 6 week intervals.
4) Acute illness or severe chronic conditions may require follow-up visits more frequently.
5) Remedy costs may be included with the cost of the visit or billed separately.
1) An in depth first interview to determine details of your:
- Chief Complaint(s)
- General nature (mental, emotional characteristics)
- Symptoms related to the main regulatory systems
- Head, eyes, ears, nose, throat, larynx, teeth, mouth, vision, hearing, stomach, urinary system, abdomen, rectum, heart, chest, back, extremities (upper and lower limbs), skin, sleep, dreams, perspiration, food preferences, respiratory system,
temperature preferences, reproductive systems (male/female), mental state, emotional state, major life experiences)
2) An indepth analysis of the information collected based on accepted homeopathic
principles. All symptoms must be evaluated based on how unusual or common they are based on your unique circumstances and experience.
3) A case management plan which can include some or all of the following:
- Treatment with a single Homeopathic Remedy (not a combination remedy)
- This must be the primary component of your treatment plan for this to be considered homeopathic treatment
- Homeopathic remedy selection must be justified by reference to and agreement with commonly accepted Homeopathic Materia Medica.
- Homeopathic Materia Medica provide the foundation for all homeopathic remedy
knowledge based on information collected from homeopathic remedy provings and clinical experience.
- Provings of new remedies involve clinical double blind trials of the remedy on volunteer subjects to identify symptoms related to the remedy.
- Competent Homeopathic remedy selection does NOT include any of the following:
- Use of electronic devices or machinery to determine remedy selection
- Use of pendulums, muscle feedback or any other external or artificial means of determining remedy selection
- Lifestyle modification
- Nutrition modification
4) A formal follow-up process to assess the following:
- Any changes in the chief complaint(s)
- Any overall changes in the patients health status
- Any change and it’s relationship to the previous management plan
- A re-evaluation of the patient’s overall status as per the guidelines listed in #2 above
- An overall assessment of the patient’s current health status and a management plan as per the guidelines listed in #3 above
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