General Information About Homeopathy
How can a person be treated online without physical examination?
Since physical examination through Internet is not possible, the practitioner has to get the information through a questionnaire provided to the patient. Every practitioner has his own format of questionnaire and set of questions depending upon his/her experience and method of treatment. The patient must always reply the questionnaire completly and accurately because that is the information available to the practitioner to make out suitable treatment plan. Such information may include the test reports and other relevant data, which is analyzed by the practitioner. The other procedures like sending the medicines or prescriptions and receiving the payments different with different practitioners.
Are there any side effects of homeopathic medicines?
It is a very friendly system of treatment and it is well known that homeopathic medicines have no harmful side effects. This fact has stood the test of time and is a strong point of homeopathy. Those who know it always prefer to take homeopathic treatment. However, self-medication, inappropriate use or repetition of doses without the advice of a professional homeopath is not recommended. One should prefer to consult an experienced Homeopath. Remember that medicine is after all a medicine, not a sweet candy.
How long does it take to cure?
The treatment time depends on the nature and severity of the case. Usually acute cases respond earlier whereas chronic cases take time. This is true for all the healing systems. Homeopathic treatment is said to be a slower system, which is not correct. In certain acute cases, homeopathy can give instant relief. Cases like arthritis, asthma, cirrhosis of liver, certain skin diseases including psoriasis and vitiligo etcetera take time in showing improvement, depending on the stage of the disease.
Can homeopathy be used alongside another treatment system?
There are lots of different healing systems being used in the world today. All of them have some basis, some logic to offer and some positive results to show. That is why they exist and are being practiced. How do we say which one of them is the best? Every system has its own basis, concept and logic. All of them cannot have the same basis and the same way of treatment. If they could, there would exist just one system. All the healing systems do not use medicines. Some of them might be complimentary to each other while some might be conflicting. Those complimentary to each other may be used together but they will still retain their identity. If for example, chromotherapy and homeopathy are being used together, homeopathy will remain homeopathy and chromotherapy will remain what it is.
It is generally recommended that only one medical system be used at a time to avoid any disagreement between the action of medicines. If medicines from two different systems are used simultaneously, they might neutralize the effects of each other leaving the patient in disappointment. If at all the cure is seen, one would not know which system it has come from.
If you are under some kind of compulsion to use medicines from some other system along with homeopathic medicines, ask your homeopath how to manage them. Generally you should leave enough time between a dose of the two, at least an hour.
What are modalities in homeopathy?
Lots of ailments are aggravated or ameliorated (becoming better) by different factors. Such factors may be any thing like a specific climatic condition, specific posture, particular condition or situation, particular time of the day, particular food item or whatever. Such influencing factors are called "Modalities". For one individual for example, backache may be worse in the morning, for another it may be worse while at rest and yet for another person, it might be more troublesome while moving about. An asthmatic person might experience aggravation of his disease in rainy season while another might be in more trouble during dry season. These are just two examples. Similarly, other ailments have their own modalities.
In certain healing systems modalities are not given due attention. At times, they are considered psychological and ignored but in systems like homeopathy, such modalities have a very important role to play. Homeopathy is one unique system that takes care of the modalities, unlike most of the other treatment systems. While selecting homeopathic medicine, making out the treatment plan and advising diet precautions, such modalities are always kept in mind and given due importance. No homeopath ever ignores modalities because if he does, he will only step towards failure of the treatment. If you plan to take homeopathic treatment, be sure to mention what you exactly feel. You must tell the doctor what makes your problem worse or better. Do not ever consider a modality irrelevant. If you have one, let your doctor consider it. At times, in particular situation, modalities alone might dictate the choice of a medicine.
Are there specialists for various diseases in homeopathy?
In some treatment systems, there is a specialist for every organ of the body but it is not so in homeopathy. We know that the human body always works as one integrated unit while performing any function. None of the major organs can survive without the active support of other organs. Heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach, brain and all other organs must function as an integrated whole. If one part (organ) does not function properly, other organs will be affected one way or the other, less or more. Therefore, all of the physical, emotional and mental symptoms must be considered together, in totality. This is what homeopathy does.
Homeopathic medicines are always chosen according to total picture of the symptoms, and their effect is not limited to one or two organs. They are capable of covering immensely wide range of symptoms and multiple problems in the whole body, much wider than other systems. In homeopathy it is not necessary to give a load of bottles or pills. At times you might tell a dozen symptoms to your homeopath but he/she might give you just a few doses of one medicine. This does not mean that he/she has covered only one symptom. Your homeopath must have kept all your symptoms in mind whichever organ they belong to. Thus a homeopath can treat all organs and all types of diseases. There is no concept of specialization in classical homeopathy.
What precautions should be taken during homeopathic treatment?
Homeopathic medicines are quite effective but there are some precautions that should be taken for better results. It is very important that correct diet be taken at least during the treatment otherwise the medicines might not give the desired results. Such precautions would be different in every case depending upon the ailment and the medicines being used. While starting the treatment, your homeopath should give you a diet plan and tell you what you need to take and what to avoid. Your should preferably not use any medicine without regular medical advice but in case you decide to take some medicine not recommended by your homeopath, don't forget to be careful with your diet.
Generally, any thing that contains Caffeine, Coca (e.g. Coca-Cola), Menthol, Camphor, Peppermint, excessive Salt etc. should be avoided because these may antidote (but not always) the effects of some homeopathic medicines. Coffee is one item that needs to be avoided in most of the cases.
How homeopathic medicines should be taken?
It is very simple. No bad tastes, no large
quantities. Generally, it is taken in the following manner.
Ø If your medicine is in the shape of
tablets or powder, it should be dissolved under the tongue in a clean mouth.
Ø It is preferable to have a mouthwash
with plain water before taking the medicine, especially if you are a smoker.
Ø Smoking, eating or drinking any thing
(except plain water if necessary) soon after taking the medicine should be
avoided.
Ø If your medicine is in the shape of
drops, it should be taken in about 1/2 cup of plain water.
Ø Homeopathic medicine should preferably
be taken either at least 15 minutes before meals or an hour after, unless your
homeopath has advised differently.
Ø Try to avoid touching the tablets by
hand.
There are other ways of taking the medicine. In
case the medicine is to be taken differently, your homeopathy would advise you
accordingly.
How should homeopathic medicines be stored?
Homeopathic medicines have a long storage life. If they are in the form of liquid, made in alcohol, the life will be as much as the life of alcohol. All you need to do is to keep the lid tight to prevent evaporation. Mother tinctures prepared in water have much shorter shelf life.
Homeopathic medicines in the form of globules, tablets or powder form can last for many, many years, if stored appropriately.
Glass bottles should not be stored in strong light. They must specially be kept away from sunlight.
Should be kept away from strong smelling items like perfumes etc. Never store them in your kitchen (which has maximum variety of smells). Even if the bottle is airtight, it should preferably be stored cautiously.
It is not necessary to keep homeopathic medicines in a refrigerator. They should preferably be kept at normal room temperature.
Avoid placing them near a TV set, computer, cell phone or other such gadget that emits rays. The rays will damage the delicate nature of the medicines and destroy their efficacy.
