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Impossible Cure Newsletter -- November 2010 |
How to Dose? Often A Confusing QuestionWithout a doubt, finding the correct remedy is the most important part of the homeopathic treatment process. However, the correct dosing method is also important, and can sometimes make the difference between success and failure in treatment. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to dosing, no two homeopaths think alike. Every homeopathic teacher I have studied with and every homeopathic practitioner I have been treated by has had different ideas about dosing. The question of dosing is a complex matter. In this short article, I'll begin to outline some of the basic parameters. In future newsletters, we'll consider the issue more deeply. However, if you want to learn more right now, I suggest you read Chapter Six of Impossible Cure, as well as check out the annotated archive of my past radio shows (see amylansky.com/impossible-cure/radio.php and look for the shows about dosing). Potency The first question that must be addressed is what potency to give. The answer will depend on various factors -- the nature of the problem, the sensitivity of the patient, the age and vitality of the patient, and the frequency of dosing desired. Lower potencies, for example 6c or 12c, might be used for older patients with lower vitality and chronic physical problems, who might also need to take the remedy more frequently because of other allopathic medicines they may be taking. Very high potencies, for example 1M (which is the same as 1000c), might be given to a young and generally healthy child suffering from an acute problem like an ear ache. In general, lower potencies can be given more frequently and higher potencies are given less often. In addition, treatment of acute problems often requires more frequent dosing than chronic problems. Dry vs. Water Doses The second question is how the remedy should be delivered. In general, this is a question about whether dry pills are given or whether the remedy is administered in water. (Please note that homeopathic pills may take many forms -- usually flat tablets or little balls or pillules of varying sizes. However, the actual form or size of these pills makes no difference in dosing.) In general, water-based remedy solutions are created by simply diluting a dry pill in a certain amount of water, with perhaps a tiny amount of alcohol added as a preservative. The internecine battles between homeopaths about water vs. dry dosing have been hot and heavy in recent years, with some homeopaths feeling that there is no difference and others saying that the use of dry pills demonstrates a lack of competence on the part of the practitioner. It turns out that several years ago, the use of water dosing was not taught in many homeopathic schools. As a result, many homeopaths are simply unfamiliar with it or have conducted their practices successfully for many years without needing it. In my experience, dry dosing is fine for most patients, but there are some cases where water dosing is warranted and helpful. These include situations when, for whatever reason, the remedy must be given on a more frequent basis, or when the patient is highly sensitive and each application of the dose needs to be fine-tuned. But what is the real difference between dry and water dosing? Near the end of his life, the developer of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, discovered that repeated doses of the same potency could cause problems, especially if the doses were given fairly close to one another (for example, more than once a day, or even more than once a week or once a month). To solve this problem, Hahnemann developed the water-based method of dosing, which allows the potency of a remedy to be slightly modified and increased with each dose. In particular, when the remedy solution (created by dissolving a pill in water) is vigorously shaken, this serves to very slightly increase the potency of the remedy. When a patient uses water dosing, they are required to shake the remedy bottle vigorously before administering a dose. By doing so, they slightly modify the potency from the last time the remedy was given, thereby mitigating any ill effects from redosing with the exact same potency. The use of water dosing also allows modification of the dose in other ways. For example, a teaspoon of the remedy can be further diluted in more water (creating a so-called dilution glass), which can serve to slightly temper the intensity of the dose. This may be done repeatedly, with more and more dilution glasses, for patients who are extremely sensitive. Water dosing also allows for further modifications of dose by varying the amount given (e.g., a tablespoon vs. 1/2 teaspoon) or varying the amount of shakes that are given to the remedy solution. In general, for most patients, such fine tuning is simply not necessary. A single dry pill suffices and even repetitive doses of a dry potency does not aggravate or cause problems. For others, however, the subtle differences that are allowed by water dosing can be extremely helpful. |
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Moooo-ve over antibiotics! Homeopathy works just as well.In Chapter 7 of Impossible Cure, I mentioned that homeopathic treatment has proven successful in treating disease in animal herds. For example, I describe in detail a study that demonstrated that pigs treated homeopathically do better in avoiding respiratory illness than pigs treated with standard prophylactic doses of antibiotics. For this reason, homeopathic treatment is used quite often in the production of organic meats. In general, European meat production also makes use of homeopathy much more often than American meat production. A new study has recently shown that homeopathy works just as well as antibiotics in treating bovine mastitis, a common problem in dairy herds. Let's get the antibiotics out of our milk supply! Tell your local dairy producers about this study and ask them to use homeopathic remedies instead of antibiotics.
Efficacy of homeopathic and antibiotic treatment strategies in cases of mild and moderate bovine clinical mastitis
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Please support an amazing movie about homeopathy!November is the month to make your contribution at Kickstarter.com to support an important movie about homeopathy being made by veteran filmmaker, Laurel Chiten ("The Jew in the Lotus", "Twist and Shout", "Twisted", "Touched"). Chiten is an award winning independent filmmaker, whose films have been broadcast on PBS's Emmy winning national series Independent Lens, and POV, and have reached millions of people worldwide. Her new film about homeopathy is about half done, and she needs your support to complete it and get the word out about homeopathy! The film follows patients going through homeopathic treatment for variety of physical, mental and emotional conditions, including autism, addiction, depression, Parkinson's, and MRSA. It also covers recent efforts to bring homeopathic treatment to people in Haiti and the successes homeopathy has already had in Cuba. The film will also include an explanation of homeopathy -- its philosophy, science, controversy, and rich history -- and a portrait of its founder Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. It will truly challenge conventional medical notions of what is and isn't possible! Please visit Chiten's website for more details about the film https://www.blinddogfilms.com/homeopathy/ and contribute today at Kickstarter.com. Thank you! |
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-------- Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving! -------- |
