Hi Ilana,

I think you'll find that a large percentage of your homoeopathic practice will be based on cases not unlike the one you have described. Kids with simple allergies and/or postnasal drips, coughs and colds who go on to be diagnosed as "asthmatic" and have ventolin etc prescribed.

Many of these cases are dealt with quite simply and effectively with homoeopathics, others are more protracted. One suggestion is to study the miasmatic background in each case. For example, James Kent found that successful homoeopathic treatment of so-called incurable asthma was made possible after he understood the role of anti-sycotic remedies in those particular cases. See the chapter on Nat sulph and sycosis in 'Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica'. I'm not sure that these factors are taken into consideration when "clinical trials" are undertaken to prove or disprove the effectiveness of homoeopathy, however, successful practitioners have a full range of skills to apply in case management according to the nature of each individual case - without resorting to combination remedies.
You will also probably find that a number of your phone enquiries are from customers seeking a combination remedy for "such and such" complaint. They don't seek a consultation, just the magic bullets. You just have to give it your best shot to explain to them how homoeopathy really works and why you don't stock lollypops in your pharmacy. I don't feel inclined to be supportive of clever marketing techniques that undermine the integrity of homoeopathic medicine whilst supposedly supporting it.

Regarding the matter of flavours cancelling the effect of a remedy: my personal view is... sometimes. I always ask patients not to drink coffee for instance, but they often don't stop anyway and tell me later and it doesn't seem to have made any difference. However, in some particularly coffee sensitive individuals the effects of stopping it are remarkable in themselves.
Last Saturday a patient with spinal ligament damage was greatly improving with Rhus tox 200C but the advances were noticeably halted after the patient consumed a packet of chocolate coated licorice. Go figure.

Good luck with your studies.
Chris

[ 03. April 2003, 08:00: Message edited by: chrisg ]