I was wondering what are the steps of the thought process that a good homeopath follows while prescribing a remedy.

Here is an example that might clarify what I am asking for:

After taking the case history and noting down ALL the symptoms, following is the hierarchy of importance given to symptoms for selection of remedies:

1. The chief complaint
2. Symptoms directly related to the chief complaint
3. Mental symptoms
4. Unusual symptoms
5. Modalities
6. Concomitants

Are there some specific guidelines on which symptoms to ignore and which to select.

Thanks.

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. The chief complaint
2. Symptoms directly related to the chief complaint
3. Mental symptoms
4. Unusual symptoms
5. Modalities
6. Concomitants

I only answering what I think I might know because I'm starting to study this stuff. I stand to be corrected for any errors.

Chief complaint...location would be most important.

Symtoms(as in sensations) relating to chief complaint that are common(.(generally applicable to the particular illness)...are not to be used. If a remedy is under a particular area...eyes, urine, head..etc..and also under the generals...and it has a higher grade in the generals..then the general should be used.

Mental symptoms are only important if they have changed due to the chief complaint.

Modalities are the most important...because you can eliminate remedies that don't fall under them. Right or not?

Unusual symptoms will fall under the modalities..will individualize the case ....if a pneumonia patient is worse at 4 to 8 pm...this is unusual and important rather than the typical symptoms associaited with pneumonia.

Concomitants are very important because they also individualize the patient. Especially..if the modalities of the concomitants are the same as the chief complaint. If chief complaint is headaches better from heat...and the knee throbbing at the same time is better from heat...

So thats what I'm learning...right or wrong...would love to hear what others have to say.

[ 01. July 2003, 08:59: Message edited by: carolorr ]

Sorry, fitness, if this didn't actually address your question.

Thanks Carol, your reply was helpful. Please let me know what is a "grade" as you have mentioned.

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in the different repertories...the remedies are listed in capitals...italics...regular print....or huge capitals, darker print, italics and regular print. Grading would be 3-2-1(kent), or in the second case...4-3-2-1(boenninghausen

Dear FF,

Ok, here we go. First comes the etiology. Etiology over-rules the totality of symptoms.
If your headache symptoms, or internal bleeding are from an injury, the remedy is Arnica, I don't care what the symptoms are. Don't waste time repertorizing "left-sided headache, better pressure, and so on, just give Arnica! If your headache came after a loss, don't bother repertorizing it, just give Ignatia. If ignatia doesn't work, then you can start examining the symptoms more closely, but, Ignatia is our big remedy for acute loss or grief. So, when a person says, "I have a headache," your first question should be: When did it start? What was going on in your life around the time that you got it? Any weather changes, any sort of stress, anything you might have eaten, etc.? Do you always get this complaint or is this something new?

Then you ask about onset. If a complaint comes on suddenly, this is a very good tip off as to what the remedy might be. Three remedies come to mind for sudden onset: Aconite, Belladonna and Baptisia. The Bapt. state is very besotted/septic, so easily distinguishable from Bell and Aco. So, just by knowing that there was a sudden onset, already you're down to three remedies.

After that, here's your list:
1. the medical diagnosis
2. sensation
3. location
4. modalities
5. concomitants
6. discharges--color, odor, consistency
7. mental state as it departs from normal

If the patient is always anxiety-ridden, then the fact that they're anxiety-ridden during their illness will not help you find a remedy. If a patient is always thirsty for cold drinks, then the fact that they are thirsty for cold drinks during their illness will not help you find a remedy.

Having some good therapeutic books rather than a repertory will really help you in prescribing for these cases. After two hundred years of experience, homeopaths have pretty much gotten a handle on what the remdedies are going to be for
asthma, croup, earaches, flus, sinusitis and so on, and a good therapeutic book will have a whole list of the remedies and their indications after each illness, and all you do is go down the list and say, "Yep, this is the one! Restless, burning pains, fearful, clingy, thirsty for sips of water...yep, it's gotta be arsenicum!" There's no point repertorizing that when you can find out simply in seconds or minutes.

Snoopy

[ 01. July 2003, 16:39: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

I'll have to disagree with Snoopy on two things. But the other items are very good.

First, Natrum Sulph is more specific to head injuries than Arnica, especially if it is sequalea.

Secondly, the medical diagnosis will not give you much useful information as to the remedy. What it will do is let you know which of the SXs the person has are common to the illness, so you can ignore them in finding a remedy.

[ 01. July 2003, 19:45: Message edited by: sreischman ]

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Shirley Reischman

Hey Shirley. I have stick up for snoops here. She doesn't say head injury at all - just mentions internal bleeding and headache after any injury. I took that to mean that if any symptoms develop after an injury than arnica should be considered.

And Snoops - what would be the remedy for headache after reading the new Harry Potter book in three days? I had a whopper of a headache from that the other day - yeow.

barb

[ 01. July 2003, 20:10: Message edited by: Barb ]

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Dear Snoopy

Lovely, this is the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks a lot.

Could you recommend some good therapeutic book, what about Miranda Castro's book, would it be considered as a good therapeutic book.

For grades, pardon my ignorance, still am not clear. What does a grade mean, that the highest grade is given to symptoms which are displayed most in the proving or otherwise.

What would you guys say about modalities, is it the absolute confirmatory and/or eliminatory test.

Regarding Shirley's opinion, I guess there would always be some differences in opinion, which again is a good sign.

Thanks.

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Don't take life too seriously, it aint permanent.

Barb, generally if the cause is a contusion type injury, then Arnica is the remedy. The two exceptions are if is to the head, it's Natrum-sulph and if it is to the eye, it's Symphytum.

FF, the grades have to do with whether or not the proving symptom was confirmed clinically.

For an easy home use book, I like Panos and Heimlich. Everything is in chart form.

[ 01. July 2003, 20:58: Message edited by: sreischman ]

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