I've been studying Silicea for my 8 month old baby boy. I understand that Silicea often completes the action of Hepar Sulf. He was given a dose of Hepar 10x last week for croup. His symptoms seem now to have gone in a different direction after an ear infection, and Silicea seems to be the most likely candidate.

As cal carb and silicea are similar, what are the most important differences between cal carb and silicea?

hello
there is a wonderfull book by dr. S.K. Banerjea from calcutta India called
Synoptic memorizer of materia medica vol 1 and 2
there are several pages of comparatives on calcarb/sil in vol 1.
Too many to list perhaps you can get the book .

Gina Tyler

Hallo
Also see Hering-Gross: Comparative MM
or Farrington: comparative Materia Medica.

__________________
Hans Weitbrecht
Consultant Homeopath

Well, the above books are definitely helpful, but the basic constitutional difference is that

Calc. babies tend to be obese, particularly around the abdomen, where as silicea babies keep on emaciating despite good nutritious food. They normally won't have the obesity trait.

This can be looked as a differentiating point, when other symptoms indicate both calc and silicea.

Murthy

The differences between Calc Carb and Silica are very great and definite .

Kent would not have bothered to devote so many pages to the combination of the two CALC SILIC , had that not been true.

Reply to Murthy
Thanks for bringing this point up,but there are two types of cal carb's,the fat ones and skinny ones,not all are as you say 'obese'.
That is what does make this tricky as the cal carb and sil gets older then you see more differences including in the mentals,emotionals,the peculiar diff. start to really stand out.
Its a good subjectstarter for all of us.............
Its always interesting to see two different const. that are very close in makeup and compare the two.

Gina Tyler

Dear members
As a matter of fact, there are no ''types'' in homeopathy. Neither has Calc-c created a ''type'' of person, nor has it cured a ''type'' of person (by removing the ''type'' from the person).

Calc-c and silica don't get old -- These two remedies may be suitable for any person who's disease is found as a couterpart in the proving symptoms of either of those, OLD or YOUNG.

Is constitution a disease? i think, NO -- so whats all this talk about constitutional treatment?
Homeopthy is a method for treating diseases, but not a method for changing one's constitution.

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Hans Weitbrecht
Consultant Homeopath

Dear Hans
that is not what has been said here...........
NO one said' not removing a 'type'
no one said ' changing a constitution'

A persons constitutional is what it is.Its the makeup of that being

Gina Tyler

Thank you for the book recommendations, I will check them out.

As for Calc Carb babies being fat, it does seem they have more of a tendency in that direction than Silicea, but my homeopath prescribed Calc carb as a constitutional for my baby, and he is very thin. The book Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica by Kent describes both the fat and thin Calcarea constitutions.

Are there times in acute cases where a remedy other than the constitutional would actually work better for a particular problem? As I said, I do know my son's constitutional (if indeed his homeopath is correct), but it seems like acute cases many times need other remedies.

I am glad that my comments triggered a bit of discussion. I said Calc. babies 'tend' to be obese, which otherwise means, you may have lean calc. babies also, but generaly, they have larger abdomens, compared to the other areas of the body.

The thermals is another area, where these two differ a bit, and the sensation of cold is much higher in calc.

Murthy