Taking Your Remedy

Pellets and Granules: You should have received the remedy in a vial, take the contents of the single-dose first as directed. If a dry dose is prescribed - dissolve the granules or pellets in your mouth (either on top or under your tongue) 30 minutes apart from food or drink. Continue with the daily dose the following day, or as is directed. The recommended dose may be taken at any and variable times of the day. If you forget some days not to worry; simply resume.

Liquid Potencies: If you have received a dropper bottle of your remedy, follow the instructions enclosed with the remedy. Take the remedy as prescribed. Follow the same instructions as for the dry doses.

Plussing Method: In cases you need to administer a remedy in a liquid form, you can place a pellet in a small (half a litre or less) bottle of spring water. Make sure that you pour out approximately a third of the water from the bottle ( leave about 100ml/4oz ) before adding the pill. Close the lid, wait for five minutes, and then shake the bottle vigorously eight to twelve times by hitting it against a book or the palm of your hand. Then keep the bottle at room temperature. It will remain good for two days. Each time you need to administer another dose, just shake the bottle again and take one teaspoon of the remedy. There's no need to add more pellets. Close the lid and store properly.

Antidotes

Homeopathic remedies work on a vibrational level. Homeopathic remedy plays the role of tuning the body like a musical instrument is being tuned. Any interference is acting as antidoting.

Antidoting means to negate or reverse the positive action of the administrated remedy. Many people can be exposed to potential antidotes with no weakening of the healing power of the remedy. However, it is recommended to avoid the following substances, especially for the first few weeks of treatment, to be sure that your remedy is given with the full power of action.

• Coffee, Camphor and any strong smell

• Dentist visit: Please let me know if you are planning on having any dental work. It is usually preferable to delay homeopathic treatment until later. Sonicare toothbrushes, on the other hand, do not actually use ultrasound and don't antidote.

•Prescription drugs: Antibiotics may antidote, although not necessarily immediately. Steroids, especially systemic, may antidote a remedy. If you are on antidepressants, blood pressure or heart medication, you may require frequent repetitions of a higher potency of your remedy. Estrogen, birth control pills, thyroid supplementation also may slowly antidote and may require more repetition.

• Recreational Drugs: are potent antidotes. Marijuana slows down the healing and might antidote. An occasional drink of alcohol won't interfere with the remedy, but a heavy intoxication will usually antidote.

• Acupuncture: May antidote if performed for a major problem, but used for a local injury usually okay. Acupressure, Shiatsu is okay. I suggest not to begin any of these at the same time you start your homeopathic treatment.

• Other substances: Tea Tree Oil is an antidote. Also avoid Swedish Bitters, Pau d'Arco tea, Sunrider and KM products, and over-the-counter Chinese herbs. Aromatherapy can interfere and antidote the action of your homeopathic remedy.

• Hot perms involving the hairdryer may cause antidoting.

Dr. Vassilis Gegas, one of the most famous homeopaths in Belgium and the Netherlands says:

"Anything that stimulates the body unnecessarily and anything that takes energy from the body can antidote homeopathic medicine. As homeopaths, it is our duty to protect the defense mechanism so that it can do its job. But it is not good to be fanatics as homeopaths".

I suggest each patient be aware of that and be more cautious and observant while taking homeopathic remedies.

What to Expect

We know that illness is the result of a disorder of vitality. All diseases are derived from it and would not be recognized as such if the life force were unable to express and manifest them. The homeopathic remedy given to the patient acts beyond the physical level - it acts only at the energy level. Life-force disorders can only be recognized and identified by outwardly manifested symptoms - the same applies to the body's response to a homeopathic remedy.

When the inner vitality is upset, we get external manifestations of the disease. When a homeopathic ("like suffering") remedy is recognized/registered by the life force, causing a disorder in it, the latter also becomes a reality and can be recognized through its external manifestations. As a result, the intensity of the external manifestations of the vital force increases. This represents an increase in the intensity of symptoms and sensations and is usually called aggravation.

To understand that the medicine has worked, sometimes we expect to see a worsening. In acute illness, the aggravation should occur quickly and not be too severe.

Sometimes, in the course of the healing process, we observe the return of old symptoms. It can be part of the aggravation process. The patient is re-experiencing an old trauma or condition that has not been fully healed at the time of initial onset. We are not time travelers who can return in time to accomplish healing. Because the life force knows what and how to cure, it re-manifests these old symptoms for a short moment. Healing can only take place at the moment, so we must relive the feeling in order to heal it. In homeopathic treatment, it is common to see this in cases of trauma, when there is no new physical trauma, but the old pathological condition is manifested with the same sensations as in the original moment, but without real pathology.

Interactions with Conventional Medications

While conventional medications can influence both assessment and treatment, I carefully examine if the patient's symptoms could be a medication's side effect. Usually, I ask patients to remain on their medications during the initial treatment phase. When both patient and I are certain the remedy is working, I advise the patient to meet with his/hers doctor who prescribed those medications.