I started using homeopathy when my children were little.
This was before Facebook.
When relatively few people in the United States used homeopathy.
It was REALLY hard to find a homeopath.
Especially a good one,
Because, back then, most practitioners didn’t use the most effective healing techniques. (Or at least the ones I could find. Thankfully this has changed.)
Samuel Hahnemann, MD is the founder of modern homeopathy.
He did his best work later in life, perfecting his technique.
Yet, in the late 1990’s, few US-based homeopaths seemed to know about this.
Fortunately I found one who did.
She work with my children for years, gradually restoring them to health.
My children had damaged immune systems.
I won’t go into the reasons for this here.
But the end result was frequent upper respiratory infections. These led to many rounds of antibiotics.
Homeopathy helped break the cycle.
In a big way.
Not only were my children no longer sickly.
They were healthy.
When Should You Change Homeopaths?
However, I wonder if we would have had the same stunning results today.
Maybe not.
Here’s why.
Back in the late 1990’s it was extremely difficult to find a homeopath.
Any homeopath.
Especially a good one trained in The Murphy Method.
The Murphy Method was developed by the late Dr. Robin Murphy, ND and it is absolutely brilliant.
You treat what is right in front of you, never assuming that one single remedy will cure the entire case.
Because that’s unrealistic.
Instead, a person’s case is treated in layers.
If someone develops an acute illness you stop the chronic treatment.
The immediate problem is dealt with.
Then you resume the chronic remedy.
Over time this is what worked for us.
We stayed with this homeopath for several years.
Months would go by and we didn’t seem to make any progress.
Then, all of a sudden we’d see a big leap forward.
This typically happened with a new remedy.
Would this have played out the same way today?
Maybe not.
Because I’d likely be on Facebook, in one of the homeopathy groups.
Now, homeopaths are much more plentiful.
Would I have stayed with the same homeopath, even when we hit long stretches of no progress?
Or would I have jumped ship, only to start from scratch?
I’m not sure.
Although my homeopath was smart she wasn’t perfect.
She didn’t always choose the right remedy.
Or use the very important Minimum Dose principle. (Actually I didn’t learn about this until years later.)
There were times she kept telling my daughter to take Kali Bic.
We kept giving it to her.
Not knowing any better.
But wondering why we were up every night tending to her dry, metallic cough.
“Give her more Kali Bic,” I remember being told.
Unfortunately it didn’t help.
Knowing what I know now, I realize my daughter was “proving” Kali Bic.
She didn’t need it.
This is what kept us up night after night, for months.
When Do You Change Homeopaths?
So my homeopath wasn’t perfect.
(Guess what, none of us are.)
She was also difficult to reach.
I’d call her multiple times to remind her to send the remedies she promised to get in the mail.
Yet I trusted her knowledge.
(Also, back then, it was so difficult finding a good homeopath.)
In my heart I knew we were going to get to our destination.
We’d eventually reach the land of better health and no extreme food sensitivities.
But would I have stayed with her if I had other choices?
I’m not sure.
It would have been easy to switch. We’d sometimes have months of no progress.
I know I would have been on all of the Facebook Mommie homeopathy groups, meeting other practitioners.
But, fortunately for me, this outlet didn’t exist.
So I persevered and my children were healed.
This is why when I see social media posts about switching homeopaths I tell people to wait. In order to give the homeopath time to find what works.
However, there may also be times when it’s wise to switch.
Here’s what I can suggest.
- GIVE IT AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. In my humble opinion it can take this long for someone to get to know you. New information comes out in follow-up sessions. During this time you may see gradual improvements. You may start sleeping better. Your mood may brighten. But you probably still have unresolved issues. Also, every practitioner I know does continuing education. There’s a really good chance he or she will learn something new that can move your case forward. Of course, there are exceptions to the six month rule. If your homeopath doesn’t respect you or berates move on. Even if you just started working with them. (This happened to me, and it was totally unacceptable. I never saw this practitioner again. Fortunately, that very day the homeopath who eventually helped us reached out. I stayed with her for years.) Also, realize that homeopaths are human. We’re not perfect. We make mistakes. We don’t always get it right the first try. What you do want is someone who will persist, in order to find the right remedy. I find it ironic that people will stick with the same physician for years, even if their health deteriorates. Yet homeopaths are often expected to fix deep-seated problems in a month or two.
- GIVE IT A YEAR. If you see no progress after a year then it’s probably time to move on. At this point it’s perfectly reasonable to start looking elsewhere. Here are some tips on finding a good homeopath.
- HOMEOPATHIC PHILOSOPHY. Homeopathy is part science and part art. It’s also part intuition. Sometimes you just know a certain person needs a specific remedy. But it’s hard to explain how you know this. Different practitioners have different techniques. But they still get the same amazing results. Still it can’t hurt to know someone’s philosophy. Do they expect one single remedy to heal all of your problems? Occasionally, this might work. Usually, though, it’s a recipe for disappointment. Unfortunately, many people have had bad experiences with this kind of prescribing. (Myself included.) So look for someone who is flexible. Someone who will treat acutes as needed, even if you’re under “constitutional” care. Try to find out how someone practices beforehand. So you can get the results you deserve.
