Top Three Questions Answered

“What should I take for ____________?” is my most often asked question. After that, “How do I take the remedies?”; “How often should I take the remedies?” and “When do I change remedies?” are next. My Baptist preacher husband suggested I dedicate a post to answer these questions. Mainly because he often asks me these questions after proofreading my posts.

How should I take these remedies?

There are several ways to take remedies.

• Most remedies come in the form of small round pellets made from lactose. The simplest way to take them is to tap 3-4 pellets into the bottle’s lid and then put them into the mouth. Be very careful that you don’t breathe on the cap or touch the lip of the bottle. You want to keep it clean. The pellets can range in size from that of a BB down to the size of a grain of sand. So tapping just 3-4 can be easy or difficult, depending on the pellet.
• Homeopathy is more effective in water. My personal preference when giving remedies is to do it in water. I will use small disposable water bottles if it is an acute ailment (short-lived and self-limiting). I label the bottle with the person’s name, what remedy is in it, and how often I want them to take it. With this method, a sip is a dose. This solution will last about two days and then must be tossed. If it is for a chronic condition or an ailment that lasts longer than 48 hours, I will use an amber glass bottle. I will fill the bottle 1/3 full of alcohol (my preference is grain alcohol such as Everclear) and 2/3 distilled water. In this solution, I add the 3-4 pellets of the remedy. I use a handy-dandy label maker and label it. With this solution, 3-5 drops is a dose.

How often should I take the remedies?

Like any good homeopath, I’m going to say….it depends.

• If you are taking remedies for a chronic condition, take them as long as your homeopath recommends. Or until you’re better.
• For acute ailments, it depends on the severity of the issue. For first aid or extreme illnesses, you can take the remedies every 5-15 minutes for the first hour. Then, space out how often the remedies are administered. For issues that aren’t severe, such as a mild UTI or sore throat, my usual go-to is every three hours as long as the person is awake. As the person starts feeling better, space the remedies farther apart.
• Pro tip: if your little one falls asleep soon after a remedy, it means you’ve given the right remedy, and their little body is doing exactly what it needs to do!

When to change remedies?

Oh boy, this one is a common concern! Let me set the scene for you. Your little one tells you early in the day that their ear hurts. By lunchtime, they are screaming and crying in pain and maybe running a fever. You look up which remedies to give HERE, but your child’s symptoms fit more than one description. Carefully, you choose one and give it. Nothing. Your sweet child is in serious pain and continuing to scream and cry. Now you are getting nervous. Is Emily crazy? Am I hurting my child? What do I do? When do I change remedies?

• First, deep breath. You will do no good to anyone panicking. Take a few minutes to read through the descriptions again. Give the remedy every 15 minutes for four doses. Look for any little improvement. That could look like an instant calming down. But maybe it’s small.
• Suppose there has been no improvement. Give your second choice remedy and repeat the four doses.
• We want to avoid changing it too frequently and mudding the symptom picture. One of my little ones would get better after two doses, never the first. I wrote down what helped her, and I’m so glad! Because I would start to panic and then re-read my notes. Sure enough, after the second dose, she would curl up in my lap and sleep.

Clear as mud?

As my mother-in-law would say. Hopefully, this guide helps clear up some questions you may have. Having the honor of being a family healer can be overwhelming. But, it is an honor. One we don’t take lightly or for granted.