Larry describes homeopathy at home on YouTube

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Hi, I'm Dr. Larry Malerba and welcome back to All Things Homeopathy. If you're interested in trying homeopathy for yourself, there are a couple ways to get involved. Either you can seek care from a homeopathic professional, or you can learn about it by 

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using homeopathy for simple first aid situations. If you choose the first option, it's best to entrust your care to a qualified practitioner. Alternatively, there are those who first learn about homeopathy by using it at home. 

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After witnessing how effective it can be, many wind up making it their medical therapy of choice. Cuts, bruises, burns, sprains, strains, the common cold, flu, and insect bites are just 

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a few conditions that homeopathic home care can address. It was Dr. Hans Birch Graham who first brought homeopathy from Denmark to the United States in 1825. Homeopathy spread rapidly across the American frontier, thanks largely to the widespread 

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use of domestic remedy kits. Born out of necessity, since the nearest physician was often too far away, families got-by by using domestic kits and homeopathic family care manuals. A typical kit contained 10, 20, or 30 or more commonly indicated remedies for first aid situations. It's important to know when self-care is advisable, when it's time to consult a professional, 

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and the difference between the two. There are distinct differences between acute care and chronic care homeopathy. An acute illness is a condition that tends to run its course in relatively short order, 

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whether without treatment. A headache, or stiff neck, or head cold, for example, are conditions that most people will recover from sooner or later. Most acute self-limiting illnesses respond well to homeopathic home care. 

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I should note that although homeopathy can be helpful in most situations, when an acute illness rises to the level of an emergency, such patients need to be evaluated by a medical professional. It's important to differentiate between a minor bump on the head and a concussion. Chronic illness is any illness that persists over time. Most cases of arthritis or asthma, for example, don't resolve on their own. 

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It's not advisable for novices or anyone for that matter to treat their own or a family member's chronic illness. While acute care homeopathic treatment is comparatively straightforward, treatment of chronic illness 

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is quite complex and should be left to an experienced practitioner. It's not uncommon to hear people in homeopathic circles speak of constitutional medicine. While the meaning of the term varies depending upon who you talk to, to me it's just another 

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term for treatment that takes into account the whole person. Compare this to conventional treatment, which targets specific symptoms, like a person who takes one pill for headaches, another for constipation, and yet another for depression. 

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Constitutional treatment of that same person would involve choosing the one homeopathic remedy that best fits all of those symptoms and more. After all, it's self-evident that those symptoms are interrelated, as indicated by the obvious 

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fact that they're all happening to the same person. To treat those symptoms as if they're separate is precisely where mainstream medicine makes its biggest mistake. Sometimes the labels on homeopathic products can be confusing or misleading. 

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The FDA, which has a very poor understanding of homeopathy. Unfortunately [the FDA] requires each remedy to list a specific symptom or indication that it is used for. In other words, FDA wrongly applies a conventional thi -for-that mentality to homeopathic remedies, 

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as in this remedy is for that problem. But homeopathy doesn't work that way. There's no such thing as a specific remedy that is used for one specific problem. Each given remedy can be useful in a multitude of situations, as long as the symptom profile 

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of the remedy fits the symptom pattern of the problem at hand. Homeopathic remedies can't be pigeonholed in the same way as conventional drugs. Additional confusion arises from the fact that homeopathic companies market combination 

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remedies that are intended for specific problems. For example, a combination remedy for hay fever contains multiple medicines known to be able to help with the symptoms of hay fever. Ideally speaking, the best way to treat hay fever is to choose the one single homeopathic 

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remedy that most closely matches the symptoms of the person with hay fever. A combination remedy represents a shortcut. It's a shotgun approach to remedy selection designed for consumers who know little about 

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homeopathy. There's nothing wrong with combination remedies as such. They serve to introduce newcomers to homeopathy. Unfortunately, combination remedies also tend to mislead people about the true nature of 

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homeopathy and what it's really all about. True classical homeopathy entails the selection of the one single medicine that most closely matches the symptom pattern of the sick person, which is then administered in the minimum dose 

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necessary to initiate a healing response. I hope that I've given you some ideas about how to get started with homeopathy and that I've clarified some points of confusion. In the next episode, I'll be talking about how to begin homeopathic self-care at home. 

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Thanks for tuning in and I hope that you'll check out the next episode of All Things Homeopathy. Bye for now.

 Hi, I'm Dr. Larry Malerba and this is All Things Homeopathy. Getting started with homeopathy at home is relatively easy. 

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Simply purchase some remedies and a first aid book or two and follow along with the instructions. Most first aid books consist of a list of common ailments and the remedies known to be able 

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to help those ailments. For a sprained ankle, for example, simply look up sprains and you'll find a list of possible remedies to try and the indications for their use. If someone sprained an ankle just moments ago, it may be best to begin treatment with 

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Arnica, which is a great remedy for all types of injuries. If some time has passed and it becomes clear that the ankle hurts from motion and the person wants to keep it immobilized, then Bryonia is a good choice. 

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If the ankle is stiff and it feels better by gently walking in order to limber it up, then rust tox may be the remedy of choice. It's as simple as that. There's no need to worry about side effects or causing any harm. 

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Homeopathic remedies are extremely safe. If the wrong remedy is taken, it simply won't work. It won't do anything. If one remedy doesn't work, there's no harm in trying another. If the correct remedy is taken, the problem at hand will begin to improve, usually within 

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hours and sometimes even within minutes. Remedy kits come in a variety of shapes and sizes. It's more economical to purchase a kit than to buy each remedy individually. It's amazing how many problems can be successfully addressed with a well-stocked remedy kit. 

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Likewise, there are a growing number of good first aid books on the market. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which is why it's a good idea to buy two or three that you can use as references. 

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Although buying these items may feel alien to some, it's no different than the average household that stocks a variety of conventional over-the-counter drugs for use in the events 

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of fevers, headaches, colds, and so on. The biggest difference is the safety factor. When a child swallows an entire bottle of Tylenol, it's a medical emergency. Even if the child swallowed an herbal medicine or a nutritional supplement, there could be 

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serious concerns. If the same child were to swallow a bottle full of a homeopathic medicine, there's no need to worry. The quantities are just too small to cause any harm. For first aid purposes, it's best to stick to the lower potencies. 

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Common low potencies come in 6, 12, and 30 c strength doses. Use of the higher potencies should be left to experienced prescribers. Avoid using 200x, 200c, or any remedy with an M designation, as in 1M, 10M, 50M, etc. 

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In my humble opinion, the strength of a remedy is far less important than choosing the correct remedy. The correct remedy will work its magic regardless of potency. I recommend purchasing a kit that contains mostly 30c or 30x potencies. 

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As a general rule of thumb, 2 or 3 doses per day of the chosen remedy over the course of a day or two should be sufficient to generate a healing response in any first aid situation. 

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One can increase the frequency of dosing, depending upon the severity of the problem, or decrease the frequency when it becomes clear that it is responding to treatment. I know it sounds crazy, but the number of pills given per dose is irrelevant. 

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It's not the quantity of pills, but the frequency of dosing that matters most. I recommend therefore that you ignore the FDA dictated indications on the label and give just one pill per dose. 

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This way you won't run out of remedy supplies. If you keep your remedies away from strong odors, like eucalyptus for example, and away from excessive heat, their shelf life will last for years. 

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There are a few additional guidelines worth noting. First, those receiving professional care should refrain from self-treatment until first discussing it with their practitioner. Second, no remedy should be taken repeatedly on a prolonged basis. If frequent repetition of a remedy brings only temporary relief, then it's probably not the right remedy. Remedies are not like drugs. 

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More is not necessarily better. Third, people commonly make the mistake of changing remedies when another one has already been working. Be patient if you begin to see improvement. Fourth, although some will disagree with me, I recommend avoiding all coffee, even decaffeinated coffee while taking homeopathic medicines. And finally, don't overuse the remedies. 

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There's something to be said for allowing the life force to work its problems out on its own. Save your homeopathic remedies for when they're truly needed. Next time I'll be talking about Arnica Montana, a homeopathic remedy that I like to call the 

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Gateway Drug to Homeopathy. Once you've seen the miraculous effects of Arnica, you'll be hooked on homeopathy for life. Thanks for listening and please join me again for the next episode of All Things Homeopathy.