What constitutes a good match?

[merrynb]

So, the Materia Medica explain all the symptoms that a given substance brings about in a healthy individual.

What proportion of these symptoms might you expect to see in your pet, if the remedy was the best match?

Does it matter if only a few of the things described apply to your pet, if it's still the best matching remedy you can identify?

thanks again : )

from Merryn

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Merryn-

Great timing! I was about to start a  thread about individuality, and saw this message (which I apologize that I had not seen before this).

The short answer to your question is that there is no set % of required matching symptoms.

The <span style="text-decoration: underline;">similitude</span> (which is homeo-speak for similarity) of the remedy may, or may not "match" your straight symptom repertorization.

As always, it is the context of the matched symptoms which is most important. The symptoms in the materia medica which were determined from provings, clinical cases, and poisonings (which are a type of proving) are the final arbiter.

And yes, it is not always clear which remedy can cause (or cure) which symptom. Every remedy has a "polarity" of symptoms. For example, Bryonia is most commonly used when thirst is increased, however it can be equally useful for thirstless patients.

The "genius" (more homeo-speak) of the remedy must match the most characteristic symptoms of the patient in order for it to be helpful. In other words, the homeopathic medicine (which is another way to say remedy) that is most like the imbalance of the patient is the one that will work best.

It's very common to see a remedy help some symptoms but not others. This indicates a partial match. The remedy is said to be a "simile" (some similarity but not enough to cure the case).

So the million dollar question is how do you decide which symptoms to use?

That's where your describing symptom details comes in. Last summer's "Describing Symptoms and Understanding Dis-eases: Thinking in Rubrics" classes are available to watch right now in the resource area. There are lots of very specific hints in there.

A vaguely defined symptom like "diarrhea" will not point us to homeopathic medicines with sufficient similarity to cure the underlying energetic imbalance. However, "shooting, watery, putrid diarrhea that comes on every am at 5 am" would be very useful.

This is exactly what we will discuss on Monday, and will focus on during June's weekend seminar.

Dr. Jeff

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[merrynb]

Thank you Dr Jeff. I understand the need for detail, but I'm still struggling to identify best matches

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes, that's to be expected Merryn.

It can be difficult and confusing to find a chronic dis-ease similimum. That's exactly why people use professional homeopaths. Years and years of training and clinical experience.

However, in general it depends on the <strong>context</strong> of the dis-ease and <strong>interpretation</strong> of the well-described symptom details that help you decide if this is even something you should be tackling on your own.

For example, are Tricks' respiratory symptoms continuing to improve with the higher vitality (and raw) diet?

Dr. Jeff

 

[merrynb]

Yes, her symptoms are continuing to improve