Importance of an Expert Guidance in Homeopathic Treatment

Homeopathy as we all know is more of an art to treat diseases. The well-grounded natural principle governs homeopathy and this law is applied to each and every case before prescribing homeopathic medicine. Many homeopathic medicines are used by lay people too, after reading certain text books and material medicas available. Well, it’s not bad to learn any science and apply it in your day to day practice; no doubt about it! I feel extremely proud to see certain people applying this art wonderfully in some cases even without learning it in colleges or institutes. But these are the ‘few’ people devoted to this science stream and they have spent years learning homeopathy.

There are certain reasons why everyone should not attempt to prescribe or take homeopathic medicines without expert supervision, unless they master the art. Let’s see the important reasons —

(1) Homeopathic medicines are very deep acting. Therefore, unless the similarity of symptoms is exactly matched, one cannot get desired results. Moreover, in chronic cases, a single wrong prescription at times can lead the entire case in wrong direction, making it difficult to harmonize the case presentation later.

(2) It is certainly not child’s play to match the disease symptoms to the symptoms of the medicine through the vast material medicas and repertory. Obtaining the apt remedy is utmost important for eliciting desired results and recovery in patient. In acute cases, it is comparatively easier but in chronic cases, when only an expert case-taking can reveal the exact constitution of the patient, it is further difficult for a person who is not well-versed with this art.

(3) Homeopathy is a science of individualization. No two cases are same, just like the various personalities around us. And individualization is an art to be learnt after professional expertise exposes you to hundreds of patients. It is aptly said that for a homeopath too, a lifetime is less to study his science!

(4) Even the same case with same cold may require different medicine the next time he or she catches cold. We often see in our practice that ignorantly and unknowingly, if a patient takes his medicine (given last time when he had caught cold) when he gets cold (because the earlier was remaining as he felt better soon), he may not feel better. This is because the symptom complex earlier was different than that during this time.

(5) We always have to warn the patient not to give his medicine to any other person in his household, even if the person suffers from apparently similar illness. In most cases, such self-prescriptions fail, unless the patient has good command over homeopathy.

(6) In homeopathic academic courses (especially bachelor and post-graduate courses), one learns homeopathy along with Human Anatomy, Physiology, General Medicine, Surgery, Preventive and Social Medicine, Homeopathic Pharmacy, etc. This clinical knowledge is of utmost importance for any homeopath to correlate all his findings clinically in every patient. Obviously this knowledge is lacking in people who use homeopathy just because they love the science and have got some cures to their credit.

Thus, with all due respect to the lovers of homeopathy, it is stressed that he or she should get acquainted with this wonderful science in all its depth and only then should utilize these medicinal gems in day to day practice. Because it is aptly said, a homeopathic failure is really a bad failure! One must exercise great caution!