7-part Homeopathy Dosage and Posology Series!

1) How often should I be taking my remedy? Hourly? Daily? Weekly?

2. If you've not felt any change (positive or negative) in any area of your life. "Change" can really be anything, some examples of common reactions being increased sleep quality, emotional catharsis (outburst or upheaval, followed by increased sense of peace), skin eruptions, increased urine or stool volume resurfacing of old concerns or interests, and naturally any shift in your chief complaints. If you don't notice any of these, your subconscious may simply need another reminder of the message that the remedy provides, so we might want to give it a gentle nudge with another dose. I'd wait for at least a week after the first dose before doing this, however, as the changes can occur quite gradually. Again, don't take another dose if you feel things are "changing".  Also, make sure to consider the opinions of people around you, as well as weird synchronicities that seem to occur in your life, when evaluating "changes".  It's like when you see a casual acquaintance that you don't often bump into, and they say something like, "wow, you've lost weight", or "I like your new look" ... when you hadn't even noticed your gradual - but, over time, significant - weight loss or changing fashion sense!

3. You're having an acute attack of your chief complaint, and you haven't yet taken the remedy. I do not advise you to discontinue any drugs you were prescribed without the consent of the prescribing physician. However, with that caveat in mind, please try to take your homeopathic remedy without the interference of Tylenol, Aspirin, or another acute suppressive drug you might normally use in this type of scenario. A suppressive drug can generally be identified by the prefix anti (anti-inflammatory) or an (analgesic = no pain) in that it stops a natural body process from occurring.  Suppressive drugs work to suppress the body's natural reaction, while the remedy works to make your body more aware of this reaction. Once your subconscious is aware of the problem, it is able to direct energy towards solving the problem. The only reason the problem is even there is because the conscious can experience it, while the subconscious cannot, so the pain is consciously experienced without the reason for the pain being subconsciously addressed and solved. 

My case experiences support the belief that a good homeopathic prescription can act through almost any degree of suppression, although the response may be at a slower pace.

Aggravations may occur during the initial stages as the person works through suppression, which I have approximate at 10% in my clinic. The aggravation appears as the chief complaint briefly worsens, while the body becomes more aware of symptoms and finds ways to handle them. After this short initial response, the progress shows increased improvements. Many people become tired and sleepy, with increased vivid dreams as a first response to a well chosen remedy.

4. You're having an acute attack of your chief complaint, and you've taken the remedy one or more times, but feel it has produced only very minor changes, or none at all, please wait at least a few minutes between doses to give your body a chance to experience a change. In my experience, typically the more acute something comes on, the faster it should respond to a remedy and leave. If you've had a chronic condition of gradual onset since childhood, I wouldn't be expecting sudden rapid changes, but instead equally gradual, long-term healing. Basically, the only danger with redosing too often is that you'll push the healing too quickly, which is one of the reasons someone might have a slight aggravation.

It's like when you bump your arm and get a bruise, with the associated inflammation and swelling. On one hand, it's extremely important for that inflammation and swelling to occur, since the inflammatory process is really the same thing as the healing process. On the other hand, if you were to take the homeopathic remedy and eliminate any of these suppressive agents, you would likely start to see the problem resolve as rapidly as it potentially could. Of course, under the stimulation of the homeopathic remedy, and without the suppressive agents there to mask the problem, this healing process might create a bit of an 'inflammation' because it is simply healing so fast. If you were then to push this healing process even further by taking repeated doses (even though your systems were already reacting as fast as they could), you could essentially 'force' the body to heal faster than is humanly possible, thereby creating more inflammation and aggravation. I often find that a truly well-prescribed homeopathic can completely eliminate the pain and speed up the healing process, and that the ideal remedy can be repeated as often as is desired without any ill effect.

In homeopathy, like everything else in life, some level of moderation is important. If you're healing has already been stimulated and is moving along smoothly, there's probably no need to take another dose.