This is from a series I wrote when I was blogging as a homeopathic health coach. It is basic information that I wanted to leave available for free but may not pertain to my most recent blogging venture :).
Last time in this series, we talked about how to pick a homeopathic remedy. Once you've figured out which remedy you need, you have to figure out what potency to use. Does it sound daunting? Not at all! Read on to find out more.
How to Choose a Potency
For everyone other than babies (see note below), you choose the potency that matches the intensity of the ailment. I like to use higher potencies for more intense things like injuries, acute (temporary) illnesses, and emotional or physical shocks.
I have also noticed that strong, typically healthy men tend to need higher potencies in general. Higher potencies would be 30C and 200C. Lower potencies, such as 6C and 30C, are better for things like mild digestive complaints, sore backs, early stages of colds, and so on.
Higher potencies tend to have a longer-lasting effect, so they typically need to be taken less often. Lower potencies generally don’t last as long and you can safely take them more often.
It is possible to take lower potencies, such as a 6C, in acute situations, but you have to dose quite often – possibly as often as every 5 minutes – to see an effect. That makes it difficult to know if the remedy is having an effect at all.
Regardless of the potency, if you feel relief from taking a dose, you will typically also be able to feel the positive effects wear off after a while, and that is when you know you need to take another dose! Remember to always stop once your symptoms are better to avoid provings (we'll talk about these later).
There are several combination remedies on the market, particularly by companies like Boiron and Hyland’s, that have combined a few remedies together to help with specific ailments. These can occasionally be effective but I HIGHLY encourage you to read the label of the remedies to avoid using ones with potencies that are too low (I consider most X potencies to be too low).
A caution about babies: For babies under the age of 6 months (although it’s good to use caution until you know how your child reacts or until they’re about age 2), it’s best to avoid very high potencies and very low potencies. I like to stick to mostly 6C and add in 30C if needed.
I stay away from all X potencies for babies unless I know the herbs being used and am comfortable with them. An example of that would be homeopathic Chamomilla, which is made from the herb chamomile. I’m comfortable with carefully using chamomile as an herb with my babies, so I would be okay using homeopathic Chamomilla in X potencies.
I’ll just mention here that a few years ago Hyland’s company had a recall on their teething combination remedy (maybe you've heard about this?), which contained an X potency of Belladonna. I would not feel comfortable giving an X potency of Belladonna to anybody - baby, child, or adult. So it's important to read labels on combinations and make wise decisions, even when using a natural form of health care.
Since homeopathic remedies are named using their Latin names, you should be able to do a quick internet search to find out what their common names are. This will help you decide how comfortable you feel using certain remedies in varying potencies.
Example of Potency
In our house we use Arnica, which is common for bruises and injuries, almost always in a 30C or 200C. This remedy generally covers things that are more intense in nature so we often need the higher potencies. On the other hand, we often use Nux vomica to simply support our digestive system and help prevent adverse reactions when we have eaten foods we’re not used to. So, we almost always take Nux-v in a 6C, and we’re often taking it once a week or once every other week, because, let’s be real, we are often overindulging and in need of extra support.
What Happens if I Choose the Wrong Potency?
The best-case scenario if you choose the wrong potency is that nothing will happen. This means that, if you are sure of your chosen remedy, you probably need to go up in potency (or dose more often).
The worst thing that can happen if you choose the wrong potency is that you can have an aggravation. This simply means that the symptoms you're experiencing could be aggravated, or made worse, for a short period of time. Often, an aggravation is followed by marked improvement.
Sometimes the aggravation hangs on a little bit. There are a few ways to get over it quicker. One thing you can do is find some peppermint tea or essential oil and inhale the aroma. This is meant to cancel the effects of the remedy. Another thing you can do is find another remedy that fits your new symptoms and take that to counteract the effects.
Lastly, you can try diluting to the fourth cup. This is done by dropping the remedy that caused the aggravation into a few teaspoons of water -- in a disposable cup -- then take a little water from the first cup and dilute it in a second cup. Do this until you reach the fourth dilution cup and take sips out of that one. You can take sips as often as needed, every half hour or so, until symptoms have reduced.
Next post in series: Homeopathic Dosing
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