In Homeopathy Symptoms are Everything
The body has innate intelligence, able to keep itself in balance, grow, repair, reproduce, and produce an immune response when under threat. When you are ill your body develops symptoms in a bid to rid itself of disease e.g., raising body temperature to a level at which a virus cannot replicate. If the symptoms do not resolve the issue, over time the body produces new symptoms, leading to them building up in layers like an onion.
In homeopathy we pay close attention to these symptoms, however illogical they may seem, as these will lead us to the remedy you need, and hopefully peel away the layers of the onion. Below is a guide to help you think about your symptoms in a way that will help me in your treatment.
Concomitants
These are symptoms that may appear unrelated to the disease that you have, but that came on around the same time as your illness developed, and therefore represent one layer of the "onion".
Location
Where on your body are you affected?
Did it start in one location and move to another?
Does it spread from one place to the next?
Is it in a small spot or spread around?
Does it move about?
Origin
What was happening in your life just before the disease started?
Illness following an injury is something we are used to noticing, but strong emotions or big life events can also precede an illness. Knowing these helps with homeopathic treatment, because these events impact your emotions, which in turn impacts your health.
Modalities
Ignoring medication, what in the environment or, what do you do, that makes the illness better or worse? Or when do you notice that it is better or worse?
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Time of day, periodicity, seasons
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Temperature
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Weather
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Position of your body e.g., standing
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Motion
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Body activity / function
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Sensory
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Psychological
Sensation
How does your illness feel to you? We all experience illness differently, but your homeopath needs you to articulate the type of sensation or pain you are feeling as this will help determine the right remedy for you.
Sometimes it is helpful to think of what you would do to make someone else feel that same sensation.
Food
Our food (and drink), tastes, and choices are part of our individuality and can help a homeopathy choose between potential remedies. Here it is important to ignore what you think a "health" answer would be and go with your "gut" reaction. Things we look for:
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Foods that make you unwell
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Foods you hate
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Foods you crave