Stopping and Changing Direction
At what point along the road to health do we abandon a remedy protocol and try something new?
For vitiligo, the Banerji Protocols have been shown to alleviate this problem in a certain number of people, but it is generally a very long process with slow results. In musical terms, it might be called adagio adagio … that is, a snail’s pace.
But, when we look at something like eczema, now we see a pace of recovery that is often commensurate with the length of time the person has suffered from the problem. It’s often the pace of adagio, particularly in milder cases.
Here’s how it often fleshes out (pun intended).
Let’s take Joseph, who is ten years old. His skin is very itchy, and his mother Millie thinks he’s probably allergic to something, but she’s not sure if it’s more than dairy and wheat.
He’s on a GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome).
Based on the information she found on this blog, she administers Antimonium crudum 6 mixed with Arsenicum album 6 twice daily for about 6 weeks. This is the Banerji Protocol that is pretty specific for itchy eczema. It’s not the only one, but it’s a good place to start.
Certainly, it was difficult to not want to check Joseph’s skin day by day, even by the hour, but Millie understands that it’s best to begin assessing at about 6-8 weeks in order to get a good overall view.
Millie notes that Joseph has a little less itching here and there, so based on the magic markers in determining the progress (from last week’s article and podcast), she admits that the only change is that he is itchy less frequently.
However, at present, when he scratches, he goes into a frenzy. She fittingly concludes that there is no net gain in his condition. Nor is there any change in his demeanor.
Joseph was and is irritable and negative most of the time.
His tender skin has cracks that ooze and bleed a serous fluid. Millie is heartbroken, and his dad wants him to get steroids from a dermatologist.
Yet she resists because she too had eczema and experienced a lifetime of steroid use.
She’s convinced that she can do this herself and protect her son from the sufferings she endured (and still does) from the fall-out of steroids that never really cleared up the problem and caused new ones.
Now that the 6 weeks has passed, she feels it’s time to at least start looking at another protocol.
This is where I blatantly tell you that Millie took my course called Skin, The Ugly Truth. She also has my course Good Gut Bad Gut. To be honest, the reason I mention this is that I don’t know where else she would have obtained access to these protocols in the U.S. — with the corresponding method I teach here — other than via this course. So, excuse me if I sound promotional.
Hence, referring to her notes, Millie remembers that Petroleum 200 is a remedy that is specific for eczema that worsens in the winter and that it presents with cracks.
Eureka!
This is something she hadn’t realized until she read the description of Petroleum in her course notes.
Originally Joseph had gotten worse last December. She previously considered the cause to be the time spent at his grandma’s, who routinely serves heaps of cookies, breads and soda.
Also, now it was evident that Joseph was not getting a full night’s sleep because of the flare-up and that, indeed, Coffea 200 might be indicated because it is specific for itching that keeps the sufferer up at night.
This is when Joseph’s mom decided to change gears. She stopped using Antimonium crud and Arsenicum album and switched to Petroleum 200 every other day and Coffea 200 once nightly.
She didn’t take an interim step but should have. That is, Camphora 200 one dose for one day is part of the Banerji Protocol to clear the way and allow a smoother transition to the next remedies if the previous medicines didn’t produce results. (I’ll be writing on this subject in more detail soon.)
Not to worry. Millie’s new choice of remedies was right on in spite of this misstep.
The first thing she noticed was that Joseph promptly fell asleep and stayed peaceful the very first night after taking Coffea 200.
And he pretty much stayed asleep all night.
Little to no scratching ensued. Joseph’s mom knows this because she has always been able to hear him in the next bedroom over. The sound of his scratching kept her up nightly, worrying with motherly angst.
That first night, the only sounds audible were nothing but the velvety sounds of his sleeping breath drifting from his room.
Millie’s shoulders relaxed, and she slept better herself.
That’s the way we mothers are.
Millie, the now homeopathic mom, is happy to report that it has been two months of taking the new protocol (by the way, these are Banerji Protocols), and Joseph’s skin is not what we’d call perfect, but the itching is now about a 2 out of 10 and the condition of his skin a triumphant 3.
What remains to complete the work is to address his food intolerances. His skin still responds to his diet, but remember, before he embarked on this method, it mattered not how carefully restrictive his diet was; his skin still tortured him.
Once the food intolerance remedies are in place (Millie plans to refer to Good Gut, Bad Gut), he will slowly be able to incorporate dairy. This would preferably be only high quality, raw and fermented to start and eventually occasional gluten.
This is what I call a return to traditional family values. Where mothers and grandmothers cure their families themselves and throw away the drugs of commerce that have never been shown to cure such conditions in the first place.
Remember, the first remedies Millie used didn’t fail. They were simply ill-chosen.
Indeed, teasing out the telling and most important symptoms and conditions from the case is a skill learned, so even the wrong remedy choice can give us information that may have gone unnoticed or perhaps unavailable at the time.
The goal of a good homeopath is to give just enough guidance so that at some point (as soon as possible), you can gain the knowledge from the new protocols to be able to follow through on your own. That’s my role.
Your role as a mother/grandmother is to do your homework and question, question, question.
Then, rummage up your guts, spunk and moxie.
Joseph’s mom did that.
Now, perhaps you can, too.
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I am a homeopath with a worldwide practice working with families and individuals via Zoom. I'm also a teacher and most importantly, a mom who raised my now-adult children depending on homeopathy over the last 31 years. I lived decades of my life with food intolerances, allergies, and chemical sensitivities until I was cured with homeopathy, so I understand pain, anxiety, and suffering. You may feel that your issues are more severe or different than anyone else’s, but I have seen it all in my practice and in my work in India. My opinion is that nothing has come close to the reproducible, safe and effective results that my clients, students and I have achieved with homeopathy.
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Joette is not a physician and the relationship between Joette and her clients is not of prescriber and patient, but as educator and client. It is fully the client's choice whether or not to take advantage of the information Joette presents. Homeopathy doesn't "treat" an illness; it addresses the entire person as a matter of wholeness that is an educational process, not a medical one. Joette believes that the advice and diagnosis of a physician is often in order.
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Hi, Joette, did you mean commensurate and your transcriber made it commiserate? No big deal, almost cute. Bye for now. Fondly, Helga
Oh for goodness sake! I just made the correction. Thanks Helga!
Love that you, Joette, empower others through your courses and educational efforts! You continue to inspire me. Kudos to Millie being a Mom on a mission and finding the solution she needed for her family! Imagine what a shift our society would have if all mothers and grandmothers welcomed their family’s health as a personal responsibility.
Thank you for this article. I took GGBG and started with the same protocol to no avail. I also added Stramonium for the irritability. I didn’t take the course specifically for skin so I didn’t know what other route to take. My four y.o.’s case is almost exactly the same. We just found out that he is allergic to dairy, eggs and gluten. How and when would you add Bovista to this regimen?
There’s more to it than simply adding Bovista. That is, if there are any gastro-intestinal symptoms, such as constipation, bloating , eructations, etc. then we must also include a protocol for that. But certainly Bovista can be added into the schedule, right along with other indicated rems.
Thank you for responding. I was thinking that I would add Bovista for the gluten/dairy allergies, but I’m confused as to whether that helps with symptoms of allergies or the allergy itself. He does not eat gluten or dairy so there would be no need to give the remedy if he presents no symptoms. I understand if you don’t want to answer here. Maybe I’ll hit the forums with my questions.
The goal in homeopathy is to get to the underlying cause, not treat symptoms…That would be the job of conventional drugs.
When symptoms don’t present as a result of avoidance, food intolerances are not cured and more work needs to be done.
Ok, I don’t mean to be annoying here, but can you link me to an article, or information or something about leaky gut and food intolerances and homeopathy. I understand that homeopathy treats the cause, but I also understand that you are to treat the main symptoms that are presenting. I don’t quite get how that works when dealing with foods that you are supposed to avoid because of intolerance…especially dealing with a small child who will have eczema flare-up, extreme moodiness, and stomach pains. I took GGBG and it was packed with wonderful information. I took copious amounts of notes but maybe I’m just lacking the base knowledge necessary for understanding. It’s just confusing because it seems you almost need to force the food intolerance symptoms in order to aid in the healing of them.
I think I understand what’s catching you up. Its that you’re thinking we use symptoms to determine the remedy. But the Banerji protocol doesn’t use that paradigm nor do I (anymore). Instead, this method only uses symptoms once the diagnosis is made (by a physician) and the protocol needs differentiation between one remedy from another. Additionally, even if you were to use the method that requires that you use symptoms that present, it must not be ignored that food intolerance still remains.
There is your presence of symptoms.
I didn’t realize that you’re a student, so its better that we communicate on the student forum page instead of here. If I’ve not answered your question, pls refer to this discussion but take it to the forum instead.
By the way, I don’t mean to sound rude or matter-of-fact, I’m just trying to understand. 🙂 This is probably best discussed in person with a practioner, and not via combox. Thank you for reading and responding. You are kind to take time out of you busy day to respond.
Yes, that’s it, thank you. Will go to the forums for further discussion. 🙂
You’ll love this even more knowing this.
Joette could you clarify your last comment – “when symptoms don’t present etc…” I am a student of GGBG and am looking to work on gluten intolerance without consuming the gluten as it creates havoc with the skin. Your comment implies that the offending food needs to be ingested for healing to take place?
I urge students of this course to take it not once. Not twice. Not even only three times. In order to understand, you must take the course from stem to stern, four times in order to understand case management.
The upshot is that we want the ingestion of offending foods to be added at some point when the condition is much improved but it doesn’t mean that it must be added.
That is interesting case and most important with happy ending. Mother’s intuition never fails. Regards
Hi Joette, Thank you for sharing this case and the steps that were taken to determine if the right remedies were chosen. I have a follow-up question.
The mom initially started with a 6c or 6x potency but when she switched to Petroleum & Coffea she also increased in potency to 200C. Why did she not start with a 6x or 6c? What were the indicators to move up in potency? Thank you. Martha
The Banrji Protocol is specific for using Petroleum and Coffea in 200 potency.
Great piece! Thank you. What is the recommended length of time to stay on a remedy? I’ve seen both 6 weeks and 12 weeks suggested.
There’s no prescribed amount of time, but as the condition improves after about 6+ weeks, it might be time to slow down the use and test the waters.
Thank you (again), Joette, for an educational and enlightening article! But why drop the initial protocol? I would have increased the potency to Ant crude 200/Ars alb 200 AND also added Petroleum 200 and Coffea 200 to the mix. Would that be an option worth considering? If not, can you please explain?
Good question. Even the higher potency would have likely not been effective given the information she realized was paramount. As it turned out, she was right. We also don’t want to use too many remedies “just in case”. It’s always better to fine tune.
Joette, would petroleum be a good fit for a rash is extremely dry, itchy, wrinkled looking but not to the point of cracking (yet) ? It started as dry skin over the winter. Our family Dr thinks it is possibly yeast or eczema (but does not respond to yeast treatment and is made worse by moisture, even coconut oil, tallow, etc). Our chiropractor/ nutritionist believes it is a food intolerance related rash and we currently have my daughter on a dairy free diet in hopes of pinpointing the problem food. I treated her with the Banerji protocol for eczema, and she was on Bovista for 13 weeks as well. I would ask my questions in the GGBG forum, except it seems to still be down. I have checked a materia medica for the description of petroleum and my daughter is a pretty good fit. I just need some advice on how to proceed!
1st let me say that I’m so very sorry about the forum. We’re trying to save all the previous links and unfortunately dealing with companies that are not giving our tech team any support.
So to answer your questions: When we see skin that is dry and cracking and starts in the winter or is < during winter, we must think of Petroleum 200c. And if it or any aspect of the case can be linked to food intolerances or allergies, Bovista must usually be used for a year before gut problems can be pretty much resolved. This would mean that both remedies would be used at the same time. As always, we begin with Camphor 200 c because of previous treatments.
Thank you for the response! I have a follow up question if you don’t mind: So if we find that the dairy is the offending food, is it best to stick with the Bovista or switch to a dairy specific protocol remedy such as Aethusa or Lycopodium? And we did start with Camphor 200 for a day 🙂
I’ve been seeing good responses to Bovista, but if Lyco/Ars is indicated (and you always want to look for that) it would likely be a good choice as well. I use both in that case. there might be another medicine that could be added in as well, as long as the symptoms provide its use.
Thank you! I believe she is already showing improvement from Petroleum 30c several times a day (waiting for the 200C to arrive). Do you recommend removing dairy entirely (the chiro says 6-8 months for healing) or can I let her have raw dairy and then add in whatever remedy she seems to fit, if she presents symptoms again? She is 23 months old and its very hard to keep her from her beloved milk.
And I see that the forum is back up- yay!
And I plan to keep her on Bovista for a while, too.
Hi Joette I was snooping around trying to find information in regards to Vitiligo. I do have the Banerji Protocol Book but I do see some variations that have been effective like Sepia 200 C any feedback on that? For people who have had this a good majority of like half their life, how long can it take for a correct protocol to begin uprooting that imbalance?
I’ve seen it take many, many months if not years. And I’ve never used Sepia for it.
If you have both gluten, dairy and raw egg sensitivities would you recommend both bovista and aethusa to be taken together? Or should you only use one of these remedies at a time?
Say you have success using petroleum200 on eczema that started this winter with cracked dry hands, and it worked, the cracks are gone but there is still more eczema, do you continue with same remedy, or do another remedy for the other aspects of the eczema that remain such as red rashes, flakes, etc.?
The cracks indicate the remedy choice. If the remedy corrects them, it means it was well chosen and to move to another medicine would not be advisable.
can you provide me benerji protocol book
its sold on amazon
Thank you so much Joette. None of my usual fixes for eczema on my hands worked. I strictly cut out gluten and dairy, I tried fish oil and vitamin K, niacin and milk thistle. Nothing helped – my hands were just getting worse. They were in such a horrible state – they itched so much that I was holding them under the hot tap and then rubbing them with a rough towel….they were so swollen, raw and bleeding that I couldn’t bend the joints without pain. This was on Thursday. For some stupid reason I assumed homeopathy would not work for this – I assumed I would need months of bovista. Wrong. I found this page, I took the first dose, I went to my kids Christmas concert. Halfway through the concert I noticed that my hands weren’t hurting so much anymore. I removed them from my mittens – the swelling had gone down and the cuts were healing up. I seriously could not believe it. I took another dose before bed and have continued to take it twice a day. Today is Monday and my hands look a million times better. The cuts are completely healed, there is no swelling or itching. The skin just looks dry – I probably need to move onto petroleum. I would never have believed it. It’s like a miracle.
My 4 month old started presenting eczema when she was 2 1/2 months. I’ve eleminated dairy, eggs, gluten, corn, and peanuts (her brothers are allergic and Father was but “out grew it”). I am very new to homeopathy, we only really used the Arnica gel by Boiron before. I did a lot of research and decided to start with her cradle cap and used Calc Carb 30c. It worked and cleared in a couple days so I stopped but then it came back so I started again. I think I started to add Petroleum 30c around this time too because she was so dry everywhere (maybe this wasn’t the right choice given she has never lived earth side in the winter before). She seemed to follow a pattern of clearing up and then would flare up again around day 10. I couldn’t decide if my diet was the trigger or just a cycle for her. A few weeks later I started her on Graphites 30c and was no longer using calc carb. Her eruptions were very oozy. The Graphites helped and we stopped. Finally I decided to order Antimonium Crud 6c and Arsenicum Album 200c (to be given 2D) Before it arrived I was giving Sulphur 30c and Petroleum 30c. I hadn’t yet learned about giving Camphor 200c in between treatments but I did wait a full day with no remedies. We are currently on day 3 of the new protocol (Ant Crud+Arsenicum) and she is noticeably more itchy than she has been, especially at night. Poor baby, I hope I’m not making things worse for her. I was thinking maybe I would give her Coffea 200c at night? Or is the Arsenicum Album 200c too high a potency for her?
As Moderator, I’m here to explain that you should know that this is not a forum for case taking. I urge you to consider taking a course such as “Allergic” or “Skin; the Ugly Truth ” where you’ll gain the tools to treat such conditions. And, perhaps more importantly, gain access to the private student forum on Facebook where other, more experienced students can help you along your way.
For eczema, Skinderella says use Antimonium crud 200 mixed with Arsenicum albulm 200 but above you mentioned these at 6 potency. Which is the best place to start?
I’ve used it both ways but if unsure, it’s often better to start with lower potencies.
The Skin the Ugly Truth course is currently unavailable. I am unfortunately desperate to learn more so I can help treat my 6 year old’s current eczema condition. I don’t have Facebook so I hope this is an acceptable form of communication here. I intend on taking your courses ASAP, but where should I start if the course is unavailable? We recently switched to a traditional diet and are following the guidelines of the Weston A Price foundation and loosely following the GAPS diet. I initially started this diet to help my son with his allergies. He has improved considerably but my oldest daughter is now suffering from her worst Eczema flare she’s ever had. She has had eczema off and on most of her life usually worse in winter, but here we are dead summer and her elbow and knee flexors are screaming. Raw in places and broken skin in others. It’s starting to spread to her neck. She’s Itching frequently and has been waking at night itching. It does seem worse at night. My local health store had suggested Sulphur 30 which I tried for 3 weeks with no improvement in fact it only seems worse now. Did camphor for a day and now Arsenicum Album 6 and Antoniom Crude 6 2 x a day. So far 2 days deep and she’s itching more than ever. It’s heart breaking, she cries about it lately, hates how it feels and looks. Do doses and potencies differ as a result of body size and or severity of condition? Also I’m tempted to just take her to a homeopath in my area but don’t know of a good one. If you can’t share information here where’s the best place for me to research until the skin course is available. Thanks for your time.’
It is indeed available. I’ll have someone from my office contact you to walk you through.
Meanwhile, look at this https://kellythekitchenkop.com/more-how-to-heal-eczema-with-homeopathy/
Few eczema products actually work for me. I got Foderma and vaniclear lotion the same day. Vaniclear does not moisturize at all for me. Foderma Eczema Serum, however, works wonders. I use it on the front of my neck, around my mouth, and my hands for eczema. It works as well as a steroid cream but with no drugs. I am so glad I found this
Are the ingredients listed? They’re certainly not listed on any site that I can find. Be suspicious of any product that is produced in that part of the world.
Steroids abound in Asian skin products without any concern for transparency.
My husband has suffered from a headache every Sunday for over a decade. We go to the chiropractor every 6 weeks which helps, but not enough to stop this pattern. I’m wondering which of your courses or blog post might offer me help on addressing this?
You might want to consider my upcoming course that’s presently available at “Pain”pain.joettecalabrese.com/info
this is amazing info. Thanks. you talk about taking only raw milk, I live in Canada and raw milk is illegal. I do take organic homogenized and pasteurized milk (that’s all we can get here), so, would that be acceptable or not at all. I have chronic gut issues and acidity.
When raw milk isn’t available, the next best choice is whole milk products that are fermented such as yogurt and kefir. If possible, try to find dairy that’s not ultrapasteurized.
I know that we are not supposed to seriously reassess symptoms and improvement until 6-8 weeks have passed but what if I am taking a protocol and after a week or two, a new symptom comes up? Ie- my 1yo has been taking LyocArs for bloating and all of the sudden, he has become constipated. It’s only been a couple of weeks, so should I push through to 6-8 weeks to see where he stands or do I assume I am proving the remedy and that it is ill-chosen?
There may be some improvement on his bloating but I have not reevaluated closely.
When a homeopathic medicine causes a good deal of trouble, it should be halted regardless of the amount of time it has been used.
Thank you so much!
Ant crud 6 + ars alb 6 helped but would not get me where I needed to be to relieve my itchy contact/allergic dermatitis blisters etc from bandaids on my skin. I did find that as soon as I changed over to ant crud 200 + ars alb 200 my itching dialed down considerably and my large patch on my arm is slowly healing from within. I dont have petroleum 200, only 30, so I am using that atm. I am also using calendula and graphites to heal the cut/scarring that the bandage was covering. I just did not want to use a steroid cream as advised after learning what I am with homeopathy.
Thank you for all the valuable info on this blog Joette! I understand that typically chronic conditions can take several weeks of a protocol before one can assess any improvement. What if a chronic condition shows great improvement sooner than 6-8 weeks? Should one continue the protocol (2D for example) until at least 6 weeks have passed? Or if there is noted improvement after just 3 weeks should one already start to space out the frequency doses are taken before the 6 week assessment?
Stop when better and take up again when needed.
Thank you so much for all you are doing to teach us about homeopathy! I have taken Gateway 1 and getting ready to take Gateway 2. There is so much to learn! I have been looking for information on the vitiligo as well for me and my son. Do you have any articles or podcasts on what to do to uproot this problem? Thank you so much!
Thank you for all this information!
I’m wondering if the Banerji protocol for eczema can be used for all types of eczema? ( Specifically dyshidrotic eczema)
THe protocol is for eczema regardless of the catagory.
Thank you!