The text read: “Mom, super weakness, deep coldness, shivering in bed, nausea, chest feels hollow and weak, like bronchitis is coming.”
Whack! Here comes an acute illness.
By an “acute,” I mean a condition that does not reoccur frequently; one that has a distinct beginning and end. Colds, flu, and bronchitis are perfect examples of acute illnesses.
In an acute illness, one might repeat administration about every 3 hours, or if severe, even as often as every 15 minutes.
So for example, if plagued with the flu and the person cannot rise from bed, the medicine could be administered that often (every 15 minutes), especially at the onset.
Now you’re looking for clues to show improvement … any improvement, such as increase in energy, return of color to the face, less angst, ability to fall asleep, decreased nausea, a less debilitating cough, etc.
If you’re pretty confident that the medicine you’ve chosen is correct, then stay with it until there is marked improvement. This could occur after a few days or as little as a few hours.
Generally, for influenza or a bad cold, a small improvement is often seen within several hours.
When the illness is not so severe, the medicine is administered with a larger space between each dose, though it could still take a few days to note a positive change.
If there is absolutely no lessening of severity and/or duration of the symptoms, then stop administering the medicine.
In this case, it's time to begin a new remedy. You’ll be choosing the next medicine based on what is most prominent NOW; not what you started with, but what symptoms are most pressing at the moment.
They may have indeed changed, so don’t get stuck on the idea that you’re treating penetrating weakness just because it was there at the onset of the illness.
If it's no longer the most debilitating symptom and something else has essentially taken its place instead, that’s when you make an addition to the remedy schedule.
You want a homeopathic that is specific to the newest, most pressing set of symptoms.
By and large, however, if there is improvement (even if it's nominal), stick with the initial remedy. As the person improves, don’t stop; simply continue its use until the illness is over.
Now you’ll likely need to administer the medicine less frequently.
Keep observing.
This doesn’t mean you bombard the ailing individual with questions. Instead, watch, listen, note changes in attitude, energy, appetite, thirst, discomfort and other such behaviors.
These are your tools to determine whether the medicine you’ve chosen is correct and how often to repeat.
A rule of thumb: in acute illness, sleep is often an indication that you’ve chosen the correct medicine, so stay with it even if the person wakes to a return of the symptoms.
No worries. It's simply an indicator that it's time to resume the schedule again.
Another rule of thumb: The more severe the acute symptoms are, the more frequent the repetition of the remedy.
So when my son texted me that he had become sick on his trip overseas, I responded with “Nux vomica 30 (or 200) every 15 minutes, Aconitum 200 taken at the same time as Bryonia 200 (a Banerji Protocol), alternating with Nux vomica every 15 minutes.”
Within 2 hours, he texted back that there was some improvement to which I responded, “Stay with it. And stay in bed.”
A few hours later, he reported the first group of symptoms was fairly improved but that his bones and joints were quite painful and he couldn’t get comfortable in bed.
“Replace the previous schedule with Rhus tox 30 or 200 every 15 minutes.”
His next text didn’t come for many hours (which drove me nuts! After all, he was halfway around the globe) but when I received it, he said he had been sleeping and the previous symptoms had improved by about 60%, but now he was super nauseous.
However, his chest no longer had the feeling as though he was getting bronchitis and the weakness had improved.
I must admit, however, that I made a poor judgment call. We should have stayed with the original schedule that included Nux vomica and simply added in Rhus tox.
But since I hadn’t done that, I simply returned to Nux vomica 30 (or 200) every 30 minutes. He took this with an occasional dose of Rhus tox when the aches and pains returned, but mostly, he slept.
By the following day, he was not 100% but well enough to rejoin his friends and forget his 24 hour-ish illness.
He texted a grateful: “Thanks, Mom”
To recap:
That, my friends, is how you repeat a medicine in an acute illness and remain relevant in your adult child’s life.
Warmly,
P.S. Shhh… Don’t tell him about the relevancy part, ok?
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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I designed it especially to provide a framework to guide you through your remedy choices. It is perfect for busy mothers and others who love curing their families themselves.
Deal with the flu without drugs and expensive commercial products.
The easiest, safest and most inexpensive way to treat your whole family.
Learn to choose the correct homeopathic remedy to give on the way to the emergency room or better yet,
avoid the trip altogether.
Homeopathy is inexpensive, non-invasive and profoundly curative.
Boost and maintain optimum health with simple foods, instead of vitamin pills.
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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. In order to be treated or diagnosed, Joette believes that the advice of a holistic physician is in order. 2009-2021 © Joette Calabrese – Practical Homeopathy® - HomeopathyWorks® - Health and Wellness - Privacy Policy
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Very, very good information. Also, very timely for my family right now. Thank you.
Thank you Joette!
And we request that our kids text “Thanks Mom, you’re the best mom in the whole wide world!”
Because for the moment, I am! 🙂
Thank you so much for this post Joette! I have one question. My husband got A really bad cough and cold the day after Christmas 2016 and I have not been able to help with any of the remedies or protocols you have taught. He started to improve a little bit about 2 weeks ago but then my kids got croup and that stirred his hornets nest of an illness up again. Now we’re back at square one. My question is, at first this seemed like an acute illness, but since he never has gotten over the cough and nasal drainage since the day after Christmas , have we now got a chronic condition? It’s been almost 4 months of frustration.
Yes, I’d consider it chronic.
But the protocol I included for my son’s potential bronchitis is something that can be used for a chronic cough as well.
Thank you, thank you! I know we’ve never met but you are my new bestie! ?
‘Love it! Thanks.
Perfect! Such an important topic for newbies and oldies too!
So helpful! Thank you!!!
Thank you Joette! Gave the Aconite 200 taken with Bryonia 200 to our daughter at the onset of the flu and she fell asleep only to wake up several hours with all of her systems gone. Love homeopathy!
You’re a mom with guts spunk and moxie!
How did you decide on Nux vomica over Ars alb?
Good question. Ars might have been right on because of the cold and weakness, but NV is the ultimate medicine for colds/flus, especially in relation to travel.
thanks
This is not related to this post, but in a newsletter article I read of yours from 2013 regarding bedwetting, you mentioned using Belladonna 30 for child who is a heavy sleeper and prone to sweating during sleep. You didn’t mention how often. Would I give 4 doses in one day and then once or twice weekly?
I didn’t offer specifics because its not a protocol. That means its a case by case determination. I offer specifics when a protocol has been established.
You mention “30 (or 200)” for both Nux Vomica and Rhus Tox. How do you determine which potency to give?
Its determined by severity and speed of the condition and what is readily available.
If the medicine is in liquid form how could I use it for baby and how many times could I use maximum for any medicine? Like, you say every 15 mins if the condition is severe . So should I give two drops every 15 mins ? Please clarify about this. I am very new to this treatment and interested by your post. Please help me.
The number of drops or pills needed for a dose is printed on the side of the bottle. Homeopathic pharmacies manufacture differently from each other, which is why this info is not universal.
Excellent post,thanks Joette…..immensely helpful…!!!
Mrs. Calabrese,
Thank you for sharing your story, and in particular, for sharing your mistake. I love when you let us peek into your steps of case taking & management! It is so helpful to see that it is a meandering line sometimes we are to walk as we assess and re-assess. Thank you very much!
You’re welcome.
Hi Joette,
Thank you for everything you do!
I have a question for you. But first, here is a bit of context. I am treating my child’s cold, and after a few attempts, I finally hit a remedy (Pulsatilla) that worked. After one dose there was tremendous improvement! But after that, the keynote symptoms changed (no more weepiness, the nasal discharge is different), and now I don’t know if I should continue with that remedy or look for a new one that matches the new symptoms better.
So here is a question: If a remedy worked well, should we stick with it even if the keynote symptoms have changed, or should we switch to a different remedy to match the changing symptoms (even after 1 dose!)?
Thank you!
It doesn’t matter whether its after 1 dose or several. If the overall condition is improved (not the minor symtpoms) then you know you’re on the right track. That is, if the sufferer is able to move on to her activities such as play, sleep, etc. it will give you the information you need. And that is that she’s on the mend and nothing else is needed.
If suffering returns, the a repetition of the last medicine used is called for.
Thank you, Joette!
A quick follow-up question: if one remedy took care of most symptoms after just one dose, but one nagging symptom remains and it does not fit the picture of the remedy, should I switch to a different remedy that matches the nagging symptom better? Or should I stick to the original one anyway?
Thank you!
We generally don’t want to tinker with success so we assume that the medicine that has acted may simply need a bit more time to complete the work. If that doesn’t do the trick, that’s when we move on.
Thank you, Joette!!
This is so helpful!
Great advice!
Thank you!