Great response, except for the bad part...

[Shannon Nelson]

I'm curious what thoughts folks would have about this. Over the past
half-year or so I took a new remedy which overall seems to have worked very
nicely, *except* that after each dose (two of 200c) I got resoundingly ill.
First dose, I felt a very quick improvement of "everything" (including
things I hadn't considered part of the picture) -- but 3 days later, came
down with what felt like start of a flu (heavy exhaustion, slight vertigo),
then progressed to a *horrible*, split-your-guts-and-cough-'em-up type
cough, which took a couple of weeks a several "crisis" remedies to get thru.
But thru that, and for a good few weeks afterwards, everything else was
great -- energy, mood, plus specific issues. (I thought *maybe* that was a
Return of Old Sx, as part of it felt *so* similar to when I had pneumonia
several years ago.)

Then after (?) month or two(?) some backsliding happened, and I thought
maybe the (presumed) acute had "used up" the remedy faster than usual, so I
repeated. Again, there was a very quick, happy and full-looking improvement
-- but some days later (maybe 5-7 this time?) I again got sick, with what
was *apparently* (most reasonable-seeming explanation so far) strep throat,
a pretty mild case (pain was never much, and I only saw one pustule) that
nonetheless developed into rheumatism lasting for a couple of weeks.

Does that mean the remedy's not quite right and these were "auxilliary
symptoms", or ????

Thanks for any thoughts,
Shannon

[Jon van Hoffen]

Dear Shannon,

Where the throat problems and the rheumatism a return of old symptoms as
well, or were they completely new to you?
Did you use other remedies for these symptoms as well or did you let the
symptoms take their natural cause?
At first instance it looks to me like you might have the right remedy but
the wrong potency, but this depends much upon your answers to the questions
above.

Jon van Hoffen

[Joy Lucas]

The 'follow up' reports and further case taking and analysis of any case is
a vital aspect of understanding the road to permanent cure. Knowing what to
do and what not to do after the first prescription can be as complex or as
simple as you want it to be and largely determined by the individual case.

There isn't room or time for me to go into lengthy details about this but
for students and anyone who might be interested there is a 'rule of thumb'
type layout in George Vithoulkas book "The Science of Homeopathy" in the
appendix. He cites various examples of remedy reactions and how to
understand those reactions. As I said these are just rule of thumb examples
but might be useful for some to read.

Personally, I would say Shannon's remedy choice was spot on, with an
additional component of bringing on acutes as a cleansing procedure maybe.
If I had a case like that I would be keen to proceed with the same remedy.
Maybe there are other blocks or more cleansing to be carried out, 200c might
have been too high (hard to say).

If you are at a stage now that has shifted from the original picture and
there are still sx that need treating then retake the case and prescribe
accordingly. Otherwise, WAIT.

best wishes, Joy

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Jon,

The rheumatism was entirely new (and quite a shock!).
The ghastly cough was new too,
tho the symptoms that preceeded it (sense of oppression in the chest and an
awesomely intense exhaustion) seemed just like the start of the years-prior
pneumonia.

Altho esp. with the first one I did *want* to let them run their course,
each episode was *so* intense that I did use "acute" remedies to moderate.
And so, was rather surprised that the good effects from the first rx kept
running for so long afterwards...

Interested in your thoughts!

Shannon
on 7/30/03 2:21 AM, Jon van Hoffen at seamagic@tpg.com.au wrote:

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Simone,
Well, it wasn't really "backsliding", what happened 3 days later... The
benefits from the remedy lasted thru the episodes (and numerous acute
remedies taken for them) -- not as long as I'd normally expect, but for I
think a couple of months each time, which seemed pretty respectable (?) if
the episodes had been acutes (?????). But these "illnesses" didn't seem to
follow patterns I'm accustomed to; they weren't aggravations (with the
possible but increasingly doubtful exception of the start of the first), and
while they *might* have been healing crises, I just don't know. I've had
these before (not many, but a couple were doozys), which always began about
14(?) days after the remedy, and were clearly eliminative sorts of
processes. These felt puzzling, tho...

Did your reactions involve what looked like acute illnesses, or was it
simply a getting better fast, but effect fading almost just as quickly?

Thanks!
Shannon
on 7/30/03 2:31 AM, Simone L.A. Hogan at ozhomoeopathy@yahoo.com.au wrote:

[Simone L.A. Hogan]

--- Bob&Shannon wrote:
[snip]
First dose, I felt a very quick improvement of
"everything" (including
things I hadn't considered part of the picture) -- but
3 days later, came
down with what felt like start of a flu (heavy
exhaustion, slight vertigo),
[snip]

This was the usual run for my treatment for a very,
very long time with nearly every remedy I was given.

That is, until I changed homoeopath. Now, I am
getting return of very, very old symptoms, but they
are clearing and are minor inconveniences compared to
how I suffered originally. I *do not* get any
aggravation, nor do I get immediately improvement
followed by slow decline. Nor, since changing
practitioners, have I had any *new* symptoms
developing (which also occurred).

I don't believe you should feel immediate improvement
and then start backsliding. To me, this means the it
is not the simillimum.
=====
Simone Hogan
www.homeopathyaustralia.com

"Never be a passive listener or learner" ~ Christian Gottfried Hahnemann (father to Christian Samuel Hahnemann)

http://personals.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Personals
- New people, new possibilities! Try Yahoo! Personals, FREE for a limited period!

[Shannon Nelson]

Ouch. Have those cleared with better rx selection?
on 7/31/03 2:39 AM, Simone L.A. Hogan at ozhomoeopathy@yahoo.com.au wrote:

[Jon van Hoffen]

Hi Shannon,

The fact that these symptoms were completely new would worry me a bit. Do
they fit in with the remedy picture? The fact that you felt better "through"
the new symptoms would indicate to me that you had the right remedy, but I
certainly would not take the same remedy in the same potency again if I were
you.
How severe were the symptoms that this remedy has cured?
It could of course be the case that the strep throat and following
rheumatism episode were completely unrelated to taking the remedy.

Jon

[Shannon Nelson]

The symptoms of the two "acutes" are covered in a general sort of way by the
remedy, but it's a remedy that seems to cover just about anything, to some
degree!

The sxs that the remedy cured (for a time) had been very, very troublesome
to me, and run a range of M/E, general, and local, no "pathology"; and
included several rather long-standing ones (year to several?) and one of
recent onset. I assumed (and still assume) that this was not a "deep
constitutional" for me (and we are still looking for that ), but
addressing a very troublesome "layer" of some years' standing.

Re whether the "acutes" were unrelated to the remedy: After the first one,
I had hesitantly decided perhaps that was the case -- tho I think this would
be the *first* time that I or someone I'd treated had developed a severe
acute so directly after taking a remedy that worked well... But, I decided
perhaps that was the case.

But twice in a row???? That strains my credibility! Plus the fact that
both were *so* unusually severe! Sure I've gotten the occasional sore
throat, but not with pustules, and not with "complications", and wow, that
was soooooooo intense. (If anyone asks whether you'd like to try severe,
full-body arthritis [rheumatism?] -- take a pass!) And I've had a few
dramatic coughs, but none that comes close to topping this one, for either
intensity or duration.

This is what's confused me: These didn't "feel" to me like aggravation, but
rather like "getting sick" -- in weird ways, tho! *Not* the ways that I
usually get sick!!! The cough episode at least did have touchpoints to my
past issues; but the rheumatism thing was entirely new.

Could this be a case of "accessory symptoms" (from a rx that is close but
not quite, in either potency or selection

Thanks for the thoughts!
Shannon
on 7/31/03 5:06 AM, Jon van Hoffen at seamagic@tpg.com.au wrote:

[Simone L.A. Hogan]

--- Bob&Shannon wrote:
[snip]
Did your reactions involve what looked like acute
illnesses, or was it
simply a getting better fast, but effect fading almost
just as quickly?
[snip]

My reactions were that I had immediate (within 24
hours of taking a Rx) improvement of chronic Sx, which
after three days began their slow descent to their
original form, which would take anything from 14 days
to a month. On occasion, I would experience an acute
episode, but these were never treated, nor were they
"clearing" in any sense of the word.

After continuous treatment by various homoeopathic Rx,
new symptoms (ones I have never in my memory, nor my
mother's memory, ever exprienced before) began to
graft themselves into my chronic picture.

Regards,
Simone

=====
Simone Hogan
www.homeopathyaustralia.com

"Never be a passive listener or learner" ~ Christian Gottfried Hahnemann (father to Christian Samuel Hahnemann)

http://personals.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Personals
- New people, new possibilities! Try Yahoo! Personals, FREE for a limited period!