Hering's Law of Cure*

Constantine Hering, M.D. (1800-1880) observed that healing occurs in a consistent pattern. He described this pattern in the form of three basic laws which Homeopaths can use to recognize that healing is occurring. This pattern has been recognized by acupuncturists for hundreds of years, and is also used by practitioners of herbalism and other healing disciplines.

• According to the first of Hering's laws, healing progresses from the deepest part of the organism - the mental and emotional levels and the vital organs - to the external parts, such as skin and extremities.

• Hering's second law states that, as healing progresses, symptoms appear and disappear in the reverse of their original chronological order of appearance. Homeopaths have consistently observed that their patients re-experience symptoms from past conditions.

• According to Hering's third law, healing progresses from the upper to the lower parts of the body. For instance, a person is considered to be on the mend if the arthritic pain in his neck has decreased although he now has pain in his finger joints.

As the symptoms change in accordance with Herring's Law, it is common for individual symptoms to become worse than they had been before treatment. If healing is truly in progress, the patient feels stronger and generally better in spite of the aggravation. Before long, the symptoms of the aggravation pass, and leave the person healthier on all levels.

Back to blog post, How Will I know If I Am Getting Better with Homeopathy?, here.

*From Homeopathy International.

How Will I Know If I Am Getting Better with Homeopathy?

I have often been asked the question, "How will I know if I am getting better with Homeopathy?"

Homeopathy is a system of healing that addresses the whole person. In an initial interview, a Homeopath carefully takes into account any complaints or symptoms a person has about his or her present health and well-being. The client's health history and life history are also discussed in detail.

After the initial interview, an assessment and work-up is completed. A work-up is more or less a summary sheet that lists a person's complaints, diseases, symptoms, and conditions. This summary sheet serves as a wellness baseline, which provides the majority of the information used in determining the best homeopathic remedy.

From these evaluations, a homeopath can select the best remedy or series of remedies to address the person's health issues. Sometimes additional remedies, herbs, or other supplemental support are recommended along with the primary remedy.

Homeopathy addresses the individual, and each response is individual. No two people will respond the same way. A Homeopath assesses progress by making observations, keeping good notes, and asking the right questions. From one appointment to the next, a Homeopath can track a person's response by noting which symptoms improve, worsen or stay the same, and if anything new appears. Over time, the Homeopath can compare notes from all the visits and track the changes on a graph.

Often, when I'm working with clients I'll ask about a past illness or complaint. My client frequently responds, "I don't have that." I can go back to my chart and report the date the complaint was described, in the client's own words. My clients always laugh, and are surprised that they forgot about some longstanding symptom or distress once it's disappeared.

In Homeopathy, healing is viewed as starting from the inside out, and top down. This is a simplified explanation of what a Homeopath refers to as "Hering's Law of Cure." Each person will respond in his or her own individual way. Evidence of deep healing can be seen in many ways, from improved sleep to a calmer disposition.

Give Homeopathy a try and feel better, naturally!

Zicam: There is no such thing as a Homeopathic Product

A comment about my Zicam blog post from Murray Feldman, MCH, RSHom, (NA) CCH, Founder and Director of the Vancouver Homeopathic Academy.

What surprises me about all this [allegations that Zicam is a homeopathic product] is that people are missing the point of homeopathy. There is no such thing as a homeopathic product and there is no such thing as a homeopathic medicine. There are potentized remedies and unless they are prescribed according to the Law of Similars they are just that-potentized products-not homeopathic. Why do we not see this clarification written up anywhere by the organizations representing homeopathy. Zicam is not a homeopathic product. It merely claims to be so in order to sell it as a harmless product.

Back to blog post, A Comment about Zicam: It's Not Homeopathy, here.
Link to the Vancouver Homeopathic Academy here.

A Comment about Zicam: It's not Homeopathy

Zicam is considered by many to be a homeopathic product because it contains zincum gluconicum. In reality, Zicam’s labeling is misleading and it is definitely not a homeopathic remedy.

Homeopathy is not a product, but a process of selecting the correct remedy specifically indicated for a given person’s health concerns. Zicam is a product supposedly indicated for the common cold – ALL cases of the common cold. Therefore it is not homeopathy.

Zicam is also not prepared like a true homeopathic remedy. Zicam contains zinc gluconate in a 2X solution as well as many other ingredients including benzalkonium chloride, sodium hydroxide, hydroxycellulose, glycerol, and a couple of other "solvents," preservatives, and suspending agents.

Zicam is put directly into the nose. The administration of homeopathic remedies in Classical Homeopathy is not through the nose. Homeopathic remedies are typically taken orally.

Homeopathic remedies are sometimes administered by olfaction. The olfaction method of taking homeopathic remedies exposes the inner membranes of the nose to the "scent" of a particular remedy that has been prepared in a specific way for the purpose of olfaction. Olfaction is not spraying up the nose a high dilution of gross substance in combination with other ingredients. I emphasize the word scent because there will be no obvious scent to a homeopathic remedy.

Zicam is often used repeatedly in high doses. Homeopathic remedies from a professional Homeopath will be administered in the smallest dose to elicit the maximum healing response with minimal/or no aggravation. Homeopathic remedies are not to be administered routinely over along period of time. Sometimes a Homeopathic remedy may be repeated routinely over a short period of time, when it is indicated. However, this should be done only under the guidance of a professional Homeopath.

Homeopathy is a 200 year-old medicinal science based on the observation that “like cures like.” To choose the proper remedy for a given patient, one must thoroughly understand his or her condition, and then choose the remedy that best matches it homeopathically. Imagine the way your eyes and nose feel when you chop onions. If you can imagine having a case of hay fever that feels just like that, a tiny dose of a remedy made from raw onion will help that hay fever.

Remember homeopathic remedies are powerful substances and less is best. In general, you can safely take a homeopathic remedy on your own if the potency is low (no higher than 12C), taken infrequently, and only when indicated. Discontinue a homeopathic remedy if there's no relief of symptoms after one or two doses, or if the symptoms are chronic and recurring. If a homeopathic remedy does not act, discontinue its use. Taking more remedy will not make an improvement. If you DO receive a positive response to a remedy, discontinue its use. The remedy has done it's job by stimulating the body's capacity to heal itself. The remedy is no longer needed. Homeopathic remedies are best taken under the advisement of a professional Homeopath.

More from Homeopathy Today here.

Additional Information from the National Center for Homeopathy here.

FDA Zicam Fact Sheet here.

A comment about the allegation that Zicam is a homeopathic product by Murray Feldman, MCH, RSHom, (NA) CCH, Founder and Director of the Vancouver Homeopathic Academy here.

BEYOND FLAT EARTH MEDICINE: A Free E-BOOK on Homeopathy

BEYOND FLAT EARTH MEDICINE

By Tom Dooley, ND, MD

An easy-to-read book and one of the best introductions to Homeopathy available.

BEYOND FLAT EARTH MEDICINE explains:

• What is Homeopathy?


• How Homeopathy Differs from Other Modalities


• When To Use Homeopathy


• What to Expect


• How to Get Results


• And More...Download PDF here.

Natural Relief for Discomfort from Poison Oak and Poison Ivy

A client recently asked me for help for her child who had come down with a poison oak rash after a picnic. The rash already covered most of her arms and legs, and was extremely itchy. After a brief conversation, I was able to determine the correct homeopathic remedy, which she picked up at the local natural food store. The next morning the rash was well on its way to resolving.

What remedies work well for poison oak? Several remedies may be indicated. It all depends on the particular symptoms the person experiences. The three most likely remedies are Anacardium orientale, Croton tiglium, and Rhus toxicodendron. Topical use of Calendula officinalis is also helpful. These remedies are derived from plants.

Anacardium orientale is indicated when the rash is intensly itchy but feels better from washing with quite hot water. The symptoms include blistering, especially on the face, hands and fingers. The blisters ooze yellow fluid that turns crusty when it dries. The itch can be so severe that the person may want to scratch to the point of bleeding.

Croton tiglium may be useful if the skin is dry and hard, but also feels tight, with extreme itching. The rash is prominent on the face and genitals. Scratching is painful. Gentle rubbing of the rash makes it feel better, and bathing makes it feel worse. The skin rash sometimes is accompanied with gushing diarrhea.

Poison oak rash responds well to Rhus toxicodendron if there are water-filled blisters accompanied by terrible itching. Often the person is extremely restless, can't settle in a comfortable position and has stiffness of the joints. Symptoms worsen with cold bathing and improve with hot bathing. The person may desire cold milk.

Topical applications are not always advised: they can irritate the skin. Calendula lotion is best, especially if it contains no alcohol or petroleum products. It's easy to make your own Calendula rinse. Fill an 8-oz bottle half-full with water, and add one pellet of Calendula officinalis in the potency 30X, 6C, or 12C. You can use one capful from the bottle in a basin of water to carefully rinse the rash, or dissolve 5 pellets in plain bath water.

A gemmotherapy preparation called Gray Alder is effective in alleviating itch and healing the rash. Apply the gemmo directly to the affected area as often as needed until the rash is gone. Gray Alder Gemmo is all-natural, made from the buds of the Gray Alder tree (Alnus incana). Gemmotherapy preparations are available through practitioners certified in the study of Gemmotherapy.

A home resource guide for first aid that I recommend to my clients is Homeopathic Self Care: The Quick & Easy Guide for the Whole Family by Robert Ullman, ND, and Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, ND. This book is laid out for easy assessment between common remedies for first aid and every-day ailments. It is available from my website here.

With more than 4,000 remedies available, it's difficult to have all the remedies one might need at home. A good starter kit is the Boiron HomeoTravel Kit with 20 common remedies in the 30C potency. Click here to learn more.

If you are a homeopathy enthusiast, you may want to invest in the HomeoFamily Kit, a larger remedy kit by Boiron containing 150 common remedies in 30C potency. Both kits can be ordered from Myra's Virtual Dispensary here. From this link you can also download a list of all available items.

If you are looking for Calendula officinalis in the lower potencies, Gray Alder Gemmo, or have any other questions or concerns, please contact us.