To begin this discussion, let's understand the difference between acute and chronic illnesses.
Acute illnesses develop suddenly and are usually short in duration. There is an obvious beginning, a climatic middle and an apparent end to the condition. Examples of acute illnesses are the common cold, fever and influenza, headaches, chicken pox, measles, strept throat, bee stings and insect bites, boils and abscesses, athlete's foot, burns, cuts and scrapes, bruises, puncture wounds, fractured bones, and injuries to ligaments and tendons. Unless a person's condition is complicated with a chronic illness, acute illness usually can be fought by the body's natural and healthy defense mechanisms. Homeopathic treatment quickens this process, thus avoiding unnecessary suffering. When using homeopathic remedies during acute illnesses one can expect relatively rapid healing.
Chronic illnesses, on the other hand, develop slowly, usually with minimum discomfort at the onset and gradually worsen over an extended period of time. Without proper treatment, the body's defense mechanism becomes weaker and weaker until it's too weak to fight such chronic diseases. Quite often, these disease symptoms have been passed from generation to generation. Just as chronic diseases begin slowly and progress gradually, the process to restore health is usually slow and gradual with noticeable improvement shortly after beginning treatment.
Whether treating acute or chronic illnesses, the initial consultation is critical. Acute illnesses may require up to an hour to evaluate while chronic conditions usually require as much as two hours to properly evaluate. The homeopath will delve into the intricate details of the person's state of being, focusing on the sensations and changes in the patient's functions during his illness. The evaluation may also take into consideration personal characteristics like his body temperature, food cravings, tendency to thirst, sleep habits including dreams along with a personal and family history of illnesses. The homeopath is looking for what is unique about how the individual expresses his illness. For example... if four people are being treated for headaches, each could benefit from a different remedy based on their different sensations and functions - one may describe a sharp pain at the back of the head, another a pulsating pain on the forehead, another a burning pain all over and yet another may say it's a twisting pain at the temples.
After the consultation, the homeopath may need some time to select the most similar remedy and determine the appropriate dosage, or s/he may be able to suggest a treatment on the spot. Treatments may be one single dose or repetitive doses and are individualized to the patient’s condition and unique characteristics.
There are times when selecting the appropriate remedy takes a little trial and error which can slow the process down a bit. This usually happens when the information provided at the initial evaluation is insufficient. To illustrate, consider the following situation. A mother of 7 had a sever case of cold sores all over her mouth including her tongue and the roof of her mouth. Her medical doctor had no treatment for her and suggested she let it heal naturally or go to the hospital for further care. Initially, I considered this an acute situation, so I quickly evaluated her physical symptoms and took note that she was overwhelmed with the task of managing her home and children. One single remedy was suggested with some improvement but not the expected results. Again, another remedy was suggested and again there was some improvement, but not enough. After two weeks of suffering, I decided that this was apparently a chronic situation and that a thorough evaluation was in order. After the second consultation, I recommended a third remedy. Within hours healing began - by the next day the cold sores were completely gone.
A brief and mild aggravation after the treatment is sometimes experienced. The aggravation is evidence that the remedy was slightly more energetic than the natural disease state, and one should experience improvement shortly thereafter. In chronic conditions, healing should be slow, consistent and gradual, though sometimes there is a regression. When this happens, a repetition of the remedy may be appropriate or a re-evaluation of the treatment is required. At times healing is instant, but that is usually in acute cases and not to be expected in chronic illnesses.
All chronic illnesses require a complete understanding the individual’s overall condition to arrive at the most appropriate remedy. Very often the first remedy selected is appropriate but, as healing progresses, more appropriate remedies become more evident. In such cases, the homeopath will re-evaluate the treatment and recommend a new treatment.
Many illnesses, whether acute or chronic, can be life threatening. If homeopathic treatment can not offer rapid healing in such life threatening situations, one should seek conventional medicine immediately. Homeopathic care may continue in conjunction with conventional medicine. Never should the care and well being of a person be compromised for the sake of homeopathic treatment.
Health is a journey. One must be patient, consistent, persistent and aware of the process regardless of the method of healing.
"The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way, on easily comprehensible principles." Organon, paragraph 2
This second principle of Classical Homeopathy gives us the expectation that healing at the deepest level should be rapid, gentle and permanent.
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