Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

7/17/2026

Stuff floating around out there

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It seems there are a few issues across the US at the minute…

Tummy bugs are in the news.

Apparently, there are a couple somethings going around: Cyclosporiasis and the dreaded Norovirus. I asked Grok how to tell the difference.

Incubation
- Cyclosporiasis (caused by a parasite), takes from 2 days to 2 weeks to kick in.
- Norovirus (virus) kicks in quickly, about 12-48 hours.
Typical duration
- Cyclosporiasis: weeks to a month and can relapse
- Norovirus: 1-3 days
Main symptoms
- Cyclosporiasis: Watery/explosive diarrhea, bloating, cramps, loss of appetite, fatigue, weight loss; vomiting less prominent
- Norovirus: Sudden vomiting (often prominent, especially in kids), watery diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain; fever/headache/body aches common
Contagiousness
- Cyclosporiasis: is not spread from person to person — it generally comes from contaminated food or water. Summer apparently plays a role because they say more people are eating fresh produce (FOX 5 Atlanta 2026).
- Norovirus: highly contagious, spreading from person to person (via vomit, stool, surfaces and food).
Conventional treatment
- Cyclosporiasis: antibiotics for prolonged cases
- Norovirus: supportive only — no antibiotics

Does homeopathy care whether it’s a parasite or a virus? Not really. Homeopathy treats the person using a homeopathic remedy based on the presenting symptoms.

With that in mind, here is an article from a couple of years ago about Norovirus listing some possible homeopathic remedies which could prove helpful regardless of causation.

Nobody needs a nasty, nauseating norovirus

Since Cyclosporiasis is more bottom oriented, you may want to check out The Doo Doo Documents 3: Diarrhea, too.

The other thing floating around out there is smoke from the forest fires.
Agy the Buffalo Herbalist (I have no affiliation, I just really like her stuff) has an excellent article on wildfire smoke and what herbs may be helpful.
The Buffalo Herbalist
What Wildfire Smoke Does to Your Body (and How to Support It)

Smoky Skies, Burny Eyes offers a few homeopathic options which may help, too.

Take good care of yourself out there!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

7/4/2026

Homeopathic Independence

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It is the 4th of July — a big holiday for us Americans as it recognizes the day when the USA signed the Declaration of Independence to mark the official separation of the North American colonies from Great Britain. Flagging the day (so to speak) when we, as a country, became free and independent.

I’m a big fan of independence… autonomy, sovereignty, freedom, liberty — all the things in all the ways.

It’s difficult to distinguish which freedom is more important than another because they are all pretty gosh darned important. One freedom that doesn’t get enough airtime (in my opinion) is health freedom — the freedom to choose medical treatments… or, not, as the case may be. If you, too, are interested in health freedom, check out National Health Freedom Coalition.

One beautiful way to exercise health independence is to learn about a handful of homeopathic remedies. Just a little homeopathic knowledge can go an awfully long way to keeping you and your family happy, healthy and well.

For the record, I am a big proponent of getting things checked out by a physician. I like to dot my i’s and cross my t’s. Doing so, however, is becoming increasingly difficult. I recently had a non-emergency issue for which I perhaps would have liked to have seen a physician. I did an on-line consult with a nurse and was instructed to call the physician’s office to make an appointment — she said that she would put in the notes that she recommended I do so in hopes of expediting an appointment. I called. They saw the note and I was told the nearest appointment was 6 months out. Never mind. I took care of it homeopathically.

Over the counter meds are easy, but they are not without risks. There are beautiful homeopathic remedies which can fill this gap. (See Painkillers and The Road Less Traveled.)

Antibiotics can lose their oomph after a while. (See here, here and here for a few articles.) There are absolutely times where antibiotics are absolutely needed. There are many more times when antibiotics are used injudiciously (see here and here). Homeopathy is an excellent alternative for non-urgent situations, e.g., ear infections.

Emergency Room/Urgent Care wait times vary greatly, but unless you are in dire straits, who has 4-8 hours to wait to see a doctor (maybe, but more likely not actually a doctor) for common conditions like sore throats*? (See also, Tis the season for… Sore Throats.)

A few years ago, UK homeopaths (Alliance of Registered Homeopaths; Homeopathy International (HINT); Society of Homeopaths; and, The People’s Health Alliance) put out a really nice PDF called, “The 35: Homeopathy’s answer to the 35 conditions no longer routinely prescribed for in primary care.” These are what they call “minor conditions considered to be self-limiting and so do not need treatment as they will heal or be cured of their own accord.” Well, they may heal on their own in due time, but that doesn’t mean that time is spent comfortably! This is where homeopathy can help.

A few of the conditions listed in “The 35” which, generally speaking, could benefit from some sort of treatment include:

Back pain & Strain (Rhymes with Box; Summer Fun #4: Sprains, Strains & Bicycle Falls; Painkillers; Relief)
Burns & Scalds (Kitchen Quickies: Burns; Tis the Season for… Burns?; Summer Fun #1: Sun)
Colds & Nasal Congestion (Calming the Cold; Decongestants)
Cystitis (When it hurts to go…)
Dermatitis (See also, Ringworm)
Diarrhea (Traveler’s Diarrhea; The Doo-Doo Documents 3: Diarrhea)
Headaches & Migraine (Headaches & Cell Salts; The Road Less Traveled)
Indigestion & Heartburn (Just going for a Pepcid; Too Much)
Toothache, Teething & Tooth decay (It’s Never Too Late, 3: Oral Health; A Dental Quickie: The dentists are on it!; Why the Hek/c; Brace Face; Guest Post: Straight from the dentist’s mouth)

Plenty of people have spent many hours in an urgent care waiting for some sort of treatment to get some level of relief for these conditions. Having a little kit of homeopathic remedies at their disposal could save lots of people lots of time, frustration and pain. (See: Quickie: Kits for a very easy way to get started.)

What do you do with these little tubes you have accumulated? Well, I have a bunch of answers for that, too.

There are plenty of excellent books for homeopathic home use. Here is a very short list:

There are apps out there to help us use homeopathy. (Here is a link to Homeopathy Helpers which I wrote in 2024… and most likely needs a little update. I’ll get there one day!)

This is the year! is chockablock full of helpful tips to get underway with using homeopathic remedies.

Recently, I updated my Substack home page with a “New to Homeopathy? Start here…” section. This can help fill in some of the “now what do I do” blanks when you’re getting started in your homeopathic journey.

It’s not just people who need some independent health care. Our pets can benefit from some homeopathic remedies, too. (See also, Homeopathy to the rescue for…)

Take Independence Day to the next level, and learn how to treat your family and friends (and pets!) minor inconveniences. You won’t regret it.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

*Most sore throats are not a problem. The American College of Emergency Physicians recommends seeking medical attention when: the pain is severe or lasts more than a few days; if the sore throat is accompanied by swollen glands that cause difficulty breathing or prevent the person from swallowing fluids; in children in particular, if there is presence of excessive salivation, inability to swallow liquids, difficulty speaking, irritability or the inability to move the neck.

Reference list
Alliance of Registered Homeopaths, n.d. Home Page [online]. Alliance of Registered Homeopaths.
Cleveland Clinic, 2023. Antibiotic Resistance [online]. Cleveland Clinic.
Homeopathy International, 2018. Home - Homeopathy International [online]. Homeopathy International - Delivering excellence in Homeopathy.
Hyun, D., 2017. Why Doctors Prescribe Antibiotics—Even When They Shouldn’t [online]. Pew.org.
Mayo Clinic, 2022. Antibiotics: Are You Misusing Them? [online]. Mayo Clinic.
National Health Freedom Coalition, n.d. Home [online]. National Health Freedom Coalition.
NIH Library of Medicine, 2017. Do antibiotics help fight common colds? [online]. Nih.gov.
Queen, J., Zhang, J. and Sears, C. L., 2020. Oral antibiotic use and chronic disease: long-term health impact beyond antimicrobial resistance and Clostridioides difficile. Gut Microbes [online], 11 (4), 1–12.
Society of Homeopaths, 2026. Homeopathic treatment of a genetic case with a twist [online]. Society of Homeopaths.
The People’s Health Alliance, 2023. Home [online]. The People’s Health Alliance.

6/20/2026

Super Quickie: the dentists are still on it!

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I am currently on vacation but had to share this “super quickie”…

I have a brand new dentist. It took a figurative minute to find one that seemed like a good fit. I was nudged into speeding up this process of finding a new dentist because my tongue wouldn’t leave a tooth alone. I could feel a little hole in the tooth, but no pain. I assumed it was an old filling that had come loose.

Nope. Turns out I chomped really hard and damaged two teeth.

I was 2 minutes late to the appointment to have this filling and I was back in my car, headed home in 30 minutes. Fastest dental appointment ever for me.

He filled the tooth and then he gave me another injection. I’ve never had that before. He told me he injected Traumeel* to reduce the inflammation!

Works for me!

The other tooth has a very small hole that doesn’t currently need filling. I told him I was working on fixing it homeopathically. He used the little tooth camera and took a picture and said we will keep an eye on the process. I look forward to returning here one day and telling you my tooth has repaired itself. That’s a big goal and I’m excited to see what can be done! 🤞

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

*He did not inject the topical version of Traumeel. They make a special one for injecting. (Once upon a time, I had an acupuncturist who dipped the needles in it.)

6/13/2026

Calling all studiers!

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It doesn’t matter what you call it: Studying. Revising. Cramming. “It” is overloading your brain with information.

One may be forgiven for thinking school is out for summer, but that is not the case for everyone. One person reached out the other day, saying they and their friends are sharing some problems:

needing to focus
needing to feel well-rested (see also, Stolen Sleep)
managing stress

Who can blame them? They just worked their way through law school and now they are back, hard at work, studying for the bar exam. I’m sure their minds and bodies are thinking — We are so done with this! What do you think you’re doing sitting back down at a desk while these beautiful summer days are just on the other side of the window?!

Let’s look at these problematic symptoms.

What is causing the inability to focus? Is it distraction? Is it burnout? (These people did just finish law school. I should think the desire to keep at the books right as summer hits could be pretty difficult!)

What is getting in the way of feeling well-rested? Is there insomnia? Is all the legalese swirling through your mind when you’re trying to sleep? Is the candle being burned at both ends? Are nutrition needs being met?

What is the stress that is being managed? I’ll go in reverse order this time — are nutrition needs being met? This is so hugely important! Is the stress a direct result of not getting sufficient sleep? Is there a hyper-focus on learning the law, thereby causing a lapse in attention to the rest of the details of your life resulting in new levels of stress?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s a little bit of everything.

Let’s think about this in terms of the repertory. Another way of saying needing to stay focused is being distracted. Dr. Murphy ranks Phosphorus at the top of this list (in terms of remedies which are readily available).

I really hate to do this to you when you are already wiped out from studying, but you’ll have to read through these short descriptions to find the best-suited remedy to your specific symptoms!

Phosphorus
Carroll Dunham’s Lectures on Materia Medica (1878):
"Phosphorus - Sensorium - Weakness of memory, indisposition (moderate) to exertion; difficulty in collecting and concentrating thoughts; weak feeling in the head, aggravated by thinking and by loud noise, music or hard stepping; these things produce throbbing in the head, a feeling of confusion, dullness and distraction, but especially of weakness in the head."

Frans Vermeulen (2015) says it a little more simply: Phosphorus is “easily distracted.”

Clarke (1902): “Headache as if too full of blood from intense study.”

Douglass (1903): "Cannot study nor keep his mind on any particular subject long at a time.
Disinclination to study or converse."

Gibson (1987): “Is full of fears… of study (owing to mental exhaustion)…”

RELEVANT RUBRICS:

Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - studying, reading, while - learns with difficulty
Mind - LEARNING, disabilities, studying, reading - understanding, difficult
Mind - STUDY, general - aversion, to
Mind - STUDY, general - headache, causes
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - aversion, to
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - can't fix attention
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - eating, amel., from
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - morning

Phosphoric acid
Douglas Borland says in Digestive Drugs (1940):
"The mental picture is that of those who are just dead tired. They feel generally indefinite, do not want to talk, cannot concentrate, their thoughts wander away from the subject. Any mental effort is liable to produce an acute headache with a sensation of extreme pressure on the top of the head. On any effort at all these patients are liable to feel giddy."

Gibson (1987) adds:
"The mind is confused, and any effort to concentrate brings on a dizzy feeling. There is great sensitivity, notably to music and also to odours. The subject is easily startled. May complain of various odd sensations such as widespread formication*; may be afflicted with homesickness."

Leeser (1935) goes a little further:
"Poor comprehension and concentration, poor memory, indifference, dullness, inability to perform mental work, lack of ideas, moreover, depression, apathy, dissatisfaction with one’s self, aversion to speaking, in particular homesickness, indicate the psychic state in phosphoric acid. But nervous excitation with sleeplessness and sensitivity to all noises is also observed… a brief sleep may often remove the fatigue and be sufficient to refresh…"

Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - studying, reading, while - learns with difficulty
Mind - LEARNING, disabilities, studying, reading - understanding, difficult
Single remedy rubrics:Mind - STUDY, general - heaviness, in head and limbs, causes: (1) PH-AC.

Picric acid
Blackwood (1906) says:
"This remedy is indicated in restoring the wasted and worn-out systems of those who are suffering from the effects of close application to study or business and become anaemic and neurasthenic** and asthenic**."

Clarke (1902):
"a patient of mine, previously a good sleeper, to lie awake a long time at nights, exhaustion after the day's studies, fatigue even from a short walk, twitchings of muscles when asleep or awake; hysterical state, loss of will power; constant headache, irregular menses.

Any attempt to study = burning along spine; with great weakness of back and legs; soreness of muscles and joints.

agg. By study or slightest mental exertion.

Inability to keep eyes open when studying."

Gibson (1987):
"The chief characteristic is extreme muscular weakness, accompanied by a compelling desire to lie down and a complete absence of anxiety. Is utterly exhausted; can neither think nor study. Darting pains may be felt in various sites, possibly involving bones."

Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - aversion, to
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - studying, reading, while
Mind - DULLNESS, mental - studies, from over-study
Mind - STUDY, general - aversion, to
Mind - STUDY, general - inability, to
Sleep - INSOMNIA, sleeplessness - exertion, agg. - mental, after
Sleep - INSOMNIA, sleeplessness - thoughts, from
Sleep - SLEEPINESS, general - daytime - sleeplessness at night, and
Sleep - UNREFRESHING, sleep
Single remedy rubrics Pic-ac:Back - WEAK, back, spine, tired feeling in - burning, with, along spine, brought on by study
Joints - SORE, pain - study, from
Mind - STUDY, general - spine, causes burning along, with weakness of legs and back, and soreness of muscles and joints

Then, of course, we have our good old Nux vomica, and, I think this would be my first stop. We know Nux is helpful when things are too much: too much studying; too much not enough sleep; too much snacking while studying.

Farrington (1955):
"Lesson twenty-five - Nux vomica - General characteristics - Ailments from ANGER; grief; EXCESSIVE MENTAL LABOR; SEDENTARY HABITS; LOSS OF SLEEP; DEBAUCHERY; SEXUAL EXCESSES; ALCOHOL; COFFEE; NARCOTICS; TOBACCO; GETTING CHILLED; suppression of sweat or HAEMORRHOIDS. HYPERSENSITIVENESS; IRRITABILITY; …IMPATIENCE; MALICIOUSNESS; IMPETUOUSNESS; hurry; sadness; …weeping; timidity; dullness; CONFUSION; DIFFICULT CONCENTRATION; weakness of memory; INDOLENCE; IMBECILITY; delirium; INSANITY; MANIA; HYSTERIA; INCREASED SEXUAL DESIRE; debility; trembling."

Those are some strong words in there. Suffice it to say, that would be an extreme picture of a Nux vomica state.

Gunavante (1998) always sums things up succinctly: “Concentration difficult while studying.”

Now, let’s look at a few applicable rubrics for Nux vomica:

Mind - DELUSIONS, general, hallucinations, visions - study, after
Mind - CONCENTRATION, general - difficult - studying, reading, while
Mind - DULLNESS, mental - studying, when
Mind - STUDY, general - palpitations, causes: (1) NUX-V. (single remedy rubric)
Mind - THOUGHTS, general - distracted
Sleep - DISTURBED, sleep - easily
Sleep - DISTURBED, sleep - thoughts, by activity of - business, of
Sleep - FALLING, asleep - sitting
Sleep - INSOMNIA, sleeplessness - cares, from daily - business, of
Sleep - INSOMNIA, sleeplessness - exertion, agg. - mental strain, after
Sleep - INSOMNIA, sleeplessness - nervousness, from

SUMMING UP THE REMEDIES
(I know your attention span is already shot, so I’ll keep this brief):

Phosphorus may be a good place to start if:

there are learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia)
not a morning person
there is a lot of anxiety/fear
desires company/feels worse when they are alone

Phosphoric acid may be a good place to start if:

there are learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia)
there is a physical weakness
chronic fatigue
headaches from eyestrain
homesickness (literal or figurative) is playing a role

Picric acid may be a good place to start if:

headaches are a thing
studying causes anxiety
there is a complete inability to study
studying causes physical pain and weakness in the legs and back, soreness of muscles and joints
blurred vision after working
brain fag (with or without headache)

Nux vomica may be a good place to start if:

concentration is difficult while reading/studying
delusions/hallucinations after studying
there is a mental dullness when studying
study causes palpitations
insomnia from daily business and after mental strain (in other words, stress)
irritability plays a role

Are these the only remedies? Nope. Far from it. But, I know you’re tired, so I tried to keep it simple.

Good luck on your exams!

Julia Coyte, CHom

Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* Formication: the feeling that bugs are crawling on your skin
**Neurasthenia: an ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance (Oxford University Press 2021).
**Ashtenia: abnormal physical weakness or lack of energy (Oxford University Press 2021).

Reference list
Blackwood, A. L., 1906. A Manual of Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacology. accessed through Radar Opus software. Boericke & Tafel.

Borland, D., 1940. Digestive Drugs. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Choudhuri, N. M., 1916. A study on materia medica and repertory. accessed through Radar Opus software. New Delhi: B. Jain.

Clarke, J. H., 1902. A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Douglass, M. E., 1903. Pearls of Homoeopathy. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Farrington, H., 1955. Homeopathy and homeopathic prescribing : a study course for graduate physician. accessed through Radar Opus software. New Delhi: B. Jain.

Gibson, D. M., 1987. Studies of homoeopathic remedies. accessed through Radar Opus software. Kandern, Germany: Narayana Publishers.

Gunavante, S. M., 1998. The ‘genius’ of Homoeopathic Remedies. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Leeser, O., 1935. Textbook of homeopathic materia medica : inorganic medicinal substances. accessed through Radar Opus software. New Delhi: Jain.

Oxford University Press, 2021. Oxford Dictionary of English. 14.1.1.47 ed. Oxford University Press accessed through mobisystems.com app.

Vermeulen, F., 2015. Concordant reference : complete classic materia medica : 1284 remedies. accessed through Radar Opus software. Glasgow: Saltire Books.

6/6/2026

Sticta when it's stucta

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Sticta has been stucta in my mind lately. Not sure why, but it won’t let go. Let’s take a quick look at this tiny, little, sticky remedy.

Choudhuri’s Study of Materia Medica (1916) says:
"This is comparatively speaking a little known and a rarely used remedy but that does not render it any the less important, for those cases that will call for Sticta will need Sticta; there Sticta and none but Sticta will help."

This little remedy, Sticta pulmonara, also known as Lobaria pulmonara, is even kinda stucta where it grows. It’s a form of lichen which grows on tree trunks.

wet Lobaria pulmonara & dry Lobaria pulmonara
(images from US Forest Service)

The second part of its name, pulmonara, is kind of handy, too. Pulmonary = relating to the lungs. Clarke (1902) says: “There cannot be much doubt whence Sticta received its name of Pulmonaria. The likeness of the plant to lung tissue is self-evident.”

"'It was first used’ says Hale, ‘for severe harassing cough,’ and such good results accrued that provings were made to ascertain its full value.

'It was found to cause severe coryza, with violent sneezing, intense headache, and conjunctivitis.

'These attacks were preceded or followed by rheumatic pains and swelling of the small joints.’ The catarrh of Stic. is for the most part obstructive, and if there is discharge it dries quickly, and forms crusts or scurf.
Constant need to blow the nose, but no discharge comes on account of dryness." (Clarke 1902)

Sticta is known for its “excessive and painful dryness of the mucous membrane is not due to any want of secretion; for secretions occur but they dry up very rapidly leaving thick crusts behind them.” If you have ever experienced the crusts in the nostril problem, it’s easy to envision that wet Lobelia plant above just instantly shriveling up to the dry Lobelia. This is what I refer to as “wallpaper.”

Sticta may be useful when there is stuckness in the respiratory system and it also may be useful for stuckness in the joints.

Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. Bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that cushions bones and tendons and muscles near the joints. When there is overuse, for example, the bursa gets inflamed resulting in pain and tenderness.

Many people with bursitis describe a “stuck” feeling in the affected joint due to the stiffness, swelling and pain rather than a true mechanical lock. The inflamed bursa swells, thickens and irritates surrounding tissues, resulting in a tight feeling.

The hip may feel stiff or stuck when standing from sitting. There may be difficulty raising the arm overhead — it feels frozen or stuck halfway. The knee may feel like it’s kind of stuck - unable to bend or straighten all the way.

Here is a quick look of grade 3 & 4 rubrics for Sticta:

housemaid’s knee (bursitis of the kneecap)
dry mucus membranes
pressing pain, including headaches
lung irritation & pain
dry throat
coughing without expectoration

Sticta really shines in the nose:

compelled to blow the nose
dry, chronic catarrh
stuffy nose without discharge
nasal discharges — dry, hard crusts, scabs, inside the nose
dryness in the nose
sensation of fullness at the root of the nose — way up there

Mentally and emotionally, an argument could be made for being stuck in a loop:

a nervousness which causes sleep disturbances
Knerr lists it as a (3) for hysteria

and one more loop-like stuckness from Choudhuri: “under Sticta it is due to his inability to keep his tongue quiet.”

"Feels as if she must talk, about everything and anything, whether listened to or not.… Confusion of ideas, patient must talk." — Murphy

This little remedy has a surprising number of one remedy rubrics, like:

Children - INSOMNIA, children - nervous, children, during cough
Ears - PAIN, ears - behind, ear - acute, deep in mastoid
Intestines - RUMBLING, in - yeast, as if full of
Larynx - TICKLING, trachea - right
Legs - MOTIONS, general - lower - involuntary - night
Mind - HYSTERICAL, behavior - light, and noise agg.
Mind - TALKING, talks, general - listens, does not care whether anyone talks
Mouth - DRYNESS, mouth - palate - leather, like, soft palate

Feeling stuck? Try some Sticta to become unstuckta.

Julia Coyte, CHom

Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

5/16/2026

Why the hek/c… do I have Hekla lava in my little travel kit?

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My first experience with Hekla lava (sometimes also spelled Hecla, hence the title) was a bunch of years ago. Turns out I had heel spurs — and I was seriously questioning my ability to walk in the future. Literally. I thought a wheel chair was waiting for me in the wings — that’s how bad the pain was. This pain was not letting up after months of otherwise well-chosen homeopathic remedies.

You see, I had been operating under the idea that I had plantar fasciitis (see also, The Importance of a Proper Diagnosis). I then had an x-ray which showed the bone spurs. Early in my homeopathic training, I was taught that plantar fasciitis and heel spurs can, generally speaking, be treated with the same remedies. While I can see the logic behind this, I now know that is not necessarily the case.

So, with my new diagnosis, and because I was leaving on a trip a couple days later, I ordered this excellent remedy for bone spurs, Hekla lava, to arrive at my hotel.

The day before getting on the plane, I also had a pretty big dental procedure and I had quite a bit of discomfort there, too. With the homeopathic remedies I was using, I was simply taking the edge off of the pain, not really getting to the root of the problem — just making do.

My remedy arrived at the hotel the day after I did and I popped the Hekla lava under my tongue and soon after, I had a little relief in my heel pain. I also had serious relief in my tooth. I mean, serious relief.
After many months of excruciating pain when standing and walking, within a week, the pain was gone. Poof! Not better, gone.

My tooth stuff healed up beautifully, too! And, that is actually the reason I keep a little tube in my little travel kit… I don’t need to be waylaid by a toothache when traveling and it had already proved itself to me in that regard.

Fast forward to now…
It’s early days, but I’m feeling pretty confident. I was traveling again earlier this month and I was speaking to someone who was diagnosed with bone spurs. They described the pain along the lines of having a cigarette put out in the area where it hurt. ouch!

This was not a client; this was an acquaintance. I happened to have my little travel kit with me and I put my little tube of Hekla lava on the table and said they were welcome to try it if they felt so inclined.
That person did try it and a few hours later asked, “Should it be feeling any different already — because I think it is feeling a little better.” They decided to wait for morning when the pain is usually at it’s worst for the real test as to how the remedy was working.

The next morning, the pain was improved further. On the third day, I asked how the pain was. Response: “I had forgotten about it.”

Boom! That’s what we’re looking for! I checked in by text just before writing this and they said, “Oh my gosh I’m not reminded of it, so not even an awareness!”

As I said, it’s early days, but I’m feeling pretty good about this remedy for this person’s pain.

This brings up the idea that not all homeopathic consultations need to be deep dives into a person. Sometimes, there is a superficial layer which can be quite easily removed. A homeopathic remedy doesn’t always have to address all the general symptoms a person may experience or relate to their sleep or their food cravings or touch the deepest parts of who they are. Sometimes, simply applying a little practicality to some homeopathic knowledge can go a very long way in a very short amount of time.

If you have some niggling something or other that you would like to address, try a focused consultation and let’s see what we can accomplish together.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

5/9/2026

Books!! Where to start in building your homeopathic library…

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I was in my then homeopath/MD’s office. I was trying to surreptitiously sneak a look at the books on his shelves. If I recall correctly, Morrison’s Desktop Guide is what I first spied. This was way back when we didn’t carry phones in our pockets or I would have just snapped a photo of the titles on his shelf.
Why didn’t I just ask him about good homeopathy books?!? Good question! Somehow it felt illicit. It makes no sense to me in hindsight.

I have only ever been in a homeopathic bookstore in my dreams (and the nice image above Grok just made for me… I couldn’t get it to remove the crystals, though. oh, well). The closest I came was when I visited Natural Health Supply in Santa Fe, NM. They had flat shelves full of little treasures, mostly from B. Jain Publishers in India. They still have a web presence, but I don’t think they are actually in business any longer. A shame — they made nice remedies.

Morrison’s Desktop Guide was not the first homeopathic book I purchased. (See here for a review of my first homeopathic book purchase.) I did eventually buy Morrison’s Desktop Guide (and I definitely recommend it) and hundreds of homeopathic books later… I have no regrets!

Where to find homeopathic books
Ainsworths has a tiny selection of books but an excellent selection of remedies!

Aurum Project has their “book barn” listing many titles. Prices are in Australian dollars, so be sure to factor in the exchange rate and shipping. (At the time of writing, they appear to ship to the US.)
BookScouter is a new one to me. Apparently, bookstores compete for your order. Try it out — some good titles on there!

Emryss is the home to the publisher of the same name. In addition to some of the most beautiful books on homeopathy (Asteraceae and Sea Remedies), they also sell “test boxes” of remedies. For instance, Waterworld test box is a collection of remedies found in the books Waterworld and Sea Remedies in potencies 30, 200 and MK. Prices are in Euros so be sure to factor in the exchange rate and shipping. (At the time of writing, they appear to ship to the US.)

Helios has a nice selection of books, including their own The Narayani Combination Remedies which is the least expensive version I have found. If you need to order some remedies, be sure to check out their books, too! They are in the UK, so remember to factor in the exchange rate and shipping.

Dana Ullman’s homeopathic.com (one of my first stops when I began collecting homeopathic titles). An excellent selection. Quick service. A section for discounted books. Sometimes he offers a little bundle of books at an even greater discount. His titles are broken out into handy-dandy subjects, (i.e., introductory, women, history, miasms & nosodes, rare & antique.) He also sells some remedies and other goodies.

The Homeopathic Book Company is part of The School of Health so you can see and buy the books which are used in their various courses. It appears you can buy each year’s books in a bundle at a nice discount. They also have a section of reduced/used books. They are in the UK, so remember to factor in the exchange rate and shipping.

HSC Online is where I purchase a lot of my vials. While you’re picking up some 1/2 dram tubes, check out their selection of books. They are in the UK, so remember to factor in the exchange rate and shipping. (I just received a shipment from them the other day so I know they are currently shipping to the US.)

Inner Traditions offers a small assortment of homeopathic books.

Minerva Homeopathic Books has an excellent selection, all listed by various categories: methodology, dose and potency, bargains, new, etc., as well as some CDs and DVDs. They are in the UK, so remember to factor in the exchange rate and shipping. They send out too-tempting emails. You have been warned!

Narayana Verlag is the website of the publisher by the same name. A few of their titles are: First Aid with Homeopathy, Burnett Rediscovered and Wondrous Order. They have an excellent selection of books and journals. However, they are currently NOT shipping to the US. Prices are in Euros, so be sure to remember to factor in the exchange rate and shipping (when they actually ship to us again).

Taproots offers a small selection of books, but an excellent selection of remedy kits.

Washington Homeopathic Products has an eclectic selection of books as well as Paola Brown’s homeschool curriculum. And, of course, you can buy their remedies, while you’re there! I love their kit refills — 1/2 drams!!

Other sources for actual books:
Some homeopathic titles (like Healing Complex Children with Homeopathy — so much info in that book!) are available for download on Amazon & Books — making it easier to search for relevant information later). Ebay and Abe Books are good options, too.

Sources for online reading and downloading:
American Institute of Homeopathy doesn’t sell books, but they do have a list of recommended titles.

Free Book Centre has a very small collection of titles.

Homeomart has a few interesting free titles, like Hahnemann’s Treatise on the Effects of Coffee and they sell remedies.

Homopath International has a large selection of online books, including Paterson’s The Bowel Nosodes.

Materia Medica has a handful of books available to browse for free. Including Boger and Boericke.

National Center for Homeopathy doesn’t sell books, but they do have a list of recommended titles.

Scribd is a subscription based service, but they sometimes have some complete books available for download, as well as many other resources (some of which appear to be student papers or other non-official information… not that it matters, necessarily… just letting you know).

Happy Reading!

Julia Coyte, CHom

Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

Note: A number of these sources also sell homeopathic remedies. Some of the brands I recognize and others, I do not. Beyond the good quality remedies from Ainsworths, Washington, Taproots, Helios and the brands offered by Dana Ullman, I have no opinion. Make sure to do your own research as to whether they are quality remedies.

5/2/2026

Classical? Practical? Does it matter?

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This article began its life as a review of a book called “Practical Homeopathy.” When I picked Vinton McCabe’s book off my shelf, sitting next to it was Colin Griffith’s book with a very similar title. That got me thinking and then digging a little deeper. Whoa! There is no shortage of books with this title. In fact, the earliest book I could find was written in 1882 (actually, before that, because that date is from the 14th edition downloaded on my computer).

Here are the “Practical Homeopathy” books I found:

Practical Homeopathy For the People by J. S. Douglas (the 14th edition I have downloaded on my computer shows the date of 1882)
Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics by W. A. Dewey, 1901
Practical Guide to Homeopathic Treatment Designed and Arranged for the Use of Families, Prescribers of Limited Experience and Students of Homeopathy, by Myron H. Adams, 1913
Practical Homoeopathy: A Complete Guide to Home Treatment by Beth MacEoin, 1994
Practical Homeopathy: A Comprehensive Guide to Homeopathic Remedies and Their Acute Uses by Vinton McCabe, 2000
Practical Homeopathy: A Beginner’s Guide to Natural Remedies for Use in the Home by Sylvia Treacher, 2000
The Practical Handbook of Homoeopathy: The How, When, Why & Which of Home Prescribing, Colin Griffith, 2008 & 2012 & 2017**
Practical Handbook of Veterinary Homeopathy, Wendy Thacher Jensen, 2015
Practical Homeopathy for General Practitioners by Eduard Kostyuck, 2019
Easy Practical Homoeopathy: Guide Book for Clinical Practice, Shiv Dua,

Then, there are a few more with slightly different takes:

Therapeutic Key; or, Practical Guide for the Homeopathic Treatment of Acute Diseases, I. D. Johnson, 1872
LM Potencies: a selection of articles giving a practical guide to their use, Robert Barker, 1997
Homeopathy: the Practical Guide for the 21st Century by Beth MacEoin, 2006
The Home Prescriber: the Practical Guide to Modern Homeopathy, Marcus Fernandez, 2021
Homeopathy at Home: A Practical Guide to Natural Healing for the Whole Family, Jana Mostert, 2026

The one thing all these books have in common is assisting people in finding a good remedy to help them (or their pets) feel better.

Let’s define “practical” (Oxford University Press 2021) to see if we can figure out why all these books share that word in their titles:

of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas
(of an idea, plan or method) likely to succeed or be effective in real circumstances; feasible
- suitable for a particular purpose
- (of a person) sensible and realistic in their approach to a situation or problem
- (of a person) skilled at manual tasks

A quick recap of the history of homeopathy (See also, The Organon of the Medical Art.)

In the late 18th century, Samuel Hahnemann was experimenting with cinchona bark (quinine) and observed it produced malaria-like symptoms in healthy people, leading to the core principle of homeopathy: “like cures like,” also known as similia similibus curantur. In plain English, this means that substances which can cause symptoms in healthy individuals can then treat similar symptoms in the unwell.

Following this, Dr. Hahnemann began diluting the substances in order to lessen the strong symptoms which were often toxic in full doses — “law of the minimum dose.” Additionally, he began succussing (banging) the dilutions which he found actually made the remedies stronger — “law of infinitesimals,” also called “potentization.”

Voilà! Homeopathy in a tiny nutshell: like cures like in a minimum dose of potentized substances.

From its inception, people tried to stop the mere existence of homeopathy. Remember, these were the days of bloodletting and mercury treatments and other quite horrific means of “cure” and this new, gentle, safe and effective homeopathy was quite a threat to allopathic practitioners who, in turn, worked hard to shut homeopathy down.

Wilhelm Ameke’s History of Homeopathy: Its Origin & Its Conflicts (2007) writes about censorship in the 1800s: “One very favourite weapon of the opponents of homeopathy was the censorship of press.” In present day, homeopaths may now be free to publish their thoughts and ideas on remedies and methodology but the field has been washed in decades of being called “quacks” and having good and valid research disregarded. On the surface, this actually makes sense. When making remedies, they are diluted and succussed and when done more than a 12C, (see also, X? C? Homeopathic potency briefly explained) no original molecules remain. You see, science has yet to catch up with homeopathy, hence the witch hunt.

Conflict in homeopathic history does not always involve “the other side.” Sometimes homeopaths themselves get into a bickering match. Some classical homeopaths look down on practical homeopaths; some practical homeopaths look down on classical homeopaths. This is a little reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s “The Sneetches” where those in one group (“with stars upon thars”) think themselves superior to Plain-Belly Sneetches (those without the stars). Chaos ensues and in the end, only Sylvester McMonkey McBean (the man with the machine to put on and remove the stars) wins. This is a child’s introduction to the idea that if you’re not in the “right” club, you don’t count.

It’s not just homeopathy where this infighting occurs. I have heard from herbalists of similar in-fighting complaints. Perhaps it’s because herbs, like homeopathy, are not new. People maybe are trying to claim something for themselves which actually belong to all? Herbs and homeopathy aren’t patentable. Herbalism and homeopathic materia medicae are common knowledge, passed down through the ages and new people are introduced to these marvelous modalities through casual word-of-mouth.

Harkening back to Digging Deeper: Remedy Repetition and the word in the title of that long list of books above, it is my opinion that the idea of “practical” homeopathy results from a backlash to the harsh and “barbaric” early methods of what we refer to now as “classical” homeopathy. Accordingly, there was one way to practice “pure” homeopathy. Period. If you diverged from that path, you were labeled a wrong ‘un.

Plenty of practical-minded homeopaths from the very earliest days of homeopathy, however, came up with alternate methods which were (most likely) equal to, or, even superior to, the original classical homeopathy. It’s not like they came up with new remedies; they simply came up with new ways of using the existing remedies: how often to use them or combining them or using them in higher potencies, for instance.

Siegfried Letzel (2006), in his article “History of the German Homeopathic Hospitals” refers to the quarrel among the “pure” and the “free” homeopaths; (he also uses the term “half-homeopaths”) in the early 1800s:

About the years until 1839 it is known that the therapeutic practice included also blood-letting, clysters [enemas] and also physiotherapeutic measures. Homeopathic remedies usually were prescribed as 30 C and low potencies. Not infrequently, more than five (but also more than ten) remedies were applied, but the case records don’t show, whether simultaneously or successively.

The article carries on with interesting hospital dramas and the progression/regression (depending on one’s point of view) of homeopathic practice in multiple homeopathic hospitals.

It seems to me there was a little push-back on homeopathic methods right out of the gate.

Turns out, I have a few of these above-listed “practical homeopathy” books on my shelves. Let’s look at the prefaces to see if we can get an idea of why these books have been written.

J. S. Douglas writes in his 1882 edition of Practical Homoeopathy: For the People (Third motive):

…others, who have a higher regard for their own pockets than for their professional reputation of the interests of the public.

Douglas was speaking of a homeopath who was bottling his own remedies without naming the specific remedies included — a true “keeper of the secrets.” He goes on to say:

I do not aim to make accomplished physicians of the public, nor expect that every case of disease can be safely treated domestically. But I do know, from numerous examples of domestic practice, that a long catalogue of acute and serious diseases, as well as lighter disorders, will be treated much more safely and successfully by families, by following the directions here given, than they are treated by the best drugging physicians.

Keep in mind how the “drugging physicians” he refers to were treating people, as mentioned above.
He wraps up thusly in the penultimate paragraph of his preface:

In short, my one great object in this issue of medicines, with appropriate directions, is to make known and extend the blessings of Homoeopathic remedies properly applied, by bringing the community to a practical acquaintance with them, and inducing them to witness their beneficent effects under their own administration and experience. I hope that very many who have never used Homoeopathic remedies will be induced to make the trial.

From the early days of homeopathy, homeopaths were sharing the homeopathic love!

Carrying on with the prefaces, Dewey (1901), too, is interested in making homeopathy more accessible:

Should this volume in any way tend to the furtherance of homoeopathic prescribing and lessen the growing tendency to neglect our therapeutics for easier but less satisfactory methods, the writer will consider that the time occupied in its compilation was not spent in vain.

Modern “practical homeopathy” books are generally aimed at acute and first aid situations, but, again, for use in the home.
Colin Griffith (2012**):

People want to know about home practice; they want to participate in their own healing; they want to understand what and why and when to take responsibility.… Once a home prescriber has tasted the sweet satisfaction of success in dealing with a cold or a headache or a menstrual cramp, she will want to do more. Homoeopathy is moreish. Once you’ve got the bug, it doesn’t let go.

Vernon McCabe (2000), (likening homeopaths to the Sneetches, actually):

Homeopaths tend to be an odd breed of people as well. Often it seems that they do not play well with others.… Given all the oddities of homeopaths and the homeopathic community — and these oddities as well as the failure of homeopaths to ever be able to gather in support of one another…

He continues in his long and interesting preface…

But the question of whether or not homeopathy could ever be thought of as being practical or not never really occurred to me until it was thrust on me in a classroom setting.…

A woman asked, ‘Is any of this practical?’

The question rather stunned me in that the issue of practicality never really seemed important to me one way or the other.…

Is homeopathy practical? And can it ever be considered practical? I guess the answer is yes— and no.…

So, back to practicality. How do we take something as philosophical as homeopathy and make it practical? How do we take what Hahnemann has written and put it into practice in our lives, on a day-to-day basis?

I think that we start with the admission that homeopathy is impractical in its nature.…

… but it is not only practical but feasible for an average person to learn enough homeopathy to know what to do for the little emergencies that arise in all our homes.… That’s what puts the practical in Practical Homeopathy.…

When I am in pain, I do not want a practical medicine; I want a miraculous medicine. I want a form of medicine in whose core philosophy is the notion that healing is always possible and is, in fact, an innate part of my nature.

That medicine for me is homeopathy. A most practical medicine.

I think McCabe sums things up quite nicely — homeopathy in its “pure” form is a daunting prospect. It’s not easy to enter the world of classical homeopathy. It takes a lot of study and time and effort to learn these methods and, just as importantly, this way of thinking.

I’m with Douglas and Dewey — I want the good word of homeopathy spread far and wide! I want to sing the praises of homeopaths doing good things, whether they be classical or practical or using a mishmash of theories or a parent at home who is helping their unwell child feel a little better all with those inexpensive, generally safe, little, white pellets!

Now, let’s look at what classical homeopathy is — a term that is a little newer than one might expect.
George Vithoulkas’ International Academy of Classical Homeopathy says on its “Definition of Classical Homeopathy” page:

Classical Homeopathy is a term introduced by Prof. George … in 1978. It describes a precise and disciplined approach to homeopathic practice, based on the original teachings of Samuel Hahnemann, the Founder of Homeopathy. These teachings were later refined through the clinical insights of James Tyler Kent and further developed, systematized, and clarified by George Vithoulkas.

Vithoulkas’ books were a big part of the curriculum in my first school. I would imagine that most “classical” homeopathic schools use his books.
Let me be clear, I am a big fan of purely classical homeopathic methods. I have been trained in those methods and I have full respect for them. Having said that, I do not always follow the “pure” path. Why? Because I find practical methods (generally speaking) faster and more satisfying for my clients.
As I was writing this article, I was listening to a lecture by a classically trained homeopath who has recently begun using some combination remedies in specific circumstances. He said he was taught in homeopathy school that “it was not okay, and it was bad, and it was not homeopathy” to use combination remedies. He said he finally tried a couple and saw “pretty good results.” He went on to say that when a homeopath gives just one remedy at a time and that one remedy doesn’t complete the job, how many times will your client return to you to give you another chance? When practical methods are applied to homeopathy, the chance of quickly providing some level of relief to a suffering person increases. In my never-to-be-humble opinion, it takes a special person/client to stick it out through purely classical methods.

Let’s get back to the obscure Sneetches reference I made earlier.
Comedian George Carlin critiqued the elite and powerful who he said worked against the ordinary people and famously said, “it’s a big club and you ain’t in it.”

Homeopathy is, indeed, a big club with Hahnemannian homeopaths and Kentian homeopaths and Boenninghausen method homeopaths and Boger method homeopaths and practical homeopaths and classically practical homeopaths and sensation method homeopaths and clinical homeopaths and complex homeopaths and biochemic/cell/tissue salt homeopaths and detox therapy homeopaths and lay homeopaths and pluralistic homeopaths and home prescribing homeopaths and constitutional prescribing homeopaths and LM/Q potency homeopaths and therapeutic homeopaths and medical homeopaths and homeopaths using only protocols and miasmatic homeopaths and veterinarian homeopaths and dental homeopaths and polarity analysis homeopaths and high potency homeopaths and polycrest-only homeopaths and agro homeopaths and those who practice this method and that method… it truly is a big club and if it isn’t an all-inclusive club, that is just a darned shame.

All homeopathy relies on the basic principle of “like cures like.” How a homeopath arrives at the “right” remedy for the person sitting in front of them is pretty irrelevant.

Hours-long consultations can be spent digging into every aspect of a person followed by days being spent finding the one right remedy that works absolutely beautifully for that person but that does not mean the person will feel any better at the end of the day than if the homeopath applied practical methods and immediately found a different remedy to relieve their current suffering. One of my early teachers of homeopathy used to say often, “there is more than one way to skin a cat.” Note: I understand and appreciate the classical homeopathy argument that these impure methods of homeopathy “upset the case” and the belief that remedies can hinder, antidote or alter the others’ effects in unknown ways and that using multiple remedies at once lacks empirical foundation (though Hahnemann himself tolerated dual-remedy experiments in specific complex cases (Team Homeopathy 360, 2017). I have to say that I have not seen that. I haven’t seen it with my clients and I haven’t seen it with myself and I haven’t seen it with my pets. I haven’t even read about it being the case in actuality. I only know of this “upsetting the case” in a philosophical/theoretical sense.

Conversely, 3 hours of consultation followed by days of searching the materia medica can also have lousy results just as a quickly found protocol can also miss the mark by a long way. There is no one right way to practice homeopathy. There is only what works for the homeopath and the client. As Vinton McCabe said, “Therefore, right from the first meeting, the practitioner and patient meet as equals and teammates and not as expert and victim” (2000).

Let’s now look at the founder of homeopathy, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.

Dr Hahnemann stated in the Organon:

§1: The physician’s highest and only calling is to make the sick healthy, to cure, as it is called.

Dr. Hahnemann treated all social classes and he used a sliding scale of fees. He was going to make the sick healthy. Period.

His final resting place in Paris refers to him as the “Benefactor of Mankind.” He fulfilled his first aphorism. He believed homeopathy was for the people.

§2: The highest ideal of cure is the rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of health; that is, the lifting and annihilation of the disease in its entire extent in the shortest, most reliable, and least disadvantageous way, according to clearly realizable [in-seeable] principles.

§17: The only thing the physician has to do to remove the entire disease is take away the entire symptom complex.… When the disease is annihilated, health is restored. This is the highest, the only goal of the physician who knows the meaning of his calling which is to help, not to engage in learned-sounding prattle.

Aphorism 17 certainly fits the OED definition of “practical” mentioned above: of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.

Though he does go on with many aphorisms describing exactly how to do this, he does not say that 2-hour interviews are necessary. There are no guarantees that a 3 hour in-depth consultation will result in any better alleviation of symptoms than a well-trodden therapeutic remedy or protocol.

Homeopathic remedies began with Dr. Hahnemann in the early 1800s and he himself proved and documented around 100 substances. (See also The Original Drug Testing.)

When the first Practical Homeopathy book was published in the late 1800s, there were ~400 remedies (according to Constantin Hering’s 10-volume Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica published in the 1870s-1880s).

As of 2020, we have 8,661 remedies according to The Aurum Project. Yet, one could argue that good results could be obtained by using just those original couple of hundred remedies. This, too, could be described as “practical homeopathy” — keeping it simple and not even delving into the 8,000 other new remedies.

To borrow and distort George Carlin’s 2005 stand-up routine: It’s a big club and we’re all welcome!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

*”Classical? Practical” website page

**It looks like this one was updated with a slightly different subtitle - I’m not certain which version of the title came first and the Kindle edition shows yet another pub date.

Reference list
Ameke, W., 2007. History of Homeopathy, Its Origin & Its Conflicts. B Jain Pub Pvt Limited.
BBC, 2026. Learning English - The English We Speak - Wrong ‘un [online]. Bbc.co.uk.

Griffith, C., 2012. The Practical Handbook of Homeopathy. Kindle. Watkins Media Limited.
Hering, K., 1883. The Homoeopathic Domestic Physican. B. Jain Publishers.

International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, 2026. Definition Classical Homeopathy - International Academy of Classical Homeopathy | Official website [online]. International Academy of Classical Homeopathy | Official website.

Letzel, S., 2006. History of the German Homeopathic Hospitals - Siegfried Letzel [online]. Hpathy.com.

Mccabe, V., 2000. Practical homeopathy : a comprehensive guide to homeopathic remedies and their acute uses. New York: St Martin’s Griffin.

Morrell, P., 2026. ON HAHNEMANN’S WORKLOADS AND CONSULTATION TIMES IN HIS PARIS PRACTICE - Peter Morrell [online]. Homeoint.org.

New York School of Homeopathy, 2016. New York School of Homeopathy | What is Homeopathy? [online]. Nyhomeopathy.com.

Oxford University Press, 2021. Oxford Dictionary of English. 14.1.1.47 ed. Oxford University Press accessed through mobisystems.com app.

Patil, B. K., 2025. The Life and Legacy of Samuel Hahnemann: Founder of Homoeopathy and His Medical Philosophy - Bhagyashri K. Patil [online]. Hpathy.com.

Team Homeopathy 360, 2017. THE CASE FOR DUAL REMEDIES - homeopathy360 [online]. homeopathy360.

The Aurum Project, 2020. Total number of homeopathic remedies available worldwide: 7,700 [online]. The Aurum Project Incorporated.

Vithoulkas, G., 2026. Definition Classical Homeopathy - International Academy of Classical Homeopathy | Official website [online]. International Academy of Classical Homeopathy | Official website

4/25/2026

Choosing a Homeopath

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This is a page taken from my website, altered only slightly for this version.

If you are considering working with a homeopath, it is my opinion that you should ask many, many questions of them — as many as you need, so you feel comfortable.
Julia

A homeopath-client relationship is a true partnership…
a partnership focused on your health and well-being.

1. Qualifications & training? How long have you been practicing?
There is no right answer to this question. Homeopaths come in all shapes and sizes and some are excellent right out of school, some need some time under their belts and some seemingly old and wisened homeopaths still have a few things to learn.

There are lay homeopaths (non-professionals) who do excellent work and there are homeopaths who have taken years of advanced studies with lots of letters behind their name but somehow still seem to miss the mark.

It is important that you find a homeopath with whom you are comfortable and are able to have open and honest communication.

2. How do you work? Do you practice strictly classical homeopathy, or are you open to other homeopathic approaches?
Strictly classical homeopathy would (generally speaking) involve a long initial consultation resulting in one remedy to cover the entirety of the person — one remedy to match the totality of the individual at that moment, including:

the main complaint and the accompanying symptoms
the full pattern of physical, mental & emotional and general characteristics that make a person who they are

Non-classical homeopathy, sometimes referred to as “clinical” or “practical” or “therapeutic” homeopathy is another way of using homeopathic remedies.

For more clarification between styles of practicing, see here.

3. What fees are charged? Do you take insurance? What is included in your fee? Are any follow-up consultations included in your initial fee? Do you have a family plan? Can you help with my pet, too?

4. How often will follow-up consultations take place? What is the price of each follow-up consultation? How many consultations will I need?
The number of consultations varies greatly, depending on many factors: the person, the condition and how long the person has been suffering the condition.

5. How available are you in case of (non-emergency*) emergencies? What happens if I come down with a cold or break an arm or require emergency dental treatment (for example) while I am consulting with you? Do you charge an extra fee if an acute condition pops up when I am a current client?

6. Will I be able to contact you if I have questions once the consultation is complete? Is there any charge associated with this?

7. Do you have any experience treating my specific condition?
There are a lot of conditions out there. It is true that homeopathy treats the person and does not treat specific conditions. However, there are tips and tricks and nuances for many conditions and sometimes having a track-record for specific conditions can make a difference.

8. What do you expect from me, as a client?
Some homeopaths still adhere to (in my opinion) old thoughts and ideas, such as:

coffee must be strictly avoided during homeopathic treatment
no food or drink for 30 minutes before or after taking a remedy
mint, including toothpaste should be avoided during homeopathic treatment.

Be sure to speak with your prospective homeopath before hand so there are no surprises in this regard.

9. Do you tell me the name of the remedy/remedies or is it kept secret?
Some homeopaths don't want their clients to know what remedy has been suggested.
I personally don't understand this line of thinking.

See here for my further thoughts on this topic.

10. Do you use sac-lac, or placebo?
What does this even mean? Some homeopaths give one dose of an actual remedy and then follow that up with “blank” pellets -- or, pellets without the homeopathic medicine applied to them -- for the client to take repeatedly with the belief that their clients will feel better if they think they are taking something more frequently.

11. How do I get the remedy/remedies? Are remedies expensive? Do you provide the remedies to me? Do I have to use your pharmacy or distributor to purchase the remedy?

Some homeopaths have a financial arrangement with certain pharmacies or distributors.
Some homeopaths provide the remedies to their clients, sometimes for an extra fee and sometimes the remedies are included in the consultation fee.

12. What should I expect after taking the remedy/remedies?

13. Do you offer any other healing modalities? Nutrition? Gemmotherapy? Flower Remedies? Cell salts? Detox therapies? Herbs? Lifestyle/wellness coaching? Lab testing? Energy work?
If the answer is yes, further questioning on their training/qualifications in these areas may be well advised. Was it a weekend course or do they have actual training in herbalism, for instance.

Now, you are pretty well equipped to go ahead and take the first step to finding a homeopath.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

*If you are experiencing an actual emergency, contact your doctor or call 911!

4/18/2026

Digging Deeper: Remedy Repetition

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Below is an excerpt from a longer paid article, which can be accessed here.

We know that repetition of homeopathic remedies has long been acceptable in acute situations and thanks to Dr. Eizayaga, we know that repetition of homeopathic remedies should be considered acceptable for chronic situations.

Now, let’s dig around a little bit more into what other “classical” homeopaths say about repeating remedies and tease out where all the draconian rules on remedy repetition began and share my aha moments about §247 — I so wish I could meet Dr. Hahnemann and discuss this aphorism!
According to the books I randomly selected from my shelves for this article, how often to repeat a dose in a classically treated chronic case depends pretty much on the dose that is being used (as we learned previously in Homeopathic Potency).

I also got to thinking about animals and agro-homeopathy and wondered if the same strict rules exist. I don’t know much about agro-homeopathy but a quick ask of Grok gives me essentially “classical” homeopathic recommendations, including: “Over-repetition can reduce effectiveness or even disturb the plant’s natural response.” (That sounds familiar.) Reading further tells me “applications may occur more regularly (e.g., every 4-15 days, or every 2 weeks) during active stress periods….”

What about animals?
Interestingly, David Owen (2015, p 246) has this to say:
It is the experience of many veterinary homeopaths that animals generally seem to need more frequent, and sometimes more prolonged, repetition of remedies than do humans. Opinions on the cause of this vary — some veterinary homeopaths see it as a consequence of the routine neutering of cats and dogs, which somehow renders the patient more refractory to homeopathy; others consider it to be an innate characteristic of the animal metabolism per se, perhaps due to their higher metabolic rates which ‘consume’ the energy of the remedy more quickly. Whatever the reason, an initial cause of homeopathy in an animal can often consist of a 30c potency given daily for a week. This will be related when necessary, but may well require repetition a month later.

Oddly, my experience is that animals actually require less frequent dosing than humans. 🤔 And, it makes me wonder, does the above suggest that men who have had vasectomies or women who have had hysterectomies require more frequent dosing? Or, would a hyper-thyroid person require more dosing than a hypo-thyroid person? Or, for that matter would a redhead, like me, require more frequent dosing? Is this why I resonate with the practical application of homeopathy so strongly? (This redheads needing more anesthesia thing is really a thing, see here.)

Is it just low potencies that get repeated in classically treated chronic cases?
No. I flipped through Select your Dose and Potency by Dr. P. S. Rawat (1991) and found quite a few references to high(er) potency remedy repetition in chronic cases:

“Clarke claims that Mag carb 200, repeated three or four times a day, has given untold relief to many ‘worn-out women’ — that is, the state of nervousness induced by excess of the cares and worries of life.” Dr. Clarke became a homeopath in the late 1800s, died in 1931.
George Royal (1853-1931): “We then began the use of Plumbum giving the 200th three times a week.”
J.H. Clarke (as above) gave Radium bromatum 30c “each morning … for a month. All conditions were vastly improved…” I should note, in the next entry, also from Clarke, he used one dose of the same remedy for another patient to good effect reminding us that the individual is the most important piece of the puzzle.
W. J. Guernsey (1854-1935) using Sanicula 10M, “cured in a few days. Three months later same child had… Sanic 10M cured in five doses.” It is not clear if this was acute or chronic.
T.S. Hoyne (1841-1899): “Young man… been troubled with it several years… Sulphur 30 and 200 for a number of weeks cured.”
Clarke: “Thuja 200, every tenth day” and, another: “Thuja 30 was given, a dose every twenty days.”

With that, we know that some homeopaths have been repeating remedies to good effect since days of yore. All of these homeopaths practiced after Dr. Samuel Hahnemann published his 5th edition Organon (1833) and one can only assume they were aware of his principles.

Not long after his 5th edition, Hahnemann published Chronic Diseases (1835), in which he said (p 263):
"Before proceeding, it is important to observe, that our vital principle cannot well bear that the same unchanged dose of medicine be given even twice in succession, much less more frequently to a patient. For by this the good effect of the former dose of medicine is either neutralized in part, or new symptoms proper to the medicine, symptoms which have not before been present in the disease, appear, impeding the cure. Thus even a well selected homoeopathic medicine produces ill effects and attains its purpose imperfectly or not at all. Thence come the many contradictions of homoeopathic physicians with respect to the repetition of doses."

Those are pretty clear thoughts from Dr. Hahnemann.

Were all these homeopaths renegades? Or were they simply applying a practical application to the otherwise classically chosen remedies?

Or, were they adherents to Aphorism 278 (6th edition written below) which seems to have originated in the 5th edition*, (or, at least a very close paraphrasing of it):

"The only guides for determining the most appropriate dose in each case are pure experiment, accurate experience and careful observation of each individual patient."

Dr. Hahnemann is saying that the correct dose needs to be discovered empirically for each medicine and each patient. It is my opinion that §278 tempers much of the strong language found in the Organon.

I’m getting ahead of myself now. Let’s back up a little bit.

Where does this idea of not repeating remedies actually begin?
How did we actually get here?First off, of the old-timers mentioned above, only Royal and Guernsey were alive and practicing when Hahnemann’s 6th edition Organon was published. Hoyne and Clarke were privy only to the 5th edition*. It was the 4th edition in which he touted taking a single dose of a 200c and watching and waiting. It was in the 5th edition, he called that method “barbaric.” Maybe, the presumed 5th edition readers I just listed ran with the idea of the single dose being barbaric and started repeating the doses more frequently? If so, how did the classical teachings of modern times return to the “barbaric” method? I have some thoughts…

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