Ok, you’ve got a cold or just banged your knee hard. What’s the best dosage for a homeopathic remedy? To figure out the best dosage, you need to consider many factors: whether the condition is acute (sudden onset) or chronic (present for a longer time), the severity of pain and even your age.

The subtlety behind homeopathy stands out when we assess the dosages required for various situations. In general, acute situations warrant lower dosages given more frequently, while chronic situations call for higher potencies given less frequently.

Controlling acute conditions

Typical acute scenarios include a blow to the body, the onset of a cold or an illness or injury that has just happened. In these cases, administer frequent low doses of a remedy until you get relief of the symptoms.

When the school nurse called me to say my son’s head had banged into a schoolmate’s head on the playground, I grabbed my arnica montana pellets and ointment and drove over to the school. His teacher said she sent him to the nurse after his face swelled up. They had been applying ice to his left cheekbone. After talking with Joey for a minute, I gave him three pellets of 30c arnica and smeared a layer of arnica ointment on the affected area. I continued that course of treatment every hour until he went to bed that night. Next morning, there was no indication of injury.

Tackling chronic issues

For chronic issues, higher potencies administered less frequently can bring longer-lasting and deeper healing. I strongly recommend consulting a homeopathic practitioner for the treatment of chronic conditions.

Other factors to consider

When choosing remedies, you should also consider the severity of pain. Severe pain usually suggests higher potencies than slight discomfort.

I also believe age should be taken into consideration when choosing a remedy. Younger children or babies don’t require a 200c dose for an acute issue such as teething; gentler, lower potencies are more appropriate. Adults are better able to handle higher potencies. Children’s systems are more sensitive than adults’, so a nudge is often all they need to prompt an immune response. With years of immunity to either work for or against healing, adults usually need more encouragement to change for the better.

About the author

An informal student of natural health for years, NFO Bookshelf and Natural Beauty Editor Susy Goins received her certificate in homeopathy from the American College of Health Sciences. The self-proclaimed out-of-the-mainstream mama of three is a writer, belly dancer, actress, costumer and cook and will soon be celebrating 20 years of marriage to her husband.