There are a myriad of reasons why a remedy doesn’t work as expected. There are also different ways that remedies can fail. You may simply have chosen the wrong one; you may not have dosed high enough or long enough; the remedy may have been antidoted by other substances; or it may be regressed by outside pressures.
As you practice homeopathy more frequently, you’ll soon become familiar with the most commonly used remedies. These are known as polychrests, remedies with a broad range of influence. They’re most often used for constitutional treatment, which matches a horse’s consistent state of being. By using such remedies repeatedly (where appropriate), you will find yourself developing a kinesthetic “feel” for their presentation. Some examples of these remedies include: Calcarea Carbonica (calcium carbonate), Phosphorous, Arsenicum Album (arsenic), Silica, Sulphur, and Natrum Muriaticum (sodium chloride).
Is this the correct one?
As you get to know the more common remedies, you will discover they have overlapping characteristics. And although sometimes a remedy appears to be a good fit, with clear positive improvement after administration, its action is temporary and may reveal new symptoms or exacerbate others, so that some symptoms improve while others worsen. There can be several reasons for this, but what is often overlooked is that while the remedy is actually correct, it represents only part of the picture.
Compound remedies
Before you decide the remedy you chose is altogether wrong, there is something else to consider. Sometimes a remedy doesn’t work because the horse needs a “compound” version of the remedy. Examples of compound remedies include:
• Calcarea Carbonica and Phosphorous as Calcarea Phosphorica
• Calcarea Carbonica and Natrum Muriaticum as Natrum Carbonicum
• Sulphur and Natrum Muriaticum as Natrum Sulphuricum
There are many examples of these combinations throughout the Materia Medica. When a remedy results in only temporary improvement, consider exploring some of these combinations before considering a different remedy altogether.
Compound remedies are unique in their own right. Some potential characteristics of each remedy will be found, but you will not find all characteristics of both. For example, you may see clear Phosphorous personality and physical traits in a case – willingness, a desire to connect, easy to handle, large childlike eyes, a solid body on delicate legs – yet also find that many symptoms seem to match Calcarea Carbonica, such as bone malformations. At the same time, you might find a range of fears that are shared by both remedies.
Combination remedies are often missed. If you take the time to familiarize yourself with these groups, you will broaden your options. Explore them now, so when you later come across a familiar remedy that seems to have missing pieces, you can first look for possibilities that contain the apparently accurate remedy before searching for a new one altogether.
AUTHOR PROFILE
Susan Guran is a Homeopathic Practitioner and Therapeutic Riding Instructor living and working in Vermont. HomeopathyHorse.com
