One of the main reservations patients have about homeopathy is that their condition will become worse first before getting better. This type of reaction is what is commonly known as a “homeopathic aggravation”. A homeopathic aggravation can be defined as “a temporary worsening or intensification of a patient’s symptoms after taking the correct remedy.” Patients are naturally nervous at the prospect of such a reaction as they are already experiencing a lot of discomfort and pain due to their ailments, and the thought of their condition worsening during the homeopathic treatment process makes them put it off completely.
There are several ways of looking at a homeopathic aggravation. The intensification of the symptoms is actually seen by the homeopath as a positive sign. It shows that the remedy has been prescribed correctly and has touched the core of the person to stimulate the healing process. Let me illustrate this with a simple case scenario of a patient seeking treatment for sinusitis, where the nose is constantly discharging with occasional blocked sensation of the sinuses and head pain. When the correct remedy is prescribed, the patient may experience an intensification of the nose discharge. They may call me up and say that after taking the remedy, there is profuse discharge coming out of the nose but in spite of that, they are overall feeling better and that the nose is no longer feeling blocked. This is what a homeopathic aggravation may look like. The patient overall feels a sense of well-being but the discharges are profuse. The body is actually trying to get rid of the excess mucus and this process must be allowed to complete before the patient can feel well.
Another factor that influences homeopathic aggravation is how severe the patient’s condition is and whether a lot of suppressive treatment has been taken in the past to manage the condition. For example, if a patient has a skin ailment that has been managed over many years with suppressive ointments and creams, the patient can expect that there will be a flare-up of the skin condition after taking the homeopathic remedy as any form of suppression will find an outlet once the immune system is stimulated by the correct remedy.
What is my approach?
As a homeopath, I try to keep this process as comfortable for the patient as possible. I work with minute, low-strength doses so that the patient’s immune system is stimulated very gently. For patients with skin ailments, they are always encouraged to use the steroid cream as needed and never to stop its use suddenly. As their condition improves, they can work with their conventional medical doctor to taper off the steroid use.
Hence, patients should not be afraid of homeopathic aggravation as this is actually a sign that the treatment is working. It is up to the experienced homeopath to educate the patient and manage the treatment process in a manner that is gentle to the patient.
