How to prescribe a remedy in homoeopathy

There are various methods of prescribing in homoeopathy; that is finding the similimum or the most similar remedy to the disease condition.

Which method or a combination to use depends on the individual case. It all depends on the type of symptoms you are obtain in a case.

1. Repertorisation - This is what all beginners are taught to do. Cull the characteristic symptoms of the case and then look them up in the repertory. The remedy which gets the most 'grades' is the similimum. If done manually this is a very tedious process. thankfully with the advent of homeopathy softwares this can all be done quickly. This method's main drawback is remedies like sulphur turn up more and a remedy like Medorrhinum comes up from repertorisation very rarely. I rarely use this method. A good book to learn repertorisation is Classical Homeopathy for the Professional by Lu De Schepper.
2. Kentian Method - Here you pick out the mentals and genrals and get the remedy. The local ailments are of least importance in this method.
3. Boenninghausen method - Here the stress is on the modalities and concomitants. What aggravates or ameliorates the patient? What other ailment co-exists with the main ailment?
4. Boger introduced the pathological generals. warts etc. Boger says these are important. Boger mainly follows the Boenninghausen method.
5. Keynotes - Hering says if you get three or more keynotes of a remedy in a case you can use the remedy with certainty. This is called the 'three-legged stool' rule of Hering.
6. Mentals - Homoeopaths like Sehgal advocate prescribing entirely on the mentals. This method is called PROMISALONE (PRescribing On Mental Symptoms ALONE). Rajan Sankaran in the Spirit of Homoeopathy suggested this method too but he urges us to confirm the remedy with the general symptoms.
7. Causation - If you get the cause of the ailment, you have won the battle. mental causation is the first thing you look for during case-taking. Physical causes are less important than mental causes.

REMEMBER: there are no short cuts in learning homoeopathy. Extensive and exhaustive reading of the materia medicas, homoeopathic repertories and books and articles by the masters is a must. Read. And then read some more.

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