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Let me familiarize you with the structure of the initial and follow-up visits. The initial
evaluation will last approximately TWO HOURS. Follow-up appointments will last 30 minutes.
In some cases I might ask you to come back for an additional interview. This happens if
the information I received in the initial evaluation does not allow me to arrive to the
remedy. You will know if I need additional time at the end of the initial evaluation, and
this additional time period will be scheduled either at the end of the same day or the
next week. In
some cases even after a long initial evaluation I might need some extra time to study your
case. In this situation, I will get back to you with a prescription in a day or two.
In acute situations I
might ask you to call in an hour or two or the next day, I might even ask you to wait in
the office for half an hour to observe the effect of the remedy I gave for your acute
problem. In cases like this if the remedy did not help in 15 –30 minutes you will be
asked to come to the nearest emergency room. If you came for help with the chronic
problem, a first follow-up visit is going to be scheduled in 6-8 weeks. Acute conditions
require a much closer follow-up. Situations like that have to be discussed on an
individual basis. Sometimes, as I mentioned earlier, a brief phone conversation on the
same or the next day might be sufficient. In other cases you might need to come for a
follow-up visit in one or two weeks.
Before even meeting you
I can say without any doubt that you are a unique person with your own set of very
specific emotional, mental and physical characteristics and problems. As a homeopath I
appreciate that and will try to base my prescription on these unique characteristics,
which make you different from everybody else with the "similar" diagnosis. For a
homeopath there could be 10 remedies for 10 different people with a headache depending on
where the headache is and what time of the day it’s worse and what makes it better.
One of the main principles of homeopathy is the individualization of treatment, or what is
called in modern medical parlance "differential therapeutics". I will talk about
it later in a greater detail. Still, it is very important for me to know as much as I
possibly can about all the diagnostic tests and other things related to your conventional
diagnosis. I also need to know about all the medications, allopathic or herbal and all
other supplements you have been taking.
As you have probably
noticed, I have not told you yet what exactly is going to happen during the homeopathic
interview. Lets talk about it now.
First of all, you will
be able to talk about every single problem you have. All small, "insignificant"
for conventional health professionals details are going to be discussed. For a homeopath
everything does matter: when and where and how. All these things (in homeopathy we call
them "modalities") allow a homeopath to find what makes your problems and you
unique. Ultimately, modalities point towards the correct remedy.
We will also talk about your
favorite food and the food you hate. We’ll talk about your relationship with the
environment: the sun and the moon, the outside temperature, the way you feel at different
times of the day and night. Your relationship with other people is also very important.
For children the history of pregnancy, delivery and nursing are very important. We are
also going to talk about developmental milestones for both adults and children.
Hopefully, by the end of the interview no
stones will remain unturned. |
