What to Avoid While Being Treated Homeopathically

When certain substances and influences interfere with the action of a homeopathic medicine, it is called antidoting. When this happens, it is usually necessary to repeat the homeopathic medicine in whatever dose is being currently prescribed. Once repeated, progress is usually reestablished and symptoms once again diminish or disappear. Occasionally, the potency of the medicine will need to be changed to obtain optimal results.

Antidoting is a controversial subject. Many homeopaths, ourselves included, observe that some substances, particularly those containing eucalyptus, camphor, menthol, tea tree oil, or coffee, as well as the use of recreational drugs or electric blankets, can interrupt the action of homeopathic medicines. Whether these factors will disrupt the effect of a homeopathic medicine appears to be dependent upon the sensitivity of the individual child. Since different homeopaths have varying attitudes towards antidoting, rely on your own practitioner’s recommendations. In any case, if the medicine that was working well for your child seems to stop working, regardless if there was any identifiable reason, let your homeopath know right away.
Allergens, conventional and other natural therapies, and foods to which a child is sensitive are not usually problematic. In some cases therapeutic ultrasound and ultrasonic dental cleaning, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) may interfere with homeopathic treatment. If these are likely to be ongoing issues, or of you notice a change in the action of your child’s homeopathic medicine after receiving such a treatment, consult with your homeopath. Acute childhood illnesses have also been known to interrupt the action of previously well-acting homeopathic medicines and may require a repetition of the previous medicine or the prescription of a different one that specifically addresses the acute symptom picture. Again, this response will vary with the individual.

How You Can Assist the Homeopathic Process

Provide your homeopath with thorough and honest information. Withholding information for whatever reason may interfere with successful homeopathic treatment. Rest assured that your child’s homeopathic medical records are confidential unless you sign a release to allow access by a third party.

Follow up with appointments at intervals recommended by your homeopath. In large part, the ultimate success of your child’s treatment depends on its continuity and consistency.

Inform you homeopath of significant changes in your child’s life. Important events in the family, academic progress, parental divorce or remarriage, moving, changing schools, making friends, the death of a beloved pet are all worth sharing with your homeopath.

Homeopathy Is Not for Every Child
Not every youngster is a good candidate for homeopathic treatment. Some factors thatcan prevent successful treatment include:

Children who refuse treatment
Some rebellious children, particularly adolescents, may try to sabotage homeopathic or other treatments out of opposition to their parents’ wishes. They may miss appointments, refuse to talk to the practitioner, hide information such as drug use, refuse to take the medicine or intentionally come into contact with substances that antidote it. Savvy homeopaths can sometimes salvage the therapeutic relationship with a heart-to-heart alk with the adolescent.

Parents who can’t agree on treatment
Ideally, both parents need to agree to having their child treated homeopathically, but also be willing to give it a chance for at least a year. When one parent is opposed, or the parents are separated or divorced, difficulties in following through with treatment may arise. These problems are not insurmountable, but need to be dealt with if treatment is to work. If you think your child’s other parent will be uncooperative with treatment (or will even deliberately sabotage it!), or if there are custody issues that will affect continuity of treatment, advise your homeopath.

Children who need institutional care
Some children and adolescents with ASD are so difficult to manage that they need institutional placement or incarceration rather than outpatient treatment. We have successfully treated children in such settings, but the conditions are far from optimal.

Avoid the Temptation to Homeopathically Treat Your ASD Child Yourself
As you read the case studies in this book, you may find one or two cases that closely resemble your child. You may be tempted to find the medicine that we gave and treat your child yourself. Don’t even think about it!

While it is possible to treat yourself and your family for many first-aid conditions and acute minor illnesses yourself (see our book, Homeopathic Self-Care), ASD is not an acute condition, but rather a complex, chronic imbalance. It takes a competent, well-trained homeopath to prescribe for these cases, and years of homeopathic study and practice to understand symptoms, behavior, and homeopathic medicines well enough to match the correct homeopathic medicine to the child.

Even if you were to find the correct medicine, it takes experience to bring each case to a successful conclusion. Let your homeopath do his work. If you needed surgery, you wouldn’t just get a book and a scalpel and start cutting! Your homeopath has the same level of experience in his field as a surgeon. Don’t shortchange yourself or your child. Find a well-trained, experienced homeopath, and commit yourself to the full treatment process.