Stereotyped Personalities in Homeopathy (1)

Some professional homeopaths were having a joking conversation about the constitutional remedy of the founder of homeopathy, Hahnemann.  Obviously, we never give remedies to dead people.  So the premise of the discussion was misguided to begin with.   Honestly, I was very alarmed by that discussion of remedy personalities.  It was partially in jest, so I ignored it.

I personally do not believe that we know enough about any remedy to have such a discussion in a serious manner. We know about pathological symptoms, but that says little about the positive character of a remedy. Clinical cases give rise to the positive symptoms, but they are not proving symptoms.  Homeopathy is based on proving symptoms (controlled clinical testing, not casual observation). Clinical symptoms are used but they have far less value  They are impressions.

For years I have worried about the implication of a non-homeopath's email worrying about her remedy and the implications of remedy personality.

....Is there nothing redeeming about aurum met personality?   I get I have a suidical personality. I fight everyday, but for heavens sake I haven't pulled the trigger!   I have a family, a job, a home, and I love to read and study all sorts of science and naturopathy including homeopathy.  I have dogs, a garden, and love movies.   I volunteer at school and church….

People like her think that when I do a case, I'm stereotyping patients. In fact, I give the most terrible remedy personalities to lovely people.  These days I use some special methods that help me to bypass these remedy personalities. That is, I never base a case only on a personality. The personality symptoms are helpful when they fit, but when they don't fit they are meaningless. Only having the symptom is useful. There is no symptom of a remedy that is absolutely necessary for using that remedy.  This is true of both physical and psychological symptoms.._,_.___