Practical guidance
How to take homeopathic medicine
Homeopathic remedies are simple to take, but there are a few habits worth getting right. These are the instructions Dr. Bamania gives at the clinic. Where her advice for your case differs from anything here, follow what she has told you.
Taking the dose
- Take it on a clean mouth — about fifteen to thirty minutes before or after food, drink, tobacco or paan.
- Tip the globules into the bottle cap and from there into your mouth. Try not to handle them; if some fall out, discard them rather than returning them to the bottle.
- Let them dissolve under the tongue. Do not chew or swallow them with water.
- For drops, use them as prescribed — usually in a little water, unless you have been told otherwise.
- Keep to the times you have been given. If you forget a dose, take it when you remember and carry on; do not double it.
Around the dose
Strong tastes and smells are traditionally kept away from the time of dosing. In practice this means:
- Coffee, and strongly flavoured mouth fresheners, close to the dose.
- Mint — which includes most toothpaste, so brush well before or after the gap rather than right at dosing time.
- Camphor, strong balms and menthol rubs. If you need one, use it well away from the dose and mention it at your follow-up.
- Tobacco and paan masala around the dose.
Ordinary food, tea and everyday cooking are not a problem. If you are unsure about something specific, ask at the clinic rather than guessing.
Storing your medicines
- Keep the bottle closed, in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight.
- Store away from strong-smelling things — camphor, agarbatti, perfume, naphthalene balls, strong cleaning products.
- Do not transfer the globules to another container, and do not mix remedies in one bottle.
- Keep them out of reach of children. They taste sweet, which children notice.
- Do not use a remedy left over from an earlier illness, or one prescribed for somebody else. The prescription was for that case, not this one.
When to call, and when not to wait
- Tell Dr. Bamania about every other medicine you are taking, including those from other doctors, and bring your reports to the consultation.
- Never stop a medicine another doctor has prescribed without speaking to that doctor first.
- Come back for follow-up even if you feel better, and describe what changed — that is what the next prescription is based on.
- In an emergency, go straight to a hospital. Chest pain, difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, a severe injury, a high fever in a small child, sudden weakness or confusion — these need immediate medical attention, not a phone call to the clinic.
Come and talk it through.
Dr. Bamania sees patients at both clinics in Vadodara, in Gujarati, Hindi or English. Call or send a message and you will reach the practice directly.