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PROTOCOL

To make a more reliable materia medica and repertory we will have to be very meticulous with the information we get from cases. Therefore we made a protocol with conditions that need to be fulfilled when cases are reported. Although these conditions might be a threshold to some who want to participate in this project, they are also a means to make homeopaths aware of the responsibility they take when reporting cases. There is no doubt that homeopathy needs the information from cases to develop, but it is also true that it can only develop in the correct way if the information is totally reliable.

Conditions for sending in reports:
  1. Each case has to show at least the sex and the age of the patient. Additional information about the looks and constitution of the person are welcome. Apart from this the exact date of every consultation has to be mentioned.
  2. It is essential that only one remedy at a time was given in the case and that it was given a reasonable time to act before giving another remedy, otherwise it will be impossible to distinguish what was the precise action of each separate remedy. Cases in which remedies were alternately given at the same day for instance are therefore unsuited.
  3. It has to be certain that the changes in the case were not due to any other influences then the given homeopathic remedy, like for instance diet, psychotherapy, certain (traumatic) events in the life of the patient, etcetera.
  4. The case must relate the totality of symptoms (locals and generals) as is customary in classical homeopathy.
  5. New symptoms can be marked with the letter [N], meaning that the symptom came after the remedy was taken. If the new symptom belongs to the remedy then it should be marked as [NS]. If the new symptom is known by the patient former to the initial interview then it should be marked as [NP].
  6. Symptoms that are not influenced by the remedy, but that might be part of the symptomatology, e.g. a sleeping position, can be marked with the letter [X]. They will be stored until they are confirmed in cases later on. The number of observations may not be more then 20% of the number of changed (cured) symptoms to avoid that there are many observations but only slight effects of the remedy.
  7. Acute diseases: the reaction to the remedy must have been speedy in the sense that the disease process and the recovery show a shorter period in time than is common for that disease and that a prompt amelioration takes place, possibly after an initial aggravation, such as one would expect in the successful treatment of these diseases.
  8. Chronic diseases: as these diseases do not tend to heal rapidly, a different method of measurement has to be used. To get a clear idea of the action of the remedy one needs a follow up of at least 2 to 3 years (cases with a shorter follow up will be stored until more information is available or until they can be compared to other similar cases). Special attention needs to be given to reactions that prove a change in the vitality of the patient like the so-called 'laws of cure' and the change of susceptibility to acute diseases. If these occur then a case becomes more valuable.
  9. The clearest cases are those where only one remedy was needed and where the patient had a similar stable reaction to the remedy when it was repeated.
  10. If several remedies were needed during the treatment of a case, then it has to be clear what the precise action was of each separate remedy. For example, if a complaint returned after having disappeared with one remedy and the same complaint needed different remedies each time, then this is not reliable.
  11. Symptoms that disappear through a remedy, even when there is no general amelioration, can be useful. Remedies that only partly fit can change isolated symptoms, but nevertheless this can give information about the site of action of the remedy and can confirm symptoms from provings.
  12. Symptoms that change but that are not related to the main complaint or the pathology, can also be useful. In this respect one can think of general symptoms. A change in such a symptom can add to the knowledge of the symptomatology of a remedy. We have to be extremely careful with this information however, because it is often even more difficult to see if the change has been caused by the homeopathic remedy or by something else. But again the more cases we have, the easier the verification can be done. As mentioned before these symptoms are marked with an [X].
  13. Provings: if a symptom occurred, after taking a remedy, that is already known from a proving of the remedy, then this can be used as a confirmation of that symptom, even if the patient did not improve after the remedy.
  14. Author references: we will give every author a specific author reference and each case a number, so that it will always be possible to see which symptom came from which source.
  15. Document specifications: cases that are submitted must be typed out in plain text files (to avoid problems with opening the files). Please see the example cases for the arrangement of the information of the case. If you have the case already in Word format you can easily export it to plain text using your text editor. A sample text file with some general guidelines is available for download. The email address where you can send the text file to is on the contact page.
Summary of the abbreviations used:
  • [0] = Symptom without intensity. Can be used at the end of the treatment to emphasize that a remedy is cured. It is not customary to use [0] in the initial case.
  • [1] = Lowest intensity of a symptom.
  • [2] = Second highest intensity of a symptom.
  • [3] = Highest intensity of a symptom.
  • [X] = A symptom that did not change during the treatment but that can be important as symptom of the remedy.
  • [N] = New symptom in comparison to the first consultation that developed after a remedy was taken.
  • [NS] = New symptom in comparison to the first consultation, belonging to the remedy, that developed after a remedy was taken.
  • [NP] = A symptom with which the patient is familiar (but not present at the first consultation) that developed after taking the remedy.
  • [NSR] = New rubric in the repertory.
  • [NE] = New entry for the remedy in an existing rubric in the repertory.

It may seem quite laborious to arrange cases in this way, especially for those who have a busy practice. Our goal is, however, in the first place to obtain as much reliable information and this can only be done through cases you send in with their original and changed symptoms. The more you are able to fulfil our indications the easier it will be to process your information.

We sincerely hope that a large group of homeopaths will see the need of such a project and will send in cases. It is our aim to publish the results of this project so that the whole homeopathic community will benefit from it. The amount of time that will elapse before this can be done entirely depends on the amount of information that will be provided to us. In case you want to participate in this project or are interested to receive more information, please feel free to contact us.

All obtained information will be treated with strict confidentiality.

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