In homeopathy, it is not so much the amount of the dose, but rather the frequency of dose that makes the therapeutic difference. A good rule of thumb I use in my practice is, the more intense the symptoms, the more frequent the dose. A common dosage of 6 to 8 times per day during an active symptomatic will provide faster results than a 3 times per day dosage. As symptoms improve, dosage can be reduced.
Do you want to be the best doctor you can be? To serve your patients with the best quality of care? To be the detective it takes to crack the growing number of difficult and elusive cases out there? To have a clear confirmation that what you give your patient is what they need?
If yes, then I recommend periodically retesting the homeopathic formula with a biofeedback test such as the sublingual nerve pathway under the tongue. This will cause a definite muscle strength change or a change in the leg length within 3 to 7 seconds when the patient is testing positive to the product.
As a general rule of thumb, once a homeopathic product tests negative or neutral and symptoms have decreased by 50%, I decrease dosage by 50%. When symptoms have decreased by 80%, I decrease dosage by 80%. As symptoms are eliminated, the patient may require a corrective dose anywhere from 1 to 3 times a week. When dealing with chronic or recurrent conditions, this corrective dosage should be continued until the patient tests negative after going a week or more without the homeopathic formula.
To help prevent sports injury or soreness after exercise and increase present time performance and overall effectiveness, take a homeopathic sports injury formula before exercise. If you have any recurring sports injuries, take regularly until the problem is fully corrected or until the remedy consistently tests negative over a period of time. And remember, a properly formulated homeopathic sports products can be used both preventatively and correctively.
If a homeopathic sports injury formula does not test positive or fully correct the problem, consider trying other related homeopathic formulas for:
- acid eliminating
- muscle & joint injury
- arthritis
- calcium metabolizing, to help maintain strong, healthy bones and joints and prevent achy joints;
- muscle maximizing, to relieve muscle pain and weakness;
- TMJ and associated muscle rigidity;
- fatigue relief;
- detoxification and drainage.
Homeopathy added to your chiropractic management program will effectively broaden your scope of practice. However, when dealing with chronic muscle pains and other sporting injuries, your patient's lifestyle management is essential to your successful management of their health. Here are some helpful hints which you may want to distribute to your patients to assist them in overcoming "dis-ease."
Lifestyle Management Steps (for your patients)
You can't understand it. You used to play a game of football all the time with no problem, but now you can't seem to move after a game. And why is it a few sets of tennis never brought on the sore, bruised, "beat-up" feeling it now does? Remember those carefree afternoons of volleyball or frisbee throwing? Now a afternoon of volleyball makes you feel as though you've been run over by a truck? Well, you're not 16 anymore, and probably more sedentary that you use to be. So if you've overreached your physical conditioning, and have the aches and pains to prove it, try using some of the following lifestyle management steps to help you overcome the aches in your body.
- Get real! Don't be a weekend athlete. If your workout time and playing time have been dramatically reduced, don't think you can coast through the week and then overdo it on the weekend. Use common sense and gradually begin a workout routine. Allow your body to move into motion, not be jump-started into motion.
- Stretch. It's crucial to loosen up. When you begin working out on "cold" muscles, you will most likely cause an injury. Spend a good 20 minutes stretching and gently working your calves, thighs, shins, and arms through a series of stretching exercises to "heat up" those muscles and get them moving.
- Get going! Be on the move and you'll minimize injuries when exercise is a regular part of your life. Incorporate into your life a program of walking 3-4 times a week for 30 to 40 minutes. Keeping your body on the move will not only make you feel good; it will help keep your muscles limber.
- Get retreaded every 6 months. Make sure you have a good pair of exercise shoes that will keep your feet well cushioned and supported as you work out. They lose their effectiveness after six months of regular use, so make sure you replace them at least twice a year.
- If you get a muscle spasm, work it out by gently stretching the muscle in the opposite direction of the contraction. Once the contraction subsides, don't immediately plunge back into activity; walk for a few moments and get the blood flowing back into the muscle. Then gradually resume your activity.
- Go bananas! Muscle cramps and spasms may occur due to a lack of potassium. A good source of potassium is bananas. Try eating one a day.
- Put it on ice. If you find you have overdone it, don't use heat, use ice. Take a good cold shower/bath, or use ice packs on your sore muscles.
- Get specific. There is a lot of information out there on sports nutrition, but don't assume that what you read is exactly right for you. Seek the advice of a good health care professional who works in sports medicine and can work with you to find the nutritional program that is best for your body.
- Maintain balance in all you do. By living a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of good, whole, nutritional foods, plenty of sleep and rest, plenty of exercise, drinking plenty of good clean water, thinking good, pure thoughts, and choosing to focus on the blessings in life, you are better able to overcome the stresses and traumas life brings. Make this way of living a way of life.
Frank J. King, Jr., ND, DC
Asheville, North Carolina
Tel: (704) 683-9901
(800) 543-3245
Fax: (704) 683-2221
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