Every patient is unique. The following cases of eczema, each requiring a different remedy, demonstrated the individualization of homeopathic treatment. To achieve a real cure, the homeopath must be able to understand the essence of each case in order to prescribe the correct remedy.
Case one:
A three-year-old girl had frequent flare-ups of eczema on her leg folds. The local symptoms of the eczema suggested no remedy, but the unusual behavior of the girl led me to the correct prescription. Unlike most children, this little girl did not like touch and intimacy from anybody, even her own parents. She was afraid of taking shower and would scream if a drop of water splashed onto her face. In a birthday party, she would run away from the birthday cake because of the fear of candle fire. All these peculiarities guided me to the remedy Antimonium crudum. The eczema gradually subsided after one dose of the remedy. She relapsed three times in the following two years. The same remedy was repeated during the first two episodes, while the third one was mild enough to get recovered on its own without any treatment.
Case two:
A seven-year-old girl suffered from eczema which covered many parts of her body, including cheeks, hands and arms, leg folds, neck and abdomen. Her mother had difficulties describing how her daughter’s eczema looked like because it kept on changing. The itchiness was worse in the evening. The girl loved to put ice on her skin because it felt burning. She was a hot person and seldom drank water. She usually slept on her back with arms over her head. The girl loved company, she could not practice piano or finished her homework unless her mother sat next to her. This was a clear case of Pulsatilla, which cured the eczema in six months with one single dose.
Although both cases were diagnosed with eczema, it was apparent that every individual has his/her own expression of the disease. Instead of giving the same medicine to every patient, homeopathic treatment is "tailor-made" for different constitutions. The remedy which fits the patient’s overall picture will stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanism, hence curing of the disease. Apart from local symptoms of the affected skin, other symptoms of the person, including physical, emotional and mental, are also taken into consideration when selecting the remedy. Such an individualized and holistic approach brings a true healing from the inside out. In the above case examples, the patients not only recovered from their eczema, but also improved in different aspects of their overall health, such as mood, energy, sleep quality and appetite.
(The above information and photos were published with the consent of the patients or their parents)