How Do You Pick a Homeopathic Remedy?

A Peek Inside the Art of Repertorization

Have you ever wondered how a homeopath chooses just one tiny remedy from hundreds available? Spoiler: it’s not guesswork. It’s a detailed and incredibly thoughtful process called repertorization—and it’s at the core of how homeopathy works.

Let’s take a peek behind the scenes of what actually happens when I select a homeopathic remedy for your pet (or you!).

What Is Repertorization?

Repertorization is the method a homeopath uses to match a patient’s unique symptom profile to the most appropriate remedy. Think of it like detective work combined with medical artistry.

Instead of diagnosing a disease and treating it with a one-size-fits-all drug, I look at the totality of symptoms—not just physical, but also emotional, mental, and behavioral.

The Steps of Repertorization (a.k.a. Homeopathic Sleuthing)

1. Gathering the Case

This is the most important step.I ask questions. A lot of questions.

• What exactly are the symptoms?

• When did they start?

• What makes them better or worse?

• What’s your animal’s personality like?

• How do they react to stress, noise, strangers, storms?

No detail is too small. In homeopathy, a quirky behavior or unusual symptom might be the key that unlocks the case.

2. Choosing Key Symptoms (Rubrics)

Once I have the full picture, I identify the most characteristic symptoms—called rubrics—that will help differentiate between remedies.

Examples of rubrics:

• “Restlessness at night”

• “Desires warmth”

• “Sensitive to thunderstorms”

• “Joint pain worse in the morning”

These are drawn from a massive reference tool called the homeopathic repertory, which is essentially a massive, alphabetized symptom database.

3. Using Software or Books to Analyze

In the old days, this meant flipping through thousands of pages. These days, I use specialized homeopathic software to input rubrics and see which remedies show up most often in connection with the symptoms.

But here’s the catch: the top-scoring remedy isn’t always the right one.That’s where clinical experience and patient observation come in. I look at:

• How well the remedy matches the animal’s temperament

• How deep the remedy acts (physical vs emotional)

• How closely it matches the full picture—not just the highest score

  
  

4. Selecting the Simillimum

The simillimum is the remedy that most closely mirrors the patient's state.When it's the right one, it gently nudges the body back into balance.

It’s not about suppressing symptoms. It’s about helping the body finish what it’s trying to do—whether that’s resolving inflammation, calming anxiety, or healing skin.

5. Follow-Up and Adjustments

Sometimes one remedy brings full resolution.Other times, we may need to adjust the potency, repeat the dose, or change remedies as the case evolves.

Homeopathy is a dynamic process, and it always honors the animal’s unique healing timeline.

Why This Matters for You and Your Pet

Most pet owners are used to the “diagnosis = drug” model. But when you bring your animal to a homeopath, you’re entering a different world—one that looks at the whole being, not just the condition.

Repertorization is what helps me get incredibly specific with your pet’s care.And that’s why no two treatment plans are the same—because no two animals (or people) are the same.

Final Thoughts

Repertorization might sound technical, but at its core, it’s about listening deeply to the patient, It’s how I translate your animal’s symptoms into a roadmap for healing.

If you’ve ever wondered why I take such a detailed history—or why I’m fascinated by your dog’s sleep habits, weird cravings, or reactions to thunderstorms—now you know. Every detail matters when we’re finding the remedy that’s meant just for them.