Each of the salts has been described as having a special action within the body. These are shown below:

DOSAGES
Unlike ‘true’ homeopathic remedies tissues salts are taken with frequency over a period of time with no worry of an aggravation. How often you take the dose during the day depends on your condition and whether it is acute or chronic - your practitioner will advise you over this. A general rule of thumb is:

Acute - dissolve the tissue salts in hot water (9 pills in 200mls for adults) and sip it every 5-15 minutes depending on the severity of the symptoms. Once improvement occurs sip every hour or two. This method is very good for the cramping, spasmodic pains of Mag. phos. e.g. period pains.

Chronic - two or three doses morning, noon and night; so an adult with a chronic illness would take 4 pills in the morning, 4 at noon and 4 at night.

The standard single dosing is:
Adults - 4 tablets
Children over 3 - 2 tablets
Children under 3 - 1 tablet
Babies over 3months - 1 tablet
For children under three the tablet can be crushed and the powder given or dissolved in a small amount of water.

Practitioners will often just prescribe one or two of the tissue salts on their own in order to deal with your problem. Each tissue salt has what we describe as a large ‘picture’ associated with it and could cover a very wide range of symptoms in a case. New Era produce individual tissue salts.

COMBINATION TISSUE SALTS
New Era also produce a range of combination tissue salts that have affinities to certain tissues or systems in the body. This makes choosing the appropriate tissue salts much easier. They are available from most health food shops and some high street chemists. The combinations are named A-S (excepting O) and are used as follows:

TISSUE SALTS AND THE ZODIAC
A practitioner by the name of Dr Carey came up with an application of the use of tissue salts corresponding with a person’s birth sign. His rationale was that the body would use up a particular salt the most depending on when the person was born and that this deficiency will leave the person susceptible to certain diseases and ills. He advised that a person should take their ‘birth salt’ weekly or monthly to guard against illness.

I am not aware of any practitioners prescribing tissue salts according to the zodiac, but it is an interesting concept. I do not know how Carey came to associate each particular tissue salt to a specific zodiac sign, but it does not appear to be arbitrary. For example, Libra is all about balance (the scales) and Nat. phos. is concerned with the acid balance in the body. I am also bemused to note the fact that my own constitutional remedy is Nat. mur. and my zodiac sign is Aquarius whose corresponding birth salt is Nat. mur!

HOMEOPATHY AND NUTRITION
Homeopathic remedies are not prescribed as nutrients; there is a very different philosophy with regard to their application. However, I am sure many practitioners will agree with me that a person’s development will often put on a spurt after the correct constitutional remedy has been given. This is especially true when treating children, slow developing babies will start sitting, standing, cutting their teeth etc. and older children will often put on a growth spurt – almost as if the remedy has stimulated their system or increased the efficiency that they use the nutrient in their food. I have commonly seen this with such remedies as Calc. carb., Baryta. carb., Lycopodium and Sulphur among others.