Homoeopathy

Dr. CF Samuel Hahnemann

 Over 200 years ago, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann presented to the world a new way to heal disease-Homoeopathy. The word homeopathy is coined from the Greek words 'homoios' meaning like or similar and 'pathos' meaning suffering (similar suffering). It works on the principle of 'similia similibus curentur', or let 'likes be cure by likes' which means that what will cause will cure. Homeopathy demonstrates that, a substance that produces a certain set of symptoms in a healthy person can cure a sick person experiencing those same symptoms. Homoeopathy can be defined as a rational system of medicine with the aim of curing the sufferings of a person by administration of drugs which have been experimentally proved on healthy human beings to posses the power of producing similar sufferings.

    Homoeopathy, like most alternative treatments, has never really been a mainstream but in its own way it has grown and spread all over the world. Some have absolute faith in these little white pills, some brush the whole thing aside and some will only acknowledge that it works-but like a placebo.

WHAT IS HOMOEOPATHY?

      Homoeopathy is a unique therapeutic system, which means to cure a patient with those drugs that produce similar symptoms to the sufferings of the patient.

                Homoeopathy “as a scientific system, it is made up of certain facts, laws and methods or processes, each of which is an integral part of the whole”. The fundamental laws are:

1.      Law of similia

2.      Law of simplex

3.      Law of minimum dose

4.      Doctrine of drug proving

5.      Doctrine of drug dynamization

6.      Doctrine of chronic diseases

7.      Doctrine of vital force

8.      Doctrine of individualization

LAW OF SIMILIA:

               “Simlia similibus curanter” that is “like cures like” is the nature’s law of cure. Hahnemann gave a mandatory turn to this phrase and it became “similia similibus curentur” that is “let likes be treated by likes”. It means that after taking the totality of symptoms of the patient he should be administered with a remedy which can produce similar symptoms in healthy persons. The greater the similarity between the disease symptoms and drug symptoms, the cure is definite.

LAW OF SIMPLEX:

Homoeopathy believes that always single remedy should be prescribed at a time. Each substance has its own characteristics that differentiate from other substances. It is a scientific fact that two substances are not alike and no two persons are alike.

   Hence, medicines should be studied, proved and used in single, unadulterated form, because when two substances are mixed together either they form the third substance or some of their own properties are lost.

  LAW OF MINIMUM:

The word minimum means that smallest quantity which can bring about a cure. This relates to the doses of the prescribed medicine, the quantity to be used which should be sufficient to arouse a reaction in the body.

DOCTRINE OF DRUG PROVING:

Homoeopathic science lays down that those medicines should be used in the treatment whose medicinal properties are fully known. To know the inherent powers of the drug it should be proved on healthy human beings and the symptoms produced in them should be recorded. The finer curative properties of drugs which can be ascertained only by experimenting drugs on healthy human beings of different ages and both the sexes.

DOCTRINE OF DRUG DYNAMIZATION:

The theory of drug dynamization or potentisation was introduced in 5^th edition of organon in the year 1833. The dynamization is a process by which the medicinal or curative properties of the crude substances can be brought out, which are otherwise inherent or latent. There are two processes of dynamization:

1.      Trituration: A process for insoluble substances.

2.      Succussion: A process for soluble substances.

DOCTRINE OF VITAL FORCE:

The doctrine of vital force was introduced in 5^th edition of organon with theory the doctrine of drug dynamization. Homoeopathy believed in the existence of an animating life force in the body which Hahnemann called the “vital force”. According to this theory, the disease is because of derangement of dynamic vital force by dynamic disease producing power, miasms.

In healthy condition of man, this vital force maintains the normal functions of the body, it maintains the harmonious functioning of all the system in the organism. In diseases, this vital force is the first to get deranged by the miasms. The symptoms which we notice in diseases are produced by the vital force.

DOCTRINE OF CHRONIC DISEASES:

The “theory of chronic diseases” was introduced in 4^th edition of organon. He explains that “miasms” are the cause of all the diseases. According to Hahnemann, miasms are the fundamental and real cause of all the diseases. Miasms are dynamic disease causing powers. There are three miasms namely psora, sycosis and syphilis. Unless these miasms are removed from the body the patient cannot be cured from his illness.

DOCTRINE OF INDIVIDUALIZATION:

The word “individualization” is derived from a Greek word called “individuous” means “not divisible”. Individualization is a process of understanding and differentiating person, both in health and disease, from the other persons of his group based on his peculiar and uncommon symptoms. A human being’s personality is understood not only by his body but also by his emotional and intellectual state.

In treating a patient, two types of individualization are done:

1.      Individualizing the patient: This is done by noting abnormal, peculiar and uncommon symptoms from his disease point of view

2.      Individualization of the drug: After understanding the individuality of a patient, the physician has to compare it with the similar drug in the materia medica. Only that remedy in the materia medica which exactly suits the individual characters of the patient will cure the patient. “Homoeopathy treats the patient not the disease”.

LOGIC OF HOMOEOPATHY:

Homoeopathy is based on inductive logic. The word “logic” means “the science and art of reasoning”.  Inductive logic is a scientific method that precedes the process of induction.

Inductive logic requires:

      1.      Exact observation

      2.      Correct interpretation

      3.      Rational explanation

      4.      Scientific construction.

TOTALITY OF SYMPTOMS:

Definition: Hahnemann defines totality “the symptoms are the outwardly reflected picture of the internal essence of the disease that is the affection of the vital force”.

The basis for homoeopathic prescription is the totality of symptoms as viewed and interpreted from the standpoint of the prescriber.  It is the collection of individual symptoms, which are logically related to each other and stand forth as an individuality.

Sources of totality of symptoms:

The totality of symptoms can be ascertained from the following source:

       1.      The patient

       2.      Relatives and attendants of the patient

       3.      The physician himself

       4.      Laboratory investigations.

ANALYSIS OF SYMPTOMS:

            Analysis of symptoms is the artistic method of finding out cause of the individual disease and resolving the case into common and uncommon symptoms. Analysis is the logical process of separating the numerical totality into different components according to their hierarchy.

It helps the physician in collecting the following data:

      1.       Causation of the suffering

      2.      Actual psycho-physical personality of the patient

      3.      Patients response to his environment both physical and emotional

      4.      General modalities: aggravations and ameliorations

      5.      Characteristics particulars

      6.      Rare, peculiar and striking symptoms

EVALUATION OF SYMPTOMS:

           Evaluation of symptoms is a process of grading the symptoms according to their value and priority in order to individualize the patient, so that the physician can match them with the drug symptoms and select the similimum remedy.

 POSOLOGY:

          Posology is the doctrine of science of doses. It is the science about selection, administration and repetition of doses. The meaning of the word posology came from the Greek word “posos” means “how much” and “logos” means “Science”.

Selection of potency is based on:

      1.      Susceptibility of the patient

      2.      Seat of the disease

      3.      Nature and intensity of symptoms

      4.      Stage and duration of the disease

      5.      Previous treatment of the patient

    Unlike conventional medicines, a homeopathic medicine is believed to be more effective when its active ingredient is diluted and succussed (shaken vigorously). Data indicates that the homeopathic medicine gains increased effectiveness with each additional dilution-succussion step. Furthermore the safety profile of the medicine increases with increased dilution.

HISTROY OF HOMOEOPATHY:

                  Homoeopathy was founded in the year 1796A.D. An early assertion that “likes cures likes” was made by Hippocrates about 400 BC, when he prescribed mandrake root (which produced mania), to treat mania, by prescribing a smaller than what would produce mania. In 16^th century the pioneer of pharmacology Paracelsus declared that small doses of “what makes a man ill also cures him”. But it was Hahnemann who gave it a name and laid out principles in the late 18^th century.

           16^th and 17^th century period is known as Renaissance period, birth of scientific enquiry. The importance of scientific enquiry was noticed by the people in Europe by 16^th century. Physicians of the 17^th century were divided into 2 schools based on their thoughts:

1.      Iatro-physical school: They considered body as a mere machine. According to them, body functions just like a machine both in health and disease.

2.      Iatro-chemical school: They considered or believed that functions that are taking place in the body are nothing but the result of a series of chemical reactions.  

18^th century medicine: By the beginning of 18^th century the control of church authority over medicine had completely faded away. Cruel treatments like blood lettings, venesections, gum Arabic solutions, mustard plasters, set on; issues, leeches applications and other cruel methods were employed by the physicians.

  By the end of 18^th century there existed 3 major groups of physicians

    1.     Dogmatists (dogma is blind belief)

    2.      Empirics

    3.      Methodists

 The 19^th and 20^th century was considered the era of cellular pathology and bacteriology.           Hahnemann was not satisfied with the cruel and uncertain methods of existing system of medicine. Homoeopathy was discovered in the year 1790 AD. Hahnemann was busy translating Dr. William Cullen’s “a treatise on material medica” from English to German, in his book Dr. Cullen allotted around 20 pages for the curative effects of the Peruvian bark (cinchona bark) for intermittent fever. He explained that the curative property of cinchona bark is because of its bitterness. Hahnemann was not satisfied with this explanation; he wanted to experiment on it. Hahnemann took 4 drams of cinchona bark extract twice a day and was attacked by malarial fever. Hahnemann experimented with other medicinal substances which are most specific to certain diseases. All the medicines were capable of producing the same diseased state in healthy humans for which they were used as specific medicines. Hahnemann came to the conclusion that medicines cure diseases because they can produce similar symptoms in healthy individuals.        The first collection of proving was published in 1805 and a second collection of 65 remedies appeared in his book, material medica pura in 1810.