The Doctrines of Homoeopathy

DOCTRINES OF HOMOEOPATHY

Homoeopathy is the special branch of therapeutics based on following principles

1.   Doctrine of 'Similea Similibus Curentur' or law of cure or law of simplex

2.   Doctrine of 'Proved drugs’

3.   Doctrine of single remedy or Principles of complex

4.   Doctrine of 'Drug potentisation'

5.   Doctrine of Minimum Doses'

6.   Doctrine of Vital force

7.   Doctrine of "Individualization'

8.   Doctrine of Chronic Miasms

9.   Doctrine of Obstruction to Cure

10. Doctrine of Suppression.

1. Doctrine of Similiea Similibus Curentur or Law of cure:

          ‘Similiea Similibus Curentur' means let likes to be cured by like. This is the most fundamental law of homoeopathy. Earlier references of this law are found in ancient Hindu Medical Text and also found in advocated in the writings of Ariststotle, Hippocrates, Prof. Stalh who also confirmatory said that, law of Similar should be applied when treating the diseases but this was all submerged by Ganel's strong stretching in favor of law of Opposite. In 1790, when Dr. Hahnemann was translating Cullen’s Materia Medica from English to German, he came across a statement that the Cinchona bark cures Malaria fever because it is bitter in taste. Hahnemann thought that if it is true, there are so many other substances which should be able to cure Malaria but this was untrue. So for his knowledge, one fine morning with empty stomach, he took 4 drams of cinchona bark twice a day and to his surprise be got typical symptoms of malaria fever like chills, heat and perspiration. He also experiment the same on his friends and relatives likewise he experimented on other drug substances. His experiments convincing him that medicine cure disease because they can produce similar diseases in a person. So this law state that a drug capable of producing in a healthy person a diseased state, exactly similar to that observe in a diseased person acts as curative agents (in curable diseases)

          Thus, this law expresses curative relationship between the disease and drug that is symptom similarity Thus, the law of Similea Similibus Curenter is discovered in 1790 and Dr. Hahnemann in 1796 declared to it to the world by publishing an article "AN ESSAY ON A NEW METOD FOR ASSERTAINING CURATIVE POWER OF DRUG"

2. Doctrine of Proved Drugs or medicines:

           Drug proving is nothing but the administrating of drug on healthy human beings. The medicines are proved on both males and females of different ages and thus drug proving can be defined as a method of asserting curative power of drugs by administrating them on healthy human beings of different ages and sexes.

Homoeopathic Medicines

         Only proven drugs or medicines are given in homoeopathy and proved drugs or medicines are those, whose symptoms are well known to us. The symptoms produced during such proving are noted down carefully and all these details can’t be stored in memory. The symptoms noted by provers are noted in daybook which the prover has maintained. The final data is collected after eliminating false or doubtful observation from many provers. At the time of Hahnemann, knowledge of true properties of drugs didn’t exist as such. The knowledge of materia medica was a mix up made up of fork stories, data from poisoning, guesswork of some people and it was in such circumstances  that Dr. Hahnemann thought of asserting the true properties of drugs by careful experimentation not on animals but on healthy human beings.

         The pure effects of the drugs which verified and re-verified appear in his book Materia Medica Pura. Earlier to this, Hahnemann has treaties which also contain proving of drugs namely FRAGMENTA DE VIRIBUS MEDICAMENTORUM POSITIVES.    

         Proving of drugs or medicines on healthy human beings as a method of accurately asserting the capacity of drugs or medicines to alter the state of health was Hahnemann's vision and to achieve this, he did lot of hard work. By this method, we got idea of an individual subjective and mental symptoms which is not possible in animal proving.

3. Doctrine of 'Single remedy’ or Principle of Complex:

          Single remedy should be given at a time. During the time of Hahnemann and even now in allopathic treatment poly pharmacy is practiced - which means many drugs or medicines were given at a time. Dr. Hahnemann said that a single remedy should be given at a time since each substances has its own properties which differentiate it from the other substances. So one must not mixed one medicine with other medicinal substances. Only one drug or medicine should be selected on the bases of most similar and which will acts as curative agent. And also the effect of combination of remedies has not been experimentally work-out and what effects it may produced isn't known.

4. Doctrine of Drug Potentisation:

        Initially, Dr Hahnemann used drugs or medicines in their crude state.  When he started drug proving and administrating them as remedies, he found that many times a severe aggravation of the clinical state set in before the expected amelioration ending in cure. So he correctly concluded that this initial aggravation was cause by the dose which was very large. He therefore started reducing the dose by using inert substances like sugar of milk or alcohol as the diluting medium. So that, the drug or medicinal substance should be equally dispose. He used trituration or succussion method. He thus, found a new process of preparation of medicines by which he utilize insoluble substances as effective remedial agents, poisonous substances should be use as medicines, inert substances like common salt, sand.

Trituration: Making of Homoeopathic Medicines

       By applying this method, he found that the preparation retains all the medicinal properties exhibited by the original state. He further observed that as he ascended this scale, the capacity of drugs increased mental symptoms and be also succeeded in reducing the initial medicinal aggravation. He termed this new process as "potentisation'. This process releases the drug energy and therefore drug or medicinal energy are in dynamic nature. This doctrine introduced in 6th edition of Organon of Medicine by Dr. Hahnemann. This process liberates the inherent power or curative power which was dormant or latent in the crude form. The quantity of medicine is reduced but quality of medicine is increased and Hahnemann believed that since vital force is dynamic it can be affected by dynamic power of remedy only and thus, it is another most important doctrine of preparation of drugs or medicines.

5.  Doctrine of 'Minimum Doses':

           We have noted that, Dr. Hahnemann initially used law of similar remedies in crude state and large doses. When he found that severe aggravation occured before amelioration, he classically reduced the dose in certain plan and this lead to potentisation.  We have observed that minimum force is sufficient to disturb as well as to restore balance. Therefore, we must use just sufficient energy to restore the balance. Therefore, Dr Hahnemann advised minimum doses. The minimum dose of medicine has least toxic effects on the body when administered.

6. Doctrine of Vital Force:

          Vital force is an expression of itself. This doctrine is introduced by Dr. Hahnemann in   4^th edition of Organon Of Medicine. It is a spiritual dynamic power of life or we can called a divine power. It maintains the life in human being. This course is responsible for the annihilation and harmonious order of living organism.  The disharmonious and disequilibrium of vital force leads to disease. Our body with all its structures and parts is a material thing which is unable or capable of any functions by itself. So this materialization body gives life by the vital force. This force react against inimical or harmful forces which produces disease. It is that vital force which maintains normal functions and sensations of the body. Cessation of life or death occurs when this force leaves the body.

7. Doctrine of Chronic miasms:

           Dr. Hahnemann tried to find an explanation of the frequent treatments with relapsing complaints. He observed relapsing complaints in some chronic patients who he treated according to law of similar. He felt that he was following right path then why these patients were not getting cure permanently. He observed them in greater detail and classified into 3 groups with definite features and predispositions. He observed a close association between these groups and a disease of itch, syphilis and Gonorrhea (sexually transmitted disease or veneral diseases) which were commonly found in those days. He put forward relations between these there chronic diseases.  Some patients don’t relapses beyond the particular tendency.  Careful study of them enable to Hahnemann to group these cases as Group one, Patients with known history of venereal infection.  These patients generally gave history of skin manifestations characterized by severe itching which was suppressed by some local treatment and health condition decreasing dated from that period. This suppression, according to him produced the miasms of Psora. These patients be called Psoric patients and Homoeopathic remedy is useful for this is called antipsoric remedy.

         Patients who gave previous history of venereal infection with syphilis or gonorrhea general health was reducing after the disease manifestations which where suppressed miasms of Syphylis and Sycosis. Patient called syphylitic or sycotic patient and remedies used for this state as antisyphylitic and antisycotic. 

        Miasma means (miasma- to pollute) which is diseased produce agent. This word is used by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann to indicate a defect in the constitution which interfere the process of cure. He published this classical work in a book called Chronic Diseases consisting of 2 volumes in 1828.

         This doctrine is introduced into 4th edition of Organon Of Medicine.

8. Doctrine of Individualization:

          

       No two individuals are alike. We study the individual physically intellectually. We study the patient as a whole. Disease present in us in the form of signs and symptoms. Even the disease producing factor is identical but no two individuals are alike, it logically follows that their reason even identical disease producing factor will be different even if some common features are maintain. This common features help to us to name the disease.

          But what are important for prescription to curing the patient are the differentiating features which develop on the basis of the inherent constitutional differences. This individualization will leads to the correct selection of the most similar remedy which will cure the patient.

9. Doctrine of Suppression:

          Vital force keeps the body in harmonious condition but when affected by external features which suppresses the vital force and through this the normal functions of the body may be disturbed.

          Suppression is defined as inhibition of the natural expression  of the vital force in health or in disease.

           It occurs many ways.

A. Fight, fear, Grief Worry:  This produces wrong influence on vital force to natural functions and suppress which can produce number of symptoms.

B. Antipathic method: Effects of medicine in a physiological form. Symptoms are get suppressed is although there initial temporary palliation (temporary relief) and if this goes on for a long time other manifestations are seen in other more important organs.

C. External applications: For example, skin eruptions. This doesn't cure the diseased condition and by this method the skin eruptions are forced to disappear (suppressed) and thus, the disease goes and affects other vital and deeper organs.

D. Suppression of natural secretions: excessive sweat under armpits-use of medicinal powders and deodorants and thus, waste product is not removed in their natural channel and this space is filled by other parts to attend to remove it. This suppression leads to constitutional manifestations.

E. Removal of diseased organ: removing the tonsils, appendix- The inflammation of tonsils or appendix is result of the disease and not the cause of disease. Hence, when the affected organ is removed and therefore , disease has to find other channel to express it so and so after other organs are affected. A homoeopathic physician has to make a special study of suppression and their consequence to find the suitable remedy.

10. Doctrine of Obstruction to Cure :

       Dr. Samuel Hahnemann found that from his experience that certain diseases are not cured because obstruction to cure.

            They are both endogenous and exogenous in nature.

Endogenous:

       For example: mal formation, irreversible structural changes in the organs.

 Exogenous:

    For example: In sanitation, unhygienic improper diet, emotional stress or physical stress etc.