Dr. Sanjay Shah

MD (Hom)
Consulting Homeopath
 
 
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Pricipals of Homeopathy

 
Cardinal Pricipals
 
Every science is based on certain principles and the same holds true for theHomoeopathic science too. There are a few solid, fundamental principles,which form the basis of this great science. Ithas its own unique philosophy and therapeutics that are founded on sevencardinal principles.
 
They are as follows:
 
  1. Law of Similia
  2. Law of Simplex
  3. Law of Minimum
  4. Doctrine of Drug Proving
  5. Theory of Chronic Diseases
  6. Theory of Vital Force
  7. Doctrine of Drug Dynamisation
Let usconsider each of these principles in detail to have a better perspective ofthe Homoeopathic system of medicine.
 
Law of Similia
 
Somelike Hippocrates and Paracelsus knew this Lawof Similars evenbefore Hahnemann rediscovered it and founded a whole system of therapeuticsbased on it. Hahnemann distinctly declares that the phenomenon of cureentirely depends upon this law. In other words, this is the law that governsHomoeopathy and forms the most fundamental basis of this science.
 
Theword 'homoios' means 'like' or 'similar' and 'pathos' means 'suffering' andso Homoeopathy is a 'Medicine of likes'. It is a method of curing thesufferings in a diseased individual by administration of remedies that havethe capacity to produce similar sufferings in a relatively healthy individual(by symptom similarity).
 
ThusHahnemann derived the Law of Similia based on this principle, and has statedit in the aphorism number 26 in the book, Organonof medicine, whichreads as follows :
 
"Aweaker dynamic affection is permanently extinguished in the living organismby a stronger one, if the latter (whilst differing in kind) is very similarto the former in its manifestations."
 
Bythis he means, that each individual case of disease is most surely,radically, rapidly and permanently annihilated and cured if the symptoms ofthe medicine chosen (without it being of the same species) are similar to thedisease symptoms but superior to it in strength.
 
Thislaw is also called as SIMILIASIMILIBUS CURANTUR, whichmeans 'Letlikes be treated by likes' (like cures like). By this law, he wants to emphasize that,in order to execute a cure and heal an ailing person, a homoeopathicphysician needs to administer a drug that produces symptoms that are similarto the diseased symptoms.
 
Thislaw can be prominently seen in nature too :
 
'Illumination of a candle (weaker in nature) is completely outshadowed by the brilliant light of the sun (stronger in nature and differingin kind)' Law of Simplex Hahnemannstates in aphorisms 272-274, 'Onlyone, single, simple remedy should be administered to the patient at onetime'. Thisis the law of simplex.
 
Hefurther explains this in a simplified manner as :
  • At any given time, only one remedy can be the exact similar to the presenting disease condition of the patient.
  • During drug proving, drugs are proved singly and the symptoms then observed are compiled into the Materia Medica.
  • If the physician administers more than one remedy at a time, he will be unable to ascertain the curative action of the remedy.
  • Administration of more than one remedy can produce certain group of symptoms, which can be harmful to the patient.
 
Law of Minimum
 
Thecurative effect of the medicine does not depend only on the selection of asimilar remedy but also on the quantity of the medicine. Since thehomoeopathic medicines act at a dynamic level, only a minute quantity of themedicine is enough to stimulate the dynamically deranged vital force to bringabout the necessary curative change in a patient.
 
Thisquantitative reduction of the medicinal substance is achieved by the methodof potentisation, which avoids the unwanted medicinal aggravation caused bycrude substances, and prevents chances of any organ damage.
 
A French mathematician, Maupertius, also observed this same principle andstated, 'Thequantity of action necessary to affect any change in the nature is the leastpossible, an infinitesimal'.
 
Doctrine of Drug Proving
 
Drugproving is a systemic investigation and evaluation of the disease producingpower of a substance on healthy human beings of sexes, different age groupsand people from different places.
 
Indrug proving, a drug or a medicine is administered to a group of relativelyhealthy individuals (provers) until symptoms of ill health and disease appearin them. These provers are instructed to carefully observe and note all finersensations, feelings and emotions, or any subtle deviations in the normalfunctioning of the various organs and parts of the body.
 
Afterthe proving is concluded, symptoms reported by the provers are carefullyassessed, evaluated, classified and grouped according to the part of the bodyaffected and degree of severity. The end result of this work is compiled in asystematic order and the 'Materia Medica' of the proved drug is created. Thisdrug can be administered as a curative remedy to an ailing person when hepresents with a similar set of symptoms. Only well proved remedies are usedto prescribe for the patients. Various sources must be explored and proved inorder to understand their curative properties and added to the bulk of thealready existing Materia Medica.
 
It isa prerequisite, to choose healthy individuals for conducting a drug proving,because if a diseased person is chosen, the symptoms of the drug to be provedand the disease symptoms will merge with each other and an accurate pictureof the drug will not emerge.
 
Drugproving also needs to be done exclusively on human beings as they candescribe subjective sensations and feelings precisely and in detail. Only humanshave the intelligence to appreciate and record subjective symptoms asdeviations from their normal conditions of life. They can describe the exactlocation and the precise sensations of their physical symptoms and explainfactors, which lessen or worsen their complaints. They are capable of givinga vivid picture of the mental state in the course of the proving and can alsodescribe their dreams, which denote the subconscious mind.
 
Theory of Chronic Diseases
 
After30 years of homoeopathic practice Dr.Hahnemann realized that homeopathyfailed to execute a 'real cure' in some diseases. He observed that in manycases symptoms got ameliorated for a brief period only to relapse at a laterdate. This intrigued him and made him reflect as to the possible cause ofthese failures. The following were the probable causes that wereconsidered....
 
  • The Law of Similars might not be universally applicable
  • There could be some flaw in the application of the Law of Similars
  • The number of drugs till date were inadequate to cover all the diseases
  • There could be some error in determining the totality of symptoms
  • There might be some obstacles that persisted, which hindered cure
Hahnemann,by his reasoning and logic, excluded the other probabilities and concludedthat certain obstacles were responsible for the relapses and failures. So hestudied the chronic cases in great depth and after 12 years of studies, hediscovered that chronic diseases are caused by chronic miasms.
 
Miasmis an obnoxious disease-producing agent, dynamic in nature and inimical tolife. Hefounded the theory of miasms and named the miasms as :
 
  • Psora
  • Sycosis
  • Syphilis
 
Psora
 
Psora is the mother of all chronic diseases and almost 80% of chronicdiseases come under its domain. It is an internal disease, which may existwith or without an eruption on skin. It is the fostering soil for everypossible disease condition. Hahnemann realized that psora is not a local skindisease, but a manifestation of an internal disorder of unhealthiness andshould never be treated by external remedies. Unless it is thoroughly cured,it persists till the last breath of life.
 
Psoricpersonalities are mentally active, quick, alert, but easily prostrated fromexertion, both mental and physical. They are very anxious and fear death,that health will fail, of being unable to succeed. Ill-effects from strongemotions grief, fear, etc. Physical manifestations are in the form of itch,skin eruptions etc. Sycosis & Syphilis follows Psora.
 
Remedies : Psorinum, Sulphur
 
Sycosis
 
Sycosis is generally understood to be the gonorrheal poison but gonorrhea isan acute gonococcal infection that develops after an exposure, while Sycosisis established after a suppressed gonorrhea when the acute infection isdriven in upon the vital energy by external methods of suppression making asystematic stigma that permeates every cell of the living organism.
 
Sycoticpersonalities are highly suspicious, jealous, vindictive and quarrelsome.They have fixity and rigidity of thoughts. Physical manifestations are seenin the form of warts, gonorrhea etc.
 
Remedies : Thuja, Medorrhinum
 
Syphilis
 
Syphilis is comparatively a modern disease, which occurs through sexualcontact. It presents as chancre, and with discharging eruptions on thegenitals. Whereas the miasm Syphilis is a lethal poison which when oncedriven inside or suppressed, starts eating into the system destroying tissuesand altering the structure of bones, ligaments etc. Long standing Psora orSycosis can lead to Syphilis where the manifestations are destructive. Thereis a chronic desperate struggle to survive, which is similarly seen even atthe level of mind.
 
Syphiliticpersonalities are hopeless, violent, sadists, criminals and anti-social. Theperson is slow of comprehension, sullen, stupid, easily angered. The breakingout of an ulcer or hemorrhages relieves mental troubles. Physicalmanifestations are seen in the form of ulcerations, induration, caries etc.Also, there is marked nightly aggravation of all complaints.
 
Remedies : Syphilinum, Merc-sol
 
Theory of Vital Force
 
Vitalforce is the invisible vital energy that animates each organism and is themost intimate spark, the essence of the individual. The material organism(body), without the vital force is capable of no sensation, no function, noself-preservation; it derives all sensations and performs all the functionsof life solely by means of the immaterial being (vital force), which animatesthe material organism in health and in disease. In health it is thisspirit-like force that governs the life and maintains all the bodilysensations and functions in equilibrium.
 
When aperson falls ill it is only this spiritual, self-acting (automatic) vitalforce, everywhere present in his organism, which is primarily deranged by thedynamic influence upon it of a morbific (disease causing) agent inimical tolife. It is only the vital force, deranged to such an abnormal state, whichcan furnish the organism with its disagreeable sensations and incline it tothe irregular processes, which we call disease.
 
Hencein disease, there is dynamic derangement of the vital force, which leads todisharmony and alteration of all the bodily functions and sensations.Hahnemann has described about this vital force in the Organon of medicine inaphorism 9 and 10 as follows :
 
'Inthe healthy condition of man, the spiritual vital force (autocracy), thedynamis that animates the material body (organism), rules with unboundedsway, and retains all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious,vital operation, as regards both sensations and functions, so that ourindwelling, reason-gifted mind can freely employ this living, healthyinstrument for the higher purposes of our existence'.
 
'Thematerial organism without the vital force is capable of no sensation, nofunction, no self preservation; it derives all sensations & performs allfunctions of life solely by means of the immaterial being - the vital forcewhich stimulates the organism in health and disease'.
 
Doctrine of DrugDynamisation
 
Hahnemannbegan the experiments of the application of proven drugs for the cure of thesick upon the basis of the law of similars, by using drugs in their fullstrength but many a times, he observed aggravation of the ailments inpatients. He reasoned that the dose was too large and hence started dilutingthe drug on a definite scale .He found to his surprise that the resultsobtained were much better. He continued this process of dilution until he discoveredthat the curative power of drugs bore no proportionate relationship to thecrude quantity, but by this peculiar and systematic method of dilution basedon a regular scale, the concealed curative powers of otherwise inertsubstances were extracted. He named this process of drug dynamization as 'Potentisation'. Potentisation is a process by which allthe medicinal properties, which are latent in a substance, are extracted fromtheir crude form for the curative purpose.
 
Thereare two methods of potentisation; Trituration for insoluble substances andSucussion for soluble ones.
 
Benefitsof potentisation
  • Substances, which are medicinally inert in their crude form, are made available for the curative purpose.
  • The action of the potentised medicines is deeper, longer and curative.
  • Toxic materials and venoms of certain animals when potentised are rendered harmless for therapeutic purpose
  • The medicinal power increases dynamically by the process of potentisation, hence these medicines are able to stimulate the (dynamically) deranged vital force and restore the state of health.
  • By potentisation, there is a quantitative reduction and a qualitative enhancement of the medicinal substance, hence medicinal aggravation is minimized.
 
Indrug proving, when a drug is administered in a high potency, the symptomsobtained are more accurate and finer, more so at the level of mind.