SPIRIT OF HOMEOPATHY (NOTES)

 Fundamental principles of Classical Homeopathy

1.            Mahakavi Kalidasa said “Shruyathe hi pura loke, Vishaya visham aushadam” which roufhly means, that Poison is the remedy for poison, as believed in olden times.  Hippocrartes postulated a similar principle “Similia similibus curentur” – Likes are cured by likes. 

 2.              Fundamental principle is that the Medicine that is capable of producing symptoms / certain effects when taken by a healthy person, is also capable of curing illness that displays similar effects in a diseased person. The remedies tested on human volunteers (provers) to elicit symptoms of each remedies experienced by the provers are recorded in exact detail and they form the homeopathic Materia Medica.  The symptoms of patient are matched with symptoms of various remedies in MM to find out the single remedy whose symptoms are most similar.

 3.              The next principle is that the ‘process of potentization’ stored up energy of drug is liberated.  Due to step by step dilution and jerking of drug makes it extremely powerful and at the same time renders it harmless, in contrast to toxic drugs of modern medicine and their innumerable “side effects”. 

 The potencies employed are having dilution of 100 times more dilute than previous one.  The 6^th potency is like one drop of original drug substance diluted in a lake full of water.  In the process of potentization stored up energy of drug is liberated.

 4.              The process of potentization brings out the latent medical energy in those substances which are derived from Animal kingdom, plant kingdom, mineral kingdom, disease products (Nosodes), health tissues and secretions (Sarcodes) and imponderables like Magnet, X-ray. These are used as remedies in Homeopathy. This may also be due to a concept called Water memory.

 5.             Next principle is that everyone carries within himself “his own doctor”. The Healing power of nature “Vis medicatrix naturae” is an ancient expression which declares that the  healing power exist within any organism and in Homeo it is known as Vital force (VF).  Disease is a disturbance of this Vital Force.  10 people getting wet in rain and only one gets pneumonia and most bacteria can affect us only if our own resistance is low.  

By removing the bacteria by anti-biotics etc., we are doing nothing to correct this lack of resistance. Homeopathy aims correcting disturbed VF and enhance power of body to heal itself and does not aim at removing symptoms which are only reflection of disturbed Vital Force. 

 6.              Next fundamental principle is that there is NO MEDICINE for any particular disease. Homeo treats the patient as a whole and as an individual.  The individual and not the disease, is the entity we are looking at.  All symptoms that distinguish a person are considered by enquiring into patients past, family history, his appetite, thirst, bowel habits, sleep, temperament etc., This is the reason as to why, it looks odd when you sit for the first time with a homeopath for a detailed case taking!!

7.              Present problem or a so called disease, is not an isolated occurrence but a part of a sequence, and treatment is for the whole sequence thereby preventing progress of disease and bad inheritance for future.  Child is the father of man and even in an infant we can perceive the beginning of future illness. 

A good homeopath learns to perceive disease as a continually evolving process which begins in the womb and unless arrested and cured, ends in the tomb. Some times it may be possible that the history of past illness appears briefly in the reverse order while giving homeopathic treatment.  When this happens we know that not only the present but also its cause in the past has been treated and the future is secure.

 8.              The diseases are seen from different angle since there is strong precedent of mentals and generals in addition to local problems suggested by pathology   The marked difference between sufferings caused by disease in two different individuals lies in their mental state and are far removed from actual seat of pathology.  

In Homeopathy, the most common symptoms are not be considered but the distinguishing mental symptoms is the key to know the state of disease.

 9.              The Central disturbance comes first and followed by changes in various organ systems depending on each individuals pathological tendencies.  Homeo removes the Central Disturbance and pathological disturbance’s manifested as local problem automatically ceased to exist.

Each patient has a specific mental state and an accompanying general state and when this is treated homeopathically, the pathology automatically regresses.  Treating the patient and not the pathology is the key.

 10.           Disease is seen as being a survival mechanism in a particular situation – situational Materia Medica.  The root cause of disease, is the states and roots are tendencies when excited, manifest as specific states of disease.  

These tendencies are impressions from specific situations in the past (or from previous generations) and make a person feel and react as if he were in that situation of delusion now also. 

 11.           Delusions is a false perception of reality and disease is a false perception of the present, and the whole mental state is an expression of this false perception.  

These are nothing but out of proportion reactions caused by the past tendencies resulting in manifestation of the diseased state. They also lead to a study of miasms in Homeopathy as chief cause of any state of disease.

 12.           Health was the man’s freedom to be in the moment and fulfil Higher purpose of life.  Disease comes in the way of organism’s ability to fulfil this purpose and it makes him to react according to a situation from the past.  Cure is restoration of health when man becomes aware of his false perception of reality. 

Classical Homeopathy, takes into account some of the above ideas which include, roots of disease, components of mind, importance and use of delusions and dreams, compensated and uncompensated feelings, homeo-psychotherapy and situational material medica.

(Notes sourced from The Spirit of Homeopathy by Rajan Sankaran)