Any of the following phenomena is evidence of a close Homoeopathic relationship : 1. Short aggravation of a symptom. This sometimes happens under the following conditions :
(1) a particularly good selection, (2) if the patient happens to be hypersensitive to the drug, (3) if the potency used was too low.
Any of the above is a curative phenomenon of the remedy from the Homoeopathic standpoint and is not to be interfered with except to stop medication which follows on the heels of this aggravation.
2. General amelioration of symptoms.
3. Appearance of new symptoms : such symptoms may be effects of the remedy or new developments in the disease. If there is at the same time general improvement they need not be considered as such symptoms will disappear.
4. The mental condition and general behaviour of the patient if more tranquil and natural is the most certain and intelligible sign of incipient improvement and will soon be followed by physical relief.
A further review of the case is required and a new remedy is to be chosen when :
1. The mental state shows an embarrassed helpless attitude.
2. When no change of any kind follows after waiting a reasonable time (over night is best) or several days in chronic diseases.
Dosage In Practice
Our attitude here varies for it makes a difference as to whether we are dealing with acute or chronic cases. Richard Hughes puts the matter clearly when he says, ” the object of attenuation is two-fold-to avoid aggravation and collateral disturbance (bi-effects) and secondly to develop the particular properties of drugs. Now in the acute, typical disorders-the severe inflammations, catarrhs, neuralgias, and spasms-which constitute the bulk of our daily practice-the first-named objective need alone be sought. The medicines with which you combat them are such as are already active in their crude state.
You only need it to protect your patients from their over- activity, in other words see that their physiological action is wholly absorbed in their therapeutic action. For this purpose but moderate attenuation suffices.” In chronic cases, (and suitable acute cases) where drugs such as Sulphur, Calcarea, Lycopodium, Sepia, Silica, Natrum muriaticum are selected, definite surface development or Homoeopathic potentiation is needed.
Besides the above, experience has shown that other Homoeopathic polychrests though effective in low potencies are particularly active and have a wider range of action in higher potency. As a general rule the low potencies tend to limit the therapeutic sphere of a drug.
The process gone through in preparing Homoeopathic potencies amplifies the range of a powerful drug and endows a feeble drug with definite therapeutic properties. Failure to capitalize this general truth is the cause of many failures by Homoeopathic physicians. We have repeatedly seen excellent Homoeopathic relationships but wretched choice of potency.
From the foregoing we may formulate certain rules which, however, are only suggestive :
1. Use medium potency first (3x to 6x) unless your knowledge of that particular drug councils otherwise.
2. So long as improvement shows itself do not change the remedy but lengthen the intervals between doses and, if still improvement, stop all medication.
3. The less physiological action the drug has the higher potency for Homoeopathic therapeutics (Sulphur, Calcarea, Silicea, and Sepia).
4. If a case has improved and then gone back, usually it is better to give a higher potency of the original medicine than to change.
5. Before making new change, look up the complementary relationship.
6. The higher the potency used the greater the interval before repetition.
Special Considerations In the particle application of Homoeopathy which has been going on now for 125 years it is but natural that a number of special aids or “short cuts” have crept into its practice. We propose to consider some of these Homoeopathic By-ways at this time. A few have already been spoken about : the (1) Pathologic- anatomical relationship which is an aid in selecting a remedy; (2) locality or elective affinity; (3) etiology of the disease.
We have next to speak of synthetic creations of our symptomatology-so-called Homoeopathic constitutions divined by Hahnemann and Hering principally. By the above we mean the correspondence of certain drugs to certain diathesis, temperaments, cachexias, and reactions.
It was found that certain drugs are most active in a distinctive type of individual-and if our patient happened to be of this make-up this was considered presumptive evidence that his symptoms would be relieved by this drug. In such a way we capitalize the “flabby sweaty” Calcarea baby, the “sympathy-craving blonde” Pulsatilla, the ” Arsenic anguish and cachexia” and the ” full-blooded plethoric” Belladonna with its violent reaction. Such practice is by no means infallible but is certainly most helpful and has stood the test of time. Certain Homoeopathic authors, notably Kent, have been remarkable for their ability to personify and vitalize a dry drug pathogenesis in this way. A subconscious appreciation of such data is behind all successful constitutional prescribing.
Another by-path or short cut is Isopathy (AEqualia aequalibus). This usually refers to the employment of morbid products of disease for the cure of that same disease. It is of very ancient date and has been periodically revived, only to fall back into disuse. To suppose that every disease has within itself its own antidote is too good to be true, but in selective cases benefit has been observed. The early Homoeopaths were quick to see the close relationship between this therapy and Homoeopathy, and Lux, Hering, Burnett, used attenuated virus for the treatment of Rabies and Phthisine (tuberculin) for Tuberculosis 40 years before the latter’s general (and disastrous) acceptance by medical men.
The name given to such products by Homoeopaths is Nosodes. Only a few are in general use, chief among which are Tuberculinum, Psorinum, and Medorrhinum. They have been proved and hence take their place like any other drug. To apply them empirically for similar diseases is Isopathy and occasionally in chronic cases this method is resorted to. Isopathy is not Homoeopathy. There is a theoretical similarity only. Because a person has had Gonorrhoea does not mean that Medorrhinum is the remedy. This may be so, but in order to expect any kind of result the symptoms exhibited should resemble the pathogenesis of Medorrhinum. In Isopathy, no such proviso obtains. It is a simple rule of thumb doctrine and like all such is by no means reliable.
This discussion brings to mind the fact that physicians usually think in basic symptom groups (diseases) which convey an average picture to us in a word. This average word is not a proper basis for a Homoeopathic prescription though it is quite sufficient for ordinary drug treatment.
This is because there is no individuality. It is this difficulty that make statistical case reports so misleading from the Homoeopathic viewpoint. Thus, if we started out to give every case of pneumonia Bryonia in order to test its value the results would not be a fair test and furthermore would not be Homoeopathy. Why? Because we use a disease entity, regardless of type instead of a disease picture containing the symptoms which Bryonia could relieve.
In order to be authentic, such a series must consist of selected cases and this is impracticable. On the other hand, we could test a serum in this way and the test would be fair because there is nothing in serum therapy that calls for individualization. No one expects Huntoon’s Antibody to help a type 3 pneumonia case-it is not according to the rule. The same principle applies to Homoeopathy and unfortunately there are at present no laboratory tests to tell us when a case needs Bryonia. We must depend on art and not science.
Keynote Prescribing
This method is another short way of arriving at the indicated drug. It is simply a method of matching characteristic symptoms-the “keynotes of drug.” All of our polychrests have some of these. Thus, the ” oppression of the chest” of Phosphorus, the fear of Aconite, the sluggishness of Gelsemium, the characteristic time aggravation of Kali carb. and Lycopodium or the cracked thick skin of Petroleum.
If any such symptoms are marked in a case we unhesitatingly give the corresponding drug. Many brilliant results have been obtained by this method and perhaps in bedside work we all practice it more or less unconsciously. It is surprising how often the other symptoms of a case fit in with the drug which we have selected by the keynote system.
American homeopath - Ann Arbor - Michigan.
Son of William Boericke.
Books:
A Compend of the Principles of Homeopathy.
Homoeopathy