A short Introduction to Homoeopathy - Case Taking - Curing the incurables

In this modern era where urbanization, industrialization and technological innovation have paved way for high standards of social life one could easily trace out a decline in the health conditions of the people. Man-made machines have become both a blessing and a curse to mankind. People have become more and more reliant on these man-made equipments to satisfy their day to day requirements. As a result, they have become more lethargic and this has added on to severe mental and health problems.

Adverse effect of technology, lack of exercise and unhealthy food habits has led to many health problems. Right from childhood people are being exposed to deadly diseases. The rapid spread of many contagious diseases has increased the demand for, quick relieving and readily accessible medicines. People have started consuming pain killers and other powerful drugs in large quantities. A majority of them are not even aware of its negative impact on the body. Over use of these powerful drugs have led to numerous other health related issues. In this context a discourse on Homoeopathy would be remarkable.

Homeopathy is both an art and a science of healing which involves a holistic approach. The treatment is based on a meticulous examination of the patient. The patient is considered as a closed entity and the different shades of his character are closely observed by the physician while diagnosing the disease and prescribing the remedy.

In the present scenario when people have become more sensitive and alert on the issues pertaining to the side effects of drugs, Homeopathy medicines have gained greater relevance. This system of treatment has been found to be quite effective for chronic and genetic ailments.      

 One of the principles of Homoeopathy is “Treat the patient, not the disease”.

How is this achieved? For a very long time I was quite perplexed with this statement. The teachings of Dr.Praful Vijyakumar and Dr Rajan Sankaran helped me to overcome this problem. Besides the teachings and ideas which I have gathered from these medical practitioners, and my own experiments in the lab has helped me to a great extend. In the following words I would like to explicate the above mentioned statement.

While treating a particular person for a particular disease, the individual is considered as a whole. Apart from the disease condition, diverse factors like the emotional, physical, psychological and the circumstantial factors that constitute the general make up of a person are taken into account. 

Homeopathy is distinctive in considering the mental condition of the sick person. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician,  Founder of Homeopathy has magnificently developed the mental symptoms of each medicine that can treat a sick person who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms. This form of treatment “like cures like” has laid the foundation for an approach to medicine which he later termed as “Similia Similibus Curendur”. 

Homeopathy is distinctive in considering the mental condition of the sick person. Dr Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician, founder of Homeopathy has magnificently developed the mental symptoms of each medicine that can treat a sick person who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms. This form of treatment “like cures like” has laid the foundation for an approach to medicine which he later termed as “Similia Similibus Curendur”. 

Homeopathy physicians, while examining a patient gives foremost priority to the human mind. The human personality is a complex aggregate of physical body (visible) and the invisible mental faculty. Even though human mind is both invisible and intangible it is present in each cell controlled by brain. It is one of the supreme faculty that controls and co-ordinates other bodily activities. The conflicts and problems that an individual confronts in day to day life is mainly due to his failure in coping with a particular situation and the human mind is solely responsible for this, because it is the human mind that shapes and moulds human destiny. One could compare human mind to a tree on which diseases grow like parasites extracting all the food reserves and thereby destroying the tree.

 Another factor taken into account in Homoeopathic treatment is generals such as thermal condition of the body. Two individuals are not identical. One of them may find it difficult to tolerate heat, while the other cold, and vice-versa. One may even be disturbed by the slightest weather changes. while the other can’t expose to sunlight. One of them may have problems aggravated by moon phases while the other may not.

Therefore Mind and Generals can be compared to two horses of a chariot. 

 

Recent researches and studies done in this area is a clear indication of the over growing demand for Homeopathy treatment. A study undertaken by IIT Mumbai has come out with a “fascinating observation that certain high potency Homeopathic remedies made from metals contain measurable amounts of the starting material even at extreme dilutions”. More than two hundred years ago Dr. Samuel Hahnemann developed a very simple method of potentisation to evolve nanoparticles from medicinal herbs, chemical elements and compounds which leave no residue in the body. [Doesn’t he deserve a NOBEL PRIZE?]  

The details of Case Taking are discussed in the next topic.