Relevance of homoeopathy in modern times

Dr Neelima singh

Mahatma Gandhi said-”homoeopathy is the latest and refined method of treating patients economically and non-violently”.

With more and more patients developing resistance to the so called prescribed specific wonder treatment find themselves lost, so the doctors remain in dilemma that despite of the best choice of specific drug therapy the patients don’t respond favorably. If at all a patient becomes better by these strong medication it gets its toll in the form of some unwanted adverse effects as its compensatory price.

Every year we are confronted with one epidemic or the other leaving behind a devastating effect on the human economy. Today when India has acquired the Nuclear efficiency, we fail to provide the basic health care to our children from the deadly Malaria’s, Measles, Dengue, Tuberculosis, Gastro enteritis etc. When lot of Government effort has been made to evolve various health schemes to combat these maladies, unfortunately the various systems of medicine have not been given their due representation for achieving this goal. As there is a very good potential in treating and preventing quite a few of these problems by the Indigenous system of Medicine and Homoeopathy at large. As now a days every latest drug (so called magical drugs) of modern medicine has definite adverse effects on some part, organ or system of the human body. This has been proved beyond doubt repeatedly at various platforms by medical experts while discussing about iatrogenic diseases etc. In the present day scenario when more and more cases of Tuberculosis are becoming Multi Drug Resistant (MDR TB) to the Ant tubercular treatment, Homoeopathic treatment is coming to their rescue and quite a many cases have responded favorably and has been cured.

In the danger arena of AIDS and HIV infections it is becoming an all time threat to the human race. In India itself the number of patients suffering and dying with AIDS is alarming. Homoeopathy as such by its time testing record is able to provide the booster to the vital energy of the suffering patients by virtue of its basic principles and approach. Homoeopathic medicines enhances the defensive capacity of the individual in other words improves the Immune system by the very specialized Individual , Constitutional treatment which is the basis of the treatment in homoeopathy and that is why it is said that the Homoeopathy treats the Man in totality who is sick and not the mere disease of some organ or system etc of his. It recognizes the ultimate Man whose vital energy has got deranged or altered due to certain morbific external agents in the form of disease causing factors, but this all happens to the person who is prone, or whose immune system is weak to withstand that morbific factors, that’s why people living in same environment, patho-physiological conditions do not respond always similarly, and if at all they get affected their reactions are different and their genetic, aptitude, physical and mental make-up is different and accordingly their response is also different. Under such circumstances if the treatment is also done on their specific individuality and susceptibility the patient is going to develop the natural resistance against the disease phenomenon and gets well. Since homoeopathy is a therapeutic system of medicine developed in the early 18th century by a German Scientist Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, whose birth Anniversary is being celebrated on 10th April every year.

Homoeopaths all over the world celebrate it as Hahnemann’s Day . He evolved Homoeopathic system with a basic law of similarity i.e. “Similia Similibus Curentur” where a patient is treated by giving the particular medicine which produces certain symptoms in a healthy individual during Drug Proving, it only can cure the symptoms in a diseased person also. Simply it could be understood as Let like be treated by likes. As also believed that poison kills poison. Unsatisfied by the then existing medical practices which did more harm than good, he sought for a method which would be Safe, Gentle and Effective. He believed that human beings have a capacity for healing themselves and that the symptoms of disease reflect the individual’s struggle to overcome the forces antagonistic to life – now a days called as Immune system of the body. Apart from this the medicine is selected on the basis of individuality and constitution. Homoeopathy has already established a name in treating Chronic diseases. But it is equally effective in Acute and serious conditions also. The newer outlook towards the disease which is being discussed now a days was understood more than 200 years ago by Dr.Hahnemann and he emphasized that the man should be treated as whole. There are certain misconceptions prevailing like it takes very long or it is good only for children and older diseases and also that first the disease is aggravated than cures and also that there are lot of restrictions with this medicine, all these needs clarifications because all this is not true.

Controversy is no stranger to homoeopathy nor is change. Since Hahnemann has discovered this nature system of healing, controversy begins. Various debates on dose, potency and procedure of administration are going on and on and still on. Various famous homoeopathic physicians say that as times has been changed therefore some changes should be done in this natural system of healing. Well in my opinion main topic should not be on dose or potency but the main consideration should be on how to make this system more relevant and more valuable in this modern age. First of all I would like to draw attention towards various obstacles in the path of right cure that too in today’s world which is full of hazardous elements, the main and foremost obstacle is irregular life style and regimen of people.

We all know very well that most of the persons in today’s world are going through various mental trauma more or less whether through their professional front or through their domestic life. And also there is more mental activity and physical activity is nil. All these things are making psora more and more active and according to organon psora is major fundamental cause of all diseases. In short psora is a dynamic contagion and some dynamic agent can only make this creeping serpent dormant. Various researches have been done in homeopathy which specifically clears the utility of system in curing the diseases. Mental stress is more in today’s life style and homoeopathy deals more with mind faculty as mind is closest to the vital force. Homoeopathic assessment takes into account a person’s character, stress levels, life style, level of exercise, diet, food preference, family medical history and effect of general factors such as whether to provide a unique symptoms picture. Stress ,poor diet, lack of exercise, hereditary problems or environmental changes are very much prevailing in modern age, all these elements are enough sufficient to make vital force deranged and we all know much about homoeopathic system how only this system deals with the deranged vital force. Homoeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s defense mechanism and processes so as to prevent or treat illnesses.

Due to various environmental changes like pollution ,global warming etc tremendous and severe changes have been seen in genetic make up of individuals. As there is total change of genetic constitution so diseases or rather patients are not responding to the traditional treatment as it deals patients without any individualization. Here I want to clarify that individualization of the disease as well as of the medicine should be consider so as to find out a proper and reliable medicine. In brief I would like to discuss what individualization is. According to aphorism third of organon 5th edition it should be clearly comprehended  what is curable in diseases in general and in each individual case in particular ,that is, the recognition of disease. Also one should comprehend  what is curative in drugs in general and in each drug in particular; that is ,perfect knowledge of medicinal powers.

Classical homoeopathy adapts to meet the challenges to the rapid , gentle and permanent cure posed by our recent chemical and electronic age. By chemical I mean primarily the mass use of vaccinations , of chemical drugs on an unprecented scale. By electronic I refer to radiation stress and also the emotional stress of life in the fast lane in our information culture. All these develop conditions for the occurrence of drug disease more prominently and more severely as it is said by Dr Hahnemann  in aphorism 74 of 5th edition of organon and also continued in aphorism 75 by saying “instances of ruined health , resulting from allopathic or I must say inappropriate  treatment , are very common in modern times. They constitute the most pitiable, and incurable of chronic diseases and it is to be feared that remedies will probably never be found or invented for the cure of such conditions, when they have reached a certain degree of severity“. But after giving warning to modern world about hazardous drug diseases, he also assures or rather give some hope of treating these diseases in aphorism 76 .It is only through homoeopathy that providence has vouchsafed to us the means of curing natural diseases, nevertheless, homeopathy can also assure curing drug diseases provided vital force had not been weakened by treatment to such an extent as to prevent it from being undisturbed for a sufficient number of years, if proper measures  are directed against the chronic miasm.By proper measures I mean basic fundamentals of homoeopathy like single ,simple and minimum dose.

Also in the time of inflation and insecure jobs , most of the persons cant afford high rates medicines and treatment so in that case homoeopathic remedies are the best as these are economical and very cost effective.Homeopathic medicines are usually much cheaper than comparable allopathic and ayurvedic drugs. And also there is little stress on costly diagnostic procedures as homeopaths rely on the symptoms to find the right medicine for a person. So the overall cost of treatment is very little. Still this may not appear so to many people in western countries as homoeopathic treatment is usually not covered by insurance companies. But that’s myopic vision. One has to think of long-term gains. Under proper homoeopathic treatment not only the person’s immediate complaints improve, but also his/her susceptibility to disease decreases as there is a general improvement in health. So in the long run, there is better health, less medical consultations and the cumulative cost is very low. Even otherwise, hasn’t some wise man said ..”Health is the real Wealth“. Homeopathy considers the complaints of a patient in totality. It views a person as a whole, as an integrated entity, and not as a mere collection of body parts. So it treats a person as a whole too. Thus one does not have to visit ten different ‘specialists’ for his/her ten different body parts. After all our body is more than a collection of parts. So homeopathy saves your time, money and health at the same time.

Homeopathic medicines are easy to administer. Homeopathic medicines are usually dispensed as sweet sugar pills, which are very easy to take. Due to this reason, children readily agree to take homeopathic remedies. Also homoeopathic medicines can be easily administered to mental patients. Mental patients have peculiar frame of thoughts, generally they are very suspicious and believe everyone try to get rid of them so they refuse to take medicines. In that case homoeopathic medicines can be easily prescribed as these have no taste and smell and will not arouse suspicion.

This is very important time for homoeopathy as we are facing many new challenges to our health , with new strains of  bacteria and antibiotic resistant viruses , increase in cancer, diabetes and other diseases and many other maladies as a result of our unbalanced contemporary lifestyle. It is most important at this time that we support our bodies own innate intelligence and self healing capacity.Homoeopathy is a system in which remedy is chosen on the basis of patient’s individual symptoms comprising of his mental, emotional, and physical state. Homoeopathy is not a panacea but is an elixir of life looking at the positive side of the person with holistic approach. Homoeopathic treatment has been helping a lot many number of people with so called incurable diseases also and earned laurels in the field of providing permanent cure to the diseases with no adverse effects whatsoever. Homoeopathy does not underrate the efficacy of other systems and surgery but argues for its commercial abuse. There are quite a many cases which can be saved from unnecessary surgery if the homoeopathic treatment is given at proper time. Homoeopathy has a role to play in the preventive medicine also as it has done in the case of Plague, Dropsy etc. In this era of 21st century Homoeopathy is going to be reckon as a medical system of the modern age for its efficacy, cost effectiveness and harmless way of curing the diseases.

Keeping in view these and many other unforeseen challenges, homoeopathy seems to be the only respite to the humanity in the next millennium. For it is homoeopathy alone that does not suppress the disease but makes the body to overpower the disease through its own natural vitality , thereby increasing the body’s resistance in general. Homoeopathy is rising swiftly and steadily and once it is in a position to provide a strong alternative to the conventional systems of medicine on a global scale, the day won’t be far away when the conventional system of medicine will buckle under its own weight . At this moment, visualizing the glory that lies ahead for homoeopathy , remembrance of following words of Mastana is must-

  • Let me be , the way I am
  • Let me grow , the way I do
  • Let me free , in the ocean blue
  • Let me move , as breezes do

Yes, let us come together and try to evolve a science which is not bound by any pseudo scientific restrictions ; a science which is free to grow with experience ; a science which has a supporting philosophy of its own ; a science that has got a human touch to it and this millennium will be ours.

Dr Neelima singh
Email : dr.neelimasingh.4@gmail.com

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