Homeopathy
Introduction
The word homeopathy derives from the Greek 'homoios', meaning similar,
and 'pathos', meaning suffering. The combination of these two words in
many ways defines the practice of homeopathy very exactly, as the main
governing principle of this form of medicine is summed up by the Latin
phrase 'simila, similibus curenture' - like cures like.
Perhaps the therapeutic basis for homeopathic prescribing can be best
illustrated by analysing the use of the medicine Belladonna (deadly nightshade,
atropine). The symptoms of Belladonna poisoning are clearly described.
The main effects observed are mania and confusion, a flushed red face,
dilated pupils, a high fever, and a dry mouth. If a patient presented
with such symptoms, for instance as a result of an infection, the homeopath
would assume that a minute dose of Belladonna could alleviate the complaint.
In other words, the toxic effects of the preparation can be used as a
symptomatic, or symptom 'picture', basis for the selection of appropriate
medication.
Principles of Homeopathy
The basic principles of this form of medicine were first elucidated
by Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). He did not develop his ideas in a
vacuum, but seems to have based many of his original thoughts on Hippocratic
principles that suggested symptoms were an expression of nature's healing
powers.
A
German physician, George Stahl, also stumbled across and used homeopathic
principles about a century before Hahnemann's birth. This approach contrasts
with allopathic principles of therapy (conventional medicine). 'Allos',
or different, suggests that an appropriate remedy will produce symptoms
different from those of the disease; for instance, the suppression of
fever by aspirin.
Hahnemann developed homeopathy on the sound basis of detailed and scientific
observation of the effects of specific medicines, both in health and
in disease. The first drug picture clearly defined by him was that of
cinchona bark. During the 18th century this remedy was commonly used
for many infections, including malaria and intermittent fever. On dosing
himself up with cinchona bark, he found that he was able to mimic many
of the symptoms of malaria and it occurred to him that the bark eradicated
this febrile disease by producing its own self-limiting fever.
Similarly, mercury was used as a treatment for syphilis. Hahnemann noted
that mercurial fever was in many ways similar to the symptoms of early
syphilis. He began to prove other drugs, simply by taking them or asking
one of his students to take them and subsequently recording in considerable
detail the mental and physical symptoms that occurred over the next week
or two. It is important to understand that homeopathic prescribing is
as much based on mental symptoms as it is on physical complaints.
He slowly began to build a detailed 'library' of drug pictures, each
drug having associated with it a long detailed list of symptoms that
had been defined by its toxic action. If a patient required homeopathic
treatment, then a detailed history was (and still is) taken, the symptoms
were fitted into the most appropriate drug picture, and the required
remedy was prescribed. More recently, the prescription of classical homeopathic
drugs has tended to be divided into two main groups - the constitutional
and the symptomatic. Constitutional remedies are designed to rebalance
the individual's health. For instance, if someone suffers from
recurrent attacks of indigestion, a remedy based on their general demeanour
and personality can be given, with the idea of controlling both the symptoms
and the cause of the pathology in a long-term manner. Symptomatic prescribing
is based on the immediate presenting symptoms and is usually effective
in controlling acute and minor illness such as an acute viral infection.
Ideally, both constitutional and symptomatic remedies should be given
together to obtain the best therapeutic results. Homeopathic pharmacies
have also developed "complex" homeopathic preparations. These are effectively
mixtures of several homeopathic medications, all of which may be indicated
in different individuals for the same group of symptoms.
