Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Introducción a la Homeopatía. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Introducción a la Homeopatía. Mostrar todas las entradas

FAQ (Preguntas y Respuestas Frecuentes) sobre homeopatía

La homeopatía es polémica.

Es fácil encontrar personajes públicos que hacen declaraciones sonadas contra la homeopatía. Pero muy poca gente ha tenido la oportunidad de leer los hechos scientíficos sobre la investigación homeopática.

Vamos a tomar las frases que más se suelen repetir sobre la homeopatía y vamos a ver hasta qué punto son precisas, según la evidencia científica de la que se dispone hasta ahora.


“No hay evidencia científica (de que) lhomeopatía funcione”

“No hay ni un ensayo de buena calidad que demuestre (que la) homeopatía funciona”

“Los científicos dicen la homeopatía es imposible”

“No llevan nada – solo son bolitas de azúcar”

“La homeopatía es solo efecto placebo”

“La homeopatía es un despilfarro del dinero de los contribuyentes”

“Si se hiciera una prueba comparando la homeopatía con la medicina convencional se vería que no funciona”

“La investigación (que se ha hecho sobre) homeopática es de mala calidad”

“Los mejores ensayos demuestran que la homeopatía no funciona”

“La idea de que “lo similar cura lo similar” no tiene sentido”

“No se debe utilizar la homeopatía porque no se puede explicar cómo funciona”

“La medicina convencional está demostrada – la homeopatía no”

“La homeopatía no es una ciencia”

Fuente: Homeopathy Research Institute

La Validez Científica de la Homeopatía

Hay muchos estudios científicos que demuestran la validez de la homeopatía. Estudios como el organizado por el gobierno Suizo, del que se hacía eco el Huffington Post, el de la universidad de Londres, este estudio de México y una enorme cantidad de muchos otros que demuestran científicamente su eficacia.
El premio Nobel de Medicina Luc Montaigner demostró que las ultradiluciones tenían efecto, como ya mencioné en el artículo sobre la memoria del agua. Posteriormente lo explicaba en un documental que difundió la televisión francesa TF5, el verano de 2015.
Son muchos los medicamentos convencionales que tomamos habitualmente y que no cuentan con estudios científicos (doble ciego etc) que los avalen. Como por ejemplo las estatinas para bajar el colesterol, muchos antidepresivos y algunos antiinflamatorios, como bien explica el Dr. Adrián Martínez en el diario informacion. La aspirina por ejemplo, es uno de los medicamentos más usados en el mundo y sin embargo no se demostró su eficacia hasta pasados 70 años de comenzar a usarse. Incluso hoy en día hay numerosos efectos biológicos en la aspirina que no son totalmente entendidos por la ciencia y sin embargo tiene una gran aceptación.
A pesar de estos estudios que avalan la homeopatía, en las últimas semanas ha habido mucha controversia respecto a este tema y los medios en España hablan de la homeopatía como si fuera una medicina sin ningún tipo de reconocimiento. En países como Suiza, Alemania o Francia la homeopatía es parte del sistema sanitario público. En estos países la homeopatía esta totalmente aceptada y entienden que si la homeopatía funciona en bebés, animales e incluso en agricultura, no tiene sentido considerarla un placebo.
Los medicamentos homeopáticos son otra opción más para un médico a la hora de curar a un paciente. Un médico homeópata puede recetar antibióticos, antiinflamatorios etc. Simplemente dispone de otras alternativas eficaces que pueden evitar tratamientos agresivos cuando no son necesarios. Y nunca, bajo ningún concepto recomendará que se dejen de aplicar tratamientos realmente necesarios.
En el resto de Europa y en EEUU el estudio de la homeopatía es muy común. En Austria tres Universidades ofrecen estos estudios, 9 en Francia, 10 en Alemania, 3 en Italia, 2 en Suiza, 43 en EEUU, en universidades como Harvard y Yale entre otras, y la lista continúa para otros países europeos y no europeos. Es importante tener en cuenta que los médicos homeópatas están en contra de que esta profesión sea ejercida por personas sin los estudios de Medicina. Los médicos homeópatas, son médicos, con apellido “homeópata”.
En España se estima que más de 10.000 médicos prescriben medicamentos homeopáticos tanto en consultas privadas como en centros de salud y hospitales. En todo el mundo se estima que hay más de 248.000 médicos especializados en homeopatía. Se utiliza en más de 80 países, algunos de ellos densamente poblados como en India o Brasil donde el uso de la homeopatía está muy extendido.
A pesar de esta evidencia científica y la experiencia de muchos homeópatas curando a pacientes sigue habiendo controversia.
Cuando intentaron prohibir la homeopatía en Francia en 1843 el ministro de Salud Guizot dijo ”Si la homeopatía es una quimera caerá por sí misma, si es cierta por mucho que luchemos contra ella se mantendrá”

Autor: Dr. Xabier Ibarburu. San Sebastián.
Fuente: web del Dr. Xabier Ibarburu

Medicina homeopática, simplemente Medicina


Un hito crucial en la evolución del pensamiento médico y la terapéutica, se produjo hace dos siglos: el descubrimiento de la relación que debía existir, para la curación de las enfermedades naturales, entre el estímulo curativo y la enfermedad (la ley terapéutica de la similitud, aspecto particular de la ley general de analogía).
Hasta entonces habían convivido en la práctica médica dos sistemas de tratamiento, el empirismo terapéutico, cuyo origen tradicional se pierde en la noche de los tiempos, y los métodos racionalistas basados en teorías etiopatogénicas, como la famosa teoría humoral hipocrática. Pero la Historia no ha sido suficientemente agradecida con el Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, cuyo descubrimiento fue duramente atacado en su tiempo y pasó a ocupar un lugar anecdótico en los textos de Historia de la Medicina, siendo todavía en nuestra época objeto de ignorancia y escarnio. Los motivos de esa marginación son complejos, y su aclaración  está pendiente de estudios más exhaustivos.

Desgraciadamente, ni la Medicina Naturista ni la Medicina occidental convencional han sabido aprovechar la genial aportación del sabio de Meissen, y aún se devanean entre el empirismo terapéutico y las teorías etiopatogénicas. La primera tiene sus dificultades para avanzar, excesivamente anclada en sus raíces hipocráticas y acumulando técnicas diagnósticas y terapias poco agresivas sin un criterio demasiado definido; mientras que la segunda va desbocada hacia un futuro tecnológico-ortopédico, en el que la panacea se vislumbra siempre en el recambio de la pieza defectuosa (sea hueso, víscera…o gen) y permanentemente obsesionada por la detección y destrucción de los microorganismos potencialmente patógenos (teoría microbiana).

Se conocen pocas teorías médicas que hayan superado la prueba inexorable del paso del tiempo, y sin embargo la singular aportación de Samuel Hahnemann, a pesar del rechazo y el oscurantismo que padeció, ha permanecido inalterable manteniendo la originalidad y frescura propias de las ideas demasiado anticipadas para ser comprendidas en su época. Los descubrimientos de Hahnemann han despertado y siguen despertando el interés de muchos y grandes médicos en todo el mundo que tienen como misión principal restablecer la salud a sus enfermos, es decir, lo que se llama curar.

Durante este siglo se ha producido un gran avance de las ciencias teóricas, se han enunciado nuevas hipótesis en distintas ramas de la investigación científica: Física cuántica, Teoría General de Sistemas, Teoría de los Fractales, Morfogénesis, Holografía, etc., teorías que ponen en entredicho y cuestionan las propias bases y axiomas fundamentales de las ciencias a las que hacen referencia. Pues bien, la Homeopatía converge en esa encrucijada del pensamiento occidental más avanzado y radical que conduce a la concepción de un nuevo paradigma, a una nueva forma de ver el mundo. A las puertas del siglo XXI, la Ciencia, y en particular la Medicina, debe desprenderse irremediablemente de las ideas mecanicistas y reduccionistas , ideas decimonónicas ya caducas, que la medicina académica persiste en mantener a pesar del fracaso evidente de la farmacoterapia en las enfermedades crónicas, del aumento alarmante de la iatrogenia y de la transformación degenerativa de la patología.

El futuro exige una  medicina que, en vez de aferrarse a esas concepciones erróneas, respete los ciclos biológicos, se adapte al ritmo de la Naturaleza, estimule los mecanismos de homeostasis y autorregulación, acelere y oriente adecuadamente los procesos espontáneos de curación, y acepte el nacimiento y la muerte como el principio y el final de un proceso de incumbencia no exclusivamente médica. La medicina del mañana no tratará órganos por separado sino organismos vivientes, complejos sistemas cibernéticos de funcionamiento autónomo y con capacidad de auto-reparación tisular. El médico deberá enfrentarse no a objetos de estudio y tratamiento, a cosas ajenas a él, sino a sujetos sufrientes, a personas enfermas, a múltiples espejos de sí mismo. El médico deberá reasumir su función sagrada de desvelador, de descifrador del sufrimiento profundo del hombre. El médico se habrá de convertir de nuevo en el modesto servidor de la vis medicatrix naturae hipocrática, del prana de los hindúes, del chi de los taoístas, de la fuerza vital hahnemanniana; así recuperará su rango de siervo de la vida, y la Medicina su categoría de arte de curar.

La medicina homeopática se encamina hacia ese porvenir siendo simplemente una medicina profundamente comprometida con el ser humano y consciente del delicado y a la vez complejo papel que le corresponde, de intermediaria entre la potencia curativa y el enfermo, sabiendo que su función radica en poner en manos del enfermo los recursos terapéuticos para que de la forma más rápida, más suave y más duradera lo conduzcan hacia la curación de sus males y de su sufrimiento, es decir, que lo curen. Y cuando la curación sea imposible, que al menos disminuyan el sufrimiento sin mermar la conciencia de ser humano.

Editorial del número 28-29, Invierno-Primavera 1992, de la revista Natura Medicatrix, monográfico de Homeopatía: Medicina homeopática: una medicina para el ser humano. Barcelona.
Autor: Dr. Isidre Lara, coordinador, junto con el Dr. Josep Mª Queralt, de dicho monográfico.

Homeopatía. ¿Ángel o diablo?



Artículo periodístico publicado en el periódico mallorquín 'Última Hora' en Palma de Mallorca, el sábado 18 de enero de 2014, en base a una entrevista grabada.

LA SALUD EN TUS VIAJES. Pequeños consejos de la medicina natural y algunos remedios homeopáticos para los viajes y el verano. Botiquín homeopático familiar de viaje y para el verano.


En los viajes, los pequeños inconvenientes de salud y aún las más pequeñas indisposiciones pueden convertirse en un grave problema y obligarnos a estar pendientes de cosas muy alejadas de nuestra primera intención al emprender el viaje. Pequeños consejos de la medicina natural y algunos remedios homeopáticos, de fácil uso, pueden evitar problemas muy desagradables cuando estamos fuera de casa. Se dice que cada viaje encierra tres viajes dentro, antes de viajar, el viaje en sí y lo que contamos a la vuelta. Así que cuando planificamos la salida ya estamos despegándonos de lo cotidiano y realizando la parte imaginaria y posiblemente la más interesante, ya que va a determinar lo que suceda más tarde. Estos primeros pasos del viaje son claves para evitar problemas. Una caries o una pieza dental en mal estado son una bomba de relojería que si estalla en medio del camino. Es fácil imaginárselo. Tener la boca libre de caries u otros problemas es un detalle que no hay que olvidar en la preparación de un viaje. Si se trata de un viaje a un clima muy diferente, no está de más la consulta con su médico de confianza. Es muy importante que el punto de partida sea desde la salud, ya que la mejor y quizá la única forma verdadera de quitarle posibilidades a cualquier enfermedad es tener hoy un mejor equilibrio físico y emocional.
Los medios de transporte que usamos habitualmente son muy rápidos y no somos conscientes del esfuerzo adaptativo que ha de realizar nuestro organismo a los cambios de temperatura, horario, ritmo de sueño , presión, humedad y otras muchas influencias que se modifican tanto más y más rápido cuanto más largo es el viaje. Y a la llegada a destino queremos estar plenamente en forma para llenar la expectativa que teníamos sin tener en cuenta el trabajo duro que nuestro cuerpo ha realizado. Estos cambios bruscos provocan el llamado trauma de viaje (jet lag, en la jerga moderna) que se manifiesta con cansancio, dolorimiento general, insomnio o somnolencia, mal humor y lo que cada uno añade de sus propias tendencias. Podemos prevenirlo haciendo una toma de Arnica Montana 30 CH (tres gránulos bajo la lengua) en el momento de acostarnos. Si el cambio de horario ha sido de más de cuatro o cinco horas hay que tomarlo con calma y dormir o al menos reposar tantas horas como las que hayamos cambiado en nuestro reloj, aunque nos sintamos bien ya que el bajón nos puede sorprender en los días siguientes cuando menos lo esperamos.

Muchos de los habituales problemas de salud nos llegan a través de lo que comemos y bebemos y ésto es mucho más cierto en los viajes.
Comer menos cuanto más exótica sea para nosotros la comida, a fin de adaptar poco a poco el estómago al lugar y beber nada más que agua embotellada, en generosa cantidad, es la forma􀀀􀀀 más fácil y práctica de no tener problemas digestivos. Si el cambio de hábitos y horarios afecta al ritmo de evacuación intestinal provocando el molesto estreñimiento, nos vendrá muy bien tener a mano Nux Vómica 30 CH que en dos tomas de tres gránulos en un intervalo de doce horas nos permitirá librarnos de ése “equipaje interno” que a veces es el más pesado. Hay que evitar los laxantes que nos pueden llevar al extremo opuesto y que seguro darán por rebote mayor estreñimiento y debilidad en el intestino.
La diarrea es otro de los grandes enemigos del viajero y puede representar el inicio de un problema grave sobre todo si se acompaña de fiebre, en éste caso habrá que consultar con un médico. En cualquier caso es importante no cortarla con productos que secan el intestino pues pueden impedir que el cuerpo elimine el alimento o la toxina que están irritando el tubo digestivo. La mejor actitud en éstos casos es el reposo y el ayuno de alimentos sólidos, tomando únicamente agua embotellada con una pizca de bicarbonato, una puntita de sal y una cucharada de azúcar. Esta preparación puede sustituir muy bien al suero oral cuando no es fácil adquirirlo. Se puede mantener la dieta durante 24 horas sin correr ningún riesgo ya que habitualmente comemos más de lo necesario. Si las deposiciones son muchas y abundantes, sobre todo si se trata de un niño, hay que observar que la piel y las mucosas se mantienen hidratadas y pensar que un bebé puede dar síntomas de deshidratación muy pronto cuando la diarrea es intensa.
Si se realiza un viaje en condiciones de mucho calor es muy importante beber agua con abundancia y frecuencia, procurando que no esté muy fría. Hay que tener ésto especialmente en cuenta cuando se viaja con niños en los que el peligro de deshidratación es mucho mayor.

Siempre es preferible evitar los desplazamientos en las horas de calor intenso.
El sol puede ser muy agresivo tanto en la montaña como en el mar y debemos protegernos más cuanto menos pelo tengamos y la piel sea más blanca. Frente a la insolación, la sombra y las compresas de agua fría son el remedio instintivo y eficaz en primera instancia. Pero si hay alteración del estado general, con dolor de cabeza intenso, pulso acelerado, piel roja y muy caliente, será muy útil Belladona 30CH que se puede repetir cada quince minutos hasta que empieza la mejoría y luego espaciarlo hasta que se normaliza la temperatura.
Llevar el cuerpo cubierto para protegerlo del sol y de los insectos y calzar zapatos que protejan el pie, son medidas muy convenientes cuando se viaja a países del tercer mundo. Nunca estrenar calzado en un viaje es una buena costumbre para evitar rozaduras que aunque pequeñas y leves nos pueden inmovilizar. La tintura madre de Caléndula es indispensable en el botiquín de viaje ya que disolviendo unas gotas en un poco de agua y lavando con ella las heridas se convierte en un poderoso antiséptico y cicatrizante.
Evitar las picaduras de los mosquitos llevando el cuerpo cubierto con la ropa adecuada y el uso de repelentes como el extracto de menta o de geranio, sin olvidar las mosquiteras para la noche, va a ser la mejor prevención para los molestos efectos de la picadura en sí misma y sobre todo para evitar el paludismo cuando viajamos a zonas endémicas de ésta enfermedad. El Plasmodium, agente causal de las fiebres palúdicas, se ha hecho resistente a la Cloroquina, tratamiento químico habitual de esta enfermedad, en extensas zonas de África y Asia. Así que tanto la prevención como el tratamiento con éste producto es prácticamente ineficaz en muchos casos. Conviene informarse bien antes de viajar al trópico para saber las características de las enfermedades de la zona y valorar con su médico si merece la pena el tratamiento químico de prevención de la Malaria, sobre todo si la estancia en la zona de riesgo va a ser inferior a una semana o diez días ya que la Cloroquina no está exenta de efectos secundarios sobre todo si el hígado está delicado.

Respecto a las vacunas es evidente que si queremos viajar no podremos zafarnos de las obligatorias para el visado de las zonas en las que, especialmente la Fiebre Amarilla, son más expuestas. Otras como la del Cólera apenas protegen y no son necesarias. Son mucho más importantes en estos casos, para la prevención, las medidas higiénicas de los alimentos y del agua como ya he comentado en general para las diarreas.
Las picaduras de pequeños insectos, mosquitos o avispas tienen rápido alivio con Apis mellifica 30 CH, repetido a los quince minutos si es necesario. Apis es un remedio más eficaz cuanto más importante es la inflamación provocada por la picadura, con la típica sensación de dolor ardiente y picor. En caso de reacciones inflamatorias exageradas, en las personas alérgicas a las picaduras o cuando éstas se han recibido en zonas peligrosas como la boca o incluso la garganta, la rápida administración de Apis Mellifica habrá salvado la vida de una persona antes de que llegue al hospital.
Cuando no conocemos el insecto agresor y la reacción es más leve, con menor componente inflamatorio, está mejor indicado Ledum 30 CH. A nivel local y cuando no tenemos otra cosa va muy bien la aplicación de cebolla directamente sobre la picadura.

El mareo de viaje, en cualquier medio de transporte, es una experiencia común a casi todo el mundo y si el barco se mueve lo suficiente también se marea el viejo marinero. Hasta en éstos casos son muy eficaces los medicamentos homeopáticos como Cocculus 30 CH que conviene llevar ya preparado en disolución en un cuentagotas y tomar desde media hora antes de viajar cuando se conoce la tendencia a marearse o se teme mucho movimiento. Se puede repetir, si el viaje es largo y las condiciones poco favorables, cada media hora. El mareo de Cocculus se acompaña de debilidad y mucha salivación y mejora acostado bien quieto y al cerrar los ojos. Si el mareo se acompaña de extrema palidez, tremendas nauseas, sudor frío y a pesar de ello desea que le de el aire, el remedio más apropiado será Tabacum 30 CH. Como en todos los casos de tratamiento homeopático, la elección del remedio depende de las modalidades y las peculiaridades de cada persona, la eficacia mejora cuanto más se parecen los síntomas del medicamento a las características individuales de cada caso.

El viaje puede ser causa de enfermedad, pero también y muy frecuentemente es causa de salud como las sustancias que usamos los homeópatas, va a depender de las dosis y la forma en que nos lo tomemos.
Viajar nos permite alejarnos de nuestra circunstancia y nos brinda la oportunidad de cambiar o ver matices de nuestro entorno para los que habitualmente por excesiva proximidad estamos ciegos. Pero paradógicamente el viaje nos aproxima a nosotros mismos, al ponernos en situaciones nuevas rompe nuestros automatismos y nos permite conocernos un poco mejor haciéndonos ejercer cualidades, positivas y negativas, que en la vida cotidiana permanecían latentes.

Algunos remedios homeopáticos para un botiquín familiar de viaje:
Arnica Montana. -Especialmente útil en cualquier circunstancia de origen traumático con resultado de magulladura, contusión, equimosis (morado). Después de un golpe o de un accidente. Para después de la “paliza del viaje” y para evitar el “jet lag”.
Belladona. -Para los trastornos consecutivos a la exposición exagerada al sol desde una quemadura hasta una insolación grave. Calor y rojez de la piel muy marcados, dolor de cabeza pulsátil, pupilas dilatadas. Calor con escalofríos. Belladona es eficaz en la fase inicial de la inflamación aguda independientemente del origen causal.
Apis mellifica. - Picaduras con fuerte reacción de inflamación y dolor ardiente.
Ledum. -Picaduras con pequeña reacción con poco calor o incluso la piel fría.
Caléndula tintura madre. - disuelta en agua al 1%. (diez gotas en medio vaso de agua aproximadamente), para lavar las heridas. Es excelente para evitar la infección y como cicatrizante.
Cócculus. -Para el mareo de viaje en cualquier medio de transporte. Cuando se acompaña de náuseas y salivación. Tomarlo desde media hora antes de viajar y repetirlo cada media hora si los síntomas lo demandan.
Tabacum. -Cuando el mareo se acompaña de sudor frío, agravación por los olores y deseo de aire libre.
Nux Vómica. -En caso de estreñimiento en los viajes, acompañado de sensación nauseosa como de empacho. Especialmente adaptado a personas irritables e impacientes con tendencia a estresarse.
Acónitum. -Para las consecuencias de un shock, susto o sobresalto. Los síntomas se presentan con violencia y repentinamente.
Mercurius Solúbilis. -Dolores de muelas, por caries, especialmente nocturnos, con mucha salivación de la boca y sensibilidad al frío y al calor. La potencia recomendada es la 30CH en todos los casos.

La eficacia y rapidez de acción del remedio se incrementa disolviéndolo en agua y tomado a cucharadas. La frecuencia de las tomas depende de la intensidad de los síntomas. Hay que espaciarla y pararla a medida que los síntomas
cesan.
Autor: Dr. Miguel Luqui Garde, Barcelona.

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a branch of alternative medicine that is based around the surmise that an individual may be treated using minute dosesd of natural materials which in larger doses would be expected to cause the same symptoms. Remedies are made by a sequence of dilutions of the starting material in purified water or aqueous ethanol with considerable agitation (called succussion). It is gaining popularity but its efficacy is disputed. The cornerstone of homeopathy that the whole clinical picture is considered on an individual basis is not in dispute. In fact, consideration of the person is clearly becoming more important as information concerning an individual's genome becomes clearer. However criticism is leveled at homeopathic 'drugs'. Belief in whether or not dilution and shaking can have any effect on the health benefits of water (for an overview of homeopathy see for example, [484a], for a review of homeopathy research see [484b] and for a recent debate concerning Homeopathy see [1363] and its video) depends on the presence of an acceptable working hypothesis for the mode of action (see also magnetic effects). Certainly, a confounding aspect of any examination of the efficacy of homeopathic treatments seems to be the highly variable nature of supposedly similar homeopathic remedies from different manufacturing sources.

Published evidence

In spite of many (most?) people knowing of success stories (and the opposite) concerning the use of homeopathy where it is practiced [120], scientists have difficulty in regarding this form of alternative medicine as any more than a placebo effect.e A controversial paper in Nature [132] containing data from several laboratories, claiming to prove the efficacy of extreme dilution (the 'memory of water' [1112])a has not been generally accepted after the results were reported as not reproducible under closely controlled and observed (by Nature's self-acknowledged biased observers), but strained, overly-demanding and unsympathetic, conditions with negative results from only one laboratory being cherry-picked from amongst otherwise positive results [133]. The original results [132] were, however, confirmed in a blinded study by the statistician Alfred Spira [346e] and also in a rather bizarre Nature paper purporting to prove the opposite [346b],b were subsequently comprehensively confirmed by a blinded multi-center trial [346a], and new results confirm similar phenomena [1585]. In spite of this apparent confirmation by several laboratories, there are still doubts over whether the experiments are truly reproducible and whether the noted effects may be due to the origin of the biological samples or human operator effects [1362]. Further support for an effect has been found using NMR [1552].

Meta-analysis of 89 placebo-controlled trials failed to prove either that homeopathy was efficacious for any single clinical condition or that its positive clinical effects could entirely be due to a placebo effect [121a], thus leaving the scientific door open both ways. A further analysis of this data, however, indicated that some of these studies may have failed to avoid bias and that studies using better methodology yielded the less positive effects [121b]. A recent analytical review has reinforced the, more negative, view concerning the clinical effectiveness of homeopathic remedies [527]. Further, a recent quality assessment of published experiments on homeopathic preparations has concluded that many were performed with inadequate controls [651]. Although a scientific trial of homeopathy conducted for the BBC and similar work reported on ABC News' 20/20 program both failed to show any homeopathic effect, the experiments they reported have been subject to serious criticism including that of careless scientific methodology. In August 2005 [840], the medical journal 'The Lancet' controversially argued for halting any further research into homeopathy concluding it has no effect other than as a placebo. This judgment was based on its simultaneous publication of a comparative study of 110 matched placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy and conventional medicine [841]. The conclusion was reached, however, in spite of the study apparently showing little evidence of differences between the two groups (homeopathy and conventional) when all the data was considered. There were differences when a tiny percentage of unmatched larger trials were cherry-picked for further analysis (that is, 102/110 of the homeopathy studies and 104/110 of the conventional studies were discarded).c The remaining 6% of the studies, however, still showed positive (if not conclusive, possibly as the number of trials left in this final grouping was so small and unmatched) evidence in favor of a homeopathic effect over placebo. Although this study has come in for considerable and rightful criticism, and there is a strong case for its retraction, as above and [1381, 1382, [1524], it is often put forward in support of the view that homeopathy works no better than as a placebo; a fact that it clearly does not deliver.

Homeopathic solutions

A thorough investigation into the structural differences previously reported between homeopathically potentized (that is, succussed and extremely diluted) and unpotentized nitric acid solutions showed that the effect was lost or changed if different glassware was used [495]. Changes in the thermoluminescence of ice produced from ultra-diluted water have been noted [500a] but can be explained by remaining trace amounts of material (due to poor mixing, impurities, absorption, nanobubbles (that is, nanocavities) [500d] or other causes) being concentrated between ice crystals [500b]; an explanation supported by later work [500c]. Changes in the NMR relaxation times [1620a, 1620c], thermochemistry [1644] and UV absorption [1620b] of water in some homeopathic preparations remain unexplained and require confirmation.

A key feature of any difference between water before and after its use in preparing homeopathic dilutions is likely to be the vigorous shaking (succussion) that must be carried out between successive dilutions, and which may produce significantly increased concentrations of silicate, sodium and bicarbonate ions [335, 1207] by dissolution of the glass tubes and increases in nanobubbles and redox molecules [1066, 1751] from the atmosphere, respectively. Recently, a paper from Nobel prize-winning Luc Montagnier has declared that quite dilute solutions (of DNA) show entirely different properties from the less diluted solutions, that the authors propose depend on interactions with the ambient electromagnetic field [1602].f How water may show a memory is explored further in the 'memory of water' page.

Does homeopathy work?

Many ridicule homeopathy out of serious consideration as a clinical practice, sometimes resorting to unscientific, unbalanced and unrefereed editorial diatribe. One of the main reasons concerning this disbelief in the efficacy of homeopathy lies in the difficulty in understanding how it might work. If an acceptable theory was available then more people would consider it more seriously. However, it is difficult at present to sustain a theory as to why a truly infinitely diluted aqueous solution, consisting of just H2O molecules, should retain any difference from any other such solution. It is even more difficult to put forward a working hypothesis as to how small quantities of such 'solutions' can act to elicit a specific response when confronted with large amounts of complex solution in a subject. A major problem in this area is that, without a testable hypothesis for the generally acknowledged potency of homeopathy, there is a growing possibility of others making fraudulent claims in related areas, as perhaps evidenced by the increasing use of the internet to advertise 'healthy' water concentrates using dubious (sometimes published but irreproducible) scientific and spiritual evidence.

Footnotes

a Note that 'memory of water' effects (if proven) not only require the solution to retain information on dilution but clearly require this information to be amplified to negate the effect of the dilution.
b This paper was bizarre as the data it produced that showed a positive effect (therefore actually supporting the 'memory of water' conclusions) were dismissed by the Authors out of hand as 'a source of error for which we cannot account' so leaving the remaining data (that is, only the data which agreed with their headline). It should be noted that the statistical report on which this paper was based states that ' One interpretation is that there are, after all, differences between the treatments...' [346c] but this statement does not survive into the final version published by Nature. The Authors have apparently refused to release their raw data [346d] for unbiased statistical analysis. Nature also recently published a paper on 'ultrafast memory loss' in water that, perhaps ingenuously, appears to misinterpret this 'memory of water' concept, as it only concerns the 'memory' of single water molecules, not clusters of water molecules [750].
c The 'cherry-picking' is clear as (although a rationale for some sort of selection is presented post hoc) the study does not appear to have used a pre-determined rationale (or pre-determined parameters) in discarding trials, completes no sensitivity analysis and ends up apparently 'dredging' the data in an unbalanced manner, to falsify conclusions [1524]. Further analysis of the data, provided post publication, shows that the conclusions would have been different for almost all alternative cut-off points [1524]; that is, they would not support the conclusions that homeopathy is no more than a placebo effect or that homeopathy trials are less good than conventional trials.
d This 'dilution' is usually so extreme that no molecules of the starting material are expected to be found in the final 'solution'. In spite of this, the efficacy (and cost) of the homeopathic remedies are often thought to be greater, the greater the dilution.
e It should also be noted that placebo effects constitute real clinical effects [121c], should be judged positively and probably account for a significant proportion of the success of prevailing established medicine [1474]. Also, there must be a range of 'placebo effects' of different potencies and having different effects in different situations. As such, they surely overlap with true clinical effects. As an example, it seems clear that antidepressant medications used for many years are not efficacious and any perceived difference from placebo is due to the reduced responsiveness to placebo in the severely depressed [1455].
f The extraordinary results given in this paper have yet to be independently confirmed.


Author: Martin Chaplin. Emeritus Professor of Applied Science. BSc PhD CChem FRSC. London South Bank University. Curriculum & Selection of Recent Publications.

Homeopathy Explained

Health, Principles, Working, Medicines

Introduction
Homeopathy is non-toxic system of western medical science originated in Germany by Dr. Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (10 April 1755 Germany-1843 France) (the founder and father of homeopathy). He received his M.D. with honours in conventional medicine from University of Erlangen, Germany on 10 Aug 1779. He realised his own school of conventional medicine was not helping the patients and spent years researching on homeopathy.  The term “homoeopathy” and “homeopathic” was first mentioned in a paper [24] in 1807.
Homeopathy is highly scientific, logical, safe, quick and extremely effective method of healing. It offers long lasting to permanent cure, treating the disease from its roots, for most of the ailments. Homeopathy does not treat superficially by just driving away the symptoms but heals the patient from within. Remember Hippocrates (The Father of Medicine, 460-377 B.C.). He said, "Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease".

How Homeopathy defines the health of an individual
Homeopathy is a most rational science with respect to its concepts of health, disease and cure. According to Homeopathy, health (and disease) is a dynamic entity. Signs of good health, apart from others, are mental clarity, emotional calm and refreshing sleep.
Health is not just merely an absence of disease but a state of equilibrium of the vital force that keeps the constitution of an individual in harmony.
Disease is not an entity. It is dynamic disposition (alteration) in harmony of constitution (due to dis-arrangement of vital force) not just the physio-chemical alteration of tissues.
Cure (-the single purpose and highest ideal of the medicine) is “the rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way, based on easily comprehensible principles” [18]. Cure means the recovery of the state of stability of physiological norms [19].
“The Physician’s high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed”
-Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, Aphorism 1, Organon of Rational Art of Healing, 1819



Principles of Homeopathy Medicine
1. Principle of similars [21] (1796)Like cures like
[9] In 1790, he discovered principle of similar when he said, “Substances which arouse a kind of fever extinguish the types of intermittent fevers”. But the principle was published in 1796.
Disease can be cured by a medicinal substance given in nano doses that produces similar symptoms in health people when given in large doses. In simple words, the medicine can cure when given in nano doses what it can cause in large doses.
a. An onion is a substance which makes your eyes water and your nose burn. If you are having an attack of hay fever with watering eyes and a burning nose, a homeopathic remedy made from onion called allium cepacan relieve it.
b. Poison ivy causes redness, intense itching, burning, blistering and sometimes stiff muscles. Potentised poison ivy called as rhus tox (a homeopathy medicine) has been used for herpes, burns, eczema, allergy,  arthritis, etc.
c. When you are stung by a bee you feel a burning, stinging pain and the tissues surrounding the area swell up. Some relief is gained from applying cold to the area. If you had swollen tonsils with burning and stinging pain relieved by cold, a homeopathic remedy prepared from the same source Apis Mellificia could cure.
d. Coffee keeps people awake and alert. A remedy prepared from coffee called coffea cruda in very small doses might be appropriate for helping someone with insomnia with an overly alert mind.
e. Eyebright causes a clear and bland nasal discharge along with tears that burn and irritate the skin under the eye. The homeopathy medicine Euphrasia prepared from eyebright cures it.

f. Quinine (derived form Cinchona bark) given in daily doses to a healthy person can cause symptoms similar to malaria. Indeed, the Cinchona Officinalis, a homeopathy medicine prepared from cinchona bark, is curative in many patients with malaria.

g. White Hellebore, in large doses, causes violent purging that leads to severe dehydration-symptoms similar to cholera. Veratrum Album, a homeopathy medicine prepared from White Hellebore is effective against cholera

h. Belladonna, a homeopathy medicine, is used o treat scarlet fever, since the symptoms of belladonna poisoning closely resemble those of scarlet fever

The idea/concept of ‘principle of similars’ had first been mentioned by Hippocrates, then by P.A. Paracelsus (1493-1541) , and later by others. The medical maxim of Hippocrates is being followed in homeopathy. Hippocrates said, “By similar things a disease is produced and through the application of the like it is cured”.
The application of the Principle of Similars is found in chemistry, and immunology. For example, a basic principle of solvent chemistry states that a substance will be a solvent to another substance when it has a similar type of molecular bond. It has to be either similarly polar or similarly apolar, and then like will dissolve like. Immunology applies the Principle of Similars to activate antibody responses with small doses of a similar substance that will evoke the allergic symptoms.

Principle of similar in conventional medicine
a. Ritalin is an amphetamine (psycho-stimulant, a substance that would normally cause hyperactivity) chemically identical to cocaine. Conventional medicine gives this "stimulant" to treat hyperactivity in children
b. Radiation to treat people with cancer (radiation causes cancer)
c. The vaccines in conventional medicine is derived from Principle of Similars with few differences
d. Anti-venom against snake bite prepared from snake venom

“Why would a patient swallow a poison because he is ill, or take that which would make a well man sick." L.F. Kebler, M.D.

2. Preventive Medicine (1799)
Preventive use of homeopathy (called homeo-prophylaxis) was first applied in 1799 during an epidemic of scarlet fever in Königslütter, Germany, when Dr. Hahnemann prescribed a single dose of Belladona, as the remedy of the epidemic genius to susceptible children in the town with 100% success [17].


3. Law of minimum dose (1801)Less is More
The medical maxim of Hippocrates is being followed in homeopathy. Hippocrates said, "First Do No Harm".
According to H. A. Roberts, the law of minimum dosage could be summarised from the fundamental Law of Least Action, formulated by Moreau de Maupertius, the French mathematician in 1744, which states: "The quantity of action necessary to affect any change in nature is the least possible; the decisive amount is always a minimum, an infinitesimal."
1799: In the "Apothecaries Lexicon" Hahnemann recommends Sabina "in very small doses" and Hyoscyamusalso "in very small doses according to my method one-sixtieth to one-thirtieth grain (2.16-1.08 mg) of the concentrated juice given in solution." [11]
1800: Hahnemann translated a "Treasure of Medicine or Collection of chosen Prescription" (Thesaurus Medicaminum) from English. In the preface, he wrote, "When it will be recognised, that the curing of maladies needs the perfectly appropriate medicine in less quantity-a simple formula and yet more correct"
1801: "Cure and prevention of scarlet fever", published in Journal of Practical Medicine, his discovery of the prophylactic properties of Belladonna in scarlet fever. His dose: 0.416 nanograms of Belladonna, to repeat the dose every 72 hrs. This is the first recorded nano dose of medicine used in treatment of any disease. Thus Hahnemann can be attributed as The Father of Nano Medicine.
§242. The counter-disease force (the remedy), chosen as appropriate as possible for the cure of the natural disease, should be made only strong enough to effect our purpose, and should not injure the body in the least by unnecessary strength. (Dudgeon 5th edition of the Organon, p. 220)
Since homeopathy is a nano-medicine and acts a dynamic level, smallest possible dose of medicine (the dose that is just greater in strength than the natural disease) is administered which is sufficient to stimulate the vitality and evoke a natural healing response to bring about the necessary curative change in a patient. This ensures there is no overdosing and no addiction. The smallest dose of the homeopathy medicine is: in case of dry dose is one pellet/globule; in case of wet dose is one drop, unless you go for divided doses. The minimum dose may be different for different people based on patient's sensitivity. 
[12] The greater the sensitivity to a substance, the smaller the dose required. This smallness is to be optimal, that is, effectively the amount by which the medicine exceeds the strength of the disease. Only pure experiments, careful observation of the arousability of each patient, and correct experience can determine this in each particular case. Even where the amount of medicine seems large, it works to the extent that it exceeds in a slight amount the sensitivity of the organism.
Out of all homeopathic medicines, one that is similimum is a remedy.
Similimum, like disease, is dynamic. It modulates the energy inside the body. Similimum is one which is based on law of similars given in correct potency and minimum dose
Minimum dose of correctly selected remedy based on law of similars but incorrect potency is still homeopathic, however curative effect will be non-existent or less than what is anticipated or an aggravation
Arndt-Schultz Law (1887) [16,22]
The law of minimum dose got verified by Arndt-Schultz law. This pharmacological principle was concurrently discovered by two separate researchers, Rudolf Arndt, a homeopath physician and Hugo Schultz (German), a conventional scientist.
This law states that, "weak stimuli slightly accelerate the vital activity, medium-strong stimuli raise it, strong ones suppress it and very strong ones halt it”.
In simple words, 'Minimal (minute: below its toxicity threshold) doses (weak stimuli) of a drug stimulate (increases physiological activity), medium doses inhibit or suppress and large doses (strong stimuli) abolish/destroy cellular activity.' For example Schultz published examples such as very weak concentrations of iodine, bromine, mercuric chloride and arsenic acid will enhance the development of yeast (fungus), moderate dosages of these elements will suspend it and large dosages will kill it.
In other words, substances vary in action depending on whether the concentration is high, medium, or low. This is known as ‘bi-phase response’ i.e. every medicine has two action phases that depend upon dosage. Therefore, rather than the effectiveness of a medicine increasing with the increase of the dosage, research has consistently proven that very small dosages of a substance have the opposite result of larger ones. For example, it has been proven that the usual medical dosages of atropine inhibit the parasympathetic system and cause dryness in the pituitaries, while very small dosages cause increased secretions.
1896: Hueppe, a bacteriologist extended the findings to bacteria

1943: Southam and Ehrlich coined the term 'hormesis' to describe this. Hormesis is an adaptive response that is induced by stimulation at low doses and inhibition at high doses. Hormesis ensures homeo-stasis is maintained.
1945: Miller et al. confirmed that at low doses penicillin actually stimulated the growth of Staphylococcus. 
More about relationship of homeopathy to hormesis athttp://www.siomi.it/siomifile/siomi_pdf/BELLE_newsletter.pdf
The idea/concept of ‘Arndt-Schultz law’ had first been mentioned by P.A. Paracelsus (1493-1541). He said, “All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." He said, “It depends only on the dose whether a poison is poison or not”.
4Potentisation (1801)Potentisation is a pharmaceutical process of preparing a homeopathy medicine. It involves preparation of a liquid base substance (called Mother Tincture) from adding the original drug substance in a hydro-alcoholic (double distilled de-mineralisd water-95% pure medicinal extra-neutral ethanol mixed in a particular ratio)  solution or sugar of milk (lactose) if it is insoluble, successive serial dilution (makes drug chemically non-toxic) and succussion/trituration of the mixture after each dilution.
In some substances such as water, alcohol and sugar, because of their atomic and molecular structures, the formation probability of the free electrons, is relatively more. These materials are used as carrier substances of homeopathic remedies
Potentisation = Serial Dilution + Succussion
Succussion is a very specific and carefully controlled process in which there is agitation by vigorous shaking (10 to 150 damped strokes, boiron does 150 times in 7.5 seconds) or turbulent motion resulting in vibrations or molecular friction. Molecules contained in the drug substance gets liberated themselves from their inter-molecular bonds and get ionized. These ionized drug molecules thus attains a full expression of their chemical and biological properties, and become more virulent than the tightly packed original molecules. Latent energy (negatively charged)  in the form of electro-magnetic pattern (negatively charged electro-magnetic energy) is released into the diluent/diluting liquid which become charged. Succussion is the amplification of that energy. Formative intelligence of the medicine is imprinted on the carrier (water-ethanol mixture). The diluent liquid then carries the energy.

Potentisation potentises (activates) the properties of the physical/remedy substance and transfers them to the solvent at the subtest energy level. The end result is refined and absolutely safe remedy that contains the 'dynamic curative power' of the crude drug substance. The potentised medicines influence the biochemical processes and relieve the pathological molecular inhibitions. This enables it to affect the body therapeutically. Potentisation increases the range and depth (more readily absorbed into the body tissues) of curative action of a drug. 


The more a substance has been potentised, the more collative medicinal powers it has. No chemical or physical trace of the original substance remains past 23X/12C (Avogadro limit) potency. Such potencies are called high dilutions (serial agitated ultra-molecular dilutions/dilutions beyond avogadro number). What remains is the energy imprint (code) which is hold in (the structure of) water.
The latest research says homeopathic medicine beyond 12C potency retains nano-grams of fine nano-particles of the original starting material

For metals which can not be diluted in water the method of pulverisation is used. 

The homeopathy potencies are prepared in three scales:
1. De-cimal (X or D)
2.  Centi-cimal (C or CH),
3.  Mille-cimal (LM or Q). LM potency is derived from 3C

These three scales are dilutions in multiple of 10, 100 and 50,0000 respectively.

Relationship between various scales dilution wise
2X = C (C is succussed more than X at same potency)
LM1 = 5.35 C (LM1 succussed considerably more than 6C)
LM3 = 10.35C (LM3 succussed considerably more than 12C)
LM30 = 63C (LM30 succussed considerably more than 30C)
7X is 10 times more diluted and 150 times more succussed than 6X.

The Potentisation problem
Video on How to prepare a remedy: Part-1  Part-II

1800: Hahnemann used Arsenicum in at least the 3C potency [11]
1801: In paper "Cure and prevention of scarlet fever", he mentioned the method to prepare potentised Belladonna
“we dissolve a grain of this powder ... in one hundred drops of common distilled water, by rubbing it up in a small mortar; we pour the thick solution into a one-ounce bottle, and rinse the mortar and the pestle with three hundred drops of diluted alcohol (five parts of water to one of spirit), and we then add this to the solution, and render the union perfect, by diligently shaking the liquid. We label the bottle strong solution of belladonna. One drop of this is intimately mixed with three hundred drops of diluted alcohol by shaking it for a minute, and this is marked medium solution of belladonna. Of this second mixture one drop is mixed with two hundred drops of the diluted alcohol, by shaking for a minute, and marked weak solution of belladonna; and this is our prophylactic remedy for scarlet-fever, each drop of which contains the twenty-four millionth part of a grain (0.0416 nanograms) of the dry belladonna juice.” (Lesser Writings, p. 380-381).


5. Law of simplex (Organon 1st edition, 1810)One single similar medicine for the patient
[23] In 1797 in his essay, "Are the obstacles to the attainment of simplicity and certainty in Practical Medicine insurmountable?" he wrote, "Is it good to mix various kinds of medicines in a prescription? He further asked, "How can medicine attain a higher degree of certainty, when the doctor seems intent only on allowing a number of miscellaneous forces to be exerted at the same time on a pathological state?. He further said, "May I be allowed to confess that for several years I have never prescribed more than one medicine at a time....May I be allowed to confess that, as a result, I have successfully cured patients to their satisfaction..."
[23] In 1800, Hahnemann translated a "Treasure of Medicine or Collection of chosen Prescription" (Thesaurus Medicaminum) from English. In the preface, he wrote, "When it will be recognised, that the curing of maladies needs the perfectly appropriate medicine in less quantity-a simple formula and yet more correct.....Does it not occur to you that wo dynamic agencies together can never effect that which each individually might administered at different times?.... Nature likes simplicity and can perform much with one remedy, while you perform little with many. Imitate nature!”
This is what Dr. Hahnemann has to say on Hippocrates, "It is the masterpiece of art to give the right medicine, not the most complex. Hippocrates chose the simplest. When will it be recognised that the cure of diseases is better affected by simpler but properly selected remedies?"
At any given time, only a single remedy (one remedy at a time) can be the exact similar to the presenting disease condition of the patient. A single remedy known as Genetic constitutional similimum [1] is chosen/selected/matched on the basis of its patho-genetic similarity to the patient's disease condition, his constitution, and wholistic approach (totality of the symptoms which includes physical, mental, and emotional aspects/symptoms) which treats different complaints of the same person.
(W)holistic: medicine for the patient not just for the disease
Dr. Hahnemann in 1813 in his essay entitled ‘Spirit of the Homoeopathic Doctrine of medicine’ said Man is a “biological whole”. No single part by itself represents the human being nor can manifest itself independently [from the others] [20].
Disease is the disturbance of the whole organism. The parts of the body do not independently get sick [5]. It is the whole person who is affected by the disease and it is the whole person who responds to the medicine [5] . Therefore homeopathy does not believe in giving different medicines for different afflicted parts of body (head, nose, ears, throat, etc) but rather give one single constitutional remedy, which will cover the disturbance (different complaints) of the whole (same) person. Thus one does not have to visit ten different specialists for his/her ten different body parts.
The concept of disease in homeopathy is that disease is a total affection of mind and body. Mind and body are dynamic and complex, with each part influencing the other and acting together. Neither mind nor body fall sick as separate units [7, pp.183]. Homeopathy is based on the fact that the person’s experience in emotional and mental (state of mind) life can not be separated from their physical complaints (body). Illness and physical problems can result in anxiety or emotional uneasiness. The opposite is also true. Most (not all) illnesses have their roots on mental plane. Very often mental troubles come first followed by physical complaints. Desire, anger, greed, pride, jealousy, suspicion, etc go on harassing and making our body also weaker and unable to resist diseases [7]. Prolonged emotional stress can cause physical problems, like upset stomach, difficulty in digesting foods, poor nutrient assimilation, weaker immune system, sleeplessness, etc. Emotions are closely related to endocrine glands and nerves. The mind/emotions have real power to influence over the working of the physical body. That’s why homeopathy medicine is excellent for psycho-somatic diseases such as Migraine, Asthma, Peptic ulcer, Allergy, Ulcerative colitis, etc.

The medical maxim of Hippocrates and Plato is being followed in homeopathy. Hippocrates said, “It is more important to know the person who has the condition than it is to know the condition the person”. Plato said, "For the part can never be well, unless the whole is well".



Genetic constitutional Similimum[1]
Genetic code genome is responsible for what's going to constitute the make-up of a resulting individual. This code map is responsible for physical, mental and emotional symptoms, which are a result of both functional disorders and structural changes in the body.
1. Physical symptoms: Structure/built/looks, thermals such as tolerance to external factors like heat, cold, sun, wind, sound, light, peculiar symptoms such as inflammation without pain, etc Immunologists claim that the body has the capacity to “remember” every “assault” on the system that it has ever reacted to, and this process confirms that capacity [6].

2. Mental symptoms: state of mind, likes, dislikes, preferences, cravings, desires, aversions, thirst, appetite, temperament (reactions of mind to various external stimuli or circumstances)

3. Emotional Symptoms: Nature, behaviour, mood, emotions, sensitivity, reactions.

Constitution in homeopathy means a person’s state of health, including their temperament and any inherited and acquired characteristics. Environment (stress, shock, traumas producing changes in glands) modifies the constitution. When a homeopath physician during case taking takes all these above along with family history for prescribing a medicine, it becomes a genetic constitutional simillimum.

Individualisation: each person is unique/one size does not fit all.

Symptom X will always be cured by remedy Y no matter who the patient is. But no two patients can have same set of identical symptoms (physical+mental+emotional). Therefore two people suffering from the same disease are unlikely to be prescribed the same remedy and will come out to be different one. This is individualisation. No two individuals are alike in health or in disease. Thus homeopathy is not ready-made but tailor-made in terms of selection of remedy, potency (strength) and repetition to suit an individual. You can say homeopathy is a designer medicine.

6. Progress of cure in Chronic Diseases (The Chronic Diseases, 1828): It states that during the course of treatment the cure progresses from above (top of the body) downwards (bottom), from within outwards, center to periphery, from more important organ (wisdom of the body heals those most vital to life first) to less important one, in reverse order of coming of the symptoms (presenting symptoms disappear in the reverse order of their appearance i.e. First In Last Out, so old symptoms might resurface).

1845: Hering published in the preface of the first American edition of Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases an extract of an essay called "Guide to the Progressive Development of Homœopathy", a reference to the hahnemann's progress of cure.

1911: Kent in the first volume of the Transactions of the Society of Homœopathicians called "Correspondence of Organs, and the Direction of Cure" made a mistsake of reference of Hahnemann by Hering in 1945 as Hering's law.

More details here and here

To the list of Hahnemann, Dr. Praful Vijaykar adds a corollary: From more destructive miasm to less destructive i.e. from syphilis to sycosis to psora.

Immunologists claim that the body has the capacity to “remember” every “assault” on the system that it has ever reacted to, and this process confirms that capacity [6].

7. Theory of Miasms (Organon 4th edition, 1829): 
Homeopaths have known since 1829 that there can be predispositions to illness, and that these can be passed on. Dr Samuel Hahnemann believed that living organisms were responsible for disease. He used the term ‘miasm’ for these organisms.


Dr. Hahnemann in 1829 (the modern light microscope was not invented then) said the cause/origin of diseases is miasm. Bacterial Infections (material) and disease tendency arising from these infections are called as miasms. Suppression is the stopping of any physiological activity or the stopping of visible signs of illness. Dr. Hahnemann was of the view that suppressing symptoms disables the organism’s innate healing mechanism and drives the disease deeper and so the patient develops a more chronic disease at a later stage. Therefore, the body should be stimulated to encourage its natural healing process.
Hahnemann identified three diseases which, if the symptoms were suppressed, led to other long-lasting (chronic) conditions and predispositions to illness. These three diseases he called:


1. Psora (Greek for itch) – the ‘itch’ disease arising from scabies. The one arising from Scabies was called Psora or non-venereal miasm Hahnemann had discovered that chronic maladies...had some connection with a previous outbreak of Psora (skin diseases).
He said, "The fact that this extremely ancient infecting agent has gradually passed, in some hundreds of generations, through many millions of human organisms and has thus attained an incredible development, renders it in some measure conceivable how it can now display such innumerable morbid forms in the great family of mankind." [2]


This was published 31 years before Darwin proposed his theory of evolution in On the Origin of Species


The other two were called venereal miasms as they arose from sexual conduct.

2. Syphilis – The one arising from Syphilis was called Syphilitic miasm

3. Sycosis (Greek for fig since this disease produces fig-like warts) – gonorrhoea. The one from Gonorrhea was called Sycotic miasm.
These miasms has to be neutralized and annihilated by a more powerful homeopathy medicine.
He said, "On board ships – in those confined spaces, filled with mouldy watery vapours, the cholera-miasm finds a favourable element for its multiplication, and grows into an enormously increased brood of those excessively minute, invisible, living creatures, so inimical to human life, of which the contagious matter of the cholera most probably consists millions of those miasmatic animated beings, which, at first developed on the broad marshy banks or the tepid Ganges– on board these ships, I say, this concentrated aggravated miasm kills several of the crew ... [8].

It was another 59 years (1890) before Koch saw these organisms, and later on orthodox medicine gave them the name ‘germs’.

Further advancements in theory of miasms
The following 8 miasms have been added so far: Tubercular (J. H. Allen), Vaccinosis (James Compton Burnett), Cancer (Foubister), Malaria ( Rajan Sankaran), Ringworm ( R. Sankaran), Typhoid ( R. Sankaran), Leprosy (R. Sankaran), Smallpox
Conclusion: [3] The theory of miasms has three different aspects –
1. Genetic predisposition to acquire a disease inherited by parents
2. Acquired predisposition for chronic diseases – through a suppressed disease or use of allopathic / antipathic measures or other strong influences on the vital force like vaccination, strong emotional or mental shock
3. Diseases which when untreated or maltreated, lead to chronic disease syndromes related to natural progression of disease or lead to an increase in susceptibility for other diseases when immunity is low.
8. Doctrine of Vital Force (Organon 5th edition, 1833):  Dr. Hahnemann in 1833 said that the cause/origin of disease may not be always a bacterial infection and disease tendencies arising from these infections. It could also be due to dynamic morbid derangement/disorder/vibratory dys-rhythm of non-material vital force. Vitalism is the metaphysical doctrine that living organisms possess a non-physical bio-energetic self-powered inner inborn force that gives them the property of life. i.e. it maintains the vital operations, sensation and functions in all parts of material body and regulates the body’s self-healing capabilities. Being invisible, and recognisable solely by its effect on the organism, it can express itself and reveal its un-tunement only by pathological manifestations in feeling and function in the form of symptoms. The internal (weepiness, irritability) and external (fever, rash, inflammation) symptoms of a disease reflect efforts of the vital force to seek a new equilibrium to sustain homeo-statis, so as to counter infection, or to resist damage from environmental toxins or from various stresses. Homeopathy attempts to strengthen/stimulate/repair this vital force so as to restore balance/order with the help of potentised remedies. The vital force is akin to: chi or qi (chinese medicine), prana (ayurveda medicine), ki (oriental medicine, japan), and energy (conventional medicine).
More about Vital Force

9. Dynamisation (Chronic Diseases, 2nd edition, pp. 156): “This slight change in the degree of dynamization is even affected, if the bottle which contains the solution of one or more pellets is merely shaken five or six times, every time before taking it.”
10. Diet & Regimen [4]
1792: Dr. Hahnemann advocated healthy accommodation for the sick.
1795: He advocated improvements in public hygiene measures
1841: He had identified the need for healthy housing and a healthy diet, including avoidance of excess use of sugar and salt.

Facts and Figures about Homeopathy


Significant Dates
1779: Dr. Hahnemann awarded M.D. with honours in conventional medicine from University of Erlangen
1790: First Proving with Cinchona
1792: Dr. Hahnemann advocated healthy accommodation for the sick, before anyone else
1795: He advocated improvements in public hygiene measures, before anyone else
1796: Principle of Similars
1797: In one of his publication in Journalof practical Medicine, he distinguished between “dynamically” and “chemically” acting medicines [10]
1799: Homeo-prophylaxis introduced by Dr. Hahnemann
1801: Law of minimum dose
1801: Potentisation introduced
1807: The term 'homoeopathy' and 'homeopathic" was first published in Journal of Practical Medicine
1810: Organon 1st edition: Law of Simplex
1811: Materia Medica Pura introduced
1823: First homeopathy Journal (german): Dr. Johann Ernst Stapf's Archive for the Homoeopathic Medicine
1825: First homeopathic pharmacopeia by Carl Gottlob Caspari
1828: The chronic Diseasestheir nature and homoeopathic treatment published
1829: Organon 4th edition: Theory of Miasms
1829: A Society was formed under the name - Society for the Promotion and Development of Homoeopathic Medicine with Hahnemann as its president. It was later called The Central Homoeopathic Union.
1832: First homeopathy repertory by Dr. Clemens von Bonninghausen ("The Repertory of the Anti-Psoric Remedies")
1833: Organon 5th edition: Doctrine of Vital Force, wet doses introduced
1833: Central Homoeopathic union was instrumental in establishing first Homoeopathic hospital in Germany
1833: First English translation of the Organon by Devrient and edited by Samuel Stratten in Dublin
1835: First Double-Blind Randomised Placebo Controlled Trial (DBRPCT) was conducted by a homeopath    physician Johann Jacob Reuter
1838: Benoit Mure built the first potentisation machine
Late 1830s: Potencies prepared in De-cimal  scale (X or D) introduced by Dr. Samuel Dubs, USA
1841: Dr. Hahnemann identified the need for healthy housing and a healthy diet, including avoidance of excess use of sugar and salt, before anyone else
1842: Organon 6th edition: introduced Mille-cimal (LM or Q) potency
1860: First homeopathy Journal (English): The North American Journal of Homeopathy
1881: Blood Pressure measuring instrument Sphygmo-graph was invented by a UK homeopath Robert Ellis Dudgeon
1887: Arndt-Schultz Law
Around 1900: Erhart and Karl used potentisation machine constructed by Kent. The first machine where succussion was done at each step and uses filtered water as opposed to tap water
1921: Organon 6th edition (German) published
1922: Organon 6th edition (English) published
1988: Memory of water (Dr. Jacques Benveniste, Ig Nobel laureater)
1994: Potentisation creates molecular clusters in water (G S Anagnostatos)
1999: Potentisation alters the properties of Water (Elia V, Niccoli M)
2001: Alcohol forms clusters with water (Wisniewski)
2005: Potentisation alters the structure of water (Dr. Rustom Roy)
2006: PPR Entanglement (Dr. Milogram)
2008: homeopathic medicines have stable and unique molecular structure with recognizable properties (Dr. Rustom Roy)
2009: Potentisation creates nano-structures (Dr. Luc Montagnier, Nobel laureate)
2010: Homeopathic medicine beyond 12C potency retains nano-grams of fine nano-particles of the original starting material (Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay)

Conclusions
The regulation of health care practice varies from one country to another. Undoubtedly, homeopathy is the medicine of the 21st century. As far as people demand quality multi-dimensional homeopathy health care, governments are obliged to provide. The patient/doctor relationship should be like that of a child/parent, full of care and trust.


References
[1] Dr. Praful Vijaykar, Predictive Homeopathy, Part II Theory of Acutes, download Book, FULL TEXT
[2] Samuel Hahnemann, Organon of Medicine, Roy Publishing House, reproduced edition, Calcutta, 1972, § 181 pp. 160.
[3] Miasms in the modern world
[4] Homeopathic Firsts
[5] Dr. DooleyHomeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine, download book, FULL TEXT
[6] Dr. Andrew Lockie, Encyclopedia of Homeopathy,  Dorling Kindersley publisher, 2006 edition, pp. 19., download Book, FULL TEXT
[7] Dr. K N. Mathur, Principles of Prescribing, Book
[8] Samuel Hahnemann, Appeal to Thinking Philanthropists Respecting the Mode of Propagation of the Asiatic Cholera, Leipzig, 1831, translated by Roberet Ellis Dudgeon, M.D. in The Lesser Writings of Samuel Hahnemann, 1851 edition, B Jain Publishers, reproduced edition, 2002, p. 758.
[9] JMS Schmidt, Josef M. Die philosophischen Vorstellungen Samuel Hahnemanns bei der Begründung der Homöopathie (bis zum Organon der rationellen Heilkunde, 1810). München: Sonntag, p. 29, 1990.
[10] GKS Hahnemann, Samuel. Gesammelte kleine Schriften. Herausgegeben von Josef M. Schmidt und Daniel Kaiser. Heidelberg: Haug, 2001, p.265
[11] Samuel Hahnemann: his life and work, Richard Haehl, p..312 http://bit.ly/l5kSdz
[12] Historical Development of Dose and Potency, http://www.heilkunst.com/dose2.html
[16] http://www.similima.com/thesis32.html
[17] http://homeopathyplus.com.au/human-homeopathic-immunisation-records-studies-and-trials/
[18] Hahnemann S. Organon da arte de curar. 6th ed. São Paulo: Robe; 1996.
[19] http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/296/363
[20] Luz HS. Racionalidade médicas: a medicina homeopática. Estudos em Saúde Coletiva 1993; 64: 1-36.
[21] “An essay on a new principle for ascertaining the curative powers of drugs & some examinations of the previous principle.”, Hufeland's Journal of Practical Medicine, 1796, volume-II, parts 3 & 4, pages 391-439 & 465-561.
[22] http://www.homeorizon.com/homeopathic-articles/homeopathic-researches/perfect-homeopathic-research
[23] Samuel Hahnemann: his life and work, Richard Haehl, pp.68-70 http://bit.ly/l5kSdz
[24]. Indications of the Homeopathic Employment of Medicines in Ordinary Practice, Journal of Practical Medicine, Vol. 26, Part 2, p. 5-43, 1807.


Author: Dr. Nancy Malik, BHMS, Homeopath Physician. Sector-23, Gurgaon, Haryana (India).
Source: knol
Artículo traducido al español