Classical Homeopathy

                         Dr. Samuel Hahnemann

(Please note old word ‘Homoeopathy’ and new word ‘Homeopathy’ are used to refer to the same)

Hahnemannian Homoeopathy / Classical Homeopathy—the words are used synonymously.

In ordinary parlance, one who prescribes homeopathic medicines to treat PATIENTS is said to practice homoeopathy. Now-a-days, a section of homoeopath treat diseases, whether acute or chronic, with the help of a group of so called homeo remedies in larger doses– a practice called ‘Polypharmacy’, again another section treat diseases with patent medicines. Many of them claim to acquire success of high percentage with this practice.

Dr. Hahnemann, the founder of Homoeopathic medicine, always propounded the policy of administration of a single medicine at a time covering the totality of signs and symptoms of the patient and with a minimum dose.   

The group of homoeopathic physicians still strictly follow the principles of Dr. Hahnemann in treating patients are said to practice Hahnemannian homeopathy or Classical homoeopathy.

In this context, the term Totality of Signs and Symptoms needs to be clarified. Totality of Signs and Symptoms covers the following:

1)Present set of signs and symptoms as mentioned by the patient. Each sign and symptom is to be complemented by its aggravating or ameliorating factors and concomitants (uncommon peculiar symptom arising with other groups of main symptoms).

2)Past history of the patient, especially history of dog-bite, snake-bite, ricket, blood dysentery, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin-disease, diabetes, piles, fistula, fissure, repeated vaccination;   surgical operations undergone so far, major diseases suffered from so far,  e.g., infectious diseases like malaria, filaria, TB, Pleurisy, small-pox, chicken-pox, measles, diphtheria, whooping-cough,  venereal diseases like Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, AIDS, ; history of lunacy, suicidal attempt, autism, rheumatic fever, cancer, hepatitis etc.; history of prolonged intake of any medicine, physical injury or mental shock, severe physical exertion, prolonged night-watching, disappointed love, prolonged seminal loss/leucorrhoeal discharge/blood loss. In case of lady patients, whether there were history of repeated abortions/habitual abortions, complicacies during period of pregnancy/conception, giving birth dead/still child etc., menstrual history in general.  In case of a child patient, whether it was born normally or with the help of forceps or caesarean section; whether the mile-stone developments were timely; a total history of vaccinations and inoculation are taken note of. In a word, any disease/any event/any agent which likely to have affected the constitution of the patient is worth considering.

3)Family history of the patient including his own family & relatives of both maternal and paternal sides, i.e., whether the relatives suffered from or have been suffering from any major diseases referred to in point (2) above. Premature death of any relation with reasons thereof.

4)Mental Generals : These are the unique information collected from the patient regarding his/her general mental disposition, any change noted there in, suicidal tendency, aversion to life, lachrymose mood, morose, easily annoyed, talkative, reserved, liking fuss or calmness, any repeated dreams, fears as to objects, persons, situations etc., whether music lover or does not like it; all other likes and dislikes as to mental sphere are noted.

5)Physical Generals : Here patient’s like and dislike regarding foods and drinks - its type, hot or cold; seasons of the year, time of the day like morning, late-morning, noon, afternoon etc.; whether he/she has tendency to catch cold, takes extra salt in lunch/dinner, status of thirst, appetite, sleep etc., various other points of interest with reference to patient’s personal nature are noted here.

6)Personal history of patients including their professions, addictions, daily routine of foods & drinks habits, their religious practices etc are noted. 

7)Findings from Pathological/clinical Reports

Then following anamnesis and synthesis of signs & symptoms of the case and determining the miasmatic background of the patient, a single suitable anti-miasmatic medicine  is selected to be administered upon the patient in potentized form. At present, potentized medicines of two different scales are available in the market, i) centisimal scale like 30, 200, 1000, 10M, 50M, CM etc ii) millesimal scale like 0/1(M/1), 0/2(M/2) through 0/30(M/30). Patient’s susceptibility and status of the disease-state are the main parameters on which scale of potency and frequency of its repetitions are determined. Along with medicine maintenance of proper diet and regimen is also advised to avoid causative/precipitating and maintaining factors.

Then following the reaction of the medicine administered and Kent's 12 Observations, second prescription and subsequent follow-ups are continued.

So far, all these were as per advice of Dr. Hahnemann. However, time has changed a lot from the days of Dr. Hahnemann; now we are living in the era of Adulteration. A lot of foods/drinks, we take almost regularly, are full of micro-toxins. Unless we remove those from daily-intake of patients, no CURE is possible, for, those would act as obstacles to cure.

Let us take an example. A patient of worker-in-factory type suffering from piles is undergoing homoeopathic treatment. The physician concerned scrupulously following the principles of classical homoeopthy has administered a single medicine in proper dose following totality of symptoms. However, the physician fails to note that the patient is in the habit of taking ‘muri-chanachur’[parched rice & spicy hot mixture of fried grams, peas & other tit-bits] daily in the evening as light refreshment from an ordinary shop of his locality. In all probabilities, the physician will fail in his mission. A physician must know ‘chanachur’ of cheap stores of local market contains a lot of micro-toxin (coming from cheap quality oil, spices and oxidation of such things over a long period between date of make and date of consumption) which affects the liver  so that the pressure in haemorrhoidal veins in the ano-rectal junction is increased to aggravate condition of the patient suffering from piles already. Here, regular intake of ‘muri-chanachur’ will act as a maintaining factor (odstacle to cure) of the diseased-condition and cure will be a far-off matter, until the patient is advised properly to change the practice!  

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