Prescribing on the Basis of Alternation & Combination of Remedies

This method of prescribing is controversial and most often criticized by homoeopaths on seminars / conferences but it has been observed that they also use this method though not regularly in their practice.

As per Dr. Clark, the practice of giving a single dose and allowing time for it to evolve its action is an excellent one when it is possible to carry it out and observe its effects. Remedies may sometime be alternated with advantage, but they should not be adopted as a routine method. If two medicines seems almost equally indicated, it is best to decide upon one of them, and give that. When the homoeopath has seen whether the remedy come to his expectations or not he will be able to decide on the propriety of giving the other. To give both at same time destroys the value of observation, and tends to weaken the homoeopaths power of diagnosing the remedy.

According to Dr. S.S Kunta, if we care to read in between the lines of Organon and other unpublished matters exchange between Dr. Hahnemann and his colleagues of the time, we find that Dr. Hahnemann had never meant that his child "His Dictum, Similia Similibus Curentur should never undergo improvement, and bloom forth into a fragrant flower." No parent expect his child and much less Dr. Hahnemann to remain a child forever. He wishes to see him rapidly growing healthy, bloom forth into a powerful adult, earn a name in the world and to challenge death itself, through the living memories of his deeds through life. Homoeopathic philosophy is nothing but this spirit of though and deed.

Homoeopath, if he is really one, cannot afford to be and never is orthodox because scientists are never orthodox, homoeopathy is a complete science in it self the basic principles of which can never be assailed, and every physician who criticizes homoeopathy is a scientist by corollary, if not by choice. The method of group remedies administration provides relief to the acute patients very much quicker and it eliminates majority of distressing symptoms, overlapping one another and to put the picture in a proper focus pointing towards a completely replaceable homoeopathic remedy out of the remaining symptoms which Dr. SS. Kunta observed during his long homoeopathic practice.

Most people called this a Poly Pharmacy. Is there such a thing as a single drug? According to Dr. Kunta even sugar of milk, alcohol and water which we use as vehicles are themselves not single entities. If you see there is a combination of Carbon, Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and so on ad infinitum. There are alkaloids such as atropine from Belladonna, morphine from Opium, strychnine from Nux Vom, etc., are generally related to nitrogen ring compounds and yet their physiological response on the neuro-vegetative system are different. This means that certain definite molecular arrangements of the intrinsically same basic material, are required to give a physiobiological response, and also response to symptom syndrome as given by proving of a drug.

If we go through our Materia Medica's, Keynotes and therapeutics, there are many famous formula's of alternation of medicines which has been used by homoeopaths world over since the inception of homoeopathy. To name a few:

1. Sulphur and Nux alternated in Hemorrhoids and when it has improved the Hemorrhoids, Aesculus hip will clear the remaining symptoms.

2. Bryonia and Rhux Tox in Fevers

3. Belladonna and Rhux Tox in infectious diseases like Measles and Mumps.

4. Belladonna, Hyoscyamus and Stramonium in Schizophrenia.

5. Aconite, Belladonna, Hepar Sulph and Spongia in Croup (Known as Dr. Boenninghausen's Croup Powders) 

For combination of medicines the best example would be: Biochemic Universal Combinations. Many pharmaceutical companies like Schwabe (Germany), B & K (USA), Reckweg (Germany) are selling selective clinically tested formulations for certain disease conditions which are being used since long and widely accepted by homoeopaths world over. If this theory of alternation and combination is incorrect as per the principles of homoeopathy then it is very difficult for these combinations/formulations to survive for such a long time in today's scenario.  

Conclusion

It is not advocated here that one should use such combinations/ formulations. Its solely left to the wisdom of the prescriber to adopt this method or not.