Homoeopathy is the outcome of a genuine
desire to cure human sufferings gently, quickly and
permanently based on rational principles. Dr. Hahnemann
found out the truth about "Sickness of the
individual", "What is to be cured?",
"Law of cure: Known as Similia Similibus Curenter",
"Vital dynamis: The natural power of healing which is
now known as power of resistance", "Chronic
miasms which form obstruction to cure", and "How
to select the simillimum which enables to restore the
vital disorder". All these discoveries, problems and
their solutions are provided in his great classics
"The Organon of Medicine".
The discovery of "Medicinal
power" through potentization is one of the greatest
wonder of homoeopathy. Without this discovery, science and
art of homoeopathy could not reach its present state of
development. Dr. Hahnemann was able to demonstrate the
development of hidden power in the potentized medicines
which were considered to be inert in the crude form. Drugs
like gold, silicea, lycopodium, platinum etc., which are
considered inert by other system of medicines even today
have been used effectively in highly potentized form by
homoeopaths all over the world. This discovery was based
on the findings that inert substances are coated above
after potentization to 3rd Centesimal scale of potency
become active and capable of influencing the vital dynamis
of patients as well as the susceptible persons known as
provers.
Dr. Hahnemann proved first Cinchona on
himself in order to find out how it cures ague fever which
was rampant in those days and it was the specific remedy
used by most of the physicians of Europe. He also started
giving crude forms of drugs in the beginning but later
found out that similar drugs ion large doses produce
harmful effects, hence, he started giving diluted drugs in
water as dilution reduces the poisonous action of the
drugs. Then he started successing the diluted drugs and
found that successions raised the medicinal powers
of the drugs.
Slowly and steadily, Dr. Hahnemann thus discovered
the centesimal method and later on 50 centesimal method of
potentization. The 5th edition of the Organon was
published in 1833 in which he advocated the use of centesimal
scale of potencies of homoeopathic drugs. It
consisted of the following three main processes:
In case of
drugs soluble in alcohol: One drop of mother tincture
was diluted with 99 drops of alcohol to prepare 1st centesimal
potency which is expressed as 1C. In case of drugs
insoluble in alcohol: one grain of the drug is
triturated with 99 grains of sugar o milk in morter
with pestle.
10 to 50
successions were advised for potentization in drugs
dissolved in alcohol. In case of drugs triturated with
sugar of milk, 10 to 20 minutes were taken to rub the
drug each way to pulverize it till the powder becomes
uniform. This method of pulverization is used in
producing each higher potency from 1st centesimal
potency.
For next
higher potency 1 part of the drug is taken and is
mixed with 99 parts of water or alcohol and successed
10 to 50 times to raise to the next centesimal
potency.
In case of trituration of the drug for
the net higher potency one part of the drug is rubbed
with 99 part of sugar of milk, for 10 to 20 minutes so
that it may become uniform and the next potency is
stored separately with the label of next higher potency.
After 3rd centesimal potency all kinds
of drugs can be raised to next higher potency in alcohol
or water in the above mentioned manner as the non soluble
drug also become soluble in water or alcohol.
Preparation of 50 millesimal scale of
potencies:
Around 1840 the preparation of potencies
were modified again and the 50 millesimal scale of
preparing the potencies was evolved about 3 to 4 yrs
before the death of Dr. Hahnemann. The advantages of
this new scale was provided by Hahnemann in his 6th
edition of Organon are:
They are less liable to produce
medicinal aggravations even in highly sensitive
patients.
They can be repeated everyday in
acute as well as chronic diseases raising the potency
gradually according to the response of the medicine on
the patient.
They have a milder, quicker and more
permanent action than the centesimal scale of
potencies.
For preparing the 50 millesimal scale of
potencies 3C of the centesimal scale is taken as the
mother tincture of the next higher potency. In one drop of
this mother tincture add 500 drops of dilutent containing
alcohol and water in the proportion of 1:4. Hence the strength
of mother tincture 1/500000000 i.e. 50 millesimal potency.
The 6th edition of Organon was published
by William Boericke in December 192, 80 yrs after the
discovery of 50 millesimal scale of potencies. During this
period homoeopaths were using centesimal scale of
potencies which included all big names in homoeopathy like
Herring and Kent who achieved marvelous results. Even now
majority of homoeopaths throughout the world are using
centesimal scale of potency.
Dr. Pierr Schmidt of Geneva, Dr. Kunzli
& Charles Phaud of Lusanne and Dr. Raman Lal Patel
from India were among the pioneers of homoeopathy who used
50 millesimal scale of potencies and published their
results.
Decimal Scale of Potencies
This was introduces by Schussler who
discovered Biochemic treatment on the basis of tissue
remedies. While the organopathic drugs have affinity for
the organs of the body, the tissue salts supply Biochemic deficiency
which produces diseases. Unlike homoeopathic drugs they
were not prove and selected on the basis of the Law of
similars but were selected on the basis of experience of
Schussler and other pioneers of biochemic system of
therapy. Any deficiency in the organic salts must of
necessity cause a disturbance in the organism i.e. cause
organic matter to become nonfunctional and thrown out
through the skin or some orifice or membrane of the body.
If these organic or biochemic tissue salts are supplied in
optimum doses the balance is restored and the patients
recovers from his illness.
Dr. Schussler found the decimal scale of
potency in which the tissue salts are triturated in the
ration of 1/10. They may be given from 1x to 200x on the
basis of specific indication of the biochemic deficiency.
Generally 3x to 12x triturations are used fro the
treatment of acute diseases in biochemistry. Dr. Schussler
discovered 12 biochemic tissue remedies which were:
Different authors provide different
details regarding selection and repetition of potencies.
Till today this is a debatable issue. I will try to put
down the rule and the exception about the potencies of
remedies from the literature. There are three factors
which helps one in determination of potencies.
Ultimately it is one's own experience which enables one
to select potency, its repetition and use of placebo.
Nature of Disease: According
to homoeopathy there are three kinds of
diseases.
Acute Curable Diseases
Chronic Curable Diseases
Incurable or Fatal Diseases
Acute Curable Diseases:
These are of two types 1) Mild and 2) Severe form of
sickness. The Mild sickness need low and medium
potencies in single or repeated doses according to
short acting or long acting property of the remedy.
The Severe form of sickness need
high potency single or plus doses. In acute cases
when the condition is changed and the new situation
arises once should consider the change of remedy as
well as change of remedy, whether to resolve to low
or high potency. In some cases where the tissue
pathology persists low potencies are indicated; but
if the symptoms are mental and functional high
potency alone lead to cure.
Chronic Curable Diseases:
Dr. Peterson considered two phases of chronic
sickness. 1)Acute phase of chronic disease medium or
high potency according to mildness or severity of
the disease as in acute cases. 2) In chronic cases
where pathological changes have taken place
establishing eruptions, discharges and indurations
without generals or the individualizing symptoms
(pointers) need low potency in frequent doses. But
if the individualizing symptoms are present we must
begin with 30 potency and follow the octave system
of Dr. Kent.
Incurable or Fatal Disease:
In these cases potency problem does not arise. In
such cases the exact simillimum is forbidden. One
should select some palliative or biochemic remedies
in low potencies to safe guard against severe
aggravations and death.
Susceptibility of the Sick
Patient: The second most important factor in the
potency problem is generally susceptibility or
response of the sick person. We found that there are
3 kinds of susceptibilities found in sick persons.
Hyper susceptible (Allergic)
people need high and highest potencies. Those
who take homoeopathic remedies are found to
acquire this state.
Hypo susceptible persons
need low potencies in frequent doses. Persons
who are in the habit of taking crude drugs,
stimulants and narcotics require low potencies.
Peculiarly susceptible
sick people are rare. They respond to a certain
potency alone.
Nature of the remedy: The
third most important factor in the potency problem
is the specific dynamic nature of the remedy
selected. Some remedies act best when given in high
potencies like Polycrests and nosodes. Most of the
homoeopathic remedies act in medium and low
potencies but there are many remedies that act best
in mother tincture in drop doses. Some medicines act
best in triturations like Ars. Iod., Thyrodinum,
Uranium Nitricum etc. It is also found in literature
that action of the same remedy may vary in different
potency. For example, the higher potencies of Heper
Sulph may abort suppuration and lower potencies
promote it. Thus, it has been found that remedies
act on three planes: 1) Organopathic, 2) Biochemic
& 3) Dynamic.
In organopathic plane the
symptoms and signs of diseased organs predominate
which corresponds to the remedies. In this plane the
drug acts best in tincture in drop doses, for example,
Orinthogalum Umb Q in duodenal ulcer, Ceanothus Am Q
in enlargement of spleen etc.
In biochemic plane the
symptoms and signs of the tissue organs and blood
predominate. The symptoms belonging to the lesion of
the disease are considered for finding out the
simillimum. When the biochemic symptoms guide us to
select a remedy we can use both low medium or high
potency according to the acuteness of disease.
In Dynamic Plane the symptoms
and signs of the sick person predominates. These
symptoms belong to the Generals (Kent) or to Totality
of Symptoms (Boenninghausen). When such symptoms lead
us to select a remedy we can go for high and highest
potencies. In such cases the homoeopathicity of the
remedy is greatest and hence it is ideal condition for
a high potency in a single dose.
Repetition & Placebo
Dr. Hahnemann and other pioneers of
homoeopathy observed during their practice the rules
and regulations regarding repetition of doses of
homoeopathy remedies and placebo. These rules and
regulations are very important for avoiding spoiling
of cases and correctly piloting the patent to complete
recovery.
The cardinal principles of
homoeopathy as laid down by Dr. Hahnemann are:
Prescribe only the proved
remedies
Prescribe the simillimum
Prescribe
the single dose so long as its beneficial effects
continue
Prescribe the remedy more
frequently and rapidly advancing acute disease and
less frequently in slowly advancing acute
diseases.
In chronic diseases give repeated
doses of 50 millesimal potencies every day for a
week and then changed to the next higher potency
for another week and so on till the complete
recovery takes place or homoeopathy aggravation
occurs, Stop repeating the millesimal potency once
the aggravation occurs but placebo may be given (
* you can use the same method with centesimal
scale potencies too-Dr. Sahni).
Dr. Kent advices to repeat
centesimal potencies in chronic cases on the basis
of octave series of potencies consisting of
30,200,1M, 50M, CM, DM & MM. And to repeat
each of these potencies only twice before the next
high potency is given. This method was called by
Dr. Kent as "Series & Degrees"
potencies which enable the vital dynamis full
power to eradicate the sickness of the individual.
Dr. Burnett and other pioneers of
homoeopathy find the similar remedy to the illness
of the sick individual; highest the potency may be
prescribed without repetition and will take
its own time to cure the patient if there are no
complications or obstruction to cure.
Dr. Tyler is of the opinion that
single dose may be only one dose or two doses
repeated at short interval or even three doses
repeated at short interval coz our aim of single
dose to stimulate the vital dynamis to produce
antibodies for complete immunization as the
homoeopathic remedy acts like and antigen or
allergen.
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