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By Dr. Lollah G.K.Murthy
Introduction:
Only during the last century has Homeopathy gained international repute
as one of the important holistic systems of medicine. Homeopathy
believes in the Vital Force pervading the entire human body and
controlling all its functions. This vital force responds to all external
material stimuli. The secondary action of such inputs is curative for
the vital force when the disease picture matches the drug picture. This
drug picture is developed by the application of material inputs to
healthy human beings.
In the early days, Hahnemann and his followers used comparatively strong
material doses of the medicine for the purpose of proving them. It is
also known that initial prescription of strong
doses cause aggravation of the disease followed by cure. Later
experience taught
that diluted and potentised doses are enough and have tremendous
curative application.
Homeopathic Potency:
From the days of Hahnemann till today, the choice of the correct potency,
viz, the correct dilution and its interaction with the vital force both
in health and disease remains a mystery. Repetition has also been
subjected to much uneven ideas.
The contributory factors are-
i)
The need to regain a semblance of health or at least functional
ease in preference to letting nature work its process to establish
radical cure.
ii)
A variety of strong chemicals in the form medicines , fertilizers,
pesticides, pollutants and even cosmetics have created such violent
disturbance that the human being has lost track of simple and healthy
living.
This has vitiated the immune response so much that what was once
conceived as a single curative dose is no more applicable. Alas !
Several theories exist about the suitability of potencies viz-
Nash propagates high potency
Boericke and many others stick to low potency.
Recently Vithoulkas potentised proposed consecutive repetitions
of three or four doses of a reasonably high potency on each succeeding
day to elicit the best results.
Rawat has prepared
an exhaustive compendum of opinions and experiences on the
potency issue. Some of the authors covered by him are in the list of
references.
A scientific attitude to quantitatively match the potency with dynamics
of the vital force has remained an open question.
Gut feel prevails over sound principles.
Person versus Potency:
Health is now definitely recognized as a state of equilibrium within,
unaffected by the changes in the surroundings. Such a state removes
consciousness of the existence of any part of the body or the mind. Only
when excited or depressed does it show dis-ease, a state of
in-equilibrium. However, the healthy organism, viz the vital force is
constantly subjected to inputs from the external world, as stimuli to
the senses and to the bodily functions. These stimuli may be from food,
medicines, poisons and other s like microbes, viruses etc.
All materials in the world have an interaction with the human
systems in three ways- viz thro food, poison and medicine. Let us
consider a simple substance like common salt-Natrum.muriaticum. Salt
allows sustenance of physical activity.
It is well known how weak the human being feels when salt is
eliminated in the food or through severe perspiration. The same salt, if
taken in excessive quantities creates disease as a result of its primary
action on the organism, producing thirst, skin irritation, loss of hair
etc.
At the other end of the spectrum, let us understand the influence
of substances like Arsenic and Nux-vomica. A few grams of these can be
fatal. It might not be very well known that administration of poison in
highly controlled conditions can act as an excellent nutrient and tonic.
In potentised form the curative powers of such poisons is well known to
Homeopathic practitioners.
A system in dynamic equilibrium with itself and its surroundings
is defined as a healthy vital force.
The action of disease and medicine must be Homeopathically linked,
suited in quality as well as quantity. The qualitative aspect is amply
illustrated by the original dictum similia similibus curentur. The
quantitative aspect is illustrated below.
Quantitative
Potency Concept:
A
particular remedy in different potencies has contrasting primary and
secondary effects.
The relation between a remedy and sickness is neither optional nor
arbitrary. It can certainly be matched quantitatively. The after-effect
of a drug in strong material doses is in direct opposition to the same
first effect when taken in weak potentised dose e.g. Opium.
Opium in high dilution is not administered as a narcotic but as a
stimulant in cases of weakness and relaxation. The same is the case even
with daily intake of poisonous substances such as alcohol, tea, coffee
and tobacco which are stimulants in the normal intake and cause
depression and breakdown of strength and energy. Surprisingly, one
conclusion emanates- a drug has its own antidotal influence. The
potentised dose annuls the effects of the strong !
The impulse to disease is not always of a positive nature. Its
effect is not
always one which brings abnormal phenomena in the organism. It
can check or paralyse physiological
action and hence become a restraining force and a negative
influence.
Hence it is necessary to distinguish between the positively acting
material doses and negatively acting potency. What is needed
is a dose which restores medical neutrality, ie the equilibrium.
The positive and stimulating dose, which is stronger than the neutral,
produces an aggravation and a negative potency hinders the action of the
vital force. The following axiomatic concept evolves:
All positive conditions of illness with diseased irritation required
negative doses of medicines -viz, Higher dilutions. All negative
conditions of illness which cause retardation of function require
positive doses of medicine -viz Lower potencies.
Let it be remembered that the basic Homeopathic principle of small dose
stands exemplified.
Potency Matching:
The interaction of unmatched potencies and their actions on the
equilibrium condition is illustrated below-
a)
Positive disease -If the potency is unmatched in negativity, the
result of such a prescription will be that part of the positive
irritation of the disease remains untouched. The insufficient dose viz
not being potentised enough would certainly produce a certain change for
the better. The symptoms partially give way but would never disappear
entirely even with continued use of the same potency.
Case 1:
A young girl, married , had heavy menstrual bleeding ever since her
puberty. A couple of curettings worsened the menorrhagia. Heavy clots,
pain and continuous bleeding. Natrum- mur, Sabina etc failed to produce
results. Carcinosin 200 temporarily arrested the menorrhagia for one
month. Periods reverted to original. Such positive irritation needed the
more negative potency-Carcinosin1 M was administered with excellent
results. An occasional
repetition has restored her to normalcy.
Case 2 :
A young person suddenly developed one early morning restlessness with
intense pain in the region of right lower abdomen. Restless moaning and
thirst for small quantities of water indicated Arsenicum. Two doses of
30th potency temporarily relieved but the complaints returned
within a quarter of an hour. The negativeness of the dose for the acute
positive condition of the disease was insufficient. A single dose of the
200th potency put him to sleep in two minutes. After 3 hours
the patient woke up perfectly normal.
Negative disease :
When negative dysfunction is observed from the vital force, any amount
of high potency cannot create the desired cure. The choice of higher
potencies was thought of in earlier practice due to the concept of
Inherited Miasm influence the long standing nature of the suffering.
Such negative dose may intensify dysfunction and would be interpreted as
Homeopathic aggravation. The Vital Force is to regain time for the
negative potency effect, to dissipate itself to restore the original
diseased condition.
A relatively positive dose, insufficient for the case of highly negative
diseased state would result in partial improvement
and not a complete cure. It has to be strengthened by going down
the scale of potency. Similar is the case when too insufficient a
negative dose is administered in a positive state of irritation. In
addition to the example of menorrhagia given above, the following case
will illustrate this.
Case 3 :
A boy of 13 was mentally underdeveloped. He was dull with slow grasping.
Assuming miasmatic barriers, Syphillinum in high potency negative
dose followed by Silicea 1 M was administered periodically for a year.
No improvement. Silica 6 was subsequently administered
continuously for two years with exemplary effect. The boy had
grown physically and succeeded in his school examination reasonably well.
He behaves more sensibly and friendly. The positive effect of the
medicine resulted in few painful boils. The medicine was discontinued
for short intervals.
Potency Repetition :
It has been brought out that too strong a positive dose, if administered,
will produce
Homeopathic aggravation in the positive direction. However, the
body manufactures the suitable dilution of the drug through secretion in
the course of metabolism
and restores itself to health. However, if a highly negative
potency is administered, the surplus negative energy and its obstructing
action remains stored innthe body to slowly dissipate away. The
remaining negative force becomes suspended as if it finds no point of
attack inthe organism provided the high potencies are not administered.
Additional Clinical Tips :
a)
Constitution-
It can be seen that the ultimate goal of cure may be achieved in
different way.
It is necessary to understand the principles of quantitative
interaction to eliminate unnecessary reactions in the positive or
negative directions. It is also necessary to allow sufficient intervals
between repetition of doses to observe the change - whether it is less
positive, less less negative, more positive or more negative. The strong
and weak conditions of the medicines are relative to the state of the
Vital force. The strength or weakness of a dose must be in reference to
the individual patient and his his or her personality.
Susceptibility and sensitivity also come in to the picture as per
the classical concept of Homeopathy. Some may appear robust but may have
a very delicate nervous system. To this class belong the neurotics as
well as people who lead a temperate life, avoiding all stimulants such
as alcohol, tobacco and live only on vegetable diet and who possess
undrugged constitution. The other class consists of torpid natures whose
capacity of the nervous system for stimulation is lesser. Such condition
of weakness, paralysis, blockage of the organism, atrophy and illness
due to congestion need the positive potencies. So down this scale by
senile and invalid individuals, who, due to continuous intake of drugs
need stimulation of the positive potencies.
b)
Children- Generally children need negative dose of medicine than
the adults because the organism is more tender, sensitive.
c)
Climate- There is a need to prescribe higher dilutions with
progressive increase in the geographical latitude as well as altitude.
Thinner air in higher altitudes livelier circulation and accelerated
metabolism comes under the same class as above. Giving the lower
potency positive doses is more effective for
warm tropical lands. It is probable the greater warmth, and
intensified skin activity results in dissipation of medicinal effects.
Damp neighborhood in the vicinity of great rivers, lakes, marshes and
the sea requires administration of stronger, lower potencies.
d)
Dosage and Repetitions- The need to watch aggravation or other
effects of each of the administered
potencies has been illustrated. It is obvious that a drug is
needed as long as the disease is not fully eliminated. Cure progresses
in the reverse direction of the progress of the disease symptomatically.
The last symptom disappears first
and the earliest are removed last. But it is necessary to
continue treatment till the last . Otherwise even a few weeds can grow a
lot.
Summary
The drug must be selected as per the Homeopathic law of similars.
Every drug can make its influence felt in a two fold manner, according
to the strength of the dose. The low potency positive dose stimulates
the vital force
The negative high potency dose slackens and checks the forces of the
organism.
Positive symptoms require negative doses of medicine and negative
symptoms require positive doses of medicine.
Inflammations, suppurative and feverish conditions and neurotic
excitement come under the positive class.
Negative symptoms cover atrophy, insufficient nourishment of the
tissues, neurotic depression and weakness.
High altitude, greater proximity to the poles, mountain, childhood and a
sensitive constitution need higher potencies.
Proximity to the equator, old age and a torpid constitution of
the invalids are negative symptoms and lower potencies.
Positive symptoms aggravate with positive doses and negative illness
with negative doses.
A change for the worse that makes its appearance in the diseased
condition, in consequence of a certain degree
of strength of the dose demand a more positive dose if the same
was negative and if it was positive, a more negative dose.
The above principles have been tested in several instances in the author’s
personal practices as well as illustrations from clinical observations
of various other practitioners. The author hopes sincerely that the
material presented puts the method or quantitative potency matching on
sound principles and advances the marvelous work of the earlier masters
further
Comment
by Piet Guijt:
I had
several reaction, that this is a difficult article to read and
understand.
I will give
a short further explanation.
Dr. Murthy
is telling us this:
In a proving
of a particular remedy we see two categories of contrasting symptoms.
Depending on
the potency primary or secondary symptoms.
For example
in Boericke p 146: Calc C: Milk too abundant/ deficient lactation
Boericke p
509 Phos: copious debilitating diarrhoea/ white hard stools. etc. etc.
The
qualities of the two groups are:
1. IRRITATION
(or Stimulation, caused by low potencies in
the proving)
2. STAGNATION
(caused by high potencies in the proving)
IRRITATION
symptoms: Inflammations, suppurative and feverish conditions and
neurotic excitement.
STAGNATION
symptoms cover atrophy, insufficient nourishment of the tissues,
neurotic depression and weakness.
Irritation
symptoms' need a high potency to cure, 'Stagnation
symptoms' need the lower potencies to cure.
Of course
you have to look at the total picture.
So when you
give a patient a certain potency and during the (partial positive)
treatment the 'irritation' symptoms remain, you must (after relaps) go
higher, but when the 'stagnation' symptoms remained', you must go lower.
The correct potency will cover both.
In
case the homeopathic aggravation (start aggravation) shows increased
IRRITATION the
given potency was to low.
When the
homeopathic aggravation shows more STAGNATION,
the given potency was to high.
I hope this
makes this interesting concept easier to understand.
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