8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

How y ou practice homeopathy will be based on y our philosophy of homeopathy . Y ou need to be a diligent, unprejudiced observ er of all phenomena. Y ou also need to be open to all phenomena. But most phenomena are hidden from us and we only get a glimpse of them. So we need to be humble. Dogmatism is an obstacle to practicing homeopathy . Unfortunately , homeopathy seems to attract a fringe, who hav e their own pet theories. Search Philosophy is literally the "lov e of wisdom." What is wisdom? It is the knowledge of what is true or right, knowing what is appropriate to each situation. The wise person discerns the right action in each situation. There is only one way out of the laby rinth. We need a philosophy of medicine, a way to study nature that will giv e a direction to our practice. An allopathic book, Introduction to the Philosophy of Medicine , written in 1 994, said that modern medicine lacks a philosophy . Medicine is the art and science that aims at the maintenance, promotion, and recov ery of health. There are three branches of medicine: prophy lax is, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Prophy lax is is the promotion of health and prev ention of disease. It includes hy giene. Diagnosis is the understanding of the whole phenomenon of disease from beginning to end. Therapeutics is the treatment of disease with the aim of restoring health. There are fiv e basic principles of common sense medicine: 1 . Prev ention. One should teach a lifesty le conduciv e to health. 2. Primum non noncere or do no harm. This principle comes from Hippocrates. The fourth largest cause of death today is prescription drugs and medical error. Approx imately 1 00,000 people die in the U.S. ev ery y ear, or about 300 ev ery day , the equiv alent of two 7 37 s crashing. In 1 980 a study was done where 800 medical patients from three medical wards were followed for three months. Thirty one percent dev eloped iatrogenic diseases. (Diseases caused by medical treatment). Elev en percent almost died and two percent died from medical error. Steroids are used to treat injuries, but steroids destroy cartilage. After fiv e y ears on steroids, a patient will need surgery to replace the joint. Steroids also cause intestinal bleeding. Almost three thousand people die from steroids each y ear! 3. Tolle causam. Remov e the cause of disease instead of just treating the sy mptoms. 4. V is medicatrix naturae or the healing power of nature. The only way a person can heal disease is through their own healing power. The forces of healing can be used to help the organism to heal itself. 5. Holism. The person must be seen as a whole. A person is not an aggregation of organs. The sick person is not a diseased organ but a person with a history and in interaction with their env ironment. We need to determine what sy stem of medicine abides by these fiv e principles. Why don't doctors follow these principles? Because there is no money in it!
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 1/8

hom e faq news articles interactiv e resources links m em bers about

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

The word phy sician comes from phy sis, which means nature. So a phy sician is someone who understands the laws of nature. In the early nineteenth century it took its current meaning of doctor. The word doctor comes from docere, which means to teach. The first generation of homeopaths, like Hahnemann and Boeninghausen, were natural scientists. To be a good homeopath y ou must know nature and science. The first two aphorisms of the Organon say that the mission of the phy sician is to promote health. First, the phy sician needs to educate and guide people in a lifesty le that meets their psy chological and phy siological needs. Second, the phy sician needs to help the patient to restore him or herself to health in the optimal way . Aphorism 3 of the Organon say s that in order for the phy sician to achiev e these goals the phy sician must know how to use and apply the forces of nature, that is, know medicines and their actions, and know how to use the heal disease gently and effectiv ely . The phy sician needs to understand all aspects of human nature, from the gene to the psy che, and must be able to understand the phenomena of disease from beginning to end. The phy sician must understand the v ital force. It is the force in a person that keeps them aliv e and passes life to the nex t generation. It is the force that heals and which maintains the healthy body . Its nature is a my stery . The v ital force is not a material substance, since the substance of the body does not change at death. The v ital force is described in aphorism nine. What is health? Health is homeostasis, or a state of balance. The function of the organism is to maintain this balance, so y ou aren't aware of y ourself. When we stand we are in constant motion to maintain our balance. When we lose the ability to reestablish this healthy balance we are ill. When we are in a state of emotional upset, we should be able to reestablish an emotional balance. We should feel right or at peace. We should be able to use our mental faculty properly . Health is a state of global balance within oneself and with the env ironment. What factors determine the state of health of the person? Heredity is the most important factor in health. Approx imately 80% of the state of health is determined by genetics and 20% from the env ironment. This was established through studies of identical twins separated at birth. Lifesty le is the nex t most important factor. One's emotional needs must also be met. We hav e a need to be part of a group. Heredity , lifesty le, hy giene, and how we use our mind are the most important factors in health. Disease is not a separate entity from the person. Hahnemann say s so in aphorism 1 3. People should not write articles with titles like "The Homeopathic Treatment of Cancer." The metabolic processes present in disease are the same as those present in health, ex cept that they are unbalanced. Disease is not an entity , but the ex pression of an organism out of balance. Hahnemann uses the term "untunement," or out of tune, for disease in aphorisms 1 1 and 1 2. As aphorisms 6
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 2/8

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

and 1 5 say , disease is associated with disagreeable sensations and abnormal functions. There are subjectiv e sy mptoms, what the patient feels, objectiv e sy mptoms, what others can see, and incidental sy mptoms, the circumstances causing the other sy mptoms. Disease can be classified by lesion (tissue change), cause, or organ affected. Disease classifications are for our conv enience and do not describe the reality of the disease. The process of aging is not a disease. Howev er, aging can by accelerated or retarded by lifesty le. Acute disease is described in aphorism 7 2 of the Organon. Aphorism 7 3 describes the div isions of acute disease. There are harmful ex ternal influences that affect the indiv idual. For ex ample, there is a one percent increase in skin cancer for a one percent increase in the ex posure to ultrav iolet ray s. There are sporadic diseases that affect indiv iduals who are susceptible in v arious way s, like the flu. And there are epidemic diseases that affect most persons. The genius of the epidemic are the sy mptoms of the disease common to all. (The totality of sy mptoms in all the patients susceptible to the epidemic.) Once the genius of an epidemic is known, we are better able to control it. The Organon discusses real v ersus apparent disease. Real disease is an untunement of the v ital force. Apparent disease is due to some ex ternal cause, such as coffee causing insomnia. When the cause is remov ed, the disease is gone. This distinction is only made by Hahnemann. Artificial disease is caused by drugs or remedies. A homeopathic prov ing is an ex ample of an artificial disease Iatrogenic diseases caused by drugs are also artificial diseases. Artificial diseases, can eliminate natural diseases if their sy mptoms are similar. This is the basis of homeopathiic medicine. Disease is most often, but not alway s, multifactoral. Unifactoral disease is the ex ception. The causes can be classified by importance. The most important cause is called the primary cause. The primary cause of disease in an infection is a susceptibility , as a rule. So why giv e an antibiotic? Susceptibility is either hereditary or acquired. There are certain aspects of susceptibility which are common to the species. Distemper is a disease specific to dogs, and sy philis to man. Susceptibility can be specific to a race, family , or indiv idual. Susceptibility can also be acquired. For ex ample, through ex posure to tox ic chemicals one becomes sensitiv e to further ex posure. We cannot measure untunement of the v ital force, only see its manifestations. This untunement can be transferred from one generation to another. Psy chological disturbance can also disregulate the v ital force. Ex ogenous causes of disease include cosmic ray s, weather, social causes, tox ins, microorganisms, and the way we liv e. Then there are mediate v ersus immediate causes of disease. We need to understand what is the original cause of disease. For ex ample, the ex cess of stomach acid in an ulcer is not the original cause of the ulcer. There are different kinds of interv ention in disease. Prev ention is obv iously the
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 3/8

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

best. Palliation does not remov e the cause and is not v ery effectiv e. Curativ e interv ention is effectiv e and does remov e the cause. Supportiv e speeds up the body 's natural curativ e powers. Suppressiv e interv ention remov es sy mptoms, but often leads to worse problems. Disruptiv e interv ention does not help and disrupts the body 's normal functions. For ex ample one course of antibiotics can disturb the body 's natural flora for life. There are more bacteria in the body than cells. So we want to treat the patient in the least disruptiv e and suppressiv e way and most prev entativ e and curativ e, or at least supportiv e. According to Carol Dunham, homeopathy is the art of therapeutics. Hahnemann lay s out the principles of homeopathy in his work The Organon of the Rational Healing Art. Hahnemann published his work in the major medical journals of his time. He began teaching medicine in Leipzig in 1 81 1 . Homeopathy was defined by Hahnemann and must be practiced according to the principles he described. These are: 1 . The law of similars, or similia similibus curantur. The sick are most easily , mildly , and permanently cured by the most similar medicine. For ex ample, podophy lum causes and cures diarrhea. This principle is established by treatment and not hy pothesis. Homeopathy is the only sy stem of medicine where all treatment is lawful. 2. The fundamental, intrinsic cause of real disease is the untunement of the v ital force. This only applies to dy namic disease. 3. The change and morbid condition of function of tissue and organs in real disease are the result of dy namic disturbance and are not the cause of disease. 4. The totality of the sy mptoms, objectiv e and subjectiv e, as well as etiologic factors and characteristics of the person are the sole indication for choice of the remedy . Medicine cannot be based on opinion or hy pothesis. Medicine has usually been deductiv e, not inductiv e. 5. By constant indiv idualization we treat the patient and not the disease. 6. In order to secure the best practical results, medicines must be administered singly . Without sy stematic application of the inductiv e method, y ou will not get far. 7 . The only remedy that merits preference is alway s the one that is most similar to the characteristic sy mptoms of the disease. There are only degrees of similarity , not an absolute. If the the degree of similarity is high enough, the result will be good. This is ex plained in aphorisms 1 54 and 258 of the Organon. 8. This single remedy will be prescribed for its dy namic property in an optimal posology . For ex ample, salt (natrum muriaticum) in its crude form is not a remedy . It must be potentized to be effectiv e. 9. To ascertain the sick making properties of medicine, they must first be prov en in the healthy and second be confirmed in curing the sick. Only remedies that hav e been prov en and confirmed should be used. The doctrine of signatures is deductiv e and is not part of homeopathy . We cannot base a practice that determines life or death on a hy pothesis. 1 0. Like prev ents like. A remedy that is giv en in adv ance of illness will prev ent the disease it will cure. This is homeopathic prophy lax is.
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 4/8

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

What are the scope, limits, and possibilities of homeopathy ? A similar influence will help or prev ent a similar disease. Any disease that falls under this situation is in the scope of homeopathy . If a medicine produces a hallucination or fear, it can cure or prev ent it. There are two aspects to prophy lax is. As a person is treated with homeopathy , their state of health will increase with time. There is also prophy lax is for a specific ev ent. A person who is sick will respond to good homeopathic treatment unless prov en otherwise. This includes heart failure or kidney failure. As long as there is life, there is hope. This is only applicable to real disease, not to apparent disease or a product of imagination. The susceptibility and the ex citing causes, such as wrong lifesty le, are the factors giv e rise to the disease. If the ex citing cause is great, it ov erwhelms the susceptibility , so homeopathy will not work. The more susceptibility is the primary factor, the greater the success of homeopathy . If the disease is caused by a lack of hy giene, homeopathy will not be effectiv e. This is stated in aphorism 7 7 of the Organon. In this case, susceptibility is ov erwhelmed by the ex citing cause. The well rounded phy sician knows the role of hy giene and therapy . In the case of traumatic disease, y ou will see the recov ery of health faster than normal. It is almost a para-phy siological reaction. In cases where the causus officianalis cannot be remov ed, homeopathy can be used, but will only be palliativ e. If there is an irrev ersible lesion, y ou can only palliate. If someone has brain damage such as cerebral palsy , sy mptoms related to the lesion can only be palliated. Similarly with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. What factors limit the success of homeopathy ? The greatest limitation is the ignorance of the phy sician. The lack of self-knowledge is the greatest limitation of the phy sician. A phy sician must be aware of his or her own weaknesses. The biggest problem is a lack of objectiv ity . The more the phy sician is prejudiced, the worse the results. To understand nature, a phy sician must know himself. Inscribed on the temple of Delphi was the say ing, "If y ou understand y ourself, y ou will understand nature." The understanding of nature comes from knowledge and ex perience. Without these, one lacks self-confidence. With success comes confidence, intuition, and good judgement. To be a good phy sician one must hav e the mental capacity to learn, to be patient, and to be a good communicator. The second limitation is the patient. The more the condition is due to the untunement of the v ital force, the greater the success of homeopathy . If the ex citing cause is not remov ed, the phy sician can only palliate. Aphorism 224 of the Organon talks about illness arising from bad habits of liv ing, from poor upbringing, prejudice, or lack of discipline. For ex ample, swearing can be cured if it is the result of a disturbance of the v ital force and not if it is the result of bad upbringing. The other limitation within the patient is the degree of rev ersibility of the condition in nature. A condition can only be healed by homeopathy if the body can heal it by its innate healing power. Ev ery thing that is dy namic can be affected by the remedy . Sometimes lesions are rev ersible, but the patient does not hav e the capability to accomplish it. In the history of homeopathy we hear that certain conditions are irrev ersible and
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 5/8

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

untreatable, but with further ex perience they become treatable. For ex ample, the late stage of y ellow fev er was once thought to be untreatable, but then it was recognized that the sy mptoms matched those of Crotalus Horridus. Rattlesnake v enom causes its v ictim to bleed from all orifices, which is similar to the sy mptoms of y ellow fev er. Bubonic disease was once considered untreatable by homeopathy until homeopaths discov ered Naja produces similar sy mptoms. There are certain diseases with which homeopathy will hav e little success, such as ALS, Tourette's Sy ndrome and other rare genetic disease. Until recently I would hav e said the same about autism, but recently I hav e treated a case with much success. Another limitation in the patient is a defectiv e disease. That is, there are not enough sy mptoms for the doctor to perceiv e the remedy . This is often true in childhood leukemia. Or the patient may be noncompliant, or hav e a poor lifesty le, such as a drug addict. But these patients can still be cured. The third limitation is imperfect materia medica. there are hundreds of v enomous snakes and only about ten hav e been properly prov en. There are thousands of scorpion v enoms. There is a Chinese scorpion whose v enom causes retinitis and another whose v enom causes glomular nephritis. The other forms of medical practice are: Antipathy , the treatment of disease by a substance that causes opposite sy mptoms, such as an analgesic for pain relief. Allopathy , the treatment of a disease by a method that is other than antipathic or homeopathic, such as using antibiotics. Isopathy , the treatment of disease with the same substance that causes the disease or with a morbid substance from the disease (a nosode). Antipathic treatment strengthens the sy mptom that it is try ing to treat. Homeopathic treatment stimulates an opposite reaction. In antipathy the organism is passiv e, the drug is activ e and the action is temporary . Homeopathy treats the diseased organism. Isopathy is usually not as successful as homeopathy and it is not as univ ersally applicable. Allopathy can be supportiv e, palliativ e or disruptiv e. So it is sometimes useful, as in the case of insulin for a diabetic. Allopathy does not refer to medical diagnosis, or biochemistry , but to a sy stem of therapeutics. How well does homeopathy meet the fiv e principles of common sense medicine? Homeopathy is the only form of medicine that is prev entativ e at each treatment by increasing health. Homeopathy does no harm when properly prescribed. Homeopathy remov es the fundamental cause of disease, which is the susceptibility to disease. Homeopathy stimulates the healing power of nature. Homeopathy is holistic in considering the totality of sy mptoms. Ev aluate all other therapies against these criteria and they fall short. Only the ex pert homeopath will know the proper role of other therapies. Homeopathy is the hub of the wheel. All other diagnostic procedures should be subserv ient. Many other therapies can be complementary to homeopathy . I refer to allopathic doctors for diagnostic
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 6/8

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

purposes, but rarely for treatment. What are the qualities of the homeopathic practitioner? A desire to help other people. Otherwise, one won't persev ere through the hard work. One needs to be in good health. One needs to be in balance. One needs to be alert and a good listener. One needs confidence in one's judgements. One needs lov e. One needs knowledge, especially self knowledge. Homeopathy brings warmth to the heart, challenge to the mind, and material success. If y ou practice homeopathy y ou will learn human nature. To be a good homeopath y ou need a good basis in science and philosophy from a liberal arts education. Then y ou need to learn medical science, such as anatomy and phy siology , to become a good diagnostician. The better a diagnostician y ou are, the better a homeopath y ou will be. How should y ou study homeopathy ? Become as good a diagnostician as possible. Learn as much about hy giene as possible. Follow the fiv e principles of common sense medicine. First, read the Organon. Lippe suggested reading it twice a y ear when a beginner and once a y ear thereafter. Lippe read the Organon a hundred times. Read Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases and Lesser Writings. Especially read his essay "The Genius of the Homeopathic Art" in it. Then read the Letters and Life of Hahnemann by Bradford and the Life and Work of Hahnemann by Heil. Read the works of Lippe, which are mostly only in the old journals. P. P. Wells also wrote v ery good articles in the journals. Read Boeninghausen's Lesser Writings and Carol Dunham's The Science of Therapeutics. Also Roberts book The Art and Science of Homeopathy is worth reading, as is Elizabeth Right Hubbard's Brief Study Course in Homeopathy. The following materia medica can be relied on: Nash's Leaders in Homeopathic Therapeutics, Ty ler's Drug Pictures, Herring's Guiding Symptoms, Clark's Dictionary of Materia Medica, and Gibson's Materia Medica. The best repertories are the computer repertories. Use the most modern. What is the place of hy giene? Part of the sy mptoms of disease are related to the v ital force and others to poor hy giene. Hy giene has not been emphasized in the history of homeopathy . Hy giene will hav e to be addressed at some point in the treatment of the patient. What is the place of complementary care? Phy sical therapy is useful, as is manipulation. But manipulation is ov erused. It should perhaps be used at fiv e percent of the current lev el. It is a mistake to use complementary therapy to remov e sy mptoms. This makes it difficult to perceiv e the sy mptom picture. Pharmacological doses of v itamins or other nutrients should be av oided. When treating patients, I don't change prescribed medication. Andre Saine
homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html 7/8

8/28/13

A Philosophy of Homeopathy

NCH Summer School

homeopathy.inbaltimore.org/saine2.html

8/8