The Efficacy and Scope of Biochemic Remedies in Homoeopathy
Bray Williamson MA Lic.BS Hom
The term ‘Biochemic Remedies’ was first used to refer to the twelve tissue salt remedies brought to prominence at the end of the 19th century by the German physician Dr. Wilhelm Schuessler.
It was his belief that these 12 remedies when used in low decimal potency (X), could be used to treat most if not all human illness due to their ‘bios’ (life) chemistry.
Dr George W Carey M.D. in his book, ‘The Biochemic System of Medicine (1894)‘, lists the tissue salts as Phosphates, Chlorides, Sulphates, Fluoride, and pure Silica, as per the extract below.
As can be seen from his list, all of these tissue salts are remedies that are commonly used by homoeopaths for constitutional treatment in everyday practice.
Dr.Carey states that ‘Biochemistry is not Homoeopathy’ (pg 13 Carey, 1894). Biochemistry in this context is used to describe Biochemic medicine rather than the modern version of Biochemistry that we know today. The idea of Biochemic medicine does not follow the homoeopathic science of that which can cause symptoms of disease in a healthy individual can cure that disease in a sick individual, or as we know it “Similia Similibus Curantur”.
The proponents of Biochemic medicine look for that which is perceived to be missing from the physical body, and conclude that this is the cause of disease. Once they have decided what is missing, they believe that the administration of the tissue salt in low homoeopathic potency will restore the sick to health.
One cannot argue that there is a common sense to this reasoning when dealing with a purely physical issue. If we were to consider an individual who is suffering from severe dehydration due to a loss of bodily fluids, as a homoeopath the remedy China Officinalis may come to mind to help restore the body to health. However without rehydration and returning the lost fluids a remedy will be of very little use.
The Biochemic system of medicine takes this common sense truth, and expands upon it into a delusion that all physical illness can be cured by these 12 tissue salts. The use of Natrum Muriaticum for headaches for example, when indicated, is an effective remedy for headaches and neuralgia. In the Biochemic system, it is the remedy for headaches whether homoeopathically indicated or not because they perceive the issue as being a lack of a chloride in the physical system, in particular Sodium Chloride. This system of medicine, whilst drawing on the information within our homeopathic Materia Medica, denies the role of the Vital Force in homoeopathic proving, illness, and the restoration of health.
It is the biochemic belief that in every organic remedy a small part of a tissue salt remains, and it is this which creates the curative action. How wonderfully simple the work of a homoeopath would be if one only had to choose from 12 substances to treat every patient that entered the consultation room.
One of my personal goals is to simplify homoeopathic understanding so that homoeopathy is more accessible to the general public. The Biochemic system is, however, not simplifying Homoeopathy, it is at worst attempting to remove the truth of the Vital Force and the nature of disease, and at the very best it is encouraging a lazy allopathic approach to the treatment of disease.
It is here that I must put my hands up and confess that I have been guilty of this myself. I recently had a patient call me in the evening complaining of a tooth abscess. It had been a long day and I was tired, so I advised the patient to take Silica and to contact me in the morning. The following day the patient contacted me, they were in even more pain and the abscess was now worse than the previous evening. I subsequently followed the correct homoeopathic approach and took a full acute case after which I prescribed Apis. Within 2 hours the abscess was completely resolved. Had I not taken the lazy Biochemic route, but taken the case properly in the first instance, I could have saved my patient an uncomfortable night of pain. It is important to remember when considering my error of judgement, that when the correct remedy was administered, cure occurred as per the second aphorism of the ‘Organon of Medicine’, “The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health…..” (pg 90 Hahnemann 1833).
This “ideal of cure” should be at the forefront of every homoeopaths mind when assessing the effects of a remedy. In the Biochemic system this is most definitely not the case (although Dr Carey did actually state that it is not Homoeopathy.) The tissue salts are repeated many times a day and are often recommended to be taken over many months therefore most certainly not rapid.
These remedies are potentised, albeit most often to 6X, therefore they do still have the capacity to cause a proving in some individuals. Anybody who has ever been involved in a homoeopathic proving will, I am sure agree that they are rarely gentle!
As homoeopaths I believe that we have a duty of care both to the profession and to the general public, to highlight not only the misconception of the use of Biochemic medicine as homoeopathic, which it clearly is not, but also to highlight the potential dangers that can occur from the misuse of these potentised substances. We need to educate to the best of our abilities in order to open a true and safe homoeopathic gateway for all.
Homoeopathic pharmacies that propagate this misuse and these misconceptions, are not helping the development of homoeopathy, in fact what they are doing is actually quite the opposite. It could be said that this grave misuse of homoeopathic remedies is yet another attempt to undermine our high and only mission and moves the public away from homoeopathy, towards a form of naturopathic medicine or indeed allopathy.
In conclusion, when considering the efficacy and scope of Biochemic remedies the answer is quite simple. These twelve wonderful tissue salts are so much more than single symptom remedies when they are prescribed by a skilled classical homoeopath. Each of the twelve remedies are as effective as any other homoeopathic remedy when indicated by a thorough case taking and analysis, with a complete understanding of what needs to be cured within the totality of the individual, and what is curative within the remedy.
The scope of each of these remedies can be found in our Materia Medica thanks to the incredibly detailed proving work that has been done by those who came before us.
The Biochemic tissue salts are not the ‘cure all’ that the Biochemic prescribers would claim them to be, but they are simply 12 remedies in the homoeopathic arsenal against disease.
REFERENCES:
1. ‘Biochemic Systems of Medicine’ by George W. Carey, MD
2. ‘Organon of Medicine’ by Samuel Hahnemann
