Homoeopathic Antidote – An Essential tool in Journey of Case Management

Abstract

Successful Practice in the Homoeopathic field requires knowledge of Homoeopathic Principles & Homoeopathic Materia Medica. Knowledge of Homoeopathic Materia is incomplete without study of Remedy Relationships. 

Each Remedy in Materia Medica not only possesses the property to exhibit certain individualistic action to cure disease, but also manifest their unique relationships to each other based on Seat of action & Nature of Disease Process. Knowledge about this thing falls under the domain of Remedy Relationship of Homoeopathic Medicines. 

According to their Nature & Action – Reaction patterns to each other, various terminologies were developed by our pioneers to understand this remedy relationship. i.e. Antidote, Inimical, Complementary etc. among all these terms, Antidote is one of the most important relationships between medicines and every homeopath must know about it in detail for successful practice. So, it is necessary to explore this remedy relationship called Antidote in detail which help us to manage Homoeopathic Cases in day-to-day Practice.

Keywords – Antidote, Homoeopathic Remedies,  Remedy Relationship 

Introduction –

                      Every Homeopathic physician focuses on learning the action of Homoeopathic medicines that will help them to use these in treatment of diseased persons. To understand the seat of action and peculiar pathogenesis of medicines is the prime objective of every neophyte. Another important objective is to understand the relationship between these medicines to each other when given in succession with the aim to cure the sick.

Remedy Relationship – An Important section of Homeopathic System

Our Homoeopathic medicines derived from various sources like vegetables, animal , mineral, imponderabilia etc. according to their active principles and sources, they have some peculiar effects which exhibit some similarities of action while some of the effects differ from every other remedies even from the same family or order. 

Dr. Boenninghausen, who made an initiative to explore this concept at clinical level said that “Some remedies are in harmony with others, some neutral and some inimical. The most similar ones, as a rule, are complementary; they antidote each other’s bad effects, follow each other well and often make up for the deficiencies of others. Others with a lesser degree of similarity may be used at a greater interval of time and finish up the work started by the other remedy. In other word they have much lower ratio of similarity.”⁽¹⁾

Antidote & its need in Case Management 

The Remedy relationship section of Materia Medica deals with various reaction patterns of remedies to each other when one uses them for management of diseased persons. The term Antidote comes from the study of this section which proves useful in Homoeopathic case management especially in the current era when diseases become complex, and susceptibilities of people show marked alteration which seems very unpredictable to every Homoeopathic Physician.

It is not necessary that every time well selected medicine for the case is prescribed and desired results will follow. Sometimes well selected medicines are not suitable for the case or sometimes that may cause unwanted reactions or aggravation which is harmful to the diseased person. These possibilities are frequently seen with neophytes of the Homoeopathic field where lack of knowledge regarding remedy relationships makes the case worse to manage. 

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, following are the definition of word antidote,

1. A remedy to counteract the effects of poison.
2. Something that relieves, prevents, or counteracts. 

As mentioned by Dr. Boenninghausen, remedies show some similarity and to some extent dissimilarity to each other. 

Following Conditions require Need of Antidote in Homoeopathic Case Management

1. Case with Drug Disease/ History of Poisoning with Crude Substances
2. Case with Wrong Prescription (Improper Selection of Medicine for Case)   
3. Case with Antidoting effect from Diet or Regimen act as Obstacles to Cure

Let’s Discuss the above condition in depth to understand the utility of Antidote in the Homeopathy Field.

1. Case with Drug Disease/ History of poisoning with crude substance

Many cases of chronic nature come under Homoeopathic treatment after much Drugging from other systems of medicine. In these cases, in order to get the original disease picture of the case; one must be able to distinguish the effect of previous drugs prescribed for the case and the original old disease picture. Dr. Hahnemann mentioned these types of cases in his organon of medicine book under the aphorism no. 74 to 76, where in some cases one can use antidotes according to need and in some, we have to rely on vital force to tackle these effects in the human body. 

Dr. Robert mentioned about this concept in his book in following manner, “the physician has to fight the increasing use of sedatives, bromides, narcotics, analgesics – all forms of drugging which offer the patient some retreat from the pressure of the modern age or some measure of relief from pain, either mental or physical. Often the physician does not know of the home prescribing of the patient with such products of the pharmacist, but modern advertising keeps these products before the mind of the public to such an extent that they have proved one of the greatest barriers to cure ever known.  

In these cases, one must know the obstacle to cure if he is to be able to serve the patient with any degree of real assistance; although it is one of the greatest boons of homoeopathy that so many of our remedies have in themselves the power to antidote massive drugs, and so release the vital power inherent in the patient himself, with the corresponding response toward cure.” ⁽³⁾

Dr. Harvey Farrington mentioned this matter in following words, “Where the disease has been suppressed by crude medication, a known Homoeopathic antidote in potentized form or a remedy prescribed on the symptoms present will probably reinstate the original symptom picture and sometimes cure. Another remedy or a series of remedies may be required to complete the cure. “ Which is specifically applied in current era of complex pathologies.⁽⁴⁾

Some of the important Antidotes of Homoeopathic system as follows,

Dr. H. C. Allen mentioned about Antidote in his Keynotes,

Camphor antidotes nearly every vegetable medicine, Nux vomica – One of the best remedies with which to commence treatment of cases that have been drugged by mixtures, bitters, vegetable pills, nostrums, or quack remedies, especially aromatic or “hot medicines” but only if symptoms correspond. ⁽⁵⁾

There are many examples of medicine  & its antidotal effects which proves their efficacy in the Homoeopathic field since its origin. 

2. Case with Wrong Prescription (Improper selection of medicine for case)

In the Homoeopathic field there are possibilities to prescribe improper medicines for cases where wrong Homoeopathic prescription may bring disastrous consequences in case prognosis. In this case one must antidote the first prescription in order to annihilate action of previous prescribed medicine & save the case for further deterioration. 

Dr. Hahnemann Mentioned about management of this type of case in aph. 249 (5^TH EDITION), “Every medicine prescribed for a case of disease which, in the course of its action, produces new and troublesome symptoms not appertaining to the disease to be cured, is not capable of effecting real improvement,  and cannot be considered as Homoeopathically selected; it must, therefore, either, if the aggravation be considerable, be first partially neutralized as soon as possible by an antidote before giving the next remedy chosen more accurately according to similarity of action; or if the troublesome symptoms be not very violent, the next remedy must be given immediately, in order to take the place of the improperly selected one.”⁽²⁾

Dr. Clarke in his book “Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica”, he mentioned about use of antidote in his practice with the following case example, “It is necessary to know the antidotal relations of remedies in order to be able to control the over-action of any remedy administered. I once experienced very disagreeable symptoms from a dose of Natrum Mur. in potency and suffered for some days before I realized the cause. As soon as I did, I looked up Jahr, and found that smelling Sweet Nitre was one of the antidotes. I put it to the test, and the magical way in which the symptoms were wiped out was a revelation to me of the importance of this branch of Homoeopathic knowledge.”

Keen Observation on Progress of Case, Knowledge about remedy relationships of Homoeopathic remedies will help Homoeopathic physicians to manage cases with ease & Confidence.

3.   Case with Antidoting effect from Diet or Regimen act as “Obstacles to Cure”

Dr. Hahnemann mentioned this obstacle in aph. 260 with examples that may cause obstacles to cure when cases show unfavorable results after well selected Homoeopathic Remedy.

Hence the careful investigation into such obstacles to cure is so much the more necessary in the case of patients affected by chronic diseases, as their diseases are usually aggravated by such noxious influences and other disease-causing errors in the diet and regimen, which often pass unnoticed.

One group of Homoeopathic Physicians believes that coffee, camphor-like substances cause disturbances in the healing process, while another group has a different view. 

Aluminum poisoning is one of the famous examples for obstacles to cure mentioned by Dr. Grimmer in his writings, he mentioned “To the homeopathic physician this subject is most vital, because while a patient is subjected to the influence of the subtle poisoning of aluminum the indicated remedy fails to act in a curative way. Many times, it acts only for a few days and fails to relieve or cure the symptoms for which it was prescribed. And the antidotal remedy must be repeated too frequently to permanently relieve the patient of his natural symptoms and conditions of disease while the poison is constantly taken. Unless the supply of the poison is shut off by the patient ceasing to partake of foods prepared in aluminum it will be impossible to cure him of his chronic disease. And here is another obstacle the homeopathic physician must meet and overcome in order to effect a cure.”

Dr. P. Sankaran mentioned one case of Women with complaints of fistula where even with the regular intake of coffee , patients improved with Psorinum medicine. (For Psorinum, it is mentioned that Psorinum patients do not improve while using coffee.

Conclusion  

 Homoeopathic practice demands multitasking performance in case Management where not only observation of action of prescribed medicine is important but proper scrutiny of past history and diet & regimen of patient also decide prognosis of case. Knowledge about Antidotes has its own unique  & significant impact on Homoeopathic Practice.

References 

1. Allen T.F., Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocketbook; 17^th impression 2016: India; B.Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
2. Boericke. W, Organon of Medicine; 6^th edition; India: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
3. Robert H.A., The Principles & Art of Cure by Homoeopathy; 2008: India: B. Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd.
4. Farrington Harvey, Homeopathy and Homeopathic prescribing. Reprint edition. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers, 2001.
5. Allen H.C., Allen’s Keynotes Rearranged and Classified with leading remedies of the materia medica and Bowel Nosodes including Repertorial Index; 10^th edition: India; B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
6.  Clarke, J.H., Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica; volume I; Reprint Edition: India: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
7. Grimmer. A. H. Collected Writings. 1^st English edition. Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Homeopathica version number 2.2.1-2006/07/24.
8. Sankaran P. The Elements of Homeopathy. Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Homeopathica version number 2.2.1-2006/07/24.