Abstract: Homoeopathy with its principle of totality has a universal approach though in certain cases surgery may be advised when it is inevitable and, in such cases also great scope of homoeopathy is seen both during pre- and post-surgery. Though Surgery may give rise to various surgical complications & discomfort, this article includes the medicines which can be advocated effectively in preventing surgical complications and in decreasing all sort of discomfort & promoting speedy recovery.
Keywords: homoeopathy, surgery, surgery in homoeopathy, synthesis repertory, rubric, alternative medicines.
Introduction
Homoeopathy- Homoeopathy is a system of medicine based on the doctrine ‘Similia Similibus Curentur’ (like cures like), according to which a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy persons will cure similar symptoms in sick persons [1].
Homoeopathy always encourages nonsurgical interventions that are amenable to medication as far as possible. It encourages surgery only in unavoidable circumstances to quicken the healing process.
Surgery- It is that branch of medicine that is concerned with repairing, removing or replacing the diseases tissue by manual and instrumental means.
Sushruta is the father of surgery. The Sushruta Samhita is among the most important ancient medical treatise and is one of the fundamental texts of the medical tradition in India along with Charak Samhita, Sushruta has described surgery under eight heads: Chedya (excision), Lekhya (scarification), Vedhya (puncturing), Esya (exploration), Ahrya (extraction), Vsraya (evacuation), and Sivya (suturing).[2]
Homoeopathy considers diseases primarily as a disturbance in the vital force. If this disturbance persists for long and the body cannot overcome the condition, it may lead to a state that may or may not come back to normalcy with internal medications. Such conditions, at times, create disease products such as tumours, cysts, prolapse, and so on. These residual products become foreign to the body, which turns out to be an obstacle to cure. In such a situation, recovery may not be possible without the removal of the maintaining cause. Surgery, in such cases, eliminates the disease products or residues immediately and helps the vital force to recover faster.
Importance of Surgery in Homoeopathy as stated in Organon of Medicine by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
Dr Hahnemann sir with references in organon has given the guidelines for the need of surgery in certain conditions.
Aphorism 186- Hahnemann sir talks about surgical diseases and called them as local diseases he says that in case of injuries accruing to the body from without, if they be at all severe, the whole living organism sympathizes; The treatment of such diseases is related to surgery when affected parts require mechanical aid to remove external obstacles to cure.Eg.
∙ Reduction of dislocations (‘by needles’ in 6th edition)
∙ By bandages to bring together the lips of wounds (‘by mechanical pressure to still the flow of blood from open arteries’ in 6th edition)
∙ By extracting foreign bodies that have penetrated into the living parts
∙ By making an opening into the cavity of the body to remove an irritating substance.
∙ By reducing and fixing the fractured bones.
All these cases and many more require mechanical aid, but these may also be combined with homoeopathic medicines as whole living organisms require active dynamic aid to accomplish healing.
Aphorism 3- This aphorism deals with qualifications of a true physician which include knowledge of disease which means knowledge to diagnose and differentiate the surgical diseases.
Aphorism 4- In this aphorism, a physician is regarded as a preserver of health, that is the person who knows the things that derange the health and cause disease, and how to remove them from persons in health.
Aphorism 7- In this aphorism, Dr Hahnemann has explained that exciting or maintaining cause (causa occasionalis) has to be removed to cure a case. When this cause occasionalis is something mechanical, it has to be removed manually by surgery. Every intelligent physician would first remove this where it exists; the indisposition there upon generally ceases spontaneously. Eg;
- Extract from the cornea the foreign body that excites inflammation of the eye.
- Loosen the over tight bandage on a wounded limb that threatens to cause mortification, and apply a more suitable one.
- Lay bare and put a ligature on the wounded artery that produces fainting
- Extract foreign substances that may have got into the orifices of the body
- Open the imperforate anus of the newborn infant etc[1] .
Importance of studying Surgery as a Homoeopathic Physician
Homoeopathic physicians should possess a power to discriminate the types of illness, to decide about the best course of action required to restore the sick to health. Thus, homoeopathic physician must know:
- To diagnose common surgical cases.
- Fundamentals of examination of a patient with surgical problems.
- To differentiate between surgical and non-surgical cases and thus to judge the cases whether it is under scope of Homoeopathy or not.
- Diagnosis will tell a physician about prognosis. Prognosis will tell, whether the case is curable or not. accordingly, it will tell a physician, whether or not it can be palliated.
- For providing Pre- and Post- Operative Homoeopathic medicines for faster recovery and sometimes palliation.
Significance of Surgery
Surgery is unavoidable in the cases when:
a) Gross damage to the part or organ or tissue by external violence eg: Burn, necrosis and gangrene etc.
b) Where anatomical continuity is lost. eg: Factures, Dislocations, Rapture vessels, gunshot injury etc.
c) Foreign body in any part of the body eg : Fish bone in the throat, Foreign body in eye etc.
d) Accumulation of things necessary or harmful to human organism. eg: Gallstone of considerable size, Hydrocele, cataract (mature & hyper mature) etc.
e) Removal of the organs which have already lost their sensation and function and prone to decomposition.eg: Obstructive appendicitis etc.
f) Anything that threatens the infection of neighbouring structure. eg: Dental caries. Threatening to cause caries of neighbouring teeth. Stone in Bladder causing: retention of urine resulting in hydronephrosis, threatening uraemia.
g) Imperfect development of the organs. eg: Imperforate anus, Imperforate hymen, contracted pelvis etc.
h) Acute emergencies to save the life of the patient when the condition of a patient cannot be brought back by medication or when there is no time for the action of homoeopathic medicine.
I) D & C Operation for sterility.
Some important remedies which can be used in surgical cases:
a) Cataract- Immature can be treated by Phosphorous, Sulphur, Silicea.
b) Gall Stone- Belladonna, China, Chelidonium, Berberis Vulgaris, etc.
c) Appendicitis- Bell, Bry, China, Iris-v, silicea, etc.
d) Piles can be cured by- Aloe. Aesculus, Causticum, Hamamelis, Nit. acid, etc.
e) Hernia can be cured by: Nux vom, Lycopodium, Plum Met etc.
f) Fissure in Ano can be cured by- Arnica Mon., Conium, Puls, silicea, Rhododendron etc.
h) Stone in kidney can be cured by- Agaricus, Bell, Ber. vulg., Sarsaparilla, Lyc., etc.
i) Stone in bladder can be cured by- Lyc. Ber. Vulg., Phos, Sabina, etc.
j) Styes can be cured by- Puls., Thuja, Staph, Apis, etc.
k) Chalazion cyst- Graph., Thuja, Staphysagria, Hep. sulph etc.
l) Phimosis- Mercurius, Cannabis sativa, etc.
Before operation we can give –
- For fright – Aco, gels, Ign etc.
- For shock due to pain (even before catheterisation)- Aco, cham etc.
- For Pain (the preventive treatment to lessen the pain)-Arnica
- Pain anguish before the operation (going to the toilet again and again, apprehension)-Argentum nitricum
After operation we can give –
i) Surgical shock after anaesthetics – Acetic Acid.
ii)Vomiting – Nux vomica, Phosphorus.
iii)For collapse & Peripheral circulatory failure -Strontium carb.
iv) Post operative gas pain – Raphanus.
v)Healing of the clear-cut wound by knife – Staphysagria.
vi) For bleeding – Phos, Kreosote, Calendula, Millefolium.
vii) Phlebitis after forceps delivery- Allium Cepa.
viii) If any infection dressing with – Calendula.
ix) If leads to gangrene – Lach, Carbo animalis, Aral.
x) If septicaemia- Pyrogen.
In certain cases, like
a) Injury
i) Arnica Montana. – Bruise and compound fracture.
ii) Rhus Tox. – over tendon if any sprain injury.
iii) Ruta grave. – over periosteum,
iv) Bellis per – over tendons and ligaments.
v) Cal. carb, Cal. phos, Nat. carb, Symphytum – on bones.
vi) Nat. sulph. – on brain injury.
vii) Baryta mur., Hypericum, Arnica, Natrum sulph. – on spinal injury.
b) For dental Surgery – Phos, Calendula, Plantago, Kreosote, Hamamelis, etc.
c) Burn – Canth, Urtica Uren
d) Punctured wound-Ledum, Hypericum, Calendula, etc.
e) Incised wound-Aconite, Calendula, Staphysagria, etc.
f) Lacerated wound – Staphysagria, Calendula, etc.
g) Contusion– Arnica.
h) Injury over nerve – Coffea cruda, Baryta Mur., Hypericum, etc.
i) For congestive stage of inflammation before localisation takes place – Aconite.
j) For nonunion of fracture -Cal Phos, Symphytum, Ruta, Arnica etc.
k) For dislocation of joints-Arnica, Phosphorous, Rhus tox., Ruta.
l) Dislocation of Patella-Cannabis Indica
m) Contraction of finger after sprain-Cannabis indica[3][4][5]
Few important rubrics that can be referred from Synthesis Repertory (Fredrick Schroyens):
Eye -cataract- operation; after
Eye-chemosis-operation for cataract; after
Eye – operation; after
Eye -pain- operation; after
Eye -pain- operation; after-burning
Eye -photophobia- operation; after
Vision-luminous-operation; after
Ear-operation; complaints after
Nose- epistaxis- operation; after
Nose- operation; after
Nose-pain-root- operation; after
Teeth-operation; after dental
Teeth-pain-operation; after dental
Throat-pain-operation; after
Throat-pain-operation; after-sore
Stomach- Hiccough – operation; after abdominal
Stomach-Nausea-operation abdomen after
Stomach- operation; after
Stomach- operation; after – haemorrhoids
Abdomen-distension-operation; after
Abdomen-flatulence-operation; after
Abdomen-flatulence-painful-operation; after
Abdomen- operation after
Abdomen-ileus-operation; after
Abdomen-obstruction-Intestine – operation; after
Abdomen- pain- operation; after
Abdomen – pain -operation; after-children in
Abdomen- pain- operation; after- ovariohysterectomy; after
Abdomen- pain- operation; after- ovary-resection; after
Abdomen- paralysis of intestines operation on abdomen; after
Generals- Injuries-operation-ailments from
Generals- Fistula- operation; after
General- operation; ailments from
General- Pain-operation; after
Generals- Weakness- operation, from [6]
CONCLUSION
Although as wonderful science homoeopathy is, it still has its limitations in certain surgical cases where use of a knife is mandatory, homoeopathy in such cases can still help in minimizing the after effects of the surgery. Homoeopathy can prove very useful in surgical cases, both to avoid surgery as well as to assist in the speedy recovery of the individual in post-surgical cases as both need one another for the best possible outcome. Hence it is safe to say that one cannot replace the other, but one can complement the other without any harm.
REFERENCES
- Hahnemann Samuel reprint (2001) organon of Medicine 6th
edition B. Jain publisher, New Delhi.
- Singh V. Sushruta: The father of surgery. Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2017 Jan-Jun;8(1):1-3. doi: 10.4103/njms.NJMS_33_17. PMID: 28761269; PMCID: PMC5512402
- Bali A. Surgery and Homoeopathy – Significance of Homoeopathy in Surgery and Learning it as a Homoeopathic Doctor. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). Volume 10 Issue 8, August 2021;
- Boericke W. New manual of homoeopathic materia medica &
repertory with relationship of remedies: Including Indian drugs,
nosodes uncommon, rare remedies, mother tinctures,
relationship, sides of the body, drug affinities & list of
abbreviation: 3rd edition. New Delhi, India: B Jain.
- Allen HC. Allen′s Keynotes Rearranged & Classified. Reprint. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (Pvt.) Ltd.; 2006.
Schroyens F. Synthesis Repertorium Homeopathicum Syntheticum Edition 9. 1, India, B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Limited, 2021, 2214 pages.
