| ABSTRACT The main aim of the article is to describe “a Homoeopathic remedy” and its characteristics through description by various stalwarts. It also describes how to arrive at a Homoeopathic remedy. KEYWORDS Homoeopathic Remedy, Remedy |
INTRODUCTION
Remedy is the basis of the homoeopathic science. It has been well defined by Mandal 4 as “when a particular medicine is prescribed for a particular disease condition, according to symptom similarity and when diseased condition is cured totally, the medicine is called as a remedy of that particular case.” A ‘drug’ becomes a ‘remedy’ when it satisfies the ‘Law of Similars’, though loosely they are used in same sense. Dr. K.N. Mathur in his book ‘Guide to Organon’ 3, has added that “the remedy has the power to cure when they have the power to produce similar disease in healthy persons according to Nature’s Law of Cure.” In the language of pharmacy, Dr. P.N. Verma5 says that “The substance can become a homoeopathic remedy only after the pharmacist has processed the crude products of nature in accordance with homoeopathic technique in order to develop its inherent property and to make its property ready for use.”
CONCEPT OF A HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDY
The concept of “remedy” exists only in homoeopathy. The allopathic friends have the concept of “medicine”, i.e. Proved drug. The main difference between the both is that the remedy has a curative action and the medicine has a suppressing action.
HOW TO ARRIVE AT A HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDY
Thus, the basics tell us that some criteria need to be followed to reach to a point where a remedy is called homoeopathic, the guidelines of which have been mentioned in our literature. Dr. Hahnemann has laid down points along with which various stalwarts have helped us with their explanations.
Firstly, a physician should be true to his pathy, his patients and his intentions which means that as a physician he has the mission to help the mankind especially sick with the truest of efforts (§1-2). A true homoeopath cannot afford to commit error in remedy selection because the future of our pathy is dependent on accurate selection and not false claims. Practice earnestly and not easily.
Secondly, the physician should be thorough and confident in all the knowledge required by him and should possess all qualities and should do a proper case taking and maintain a physician’s record. As it is truly said by E.H. Wright1 that “A well taken case is half cured.” (Spread across all aphorisms and §3 serves as a blueprint; Boenninghausen lesser writings-Physician’s record book). He should properly apply homoeopathic philosophy.
Thirdly, he should be able to ascertain the level of disease and scope of treatment and plan accordingly, i.e. whether the case is curable or incurable and use treatment measures as required such as curative (in curable cases), palliative (in terminal cases), etc.
Lastly, the main area of discussion is that he should follow the cardinal principles, laws and doctrines to reach “The Similimum”, i.e. The “remedy”, which means, in other words, the most suitable method of employing medicines for the cure of natural disease. The physician should always bear in mind the concept of individualisation and so, should pay attention to uncommon, peculiar, rare, and characteristic symptoms of the patient as they are the keys to selection of correct remedy. Attend to onset and cessation of symptom along with its direction and extension. Match patient’s characteristic to that of remedy and not vice versa (one should not expect all symptoms of remedy in the patient as our search is for similimum and not similar.) Materialistic concept, i.e. prescription on disease ultimates will cause only the selection of medicine and not remedy and thus causing suppression. Similarly, favouritism or prejudice in remedies deviates the physician from the path of cure. Also, if a remedy didn’t act in a case it only means that the selection was wrong and not that the remedy is not useful. Remedy finding is only possible by laborious investigation, great circumspection and serious deliberation on the part of the physician. One should become a homoeopath and not a ‘mongrel sect’.
To make the remedy most suitable, potency selection (on the basis of susceptibility; seat, nature intensity, stage, duration and previous treatment of disease) and repetition (only if requirement is indicated) play the most important role. The remedy chosen should be minimum w.r.t. the requirement of the case, i.e. just a little higher than the disease force to avoid unnecessary homoeopathic aggravation and thus effecting a gentle cure.
HOW TO ARRIVE AT A REMEDY
Remedy selection can be done through various paths, viz. on basis of causation (precipitating factors), modalities (which are characteristics of remedy), miasms (intercurrents in stand still cases), organopathy (when complete symptoms are not available such as one-sided cases), keynotes (three or more symptoms, usually for acute cases but is ‘Dangerous’) or concomitants (Boenninghausen says that these are most important and characteristic of a case; helps qualify a symptom as ‘grand symptom’). Before prescribing, do take care to consider remedy relationships and changes in personality and temperament.
When remedy prescription is clubbed with modification of diet and regimen, the obstacles to cure are removed and the remedy becomes complete in all respects to be called a “specific homoeopathic remedy” for a case.
CONCLUSION
I would like to conclude by saying that the main aim of the article is to explain that for a remedy to be homoeopathic it should fulfil all the norms laid down by our master and other stalwarts and thus ultimately serve to our ailing brothers and sisters. In the end, I would like to quote from Farrington’s lesser writings2, “Again, we are asked to exchange Hahnemann’s scheme for Sharp’s organopathy. Call the former, if you choose, a kaleidoscope; you do but express its immensity, not its uselessness. The kaleidoscope is constructed on scientific principles, as Does homeopathy. ‘The Kaleidoscope,’ says one authority, ‘is of great use to pattern-makers, to whom it supplies an endless variety of figures;’ so with Hahnemann’s homoeopathy. It supplies the student with an endless variety of similima from which he may choose that correspond to his case. As the pattern-maker thus increases his usefulness, so does the homoeopath increase his opportunities to heal the sick.”
REFERENCES:
1. Wright E.H., A Brief Study Course in Homoeopathy.
2. Farrington, Lesser Writings.
3. Mathur K.N., Guide to Organon.
4. Mandal and Mandal, Textbook of Homoeopathic Pharmacy.
