Abstract
Susceptibility is the reaction of an organism that results when the host meets the environmental factors. Signs and symptoms represent the only perceptible form of evidence which signifies to us the reaction that takes place within the organism.
Susceptibility is important in almost all the reactions of living beings, some will react more & some will less, upon this variation of reaction depends on Homoeopathy understanding susceptibility is an important aspect in understanding the causation of the disease and also the reactive power of the individual organism.
Thus the understanding of the concept of susceptibility is an essential requirement in an effective prescription, selection of potency and the repetition of dosage.
Keyword: Susceptibility, Influx, vacuum, Individualization
Introduction
Homeopathy is a scientific system of medicine which is based on the seven cardinal principles among which the “Theory of Vital force” is the unique concept. The vital force is essentially the life force without which our material organism cannot function daily. The fundamental property of vital force is susceptibility. Susceptibility refers to a state or fact of being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing. In homeopathy, the concept of susceptibility is one of the most critical factors when assessing a patient’s health and determining the appropriate remedy.
The paragraphs §30 §31 §32 have a bearing upon degree or intensity (which is potentization), upon the repetition of the dose, and upon susceptibility, things which must be known by the homoeopathic physician in order that he may be a good prescriber.
According to H A Roberts susceptibility is defined as the reaction of an organism receiving impressions, the power to react to the stimuli. He explains it as an expression of a vacuum in the individual. The vacuum attracts and pulls for the things most needed. Contagious diseases thrive in childhood because of the extreme susceptibility of the miasmatic influence; this susceptibility has an attractive force which draws to itself the disease which is on the same plane of vibration and which tends to correct this miasmatic deficiency.
According to J T Kent the concept of susceptibility is explained in relation to influx. Influx is referred to the flow of energy. When susceptibility is satisfied, there is cessation of cause, and when cause ceases to flow into ultimate, not only do the ultimate cease but cause itself has already ceased.
Stuart closely describes susceptibility as the general quality or capability of the living organism to receive impressions and the power to react to stimuli. He explains it further in context to posology where susceptibility plays a major role in selection of potency and repetition of doses.
Development of Susceptibility:
- Heredity: – Susceptibility in a person is inherited from his parents. It depends on the miasmatic background of both the parents. It is also influenced by the mental condition and circumstances during the production of sperm and ovum. An interaction of all these determines the miasmatic background of the individual.
- Early and late environmental factors
Early environmental factors: It involves the condition pertaining to intra-uterine life. Any influence or indulgence during gestational period may affect the development of susceptibility of the individual. E.g. worries, diseases, tension, smoking, alcoholism, malnutrition etc.
Late environment factors: Affects the development of susceptibility. These involve the influence during childhood and adulthood. e.g. fright during childhood, nutrition, any indulgences, smoking, tobacco chewing, alcoholism, worries and anxieties etc.
Thus both genetic and environmental factors determine the susceptibility of the individual.
Types of Susceptibility
Natural Susceptibility or normal Susceptibility
According to H A Robert, reaction to stimuli under the healthy state of the individual could be recognized by the reaction of the individual to physical environment, food, remedies and its defense to toxic agents.
Artificial Susceptibility
Kent says when a medicine is given they act for a time satisfying the susceptibility. They alter the susceptibility and when that dose of medicine is no longer able to act on altered susceptibility another dose or potency is required. This altered susceptibility that is arrived at is called artificial susceptibility.
Morbid Susceptibility
Susceptibility may become morbid and perverted under conditions of disease, suffering and death. According to Stuart Close morbid susceptibility could be regarded as a state of negative or minus condition- a state of lowered resistance.
Abnormal or Altered susceptibility
Abnormal susceptibility either demands excessive or defective stimuli or reacts to stimuli in an exaggerated or a diminished way.
Role of Susceptibility
- Maintenance of health
- Evolution of constitution
- Development of diathesis
- Development of disease
- Manifestations of disease
- Evolution of drug picture
- Manifestation of remedy
- Determination of dose and repetition
- Process of recovery and cure
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND HEALTH: An organism in perfect balance represents health. This fine balance, even in the presence of adverse environmental factors, is a resultant of different processes that are going on within and which maintain the optimum conditions. Balancing the level of susceptibility is important to maintain a healthy state .
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND DISEASE: Increased susceptibility promotes development of disease and abnormal responses to stimuli in the environment. Abnormal susceptibility, on the other hand, affects them in the first instant and interferes with the processes of adaptation and thereby lead to development of disease. Thus, signs and symptoms furnish the only indication of abnormal susceptibility that exists within and of the disease that results.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND DRUGS: The specific capacity of the drug to affect health acts upon the susceptibility in a prover to give rise to the final picture in a drug proving.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND REMEDIES: A well defined characteristic picture of a remedy, especially in a mental sphere, indicates high level of susceptibility and calls for similimum in high potency.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND CONSTITUTION: Emotional ,intellectual and physical attributes are determined by susceptibility.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND CURE: The similar remedy or the similar disease satisfies susceptibility and establishes immunity. Susceptibility operates at the general cellular level that gets very well reflected in the quality of host response at the cellular level when the system is under stress. This is mediated through the Reticular Endothelial System (R.E.S), the protective mechanism available to the body the Immunity. Altered immune reactions gives rise to various pathological processes like allergy. Reactivity and immunity will permit us to understand the qualitative state of the susceptibility.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND POSOLOGY: Susceptibility helps us in determining the potency, dose and also the repetition of medicine. While assessing susceptibility one should bear in mind its modifying factors like age, habits, environment, pathological conditions, Idiosyncrasy, homoepathicity etc.
Factors which modify susceptibility
1) Age: Susceptibility is greatest in young vigorous persons and children and it diminishes with age. Children are particularly sensitive during their developmental period .The most sensitive organs are those, which are being developed.
2) Constitution and temperament: High potencies are adapted to nervous, sanguine and choleric temperament and also to intelligent, intellectual, zealous and impulsive persons who are quick to act and react. Lower potencies and more frequent doses correspond to torpid phlegmatic individuals, coarse fibered, sluggish individuals of gross habits and to those of great muscular power who require powerful stimuli to excite them.
3) Habit and environment: Susceptibility is increased by intellectual occupation, by excitement of imagination and emotions, by sedentary occupation, by long sleep and effeminate life. Therefore high potencies are required. A person who is accustomed to long and severe labor out of doors who sleep little and whose food is coarse is less susceptible. Persons exposed to continuous influence of drugs such as tobacco workers and dealers, distillers and brewers and all connected with liquors and tobacco trade, druggists, perfumers, chemical workers are less susceptible and require low potencies. An idiot, imbecile, deaf and dumb has low susceptibility hence requires low potencies. But persons who have taken many crude drugs of allopathic, homoeopathic or bargain counter prescription often require high potencies for their cure.
4) Pathological conditions: In certain terminal conditions the power of the organism to react even to indicated homoeopathic remedy is low therefore material doses are required. This may be due to existence and gross pathological lesions, long existent exhausting chronic disease or much previous treatment. If the grade of disease is low, the power of reaction is low; the remedy must be given low.
5) Seat character and intensity of the disease: In certain malignant rapidly fatal diseases like cholera susceptibility is low so it requires material doses or low potencies. Diseases characterized by diminished vital action , torpor, collapse require lower potencies and increased vital action requires high potencies.
6) Previous abuse of medicine: Due to this we may find that the patient is not at all sensitive even to the indicated remedy. Then all medication has to be stopped for a few days. Then carefully regulate the diet and regimen. Hahnemann recommends the administration of opium in one of the lowest potencies every 8th or 12th hour until some signs of reaction are perceptible. By this means, susceptibility is increased and new symptoms of disease are brought to light. Carbo veg, Sulphur and Thuja are other remedies, which serve to arouse the organism to reaction so that indicated remedies will act.
Conclusion
As a whole susceptibility plays a pivotal role in selection of appropriate dose and also repetition of the remedy. By recognizing the varying degrees of susceptibility, homoeopathy can be personalized to address each person’s unique needs, enhancing the effectiveness of treatment. In this way, susceptibility serves as a key factor in crafting precise, individualized therapeutic approaches, ultimately improving patient outcomes and the overall success of homoeopathic treatment.
References
- Hahnemann S, Boericke W. 2002 B. Jain Publishers; Organon of medicine. 6th ed. New Delhi, India:
- Kent, J. T. 2000 B Jain Pub Pvt Limited; Lectures on homoeopathic philosophy with word index
- Roberts HA. 1997 B. Jain Publishers; The Principles and Art of Cure by Homoeopathy: A Modern Textbook.
- Dr M.L. Dhawale M.D.(Bom). Principles and practice of Homoeopathy- Part 1. 3rd Reprint 2004, Published by: Dr M. L. Dhawale Memorial Trust. Chapter 14 Susceptibility, 253, 254, 255, 258.
- Stuart Clause. The genius of Homoeopathy. Lectures and Essays on Homoeopathic Philosophy. Reprint Edition 1996, B Jain Publishers,
Author
Dr AMOGHA S K
PG SCHOLAR (MD PART 1)
DEPARTMENT OF ORGANON OF MEDICINE AND HOMOEOPATHIC PHILOSOPHY
FATHER MULLER HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL COLLEGE, MANGALORE
