use of nosodes and sarcodes in homeopathy

When well selected remedy fails to act… use nosodes and sarcodes!

Abstract:

So far, a prejudice against using nosodes and sarcode remedies is concerned, we should be as honest as was Dr James B. Bell when he said of Psorinum – “whether derived from purest gold or purest filth, our gratitude for its excellent services forbids us to enquire or care.” He was not far from the truth in saying that about a couple of centuries ago.
Keywords:
Carcinosum, cough, Hering, nosode, sarcode, Hahenmann, Belladonna, Psorinum, acute, chronic, Tuberculinum, Morbillinum, miasm, intercurrent, scarcity, maze

Abbreviations
Carc – Carcinosinum Burnett
Tub – Tuberculinum bovinum kent

Introduction :

Nosodes: The greek word “noso” is a prefix which is added to give the idea of a disease indicating its morbid root. This term is also connected with the Latin word “noxa”, the root of the term noxious or damaged. This implies the use of potentially dangerous noxious materials as a basis for potentised remedies. That is why Hering called these remedies “nosodes”. (1)
Constantine Hering, a student of Hahnemann, was the first one to study the actions of the mineral, plant and animal remedies and was the first person to test the animal poisons and Nosodes in human beings.
The advent of Hahnemann’s theory of the miasms caused great interest in the chronic diseases and their anti-miasmatic remedies. It was during this period that the Hofrath introduced the methods of acute and chronic intercurrent remedies. During chronic treatment he interpolated acute intercurrents when needed to remove a crisis and then he followed up with complementary chronic treatment. Sometimes he would interpolate a dose of a chronic intercurrent during anti miasmic treatment. For example, when Hahnemann was using Sulphur, he would sometime interpolate a dose of Hepar sulphuricum as an chronic intercurrent if the Sulphur no longer seemed to hold as well. The chronic intercurrent remedy is useful in the treatment of miasms, suppressions and obstacles to the cure. (2)

One of the direct consequences of the publication of The Chronic Diseases (1828) was the development of the use of miasmic organisms as potentized homoeopathic remedies for the treatment and prevention of disease. It seems that shortly after Hahnemann published his chronic disease theory, Hering performed the first proving of Psorinum on himself. Hering originated the method of using a miasmic agent as a basis for a remedy and it was he who coined the term “nosode”.

In 1832, Hering said: “During the experiments on the serpent poison, I have given out the idea that the hydrophobic virus should be a powerful pathological agent. I presented the same hypotheses regarding the virus of variola [small pox]. I expect no less as regards the psoric virus, and I invited my colleagues to make provings.’

Hering is responsible for greatly expanding the materia medica of homoeopathy and adding seven new categories of potentised remedies.(2) At the same time, he was one of the true defenders of the four cardinal rules of Homoeopathy, similars cure similars, the single remedy, the minimal dose and the potentised remedy.

Hering’s seven uses of idem in homoeopathy includes: (2)

  1. The use of poisons taken from insects, snakes, and other venomous creature (animal poisons).
  2. The use of remedies made from miasmas (nosodes).
  3. The introduction of potentised miasmas and morbid secretions taken directly from the patient’s body (auto-nosodes).
  4. .The use of homologous organs, tissue and secretions (sarcodes).
  5. The use of potentised miasmic products nosodes for the prevention of infectious diseases (nosode homoeoprophylaxis)
  6. The use of chemical and nutritional elements innate to the human organism (chemical and elemental relationships)
  7. The use of potentised genus groups as curative and preventative remedies for individuals, groups, and habitats. Hering suggests potentised seed of weeds or dangerous plants to eradicate and destroy those plants and potentised insects or animals to remove and prevent infestations of dangerous species (isodes).

Important keynotes of nosodes:
When it is especially indicated:
“Never well since syndrome”
Well-chosen remedies do not act especially lack of reaction to Indicated remedy.
When there is a lack of symptoms, when there are few symptoms, which are peculiars, especially there are generalities.
When partial picture of the constitutional remedies manifest yet no one remedy completely fits the case.
The miasmatic intercurrent but with indications.
In the active phase of acute disease, especially Tuberculinum is indicated, Tuberculinum avis is often used.
Related to genus disease Pertussinum Clarke’s whooping cough, Morbillinum in cases of measles.
As a homoeopathic prophylaxis.
When there is a scarcity of symptoms.
When there is a maze of symptoms.
No clear indication of any specific remedy or kingdom
When well selected remedies fail to act.
When symptoms of any one miasm are very prominent and overpowering the other characteristic symptoms of other remedies.

Case of a 7 yeas old male patient with chronic cough

A 7 years old male patient came with the complaints of chronic cough since the last 3 years. The mother said it is happening every year, every winter, summer, etc, like almost every 3-4 months. It goes onand on constantly. Then they end up taking Allopathic medications for that. If they don’t take any medicine, it increases to a serious extent. So, in the last so many episodes they have tried everything from Allopathy to Unani to Home remedies of all kinds, but nothing seemed to help him. This time the episode has started since the last 2 days. Th cough is constant. Aggravated more at night. Also aggravated by eating, talking & change of weather.

When asked mother more about the kid, she says he is very slow in eating & slow in doing his work. He can do only one thing at one time. She also informed me that his Dad lives & works in Dubai, comes to visit them 1-2 times in 1-2 years.

When asked more about her Nature, she says, she has a different kind of nature. I asked her what does she mean by that. She said, what we give him, he will eat. He won’t ask for things on his own. He cannot take decisions on his own. Also, he takes a long time to answer.

On our observation of the kid, we notice he is a very shy, bashful, lean, thin, lanky, wearing glasses. He has myopia since childhood.

Then I tried talking to the kid alone. I asked him about himself, his nature, his likes dislikes, school, friends, etc. These are somethings I could gather about him from all that questioning. He would get irritated if someone spoke about him behind his back. Would feel anger when they come to know they have spoken about me. We don’t do like this with them, then why they are doing like this with me. He feels bad when cannot complete any work of school. Only if mom mentions that I will complaint to your, will he then start crying. Dad shouldn’t come to know, would be important for him. When Father scolds, he feels very bad, he doesn’t want to make dad feel bad because of him. Mom said he is very conscientious. He thinks a lot about everything. He is very obedient. Will ask the price & then take anything. Would want to avoid taking anything costly as to add on the financial expenses of their parents.

When asked about his fears, the mom said he is scared of darkness, of being alone. But he doesn’t like to cling much also. He doesn’t show much affection. He is very caring, but doesn’t like to show that.

In his generals, he likes milk and chocolate. Doesn’t like rice and fruits much. Thirst is comparatively less. He has this chronic constipation since many years now. I also noticed he stammered a bit when talking.

How to analyse this case?
So, like in many cases we must have experienced in our practise, you do not get the remedy easily. The kid doesn’t open up. Shy & bashful kids, don’t talk much in front of the doctor. Also, the mom isn’t a Homoeopath to be able to tell us about the kid, what we are interested in knowing.
In my experience, in such cases, we need to give time to the patients & also become friends with the kid. We need to ask various types of questions about the kid to get some PQRS symptoms from the parents.

Now in this case, what are the important things we see. Let’s take an overview.
We see, being a 7 years old kid, he is very conscientious. He doesn’t ask for things like toys, chocolates – on the contrary he will check the price & then only buy anything. He is so understanding that helps his mom in things, even when elder & younger sister do not help so much. His dad works in Dubai, so he feels he is responsible for his mom and family. Never shares his feelings with mom also. Never gets angry on anyone.

This also gets us in a fix right? We don’t see any prominent kingdom coming up. There is no too much sensitivity that we understand plant kingdom. Nor there is any issue of structure to understand mineral kingdom. Also there is no competitiveness or one-upmanship to understand animal issues.
So this helps us lead to the fact that this might be a nosode or sarcode case.

After taking a broad overview, not let us focus on each Individual tree, like in a forest. You first see the Forest from afar, so it looks all green. But when you zoom in, you can see the different kinds of trees in the forest.

Now we use the tools at our disposal, i.e. repertorise the case with the help of MacRepertory Software.

All totalities together:

Now let us understand the remedy from our Materia medica:

This helps us to become sure of our prescription, when the repertory and materia medica synergises and point towards the same remedy.

So Carcinosinum 1M was prescribed, twice a day for 2 days followed by placebo for 1 month.

Follow up in 1 month:
Cough is not there now at all. Had sneezing on and off, 15 days back, when there was change of weather. No sneezing now. Dreams – none. Mom says “bindaas huwa – Ab gussa karta hai mom pe. Pehle over siddha tha, (he has become bold now, he gets angry on mother and says that earlier he was too respectful to the point of hiding all his emotions and anger from mom also.) Now says what he doesn’t like things then says. Has started taking decisions on his own. When gets angry, then gets very angry. Both sisters were teasing him, got angry on both and mom also.
Is still slow in eating and doing his work. Can do one thing at one time, but will do it very nicely. Is a light sleeper, needs less sleep. When he gets good sleep for 7-8 hours, feels fresh in the morning. Is an Artist. Very good in drawings, asked to get them next time
After that, placebo was given.

Follow up in 1 year:
No complaints at all 2nd month onwards. Overall much improvement at all levels. Has become like a normal kid now –Expresses anger, care, etc. Nothing new to report. Stopped medicines.

Conclusion:
Through this case we learn that we have to keep our mind’s open for any possibility of any remedy coming up to help a case. Like here, one would not have thought of Carcinosum in a case of cough so easily. But, once he come out of the prejudices, new horizons open up. Nosodes and sarcodes are one such new horizon which we end up ignoring in our busy practise. Hopefully, this case will atleast make us think once about a nosode/ sarcode remedy once, when symptoms agree.

References:
Little D, http://www.simillimum.com/education/little-library/the-works-of-great-homoeopaths/hih/article01.php, Simillimum.com, HOE: 1996-2007
Dudgeon, R. E, Lectures on the Theory & Practice of Homoeopathy, B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd
MacRepertory & ReferenceWorks, Synergy Homeopathic Software (Formerly KHA 1986-2019), Professional Version



Under the guidance of Dr Shalini Rajendra Ankushe
HOD – Dept. of HMM, DKMM HMC, Aurangabad

By Dr Aafreen Chunawala and Dr Pratik Jain
M.D. (Scholar), DKMM HMC, Aurangabad



About the authors:

Dr Shalini Ankushe

Dr Shalini Ankushe
M.D. (Hom.)
She is the Head of Department of Homoeopathic Materia Medica at DKMM HMC, Aurangabad. She is a PG Guide as well as PHD Guide. She is very well admired in the college due to her friendly & congenial demeanour.


Dr Aafreen Chunawala :


Dr Aafreen Chunawala B.H.M.S., C.C.A.H., F.C.A.H, M.D. (Scholar), DKMM HMC, Aurangabad, graduated in 2015 from Smt. Chandaben Mohanbhai Patel Homoeopathic Medical College, Mumbai, India and has been an ardent follower of homoeopathy since her childhood. Inspired by her late uncle Dr. Asif Chunawala and carrying forward his legacy, she practices in Andheri west, Mumbai & Pune, with the intention of helping the community through Homeopathy. She also takes online consultation. She is inspired by Dr. Rajan Sankaran and has been training under him since her second year of her BHMS and has also contributed in his latest books ‘The Art of Follow-Up.’ & ‘Exact, Complete, In- Depth: The 8 Box Method of Case Analysis’. Dr. Chunawala has also trained under Dr. Sarkar, Dr. Sujit, Dr. Jayesh, Dr. Gandhi, Dr. Borkar and Dr. Gajanan. She has shared her experiences in International Homeopathic Journals like Homoeopathic Links, Homoeopathic Heritage, NJH & Hpathy, and was also a speaker in the monthly webinars by the Synergy Team which reaches Homeopaths worldwide.


Dr Pratik Jain :


Dr Pratik Jain, B.H.M.S., C.C.A.H., F.C.A.H, M.D. (Scholar), DKMM HMC, Aurangabad, graduated in 2014 from Smt.  Chandaben Mohanbhai Patel Homoeopathic Medical College, Mumbai, India. He endeavors to spread homoeopathy to the masses including traveling to homeopathic colleges in India to motivate students. He is inspired by Dr Rajan Sankaran and has been training with him since his internship. Dr Pratik is known for his event management skills and has been sharing his experiences in the leading international homeopathic journals such as Homoeopathic Links, Homoeopathic Heritage, NJH & Hpathy. He has his own practice in Malad, Mumbai. Dr Jain is the Director of his brainchild ‘The Homoeopathic Hub’, which is a One Stop shop for All your Homoeopathic needs. He believes that every Homoeopathic Practitioner must have all the tools up his sleeves to be best able to serve Humanity through our Holistic Science. The THH helps doctors recieve their remedies, books, software, etc. get delivered at their doorstep. 

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Homeopathy360 Team