An Insight into the Holistic Science of Homoeopathy

Homoeopathy has emerged as one of the primary healthcare systems in India, ranking second only to Ayurveda which is the most popular method of treatment under the ‘AYUSH’ ministry. With a continually rising popularity, homeopathy is proving itself to be an effective and reliable form of treatment, not only pan- India but also abroad.

It is important to contemplate what is the standing of homoeopathy in the world? Having consolidated its place in India, Homoeopathy is now making its mark globally. It is the most popular form of complementary therapy in France. Its use rose from 16% of the population in 1982 to 29% in 1987 and 36% in 1992. In Mexico, homeopathy has been integrated into the national health care system. And its popularity in Europe and Asia is particularly impressive. Within India too it has found place in the most prestigious healthcare institutions, government dispensaries and private hospitals as an annex to conventional medicine, aiming to cure the complicated and unyielding cases in the most gentle and harmless manner involving no invasive procedures.

Homoeopathy was developed by Dr. Hahnemann based on his doctrine “Similia similibus curentur” i.e. Let likes be cured by likes…whereby a substance that causes the symptoms in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in the sick. The doctrine itself stems from the results of repeated experiments which Hahnemann carried out on himself by ingesting varied substances in different doses and recording their effects so produced in his body in the form of subjective symptoms and objective signs, a procedure used even today to assess and identify the effects of different medicinal substances on human body even today, called “Homoeopathic Drug Proving”. Homeopaths claim that Hippocrates may have originated homeopathy around 400 BC, when he prescribed a small dose of mandrake root to treat mania, knowing it produces mania in much larger doses. In the 16th century, the pioneer of pharmacology Paracelsus declared that small doses of “what makes a man ill also cures him”. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) gave homeopathy its name and expanded its principles in the late 18th century.
In fact one of the very basic principles of Homeopathy laid down by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann decades ago, is written in the form of a verse and it reads- “The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way, on easily comprehensible principles”.

WHO has defined “Health” as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is often believed that conventional medicine is the fastest way to recover from almost any disease, and homoeopathy takes its own time to pull you out from a disease. Both the systems of medicine are equally effective in their respective domains. While homoeopathy is undoubtedly the best treatment option in chronic recurring ailments and acute cases on a functional level, allopathy finds its significance in surgical problems and all diseases on structural level and in secondary and tertiary care. It only requires cooperation and timely referral of the patient from one school of medicine to the other.

Every patient swinging between health and death puts up a question – is it mere brain game or worth relying upon? Many other questions pertaining to the validity of homoeopathy remain unanswered. I personally attach no importance to the modus operandi of cure. What is noteworthy is that in spite of the paucity of explanations, homoeopathy offers miraculous cures – fabulous results in conditions where allopathy has little to offer.

Homoeopathy forms one of the best choices especially when it comes to dealing with difficult chronic cases and its efficacy in complicated ailments which do not belong to the domain of surgery and structural abnormalities, is beyond question. Homoeopaths have lately been dealing with dermatological problems like dry and wet eczema, psoriasis, hives, rubeola, vitiligo, cutaneous candidiasis, dyshidrotic eczema, fungal nail infections, lichen planus, warts, alopecia areata, alopecia universalis, shingles, neurological disorders like convulsions, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, tension headaches, migraine and brain tumours, though we do not claim to cure each of these but there is symptomatic relief for sure! Other ailments like chronic hiccoughs, respiratory allergies, asthma, allergic cough and rhinitis, sinusitis, adenoids, eustacian tube dysfunction, chronic obstructive laryngeal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchopneumonia, tuberculosis, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, varicose veins, angina, sjogrens syndrome, tennis elbow, bursitis, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthritis nodosa, gout, athlete’s foot, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, cervical and lumbar spondylosis, fibromyalgia, primary and secondary infertility, pregnancy and associated ailments like gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension, gestational hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, sterility, erectile dysfunction, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes, Herpes zoster, Herpes simplex, foot-mouth-hand disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, psychosomatic conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, metabolic syndrome, crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, autoimmune disorders, are a few cases we have successfully dealt with.

An added benefit of this therapy is that the medicines are absolutely natural, being prepared from natural sources which include the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, minerals, healthy secretions of the body ( sarcode), diseased secretions of the body (nosode). Imponderabilia is a source unique to homoeopathy. It refers to the intangible natural products like the sun rays, moon rays, magnetic energy etc. Yes! Homeopathy believes in the healing properties of energy too.

Despite homoeopathy’s remarkable popularity and a population of plus hundred billion depending solely on this form of therapy for their ailments, a vogue for calling it quackery and sham refuses to die. Critics of homoeopathy and the practitioners of allopathy have denounced homoeopathy calling it sheer placebo effect. It is believed that homoeopathic cures are mere coincidences and the success of homoeopathy lies in the age old phrase- “Believe and thee shall be healed”. Scientists argue that structure property relationship is the basis of everything, thus the extreme dilution of homoeopathic medicines to a point where not even a single molecule of the original substance remains, makes homoeopathic medicines nothing more than placebos!

However, for last several years, India has witnessed a steady growth in homoeopathy not only in terms of patient inflow but also in the quality of services being provided to the patients. We are in the midst of a huge paradigm shift which has restructured the homoeopathic industry in multiple ways. With the coming forth of highly qualified practitioners, a conglomeration of Indian and German companies and manufacturing industries sprawling across the country, and development of newer medicines and other homoeopathic products capturing the markets, homoeopathy in India is sure to bloom.