| What is Homeopathy? It is the stable system of medicine in the world. Homeopathy is the branch of Medicine based on Nature's Law called 'Law of Similars'. (Similia similibus curentur - a Latin maxim which means 'Let likes be treated by likes.'), Hippocrates - the father of medicine, knew this law. According to the 'Law of Similars', a drug (or medicine) that produce a set of symptoms in a healthy person will cure a diseased person suffering from similar symptoms. For example, onion, eaten raw or when peeled produces watering from the nose and eyes with burning, (symptoms similar to common cold). Hence onion (Allium cepa) is one of the most effective homoeopathic medicines that cures common colds. Who invented this system? This system is not a native system of any country or group. Dr. S.C.F.Hahnemann of Germany invented this system 200 years back. He was a well-known allopathic doctor, a Chemist and a Physist. Concept of disease The curative property of homeopathic medicine is studied by its disease (symptom) producing property on healthy human beings. The diseases are nothing but altered sensations and functions, which manifest outwardly through signs and symptoms. According to this system, no two individuals are alike in health and in disease. Homoeopathic medicines are potentised (method of dilution and triturition) so as to release the latent curative property of the medicine and at the same time are administered in minimum doses so as to stimulate the basic immune responses of the body to treat the disease. Advantages of Homeopathy
Mode of action of medicine unknown because it is based on biophysics which is not as well studied as biochemistry. The medicines can't be tested in any laboratory due to its infinitesimal quantity. Since every case is different the prescription cannot be generalized. Number of Homeopathic doctors available are few. Another limitation is that not all diseases can be cured by homeopathy. Most of the times people select Homeopathy as last resort particularly in terminal cases. Education In India homeopathic education is well supported and Guided by Central and State councils constituted by the Government. All homeopathic colleges are affiliated to the respective Universities of the State. 12th standard students with science subjects are selected to homoeopathic colleges through common medical entrance examinations. The duration of UG course (B.H.M.S) is 51/2 years (including one year of in house duty). For PG course it is three years (including one year of in house duty). No correspondence or short term courses are allowed by the government. They are illegal. All medical subjects namely Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Practice of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Forensic medicine, Social preventive medicine, Surgery etc are taught in the colleges along with Homoeopathic subjects like Organon, logic and Homeopathic Philosophy, Materia Medica and Pharmacy. Job Opportunities The Govt. of India treats Homeopathy on par with other systems. Hence the pay scale is equal to all govt. doctors.Who can be most benefited from homeopathy  Any one who feels unwell. No restriction for any age group. Does not warrant any change in life style or belief. Anybody can approach a homoeopath for common cold to cancer. The desired result depends on the curability of the disease, limitations of the doctor and the system. The quality of life can be improved for those who are suffering for a long period with chronic conditions like asthma, joint pain, eczema, cancer, hormonal disorders, infertility and various other conditions. There is always a possibility for patients to avoid surgery in some conditions like Tonsils, Fibroids, Calculus disease, Ovarian cyst, Sinusitis etc. Pimples, disorders of hair and various skin ailments can also be treated effectively. What are all the Sources of Homeopathic Medicines? Homeopathic medicines are prepared from three major sources namely Mineral Kingdom, Vegetable Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Most of the elements and compounds like metals, salts, alkalis and acids from Mineral Kingdom; various herbs and plants, either whole or their specific parts like flowers, leaves, roots etc. from Vegetable Kingdom; various insects, animal products, venom of snakes etc. from Animal Kingdom are the sources of Homeopathic medicines. There are three other classes of Homeopathic medicines - Nosodes, Sarcodes and Impondarablia. Nosodes are the medicines prepared from disease producing organisms like bacteria, viruses, etc., and from disease products like Tuberculosis Lungs, Cancerous Tissues etc. Sarcodes are the medicines prepared from healthy organs or tissues of organisms like Thyroid, Pituitary, Pancreas etc. Impondarablia comprises of the medicines derived from energy sources like x-ray, Solar Rays, Electricity etc. Now a new classes of medicines called tautopathic medicines are available, to remove the bad effects of other medications. Here the same medicine is used as base but prepared in Homoeopathic method by potentising / dilution to the level of 10-60 to 10-400. What is the Shelf Life of Homeopathic Medicines? If kept in an alcohol base in an air tight bottle it can remain for centuries. If it is sugar based it is better to use it for few years and discard. But technically there is no expiry date. Source of knowledge of medicine Various literatures on the subject from ancient time till date. Study of medicinal qualities on healthy human beings called drug proving. This is the very fundamentals of homeopathy. Study on patients at clinical sites. Laboratory study. What is 'Drug Proving'? The study of the effects of medicines (or drugs) on healthy human beings is called homoeopathic 'Drug Proving'. Drug Proving is done by administering a drug in various potencies to a number of healthy volunteers of both sexes and of various age groups and collecting the symptoms that are produced by the drug. Unlike animal studies this study records various subjective symptoms which are very peculiar to each substances. In no other study this type of symptom collection is possible. What do we learn from Drug Proving? The homoeopathic drug proving has brought out the following facts: Each drug (or medicine) affects a person (or prover) as a whole, from head to foot, manifesting a group of signs and symptoms. Each drug's manifestations are different from the manifestations of the other drugs. Hence each drug has its own individuality. The different potencies of the drug produce different symptoms in the prover. Hence the same medicine has opposite action in different potency. For example Belladonna in crude form produce congestion and in minute homeopathic potency helps to relieve the congestion. The knowledge of Drug Proving helps in understanding and treating the patients The above when applied to the diseased person, gives us the following two facts: Each patient falls sick as a whole, manifesting a group of signs and symptoms from head to toe including his feelings. Each patient's manifestations are different from that of the other patients. Hence each patient has his own INDIVIDUALITY. For example one patient with typhoid may have thirst and the other with the same disease may not. Both suffering from the same Typhoid require different medicines. A cure is possible only by administering a medicine whose individuality is similar to the patient's individuality. What is Clinical Proving? Some medicines, especially those that are newly introduced (even before a thorough drug proving is done) are given to some patients on the basis of their clinical reputation. Before giving these medicines to the patients, these are made absolutely harmless by a process called 'Potentisation' a process specific to homeopathy. The changes made by these medicines are the sum total of the symptoms of the patient and are carefully noted by the physician. This way of studying the homoeopathic medicines is called 'Clinical Proving'. What is Homoeopathic Materia Medica? Homoeopathic Materia Medica is a record (available in the form of books and software's) of collection of symptoms of hundreds of medicines. These symptoms are obtained by 'Drug Proving' and 'Clinical Proving". Potentisation After selecting the homoeopathic medicine by the process of comparison of the drug picture with the patients disease picture, the medicine is administered in 'POTENTISED' form. This brings us to the question of what potentisation is. Potentisation is the process of minimising, rather negating the toxic effects of the crude drug substance and increasing its dynamic, curative property. This is done by two methods called 'Succussion' and 'Trituration'. In Succussion those drugs that are soluble in Alcohol or Water are serially diluted with the media either alcohol or water and every dilution is followed by vigorous shaking which allows uniform mixing of drug substance in alcohol or water. In Trituration those drugs that are not soluble in liquid media are thoroughly grounded with lactose (Sugar of milk) in a serial order. The succussions and triturations are done mainly on two scales of potencies 'Decimal scale' and 'Centesimal scale'. In decimal scale the dilutions and triturations are prepared in the proportion of one part of the medicine to nine parts of the media (The media with which the potentisation is done like Alcohol, Water, Lactose are called as vehicles). Here the presence of the original drug substance will be 1 in 10. The decimal scale is denoted by the letters 'X' or D. Hence 1X or ID means the given medicine contains 1 part of the original drug substance and 9 parts of the vehicle. 2X or 2D means 1/100 times diluted, 3X or 3D means 1/1000 times diluted, 6X or 6D means 1/106 times diluted, 12X or 12D means 1/1012 times diluted. In centesimal scale the drugs are diluted in the proportion of 1 in 100. That is 1 part of the drug is diluted in 99 parts of the vehicle. The centesimal potency is denoted by the letter 'C'. Hence 1C means the given medicine contains 1 part of the original drug substance and 99 parts of the vehicle. 2C means 1/10000 times diluted 6C means 1/1012 times diluted 200C means 1/10400 times diluted. (In practice for centesimal scale the letter 'C' is dropped; hence 200C is written simply as 200). Now, we have been able to go further into dilution with the 50 millicimal potency or LM potency, which takes a substance diluted upto 1 / 106 into further dilutions in the denominations of 50,000. Mother Tincture - About Talk about homeopathic medicine practices, and the first thing that pops up in your mind is mother tincture. People from around the world are using the like-cures-like idea to treat simple health problems themselves. So what exactly is mother tincture, and where is it used? Read on to know… What is Mother Tincture? Simply put, mother tincture refers to a simple combination of a botanical extract with a specific amount of alcohol. In general, a mother tincture contains the lowest possible potency of any particular homeopathic preparation. A mother tincture may be extremely helpful in treating various health problems ranging from mild to severe; however, it should not be used without the advice of a homeopathic medical practitioner. Mother tinctures are quite popular as treatment options mostly because they have fast action (within 3 to 4 minutes) and also because they remain effective for a long time. What’s more, mother tinctures are prepared in alcohol and natural botanical extracts, which are easily accepted by the body, especially the gastrointestinal system. Uses of Mother Tincture While the uses of mother tincture are many, we’ve listed down some common health problems for which mother tincture can prove to be beneficial. Excess Weight - Fucus Vesiculosus 6C and Phytolacca mother tincture are both are effective in aiding weight loss. They work by speeding up the process of fat burning and easing the metabolic rates.  Dandruff- Some common mother tinctures like Badiaga and Cochleria Armoracia are used as topical applicants for a dandruff-prone scalp. They may also help relieve scalp soreness and dryness.  High Blood Pressure- Lycopus Virginica and Baryta Mur are two effective mother tinctures to help combat high blood pressure. Taken with a glass of water twice a day after meals shows effective results in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.  Acne- For the treatment of acne, mother tinctures including chrysarobinum or Echinacea as the base are used and applied topically. They help soothe irritated skin and prevent acne formation.  Baldness- A mother tincture composed of alcohol and jaborandi is thought to reverse baldness. Commonly, it is mixed with hair oils and applied to the scalp. Burns and Scalds- Apis Mellifica, Momordica Balsamina and Cantharis are excellent mother tinctures that help lessen burning sensation and stinging in burnt, scalded skin. External application of these mother tinctures may provide relief. Side effects of Mother Tincture While most homeopathic remedies don’t have side effects associated with their use, mother tincture may sometimes lead to certain side effects-we’ve listed them down below. • Long term use of mother tinctures containing poisonous alkaloids, glycolides, plant enzymes and other phytochemical ingredients may prove to be dangerous to health. • Sometimes an error could be made in the selection of the mother tinctures. • Mother tinctures are not a long-term, permanent solution to any health issue but are mostly for emergency use or for providing temporary relief. • When taken in the crude form, the patients may develop new pathological symptoms. What is the reason for prescribing single medicine in a given time? In homoeopathic practice, usually single medicine is prescribed at a time, the reason being that the drugs are proved individually and the comparison is possible between the individual drug picture and the individual disease picture. How does a Homoeopathic Medicine Act? A homoeopathic medicine acts not by the virtue of its chemical or physical properties but by the virtue of its dynamic property. |
