2) On Homeopathy – a practical view !

Dear Reader,

I appreciate your kind gesture in attempting to read this. This whole post is not a complete picture, but a spark of thought to convey my feel about homeopathy to you. Read it with open mind and without any preconceived notions to get a clear picture. I am truthful in my writing and as this is an informal post,  I did not follow any formalism.  As a well wisher, it is my duty to explain you about homeopathy, but following it or not is your life decision. Also, the environment in which you are brought up and lived would have been different from that of mine completely! So, it is obvious that you might not get every thing I want to convey, but I made full effort in trying to put everything simple and without any “assumptions” or “believes” (as far as possible). When people started speaking of quantum mechanics, Einstein opposed it. Einstein was such a great physicist and he had his own views, but most people supported quantum ideas. Even Hawking does not believe in quantum principles, even after a thorough experimental proofs.  For example, take Schrodinger equation. It is an empirical equation just made to fit the theory and there is no proof as such, but it is the fundamental principle that governs the quantum mechanics!! these kind of abnormalities exists in all the fields. We need to follow that which seems logical and convincing to us after a thorough relationship with it, but not based on what others say. Just as many of us speak of electron, though we never saw one, similarly we need to be open minded to the wonders of nature.
That’s it ! No more lecture. No more boring you. Please enjoy the read-ride ! And give your valuable comments and suggestions or doubts!

The What of homeopathy: Homeopathy is based on one and only one principle named “Similia Similibus Curantur”. This means ” Like cures like “. This requires a lot of explanation, exploration and expansion and that is why Hahnemann, or James Taylor Kent and others ventured their time into. Now, how did homeopathy came into existence and if it were so called placebo, how did it survive till now – even in modern day so called logical / technical world? Hahnemann was a doctor of Allopathy (modern medical system). Allopathy means to give a medicine opposite to that of the symptom. Say, you feel warmth in summer, then you sit in cold cooler. Someone is having a fever, we give tablets that reduces the temperature immediately. You get cough, you give a mint kind of medicine to so then the throat etc. These are allopathic principles – I hope you are getting! Now, when Hahnemann treated his patients, he always found that same patient returns back over a period of time with same / different diseases. Then he attributed according to his observations to the allopathic medicines and concluded that allopathy is not a correct cure for human constitution , but only a relief for a short time. But he was helpless. One day, he was visited by a patient and the medicine that hahnemann had to give, was just finished. But the patient was to be attended immediately. Hahnemann did something that changed his thought process. He just scratched the bottle of medicine and diluted it so that patient can be given and miraculously he observed that patient was cured very well ! This linked his thoughts to some old books he read where, a poison from some root can be given in minute forms to cure some kinda epidemic in age old days.

Then after a thorough read of those literature, he linked two things:

1) A poison in minute forms works as a medicine !! (interesting isn’t it !)

2) Minute quantity of doses has some link to its efficiency (as he observed in the previous accidental case)

Now, the most interesting part is, hahnemann prepared ‘medicines’ from few well known historical substances but in his own style i.e. diluted form (and he mostly took poisons first to check) and he experimented it on himself ! And he recorded the symptoms he got when he was on medication. He found that the symptoms exactly matched with that of the cure attributed for the material he used. i.e example: say nux-vomica : let us say that it is given to a person who is impulsive in nature, has stomach ailments, anti-peristalsis (i.e. Can not go to excretion without reading a paper / concentrating elsewhere) etc. When Hahnemann (in healthy condition) took this nux-vomica, he got the same / similar symptom set as ascribed above. Now, as a doctor, he also saw that in nature, two similar diseases can not co exist. i.e a person having chicken pox if stuck by smallpox the chicken pox leaves the body; a person having a common fever, if stuck by malarial fever, he wont have his common fever anymore. What do we see here ? Hahnemann noticed that a strong disease (i.e strong symptoms) do not let any other disease which produce similar symptoms but in less magnitudes stay in the body ! Now, after these observations he concluded that: A patient has a set of symptoms. For these symptoms to get out of his body, we need to somehow introduce a symptom set of higher magnitude but of similar nature into his body and these higher level symptom set should not stay in his body more than required, as in that case, he would acquire the higher symptoms and ours will no more be a cure. So how to do it ?? The way he designed is simply superb !

He took that substances which produced symptoms in him (say nux vomica) now he diluted them more so as to remove the poisonous effects (as he already observed that poisons in minute quantities act as medicines) and then give it to a patient of similar symptoms but less in magnitude. This is called a Homeopathic medicine with ‘X’ dilution ! Now I guess you understood, why he called it homeopathy. This was the starting phase. Later after experimenting on him and writing the so called “Materia Medica”, few followers have joined him to help him in drug testing – ie they were ready to take the drugs and allowed hahnemann to collect the symptoms. — just to tell you how I thought, there are medicines even for pregnant women, and newly born children ! Which implies, some pregnant lady willingly allowed hahnemann and his followers to test the drugs and her help did not go in vain (when I thought about this, I literally teared down as to how awesome humanity can be if it tries to be !)

What all I told here were observations. There are many theories but I would not want to give you now, as I am not sure you would want such theories. Electricity is not seen. But its effects are felt everyday. Only a theory can be given as “flow of electrons” – but that brings up what are electrons a wave / a particle ? And the answer is ” not known “. Being a scientist doesn’t mean we should always adore our field and criticize others. Scientist is a person who explores to the un-discovered domains of nature for the sake of the world ! Here, hahnemann discovered some great principle and it worked ! And worked and worked for years and it spread to all places of world ! People are not crazy and in terms of health, no one takes risk. Being a parent, no one takes his/her child to a doctor who does magics and placebo / hypnotize the child. Unless he/she sees a truth in the medicine practically, they wont go right ? So is the case with all those who still follow this system. They all saw something that works more than just fine. Of course, I accept that this medical system is not a complete set, but evolving ! Any ways, let me write about few case studies that I have seen personally – you might want to hold tight, for the results are going to be unbelievable and as people question “placebo” etc, read them with open mind and you will get the point I want to convey 😀

Case studies: (I do not know few medicines that were given to following people and few that I knew were in my diary at home and even If I knew, I should not reveal as I am not a doctor, and so please excuse me for this one thing)

1) A man comes with the problem of eye. He already visited an eye specialist and he was told his eye need to be operated and even if he would have operated,success was not hoped for. When he came, he came with support of some one, as he could not see properly – what he sees is a “Cone” kind of vision or a kaleidoscopic vision. Now, this was a shock to me as I was hearing this for the first time. I thought homeopathy worked only for mental and few physical deformities, but not this level (this was after 3 weeks I joined). He was given a medicine and was asked to come after 15 days. And so he came exactly as his dosage finished. And this repeated for 2 times. On his third visit i.e after 30 days or so, he got his vision say 30 % i.e he could see properly in bright sun light, but not that much in tube light i.e at his office or at home. Again after some days (remember, at every visit, he would be given a medicine as per requirement and doctor’s way of treating) i.e 10 days, he visited and his vision got better to 50 % i.e his conical problem is slightly gone, but dimness still there. Then by the time I left, during my last days there, he came and he came confidently and he says that he could see properly nearby and little farther objects, in tube light and so was happy that at-least he could do his office work. The gratitude that he had, I would say I never saw in any one. And if any modern scientist could go to him and make him believe that he was given just water, I challenge even after making him teaching for 20 years all the modern science, he wouldn’t accept because, that which he and I saw in our lives is something great and un-imaginable.

2) My own physics prof’s (who sent me to Dublin for internship and he is my best friend in life) mother was found to have lymph node cancer and in 3rd stage as far as I remember. My sir and she stays at a far off pace in north India and we (me and doctor) stays in southern India. Now, she was appointed to a super-speciality hospital where there were many tests done after which the above said was confirmed and was kept on medication, but she was becoming weaker. My sir, who lost his wife for the same reason of cancer, now is in great dilemma. He also likes homeopathy and I also did a very small internship under him in the same (ultrahigh dilutions in homeopathy) yet he had second thoughts weather to leave the hospital and is it safe to do so. Through phone, he conveyed every thing to me and I told to my doctor the same. The doctor asked to sen dthe reports and a brief report on her character – i.e likings and dislikes (likes she prefers cold water or normal, does she prefer sweet to hot ? Etc kind of), recent losses (her husband died a year ago) etc and so did he. After studying, he gave one and only one dose of a medicine in 200c dilution (to be taken on 1st day) and a followup of a crude medicine (called mother tincture) for 15 days. I personally sent the medicines in post to him. Also, after 1st dosage, and studying the new symptoms, a new medicine was picked by doctor. Now I and my sir were waiting for the betterment. To our astonishment, just after the 1st dose was given, in 4 days, she buckled herself up i.e her abdominal pain was gone. And after this 1 month dosage, she could start walking (before she was bed resting and lost all hope on life and always told my prof that if her life ended, it would be very nice). Her appetite started increasing, and she started to eat and behave normally and no more sadness. She even now asked, what was she given ? As she din’t believe in homeopathy either 😛 that is the irony !

3) People say that after 23 dilution, it reaches avogadro limit. Let me say my short and not that much imp but fun story. I had to perform a ritual this April. In that though there is a choice, I chose to have a ear piercing for sake of putting gold ring on ears (small and cute – don’t worry :P) When I was done the piercing, and put the copper rings first for 14 days so as to settle the hole, my ear holes started oozing at times and they never closed. I asked the doc and he gave me “Hypercum-200” (here i am telling the medicine name because, it is a general and first aid kind of medicine to stop bleeding and stuff) and according to our so called scientists 200 => pure water :P. So , I was given water and miraculously within 2 hrs, my ear pierced holes stopped oozing and since then they became a normal pierced holes and later on I wore the gold ones in ritual and now I have no problem of course. See you can see effects in minutes if the case is acute and I still wonder why people failed to understand.

4) There was this peculiar person who troubled his mother too much. Here in India, as you must know, most of them lives together even after marriage (I mean the parents and children and grandchildren etc). This guy was not married. But, he always talks very rashly with his mother and come slate from office, do not eat properly and is always having trouble with health. Here, as you can see I am bringing up a case of mental issue. This guy peculiarly behaves very well with his office people but this rashness is only with his mom and few other close to him. He even broke things at home to show his anger. And he is a 27 year old !! She came one day to the doctor and told the whole story and also wept :\. The doctor asked her to bring the son, but the son won’t come and the doctor won’t give medicine on guesses, he needs to see the person himself. Somehow she persuaded her son to come and he came. After speaking to him, and observing his body language from the moment he entered the room till he left, he gave a dosage to the mother and asked her to give it to him with mild mild as that person would not take any medicine on his own. Now, later on she again came in 7 days and asked for more medicine but the doc denied and asked her to wait. To my surprise, she came after 10 days more and said that that person stater eating at home properly  and coming to the home in time. Slowly after 20 days more and after a new dosage, he started to be little calm and cool with the things. Before he denied to marry and by the time I finished my work there, i.e after 5 months, I saw him being ready / OK for even marriage and he became better than before. See this is what I am speaking of in homeopathy ! A person who was weird for almost 10-15 years, can be set right with a medicine of homeopathy and unlike psychiatric drugs which are to be taken continuously for a long periods.

There are many more but, this is enough for now. I guess you got a feel of homeopathy and if you require more details / doubts / anything I am ready to help.

Thank You.

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