It was developed by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German doctor who became dissatisfied with the medical practices of his time. These included the prescribing of toxic substances like arsenic and lead. While studying the harmful effects of such substances, he discovered that illness could be treated with very small amounts of the substance that, in larger quantities, caused it.
Although the idea that like cures like can be traced back to the Greek physician, Hippocrates (460-377BC), it was Hahnemann who developed it into a system of treatment. Hahnemann spent several years experimenting on himself and a group of volunteers testing a wide range of natural substances, such as plants, minerals and metals. To avoid harmful side effects, he diluted each medicine until he reached the greatest dilution that would still produce a response. These experiments were called provings and are the foundations of homeopathic medicine.
The Cardinal Principles Of Homeopathy include:
- LAW OF SIMILIR.
- LAW OF SIMPLEX.
- LAW OF MINIMUM.
- DOCTRINE OF DRUG PROVING.
- THEORY OF CHRONIC DISEASE.
- THEORY OF VITAL FORCE.
- DOCTRINE OF DRUG DYNAMIZATION.
1.LAW OF SIMILIR:
Let like to be treated by like. Homeopathy is based on the law, “Similia Similibus curentur” which means like cures like. Thus, Homeopathy is the therapeutic method of symptom similarity.
2. LAW OF SIMPLEX: ( SINGLE REMEDY)
Hahnemann has stated that only one single, simple medicinal substance is to be administered at a time. Medicine should be single due to the following reasons:
1. Since the medicine was proved singly, so the effect of more than one remedy is totally unknown.
2. Only one remedy can be similar at the given time.
3. In more than one remedy, one may get confused about the curative action.
4. Synergistic action cannot be ruled out in case of more than one remedy.
3. LAW OF MINIMUM DOSE
Medicine should be given in minimum dose because:
1. To avoid unwanted aggravation.
2. Smallness of dose doesn’t allow any organ damage.
3. To maintain full advantage of finer and finest curative property of the medicine. (Aphorism 272& 246)
4. DOCTRINE OF DRUG PROVING
According to this principle, the prescribed medicine must be properly proved upon the healthy human beings. Drug proving is a systematic process by which one can investigate the pathogenetic power of the drug upon the healthy human being.
Drug proving must be done on healthy human beings because of this factors :
1. Animals don’t give subjective or mental symptoms.
2. Effects of same drug upon the human and animal is different.
3. We do not get the modalities from animal proving.
5. THEORY OF CHRONIC DISEASE
During Hahnemann’s time, apart from best homeopathic treatment the chronic cases would return after a certain interval while acute cases responds well, he found that a chronic disease is caused by chronic miasms psora sycosis and syphilis. He introduced it into the fourth edition of Organon of Medicine in the year 1829.
6. THEORY OF VITAL FORCE
Vital Force is an energy consists mind, body and spiritual entity. This force is an entity that animates the body harmoniously by maintaining the normal physiology of a person’s body. This principle was introduced in the Organon Of Medicine (5th edition) and transformed in the 6th edition into vital energy, vital principle, the life principle.
7. DOCTRINE OF DRUG DYNAMIZATION
HOMOEOPATHIC DYNAMIZATION are processes by which the medicinal properties which are latent in natural substances while in their crude state become awakened and developed into activity to an incredible degree.
Drugs are potentized by two methods:
1. Trituration: for insoluble substance.
2. Succussion: in case of soluble substance.
Objects of potentization include:
1. To reduce the medicinal substance which helps to avoid unwanted medicinal aggravation.
2. By this process deadly poison turns into healing remedies.example : arsenic , Lachesis, Crotalus.
3. Substance which are naturally inert which converts into medicine example: Silicea, common salt.
4. The action of potentized medicine is deeper ,longer and more wide spread
