Concept of Health and Disease in Homeopathy

doi:10.15406/ijcam.2017.08.00253

International Journal of

eISSN: 2381-1803

Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Opinion Volume 8 Issue 2

Concept of Health and Disease in Homeopathy

Waheed Mumtaz Abbasi

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University College of Conventional Medicine, Pakistan

Correspondence: Waheed Mumtaz Abbasi, University College of Conventional Medicine, Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Tel +923325214783

Received: May 10, 2017 | Published: July 26, 2017

Citation: Abbasi WM (2017) Concept of Health and Disease in Homeopathy. Int J Complement Alt Med 8(2): 00253. DOI: 10.15406/ijcam.2017.08.00253

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Opinion

Health is perceived as freedom and creativity. In homeopathy, health is considered as mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.¹ The disease is the dynamic disturbance of harmonious relation between the material body and vital force that stimulates the body in health.²

On the mental level, the primary aspect of function is the active memory, clarity of data processing, workable or consistent concepts, a complete sense of purpose and goals. At this level, the term ‘Freedom’ implies for having no fault and misperception. Creativity is having the goals and motivation in the cognitive and psychic plane. On the emotional plane, health means freedom of the passions and having the rich variety of feelings. Naturally, a person became disturbed if overwhelmed by strong emotions (i.e., negative feelings as depression, anxiety, or even positive feelings of overexcited, happiness or sexual motivation, etc.). If these strong emotions excite a person to unsuitable and vicious actions or expressions. Creativity implies for the experience of evolution, novelty, improvement in adoring links with others and interest in hobbies. In the most superficial level, the physical plane, health is taken as ‘freedom from pain and physical limitations’. It implies for doing work in the physical environment in a sophisticated, relaxed way with high efficacy. If there is limitation of freedom at this level, disease symptoms may appear. The disease is the combination or complex of symptoms that happen together.^1,3

Constitution is the underlying concept in homeopathy. It is the necessary perspective of the individual. In fact, Constitution is the genetic quality shown as biochemistry, physiology, and psychology, as adjusted by the present and past environmental conditions. Chronic disease affects nutritional factors, learned behavior and thought patterns, etc. These all factors become contributors in the disparities and flaws in one’s constitution.⁴

In Homeopathy, cure is only achieved by the complete elimination of symptoms and even effects of other treatments. The cases where continued treatment is necessary, it is called “palliation” not “cure”.⁵ The vital force stimulates the material organism in health and disease. In homeopathy, the person is taken as a whole and diseased organ symptoms alone are of no value. In Homeopathy, it is assumed that entire life processes either on physical, mental or psychological levels depend on the strength of the vital force.⁶

Suppression of disease is another concept in Homeopathy that is based on the idea that the individual should be assessed as a whole rather taking local complaints in a disease process. When only symptoms are treated rather than treating the individual as a whole, the disease is suppressed and appeared in a more worsen form. The familiar example of suppression is the appearance of asthma after treatment of eczema with cortisone. Dermatologist thinks that eczema is effectively treated but actually disease became suppressed and causes a worse condition. In the same case, if asthma is tried to be treated with sympathomimetic inhalants etc., asthma is apparently treated. Now disease became suppressed to a deeper level and the patient develops depression, anxiety or confusion (suppression to emotional plane), paranoid (suppression to the intellectual plane). Allopathic medicines are usually suppressive and this system of medicine has no concept of suppression. So, it is often unnoticed because in allopathy there are disease specialists and they never think holistically. Thus, suppression remains unnoticed when it occurs. They do not have the concept of cure and suppression to expect, observe or explain the suppression process.⁷

Many homeopathic medicines are used in which the dilutions exceed Avogadro's number (6.023×10−23). When homeopathic medicines are diluted 1:10 with repeated succession and dilutions at least 24 times, apotency is made that is so dilute that the chances of a single molecule of the original drug substance remaining in the volume are less than 1×10−10. High dilutions of homeopathic medicines have been effective in treating many conditions following the concept of homeopathy cure.^8,9 In past few years, research into ultra-high dilutions and homeopathy has been a topic of interest in various countries and universities. There is a harmony among researchers about the difficulties of establishing a model in which it is possible to obtain reproducible results.^10,11 However, a bibliometric (statistical analysis of books, articles, or other publications) study showed 24 experimental models in basic research on high homeopathic potencies (beyond 10-23), which were repeatedly investigated with reproducible results.¹² Two meta-analyses of homeopathy ultra-high dilutions show that there is enough evidence that homeopathy have more effects than placebo. Against this evidence is a background of significant scientific skepticism.¹³

There is a need of authentic research in Homeopathy with sound scientific protocols. Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine having its own philosophy. It could be proved as an important alternative therapy that will treat many so called incurable diseases by following its unique concept of health and disease. But to come this dream in to reality, a series of sound scientific researches on homeopathy with reproducible protocols should be done.