Editorials

Catch Them Young!

Catch Them Young!

Dear Friends,

How do homeopathic remedies work?
What happens during drug provings?
How does the healing take place after giving a remedy?
What happens during potentization?

Like all of us, these questions have haunted me from the very first
years of my homeopathic education. My heart wanted to find the answers,
my brain was willing to work too, but there was no guidance anywhere
that would help me look for the answers. The only effort I could
make was to search the internet and homeopathic journals and print
or copy everything relevant that I could find. I still have heaps
of papers lying in my cupboards from those days!

Fast forward 12 years – much water has flown down
the river of time and I am busy with my practice and teaching and
Hpathy. The research issues still make me ponder at times, but without
any guidance or training I feel restricted and the challenges in
research seem too arduous. Then I happened to join M.Sc. Homeopathy
from the University of Central Lancashire, UK. Suddenly a new level
of unlearning (very important!) and learning started to take place.
I thought that being a computer science graduate and a qualified
doctor, I understood science well. But I was wrong and gradually
my concepts about ‘science’ changed a lot. For the first time I
understood that there is a specific way and philosophy to every
scientific process and I realized that most ‘technically qualified’
people, who consider themselves scientifically aware, are never
taught the basics of scientific process. A good fallout of this
realization was that a significant majority of homeopathic skeptics
started looking like idiots – most of the time I found these bloggers
had very shallow understanding of ‘science’ and they themselves
had little idea of what they were talking about. I also understood
the research challenges, biases and deficits in the conventional
medicine research (all that glitters in not gold!). For those who
are interested in learning about the philosophy of science, I can
now recommend Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
as a starting point.

The more I learned about clinical research, the more I realized
how crucial it is to train homeopaths in scientific research processes.
And it is crucial to catch them young
– right in the homeopathic schools/colleges! It is essential for
homeopaths to understand what research has been done in homeopathy
so far and how they can themselves contribute to the growing database
of clinical and laboratory research. It is also necessary to understand
the good and bad of the conventional medicine research. If homeopaths
understands how clinical research studies are implemented, they
can start their own practices in a very scientific way. The data
collection, processing and analysis can start right from the very
first day in the clinic. Until we are able to find the exact physical
mechanisms behind homeopathic remedies, our clinical results are
the scientific evidence that can keep us afloat. That is why it
is so essential to get this data organized and out in the open.
The more, the better!

Hence the appeal that follows. I would request all the National
and International Organizations (LIGA, ECCH, ECH, CCH, SOH, ARH,
AHA etc) and all the independent schools and colleges make an effort
to implement a short, six months module on homeopathic research
within the course curriculum of all schools/colleges in their area
of influence. With consensus, it is possible to design a course
at the International level, which can be implemented in all homeopathic
schools around the world. If some leading organizations make a concerted
effort, a lot can happen. If you are part of any such organization
or school/college and my thoughts resonate with you, write to me
at [email protected] to share
your views and ideas. Together, we might get the ball rolling!

Now coming to this issue of Homeopathy for Everyone. This
issue is dedicated to homeopathic research, and what you are going
to experience is a rich pool of data, ideas and possibilities. There
are some papers that deal with the physical basis of homeopathy
and others deal with the review of its efficacy in specific conditions.
This is a big publication on homeopathic research and there are
contributions from some very renowned researchers as well as from
some young enthusiasts. The issue is rich and I hope you will find
it worth exploring. Go, submerge yourself in this rich pool of data
and thoughts and once you are done, do send me your comments
and feedback at [email protected]

Yours in Homeopathy,

Dr. Manish Bhatia

— Chief Editor —
Homeopathy for Everyone

About the author

Dr. Manish Bhatia

- BCA, M.Sc Homeopathy (UK), CICH (Greece), MD (Hom)
- Associate Professor, Organon & Homeopathic Philosophy, SKH Medical College, Jaipur
- Founder Director of Hpathy.com
- Editor, Homeopathy for Everyone
- Co-author - Homeopathy and Mental Health Care: Integrative Practice, Principles and Research
- Author - Lectures on Organon of Medicine vol 1, 2, 3. CCH Approved. (English, German, Bulgarian)
- Awardee - Raja Pajwan Dev Award for Excellence in the Field of Medicine; APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Excellence in Homeopathy Education
- Visit Dr. Bhatia's website

1 Comment

  • Dear Dr. Manish Bhatia

    Quite interesting and informative article. Very well said about learning and unlearning.
    Learning is easy but unlearning is very difficult. Conducting and sharing research will play a vital role in understanding and expanding the horizon of homeopathy.
    Wish you luck!

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