Posted by:
dear dr b i’m student of hpathic medical college .we r often told if after proper selection similimum is administered it’ll in some cases lead 2 return of ‘old original symptoms’ this old original symptoms refers 2 the symptoms with which the patient comes 2 the h doc or the symptoms with which patient has suffered in any part of life say 15-20 yrs ago. what should doc do in such a conditon .he should change the medication or continue the same medicine or give constitutional or miasmatic medicine.in books of organon it is generally mentioned that on return of old original symptoms ‘let alone’ the medicine let alone here refers 2 what -to let the medicine already administered to b allowed 2 act or 2 continue the same medicine
Hi again Mickey!
The first thing that you must understand is that ‘Disease’ per se is always a ‘Process’ – ‘a continuam’. This is more true for diseases chronic in nature. When the patient comes to us he/she often comes with the end results of this process. The patient often does not know that his body has undergone a long process before his/her final complaints which can be named like diabetes, hypertension, asthma etc have developed. The tragedy is that many times even the homeopaths choose to ignore the process and focus on the end results.
Anyway, when we give a true ‘similimum’, what we are trying to do is to reverse this long(sometimes very long) process.
Also our effort is to remove or minimize the tendency which, initially led to the starting of this process.
Don’t you agree that only then we would be able to ‘Cure’ a person? Also you must remember that this reversal process may be complete with just one similar medicine or may require a series of medicines.
Now during this reversal process, IF the medicine is properly selected AND the potency is suitable often (Not always) some old complanits that have plagued the patient in the past resurface. The vanishing of the relatively fresh complaints and the appearance of the complaints from which patient has suffered in the past indicates that the selection of the medicine was right and the cure is taking place according to the Hering’s Law of Cure. At this stage if the change is continuing the medicine should be ‘left alone’ to complete its work. This means that no other medicine should be given or repeated till the previous dose continues to work. When a standstill comes there r many options:
* you can repeat the same medicine in same potency
* you can repeat the same medicine in higher potency
* you can give a medicine which is complementary in nature to the previous medicine.
* you can retake the whole case and find a new similimum for this stage.
what you do depends on your clinical judgment and there is no hard and fast rule to follow. I personally prefer to retake the case and based on its results may use the first three options. The questions you have asked demand a lot of explanation and there is a limit to the help that I can provide here. For further details on this topic I suggest you go through the Kent’s ‘Lectures on Homeopathic Philosophy’
Wishing you success in your studies in this new year.
Dr B.
