Homeopathy Papers Homeopathy Repertory

Concordance (Remedy Relationship)

BTPB
Written by Neeraja Kshirsagar

Dr. Neeraja K shirsagar discuses the importance of remedy relationships from Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book.Complementary, antidotal and inimical relationships are discussed.

This Topic is very important for beginners as this concept gives us a second prescription which no other Materia Medica or repertory gives other than the Therapeutic Pocket Book and Boger Boenninghausen’s Characteristic Materia Medica and Repertory.

Concordance:  Dictionary meaning:

Harmony – The state of being similar to or consistent with something else.

Concept:

When remedies possess the property of antidoting each other there must be commonness with each other.

Introduction:

This is a last section of Dr. Boenninghausen’s repertory. Initially the heading was concordance. Dr. Boenninghausen published a work on relationship of remedies which he later found to contain a number of errors and omissions in 1836.

To the majority of homoeopathic physicians, the last chapter has been a complete mystery. But it must be remembered that he has the trained mind of a lawyer. With this training, he was able to weigh comparative values.First the value of homoeopathy as compared to orthodox medicine and then later the comparative value of remedies in relation to particular symptom groups. In his preface, he tells us about his method of gathering data, how he kept the notes for years on various symptoms and the relationship of remedies to symptom groups. From this accumulated data, he devised the pocket book. With this background, we cannot believe that any part of this book would be for merely causal use. It was the accumulation of practical knowledge of many years’ experience.Dr. Boenninghausen’s Materia Medicais a chief work of homoeopathy and concordance is of extreme importance.

Object: This book gives a better understanding of the drugsand points of contacts with each other with regard to specific spheres, locations, modalities, tissues etc.

Uses:  To understand the genius of the remedy. We are able to compare one remedy with other remedies in different areas of the application and also the degree of nearness or contact of these remedies in different areas of application. This indeed is a comparative material Medica in nutshell.  It helps in selection of the remedy with more certainty, because we are able to compare the remedy by working out the relationship with regard to the case at hand and not on any rigid preconceived basis.  We use it to find the sequence of remedies and the remedy or remedies which could follow the remedy already prescribed and found either inadequate or of limited usefulness. This application is very important in chronic and acute cases. The next remedy or the second prescription is thus indicated with a certainty which no other repertory or material Medica could offer us.

Having selected the first medicine for a case with accuracy and worked out its action in various potencies or if the symptoms change substantially and new ones developing, the case demands a change of remedy, and this chapter is important.

Types of remedy relationships:

            # Complementary

# Neutral

# Inimical

Complementary —each remedy partakes to some extent of the attributes of every other remedy. They will have some symptoms in common.Dr. Boenninghausenstates that when a remedy possesses the property of antidoting the symptoms produced by another remedy, there must be similarity of its own action to that of another. Hence there is some ‘affinity’ between these two remedies. It was denoted by him as a relationship. We must have seen that many authors of materiaMedica, from Hering onwards have appended some sort of relationship of remedies at the end of the chapter on a particular drug. In the case of its beneficial relationship, it seems also to be fairly similar to the symptom picture of the patientand the remedy earlier prescribed has already benefited the patient and has removed curatively a number of complaints but has not fully cured, and if the second remedy is given, it seems to complete the cure.

The very similarity of the symptom picture in both the remedies has the potentiality of antidotal action as well as that of affinity, because the second remedy has also certain other symptoms which may not have been produced in the pathogenesis of the first remedy. Hence it seems to work as a follow up remedy and complete the cure. It has been found in actual practice that the second remedy acts far more curatively, if it has been preceded by the earlier prescribed medicine.

For example, it has been found and proved that Calc. carb. showed better curative efficiency if it is given after Sulphur. Nitric acid after Calc.carb.,Causticum after Sepia, Lycopodium after Calc. carb, Nitric acid after Kali carb., Sulphur after Ars and Merc.   But we should be governed by the law of similars.We find under Aconite that Sulphur seems better indicated as a chronic remedy while Calc. carb. is better indicated as a chronic of Belladonna.

Neutral— some remedies have neutral or no relation at all.

Inimical— some remedies has an inimical relationship and should never be given one after the other.

The basic logic behind his recommendation of these relationships depends upon the following facts:

  • The related remedies are mutual antidotes.
  • Experience shows that the related remedies act far more curatively when administered after each other that the unrelated remedy does.
  • It is advantageous in so called one sided diseases which are poor in symptoms and therefore difficult to cure.Arrange the order in which remedies should follow each other in advance. As a general rule the result is more rapid if related remedies are given in succession than to repeat.
  • In certain cases, when the first chosen or indicated remedy was given, the symptoms increased, as in severe aggravation without improvement following. In such cases, the remedy related most nearest to the prescribed remedy, gave wonderful results, as it not only gave quick relief of the aggravation but also gave considerable improvement to the original morbid condition.

Construction:

This chapter is divided into sections,each section being devoted to a remedy in alphabetical order. Each of these remedy sections is divided into rubrics as are all the general sections of the book. But in this chapter the rubrics are not particularized as symptoms but are generalized symptom groups.

1) Mind

2) Localities

3) Sensations

4) Glands

5) Bones

6) Skin

7) Sleep and dreams

8) Blood, circulation and fever

9) Aggravations- Timeand circumstances

10) Other remedies

11) Antidotes

12) Injurious

This is the physical make up of this chapter. The pathogenesis of every remedy seems to be made up of symptoms that touch closely upon those of other remedies. It is as if the remedies had all evolved from one common original substance, becoming modified and individualized and therefore differentiated in varying proportion. Here we can see the symptoms held in general by a number of remedies. The original symptoms as it were, as well as their individually developed personalities. One of the best illustrations of this is Pulsatilla, Siliceaand Kali sulph. They bear strong family likeness.

Joslin Circle:

The remedies having harmony with each other, the most similar ones as a rule are complementary. They antidote each other’s bad effects. Others with a lesser degree of similarity may be used at a greater interval of time. They have a much lower ratio of similarity. We may use here the illustration of the concentric circles of similarity as suggested by Joslin. The nearer the centre the smaller the circleand the higher the ratio of similarity. As the circle widens the complementary qualities of the remedies occupying the outward curves lessen until their similarity to the simillimum is very slight. Every mineral or chemical element has grouped closely about it a little circle of closely related vegetable remedies which are complements to each other.

Aconite-Sulphur

Belladonna- Calc carb

Pulsatilla- Kali sulph.

COMPLEMENTARY RELATIONSHIPS of important remedies at their mental, physical generals and physical particular levels with their repertorial rankings according to the concordance chapter on homoeopathic repertories.

  1. Aconite nap.
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1.  Belladonna 35/9 6.  Lycopodium 27/9
2. Bryonia 32/9 7.  Phosphorus 26/8
3.  Sulphur 31/10 8.  Pulsatilla 26/8
4.  Merc sol 30/9 8.  Nuxvom 26/7
5.  Rhus tox 29/8 9.  Calc carb 25/8

 

  1. Anacardium
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1.  Pulsatilla 26/8 6.   Phos-acid 16/9
2 Lycopodium 25/7 7.  Phosphorus 14/6
3. Calc carb 21/7 8. Sepia 14/5
4.  Belladonna 19/7 9. Nuxvom 13/6
5.  Conium 17/7 10.Nat mur 13/5

 

  1. Arsenicum album
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1. Sulphur 32/9 6. Belladonna 26/7
2.Pulsatilla 31/7 7. Silicea 24/8
3. Merc sol 27/9 8. Lycopodium 24/7
4. Rhus tox 27/8 8. China-a 24/7
5. Nuxvom 27/7 9. Phosphorus 23/8

 

  1. Bryonia alba
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1. Pulsatilla 38/9 5. Calc carb 29/10
1. Sulphur 38/9 6. Lycopodium 28/9
2. Belladonna 36/10 7. Nuxvom 27/7
3. Rhus tox 33/9 8. Sepia 26/7
4. Phosphorus 30/8 9. Merc sol 22/7

 

  1. Lycopodium
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1. Pulsatilla 42/10 6. Sepia 31/9
2. Calc-c 36/9 7. Silicea 29/9
3. Sulphur 35/9 8. Merc sol 25/8
4. Phosphorus 33/9 8. Rhus tox 25/8
5. Belladonna 32/9 9. Nuxvom 24/6

 

  1. Lachesis
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1. Belladonna 30/10 6. Sulphur 25/7
2. Phosphorus 30/9 7. Nuxvom 21/7
3. Lycopodium 28/9 8.  Ars album 19/6
4. Merc sol 27/9 9.  Bryonia 19/5
5. Pulsatilla 27/7 10. Calc carb 17/6

 

  1. Kali carb
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1. Pulsatilla 28/8 6. Silicea 24/8
2. Sepia 28/6 7. Belladonna 22/8
3. Lycopodium 26/8 8. Bryonia 22/6
4. Phosphorus 25/7 9. Nuxvom 22/6
5. Sulphur 25/6 10. Calc carb 20/7

 

  1. Graphite
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1.  Pulsatilla 32/9 5.  Calc carb 25/6
1.   Sulphur 32/9 6.  Rhus tox 24/7
2.    Sepia 27/7 7.   Merc sol 23/8
3.   Belladonna 26/8 8.   Nux-vom 22/8
4.   Lycopodium 24/8 9.   Phosphorus 22/6

 

  1. Pulsatilla
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1. Belladonna 31/9 5.  Lycopodium 26/8
1.   Calc carb 31/9 6.  Silicea 26/8
2.  Rhus tox 31/8 7.    Sepia 25/8
3.   Phosphorus 28/8 8.    Nuxvom 24/8
4.    Merc sol 27/7 9.    Conium 20/8

 

  1. Chamomilla
REMEDIES RANK REMEDIES RANK
1.   Pulsatilla 35/8 5.   Merc sol 25/8
1.   Belladonna 32/9 6.  Bryoniaalb 25/7
2.  Sulph 31/8 7.  Calc carb 25/7
3.   Nuxvom 28/6 8.   Lycopodium 25/7
4.   Sepia 26/7 9.   Phosphorus 24/7

References:

  1. Dr. Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book 2.  Evolution of homoeopathic repertories and repertorization by Dr. Jugal Kishore
  2. Introduction to the principles of repertorization by Dr Munir Ahmad
  3. The principles and practices of repertorization by Dr Harinadham

About the author

Neeraja Kshirsagar

Dr. Neeraja Kshirsagar is associate professor, Dept. of Repertory at Dr. D. Y. Patil Homoeopathic Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra. She has been teaching repertory for the last 15 years and practicing homoeopathy for 18 years. She also works as OPD in charge of the homoeopathic hospital wing.

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