In my personal life, I have worked as a Homoeopathic Compounder for an year, before doing other jobs. After that, I have, tried homoeopathic medicines in my family, and with my friends for about 20 years. During these 21 years, I found that results were wayward. Of course, supporters of Homoeopathy can always give numerous reasons for 'unreliability' of Homoeopathic medicines. But, the single most important reason, which occurs to my mind, for considering homoeo medicines as just equivalent to some talismans obtained from witch doctors, is:- the homoeo medicines do not contain the medical substances, which their labels contain. For example, one drachm pills of 'Natrum Mur' may not contain Sodium Chloride at all. Reason: Excess dilution / mixing up with milk sugar, during the process of succusion / trituration, the processes used in making homoeo medicines, in the name of creating potencies.
(Originally posted in my Healthyb.blogspot.com, sometime back. Now brought here, as exclusive treatment is being given to Homoeopathy).
HOMOEOPATHY (HOMEOPATHY), A GIFT OR A BANE?
Homoeopathy was founded by Samuel Hahnemann in 1776 (same year as American Independence).
Dr. Hans Burch Gram introduced in NewYork, in 1825. History of American Homoeopathy can be found at homoeocases.org.
The birth anniversary of Samuel Hahnemann was celebrated recently (April 10), worldwide.
Basic principle of working of homoeo
"Similia similibus curentur - let likes be treated by likes". To simply, the implication means:
If a person consumes a substance X, it induces a,b,c,d symptoms. Persons suffering from a,b,c,d symptoms can cure themselves by the consuming the substance X.
Are there any conditions attached?
(According to homoeopaths)
For getting results, the substance is to be consumed in homoeopathic doses (minute quantities) and not in crude doses (normal quantities like 100 mg or 1 gram.). When the quantity of substance is reduced, the curative power (potency) of the medicine increases.
How the homoeopathic medicines are made?
Made by using the methods of succusion and trituration as recommended by Hahnemann.
What is succusion?
Succusion is shaking. The substance is mixed in alcohol and the container is shaken.
What is trituration?
Trituration is grinding into powder. The substance is mixed with milk sugar (base) and ground in mortars.
How potencies are made?
Potencies are made by reducing the substance of medicine and increasing the base (alcohol or milk-sugar). There are three common potency types.
DECENNIAL POTENCIES ( X POTENCIES)
Quantity of substance goes down by degrees of 10.
1 X (Pronounced one ex) = 1/10
2 X = 1/100.
3 X = 1/1000 6 X = 1/1000000 12X = 1/100000000000
(See the number of 0s)
For making 1 gram of 1 X of medicine, take .1 gram of substance and .9 grams of alcohol. Shake specified number of times as fixed by Hahnemann. Total will be 1 gram. .
For making 1 gram of 2 X : -- take .1 gram of 1 X and .9 grams of alcohol. Shake. Total will be 1 gram of 2 X.
CENTI POTENCIES ( C POTECIES)
1 c, 2 c, 30 c, 200 c etc. In practice, the suffix C is omitted. Simply numbers are mentioned.
1 C: 1 gm. of dilution will contain .01 gm. of substance, and .99 gm. of alcohol.
or
.01 gm. of substance and .99 gm. of milk sugar.
How much can a 200 power homoeo medicine may contain the medicine?
The succusion or trituration is done in 200 instalments or stages.
The medicine content in one gram of total dilution:
1/10 to the power of 200 zeros grams of the substance. Remaining will be alcohol.
If 4 or 5 drops of this alcoholic dilution is sprinkled on one dram of sugar pills, how much substance of medicine does one sugar pill contain? Probably, nothing.
Give a more clearer example?
If a cashew cookie biscuit is distributed to the 6000 million people on this planet Earth breaking into small pieces, how much cashew does one person get? How many people will get cashew? How many will get wheat flour? Will that small quantity of cashew satiate the hunger?
Should not a minimum quantity of substance be required to start curing?
POTENTISATION IS DELUSIVE AND IMAGINARY
Homoeopathy says that no substance need actually be present. Potentisation takes place with the succusion (shaking) and trituration (grinding).
How is it that some people who are being treated with homoeo are getting cured?
If a person is given pills from a bottle labelled "Natrum Mur", the pills do not contain the chemical Natrum Mur (Sodium Chloride). He will be consuming only sugar pills and alcohol. When no medicine is consumed, man's cure depends on the changes he makes in his diet, his natural self curative abilities and the white blood corpucles, internal enzymes, changes he made in his diet, physio-exercises done etc.
He may have a faith cure or placebo or some psychological changes.
Do randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies prove Homoeopathy?
The studies belong to stage 2. The suspicion is on the stage 1 itself existence of the advertised medicine apart from alcohol. It is about existence of the "medicine" name of which the label mentions.
