The story of my involvement in homoeopathy is very interesting. Soon after the partition of the Indian sub-continent (and our migration from Qadian in India to Rabwah in Pakistan), I started suffering from severe attacks of headache, commonly known as a Migraine. This is usually a one-sided headache associated with nausea, vomiting and restlessness. I used to take Aspirin for relief, but it would adversely affect my stomach and kidneys, and also caused palpitations. My late father had an allopathic medicine called Sandol for his own use, which would give me relief rather promptly. After the partition of the Indian subcontinent, it was not available in Pakistan and had to be imported from Calcutta, (India). Once during a severe attack of migraine when there was no Sandol available, my late father sent me a homoeopathic remedy. At that time, I had no belief in the usefulness of homoeopathy but I took the medicine in good faith. Suddenly, I realised that my headache had totally disappeared and for no apparent reason, I was lying in bed with my eyes shut. Never before, had I experienced such an astonishingly rapid effect of any medicine.
After that, another incident enhanced my interest in homoeopathy. After I got married, my late wife, Asifa Begum (Allah have mercy on her), told me about her ailment of long-standing. My late father had many books on homoeopathy so I started searching for a remedy for my wife. By good luck, it so happened that I opened up a book and found a discourse on Natrum Mur whose symptoms and signs exactly matched those of my late wife, Asifa Begum. I gave her one high potency dose and she never had the same problem again. This strengthened my faith that homoeopathy was definitely effective, whether I understood it or not.
After that I started a regular study of homoeopathic books in my father’s library. Many a time, I studied all night long, and thus acquired knowledge of remedies and their constitution. I diligently learned about the usage and the special features of homoeopathic remedies and then started treating patients.
Foundation of Homoeopathy
Homoeopathy was founded by Dr. Samuel Christian Friedrich Hahnemann who was born in Saxony in 1755 AD. He loved to learn languages and in fact attained proficiency in eight of them. At the age of 12, he had started teaching Greek. Thus, he became a language teacher at a very young age. He began his medical studies in Leipzig, Austria, and then he went to Vienna and Erlangen. In 1779, he became a medical doctor and started practising in Dresden. He was a kind-hearted doctor and his income was obviously not much, so he started translating books into other languages in order to supplement it. After eleven years of medical practise, he discovered the homoeopathic system of treatment. For the first six years or so, he mostly experimented on himself and his near relatives. In 1796, for the first time, he informed the medical world about homoeopathic philosophy through the medical journals. In 1810 AD, he published his famous book, The Organon of Rational Medicine, also called Organon of Hahnemann and then prepared The Materia Medica between 1811 and 1821 AD.
Traditional medical doctors of that time strongly opposed him. In 1820 AD, the proponents of the old allopathic system of medicine had his system of homoeopathy declared unlawful by the government, and even they went to the extent of suing him. However, before Homoeopathy was declared unlawful, Hahnemann sent for Prince Karl Schwarzenberg of Austria, and treated him successfully in Leipzig. The Prince being naturally grateful to Dr. Hahnemann recommended to King Friedrich that all restrictions against homoeopathy should be removed and in future none should be re-imposed. Unfortunately for Dr. Hahnemann, the Prince re-indulged himself in a life of ease and resorted to alcoholism. He became seriously sick again and he was treated allopathically but to no avail. When he died, the Austrian government blamed the Prince’s death on Dr. Hahnemann. The public was outraged, his books were burnt
in the open and Dr. Hahnemann had to run for his life. He took shelter in Cothen, was patronised by the Duke of Cothen and he stayed there for 14 years researching chronic illnesses. He published the first edition of his
research in 1828. In 1830, his wife passed away. He married a French lady in 1835 and moved to Paris where he practised homoeopathy till his death in 1843. The year 1835 is the same historic year in which the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was born in Qadian, India.
Homoeopathy means “like cures like.” This is the method of treating a disease with the materials derived from the toxic and injurious agents causing similar signs and symptoms complex. Before Dr. Hahnemann, this system was evidently outside the established system of allopathic treatment, although some of the treatments offered there worked on the same line as homoeopathy. These, however, were not understood. A few such practices were in vogue on an experimental basis and in a limited controlled way. For example, Ipecac and Opium were given in a diluted tinctured form to relieve nausea and vomiting. In fact,
both these medicines are known as strong vomiting and nausea inducers. Dr. Hahnemann had experimented on many such drugs and was surprised to note that not only did they cause a certain illness, yet at the same time they cured that particular illness when administered in diluted form.
During this deep and thoughtful experimentation, Dr. Hahnemann discovered the fantastic defence system of the human body. The physicians believed that the human body had the power of defending itself but were unaware of its magnanimity and the principle of its working. They did not how to utilise the defensive nature of the body against the establishment of the disease. This secret was revealed to Dr. Hahnemann after his constant, thoughtful deep study of the human body’s defence system. His observations about the great defensive capability of the human body were astounding and unbelievable, but must be believed because the observations he offered were so clear. In support
of this, Dr. Hahnemann further noted that the body reacts naturally to every external attack. Anything alien to the human body, be it an article of food, drug or poison, provokes the body to react against it. External abuse of the body is quickly overcome by the bodily defences. During continuous experimentation and observation, he postulated that if in the past, some disease has been overlooked and not reacted to by the body, then the introduction of a similar symptoms-producing agent in extremely diluted and pacified form would induce defensive body reaction and eliminate the sickness.
So, in principle, homoeopathy is the method of treating an ailment caused by injurious toxic substances with the same or similar substances given in an extremely diluted form. It is absolutely essential that the poison of the like thereof be diluted to the extent that it causes no harm to the body. However, in this imperceptible and chemically ineffective dilution, the body still picks up the message and reacts to it. Most of the time, the dilution of the homoeopathic remedy is such that the original substance is virtually absent i.e. the substance is in abstract form. The more the dilution, the more potently it works, i.e. the potency increases with serial dilutions. This is in total contrast to the quantitative summation of allopathic medicines.
Surprisingly, the minutest dilutions are perceived by the human soul, which in turn directs the body to react with all necessary defence mechanisms. If the soul did not have the capability to perceive the otherwise imperceptible amount of poison and prepare the body for proper defence mechanisms, no homoeopathic medication would have worked beyond the potency 30. However, continuous observation compels us to believe that the homoeopathic remedies in high potencies like CM are indeed very effective.
This system is so superbly delicate that one must come to the belief of the existence of the soul. The homoeopathic “medicines” in serial logarithmic dilutions contain practically no atom of the original substance / poison, yet they work profoundly.
The opponents of homoeopathy cannot even begin to explain the true nature of the system of allergy! In America, doctors experimented on a lady who was allergic to eggs. She was placed in a building where nobody was permitted to keep eggs and for some time, she remained allergy free. One day she came down with a severe allergic attack. The whole building was searched carefully and at last, a nest was found on the topmost floor of the building where a pigeon had laid an egg. The distance between the lady’s flat and the nest was 15 to 20 stories. This proves that under the direction of the human mind, the human body can perceive the most delicate effects otherwise undetectable by the most modern and super-sensitive instruments, as in the case here.
It has also been discovered that some allergy patients can predict weather changes even days before some modern and sensitive instruments can do so. For example, some patients are allergic to conditions produced by lightning and thunder. Due to these sudden weather changes, signs and symptoms of allergy begin to manifest themselves in patients prone to such allergies long before science, despite all its sophistication, can perceive these changes. Birds are known to express violent noisy reactions before a change in weather becomes noticed.
The soul perceives and in turn directs the body to react. The body itself does not react per se. In homoeopathic treatment, the remedy is administered in such delicate amounts that there is no chance of adverse effects on the body. It is the soul, the real subtle entity, which is able to perceive the delicate presence of medicines or poisons otherwise undetectable or unperceivable. No wonder the Founder of Ahmadiyyat named this system of medicine, the spiritual system, i.e. the one mediated through the human soul.
Proving
The characteristic features of different medicines have been investigated for thousands of years. People have repeatedly faced different poisons and have known their nature. Socrates was made to drink Conium 2500 years ago. Although people knew the effects of this poison before this, the personal experience and the moment-by-moment,detailed description of the effects of this poison as given by Socrates had never been known as before. As the poisonous symptoms gradually worsened, he kept describing to his attendants precisely as to what, where and in what order was his body being affected by the poison. Dr. Hahnemann also tried many poisons on himself, in diluted form, and also noted the effects that had been minutely described by Socrates. He also found that when a weakened poison is administered in small doses repeatedly, its unique properties become manifest but do not last forever.
This process of registering minute details of the actions of the poison and like substances is called “Proving”. Along similar lines to Dr. Hahnemann, many homoeopaths have experimented on themselves with various poisons and noted their detailed effects. In this way, “homoeopathic Materia Medica” has steadily expanded. Extended proving cannot be based on one person’s experimentation. For proper acceptance, the proving has to be done by many: in different times, weather and localities and on people with different dispositions. Proper registry into the Materia Medica is attained after collective group discussions on the methods and results of proving arrived at individually, as some drugs may work better on obese people and some on thin and lean people. The volunteers of these experiments are not told of what and from what source they have been given a substance. Experimentation is repeated in different seasons and the effects are noted on the body as well as the mind. All studies are carefully scrutinised and determined. Dr. Hahnemann has given the most weight to the effect on the mind. One remedy has a similar effect on two patients with similar mental symptoms, but may not have a similar effect on two patients with similar physical appearance.
Methods of Preparing Homoeopathic Remedies
Homoeopathic remedies are prepared in two ways:
1. The original substance or extract is mixed in alcohol, stored for a while and then sifted. This is called the Mother Tincture. Many remedies are used in this form such as Carduus Marianus in liver diseases. Eight to ten drops dissolved in water and taken by mouth are very useful in many liver disorders. The letter Q tells us that the homoeopathic remedy is a Mother Tincture.
2. The Mother Tincture is diluted with alcohol or distilled water in a bottle, one drop in ninety-nine drops of the diluent and shaken vigorously two to four times so that it becomes completely homogeneous. Thus prepared, the potency of the medicine is 1. For example, a drop of Mother Tincture of Aconite shaken well in ninetynine drops of the diluent, alcohol or distilled water is Aconite potency 1. A drop of Aconite 1 added to ninty-nine drops of alcohol and shaken well will make Aconite 2. A drop of Aconite 2 vigorously shaken in ninety-nine drops of alcohol will make Aconite 3 and so on. If the process is repeated thirty times, we have prepared Aconite 30. Most of the routine homoeopathic remedies are prepared in this way. The letter C written along with the potency indicates that in each dilution, the medicine is diluted one in a hundred.
If the process consists of putting one drop of the Mother Tincture in nine drops of the diluent instead of ninety-nine drops, the medicine prepared would be potency 1D, which means ten. Biochemical medicines are made in this way i.e. serial dilutions of one in ten using a sugar substance Dextrose, prepared from fruit instead of alcohol or distilled water. Some Homoeopaths use the original poison instead of the mother tincture in a very small amount and mix it in 9 grams of the powdered Dextrose. They grind it well, and the medicine thus prepared is 1X. A gram of 1X added to 9 grams of Dextrose well ground will make 2X. Further similar process will make 3X and so on. In fact, an increase in potency denotes a decrease in the quantity of the poisonous substance or extract. Each time the quantity of the poison is decreased, i.e. one in a hundred, the potency increases by 1. In the biochemical system, as the quantity of poison decreases by one in ten, this is called potency 1. In homoeopathic remedies, the letter C is no longer written. In some countries, however, they still write C or D with the potency of their prepared remedies. In the biochemical system, X is always written as a measure of potency such as 1X, 2X, 3X, 6X or 12X etc. The potency 1000 is sometimes written as 1M, the potency 10,000 is written as 10M and 100,000 is written as CM.
Usage of Homoeopathic Remedies
It must be remembered that in cases of well-established illnesses of long-standing such as asthma and epilepsy, it is not right to prescribe a casual prescription. Instead, one must see the patient and have a detailed discussion with him or her to find out about the illness as well as the constitution of the person in order to reach the constitutional remedy. Both must match as precisely as possible. In my experience, many a time, the patient did not respond to the standard well known prescription but after a detailed personal examination of the patient, including his state of mind, the prescription given worked wonderfully well. For example, patients of epilepsy experience auras of a different nature before the actual attack. One such patient used to experience loud, unbearable noises and would not go to sleep out of fear. He felt as if his head and mind were squeezed in a vice. Based on his state of mind, I prescribed Cactus and it worked wonders. He started to sleep normally and the epileptic seizures also disappeared. Ironically, Cactus is not mentioned amongst the remedies for epilepsy. It is important that all such patients be observed for at least a few days. If a rush of blood to the head is noted and the blood pressure rises, Cactus would be the ideal medication.
Similarly, one should look for typical signs and symptoms of the illness before prescribing. In diseases of the gall bladder, a number of medications are useful. Once, I tried almost all of them on a gall bladder patient, but none worked. After a personal examination of the patient, I found that he was a nervous, psychic wreck. I gave him Sepia and he got better - the pain totally disappeared! In all cases of chronic illnesses, the patient should be studied in detail. On another occasion, I gave Aconite and Belladonna to a kidney patient in view of the acute nature of the sickness but it simply did not work. Apparently, I had overlooked the constitution of the patient. Belladonna and Aconite would have worked if heat had been making him worse and if cold offered him relief. However, that particular patient felt worse with cold baths. As soon as I gave him Magnesia Phosphoricum and Colocynth, he immediately got better.
There are no quick fixes in Homoeopathy. One should get into the habit of forgetting the disease for a moment and give due attention to the individual symptoms and constitution of the patient. A list of hot and cold remedies should be kept mind. In a person of hot temperament, the medication designed for a cool-minded person will do harm instead of doing good. Some people tolerate heat better than cold and vice versa. Some like movement, while others like complete rest. All these factors form the constitution of the patient and should be kept in mind while prescribing a remedy. In a busy practice, the experienced homoeopath can prescribe a routine and well tried prescription for a particular ailment and it often works. However in case of chronic, long-standing illnesses, one must spend enough time on a detailed study of the patient as well as the illness.
In general, the homoeopath avoids combining the remedies. I also did the same initially but later on changed my practice. I did not have enough time to be able to arrive at one single remedy. In Rabwah, I was deeply involved in my official duties: in Waqf-e-Jadid, Ansar Ullah and Khuddamul Ahmadiyya etc. I had to be present in committee meetings of Anjuman Ahmadiyya and Tahrik-e-Jadid. Apart from that, I ran a homoeopathic dispensary in the Waqf-e-Jadid office in the evenings and would see up to one hundred patients a day. I had started the dispensary at home during the time between Maghrib and Isha (evening and night prayers). The shortage of time compelled me to devise the
compounding of more than one remedy. As I already indicated, I had done an extensive study of homoeopathic remedies and had informally practised homoeopathy for years. On the basis of this knowledge and experience, the compounding of medicines worked very well. In some cases, I had to change the compounds and in certain obstinate cases, I carried out a detailed personal study of the patient’s constitution and his disease.
Secondly, more and more remedies are being added to the homoeopathic Materia Medica. New remedies are being found to be more effective. Some ailments are not amenable to just any remedy. Compounding of more than one remedy works like a new medication. Many of the old remedies are already natural compounds themselves, such as Nux Vomica, which is a combination of many natural constituents. While prescribing compounds, my concern is about their final characteristic features. It is not necessary that the total effect of the constituted remedies must be the sum total of all. Some remedies annul some of the effects of the other. Thus at the end, the compound may
have a totally different effect.
Virus
A virus is a rapidly evolving organism. In fact, nothing else changes its shape (or mutates) so quickly. It should be treated properly with homoeopathy. Antibiotics will fight some viruses but the remaining ones will go into mutation, proving extremely dangerous. This may eventually lead to the formation of cancer.
A General Principle
Generally speaking, chronic illnesses, which have gradually invaded and taken over the body systems over a long period, are amenable only to slow but progressively acting remedies. These remedies should be continued for six to twelve months. One should start with low potency 30 and when it stops working, advance to the next potency of 200 once a day for seven to ten days. After that, potency, 1000 is to be given every fortnight a few times. The last dose should be in potency CM to be repeated after six months or one year. Throughout this time, one should carefully observe the slowly evolving effects of the homoeopathic treatment.
Potency
With regards to the topic of potency, there has been extensive scientific research as to what kind of patients should receive which medications, administered in what potency. In the diseases of the stomach, low potencies work well. For neurological disorders, usually potency 200 or higher is useful. In profound mental illnesses, higher potencies are required. In some kinds of cancer, much higher potencies are needed. However, in some cases, if the patient is too sick, a higher potency medication may prove dangerous. In such cases, the physical strength should be restored first with supplements of food and vitamins. When general health has improved enough to tolerate the reaction, remedies should be given in gradually increasing potencies such as from 30 to 200 and 1000, as already indicated. Two entirely opposite remedies should never be given together. Would you drop ice cream into a hot cup of tea? There is no sense in it.
Dr. Kent has warned against using some remedies in CM potency, especially Silicea, but in my experience of many years Silicea in a potency of anything less than CM has not worked in patients of AIDS and some cancers.
In homoeopathy, if an administered remedy does not show its desired effect, then there are two possible ways to proceed. It may either be repeated a few times, or its potency may be increased gradually. The other method is that the potency may be maintained and another remedy may be used in between the treatment for the enhancement of the body defences.
Tuberculosis patient must never be treated with Sulphur in high potency. Rather, the treatment should always be started in low potency.
Dosage of Homoeopathic Remedies:
I am often asked about the frequency and how much of the remedy should be taken. There is no consensus of opinion on this. Every prescriber has his own way, based on experience. In this book, I have suggested the practical useful potencies based upon my own experience. I have also referred to the dosage prescribed by some well-known homoeopaths. The matter has been left to the discretion of the individual practitioners. The potencies I have observed to be effective in my experience will, God-willing, also benefit the user, with some exceptions where the potencies used are not suitable for the patient.
The quantity of the homoeopathic remedy, per se, is not that important. The patient may take a few pellets or a lot of them - it does not matter. It is the frequency that makes the difference. Every time the remedy is taken, it ‘strikes’ the body to respond. Taking a homoeopathic remedy once is called one strike. The effect of the remedy starts as soon as it is put in the mouth. Every time it is taken, it repeats the strike.
Some homoeopaths insist that the medicine should not be touched with the hand. Instead, to preserve its effectiveness, it should be taken on paper. However, hands are much cleaner than the mouth, contains so many impurities, layer upon layer, yet it can and does react to the presence of the remedy. What difference would the use of the hand make? Paper itself is not free from contamination. Natrum Mur is the homoeopathic potency of the common table salt but the mouth is full of salt. So taking a dose of Natrum Mur is like pouring a drop of salt water in the salt mine. Yet, it works. The reason is that the homoeopathic effect of Natrum Mur is not related to the material particles. In the preparation of the homoeopathic remedy, the original substance disappears completely. It only exists in the form of a memory which is capable of showing its effect through the blood and body fluids. The command is perceived by the soul. This is a unique indelible divine system of memory, mediated through the soul, which is, in a way, related to physical matter also.
When to take the Remedy
It is important to take the remedy at least half an hour before or at least half an hour after taking food for a better effect. It will still show some effect if taken during this period, though not optimal. It is better to take the remedy on an empty stomach i.e. first thing in the morning or two to four hours after dinner. In emergency situations, it may be used at any time.
Diet of the Patient
In homoeopathy, there is no restriction regarding the diet. Homoeopathic remedies work irrespective of the kind of food taken by the patient. Yet, the patient must refrain from consuming foods that aggravate his symptoms or do not suit him. The patient can decide this for himself better than the doctor.
Preservation of the Homoeopathic Remedies
In general, homoeopathic remedies last a long time. They may not even expire in a hundred years or more. In general, they should be kept in a dry temperate place with the covers of the bottles tightly closed. The temperature as such does not alter the effectiveness of the medicine, but, if the cover is not airtight, the remedy will evaporate. If the bottle has completely dried out, the remedy should be made afresh. If even a drop remains, it may be made up again by adding more of the diluent. In this way, the potency will increase by one, such as from 30 to 31 or from 200 to 201. This however, does not reduce the effectiveness of the remedy.
As a caution, homoeopathic remedies should not be placed in direct sunlight. The rays of the sun may make the remedy ineffective. Empty bottles should be thoroughly cleaned, boiled in water and dried in the sun in order to destroy any residual effects. As a rule, all homoeopathic remedies must be kept in separate bottles but some remedies may be mixed without losing their individual effectiveness. Incompatible remedies should always be kept separately. It is better that the mixture be prepared fresh, when required.
Homoeopathic remedies must be kept away from strong perfumes, especially Camphor. Camphor destroys the effectiveness of most homoeopathic remedies. One should also refrain from opening the bottle in a room sprayed with strong antiseptic or perfume.
Electrolytes
The fluid part of the blood (i.e. plasma/serum), in which the red and white blood cells are suspended, contains electrolytes. These are twelve salts. According to one school of thought (biochemy), it is the imbalance of these salts which causes disease and every kind of illness can be controlled by maintaining the balance of these salts in the body. In my opinion, this is only partly true.
The Difference between Homoeopathy and Biochemic Remedies
Biochemy is also called the twelve-tissue remedies. According to this view, there are twelve important chemicals in the blood, which when not properly balanced result in sickness. For perfect health, all the twelve must remain in balance or the person will become ill. On the other hand, it is well known that certain serious illnesses do not result from an imbalance of the salts, but due to the foreign invasion of killer germs. The diseases, in turn, disturb the balance of the salts which if left uncorrected may prove fatal. In biochemy, a lot of research has been done as to the diseases treatable with these biochemicals. For example, psychological diseases seem to benefit from Kali Phos and spasmodic conditions from Mag Phos. “Bio” means life and “chemic” stands for chemicals i.e. the chemicals essential for the maintenance of life. Silicea is one of them, and although it is not derived from any chemical compound, it is formed from Silicon, a universal constituent of the earth. Everywhere, Silicea alerts the body to react against every kind of foreign invasion. Many homoeopathic remedies are prepared from it in high potencies. In addition to Silicea, all the biochemic medicines are now being routinely and successfully used in potency X and C. Some physicians believe that they can treat all ailments while remaining within the biochemic field and have formed a separate branch of homoeopathy, while most of the homoeopaths also use biochemic medicines. However, it is not essential that the twelve chemicals be out of their normal balance for an illness to be contracted. There are thousands of diseases which develop irrespective of these salts being in balance or otherwise. For example, typhoid and polio attack a person with normal electrolytic balance in the blood. Their treatment with appropriate homoeopathic remedy can cure them as long as the body has some residual strength with which to react.
A Warning
I must caution all physicians that continued indiscriminate use of biochemic medicines can severely disturb the electrolyte balance. Therefore, the electrolytes in the blood must be checked every now and then. There are cases on record that some children developed incurable leukaemia (blood cancer) by use of biochemic tonics. The risk is obviously too high to take.
A Misunderstanding Corrected
It is not true that all homoeopathic remedies are completely harmless. Like a fast car, built to the highest standards of safety, it may still prove very dangerous in the hands of an untrained and inexperienced driver.
The allopathic doctors, no matter how intelligent they may be, are helpless in this respect. Their medicines cure an ailment, but in doing so create another.
by Mirza Tahir Ahmad