Modern Homoeopathy
Monthly Newsletter February 2008
Interview of
Dr. Vijay Vaishnav
Interviewed by Dr. Pawan S. Chandak
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Nowadays many homoeopaths are using Patents, combination, biochemics, mother tinctures at a time. What do you think due to such things is there any chance of Suppression & what's your modern view towards concept of suppression as told by Dr. Hahnemann.
Vijay Vaishnav: I do not believe in the use of patents and combination medicines. There is however a time and need or the use of mother tinctures or biochemic medicines in certain individual cases. When the patient has very few individualizing symptoms and there are no clear-cut indications for a similimum (implying a very low susceptibility), I may have to resort to the use of mother tinctures in such cases. The mother tincture relieves the patient of the suffering especially in desperate cases. In other cases, I have often found that the patient is now in a position to react and develops symptoms that point to the remedy. Recently in a case of severe pneumonia affect the right lower lobe of a young girl; I gave Blatta orientalis Q as a nebulisation. The chest specialist had suggested nebulisation with bronchodilators, but I found dramatic improvement after nebulisation with Blatta. The chest physician was so impressed that he has been raving about the use of homoeopathy in respiratoy medicine and now has proposed that we collaborate on clinical studies! We have also found excellent results with other mother tinctures like Quebracho, Berberis vulgaris, Trillium, Thlaspi, etc.
I use biochemic medicines when I have to treat neonates and infants or sometimes when I have to treat cases ‘long distance’. In the Paediatrics clinic at Shree Mumbadevi Homoeopathic Hospital at Mumbai (which is a teaching hospital attached to Smt. C M P Homoeopathic Medical College), I have treated babies with neonatal jaundice and seen them respond to Natrum sulph 6x. Ferrum phos and Kali mur are favourite prescriptions of the house physicians in our hospital when they have to treat cases of fever with very few symptoms in the paediatrics age group.
I do not believe that the mother tinctures and biochemic medicines cause suppressions.
I have seen surgical suppressions in my practice. I remember a case of benign enlargement of the prostate that could have been treated with homoeopathy. The patient chose surgical intervention and was symptomatically better. He was brought to me after a year with a Ca bronchus. I believe that if he had taken homoeopathic treatment when he had a mild enlargement of the prostate, he may not have had to take treatment for the carcinoma.
Hahnemann’s concept of suppression is very much valid today. However, one must note that the vital force with a good susceptibility will not easily succumb to suppression. The inherent capacity of the body to maintain the state of health will prevail unless the patient has been subject to gross therapeutic misadventures by the physician.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: What is your opinion about the present trends in Homoeopathy as regards various Approach, hypothesis and beliefs with respect to - classical homoeopathy equivalent to single dose and single remedy etc ?
Vijay Vaishnav: Was the term Classical homoeopathy coined by Dr. Hahnemann?
I remember reading in the Organon that we must give a single remedy and the minimum dose but there is no mention of the single dose. I have seen business cards of doctors calling themselves classical, cosmic and even vedic homoeopaths!
As regards the various schools of homoeopathy, as long as they are rational and scientific in their approach, they will be able to stand the test of time. What I fear is that homoeopathy in the present day may become what allopathy was in Hahnemann’s time- a medicine of ‘theories’ and experience. Probably Hahnemann had a feeling that this might happen and he wrote something that I want to share with all of you- “Poetic fancy, fantastic wit and speculation must for a while be suspended, and all over-strained reasoning, forced interpretation and tendency to explain away things, must be suppressed. The duty of the observer is then only to take notice of the phenomena and their course; his attention should be on the watch, not only that nothing actually present should escape his observation, but that also what he observes be understood exactly as it is.” This is a fragment from the Medical Observer in the “Lesser Writings” of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Please tell me in brief status of Homoeopathy includes your personal experience or problems you have faced in Homoeopathic Practice in Mumbai .
Vijay Vaishnav: In Mumbai, there is absolutely no prejudice about homoeopathic practice. The allopathic doctors as well as the public have accepted this system of medicine as a credible method of treatment. Quite a few of my patients are noted allopathic doctors from general practitioners to ophthalmic, orthopaedic, and even neurosurgeons. In fact many of the new cases are references from allopathic doctors. I have also been working in my private clinic with an ophthalmic surgeon and we have successfully treated hundreds of cases of ophthalmic conditions. I have also presented a series of cured cases to the Bombay Ophthalmic Association.
At Shree Mumbadevi Homoeopathic Hospital, almost every specialty clinic has an allopath and a homoeopath working together. You see integrated medicine at its best in this institution.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Whats your view towards Necessity for reproving of homoeopathic medicines which were proved during Hahnemannian time ? Is it really necessary and if yes does it can bring change in our Materia Medica with new discoveries ?
Vijay Vaishnav: Yes, reprovings are the need of the day. During Hahnemann’s time, the pace of life was different, the people were not exposed to the severe stress and strain that we are. There was almost no pollution, nor were they exposed to toxic wastes, radioactivity and complex chemical drugging in the form of allopathic medicines. The diet and regimen of humans have changed tremendously. There is also a need to reprove the drugs on different types of populations. All the drugs were originally proved on the Caucasian population. It is a well-known fact that the diseases that Caucasians suffer are different from the diseases that Blacks, Browns and Orientals suffer. Drugs should therefore be reproved on different ethnic types of people.
Most of the plant remedies need to be proved again after they have been grown indigenously. The types of soil that they grow in will be different in different parts of the world. I believe this will also have a bearing on the pathogenesis of the drug.
Not many homoeopaths know that the source of the drug Ignatia is a mystery. If you read Clarke’s Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, you will realize that it is not clear which plant is used to prepare this drug. Similarly the exact composition of the drug Causticum, as prepared by Hahnemann is not known. So what are we giving our patients?
Most of us have not even studied the drugs proved during Hahnemann’s time. It might be a good idea master those drugs first and then venture into provings of new drugs.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Is there any necessity for up gradation of 6th edition of Organon of Medicine ?
Vijay Vaishnav : I do not think we have any one individual or a group that can match the wisdom, foresight, patience and honesty of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. Any attempt to upgrade the Organ of Medicne by ‘lesser mortals’ would lead to the death of homoeopathy with every school of thought trying to stake its claim to the throne.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Views regarding Importance of diagnosis of disease in Homoeopathy. Is it must ?
Vijay Vaishnav : Extremely important, especially in a country like India, where a person has to go through 5 ½ years of rigorous training before he has the license to practice. In other countries where the system is not recognized by the governments and where the homoeopaths can’t call themselves doctors, it may not be easy to diagnose cases.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Distribution of Preventive medicine in various Genus Epidemicus like Chikungunya, Viral fever, Conjunctivitis. Are you agreeing with Genus Epidemicus concept of Dr. Hahnemann if not then why?
Vijay Vaishnav : It has been my clinical experience of over 23 years that they always work. India has a large population and the sheer volume of cases that we see help us confirm what Hahnemann has noted in his writings about the Genus epidemicus.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Please tell me your concept or approach towards Modern Homoeopathy ?
Vijay Vaishnav : It is very difficult to discuss it in an interview such as this. You need a lot of time to listen to my lectures to know what is my understanding of modern homoeopathy. To put in a nutshell, you need to be a good clinician before you practice homoeopathy.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Whats your opinion about the Miasmatic classification made by some homoeopath like Cancer Miasm, Malaria Miasm is it necessary to made separate classification than Hahnemannian classification Psora, Sycosis, Syphilis.
Vijay Vaishnav : Many of our present generation of homoeopaths are great thinkers. I have a lot of respect for them. Some of them are many years ahead of us in their understanding and so it is often difficult to understand and digest new theories. It may therefore be wiser and easier for us to understand and practice homoeopathy as per Hahnemann’s instructions.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Whats your opinion regarding status of Homoeopathy, Homeopath in U.K. or USA as you have visited different countries for Seminars or giving lectures.
Vijay Vaishnav : I can definitely say one thing- India is the hub for homoeopathy. Homoeopathy is slowly seeing resurgence in the USA. I am told that some (allopathic) medical schools are now planning to make the basics of homoeopathy a part of their curriculum. If that is true, then it is great news. Currently only a few states in the US recognize homoeopathy. Even then, you cannot call yourself a doctor, nor can you diagnose or order investigations like X-rays. You have to inform your clients in writing that you are alternative health specialist and that you are not part of the health system of that country. In spite of this, homoeopathy is slowly gaining lost ground and the homoeopathic drug industry in the US is a multi-billion dollar industry.
In the UK, the royal family patronizes homoeopathy. Certain universities have started full-time courses leading to a degree (B.Sc.) in homoeopathy. Though there are certain sections that are opposed to this system of medicine, it should survive and continue to flourish.
We had conducted an advanced 5-day seminar in Vienna where we found that all the delegates (who were from Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland) were either regular doctors or studying medicine. They are introduced to the basic concepts of homoeopathy in the second year of their medical education and those who are attracted to this system are given further training over a period of 3-5 years. We found them to be the most serious students of homoeopathy.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: What advise you will give for younger homoeopathic generation. As there in different School with different opinion all over the world like Sankaran, Predictive Homoeopathy, Sehgal group etc.
Vijay Vaishnav : I suggest that you master the basic concepts of homoeopathy before you try to emulate the other well-known contemporary homoeopaths. The Organon is a guide to the practice of homoeopathy and each aphorism is fraught with meaning. One needs to read each line and between the lines to be a good practitioner. If you can honestly say that your understanding of homoeopathic philosophy is good, then you are ready to explore the philosophies of the different schools of homoeopathy.
Dr. Pawan S. Chandak: Any advise or direction to Students & Practitioners how to Study Mateia Medica i.e. Scientific approach towards study of Materia Medica ?
Vijay Vaishnav : Do not memorise the Materia Medica. Understand the symptoms. Try to correlate the symptoms of the Materia Medica with the knowledge of Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Medicine, Surgery and Gynecology. When you study the therapeutics for different conditions, you should correlate the disease with the study of constitutional drugs, the underlying pathology and the miasms. I always stress on this aspect in my lectures in Materia Medica and therapeutics at the college as well as at different seminars in India and abroad. (I am always ready to lecture anywhere in the world because teaching is my passion.)
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