Do Biochemic Salts Act As Placebos
National Journal Of Homoeopathy 1994 Mar / Apr Vol III No 2.
Bansal V P.
Open Forum invites opinions of readers on controversial topics in Homoeopathy. Homoeopathic graduates are taught a lot about Materia Medica, but there is a lack of weightage on Biochemic remedies. Is Biochemic science a placebo therapy? Dr. Bansal and Dr. Rana put forth their points. Send us your opinion to throw more light on the subject.
(Editors Comments: In the following article a well qualified and observant physician asserts on the basis of his 16 years experience that "Biochemic salts are nothing but Homoeopathic medicines in the decimal scale. These low (decimal potencies show results only in acute diseases." These views entirely confirm the statement of no less a person than Dr. Dewey in his introduction to the Twelve Tissue Remedies" that "tissue remedies actually work on the principle of Homoeopathy.")
Bio = Living (life)
Chemic = Chemical.
It means chemical activity in living or life. In Homoeopathy whatever the drug that we ultimately use contains chemicals which may be organic or inorganic. The source may be from vegetable, animal kingdom or may be mineral, sarcode or nosode. For example, Colocynth which is derived from vegetable kingdom contains Magnesium phosphate (Mag-phos); Arnica and China contain Potassium phosphate (Kali-phos); Lycopodium contains Silicea and so on.
The so called Twelve Tissue Remedies or Biochemic salts are not only Biochemic medicines but they are active chemicals in life. In my opinion, Biochemicals in the real sense are low potency Homoeopathic medicines, though used in Decimal scale such as 1X, 3X, 6X, 12X etc. Many practitioners use Mag-phos 200X or 100X and they claim it to be Biochemic, if we compare with the Centisimal scale used in Homoeopathy then.
6X = 3C
12X = 6C
30X = 15C
200X = 100C
1000X = 500C
According to my experience and logic, Biochemic salts are nothing but Homoeopathic medicines in the Decimal scale.
Many doctors think, that as claimed by Dr. Schussler, Biochemic medicines work on deficiency theory. Take an example of a patient who has Calcium deficiency. Can you remove it by giving a few molecules of Cal-phos. No, the deficiency cannot be removed. In fact Cal-phos works on Homoeopathic theory only if symptoms match, and only then can the change in metabolism take place, after which the body accepts the desired Calcium from the regular diet itself. All anaemic patients cannot be cured by Ferr-phos 3X or 6X. One may try as long as possible but it will not increase the Haemoglobin level of blood. If the Theory of Deficiency is right, the cure of all cases of anaemia by giving Ferr-phos in small doses should be possible.
Take another example of Mag-phos. In heart diseases like Acute Myocardial Infarction, Mag-sulph is used routinely by the allopathic school. The required dose is 8-10 grams of Magnesium Sulphate which may prevent Arrythmias and also limit the area of Myocardial Infarction. But Mag-phos seldom works in such a case unless symptoms call for it.
Recently, I had to treat 10 patients of Necrosis of the head of Femur with collapse. After taking cortisone, these patients developed deformities in the femoral head. I tried Calc-fluor, Silicea and Calc-phos according to the Biochemic theory, but I got results in only 2 out of ten cases. In the other eight cases (after Homoeopathic repertorisation) two were cured by Silicea CM, two with Phosphorus 1M and two with Aurum-met. The question is why only two cases showed the desired results with Biochemic drugs? The reason is that the symptoms of the two cases are exactly similar to these biochemic drugs. Another important question is whether it is possible to treat all diseases with only 12 remedies? Many Homoeopaths give single remedy according to Homoeopathy and at the same time blindly prescribe any Bio salt or Bio combination. In such cases the patient is cured actually by Homoeo drugs and Biochemic salts work as possible. Then why do we not use a placebo itself in place of Biochemic drugs? Further, the Biochemic drugs are more expensive.
In chronic cases, I think Biochemic drugs are of no use. They show results in some acute diseases only. In acute diseases, you give any medicine that is potentised and 60 percent of symptoms usually get better. This is because quite a few of the acute diseases are self limiting.
For some time now, I have tried all Biochemic medicines in 6C or 30C in single form and this produced better and long lasting results in comparison to 3X and 6X potency. In 6C and 30C the action is more rapid.
Conclusion:
- Biochemic salts are Homoeopathic medicines in decimal potency and low potency.
- Due to low potency (3X, 6X) and palliative effect, they are useful in acute diseases only.
- When given with Constitutional drugs in medium to high potency, a Biochemic salt is like Sac-lac only.
- Biochemic salts give better results in 6C, 30C or 200C. (Try them; once you use them you may not like to use decimal X potency).
- Biochemic salts in 6C and 30C are much more economical compared to 3X and 6X.
- To an experienced Homoeopath, Biochemic salts in 3X, 6X and mother tinctures may not be required because they have no curative power for chronic diseases.
- Whenever you use decimal Biochemic, mother tinctures or allopathy, in most chronic cases they are all palliative.
- Biochemic combinations mean to treat a disease not the patient. So it cannot be Homoeopathic in principle (Similimum) is the only curative principle)
As some Masters have written, "The mere fact that drugs are manufactured by a Homoeopathic pharmacy, or are sold by Homoeopathic chemists or are prescribed by homoeopathic physicians do not make them Homoeopathic. (Biochemic and mother tinctures including)."
Note : The views presented above are based on my 16 years of critical experiences and not based on speculation.
The Other View point
The newer generation of Homoeopaths call one orthodox if he uses both homoeopathic as well as biochemic drugs separately. When one does not use two or more medicines in a patient at a time he is looked down upon as backward. The question however is Can anyone homoeopathically justify the use of polypharmacy or use of biosalts along with homoeopathic medicines?
Homoeopathy does not agree with the use of any other drug be it biochemic, allopathic or even homoeopathic simultaneously with another homoeopathic, medicine (i.e. Homoeopathy advocates single drug at a time). The homoeopathic principles that have stood the test of time suggest the use of Similimum, minimum dosage and a single medicine. The biochemic system as well as the homoeopathic system are both very similar as regards their preparation. The only difference is in the method of application. The biochemics are indicated by deficiency of a particular salt in the body while the homoeopathic remedies are given on symptom similarity.
Hence, the administration of the two should be separate and never simultaneous. It is also very different to ascertain for the second prescription as to which of the two should be repeated to ensure better results when given simultaneously.
No improvement can be made in the study of effects of drugs by the physician engaged in such prescribing.
