Homoeopathic Queries & Solutions
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2003 Nov / Dec VOL V NO 6.
Prof Dr Kasim Chimthanawala
1 Sir, please throw some light as to when should we
advice whole blood transfusion to a patient and when are other blood components
used? Can we, as homoeopaths, advise blood transfusions?
-Dr Ajay Hanmane, Kolhapur
Transfusion medicine is an exhaustive subject by
itself. In short, whole blood transfusion has 3 absolute indications -
1) Acute Massive Blood loss where the body has no time to restore the lost blood
volume
2) Exchange transfusions in neonates
3) Hyperleucocytosis in acute leukaemias.
In all other cases, blood components can be used or advised.
Various components are red cells, platelets, granulocytes, fresh plasma, fresh
frozen plasma, coagulation factors, Factor VIII, etc. But in India, the paucity
of the availability of blood components even in bigger cities (leave alone the
rural areas) is the major hurdle for their advice / administration. So in their
absence, whole blood transfusion is given when required. Homoeopaths are
registered medical practitioners and hence are allowed, by law, to advice blood
transfusion to the patients whenever need arises. provided the indications are
clear and NOT for anemia etc.
2 We know that the Life processes are intricately complex. Should we
still insist on the easy comprehensibility of Principles for curing such
maladies, what Hahnemann mentioned in his Organon regarding "Highest Ideal
Of Cure."
-Dr Santosh John, Ernakulum
No one disagrees that the life processes are complicated, but what the Master contended is that if a most suitable remedy is selected on the basis of law of Similia and is administered in an appropriate potency in a minimum dose, the curative process will begin smoothly according to the Hering’s Law of Cure, which is easily comprehensible. No doubt, for selection of similimum, Hahnemann has laid down certain principles, ie individualistic symptoms which every responsible homoeopath must be able to identify if he possesses esp the knowledge enlisted in Aphorism 3 and the qualities mentioned in the article of "Medical Observer."
3 Hahnemann often formed his general opinions and used
to prescribe medications on very insufficient data. Is it then always necessary
for us to take a detailed case?
-Dr Santosh John, Ernakulum
Case taking is extremely essential both for acute as
well as chronic cases, without which it is not possible to perceive the patient
as a whole and to apply Hahnemannian principles for the management. Hahnemann,
himself was a keen observer and in many cases the Master may not have described
the case completely. But it is wrong to deduce that he formed his general
opinions on insufficient data.
Yes it is true, in our day to day clinical practice, very
often we get patients who either are unable to give adequate data or their
symptoms have been suppressed to such an extent that the case becomes one-sided
with only few symptoms. In such a situation, one has to either use his
observational skills for obtaining relevant data for selecting the indicated
remedy or manage the case with few doses of deep acting antimiasmatic remedies
like nosodes, selected on past and/ or family histories.
4 Are there any provings done or are currently on for
the Indian herbs?
-Dr Rudreshwar Tripathi, Mau
The Indian subcontinent has a voluminous variety of flora which can be potentised and used as homoeopathic remedies. Rather for a long time I have personally used drugs like Gossypium, Justicia-adhatoda, Tinospora-cordifolia, Carica-papaya, Terminalia-arjuna, Tribulus-ter etc in acute cases or as short acting remedies. The clinical provings of several indigenous drugs like Aegle-folia and Marmalos (Bel) etc. have been carried out by the CCRH, New Delhi. Also Dr P P Biswas, Kolkata has conducted short provings on many indigenous drugs and described vividly in the Drugs of Hindoostan by Dr S C Ghose. For details you may contact the office of the CCRH - B1/ 6, Community center, Janakpuri, New-Delhi.
