repeat doses

[Joy Lucas]

Dear David, Jeff, Lisa, Dave and others,

this is the Hahnemann text I have been referring to..

stanza 246 has been completely rewritten in the 6th edition and it is the
footnote to this which is interesting.

" What I said in the 5th edition of the Organon in a long note to this
paragraph in order to prevent these undesirable reactions of the vital
energy, was all that the experience I then had justified. But during the
last 4 or 5 years, however, all these difficulties are wholly solved by my
new altered but perfected method. (Presumably talking about LM's - Q's) The
same carefully selected medicine may now be given daily and for months, if
necessary in this way, namely, after the lower degree of potency has been
used for one or two weeks in the treatment of chronic disease, advance is
made in the same way to higher degrees, (beginning according to the new
dynamization method, taught herewith with the use of the lower degrees."

He then goes on to talk about some antipsoric Rx requiring different doses
and different time intervals.

And then in the lengthy appendices attached to 246, which I haven't got the
time to write out, so I hope I am not taking out of context he says..

"In chronic diseases I found it best to allow a dose (to wit, a spoonful) of
such a solution of the appropriate medicine to be taken no seldomer than
every 2 days, but more generally every day."

The way I read this is that he IS NOT talking about repeating AFTER the Rx
has exhausted its action and therefore needs to be repeated to conclude the
cure - he appears to be saying - repeat daily regardless. I find this
confusing - repeat until when??? Obviously when there is evidence that the
rx is working. Why should this be the case for liquid posology and not dry.
Regards, Joy Lucas

[Peter Quenter]

One of the main observations he seems to have made is the importance of
*changing* the *'dynamis'* of each subsequent dose -
and this 'adjustment' to the changing disease-dynamis in the VF
is easier done and in much more subtle and varied possibilities
with liquid than with dry pellets -

So it is quite in line with all else he writes, to see dry doses being
taken *once* and wait and see -
and liquid doses repeated sooner/daily *with continued further dilution
and/or succussion before
each subsequent dose* !!
this latter part is what makes the important difference -

He does mention this line of thinking within those paragraphs on LMs -

that's how I see it -

best
peter quenter

[Rosemary Hyde]

Thanks, Joy, for taking the trouble to find and quote these words -- I'll be
fascinated to see the responses on the list.

Rosemary C. Hyde

[David Little]

At 02:30 PM 3/7/2002 +0000, you wrote:
Hello Joy,

1. When one is repeating the medicinal solution (C or LM) they are NOT
waiting for the action of the previous dose to stop. This is one of the
main points of Hahnemann's advanced methods. Each liquid dose is building
on top of the previous dose, step by step like going up stairs, until the
goal is attained. In this way, the vital force is able to respond in
degrees without over reactions. This can only be done when one uses the
medical solution made with 1 tiny poppy seed size pill, which is sucussed
just prior to administration.

This makes it possible to repeat the dose, as Hahnemann said, as long
as the patient is improving and there is *no aggravation, striking
improvements, or changes in symptoms*. If there is an aggravation or a
strikingly progressive amelioration the dose is stopped (here Hahnemann
gave placebos). Fundamental changes in symptoms requires a new remedy. One
repeats the remedy when needed to sped the cure until the patient is
totally well and shows no sign of relapse.

This is why Hahnemann called this method a "split-dose" not a multi
dose method. This is true the for C and LM potency when used in medicinal
solution. This means that the size of the dose is kept very small and
adjusted so the patient never receives the exact same dose two times in
succession. The key to Hahnemann's advanced methods is the liquid delivery
system, the exceptionally small dose, and the succussion of the medicinal
solution just prior to administration of the remedy.

When one uses the dry dose the cumulative number of pills is much
greater and the remedy can not be adjusted in this fashion just prior to
administration. Therefore, the repetition of the dry dose involves too many
pills (too large a dose) and each dose can not be adjusted by succussions
so it causes over stimulation on the same level. This larger static doses
is not received by the vital force without side-effects such as
aggravations and accessory symptoms or antagonistic counter actions of the
VF. Hahnemann found that repetitions of the dry dose for a longer period
tended to produce a cumulative large dose of pills that leads to over
medication. Therefore, he took 1 tiny pill and made a solution of a minimum
of 7 tablespoons of water that could be used over a longer period to time.

Let me give you an example, if one is giving a two pills of a 30c
potency and they NEED to give the remedy on alternate days for two weeks,
the patient receives 14 pills. If one pill is used to make a medical
solution which is given in a divided dose the patient only receives a small
part of 1 pill over the same time period. At the same time, the patient
that takes the 14 pills of the dry dose receives the exact same stimulation
7 times in a row. If they are receiving the medicinal solution they never
receive the exact same dose twice in succession because each dose is
succussed. Therefore, they get 30c, 30c+, 30c++, 30c+++, 30c, ++++ yet only
consume 1 pill.

2. You said :"he appears to be saying - repeat daily regardless."

Hahnemann said, "the carefully selected medicine may now be given
daily and for months, if necessary."

Hahnemann wrote the words, "IF NECESSARY" - NOT - "repeat daily
regardless". This means that the remedy may be repeated daily, WHEN
NECESSARY, to speed the cure. When it is NOT NECESSARY such a rapid
repetition will cause aggravations, accessory symptoms and spoil many cases.

Hahnemann did not write down exactly how often he was giving a dose in
the Paris casebook. Nevertheless, it is easy to see that he did not use
the daily dose on all patients or continue any doses mechanically for weeks
and months on end. When he gave the remedy by olfaction he did not repeated
the remedy quicker than 1 week. In most cases a series of doses was
followed a series of placebos.

Dr. Croserio, a close associate who worked with Hahnemann in the LM
years, wrote to Boenninghausen that it was rare for Hahnemann to use a
daily dose and that he often used placebos. He also confirmed that
Hahnemann did not repeat olfaction sooner than one week. Some give the LM
potency mechanically to every patient a daily dose and tell the patient to
come back in one month. This is not what one finds in the Paris casebooks.
Hahnemann checked his patients every 1 to 2 weeks and made the proper
adjustments and used a good amount of placebo. This was to prevent over
medication, which can cause serious side effects.

So...the most important words regarding the daily dose is the
statement, "WHEN NECESSARY". This conditions every other statement in the
Organon about repeating doses. When it is NOT necessary to repeat the dose
repetition causes rapid over medication with side effects. This is not only
what Hahnemann wrote but also the experience of many senior practitioners
such as Will Taylor, MD, Ed Broussalian MD, and others. The more accurate
your remedy, potency, and dose adjustments - the less one needs to change
or repeat the remedy.

Hahnemann only used the LMs for 3 years on HIS patients so it
important to bring this material up to date according to modern times and
OUR patients. Hering once said that it was the duty of every homoeopath to
go farther in their practice than Hahnemann and correct the mistakes of the
past, while being true to homoeopathic principles. I am not qualified to
write the "7th Organon" but I must practice in accordance with my 18 years
of experience with the LMs. I have found that today's patient is quite
sensitive and often do not seem to need as much medicine as the patients in
Hahnemann's time. I have also found that most westerns (Europeans and
Americans) are more sensitive than the South Asians (Indians are more
"tolerant" in many ways than many western people). Time and circumstances
must be taken into account.

Another factor is that our expanded materia medica (at least 1000
remedies with decent information) makes it possible to find more accurate
simillimums that what Hahnemann could find with around 100 remedies. This
also means that we do not need to change remedies or repeat the dose as
often as Hahnemann may have. All this material needs to be brought up to
date to suit our times, places, circumstances in harmony with the
principles of the 6th Organon and the experience of senior
practitioners. In this way, those who are new to Hahnemann's advanced
methods can learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before them.

Sincerely, David Little
---------------
"It is the life-force which cures diseases because a dead man needs no more
medicines."

Samuel Hahnemann

Visit our website on Hahnemannian Homoeopathy and Cyberspace Homoeopathic
Academy at
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David Little © 2000