Aph 5 - Constitution

[Soroush Ebrahimi]

Dear Didi Ananda
Like the definition of Miasm (which a lot of homeopaths have incorrectly) there is a lot of argument about constitutional remedy / prescribing.
There are only a few references to CONSTITUTION in the Organon.
But probably the best for this discussion is:

§ 117

To the latter category belong the so-called idiosyncrasies, by which are meant peculiar corporeal constitutions which, although otherwise healthy, possess a disposition to be brought into a more or less morbid state by certain things which seem to produce no impression and no change in many other individuals.1 But this inability to make an impression on every one is only apparent. For as two things are required for the production of these as well as all other morbid alterations in the health of man - to wit., the inherent power of the influencing substance, and the capability of the vital force that animates the organism to be influenced by it - the obvious derangements of health in the so-called idiosyncrasies cannot be laid to the account of these peculiar constitutions alone, but they must also be ascribed to these things that produce them, in which must lie the power of making the same impressions on all human bodies, yet in such a manner that but a small number of healthy constitutions have a tendency to allow themselves to be brought into such an obvious morbid condition by them. That these agents do actually make this impression on every healthy body is shown by this, that when employed as remedies they render effectual homœopathic service2 to all sick persons for morbid symptoms similar to those they seem to be only capable of producing in so-called idiosyncratic individuals.

1 Some few persons are apt to faint from the smell of roses and to fall into many other morbid, and sometimes dangerous states from partaking of mussels, crabs or the roe of the barbel, from touching the leaves of some kinds of sumach, etc.

2 Thus the Princess Maria Porphyroghnita restored her brother, the Emperor Alexius, who suffered from faintings, by sprinkling him with rose water in the presence of his aunt Eudoxia (Hist. byz. Alexias, lib. xv, p. 503, ed. Posser); and Horstius (Oper., iii, p.59) saw great benefit from rose vinegar in cases of syncope.

In other words, the whole person is asking for a particular remedy.
Working in area where the population has not suffered greatly from the past occurrences of STD, we often get what our senior colleague Peter Chappell calls "Walking Materia Medica". The patient is a pure Sepia, or Nat-m, or Nux-v etc. No mistake about it and you know the remedy within a few minutes of case taking.
However, in a lot of other places the picture is cloudy and a lot of care is needed to find out what remedy is needed.
As far as I am concerned, the key to the case is the 'relevant presenting symptoms'. What these are is subject of a long essay! It could be the constitutional remedy or it may be something else.
For example a patient in her 60's who has a cancerous tumour and if per chance when you take her case she presents you with a Carcin picture and you ask her for how long she has had these mental emotional symptom and she says ALL MY LIFE, then you have a good example of 'constitutional' remedy.
We then have a situation as you have described which was a Calc by those propensities have now made him into an Ars.

Giving him Calc will not much help. but if one gives him Ars until it has ran its course, we may then find that Calc is now upper most and needs to be prescribed.
If a woman on having given birth is now haemorrhaging fast (pulsating arterial bleed) one need not search for a constitutional remedy - but to prescribe for the life threatening presenting symptom of a heavy and rapid bleed. (Phos).
I hope this has been of help and I would greatly welcome contributions by my esteemed colleagues on this forum.
Rgds

Soroush
From: minutus@yahoogroups.com [mailto:minutus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Abha Light Foundation
Sent: 20 October 2011 20:58
To: minutus@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Minutus] Re: Aph 5
Hi Soroush and all
Really, I feel lucky to say that I've had the opportunity to practice in Kenya rather than more industrialized countries, so my perspectives are slightly different. (Of course, things are changing fast in Kenya as drugs and fast foods inundate the country - Kenya is "catching up" - as diabetes in teens, hypertension, autism and so forth is on the rise.)

Well to my comments.
I want to take this aph as a chance to discuss "constitution" and "constitutional remedy"

I've met a number of visiting homeopaths, over the years, who -apparently - take the above aph to an extreme - that is they base their prescription solely or near-so solely on the constitution. For example: I remember one homeopath saying to me "I don't even consider the particulars, I'm looking for the constitutional."

On one hand I agree that getting a "constitutional" remedy (sic to others terminology, not my word) is the "holy grail" of prescribing. If you get it without obstacles to the cure, you'll usually see a wonderful cure. But pinning down a constitutional isn't always easy or possible and in many cases I see, not particularly applicable (ie some curative remedies are small and have very little to recommend themselves as "constitutional")

I note that SH says "taken into consideration" - and not "must be the basis of..."

Soroush, I wonder if (1) you would speak to us a little on what is "constitution" as SH understood it. (2) And your ideas on what's popularly called "constitutional prescribing"?

As a bit on Q2 - in prescribing I tend towards an Eizenyaga-type layers-type view - that is what often presents itself is anything but the constitutional layer. What's more likely to present itself is a lesional or chronic layer, which due to the nature of the disease could be masking the "constitution". (Hence I shy from the term "constitutional remedy").

EG: A ulcer patient may present a very irritable (Ars a) temperment, nothing like his original contented self (calc). You meeting him for the first time, may not be able to ascertain his original temperment because it is so masked by the disease.
Sincerely,
Didi Ananda Ruchira | Director | Tels: +254 (0)733-895466 / +254 (0)723-869133 | www.abhalight.org

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[Kerry]

Soroush said:
In the Joe Kellerstein first aid seminar that I was listening to it gave a case covering this very scenario. The homeopath gave Arnica and it stopped the bleeding straight away. She said that the patient had been "very shocky" with white gums and she gave the remedy without repping but going off presenting symptoms.

Kerry