At 06:58 PM 6/5/2002 +1000, you wrote:
Dear Andrew and Joy,
In the Lesser Writings Hahnemann spoke of two major types of disease,
i.e. those that have mixed aetiologies that are unique and those where
specific infectious collective miasms affect a homogeneous group. In
aphorism 40 Hahnemann gives an example were a complex diseases is caused by
acquired chronic miasms i.e actual infectious disorders like infections
caused by psora and active syphilis, etc. These are infectious miasms in an
active acquired state. Hahnemann says in "these kinds of cases" one may
alternate the proper anti-miasmatic remedies at the proper times.
Sometimes, due to suppression, psora will become an obstacle to the cure
and needs to be treated first. So there is some truth in what you are
saying. Normally, we treat the strongest miasms first. Even Kent spoke of
the need to do this when there were two active acute miasms forming a
complex disease.
This, however, is not the whole story. Since Hahnemann's time we have
proved many more chronic remedies and discovered that some remedies are
multi-miasmatic. This means that they have the power to treat more than one
miasm at once if indicated by the symptoms. This is something that
Hahnemann was not aware of. This method has been confirmed by several
experienced homoeopaths including yours truly. So one must be flexible
according to the circumstances and the types of remedies indicated by the
symptoms.
There are many complex disease states that do not involve specific
acquired miasms. A person may have a complex disease with sadness, a
chronic sore throat and a digestive problem stemming from different
dissimilar causes. If all aspects of this complex disease state are
concomitants expressing a constitutional unity they may be cured by one
remedy. Homoeopaths have done this 100s of times. Many layers and complex
states can be cured by one remedy is the conditions are right. This is more
common when the complex is not made of two or more active infectious
diseases known as acquired miasms.
So when it comes to complex diseases one has to use differential
diagnosis as to the individual state. If the complex diseases is expressed
as the constitutional unity one can treat the symptoms at once. When there
is a complex disease based on layers of active infectious miasms may have
to treat the strongest miasms first. Aphorism 42 says nothing about
treating every disease with a different remedy while aphorism 40 speaks of
treating each acquire infectious miasms with different remedies. Both
situations are possible depending on circumstances.
Hahnemann also made it clear that one must include the individual
constitutional concomitants when taking a case. You can not separate the
individual patient and the disease. When speaking of choosing different
medicines for gonorrhea in the Chronic Diseases Hahnemann explains that one
must pick the remedy by the regional symptoms and "according to their [the
patient's] different constitutions and other aliments attendant to it". So
one can not forget the constitutional concomitants and other ailments
attendant to it when treating specific disease cases. This does involve the
whole organism but in the proper manner. The constitutional concomitants
often carry characteristic symptoms.
Some wish to treat the individual patient and not the disease. Others
wish to treat the disease and not the patient. This is a false dualism
because the patient and the disease come together as one. In homoeopathy,
we treat the vital force. That is the middle path.
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
http://www.simillimum.com
David Little © 2000