Homoeopathy, the second most popular system in the world has been a boon to humanity whenever such epidemics prevailed, and in the past centuries, Homoeopathy’s potential has been successfully used in such outbreaks.
BY
Dr. Pankaj Aggarwal, M.D. (Hom.); Ph.D. HomoeopathyDr. Saleha Aggarwal, BHMS; Persuing M.D. (Hom.) Pediatrics
Introduction:
With the rise of the new decade of 21st century when people were celebrating and wishing around everyone Happy New Year, news of COVID-19 broke out from Wuhan, China. Initially it was taken lightly having the faith in systems of China which would curb it well. And! Unexpectedly, WHO declared COVID-19 as pandemic on 11th March 2020. As per the reports, more than 190 countries are affected. In more than 190 countries, more than 7.33 lac people got this disease out of which more than 34000 people succumb to this diseasearound the world so far. And this is dynamic number which is changing every minute. Europe which is 6000 Kms away from China became the epicenter of COVID-19 and its now changing to USA. When the new appearing cases are below 03 in China but it is exponentially on rise in other countries. Amidst the situation, all the continents are affected, and India is not an escape. India has a population of 1.37 billion and we have 1071 confirmed cases and 29 reported deaths which includes 2 deaths in Delhi.
Homoeopathy, the second most popular system in the world has been a boon to humanity whenever such epidemics prevailed, and in the past centuries, Homoeopathy’s potential has been successfully used in such outbreaks. Few of them includes the outbreak of Typhus in 1813, Cholera in 1830s, Yellow fever in 1850s, and Influenza in 1920s. Great authors like F. Humphreys, B. F. Joslin, Beigler, Jabez Dake, and esteemed journals like The Journal of the American Institute for Homoeopathy have mentioned in their books/reports about the successful treatment by Homoeopathy during these epidemics. In most of these cases, the mortality rate with the Homoeopathic treatment have been less than 1/3rd than the general mortality rate for the patients not undergoing Homoeopathic treatment.
What is Covid-19:
It’s another variety of Respiratory Syndrome recently observed in a large family of Corona viruses causes illnesses ranging from cold to pneumonia. The whole details of it can be read in annexure 1. It reminds us the words of Dr. Hahnemann full of wisdom, that is, in aphorism 100:
“. . . in such cases, as a careful examination will show that every prevailing disease is in many respects a phenomenon of a unique character, differing vastly from all previous epidemics, . . .”
So, even the mainstream medicine agrees to it, hence there are various types of severe Corona illnesses. To name a few, SARS-cov, MERS-cov and many more may follow, we can’t say.
So, to understand this covid-19 well please read or listen the following links:
- https://www.ccrhindia.nic.in/WriteReadData/LINKS/Coronavirus%20factsheet%2001b7d849-cd23-4d26-b520-685cba275c38.pdf
- https://youtu.be/BTLGGV3_XnI
In the present scenario, cases of any new epidemic disease do not come to homoeopathic doctors so to start with we should know about them from the reliable sources. The above mentioned two sources are such on we can trust. So, I urge my profession to go through them seriously. The second link is of YouTube telling comprehensively all about covid-19 leaving the homoeopathic treatment which we all need to find out.
Epidemiology:
The basic difference between epidemiology and clinical medicine is that in epidemiology, the unit of study is a “population at risk” but in clinical medicine, the unit of study is a “case”. So, in clinical medicine, physician is concerned with disease in the individual patient but the epidemiologist is concerned with disease pattern in the entire population. Hence, Epidemiology is thus concerned with both sick and healthy.
In fact, this is the very connection Dr. Hahnemann wanted to say in aphorism 1 and 4 ofOrganon of Medicine,he has written ‘epidemic’ word 44 timein his book shows the importance given to epidemics by him. According to the records available all those doctors practicing for last 40-50 years facing this situation of pandemic first time though all have read it in books of Community Medicine. To understand the epidemiology of covid-19 in India, please read the link as below:
https://medium.com/@mohakgupta_55841/coronavirus-in-india-make-or-break-5a13dfb9646d
This epidemiology predicts that probably covid-19 cases will hit every clinic like Dengue, chikungunya etc. including homoeopathic clinics. We can now connect well that we homoeopathic physicians must understand and learn about covid-19 and find out the remedy of it.
Role of Doctors:
The world has been passing through a Pandemic of covid19 for three months. We need to understand about this new disease for the reason to come with methods and ways of diagnosis and prevention of it. All doctors and Hospitals Govts. And private including AYUSH clinics comes under essential services hence remain open in this lockdown. The MHA order is given as below:
https://mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Guidelines.pdf
But it does not mean that doctors and medical Institutions are never above law. There are many laws under which every doctor has to follow with responsibility. Presently our country India is under The Epidemic Act 1897 in which the whole country work as per the guidelines of Govt. of India. Please refer the said Act as below:
https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1005961/
Under these circumstances first and foremost job of Govt. of India is to prevent community spread of covid-19. To do so, Health Ministry of India made it essential for any private hospital or clinic including AYUSH must notify the covid-19 suspect or patient to the Govt. authorities as per the Guideline given in link as below:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidelinesfornotifyingCOVID-19affectedpersonsbyPrivateInstitutions.pdf
Also, each doctor must refer to the guidelines of Govt. of India for its clinical management as reference given in a link as below:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidelinesonClinicalManagementofCOVID1912020.pdf
With this also, refer ICMR guidelines on the tests for covid-19 and treatment in the following links respectively as below:
The treatment with HCQS is for reference only and Homoeopathic Doctors cannot prescribe it. A homoeopathic doctor should know this if this drug is misused then many patients later will show mild to severe side effects of it and knowing this history will be useful for decide his remedy.
Every doctor must know to guide the way of management of dead body of the person died of covid-19. Govt. of India has issued the guideline towards it refer the link as below:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/1584423700568_COVID19GuidelinesonDeadbodymanagement.pdf
Homoeopathic Perspective:
Having known all of the above, a homoeopathic physician shall now proceed to study the cases of covid-19 as per the homoeopathic perspective. Every one of us must know the methodology of studying acute diseases for their management and treatment. According to aphorism 73, acute diseases can be of 3 types:
- Individual
- Sporadic
- epidemic
Status of covid-19 affected people in India can be seen in real time on this link:
https://www.mygov.in/covid-19/
And to cure the patients of covid-19 and arriving at its Genus Epidemicus/Homoeopathic Specific, an SOP is required.
The Homoeopathic Approach and Allopathic Approach:
These approaches are self-explanatory in this table:
| Concepts | Concept of Disease |
Concept of Treatment |
Concept of Prevention |
| Allopathy | Microbes cause suchdiseases like covid-19. Though they consider the triad: Host-Environment-Microbes, but out of the three, MICROBES are given too much importance for treating the disease. But for prevention, ultimately HOST is important hence they go for vaccination. But it is very tedious job reason being the basic 3 characteristics of most successful vaccine, i.e., small pox vaccine is not followed. These 3 characteristics are: 1. Similar in manifestations. 2. Stronger. 3. Different in kind. Moreover, their vaccination develops on the characteristic of ‘same’ only. And side-effects of microbial substance and its career substances now have been a source of iatrogenesis. |
Allopathy feels discovering a medicine which can hinder, stop slow down the growth or kills the microbes is the drug of choice. |
To prevent hygienic care, social distancing etc. VACCINATION is required. For allopathy it is big laboratory work up takes one year at least and by then microbes go into mutation n whole work up go in vain. And with every changed or mutated virus, you need a new vaccine. It is not feasible. |
| Homoeopathy | Microbes cause suchdiseases like covid-19. Though there is consideration of the triad: Host-Environment-Microbes. Each one out of the three is given importance as per situation to diagnose the disease and to decide for treating the disease. But for prevention, ultimately HOST is important hence they go for Genus Epidemicus. But it is by examining the cases of the disease. Homoeopathic Remedy has 3 characteristics are: 4. Similar in manifestations. 5. Stronger. 6. Different in kind. Hence, this homoeopathic remedy is likea vaccination whichwill protect everyone. And there can never be any side-effects of this remedy and cannot be a source of iatrogenesis. |
Homoeopathy works on raising the general and specific immunity. But in homoeopathy, despite agreeing with the cause of diseases as microbes we only treat by discovering indicated remedy by the study of clinical symptoms of such patients. If such epidemic or pandemic occur then a remedy comes up with cures as well as prevention. I mean Homoeopathy discovers the clinical vaccine by the symptoms study of such diseases. |
To prevent hygienic care, social distancing etc. VACCINATION is required. |
After knowing these approaches every homoeopathic doctor knows how to go about the further for the treatment of covid-19.
Genus Epidemicus (GE):
Being homoeopathic doctors each one us knows GE as given by Master Hahnemann in His book Organon of Medicine, aphorisms: 100, 101and 102. A link below will give us insight regarding the GE. With this we come to know that Master did not use the word GE. In 102, he says:
“All those affected with the disease prevailing at a given time have certainly contracted it from one and the same source and hence are suffering from the same disease; but the whole extent of such an epidemic disease and the totality of its symptoms (the knowledge whereof, which is essential for enabling us to choose the most suitable homoeopathic remedy for this array of symptoms, is obtained by a complete survey of the morbid picture) cannot be learned from one single patient, but is only to be perfectly deduced (abstracted) and ascertained from the sufferings of several patients of different constitutions.”
In the above citation one can find out the process of getting the homoeopathic remedy in a condition of epidemic.
In the footnote of aphorism 102, Hahnemann writes:
“The physician who has already, in the first cases, been able to choose a remedy approximating to the homoeopathic specific, will, from the subsequence cases, be enabled either to verify the suitableness of the medicine chosen, or to discover a more appropriate, the most appropriate homoeopathic remedy.”
With this aphorism and its footnote, one can understand the process of finding “Homoeopathic Specific” (HS). In footnote, Master is instructing us for the specificity of remedy as per the patient which means you cannot use one selected remedy randomly before the thorough study of many patients of “different constitutions”. Now we need to think should we use the word GE of HS?
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331637947_Research_Review_of_Genus_Epidemicus
Present Works of Homoeopaths on GE/HS:
Arriving at the Genus Epidemicus is a process and it cannot just be an exercise of collecting symptoms here and there get them repertorise and give selected medicine to everyone. Some of the Homoeopathic Doctors have come up with their GE/HS. They can be taken as references keeping two things in mind:
- Genus Epidemicus by Logical conclusion.
- Genus Epidemicus by Experience.
Mostly available works on GE/HS are came out of logical conclusion. Any work in the field of medicine and in Homoeopathy drawn from logic has no place. Hahnemann called such works as conjectures. In aphorism 25, Dr. Hahnemann writes:
“. . .Now, however, in all careful trials, pure experience,1 the sole and infallible oracle of the healingart, . . .”
Here Master says ‘careful trials, pure experience’ is the methodology to be followed. Since this is not followed by many and coming out with their conclusion led to controversies. Here I quote one such example as ready reference. We all know such conclusion about camphor, on which Dr. Vithoulkas responded on Facebook, here is the link to follow:
https://www.facebook.com/100001415449798/posts/2969423619781457/?d=n
This link is self-explanatory and I sure whole profession will agree.Also, Master Hahnemann, while telling HS for cholera epidemic, three medicines as the condition of patient, they are, Camphor, Verat. Alb. and Cup. Met.
Process of finding a Genus for covid19:
The whole profession is writing to Govt. of India about the importance of homoeopathy in epidemics with lot of references, in fact, this is true but are we ready with the plan for Covid-19?
Here it is a proposed SOP (subject to improvement) to be taken up by different centers in the different regions of India and world. While working according to this SOP, these centers should be in touch with real time connectivity mechanism (IT Technology help must be sought). With this real time mechanism, each center will know the exact symptoms are shown by patients (see aphorism 101 and 102). Amongst all the centers, one will be a Nodal center to tell the method of collecting symptoms or data (methodology of case perceiving), analysis of case, prescribing, follow-up and process of collected symptoms (Data) to arrive the probable GE/HS. To start with, each interested Homoeopathic Hospital adopt to this way of working. Presently Naiminath Homoeopathic Hospital, Agra, UP, India may consider to adopt the same because it is a designated Isolation Centre for Covid-19 suspects.
It requires following documents to put each case on record:
- Homoeopathic Management Protocol for Covid-19 (HMPC) (Flow Chart, Annexure 4).
- Screening Sheet of the Covid-19 Suspect. (Screening Proforma, Annexure 5).
- Covid-19 Case Sheet Case Perceiving Proforma (Annexure 6).
These are suggestive documents and any further improvisation in it is welcome from the profession.
Prevention Plan:
Any epidemics can be successfully handled only when prevention steps are taken simultaneously. Hahnemann in his book Organon of Medicine aphorism 4 says:
“He is likewise a preserver of health if he knows the things that derange health and cause disease, and how to remove them from persons in health.”
He has 3 points which every physician must know:
- What are the things derange health?
- What does cause disease?
- How to remove such things and causes during health?
And Master wrote a book namely “Friends of Health” available in the Lesser Writings of Hahnemann, in which he has told us the whole methodology of working of public health.
With the above knowledge, a doctor who are treatingCovid-19 patients must take preventive measuresas well. These Covid-19 suspects and their families and Medical Personnel will be the potential carriers to others. Hence, they need to follow the Safety Guidelines. For this purpose, following documents must be taken into consideration issued by many agencies. They are as follows:
Guidelines of AIIMS Delhi:
file:///C:/Users/DR.%20Pankaj/Desktop/Covid19/Guidelines%20by%20AIIMS%20for%20Prevention%20Annexure.pdf
Guidelines for Medical Personnel:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/GuidelinesonrationaluseofPersonalProtectiveEquipment.pdf
Conclusion:
The whole world got seized due Covid-19 pandemic including India. Homoeopathy having its success in many epidemics in past on record now looking forward to come up with its medicines. But in todays scenario, seeing such patients became a challenge due debatable scope of Homoeopathy in treating such infectious diseases. In this paper a comprehensive plan is suggested if given a chance then profession can immediately go ahead. Moreover, 80% of cases of Covid-19 are mild and in time to come such cases will hit homoeopathic clinics. This plan will workable for them too.
