This is the open forum on essentials of practice organized in Excellence 2005 Seminar. The eminent physicians Dr.Diwan Harish Chand and Dr.Parinaz Humranwala answered to the delegates questions. We present this as we received many request from our subscribers and for those who missed the opportunity in participating the Excellence 2005.
Dr.Diwan Harish Chand and Dr.Parinaz Humranwala
Balanagarani: Really do antidotes like coffee and tea act on Homoeopathic Medicines, sir?
Dr. Diwan : In North India , when we give medicine we say” no coffee!” .But in south India, from babyhood they are taking coffee. They continue this because it is a part and parcel of them. Unless an opium eater, comes to stop the opium otherwise he continues to take opium along with Homoeopathic remedy. I have a picture which I put in the forth-coming book as ‘Iconography of Hahnemann ‘ This was exhibited at Dresden congress in 1996, the 200th year of the first publication of the principle. there was the picture of a factory and the name of the factory, which was very much flourishing and promising factory of coffee in Germany at that time of Hahnemann. So, when the factory people asked Hahnemann if we have modified coffee, will you allow it to your patients? Hahnemann said “No!” Once I took medicine from John Weir. He sends me medicine along with a letter, which says I am sending you the remedy and you avoid coffee. I have also sent a special tooth paste along with it .So, our forefathers, including my father, was very particular in the instructions. I have seen in my life time that diluted, I needs investigation of course.
So, there has been phases and phases in structure. Some people say even strong smelling soaps and highly scented things should be avoided. But I shall give you a very good example. A person bought a cinema ticket and went inside and everyone started to congratulate him since he was sitting near a very nice lady. The man had to leave the hall since he started to have asthmatic attacks because she was using perfumes. Hahneman prepared a very long sheet of instructions for many things. Once, one person asked me, shall I take” raw onion or not!” They can use it if they are having sore throat, sneezing, allergy etc., but however, if they are using Thuja it’s specifically mentioned not to use.
Balanagarani
Dr.Parinaz: I shall answer your question in very short. I am a coffee drinker my self. I don’t stop my patients from taking coffee at all. My rule is, anything in excess is not good!. The best teacher in this world is your patient and I remember a patient, a South Indian lady, she used to come with eczema in hands. I used to call her “ Aunty”.
I said, Aunty! You will not get well unless you stop coffee and my medicines are not working!
She said, “O.K, from today onwards I shall not take coffee.
Later when she got well after 6 months,
I very egoistically told “You would not have got well if you had not stopped coffee!
That is what we thought. But she put an arm around me and remember .
She said “Beta! you are very young and you have a long way to go !I must tell you that I was having not 1 cup but four cups of coffee per day.
There was no way that you would understand. That’s why I said I stopped coffee. Every patient will teach you something when they leave and this is what she taught me. You see, the list of things given in diet and regimen chapter is so exhaustive. It is very difficult to follow it today. different tooth pastes are coming up in the market today.
Is there anybody who does not use toothpaste? All of us use toothpaste. All of us use shampoo. How many of us use karikai, Amla and chikkai. None of us. Do we have time to do that! No!
Anything and every thing we do have to be in moderation. That’s the rule that applies. If a patient comes and says if I eat tomatoes I get rashes! I would say “Don’t eat tomatoes till the medicine works!.” but as a challenge, the patient should be able to use tomatoes, after the treatment is over. That is the way I go!
Dr. Rastogi: The best thing is that, your medicine has to be correct, the most similimum and has to be experienced that there was a proving and the drug was administered in coffee. I have a patient, whose medicine is Hyoscyams but he is very suspicious, he will not take water, the mother will not be allowed to put water in the water bottle. The only thing is he takes tea in the morning and that was administered with tea. It is working on him. All of you know the experience of alcoholics. If you want to bring down the habit of taking alcohol put Suphuric Acid 30 few drops in a bottle of whisky. You will see the result! So the most important point is that….
Dr.Diwan : You see the result if they want to give up ! Otherwise …
Dr.Rastogi : No! No!! It is not true. He loses the interest! I will quote my dean…Jokingly he used to tell about this drug. He used to say after my retirement days I am going to practice only with that medicine, that’s going to help me earn enough money, what happens is, as soon as some drops are added, the enjoyment stops. There is no Kick! He doesn’t think to have another cup! So there’s only 2 answers, one is your medicine should be correct, and then it should act whether you give it in coffee, in tea or in water or anything.
Dr.Diwan :Even in LM.?
Dr.Rastogi: Yes! Even in LM ! I give only in LM.See the Hyocymous was given in LM! You see she gives only ten strokes and puts only one. It is working!
Dr.Nagendra babu : I would like to support Dr. Rastogi, Because there is a book written by Dr.kulwadeen on alcoholism. where the doctor recommends usage of highest potencies against alcoholism.
Dr.Diwan : LM potencies were not known during the time of Dr.Kulwadeen so he would have mentioned high potencies. because essentially on the symptom of the mind, but whether he is mixing it to the alcohol or separately.
Dr.Nagendra Babu
Dr.Nagendra babu: He recommends to mix it in coffee sir…
Dr.Diwan: In coffee…
Dr. Nagendra Babu: Yes, in coffee…
Dr. Parinaz: If a person is taking alcohol and if it has come to a disease state, I think his mind needs to be treated. More than anything else a two alcoholics are not always the same. I think of a given case, for any case, which has come with such symptoms. A detailed case would be further essential.
Dr. Nagendra babu: In that case, the credit goes to our diet and regimen rather than our potentised medicine.
Dr. Parinaz: You have taken the case, and given the medicine, I generally don’t give mixed with alcohol. That’s not my way. He must know he’s doing something wrong and take the medicine. It is very clear. No mixing! or nothing done behind the back, everything in front of him.
Dr. Nagendra Babu: Thank you ! Madam.
Dr. Venkatachalam: I am using a single medicine in a particular case to get success. So as to the way, the first medicine is exhausted. Many foreign companies and Indian companies are manufacturing and pushing it in market with samples. Young doctors now-a days are using many patents. Sir, you know, you are very well versed in Material Medica, Repertory and other things we have no time and no patience and so we are switching over. They give more medicine and they get more money. In certain areas, you see people are giving more patent medicines along with some medicine. Is it encouragable? What is your advice!
Dr.Venkatachalam
Dr.Parinaz: As student of mine what to do it, I would say that I have failed as a teacher. It’s time that we senior Homoeopaths take responsibility. If we say it should not be used. Then they ask what should be used? You show us the results about what you are talking, and we shall do it. I think what we should do in our out patients department and personal clinics is take students with us and help them prescribe. For e.g. I have a student of my out patients department who’s is married in this area, and she knows the fact, that I carry my laptop to the out patients department. In the out patient department, I am attending on Thursday, each and every case is repertorised in front of the patient. after it is repertorized a paper and pencil is given to each and every student, 15 in number. they have to write their name and the name of the medicine and pass it on. I ask them why they have written it. There is an exchange and finally I choose one student to prescribe. He works with the rubrics and finally prescribes. In this way, we try to build their confidence, then when patients come for follow-ups, the students come to see since it is their case. If you have person taking alcohol. You say them don’t take alcohol. Then he immediately asks them have you ever had alcohol. Similarly I will say that if you have you ever tasted the success of Homoeopathy you will never do it. I’ll assure you.. You only need one kick, which is enough to keep you in the right trend towards Homoeopathy.
Dr.Diwan: You want another answer…One Company in a very very elaborate evening…Dinner…showed an advertisement picture on the big screen. In the morning paper a picture…that I will…I do not know wheather inaugurated or presided, I forgot… I told the organizers that Since this was advertisement with four medicines..the people will think that my coming …is for patronising these medicines.They said” No! No !! Sir .You please come. I said then don’t ask me to speak. They said Ok!. Anyway I went and delivered inaugural or presidential address what ever it may be…I think Dr. Rastogi was also there in that meeting. Four principals of the colleges, Directors of the CCRIM, Advisor and Deputy advisors and such senior people. I can’t accept whatever was shown, in the picture, that we mix, this and that. I said to the polite audience in strong words that it is the ‘prostituting of Homoeopathy’ I asked where are the Homoeopathic principles ? People will think that I am the part and parcel of this thinking. So; you should make it very clear. I was invited to Berlin to speak on Monopharmacy or Polypharmacy. I had titled the paper as “Galenicus of Homoeopathy” because Galen was known for compounding in the history of medicine. Do you know during the lifetime of Hahnemann, there was a good pupil I think his name was Agede.
He wrote to Hahnemann that he is doing this. Hahnemann wrote to him, send me your case history along with your prescription or whatever because as Rastogi has said, he was experimental and it was in the way back 1832,or something .Hahnemann wrote to him, I have difficulty in confining to one remedy for the patient how you have confined to it. He gave it toBoeninghausan and finally experimented.
I saw a prescription given to Dharam Dhash Dev,he was the librarian of Motilal Nehru. He was the son of a very good Homoeopath in Lahore. In his prescription for eczema on hands there were 8 or 9 remedies all of them for skin Petroleum, Mezeriu, MSulphur… Psorinum etc., All of them are given in a mixture…in allopathic way to be taken in ounces…in between another two remedies in the bottom …most of then in 200...
He asked me, what do you think? I said the remedy may be one out of these.but it has to be given according to principles… some methods…where is the observation?
But it has to be given in the conduct of principles but where is the observation. My teacher in Switzerland, one of the Homoeopaths of the century, He has written in a very interesting article he presented in the International Conference in 1931-32 ‘Cocktails in Homoeopathy”. He tried it, in initial stages he said Nux Vomica for constipation. My father used to use a very interesting word, “ Body is not a post office “. We have Nux vomica for constipation Belladonna for headache or Glonine or whatever, Colocynth for sciatica and Aesculus for piles. Body is not a post office and it will not sort it out and send it to the right address. Therefore there is no substitute for hard work .You will have to work for finding the right remedy. If you want something immediate, give antibiotic. When I started my practice, Allopathic prescription was itching in my fingers. Sore throat, cough or whatever, give one pencillin or newer antibiotic I can write in one second. I need 15 or 30 minutes to find one Homoeopathic prescription. But it has to be done. You must start in the journey. It is very difficult. Take your time gradually it would come easy also. But there is no substitute for hard work.
I say, in Delhi if you have business in India Gate you need not go to North Circus. You must start the journey in that direction only. It is difficult and it will take time but gradually you will come to a stage where that will become easier also. In success, there will be 97% inspiration and 3% perspiration. Therefore that pat has to be undertaken by new comers and if there are going to the patterns and combinations … it won’t help them Certainly it will not be Hahnemannian or Kentian Homoeopathy..it would be only homoeopathic medication prepared according to the pharmacopoeia but not homoeopathic and crosses the word “Similia”
Dr.D.P.Rastogi
Dr. Rastogi: Friends, I just want to add some authority to it. The answer to the question is in the section 273 of Organon and its footnote. It gives adequate answer. Hahnemann has said there is no case where more than one medicine is necessary. Regarding Agede he was the person who was responsible for inserting Aphorism 274 B, which was criticized by people, which included a paragraph, which was never written by Hahnemann. If anybody questions, you quote section 273,which is very clear and what can be adopted is given in footnote.
Dr. Diwan: Dr. Agede himself after one or two years, changed his method, that what he discovered is wrong …said ‘I am not using it’. Another confusion arouse by Dr. Arther lutze twenty years after Hahnemann passed away that was…there was 6th edition. He had done lot of work, very good work … see the monument that built in kothen…that stand in front of his hospital He has done many good works; you see the standing monument in the hospital…is still there…we have seen…But he also had put Organon in Dresden exhibitions where he made some little mix up of what he thought and that was quite wrong.
Mr. Saravanan: Madam, can psoric miasm be cured permanently?
Dr. Parinaz: This is a very very exhaustive question, but miasms has to exist with us. They are an integral part of us. When you say cure means what. There is a good part of everything and bad part of everything. Ok! In any given case say for example the patient has come to us with certain negative traits and positive traits. I would say the positive traits of the patient must definitely increase and the negative trait must definitely decrease. May be psora, sycotic,or syphilitic. Beat Psora!Beat Sycotic!! Beat Syphilitic!!! I will give you an example. I had a very small little girl coming from Jain family where they don’t even have garlic, don’t have..even talk about it in house. And very surprisingly what this girl desires, you know!. Live cockroaches!! She is hunting for cockroaches in the kitchen, trying to lift all things in places where it is damp, trying to find if there is any cockroach. We generally don’t have a door put up in the kitchen in India. There the parents have to put up a door, where the girl cannot sneak in and eat cockroaches. This is a syphilitic trait! And now, this trait has to be definitely rectified. The child can have craving!.No problem!! But definitely not… even if they were non- vegetarians, the child can have a craving for live cockroaches. So, it is a miasm in craving form, I am talking about. This is what I mean by talking about strength and weakness… positive and negative side.
Dr. Diwan: When I was your age. What is your age?
Saravanan : 21
Dr. Diwan: When I was 22, I asked the same question to my teacher but in another way. I said, since psora is the mother of all diseases and all miasm, if you give a anti-psoric remedy whether it is Sulphur, or any other anti-psoric remedy and remove the psora will the man have no illness throughout life? Do you know what he did? There were other students also. He answered. “Look how theoretical Dr. Diwan is”. Because it is not possible.
Dr. Parinaz: In today’s life to get pure psora is very difficult. We come with ancestral traits, and many environmental factors, if you can take the case from syphilitic to sycotic to psoric, your case is well done. Even if you reach to that level, we are happy with what we have done. But to get out of psora will not be possible.
Dr. Rastogi: There is aphorism 80, which I kindly request you to read it, where Hahnemann has said to see the side of the venereal miasm, i.e, sycosis and syphilis, the rest is psora, Do not confuse the concept given by Kent. I would not criticize Kent, But the concept of psora given by Kent is quite different from the concept of Hahnemann. Hahnemannian concept of psora is from Chronic Disease and Organon. What is the practical implication of it? The practical implication of it is, if you remove the 2 venereal miasm, the rest is psora and if you see the list of disease, which Hahnemann has included that osteomyelitis, oesteomalacia, insanity and various cancer, and sarcoma. Many Disease! So this is practical! And here is the answer to your question. The treatment of psora is the most difficult and do not go by the concept of Kent that Psora comes from scene and by evil thoughts. That concept is quite different .If we go in a real sense the real meaning that attributed by Hahnemann …later he has become a miasmatic prescriber. If you see Prabhakar Shetty, most of his prescription he starts with Sulphur. This is not a joke. I have again confirmed it in a seminar in Jaipur, a leading cardiologist, turned Homoeopathic practitioner said, for most of the Heart cases, the medicines used are Aconite, Arnica, Cactus, and Sulphur. I asked this question “Why?” He replied me, for most of the case, which I repertorized, I invariably got Sulphur, and that is why I am using it. That is the short answer.
Mr.Saravanan
Mr. Saravanan: Madam, another question. How can you find antidote for drugs?
Dr. Parinaz: I generally do not antidote. I really put a lot before my prescription. I only change the medicine, if I feel A is not right, and B is right. I just straightly go to it.
Dr. Diwan: Antidotes are given in the books in Relationship of remedies, in Clarke and others but except for a few it can be left over to Camphor or Nux vomica.
Dr.Nagendra Babu: This question goes to Dr. Rastogi Sir, Can you put on the light on two schools of Homoeopathy existing i.e scientific school and philosophical school.
Dr. Rastogi: There are several schools. My opinion is, keep your mind open. Go by Hahnemann’s writings what Hahnemann has said I could not find any inconsistency. There are no contradictions. The only requirement is you go sequentially. What he has wrote down in the forth edition of organon if you read them separately you find contradictions, but you read. Even in fifth edition of Organon, what ever I have told earlier on repetition of dose etc. I take back
Similar thing is seen in the chronic disease also. So, we have to read Hahnemann in sequence then we will find. Those who are going to different schools have different interpretations and parinaz has answered this. By giving the lock and key Those who are going to different schools they give more importance to dreams, delusions, etc., they are paying attention only to a particular part and they are not taking the whole. If you refer back to section 213, Hahnemann says, the disposition of mind and emotions should be considered .The patient does not say the symptom of mind exclusively but he says it along with other symptoms. But Homoeopathic concept is so true, that it is like an elephant. A blind person trying to identify the elephant .So the elephant is there, somebody by the tail... Legs…and all that. . My advice is follow Hahnemann. There cannot be two schools, only one school. Both philosophical and logical it is only one.
Dr. Diwan: I think the question was something different. What was it?
Dr. Nagendra Babu: Yes, scientific school………
Dr. Diwan: As the chairman of the scientific Advisory Committee in research in particular when this committee was formed it was for the fundamental aspect. Clinical work, clinical proving, drug research has gone ahead. Fundamental research was not kept away they have to explain to the scientific world what is the manner of action, single dose etc., The action goes by the nervous system. My view I have said it in 1957 in the British Homoeopathic Journal, Coffea cruda has changes in AGE. So, these methods have to be used, if there is any change in immunological markers or hormone markers. Way back in 1970, somebody has done research on dopamine in brain and premenstrual cases. They have shown that there were effects with Pulsatilla in different potencies.
-Transcribed byDr.D.Maheswari
