SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF HOMOEOPATHY

Homoeopathy treat every patient individually. But it is a common misconception that Homoeopathy only favor for the treatment of acute disease and some cases of chronic disease. Homoeopathy has several scopes in treating a patient.

Scope of Homoeopathy

***To bring a permanent cure: Homoeopathy cannot treat the disease on its name, but it treats the patient according to totality of symptoms similarity. So, when a patient appoints to doctor with a particular disease homoeopathy cannot judge only the disease condition but it also give priority to all the symptoms, his present or past and thus his previous complaints also be removed by a well selected homoeopathy remedy.

***In surgical cases: Surgical disease like benign enlargement of prostate, warts, corns, haemorrhoids, uterine fibroid, fibroadenoma of breast, peptic ulcer etc. are treated by a well selected homoeopathy remedy, but it accepted as surgical case in other system of medicine.

***Psychological disorder: Early cases of psychological disorder like; depression, anxiety disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder etc. are successfully treated with Homoeopathic remedy. Homoeopathy gives top most priority on mental symptoms; but in advance stage of psychological problem patient should be taken psychotherapy along with homoeopathic remedy to established permanent cure.

***After effect of past illness: Homoeopathy also removes the after effects of past illness. For example; a patient comes to his doctor with a complaint that he has been unwell since he had typhoid about one year back. A dose of homoeopathic remedy Typhoidinum will make the patient feel better in this case.

***Palliative treatment: Homoeopathy also play an important role in palliative cases. Homoeopathy palliate the problem of the patient in the cases where the gross organic changes are already happened. E.g. advance stage of carcinoma, congenital anomaly, chronic liver cirrhosis, valvular heart disease, patient have lacking of any organ or any part of the body. A well-chosen homoeopathic remedy apply on homoeopathic law may brings the palliative cure may reduce his sufferings.

***In case of skin problems: Homoeopathy is very much effective in the treatment of skin disease. In other system of medicine some skin condition like psoriasis, scabies, eczema, urticaria, vitiligo is considered to be incurable, but homoeopathy cure this condition only by well selected oral homoeopathic remedy.

***Homoeopathic remedies are dispensing on globules or in distilled water. So, the children enjoy to take the medicine.

*** Homoeopathic remedy also useful for treating animal disease in some cases.

Limitation of homoeopathy

Homoeopathy also have some limitation beside its scopes. Limitations are described below:

***In emergency condition: Homoeopathy has no value in urgent cases, where danger of life is remains, immediate death is knocking, even an hour, a minute not remain for the action of homoeopathic remedy.

***In sudden accidental cases: Homoeopathy treat the natural disease which is produce dynamically. In sudden accidental cases where a previously healthy person become a victim e.g. accidental poisoning, road accident, drowning, lightening excessive haemorrhage etc. homoeopathy has no role to play as preliminary measure. Actually, there is no disease is remains but have an obstacle that must be remove to restore the healthy condition.

***In case of gross irreversible organic change: Homoeopathy has no role or slight palliative role in where gross irreversible organic changes are take place due to long time suffering with disease. For treating a patient, Homoeopathy try to find out a unique, individual, characteristic symptoms for the treatment of disease state. But in this case for long time suffering patient only shows the mixed picture of the drugs and disease, so, homoeopathy only has palliative value in this case.

***In the cases where exciting or maintaining causes are present: Homoeopathy only has limited scope in this case. Even, only removal of exciting and maintaining causes are brings permanent cure of the disease. Some examples are: living in unhealthy place, long time deprivation from nutritious food may causes various health problem, deprivation from exercise, indulgence of alcohol or others derivatives of it, over exertion of body and mind, injuries of any form either physical or mental etc. These problems are solved by physical, mental, social or surgical means.

***In some surgical cases: Homoeopathy has no scope in advance stages of some surgical cases. Like, chronic peptic ulcer disease when there is a chance of perforation, huge ovarian tumor, uterine prolapse, carcinoma, chronic pulmonary tuberculosis with distal metastasis appendicitis, appendicular lump etc. Patient should be hospitalized and give appropriate treatment for improving his condition.

***In case of lacking vital organ: Homoeopathy only serves the palliative treatment in this case because the physical functions are already hampered in the patient with lacking of vital organs like absent of one kidney, surgical removal of organs or parts of the body e.g. spleen, parts of liver, amputation of limb.

***Idiosyncratic case: Idiosyncratic persons are very much over sensitive to several things. So, they difficult to cure with homoeopathic potentized medicine.

***Homoeopathy has no dependable preventive medicine. “Genus epidemicus” can be apply in case of epidemic disease which is already been broken out.

***Homoeopathy cannot apply on the case when a patient is come after taking several drugs of other system. Taking several drugs are causes drug disease which is very much difficult to cure.

***In case of law vitality: It is not to true that homoeopathic remedy cures the disease but it only rouses up the vitality. So, a patient who have law vitality is not able to perform well or vitality refused to be rouse up. In this case other methods like physical, psychological methods are to be used to rouse up the vitality.

***Limitations of Homoeopathic materia medica:

          # Homoeopathic materia medica is composed of several symptoms of medicines. It is difficult to memorizing all the symptoms of medicine due to its vastness.

          # It is difficult to select an appropriate similar remedy out of many homoeopathic remedies, especially in where the grade & importance of symptoms are changing under different situation.

          #Very few female provers with little knowledge of anatomy & physiology cannot correctly express their symptoms on appropriate form on sexual organs leading to incomplete observation.

          #Difficulty on expression of exact sensation during proving experimentation.

*** The homoeopathic treatment method is depending on totality of symptom similarity. So, it is required a long time to collect all the symptoms from the patient and also requiring patience both physician and patient to select an appropriate remedy.

   *** Beside selection of medicine selection of dose & potency also be a difficult task to the homoeopathic physician. Homoeopathy has no appropriate guideline about selection of dose and potency of remedy. So, to bring permanent cure only experienced homoeopathic physicians are able to select an appropriate potency and dose in the several stage of the disease.

___Amatul Zami Aditi

Student (final year B.H.M.S.)

Govt. Homoeopathic Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh