FAQ

The interview is published in " Mangayar Malar" Tamil monthly Magazine Homoeopathy is the medical system without side effects. Homoeopathy medicines enhance the body’s own healing process. Now a days people have started taking homoeopathic medicines for their chronic ailments. Mr. Anand and Ms. A. Preetha had an interview with Dr.R.Gnanasambandam for Mangayar Malar at Hotel Savera, Chennai.

Anand: What is Homoeopathy? Doctor:
Homoeopathy is a safe, simple, effective scientific system of medicine applying same principle of a disease. We imply this as "Similia similibus curantur'`, which means 'let likes be treated by likes.' The mode of action is totally different from the other systems of medicine not only by the method of application, but also in dosage. Homoeopathy medicines are administered in most diluted forms to avoid unneccessary complications and side effects. It activates the internal energy to fight against the diseases.The most important advantage of taking Homoeopathy medicine - No side effects! The second advantage is permanent cure! Homoeopathy offers safe medication, from infants to the old.

Preetha: Applying same principles … I do not get you Doctor! Please Explain.
	Doctor : You may know "Diamond cuts Diamond" and "Thorne pulls out thorne". Like this principle a medicine which is capable of producing a disease like symptoms and a cure with the same medicine. Whatever medicine we take it has two methods of action. A medicine may produce an opposite action or similar action. To make you clear , your heart beats are at high speed and if a medicine is administered to control the speed, it is opposite reaction. On the other hand a medicine, which increases the heartbeat, is similar action.
Mostly opposite reactions are followed in Allopathic medications in the treatment of diseases and only similar reactions are followed in Homoeopathy. In allopathy also similar reaction are followed to prevent diseases by the name of vaccination and immunisation because the similar principles alone cure and prevent the diseases. The BCG tuberculus bacilli are accentuated for vaccination. Serum prepared immunisation is being done as preventive aspect in allopathy. It is also a similar principle. In our sytem we also use the medicine but in more diluted, potentised form and we call this as Tuberculinum. Here you can note the difference as allopathic medicines are administered as material dose but homoeopathic medicines are in immaterial form.

Anand : How can it be possible with such action! If you administer such a remedy won`t the patient’s conditions go worse? Doctor: No! Homoeopathy medicines are administered to the patients in the most diluted form. So it never produce any side effects and never worsens the condition. It is rarely expected during drug proving. Unlike the Allopathic medicines our medicines are proved in healthy human beings. The physiological doses are applied only to prove a new Homoeopathy medicine. These proved that medicines are potentised and administered as medicines to the sick.


Preetha: How can a similar symptom be a cure for the disease? Can you explain?
Doctor: The principle of 'Similimum' can alone be a permanent cure for the disease as we observe in nature. Hence,'Similimum' is the nature's law of cure. Father of Homoeopathy, Dr .Samuel Hahnemann discovered this wonderful system of healing! He was a well-known physician of Allopathic system of medicine. He became frustrated of the barbaric practices and the ways of treating the sick in those days, such as blood letting and blistering. Apart from the terrible suffering, he observed that people including his own children were not benefited with these methods of treatment. So, he left the practice of allopathic medicine. He was also a famous scholar of various languages.
When he was translating a pharmaceutical catalogue, he was surprised to know that Cinchona, which is used as a medicine for malaria even now-a-days, could produce the same symptoms if taken in physiological doses. He was excited since it was believed that substances, which can produce opposite symptoms alone, would help to alleviate the suffering. To verify, he took the bitter juice of cinchona bark. And to his utter surprise he developed chillness and rigor, which were the cardinal features of Malaria and these symptoms vanished as soon as he stopped taking the cinchona juice. This was the germ of Homoeopathy. He applied this principle on many more things. Onion, which creates severe irritation in the nose and eyes was used for allergic rhinitis, which has similar symptoms; Belladonna for congestive fever and Sulphur for skin lesions. It is similar to the vaccine concept - the remedy does not attack the disease, it stimulates the body to throw it off, that mean encouraging the inner energy rather than suppressing the expression of the sick.


Anand : What are the sources of Homoeopathic Medicine? Are they derived from herbs always ?
	Doctor: The main Homoeopathic medicines are derived from plants, but also from minerals or animal sources. Some of the medicines are highly poisonous in their original, undiluted form and the patients who learn that they are being given medicines derived from such sources sometimes feel apprehensive, but the homoeopathic method of preparation yields such extremely high dilutions that there is no danger at all.


Anand : How do you prepare medicines?
Doctor: The method of preparing the medicines is consisted in making serial dilutions by the methods of succussion and potentisation. These are very important for bringing out the medicinal properties of the substances. The mother substance is soaked in alcohol and maintained for a considerable period. Then this is filtered to get the liquid, which is called "Mother Tincture"!
Then, to one part of the liquid, 9 parts of alcohol is added and succussed to get the 9th potency. Like this the method of diluting is continued to get successive potencies and named 1x, 2x and so on. If one part of the mother tincture is mixed and succussed with 99 parts of alcohol, we get 1c potency. To one part of 1c, 99 parts of alcohol is added and succussed to get 2c potency. In this method, the medicinal substance is diluted to get medicine in "Centesmal potency." Now, one may ask by successively diluting the medicinal substance, will the medicinal property remain potent? Yes. According to Avagadro hypothesis, the molecule of the medicine is laboratorically present up to 6c.
Further dilutions don't reveal the trace of the medicinal substance. But it carries the memory of the mother substance like a split atom is more powerful than its hosplit state. The medicinal substances which are not soluble in alcohol, eg: chemicals, is mixed either with 9 parts of sugar of milk, or 99 parts of milk and is tinctured mechanically to get 1x or 1c of the medicines. This phenomenon is continued to get various potencies. Again here, these chemicals don't damage the vital organs of your body since they are highly diluted.
The process of continuous diluting removes the unwanted effects of medicine and the curative efficacy of the medicine is improved. Generally practitioners won't prepare medicines. The pharmaceutical companies manufacture and sell to the physicians. The practitioners dispense the medicines to the patients.


Preetha : How do you dispense medicines to the patients? Do you use injections as in Allopathic treatment?
	Doctor: No! We do not use injections. The medicines are available in the form of Mother Tinctures, Dilutions, Triturations and Tablets. The mother tinctures, triturations and tablets are directly dispensed to the patients, but the dilutions are medicated with sugar pills or powders. It varies from practitioner to practitioner. Now-a-days blister packs are used to avoid evaporation to ensure the Hygiene. Sometimes they are given as a single long-acting dose, or else they may be given once a day or more frequently for days or weeks.

Anand: Is there any restrictions in taking Homoeopathic Medicines?

Doctor:
The Medicines are allowed to dissolve in the mouth. Unlike the allopathic medicines, which make your blood levels in quantity. Our medicines are absorbed through nerve endings of the tongue, inhalation and small portion by absorption from the alimentary tract. All potency medicines are adivised to take on clean tongue before food. I usually advise my patients to avoid taking anything before and after ten minutes. Mother tinctures and triturations shall be taken after food.


Preetha : Should we avoid taking coffee while taking Homoeopathic Medicines?
Doctor: There is a general belief that Coffee and Tea should be avoided, but there is no good evidence that these substances really interfere with cure. Moreover there is an another belief as bitterguard, onion and strong odours should be avoided. Clinically I had observed nothing interferes the cure as such. It is therefore probably enough to avoid tea or coffee for 10 or 20 minutes before and after taking the medicines.


Anand : What type of diseases can be cured?
Doctor: We have “pill for every ill.” Even though we treat acute disease, public choose our system for chronic ailments. People choose our system when they fail to achieve the benefit from other systems of medicine. Our medicines prove well in many incurable diseases such as Asthma, Cancer, Myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s disease, Migraine and so on. It is clinically proved in most cases. It is a surprise to our medical fraternity as we could cure tumours with internal medicine. We treat psychosomatic disorders also ranging from anxiety to depression. It suits well for the children in bringing immunity to many ailments such as cold, cough, sore throat and other incurables ailments.


Preetha: "I heard that homoeopathy medicines will aggravate the existing disease and then cures!" Is it true?
Doctor: Yes, but not in all cases. Mostly it is observed only in Allergic conditions such as Ezema and sometimes in Asthma. Because the disease get suppression. If the patient has aggravation the cure is definite and fast. Naturally it eliminates the toxic reactions and pours it outside. Gradually the toxic influence will go away from the body. Sometimes the intensity of the disease itself looks as aggravation. It can be differentiated well. This unnecesary Aggravations are avoided with correct potency selection. Now a days people started thinking that homoeopathy medicines makes them worse first then heals. It is not true for every disease. My clinical observation of aggravation is only in the supressed disease. The diseases with metabolic and pathological lesions never aggravates. This can be proved by laboratory findings.


Preetha : Who are qualified to treat? Like Allopathy do Homoeopathy have Medical Colleges?
	Doctor: Institutionally trained Homoeopathic medical practitioners are qualified to treat patients. Indian government has enacted an Act to protect the rights of a registered Homoeopathic medical practitioner under Central Council Act 1973. State Councils or Boards are formed under the respective state governments. They maintain a register for the registery of the Qualified Homoeopaths who obtained the prescribed qualifications.
There are numerous Homoeopathic medical colleges in India. The curriculum is based on the same syllabus as an allopathic medical college in relation to subjects, years of study etc., Now post graduation is also started in many colleges.


Anand : How do you examine a case? Do you use the equipments like stethoscope and B.P. apparatus etc., ?

Doctor:
Yes! We use all medical equipments for examination of a patient. Normally we start with a routine medical history to arrive at a diagnosis of a disease then gears up to study the constitution of the patient. Constitution means the physical and mental build up of a patient.

We look more into their peculiar physical and mental symptoms together with the pathological state of a disease to individualise each and every sick person to select a remedy. Here the emphasis is on those features, which distinguish one particular patient from others with the same conventional diagnosis. Two patients, both suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, might well receive different homoeopathic prescriptions. We don 't prescribe on disease names! Homoeopathy case taking is similar to fishing.


Preetha : What are the advantages of taking homoeopathic medicines?
	Doctor: Permanent cure without side-effects! For example, Asthma is allergic disease. Allergy has its genetical cause. The parents or grandparents should have some allergic diseases in the form of a familial asthma or eczema. The patient shows the symptom as difficulty in breathing when exposed to allergens such as a dust, pollen grains etc.
Here the disease force is inside his body. Whenever the immunity is lowered symptoms develops. In allopathy the treatment is application of a bronchodilator drug and a steroid. Opposite reaction of a bronchodilator drug immediately relieves his condition for the time being. It requires another dosage when the concentration of the drug is lowered in blood levels. This is mere palliation! Not a Cure! Then a steroid is opted to meet the situation, but steroid damages the vital organs - heart, kidneys and the eyes, when continued longer and extensively. Our method of application of the "Similimum" is in higher dilutions, otherwise called the dynamic doses without side-effects. These dynamic doses of similimum throws the disease out and make the sick person free of his ailments. In our system our method of application is a similar medicine in dynamic doses. For example, a Asthma patient falls under the constitution of Natrum sulph. Eventhough it cannot bring the instant effect it gradually throws the disease layer from the body and finally he is free from attacks.


Anand: What is a Steroid and Hormone preparations. Are they harmful?
Doctor: Hormones are secreted by endocrine glands which are essential for our metabolism. Steroids are prepared from adrenal glands which are very essential for immunity. In allopathy chemical preparations are available as hormones and steroids. They will be helpful in acute crisis. But now-a-days people had started taking these drugs without knowing the side effect. If the medication is continued for long time it definitly harms our body. Realising the side-effects and dangerous consequences of steroid medication lots of Homoeopathic medicines are newly prepared from the same steroids. By keeping the steroids as the source by Trituration highly diluted, dynamically effective medicines which don't have the dangerous side-effects now are able to remove the side-effects in a person who suffers from it. Cortisone, Hydrocortisone, Oestrogen, Progestrone, Adrenalin, Prednisolone, Prolactin, Pituitarinum, Posterior pituitarinum are few drugs to remove the side-effects of steroids.


Anand : Is Homoeopathy slow acting?
Doctor: No! If the symptoms corresponds, it is very fast. In allopathy the prescription of a medicine is very easy since the treatment is symptomatic. They prescribe the dose in material doses like 5gms, 10gms to keep the dosage at a constant level. So the symptoms are suppressed and the patient feels an instant relief! In Homoeopathy we administer the similimum in dynamic doses, which helps the sick to come back to healthy condition early in the faster manner.The chronic and old disease such as psoriasis take a long time to treat hence homoeopathy has been labeled as slow acting.


Preetha : Are laboratory investigations neccessary for a Homoeopath?
Doctor: Yes, Investigations are absolutely necessary to diagnose a disease. Eventhough we don’t give much importance to the common disease symptoms we require to know the prognosis of a disease.
Diagnosis is common to all systems of medicine. Some homoeopaths do not rely on investigations; they simply observe the symptomatalogy alone. But it is dangerous, for instance, a patient suffering from kidney stone, it rolls inside the pelvis according to the gravity of urine and its movement gives pain. Here the pain cannot be taken as a vague symptom. We cannot justify the size of the stone during or after treatment. Therefore, investigations are must in most of the incurable diseases.


Anand : Do you advice surgery to your patients?
	Doctor: Yes, We are not against surgery. In our medical curriculum we are not trained to identify and classify the cases which appears to be in need of surgery. Many of the so-called surgical cases can very well be cured by Homoeopathic remedies, eg., Polycystic ovaries, Chocolate cysts of the ovaries, Fibroids of the uterus, Cysts in various other organs of the body, ChronicTonsilitis, Sinusitis, Subacute appendicitis, Renal calculi, Cholelithiasis etc.
At the sametime we are trained to identify the patients for whom surgery can only be helpful eg. Perforated peptic ulcer, Respiratory obstruction which need Tracheaostomy, Acute Appendicitis, Strangulated Hernia etc.


Preetha : While taking homoeopathic treatment if one happened to take an allopathic medicine what happens? Will there be a reaction…
Doctor: There is no good evidence that Allopathic drugs interfere with Homoeopathic medicines. In any case, it is always undesirable to stop conventional treatment without the approval of the physician concerned. Sometimes patients healing power requires sometime for stimulation until then you have to continue the drug and gradually you can drop the allopathic drugs. There are no dangerous interactions between homoeopathic medicines and modern drugs; because the allopathic medicines are in material quantity where as homoeopathic medicines are in diluted and dynamic doses. There could not be a chemical reaction even if the patient happened to take the medicines simultaneously such as in diabetes and hypertension.


Preetha: Are you aganist Allopathy? Have you taken any medicine.
Doctor: We are not against any system of medicine. Allopathy is a wonderful system of medicine in handing acute conditions and in emergencies. It is the best system of medicine for immediate definite recovery, practical application is very good than other systems. In chronic conditions it is not suitable, because our body could not tolerate long term chemical and material doses. It would produce side effects. I can say our Homoeopathic system of medicine would be the choice, since the medicines are administered in most diluted forms. It never produce side effects even if a patient happened to take until his life time. In acute diseases also we had been very successful in many occasions like controlling cholera, dysentry, measles, chicken pox etc. Many acute conditions which made people nervous had been cured with homoeopathy. Similarly there are some instances where we had failed.

Anand : Do you advice diets to your patients?

Doctor:
Yes definitely! Diets are obstacle for recovery of a disease. They are maintaining causes for a disease. A person suffering from jaundice has to follow a fat-free diet. Similarly in all diseases, such as sweets in diabetes, salt in hypertension. Some homoeopaths as I said before, believe that strong perfumes, spices, coffee and tea will antidote a Homoeopathic medicinal action, but it is ill proved.


Preetha : Why Homoeopathy is not popular as Modern Scientific system?
Doctor: No our system is popular now-a-days. The modern medicine is popular only because it tackles the acute, emergencies instantly with material doses and surgery. They do not know the toxicity when happened to continue over a period. They got fatigue with their long-term treatment, and then they choose homoeopathic treatment. The system was handled by quacks, as it does not have any side effects. Trial and error methods without proper medical knowledge had made the public to think homoeopathy medicines are unscientific!


Anand : What about the research?
Doctor: Research in Homoeopathy is Drug proving and Clinical proving. Homoeopathic medicines are tested on healthy human beings unlike the allopathic medicines which are experimented on animals. For example the medicine Arsenic, in physiological doses, administered over many healthy human beings. They produce artificial state of the disease. Each person reacts differently to the same substance although the common symptoms to induced disease state were the same. The well proved symptom cures the original disease of any kind. Lots of drugs had been proved and included in Homoeopathic pharmacopoeia. Government of India has a separate wing called Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy. Each and every Homoeopathic physician has to study his patients very deeply to cure.This can be achieved by objective scientific studies. Clinical trials are being made in many research centres.


Preetha : What is the latest development?
	Doctor: I would say Homoeopathic software is the latest development in our fraternity. When a homoeopath takes a medical history, the most important“ Totality of Symptoms” are listed together and repertorisation is carried out manually to find a most suitable remedy. This task is laborious. Now it is very easy for the comparison, sorting and prognosis of a patient and the best is, it is studied in seconds with a Mouse in the hand.


Anand : What is the scope of homoeopathy in future?

Doctor:
Very bright! Now-a-days people have started realising the real facts. Many people follow homoeopathic treatment for their long-term illness. Mostly people approach Homoeopathic medicines for their children as our system has no side-effects. We are pioneer in clinical proving in many diseases, even in cancer aids with positive treatment.


Preetha : Everybody knows that Homoeopathic Medicines do not have side effects. Now a days there is general fear of kidney failure. What you say about that?

	Doctor: When a medicine is administered in material dose it may damage the kidneys.The material doses with short duration can be tolerated by the kidneys. But if it is administered in heavy dosage for longer duration then there is some possible complication. Moreover there are many diseases that naturally damage the kidney. For example Hypertension and Diabetes are very common.
Homoeopathy medicines never predispose such action because of minimum, most diluted dynamic form.Our system is the safest system for treating kidney failure also.