Potency
problem in homoeopathy.
From Editorial The
Homoeopathic Heritage, May, 1994
Presented by
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D. I. Hom. (London)
The selection of potency has all along been a burning
problem in homoeopathy. To fulfil the highest ideal of cure, not only
the selection of the medicine must be correct, its potency and dose must
also be accurate. It has been observed that a medicine may fail to
produce any beneficial effect in a patient in low potencies but shows
unexpected good result in high potencies. It does not mean that the
lower potencies do not act at all in such cases. They do act, but their
beneficial effects are not perceptible to us. Of course, if the medicine
is repeated several times in lower potencies, its effect may be
perceptible but even then very slowly and less distinctly than if
applied in high potencies. Similarly, the reverse is also true when high
potencies may fail to produce any appreciable change but low potencies
act curatively. This is only because of the variation of susceptibility
in different patients. We all know that selection of potency depends on
the susceptibility of the patient. The higher the susceptibility, the
higher should be the potency and vice versa. But the great difficulty is
that there is no instrument to measure the susceptibility of an
individual. Various factors contribute to assume the susceptibility of a
patient. His age, sex, mode of living, nature and depth of the disease,
structural changes, various suppressions, vitality, mental and physical
reactions to environmental stimuli etc., all contribute to understand
the susceptibility. But very often we find difficulty when some factors
indicate high susceptibility but some others the reverse, e. g. a tumour
being an organic change indicates low susceptibility but the
susceptibility of the patient as a whole may be high requring high
potency. On the other hand “idiosyncrasy”, though indicates
high susceptibility, requires low potency and so on. No doubt our
knowledge of pathology helps us to a great extent in this respect but
final conclusion depends on careful observation of the effect of
medicine. For this reason it is better to start with medium potencies in
all doubtful cases and then to go high or low observing the effect of
the first dose. Routine use of exclusively high or low potencies is not
desirable in homoeopathy. This is why we see Hahnemann changing his
views about potency from time to time till before his death. He was
fully aware of the problem and tried to solve the same all through his
life the ultimate outcome of which is the “fifty millesimal
potency”. I believe the problem of potency may no longer bother us
if we all start using 50-millesimal potency in all cases or at least in
doubtful, incurable and acute cases. The problem of long gap in the
centesimal potency from 30 to 200, 200 to 1M or 1M to 10M etc. may very
well be solved by the use of successive higher potencies of
50-millesimal scale. I request my colleagues, especially the beginners
in homoeopathy, to try fifty millesimal potency to see if this may be of
any help to solve their potency problem. In India it is our usual
practice to prescribe low potencies in acute and high potencies in
chronic diseases. This practice is just the reverse of what it should
be. In acute disease there is seldom any structural change to start
with. Naturally the susceptibility of the patient remains high in such
cases. Moreover, the violence of the case, rapidity of progress and
acute inflammatory condition suggest high susceptibility of the patient
requiring high potency. This is true in case of influenza, dipththeria,
measles, pox, whooping cough, typhoid (1st and 2nd
week), meningitis, encephalitis etc. Here repeated doses of high
potencies are necessary to arrest the progress of the disease and ensure
early cure. But we generally prescribe low potencies in such cases
resulting in failure or too late recovery which is contrary to the
highest ideal of cure. But in acute diseases with lowered vitality, e.
g., in severe dehydration, shock, collapse, extreme prostration, severe
haemorrhage, typhoid state etc. the patient requires low potencies in
repeated doses to gradually overcome the inhibitory state of the vital
dynamis. Indiscriminate use of high potencies in such cases may lead to
sudden death. Acute manifestations of chronic diseases with gross
organic changes require low or medium potencies but require high
potencies if the disease still remains in the functional plane or at the
beginning of organic changes.In chronic disease on the other hand susceptibility
becomes gradually low because of long continued suffering and organic
changes – hence they require low or medium potencies. Carelessness in
selecting correct potency in such cases may lead to Dr. Kent’s 1st
or 2nd observation which is undoubtedly not at all desirable
to any homoeopathic physician. But in chronic diseases without gross
organic changes, e. g. migraine, neuralgias, most of the paralysis,
neurosis etc., high potencies act curatively if given in single or
repeated doses as the case may be. Too low potencies in repeated doses
even in organic chronic disease may lead to observation No. 10 while too
high potencies in comparison to patient’s susceptibility leads to
observation No.3 and the patient may have to pass through grievous
suffering before amelioration or cure takes place. Difficult and
incurable cases require medium and low potencies to start with. In my
opinion 50-millesimal potency is best for this purpose. Even an
incurable case may turn to curable stage after the use of few successive
potencies in this scale.In children and young adults there is generally no
wear and tear of organs and tissues. As such they require high potencies
for an early cure. But in old age the susceptibility becomes generally
low because of wear and tear and senile degeneration, hence they
generally require low or medium potencies.Females in villages of our country are generally less
exposed to worries, anxieties and complications of life. Hence their
nervouse system generally is of quiet nature having a moderate degree of
susceptibility requiring medium potencies. But irritable, highly strung
males possess a high degree of susceptibility requiring generally high
potencies. Persons engged in highly intellectual and mental work, e. g.
doctors, lawyers, ministers etc. generally require high potencies
because of their high profile and high susceptibility. On the other
hand, persons engaged in physical labour without much of mental exertion
generally require low or medium potencies because of their low
susceptibility.Disease begins in the dynamic plane and ultimately
settles in organs or tissues. As such in all diseases we get functional
symptoms to start with followed by secondary organic or pathological
symptoms. Hence the more the disease is in the dynamic plane, the higher
should be the potency and the more it is in the organic plane the lower
should be the potency. This is why we may be able to abort many violent
acute diseases in their beginning stage with repeated doses of high
potencies. But the problem arises when we come across to types of
susceptibility in a patient at the same time – the susceptibility of
the patient as a whole being high while the susceptibility of his
affected tissue is low, e. g. in tumour or chronic eczema etc. In such
cases it is better to start with medium or low potencies and the moment
reaction sets in, the potency should be changed to higher one. The
growths or organic changes may not be reversible with the help of these
high potencies but the disease processs will be cured. The end product
of the disease may require surgical interference for their removal so as
to avoid mechanical effects of the same.Primary manifestation of psora, sycosis and syphilis
require high potencies in repeated and large doses for an early and
permanent cure but the secondary effects of these conditions require
medium or low potencies to start with.In mental diseases the susceptibility is generally
very high, but high potencies are contra-indicated in such cases to
start with because of the possibility of too violent an aggravation. I
have seen a single dose of 30th potency to act curatively in
such cases for months together. In diseases like bronchial asthma,
organic heart diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cirrhosis of
the liver, pre-tubercular and pre-cancerous states, piles, brain tumour,
peptic ulcer etc. 50-millesimal potency give wonderful result.From what has been stated so far, it is probably
clear that no hard and fast rule is possible for the selection of
potency. Susceptibility is the only guide in this respect. But to gauge
the susceptibility of a patient, it requires thorough knowledge of the
allied subjects of medicine including hygience, unbiased expeprience,
attention in observing, freedom from prejudice and clear conception of
the basic principles of homoeopathy including remedy response and second
prescription.Before I conclude I would like to cite few cured
cases to substantiate my view that it is not only the selection of
medicine but the accuracy of potency and doses that are the
prerequisites in arriving at the highest ideal of cure.
A case of acute headache with all the symptoms of
Belladonna did not respond at all to 30th or 200th
potency, but magically cured with a single dose of Belladonna 10M.A case of abdominal colic in a girl of 13/14
years of age, persisting for about 2 weeks with all symptoms of
Colocynth did not respond to Colocynth 6 and 30 but cured completely
with Colocynth 50M – four doses given at an interval of about half
an hour.Case of whooping cough with all symptoms of
Drosera did not respond well to Drosera 30 but cured within 3 or 4
days by repeated doses of Drosera 1M and 10M.Several obstinate skin diseases were cured within
few weeks or months with repeated doses of 6th or 12th
potency or with 50-millesimal potency when 200th or 1M
potency produced only prolonged aggravation without being followed
by amelioration or there was no remedy response at all.Cases of Bell’s Palsy or hemiplegia with all
symptoms of Causticum did not respond at all to Causticum 30 but
cured within a very short time with repeated (deviated) doses of 1M
or 10M potency.Cases of piles with all symptoms of Acid Nitric
or Thuja did not respond satisfactorily to the 200th or
1M but responded nicely to 50-millesimal potency of these drugs.A case of ascites due to cirrhosis of the liver
responded unexpectedly to China in 50-millesimal potency when no
satisfactory result had been obtained by prescribing centesimal
potency.A case of neuralgic headache with symptoms of
Chelidonium did not respond to 30th or 200th
potency, but cured within 24 hours with 3 or 4 doses of Chelidonium
CM given at intervals of 3/4 hours.Copyright © Dr. Sayeed Ahmad
2004