Posological Considerations in Homeopathy_Part-1
Posology is the study of Dosage(s) and can be defined as the least quantity of a substance required to affect a change in nature.
Posology is a vital topic for practice of Homeopathy and confusing too. At time when we select the “perfect” remedy we struck on its potency selection. Posology has been a controversial topic since the inception of Homeopathy in 1796. The experimental doses which Hahnemann took were his own decision and not under any law. He kept on this fashion but never achieved any conclusions regarding the posological standards. This was natural on part of him especially in front of a vast science just discovered and followed. Since that time posology has been a debatable topic for most of us.
The Posology is an important topic because:-
- Posology helps us to find the right dosage
- It gives us the direction about frequency and repetition of medicine
- It helps us to maintain standards in clinical practice
- Homeopathic aspect of Posology includes the core features like:-
- Defining the right dose for curative and/or palliative effects
- Defining the right quantity of the dose required
- Defining the quality of the drugs
- Issues related to juidicial use(s) of the drugs, remedy or medicine
- Ethics to be maintained while drug proving
Types of doses
- Physiological dose: the quantity sufficient to produce a defined set of signs and symptoms but up to toxicological level. It is that quantity of dose which can be administered safely. This applies to quantity of mother tinctures, bio-chemics etc
- Pathological dose: Quantity of medicine capable of producing pathological change in the tissues of the organism i.e. bio-chemical and biophysical changes.
- Toxic dose: – Dose which produces toxic effects.
- Lethal Dose – Dose which produces deleterious effect(s), even death.
- Therapeutic Dose – Least quantity of medicine required to effect a cure or palliation.
- Minimum Dose: The right Homeopathic dose
Mode of preparation of medicines
- Decimal scale: Dr. Herring introduced decimal scale. Achieved by mixing one part of drug substance with 9 parts by weight of sugar of milk and is triturated for 1 hour. 1 part of drug can also be succssed with 9 parts of purified alcohol to give the 1st potency.
- Centesimal scale: This scale was described by Hahmemann. In this scale one part by weight of crude drug is taken with 99 parts by weight of sugar of milk and is triturated for one hour to get the first potency. It can also be prepared by adding 1 part of drug with 99 parts of alcohol and subjecting to 99 succussions.
- 50th Millesimal scale: Hahnemann introduced this scale in 6th edition of Organon. He advised to first triturate a drug up to 3c and then take 100mg of 3c and add to it 50 ml of a mixture of purified water with alcohol. (1 part of alcohol + 4 parts of purified water). This is called mother solution of that drug. 1 part of mother solution is then mixed with 100 parts of dispensing alcohol and given 100 succussions. The potency achieved thus is the first fifty-milliesimal potency denoted as ‘0/1’, LM/1, LM-1
Selection of Potency & dose
This area is of prime importance because this is the interface where a doctor and patient are connected and both aims at reaching a cure/palliation through administration of remedy. Finding similimum is said as half cure, but “selecting the remedy in right dose and potency is the battle yet to be fought and won”. There are certain criteria which helps us to judge the susceptibility of patient and subsequent selection of potency and dosage:-
- Age: Susceptibility towards disease, health and cure is greatest in childhood and young when vigour of body is high, but susceptibility towards disease increased with age. Thus one may use high potencies safely in teen-young age safely. It is advisable to start always with low potencies in children and old age.
- Constitution and temperament: Nervous, sanguine, choleric temperament are observed to take the impression quickly, thus moderate to high potencies can be given in start Intelligent, intellectual persons are also quick to act and react and thus we may consider moderate to high potencies in start of treatment
- Habit and environment: Habits and environment plays a role as exciting and maintain factors in many diseases and also in indispositions. Thus it becomes necessary to rectify these factors and posologically one may start with low to moderate potencies
- Pathological Conditions: Since pathological conditions tends towards destruction of tissues, vitality and life, many authorities have suggested to start the treatment of these cases with low potencies. The low potencies like – 1x-3x, 6x, 12x, 30x, or even 6 have shown to benefit the patient and no or minimal homeopathic aggravation are seen in clinical practice.ne may also start these cases with Millisemal Scale, as in this case chances of aggravations are almost nil (not reported till date by authorities).
- Seat, character and intensity of disease: Seat, character and intensity of disease denote the staging of disease in modern terms and must be treated according to that. In early stages where disease is not advanced we may start the treatment with low to moderated (and occasionally high) potencies. As the disease progresses one may use lower potencies to overcome the possibility of Homeopathic aggravations and deterioration of the patient.
Route of administration of medicine and posological guidelines by stalwarts
To be continued….
