The need for an ‘active principle’ in homeopathy

Dr T M Arif Hussain

“How homeopathy works” is still a conundrum for homeopaths and the skeptics alike. On one side, homeopaths and our master Dr Hahnemann himself call for abstinence from such ‘UNWANTED’ doubts and to stick to the ‘High & only mission’ of the physician. On the other side, skeptics of homeopathy frequently questions the evidence and scientificity of how and why homeopathic medicines act?

The answer to these basic questions is not answered hitherto in a manner to satisfy the present day science. Moreover, homeopathy is claimed – as a divine and ultra-scientific branch of medicine which is ridiculed upon.

The major matter of controversy in the scientific world regarding the action of homeopathic medicines above 12c is, it doesn’t contain even a single molecule of the original starting material, which is lost during the rigorous serial dilution process termed as potentisation. Some drug materials loses their avagadro limit even before 12c itself. Ferocious debates are going on between this mystical fact of action of supramolecular dilutions of a drug without even a single molecule present in it. Even then homeopaths are able to effect cure in the diseased ranging from common cold to cancers and auto immune diseases, which the skeptics sigh as “MIRACLES DO HAPPEN” or at the least as “PLACEBO EFFECT”….!

The major questions to ponder up on are clear by now:

1. Does homeopathic potencies above 12C contain the original starting material? (YES/NO)
2. If NO, then what else is in it to represent the original drug, to act and effect cure?
3. If YES, what is its physical form and biological mechanism of action?
4. If YES, how can we call homeopathy 100% side effect free? (NANO TOXICITY)
5. If YES, is it possible to identify and differentiate between two unlabelled homeopathic potencies?
6. If YES, is it applicable/similar to all kingdoms of drug sources?

The answers for all these questions depends upon the very basic entity – THE ACTIVE PRINCIPLE. It is astonishing that very little time and effort is put in to the researches to find out it, and is even more astonishing to see that newer ‘THEORIES’ are propping up and taught in colleges without even knowing ‘WHAT IS IT?’.

We can see one theory here explains homeopathy on the basis of assumption that, homeopathic potency contains VIBRATIONS of original drug, another theory based on QUANTUM MECHANICS, another on ENERGY TRANSMISSION, another based on NANO PARTICLE, another on GENE MODULATION, another on WATER MEMORY and the list goes on.

So one thing is sure, the day when the ACTIVE PRINCIPLE is discovered, all theories except one will have to be thrown out and regretted upon for sending the homeopath run one theory after other. A lot of confusion and unscientificity is being created in the name of homeopathy.

All the studies so far done to exact the action of homeopathic action of drugs can be grouped as three:

1. Physiochemical studies
2. Process studies
3. Biological action studies

Physiochemical studeis aims to determine whether homeopathic remedies have a pysio chemical basis, explore and identify the physical entities, identify their elemental composition and determine their absolute concentrations. Recently many studies have been done by claiming HOMEOPATHIC POTENCIES contain NANO PARTICLES of the original moleucles of metal elements. Another study claims it as the presence of silicates happened during succussion that is responsible for the actions of homeopathic medicines.

Process studies aims at determining how the original drug particles remain in the dilutions despite the rigorous and enormous dilutions? The reason was found to be the FROTH FLOATATION that is happening similar to the metallurgical processes. (study by Chikramane PS et al)

Biological studies have always succeeded in estimating tangible changes in the living body by administration of homeopathic potencies. Recent studies done are:

1. Human Basophil degranulation test – Benveniste
2. Neuronal myelination by Plumbum met and aurum met
3. Amphibian metamorphosis studies
4. Various RCTs done to know efficacy of homeopathic vs conventional therapy for various diseases like CSOM, URTI, ADHD etc

Even though we have enough evidences and studies to talk on, THE BRIDGE is lacking to connect the physiochemical properties and biological actions. This happens to be the very ACTIVE PRINCIPLE. No single major study done so far has ever been able to explain all the riddles in homeopathy rationally and scientifically. Even the nano particle theory may be true to the metals, but might not to the non metals and drugs from animal and plant kingdoms or even imponderables? The water memory theory was almost near to solve the problems, but later was hijacked by vibration theorists and now it is no where near scientific understanding. Mp3 medicines, hair transmission, dream provings, meditation proving etc are now the trends. So what else is needed to feed the skeptics of homeopathy?

So dear doctors and friends of homeopathy, let us join hands to make a breakthrough. The ACTIVE PRINCIPLE has to be discovered at any cost. We cannot expect a very warm welcome from the scientific world, as the stage is already made ugly by many theorists. The time is not too far to make homeopathic practice simpler and uniform on easily comprehensible principles. Many aphorisms might have to be rewritten and many beliefs will have to be discarded, as all those were made without a clear scientific understanding of what the active principle is.