Dr Amarnath Sen
Article originally published in Immunology and Infectious Diseases 10(2): 9-16, 2023 http://www.hrpub.org
Cite This Paper in the following Citation Styles
(a): [1] Amarnath Sen , “Adhering to Mainstream Concepts Homeopathic Therapy Explained as Protein-based Antigen-specific Immunotherapy Backed by Non-specific Immunotherapy,” Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 9 – 16, 2023. DOI: 10.13189/iid.2023.100201.
(b): Amarnath Sen (2023). Adhering toMainstream Concepts Homeopathic Therapy Explained as Protein-based Antigen-specific Immunotherapy Backed by Non-specific Immunotherapy. Immunology and Infectious Diseases, 10(2), 9 – 16. DOI: 10.13189/iid.2023.100201.
Abstract The apparent absence of drugs in ultra-diluted homeopathic medicines and contested clinical trial results plague homeopathy. Here it is argued that other than drugs, homeopathic medicines contain proteins as components of microbial lysates (products of lysis or disintegration of microbial cells), given that ubiquitous microorganisms from the surrounding environment are unknowingly and unavoidably incorporated into the homeopathic medicines during their preparation and are killed and lysed in ethanol-water drug vehicle forming immunomodulatory microbial lysates during ‘potentization’ (dilution and vigorous shaking) of the medicines.
The drugs present in the homeopathic medicines bind to the proteins, which are the major ingredients of the microbial lysates. The drug-protein interaction modulates the conformations and in effect, the immunogenicity of the proteins (designated as modulated proteins). In ultra-diluted medicines even in the absence of drugs, unmodulated proteins are modulated through interactions with allosterically coupled modulated proteins (protein-protein interaction).
The modulated proteins of characteristic immunogenicity present in the homeopathic medicines mediate antigen-specific mucosal (sublingual) immunotherapy like vaccine therapy via ‘similia principle’. In addition, immunomodulatory microbial lysates present in the homeopathic medicines mediate non-specific immunotherapy and also provide adjuvants for antigen-specific immunotherapy. The proposed hypothesis without invoking any controversial concept can explain the basic ‘laws’ of homeopathy. Incidentally, immunomodulatory activities of homeopathic medicines reported by different workers support the hypothesis. As immunotherapy in homeopathy is accidental and hence, in crude form, clinical trial results may occasionally show inconsistencies. However, probing and refining homeopathy from the perspective of immunotherapy may bring forth a simple, reliable and affordable immunotherapy for various diseases.
Keywords Immunotherapy, Homeopathy, Proteins, Immunomodulators, Microbial Lysates, Bacterial Lysates
