Study of the concept of homoeopathic case taking in cases of lifestyle disorders

Study of the concept of homoeopathic case taking in cases of lifestyle disorders

Dr Sammaia Papiah

The topic is “STUDY OF THE CONCEPT OF HOMOEOPATHIC CASE TAKING IN CASES OF LIFESTYLE DISORDERS”. Lifestyle disorders are the leading disease conditions at present in India which are affecting the health of every individual in many ways base on the lifestyle people live. Different authors and systems have their own concepts of taking the case. To find out & study all these concepts and coming out with the most eligible concept of Homoeopathic Case Taking in treating the Lifestyle disorders is the main role of this study. In this pilot study, I have studied only 30 cases for which time duration taken is from 01/04/16 to 30/10/17 and presenting this report herewith. In this sample study I have treated 30 cases as minimum (only) and studied all the cases with depth and advised to take the medicine by the respective patient. From the response of patients, I found that 8 patients showed good improvement, 10 patients showed moderate improvements & 12 patients showed poor improvement. At the end of my dissertation work I can say that I am satisfied with the holistic, judicious, advanced and rational approach in homoeopathy for treatment of Lifestyle disorders by applying the concept of Homoeopathic Case taking.

KEYWORDS: Concept, Homoeopathic, Case Taking, Lifestyle.

INTRODUCTION

Homoeopathic Case Taking
The concept of Homoeopathic Case Taking was not easy for Dr. Hahnemann to just conceive it like falling of an apple. Enough time was taken to carefully examine with absolute validity so as to lay rules and direction for case taking. He understands the concept meaning of Healing which originates from the word ‘whole’ meaning healing should be ‘wholistic’ referring to a man as a whole.

According to Hahnemann, Homoeopathic Case Taking means “Individualizing examination of a case of disease”, ^[1] which is taken from the Aphorism 83 in the 6^th edition of Organon of Medicine. ^[1] It denotes the noting down of the signs and symptoms of the patient in such a way so that the image of the patient is compelled to manifest and that the physician can prescribe a suitable homoeopathic remedy after ascertaining the totality of symptoms, according to the ‘Law of Similar’. ^[7]

Aphorism 83 to Aphorism 104 explain about Homoeopathic Case Taking in Dr. Hahnemann’s Organon of Medicine, 6^th edition translated by Dr. William Boericke. ^[1]

According to Dr. Stuart Close, “The purpose of homoeopathic examination, is to bring out the symptoms of the patient in such a way as to permit their comparison with the symptoms of the Materia Medica for the purpose of selecting the similar homoeopathic remedy”. ^[3]

Lifestyle Disorders (LSDs)
Dr. Hahnemann has mentioned lifestyle disorders on Aphorism 77, footnote to Aphorism 78, Aphorisms 94, 208, 261 and related with that we have Aphorisms 3, 4, 5, 7, Footnote 1 to Aphorism 7, Aphorisms 204, 224, 225, 226, 238, 244, footnote to Aphorism 260. And Von. Boenninghausen has repeated this in his “Lesser Writings”-section “Clothing of Mode of Life”. ^[21]

WHO defines “Lifestyle disorders as the sum total of personal decisions (i.e: over which the person has control) that can be contributed to, or cause, illness or death”. ^[14]

Lifestyle disorders are the diseases related with unhealthy and unsuitable lifestyles. ^[9] The frequency of LSD increases as countries become more and more industrialized and developed. There are many Lifestyle  non-communication diseases but most common are Hypertension, Diabetes type II, Cardiovascular diseases, Obesity, Depression, Cancer, COPD, Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Chronic Liver Disease, or Cirrhosis, Metabolic Diseases, Renal Failure etc. ^[9]. Five common Lifestyle in India are HTN, Type 2 DM, Obesity, Heart disease and Cancer. ^[10]

Lifestyle and diet are major factors which may influence susceptibility of a person to many diseases. Drinking alcohol, tobacco smoking, drug abuse and also lack of exercise or too much exercise especially later in his/her life may increase the risk of getting LSD. In Adults the impacted behavioral factor can develop Lifestyle diseases. These are poor social environment, unsafe life, working conditions, unemployment, home life and stress. Other factors are eating fast food, overeating, eating processed food, artificial sweetness, energy drinks, poor exposure to sunlight, poor sleeping habits. ^[9].

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 

Case Definition: 30 selected cases of age group 40years- 70years related to life style disorders were studied to find out the concept of Case Taking.

Inclusion Criteria: Selected cases of Lifestyle disorders of age groups 40years- 70years and both sexes were included/studied in this project.

Exclusion Criteria: The patients not fulfilling the case definition. Patients who require emergency medical intervention and systemic disease with complications. Patient without written consent.

Follow up Criteria: All patients were duly followed and details of the symptomatic, clinical changes were studied/recorded.

Duration of follow up were different to patient as per the need of the case and was not less than 6months in each case.

Criteria of Assessment: This were decided under three heading-

1. Good- more than 75% relief of symptoms in relation to Homeopathic Case Taking and Lifestyle disorders.
2. Moderate- 50-75% relief of symptoms in relation to Homeopathic Case Taking and Lifestyle disorders.
3. Poor- less than 50% relief of symptoms in relation to Homeopathic Case Taking and Lifestyle disorders.

DISCUSSION
The study of the topic “The Concept of Homoeopathic Case Taking in cases of Lifestyle disorders”, is based on the clinical experiences of various stalwarts since Dr. Hahnemann till date as observed and studied by me in Homoeopathic practice as a P.G scholar. LSDs have become a leading disorders as per the present scenario of India. They are progressing more & more and affects the health conditions of most of the population. So it is very important to find out & know the concept of Homoeopathic Case Taking which will help the physician in treating the Lifestyle disorders more effectively by easy method.

There are more than 200 Lifestyle disorders, most common among them is HTN in India. To treat Lifestyle disorders we should know the basic on how to approach to patients & this is done by knowing the different concepts of Homoeopathic Case Taking of different stalwarts, practice in urban setup as well as rural setup.

• Gender ratio: The study of gender was done to identify the group with greater incidence, presenting with the complaint of Lifestyle disorders. And it was found that incidence was more common in female i.e. 18 patients (60%) than in male i.e. 12 patients (40%),
• Age group ratio: It is most commonly observed in age group of 40-50 years.
• Remedies prescribed: During the study of 30 cases, it was found that Natrum muriaticum was most commonly prescribed (6 cases), Nux vomica (4cases) was second common, and then the Lachesis, Silicea, Sepia & Rhus toxicodendron.
• Response to the treatment: On analyzing 30 cases, it was found that 8 cases i.e. 27% showed good improvement; 10 cases i.e. 33% showed moderate improvement; and 12 cases i.e. 40% showed poor improvement.
• Potency Selection: Potency was selected according to the response given by the patient to the first prescription and follow-ups, according to the totality of symptoms, reportorial totality, constitution and susceptibility of the patient.                 

CONCLUSION
The study of the topic “The Concept of Homoeopathic Case Taking in cases of Lifestyle disorders is based on the  clinical experiences of various stalwarts since Dr. Hahnemann till date as observed and verified by me in Homoeopathic practice as a P.G scholar. The theme is to find out its own concept on how to get the integrated approach in the cases of Lifestyle disorders with patient oriented & practical oriented study.

• The most commonly affected age groups with Lifestyle disorders were 40-50 years in which there were 16 subjects, followed by 7 subjects in 50-60 years, and 7 in 60-70 years.
• In some cases, if maintenance of lifestyle is achieved with proper routine diet, regular exercise & avoidance of triggering factors, then LSDs can be decreased.
• For more extensive study further more follow up will be more reliable. Increasing the sample size can be considered in further studies to provide more statistical evidence.
• There are many LSDs, the main cause is how we live our lives so improving one’s own lifestyle is the side by side guidance of this study.

Hence, my observation is that the basic concepts of Homoeopathic Case Taking i.e. Individualization of each case are:

• Age, Sex, Occupation
• Socio-economic status, Marital status, Accommodation
• Maternal history, Paternal history, Siblings & Pedicle
• Medical history, Surgical history, Treatment history
• Mind, Life situation, Habits & Addictions
• Personal hygiene, Social effects, Environmental effects
• Disease wise special history, Age wise special history, vicissitude.

These are the things that neglected by us which daily has to be given importance. This is what I have learned after studying the cases.

As Lifestyle disorders are the leading disorders in India, to study the concept of Homoeopathic Case Taking in approaching & managing the LSDs is of great scope.

References:

1. Organon of Medicine by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann 6^th Edition Translated by William Boericke, B,Jain Publishers (P) Ltd. Reprint 2008
2. Case Perceiving know thyself by Dr. L.M Khan.
3. The Genius of Homeopathy Lectures and Essays on Homeopathy philosophy with word Index by Dr. Stuart Close, 2^nd edition
   (Chapter 9-Cure and Recovery, Chapter 11-Symptomalogy, Chapter 12-Examination of the Patient)
4. The Principles and Art of Cure by Homeopathy (Chapter 8-Taking the case) by Dr. Herbert A. Roberts, M.D Reprint Edition 2006, B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.
5. Lectures on Homeopathy Philosophy by Dr. J.T Kent (Chapters- 23, 24, 25, 26- Examination of the Patient)
6. Hahnemann, Lifestyle Diseases, Preventive and Social Medicine, December 11, 2012 admin Homeopathy general 1 (www.homeobook.com)
7. A treatise on Organon of Medicine Part III by Ashok Kumar Das (Chapter-36).
8. The Art of case Taking and Interrogation including other Treasure works by Dr. Pierre Schmidt.
9. Lifestyle Disease Wikipedia.
10. 5 Lifestyle diseases that are common in India (www.thehealthsite.com)
11. Lifestyle Disease- Wikipedia.
12. Different types of Symptoms Analysis in Homeopathy (www.homeobook.com)
13. Homeopathic case taking (www.hpathy.com)
14. Hypertension in India (www.cadiresearch.org)
15. Homeopathic Approach to lifestyle Disorder by Dr. Noela Andrew David (www.practo.com)
16. Principles and Practice of Homeopathic case Management by Harsh Nigam.
17. Homoeopathy an option to Lifestyle disorders, March 26,2015 admin Homoeopathy General 0 (www.financialexpress.com)
18. Lectures on Organon of Medicine Understanding Aphorism 77 (www.hpathy.com)
19. Spirit of the Organon Part II, by Dr. Tapan Chandra Mondal.
20. Case Taking a landscape study of Homeopathy by Dr. Alastair C. Gray.
21. Achieving and Maintaining the Similimum: Stategic Case Management for Successful Homoeopathic Prescribing by Luc De. Schepper (www.hpathy.com)

Dr. Sammaia Papiah, MD. (HOM.) Scholar
Department Of Organon Of Medicine
B.V.D.U. Homoeopathic Medical College, Pune.
Under Guidance Of Prof. Dr. Arvind.D Mahajan, M.D. (Hom.)