We all know, ‘Similia Similibus Curentur’ is the essential, fundamental ‘principle’ of HOMEOPATHY. Even though this ‘therapeutic law’ was evolved by the founder of homeopathy 250 years ago under severe limitations of scientific knowledge, it is wonderful to note that it still holds good even under modern scientific scrutiny. Credit goes to the extra ordinary genius of Dr Hahnemann.
Hahnemann explained “similia similibus curentur’ in terms of ‘similarity of disease-symptoms’ and ‘drug-symptoms’. I think it is inappropriate in modern knowledge context to reduce ‘similia similibus curentur’ to mean only ‘similarity of symptoms’, once we understand molecular level biological mechanism of disease and cure. It is genuine ‘homeopathy’ if we are curing diseases by using ‘potentized’ or ‘molecular imprints’ forms of drugs, even if prescribed without considering ‘similarity of symptoms’ in its ‘classical’ meaning.
Exactly, the concept of ‘similimum’ should be re-interpreted in terms of ‘conformational similarity of functional groups of pathogenic molecules and drug molecules’-not ‘similarity of symptoms’.
‘Similia similibus curentur’ actually means, ‘molecular imprints’ of drug molecules can act as ‘artificial binding sites’ for pathogenic molecules having ‘similar’ conformation, and bind to them so as to remove the molecular inhibitions they produced up on the biological molecules.
‘Similarity of symptoms’ is only ONE of the many ‘practical’ ways of determining this similarity of pathogenic molecules and drug molecules. Selecting similimum by comparing disease symptoms and drug symptoms is based on the idea that similar molecules can bind to similar bio-molecular targets and produce similar molecular errors in the organism, which will be expressed through similar symptoms. There is nothing ‘un-homeopathic’ if you could find similimum by some methods other than comparing symptoms, such as knowledge of biochemistry or molecular pathology, if it is possible.
Actually, we make many excellent ‘homeopathic’ cures bypassing the concept of ‘similarityof symptoms’. So called ‘tautopathic’ prescriptions, where molecular imprints of modern chemical drugs are used to remove their bad effects, belong to this class. Many ‘specifics’ and ‘experience-based’ prescriptions are successfully used in day-to-day homoeopathic practice ignoring the ‘similarity of symptoms’. Many of the potentized hormone remedies, biological products and nosodes are commonly used without any ‘matching’ of symptoms, but on the basis of peripheral knowledge only. Most of the ‘causational’ prescriptions never consider ‘similarity of symptoms’. All of these various approaches work well in most occasions. Only those ‘well-proved’ drugs with complete materia medica of mental and constitutional symptoms could be used if we strictly follow the principle of ‘totality of symptoms’.
REDEFINING HOMEOPATHY 