Homeopathic combinations- a boon or a bane?

Homeopathy is holistic medicine. It acknowledges that all symptoms of ill health are a mere manifestation of the disharmony within the whole person and that, it is the patient that requires treatment and not the disease. Homeopaths do not treat physical, emotional and mental illnesses separately, but regard them as intimately connected. These are all aspects of the whole of the patient’s suffering.
Each patient is however different from another and his reaction to all the internal and external forces or stimuli will therefore be different from another. This is called the principle of individualization. It is for this reason that two persons with apparently the same illness may be treated with different remedies and the same remedy will not be indicated in all persons having the ‘same disease’. A remedy is therefore prescribed for that individual patient and not for his or her disease.
A lot of complex or combination homeopathic medicines have flooded the market. They are seen everywhere- in supermarkets, health food stores and also online stores. These complexes may have more than three to almost twenty different medicines mixed together for a particular disease. One example is 9-1-1 Stress Control.
Are the combinations safe? Obviously not!
Homeopathy treats the person and not the different parts. If you have 3-20 persons within your body, then you should go ahead with this sort of therapy.
Some of the drugs listed in the ingredients may be antidotal to each other and so nullify each other’s effects. Some are inimical, ie. they are enemies and can’t get along well. In the example of the combination given in the link above, Apis and Rhus toxicodendron are inimical. What happens when you take inimical remedies? Just a small war inside the human body :(. Each of the inimical remedies sets up a conflict with the other and the person who took it obviously goes through (to??) hell!
If we take a further look at the ingredients listed in the example given above, there are two homeopathic remedies that I would be wary of giving unsupervised to my clients. One is Cistus canadensis and the other is Ornithogalum. Cistus canadensis may reduce emotional stress but it is also used in the treatment of cancers. It can be used to treat tumors involving the lymph nodes and also the breast. Would too much use of this remedy invite trouble? Could it produce tumors in a person who is taking it for a long time? Ornithogalum is a remedy for cancer of the esophagus and the stomach. Would I like to keep taking this remedy when I don’t have that disease?
In the year 2010 the United States FDA recalled Hylands (Homeopathic) Teething Tablets. This was because many babies had adverse symptoms and the FDA also received reports of children who consumed more tablets than recommended. Once again unsupervised self-medication. This is what gives homeopathy and homeopaths a bad name.
There is a combination homeopathic complex for tics or involuntary habit spasms that is used by lay persons. Two ingredients that raise a red flag are Hyoscyamus and Zincum metallicum. Hyoscyamus is a homeopathic remedy to treat schizophrenia and other acute psychotic episodes. It is useful for involuntary movements too. However, unsupervised and prolonged self medication could lead to unwanted mental states. Zincum is a deep acting homeopathic remedy. It has been used effectively in many inflammatory and degenerative neurological conditions. A tic is a habit spasm and not due to degeneration or inflammation of nerves. This sort of medication is completely irrational.
Someone who is unscrupulous or has no knowledge of homeopathic principles and homeopathic remedies is obviously devising these combinations!
Homeopathic remedies in the potencies (esp. 200C and above) used by the homeopath are completely SAFE. They do not contain any of the “toxic” ingredients or chemicals. The homeopath know best how to give the medicine as he has been trained really well to take care of your health.
For a homeopath, the highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way, on easily comprehensible principles. The use of combination medicines in homeopathy goes against these ideals.
A homeopath uses his training in a homeopathic medical school to understand what is wrong with the person who needs his help. He effectively applies his knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, pathology and uses his clinical acumen in medicine, surgery and OB-GYN to understand sickness in that individual case. He has had approximately 8 years of rigorous training in homeopathy as well as the pre-clinical and clinical subjects before he gets the title of MD in Homeopathy.
It is our responsibility to keep our body, mind and spirit healthy. (Pure) homeopathic treatment gives you a chance to do that. Can we explain to ourselves why we go out of our way to abuse our body, mind and spirit by indulging in all things detrimental to their harmonious functioning yet shy away from homeopathic help that keeps these in sync, using cost as an excuse?

For homeopathic consultation for your symptoms you may visit Homeopathic Healing or send an e-mail to office@drvaishnav.com to meet the Homeopathic Specialists.

Disclaimer: A detailed history followed by constitutional treatment by a good and qualified homeopathic practitioner is necessary to treat the complaints that appear due to any disease. The homeopathic remedies mentioned in this post are for informational purposes only. The information contained on this site is general in nature and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other health care professional. None of the statements on this site are an endorsement of any particular product, or a recommendation as to how to treat any particular disease or health-related condition. It is not advisable to resort to self-medication for any disease.