Abnormal Basic Symptom+ Characteristic Accessory Symptoms = Complete Homeopathic Symptom > Similimum
Success in homeopathic practice depends up on physician’s skills to collect ‘complete symptoms’ that would indicate most appropriate similimum.
First of all, we should be capable of differentiating between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ symptoms.
‘Normal’ symptoms are those which represent ‘normal’ physiological processes in organism, which have no role in determining a similimum. Normal thirst, normal perspiration, normal bowel movements, normal appetite, normal sleep, normal emotions, normal body temperature, normal thermal responses etc etc.
Normal thirst represents normal physiology. But, if a person is thirstless in conditions where he should be thirsty, for example, when exposed in hot atmosphere for long time, it shows an abormality. To be extremely thirsty in very cold climate is also abnormal. Feeling extremely hot in chilly climates abnormal, and feeling chilly in very hot climate is also abnormal. Perspiring in hot climate is normal, but in cold climate is abnormal. Soft stool passed with difficulty is abnormal, but hard stool passed with difficulty is normal.
‘Abnormal’ symptoms are those symptoms that represent an ‘abnormal’ state of affairs in the organism- or, a molecular level pathology. It is these ‘abnormal’ symptoms that decide our selection of similimum. Abnormal thermal reactions, abnormal emotions, abnormal body temperature, abnormal appetite, abnormal thirst, abnormal sleep, abnormal perspiration, abnormal behaviors etc etc.
Identifying ‘abnormal’ symptoms is a tough task, if we are not aware of ‘normal physiology’ that are represented by ‘normal symptoms’.
Next stage is, identifying ‘basic symptoms’ and ‘accessory symptoms’.
A ‘basic symptom’, such as headache, joint pain, abdominal pain or any such ‘complaints’ for which a person seeks medical aid, becomes a valuable homeopathic symptom, only when it is made ‘complete’ by adding with their ‘characteristic’ ‘accessory’ symptoms.
‘Accessory symptoms’ are factors that make a ‘basic’ symptom a ‘complete’ one.
The word ‘accessory’ means something that ‘adds completeness’ to something else. In that sense an ‘accessory symptom’ might be a symptom that gives ‘completeness’ for another symptom. If a ‘headache’ is ‘amel by cold applications’, ‘amel by cold applications’ is the ‘accessory’ of the symptom ‘headache’, thereby making it a ‘complete symptom’.
Locations, presentations, sensations, modalities, concomittants, extensions etc constitute the broad class of ‘accessory symptoms’. Such factors make the symptoms ‘complete’. Accessory factors are also known as ‘symptom qualifications’. ‘ACCESSORY’ seems to be more meaningful and appropriate.
Accessory symptoms may be either ‘essential/common’ or characteristic/uncommon’. We are concerned with only ‘characteristic/uncommon’ accessories. A joint pain increasing by movement is common, but relieving by movement is uncommon. Sensation of heat relieving by cold application is common, but relieving by heat is uncommon. A joint pain increasing by movement is common, but relieving by movement is uncommon. Sensation of heat relieving by cold application is common, but relieving by heat is uncommon. Toothache relieved by chewing is uncommon, but increased by chewing is common.
Once the patient describes a ‘basic symptom’, homeopath should be always on the look out for as many related characteristic accessories that would make it a ‘complete symptom’. Converting trivial ‘basic symptoms’ into valuable ‘complete’ symptoms need much observation and reasoning skills on the part of homeopath, which decides his success as homeopath.
We should ignore Normal Basic Symptoms, and collect only Abnormal Basic Symptoms. We should ignore Essential/Common Accessory Symptoms, and collect only Characteristic/Uncommon Accessory Symptoms. This is the secret of successful case taking.
Here is the success formula for finding perfect similimum:
Abnormal Basic symptom+ Characteristic Accessory symptoms = Complete Homeopathic symptom >>> Perfect Similimum.
CAUSATION- LOCATION- PRESENTATIONS- SENSATION- MODALITIES- CONCOMITANTS(EXTENSIONS, ALTERNATIONS). THESE ARE THE SIX CATEGORIES OF ACCESSORY SYMPTOMS THAT QUALIFY EACH ‘ABNORMAL BASIC SYMPTOM’ TO MAKE IT A ‘COMPLETE HOMEOPATHIC SYMPTOM’. COLLECTING AS MUCH ‘COMPLETE HOMEOPATHIC SYMPTOMS’ IN A CASE IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL PRESCRIPTION.
First step in case taking is distinguishing between ‘ABNORMAL’ and ‘NORMAL’ from among the BASIC SYMPTOMS expressed by the patient. We need to consider only ABNORMAL ones, since they are the representatives of pathological molecular errors existing in the organism
Next step is, collecting the available ACCESSORY symptoms (CLOSMC) relating to each ABNORMAL BASIC SYMPTOM.
Next step is, making COMPLETE HOMEOPATHIC SYMPTOMS by combining each ABNORMAL BASIC SYMPTOM with their ACCESSORY SYMPTOMS.
Each COMPLETE HOMEOPATHIC SYMPTOM forms a separate SYMPTOM COMPLEX, that represent a particular MOLECULAR ERROR in the organism.
After collecting and preparing maximum number of SYMPTOM COMPLEXES, we can repertorize each SYMPTOM COMPLEX separately and find a SIMILIMUM for each.
If all SYMPTOM COMPLEXES of a patient indicates SAME drug, it is happy and welcome. If different SYMPTOM COMPLEXES indicates DIFFERENT DRUGS, we will have to consider a MULTIPLE DRUG prescription.
If you succeed in identifying at least ONE ‘abnormal’ symptom in your patient, and collect at least THREE of its associated accessory symptoms such as sensations, modalities and concomittants, you can confidently make a successful working homeopathic prescription.
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