Homeopathy and biomedicine: the missing links. The 'divided legacy' reunited?

For many homeopathic and allopathic doctors, their practices seem incompatible. The high dilutions and the similia rules are regarded as 'something completely different'. But, if we seek the interest of patients, we see the need for building bridges towards a better understanding and cooperation. The keystones of these bridges are found in neighbouring sciences such as biology and cognitive science. From here an overarching model is made: that of interpretation of symptoms or semantics. Therefore, this model is called the 'semantic disease model'. Its elements are: system theory and part-whole relationships, signals and receptors, and bipolar effects of biological substances.

System theory

We can consider a human organism as a summation of separate organs which can have diseases as isolated entities. We can also consider it as a web of interrelated organs. Disease symptoms then logically do not need to arise from one organ, but several organs can be involved. And this can vary per patient, so a group of patients with one organ as the most affected site do have a variation in symptoms, as other organs may be affected. Which organs these are depends on hereditary weakness and external incidental influences. This makes a multifactorial disease model, which is compatible with both organ-related pathology and the homeopathic notion of the 'totality of symptoms“.

Signals and receptors: biosemiotics

Recent research in immunology, endocrinology and neurophysiology has shown that there is a physical basis for the systemic disease concept: Cytokines, hormones and neurotransmitters form a 'messenger system' which links the separate organs into a 'biosemiotic' network. This may have two consequences: 1. the disease affects several organs at the same time, and 2. symptoms arise which form a significant pattern for that individual patient. This notion finds its place in homeopathy in the individual diagnosis, and in the new discipline of pharmacogenomics – allopathic medicines designed taking genetic differences in account. Genetics manifests itself in interpatient differences, both at enzymatic and clinical level. This is what homeopathy has done for two centuries already: tailor-made medicine. Here the two currents in western medicine meet.

Bipolar action of substances

Many biologically active substances such as toxins and medicinal drugs have a bipolar effect: inhibition or stimulation. This is a dose dependent reaction (cf. intoxications with antiepileptics producing seizures or overdoses of digoxin producing arrhythmias). At the same time, receptors can react to minute doses if the 'key fits into the lock'. Together, dose and signal dependent reactions can be used for treatment. A dose-dependent reaction by an allopathic drug is necessary for blocking a specific reaction in a specific organ. A signal-dependent reaction by a potentized homeopathic remedy is necessary for changing the function of a receptor in one of the messenger systems.

The Semantic Disease Model may assist in bridging different understandings of 1. disease concepts, 2. working mechanism questions and 3. therapeutic communication.

Keywords:

Interpretation of symptoms, 'semantic disease model', system theory, signals and receptors, biosemiotics, bipolar effect of toxins and drugs.

Schlüsselwörter:

Interpretation von Symptomen, „Semantisches Krankheitsmodell“, Systemtheorie, Signale und Rezeptoren, Biosemiotik, bipolare Wirkung von Toxinen und Arzneimitteln.

Korrespondierender Autor: Martien Brands MD PhD, University of Liverpool, UK-L69 3BX Liverpool, United Kingdom

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