The Evolution of Miasm Theory and Its Relevance to Homeopathic Prescribing.

For most health professionals who have chosen the challenging path of comprehending classical homeopathy, the theory of miasms is the most intriguing part of our science and is an area where much misunderstanding, criticism and controversy prevails. There are now a large number of opposing ideas and opinions on the subject of miasms, with various classifications, many of which we believe to be erroneous and which confuse many homeopaths and result in incorrect prescriptions.Here we clarify the main postulates of Hahnemann's miasm theory and analyse how his followers transformed his ideas over the next century in the light of medical discoveries. This allows us to understand the limited relevance of miasm theory to modern day prescribing and offer a new and precise definition of the term miasm in relation to modern diseases such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. How we apply this theory to the health challenges of the 21st century, such as increasing environmental pollution and other toxins, may play an important role in the future wellbeing of the human population.

Lógica histórica da medicina e a homeopatia / The historical logic of medicine and homeopathy

Este artigo baseia-se na tese de que a teoria homeopática está originalmente orientada por um vitalismo de caráter hermenêutico, isto é, assume que a positividade dos fenômenos com que lida é sempre dependente de uma totalidade compreensiva (totalidade vital), singularizada em cada situação individual e somente acessível por meio das narrativas dos pacientes. O objetivo do estudo foi compreender as relações entre estas concepções vitalistas e o lugar dos procedimentos compreensivo- -interpretativos na propedêutica e terapêutica propostas pela teoria homeopática, as quais podem apontar alternativas para estabelecer as suas bases de validação. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, baseado na análise documental de textos canônicos da homeopatia, especialmente a obra de Hahnemann, e entrevistas em profundidade com homeopatas que combinam atividade clínica com pesquisa e docência na área (formadores de opinião). A metodologia foi instruída pela Hermenêutica Filosófica e pela Epistemologia Histórica, sendo o substrato discursivo (escrito e falado) trabalhado de modo não-formalista, buscando-se identificar e interpretar livremente eixos narrativos e núcleos de significado julgados relevantes. A discussão voltou-se fundamentalmente para a recuperação dos principais movimentos históricos de conformação do paradigma vitalista na homeopatia, o cotejamento desse desenvolvimento com a adoção de procedimentos semiológicos de caráter compreensivo-interpretativo e as implicações desse "vitalismo da palavra" para as concepções homeopáticas contemporâneas. O trabalho aponta para a positividade e produtividade do trabalho com a linguagem e as narrativas no âmbito de uma homeopatia entendida como uma "medicina do sujeito", e sugere aprofundamentos na direção hermenêutico- -filosófica como alternativa para o adensamento conceitual e para o aperfeiçoamento dos processos de validação do saber e da prática da homeopatia.

Homeopathic medicine is a socially validated practice, progressively incorporated into the institutional health care scheme, including the public health system. However, the issue of the fundamentals of this therapeutic, of its scientific validation, remains outstanding. In the sense of responding to this demand for validation, there is a need for research methodologies. that allow for accurate investigations, suitable for the concepts of health, illness and therapeutics that are intrinsic to the homeopathic rational. This paper is based on the notion that homeopathic theory is originally guided by a vitalism of hermeneutical character, that. is, it assumes that the positivity of phenomena with which it deals, is always dependent on the comprehensive totality (vital totality), specific to each individual situation and accessible only by means of the patients´ narratives. The study's purpose was to understand the relations between these vitalist concepts and the place of comprehensive-interpretative procedures in the propedeutics and therapeutics proposed by the homeopathic medicine that may point out to alternatives to establish its validation bases. This is qualitative research, based on the documentary analysis of homeopathy canonic texts, especially the work of Hahnemann, and originally n-depth interviews with homeopaths that combine clinic activity and education in the area (opinion makers). The methodology was instructed by Philosophic. Hermeneutics and by Historic Epistemology, and the layer subjacent to the discourse (written and spoken) effected in a non-formal manner, searching for the free identification. And interpretation of the narrative axes and core meanings that were deemed significant. The discussion was basically focused on the recovery of the major historical movements related. To the development of the vitalist paradigm in homeopathy, the comparison of this development with the adoption of semiologic procedures of comprehensive- -interpretative character and the implications of this "vitalism of the word" to the contemporary homeopathic concepts. The paper points out to the positivity and productivity of the work on language and narratives in the domain of a homeopathy understood as "medicine of the subject" and suggests deeper studies in the hermeneutical-philosophical direction as an alternative for the concept densification and for the improvement of validation processes of knowledge and practice of homeopathy.

Homenagem a Matheus Marim / Tribute to Matheus Marim

Antigamente as más notícias nos alcançavam devagar e sorrateiramente, por longas espirais telefônicas. Davam tempo para se respirar. Hoje nos emboscam sem aviso, impiedosas, do nada, no toque de um dedo. Choque. O Dr. Matheus Marim faleceu. Como assim? Como pode Matheus Marim falecer? E a Homeopatia… como fica a Homeopatia sem ele? Revolta. Ecos de sua voz… sentimento de orfandade, de pesar, de perda… parecia não se encaixar de nenhuma maneira em seu perfil o ato de morrer. Matheus Marim, com seu jaleco branco, era figura presente em todos os congressos e eventos, personificava a própria Homeopatia. Um congresso sem ele não era um congresso completo. Mais do que exercer a profissão e de ser um grande mestre, tinha o dom de aglutinar pes-soas e talentos ao seu redor, dispostas a alcançar metas. (AU)

O passado está presente: Hahnemann / The past is present: Hahnemann

Uma busca de conceitos velhos, mas não envelhecidos, com a ajuda preciosa de um grande estudioso. E foi então que, a 10 de abril de 1755, em Meissen, um lugarejo da Saxônia que se jactava de ser o melhor produtor de porcelana da época, nasceu Christian Frederico Samuel Hahnemann. Seu pai, apesar de ser o melhor pintor da fábrica, não tinha recursos para custearlhe a escola, mas dado o interesse e a inteligência do pequeno Samuel, o gerente assumiu o custeio de seus estudos, pois reconhecia nele uma capacidade e uma inteligência que não eram comuns. Após cursar os primeiros anos na escola local, aos 16 anos de idade (1771), o jovem Hahnemann foi admitido na famosa Escola de Saint Afra, dedicada apenas à instrução dos filhos de nobres. Como escola altamente aristocrática, recebeu ali excelente orientação no que tangia às línguas clássicas e modernas, dominando com facilidade além do alemão, sua língua mãe, o inglês, francês, árabe, espanhol, sírio, latim, grego, hebreu e o caldeu. Consta que nesta escola já tenha lido o "Corpus Hippocraticum", iniciando assim sua carreira devotada às ciências.

A exaltação do artesão / The craftsman exaltation

Embora ainda sem a íntegra da mesa redonda "Homeopatia e Ética Medica", que aconteceu no dia 11/09/1989 na sede do Con-selho Regional de Medicina do Estado de São Paulo, não sei se vou encontrar elogio maior à Homeopatia que as palavras do colega presidente do CREMESP Dr. Heitor Buzzoni, ao afirmar: Para mim a Homeopatia é uma "especialidade artesanal". Artesania consiste no trabalho individual, no exercer a arte com seu sentimento e com suas mãos, por aqueles que têm habilidade e vo-cação para isso, no campo da arte e dos ofícios tradicionais. A ONU enfatiza que para o ser manter-se em harmonia o seu trabalho deve ser criativo. (AU)

A Revista de Homeopatia é editada com regularidade desde agosto de 1936. Talvez seja uma das publicações homeopáticas mais longevas [Editorial] / The Journal of Homeopathy has been published regularly since August 1936. It is perhaps one of the longest-running homeopathic publications [Editorial]

A Revista de Homeopatia é editada com regularidade desde agosto de 1936. Talvez seja uma das publicações homeopáticas mais longevas. Como tudo na vida, a linha do tempo dela teve alguns ciclos e um dos mais recentes foi transformar sua edição e publicação em formato eletrônico em 2008. A partir dessa mudança, a sua indexação ficou mais facilitada nas bibliotecas da LILACS, bem como incluída na National Library of Medicine (EUA), EBSCO, DOAJ, Google Scholar e BVS (Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde). Isso possibilitou maior abrangência em sua visibilidade e também fonte de pesquisa de maneira fácil e imediata de qualquer parte do mundo.

The "Table of mineral classification" by Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa: mineralogy and medicine in Brazil.

Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa was a scientist and teacher in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whose work spanned engineering, medicine, the social sciences, and law. This paper presents and discusses a manuscript entitled "Table of mineral classification," which he appended to his dissertation Da receptividade mórbida , presented to the Faculty of Medicine in 1889. The foundations and features of the table provide a focus for understanding nineteenth-century mineralogy and its connections in Brazil at that time through this scientist. This text was Gouvêa's contribution to the various mineral classification systems which have emerged from different parts of the world.

The "Table of mineral classification" by Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa: mineralogy and medicine in Brazil / A "Tabela de classificação mineral", de Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa: mineralogia e medicina no Brasil

Abstract Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa was a scientist and teacher in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whose work spanned engineering, medicine, the social sciences, and law. This paper presents and discusses a manuscript entitled "Table of mineral classification," which he appended to his dissertation Da receptividade mórbida , presented to the Faculty of Medicine in 1889. The foundations and features of the table provide a focus for understanding nineteenth-century mineralogy and its connections in Brazil at that time through this scientist. This text was Gouvêa's contribution to the various mineral classification systems which have emerged from different parts of the world.

Resumo Oscar Nerval de Gouvêa foi um cientista e professor no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, cuja obra abrange engenharia, medicina, ciências sociais e direito. Este artigo apresenta e discute o texto intitulado "Tabela de classificação mineral", que ele anexou a sua tese Da receptividade mórbida, apresentada na Escola Superior de Medicina, em 1889. Os fundamentos e características da tabela propiciam a compreensão da mineralogia do século XIX e suas conexões no Brasil à época por intermédio desse cientista. O texto foi a contribuição de Gouvêa aos diversos sistemas de classificação de minerais originados de diferentes partes do mundo.

Niurka Meneses Moreno, la pasión por la Homeopatía (primera de dos partes) / Niurka Meneses Moreno, the passion for Homeopathy (first of two parts)

Cubana de nacimiento, la doctora Niurka Meneses Moreno puede considerarse una ciudadana universal ya que ha tenido un sinnúmero de experiencias en varias latitudes del mundo. Como ocurre con frecuencia con muchos expertos en Homeopatía, la doctora Meneses experimentó en carne propia los beneficios de la medicina hahnemanniana. Desde adolescente tuvo muchos problemas con el asma, al grado de sufrir un paro cardiorrespiratorio producto de los efectos de un medicamento.

Similia Similibus Curentur: Theory, History, and Status of the Constitutive Principle of Homeopathy.

A clear definition of its subject and correct application of its tenets are the basis of any science. Conversely, the want of a unanimous understanding of its constituting principles by the homeopathic community is undermining its scientific practice, research and discussion. To facilitate these, first and foremost the Principle of Similars, similia similibus curentur, has to be clarified and assessed in terms of its theoretical meaning, historical development, and epistemological status. Hahnemann's conceptions, explanations, and appraisals were not static but evolved and hardened over the years, especially from 1796 to 1810. While initially he related similia similibus to an imitation of similar cures by nature and proposed it as an opposition to contraria contrariis, he later generalised it to the treatment of any disease. Whilst originally he considered it to be a hermeneutical principle, or a hint towards a curative remedy, Hahnemann later dogmatised it as the only truth. Considering advances in epistemology and theory of medicine, however, the Principle of Similars may not be assessed as a final truth or natural law to be empirically verified or falsified for good, but rather as a practical maxim, guiding the artist of healing in his/her curing of diseases rationally and individually.

Antimonium Tartaricum as a Possible Homeopathic Prophylactic Remedy in the COVID-19 Epidemic.

The current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) epidemic has proved challenging due to its high impact on physical and mental health. According to Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, in an epidemic the most severe symptoms of the clinical condition presented by the population in question should be the basis for selecting the medication that is as similar as possible to them, and which should be administered to individuals who have been exposed to the disease but have not yet developed it. This medicine is called the genus epidemicus. This study aims to demonstrate the reasoning used to propose the homeopathic medicine Antimonium tartaricum (Ant-t) as a genus epidemicus in the COVID-19 epidemic. It was decided to develop the reasoning based on the respiratory symptoms described in the epidemiological bulletins presented by the Health Surveillance Secretariat of the Ministry of Health of Brazil, as these symptoms are the most serious of the disease. After repertorization, it was confirmed in the Materia Medica that Ant-t has a high degree of similarity with these respiratory symptoms, including the most serious situations, of COVID-19. Homeopathic Ant-t is thus a possible prophylactic genus epidemicus in the COVID-19 epidemic; further studies are needed to test this conclusion.

Marco Jurídico-Legal de la Homeopatía en México: análisis histórico y conceptual de los artículos 28 y 50 del reglamento de insumos para la salud / Juridical-Legal Framework of Homeopathy in Mexico: historical and conceptual analysis of articles 28 and 50 of the regulation of health supplies

El interés por diseñar un marco jurídico específico para la práctica de la Homeopatía ha generado diversos criterios alrededor del mundo, debido a la nomenclatura establecida por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Este organismo, de una visión sociológica y antropológica, incluye a la Homeopatía en el concepto de medicina alternativa y/o complementaria (MAC o CAM, por sus siglas en inglés), pero, al mismo tiempo, señala que cada país es autónomo para reglamentar y formular políticas acordes a sus circunstancias. El caso de México merece una mención especial, pues a finales del siglo XIX formalizó la institucionalización, profesionalización e inclusión de la Homeopatía en el Sistema Nacional de Salud como parte de la medicina. A pesar de ello, la existencia del término "homeópata" en la legislación sanitaria ha generado un debate por más de dos décadas entre médicos homeópatas y homeópatas no médicos que buscan reglamentar su práctica mediante legislaciones hechas a modo. Dentro de este contexto, se analiza el proceso histórico y conceptual del término "homeópata" en la legislación sanitaria mexicana mediante el estudio de leyes y reglamentos desde su introducción, en 1850, permitiendo afirmar que dicho término reconoce a los médicos homeópatas formados en escuelas y facultades de medicina y no a homeópatas no médicos.

The interest in designing a specific legal framework for the practice of homeopathy has generated diverse criteria around the world; due to the nomenclature established by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO, from a sociological and anthropological perspective includes homeopathy in the concept of Alternative and / or Complementary Medicine (MAC or CAM, for its acronym in English); however, at the same time it indicates that each country has the autonomy to regulate and formulate policies according to its circumstances. The case of Mexico deserves a special mention, since at the end of the 19th century it formalized the institutionalization, professionalization and inclusion of homeopathy in the National Health System as a part of formal medicine. Despite this, the term "Homeopath" in health legislation has generated a debate for more than two decades between homeopathic doctors and non-medical homeopaths who seek to regulate their practice through legislation made for this manner. Within this context, the historical and conceptual process of the term "Homeopath" in Mexican health legislation is analyzed through the study of the laws and regulations since its introduction in 1850, which confirms that said term recognizes Homeopathic Doctors trained in schools and colleges of medicine and not non-medical homeopaths.

Vaccines and Homeopathy.

The title refers to the conceptual quality of being similar, as a kind of resemblance between both procedures.

La homeopatía en el sistema de salud mexicano: una oportunidad para la gloria o la ruina / Homeopathy in the Mexican healthcare system: an opportunity for glory or ruin

La Homeopatía enfrenta una hostilidad permanente en el plano internacional desde su fundación, debido a razones muy diversas y complejas. Sólo un par de años atrás estaba en un grave riesgo de desaparecer; sin embargo, hoy día, en un hecho sin precedentes, ha sido incluida en el Sistema de Salud Mexicano, lo cual constituye un hecho extraordinario y una oportunidad inédita para su esplendor o su ruina. El Gobierno Federal en funciones, a través de una modificación a la Ley General de Salud, ha creado el Instituto Nacional para la Salud y el Bienestar (Insabi), que ha entrado en funciones a partir del 1 de enero del 2020 con una viabilidad cuestionada por la notoria falta de operación, la escasez de medicinas y su incierta subsistencia financiera ante el ofrecimiento de gratuidad en los servicios, en un país con un alto índice de enfermedades crónico-degenerativas. Bajo este contexto, se ha incluido a la Homeopatía dentro del esquema de las Medicinas Alternativas y Complementarias (MAC), cuya forma de operación aún no ha sido bien definida. Esta coyuntura debe aprovecharse de manera urgente por el gremio médico homeopático, de manera que se elaboren propuestas constructivas sobre la forma en que debe ser implementada, a fin de brindar un beneficio real tanto a la Homeopatía como a la salud de la población mexicana. (AU)

What Future for Hahnemann's Therapeutic System?

This article explores the historical growth patterns in homeopathy, recent shifts in perception, and a likely future of this type of medicine. Homeopathic medicine developed as a contradictory approach to health compared to the orthodox view of mainstream medicine. Over the past two centuries, this form of health care has maintained its heterodox position under continued attacks from the established order. Modern medicine is being pushed by materialism and the drive to generate profits by large pharmaceutical and health care corporations. Whilst homeopathy has also enjoyed economic growth in many markets around the world, rising popularity of this type of treatment has been shown to generate regulatory concerns on some fronts. Recent pressures from regulatory authorities have resulted in both setbacks and improved situations for homeopathic prescribers, varying by country where they are located. Despite widespread attacks in the press and from some governmental authorities, users of homeopathic therapies remain staunchly attached to this form of treatment. The future of homeopathy will likely continue to be as rocky as it has been for the past two centuries.

Gran distinción para la doctora Susana Novelo Pichardo / Great distinction for the doctor Susana Novelo Pichardo

Hace unas semanas, la doctora Susana Novelo Pichardo, miembro del Comité de Arbitraje de La Homeopatía de México, recibió el reconocimiento al Profesionista Colegiado Distinguido 2020, por el Mérito al Sobresaliente Ejercicio Profesional e Impulso a la Vida Colegiada, otorgado por el Secretaría de Educación del Estado de Guanajuato.

George Deacon and the circulation of homeopathic therapies in Lima (1880-1915).

Homeopathy arrived from the United States to Peruvian soil in the last decades of the nineteenth century, broadening the repertoire of existing medical knowledge, which included an emerging medical profession, Chinese herbalists, and indigenous practitioners. This article examines the circulation and use of homeopathic therapies and medicines in Lima from the time when the American homeopath George Deacon initiated his practice, in the 1880s, until his death, in 1915. Although homeopathy was not the most widely used medical therapy in the country, it nevertheless posed a threat to professional medicine and the School of Medicine's desired monopoly of the field of medicine.

Spread of homeopathy in the early nineteenth century: the comparative approach and the cases of Sweden and Brazil.

The comparative approach has been advocated to overcome some flaws inherent to case studies. Here, the spread of homeopathy in the early nineteenth century is addressed through a comparison of the cases of Sweden and Brazil, where homeopathy met diametrically opposed fates. The parameters used for the comparison are the standard for studies on the early spread of homeopathy, such as the concept of the "introducer," and reception by the medical and academic community, the government, and society at large. The results suggest that analysis of contexts, determinants, and the interactions of practitioners and institutions representing different health care approaches, whether dominant or alternative, seems to provide a more accurate picture of different moments in the global history of medicine.

[Homeopathy, alternative medicine: between counterculture, the New Era, and formalization (Brazil, 1970s)]. / Homeopatia, medicina alternativa: entre contracultura, Nova Era e oficialização (Brasil, década de 1970).

The objective of this text is to analyze how homeopathy was conveyed to the lay public in Brazil during the 1970s, an important period in the process of legitimizing this practice as a medical specialty, which occurred in 1980. The sources analyzed (composed of articles that circulated in the Jornal do Brasil and books intended for the lay public) allow the reader to distinguish different interlocutors with various expectations of homeopathy, revealing a heterogeneous universe of understandings and uses for this medical system. At the same time, the sources establish a universe of representations present in the construction of homeopathy as alternative medicine, which is noticeable in its relationship with the counterculture movements and New Era in forming a "consuming public" for homeopathy.

O artigo analisa como a homeopatia foi veiculada ao público leigo no Brasil da década de 1970, período importante no processo de legitimação desse conhecimento como especialidade médica, o que ocorre em 1980. As fontes analisadas ­ compostas de artigos que circulavam no Jornal do Brasil e de livros destinados ao público leigo ­ permitem distinguir diferentes interlocutores que possuíam expectativas diversas diante da homeopatia, revelando um universo heterogêneo de compreensões e utilizações dessa medicina. Ao mesmo tempo, as fontes estabelecem um universo de representações envolvidas na construção da homeopatia como medicina alternativa, em que é perceptível sua relação com os movimentos de contracultura e Nova Era na formação de um "público consumidor de homeopatia".