Homeopathy in the 21st centuryInterview Bruce Shelton, M.D., Past Medical Director HEEL USA
Homotoxicology is a theory of the origin of diseases, developed in the 20th century by Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg, M.D. which has led to the use of combinations of homeopathically-diluted ingredients to treat specific indications. Homeopathic combination remedies are primarily designed to facilitate the body’s elimination of toxic substances by stimulating the body’s own defensive capabilities.
Homotoxicology is one of medicine’s great success stories. Originally conceived to explain the outstanding efficacy of a distinct class of homeopathic medications, this model of treatment has grown into a comprehensive theory of disease.
In homotoxicology, diseases are considered to be caused by toxins, including substances from environmental sources and internal by-products. Disease symptoms are considered the result of the body’s attempt to heal itself and should not necessarily be suppressed.
In addition to providing healing possibilities for usual non-threatening conditions (allergies, sinus problems, insomnia, and injuries), combination homeopathic products may be especially valuable for patients with degenerative diseases, whose defenses may not be fully functional. Unlike single homeopathic remedies which have a more limited range of action, homeopathic combinations furnish the body with dilute ingredients with the intent of stimulating the remaining defensive capabilities.
Homeopathic products are designed to work with the body’s defense mechanisms and facilitate the body’s elimination of toxic substances. We feature products from Heel/BHI one of the largest homeopathic pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world. Heel conducts continuous clinical research and scientific investigations to determine product efficacy and safety. Anti-homotoxic medicines come in many forms: tablets, drops, sprays and injectables. Please see our biopuncture page on this website for more information on the usage and safety of injectable homeopathic preparations. The six-phase table of homotoxicosis, first developed by Reckeweg and later expanded to include more detail, is a coordinate system showing the relationship between the degree of «clogging» of the intercellular matrix and possible health consequences. Recently it has been decided that the more appropriate term for this chart is the disease evolution chart.
The chart’s six columns show increasing toxin loads (on the vertical axis) in relationship to the disturbances they cause in different organs (on the horizontal axis). Progression of the patient’s illness («progressive vicariation») is tracked from left to right, improvement («regressive vicariation») from right to left.
In the humoral phases, the body reacts with inflammation and increased elimination of fluids (the «humors» of classical medicine). In the matrix phases, more deep-seated damage occurs and regressive vicariation is no longer possible without outside help such as antihomotoxic therapy. In the cellular phases, permanent cell damage becomes evident.
| | HUMORAL PHASES | MATRIX PHASES | CELLULAR PHASES | | Organ system | Excretion
Phases | Inflammation
Phases | Deposition
Phases | | Impregnation
Phases | Degeneration
Phases | Dedifferentiation
Phases | | Skin | Episodes of
sweating | Acne | Naevi | Allergy | Scleroderma | Melanoma | | Nervous
system | Difficulty
concentrating | Meningitis | Cerebrosclerosis | Migraine | Alzheimer’s
disease | Gliosarcoma | | Sensory
System | Tears,
otorrhea | Conjunctivitis,
otitis media | Chalazion,
cholesteatoma | Iridocyclitis,
tinnitus | Macular
degeneration,
anosmia | Amaurosis,
malignant tumor | | Locomotor
System | Joint pains | Epicondylitis | Exostosis | Chronic
rheumatoid
arthritis | Spondylosis | Sarcoma,
chondroma | | Respiratory
Tract | Cough,
expectoration | Bronchitis,
acute | Silicosis,
smoker’s lung | Chronic
(obstructive)
bronchitis | Bronchiectasia,
emphysema | Bronchial
carcinoma | | Cardiovascular
System | Functional
heart
complaint | Endocarditis,
pericarditis,
myocarditis | Coronary heart
disease | Heart failure | Myocardial
infarction | Endothelioma | | Gastrointestinal
System | Heartburn | Gastroenteritis,
gastritis | Hyperplastic
gastritis | Chronic gastritis,
malabsorption | Atrophic gastritis,
liver cirrhosis | Stomach cancer, colon cancer | | Urogenital
System | Polyuria | Urinary tract
infection | Bladder stones,
kidney stones | Chronic urinary
tract infection | Renal atrophy | Cancer | | Blood | Reticulocytosis | Leucocytosis,
suppuration | Polycythaemia,
thrombocytosis | Aggregation
disturbance | Anemia,
thrombocytopenia | Leukemia | | Lymph System | Lymphedema | Lymphangitis,
tonsillitis,
lymphadenitis | Lymph-node
swelling | Insufficiency of
the lymph system | Fibrosis | Lymphoma,
Hodgkin-/non-
Hodgkin-lymphoma | | Metabolism | Electrolyte
shift | Lipid
metabolism
disturbance | Gout, obesity | Metabolic
syndrome | Diabetes mellitus | Slow reactions | | Hormone
System | Globus
sensation | Thyroiditis | Goitre,
adenoma | Hyperthyroidism,
glucose
intolerance | Menopausal
symptoms | Thyroid cancer | | Immune
System | Susceptibility
to infection | Weak immune
system, acute
infection | Weak reactions | Autoimmune
disease,
immunodeficiency,
chronic infections | AIDS | Slow reactions | | | Alteration* | Reaction* | Fixation* | Chronic Forms* | Deficits* | Decoupling* | | Psyche | Functional
psychological
disturbance,
«nervousness» | Reactive
depressive
syndromes,
hyperkinetic
syndrome | Psychosomatic
manifestation,
neuroses,
phobias,
neurotic
depression | Endogenous
depression,
psychosis,
anxiety neurosis,
organic
psychosyndrome | Schizophrenic
defective states,
mental deficiency | Mania, catatonia | | | Biological Division
| Progressive Vicariation → ←Regressive Vicariation Note: The disease evolution chart is a field matrix reflecting medical experience based on careful observation and empirical learning. It is a phase-by-phase arrangement of disorders with no direct relationship between them. No causal pathogenetic link between disorders can be inferred. The structure of the table makes it suitable for developing a prediction system giving a better assessment of the possibilities for a vicariation effect.
If you are interested in learning more about modern homeopathy please click on these downloads:  HEEL Biotherapy Book Medicine for the 21st Century
Introduction to Homotoxicology by Peter Ochsenham, ND, DBM, Dip Hom Homotoxicology - The New Science of Health by Keith Scott Mumby, MD For an overview of Hans Reckeweg, M.D., please click here
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