Aggravation
In our day to day practice we come across different types of aggravations. After administering the remedy, the patient may complain that his symptoms are actually growing in intensity. Proper understanding and clinical interpretation of the condition will help in managing the case. Some aggravations have good prognostic value and some have bad prognosis. Hence, knowledge of different types of aggravation is mandatory for the judicious employment of the medicines.
Types of Aggravation
- Homeopathic aggravation
- Medicinal aggravation
- Disease aggravation
- Killer aggravation
Homeopathic Aggravation
The homeopathic remedy is always administered in “a similar yet stronger” manner than the natural disease. The medicine removes the weaker miasmatic disease as a result of its primary action. Now, the place of miasmatic disease has been occupied by the stronger medicinal disease. Because of the strongness of dose the patient may experience a sense of increase of his original symptoms. These increased symptoms obviously have the resemblance to the original miasmatic disease. Hence, the patient may think that his disease itself is increasing. But the intelligent physician can observe that it is the “homeopathic aggravation” and not the “disease aggravation”. The increased symptoms are because of the strongness of the dose (§ 157).
Definition: Homeopathic aggravation is slight intensification of the existing symptoms of the patient with a inner well-being of the patient. This happens when the remedy has been administered in a slightly stronger dose. The homeopathic aggravation is because of the primary action of the drug on vital force. The similar, yet stronger medicine unconditionally attacks the diseased parts.
The diseased parts are already susceptible to similar disease symptoms. So they easily adopt the medicinal disease also. The medicinal disease has so many other symptoms than the original disease but because of minuteness of the dose they will not come on to play and remain quiescent. The nature’s law says, “The stronger medicinal disease can easily remove the weaker miasmatic disease”. Hence now the vital force is only suffering from the stronger medicinal disease.
Because the medicinal disease is stronger, the patient feels that his disease has increased after the intake of the medicine. In fact this is the “homeopathic aggravation” and not the “disease aggravation”. Such increase in the intensity of existing symptoms of the patient is called the “homeopathic aggravation” (§ 157).
Homeopathic aggravation in acute diseases (§ 158, 159 & 160):
The “homeopathic aggravation” in acute diseases is seen in the first few hours of the administration of remedy. It has a good prognostic value. The smaller the dose of the medicine, the slighter and shorter will be the aggravation. As a result, the patient recovers very soon.
Homeopathic aggravation in chronic diseases (§ 161):
The aggravation in case of chronic disease can not be seen immediately after the administration of remedy but after the remedy is repeated for a long period of time in proper small, gradually increasing higher doses with renewed potency.
In the process of dynamisation, it is typically observed towards the conclusion of the treatment, indicating that the cure is nearly complete. The physician’s prognosis and interpretation involve several key points:
- A mild homeopathic aggravation is considered a positive sign, indicating that the administered remedy is not only similar but also potent. This suggests that the patient is progressing toward recovery.
- The intensity and duration of the aggravation are linked to the dose of the medicine. Despite efforts to minimize the dose to avoid aggravation, the selection of the appropriate dose relies on the physician’s experience. Following aggravation, uninterrupted amelioration ensues.
- The medicinal disease weakens over time due to the minute dose and dynamisation. As a result, the secondary action of the vital force helps eliminate the progressively weaker medicinal disease.
- Hahnemann asserts that homeopathic aggravation signifies: i. The cure is approaching. ii. The vital force is now free from the natural disease and is solely dealing with the medicinal disease.
- Homeopathic aggravation should not be interrupted; it should run its course. Repetition of any medicine, including the chosen remedy, should cease. To satisfy the patient, a “placebo” can be administered.
In a footnote to § 160, Hahnemann discusses experiences of non-homeopathic physicians with homeopathic aggravations. This occurred when they unknowingly applied medicines in a homeopathic manner. Dr. Leroy and Dr. Lyson reported instances of aggravation preceding cure, attributing it to the homeopathic nature of the drugs they administered.
Medicinal Aggravation
Definition: Medicinal aggravation can be defined as the appearance of “new medicinal symptoms” in a patient after administration of wrongly chosen medicine.
Accessory symptoms of the medicine
Whenever the homeopathic medicine has been chosen wrongly or repeated unnecessarily, such condition may arise.
Disease Aggravation
Definition: Disease aggravation can be defined as appearance of the bad prognostic, advanced symptoms of the nosological disease condition. This indicates that the chosen remedy is wrong and it is not showing any impact on the disease condition. The disease is advancing in its own course.
Killer’s Aggravation Definition: Killer’s aggravation can be defined as the condition arising from untimely prescription of the constitutional curative remedy in pathologically advanced cases of the incurable cases
