Classification of Symptoms in Homeopathy
In homeopathy, we call the clues that lead to the remedy to treat, namely symptoms. By definition, symptom (symptom) is deviations from the health status perceived by the patient, his/her environment or the physician. For a homeopath, symptoms are important signs to understand the patient’s condition. These symptoms can be on the physical level, known as physical symptoms, or on the mental level, often referred to as mental symptoms. In general, the symptoms described by the patient are called subjective symptoms, and those observed by the physician are called objective symptoms.
During the examination of the patient, the physician may also reveal certain objective evaluations of the patient, and these are called findings. Therefore, a sick person may have subjective symptoms, objective symptoms and signs. So the homeopath very carefully examines the patient’s signs and symptoms in order to understand the patient’s internal disorder. It is also necessary for the doctor to understand which symptom occurs first and what comes later. This helps him understand the evolutionary process of the disease.
After the details of the case have been recorded, the patients’ symptoms are graded according to their relative value in order to create an individual picture. This process is called Evaluation of Symptoms in Homeopathy. This is the most important process to find Similimum, allowing patients to match their entire disease picture to a remedy.
Full symptom
There are different approaches to the evaluation of symptoms according to the characteristics of the case. However, in any case, efforts should be made to obtain signs with certain characteristics. These are its location, its intensity sensation or character, its modalities, including aggravation and improvement, and associated or associated symptoms. When all these four dimensions are present, the symptom is called a complete symptom. When there is a complete symptom, it is easier for the physician to better understand the case. This is why the concept of full symptom is very important in Homeopathy.
Hahnemann advocated the following basic concepts for understanding a patient:
- Nothing can be known about the disease except the symptoms.
- It is the patient who is sick, not his organs or parts.
- Symptoms are the only unmistakable guide to remedy selection.
- The remedy is never manifested by a single symptom, however specific.
- Case-specific, characteristic, individualizing symptoms and uncommon symptoms refer to Similimum.
Symptom Assessment
The patient tells about his/her complaints that he/she feels very important. Take note of everything he said in the first place. Many of these symptoms may be related to their illness or diagnosis they received from elsewhere. The patient should give priority to complaints that seriously concern him. Physician, likes, desires, sleep, dreams, habits, family history, past history, etc. The patient may need much more information about the case that the patient may not feel relevant to. But these are crucial to individualizing him from other such patients to find the similimum necessary to cure his illness. Therefore, not all the symptoms described by the patient may be of equal importance for understanding the case. The doctor will distinguish between more important and less important symptoms, as well as symptoms related to the disease. The symptom of the disease is less important in individualizing the case, since these symptoms may be present in every patient suffering from the same disease. These symptoms may be necessary in the overall management of the case, but are not necessary for the remedy selection process.
In homeopathy, symptoms are classified under different groups. Some of the commonly used classifications are as follows:
- Common symptom and Characterized symptom
- Associated symptoms and Major Complaints
- General symptom and Special symptom
- Complete and incomplete symptom
- New and old symptom
Hahnemann method
Hahnemann divided the symptoms into two types:
- General symptoms
- Uncommon symptoms
General symptoms are those common to the disease. For example, fever, headache, diarrhea and loss of appetite in typhoid fever. These symptoms are present in almost all cases of typhoid fever patients. They are less important in homeopathy in choosing a remedy or in individualizing the patient. This is why they are called General symptoms.
Uncommon symptoms are unexplained symptoms that cannot be explained by the disease process. These may seem absurd or contradictory to the patient, but are essential to a Homeopath. Examples are in the typhoid patient, when his bed feels too hard, even when lying on a soft bed, or when he answers the question clearly and falls into a coma. Such symptoms are found in the evidence of some drugs and this symptom becomes a rare symptom in the choice of that remedy for the typhoid patient. Thus, the law of Similia is applied to treat the patient. Rare symptoms reflect the individuality of the patient in the disease and are also of great value in the choice of remedy.
Boenninghausen’s method
This method consists of the following seven points:
Quis: An individual’s personality – age, gender, body composition and temperament.
Quid: The nature and characteristic of the disease.
Ubi: The center of the disease.
Quibis auxilus: Associated symptoms
Cur: The cause of the disease
Quomodo: Changing factors
Quando: It’s time to emerge, weigh down and relax.
Garth Boericke’s method:
He divided the symptoms into two classes:
- a) Basic or absolute symptoms
- b) defining symptoms
- a) Basic or absolute symptoms are symptoms that occur in every evidence and are of a general nature and are important in the diagnosis of the disease. Example: Weakness, headache, malaise, anorexia, belching, fever and pain etc. They are of little value for determining the homeopathic remedy indicated, but taken together they provide a suggestive start.
- b) Indicative symptoms are the individual or individual symptoms found in a patient or the characteristic, main note or precursor symptoms found in the pathogenesis of a drug. The defining symptoms are similar, whether encountered in disease or drug evidence, and usually consist of modalities, mental symptoms, qualified basic or absolute symptoms, and, as Hahnemann points out, strange, rare, or bizarre symptoms. These symptoms help individualize the patient and thus assist in the selection of homeopathic medicine.
Boger Method:
Boger classified the symptoms as follows.
Time dimension
Causal modalities
Tissue affinities
- Pathological generals
Kent’s Method
James Tyler Kent was the first to introduce the symptom analysis, assessment, and grading scheme to achieve similitude. He divided the symptoms into three main categories. These:
(a) Generals
(b) Partner
(c) Private
He attributed these three categories to both mental and physical symptoms. Kent gave the highest emphasis to the mental generals that reflected the innermost face of the patient, then to the importance of the physical generals, including modalities and characteristic details for the final stage of differentiation.
The scheme of evaluation of symptoms according to Kent is as follows:
- General symptoms
- a) Mental Generals
Class 1 are those related to mental Will. Expressions of these symptoms will be related to love, hate and emotions (suicide, disgust for life), lust, sexual disgust, sexual perversions, fear, greed, murderous tendencies, suspicion.
Grade 2 mental symptoms: Understanding Delirium, with hallucinations, mental confusion, loss of sense of time are relevant
Grade 3 mental symptoms: Those related to the Mind, such as memory, concentration.
- b) Physical Generals
These are symptoms that refer to the body as a whole in terms of different physical characteristics;
1st degree – pertaining to the sexual sphere, including menstrual general
2nd degree – Appetite, desires, etc. related symptoms.
3rd degree – Things that affect the entire physical body are no more important and can be used to relieve symptoms. For example. Weather, climate, bathroom etc.
- Common symptoms
These symptoms are common to a particular disease or present in several patients as a common factor. They are usually of secondary importance and do not play much of a role in the selection of similitude unless they have their own modalities.
- Special symptoms
Symptom related to a particular part or organ or function of the body.
Importance
These symptoms bother the patient the most and seek consultation only for them. Thus, the prescription of acute necessity will be based on these details. Generals help define the outlines that details provide to distinguish remedies.
Strong details may indicate a small group of drugs, this helps a quick prescription.
First-class custom Which is weird, not common. incomplete and not responsible. For example. Painless inflammation
Grade 2 is specific symptoms with a distinct modality.
Grade 3 details are common details that have only diagnostic value, without any form of appreciation.
Spalding’s Method:
This is how he classified the symptoms.
- Mental generalities
- Physical general
- Discharges
- Dreams
- Special senses
- Desires
- reluctance
- Modalities
- Weird, rare and bizarre
- Features
- Objective or pathology
Solution
The uniqueness of homeopathy lies in the inherent character of its philosophy; can describe the disease at a dynamic level and give primary attention to the subtlest changes in sensation and function. Its peculiarity is that it can not only recognize but also diagnose disease, even at the dynamic level, with its capacity to recognize and give primary importance to the subtlest changes in senses and functions.