An aggravation of the patient’s disease occurs if treatment is inadequate and the natural disease and pathology progresses. Inadequate treatment is the prescription of a wrong remedy as well as the improper application of the homeopathically correctly chosen remedy. Maintaining causes may also attribute to a continued diseases aggravation and should always be investigated. Intervention is necessary by retaking the case and adjusting treatment and lifestyle.
Cure and the reappearance of old symptoms
True cure means to restore the sick to health and includes the normalization of all vital processes and increased resistance against all sick making forces. This can never be reached through the suppression of symptoms or mere removal of pathology.
When following Hering‘s direction of cure a decrease of the most recent complaints and the return of old symptoms is part of the reversal of the disease timeline and indicates that the correct remedy is working deeply and towards cure. Reappearing, old symptoms should be less severe than the original incident and pass off quickly, unless the potency or dose were too large or the remedy repeated too frequently. They should resolve within a short time and be followed by a subsequent improvement in health. Their reappearance should be accompanied by an increase of well being and an amelioration on the general plane. These symptoms should not be treated by changing the remedy or using allopathic medicine.
Apart from the reappearance of old symptoms, an aggravation of symptoms as experienced before the beginning of treatment may still occur. Cure needs time and not all symptoms are going to ameliorate immediately.
The truly indicated, homeopathic remedy balances the vital force, stimulates the defense system and supports proper desintoxication so that increased discharges from the skin, mucous and serous membranes, kidneys, bowels, lungs or skin may appear. This elimination of residuals through channels is a positive sign of the vital force throwing off the disease. Related symptoms are transitory and pass off soon whilst the patient feels better and his symptoms ameliorate.
- A female patient, age 71, received Iodum LM6 in frequent, liquid doses for chronic ailments upon which her existing respiratory ailments aggravated. The homeopath increased the potency to LM18 which caused incessant coughing and new vision ailments, including the retina to detach for which the patient came to ask for my advice. These new and troublesome symptoms constitute a dissimilar aggravation as not belonging to the pathogenesis of the given remedy, although some insecurity remains as the detachment of retina is a mere clinical symptom that hardly appeared during properly conducted provings. Due to the dangerous action of the given remedy Iodum, it’s antidote Phosphorus was given immediately as Phosphorus’ pathogenetic symptoms were similar to the patient’s new and troublesome symptoms and known to antidote the action of Iodum. Afterwards, the chronic case was retaken and a better indicated remedy for the patients totality prescribed. It is to be noted that Hahnemann clearly advised us to start treatment with LM (Q) potencies with the lowest potencies (LM1-3) and increase the potency gradually, not in big jumps. Even if applied in watery solution and modified doses, the remedy is only to be repeated as long as no new symptoms appear, and not mechanically! (Dissimilar aggravation with new, dangerous and troublesome symptoms.)
- A boy, age 3, received Phosphorus 200C in watery solution for acute respiratory ailments with symptoms that indicated this remedy. After two hours the remedy was repeated which caused the cough to get worse. As no further, new symptoms developed and the aggravation was not too severe, the remedy was discontinued. The aggravation wore off soon and restoration of health followed quickly. (Similar, untrifling aggravation.)
- A girl, age 4, received a dose of Belladonna 30C to prevent her getting scarlatina which appeared sporadically in the kindergarten. Soon the child’s original, chronic symptoms aggravated indicating the need for her individualized, chronic remedy which was then applied again. Hahnemann warned that for homeoprophylaxis, a properly chosen remedy – either the patient’s constitutional remedy, the genus epidemicus (or the individualized remedy if the genus remedy does not work), or a nosode – should only be given if the subject is really in danger of taking the disease. (Dissimilar aggravation with no severe symptom aggravation.)
The different forms of aggravation demonstrate that the correct choice of the remedy, potency and dose are important in the treatment of patients. Any aggravation is to be avoided, as it delays or even prevents the cure. Ideally, the patient does not aggravate, or experiences only a slight homeopathic aggravation, followed by steady improvement that follows Hering´s rule. In practice this is not always possible to achieve. However, correct prescription and case management are only possible if the reactions of the patients and different forms of aggravations are properly understood.