Immunology and homeopathy. 5. The rationale of the 'Simile'

Abstract

The foundation of homeopathic medicine is the 'Similia Principle', also known as the 'Principle of Similarity' or also as the 'Simile', which reflects the inversion of pharmacological effects in healthy subjects as compared with sick ones. This article describes the inversion of effects, a widespread medical phenomenon, through three possible mechanisms: non-linearity of dose-response relationship, different initial pathophysiological states of the organism, and pharmacodynamics of body response to the medicine. Based on the systemic networks which play an important role in response to stress, a unitary and general model is designed: homeopathic medicines could interact with sensitive (primed) regulation systems through complex information, which simulate the disorders of natural disease. Reorganization of regulation systems, through a coherent response to the medicine, could pave the way to the healing of the cellular, tissue and neuro-immuno-endocrine homeodynamics. Preliminary evidence is suggesting that even ultra-low doses and high-dilutions of drugs may incorporate structural or frequency information and interact with chaotic dynamics and physical-electromagnetic levels of regulation. From the clinical standpoint, the 'simile' can be regarded as a heuristic principle, according to which the detailed knowledge of pathogenic effects of drugs, associated with careful analysis of signs and symptoms of the ill subject, could assist in identifying homeopathic remedies with high grade of specificity for the individual case.

Figure 1.

Examples of biphasic or polyphasic dose–response curves.

Figure 2.

Schematic representation of the inverse effects of different doses of fMLP on LPS-treated human neutrophils.

Figure 3.

Typical neuroimmunoendocrine networks involved in the response to any type of stress (A) and possible dysfunction in chronic inflammatory diseases (B). 1. Cognitive functions, 2. neural networks, 3. hypothalamus, 4. locus ceruleus, 5. hypophysis, 6. sympathetic nervous system (adrenergic), 7. adrenals, 8. cardiovascular system, 9. immune system and inflammatory processes. ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone; CRH, corticotropin-releasing hormone; IL-1, interleukin-1; IL-6, interleukin-6; TNF, tumor–necrosis factor; → stimulation, inhibition.

Figure 4.

Diagram of the effects of adrenaline (epinephrine) on the cardiovascular system (the ‘initial value’ rule of Wilder). For explanation, see text.

Figure 5.

Schematic description of the feedback in biological systems (A), of normal homeodynamic reaction to stress and to pathogenic factors (B) and of the effect of ‘simile’ signal on healthy and sensitive systems (homeopathic ‘proving’) (C).

Figure 6.

Schematic representation of the acute disease (A) and of the regulatory action of the homeopathic ‘simile’ (B).

Figure 7.

Schematic representation of the chronic disease (A) and of the regulatory action of the homeopathic ‘simile’ (B).