Biodinamica, malattia e similitudine
(Autotranslated version here)
Parte prima: la forza vitale (omeo-dinamica dei sistemi complessi)
Biodynamics, disease and the similia principle. The medical tradition of homeopathy has been separated from that of conventional science for a long time. One area of dialogue and of common progress is that of biodynamics of living systems, probably because these topics are closely related to the traditional “vital force” of the body’s self-healing power. This review will show that the “simile” - brought back to its biological meaning of the inverted, or paradoxical, effects of the same or similar compounds – is compatible with the most advanced concepts emerging from the dynamic systems theory and its applications to medicine. Within the framework of our current knowledge of homeostasis (here properly referred as homeodynamics) in living systems and of modern investigational techniques, we here propose a scientific reformulation of the principle with the aim of constructing reasonable models that can be tested at different biological levels, from cells to human beings. We also discuss the specific characteristics of the homeopathic approach, which places great emphasis on identifying a cure for the whole organism, and the effects of very low doses or high dilutions. The work will be published in three parts, the first one (which is here presented) deals with “homeodynamics”, that is the main rules by which biological information is transmitted and exchanged to maintain and recover the body-mind health. The second part will deal with “homeo-pathology”, that is with the general causes and mechanisms of diseases and especially of the chronicization processes. In the third part (“homeo-therapeutics”) we will see how and when these advanced scientific concepts, whose acceptation is widely increasing, may rationally justify the classical homeopathic approach to pharmacological regulation.
Italian paper
Re: Italian paper - Part 2
Part 2 - la malattia (omeo-patologia dei sistemi complessi)
This paper deals with “homeo-pathology”, that is with the general causes and mechanisms of diseases and especially of the chronicization processes. Life, differentiation and development coincide with the expression and the maintenance of a structure in the organism, with efficient storage and handling of the energy flux, while disease and death coincide with the loss of structure and of coordinated functions. Disease is disorder, but it nevertheless obeys certain laws, and thus embodies some measure of order, though this is conditioned by chance events. The homeodynamic systems which govern health are the same that cause most pathological phenomena, when activated inadequately, excessively or unsuitably in relation to the circumstances. On the other hand, it is also true to say that many phenomena that are called pathological are biologically useful (even if they cause pain), representing a stage of transition to a state of greater vitality, energy, and resistance to pathogens (= information gain). Judging what is useful and what is damaging, on every occasion and in every aspect of disease, is by no means easy, in that it pre-supposes a knowledge of the «logic» of disease and normality, a knowledge of the language of complex systems. Disease is a problem of molecules, but also, in a different dimension, it is a problem of cells, of physiological systems and of the human being as a whole: if the molecular disorder is not compensated for by supramolecular systems, it is the latter that are responsible for the disease, and not the molecule. Most of these systems are organized as networks (inflammation, immunity, neuroendocrine organizations, metabolic regulatory mechanisms) and work according to a series of general “rules” that are here presented. An information disorder can also arise as a result of subtle and not immediately perceivable deviations from the norm, which are then amplified and/or stabilized by adaptation and positive feedback mechanisms. In a complex system, loss of communication and of connections means pathology; thus the major goal of the medical intervention is to re-establish proper communications, helping the self-organization process (healing) of the organism.
This paper deals with “homeo-pathology”, that is with the general causes and mechanisms of diseases and especially of the chronicization processes. Life, differentiation and development coincide with the expression and the maintenance of a structure in the organism, with efficient storage and handling of the energy flux, while disease and death coincide with the loss of structure and of coordinated functions. Disease is disorder, but it nevertheless obeys certain laws, and thus embodies some measure of order, though this is conditioned by chance events. The homeodynamic systems which govern health are the same that cause most pathological phenomena, when activated inadequately, excessively or unsuitably in relation to the circumstances. On the other hand, it is also true to say that many phenomena that are called pathological are biologically useful (even if they cause pain), representing a stage of transition to a state of greater vitality, energy, and resistance to pathogens (= information gain). Judging what is useful and what is damaging, on every occasion and in every aspect of disease, is by no means easy, in that it pre-supposes a knowledge of the «logic» of disease and normality, a knowledge of the language of complex systems. Disease is a problem of molecules, but also, in a different dimension, it is a problem of cells, of physiological systems and of the human being as a whole: if the molecular disorder is not compensated for by supramolecular systems, it is the latter that are responsible for the disease, and not the molecule. Most of these systems are organized as networks (inflammation, immunity, neuroendocrine organizations, metabolic regulatory mechanisms) and work according to a series of general “rules” that are here presented. An information disorder can also arise as a result of subtle and not immediately perceivable deviations from the norm, which are then amplified and/or stabilized by adaptation and positive feedback mechanisms. In a complex system, loss of communication and of connections means pathology; thus the major goal of the medical intervention is to re-establish proper communications, helping the self-organization process (healing) of the organism.
Re: Italian paper - part 3
Part 3 - Omeoterapia (la cura mediante il “simile”)
2004
Biomedical therapy is conventionally addressed to correction of single or multiple environmental and genetic factors but this approach often fails, due to undervaluation of the true complexity of individual diseases. The homeopathic approach is aimed to introduce systemic regulation, in order to recruit the associative memory of the network in a way that is coherent with its endogenous healing capability. In order to do this, the medicine should carry a global pattern of informations that increases network connectivity and addresses its trajectories in the energy space. The simile” medicine may be perceived by specific centers (or “nodes”) of network regulatory systems as a complex information, regarding whole disease dynamics. Looking at the problem of chronic diseases as new pathologic attractors, the medicine should be able of “unsticking” the system from this attractor, shifting it in opposite direction and “catching” it on the rebound which the network naturally produces in response to any disturbance. The phenomenon of “inversions of effects” or “paradoxical pharmacology” may activate an integrated local feedback. Symptom patterns are external expressions of complex reactions caused by a medicine (in sensitive provers) and by disease (in sick persons): so, the classical “similitude of symptoms” - according to which the correct drug may be chosen on the basis of careful analysis of symptoms - may bypass the possible ignorance of molecular details of disease. High specificity of remedy actions may be based on the sensitization (priming) of involved network nodes and on the complexity and coherence of remedy actions at various levels. Since ultra-low doses of medicines are used, they touch only nodes having enhanced susceptibility. So we have several different mechanisms of operation for the simile, which are not in contrast but may superimpose according to different situations.
2004
Biomedical therapy is conventionally addressed to correction of single or multiple environmental and genetic factors but this approach often fails, due to undervaluation of the true complexity of individual diseases. The homeopathic approach is aimed to introduce systemic regulation, in order to recruit the associative memory of the network in a way that is coherent with its endogenous healing capability. In order to do this, the medicine should carry a global pattern of informations that increases network connectivity and addresses its trajectories in the energy space. The simile” medicine may be perceived by specific centers (or “nodes”) of network regulatory systems as a complex information, regarding whole disease dynamics. Looking at the problem of chronic diseases as new pathologic attractors, the medicine should be able of “unsticking” the system from this attractor, shifting it in opposite direction and “catching” it on the rebound which the network naturally produces in response to any disturbance. The phenomenon of “inversions of effects” or “paradoxical pharmacology” may activate an integrated local feedback. Symptom patterns are external expressions of complex reactions caused by a medicine (in sensitive provers) and by disease (in sick persons): so, the classical “similitude of symptoms” - according to which the correct drug may be chosen on the basis of careful analysis of symptoms - may bypass the possible ignorance of molecular details of disease. High specificity of remedy actions may be based on the sensitization (priming) of involved network nodes and on the complexity and coherence of remedy actions at various levels. Since ultra-low doses of medicines are used, they touch only nodes having enhanced susceptibility. So we have several different mechanisms of operation for the simile, which are not in contrast but may superimpose according to different situations.