The Use of Individual Remedies Hahnemann meticulously observed and recorded his findings throughout his long career. Though the discipline he founded appears subtle in theory and application, his method was firmly grounded in experience and fact. He was adamant that a clear picture of the effects of a homeopathic remedy can be perceived only if one individual remedy is given at a time. By using multiple remedies the Law of Similars is no longer applicable and the basic tenets of homeopathy are discarded. Even in acute problems when remedies may be changed several times within an hour, it is essential that they be given in sequence so that the action of one remedy be evaluated before proceeding to the next. When faced with uncertainties about which remedy to choose, every practitioner feels the temptation to administer all the possibilities together. But the interaction of the multiple remedies is unknown and the response of the vital force to the mixture becomes unclear.
Modern science cannot explain these principles based on our present day understanding of the laws of biochemistry and pharmacology. This leads some to criticize homeopathy as unscientific. But the facts are objective and the principles of homeopathy are founded on empirical observations. A huge amount of organized data and the experience of many thousands of people support the findings. The theory of homeopathy has an internal coherence and logic of its own. Moreover, we cannot overlook the most important fact that daily, throughout the world, people are helped through homeopathy.
It is natural to criticize something that is difficult to understand. I am reminded of the story about some missionaries who went to China during the last century. They reported back that their study of the Chinese language showed that it was essentially without a grammar. The framework of Oriental language was so foreign to their experience that they could only imagine an entire nation must be speaking a disorganized jibberish. They did not perceive the sophisticated grammatical structure of Chinese, and had no idea that the Chinese had a rich literary tradition dating back thousands of years.
