Homotoxicology
What
is Homtoxicology?
Classification of disease
History of Homotoxicology
Brief Overview of Homotoxicology
In Conclusion
What is Homotoxicology?
Many of you may be aware of, or even using, the over-the-counter remedies in health shops and pharmacies that are manufactured by the Heel Company. These remedies are classified as homotoxicological medicines and this is the topic I have chosen to discuss in this issue of the newsletter.
The term Homotoxicology is derived from three words; “homo” meaning man, “toxico” derived from toxin or poison, and finally “logy”, derived from the Greek ‘logos’, meaning study. Therefore we can describe Homotoxicology as the study of the influence of toxic substances on humans.
Homotoxicology is based on the integration of basic medical science with the principles of homeopathic medicines.
Classification of Disease
From a homotoxicological point of view, illness is caused by the body’s reaction to the presence of disruptive toxins. What we recognize as the clinical symptoms of illness is what surfaces after the defense system has reacted to the threat (an expression of the body’s effort to deal with the toxins). This means that illness is not the presence of symptoms as such, since these should only be seen as proof of ongoing defense activity.
As long as clinical symptoms are only viewed as a threat to the quality of life of the patient and the entire treatment is geared to the removal of these symptoms, the results will be superficial and we are actually short changing the patient’s long term health.
A biotherapeutic / homotoxicological treatment takes into account the causative toxins and, by stimulating the body’s own defense system, will affect the actual causes of the illness. Biotherapy / homotoxicology is always a regulation therapy, and never a suppression therapy.
History of Homotoxicology
Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg is considered the father of Homotoxicology. He was born in 1905 and completed his medical training in Germany in 1930.
While practicing as a medical doctor, Dr. Reckeweg had a dream to one day merge homeopathy with mainstream medicine. He founded the company Heel in 1936 and proceeded to develop the concept of homotoxicology, which is a very understandable concept for both the complementary medical practitioner as well as for the conventional medical doctor.
Even though it sometimes seems as if both kinds of medicine oppose each other, Dr. Reckeweg succeeded in bridging the gap between conventional and complementary medicine, in part due to the advances in molecular biology which makes the working mechanism of homotoxicological medicine more apparent.
Brief Overview of Homotoxicology
In homotoxicology practitioners study the way the presence of toxins will influence the functions of the cell and by this the function of the whole human organism. The reaction or rigidity of the defense system against the toxins will define the clinical status the patient is in.
As the approach in homotoxicology remains clinical, research has been done on the mode of action of these types of medications.
Most homotoxicological medications contain micro doses of active components (similar to homeopathic medicines) and are therefore non-toxic. Due to the few side effects and contraindications, no interactions with other medications and the safety and effectiveness of therapy, homotoxicology has been classified as a complementary medicine.
In this way homotoxicology has built a bridge between both conventional and complementary medicine, through the strong conventional medical diagnosis and the gentle, non toxic treatment of complementary medicine.
Homotoxicology relies on three main “pillars” of treatment. These include detoxification of the cells and organs of the body, immunomodulation and regulation of the organs. In this way it is possible to remove the effects of the toxins in the body, thereby allowing the body to reverse the symptoms of disease and to heal itself.
In Conclusion
Dr. Reckeweg’s conviction brought many medical doctors to treat their patients in a different way. Even today, more than 20 years after his death, homotoxicology is a well appreciated concept in complementary medicine and becomes more and more of an eye opener in conventional medicine. In this way, Dr. Reckeweg succeeded to accomplish his dream: to build a bridge between conventional and complementary medicine.