Homotoxicology is another modality that sometimes gets confused with Homeopathy. Homotoxicology was developed by Dr Hans-Heinrich Reckewig in 1952.
There are a few key people who developed the theories that are used in Homotoxicology:
Claude Bernard, who looked at terrain therapy, that the body needs to have nutrient requirements met and also be able to eliminate toxins, and to do this be able to transport essential substances to and from the cell.
Baron Carl von Rokitansky, who recognised that symptoms were the expression of pathological changes to the organs. He believed that blood was the cause of disease and progression was due to changes in the blood and fibrin.
Alfred Pischinger, who researched connective tissue, and discovered the Extra cellular matrix, which is also called the ground substance or mesenchyme, and is part of the regulatory system, which allows cells to communicate. This is the reason why one diseased organ has the ability to affect others.
Dr Reckeweg used the research from those scientists to develop Homotoxicology and the three core principles of treatment:
- Detoxification and drainage
- Immunomodulation
- Cellular and organ support
In addition to this he recognised three stages of disease, which are each then broken down into two phases.
Firstly, the Elimination stage, which affects the humoral or body fluids including blood, bile and phlegm. This is characterised firstly by the excretion phase where toxins and moved into the matrix, and then the inflammation phase. Acute illnesses are in this stage, and an example of excretion is a cold, where the first reaction of the body is sneezing and a profuse watery discharge. If this becomes more the inflammatory phase sinusitis is an example.
The second stage is Deposition, where toxins lodge in the matrix. Deposition takes time, and may be years without symptoms until something suddenly appears with no warning. This could be a cyst or polyp, that has been growing benignly over time. The next phase of this is impregnation where there toxins and symptoms are more entrenched and are now being lodged in the organs themselves. Diseases of the Impregnation phase are the chronic infections that are not under control, or autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis that have deposits in the joints.
The final, third stage is Degeneration, where the toxins are now affecting cellular functions. The degeneration phase is the destruction of cell function due to the toxins, and is seen in diseases like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or chronic heart failure. The final phase is anaplasia or de-differentiation, which is the cancer phase when the cells have lost their identity and proliferate.
One other important factor in Homotoxicology is the belief that acidosis is a contributing factor to all persistent health problems as it increases the rigidity of the matrix. In addition to treatment to support the matrix, the organs and promote elimination of toxins, lifestyle factors to reduce stress and eliminate alcohol, coffee, bread and sugar are needed.
Homotoxicology uses combination remedies that include classical homeopathic remedies, organ remedies and potentised catalysts of the citric acid cycle.
There are also other branches of Homotoxicology that have developed that use potentised cytokines to help with the cytokine cascade and brain derived neurotrophic factor, and potentised allopathic medicines to assist with detoxification.
Heel is one of the first companies providing homotoxicology remedies, and Traumeel is one of the best know Homotoxicology remedies we have, for inflammation, shock, trauma, homeostasis, prevention of infection, as well as repair and regeneration.
This is a very brief overview of Homotoxicology. If Homotoxicology is something that interests you, then there are various short or long courses that can be done to further your knowledge. The Australian Society of BioRegulatory Medicine website is no longer active, and I could find no New Zealand society either to look for registered practitioners, but it is a discipline that some Homeopaths and Naturopaths, and potentially other complementary medicine practitioners will be trained in so Google search or ask around.