IS IT CURED?

Constantine Hering was born January 1, 1800, in Oschatz Germany. He studied medicine at Leipzig University. He was asked by a professor to write a book disproving Dr. Hahnemann's recently published "Organon of Rational Medicine." Hering set out to invalidate homeopathy. He researched Dr. Hahnemann's writings and tested the principles on himself. When he developed an infected wound for which medical doctors advised amputation, he tried homeopathy. The infection was cured. Instead of discrediting homeopathy, Hering became an ardent supporter and practitioner. He emigrated to the United States in 1830 where he became known as the Father of American Homeopathy. In 1848, Hering chartered the Hahnemann Medical College of Pennsylvania where he and his students treated more than 50,000 patients annually. One of Hering's greatest contributions is Hering's Law of Cure. Based on keen observation, Dr. Hering concluded the curative process must occur in five directions, which he elucidated as follows:

1) From above downward

2) From inside to outside

3) From center to periphery

4) From more important to less important

5) From new to old

It is truly amazing that he came to these conclusions without the help of laboratory tests or microscopes. Yet nearly 150 years later, modern science supports Dr. Hering's conclusions. One can find this in any decent embryology textbook. As an embryo develops, it grows along specific axes in specific directions. These lines of growth and development correspond to Dr. Hering's direction of cure. The maintenance of cells and tissues in the developed body also occurs in these directions. For example, there is an electrical gradient within the body. The brain and other vital organs have a higher electrical charge than the skin and digestive tract. Therefore, nutrients naturally flow from the more important to less important organs ensuring that the vital organs are nourished first. Doesn't that make sense?

The key to applying these rules is to know which one should be seen at a particular time. There has confusion and disagreement over this. The result has been that to a large degree, practitioners have ceased to follow Hering's Law. Recently, through the deeper understanding of embryology and other life sciences, there are doctors who have resolved these problems. As a result, Hering's Law will prove to be invaluable to understanding the curative process. While Hering was a devout homeopath, one may use his Law of Cure to evaluate the success of any type of treatment. For example, a patient has a skin rash which is treated topically with a cream (drug, herb, vitamin, etc.). The rash improves 80%, but the patient starts having seizures. Of the two symptoms, the seizures are obviously affecting the more important organ (brain). Any treatment which improves now the rash first is a mistake and will lead to more serious problems. The curative process must cure the seizures first. In fact, as the seizures improve, the skin will likely get worse. With an understanding of Hering's Law, we can see that the cure is heading in the right direction and not panic about the exacerbation. Without that information, we might try to treat the worsening rash more aggressively and interfere with the healing.

The beauty of Hering's Law of Cure is that it is applicable to all diseases and all therapies. Now that this Law is supported by the most recent scientific research, it should become the standard to which all therapies are held. Using such an approach will prove which methods of treatment are the most effective and which the most dangerous. The question is whether most health care practitioners are willing to put their system to the test!

• Russell Swift, DVM, Classical Homeopath

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