What is Deflected Current in Homeopathy? – H.A. Roberts

“The Deflected Current” written by H.A. Roberts in his book “The principles and art of cure by homoeopathy, explains to us when a simillimum (remedy) does not act well, the physician has to re-investigate the case and check if there is the presence of any obstacles in the cure, finding out and correcting such obstacles to cure.

H.A. Roberts has two basic questions rolling over his mind;

• Why are our results not uniformly satisfactory when the proper Simillimum is administered?
• Why does our remedy not work many times?

After thorough research and deep understanding, he gives us some hints as to where and how to look for such obstacles.

The Obstacles to Cure are divided into 3 types:

1. Obstacles from the patient’s side
2. Obstacles from the physician’s side
3. Obstacles from the remedial side

Let’s understand each of them in detail:

1. Obstacles from the Patient’s Side

The cure is deflected due to some obstacle from the patient side falling under this category. It is further divided into 6 more subtypes

1. Pathological condition of the disease:

Advanced pathology is an incurable condition. Attempting to cure such cases will invariably fail. If cancer has progressed to the stage of metastases from one organ to the other organs, it is better to palliate the symptoms rather than try to cure the disease.

2. Presence of mechanical obstruction in the body:

In some cases, non-pathological foreign bodies may be present in some orifices. They could be producing some natural reflex symptoms. Therefore an indicated Simulium (remedy) does not cure. A cure can’t take place unless the obstruction is cleared from the site.

Example: coryza or persistent earache in children who have inserted some foreign objects into their ears or nose. In such cases, the medicines must be administered only after mechanically removing the object from the site.

3. Psychic trauma and emotional stress:

Anxiety, worry, constant financial stress, tension; all such things are common in today’s world. These diversions may deflect the action of the curative remedy. Hahnemann himself has emphasized the fact that nothing was as deleterious to health as an unhappy domestic condition. Some patients do not wish to reveal their personal and private matters during case taking. It is a physician’s own personal ability to find out such hidden trauma of a patient. Proper Consolation may help.

4. Over-usage of drugs by the patient:

Sedatives, narcotics, and analgesics that are misused by many patients in recent times and cause severe disorders in lifestyles. The patient uses them frequently because they offer some sort of relief from the pain. Usage of such palliatives slows down the curative process or retards it. Usage of antidepressants, cosmetics, deodorants, etc also falls under this category.

Dr H.A. Roberts gives an example of a case of persistent cough of “Coccus cacti”. The young lady patient did not improve despite the proper prescription unless the doctor asked the young lady to stop using her lipstick when the cough ceased.

5. The problem of diet:

The over usage of so-called soft drinks, different beverages, junk foods, and such other stimulants, and their chemical contents may retard the action of a homoeopathic remedy.

6. Lack of proper physical exercise:

Last but not least as the current world is home-oriented i.e work from home, and study from home which leads to a sedentary lifestyle. They hardly get an opportunity for physical exercise. The advice of mild to moderate exercise improves their condition remarkably. As the vitality of the patient improves through exercise, homoeopathic medicines give wonderful results in such cases.

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2. Obstacles from the Physician’s 3 Side:

When the physician fails in his duty & knowledge such obstacles arise. It is further divided into 3 more subtypes

1. Selecting the similimum alone is not sufficient:

Masters says that any physician can commit only 3 mistakes. The first one is in selecting a similar remedy, the second one is in the selection of proper potency and the third is in the repetition of doses. Committing mistakes in any one of the above may become an obstacle to cure.

2. The physician himself may get carried away by the patient’s narration:

During case taking the physician has to be neutral; he should not get involved in the patient’s emotions. He must observe them in an unprejudiced manner. The patient is always concerned about his most troublesome symptom. Some patients exaggerate their symptoms while narrating them to the physician, thinking that the physician will prescribe a powerful remedy if they do so. So, the physician must concentrate on the peculiar and uncommon symptoms that indicate a remedy.

3. Prescribing solely based on keynote symptoms:

It often removes only the troubling symptoms of the patient. But this may act as an obstacle to cure, as the keynote prescription changed the totality of the patient. When the original totality has been meddled with, selecting the most similimum becomes almost impossible.

3. Obstacles from the Remedial Side

1. Lack of genuine medicine:

The important obstacle rests on the quality of medicine. The quality of medicine depends upon – whether the pharmacist has supplied genuine medicine or not! Whether the pharmacist had identified the source of the medicine properly or not? Whether the medicine has been dynamized according to the Hahnemannian rules or not? Whether the medicine is dispensed according to the standardized rules or not? Anything wrong with the above steps may create an obstacle to cure. In such conditions, the physician’s pain-taking work becomes futile.

2. Poor drug proving:

Drug proving is most vital in the construction of materia medica. Only dedicated, service-minded, credible, honest, intelligent, delicate, and trustworthy provers alone can construct the genuine homoeopathic materia medica. The value of the symptoms must also be evaluated. If the proving of a remedy is not constructed properly, achieving a cure becomes impossible.

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