In continuation of our last interview seccion, we present here a second discussion with Dr. Golden, the living legend who is considered a world authority on Homeopathy, interviewed by Dr. Punit Srivastava, Chief Editor, Homeopathic Horizon. Here he explains about What Nosodes are... He also advises how nosodes can be applied in Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Punit Srivastava (PS): Hello Dr. Isaac, glad to have you back here?
Dr. Isaac Golden (IG): Greetings to all.
PS: In the feedback section of last issue we received a lot of queries about the Cuban protocol wherein a nosode was used. Can you please explain its preparation section and what were its indications?
IG: This question would be best answered by my friend and colleague Dr Gustavo Bracho who led the massive HP interventions in Cuba from 2007 to 2015. He is an orthodox scientist who is an expert in making adjuvants for vaccines (as well as many other things) – he is not a trained homeopath. But real scientists are open minded people, and this is why some Cuban laboratories that made vaccines also made the HP remedies.
The Cubans selected similar nosodes, and combined them with similar GE remedies, and successfully used this method against a number of circulating infectious diseases. For example, against Dengue they targeted the four main strains of Dengue circulating in Cuba, and used GE remedies that were similar to the first attack of Dengue (like Eup. Perf.) and GE remedies similar to the haemorrhagic symptoms often found in subsequent attacks (like some reptile remedies).
It's a very simple, logical and ultimately effective approach to preventing an infectious disease that can produce different symptom pictures. At the moment this is how COVID19 is presenting, which is why different GE remedies are being suggested - Arsenicum, Bryonia and Gelsemium being the most common. Its also why I have questions using a COVID19 nosode made from a single strain.
And remember, IF the resulting complex is proved it then becomes a unique single remedy that can be selected (or not) using the "classical" approach, like any other single remedy.
PS: Continuing back from where we left, what exactly does Similar Nosodes mean?
IG: I need to start by explaining one thing. As I stated in the first interview, I totally agree with Burnett that homoeoprophylaxis is prevention of disease based on the principle of similars. For me, it is irrelevant if the remedy used is a GE remedy or a nosode or a combination, provided the practitioner selects the remedy according to the Principle of Similars.
Plenty of homeopaths disagree, and you have reproduced an article by Brazillian academic MZ Teixeira who goes on about something he calls isoprophylaxis and how it is "unsupported by the homeopathic epistemological model".
For me, real isopathy is making potencies of the patients own tissue - use of exactly the same. Clearly using GE remedies has nothing to do with that. The use of Nosodes does not involve using the recipients own tissue, and given changes in the strains of circulating organisms its not even using the exactly identical organism much of the time.
But I just want to say that long and complex intellectual debates don't interest me – I am excited by evidence of how effective remedies chosen according to the Principle of Similars are in the real world. Excited by how properly selected and administered HP remedies can prevent suffering without imposing a toxic burden on recipients. That's what I call homoeoprophylaxis (HP) – if some readers want to call it something else, I really don't care. It works, and it is based on the fundamental homeopathic Principle of Similars, and that's enough for me.
To your question regarding what are "similar nosodes". Basically, they are remedies prepared from diseased material that can cause symptoms that are similar to the symptoms of the organism that is being targeted for prevention.
For example, a potency of the Covid virus will produce symptoms similar to the common symptoms of COVID19. We don't yet know if the different strains of COVID19 will produce similar symptoms. If they don't then it will be necessary to use more than one strain. But potencies of Influenza strains, or potencies of different Tubercular organisms will also produce symptoms that are somewhat similar to typical Covid symptoms - so I regard them as "similar nosodes". The real question becomes in practice - are they sufficiently similar to help prevent the disease?
PS: Since you have worked with Nosodes in your Immunization plan and your researches; what are your views about their use? Do they produce homeopathic aggravation?
IG: There are a lot of different questions there.
Nosodes are remedies. They should not be feared if used sensibly. Calc Carb can cause aggravations if prescribed inappropriately. I would be more worried about coming into contact with Lachesis venom (which almost killed Hering) than most Nosode material. In general, they are potentially useful in both treatment and prevention.
If I assume that you are referring to treatment for an infectious disease, then in general we have a lot of experience using a potency of an infectious agent to complete the recovery from an illness, or if the patient has "never been well since" a particular infection (like the flu or whooping cough).
I don't routinely use the Nosode of an infectious disease once the disease symptoms are clear – the symptom similimum should be used for treatment. Only occasionally will that mean using the Nosode. But I have seen quite a number of cases over the years where, for example, a child was developing whooping cough or measles and the parents gave the Nosode because they had it, and it prevented the case from developing. I still have a lot to learn here from such experiences.
I have just finished an in-clinic survey of people using an HP remedy for a current infectious disease and there were aggravations in 13% of people (not 13% of doses – most people had multiple doses). Most were very brief (less than 24 hours) and mild. But the symptoms produced were similar to the symptoms of the disease being prevented. And this is exactly what we would expect if the remedy was well chosen. It is also what we would expect if we were conducting a proving of the remedy. Some would say that was a proving.
So of course Nosodes can cause reactions, but so can any remedy.
PS: What are your views about using Covidnosode, keeping in view the mutating strains. Will it be easy to procure a nosode?
IG: It is easy to make a potency of material (sputum) from people formally diagnosed with COVID19. It will require precise laboratory testing to identify which strain is being potentised.
At this time we simply don't know (1) if a person infected with one strain will become immune to infection from other strains, or (2) whether different strains will produce similar or dissimilar symptom pictures.
For homeopaths the key question is symptom similarity. If all strains produced similar symptoms then a potency of a single strain will provide a level of protection against all strains. If, however, different strains produce different symptom pictures, and this is probable given that there are different GE recommendations from different homeopaths not only in different countries but within the same country, then a Nosode from single strain will not offer a high level of protection against other dis-similar strains.
Then we have the technology involved in making Nosodes from pure (laboratory cultured) strains. That will involve a different set of challenges, but that would be the perfect production method for individual identified strains.
Then we may need to consider making a Nosode using a combination of different strains of the organisms to cover different symptom pictures. This is what the Cubans did with Dengue.
But then we have government restrictions in most countries around handling infectious materials, and even when in a potentised (non-infectious) form, and restrictions around making therapeutic claims about the potential benefits. That is probably the hardest part because the pharmaceutical drug cartels have convinced many politicians that only drugs and vaccines have any effectiveness compared to natural therapies, when often the reverse is true.
PS: Thank you Dr. Isaac for this valuable information on Nosodes and your time.
IG: Thanks Dr. Srivastava, You are welcome.
