Homeopathy Therapeutically Uses Homeopathic Medicines, but Also Narratives, which are Integrated into Compassionate Care: A Comparison between Homeopathic Medicine and Narrative Medicine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/bjhr.1202.18593Keywords:
homeopathy, homeopathic medicine, narrative medicine, narratives, law of similarityAbstract
Homeopathy, founded about two centuries ago by Samuel Hahnemann, is a clinical methodology based on the law of similarity and, both in diagnosis and therapy, takes this fundamental law into account. During homeopathic treatments, small doses of substances are administered which, if administered in high doses, would produce symptoms similar to those that need to be treated. In a homeopathic treatment, homeopathic medicines are used therapeutically, but also narratives, which are integrated into a compassionate treatment, typically Hahnemannian, supported by a clinically holistic, global, human approach, guided by compassion and the awareness that similar is cured by similar: similia similibus curentur. Homeopathy, which today also makes use of important knowledge acquired with rigorous scientific research, homeopathically uses narratives in an integrative therapeutic function, therefore, we consider a comparison between homeopathic medicine and narrative medicine useful, interesting and scientifically constructive.
References
Teixeira MZ. "Similia Similibus Curentur": The scientific grounding of the homeopathic therapeutic principle through the systematic study of the rebound effect of modern drugs. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2022 Jul 31; 77:100091. doi: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2022.100091. PMID: 35921759; PMCID: PMC9343926.
Patil BK, Gandhi MA. The Life and Legacy of Samuel Hahnemann: Founder of Homoeopathy and His Medical Philosophy. Cureus. 2024 Sep 30;16(9):e70489. doi: 10.7759/cureus.70489. PMID: 39479118; PMCID: PMC11524651. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39479118/,https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11524651/
Chatburn E, Marks E, Maddox L. Item development for a patient-reported measure of compassionate healthcare in action. Health Expectations. 2024; 27:e13953. doi:10.1111/hex.13953. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/hex.13953
Goldberg, Michael J. MD*,†. Compassionate Care: Making It a Priority and the Science Behind It. Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics 40():p S4-S7, July 2020. | DOI: 10.1097/BPO.000000000001502. https://journals.lww.com/pedorthopaedics/FullText/2020/07001/Compassionate_Care__Making_It_a_Priority_and_the.3.aspx
Gale, N.K. From body‐talk to body‐stories: body work in complementary and alternative medicine. Sociology of Health & Illness, 2011, 33.2: 237-251. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01291.x
Jimenez, CAR. Narrative medicine. The patient as “text”, object and subject of compassion. Acta Bioethica, 2017, 23 (2):353-361. https://philpapers.org/rec/JIMNMT
Charon, R. What to do with stories: the sciences of narrative medicine. Canadian Family Physician, 2007, 53.8: 1265-1267. https://www.cfp.ca/content/53/8/1265.short
Kirmayer, LJ, Gómez-Carrillo, A, Sukhanova, E, & Garrido, E. Narrative medicine. Person centered medicine, 2023, 235-255. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-17650-0_14#citeas
Charon R. The patient-physician relationship. Narrative medicine: a model for empathy, reflection, profession, and trust. JAMA. 2001 Oct 17;286(15):1897-902. doi: 10.1001/jama.286.15.1897. PMID: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194300
Mohanti BK. Lessons from narrative medicine: Cancer care will improve with narrative oncology. Lessons from narrative medicine: Cancer care will improve with narrative oncology. Indian J Cancer. 2021 Oct-Dec;58(4):615-618. doi: 10.4103/ijc.IJC_809_20. PMID: 34975103. https://journals.lww.com/indianjcancer/fulltext/2021/58040/lessons_from_narrative_medcine__cancer_care_will.21.aspx
Florijn BW, der Graaf HV, Schoones JW, Kaptein AA. Narrative medicine: A comparison of terminal cancer patients' stories from a Dutch hospice with those of Anatole Broyard and Christopher Hitchens. Death Stud. 2019;43(9):570-581. doi:10.1080/07481187.2018.1504350. Epub 2018 Sep 28. PMID: 30265841. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07481187.2018.1504350?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org
Scott-Conner CEH, Agarwal D. Applications of Narrative Medicine to Surgical Education. Am Surg. 2022 Dec;88(12):2851-2856. doi: 10.1177/00031348211029851. Epub 2021 Jun 27. PMID: 34180247. 298 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00031348211029851?url_ver=Z39.882003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Schaff PB. Pediatrics and Narrative Medicine. Pediatr Res. 2022 Oct;92(4):910-911. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01910-y. Epub 2021 Dec 20. PMID: 34930969; PMCID: PMC8686355.
Fenstermacher E, Longley RM, Amonoo HL. Finding the Story in Medicine: The Use of Narrative Techniques in Psychiatry. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2021 Jun;44(2):263-281. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2021.03.006. PMID: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0193953X21000113?via%3Dihub
Soni M, Eidelman AS. Opportunities for narrative medicine in dental education and practice, a narrative review. J Dent Educ. 2022 Mar;86(3):328-333. doi: 10.1002/jdd.12806. Epub 2021 Oct 13. PMID: 34647322. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34647322/, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jdd.12806
Nowaczyk MJ. Narrative medicine in clinical genetics practice. Am J Med Genet A. 2012 Aug;158A(8):1941-7. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.35482. Epub 2012 Jun 29. PMID: 22753050. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22753050/, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.35482
Granat LM, Thanoo N, Dettmer M, Kamath S, Bhalla R, Killeen C, Lichtman D, Griffin A, Mohammad M, Wardrop R. A Narrative Medicine Pilot Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents. Med Sci Educ. 2023 Oct 2;33(6):1315-1317. doi: 10.1007/s40670-023-01896-8. PMID: 38188403; PMCID: PMC10766982. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38188403/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10766982/
Leopold SS. Editorial: What is Narrative Medicine, and Why Should We Use it in Orthopedic Practice? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2018 Nov;476(11):2105-2107. doi:10.1097/CORR.0000000000000504. PMID: 30239354; PMCID: PMC6259984. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30239354/,https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6259984/,https://journals.lww.com/clinorthop/fulltext/2018/11000/editorial__what_is_narrative_meicine,_and_why.1.aspx
Midena E, Polo C, Frizziero L, Marini MG, Lattanzio R, Vadalà M, Pilotto E, Varano M. The Narrative Medicine Approach in the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema: An Italian Experience. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 30;19(15):9367. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159367. PMID: 35954724; PMCID: PMC9368569.
Jiao J, Brumbach BH, Lobb B, Goldhirsch S, Hiller A. Narrative Medicine Interventions to Advance Care Planning in Parkinson's Disease. J Palliat Med. 2024 Aug;27(8):984-985. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2024.0063. Epub 2024 Jun 25. PMID: 38916068. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38916068/,https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jpm.2024.0063?url_ver=Z39.882003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Hahnemann CFS, Sixth edition of the Organon of the art of healing, translated by Giuseppe Riccamboni, red/studio redazionale, Como, 1985, p. 71, § 84, note 1.
Davidson J, Jonas W. Individualized Homeopathy: A Consideration of Its Relationship to Psychotherapy. J Altern Complement Med. 2016 Aug;22(8):594-8. doi: 10.1089/acm.2015.0365. Epub 2016 Jun 10. PMID: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2015.0365?url_ver=Z39.882003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed
Konitzer M, Renée A, Doering T. Homeopathic remedies as metaphors in family therapy. A narrative-based approach to homeopathy. Homeopathy. 2003 Apr;92(2):77-83. doi: 10.1016/s1475-4916(03)00005-5. PMID: 12725249. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12725249/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1475491603000055 299
Hartog CS. Elements of effective communication--rediscoveries from homeopathy. Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Nov;77(2):172-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2009.03.021. Epub 2009 Apr 15. PMID: 19372024.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19372024/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738399109000834?via%3Dihub
De Giorgio G., Homeopathy, science, similia similibus, Dissertation on the scientific meaning of homeopathic medicine, Preface by Giulio Tarro, Afterword by Francesco Pungitore, Book published by the author (selfpublishing, ilmiolibro), 2024. (ISBN: 979-12-22804-96-5).
Tarro G. & De Giorgio G. Homeopathy in the Treatment of Cancer: A Hope That Must Be Nurtured, «British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research», 2024, 11(6), 264–270. https://doi.org/10.14738/bjhmr.116.18003
Eyles C, Leydon GM, Brien SB. Forming connections in the homeopathic consultation. Patient Educ Couns. 2012 Dec;89(3):501-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2012.02.004. Epub 2012 Feb 26. PMID: 22370197. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738399112000778?via%3Dihub
De Giorgio G. Homeopathy and logotherapy. A comparison of constitutional homeopathic psychology and logotherapy. Preface by Eugenio Fizzotti. Edizioni Larius, Rome, 1996, p. 59.
Tarro, G., & De Giorgio, G. Artificial Intelligence Can Assist the Homeopath, But It Cannot Replace Him: Listening to a Doctor is Different from Listening to a Robot. British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research, 2025, 12(01), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.14738/bjhmr.1201.18170
De Giorgio G., Thinking and writing homeopathically. Collection of poems, aphorisms, phrases and thoughts of a homeopath. An exercise in narrative medicine. Presentation by Mauro F. Minervino. Book published by the author (self-publishing, ilmiolibro), 2023. (ISBN: 978-88-92398-66-5).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Giulio Tarro, Giovanni De Giorgio
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
