Hahnemann's concept of similimum under the light of paradoxical pharmacology of modern pharmacodynamics; the science behind homoeopathy

Abstract

Homoeopathy, being effective in various disease conditions, is a very popular choice of treatment among patients after conventional therapies. Despite that, the scientific community always tuned down its adoption due to the unexplored mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines. Unexplained working principles of Post-Avogadro dilutions and lack of molecular existence has always interfered with the acceptance of homoeopathy in the modern world. In the secondary action, homeopathic medicines show the reciprocal activity of its primary action. It seems that along with body homeostasis, it also acts on receptor level as an inverse agonist and after binding with a receptor at the resting phase it acts by reducing basal activity. As a result of this effect, it ends up producing an opposite biological effect known as a secondary action. Homeopathic drugs in its ultra–dilution probably show effects due to paradoxical activity which is generated at a definite time which can prove that secondary action is not due to the placebo effect. Paradoxical pharmacology clearly provides a basis for the concept of homeopathic drug dynamics as various drugs of modern medicines also have shown their paradoxical activity in high dilution. It is a complex receptor-mediated action which can alter the cell signaling pathway and can bring significant change in host adaptive response. In this review, we have exemplified the relation between the concepts of homeopathic drug dynamics with the rebound effect of drug substances to minimize the fallacy associated with homeopathic pharmacodynamics.