Spectrum of Homoeopathy 2021-1, Genius epidemicus

Genius epidemicus

In the successful treatment of various epidemics, from scarlet fever and influenza to cholera, the old masters of homeopathy usually managed with one or a few remedies whose symptom patterns best corresponded to the genius epidemicus of the respective scourge. When SARS-CoV-2 began to spread across the globe from China more than a year ago, homeopaths around the world networked to find the remedy that would represent the genius epidemicus of the new disease. As we now know, there is not a single remedy, but a pool of helpful medicines, some of which the old masters already used during epidemics. Alongside well-known polycrests such as Bryonia or Phosphorus, rare remedies like Adamas, Lobelia purpurascens, Ozon or Carboneum dioxygenisatum are also employed. Remedies such as Abrotanum or Radium bromatum were determined via the plant theory or the periodic table of the elements, and proponents of modern methodological approaches were also guided by the idea that the genius should relate to the global disease aspects of society and planet Earth.                                                                                                                                    

In this issue of "SPEKTRUM" homeopaths report in moving contemporary accounts from the hotspots of the pandemic in northern Italy, the USA, Russia, South Africa, Spain, India, Belgium and the Netherlands. The individual fates in the case studies convey the full horror of a disease whose pathogen is now producing even more dangerous mutants. Even though, with such a varied clinical picture, the effect of a remedy is often difficult to assess, in many examples a rapid turn-around with sustained improvement demonstrates the success of the homeopathic treatment.

As a result, in most cases the aim of preventing the progression of the disease to the point of requiring inpatient treatment can be achieved. In this way, where homeopathy is used in the early stages of Covid-19 it can make an important contribution towards alleviating the shortage of therapies during the pandemic. This also applies to the treatment of the common post-Covid syndrome and the psychological consequences of the pandemic such as anxiety, paranoia, depression, overwhelm and burnout.