The implausibility of the Vital Force in the existent medical paradigm

Tags

dynamis, Hahnemann, Health, life energy, paradigm, scientificity, Vital force, vital principle

 

“Science has brought great advancements, yet all research has not brought us one step closer, in the question of the origin of life” – Prof. Rouviere, as quoted in Kent (page 89 – (1))

For homeopathy and many of the traditional and alternative health practices (2, 3) it is accepted without question, that for a material organism to come to life it needs an elemental principle that permeates and enlivenes the organism (1).

Hahnemann terms this anima or archeus, dynamis or vital force. This life-giving principle he describes as the source of all functional ability of the organism. Without it no physical action, emotional expression or perception, not even sustenance of life is possible (Aph.10 – (4)).

Therefore, according to Hahnemann, if man is ill, it is the omnipresent spirit-like vital force in the body that is ailing. Such inharmonious state, causes the adverse perception that is known as disease (Aph.10.11 – (4)).

Kent (1) interprets these statements of Hahnemann, stressing that it is the subjective and objective symptoms thanks to which it is possible to recognize a state of illness. Disease is the disruption of order, a disequilibrium in the functions of the organism. Therefore, a state of illness, much like one of health, spreads to the entire organism by way of the immaterial life – principle (1). Disease is thus a disturbance of the Vital Force (1, 3).

Conventional medicine understands illness and disease as “pathological cellular biochemistry” (page 2 – (6)); caused by influences produced by the infliction with bacteria, viruses or an inert hereditary dysfunction(5, 6). Therefore, an illness is to allopathic medicine, a material emergence, an alteration of body tissue and fluid. Furthermore, conventional medicine insists on healing being a consequence of drug intake. In homeopathy and other alternative and traditional therapies, healing occurs by the “reactive and curative power of the organism” (page 41 – (3)), of the inherent vital force, that in its progression leads to recovery (2).

The Vital Force does not belong to the belief-system of Science (5). Conventional medicine boasts with seemingly strictest scientificity, and the principle of scientificity insists that cases of sickness, their medicines and all issues pertaining to healing and treatment have to be testable according to the framework of research, that is strictly compliant with the principles of Science. Only if such investigation, according to this predominant paradigm, identifies a causal influence creating disease, and proposes an effective curative, is a therapeutic approach considered a scientifically acceptable treatment (5).

Within this pledge lies the crux to the acceptance and acknowledgement of the homeopathic treatment approach. According to conventional medicine “the Vital Force is not ascertainable” (page 3 – (6)) and thus homeopathy is denied scientificity. The Vital Force as causal principle is not measurable within the current conventional means of research, thus homeopathy is non-compliant with the structures of the existent paradigm and is termed as unscientific and is as such rejected (5, 6).

Yet, life itself, the origin of it, has not been made perceptible despite the vast methods of investigation that are available today (5). What research has and is documenting, are merely the life-concomitant chemical and physical processes and changes, but not life itself. It is difficult to accept and acknowledge that an immensely complicated and complex structure as the human organism, with its expansive number of cells, molecules, atoms, and theirmanifold interactions, does not involve a system or higher order that has constructed this material complex. A coincidential accumulation of this intelligent construction is hardly plausible (5). Therefore there must, behind this complex material organism, lie an entire energetic sphere of unimaginable complication, that has created, is maintaining and operating this material structure (5).

The human being has no sensory organ that can surpass the material, and is able to reach into the energetic sphere. Yet, taking into consideration that energies exist, magnetism, or gravitation, for example, that are not palpable, or perceivable by the human senses, emphasizes and supports the existence of such a sphere (5). As such, the actual cause of health and disease lies in this realm that has not been investigated and is yet unknown to us (5). Therefore, what instigates life in the material body, the source of all life-cycles of the human being, has yet to be determined (5). For homeopathy, and many traditional and alternative practices, the spark of life is ignited by an energetic principle; for homeopathy this is the Vital Force (2).

Science has led to extensive advancement where material events are concerned. Yet only, where the material sphere of the material organism is concerned. The actual cause for illness or health it has not identified yet (5).

Why and how the Vital Force or a causal energetic principle, got obsolete in medical thinking, considering it’s widespread and long-lasting belief in the traditional healing systems (2), is unclear, but it’s rejection has given rise to fundamental questions potentially influential on the understanding of all vital themes of life in general, as well as the comprehension of health, disease and cure. Until evidence for the existence of this energetic sphere is found, the implausability of the Vital Force, for conventional medicine, will remain and homeopathic effectivity will continue to be questioned.

References:

[1] Kent, J. (1981). Zur Theorie der Homöopathie (2. Auflage) Leer: Verlag Grundlagen und Praxis.

[2] Stux, G. (1996). Akupunktur – Grundlagen, Techniken, Anwendungsgebiete München: C.H. Beck

[3] Jackson, R. (2001). Vis Mediatrix Naturae, vital Force to innate intelligence and concepts for 2000 Journal of Chiropractic HumanitiesVol.10, 41-47 [online] last accessed October 2012, available at URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1556-3499(13)60132-1

[4] Hahnemann, S. (1974). Organon der Heilkunst (2.Auflage) 6B Heidelberg:Karl F. Haug Verlag.

[5] Voegeli, A. (1980) Warum so krank? Rheine: Verlag Volksheilkunde

[6] Milgrom, L. (2009) Is a unified theory of homeopathy and conventional medicine possible? Hpathy,[online] last accessed January 2014, available at URL: http://hpathy.com/scientific-research/is-a-unified-theory-of-homeopathy-and-conventional-medicine-possible/

 

 

 

The vital force – a concept lost?

Tags

dynamis, Hahnemann, Kundalini, life energy, Qi, Vital force, vital principle

 

The vital force as a fundamental principle of the homeopathic treatment approach describes a life-inducing, spirit-like power that is inherent to all living things, human, animal, insect, plant.

Termed by Hahnemann as the “dynamis” it enlivens the material organism [1]. Without this vital energy the material body is unable to function, to conduct physical exertion, process or express emotional perception. All expression of life is impossible, not even the preservation of the self. This force is instinctive and without intellect. Its sole purpose is to maintain a harmonious equilibrium within the healthy organism. The dynamis has no curative ability [1].

This concept is not alien to medical thinking or the healing practices. In particular the traditional and alternative treatment approaches see a vital principle as foundational element of their healthcare philosophies.

At the root of the traditional Chinese belief system on the nature of the existence of life, and basic to the traditional medical thinking, is a universal life-force or life-energy termed “Qi”. Qi is the inherent source of all life, the life-force of nature [2]. All organ function finds its provoking force in Qi. Qi flows in the organism enlivening it. Although Qi is built from different Qi-energy forms on different levels within the body, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, its immaterial existence is what breathes life into an otherwise lifeless material organism [2].

In the Ayurveda, the universal life-force that instigates all function of the living body, is known as Prana or Kundalini [2].

In about 97 cultures and throughout all time, a vital energy bringing the body to life is a manifest concept of the philosophies of life. It explains and nurtures the understanding of illness and cure [2]. Yet toward the beginning of the 20th century this principle was abandoned in the western oriented conception of medicine and has since not found its way back into what was then born as the new conventional medical approach.

Where and why was this fundamental element lost? It always was and still is an established, accepted and valued component of the traditional and alternative practices. The dismissal of this property has undoubtedly impacted the development of conventional medicine, and the research that strived and still strives to be found scientific as per the standards of this allopathic approach. It has in the past been extremely difficult to provide evidence of effectiveness of the alternative practices as they are without exception required to be trialed using the standards of conventional medical testing. Yet these trial methodologies breech the most basic principle of traditional and alternative medicine. According to these requirements, investigations into the traditional and alternative approaches have been and are bound to be only inconclusively and unsatisfactorily appraisable.

What if the consequences of the rejection of a vital principle biased the medical concept of allopathy at the very root? What if the ignorance of a vital essence or life-energy has flawed and is corrupting all research and has mislead and is misleading all knowledge derived from it? What is the extent of impact on conventional medical thinking and on the scientific endeavours of finding and explaining disease, treatment and cure? Where would medicine and its research stand today had this principle been considered and had it been thoroughly investigated?

What held true for many thousand of years and within multiple health concepts and practices was suddenly found to be…wrong, impractical, useless ?? Why? Who decided to abandon a ‘natural law’ only as recently as about 100 years ago? How could the then new and modern concept of healing become as dominant over the traditional practices and as ignorant of this particular traditional principle?

The vital force is by all means not the only principle of the traditional practices that finds no consideration in conventional medical thinking, but in the practice of homeopathy for example, it constitutes the most fundamental element that is of great value in the understanding of disease and healing.

What was true and accepted for so long and had significant impact on diverse ancient and traditional health-care systems could, so one may be lead to think, be considered trialled and proven. One can only imagine where conventional medicine would stand today if its treatment, testing tools and scientific framework had taken the vital force into consideration in its creation.

[1] Hahnemann, S. (1974). Organon der Heilkunst (2.Auflage) 6B Heidelberg:Karl F. Haug Verlag.

[2] Stux, G. (1996) Akupunktur – Grundlagen, Techniken, Anwendungsgebiete München: C.H. Beck