Abstract
M.Tech.
The most susceptible and vulnerable segment of society to HIV/AIDS infection is the population sector aged between twenty and forty years old. This threatens to impact negatively on South Africa’s economic, social and human development (Whiteside and Sunter, 2001). The aim of this descriptive pilot study is to elicit a homoeopathic symptom picture of HIV positive Black females living in Gauteng, and also to compare this symptom picture to existing HIV proving pictures.
Ten HIV positive Black females living in Gauteng were interviewed from a homoeopathic perspective. The participants were aged between twenty-two and forty years, and were in the asymptomatic carrier phase or the AIDS related complex (ARC) phase of HIV infection. None of the participants were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The researcher utilized a set questionnaire to conduct the interviews with. Each interview was compared to one another to determine the common themes and trends emerging from the case histories. These common features were utilized to produce a unique homoeopathic symptom picture of HIV infection in Black females. This symptom picture was compared to the existing HIV proving pictures of Stallick’s and Norland’s AIDS nosodes and Chappell’s PC1. The symptom picture was repertorised using the Cara Pro computerized repertory programme to determine possible constitutional and genus epidemicus treatment options for HIV infection as well as to evaluate the miasmatic presentation of HIV.
This study indicates that the HIV proving pictures of the AIDS nosodes and PC1 closely match the unique homoeopathic symptom picture derived from this study. Possible genus epidemicus treatment options include Iodium and PC1. A wide variety of constitutional prescription options materialized from this research. This study also supports the idea that HIV/AIDS is a miasm in its own right, and is represented by aspects of the psoric, sycotic, syphilitic, tuburculinic and cancer miasms.
This work is dedicated to the memory of Bongi, a fun-loving, sincere and courageous woman, and to all the HIV/AIDS sufferers in South Africa.
Dr. J. Roohani
Dr. K.S Peck
Dr. T.A Blake