Terrain, also known as vital force, chi, reactional mode, susceptibility to name a few. This is where the art and science of Homeopathic Medicine merge.
The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything.
~ Louis Pasteur
There are different terms to express the concept of terrain theory. Whether we use the word susceptibility, chi, reactional mode, miasma or vital force, it all gets us to the same place. If the ‘terrain’ is degenerative, well, what thrives on degenerative terrain? Degenerative disease. Our goal is to shift the reactional mode to a healthier expression. We don’t treat Dis’ease, we treat the person. That’s why it doesn’t matter what we’re dealing with since the principles don’t change. We want to do proper intake and assessment so that we can monitor if we are going in the proper direction of cure. Moving the case from a degenerative state to a healthier reactional mode is the goal. As Homeopaths, we take the case, get as many details as possible about the expression of symptoms to guide us to a well indicated remedy. The remedy plays the role of nudging the body to self-regulate. Treat what is expressed and match the dosage and potency to the intensity. This is where the art and science of Homeopathic Medicine merge.