Kenbo

Kenbo, a new program offering a step-by-step guide to the way to achieve the most suitable remedy for a case, has just appeared on the homeopathic market.

Most existing software is designed to make the process of repertorisation easier. However, Kenbo's program provides much more than this. It offers a practical application of Hahnemann's concept in clinical practice, the processing and recording of case studies, as well as assisting in saving them.

The patient's symptoms are recorded directly in the software as complete symptoms. Then the program immediately converts the symptoms into rubrics through various repertories. All histories (present, past, family, personal, physical examination and investigation) are recorded in separate windows.

The evaluation of symptoms is made by considering the causative, mental, physical and particular symptom. The case is analysed by creating an acute and chronic totality, determining dominant and fundamental miasms based on the patient's present history, past history and family background.

Kenbo's software identifies the dominant type of symptom of the case and according to this dominance proposes one of the following reportorial approaches: Kent‘s approach, Boenninghausen’s/Boger‘s approach, Regional approach. Then the most suitable remedy for the case is suggested based on the repertorisation result, miasmatic dominance, constitutional background and potential drug affinity. The corresponding potency and frequency repetition of the remedy chosen is also suggested.

The continuity of a treatment and the decision on the second prescription is managed by the software, which reviews each symptom according to Kent's twelve observations and Hering‘s law.

Amongst other utilities the program helps to identify the different phases of a chronic case according to Hahnemann's miasmatic concept. It presents a graphical display of the patient's dominating miasm in the different stages of his or her life. There is also the option quick repertorisation in which the user can directly select rubrics from the five available repertories and repertorise the case without going to case processing or case taking. The ‘Physician’ menu allows the user to print a variety of generated reports as well as certificates, lab-testing formats, order sheets for medicines, follow-up appointments etc.

The software can definitely be recommended for newcomers since it directs the physician to take and record the case in a proper manner. In case taking it introduces the Hahnemannian miasmatic understanding and knowledge that the less experienced homeopath cannot acquire easily since it needs a lot of reading and experience.

For the experienced homeopath it ensures in case taking the so-called classical approach to homeopathy. It can be really helpful in difficult cases in which a proper understanding of miasms can lead the case in the right direction. It is also a powerful tool for recording cases and saving them separately.

The five repertories included in the program: Kent repertory, Boger/Boenninghausen repertory, Boenninghausen therapeutic pocket book, O. E. Boericke repertory, A-Z alphabetical repertory, should cover most cases with appropriate remedies, but the addition of other more updated repertories, with the inclusion of new rubrics and remedies, would have been welcome.

As mentioned above, the follow-up management is based on Kent's twelve observations and Hering's Law. However, some homeopaths think that Vithoulkas' twenty-two prognostic observations - inspired by these predecessors - describe with more accuracy the different situations created after a first prescription to form the basis for a more accurate second prescription.

The creators of the program claim it has been inspired by the teachings of the great masters: Hahnemann, Kent and Boenninghausen, and that they are committed to classical homeopathy. Nevertheless, in some complicated cases it may be worth combining the classical approach, exemplified by Kenbo's software, with other approaches, such as a consideration of the concept of Kingdoms, or with a more flexible idea of miasms.

I think that Kenbo's program is destined to play an important role, possibly a leading role, in the homeopathic software world.