Miasmen Allgemein Anhang
[Farokh Master]
Spme Practical Discussion on Miasmatic
Theory
The
term miasm comes from the Greek word meaning ‘pollution’
or ‘taint’. Hippocrates was the first person who gave an idea to the medical world
that a disease could be transmitted through air, water and other sources. After
few centuries, there came another terminology known as infectious disease, and we
were informed that now air,
water,
food and other things that surround us could play an important role in the transmission
of illness. When Hahnemann was practicing in Germany, the term miasm
was
already in use. The word miasm indicated any disease with
an unknown cause. The understanding was that this particular miasm pollutes the whole system producing
a
permanent diseased state. It was chiefly used with reference to the disease syphilis
since they had yet not discovered the bacteria that caused syphilis.
Hahnemann,
was the first physician in the world who made an attempt to nosologically
classify the disease. He began by separating true chronic diseases from
diseases
that
were caused by mechanical or outside influence (which could be alleviated by modifying
the environment or lifestyle of the patient) (refer aphorism no. 77).
These
conditions included traumas of all kinds, poisons, frostbites, sunstroke and
dietary deficiencies and hence Hahnemann was able to clearly classify those illnesses
that
depended
entirely on external conditions. Removing these conditions was the first step
to the cure. In fact you may call Hahnemann a forerunner of the 20th
century
medicine
and a proponent of prevention and treatment to a healthy lifestyle and natural
living.
Later,
during his practice Hahnemann made an observation, that a healthy diet or
proper lifestyle can make you remain healthy and remove certain chronic illnesses
to a
certain
extent only. He observed that inspite of such strict
control measures, the chronic diseases unfolded into new and worse symptoms, leading
inevitably to further
aggravation.
The diet may appear to eliminate a particular expression of disease (cancer of the
colon), but it cannot eradicate the tendency to produce such a cancer which Hahnemann
attributed to the underlying miasm.
In
the treatment of his patient with chronic diseases Hahnemann was disappointed
with his results and found that the well-chosen remedy typically would work for
a while
but
then the disease would relapse with vengeance.
Hahnemann
became quite restless and anxious, at that particular point (this was around
1816). He worked tirelessly day and night trying to study the case history of
the
patients
and while studying those histories; he found a certain pattern of disease in patient’s
family history and past history, which he felt explained the true basis of
chronic
diseases.
He
called these patterns as miasm and declared that
unless the underlying miasm was completely uprooted from
the origin, a chronic disease could not be permanently cured
with
homoeopathy even if it is a well-chosen remedy.
In
the year 1828, he expounded his theory of miasm for the
very first time in his book „chronic diseases‟. He described to begin with,
three miasm Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis.
Later
in the course of history, Dr.Allen perceived the Tubercular
miasm, which is nothing but the combination of Psoric and Syphilitic miasm. The Cancer
miasm was first propounded by Dr. Roberts, which is
based on a mixture of at least two and often three of all the other four miasm.
Some
homoeopaths have added other miasm such as Aids miasm, Vaccination miasm, Typhoid
miasm, Leprosy miasm etc.
When
Hahnemann began his research of unsolved chronic cases, he carefully recorded
the chief complaints, the past history and the family history of the patient. One
thing that attracted him the most was the past and the family history of gonorrhoea
and syphilis respectively.
Around
1/8th of the total cases that he studied, he could he could elicit a
definite past history of venereal disease. He used the term sycosis
miasm for gonorrhoea and syphilis
miasm for syphilis. Setting these sycotic and syphilitic cases aside, he was still left with
large group of chronic conditions that he found difficult to classify.
If
one carefully studies chronic cases, there are 69 pages describing the symptoms
of his patients, which he found very difficult to classify.
These
symptoms included chiefly recurrent attacks of acute conditions, which although
seemingly cured at that time would prick out again upon little provocations.
Recurrent
attacks of coryza.
Recurrent
bouts of sneezing.
Recurrent
bouts of sinusitis.
Recurrent
headaches.
Recurrent
tonsillitis.
Recurrent
attacks of adenoids.
Recurrent
attacks of fever.
In
analyzing hundreds of such records, he found one definite history and that is
suppression of a skin eruption or an itch in any form.
He
also found out on very careful scrutiny that the patient had either forgotten or
did not find it important to report to Hahnemann at that particular time.
If
one reads “Chronic Disease” carefully, Hahnemann used the remedy Sulphur left, right
and front. This was not because Hahnemann was very fond of the remedy Sulphur
but
because in those days skin eruption was suppressed by Sulphur ointments or Sulphur
baths, because the allopathic physician at that time was not aware of any connection
between the suppression of skin eruption and the chronic symptoms that would
follow later on.
Hahnemann
understood this very clearly and that is why, after using Sulphur in such patients,
he could bring the original skin eruption back. Later on after the eruption had
cleared
off the patients would once again live in perfect health.
He
also tried to scrutinize his prescriptions in the se patients with skin disease,
where he confesses very honestly, that the prescriptions were very superficial,
treating only
the
acute superficial layer of symptoms, whereas the real conditions were very
chronic and deep rooted.
Initially,
he says, he made a big mistake by not taking the past and family history into account,
and treating the case very superficially.
Later
on he regretted that and decided that henceforth, if the patient has to be
cured permanently then past anamnesis is a must. Now to eradicate this chronic root
of illness,
he
felt would be easy with the help of Antipsoric
remedies.
This
method of observing the cases in detail and analyzing them, took Hahnemann 12
full years of hard work and toil. This was the period in his life where Hahnemann
wanted
to
always treat all the diseases from the miasmatic perspective.
Initially when Hahnemann propounded his theory, many Homoeopaths did not believe
in him.
His
theory of miasms was the most controversial topic at that
time, but gradually when people experimented with his theory and put it into
practice, they found good results.
Later
on they became great proponents of this theory writing many articles advocating
this theory.
The
doctors who helped Dr. Hahnemann to pioneer this theory during and after his
death were: Dr. Hering, Dr. Stapf,
Dr. Gross and Dr. Kent.
Although
many followers of Hahnemann considered his miasmatic theory
farfetched, and many modern Homoeopaths considered it unnecessary, I believe that
the proof lies
in
its clinical effectiveness. In my practice I have found prescribing on the miasm to be the most powerful and essential tool.
And
I hope that my dear readers will start accepting this theory and apply it in their
practice.
Now
I shall discuss some of the terminologies and the important principles in miasmatic prescribing. Hahnemann clearly makes a distinction
between a Dormant miasm,
a
Latent miasm and an Active miasm.
Although in our day-to-day practice we do not see much difference between
dormant and latent miasm, however, we do see a strong
difference between the latent miasm and acute miasm.
A
dormant miasm according to Dr. Hahnemann is one that shows
no symptoms of the miasm at all. It is usually discovered
when the physician is talking with the patient and discussing the family and the
past history.
When
the miasm is Dormant, the person practically leads a very
healthy lifestyle physically and emotionally, giving a false impression to others
in the family and the society
that
they are healthy and free of any disease. However this dormant miasmatic stage can become active easily, by any suppressive
measures or by vaccinations or by using
antibiotics
for minor ailments and going under suppressive surgeries or taking allopathic
treatment.
A
Latent miasm on the other hand will definitely show some
minor, transitory symptoms, but these are unnoticed by the patient. Only if the
Homoeopathic physician is very observant, may he observe those fine symptoms.
Now
what are those fine symptoms of the Latent miasm? If
you refer any textbook on philosophy by Roberts, or many Indian authors, you will
see there are chapters on
Latent
Psora, Latent Sycosis, and Latent
Syphilis. However, if you read Chronic Diseases, Hahnemann has described symptoms
related to the Latent miasmatic state, for
example
the Latent Psoric miasm.
He
talks about perspiration on the nape of the neck, perspiration on the scalp, swelling
of the cervical gland, epistaxis, nose obstruction, tendency
to catch cough and cold,
twitching
of the limb when going to sleep, constipation, irritation of the anus, sour
taste in the mouth, etc. In other words these symptoms are so minimum and so
harmless
that
it would rarely make the patient realize that he should go and visit a physician.
These symptoms have very little impact on the vital force, but as the person slowly
tries
to
suppress these symptoms by the orthodox or allopathic treatment then suddenly this
Latent miasm becomes active and then produces more
serious symptoms. This will
affect
the vital force profoundly, and calls for an emergency to see a physician.
I
would also like to mention to you, when not to treat the case miasmatically. This situation arises very frequently in my practice
especially in those cases which are terminally
ill-e.g. patients with coma due to massive Cerebro
Vascular Accidents, acute Encephalitis, acute Meningitis, and cases of severe Congestive
Cardiac Failure, Advanced
Malignancies
with distant metastasis, Diabetic coma, etc. In these cases if we prescribe on miasmatic basis, there are fair chances that you will produce
very severe aggravation, which the patient may not be able to tolerate. Hence
in these conditions it is always better to treat the patient in the most
palliative way, either by using 3c, 3x, 6c, 6x potency
or
an LM potency.
Also
I have seen in my practice that a homoeopathic physician wrongly gives a nosode solely based on the name of the disease, like Tuberculinum with history of tuberculosis, Carcinosin when there is history of cancer, Syphilinum for history of syphilis, Medorrhinum
when there is history of gonorrhoea either in the past or in the family history,
without any other indication of the nosode.
This
is very very dangerous; please remember that a nosode should never be prescribed purely on the history
without identifying at least 2 - 3 other symptoms of that particular nosode in the patient. If you make this mistake, there are fair
chances that you will stimulate the Latent Psora or
the Latent Syphilis, or a Latent Sycosis and turn it into
an acute
full
swing miasm. This will make the patient worse than the
condition that he had come in.
Hahnemann
gives a clear warning. Hahnemann says in Chronic Disease, that - ‘in a mixed case,
as one miasm is cured and disappears the Latent one suddenly
become active.
Wait
until the Latent miasm becomes active before
prescribing for it. The first active miasm may need
several remedies before the next miasm reappears for e.g.
a patient with
active
sycotic miasm may need Thuja, Medorrhinum, and Nitric
acid before the psora appears. Now let me tell you
something about treating pregnant women using the
miasmatic theory. In “Chronic Disease” Hahnemann says as
follows, “pregnancy offers so little obstruction to the antipsoric
and hence all miasmatic treatments, that this treatment
is
often most necessary and useful in that condition. It is most necessary because
the chronic ailments are then more developed. In this state of pregnancy the symptoms
of internal miasms are often manifested more outspoken
and plainly on account of the increased sensitivity of the female body”.
If
a woman is in a better health during pregnancy, as often happens because of the
exteriorization just described, Hahnemann suggests treating the symptom manifested
before
the
pregnancy. He linked miscarriages, congenital defects, and improper presentation
of fetus (breech presentation, transverse
presentation), to be syphilitic miasm that ideally
should
be treated before pregnancy or at least during it.
(From
the book Dr. Luc De Shepard)
In
chronic diseases Hahnemann discusses the value of giving antipsoric
remedies to pregnant women. He says homoeopathic treatment is indispensable in order
to destroy Psora,
the
producer of most chronic diseases, which is given to them hereditarily,
destroying the psora both within the mother and in the
fetus. Women who got themselves treated
during
pregnancy, Hahnemann says, have given birth to children who are much more healthier,
much more stronger and are almost free of major illnesses. One has to be very
careful
in treating a pregnant woman who has lot of suppressions in the past history or
is in a habit of using drugs (either allopathic or narcotic).
These
women should be treated with care because when you give an antipsoric
remedy to such a mother there are fair chances that whatever is suppressed will
come out on the surface and it will become very difficult for the mother and the
unborn child to bear the aggravation.
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