Abstract- The discovery of chronic miasm by Hahnemann was a death blow to the erroneous conceptions of the etiology of disease. This article is in regards with dr j h allen perspective on psora and pseudo psora. On his explanation about the concept of suppression and modes of motion of the miasms.
Key Words– J H Allen, miasm, Psora, Pseudo Psora, history, philosophy
Why is it Necessary for a True Homoeopath to Know about Chronic Miasms?
- To select a similar remedy.
- With knowledge of these disease forces (Miasms) and knowledge of the law of action and reaction, we can watch the progress of a case.
- Recurrence of symptoms takes place.
What is the Proof for the Existence of Chronic Miasms?
- The persistence of chronic ailments.
- Homoeopathic remedy (high potency)🡪 diseases disappear by receding in the reverse order that it came. (hering’s guiding symptoms)
- Latent, inherent, internal, pre-existing cause is present along with life force; it arose and fell as it was disturbed by secondary, or exciting, causes.
Psora: –
Hahnemann found that when there was present a marked psoric or miasmatic state, which was due to some specific cause (outside of venereal disease) lay at the bottom of all chronic or acute expressions of disease, & this unknown devitalizing principle, he named psora.
History of Psora: –
- -3rd book of moses- leviticus: – priest differentiates eruptions in its earliest stages from the plague of leprosy.
Life of Israelites: –
- When they had a pure life, they were free from inroads of miasm.
- Their simple life, freedom from overindulgence in wine or spirituous liquors, meat, rich food, kept disease confined to the body surface.
- When their bad habits began to be corrupt, diseases became numerous & more complex.
- They began to use mineral medicines & local medicaments, thereby suppressing it.
Original form of Psora:
- Psora originally came as a form of itch of a contagious nature, of so contagious nature that a shake of hand or even touch of garments of the affected one would carry disease to another.
Secondary Manifestations:
- It could not appear primarily in any form of eruption in disease such as eczema, psoriasis
- They are all secondary processes of psora or some other miasms
- Psora assumed such diversity of character only through the unscientific & suppressive methods of treatment
- Future manifestations will be in form of structural changes in organism
Stimulants Stirring Up the Latent Miasms?
- Which makes their actions more complex & difficult to cure.
- Excessive use of drinks such as coffee, tea
- Use of tobacco, when it is drugged with arsenic, strychnine, opium, tonka beans & other nostrums
- General use of spirituous liquors, stimulating & highly seasoned food.
Suppression:
When a suppression take place in an organism where 2 or more miasms were present, all these conditions were magnified & intensified
Frequently seen when psora & syphilis are perfectly combined by hereditary transmission.
Modern Methods of Suppression: –
- Excessive use of electricity- especially x-ray
- Mineral baths
- Medicated douches
- Actual cautery
- Surgical operations esp. Removal of organs
- Curettements
Psora in its combined form is worse than psora itself
Specific & Malignant, Acute, Febrile, or Inflammatory States Such as,
- Pneumonia
- Diphtheria
- Malinga
- Syphilis
5. Destructive appendicitis
6. Inflammation of brain, heart, kidney.
7. Erysipelas phlegmonous.
All these have more than 1 miasm involved.
Other Diseased States of Simple Nature with 2 Miasms:
- Pain 6. Vomiting
- Neuralgia 7. Rheumatism
- Headache 8. Piles
- Epistaxis 9. Ulcers
- Nausea 10. Boils
To the Follower of Hahnemann what is Psora?
It means disease is more than it seems to be on the surface.
- A slight & trifling factor may make the internal Psora manifest on the surface.
- Psoric fire may be latent & so inactive that one may think he is healthy until he receives some injury or something unusual happens.
What Brings Out the Sleeping Miasm to Action?
- A fall
- Slight injury
- Broken bone
- Injury to ligament or muscle
- Grief
- Joy
- Fear
- Overwork
- Mental or physical over fatigue
- Slight mental shock
The Nature of Disturbance Depends on
- Original constitution or previous life of patient
- Temperament
- His character
- Predisposition
- Vocation
- Latitude & altitude
- Education
- Season of year
- Circumstance of life
Actions of Miasms
- Miasm with a life-giving principle.It builds false structures.
- These false or abnormal growths are constructed out of false material. (tumor, cyst etc.)
- Because of perverted life processes, the physiology gets disturbed.
- Action of miasms make gaps & breaches in nature that the debilitated life forces cannot repair.
Most Simple Method of Procedure in Cure of Psora
- Psora develops as a local disease or some positive local symptoms on the skin which relieves the internal stress of disease.
- But we should not interfere locally here on these skin troubles.
- These local manifestations assist the physician in the cure of psoric state.
- If similia is applied to the external disease it will disappear in proportion to the annihilation of internal psora
What will Happen when these Cases are Mismanaged?
It leads to the most incurable or difficult to cure cases by the aid of homeopathic remedy.
What all should be Considered for Selection of Remedy?
- Our prescription should not be based on pathological names.
- Gather all symptoms of psora or the presenting miasm by going deeper down to the case
- After finding the similar guard against interfering its action in any way.
- Do not prescribe for some simple intercurrent diseases, unless they are dangerous to life.
How can we Know we are in the Progress of Recovery of Cases?
- By the appearance of new symptoms that were probably suppressed
- Here our action of 1st remedy should not be disturbed, not until it has ceased to work completely. Do not give intercurrent, which might turn success into failure.
- If they are persistent & a constant annoyance, a new prescription should be made, as our original prescription has not been well chosen
- Often giving a higher potency will help without changing remedies.
Fundamental Rule in Treating Chronic Diseases
- To let the carefully selected homoeopathic antipsoric remedy act as long as it is capable of exercising a curative influence & there is a visible improvement going on in the system.
- Watch with patience the wonderful workings of the well selected remedy upon the natural disease & the artificial disease disappears with the curing of the natural disease.
Modes of Motion
- Degrees of actions of miasms -acute, chronic, latent
- Primary action = functional
- Secondary & tertiary manifestations of miasms = pathology
- The study of the disease becomes a study into the nature of miasm present in the organism & the degree of its activity.
- Get familiar with the subversive forces in their action upon the life force. Observe their character expressed upon the normal vitality and function of the organism.
Conclusion
- Miasms express themselves in degrees of action – acute, chronic and latent.
- Pathology originates from secondary and tertiary manifestations of the miasm.
- Primary action has no pathology; it is functional.
- Miasms is the only reaction that gives expression, physical form or genesis of any kind.
- Miasms are visible in proportion -stages and degree of action and j.h. Allen calls them as modes of motion.
- The nature and character of the disease depends wholly on the form of the miasm and character and bond with the life force.
- The study of disease becomes a study into the nature of the miasm and the degree of its activity.
Reference
J henry allen. The chronic miasms psora and pseudo-psora. New delhi: b jain publishers pvt ltd; 1998.
