It
seems that medical world has grossly accepted that acute diseases are curable,
many infections and infestations could be eradicated and all chronic diseases
are manageable with medical and/or surgical interventions. Everyone in medical
world talks about treating condition of patient. They detail case, analyze it
and prescribe as per their interpretations, sometimes with good result,
sometime with no result or sometime worsening of condition due to progress of
disease or as a result of treatment!
The
term disease is loosely used to indicate various altered conditions of health.
After years of researches and treatment for a single cause for an altered
condition of health medical fraternity to some extent has recognized that any
alteration in health is outcome of interaction of many factors. But it is still
far away to consider the pivotal role of the host in a disease condition and
continuing to blame one or more external factors. Disease is considered as an
event. A patient if improved of one condition one event is over. The same
person when presented with some new condition during the treatment or in
consequence or after a short time the physician
treats it as a separate disease entity and does not think about any
correlation between the two occurrences. In spite of the best treatment as time
passes and person grows older he get affected with deeper and more serious
disorders. Thereby be it simple pimples
on face or increased blood sugar, thyroid activity, some autoimmune process,
degenerative diseases as multiple sclerosis, cancer etc. or some mental
condition, in spite of good management of specific condition the disease goes
on uninterrupted and patient is not reverted to normal. Is it not then the
appearance and occurrence of symptom complex or pathological conditions or
involvement of organs/systems one after the other is a part of a greater
process instead of some events in the life process infancy to old age – from
womb to grave? Then what is disease? How
does this altered condition of health occur and progress?
THE
DISEASE
Human
is our subject of study and treatment. Human has three level of existence –
Body, Mind and Spirit. So far the spirit has been talked in religious parlance
only as a subject of metaphysical existence but recent researches in science
have proved that it is the part and the base of life (refer to the article -
BESIDES PHYSIQUE). The physical body of an organism is composed with
combination of various elements and
chemicals which remains unchanged after death.
From gross to fine level if we proceed we find body, systems in the body
as (here listed in decreasing order of importance) nervous system,
cardio-vascular system, endocrine system, digestive system, respiratory system,
excretory system, reproductive system, muscles and bones (musculo-skeletal
system) and skin beside the five specific sense organs. Each system has one or
more organs, organs are formed of tissues which in turn are formed from variety
of cells. A cell is known as a unit of organism. Cells are formed from various
chemicals as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water which
themselves are composed of some basic units of element and molecules. Life
processes in a cell are governed by a dynamic without which a cell has no life.
It is this dynamic which make an organism living, keeps the different systems
operational coordinating and adapting in the way to achieve the maximum period
of survival. This dynamic is termed as vital force.
In the healthy condition of man,
the spiritual vital force (autocracy), the dynamis that animates the material
body (organism), rules with unbounded sway, and retains all the parts of the
organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both sensations
and functions, so that our indwelling, reason-gifted mind can freely employ
this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence.
Mind
is that faculty of a living organism which is
manifested especially in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory and
imagination.
What
is healthy condition? The accepted definition of health by World Health
Organization (WHO) is “Physical, mental,
social and spiritual fitness of a person is healthy condition.”
This
fitness depends and results from the balanced interaction of the man with his
environment, internal as well as external. As this interaction involves
multiple factors and is not static therefore balance is also not static and
changing continuously with time and the environment. It is the vital force
which keeps harmony in all vital operations of the organism with the ever
changing environment. In the process it affects its environment and is being
affected by the environment and makes alterations and adaptations to the best
possible way for survival. These alterations and adaptations are reflected in
the form of altered sensations, functions and structure on mental, emotional
and physical level for example increased length of small intestine in
vegetarians than non-vegetarians. Increased muscle mass of an iron smith and
weight lifter etc. So long these adaptations are within the limits of health
the person does not fall sick. For example, someone had to drive on motor
cycle, in a cold winter morning. After driving a few kilometers his eyes and
nose started watering because of cold air. He reached at destination and rubbed
off the tears and blew away the nose water. Thereafter he does not get coryza
or sore throat or ear pain or headache or conjunctivitis etc., similarly a person
gets diarrhea and vomiting from some alteration in diet and recovers
automatically. This was adaptation within the limits of health where a person
is exposed to some odd or extreme condition/s and recovered automatically from
the effects. These types of reactions are termed as indisposition manifested by one or more trivial symptoms.
The
vital force has its own range of adaptation and a threshold below which it
keeps various parts to body in a harmonious functioning order, preserves the
body from decay, disintegration and death and reacts through defense system
with an attempt to repair any influence which threatens the integrated
existence of the organism.
Adaptation of the vital force
beyond this threshold is derangement
which activated defense mechanism manifested as sickness that is a train
of abnormal sensations and functions at all the three levels – body, mind and
spirit, usually recorded as signs and symptoms (Natural Disease). Such alteration is
termed as disease. These alterations in the vital force are of two types –
1.
The rapid morbid processes of the abnormally
deranged vital force, which have tendency to finish their course more or less
quickly but always in a moderate time and end in either recovery or death of
the organism. These are termed as acute diseases. Or
2.
The
changes are of such a character that the dynamics enters in new adaptations
beyond the threshold with a small or imperceptible beginning, dynamically
derange the vital force of the living organism, each in its own peculiar
manner, and cause it gradually to deviate from the healthy condition in such a
way that the automatic life energy (dynamic - vital force), only opposes them
at the commencement and during their progress with an imperfect, unsuitable, useless resistance
and unable of itself to extinguish them, but must helplessly suffer (them to
spread and) itself to be ever more and more abnormally deranged, until at
length the organism is destroyed. These progressive derangements are termed as chronic diseases. They are
caused by infection with chronic miasm. It cannot be reverted or eradicated
even by the most vigorous or robust constitution or could be overcome by the
healthiest diet or by healthy order of life.
Disease
is merely a dynamic disturbance of vital force, ever changing life process
initially expressed as changed sensation and function represented by signs and
symptoms. This derangement in dynamic brings changes in movement and synthesis
of certain chemicals at biochemical level which in turn is resulted in changes
in functions cells and hence tissues and organs and structural changes in
cells, tissues and organs follow if the functional changes persist long enough.
Functional changes always precede the
structural changes. This is not based
on the theory of evolution but on the fact that energy is primary existence and
matter which is actually condensed form of energy is just a secondary
manifestation.
Thus
dynamic disturbance of vital force expressed as altered functions and
sensations at mental, emotional and physical level may or may not ultimate in
gross tissue changes. It has been
observed that morphological and histo-pathological changes do not necessarily
always hold pace with the disturbed functions and vice versa (only in very rare
typical cases do the clinical diagnosis and autopsy finding fully coincide).
The pathological changes are but the
expression of the end results of diseases whereas the symptoms are expression
of the progress of the diseases. As
the tissue changes are not essential part of the disease but only the end
results of the disease therefore as such are not and should not be the object
of treatment. Disease is a phenomenon in a person the patient. It consists
of the individual himself therefore there
are as many different diseases as patients.
Dr.
Hahnemann asserted that health and disease are mental abstractions and
convenient fictions and not concrete realities. Thus disease is a mental concept the factual reality is the diseased
person. Also that disease is not
a morbid entity (a rigid, unchanging sequence of characteristic events) and is not comparable with animal or botanical
species. The mental process of
classification of disease is essential to arrange the facts and retain them in
memory but in an actual treatment a concrete individual is to be treated
therefore individualization of the disease condition is necessary.
The
disease manifestation – the altered sensations and functions, signs and
symptoms related to the mind and body are actually work of defense mechanism of
the vital force of the individual to survive with no or minimal damage. For
example, repulsiveness of a person is actually an effort to be away from the
undesirable environment. Also starting from a noise, slowness or cautiousness,
domineering talks, easy weeping etc. are but a form of defense to some
anticipated danger.
If the defense mechanism is
strong enough the disease symptoms would be expressed at the remotest and least
important part of the person to save the rest or in the part which has a faulty
tendency or strong propensity for the affection. For this reason different
people get different affections in spite of being exposed to the same
conditions.
For example, if force of injury and the site of injuries in body in three
persons are same, the three persons may not be affected in the same way. One
may get his bone fractured while the second person may get muscle ruptures and
the third may get bruises and blue spots (ecchymoses) due to rupture of blood
vessels. With the same level of blood pressure or blood sugar levels or
prostatic enlargement not only different person would suffer differently but
the course of the disease would also be different. This depends on propensity
of person governed by genetic code at physical level.
Direction of Disease
Books
of modern pathology advocated that first derangement always occurs at cellular
level through changes in biochemistry of the cell. Basically, there are three
types of pathological processes –
1.
Functional changes or Inflammatory pathology,
2.
Proliferative or accumulative pathology and
3.
Degenerative or destructive pathology.
These
are result of process adapted by the defense mechanism of the person:
Functional or
Inflammatory Defense process or Pathology – The process in which reversible
functional and biochemical changes occur. It is preceded by increased
sensitivity and irritation. Besides mental and emotional changes, the changes
at physical level are manifested as inflammatory processes in response to
environmental influences to heal and reconstitute the damaged tissue. Cellular
and tissue changes in these conditions are minimal and very primary type and
could be reversed with the help of appropriate medicines. These in homoeopathy
are termed as manifestation of miasm
Psora. For example – boils, dermatitis, otitis, tonsillitis,
conjunctivitis, rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma, gastroenteritis, urethritis,
osteitis, myositis, rheumatic arthritis, anemias, lymphangitis, labile
hypertension, angina pectoris, pleurisies, nephritis, thyroiditis, neuritis
also diabetic neuritis, epilepsy, neurosis, schizophrenia etc.
Proliferative and
Accumulative type of defense process – Besides corresponding mental
and emotional changes here at physical level various chemicals e.g., proteins,
lipids, uric acid, melanin etc. start accumulating in cells and tissues to
create a barrier to the influencing force so there is hypertrophy or
hyperplasia of cells or tissues. These processes including tissue changes are
mostly reversible if properly treated in time. These are termed as
manifestations of miasm Sycosis. For
example – excrescence, corns, warts, follicular tonsitiltis, quinsy, cataracts,
adenoids, polyps, sycotic asthma, stones in various systems, lichen planus,
psoriasis, calcaneal spur, exostoses, bony tumors, gouty and rheumatoid
arthritis, spondylitis, leucocytosis, acute myeloid leukemia, Hodgkins disease,
atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, valvular stenosis and prolapse,
enlarged heart, thickened pleurae, nephrosis, hypo and hyperthyroidism,
neurofibromatosis, cancers, autoimmune disorders, hypercholesterolemia,
hypernatremia, hyperuricemia etc.
Destructive and
degenerative type defense process – Besides corresponding mental and emotional
changes here at physical level cells and tissues degenerate and die in specific
locations to save the rest of the organism for survival. These are termed as
manifestations of miasm Syphilis.
This negative approach of defense mechanism is observed in the forms of
ulceration, degeneration, destructions, perforations etc. in various organs, as ulcerative tonsillitis,
perforated ear drum, corneal ulcers, alopecia universalis, cirrhosis of liver,
osteomyelitis, osteomalacia, osteoarthritis, myopathies, infarctions and necrosis,
cavitations from abscesses in lungs etc., interstitial fibrosis, bone marrow
depression, chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus, leucoderma, Parkinson’s
disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ulcerative
cancers, gangrenes, SLE, chronic myeloid leukemia etc.
Above
mentioned are some of the pathological conditions in which the disease
processes may ultimate. But much earlier to these end results the processes or
the defense action is indicated by functional signs and symptoms at various
levels of mind and body. In progression of disease or cure of the disease after
treatment instituted these three processes can take any direction from Psoric
to Sycotic to Syphilitic that is from inflammatory to degenerative, or from
Psoric to Syphilitic or from Sycotic to Syphilitic and vice versa.
There is one more category of
disease that is purely surgical disease. Here the organism is primarily
inflicted by some external force of violent nature as various injuries,
fractures etc. because of natural or otherwise accidents. After these
conditions being treated surgically their remaining effects require medicinal
treatment.
A
cell has its own individuality but it born and works as a part of tissue. So it
has two fold functions – first generating energy from nutritive elements and
second synthesizing amino-acids, proteins, enzymes, neurotransmitters etc. not
only for self existence but for the existence of the whole. Hence a cell therefore tissues and organs have to
function conscientiously and responsibly in order to keep the whole organism
healthy. Thus an organism is a social order of 100 trillions of cells to live
in harmony so that the organism can prosper.
Likewise, considering mind if a
man has to be in health he has to work conscientiously and perform the assigned
work which will gain him his daily bread and butter and prosperity to society.
Working for a cause selflessly is a psoric trait, not working for needs but for
materialistic gains and greed is a sycotic (accumulative) trait while working
without caring for life with uncontrolled desires is a syphilitic (destructive)
trait.
The
extent to which the disease process has progressed indicates that how badly the
vital force has been deranged and the life processes have been affected. It has
been observed that if expression of derangement is improperly treated and
removed from the site through a process other than cure, the disease force is
diverted to affect deeper and more important tissues and organs. Every
manifestation of disease has some significance to indicate sickness and
demanding appropriate treatment (includes medicines and management), beside the
system’s effort to survive. For example, inflammation has five prominent
symptoms – pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function of the affected
part. It is general assumption that other things are tolerable but pain is
unacceptable and it should be stopped anyhow. So, pain killer and
anti-inflammatory drugs are used, the guarding stiffness is treated with muscle
relaxants. This is something like tying the mouth of the watch dog by its owner
when it starts barking by seeing a thief, because it disturbed his sleep!
Therefore, pain subsides and the part becomes mobile but the natural process of
inflammation is altered or hampered. Thus, repair and healing does not take
place (because vascularity and inflammatory cellularity has been changed) and
in an arthritic joint for example, damage to cartilages, bones and covering
membranes etc. continued.
If
the dynamic adapts the second defense mechanism, with the related symptoms
there may develop tumor or polyp or other type of hypertrophy. This
must again be clear that these tumor, cysts or polyp etc. are not actual
disease but end results of the disease process therefore, treating these does
not solve the problem. In spite of removing these growths the disease process
continues. So mostly there is recurrence or in case the defense mechanism is
disrupted due to the effect of drugs or removal of these growths which were
actually barricades to progression of disease, the disease continues to
progress attacking new organs or systems in the body of the patient either in
the same or in a new form of expression. This can be termed as metastasis which
if not treated correctly will continue to complicate the situation and the
dynamic may adapt to degenerative defense mechanism. The affected cells and
tissue start dying and the damage may become irreversible. If instead of some
medicine to revert the process the condition is dealt with one which suppresses
that is diverts the diseased force, the disease process continues to damage one
after the other organs and systems and the patient dies of one or the other or
multiple organ failure.
This
is the most simplified description of disease progression. Modern researches suggest that diseases have
some direction of progression from one to other organ or system or levels in
mind body complex of man. Some of the known paths are –
1.
Different
type of cancers have characteristic
organs to metastasize –
a.
Breast
cancer to regional lymph nodes, then lungs, bones and brain.
b.
Prostate
cancer to the lymphatic system and bones of pelvis and then to the spine.
c.
Lung
cancer to local nodes, central nervous system, long bones, kidneys, the adrenal
glands and skin.
2.
Auto-immune disorders characteristically
affect certain tissues to exclusion of others –
a.
Rheumatic
fever and rheumatic disorders of other type produce Streptococcal pharyngitis,
heart valve degeneration, glomerular nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis etc.
b.
Lupus
erythematosus produces characteristic skin eruptions, nephritis, colitis,
arthritis, hepato-splenomegaly and pericarditis.
c.
Reiter’s
syndrome includes gonococcal urethritis, mono-articular arthritis and uveitis.
3.
Then
Psycho-somatic medicine has noticed
many correspondences between emotional state and physical ailments –
a.
Suppressed
irritability correlates with peptic ulcer,
b.
Suppressed
anxiety is commonly seen in ulcerative colitis patients,
c.
Melancholy
corresponds to liver dysfunction,
d.
Anal
retentive personality type(a person who pays such
attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others,
potentially to the detriment of the anal-retentive person) tends to suffer from
constipation and hemorrhoids,
e.
“Type
A” personalities (Type A individual
as ambitious, rigidly organized, highly
status conscious, can be sensitive, care for other people, are truthful,
impatient, always try to help others, take on more than they can handle, want
other people to get to the point, proactive and obsessed with time management.
People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving workaholics who
multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and
ambivalence) have a particular blood type and increased incidences of
hypertension and early myocardial infarction,
f. Compulsive
personality (is characterized by a
preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal
control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency) with
suppressed anger tends to be cancer prone.
Such
correlations are known but precisely what determines the pathways of these
correspondences is not known. In some instances it is speculated that
circulatory system or nervous system could be the pathways for metastasis.
Acupuncture
the system of treatment in Chinese medicine based on centuries of observations
has developed quite specific correlations between particular organ and
particular acupuncture point as well as correlation between specific organ and
mental and emotional state.
The Hierarchy
There
is always a sense of direction in progression and cure of disease as there is a
natural hierarchy of various tissues, organs and systems in human body. These
correlations have not been studied in medical sciences except to some extent in
homoeopathy. However, it further needs a thorough and vast research work.
Whenever
a person is affected by a disease that is alteration in his dynamic
corresponding changes occur at mental, emotional and physical level but it is
innate characteristic that for survival of the whole the disease would be first
expressed in the most susceptible and possibly the least or lesser important
region of the mind and body. The three factors important in deciding direction
of disease and the part to be affected are
1.
Hereditary
strength or weakness of the defense mechanism,
2.
Intensity
of morbid stimuli and
3.
Interference
by suppressive or curative treatments.
Hierarchy
in the body, mind and spirit complex could be studied and understood in various
ways.
Hierarchy I – Mind body complex
[This diagram represents three layers of human in three dimensions. The central most is the mental layer. Next and peripheral to mental layer is the emotional layer and the outermost is the physical layer. Note that top and bottom of each layer do not correspond one to another.
At
any given moment, the centre of gravity of disease expression tends to rest at
a particular location. With time, further morbid stimuli and/or treatment
(either suppressive or beneficial) the centre of gravity may move higher or
lower in the same layer or it may move more centrally or peripherally to higher
or lower levels of correspondence.]
Hierarchy II – Embryological
Each
person begins life as a single cell “the zygote”. Through progressive cell
division it gradually develops in an orderly fashion into enormous numbers of
cells. As this process advances, three different layers of cells Ectoderm,
Mesoderm and Endoderm develop and become the primordial structures from which
rest of the organism grows. Study of Embryology and development of various
tissues and organs from the three primordial layers can help us to find out
various possible pathways of disease progression. From embryological point of view the various
tissues and organs are interrelated as follow:
1. Organs
derived from Ectoderm –
Skin and its appendages, specially,
epithelium of skin, hairs, nails, sweat glands sebaceous gland and mammary
glands.
Epithelium lining – the beginning and end of gastrointestinal tract as
epithelium and glands of lips, gums, floor of mouth, palate and cheeks, and
mucus membranes of nasal cavities and para-nasal sinuses, also epithelium of
the lower part of the anal canal and terminal parts of urinary tract and
genitals. Outer part of tonsils.
Nervous system tissues – entire central
nervous system including retina, peripheral nervous system, sympathetic and
parasympathetic fibers, adrenal medulla and neurolema sheath cells, sensory
epithelium of olfactory and auditory organs.
Anterior
part of pituitary. Lens of eye, anterior epithelial layer of the cornea, and
muscles of iris, external auditory canal and the outer layer of the eardrum.
2. Organs
derived from Endoderm –
Epithelium
of gastro-intestinal tract, except its terminal parts, and the parenchyma of glands
derived from it (liver, pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid and thymus).
Lining
epithelium of larynx, trachea, bronchi and alveoli.
Epithelium
of urinary bladder, of most female urethra and part of male urethra, plus the
glands derived from them (prostate) and lower part of vagina.
3. Organs
derived from Mesoderm –
Epithelial derivatives – visceral and
parietal linings of peritoneal, pleural and pericardial cavities.
Cortex
of adrenal gland.
Mesenchymal derivatives – Mesenchyme form
three layers from which develop the somites and coverings – 1. Dermatome the
outer most layer – from this develops dermis.
2. Myotome the
intermediate layer gives rise to muscles.
3. Sclerotome the inner
most layer give rise to cartilages and bones.
Connective
tissue, cartilages and bones including dentine. Myocardium and visceral
musculature, including blood vessels. Endocardium and endothelium of blood
vessels.
Lymph
glands, lymph vessels and spleen.
Blood
cells.
Connective
tissue sheath of muscles (fascias), tendons aponeuroses and nerve endings and
the synovial membranes of joints and bursae.
It could be under stood that
different organs and systems have a specific affinity for each other due to
their common origin in one of the three primordial tissue layers which could be
important factor in deciding the direction of symptoms and pathological changes
into deeper regions of the body as health deteriorates or disease progresses.
A
physician has to keep in mind that during treatment or otherwise if disease
manifestation is shifted from ectodermal tissues or organs to endodermal or
mesodermal tissues or organs or from a less important to more important organs,
indicating failure of treatment or progression of disease to a deeper level. In
order of importance there exist ectodermal organs, endodermal organs and
mesodermal connective tissues and organs. Above all these there exist
Neuro-endocrine control system. While nervous system central or peripheral
originates from neuro-ectoderm most of the endocrine glands contain cell from
ectoderm and endoderm. Some of the endocrines contain cell from mesoderm also.
The endocrine cells are found in different parts of body called as defused
endocrine system secreting hormones like Atrial
Naturetic Hormone, erythropoietin, histamine, insulin like growth factors,
melatonin, rennin-angiotensin system, somatostanin,vitamin D (calcitriol)
and neurotransmitters.
Neuro-endocrine
control system is supreme next to genes and mind. If in a patient signs and
symptoms indicate involvement of one or the other part of neuro-endocrine
system it means that disease has progressed too deep. The deepest disorders are
reflected at the level of genes and mind.
(It is proposed that for every
expression or manifestation of life – in health or disease, there exist a gene.
Activation or deactivation of gene decides the form, type and level of
manifestation. One thing must be understood that life is a form of energy and
it is limit of human being that we cannot perceive expression of energy without
a medium of matter. So for human perception every expression of energy requires
a via media of some or other form of matter).
This is a conceptual description because multi-level disorders are
often observed. But if history is explored to full extent it would be found
that the first disease expression was on surface of skin or mucus membrane (the
ectoderm) as some eruption thought to be dangerous (!) for one or the other
reason, may it be a pimple or aphthae or enteritis etc. which were removed
innocently from the surface followed by other ailments. For example if relief
of dermatitis or boils is followed by enteritis or hyperacidity or asthma, it
means disease has shifted its effect from ectoderm to endoderm. Even if relief
from dermatitis is followed by falling of hairs or psoriasis or pains in muscle
and joint or anemia it means that from ectoderm disease has shifted to mesoderm
(connective tissue say dermis, musculo-skeletal system or blood).
Hierarchy III - At the level of
Organs and Systems
The
functional and structural hierarchy in man could be understood at the level of
organs and systems based on the importance of the organ for the survival and
existence. It can also be measured by degree of damage to the organism produced
by a particular amount of injury to the organ. For example, a scar on the brain
will have a more damaging effect than an equal sized scar on the heart or the
skin. The organs in decreasing order of importance are as follow –
1.
Brain
(1)
2.
Heart
(1)
3.
Pituitary
gland (1), Endocrine system though has many glands and each gland has a
specific function. Pituitary being the
master gland is the most important in hierarchy.
4.
Liver
(1)
5.
Lungs
(2)
6.
Kidneys
(2)
7.
Testes/ovaries
(2)
8.
Vertebrae
(28)
9.
Bones
( many)
10.
Muscles
(many)
11.
Skin
(vast).
The
number in bracket indicates the number of organs in body.
Hierarchy IV – At the level of
Mind
Beside
hierarchy at physical plane there exists hierarchy at emotional and mental
planes also and degree of deviation from normal indicates the severity and
depth of affection. For example at mental level forgetfulness is more serious
than the absent mindedness and paranoid ideas indicate a more severe disorder
than the delusions. Similarly at emotional level anguish indicates a disorder
of greater depth than phobias while sadness (depression) indicates still a
deeper disorder than the anguish. Here it is arranged in increasing order of
degree of derangement –
Mental
plane –
1.
Absent-mindedness
2.
Forgetfulness
3.
Dullness
as difficulties in reasoning, calculating, interpreting etc.
4.
Lethargy
5.
Delusions
6.
Paranoid
ideas
7.
Destructive
delirium
8.
Complete
mental confusion.
Emotional
plane –
1.
Dissatisfaction,
2.
Irritability,
3.
Anxiety,
4.
Phobias,
5.
Anguish,
6.
Sadness,
7.
Apathy,
8.
Suicidal
depression.
Direction of disease and Time Axis
One more relationship indicating
direction of disease on the axis of time (though not linear and needs further
studies). As time passes and age advances disease manifestations go to deeper
level.
Most
of the disorders during infancy are related to ectoderm e.g., rashes,
conjunctivitis, taenia, ring worm, thrush, otitis, ear drum perforation etc.
Adolescence disorders prominently affect endodermal organs e.g., rhinitis,
tonsillitis, bronchitis, hepatitis, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, asthma
etc. Between age 20-40 years mostly disorders are related to endodermal and
mesodermal organs as arthritis, synovitis, muscle and bone pains, ulcerative
colitis etc.
Between
the age 30-50 years people suffer with diseases like anxiety disorder, angina,
hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, varicose vein,
nephritis and nephritic syndrome, tuberculosis etc. The patient gets specific
treatment but further develops diabetes or other endocrine disorder, various
tumors, neuritis and other neuropathy, multiple or disseminated sclerosis,
Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer disease etc., various cancers, loss of mental
acuity, concentration and calculation ability etc. as the age advances.
Thus
with the journey of a person in time i.e., growing age disease is manifested at
higher and more important levels as cardio-vascular, endocrine and nervous
system and mind.
Direction of Cure –
Direction of Cure –
Dr.
Hahnemann has defined the cure in the simplest words - The physician's high and only mission is to restore the sick to health,
to cure, as it is termed.
He
also defined the highest ideal of cure - The
highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health,
or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the
shortest, most reliable, and most harmless way, on easily comprehensible
principles.
Homoeopathy
talks of cure and ideal of cure but homoeopaths do not pay heed to it.
Allopathy is content with managing the nosological disease condition/s which
is/are fragment/s of the disease process.
Now,
a patient is always bothered about the most troublesome or painful change
(symptom) in his system his is always ignorant to the minute changes or
symptoms occurring simultaneously and so is the physician, hence most of the
time these symptom remain unwarranted. To
cure a person only and only way is to bring the altered dynamics to its normal
and all the changes at mental, emotional and physical level would be reverted
with normalization of dynamics. This
could at the best be achieved through dynamic stimulation of the dynamics
through dynamic homoeopathic medicine. The treatment instituted to bring
some chemical changes in the organ of prominent manifestation of disease may
relieve the patient for sometime but cannot bring cure or permanent restoration
of health.
I – Understanding the dynamic of
patient –
To
prescribe a curative homoeopathic medicine physician has to understand the
characteristics of the changed dynamic reflected in signs and symptoms which
indicate the type of alteration and adaptation the dynamic of the patient
required to survive the adverse environment. The characteristics unique to the individual patient are the signs and
symptoms representing the inner most and the integral of the person at all
levels. At higher levels – as changes in moral, character, mental and emotional
functions. Change in his general stamina and desire to perform and get involved
in various activities. Changes in those physical functions which are related to
whole of the organism as appetite, thirst, desire and aversion, sex, sleep and
dreams, sweating, menstruation in females.
General
physical and mental tolerance to the environmental factors as - Time,
periodicity; seasons; moon phases, temperature and weather; bathing (hot, cold
or sea), local application (hot, cold, wet or dry), rest or motion (slow,
rapid, ascending or descending, turning in bed, exertion, walking, on first
motion, after moving a while, while moving, after moving), car and
sea-sickness, position: standing, sitting, (knee-crossed, rising from sitting),
stooping(rising from stooping), lying (on painful side, back, right or left
side, abdomen, head high or low, rising from lying), leaning head backward,
forward, side-wise, closing or opening eyes, any unusual position such as a
knee-chest, External stimuli; Touch, hard or light, pressure, rubbing,
constriction(clothing etc), jar, riding, stepping, light, noise, music,
conversation, odours, eating: in general(before, during, after hot or cold food
or drinks), swallowing (solids, liquids, empty), acids, fats salt, salty food,
starches, sugar and sweets; green vegetables milk eggs, meat, fish oysters,
onions, beer, liquor, wine, coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs etc.
Changes
he/she experience through different situations in life, type of discharges and
types of pathologies.
The
totality of signs and symptoms which
helps individualizing the patient to make a homoeopathic prescription, may be
summarized as follow –
A.
Cause
–
1.
Fundamental
cause – miasmatic process to be determined from anamnesis and hereditary
(family history) consideration.
2.
Exciting
cause – some environmental factor/s directly involved in initiating the process
of disease.
3.
Maintaining
cause – factor/s in life and living, presence of which help in persistence of
the disease.
B.
Peculiar,
Queer, Rare, uncommon and Concomitant symptoms.
C.
General
Symptoms –
1.
Mental
Symptoms – Related to will, moral and character, understanding and intellect.
2.
Emotional
Symptoms – related to love and hate, fear etc.
3.
Physical
generals – the physical symptoms related to whole of the patient as desire-
aversion, sex, appetite, thirst, sleep and dreams, menses in females, sweating
and other discharges, general reaction to environmental factors etc.
D.
Particular
symptoms – the physical symptom related to specific system, organ or tissue
could be described as characteristic and completed in terms of (a) Cause, (b)
Prodrome - onset, pace, sequence,
duration, (c)Character, location, laterality, extension and radiation of pain
or sensations.(d) Concommitants and alterations.(e) Aggravation or
amelioration.
E.
Past
history (chronological) of the patient including his life and living.
F.
Family
history.
G.
Pathological
generals – the pathological symptoms indicating general propensity of the
patient.
II Dynamics of Drugs or Medicines and Cure
This
is a proved fact that any substance be it a food or some drug or poison or
otherwise brings some changes in the living system (human here). The books of
pharmacology are full of such evidences and only for this reason doses of all
drugs are set to maximize the effect and minimize the so called side effects
which are actually undesired effects of the substance. These effects and so
called side effects are studied in fractions as changes in biochemistry of
animals and human.
Another
fact is that every substance extensively affects all level of the organism by
bringing changes characteristic to the substance, in the dynamic of the
organism. This is the point where homoeopathy differs from other therapeutic
systems. No two substances bring same kind of changes. Therefore, the changes
brought by one substance could be distinguished from the changes brought by any
other substance by comparing the characteristics of changes brought by those
substances. These changes are termed as artificial diseases (c.f., page 2 for
natural diseases). All these changes are reflected as changes in functions and
sensations as signs and symptoms at all levels that is body, mind and spirit.
However, allopathic pharmacology studied the changes in laboratory and not in
human being who are more than mere composition of certain chemicals beyond the
body. Homoeopathy has studied how various substances affect whole dynamics of
healthy human (Provers). Homoeopathic pharmacology (Materia medicas) has
extensive record of effects of individual substance on human (provers) of
different sex and age groups.
The alterations in dynamic are translated on
the physical instrument, the body of man where these are expressed as a
function of defense mechanism in three forms –
a.
Functional
or physiological defense,
b.
Constructive,
accumulative or growth defense,
c.
Destructive
defense.
Cell
is the unit of life and body of organism so changes in dynamic are first
reflected as changes in functions of cell to counter the influence of the
environmental factors by adaptation or elimination. In this mechanism the
dynamic brings changes in movements and formation of certain chemicals and thus
changes in dynamic are reflected in changes in function of cell. The function
of an individual cell is regulated by genes but every cell in the organism work
for the well being of the organism. Therefore, under adverse situations each
cell fights back at its own level conjointly with other cells.
Inflammation
is primary defense response to any type of invasion. Inflammation is preceded
by increased sensitivity and irritation. It is brought about by temporary
changes in biochemistry of the cell and neighbouring tissue.
It
is important to know that acute inflammatory process is intermingled with the
process of repair or healing. Beside destroying and diluting the effects or
injury inflammation setup a sequence of events to heal and reformation of the
damaged tissue. Without inflammation wound would not heal.
In
treatment of chronic manifestation for example recurrent inflammations as
colitis, tonsillitis, neuritits, arthritis etc. the physician has to deal with
tendency of inflammation than the immediate problem of inflammation, because
any agency be it biological or otherwise can not affect until unless there is
propensity in the patient. Therefore these agents could not be fundamental
cause of sickness and unless the derangement in dynamic is healed disease would
persist and recur.
For
example – anti - inflammatory drugs given to get freedom from pain and to stop
inflammatory process do not resolve the cause of sickness and gives a different
direction to the force of deranged dynamic which has to find a new adaptation
and expresses the sickness in some other tissues or organs.
Thus in the present medical line
of treatment the cause of disease manifestation is not dealt with at dynamic
level. Treatments are rather patch work dealing with one or the other prominent
sign and symptom as by the treatment expressions of altered dynamic are blocked
or stopped due to medical (through chemicals or drugs) or surgical intervention
as removal of growths as polyp, cysts, tumors, fissure, stones etc. which are
actually work of defense mechanism to save other more important physiological
functions or tissues or organs or systems. Thus, the force of dynamic is
diverted to express the sickness through other tissues or organs. Therefore,
physician should be cautious that relief of immediate problem of patient should
not be followed, sooner or later with serge of new symptoms and signs in more
deeper or important tissues or organs or systems.
As
there is certain direction of progression of disease likewise there is definite
direction of cure. Long back Dr. Constantine Hering pronounced the laws of
direction of cure as follow –
The
cure always takes place
1. From inside out that is from centre to periphery
or more important to less important organs.
2. From above downward.
3. In reverse order of appearance of symptoms.
d.
From
Syphilitic to Sycotic or Psoric miasm that is from destructive to
non-destructive process.
To
these three rules a fourth rule is added by Dr. Praful Vijayakar
The
life is product of consciousness and desire. The centre of any activity in life
is desire and stamina to work. Therefore, first sign of improvement is
normalization of desire to work and stamina to work. If a patient of gall colic
or otitis or fever of any origin becomes free from pain or fever but he/she
still does not like to attend office, school or kitchen and if he/she attended
work it was only under compulsion without desire and stamina. This indicates
that the treatment only palliated some of the symptoms and the patient was not
on the way to cure. If control or decrease in blood pressure/diabetes/blood
urea or creatinine level or relief in sciatica etc. is not accompanied with
feeling of increased stamina and normalization of desire to work, a feeling of
fitness and well being then surely the patient is not in the process of cure.
With
the onset of the curative process patient’s mental confusion, dullness, lack of
concentration, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, fear etc. would also reduce
to disappear. Appetite and sleep and his/her tolerance to environmental factors
as heat, cold, air draft, light, noises etc. would improve.
Symptoms
will travel from more to less important organs in a direction reverse to the
appearance during disease progression. However, appearance of symptoms during
this reverse journey would not be as violent as actual disease rather they
would be transient phases. Still sometimes this causes panic in the patient,
his/her attendant or the treating physician himself as the patient asks how
this old disease has reappeared. Here
physician must observe the direction. For example, improvement in ulcerative
colitis is followed by gastritis or stomatitis, also relief in pneumonia is
followed by tracheitis or laryngitis etc., improvement in nephritis followed by
bronchitis, or improvement in arthritis followed by alopecia etc. show that the
patient is in the process of cure. However,
these are very preliminary observations and need much research and
confirmation.
Also
cure should take a course from above to downward. Improvement in vitilgo on
foot or ankle is followed by appearance of vitilgo on knee or arm certainly
indicates wrong direction and progress of disease. Mind it that vitiligo is not
a simple problem but it indicates destructive process (destruction of
melanocytes) that is Syphilitic miasm in the system.
When
cure takes place patients system leaves destructive/degenerative (Syphilitic)
functioning and switches to sycotic or psoric functioning as signifies the
following case –
The patient had complaints of severe pains in right tibia worse at
night for about two years. She passed several sleepless nights due to pain. It
was diagnosed as periosteitis and osteomyelitis. X-ray showed inflammation in
periosteum of right tibia and her ESR was 110. With other symptoms she had
history of intrauterine death of fetus due to complication of hypertension
during first pregnancy, cesarean delivery from second pregnancy two and half
years back, an abortion during 3rd month of pregnancy two years back
and then not conceiving due to lack of ovulation in spite of all treatments for
last two years. All these indicate SYPHILITIC MIASM which implies degeneration
and non-generation. Her pains were relieved by indicated medicines SYPHILINUM
and two doses of KALI SULPH after one year of treatment. During the same period
she was trying to conceive but the ovulation was not there as shown by ultra
sono-graphic study of ovulation. After reviewing the case four doses of
MERCURIUS SOL. 200 were given weekly in December 2011, she conceived in
February 2012 and delivered normally, a healthy baby on 8th December
2012. Her ESR and X-ray findings became normal. There appeared a corn in sole
of right foot and few small, brown warts in both axilla. Important was the shift from destructive SYPHILITIC to constructive
SYCOTIC MIASM.
Conclusion –
Presently, the medical science considers body of man not different
than a machine and has divided human being in so many parts and each part is
understood to fall sick independently so treated separately (by separate
specialist)! Even mind is treated as an entity separate from body which has no
obvious effect on body physiology! All this is done at the expense of integrity
of the man who is suffering.
In the light of facts
discussed above in the article the concept of disease and cure in the present
medical science needs a thorough review, extensive research work relating to
origin (onset) of disease, its progression and different types of
manifestations their sequences and their interrelation.
Concepts of treatment
of chronic disease should also be reviewed in the light of failure of any
treatment in curing especially chronic diseases.
Acknowledgement
–
1.
Organon of Medicine – Dr. Hahnemann
2.
Chronic
Diseases and their Nature – Dr. Hahnemann
3.
Science
of Homoeopathy – Dr. George Vithoulkaus.
4.
Theory
of Suppression – Dr. Praful Vijayakar.
5.
Commentary
on Organon of Medicine – Dr. B. K. Sarkar.
6.
Pathologic Basis of Disease – Robbins
and Cotran.
7.
Wikipedia.
Dr. M.
K. Tyagi
D.H.M.S.,
Dip. N.I.H.
Research
Officer, Sewa Mandir
Mobile: +91-9829157926
Email:sewamandir.ajmer@gmail.com,
manju_mkt2003@yahoo.co.in
