Over the years, we have found the most helpful and
comprehensive model for understanding chronic disease comes from the principle
of “miasm”. Developed over 200
years ago, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the father of Homeopathy, referred to these
patterns of chronic conditions as miasms meaning “ghost of an illness”. He used
this term because he felt most chronic conditions were inherited from our
parents, grandparents, and sometimes even further back in our family history.
He published his findings in the Organon of Medicine in 1810.
Hahnemann discovered three miasms ... syphilis, gonorrhea (sycotic), and psora.
Psora means "itch". Many skin and heart problems are related to this
miasm.
Syphilis and gonorrhea are well known venereal
diseases which produce a host of mental, emotional, and physical problems. We
have also identified four additional miasms. They are tuberculosis, cancer,
polio, and yama.
Miasms tend to linger through the family line regardless of the medical or
herbal treatments. For example, if one of your ancestors had TB, they were
treated with the medicine of choice for their time. This treated the TB but the
miasm remained and was passed on to their children. One or more of the children
and grandchildren may have then experienced some or all of the symptoms of the
TB miasm as they grew older, such as, early arthritis, depression, anxiety,
exhaustion, and craving for alcohol. The miasm's ability to be passed on to the
next generation is why entire families have hereditary predispositions to
various physical and emotional disorders.
Miasms do not normally produce the same, identical
conditions of the original disease when it was acquired by our ancestor.
However, each miasm has an unmistakable influence on the health and vitality of
your mind and body as it tends to drain and deplete the vital force over time.
As Hahnemann concluded, they can warp the body's vital force in such a profound
way as to create the most debilitating conditions of schizophrenia or
rheumatoid arthritis to the mildest hay fever and headaches.
There are seven miasms. They are cancer, syphilis,
sycotic, TB, polio, psora, and yama. Fortunately, these influences are purified
with the Homeopathic Treatment. In fact, removing these miasms from the
physiology creates a very powerful and strengthening influence on your mind and
body allowing you to enjoy greater happiness, health, and energy.
In the following pages of our website, we discuss
the various symptoms contained within each miasm. We hope you will find this
section helpful in determining your miasm type.
“And this disease of which I speak, this syphilis,
will pass away and die out, but later it will be born again and be seen again
by our descendants just as in bygone ages we must believe it was observed by
our ancestors.” - Girolamo Fracastoro, Physician (1484-1553)
THE PSORA MISAM
Psora means "itch" so many skin
problems are related to this miasm. It can produce dry, scaly, cracking, itchy
skin, or on the other hand, excessively moist or oily skin. It commonly
produces excessive sweating especially when you are working outside or doing
physical chores. In fact, "hot flashes" are associated with this
miasm.
Psora can make you feel tired and breathless.
For example, when raking the yard or walking upstairs, you may feel like you
have to rest and catch your breath. During these times of exertion, you may
notice excessive sweating. Your body may feel heavy and lethargic.
Psora is the miasm responsible for most heart
disorders, high blood pressure, and in some cases, asthma. People with strong
psora miasms may notice some tightness and discomfort in the chest with heart
palpitations. Diabetes and other blood sugar imbalances are associated with the
psora miasm so you may have a craving for sweets.
Emotionally, you can feel timid, low spirited,
irritable, sad, or anxious. Sometimes you may feel "bottled up
inside" as though you can't fully express yourself. It's as though you
live in a self-imposed prison from which you cannot escape and this creates
anger. You can also enjoy thinking about the past in a nostalgic way such as
old relationships or early childhood.
And lastly, you may worry about money. Your
business may be successful and booming with plenty of money in the bank,
however, psora makes one worry and even dream about losing it. The cancer miasm
can create the financial hardship, however, psora may simply create the worry.
Other symptoms of the psora miasm include:
nausea • eczema •
headaches • allergies & hay fever
sensitive to cold & drafts •
colitis • bronchitis
roaring/ringing in ears • rosacea
• muscle spasms
guilt • anxiety • fear
of criticism
stubborn • independent
• afraid to take chances inhibited • acid reflux
The cancer miasm has two sides emotionally. On one side, you can feel low-spirited and hopeless. It can make you feel like your conditions will never improve. This can sometimes trigger anxiety and even fear especially regarding one's health. You can feel overwhelmed, irritable, a victim of circumstances, and overly serious. You can also be critical or sensitive to criticism.
On the other side, there is a sort of martyr or manic aspect, that is, you can find yourself taking care of everyone but yourself. You can suddenly feel a burst of energy and clean the house, cabinets, and yes, even the garage. Sometimes this part of the cancer miasm allows you no rest until you catch up on old business such as paperwork or mountains of chores that have accumulated for some time.
On the physical side, you may notice more tiredness, achiness, and headaches. Commonly, pains are more predominant with the cancer miasm, that is, sometimes the body simply hurts more. It has an affinity for the digestive tract so there may be stomach or elimination problems such as chronic constipation. The cancer miasm also has a special craving for ice cream and chocolate!
People with strong cancer miasms have "poverty consciousness". They worry about money as there is never enough of it. They seem to just make it from one paycheck to the next. Other symptoms of the cancer miasm include:
All types of cancers • stroke • chronic fatigue syndrome
whooping cough • obesity • confusion • dull
excessive sense of duty • sinus & allergy problems
swollen lymph glands • cysts & tumors • chronic cough
panic attacks • fear • low back pain • agoraphobia
low self-esteem • mononucleosis • migraine headaches
heart palpitations • insomnia
THE TB MIASM
In Vedic literature, TB is called “Maha•raja•yakshma” which means “King of Disease”. It was considered to be the first, original disease that plagued mankind.
Probably the most common symptom people feel with the TB miasm is the exhaustion. It can be difficult getting out of bed in the mornings and you may get sleepy during the day and feel like catnapping. However, at night the mental symptoms may spring to life so you may find it difficult to sleep. At this time there may be some nervousness and restlessness. TB is very changeable so one minute you may feel tired or even angry and the next minute restless and ready to go. You can also feel very creative but unable to follow through with projects.
Since TB has an affinity for the chest and lungs, there may be some coughing as asthma and other chest congestions are related to this miasm. TB also has many types of neuralgias especially in the head so you may notice wandering head pains or headaches. It contributes to the various symptoms of arthritis so you may notice some soreness or stiffness in the joints.
Mentally, there may be some irritability or depression. Sometimes the depression is a hopelessness with despair of recovery. Again though, TB is changeable so these symptoms usually don't last for long. An interesting quality of TB is that you can be very opinionated. That is, if someone asks you about astronomy, you may not know anything about the subject but suddenly you have an opinion. And you don't even care if it is correct or not! Also, TB enjoys swearing. "Why that” is not an uncommon emotion that can flash out during TB. Other symptoms of the TB miasm include:
epilepsy • kidney failure • psoriasis
craving for alcohol
craving for smoked meats • easily bored • phobias
changeable moods • excessive hunger • weight loss desire to travel • fear of animals • insanity
aversion to work • pneumonia • deafness
THE SYPHILIS MIASM
Syphilis is the most destructive of all the miasms. It contributes to rapid weight loss and the deteriorating conditions of bone loss. Osteoarthritis is associated with this miasm. Anytime we see a degenerative or deformed condition of any of the body's tissues, any bone and blood diseases (hemophilia) or infections, syphilis is involved. Another classic example of its destructive nature is the AIDS virus which is born from this miasm.
Like a couple of the other miasms, syphilis has two sides. On one side, you can feel very happy, enthusiastic, and you can maintain your energy and get many projects done. On the other side, you may feel irritable, insecure, over-stressed, or sad. We've had clients tell us watching a TV commercial is enough to trigger their sadness. You may experience anxiety about your health. Hypochondria is not uncommon with this miasm. Some forms of obsessive behavior, such as anorexia or excessive jealousy, are related to the syphilis miasm. People with a strong syphilis miasm are hard on themselves, suspicious, and judgmental toward others with a quick temper.
Physically, you may tire easily with some achiness in the joints. Or you may experience nervousness, restlessness, and agitation. Since syphilis has an affinity for the bones, teeth, and blood, you may feel some sensitivity or nerve pain in one or more of the teeth. This miasm is responsible for early dental cavities in children and gum loss in adults. People frequently complain that they are hypersensitive to environmental factors such as loud noises or the smell of perfume and paint. Other symptoms of the syphilis miasm include:
sore throat • ulcers (mouth & stomach) • asthma
eye problems • dizziness • hepatitis • impatience
fear of insanity • paranoia
fear of losing control • violence on being opposed schizophrenia • eczema & rashes
arthritis • craving for alcohol • laryngitis
rapid heart beat
ovarian disorders • shingles • seizures
loss of appetite • chronic diarrhea
THE POLIO MIASM
Of all the miasms, we were most surprised when we discovered this one. We have found it to be responsible for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Cerebral Palsy, Lyme Disease, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Autism, and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The overlapping symptoms of these diseases, that is, the stiffness, contraction of muscles, paralysis, trembling, restlessness, and forgetfulness, are also the chief symptoms of the polio miasm.
This miasm produces low back pain, hip pain, upper back and shoulder pain with neck stiffness, stiffness in the legs and hands, and this is sometimes accompanied with headache. Like the cancer miasm, polio has an affinity for the digestive tract so there may be some stomach aches. The upsets may include constipation with bouts of diarrhea. It also has an affinity for the sinuses so you may notice some sneezing with a runny nose.
Emotionally, the polio miasm can produce cycles of manic-depression. On some days you may feel absolutely fantastic and then very suddenly you may feel deeply depressed and hopeless about your recovery. The cycle of manic-depression may last for a few hours or a few days. During the manic phase one may get very animated and excited about future projects while talking incessantly.
Because of its impact on memory, we have found that some learning disabilities are associated with the polio miasm. For example, one may spend hours studying for an exam, however, when the time for the test is at hand, everything is forgotten. Sometimes it is difficult to remember where you put the car keys, your wallet or purse, or even remember the telephone number of your closest friend! Other symptoms of the polio miasm include:
ear infection in children • flu • fatigue
spacey and daydreaming
difficult to engage in activity • intolerant with people
sad • irritable • anxiety
aloof and detached feeling • short of breath
aloof and detached feeling • short of breath
clumsiness • accident prone
When Dr. Samuel Hahnemann discovered three of the seven miasms 200 years ago, he observed that many people who had infectious gonorrhea also developed small warts all over their body. So he named this miasm "sycotic" meaning "fig wart". Though pronounced the same as "psychotic", it is not related to nor does it mean the same as this word.
This is the main miasm responsible for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Tourette Syndrome, fibromyalgia, herpes, impotence, and sterility problems. Because of this miasm's ability to create arthritis, you may notice some muscle stiffness with swelling of the joints, particularly the hands and ankles. It may give rise to some shortness of breath, stitching pains in the chest, or even upset stomach. Sometimes there is weakness while walking and you may feel lightheaded or faint.
Sycotic produces a skeptical, non-believer style of thinking. People with strong sycotic miasms are very hard to convince, for example, that a new medicine or a different viewpoint may be beneficial for them or that their life will ever improve. They are often sullen, irritable, and fixed in their ideas. It also shares a manic-depression quality that is similarly found in the polio miasm. For instance, for a couple of days you may feel on top of the world, and later, a deep depression may follow. The sycotic depression carries with it a tiredness bordering on exhaustion and collapse. Other symptoms of the sycotic miasm include:
forgetfulness • dullness • talkativeness • manipulative
suspicious (paranoid) • anger • fear of dark • rebellious
panic attacks • nausea • headaches • sore throats
runny nose • canker sores in mouth • nose bleeds
chronic diarrhea • stuttering • bipolar disorders
overeating • chronic lateness • alcoholism
drug abuse
obsessive behaviors • violence • emphysema
compulsiveness
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