Page 4 - Spring 14

Spring Meeting BAHVS Theme: Miasms –Have they changed their spots?
February 15th at Friends House Euston Road Report by Stuart Marston
The day started with a presentation from our friend and colleague Geoff Johnson.
The title of the presentation was the Miasmatic Mirror
Geoff’s theme was the 10 miasmatic states recognised by Sankaran. The premise he took was that the miasm maybe an individual response to the sen- sation of a disease. If for example a per-
son had a facial eruption –spots, pustules etc. –then the response to the sensation from that physical symptom was dependant on the mias- matic state of that person. This might vary from an acute response through to hopelessness and despair via optimism and stoicism.
Traditionally miasms are seen as patterns of susceptibility caused primarily through allo- pathic suppression. They are deep seated and acquired during the patients' or their ancestors' lives. This view is still valid and essential in homeopathic philosophy. There has been a slightly different interpretation of miasm sug- gested by Sankaran, where the intensity, pace and depth of the patient's experience of their disease leads to the prescription of a remedy chosen from one of 10 miasms.
The miasmatic states recognised by Sankaran began with psora and ended with syphilis but included malaria, leprous, typhoid cancer and tubercular. He gave examples of each type of response and concluded with case studies to illustrate the point. He asserted that the response was in fact the ‘mirror’ of the miasmatic state.
Next, Mo Morrish gave us much food for thought on the way he regarded miasms. Mo is a microbiologist who came to homeopathy as he puts it ‘by being called’. Initially he
found things difficult as we all do and subse- quently found his own style following ‘seeing practice’ with Ken Metson. He set up his own practice in Exeter in 1990. He is Principal at the British School Of Homeopathy, a teacher and author. The study of the writings of Hahnemann, Kent and others forms the basis of his presentation.
Mo offered a new way to define miasms, and took as a starting point primeval bacteria. He advanced the argument that a miasm is of
bacterial in origin. He quoted Hahnemann extensively and referred to the writings of the Organon and Chronic Disease, along with Kent’s writings. Hahnemann had been ‘aware’ of bacteria even though he could not see them. He explained that some commonly held views of what Hahnemann meant were in fact incor- rect if the text was studied carefully. He con- tended that Hahnemann meant exactly what he wrote and that ‘interpretation’ actually materi- ally altered that meaning. He postulated that a miasm could be the result of an epigenetic effect of a bacterial infection which was then passed down to subsequent generations. The bacterial ‘energy’ altered the expression of some genes and that expression was passed down to subsequent generations as a mias- matic effect. Mo said that the majority, if not the entire, living world was bacteria. What he termed ‘iatrogenesis’ (physician induced) was a large factor in the presentation of disease. He said that what Hahnemann had referred to as original psora was likely to be leprosy and not the commonly held idea that it was scabies.
He began by using a model of what he termed the levels of organisation – including the material, dynamic and psychical planes or levels within the human being. At the centre running through everything and controlling the life force was the dynamis - a dynamic self- subsisting presence which has no mass and is not material. All the levels are dynamic-basi- cally an arrangement of molecules. At the base is the material layer or the gross anatomy. Then there is the fluid anatomy –nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Gross anatomy is form, fluid anatomy function. The next plane is the emotional mind, then the soul, and the spirit.
He then discussed susceptibility of the organism to outside influences. His contention was that there were four main sources of anxi- ety which give rise to a susceptibility to illness. These were fear of being alone, spiritual (sin), self- consciousness/awareness and living in a polarised universe. All these suggest struggle and thus produce an anxious state. Susceptibility was essential for any living organism to grow and change. He discussed Aphorism 73 in regard to miasmatic influences, including an explanation of how epidemics fit- ted in-like chicken pox and cholera. In regard to recurrent disease he reiterated that unresolved miasm can reappear at later stages ‘disguised’ as a different disease. It can remain hidden but causes great damage and then erupts later – syphilis being an obvious example. Although the progress of chronic miasmatic disease appears to be inwards from outside this is not the case (Aph202) If a chronic miasmatic dis- ease has mis- tuned the life force /constitution of the parent that mis-tunement can affect the
offspring and subsequent generations Tuberculosis being the obvious example. Mo discussed psora and what Hahnemann meant by it and he suggested that Hahnemann did not say that psora gave rise to all disease.
Mo finally presented a case on the tubercu- lar miasm to demonstrate his reasoning.
It was a great presentation from a man who has thought about the subject long and hard. There was good participation from the dele- gates and several copies of Mo’s book Medicine Flows were sold (and should be rec- ommended reading in my view!) From discus- sions afterwards everyone had been engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the talk.
The last speaker was Patrick MacManaway who discussed
Geopathic Stress,
earth energies, and
the effects on the
health of plants,
animals and people.
Patrick qualified as
a doctor and comes
from a family of
dowsers, healers
and psychics. Dr.
Patrick MacManaway is a second generation practitioner of the healing arts including earth acupuncture and geopathic stress remediation.
Training first with his parents at their Healing and Teaching Centre in rural Fife, Scotland, Patrick studied Medicine at Edinburgh University before taking apprentice- ships in both Western and Eastern approaches to landscape energy and traditional Geomancy. Past-President of the British Society of Dowsers, Founding Member of Circles for Peace and design consultant for the Burlington Earth Clock, he is the author of “Energy Dowsing for Health”, “Cultivating the Light Body’ and “Keys to Grace”.In practice since 1994, Patrick consults and teaches in the UK, the USA and Australia
Patrick said that at the outset his talk would be of the ‘Ladybird Book’ type as the subject was so large. He gave some examples of where geopathic stresses could occur- especially where there was a flow of underground water. He explained how the earth was in fact polarised with the negative arising from the underground streams, radioactivity and static, and the positive by effects of the solar particles hitting the outer payers of the atmosphere. He showed us cases where animals had failed to thrive in certain cow barns, where there was continual disease in animals despite best vet- erinary efforts, where water was contaminated, where crops failed to grow, where several peo- ple had died from cancer in one house and
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