Homeopathic Dyscrasias or Constitutional Faults

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What are Dyscrasias?

When a man is ill and has undergone fairly good course of treatment and is still not getting well at all, suspect that there is some underlying constitutional fault that is standing in the way of his cure. This constitutional fault or blood-defect is called Dyscrasia and is the cause of chronic and hereditary diseases.

Characteristics of Dyscrasias

A man who has a dyscrasia, suffers from chronic diseases, Dyscrasias are contagious—being transmitted by contact or by breath, etc ; they are also hereditarily transmissible and they are characterized by lesions that tend to go inwards from outwards. The natural resistance (viz. medicatrix naturae) that help the cure of most diseases is powerless against the Dyscrasias. Each dyscrasia has onset and a primary, a secondary and advanced stages of manifestation—sometimes sub-stages too. There is no decline stage. Whenever one is infected by contact or by hereditary transmission or by another suffering from the manifestations of one of the sub-stages, the newly infected individual manifests symptoms of all the stages subsequent to that stage of the disease of which he has been infected, but none of the stages antecedent thereof. Syphilis, Psora, Sycosis affect but once in one’s life-time; to a true homoeopath so-called repeated attacks of syphilis or Gonorrhea are myths, as witnessed by the opinion of such eminent men as Dr. Cowperthwaite (“Practice” pp. 749,755), Walter Sands Mills “Practice,” pp, 175, 184), E.P. Anshutz (“The Sexual III.” pp. 50), Kent Lectures on ‘Homoeo. Philosophy’ pp. 174). In treating the dyscrasias the best proof of right selection of medicine will be one of the following three events (a) the symptoms of the disease disappear from the upper parts of the body to the lower parts; or (b) they disappear from within outwards, or (c) they disappear in the reverse order of their coming. A man having a dyscrasia usually gets many complications during the course of any simple or acute disease; in treating a man, therefore, go into his past history very carefully, to ascertain the nature of the dyscrasia. Having spotted the dyscrasia, treat that first; very often, such treatment eradicates the dyscrasias and the acute illness too; if that is always the case, subsequent treatment of the acute illness becomes an easy matter. Ridpath believes that acute diseases are engendered by dyscrasias.

Note: – Some dispute this statement and say that the poison of syphilis taken up from any stage is the same poison and will produce the same symptoms with all stages as will do the gonorrhoea virus. But Dr. Kent in his “Homoeopathic Philosophy,” writes: “Syphillis is transferred from husband to wife and it is taken up in the stage in which it then exists and from thence goes on in a progressive way. The woman catches it from the man in the stage in which he has it at the time of their marriage; she takes that which he has; if he has it in the advanced stage, she takes it in that stage—she takes from him the stage he has to offer. This is equally true of psora and sycosis. Such things never occur in the acute miasms; but the three chronic miasms have cantagion in the form in which they exist at the time.” (Lecture XX).

Details about Dycrasias

The dyscrasias are three in number—Psora, Syphillis and Sycosis. Each gives rise to its own particular kind of dyscrasias ; but it is possible for an individual to have more than one kind of dyscrasia of his blood. Hahnemann thinks that during the dawn of civilization, the entire human race suffered from lepra or scabies of an intractable nature. The use of both internal and external medicines suppressed the external manifestations but helped to drive the poison in. This internal blood-poison is “Psora” and it has been running from generation to generation, now manifesting as Tumor, or as phthisis, diabetes, palpitation, mental diseases etc. Dr. Kent goes on further and believes that syphilis, Gonorrhea and all acute diseases have a background of psora to support them; that except venereal disease, all constitutional or organic diseases are mere localized manifestations. Thus, diseases of liver are not due to anything but to the localization of psora in that organ. In the Organon (§ 80), Hahnemann attributes to psora these diseases— Nervous debility, hysteria, hypochondria, mania, melancholia, idiocy, madness, epilepsy and convulsions of all sorts, rickets, cancer, caries of bone, fungus, haematoides, neoplasms, gout, piles, jaundice, cyanosis, dropsy, amenorrhoea, bleeding from stomach, nose, lungs, bladder or uterus, asthma, emphysema, impotency and sterility, hemicrania, deafness, cataract, glaucoma, renal calculus, paralysis, genital disfunction, pains of all sorts.

In treating the dyscrasias, chose the higher potencies 30—200 and give a dose a week or the higher potencies 1000—100,000, and give a dose a month or in 3 or 4 months. If benefit follows, stop further medication for some time atleast. Read Hahnemann’s ‘Chronic Diseases’. Kent’s lectures on ‘Homoeo. Philosophy’; Allen’s ‘Chronic Miasms’; (Vols. I and II), and Bidwell’s “How to use the Repertory”.

We now go into details about the three dyscrasias

Psora

It affects chiefly the blood-vessel and liver and causes purulent eruptions or boils on skin. Psora is now universal; even a handshake, sitting side by side, blowing into one’s face are quite enough to transmit this dyscrasia from man to man. Suspect psoric dyscrasia if an acute disease proves intractable or takes too long to cure, or if one perpetually suffers from vesicular skin-troubles or itches, eczema, or gets pimples about his wrist occasionally or given history of having papules on his palms, followed by degeneration of his nails 20 years ago or his present illness following the use of zinc, sulphur or lead plasters to cure his skin-troubles. All these indicate psora lying latent. Now to eradicate psora lying latent Sulphur 30—200 is the principal remedy. Others are—Psorinum, Calc. Carb., Lyco., Sepia, Silicea, Hepar, Nat. Mur., Graphites, Ars., Alumina, Causticum, Mezereum, Petrol., CarbolicAcid, Tuberculinum, Aur. Met., Acid Nitric., Guaiacum, Borax, Zinc Iod., Baryta Carb., Lachesis, Phos.— all in high potencies. If the use of these remedies brings out skin-eruptions, one can infer therefrom that the disease is on the high road to cure. Anti-psoric remedies are best given in the morning, during pregnancy or on the fifth day after menstruation. They are not to be given during or immediately preceding or following menses.

Syphilis

The virus gains entrance through abrasions on the body surface, usually on the genitals during coitus. It has three stages, as detailed elsewhere: (a) Primary or chancre stage—when a hard flat papule appears at the spot where as the virus has entered and indurated buboes appear too. (b) Secondary stage— usually 2 months after the primary stage—in which sore-throat, low fever, pain to bones, syphilides, falling off of hair, brittleness of nails, iritis, enlargement of lymphatic glands etc. appear. (c) Tertiary Stage—coming on years afterwards—in which gummata and involvement of internal organs (brain, uterus, testicles etc.) occur. Homoeopathy claims to eradicate the poison.

Suspect syphilitic dyscrasia if in the course of any illness you meet with—bilateral frontal bone-ache, loss of health, mental weakness, gummata, tendency to deep-seated ulceration, aggravation of pains at night.

Syphilitic dyscrasia manifests itself chiefly in the periosteum and brain. The skin lesions are tubercular, not purulent.

Medicines—Merc. Sol. 6—200 is the best.

Try also—Syphilinum, Hepar, Acid Nitric, Aur. Met., Natr. Mur., Silicea, Natrum Sulph., Lachesis, Ars., Guaiacum Graphites, Lyco., Kali Bi,—all in their higher potencies. The appearance of irritis, sore-throat etc. after the use of these remedies is an indication that the dyscrasias as well nigh cured.

To avert the syphilitic virus affecting the child—give a dose of Syphilinum 30 every fortnight and Merc. Sol. 6 (daily in the morning) all through pregnancy and as long as the child sucks the breasts. Give a dose of Merc. Sol. 6 once every morning to the child if inspite of the above the child is wasting.

Sycosis

Kent and Hahnemann agree in saying that the poison is of two varieties—acute and chronic. The acute virus gives rise to local lesions, with the three stages—onset, development and decline; the chronic virus to. constitutional disturbance with onset and development stages only. It is this latter that constitutes the real sycotic dyscrasia. But both forms (acute and chronic) are contagious; and within 8—10 days entry of the virus into the system, in both cases, uretheritic and muco-purulent urethral discharges occur. Sudden suppression of this discharge by strong remedies works mischief.

In the localized lesions, the urethra alone is involved. Petroselinum 0 is its best antidote. Cannabis Sativa, Cantharis or Copaiva may be occasionally called for. In a man with psoric dyscrasia, if localized Sycosis occurs, anti-psoric treatment must precede the localized antisycotic treatment.

In the generalized variety of sycosis, from the very commencement, the urethral discharge is thick and purulent, the urination is less painful, the urethral is swollen and somewhat hard and in some cases glandular tubercles cover the organ. The appearance of fig or cauliflower-like excrescences on the male organ is proof of sycotic dyscrasia. If the excrescences are like figs, they are dry; if like cauliflower of cook’s comb, they are soft and spongy and bleed on tbe slightest provocation. If these excrescences are burnt by caustics or removed by ligatures or if the urethral discharge is suppressed by strong injections, or if too much mercury is taken, the system breaks down and leads to excessive muscular debility and irritability, anxiety, fear, neurasthenia, asthma, or bronchial affections, degenerations of fingernails and eruptions on palms. Very soon after removal of these excrescences or suppression of the urethral discharges, rheumatism (especially of the knee and heels) occurs; hairs look as if tinged; Dysmenorrhoea, ovarities, sterility, aggravation of pain during the day and storm—all come on.

Chronic suffering from this dyscrasia leads to— Anemia, pasty looking complexion, lips are pale, ears look almost transparent ; warts on several parts of the body ; thick, yellowish-green mucous discharge from nose and eyes ; disease of liver or of urinary or respiratory organs ; acute rheumatism following suppression (of urethral discharge) ; restlessness from pain due to inflammation of testicles or of rectum. Patient walks on all force or with difficulty on his legs on account of pain in thigh, calf or instep of foot.

If it is a child, it looks pasty in complexion, anaemic ; it passes undigested food matter with stools and has choleralike evacuations during summer.

Treatment

Thuja 30—200 is the best medicine for latent sycosis. Other antisycotic remedies are: Medorrhinum, Calc. carb. (greenish-yellow mucus from nose), Acid. Nitric, Calc. Phos. (orchitis in an anaemic person), Kali iod., Hepar Sulph., Puls., Millefolium, Acid Phos., Silicea, Natrum Mur., Kali Sulph., Natrum Sulph., Natrum Phos., Sabina, Arg. Nit., Ars., Borax. Causticum, Clematis, Graphites, Hydrastis, Nux Vom., Kali Bi., Sepia. The appearance of urethral discharge is a sign that the patient is recovering.

Mixed Dyscrasias

Hahnemann advises the use firstly of an anti-psoric, then the use of the remedy against syphilis or sycosis whichever is more prominent of the two, and lastly the use of medicines against the dyscrasias the least manifest.

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