. . . continued from last issue
Depending on the cellular pathology caused by the infecting viral agent, viral diseases may also reflect syphilitic influence. When the virus causes transformation in cellular functions or morphology, the process is sycotic. When necrotic processes predominate, the syphilitic process is responsible.
The herpes virus family is particularly relevant to our discussion of the similarities of miasms and viruses and provides an example of viral agents that are more closely related to the syphilitic miasm. There are eight different types of herpes viruses that are responsible for many afflictions in humans. It is possible that all eight types are coming from one common source, the syphilitic miasm. It is realized that infection with one of the herpes family may lead to reactivation or expression of other members of the group, and that the isolation of one of these viruses does not necessarily mean that it caused the clinical condition. The variations in type may only be due to the tissue or organ that they invade and in which they choose to remain dormant. Their return to activity indicates a suppression of the immune response or when the immune system has been weakened, such as during menstruation, pregnancy, chemotherapy or organ transplantation.
Viral infections are usually accompanied by signs and symptoms in multiple tissue and organ sites. Curiously, there is often lack of evidence of any viral activity or replication at many of these sites of disease. This may be because the symptoms of illness are actually caused by the host’s response to the acutely exacerbated miasmatic agent that has been disturbed by some endogenous or exogenous factor.
Once the disease process has progressed to malignancy, we know that all the miasms are involved. When such a complicated interaction is taking place on the subtle energy levels, the onset of immunosuppression and immunologic incompetence with the associated replication of awakened viral agents may be the starting point for many malignancies. Though viruses are prime suspects in the etiology of malignancies, it is believed that they are probably only the precipitating factor that sets off a series of insults to the DNA. In other words we could say that malignancies are the consequence of miasmatic alteration of genetic control of the immune response. The expression of the viral genome is dependent on the existence of psora and the activation of latent sycosis or syphilis to suppress the immune response. Exogenous factors that may play a role in causing a miasm to awaken and express itself ultimately to malignancy include ionizing radiation and chemical carcinogens, and hormonal factors.
Prevention by controlling viral expression can be accomplished with the anti-miasmatic remedies. It has been proposed that many chronic diseases of unknown etiology have viral causative agents and/or genetic factors. These include rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus and multiple sclerosis. But they laughed at the supposed absurdity that so many diseases could have one causative agent as suggested by Hahnemann in his description of psora and the chronic diseases.
. . . . to be continued
Dr. Barbara Bova, HOD, Department of Homeopathy