. . . continued from last issue
PSORA
To this day, what Hahnemann actually meant by the term psora has never been definitively elucidated. It was Hahnemann’s observation that there was something obstructing cure in many of the cases he was treating. He noted that this obstruction was most often related to the history of either a skin eruption or the suppression of an eruption, and strongly asserted that the development of all chronic diseases was due to the suppression of skin eruptions by local and external non homeopathic treatment. In addition, he had claimed that acarius scabii was the causative factor of all vesicular or pustular skin eruptions, but never came to any definite conclusion in this regard. These declarations alone gave the medical community reason not to accept Hahnemann’s theory of the chronic miasms and chronic disease.
The word miasm has its origin in the Hebraic language, coming through the Latin and Greek word psorat, which means: “a groove, a fault, a pollution, a stigma.” In order to understand psora we have to look beyond the physical to the subtler aspects of a human being. For example, from the point of view of energy fields, we can think of psora as a groove or fault, a warp in the field that allows for the pollution of one or all levels of existence of the human organism, due to disturbances of prana.
Hahnemann’s concept of psora has been summarized as a disease or disposition in disease, inherited from generation to generation for thousands of years; it is the fostering soil (the weakened defense mechanism) for every possible disease condition. The weakened defense mechanism is the result of deficiencies of prana vayu, the aspect of prana responsible for taking in prana before it becomes diversified into its various functions. Obviously, if prana vayu is not able to carry out its function efficiently, all other functions of prana will likewise become equally diminished. There can be no doubt that psora creates the weakened defense mechanism that allows diseases to catch hold and thrive. In the context of this discussion, we can even include the venereal diseases as having roots in a psoric soil.
The classical definition of psora is that it encompasses all functional disorders. If we define function to be the primary role of prana, we can deduce that psora is a functional disturbance of prana, regardless of which functional role it is playing. Evidence of psora is known by which of the five functions of prana (udana, prana, samana, vyana, apana) is/are deranged, and also on the etiological factor(s) of the derangement(s).Thus, any inhibiting force or suppression of the natural movements of prana will be of primary significance in the genesis of the psoric soil. When all aspects of prana are functioning properly, the basic processes of taking in, assimilating, discarding what is not needed, protecting the organism from potentially harmful agents, and maintaining proper functioning of the senses, are carried out efficiently.
. . . to be continued
Dr. Barbara Bova, HOD, Dept. of Homeopathy