This time of incredible manic expansion of life is the natural home for this miasm. Medorrhinum is full of extremes in all forms of physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. Here in Saint John, we are already seeing the seasonal extremes of this time of year — last week we enjoyed a couple of sunny 27°C days, while a grey, wet, cold weekend has led to a waking temperature this morning of ?17°C with the windchill! This miasm is a strong root behind medical conditions such as bi-polar disorder, allergic asthma, and 3D skin conditions, such as warts or skin tags. It is also a very strong factor behind family histories which contain any forms of heart disease.

The general theme running through all the symptoms of this miasm is of an expansion caught by a restriction, which either causes pain, swelling, or inflammation, and a tendency towards exploding outward. In terms of the mental-emotional state and behaviour of this miasm, there are many extremes. Extremes of behaviour and mood punctuate a characteristically brilliant but unpredictable personality, as is often portrayed in the lives of certain creative artists. Aggression and even cruelty are not foreign to this state.

As an artistic impression, you could say that Medorrhinum is represented by the city of Las Vegas — the hometown of “sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll” — where every impulse and wish can be granted, no matter how perverse. It’s interesting that the expression “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” actually represents the emotional aspect of this state of mind. The case study I wrote about last month is an illustration of this state of mind of a guilty feeling which was hidden away inside a little girl.

A drive towards having extremely exciting experiences is characteristic of this miasm. Whether pressing down on the accelerator further than usual on a sunny day with the volume on the radio turned up, engaging in “extreme” and dangerous sports, or pursuing forbidden or perverse sexual experiences, you will recognize this same underlying theme. There is a degree of ‘armoring’ within the medorrhinum state which is attempting to break through at the hand of these types of extremes.

As with all of the chronic miasms, once you understand its most essential characteristics, it becomes relatively easy to identify it as the root of so many varied physical and mental-emotional symptoms. As part of an effective system of medicine, understanding the roots is so much more important than trimming the leaves or branches.

I accessed Thorwald Dethlefsen’s book “The Healing Power of Illness: The Meaning of Symptoms and How to Interpret Them”, wherein I found the first clue as to why this individual was suffering so much with this condition. Dethlefsen states, “The personal history of nearly all rheumatic patients reveals excessive activity and mobility. It is thus on active, mobile, agile, restless people that polyarthritis inflicts its long-term stiffness and rigidity, right up to the point where disablement finally forces them to keep still. What seems to be happening here, in other words, is that excessive movement and activity is being corrected for by means of rigidity.” Ah, so this makes sense for the diagnosis (Greek: dia means “through”, gnosis means “knowing”)

I love words. I love to shake them until the meaning or “logos” (which means the divine incarnated spirit born out of thought reflected in “the word” or, the rational principle that governs and develops the universe …no less). Just playing with language is a good enough reason to get out of bed in the morning for me. With regards to Arthritis, it is interesting to look at the German word starr (rigid), which is closely related to the word stur (stubborn), steif (stiff), storrisch (obstinant) and even stieren (to stare) and sterben (to die).

As far as I can tell, arthritis is like a mineralization that usually begins in the extremities where the individual is not wholly incarnated consciously. Arms and hands are the purveyors of giving and receiving, and legs and feet are the instruments we use to move forward in our lives. Nature takes notice when we are “doing” out of obligation as opposed to love, and she begins to deposit salts that begin to cement in the joints over time. I often tell patients that it is a bit like having to dust and vacuum your home once a week, as nature needs to be wholly convinced that we are occupying space, otherwise her job is to take back what she claims is rightfully hers. If you’ve ever seen a person rigidified after death, you know how effective she can be in realizing her goal. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust … Our job is to convince her we are fully and wholly occupying our domain, out of love, and that she had better back off!

Narayan-Singh (aka Michael J. Lincoln, Phd.) wrote “Messages From The Body: Their Psychological Meaning, The Body’s Desk Reference”. It is an awesome reference I use when wanting to source the meaning behind illness in order to form a true diagnoses. For arthritis, he describes the condition as a “hardening of the attitudes.” He goes on to say, “they have a pronounced tendency to immobilization, self-criticism, lack of self-worth, fear, anger, and a feeling of being tied down, restricted and confined. They feel unloved, with a resulting resentful bitterness and judgmental nature.” Apparently these individuals suffered a gloomy and despairing childhood where they never knew when the next thing would go wrong, just that it would. They felt foresaken as the scaffolding (bones, joints, tendons, and muscles) of pure love, without attachment, was not established in childhood. Bingo … we have the whole truth now.

This was indicative of my patient’s case and over time, she has come to know this. The pain and swelling has diminished, her hands look as normal as mine now and she has reached her 1st first two goals. She still struggles with operating out of moralization and her intellect instead from a place of trust and love. I hear it in her voice when she says things like, “Now, Allyson, any mother would do the same thing if their child was suffering” at least every visit. If was given the chance to respond, I would say the answer is “no”. This intellectual loop she has created out of the belief that suffering is “bad” in an indication that her state of mind has not wholly resolved yet. We’ll see if she can let go of  “the doing” and enter the realm of true participation, warmth, love, greater ease, softening and true maternal nurturance … without the moralization. A true mother just is, she doesn’t feel the need to justify herself to any perceived authority!

Dr. Samual Hahnmann defined health in his Organon of The Medical Art as, “In the healthy human state, the spirit-like life force (autocracy) that enlivens the material organism as dynamis, governs without restriction and keeps all parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards to both feelings and functions, so that our indwelling, rational spirit can freely avail itself of this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence.” Wilhelm Reich described health as being “orgastically potent” in all ways, including in the boudoir.

The thing is that a well-trained Physician will generally know how to cause more symptoms than less, especially in the short-term. For example, I had a 3 year old autistic boy start Heilkünst treatment. One week later I got a phone call that he was having his first high, spiked, fever complete with glassy eyes, red shining face and ears, and slight delirium. Two days later he spoke his first word, “Dora”, while watching Dora, The Explorer. It was interesting to me that Reich referred to Deadly Orgone Energy as , “DOR,” which is what is in the allopathic vaccines. Fever functions to download a “healthy ego” by building the auto-immune system.

I had a fellow with Cancer report to me that his five aggressive tumors actually increased in volume, lost their shape and drained green and yellow pus for days after starting Heilkünst treatment. I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear this. Three out of the four tumors were gone within in the first three weeks of his initial consultation. He tells me his business is picking up. He was considered in Palliative Care. Heilkunst follows the direction of cure based on Hering’s Law, “from the inside out.”

I had another woman tell me how she was feeling “worse” this month. When I asked her to define “worse,” she said, “I’m angry all the time, I’m yelling at my husband, my children, even my boss at work.” Prior, she suffered chronic throat and TMJ (Tempero-mandibular joint) issues, suffering her frustration in silence, not speaking her truth, rarely asking for what she needed. Narayan Singh in his book Messages From The Body says TMJ results from, “… intensely repressed and suppressed rage at their situation which they dare not express.” Her jaw pain is gone. Heilkünst doesn’t moralize whether she is better or worse, but the phenomena are understood, and we repeat these results daily.

Further into Heilkünst treatment, I will often hear patients saying things like, “I’ve left my high tech position to be a birthing coach full time,” or “my marriage isn’t serving me any longer, I need to get out,” or “I’ve begun making healthy cookies and selling them to other Moms for their kids’ lunches,” or “I need to move to the mountains as I don’t resonate with the flat, cold climate of Ottawa.” Often when I ask these individuals about their initial symptoms, they’ve completely forgot about them (sometimes they are gone and sometimes not) but their relationship to them has wholly shifted. They’re getting on with the “higher purposes of their existence” by following the direction of cure, “from the inside out.” And that is no red Herring! Hering get it? Mmmmm … ok maybe not.