Complementary medicine
Assisting holistic healing with biochemic tissue-salts
Abstract
In 1873, Dr. Schuessler (a German homoeopath) analysed the ash content of human cells and identified the presence of 12 inorganic tissue salts. He believed that there is a biochemical basis to cellular health and that vitality of the body organs is maintained by a balance of these twelve salts. Whenever there is a deficiency of any of these inorganic salts in the body tissues, certain typical symptoms are found to arise. So, when you observe these symptoms in a person, all you have to do is to supply the deficient salt in a potentised form (6X). It will stimulate the vital force, which resume the healing. When you manage the symptoms of a healing crisis or an acute/chronic disease with these biochemic tissue-salts, you don’t suppress symptoms. You merely use the symptoms to diagnose the appropriate biochemic remedy that must be applied.
In Continuation
In the July issue of NAMAH (Vol. 25, Issue 2), the article, ‘Holistic Healing and Alternative Therapies’ explained the dual effect of medicines on the body — the immediate or short-term effect and the long-term side-effect or after-effect. The immediate effect normally works in the opposite direction of the long-term effect. So, when the immediate effect is suppressing a symptom, the long-term effect is to re-generate it as a milder but long lasting or periodically recurring chronic symptom. Thus, the temporary relief got by suppressing a symptom also gives rise to bigger and long-term problems through side-effects and after-effects.
The next article, ‘Natural healing — in theory and practice’ in the October issue (Vol. 26, issue 3), showed that in our search for health, our attention is distracted from the highway of healthy habits onto the by-lanes of medicines, nutrients and the health fads that are promoted by the modern healthcare industry. The simple truth is that our health depends more on our lifestyle, eating habits and emotions and not so much on the medicines that we are seduced into taking. Hence, our aim should be to correct our habits and strengthen our ‘inner doctor’, the vital force. Then we have only to assist the vital force in its effort to restore our health.
However, once the vital force has been strengthened, our health is not restored immediately. The body goes through a process of detoxification, which takes time. And during this period we have to manage our smaller discomforts without going back to taking medicines. In the present article, we explain the process of natural healing, the small healing crisis that usually arises on the way, and a convenient and effective way to manage our symptoms without disturbing the process of natural healing.
Contents
1. How a disease progresses inward
2. The healing crisis
3. What usually happens when you suppress the symptoms
4. Managing your illness with Dr. Schuessler’s tissue-salts
5. The principle
6. The twelve biochemic tissue-salts
How a disease progresses inward
Once our vital force has become weak due to toxaemia, the body’s reserve vital force will try to restore it through several small bouts of acute/healing crisis. The illness that arises on the way to health is usually superficial, short-lived and self-curative. If you let the disease take its own course, it will pass away. And the detoxification that happens during the process will strengthen the vital force.
On the other hand, if we suppress the symptoms with medicines, our vital force becomes weaker. Then the symptoms get internalised and the disease progresses. At first it becomes chronic and then further, it becomes destructive. Most present-day chronic diseases are actually the results of misdirected medical treatment. Instead of cleansing the body to eliminate the toxins, the symptoms are suppressed to give immediate temporary relief. As a result the toxin level increases and the disease becomes deep-rooted and constitutional.
The healing crisis
The detox process that we talk of takes time. It doesn’t happen in days; it takes months. The residue of the medicines and the body toxins that have accumulated over the years have to be expelled. During this process some bouts of discomfort will be experienced and some old symptoms will resurface before they are finished.
These symptoms are somewhat similar to what is experienced during an acute disease. However, we call them the healing or elimination crisis and do not consider them to be a disease like infections. The reason is that these symptoms are a part of the healing process, and so they must not be suppressed with medicines. You have to endure a little and drink plenty of water to assist the elimination process.The usual symptoms that arise are nausea, restlessness, headache, aching muscles, lethargy, running nose, cough, fever, coated tongue, gas, purging, skin rashes, bad breath and body odour.
If the elimination crisis becomes intense, you have to rest and follow a diet plan that is usually recommended for acute illnesses. It is as follows: drink vegetable soup, diluted fruit juice or juice of ash-gourd (dudhi). If you feel you must eat something, then take some cooked vegetables or seasonal fruits. When the hunger returns, start with porridge or khichidi with mung dal and some salads.
What usually happens when you suppress the symptoms
Let us consider the most common functional disorder called indigestion. It is only temporary. However, if the symptoms of indigestion like acidity, belching, bloating, flatulence, etc. are continuously suppressed with drugs; the disease becomes dyspepsia – which is a deep-rooted and constitutional disorder. Then the dyspepsia becomes the basis of serious chronic disorders like asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism, headaches, eczema, diabetes and irritable bowels.
However, to heal yourself you don’t have to treat any of these diseases individually. You have to only relieve the indigestion by correcting your eating and lifestyle habits. Then the body will, through a few rounds of healing crisis, restore the vital force. First the indigestion will diminish and then the other diseases that are rooted in it will begin to fade away. Instead, if you try to solve your problem by allowing the doctor to suppress your symptoms with drugs, the indigestion will continue in some form or other. Then the other diseases that are caused by it will gradually become constitutional.
Managing your illness with Dr. Schuessler’s tissue-salts
When you manage the symptoms of a healing crisis or an acute/chronic disease with the biochemic remedies of Dr. Schuessler, you don’t suppress the symptoms. You merely use the symptoms to diagnose the appropriate biochemic remedy that must be applied. The remedy will have an appropriate effect on your body’s vital force and make it responsive. Then the vital force will resume the task of eliminating the toxins and repairing the disorder naturally, from inside-out.
The biochemic system is holistic since it relies on stimulating the body’s vital force with merely a vibration of the tissue-salt contained in sugar of milk. Then the vital force carries out the healing through a natural process. Note: the vital force is a power in the energy body that keeps the body working as a whole. It is only when it becomes insufficient that disorders begin to arise as symptoms in the body parts or the body parts become susceptible to infections.
The biochemic system does not have the drug related ‘side-effects’ that usually arise from consuming chemical drugs. The most interesting thing about this approach is that it is very simple. There are just 12 salts to choose from; you don’t need to know the nature of any disease to make your prescription; and you also don’t need to rely on any kind of laboratory tests and investigations. My mother used to treat us (family) with these biochemic remedies when we were kids. And she did a pretty good job in relieving our functional and seasonal disorders even though she had no training in healthcare!
You have to only study the ‘guiding symptoms’ indicated for each of the 12 biochemic tissue-salts to be able to prescribe. I have personally used these biochemic remedies and over the years I have found the results to be consistent and very satisfactory.
The principle
In 1873, Dr. Schuessler analysed the ash content of human cells and identified the presence of 12 inorganic tissue salts. He believed that there is a biochemical basis to cellular health and that vitality of the body organs is maintained by a balance of these twelve salts. Whenever there is a deficiency of any of these inorganic salts in the body tissues, certain typical symptoms are found to arise. So, when you observe these symptoms in a person, all you have to do is to supply the deficient salt in a potentised form (6x). It will stimulate the vital force, which resume the healing.
The twelve biochemic tissue-salts
Here we give the ‘signature’ of the twelve biochemic tissue-salts. You will find a more detailed discussion in the author’s book (The Biochemic Prescriber, available from Amazon and Kindle online stores). These biochemic tissue salts are available at most homoeopathic pharmacies.
Cal Fluor
This salt governs the elasticity of the muscular fibres and connective tissues. Its deficiency makes the skin, muscles, ligaments and/or veins lose their elasticity. Hence, the ruling symptom is loss of flexibility, elasticity or chronic dilation.
Thus, it will heal a prolapsed uterus or bladder (with dragging-down sensations); haemorrhoids (that itch and bleed); joints that easily dislocate; glands that have hardened and calcified since exudation was difficult; skin that is cracked or chapped; and veins that have become varicose.
It is also useful for overcoming loose teeth and receding gums and for treating lumps that develop on bones (after a bad bruise to a bone or a fracture) or around joints (after a bad sprain). It also strengthens bones that tend to bend, as in bow legs or hunched back; or where spurs have developed, as in osteoarthritis.
Cal Phos
This salt is associated with defective nutrition in bones, muscle and glands and with teething troubles in children. It is an essential mineral in gastric juices that are necessary for protein assimilation. Hence, it is given for building blood cells (anaemia), muscles (strength) and bones (as in teething). It is commonly used as a tonic to quicken recovery after an illness or after there have been exhausting albuminous discharges and during menopause.
The deficiency of this salt causes a foul taste in the mouth along with bloating, flatulence or heartburn. Often the person cannot wear tight clothing. And there are freckles and pimples on the face.
This salt is also used to treat aching pains in bones, cartilages, joints and muscles; for healing brittle bones or bones after a fracture; and for treating the effects of wasting diseases like TB, sexual excess and emotional disorders.
Cal Sulf
The main function of this salt is to remove impurities (like pus) from the skin and blood. These impurities show their effect on the mucous membranes and the skin: the boils or abscesses discharge, but do not heal.
The different organs of the body cannot perform their tasks well when the blood becomes toxic with pus. Hence, this salt is often used as an inter-current remedy while treating chronic coughs, colds, earaches, eczemas, and eye infections. The discharges are characteristically thick and yellow. It serves as an expectorant in chest congestions.
Ferrum Phos
This salt is a constituent of the red blood corpuscles, which act as the carrier of oxygen to the different organs of the body. Whenever there is infection or inflammation in any part of the body (heat, redness and pain), the temperature rises to fight the bacteria or virus and unless it rises beyond 102 degrees, it should not be suppressed. This salt is most useful at this stage. It is the ‘rescue remedy’ in all acute illnesses.
Thus, Ferrum Phos is used during the first stage of fevers and at the onset of acute respiratory illnesses (like coughs or colds), before any swellings or discharges have developed. The person will be listless and there is redness of parts, but with no other clear symptoms.
Lack of this salt causes the muscle fibres to relax. Hence, there is dilation with the accumulation of blood, and sometimes with haemorrhage. It is the first remedy for earaches and for nosebleeds after an injury.
Kali Mur
This cell salt unites with albumen (protein) to form fibrin, which is found in all tissues of the body except bone. When Kali Mur is deficient, the fibrin becomes non-functional and causes a thick, whitish discharge from the mucus membranes. The tongue is typically coated white.Kali Mur is most useful in treating the second stage of inflammations and congestions. It helps in all catarrhal conditions such as coughs, stuffy head colds, chest colds or stuffed sinuses, etc. where there is swelling or white discharge. There may be white ulcers or thrush in the mouth.
This salt will relieve rheumatic swellings and detoxify the lymph and glandular systems of the body. It is very useful in earaches with congestion in the Eustachian tubes (so that hearing is affected).
To be taken when the skin is dry with white scales and the eczema is dry. This salt is the biochemic ‘first-aid’ for burns and blisters. It stops the wound from bleeding and heals it faster.
Here the digestion is very sluggish. Often there is indigestion or diarrhoea from consuming rich or fatty food.
Kali Phos
This is the mineral constituent of the grey matter of nerve fibres, like the brain. It is used as a nerve tonic for people in the convalescent stage of any acute illness (especially after flu) where there is nervous exhaustion. Give it freely to people who are under the pressure of mental work or studying (exams) or to executives who are burning out from stress, or to any person who shows the need for warmth and rest.
This salt relieves the nervousness that arises from emotional stress. Hence, it is ideally suited to people who ‘fly off the handle for no good reason’; where there is hysteria, depression or tantrums.
This salt is also useful in septic conditions where there is a decay of the nerve fibres. The fever is high (as in intestinal fever); the breath and body odour are foul (as in tooth decay); the discharges are also foul smelling and bloody (as in gangrene); and the tongue has a mustard colour coating.
This salt is most commonly used as a brain tonic to relieve nervousness brain fag, insomnia (sleeplessness), and the condition of shattered nerves. It will also relieve dull neuralgic pains.
Kali Sulf
This salt cleanses the skin, which is the largest organ of the body. Whereas Ferrum Phos carries oxygen to the organs, Kali Sulf transfers the oxygen onto the cells where it is needed. Hence, it is said to promote ‘cellular breathing’. In this way it cleanses the epidermis (top layer of skin) and overcomes the dull and sickly appearance of the skin, as in psoriasis, and scaling as in dandruff. In skin eruptions the discharges are sticky and yellow, as in chicken pox.
The discharges from the mucous membranes are typically yellow. The tongue is coated yellow; the discharges are thick and sticky. They can cause wheezing in the chest, which is often worse between 3 to 5 am. It is useful in the third stage of coughs, colds, earaches, etc. where expectoration has formed, but is sticky and difficult to bring out.
It is used in inflammatory fevers to open up the pores of the skin and cause perspiration. It relieves ailments due to suppressed eruptions. The eruptions return in a milder form, which is to be overcome naturally. This remedy is indicated during a change of weather from cold to warm, when it brings on the symptoms of coughs, colds, or rheumatic pains that typically move (shift) around in the body.
Mag Phos
This salt has a striking effect on white-nerve fibres and muscles. We call it the ‘biochemic aspirin’ since it relieves pains anywhere —in earache, headache, toothache (including teething in babies), abdominal colic, muscular spasms and even sciatica — as long as the pains are better by heat and pressure.
The characteristic of the pain is neuralgic (i.e. sharp, spasmodic or cutting pains that come and go) and not a dull pain! The action of this tissue salt is the opposite of Ferrum Phos, where there is relaxation of contracted muscles. Here there is convulsion, cramp and restlessness.
This salt will relieve painful menses, muscular twitching, hiccoughs and spasmodic coughs. Women who need this remedy may be found doubled up in bed with a hot water bottle pressed onto their abdomen.
Natrum Mur
This salt affects the ‘water balance’ in mucous membranes, skin and body organs. There is dryness in the mouth along with strong thirst; lips are dry with cracks in the lower lip; the cough is dry and hacking; the bowels are constipated, etc. On the other hand, the discharges are watery: the nose is running; the eyes are watering; and there is much sneezing.
It will relieve oedema (excessive fluid build-up in specific areas of the body) like puffy ankles; creaking joints (due to dryness); painful mouth ulcers; and water-filled blisters (herpetic eruptions).
The headache of Nat Mur is usually throbbing or hammering. It arises due to fluid imbalance in the brain. The patient has poor endurance to the heat of the sun; so they often get a headache when exposed to the sun. In addition, food takes a long time to digest in the stomach; so there is indigestion and full sensation. Sometimes there is a salty taste in the mouth; sometimes there is a craving for salt; and many troubles are aggravated by dwelling near the seashore.
Nat Phos
This salt maintains the alkaline balance in the body. It emulsifies fatty acids and keeps the uric acid soluble in the blood. It is useful in troubles of the stomach and intestines when there is ‘acidity’ — a burning sensation with indigestion and gas. The digestive tract is very sensitive and intolerant to ‘acid-forming’ foods like milk, fats, sweets, alcohol and vinegar. The person usually has a large appetite, but feels worse after eating. Often there is acid belching after eating; itching around the anus due to worms (which thrive in acidic conditions); obstinate constipation or constipation alternating with sour-smelling and burning diarrhoea with sudden urgings.
All the discharges here are characteristically sour-smelling and creamy-yellow. The skin is sore and itching with eczema or yellow scabs. Often there is eczema in the lower foot with intolerable itching.
This salt keeps urea soluble in the blood; otherwise uric acid salts can precipitate around joints and ligaments of the body causing stiffness in the skeletal muscles and swellings in the joints. Hence, this salt is known to relieve (inflammatory) rheumatic conditions caused by acid diathesis. It is also a kidney tonic.
Nat Sulf
This salt is associated with the liver and it cleanses the intercellular fluids of the body.
Nat Sulf is involved in carbohydrate metabolism in the body. Hence, it is useful in treating digestive upsets or nausea after eating starchy foods or fruits; and in morning diarrhoea where the stools are greenish. It is called the ‘liver salt’, since the liver is often swollen, there is excessive bile (as in jaundice) or the gall bladder is sensitive. The taste is bitter, the tongue is coated a dirty green-brown and the discharges are greenish.
Nat Sulf is used to cleanse the cellular wastes from the cells and the intercellular fluid. Hence, it is often called the detox salt. It is also used to treat intermittent fevers (that come and go); influenza with coughs and colds; rheumatism due to toxaemia; and headaches which are dull and occipital (at the base of the head). It also relieves the hangover that arises from taking excessive drinks. A feeling of dullness and stuffiness in damp or wet weather always calls for this salt.
Silicea
The deficiency of this salt affects keratin, the fibrous tissue in the body. It gives rise to weakness in the connective tissues of bones, glands, hair, mucous membranes, nails, skin and teeth. There is a typical brittleness of hair and nails; and the skin develops wrinkles and cracks.
This salt will get rid of superfluous organic matter in the body. It functions like a surgeon in finishing abscesses, boils, carbuncles, corns and styes. It hastens the suppuration or pus-formation process in boils and abscesses that are painful, but do not discharge easily. It will extrude foreign bodies like thorns from under the skin. In gout or rheumatic afflictions it will push the tissues to throw out the accumulated waste. It will act on post-surgical scars that are inflamed, painful and slow to heal. It will relieve chronic swellings in glands, in the throat, in the ear, and of the sinuses.
This tissue-salt is most useful in long continued infections and in chronic skin disorders. The difference between the action of Cal Sulf and Silicea is that Silicea ripens the abscess and promotes suppuration, whereas Cal Sulf restrains the suppuration to cleanse and close the wound.
The Silicea person is typically sensitive, chilly, and sweaty; he catches cold easily; becomes chilled by cold winds; lacks stamina and is easily worn out by work. The body is imperfectly nourished due to deficient assimilation. Such a person has foul-smelling perspiration; the skin itches; milk is not digested easily; and many symptoms are sensitive to the moon phases, particularly to the full moon and the new moon.
A summary
A quick reference for treating persons with these ‘cell salts’:
• Associate Calcium with disorders of nutrition and bones.
• Associate Sodium with troubles of digestion and elimination; which gives rise to symptoms like acidity, sluggishness and rheumatism.
• Associate Potassium with auto-intoxication as in blood diseases and nerve troubles.
• Associate Iron with circulation and oxygen starvation.
• Associate Silicea with constitutional weakness and deformities in nails and teeth.
• And associate Magnesium with nerve spasms.
In the next article, we shall take up the subject of healing by making changes in our consciousness.
Prashant S. Shah is an author, healer, spiritual guide and counsellor from Vadodara, India. He has a website at http://spiritual-living.in .
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