Holistic concepts of health and disease

INTERACTIONS WITH EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

The organism does not exist in isolation. All living organisms survive by a process of adaptation to their external (and internal) environments. Those who can not adapt successfully must suffer as a result. The organism acts upon and is influenced by natural forces in its external environment. Environmental factors are not often considered but are very important nonetheless. They include Cosmic, Solar and Lunar forces, climatic changes, electromagnetic fields, geographical conditions and geophysical fields. (In a later section, we will examine other external factors).

The effects of cosmic and solar forces on animal health are poorly defined. Effects of the moon on health include a tendency to haemorrhage during new and full moon. Surgical complications are less likely to arise if major surgery is avoided for a few days before and after new and full moon.

Many years ago, Harold Burr, USA, recorded the electrical potentials of trees, day after day for many years. He found a cyclical change in potentials related to moon phase, day v night and sunspot activity. Maximum DC electrical potentials occurred at new and full moon; in daytime; and at peak sunspot activity. Minimum potentials occurred at quarter and three-quarter moon phase; at night and at minimum sunspot activity. He found similar changes in electrical potentials in humans.

Robert Becker (Veterans Administration Hospital, Syracuse, New York) and others have reported that people are more irritable at new and full moon and that violent crimes (rape, murder, assault, suicide) and admissions to psychiatric hospitals are more common at these times. The English word lunatic is derived from the Latin luna (Moon) and tic (fit, convulsion). Epileptic fits, convulsions and hallucinations are more likely to arise at these times also. I am unaware of published work on the effects of the full and new moon on animal dis-ease, but I suspect that neuromuscular disorders such as convulsions in dogs and grass (hypomagnesaemic) tetany in cows may be more common at these times also.

Geophysical forces: For thousands of years, in all civilisations, certain people claimed to be able to find water under the ground, using instruments like Y sticks (divining rods) pendulums, etc. When the diviner passes across underground streams, an involuntary muscular contraction causes the instrument to react. The diviner tries to locate exactly the course of the stream. He then tries to find the place where one or more other streams intersect (usually at different depths). The hole for the well is sunk at this point. Diviners explain this phenomenon by claiming that the water, running in fissures in the underground rocks, creates a distortion in the magnetic field above the fissure. The body of the diviner reacts as a biosensor to this alteration by an involuntary muscular contraction. (See the paper on psychic methods of diagnosis and therapy in AP and homoeopathy).

Diviners in Europe, Australia, Africa and America have reported that many dis-eases in man and animals are associated with strong reactive points over these streams. Insomnia, arthritis rheumatism, asthma and cancer have been associated with these places. Where cattle or other animals are confined to a stall or pen directly over these geophysical reaction points, chronic disorders can arise, such as poor growth, chronic ketosis and infertility. Orthodox treatment is often unsuccessful in these cases. If, however, the animals are moved to a stall/pen which is free of reactive points, the condition usually disappears quickly.

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF): It is known that many species are extremely sensitive to weak EMFs. Some cases of chronic dis-ease may be associated with these EMFs such as those created by high-voltage cables , electric cables underground, electrical equipment (electric blankets, TV and VDU screens etc. Other electro-magnetic and gravitational influences include eclipses, planetary alignments, thunder-storms etc.

Effects of climate: Exposure to cold, damp weather when animals are turned out to pasture in the Spring are often associated with outbreaks of grass tetany and muscular degeneration (white muscle dis-ease, associated with selenium deficiency). There is evidence that cattle can sometimes eat large amounts of ergot (Claviceps purpurea) with no effects if they are warm and dry. If, however, the weather is very cold and the lower limbs are wet or freezing (as in cold, damp cow-sheds in winter) severe outbreaks of ergotism (gangrene of the limbs etc) can follow.

Effects of diet and food-sensitivity/intolerance: The diet is one of most obvious environmental factors affecting animal health. Deficiencies or imbalances in total intake of dry matter, its energy, protein, mineral and vitamin status, are well studied and need no further comment. The diet may also influence health if it contains plant, organic or inorganic poisons. In man, the role of masked (hidden) allergies to common feedstuffs, drugs, contact and inhalant-allergens has been recognised only in recent years. Many chronic dis-eases are associated with a hypersensitivity or intolerance, hidden allergy to common foods etc (Randolph; Mackarness; Coca; Breneman).

Diagnosis of masked allergy is based on systematic elimination of specific items from the diet or the environment of the patient for a period of 8-14 days or so. Then the patient is challenged orally, sublingually or nasally with each suspect food, etc in single tests. If a violent reaction occurs within 0-2 hours after challenge, the food etc is eliminated completely from the diet. Following this, the health of the patient improves dramatically. The role of these masked allergies in animal dis-ease is not yet as well established as in human dis-eases.

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Signals or stimuli from the external environment are transmitted to the internal environment in many ways. The sensory nervous system transmits stimuli of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. These signals are transmitted to the spinal cord and, via the ascending tracts, to the brain and higher centres. Sensory input may activate segmental, intersegmental and supraspinal reflexes. It may also activate the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamus-pituitary etc. The role of the nervous system and the endocrine system in adaptation responses is well discussed by other authors ^{(4, 14)}.

External stimuli and internal sensory stimuli may reach the internal environment by another route, thePRIMITIVE NERVOUS SYSTEM of Becker and his colleagues in New York. They postulated the existence of two systems which can transmit information in the body : (a) the neuroendocrine system as already described, and (b) a slow acting non-nervous system analogous to the primitive nervous system of plants and lower animals. This Primitive Nervous System acts by sensing alterations in the electrical potentials at the skin⁵ and in damaged organs and tissues. The DC current of injury is transmitted along planes of low electrical impedance (the AP Channels) and is boosted (amplified) at the AP points. This system switches on when injury grossly alters the normal electrical potential. When healing occurs, the electrical potentials return to normal and switch off the system.

The ancients, mystics and many moderns accept that humans and animals have a psychic (sixth) sense. By Yin-Yang philosophy that sense implies a psychic transmission force also. These are the bases of telepathy, divination, telekinesis, kinaesthesia, prayer-healing, spells, incantations, symbolic healing rituals, magic (black- and white-) etc. In spite of the ridicule of many scientists, telepathy, telepathic diagnosis and telepathic healing or injury (voodoo, black-magic) are realities for many people (see the paper on Psychic Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment in AP and homoeopathy).

The Chinese name for the AP point (Xue) means "hole". The Chinese have claimed for centuries that influences such as heat, damp, cold, dryness, wind and physical injury can gain direct access to the body via the "body holes" (the AP points). Electro-magnetic forces may gain entry through the "leaky holes" in the same way, as the AP points are characterised as zones of high DC potential/low electrical resistance. We know that lightning tends to strike in certain places which have low electrical resistance. (Diviners claim that all lightning strikes at strong geophysical reactive points, low-resistance "holes" in the earth). AP points may attract EMF and external signals in the same way as a lightning conductor attracts lightning. The skin and mucous membranes are the interfaces between the external and internal environment; the AP points are the "leaky places" on the skin, which connect the external and internal environments. The AP system is also said to connect all the organs and body parts with each other, via planes of higher electrical permeability/lower impedance.