Mary and Frank attend a dinner party together. They have a great time, but the next day Mary finds herself sick with vomiting and diarrhea and in a great deal of pain. On reaching out to some of the other guests, she finds that many of them are experiencing similar symptoms. Frank, however, feels fine and doesn’t experience any symptoms of illness whatsoever. How can this be?
The Oxford Dictionary defines susceptibility in this way: “the state or fact of being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.” This is an important concept in homeopathy.
In The Organon, Hahnemann writes in aphorism 31: “The inimical forces, partly psychical, partly physical, to which our terrestrial existence is exposed, which are termed morbific noxious agents, do not possess the power of morbidly deranging the health of man unconditionally ; but we are made ill by them only when our organism is sufficiently disposed and susceptible to the attack of the morbific cause that may be present and to be altered in its health, deranged and made to undergo abnormal sensations and functions, hence they do not produce disease in everyone, nor at all times.”
In short, this means that in order to “catch” an illness, we must resonate with it at the time we are exposed. This normally means we are not in optimal health, whether we have not been sleeping well, are feeling run down and overworked, or our diet is not as good as it should be. Lucky Frank, in the example above, was probably feeling pretty good at the dinner party, while Mary may not have been at her best, leaving her open to contracting the disease. Another reason to care for yourself not only homeopathically, but by incorporating a healthy diet, exercise, and rest in your life.
Materia Medica
Mercurius solubilis (Merc sol, Merc): The person needing this remedy is likely to be irritable, restless, and anxious. It is particularly helpful for symptoms related to the mucus membranes such as in the nose, mouth, or stomach. The mouth may taste metallic and there can be excessive salivation and offensive breath. Other discharges are also likely to have an offensive odor. There is a great deal of perspiration. Symptoms are worse for temperature fluctuations, whether warmer or colder, and worse at night.
Comments