Susceptibility to Disease and Why We Need It to Stay Healthy
Susceptibility is defined as the degree to which a person is sensitive to a contagion, ailment, pathogen, disease or even medicine. Homeopaths define it as “the reaction of the organism to external and influences”. Each person’s susceptibility is entirely unique and therefore as no two people are the same, similarly people’s susceptibilities are unique to them as well. One man may thrive in a damp environment whereas (it may actually make his eczema better) yet his neighbor may develop pneumonia due to the cold damp weather. If a large group of people were all exposed to a specific contagion, only those susceptible to the particular contagion would react.
Susceptibility is not static, it varies throughout one’s lifetime. A person could be very susceptible to a particular force at one point in their life, and not be so susceptible to it in another point in time. This is noticeable in transformations from illness to health, and/or from health to illness. Our present state and what forces come in contact with us at a given time, decipher what reaction will occur.
For instance, things could be going well and our health could be thriving nicely and we may come in contact with either a pathogen, stress and or injury and not be too affected. Conversely, we may not be well, feeling out of balance, and come into contact with the same pathogen, stress and or injury and fall privy to them, resulting in a disturbance (aka illness) that we otherwise would have avoided. Susceptibility is therefore present in all states of health, disease and medicine.
Everyone has a natural susceptibility this is denoted via the state of our health. This natural susceptibility is a phenomenon that should never be destroyed or tampered with. Every living thing has a natural susceptibility that enables it to defend itself against potentially threatening agents, therefore increasing its chances of survival.
The constitutional type of susceptibility is responsible for the anabolism and catabolism that aids in the maintenance of equilibriatory processes. It is this natural susceptibility that protects our bodies from toxins and sets off a reaction inside us and for the demand of food. Therefore, this susceptibility keeps us feed and nourished, and also protects us from all of the awful poisons that could find their ways into our bodies.
The natural susceptibility that is innate among all of us allows us to produce antibodies and antitoxins to new and old poisons to self-protect ourselves. Any change in normal susceptibility will interfere with one’s normal functioning, and as a result will alter the balance of our organism; this unequal balance is thus denoted. as disease.
If one was to all-together destroy this natural susceptibility, one would be unable to thrive effectively and eventually death would occur. However, with this thought in mind, it is important to note, that “these inimical potencies do not make everyone sick every time; it depends on our susceptibility and our exposure to them.
Like many things, one’s constitutional susceptibility also has a limit or breaking point. Once a certain tolerance is reached, one cannot assimilate any further stimulus and consequently the body moves out of a state of equilibrium into a state of disharmony results as a body showing signs and symptoms. These signs and symptoms can present mentally, emotionally and/or physically.
Believe it or not, a generally healthy persons’ susceptibility presents itself the strongest in the state of disease or illness. It is in this state, that we are able to see ones’ susceptibility in the clearest form. The symptoms and disease picture clearly denote the specific, individual idiosyncrasies of that individual. The unique part of susceptibility in the diseased state is, that when in this state, susceptibility actually ceases because it is satisfied via signs and symptoms. That is why in a normally high immune functioning individual (therefore not immuno-suppressed people) often time our chronic complaints fade into the background and cease to bother us while acutely ill. The organism is able to ward off other diseases in this “ill” state by having the susceptibility in a state of cessation. In order for the body to be susceptible again to other contagions, a change in state must occur within in the organism.
It is important to note that a change could possibly occur for the worse, which would therefore destroy the stagnant state of the susceptibility; making the organism privy to all (or some) forces. In this state of disease, the susceptibility is completely annihilated and the host is entirely at the mercy of the invading organisms which multiply in the blood stream and in the tissues (Dhawale). We generally only see these scenarios with immune-suppressed, malnourished and/or individuals living among poor sanitation. As well, people who are under the influence of noxious drugs will have a decreased susceptibility and therefore will not be able to react to remedies or protect themselves to the normal stimuli of their environment.
Susceptibility is an extremely important aspect of the disharmonious state that a homeopath wants to be able to clearly see. If this range is extreme or dwindling it makes for a possibly bleak outcome for the patient and a difficult job for the prescriber.
Lastly, susceptibility is present among medicine, in the form of leading the prescriber to the correct remedy. Return to normal susceptibility is of the utmost importance in order for healing to take place. If a movement to health does not take place according to these laws, healing is not manifesting. Without susceptibility, there could be no return to health. The remedy suggested therefore acts curatively by suitably modifying the susceptibility.” (Dhawale) If the person is not susceptible to show symptoms, how then is the prescriber able to collect a symptom picture of the patient in order to find the correct remedy?
Susceptibility is a part of us. It is innate. It is passed down through heredity and is present at all times. It is our natural susceptibility in states of health, that allows us to feed ourselves, react to poisonous agents and defend from pathogen. Without this natural phenomenon, we would not have the natural defenses for survival. Susceptibility is present in the disease by revealing its unique and true nature. At this point (via the reaction of symptoms) susceptibility actually ceases. Due to the presence of symptoms, it is satisfied therefore remaining partial to other noxious agents, until another change in state arises. susceptibility is present in healing via the symptom picture. The patient via their unique susceptibilities presents a symptom picture that is identifiable with a certain substance (remedy) Thus, without this reaction, a remedy could never be selected; there would be no grounds for the prescription. It is also important to note that we via our will, we have the luxury of choosing particular potencies in order to satisfy the particular susceptibility. Thus, portraying the dynamic medicine more powerful than the contagion. In conclusion, susceptibility is a hallmark phenomenon upon which an organism thrives; it is a necessity in order for effective health and healing to manifest
