Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the Father of Homeopathy, used the term “miasm” to describe the transgenerational causes to disease.  The word miasm means an obstacle  to cure, and Hahnemann asserted that unless this “obstacle to cure” is dealt with, the cure of disease will always be incomplete.  In modern terminology, miasm means diathesis or constitutional susceptibility or predisposition to a particular disease.  The deeper roots to disease can be traced back generationally to five primary diseases Hahnemann referred to as miasms.  The good news is that these predispositions to disease can all be corrected and cleared using homeopathy.
The five miasms are cancer, gonorrhea (sycotic), syphilis, tubercular (TB), and psora.  Miasms alter the ideal genetic blueprint for our health and can affect our entire being, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Miasms can be either acquired or inherited.  One can acquire a miasm, for example, by contracting gonorrhea, say, at age eighteen.  When treated with antibiotics, this form of suppressive therapy can cause gonorrhea to go dormant and become active or show up later in life in the form of allergies, sinus, herpes, virginities, warts, tumors, suspiciousness, jealousy, selfishness or uncontrolled sexual desires.  Hence, acquired miasms are attained during our lifetime.
The far majority of miasms, however, are inherited.  The chance of inheriting miasms from thousands of years deep into our family tree is much greater than what we might acquire in our own lifetime.  Inherited miasms can be active or dormant.  A miasm that is active actually causes a present symptomatic picture or expression.  And, the best time to consider using a miasm formula is when the symptoms are present.  A dormant miasm is one hidden deep within the body, not expressing any of its possible symptoms.  It is recommended not to attempt treating dormant miasms unless other testing procedures, such as electro-diagnostic or reflex response tests, indicate the need for a specific miasm formula.
Homeopaths have experienced how miasms exist in various layers within the body, and understand that, as we work at correcting disease and building health, it is like pealing away the layers of an onion.  Regular homeopathic formulas work to strengthen and restore health to the body according to the symptomatic expressions the body is communicating.  When these conditions have a tendency to recur or be non-responsive, a deeper acting remedy, like a miasm, may be needed to more completely correct the condition.  As we continue to peal away the disease layers impairing our normal healthy expressions, we frequently discover various miasms along the way.
Miasm correction is essential to both the restoration of our health and the eradication of disease from our planet.  I have now used homeopathy long enough to see genetic disease patterns in people corrected and observe the liberation of those diseases later on in their own offspring conceived after miasm correction.  I have seen this remarkable healing phenomenon in cases such as childhood obesity, allergies, breathing disorders, skin disorders, and certain behavioral disorders, phobias and in anxiety-or nervous-prone people.  What a wonderful reward, not only to see both children and adults healed of devastating genetic or life-long health problems, but also to see their children born and grow up free of those inherited health problems and weaknesses in their families!

How do you treat miasms?

Miasms are matrixed—or integrated—into our inner most being from thousands of years deep into our family tree.  Although they are not difficult to correct with homeopathy, they are not always wiped out in a single blow.
Homeopaths have shown how disease patterns are trapped in and throughout the layers of our lives.  These layers are like clear overlays, as seen in global maps demonstrating how global shifts and changes in boundaries of countries have taken place over time and warfare.
Treating miasms can cause extreme changes in one’s health.  Commonly these changes can cause a wonderful enlightening euphoric experience, as well as times when a more intense cleansing crisis may occur, creating a temporary discomfort from the eliminative process.  Some of the commonly experienced cleansing symptoms may include emotional releases, skin breakouts, itching, fever, fatigue, bowel movement changes, breathing changes, and various forms of pain.  These symptoms, although temporary and non-damaging to the body, can be severe at times.  Remember, the body is orchestrating the healing crisis and will not harm or cause any permanent damage to it, even though it may feel like it at times.  Although the healing crisis is not always comfortable or convenient, it is essential to our optimal healing and restoration!
It is best to monitor patients closely when using the miasm formulas.  It is helpful to explain that there is a 60% chance of experiencing some form of cleansing response when taking a miasm formula.  This way, when they do experience these symptoms, they will understand the good purposes of eradicating the miasms.  Eradicating miasms not only helps us to better correct our present disease(s); it can also help prevent diseases in the future, both in our future offspring and ourselves.  Explaining ahead of time makes a big difference in the attitude of your patients when they go through a cleansing crisis.  When your patients are going through these uncomfortable times, it is much better to be praised for your wisdom than to be cussed in distrust.
Starting out a new patient who has not had experience with natural healing or detoxification with miasm treatment is not recommended.  They may not be strong enough to handle the elimination of the miasms in the most graceful of ways, especially if the patient is in a weakened state of health.  I recommend addressing the primary symptoms with symptom specific formulas first, along with detox and drainage formulas.  These products will help strengthen and restore the natural healing and eliminative functions, so that they can better deal with the deeper issues of the miasms later.

Miasms are great to use when patients:

• Don’t respond to homeopathic treatment;
• Don’t respond to other natural treatment;
• Reach plateaus where they seem to level off in their health enhancement;
• Continue to have reoccurrences with the same problem.

Miasms have a tendency to show up periodically throughout the healing processes over years.  Even miasms that didn’t show up previously in testing may show up later on in the treatment program, as more of the layers of disease have been pealed away.  Either the same miasm treatment or different miasm treatments will commonly be needed periodically over our lives.  It’s likely that almost everyone has at least one miasm; many people have more than one; and basket cases can have many miasms. TAC

Frank J. King Jr., N.D., D.C., is a nationally recognized researcher, author and lecturer on homeopathy.  In addition, Dr. King is the founder and director of King Bio Pharmaceuticals, a registered homeopathic manufacturing company dedicated to completing chiropractic destiny with the marriage of homeopathy.  Dr. King offers, complimentary to all Doctors of Chiropractic, his turnkey procedural system for the high volume practice called, The Chiropractic Enhancer systemÔ (CES).  It is so easy to use that you can successfully apply homeopathy in your practice using any company’s products in one day. Call King Bio Pharma-ceuticals, Asheville, N.C. 1-800-543-3245 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mechanical traction has been judged as a reasonable and logical treatment method for spinal pain for centuries.  Since compressed discs are often a source of chronic back and leg pain, stretching the spine is an intuitive remedy.1,2  However, it has never gained widespread popularity in the chiropractic profession, nor have its results been consistent in clinical trials.3  Cumbersome equipment, time consuming and uncomfortable procedures and its historical connection to physical therapy have kept it out-of-favor with perhaps the one profession best suited to its unique capabilities.

Within the last decade, however, traction has been making a reemergence in our profession.  It has taken on a new name and a new efficient profile.  It is now called decompression.4

Decompression or decompressive traction refers to a decrease in intradiscal pressure (and the resultant circulatory improvement and phasic healing concomitant with it).5  Specific protocols and systematic procedures reduce misapplication and the haphazard nature of previous methods.  In effect, decompression is best thought of as a hybrid traction method.

Several decompression units have entered the chiropractic market in the last ten years, most with a plethora of bells and whistles and extremely high price tags.  In the era of managed health care, lower equipment costs and lower overhead are the key to profitability, yet many DC’s have opted to purchase these units on the promise of dramatic outcomes and huge reimbursements.
Excellent results and patient satisfaction have always been the fuel that has powered the successful practice.  The promise of extraordinary results and reimbursements of $150 per treatment can be very persuasive in our competitive marketplace. 

Many chiropractors looking for a niche have discovered that, very often, patients unresponsive to manipulation or flexion do respond to the proper application of axial decompressive traction (that these units work is not really at issue).  They have discovered, additionally, that offering “…non-surgical decompression for disc problems” is an excellent means to attract new patients.6  This is due to its safety and comfort vs. traditional methods, not to mention the reduced strain on the busy doctor’s body!

However, the extremely high costs have often created undo financial stress on many practices.  The per-treatment reimbursement must be very high to validate the cost of equipment that leases for $1500+ a month for sixty months, or a charge of $50 each time you turn it on!

Many insurance companies are now enacting post-payment audits of DC’s billing decompression.  Any billing code other than traction (97012) can result in repayment, fines and penalties.  There is actually no decompression code, and rarely is an insurance company willing to pay $150 per treatment simply because the doctor paid  $50-125,000 for the equipment.7  I’ve owned several of these expensive decompression units over the last eight years and have been subjected to two audits u u resulting in six-figure reimbursements.  Of course, having the ability to up-sell a cash patient (or doing several additional modalities to generate $150 per session) begs the question, why not simply utilize an equally effective device costing one-tenth the price and watch your profits rise exponentially?

Recently, such equipment has become available.  One system which I particularly favor includes not only the unit, but also supportive diagnostic, and low-tech therapeutic devices.  Moving from passive to active procedures is a vital step in outcome-based care.  The included low-tech rehab device allows monitored exercise in the vital segmental stabilizers (the so-called local muscle system).8  Additionally, there are two methods of cervical traction and carpal distraction quickly and efficiently accommodated, all at a price around $10,000.  It becomes apparent to the experienced user that it’s the necessary utilitarian features, not the price, that allows for effective treatment.

An honest and objective analysis of the phenomenon of decompression brings us to the realization that it is an outcome that can be consistently produced by the adherence to several utilitarian characteristics and protocols.  It is probably not an overstatement to say, they are absolutely necessary for the most consistent, effective therapy. We contrast decompressive traction (i.e., decompression) from traditional mobilization traction methods by these characteristics.9   See Table 1.
These characteristics work in synergy to enhance the efficacy of Y-axis traction.  The synergistic effect of these characteristics is patient comfort and relaxation.  They reduce conscious and sub-conscious anticipatory guarding.  It has been suggested that muscle guarding reduces the ability of traction to distract the vertebrae sufficiently to decrease the internal pressure of the disk for a pre-determined time so healing can occur.  Thus, a slow, graduated application of tension and exact, reproducible forces make up a substantial aspect of decompression.12  It should be obvious that roller type tables and automated axial elongation on a flexion table have no ability to deliver real decompression.  Continued use of a traction code for that type of treatment can also lead to post-payment insurance troubles.

I can tell you from personal experience, it is unnecessary to spend extraordinary amounts of money in order to offer this beneficial therapy in your clinic.  Decompression therapy is now available for the cost of a quality adjusting table.  Look around!

Dr. Jay Kennedy has been practicing Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP) in Western Pennsylvania since graduating Palmer College in 1987.  In the last eight years, he has owned and operated several decompression systems treating over 2000 patients on them in his multi-disciplinary clinics.  He lectures extensively and has authored various articles on axial decompression.