Alternating Diseases
These are the kinds of diseases where certain morbid states alternate at certain intervals with morbid states of a different kind. They belong to the class of chronic diseases. Usually, psora will be seen in the background but sometimes syphilis miasm is also seen. Usually, in alternating diseases two or three diseases alternate with each other. Example:
In the case of double alternating diseases:
i. A type of pain will occur as soon as a kind of ophthalmic disappears. This kind of ophthalmia again recurs as soon as the leg pain is relieved. These two states will appear and disappear alternatively.
ii. Convulsions and spasms may alternate immediately with any other affection of the body or some part of it.
Example:
In the case of threefold alternative disease:
A common indisposition with periods of apparent increase of health and unusual exaltation of corporeal and mental powers may occur after which and quite unexpectedly, gloomy, melancholic humor, intolerable hypochondriacal arrangement of the disposition with a disorder of several vital operations appear, this again changes to habitual moderate ill health.
In alternating diseases, when the second stage appears, the previous stage will disappear totally or sometimes with slight traces of symptoms. Sometimes the alternating states are quite opposite in nature like melancholic conditions periodically alternating with gay insanity.
Treatment: If psora alone is in the background, only the anti-psoric treatment is sufficient. But along with the psora if syphilitic miasm is present; anti-psoric treatment and anti-syphilitic treatments are given in alteration.
