Three Common Toxin Miasms: Ergot, BotulismCases and Discussions

by Linda Showler, ND

Introduction estimate that in the Middle Ages alonehundreds of thousands of people diedfrom ergot poisoning. It is my currenthypothesis that any infectious disease ortoxin that affected large numbers ofpeople in the past will be a commoninherited miasm in the present. Ergot isa fungus that invades grains, pafticu1arl1-rye.At a certain stage in its development.ergot contains alkaloids that are toxic tohumans, and if they are ingested theensuingillness is called ergotism. Duringvery wet growing seasons theconcentration of ergot in grains will beunusually high, and this is what accountsfor epidemics of ergotism throughouthistory.

Three types of ergotism arerecognized. In the co nu uLslue type, clonicor tonic (or both) convulsions occur, andgeneralized neurological stimulationcauses epileptiform seizures. permanentnerve damage can ensue, and somepeople in the past were left withirreversible paralysis. Gangrenousergotism causes intense iensations ofheat and cold, numbness of theextremeties and, finally, gangrene. Thehallucinogenic form of the illness wascalled St. Vitus' dance, or choreomania.The afflicted person had vividhallucinations, and intense mental andphysical excitement, nervousness andinsomnia. The'dancers' made stiff, jerkymovements, and leapt, hopped andscreamed. Severe epidemics of any of thethree types of ergotism were associatedwith high mortality rates. Death couldbe caused by convulsions, gangrene andexhaustion, or from debilitatinghemorrhages or diarrheas. Somehistorians speculate that hallucinogenicand,/or convulsive ergotism in the MiddleAges accounted for the execution of manyinnocent people accused ofpossession bythe devil, and contributed to thlcenturies-long mania of the ,witch,persecutions.

Ergot was frequently used in the1800's in attempts to induce abortion, aswas calomel (a preparation of mercury).It was also used to control uterinebleeding quite far back in European andChinese history, and is well-known todayfor its marked stimulatory effect onuterine muscle, especially the graviduterus. The alkaloids, which cause

vasoconstriction, have been employed inthe treatment of migraine headaches.Other ergot alkaloids, such asbromocriptine, have effects on the CNSand are used to treat Parkinson's disease.It is also interesting to note that lysergicacid diethylamine (LSD) is asemisynthetic alkaloid derived fromergot. After reading a bit about therelationship between human beings andergot over the past 2,000 years, I beganto wonder about the prevalence of anergot miasm in current generations ofpeople. I have wondered if this miasmcontributes often to the development ofParkinson's disease, Raynaud'ss1-ndrome, seizure disorders, migraineheadaches, tendencies towards multiplemiscarriages, psychosis, and grainallergies.

The last epidemic of ergotism was in1951 in France. It affected hundreds ofpeople u-ith psychosis and resulted inthree deaths because moldy gr:ain wasmilied into flour. Ergot poisoning inrecent times is not related to theingestion of contaminated flour. It is moreoften related to abortion attempts or toprescdption drug overdoses. There is nowa gorerrunent-established safety limit onergot between 0.1 - A37o in grain. Aconcentration of8 - 10Vo can be fatal. Letus imagine a situation in modern timesin rvhich a loaf of bread has been madefrom flour with a top-end legalpercentage of 0.3Vo ergot. What happensif si-x people eat this bread, and one ofthem has an ergot miasm? It is myconjecture that the five people who do nothave this miasm will experience noslrnptoms at ali, and the oneperconwiththe miasm rvill soon experience arvhopper of a migraine (or some otherergot-reiated symptom). Why? Becausethe presence of the miasm - thevibrational blueprint - causes at'esononce witUa hypersensitivity to evena minute exposure to any very similarsubstance and 'triggers' the miasm toproduce symptoms.

If, as it is stated in Flower Essencesanci Vibrational Healing, miasms are"crystalized forms of karma," what is theconnection between the ergot miasm andhorv we grow grains for food? Does thishave anything to do with misuse of landdeveloped for agriculture? With

In this paper I would like to introducethe concept of toxin miasms.l I havechosen three miasms commonly seen inthe general population in order toillustrate this concept. The ergot andRhus miasms take their origin from planttoxins, and the botulism miasm stemsfrom a specific bacterial exotoxin.Clinically, the most common symptomsseen in general family practice as a resultof these miasms are migraine headaches,dermatitis, and indigestion/foodallergies. As with all my research to date,I consider this to be preliminaryinformation b ased on 21 / z years of clinicalexperience with patients. It is my hopethat the cases presented here might Leof use to other practitioners, who willperhaps consider little-knownhomeopathic remedies such as Ergotinand tsotulinum when other well-considered remedies fail to cure.

The Ergot Miasm"I've felt good, that,s why I haven,t

seen you in a while. The only thing is thatI've been getting a bad migraine for abouta year now, always within the first threedays of my period." Lynn, 44 years old.,explained her reason for calling me inJanuary 1999. Her first migraineheadache had occurred when she wasfourteen years old, and she'd only hadseveral ofthem since then, until this pastyear. "My mom had them, too, reallyawful ones, foryears. Mine last an entireday, but will be gone the next morning.They are pounding headaches, and hurto lol when I move even just a little; they'llcome on the second or third day of myperiod." Her menstrual cycles are regularand normal, and she is symptom-free atpresent other than the periodicmigraines. She is taking no prescriptionmedications. Using AK (AppliedKinesiology or muscle testing) Idetermine that the priority of treatmentfor Lynn at this point in time is a toxinrniasm, namely ergot. The remedy sheneeds is Secale 1M.

The history of human beings and thefungus called ergot is long, far-reachingand 'colorful.' Written accounts ofergotism go back as far as 800 AD, butthe most serious epidemics occuruedbetween 850 - 1850 AD. Historians

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spiritually berefil farming practices thathave emerged over the past thousandsof years? Do the illnesses we experiencehere on Planet Earth emerge as a resultof our profound disharmony in ways ofliving with one another and all ourrelations? These are, of course,speculative questions, but, I think,possibly worth asking and worthpondering. I can recall one patient withan ergot miasm who had twograndparents who died of Parkinson'sdisease, and another'ergot patient' whohad a grandmother who died a few yearsback of gangrene in a hospital inEngland, "and you know, Linda, thedoctors never could find the cause ofthatgangrene - it was the strangest thing."These miasms are our inherited legacies,passed down through the generationsuntil proper vibrational (homeopathic)treatment is offered, and until individualand collective balance in living on Earthis restored.

In a follow-up with Lynn inJuly 1999,she reports that "the migraines are allgone! I was living in fear that a headachewould come, and it just never did - Ihaven't had one for 7 rycles now, and I'dhad them every month for 12 monthsbefore that." Secale cornuturn, the etgotfungus, is a remedy we as homeopathsare quite familiar with. It requires noexplanation as to why this would be usedeffectively to treat an ergot miasm. Thereare, however three other remedies I haveused to clear this r:liasm. Ergotiz, whichis one of the toxic alkaloids elaboratedby the fungus, is another frequentlyneeded remedy. In these cases , Secale wilLapparently not effectively clear t}aemiasm, which of course is the ultimategoal oftreatment. I would expeet Secaleto greatly ameliorate the symptoms of aparticular episode in a person who reallyneeded Ergotin, but since the miasmwould still be present, the symptomswould eventually return. I have also usedUstilago (twice only) to clear this miasm,and have usedZSD homeopathically onceto clear the ergot miasm whichmanifested not in headaches, but inmental instability. In the great majorityof patients I've seen with the ergotmiasm, migraines have been thepredominant way in which it manifests,and Secale lM or Ergotin 7M arcby farthe most commonly needed remedies.Unless the remedy is antidoted(something I encounter veryinfrequently), one dose only is required,and will not need to be repeated.

The Botulism MiasmMarty is a 13 year-old boy who first

came to see me in earlyFebruary of 1999.At that time he had two main complaints.For 2r/z - 3 years he'd been bothered byintermittent stomach aches andconcurrent diarrhea, with a frequency of1 - 2 episodes per month, lasting a fewdays. Occasionally this would be souncomfortable he would stay home fromschool. No obvious triggers could bedetermined, other than markedlystressful arguments with his Mom. Butthe arguments were not frequentlyassociated with these GI episodes.Marty's other main complaint washeadaches that often appeared to beassociated with constipation. Thesewould occur up to 3 times per week, andhad been ongoing for about two years. Hisvision had been checked and is fine.When asked about stressors thatmight've happened 3 - 4 years ago hismom said that a friend of his "died anodd death in the spring of 1996."

Marty is very healthy in appearance,is reasonably communicative, has noother complaints other than seasonalallergies, and has an unremarkablehealth history. UsingAK, I ask about thecausal level2 of treatment priority forMarty and receive the information thatit is a miasm. Further invbstigationreveals the /ype of miasm - a toxin miasm- specifically, a botulism miasm. Martyreceives one dose of Botulinum IM andis asked to return in 6 weeks for a follow-up.

Botulism is caused by the exotoxin ofthe anaerobe Clostridium botulinum.This toxin is one of the most potentpoisons known, and has been used inchemical warfare. Three clinical forms ofbotulism are'recognized; infant (thespores are ingested with subsequenttoxin production in the GI tract), food-borne (ingestion of pre-formed toxin infoods), and wound (the bacteriaelaborates the toxin in the wound site).Thi.s toxin causes the release ofacetylcholine which results in descenfingparalysis due to cranial nerveimpairment. GI symptoms include bowelirregularity (constipation and to a lesserdegree, diarrhea), nausea and vomiting.

For the purposes ofthis paper I wouldlike to focus on food-borne botulism. Thispoisoning occurs predominantly fromhome-canned or home-processed foods,especially vegetables. Until quiterecently in history, home canning was acommon way for people to preserve foods,and contamination by Clostridumbotulinunt.was much more common than

Toxin Miasms

it is today, since most people buycommercially prepared products andhome canners are better educated aboutthe dangers of this potentially fatalillness. Although Marty is not a case inpoint, most of the patients I've seen whohave a botulism miasm complain thatthey have food allergies. They eat certainfoods, and get headaches or GI symptomsor suffer from a general kind of malaiseafterwards. If they can determine whatthese foods are and avoid them, then theyfeel well. After these people are treatedwith Botulinurn 7M, their'food allergies'3become a thing of the past (unless thereare other'layers/miasms' contributing tothis symptorn). My hypothesis regardingthis observation is as follows: Let us saythat your patient Leona had agrandmother who canned beans and cornon a regular basis, and ate Clostridum-tainted food on one or more occasion. Shesurvived the ensuing illnesses, butacquired a Botulism miasm as a result.And her son inherited this miasm fromher, and his daughter Leona inherited itfrom him. The information coded withinthis miasm for this particular familv willinclude a'memory'that it is associatedwith certain foods, namely beans andcorn. When these foods are eaten, theperson doesn't feel well and hasindigestion in one form or another. ForLeona and her father, this scenario wouldplay itselfout when they partake ofbeansand corn. For another patient from adifferent family, this might occur withcertain fruits. It all depends on theoriginal event associated with specificfoods that were contaminated. Thismemory is then retained along with themiasm. People inherit many miasms, butas long as their lives remain relativelystress-free, their vital force remainsstrong enough to keep the miasms frommanifesting physical level symptoms.The symptoms remain a potential only.But with a big stresser, such as thesudden unexpected death of Marty'sfriend, the vital force may be weakened,and certain miasms will then beginexhibiting symptoms. The other thingthat could trigger the 'activation' of amiasm is exposure to a specific substancethat resonates strongly with thevibrational template of the miasm. Forexample, if a person with a botulismmiasm eats even very slightlyClostridiurn-contaminated food, he or shewill get violently ill compared to someone

TOWNSEND LETTER for DOCTORS & PATTENTS - OCTOBER 1999

Toxin Miasms

else who eats the same food but has noti-nherited this miasm.

It is quite possible that this miasmcould contribute to neurological illnessessuch asALS, or MS, but I personally havenot yet had the occasion to test thishypothesis out clinically. Therefore, inthis paper, I am devoting my attentionto the botulism miasm and itsrelationship to very common troubleswith the GI tract. I have been quitesurprised how common this miasm is inthe general population, because thismeans that botulism poisonings musthave been not all that infrequent inprevious generations.

Marty has returned for treatmenttwice now since receiving his one dose ofBotulinum lM. As ofthis writingtowardsthe end ofJuly he has had no episodes ofstomach aches or diarrhea. Theheadaches persist, and all this means tome is that other llayers'are contributingto this symptom, and when they are allproperly treated the headaches will be athing of the past, too. It does not rrleanthat the Botulinurn caused a 'partialcure,'or was close to t}re simillimumbutwasn't exactly the right remedy, and soforth. Unless it was entirely antidoted (inwhich case the GI symptoms wouldremain), the Botulinurvt. completed itswork (i.e., cleared this miasm from thisboy's body completely, and will thereforenever have to be repeated again, unlessof course he manages at some point inthe future to acquire this miasm, anunlikely event).

The Rhus MiasmKeith was a very tall, slender, gentle-

mannered young man who called myoffice in April 1998 for help with apersistent, worsening rash. He was 18years old at the time, a senior in highschool, and had been working at an herbgarden for about a year after school toearn money. He tells me that he's awrestler, and got a mat burn on his upperleft arm in January, which he attemptedto treat with tea tree oil. This apparentlyaggravated the lesion, which "then gotreallybig," and so a pharmacist was thenconsulted who gave him an OTCcortisone cream, which has had noapparent effect. A dime-sized rash on thedorsal aspect ofhis right foot erupted inJanuary, too, and has worsened since thetopical steroid applications. About threeweeks ago a pruritic, dry rash appeared

on the dorsal aspect ofboth hands, andat the same time a vesicular rash eruptedbetween his toes on both feet, and is nowspreading to the toes of his left foot. Hesaw his MD a week ago, who diagnoseda staph infection and prescribedDicloxacillin. Keith is still taking thisantibiotic, with no discernableamelioration. After hearing this history,I examine his skin. The backs of bothhands are densely covered with a dry,deep, maculopapular pink rash. There isnot even a small patch of normal skin tobe seen. His hands look utterly miserable.In between all the toes ofboth feet is anintense, blistery, weepy, very inflamedred eruption. I wonder how in the worldthe poor boy can keep his shoes on foreven one minute without going crazy.There is also a crusty red circular rashabout four inches in diameter on hisupper left arm, and a smaller lesion ofthe same kind on his left forearm. Keithhas no prior history ofsuch rashes, andhas no known problems with contactdermatitis. He has been on a medicationforADD for years and hasn't heen takinganything other than this for quite sometime.

Using AK, I determine that a toxinmiasm is the priority of treatment todayfor Keith. This is, specifically, a planttoxin miasm: poison oali/poison ivy. Keithis the third client I've treated for thismiasm who needed a relatively quicksuccession of the same fzuo remedies inorder to completely clear a very nastyrash, and to also clear the miasm. I senthim home with one dose of Cro ton tiglium1M, and told him to return in three days.On the appointed day ofthe return visit,he tells me, "My hands started improvingyesterday." Indeed, his hands look muchmore flesh-colored now, and there is a fairamount of scabbing beginning to form.For the first time since the onset of theeruption, scabs are beginning to formbetween his toes, but the rash has begunto spread up to the dorsal aspect ofbothfeet. The outer perimeter ofthe lesion onhis upper left arm is clearing, but there'sno change in the central area. Now AKindicates that Grindelio 1M is called for,again for the same miasm. TVo weekslater Keith stops by the offrce to show mehis extremities and says, shyly, "thankyou" His skin is completely clear of anyeruption, looks quite normal in everyrespect, and remains so as of this writingin July of 1,999.

Poison oak, poison ivy and severalother plants contain a potent allergencalled'urushiol,' which varies slightly inchemical composition from species to

species. Some people are so highlysensitive to this substance that exposureto only two micrograms will cause allergicdermatitis (one grain of table salt weighsabout 60 micrograms!). I would like topropose that these hypersensitive peoplehave what I witl call a Rhus miasm, andthis is why they react so violently to evenminute amounts of urushiol compared tothe'normal reactor.'It has been observedthat children are very likely to be highlyallergic to poison oak or ily ifone or bothoftheir parents are highly allergic. This,I think, is because they have inheritedthis particular miasm. It is interestingto note that urushiols are also found incashews, mango, ginkgo biloba seeds andseveral other plants. Perhaps peopie witha Rhus miasm will tend to have allergiesto one or more ofthese plants, too. I wouldguess that if this miasm is successfullycleared, these allergies will disappear.When pondering Keith's case,I wonderedif he might have been exposed on aregular basis to a plant at the nurseryand garden he worked at that containedurushiols, which then triggered thismiasm to manifest his stubborn rashes.

There is one primary reason that Ihave chosen to include this discussion ofthe Rhus miasm in this paper. Inmy 2r/zyears of work with miasms of all kinds, Ihave never seen anything but the Rhusmiasm require two remedies to completea clearing. And not everyone who has thismiasm needs Croton tiglium followedclosely by Grindelia. But it has beencommon enough in my own practice towarrant the inclusion of this preliminaryinformation in an article covering toxinmiasms that are frequently seen in dailyfamily practice.

Correspondence:Linda Showler, NDThe BodyWise Health Center239 OnateEspanola, New Mexico 87532 USA505-753-9296

1. I am using the term 'miasm' here to meana specific vibrational blueprint ofa toxin.For a discussion of this term inrelationship to the practice of classicalhomeopathy, please see my Letter to theEditor in the fall 1998 issue ofSirnillirnurn.

2. There are numerous causal levels ofillness, miasms being only one of many.Emotions, for example, are anothercausal level of disease.

3. Allergies can be generated by quite avariety and combination ofroot causes,miasms being only one possibility ofman''

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TOWNSENO LETTEF for DOCTORS & PATIENTS - ocToBER 1999