Anämie Anhang
(Bernhard Woehrmann and Barbara Denjean-von Stryk)
Original title: "Eisen- und
Sprachprozess, besonders im Hinblick auf die Esenmangelanaemie" from
Merkurstab 1994,47:146-53. English
by Johanna Collis, MIL. English versions of speech exercises by Sophia Walsh.)
‡ Physicians
and therapists frequently see patients with iron deficiency anaemia who are
difficult to treat medically. Even with differentiated iron therapy including
various methods of stimulating iron assimilation these patients are not
completely or permanently cured. They appear constitutionally unable to cope
with the iron process. Evidently the higher principles are failing to come to
grips properly with the bodily organization; in other words, the individual is
incompletely incarnated. In considering wider possibilities
of treatment for these patients, speech
therapy as an aid to incarnation is an obvious choice, and working
with the processes of iron and speech
has led to the discovery of a remarkable correlation between the two.
This hidden affinity and the
similarities in the way the two processes function will be discussed in the
following.
"Why does the blood need
iron?"
R.S.: asked this question in the 3rd
lecture of his 1st medical course, calling it a "key question for medical
science as a whole." He immediately went on to provide an answer by
explaining that blood "is sick by nature
and constantly needs to be healed by
iron." By reaching an understanding of this process in the blood, which
is normal rather than pathological, the
physician can "pass nature's examination."
Is it possible to stimulate the
beneficial iron process in the blood by means of speech, which is a process
involving spirit and soul?
In the Michael Imagination Steiner found
words that can help us think about this subject. He described how
human blood: "...not at all in the
materialistic manner envisaged by scientists today, is shot through and filled
with processes brought into it by iron through the stimulus received from the
world of soul and spirit. The processes that take place in every single blood
corpuscle when the iron compound comes in are the same,
on a minute human scale, as the
processes set in motion by a meteor as it flashes glowing through the
air."
Mars-iron
and Sun-iron
To reach a proper understanding of the
nature of iron we have to know that it has a dual character owing to
the fact that "Mars" iron and
meteoric iron come from different sources. By "Mars iron"
we mean the substance that has
contributed to the formation of the Earth since the time when Mars passed
through the Earth (middle period of Lemuria).
The Earth's crust, for example, contains
4.7% of iron, which amounts to about 47 kg per ton of Earth matter.
It is striking that there are large iron
deposits in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere.
Typical of this middle region of the
Earth are the ever-changing seasons and weather, which resemble a breathing
function. The other kind of iron falls to Earth throughout the year in the form
of the "iron rain" of meteors thrown off by the Sun. Recent estimates
put the daily amount of meteoric substance arriving in this way at 10,000 tons.
This must mean that the air we breathe is permanently filled with very fine
meteoric dust.
There is thus a clear distinction
between the sources of the two kinds of iron and their differing qualities.
This division into Mars and Sun iron is very important and will concern us
again later.
Iron in
evolution
By coming into the Earth, iron has
enabled two important evolutionary steps to come about. Firstly, it contributed
to the transition from the green pigment in leaves to the red pigment in blood,
thereby making possible a development from the sleeping, unconscious nature of
the plant to the human consciousness of self. Secondly, iron formed out the
lungs and so made possible the step from gill breathing to lung breathing.
Because of its special capacity to
absorb and give off oxygen - Wilhelm Pelikan called it the "breather"
among planetary metals - iron is capable of combining with the heavy metals,
some of which
are very toxic, as well as with other
poisonous substances, thus taking on an important detoxifying function
in nature and in the human being.
Iron in
the human being
The human body contains 5 g of iron. It
is the only metal present in an amount that can be crudely weighed
in this way. Current physiological
opinion has it that all of this is absorbed from food via the digestive tract.
In the appendix to Anton Degenaar's reports of his conversations with R.S.:
humans absorb the "iron
they essentially need" from the air
by breathing and also through the senses via the eyes and ears and especially
the skin. We mustn't lose sight of this important fact. Obviously the reference
is to the iron
ever-present in the air in the form of
fine meteoric dust. Now we can distinguish between nutritional iron (Earthly or
Mars iron), and respiratory iron (cosmic, meteoric, or Sim iron).
Two vitally important substances -
meteoric iron and oxygen - are absorbed via the lungs through breathing.
The manner in which they are absorbed
into the body demonstrates the difference between the two forms of iron. In
connection with iron metabolism in humans we shall here merely remind readers
of the important role played
by haemoglobin in absorbing oxygen via
the lungs and distributing it throughout the body. In addition, the
blood corpuscles containing iron provide
a "buoyancy" which enables human beings to overcome the heaviness of
the body. It is not very far-fetched to link this with depressive conditions in
which heaviness wins the upper hand over lightness and in which there is often
an underlying disorder of the iron process in the general direction of anaemia.
Iron
as the original healing principle
Our starting point was Rudolf Steiner's
question: "Why does blood need iron?" followed by his answer:
"Because it is sick by
nature."
What is this inherent sickness? Iron and
protein, the two constituents of haemoglobin, represent a polarity
in a minute space, an archetype in
miniature of an overall process in the body. If you take
the iron out of haemoglobin, the protein
cannot survive on its own and so disintegrates. Left to itself in
the human body, protein has a pathogenic
effect, particularly in two areas.
1st this applies in the
metabolism where the four protein-forming organs initiate the protein
processes.
This is the autonomic, sleeping,
unconscious area where there is not much form.
2nd Steiner indicated the
nerve processes as an area where protein disintegrates and brings sickness if
these processes are left to themselves.
In both areas, that of metabolism and
that of nerve processes, blood offers an effective healing process with its
iron, balancing out the pathological powers of protein bent on bringing about
decay. Steiner described
this by calling it a "continuous
battle" that is being fought between these two polar tendencies, a battle
in which the beam of the scales must be kept horizontal. In the 12th lecture of
the Course for Doctors, Steiner mentioned this beam which leads to anemia if it
is not kept level. In the same lecture he also talked about
"the radiant iron action"
coming from the upper part of the body that is everywhere opposed by protein
working "as a hindrance."(9) In the 20th lecture he went on to say
that: "normally the human organism constantly tends to make itself ill
through sleep. This tendency, however, is countered by the iron in the blood.
Iron is the most important metal for human beings, working to create a balance
inside their body.""
An imagination depicting me reality of
this process going on continuously in our body is me figure of Michael with his
iron spear or sword with which he overcomes me power of the dragon beneath him.
Regarding the close connection between
iron and the respiratory organs we can point to a number of important
indications by Rudolf Steiner. For example, he spoke about the relationship
between "lungs and larynx on the
one hand, and iron on the
other;"" or, similarly, in Occult Physiology:
"Something, for example, that opens
out from the lung towards the larynx, thus becoming an organ of the higher
human organization, something that otherwise has a downward trend as the dull
life of the gall-bladder; this element, when it is in the larynx that contains
the upper parts of the lungs, expresses itself as a Mars or iron system."
By mentioning the larynx we have arrived
at the spot where speech is formed, and a further passage from the previous
lecture is appropriate here:
"The degree to which a child
achieves free will relates to the absorption of iron. This shows that iron is
necessary for freedom of will. If you want to find out what is the matter with
a person who is hoarse, who has a weak voice, you must try to discover whether
he or she has sufficient iron. If some- one has too little iron, this shows
above all in the will, in the free will that is revealed through speech. With
people who are good at bellowing there is no need to worry about the amount of
iron they have. But with people who can hardly utter their words you must ask
in what way they lack iron."
A little later in the same lecture:
"When we speak, when we utter words, we do this through the power of Mars
together with the comets and meteors. This is human speech."
To summarizing: iron forms out the lungs
and the larynx and makes possible intermediary respiration by means of oxygen
absorption and transport; it gives buoyancy to the red blood corpuscles and
is the prerequisite for the independent
initiative to stand upright as well as for the free will that comes to
expression in speech. It detoxifies and thus overcomes the sickness of the
blood by sending healing, health-giving principles down from the rhythmic
system into the pathological actions of the metabolism.
The close relationship between iron
process and speech process
In view of the great affinity between
speech and iron, is it possible to talk of speech having an effect on iron
processes? This question challenges us to examine the therapeutic qualities of
consciously-formed speech. Speech formation has a harmonizing and deepening
effect on respiration, which leads to increased oxygen intake. We only have to
observe how by hearing speech little children are stimulated to bring
themselves into an upright position and how good articulation helps them mold
their internal organs. Another sign of the link between blood and breathing
processes on the one hand and iron processes on the other is the increase in
iron content that occurs at age 9 and again at age 14. The way is smoothed for
the child's readiness for life on Earth by the descending respiratory curve and
the ascending pulse curve in the 9th year, a process that leads to dominance of
the blood pole in the 14th year. The Waldorf school uses speech, in particular alliteration
and hexameter, to help the children "breathe themselves down" into
Earthly maturity.
It is, therefore, reasonable to assume
that therapeutic speech formation can be used to activate and bring in the ego,
and this means that speech formation has a clear inner kinship with iron, the
incarnation metal. It works and radiates in the same direction as iron - from
above downwards. In strongly-formed speech, spirit and soul give expression to
the power of iron, and each presupposes the other. Powerful speech requires a
healthy iron process; and, conversely, by helping spirit and soul to radiate
right down into bodily iron processes, speech formation can provide an impetus
for healing by uniting the power of Mars iron with the substance of cosmic
iron.
Looking up to Mars we can say that it is
Mars who creates in us the influences which enable us to utilize iron. Mars
must exist so that we shall have the power to make use of iron. Iron must exist
so that we can apply this power to the free will. Mars provides us with the
power of iron, substance of iron.
This important differentiation should
also be taken into account far more thoroughly by doctors giving medical
treatment:
Mars is the body in the cosmos that helps
us make appropriate use of the iron that meteors and comets send down to us.
In the power of Michaelic speech we
rediscover the iron of the sword, melted down and transformed. This is the
other iron process, the one belonging to spirit and soul that arises
out of the union of Mars iron with Sun
iron.
Iron
deficiency anaemia
Basic iron deficiency anaemia (i.e.
disregarding anaemia resulting from haemorrhage) is almost exclusive to women.
With the onset of puberty the haemoglobin level of women is about 1.5 g below
that for men, and this cannot be explained solely on the basis of menstruation.
These facts constitute one of the many differences between the male and female
constitution. Iron helps men incarnate more deeply and become more Earthbound
whereas women retain more of their original cosmic nature. They find it more
difficult to master iron and absorb it. Some women feel very well when they
lack a certain amount of iron because this suits their nature. Iron brings
about a better connection between higher principles and bodily nature, which is
why it is termed the incarnation metal.
All me symptoms and signs of iron
deficiency anaemia indicate that the body has not been properly taken hold of.
They include exceptional tiredness and an increased desire for sleep; general
dullness; lack of energy and initiative; lack of concentration; increased need
for warmth; noticeable hoarse; a depressed mood accompanied by lack of drive or
initiative and weakness of will. Clinical symptoms that point in the same direction
are pallor and metabolic weakness.
A particular cause of chlorosis in young
girls/ but also of other iron deficiency symptoms, lies in the difficulty of
"bringing together" Mars and Mercury in the right way in the stomach,
as R.S. put it. The chlorine in the hydrochloric acid of the stomach must be
prepared to "accept," i.e. absorb, the iron. The Sun stands between
Mars and Mercury, and
the Sun powers have to be strengthened
so that Mercury and Mars may unite and iron can be absorbed.
A case history
The patient was a woman aged 33, married
with 3 children, American. Since puberty she had repeatedly suffered from iron
deficiency disorders which were treated with massive doses of iron in America
without any lasting effect. She took her degree in psychology at the very young
age of 20. During this phase she was depressed for several years. Her face is
somewhat undefined with rather coarse peasant features. Her figure is also
formless and rounded and her gait clumsy, with her feet noticeably positioned
to form an 0. She has absolutely no affinity with the German language.
Laboratory tests showed marked iron deficiency, and she was treated with
various iron prep- arations and medicines designed to stimulate iron uptake. In
the space of six months, she was given the following, some concurrently, some
consecutively: Ferro-Folsan (dried ferrous sulfate, folic acid); Ferrum ustum
comp. (Siderite 3x; mineral-rich Levico water undiluted; Ferrum font. 4x (a
"spring water iron") w;
Ferrum chlorate oxide 3x; Ferrum sid. 20x, Ferrum prep. 30x, Garnet 15x equal
After 6 months of speech therapy the patient felt and looked different: her
features were more formed, her gaze clearer, her gait more erect; she had more
energy and was hardly tired any longer. As a result of a sprained ankle with
torn ligaments that had to be sutured under anesthetic she wore a plaster cast
for several weeks during which speech therapy was interrupted. The iron levels
immediately went down (see figures for March 4,1993). The figures for March
29,1993 finally show further clear improvement following resumption of speech
therapy and medical treatment. The whole evolution makes it clear that specific
therapeutic speech formation influenced the ability to cope with iron so that
iron absorption could be considerably improved. (Measurable changes in Hb were
also noted at the Medizinisch- Kuenstlerisches Therapeutikum in Bern).
Speech therapy for iron deficiency
We have seen that the important iron and
speech processes have the same physical basis, namely respiration and blood
circulation. Rudolf Steiner described the speech process as originating in the
"astral body modified by the ego."(17) As mentioned above, iron is
stimulated by spirit and soul powers to radiate into human blood. The stimulus
for both processes comes from the higher principles of the human being, and
each presupposes the other. They help the capacity to stand upright and form
out the body and make a person capable of strongly expressing free will. To
demonstrate how a disturbed iron process can be countered by increased speech
activity we shall explain how voice, breathing and articulation work together
in human speech.
Stimulated by the will to speak, the
voice - bearer of our individual soul mood - rises up and takes hold of the
formative powers of me speech sounds. In the breath me two combine to shape
speech that moves and lives freely in the air. If the direction from below
upwards predominates - from metabolism via the pulse to respiration - then the
resulting speech will be a musical recitation. Conversely, if the respiration
affects the blood - if a declamatory molding works from above downwards to give
form to the speech process - men we follow the direction of the iron processes
in our speaking:
Declamation is tied to the process that
links up with the mil element in the life of the soul. The breath impinges on
the whole of the metabolic process which in the blood circulation in turn
impinges on the pulse. In this procedure going/from above downwards there is a
pressing down into our will element that is predominantly bound up with
exhalation.
These processes can be consciously
applied in speech therapy. Before beginning to work with speech from above
downwards we have to leam to experience, even when we breathe in, how speech
takes hold of us and lifts us up. This can be made clear by an initial exercise
in which gravity is overcome by raising and lowering first the heels and later
on also the arms. The direction of the will from above downwards is emphasized
by the sequence: raise the heels, raise the arms, speak - let the arms fall,
let the heels go down, speak. Even a simple exercise: "High and low/high
and low/rolls the wave/splish and splash" practiced in this way causes the
first changes in our breathing. When we walk to a text there is an even
stronger experience of extricating ourselves from gravity and finding ourselves
on a new level. Speaking is never a matter of marking time, let alone of
stepping backwards. Having learnt to rise up to the level of speech we can then
begin to use the articulation exercises to shape the exhaled breath from above
downwards. Step by step the words, monosyllabic at first, are articulated,
whereby every sound must be given its inherent shape: "Dust aids dim/docks
do darken this lobby." The vowel sequence Ah Eh I(ee) 0 U unfolding in the
front part of the mouth stimulates a lively and relaxing force in the breath
stream. The consonants N and M in the second articulation exercise "No
knock knees on nimbly moving mules." free the voice of a nasal sound or a
head resonance that can indicate misdirected metabolic processes in the head in
an aenemic person. The vowels I(ee) and U strengthen the outward direction.
With this exercise the step-by-step articulation of the previous one is transformed
into flowing forms. In the next two exercises ("Rarely are merries,
riddles move ready" and "richly relish/rumored ruses/reason wrestles
/reckless rolling/ royally rousing.") the R encourages the breathing
processes to be as agile as a gymnast. In the very clearly formed final
articulation exercise "Proudly propping/battle boldly/pampered
puppet/bobbin bounces/puffing powder/briskly banter" the consonants P and
B strengthen the lips and thus bring in the ego more strongly. With all these
exercises the speech must be prevented either from sinking back into the body
or getting stuck in the head.
Psychological experiences, too, can
support these processes. A tentative question rises up, a firm answer points
downwards. For example: What? That!/Where? There!
The Wh and Th sounds give clarity to the
speech gesture.
R.S.: divided the vowels into two
groups, the blood and the nerve vowels. In the exercise dialogue: "I grant
you, I did offend him" the blood aspect comes to life in the Ah, 0 and U.
Then the nerve aspect counters with the I(ee) and Eh in: "Learn to make
the best of life the way it is." This is a very helpful exercise for the
anemic patient who lacks a force with which to counter the toxicity that rises
up from below in the organism. It is important not to let the "light"
of the nerve vowels be used up in the nervous system but to take it far enough
to enable it to give form to the "darkness" of the blood. This can
only be done if speech is fully formed on the expiration. These processes can
be intensified by the swing of throwing. The ball is thrown up (breathing in
and lifting up), and as it falls we accompany its fall (breathing out and going
down) by speaking "Golden ball, flee..."
(Goldkugel,
fliege, dass ich dich kriege). This is a good preparation for the declamatory
breathing exercise "Fulfillment grows/through hoping/grows through
longing/through willing/willing weaves/in wavering/weaves in quavering/ weaves
quavers/weaving binding/in finding/finding winding/kindling," which is an
exercise that is very good for strengthening the constitution of the anemic
patient. In this exercise the downward breath stream is formed. Steiner said of
this exercise: "Become aware of your expiration."
In order to become conscious of
expiration in the etheric realm means, however, that the higher and the lower
principles of me human being have to come together, and this in itself is a
process of incarnation.
When exhalation is strengthened
inhalation is deepened. There are various exercises and texts mat can underpin
working in this way from above downwards.
One of the few exercises Rudolf Steiner
gave to an individual patient called for the speaker to pause for a moment
after breathing out. This draws down the upper principles as though into a vacuum
and has a profoundly incarnating effect visible even in a reddening of the
face. The patient breathes out completely while speaking the sentence: "I
breathe the power of life" (Ich atme Kraft des Lebens). Then comes the
pause when breathing out is complete before the speaking continues: "m air
the breath dissolves" (In Luft verhaucht der Hauch). Steiner said this
exercise was to be repeated seven times.
Throughout all the exercises patients
must have a sense of giving them- selves shape and form by working on their
breathing processes. Some poems have an important part to play in this therapy.
The healing process is given warmth and life by the image of the hammer blow
coming down from above (e.g. in the Iron Rune of the Kalevala or the Song of
Thrym in me Edda).
Speech formation can thus be applied
specifically to strengthen uprightness, overcome gravity, deepen breathing and
stimulate the circulation. This amounts to a strengthening of the iron
processes by the activity of spirit and soul. R.S. spoke of an unparalleled
healing process taking place naturally in the iron process in human blood. This
can be consciously imitated and strengthened through speech, but only by
including the mediating, healing power of the breath "through which we
take into ourselves the substance of the cosmos". ‡
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum