Astrological Basis of Ailments - Medical Astrology
Medical Astrology is the branch of astrology which deals with health. We come across many references in the Indian ancient literature regarding relationship between astrology and probable timing of ailments. The 12 signs of the zodiac are linked to the twelve limbs of the body. Similarly, the twelve houses in a horoscope represent some part of the body or another.
Since all the zodiac signs represent the five elements (ether, fire, air and water), the ancient astrologers concluded that seven planets correspond to the three humours or Doshas in Ayurveda. These three Doshas are Phlegm(Kapha), Wata(wind) and Pitta(bile). Therefore, there are three types of body constitution in Ayurveda namely phlegmatic (predominance of Kapha), the bilious (abundance of Pitta) and windy (predominance of Vata).
According to Ayurveda, each planet governs a Dosha or two. Following is the list of the planets and the Doshas ruled by them.
| Planet | Dosha |
|---|---|
| Jupiter | Kapha |
| Sun | Pitta |
| Moon | Vata & Kapha |
| Mars | Pitta |
| Mercury | Pitta, Vata & Kapha |
| Venus | Vata & Kapha |
| Saturn | Vata |
The seven planets also correspond to seven tissues or Dhatus of body. The list of planets and Dhatus governed by them is as follows:
| Planet | Dhatus |
|---|---|
| Jupiter | Fat |
| Saturn | Veins |
| Mars | Bone Marrow |
| Sun | Bones |
| Moon | Blood |
| Mercury | Skin |
| Venus | Seminal fluid |
The twelve houses in a Kundali represent different parts of a body. Broadly, we achieve this by dividing the whole body into twelve equal parts starting from head to toe. The perspective of medical astrology about the 12 Houses of the zodiac is as follows.
| House | Description |
|---|---|
| 1st house | Head, forehead, brain |
| 2nd house | Right eye, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, pharynx, larynx, cheeks chin |
| 3rd house | Right ear, food pipe, wind pipe, neck, cervical vertebrae, collar bones, forearms, few upper ribs |
| 4th house | Chest, lungs, heart, lower part of food canal, ribs, thoracic vertebrae, diaphragm |
| 5th house | Abdomen above umbilicus, liver, gall bladder, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, pancreas, spleen, thoracic vertebrae |
| 6th house | Kidneys, ureters, caecum, appendix, lower part of large intestine, lumbar vertebrae, hip joints |
| 7th house | Pelvis, sacral vertebrae, urinary bladder, ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, prostate, rectum and anal canal |
| 8th house | External genital organs, upper part of thighs |
| 9th house | Lower part of thighs, knee joints |
| 10th house | Upper part of legs |
| 11th house | Lower part of legs and left ear |
| 12th house | Left eye, ankle joints, feet |
There can be digestive tract disorders when 6th house is afflicted. Natural malefics in the 6th house may create hyperacidity and gas trouble. If the 6th house or 7th house is afflicted, one should be very careful about the body’s acidity level. In this state, the PH of body should be kept at 7. Anything less than 7 is dangerous.
If the 12th house is afflicted by malefic planets, there can be affliction related to feet. People suffering from any disease like elephantiasis or athlete's foot have an afflicted 12th house in their Kundali.
Similarly, an afflicted 4th house means trouble to the heart. Hence, affliction to any house indicates affliction to the corresponding part of the body.