The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

I know if you stop and ask someone what a vampire is the may give you the typical dracula responce..... but I pose this .... 92,000 children and adults suffer from the medical conditions that fit the vampire profile.... is it Mystical or Medical

it just fit the profile,it's mystical...

I think the condition is medical but for those who do not have medical conditions like that and are psy vamps or for varius non medical related reasons crave blood it is mystical.

Depending on the individual person, it is either Mystical or Medical. There really is no sure way to tell

i agree with misfitchick, but also look at the symptoms of dieabetics when they dont get their insulin the results are amazing, its like they are vamps.

I believe it is a medical condition. I would have to read more about it.

i herd of this condition i was told its a form of rabies correct me if im wrong!

I agree nightvixen. My family has diabetics, and I can say that they do act like vampires when they don't get what they need

There is a medical condition that has the symptoms of vampirism.....for the death of me i cannot remeber what it is called. I did a paper on it once.

I think it may be Necrophilia? (sp?)

Necrophilia is liking to have sex with dead people

I don't see it as being either mystical or medical. It's just the way things are for our kind of people.

Additional energy is not something I need to have to live, but it is something I need to have to lead a quailty life.

Do you talk about the X symdrome? One where they cannot be in contact with sun and have poor blood level? Cause saying they have vampire condition and asking if it is medical or mystical is kind a vague.
If this is the case then yes indeed there is such poeple who were consider vampire in the past and even call bloodsucker by ignorant and close minded poeple, other then that I am not aware of others.

or psychic vampires...

I think there is another, but this is one medical condition I found. Of course, all copied and pasted.

Porphyria
Porphyria is a group of different disorders caused by abnormalities in the chemical steps leading to the production of heme, a substance that is important in the body. The largest amounts of heme are in the blood and bone marrow, where it carries oxygen. Heme is also found in the liver and other tissues.

The porphyria disorders can be grouped by symptoms—whether they affect the skin or the nervous system. The cutaneous porphyrias affect the skin. People with cutaneous porphyria develop blisters, itching, and swelling of their skin when it is exposed to sunlight. The acute porphyrias affect the nervous system. Symptoms of acute porphyria include pain in the chest, abdomen, limbs, or back; muscle numbness, tingling, paralysis, or cramping; vomiting; constipation; and personality changes or mental disorders. These symptoms appear intermittently.

The porphyrias are inherited conditions, and the genes for all enzymes in the heme pathway have been identified. Some forms of porphyria result from inheriting an abnormal gene from one parent (autosomal dominant). Other forms are from inheriting an abnormal gene from each parent (autosomal recessive). The risk that individuals in an affected family will have the disease or transmit it to their children is quite different depending on the type.

Attacks of porphyria can develop over hours or days and last for days or weeks. Porphyria can be triggered by drugs (barbiturates, tranquilizers, birth control pills, sedatives), chemicals, fasting, smoking, drinking alcohol, infections, emotional and physical stress, menstrual hormones, and exposure to the sun.

Porphyria is diagnosed through blood, urine, and stool tests. Diagnosis may be difficult because the range of symptoms is common to many disorders and interpretation of the tests may be complex. Each form of porphyria is treated differently. Treatment may involve treating with heme, giving medicines to relieve the symptoms, or drawing blood. People who have severe attacks may need to be hospitalized.

There is no medical condition describing vampirism as we know it - Porphyria would only explain the body's inability to produce sufficient heme - not why someone is drawn to consuming blood. Furthermore, as our system cannot digest blood, there is no indication of treating this disease in that manner.

i believe that when the medical condition appeared onto the seen how ever long ago, people didn't understand it, so they feared it.... in turn, a legand was born....

People take things and make them their own. How long have people been drinking the blood of their first hunting kill? That is a ritual induction.
People do what they like and need to do. People do what feels right to them and there need not be an explanation for everything.
I'm not here to argue vampirism, I'm not a vampire. I only pointed out one medical condition that people associate with it.

ahh some one gets it the truth to vampires though yes they do mythically exist though in todays reality and actuall ness there are no psy vamps or energy vamps. are vampires that live off blood there is only the medical condtion or conditions that has caused a need for blood. i know a few that suffer from said disorders also there are those that suffer from not being out in the sun at all because they wil turn to a crisp rather fast

i'd say medical, simply because that high of a number would only make it coincidence. ancient and modern folklore around vampires has come up with all sorts of 'signs', 'powers' and 'weakness', but most stem from the fancy and otherwise unexplainable for its time...
although, if there are such a thing as vampires, i wouldn't go around seeking them out. if they wish to reveal themselves to me, that's fine, but i wouldn't tug on their metaphorical capes.

there is a medical condition in which the skin around the mouth is tight causing the k9 teeth to sit on top of the bottom lip...this condition tends to be accompanied by the lack of iron problem causing them to be pale in the skin tone..there is a name of this condition however its one of those i cant pronunce let alone spell...its not unheard of but tis rare

There is allready a thread about this called Vampire children that gives a deep explanation on the vampiric diseases.

It can be both and as Nianna said above there is already a thread on this. I found it very useful and informative.

'condition'... somehow I think that sounds offensive, as if it is a sickness.

Would you prefer 'state of being'?

;)

I have looked into the two diseases/disorders/conditions that I know of that mimic the vampiric folklore. One is XP which is genetic and the other is protoporphyria (has at least 7 different subsections as well) is a metabolic defeciency. Both are characterized with hypersensitivity to sunlight, though it is more serious in those with XP.

But is also important to realize that neither of these diseases include a craving or need for blood. Blood does not alieveate the symptoms as well.

Got my info for XP from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10359

and for prophyria from

http://www.dermis.net/dermisroot/en/24069/diagnose.htm

(I posted this here instead of in Nianna's thread because i believed it to be more concerned with XP and ppl's experiences with it)

i believe it is more of an medical condition. Based up reading that i have read, the signs point more to medical.

Of course I believe it leans more towards the medical side, (Porphyric Hemophilia). One better pray it's medical, either that or we have some nut jobs out there. And who is to say that Porphyric Hemophilia is a bad thing anyway.

ack, I thought it was something else but i looked it up to be sure, Porphyric Hemophilia is incorrect, but there is another term.

Truthfully speaking, whether or not someone who fits the vampire profile is confired medical or mystical is not the question. Simply because no matter what if someone was exposed as a real life vampire, i'm talking fangs, weakness to sunlight, the thirst for blood, etc, there would be about four main responses.

About 30% of people would go the medical/scientific route and claim it to be some kind of disease or illness. Saying that it could be explained through science.

Then there's another 30% of people in the world who would think that yes, it is mystical. That the fact that vampires were real would mean that were supernatural beings and all things like that.

Then of course there's the 30% of people who would believe that there is some religous explination for there actually being a true to life vampire. Of course about 15% of those people would be the ones saying that it meant the end of the world.

That leaves the last 10%. These people are the ones that would not be suprised. They always thought that vampires were real. And quite possibly that if given the chance, would want to become one as well.

So in turn, the question isn't whether the vampire profile could be explained mystically or medically, but rather, which of those groups do you fit into.

I am not sure whether said condition is mystical or medical.

I would like to state that Michen is wrong however in saying that humans cannot ingenst blood. The average human can consume about 1-3 pints of blood before even upsetting their stomach. And there are those who can ingest even more than that.

~Fie

There are many medical conditions that can account for one or another of the "known symptoms" of vampirism. They do not make that person a vampire nor does a vampire whichever type necessarily have any of these conditions.
Also speaking as a diabetic, while either extreme of insulin levels causes some pretty harsh and maybe unusual results, frozen in place unable to speak is the one I hate the most, I don't really equate them with vampirism.

Medical Condition...

You can have the symptoms, and not beeing a vampire...

To be true to the legend and the disease, it can be both and neither. The mind is a powerful thing and, if something is believed fully and strongly enough, it can trick the body into believing it as well. It can be a mental disorder, a physical disorder, or actual vampirism(though rare in this day and age). If I have helped, I am glad. Adue.

The actual condition is something a lot smaller, just because there is about 92,000 people who come in with the 'aspects' of what is considered "Vampirism" or "Vampyrism" doesn't mean they actually are.

Its hard to explain, but, lets just say, you know what you are, regardless.

- Sin

why must it be so white and black.. one or the other...

I know my "condition" has both properties.. and I am dealing with the medical part at the moment.. not the typical ones you hear of but simpley major prblems with my blood... but why can our reasons for needing blood/energy be both medical and mystical?

I fully accept that it is.

The suffering must manifest in both spheres.

yeah missing a "meal" and being sick untill you can fix that is no fun lol and my friends still wonder at the not wanting.. not that I can't.. just that I would rahter not be outside in the day time and all that.. its hard to explain to alot o fpeople where I live.. they tend to think you need to be "saved" or.. that you need to be medicated lol

LOL to the guy who said it was called necrophilia. Thats hilarious.

On a serious note, nobody knows whether its medical or mystical. The question should be if it is a physical disease or a mental one.

I would say both mystical and medical. Perhaps the medical comes from the mystical, or perhaps both come about at once, not sure on that though.

Night

i agree with the person above me and you have to watch it some are fakes

if you ask me it's a bit of both, and here's why vampirism is irrefutably classified as supernatural, among mortals,which i would say falls under mystical, but its also medical because vampirism is transferred through a bite, through bodily fluids like a disease

As far as physical or mental disease, I would say physical considering the medical tests and their oddities.

Night

Vampirism is both mystical and medical. Symptoms can be seen with medical instruments, but what the effects are and what you do is what makes it mystical. Everyone also has there own opinion. So I am nor right or wrong. It depends on what you think...

to those who can feel it within its mystical but for others who think they are vamps just because they have something in common very fake blah

vampirism is a virus

Personally, I have porphyria. It only flares up once every 3 to 4 years. While the flare-up is always a bitch to go through, I've had to explain to quite a few people that just because of the symptoms that it does not mean that I'm a vampire. When porphyria flares up (specifically porphyria cutanea tarda), the following symptoms occur:

Red Urine & Feces with no presence of blood
Sensitivity to light
Sensations of skin being on fire
Delrium
Fluctuating body temperatures within a matter of minutes
Craving of raw meats and sugars
Mood swings

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=porphyria+cutanea+tarda

I think it's very mich dependent on the person if it is mystical or medical. Some people actually have a mental complex and believe they need to have blood to survive. It's more of a mental condition then a physical condition. But then you get the good old fashion people that just drink blood for the hell of it.

its a medical condition. even in your question you used the phrase medical condition.

I think it could be either too. Perhapts psy vampires are more likely defined as having a medical condition. On the other hand, I don't think the lust for blood is can be described as such.

I believe it can be either or. It all depends upon your perspective

Some may have what is known as Porphyric Hemophelia (Hope I spelled it right) which gives all the basic symptoms of vampirism such as sensitivity to sunlight, love of blodd, and so on. But I do believe that real vampires exist. One of my closest friends claims to be one, and since she became one, I literally never see her out before the sun sets.

Mystical

medical science - though still very primitive - is constantly discovering that some or other desire or appetite is fueled by a physical need. a lust for blood may be more than just a psychological fixation - there may be a real medical need for it.

There were many cases of porphyria in history.
One story concerning Bela Lugosi says that that he may have had a "mild" form of the condition.
But,possibly,like catalepsy,the condition has become more rare.

I say it is Mystical...

i think it can be both depending on the sistuation

it could be mystical or mental but either way itz a kick ass thing to follow

To fit this sit then mystical. But there are people who can't go into light, and do live a real long time...that would be the medical but it could go ethier way...
.......xxx.....

i think that its mystical....not medical.....because it may fit the profile but that doesn't mean thats its a medical need to have blood or taste blood

I believe it's mediacal but it depends on what vampyre you're talking about, there are many different types of vampyres...but I can believe it is medical and mystical both

there is no sure way to tell if 92000 people are either medically or mystically endowed to this. My theory is that it could be either one or the other. Depends really on the individual circumstances.

I believe that it is both....because there is the spiritual side and the mental side...me being half lycan rather than vampire...I have many friends that are actually vampires....and we have helped each other when we have started to turn and thirst...mentally we revert to a primal state...but spiritually we end up strenghing everything 10 fold when we begin to change

It totally depends on the person

Well I think its both. Can we really tell?

I think it depends on what your personal beliefs are. why can't it be both?

i agree with prettyviolence . . .

i think it's both and there are a lot of shades of grey that could work here . . .

It really does depends as alot of people in this thread have said. Think about it this way. Some people have made the selves to fit the seeming profile. Other people have serious physical medical conditions, such as-Xeroderma pigmentosum(lack of any pigment in the skin), or a form of porphyria. Both of those more than likely used to get people accused of being vampires. Some have mental disorders, I do not know the names but I would bet there are a few.

So unless you've made yourself to fit the proflie of vampyrism, its could be medical. On that thought, Go talk to the person, ask them.

i think it is medical

I say it would depend on what you think. Whether it is a medical condition or not would depend on your own base of knowledge and what you believe in.

Truthfully speaking, whether or not someone who fits the vampire profile is confired medical or mystical is not the question. Simply because no matter what if someone was exposed as a real life vampire, i'm talking fangs, weakness to sunlight, the thirst for blood, etc, there would be about four main responses.

About 30% of people would go the medical/scientific route and claim it to be some kind of disease or illness. Saying that it could be explained through science.

Then there's another 30% of people in the world who would think that yes, it is mystical. That the fact that vampires were real would mean that were supernatural beings and all things like that.

Then of course there's the 30% of people who would believe that there is some religous explination for there actually being a true to life vampire. Of course about 15% of those people would be the ones saying that it meant the end of the world.

That leaves the last 10%. These people are the ones that would not be suprised. They always thought that vampires were real. And quite possibly that if given the chance, would want to become one as well.

So in turn, the question isn't whether the vampire profile could be explained mystically or medically, but rather, which of those groups do you fit into.

_________________________________

i quite agree with this post. Are we really concerned here with the actuality of someone posessing either the medical or mystical conditions or that of the response?

Honestly, i think that it is both medical and mystical and there can be soemthing said for medical mysticism and the mystery surrounding medicine. Medicine can be many fixes, a high, to stay alive, etc... I pose that is why this is both mystical and medical.

What I wonder .... Does the heart and mind dictate Vampyrism or the characteristics that someone possesses of a vampire. But I suppose that's another forum post.

mystical

medical to the people who have the condition
mystical and perhaps mental to the rest of us

Some would say it is medical, some mental, others mystical, even more both or either/or, and those who have no opinion. Myself, well, I believe that whether or not the vampire "condition" is any of these all depends on: 1. What you believe in, 2. what you believe the reason/cause is, 3. whether it is mental, mystical, or physical, or 4. something entirely different.

Many know of the various types of medical/genetic cases known as porphyria and XP(Xeroderma pigmentosum), but there are many other medical diagnosises that have similar or closely related symptoms, but they are too many to list here.

Those who believe that vampirism could be rooted in mystical means and stimuli, legends and myths of men and women becoming animals or animal like due to an attack from an infected individual or animal are usually all the proof they need, while others thinking along the same lines require a little more.

Thirdly, there are those who considered both of these explainations to be sufficient enough to fully explain this "condition". They have no preference over either side, nor any aversion to one or the other.

Finally, there are those who think like I do. Those who believe that a combination of a multitude of several factors can determine a plausible cause or stimulus that would cause physical, mental, mystical, or unexplicable cravings or thoughts of blood/heme, aversions to certain things such as sunlight, and the millions of other characteristics that come with the current ideal for vampirism.

There are also those who would believe that there is no explaination for this phenomena, that there is no logical, or illogical, reason that can be given.

But, as I have aforementioned, I believe that it is up to you to decide what you believe is the reason for said "condition" and what you believe is truth. As for myself, I believe that there are many reasons that vary widely, but I am not one of those who think that there is no explaination. I am the kind of person who believes there is a reason, just not a known one. And whether someone will find out if there truly is a reason, and what that reason(s) is, I leave the choice to you.

Nykl

I think perhaps a little bit of both

there is nothing mystical about being a vampire

It could be both mystical and medical. Rearranging DNA strands could make a difference in a persons eyes, teeth and gums, metabolism, agileness, I.Q., and lots of other things.

I would have to agree with Annullo! Maybe a little of both!

neither

The genral response is that its both and I hafta agree.

a combination of both.