Healing Sickness

Otherwise known as Adventurer’s Sickness or Tank Bane, Healing Sickness is a medical condition resulting from the excessive consumption of healing potions.

Causes

Brought to the forefront of medical gaze during the Last War, research has shown that repeated use of healing potions to heal major injuries, regrow flesh and bring soldiers back to consciousness can result in the body adapting and beginning to “expect” arcanical aid in the healing process. While health potions are still administered, no negative side effects are noted. However, when a regular source of healing potions are removed subjects begin to undergo withdrawal symptoms as their bodies are no longer supporting their regenerative processes independently. This results in the atrophication, and in extreme cases necrosis, predominantly of the subjects muscular system, but also observed in organs and bones.

Symptoms

The psychological symptoms are similar to most other opioid withdrawals, but the physical symptoms are noted to be more aggressive. These can include:

• Loss of muscle mass
• Shortness of breath
• Delayed twitch reactions
• Drowsiness
• Joint pain from atrophying tendons
• Jaundice
• Blood poisoning
• Impotence
• Calcification of bones
• Necrosis of extremities

Treatment

The recommended limit for healing potions depends on a number of factors, including the subjects species, height and body weight, but patients are advised that excessive reliance on potions for healing over a period of several days may lead to the onset of Healing Sickness. Healing spells have shown no link to Healing Sickness, and prolong periods of natural rest are the general treatment for any subject experiencing symptoms with healing spells used for medical interventions.

Cultural Reception

House Jorasco has come under wide criticism in recent years for the normalisation of healing potions during the Last War without any warning of the negative side effects of excessive use. The House still claims it was not aware of the biological addictive nature of Healing potions and the link to Healing Sickness until its long fought proof by third party doctors and researchers. The House now includes warnings about Healing Sickness on every Jorasco brand healing potion sold, with the disclaimer that excessive use of their product without consultation of a Dragonmarked Doctor is undertaken at the imbibers own risk.