Most diseases have particular traits that connect them to certain planets, Zodiac signs and Houses of the horoscope. Still, astrology is complex. The horoscope has many different ways to describe what seems to be exactly the same – simply because it isn’t. One disease can have different symptoms, and be experienced very differently by people who get it.
     So, the following are suggestions only. Life in all its variety doesn’t allow for any trustworthy rationalization. See what I say below as suggestions only, examples to give you a better understanding of astrology at work. And please, trust your doctor more than your horoscope.



Common cold
The common cold is rarely serious enough to last more than a week or so, and it is usually not remembered any longer. So, it doesn’t involve anyone of the slow outer planets. Also, we tend to get it frequently, maybe annually or more. Again, this suggests the faster planets – inside Earth’s orbit.
     Both Venus and Mercury follow the sun’s annual pattern. Venus is beneficial by nature, so it brings problems only when over-stimulated in the birth chart. A transit Venus in itself brings only good things. The sun, though, can bring both strengths and weaknesses, depending on its aspect to a native planet. So can Mercury.
     Mercury is parti­cularly relevant to the common cold, since it is quick and light, but still sometimes distracting, maybe even annoying. Like a cold.
     So, both the sun and Mercury, especially the latter, can cause a cold. This might happen when they transit with a square or opposition to a relevant point in the native chart – such as the sun, which controls one’s stamina, or Mercury, because of its own character, or the sign Taurus, governing the throat and the nose, or Gemini, governing breathing and smell.
     For example, a period when we’re all sensitive to the cold is when the sun passes through Scorpio and Sagittarius, which are in opposition to Taurus and Gemini. That’s in the fall, from October 23 to December 21. It’s a typical time for colds and flues of some distinction. Quickly passing colds are usual when the above signs form squares – i.e. when the sun is in Leo and Virgo, also Aquarius and Pisces. That’s July 23 to September 22, and January 20 to March 20.
     If you have your native chart sun or Mercury in Taurus or Gemini, you’re particularly likely to catch a cold in those periods. In that case you can also catch a cold when transit Mars forms a square or opposition to your sun or Mercury.
     If your 12th House is in Taurus or Gemini, you’re quite sensitive to colds and flues – even if neither Mercury nor the sun is there. That’s also the case, although to a lesser extent, if you have your 6th House there.
     If none of the above is true for you, and you have no other complications in Taurus or Gemini – such as Mars, Saturn, or a planet with troublesome native chart aspects to it – you probably almost never catch a cold, even when just about everyone around you does.


Zodiac Man - the parts of the body governed by Zodiac signs. Illustration from 1413-16.

Cancer
There is no relation between the disease Cancer and the Zodiac sign with the same name. That’s just coincidence. The sign Cancer governs the skin, so the only cancer it would be directly linked to is skin cancer.
     The nature of cancer is one of uncontrolled growth of cells. Such a process is connected to Jupiter, the planet of expansion. But cancer is also painful, very disturbing and detrimental, mostly lethal, which connects it to Saturn and Pluto. Mars is not enough, although it can trigger changes in the evolvement of the disease.
     A cancer that commenced with a Mars transit is likely to be cured, maybe even quite quickly, but one starting with a Saturn transit is more serious and difficult, and one commencing with a Pluto transit is likely to be fatal.
     Since cancer can hit almost any body part, it is not linked to any particular Zodiac sign. But of course, cancer that strikes a certain body part should be noticeable in the Zodiac sign of that organ:

    Aries   head, brain
    Taurus   neck, throat, ears, nose
    Gemini   lungs
    Cancer   skin
    Leo   blood
    Virgo   food intake intestines
    Libra   food processing intestines
    Scorpio   genitals
    Sagittarius   eyes
    Capricorn   bones, spine
    Aquarius   arms, legs
    Pisces   nerves

     Of course, some of the organs above are never struck by cancer.
     Some kinds of cancer are more common than others. That differs between the sexes, and has a lot to do with cultural ingredients, pollution, and so on. The slow outer planets signal tendencies in society as a whole, so especially Pluto should be observed for mortality tendencies. That does not necessarily mean cancer, but some cancer forms would be more likely with Pluto in the signs governing the organs they strike.
     When Pluto travels through a Zodiac sign, diseases connected to its body part are likely to emerge. But then they can strike persons born in that period, anytime during their lives.
     For example, when Pluto was in Gemini, 1884-1914, lung cancer would have risen, and then followed that generation like some kind of plague. Pluto was in Cancer from 1914, when World War I started (and mustard gas plagued the soldiers). That brought serious skin diseases. Breast cancer is most likely to somehow have emerged in this period. In 1939, when World War II started, Pluto entered Leo, the sign governing the heart and blood, triggering fatal diseases of those kinds, for example leukemia. Stomach cancer might have emerged with Pluto in Virgo, 1957-1972, and prostate cancer with Libra in 1972-1984.
     Pluto was in Scorpio 1984-1995, which caused no cancer that we know of yet, if not prostate cancer belongs to this sign rather than to Libra. But AIDS emerged in this period, and that’s certainly a Scorpio thing. In 1995 Pluto entered Sagittarius, which could lead to serious eye and eyesight diseases. I thought that solar radiation and the weakened ozone layer would strike, but that seems not to have happened yet. We still have to see what diseases the generation born in that period will be tormented by.
     In 2008 Pluto entered Capricorn, which governs bones and spine. We have yet to see what that will lead to.
     But everyone doesn’t get the Pluto disease of the time. Other things in the horoscope must enhance its destructive ability, for example malicious aspects with other forceful planets, like Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. The sun, too, is an additional indicator if in square or opposition to Pluto in the native chart.
     Also the 8th House should be studied, since cancer is frequently a fatal disease, and that’s one topic of this House.
     Something as varied as cancer is hard to pin down in the horoscope, because it strikes so differently. That means it can show up very differently in people’s charts.
     Maybe the best clue is the role of Jupiter, the planet of expansion. If it is seriously afflicted by malicious aspects from, say, Pluto or Saturn, maybe Mars, too, then the risk of cancer in the organ governed by the Zodiac sign Jupiter occupies should be considered. Especially if Jupiter is in the 8th, 12th, or 6th House. But if there’s no special cancer that can strike the organ of that Zodiac sign, then the risk for one is minimal.


Capricorn, the Zodiac sign that governs the bones and the spine. Illustration from a book by Johannes Hevelius, 17th century.

Bone fracture
Breaking a leg or an arm is a violent misfortune, happening in an instant – so Mars is likely to be involved, probably transit Mars forming a square aspect to your native sun or another point in your horoscope of some significance. That depends on how the accident affects your life.
     If your convalescence obstructs an important activity or plan of yours, the Mars transit is probably pointing to the place in your horoscope representing that acti­vity. It may also point to the 6th House, since the fracture surely impairs your efforts at work. The Mars transit will point to the House governing the life-environment that is the most troubled by the accident.
     Capricorn is the Zodiac sign governing the bones of your body, so it should somehow be involved in most cases – either as the sign transit Mars is in, or the sign of the planet that transit Mars aspects.
     I say Mars repeatedly, but other planets in transit can cause the same – mainly Saturn and Pluto.
     If the actual moment of the fracture is not a very dramatic experience, then completely different planets and Zodiac signs may be involved – those describing your actual experience of the whole thing more relevantly. For example, if the fracture was not that painful or traumatic, but the most disturbing consequence of it was the loss of a career opportunity for you, then the 10th House of your native chart would be involved. If it ruined a love affair you had going, the 7th House could be involved, also Venus.
     The important thing to consider is how the fracture actually affects your life.

Allergy
There are lots of different allergies, but what most of them have in common is an overreaction to a substance or phenomenon, resulting in specific bodily discomfort.
     As for what body part is affected, check the Zodiac sign that governs it. For example, a rash or another skin reaction would be Cancer, whereas nose and throat problems belong to Taurus. Not all body parts are sensitive to allergies, so several Zodiac signs are not likely to ever be involved.
     Here are the Zodiac signs and the body parts they govern:

    Aries   head, brain
    Taurus   neck, throat, ears, nose, teeth
    Gemini   lungs
    Cancer   skin
    Leo   heart, blood
    Virgo   food intake intestines
    Libra   food processing intestines
    Scorpio   genitals
    Sagittarius   eyes
    Capricorn   bones, spine
    Aquarius   arms, legs
    Pisces   nerves

     Be aware that your horoscope cares little about what substances you’re actually allergic to. It shows instead how your body reacts, and how it affects your life.
     Look at the 12th House in your horo­scope. If its Zodiac sign governs body parts prone to show allergy symptoms, you may be sensitive to that specific allergy. That’s particu­larly plausible if you have planets in the House – especially the sun, Mercury or Jupiter, which are the most likely to create allergy when they are in that House.
     Those planets don’t need to be in the 12th House to cause allergy, but if they are elsewhere, they must be badly aspected or obstructed in some other way. Also the 6th House might cause allergy in the body part governed by its Zodiac sign, but probably not without the sun, Mercury or Jupiter in it – whether badly aspected or not.
     Whatever House the planet causing the allergy is in, it’s the Zodiac sign it occupies that decides the type of allergy – what body part it will harass.
     Transits are unlikely to create allergy, but they may trigger a dormant one, or make a mild allergy worse. Since that’s usually a lasting thing, it has to be one of the slower planets – most likely Jupiter or Saturn – and in a transit opposition, square, or conjunction. If it’s a square, the allergy will not last as long and be as severe as if it’s one of the other two aspects.
     When you have located the allergy in your horoscope, you can treat it, maybe even cure it, by stimulating the native planet involved, so that obstructions to it are eased. Check other aspects to it – or to a planet conflicting it – and ponder how to make their forces work more smoothly.
     For example, if you have Mercury in the 12th House and Cancer, and suffer allergic rash of some kind, take a look at any aspects Mercury might have to other planets in your horoscope. They are the reasons Mercury is held back, which is what causes the allergy. Try to allow Mercury to be expressed anyway – in this case by intellectual activity that is expressed in a very concrete way. Don’t just think, but write it down, come to conclusions, and adjust your everyday life accordingly. Speak with a deep voice, and make sure to think before doing so. But speak. Communicate with others, even if it’s time-consuming and seems to be of little use.
     When Mercury is stimulated, instead of all the time just yielding to its aspected planets, it will cease to react with allergy. Even if Mercury has no aspect to other planets, you should stimulate it to treat your allergy – but in that case it is more difficult for you to find ways to express your Mercury properly.
     When the planet causing your allergy is elsewhere than in the 12th House, you should not really stimulate it – but almost the opposite. Allergy can be a result of over-stimulation, especially in the case of Jupiter and Mercury. So, if this can be suspected (by the planet being involved in a lot of other activity), try to tone it down, and transfer some attention to any other planets it may be aspected to.
     Allergy is treated by balancing, which sometimes means more and sometimes less.


Leo, the Zodiac sign that governs the heart and the blood. Illustration from a book by Johannes Hevelius, 17th century.

Blood pressure
The blood, as well as the heart, is governed by Leo. If Leo is in the 12th House, there is a risk that you have a heart weaker than you want it to be. As for your blood pressure, it’s most likely to be low with Leo in that House – if you don’t have the sun, Mars or Jupiter there. In that case it may be high.
     Regarding the con­dition of the heart and blood, Leo is what to watch the closest. In the Houses that are expan­sive and active by nature, the blood pressure is more likely to be high than low. Those Houses are: 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th. These Houses correspond to the air and fire Zodiac signs. The other Houses correspond to earth and water.
     As for the planets, some are more likely to cause high blood pressure than the others. They are the sun, Mars, and Jupiter. But any active planets in Leo easily result in high blood pressure and some additional strain on the heart, especially if they have aspects to other planets stimulating or obstructing them.
     Transiting planets don’t really cause changes to the blood pressure directly, but if they point to planets in Leo they cause intensified activity, which is likely to raise the blood pressure. Mars can do that just by passing through Leo, or the signs in square to it: Taurus and Scorpio. To a lesser extent, that’s true for the sun as well.
     Such blood pressure rises are troublesome if your Leo is additionally complicated – like when it’s in the 12th House, or contains planets in obstructing aspects with other planets in the horoscope.
     If your Leo is void of planets, and placed in a House with an even number, you may have low blood pressure. That’s likely also if you have the moon in Leo, or to a lesser extent Neptune.


Scorpio, the Zodiac sign that governs the genitals. Illustration from a book by Johannes Hevelius, 17th century.

AIDS
In the beginning of November 1983, Pluto entered Scorpio, the sign ruled by that planet. Since Pluto wasn’t discovered until 1930, this was the first time we could observe its entry into that sign – the one where the planet is the strongest.
     Scorpio governs the genitals and sexuality, so it could be no surprise that the disease AIDS surfaced at about that time. Therefore we know that AIDS is very much linked to Pluto in Scorpio. It makes no difference that the disease is actually older than that, since it didn’t create a crisis until the 1980's.
     Pluto’s relevance to AIDS is also evident in the fact that it’s a lethal disease, and Pluto is indeed of that magnitude. The planet is closely connected to death, since it’s the horoscope’s symbol of the passage into that realm.
     Pluto left Scorpio in 1995, after 12 years. That’s unusually quick for Pluto, which takes 248 years to go through the whole Zodiac. Because of its elliptic orbit, it is the quickest in its ruling sign Scorpio.
     So, the crisis of AIDS in society should have ceased after 1995, which doesn’t mean that it ceased to exist as a disease. But cures had been introduced, and AIDS was no longer threatening to cause genocide.
     On the other hand it should be noted that all the people born with Pluto in Scorpio are at heightened risk to get the disease. That was clear when it struck many children, even newborn ones, already early after its appearance.
     Individual sensitivity to AIDS can be seen in the position of Pluto in your personal horoscope. If it’s afflicted by bad aspects to other planets, or if it’s in the 12th or the 8th House, there’s an additional risk that you might get it – especially if you’re born with the planet in Scorpio.
     On the other hand, if your Pluto is in another House, and not obstructed by aspects to other powerful planets, you are unlikely to catch the disease.
     However: since effective mediation against the disease has been introduced, its effect on people’s lives has changed. Therefore, it’s no longer necessarily so that it will show through Pluto in your horoscope. If you get HIV, your horoscope chart will show it where it affects your life the most. Probably in the 7th House, showing your partnership, which is quite certain to be gravely affected by the disease.
     Transits must also be observed. Transit Pluto, of course, can introduce the risk of HIV contamination, if coming in a malicious aspect to your sun, or another important point in your native chart. Saturn might do the same, but that’s highly unlikely.
     This is a Pluto thing, and a Scorpio setting, so those are the major ingredients to observe.

© Stefan Stenudd
     1. Your health in your horoscope
     2. The Zodiac and your health
     3. The Planets and your health
     4. The Houses and your health
     5. The Aspects and your health
     6. The Transits and your health
     7. Disease in your horoscope
     8. Examples: Madonna, Justin Timberlake
         Angelina Jolie, David Beckham