Life Is A Battlefield

Did you know that there is a war going on? Not on foreign soil - this battlefield is inside you. Germ “armies” are constantly trying to set up camp in your body, attempting to establish a foothold on the high ground. This age-old battle has been fought, and won, by our immune systems for thousands of years. But the new types of weapons developed over the last hundred years may, for the first time, cause us to lose the war.
In the nineteenth century, Louis Pasteur presented a theory that germs caused disease. This “germ theory” was eventually accepted as fact by the Western Medical establishment. A contemporary of Pasteur, Antoine Beauchamp, proposed an alternative concept called “terrain theory”, the idea that our bodies have benign microbes which cause no problems until the environment changes (a weakening of the immune system through trauma, poisons, etc.). These microbes would then change into germs, yeast and viruses as the process evolved in the body and create dis-ease. Since this was first proposed, many researchers have supported Beauchamp’s theory and even Pasteur stated “Beauchamp was right”.
Modern Western medicine’s solution is to immediately go on the defensive. The medical doctor (general) brings out his extensive external army of drugs and surgery to fight the invading germ army, hoping that a ‘scorched earth’ policy will eradicate the threat. If we go this route, we must rely on the general to defend us to his or her best ability. Unfortunately, the doctor is not always able to correctly wage a war on the germs and, because we are not in charge of the war, our hapless bodies cannot contribute. Oftentimes, the germs will cause an insurgency in the body and will surprise the general with a counterattack or will go underground and wage a guerrilla war by reducing their high profile. Because the body has been relegated to only a battlefield, its natural immunity cannot offer any help to the general to locate or fight the germ army-in-hiding. This can lead to more aggressive weapons being deployed, which deplete the immune system even more.
The medical professional does have spies and satellite photos which help to determine where the enemy may be hiding (lab tests and x-rays/MRI). These tests can vary in their accuracy and will sometimes cause the general to make less than effective decisions. The general’s treatment of the war may be misdirected or even cause collateral damage to the battlefield.
Reclaiming our battlefield and placing the medical general in an advisory role may be the only way to turn the tide of this war. Surrendering to someone who immediately treats a patient as a battlefield too often leads to a further weakening of our immune system and, therefore, the entire body. Preserving the integrity of our immune system through healthy eating and exercise is only one step. We must also take charge of the battle and be an active part of the cure.
There are many alternative treatments available to help the body maintain and even heal itself. My suggestion is that you seek out these alternatives before the next time the germ army attacks. Prevention is always less expensive and less time-consuming than crisis management.