If you saw rats or other rodents around an area strewn with garbage, you wouldn’t be too surprised. If you then want to get rid of the rats, what would be the best solution?
You could put out rat poison. Of course the fear would be that the poison might leach into the local water supply and harm humans or pets as well. Another solution might be traps, although that’s not always so effective and can be rather labor intensive. You could try fences around the area, but we all know those little guys will just find a way in anyway.
Of course, the simplest solution is to clean up the garbage, so there’s nothing for the rats to feed on. Rats don’t cause garbage, garbage causes rats.
What do these nasty rodents have to do with anything? The same concept applies to us, our bodies and “germs”. Germs don’t cause illness. A sick body is susceptible to “germs”.
There are many different types of “germs” or pathogens, but the two types we deal with the most are bacteria and viruses. Our body has developed many strategies to recognize and repel these invaders. Although these are “smart rats” – constantly changing and adapting, our body has the capacity to adapt to and overcome these invaders as well.
When it is working properly.
Many of us have the impression that these “germs” are ruthless invaders, just waiting to attack and ravage us. Like an eagle that swoops in on it’s helpless prey. The truth is that they’re merely opportunists, looking for an easy meal. Much like vultures who feed off of only dead animals, “germs” need a body which is already in a weakened state.
This is why, when something is “going around”, not everyone gets sick. If it were the germs that were the sole cause of a problem, everyone exposed to those “germs” would develop the illness. We know this doesn’t happen. Some people never get an illness. Some people might come down with a very mild case of the illness and some people get seriously ill. Which category you fall into has less to do with the particular “germ”. It has everything to do with the underlying health of the body and the immune system.
With rats, it’s obvious that the best strategy to get rid of them is to clean up the garbage in the area. Then, there will be nothing for them to feed on and they will just go away on their own. It’s the same with our body.
If we do all we can to keep our body “clean” and working properly the invaders will have less to attract them in the first place. We need to do everything possible to ensure that our immune system is strong and functioning at its best. This means we have to keep our diet clean (sugar is a major insult to our immune system) and our stress levels low (or handled). We need to exercise regularly and get enough sleep. Of course, one of the best ways to keep our immune system functioning at its best is to keep our nerve system working its best by getting checked and adjusted on a regular basis.