If you think fear might have something to do with how our immune systems function, you’re pretty smart. It's true that fear weakens our immunity and I have the foundation on which to make a statement like that.
Thirty-five years ago, when faced with my first auto-immune or immune deficiency condition, and subsequently with the 5-more that followed, I learned what weakens and what strengthens the immune system, mostly through my personal experience. That knowledge served me well for decades and allowed me to totally recover from the following conditions without pharmaceuticals or conventional medical intervention: rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia (twice), psoriasis, chronic allergies, hyperthyroidism and finally, neutropenia. So, I am a bit of an expert on the process of holistic healing.
Holistic healing is a way for the body to heal comprehensively and the process rolls out in a cumulative and progressive fashion. This method also allows us to heal, if we wish, primarily free of the damaging side effects of conventional medicine. Holistic healing incorporates our physical, emotional/mental and spiritual bodies into the process – that’s why it’s “whole” in the way it works.
What we physically do to our bodies affects how we heal. How we approach life spiritually (i.e. having hope or faith – in anything) also has an impact. Finally, our emotional state of mind also cannot be ignored. The list I assembled on what weakens and what strengths our immunity, is comprised of fifteen different factors, which fall into these 3 categories: Mind-Body and Spirit.
I managed to recover and to continue to live a normal life since I simply do everything that strengthens my immune system and don't do the things that weaken it. I won’t go into the entire list of fifteen items but they include (on the physical side) some of the obvious: enough sleep, healthy nutrition, correct supplementation, abstaining from certain lifestyle habits (while healing), keeping the gut healthy, being mindful of allergies or sensitivities, watching our exposure to many different toxins and eliminating physical stressors. I explained the spiritual components a bit earlier.
The emotional body also cannot be ignored. Our emotional body determines our attitude and whether we take a positive or negative approach to our healing and therefore, our lives. It shouldn’t be a surprise that fear might negatively affect that process. Let me explain.
By fear, I mean the range of fearful emotions: anger, hate, jealousy, resentment, selfishness – among others - and fear, itself – all which weaken our bodies and make us more susceptible. Fear itself, may be the worse because it increases our stress level and everyone knows how dreadful too much stress can be. Also unhelpful is living without humor, void of self-love, existing with excessive stress and trying to positively function with a negative outlook. Being fear-based fuels most of those factors.
Having explained all that – what are we living with today? We’re surrounded by a world dealing with a new strain of virus and we’re managing that crisis in a very unconventional way. Right from the start, medical institutions (not necessarily all medical professionals), the media and various politicians have reacted as if this virus was the bubonic plague. We know this particular virus is probably one of the most contagious, ever, and that might have initially frightened everyone but when we determined it was not particularly lethal – except to the most susceptible or a very small percentage of the public - one half to one percent of those testing positive. In other words, 99.95 to 99.9% survive. Yet, why did those entities still promote and continue to promote panic?
Again, initial fear may be have been a rational reaction but promoting long-term fear was nonsense. Especially when there is now enough data to identify the most vulnerable groups, generally how the disease is spread, how to minimize hospital stays, basic protocols for treatment and what the percentage of deaths, in all age groups are. Yet no one talks about the specific facts that are the most relevant. Instead, they focus on reporting total cases, over and over and over. For a very contagious virus, that fuels fear. What did the public expect from a major contagion? Of course this spreads quickly and everywhere but, focusing only on the total cases distracts from the sum total of the current acquired knowledge: the declining percentage of deaths, lower hospital stays and the very, very small percentage of deaths overall. No, this is a strategically executed panic. But, why?
Although I’m only hypothesizing – one might simply “follow the money”. This fear has become a big business: masks of all types being sold in countless quantities – even in designer models; other professional protective equipment is massively produced – when it’s never been used this extensively for other viruses; and 6’ and social distancing requirements that make stickers and merchandising everywhere a must. Additionally, with lock-down orders in place, the only retailers making huge profits are those that benefit from home-based purchases or the major big-box retailers. The smaller companies nimble enough to shift to manufacturing PPE’s and related items have managed to survive but small businesses or organizations – even those which may promote good health: some eating establishments, gyms and fitness-centers, churches/temples and places of worship are suffering or have closed. Finally, we have to consider the billions being spent on the vaccine race. There’s money flowing everywhere except to those poor individuals unable to run their businesses or return to work because they’re home-schooling their kids. This is a big picture perspective but I think you get the my point. Some people make lot of money – so continuing the panic is profitable.
Another answer could be power and control. There is enormous motivation for members of the political community; health-related institutions – and some of their employees; as well as the media. Healthcare institutions’ leaders are seen daily on TV, basking in their 15-minutes of fame, the media racks up massive ratings over this issue and some local politicians have seized this opportunity for more power – or to gain an advantage, politically. The unleashing of political egos has simply been astonishing.
In summary, be wary of anyone using fear as a motivation – because they’re probably benefiting. Providing information,is perfectly fine but promulgating fear, no. Fear of the unknown may have been justified in the beginning but long-term fear has made no sense at all.
Honestly, in my seventy-six years on earth, I’ve never seen anything like the overall reaction to this virus and I’ve lived through many: SARS, Ebola, Asian flu, basic influenza – which rears its ugly head annually and let’s not forget, the common cold. All of those conditions or diseases are viral and all pose a challenge since they morph in configuration, dodge many vaccines and become resistant to most drugs, over time. Some are much more lethal. Viruses behave much differently from bacteria and frankly, conventional medicine doesn’t do a great job with them but there are answers, naturally. That’s the subject of another blog (soon to follow).
So, if you want to protect your body’s immune system and be able to shield yourself from this virus, beware falling victim to fear. If you let this stress dramatically affect your lifestyle and create even more stress in your life - you're contributing to your vulnerability. Besides, it’s never good to relinquish all your personal power to anyone or anything. Doing either will weaken your immune system and compromise your health.
Instead, take good care of yourself, use common sense and don’t be afraid to go outside for a brisk walk, enjoy the company of good friends - safely, soak up the sunshine and breathe a little fresh air. Remember, although fear is your enemy - common sense is your friend.