Recover from Germ Phobia by Building Your Immune System

by Steven Horne, RH(AHG)

I must confess that I feel frustrated by how germ phobic most people in our society are. Everywhere I turn people are concerned about killing poor defenseless microbes. They seek to sanitize this and sterilize that, all in the belief that the reason we get sick is because microbes invade our otherwise healthy bodies and make us sick.

Beyond basic sanitation (washing my hands and keeping my home clean) I NEVER worry about microbes because I know that the whole germ theory is seriously flawed. In fact, I believe that our obsession with killing microbes is doing more harm than good.

You see, there are two theories out there about germs and disease, not just one. The first theory says that says germs cause disease. This “germ theory” was advanced by Louis Pasteur, and it’s become so popular most people accept it as fact. The second theory says that germs attack weakened tissue and that if tissue is healthy there is no breeding ground for infection.

This theory was advanced by a contemporary of Pasteur named Antoine Beauchamp and is known as the biological terrain theory. And, it’s no secret that I’m a big proponent of biological terrain theory.

As an interesting side note, Pasteur didn’t discover “germs,” he plagurized the work of other researchers like Beauchamp. It is even reported that Pasteur admitted on his deathbed that Beauchamp was right. Another of Pasteur’s contemporaries, Rudolph Virchow, is reported to have said on his deathbed that if he were to live his life over again, he would devote it to proving that germs seek their natural habitat, diseased tissue, rather than being the cause of disease.

My thirty years of experience in natural healing makes me a firm proponent of the biological terrain theory. For example, I can remember many times when everyone in my family was sick and I nursed them back to health and never got sick myself. Another reason why I subscribe to this approach is because when I do get sick, I get well faster when I focus on remedies that detoxify my body rapidly. When I’ve tried just taking something that’s antimicrobial, I don’t recover as quickly.

Just think about it. If Pasteur was right, and germs alone cause disease, then why is it that a group of people can all be exposed to the same microbe and some will get sick and some won’t? We say it’s because some of the people are immune, but what that really means is that some people didn’t have an environment in their tissues that was favorable to serve as a host for the infection. In other words, their tissues were healthy!

So, you can only “catch” a cold when your system is weakened in a manner that makes you susceptible. In fact, I read an article many years ago that talked about clinics where they test products for colds. In these clinics they deliberately infect people by injecting cold viruses into their sinuses, and only about half the people who they do this to actually “catch” a cold. That’s really an eye-opener isn’t it?

Let me clue you in on another little secret. If we could kill all the bacteria, fungus and viruses in the world, we’d all be dead! Microbes actually play critical roles in helping plants grow, breaking down dead organic material, creating products we use everyday and even in keeping us healthy.

Furthermore, exposure to microbes actually helps our immune system learn how to deal with them. Children growing up in homes that are highly disinfected have greater risks for allergies and asthma because they may not develop a healthy gut microflora.

You see, part of what protects us from disease is a layer of friendly microbes that grow on the surface of our skin and on our mucus membranes. These microbes form a natural barrier that resists harmful infections. Kill off these microbes with disinfectants and we actually wind up losing part of our natural immune defense.

So, if you really want to stay healthy, start by taking Probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that colonize your digestive tract and protect you from infection. Probiotic Eleven is a great product to use. You can also eat yoghurt with live bacterial cultures daily (if you’re not allergic to dairy) or eat naturally fermented foods.

Stress weakens your immune system, because the stress hormones released by the adrenal glands dampen the immune response. That’s why you’re most likely to get sick when you’re feeling stressed. So, if you really want to stay healthy, learn to manage your stress.

One way to do this is to use adaptagens. Adaptagens modulate the output of stress hormones, which reduces stress and enhances immunity. Adaptamax is a great product here, because it not only contains adaptagens, it contains immune stimulants as well.

Immune stimulants put your immune system on “red alert” so that you’re better prepared to fight off any infection you may be exposed to. Two of my favorite immune stimulants are Ultimate Echinacea, which is great for kids, and Immune Stimulator, which is fantastic for adults. During cold and flu season you can take these products daily to keep your immune system going strong.

If you have weakness in the lungs and tend to get sick easily when it is cold, try Chinese Lung Support and Cordyceps. These products act as tonics to your immune system and can help you get through the winter without coming down with anything. Cordyceps is also an adaptagen, so it will help you cope with stress better.

Added By Dan DeReuter, D.C.: Another great way to build up your immune system is with regular chiropractic care!