. . . continued from last issue
Lewis Thomas, a prominent researcher of our times, has proposed this idea in his book Lives of a Cell. From his perspective there appears to be no logical reason that microorganisms would exist merely to cause disease and death, for there would be nothing for them to gain from the point of view of evolution. “The microorganisms that seem to have it in for us in the worst way turn out on close examination to be rather more like bystanders or strangers in from the cold. They will invade and replicate if given the chance and some of them will get into our deepest tissues and set forth in the blood, but it is our response to their presence that makes the difference. Our arsenals for fighting off bacteria are so powerful and involve so many defence mechanisms, that we are more in danger from them than from the invaders.”
By directing treatment to killing microorganisms that may be but the effect of the real disease process and not the cause, we are weakening the body’s innate mechanism to heal itself. In the end, bacteria may turn out to be assistants of the healing force, which come on the scene merely to clean out the debris and waste from the necrotic processes. By killing the bacteria we may be preparing the soil for chronic degenerative diseases.
The seemingly mysterious inherent healing force proclaimed by Hippocrates has been described in detail by both the ancient sages of the East and by modern Western medical science. In yoga the science of prana has revealed the intricate subtle mechanisms that underlie the remarkably complex immune system described by modern science. In addition, recent research has revealed the existence of endogenous chemical agents that are part of the body’s built-in self-healing system. The discovery of these “endocoids,” particularly the neuropeptides, lends support to Hippocrates’s theory.
The significance of all of this is that rather than disturbing the subtle pranic field or vital force and weakening the immune response with harsh suppressant chemicals, treatment of illness should be from a holistic approach, considering all aspects of the mind-prana-body continuum. Since the disease process permeates all levels of existence, treatment must similarly be designed to affect not only the physical body, but also the subtle mental and pranic fields.
The beauty of the science of yoga is that not only has it elucidated the subtle internal forces behind health and disease, it has also provided practical techniques for developing control over the internal mechanisms for maintaining health and initiating the healing process. If chronic diseases are the result of repeated suppression of the immune system that have terminated in either weakening the immune response, inhibiting it all together, or even worse yet, of turning it against the host, then one way to treat chronic disease is to try to strengthen the immune system. The science of homeopathy is one way of doing this.
. . . to be continued
Dr. Barbara Bova, HOD, Dept. of Homeopatny