“The germ is nothing… the terrain is everything”
~Deathbed confession of Louis Pasteur, founder of “germ theory”
Time for a Paradigm Shift?
What if everything we’ve been told–and accepted as truth–about the cause of disease and how it “spreads” was based upon a theory that was never truly proven?
Ready for a surprise?
According to such historical reviews as The Contagion Myth (2020) by Tom Cowan, MD,
the germ theory has never been proven
So, if germs aren’t the cause of illness, then what is? And why has the concept of germ theory been the path we’ve taken in regard to health over the last century?
Now more than ever, it is so important to question, to dig deeper, and open up a dialogue about a broader consideration of health concerns. You owe it to yourself to look at health and illness with an open mind, allowing for a potential sea of change in how you view the wisdom of your body. With this as a foundation, let’s consider another view about the presentation of illness and disease.
Read on with the eyes, mind, and curiosity of a child who has not been shaped by the medical model of the western world. After reading, ask yourself what feels right, and truly resonates with you.
For any “TLDR” folks (too long, didn’t read), skip ahead to the summary at the end
for a bite-sized version and some suggested books, articles, and videos
As Above
So Below
When you think of the soil – richly-populated with worms, bugs, bacteria, fungal forms and an abundance of other microscopic organisms – do you consider the soil to be sick or diseased? Or does this strike you as what should naturally be there, part of the healthy ecosystem?
There is an understanding that all of these tiny creatures that inhabit the land play a vital role in soil health. They detoxify, supply and break down nutrients, and oxygenate the living matrix we know as “soil”.
OK, time to take a broader view:
What if your body is more like the soil than a sanitized walking vessel, always
at risk of “catching” disease?
What if your body was designed to live in health and harmony with its environment
and all its inhabitants (even the microscopic ones)?
Before you get upset that this is a statement that you’re nothing more than dirt, or that you should forego washing and basic hygiene practices, please consider this historical medical review:
Over a decade ago, research into the human genome revealed a big surprise. The seemingly unique and special human genome wasn’t much different than the genome of much “lesser” living beings, like mice and fruit flies.
So, what is it that makes us so different?
Well, the researchers began looking outside the genome box.
They started looking at this entire other universe that lives within and upon us.
This universe? It’s the microbiome–a rich, complex and genetically-diverse community of bacteria, fungal forms, viral exosome matter and other components.
The genetic material and actions of the microbiome are a POWERFUL interplay with our own genome–it is estimated that the microbiome genetic material in and on our body outnumbers our human genetic material about 8 to 1 (or so). It allows for conversion of nutrients, metabolic activities, enhancement of human health and vitality.*
Doesn’t that sound a bit like healthy soil?
Scientists Claude Bernard and Antoine Bechamp theorized that the human body was similar to the soil we walk upon, and that this terrain (soil) within the human body largely determined the state of bodily health. This theory – the Terrain Theory – had a strong foundation that germs were pleomorphic (able to change form and function) and solely reflected or responded to the environment they were living in.
For example, in a living, healthy deer, microbes would support the health and wellbeing of that deer they lived within. But if the deer is shot and killed, the function of those same microbes or “germs” would change. They would begin to grow, seek out and feed upon the dead/diseased tissues. Their role–and the developing presence of other microbes that were not innately part of the living deer, but may have been in the environment, or even in parts of the deer that were serving a purpose there, but were released or activated due to the change in the environment of a metabolically-alive, healthy animal to a cold, non-living body–everything changes.
In this view, these microbes serve a purpose of maintaining balance and supporting the cyclical nature of life, not to create meaningless war and wreak havoc upon the body.
With this in mind, shouldn’t true “prevention” of illness come through practices that support health in the body?
“We Didn’t Start the Fire“
You may be thinking, “But if germs aren’t the cause of disease, then why can they be detected with lab testing when I feel crummy?”
Time for another broad-thinking moment.
Firefighters are usually at the scene of a fire, correct? If we didn’t understand the role of the firefighters, we could easily surmise that the firefighters started the fire.
Obviously, we don’t think that. We know the firefighters are there doing the very dangerous and hard work of putting out the fire, saving lives and structures.
But what if–similarly–“germs” are just the misunderstood firefighters of life? In this view, the “germs” are in fact there to help protect, restructure, rebuild–working on behalf of the body.
Maybe these “germs” deserve a new anthem.Billy Joel’s, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” seems appropriate:
“We didn’t start the fire, no we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it.
We didn’t start the fire, it was always burning since the world’s been turning.”
But if the germs aren’t starting the fires of disease–then what is?
Consider This:
“If the practice of medicine were conceived properly in the Western wold, doctors would begin by ascertaining four basic factors:
— the quality of the water their patients drink;
— the quality of the food they eat;
— the level and type of toxins… to which they are exposed;
— the level and type of electromagnetic fields to which they are subjected.
The vast majority of medical problems can be understood [helped, or even solved] by gathering patient information on these four areas [and remediating the issues].”
— The Contagion Myth, Sally Fallon Morell and Thomas Cowan, MD —
Water Quality
Similar to the amount of water on the earth’s surface, the human body is comprised of approximately 70% water by volume–can you see why the quality of the water you drink should be a paramount concern?
The water you drink should be:
- Free of toxins
- Abundant in minerals
- Partially structured – which occurs due to the various movements of free-flowing water
- Well oxygenated
Unfortunately, tap or municipal water falls way short of any of these ideal water requirements:
- It my be replete in “allowable” toxicants (i.e., chloride, chloramine, fluoride, aluminum, microplastics, and pharmaceutical residues) which may alter the health of your gut and microbiome, inhibit your chemical/hormonal processes, and can create electrical sensitivity in the body.
- It is nearly devoid of vital minerals needed for optimal human function.
- It is unstructured and often stagnant in tanks, rather than free-flowing, as from a spring.
- It is deficient in abundant oxygen interface with the atmosphere, as it is housed and transported in pipes and other enclosed reservoirs.
With this in mind, please choose filtered water or natural spring water instead. Reverse osmosis and distilled water lack the mineral content, so these are not ideal choices for most everyday consumption.
Poor Nutrition & Nutritional Deficiencies
Inadequate nutrition, as well as eating too much or too little, can create imbalance or impaired function in every system in your body. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is a recipe for disaster. It is very high in simple carbohydrates, processed and synthetic components such as lab-derived vitamins, minerals and fats, created from crops that are overtilled and over-sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals, creating nutrient-deficient products, as well poor-quality meat, eggs and dairy from factory-farmed animals.
Dr. Sarica Cernohous, L.Ac., is our in-house nutrition-support powerhouse. Not only does she teach a master’s-level nutrition course, she is also a chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation, an organization committed to helping people locate the most nutrient-dense foods in their area. She’s also a coach for Metabolic Balance, using lab-based findings to help you reach and maintain your most optimal weight using whole foods. If you would like more information on how she can help you optimize your health through nutrition, feel free to email us.
And for more information on nutrition and general guidance, check out our previous newsletter Healing the Body with Personalized Nutrition.
Toxins & Toxicity
Air pollution, pesticide-ridden soils in commercial agriculture and farming, ingredients in beauty and skin care products, harsh chemicals in cleaning products, and living in physically, mentally, or emotionally toxic environments all play a role in your health. Each of these can add to the toxic load in your body. And when the toxic load is too high, it can have a negative effect on your internal organs and systems.
How can you combat the toxic load in your life?
- Be mindful of your environment
- Cleaning supplies, mold, dust, pollution, harmful gases, heavy metals–take measures to remove or neutralize them
- Get outside and breathe fresh air (if it’s available to you) as often as possible
- Do more deep breathing (the lungs are one of the major detox pathways of the body)
- Skin product rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your body
- Anything you put on your body (moisturizer, perfume, foundation, etc.) is absorbed into the bloodstream, must be processed by the liver, and can add to the body burden
- Get in the habit of checking ingredients
- If you can’t pronounce it or if the list is a mile long, avoid it
- Choose all natural/organic cleaning supplies, or make your own
- Be mindful of your thoughts – your thoughts create your reality
- A toxic mind, or mental/emotional environment, will lead to toxicity in the body
- Visit our previous newsletter Stress and Anxiety for more on how stress, anxiety, fear, and other emotions can affect the body
Electricity & EMFs
After many centuries, modern science has now caught up to the ancient wisdom of Chinese Medicine in recognizing that we are all electric and energetic beings before we are physical. Chinese Medicine “…has long recognized the electrical nature of the human body and has developed a system to defuse the ‘accumulation of electricity’ that leads to disease.” (Cowan & Morell, The Contagion Myth)
Your personal electromagnetic frequencies (acupuncture channels/meridians) are key to maintaining optimal health. This energetic flow is a river of life, in and around you. When something disrupts or stops this flow it can create stagnancy and dis-ease in the body.
We live in a brave new world where energetic disturbances – such as wifi, cell towers, power grids/lines, microwaves, radio waves, and most recently 5G wavelengths – are unavoidable. You are constantly bombarded with energetic fields of information that can interrupt your inner electric currents.
Being mindful of doing what you can to limit this exposure–turning off your phone and wifi at night; keeping your phone off your body and using a hands-free method; using radiation shields on electronics; steer clear of cell towers and smaller 5G installations; walking barefoot on the ground to help reset the body to the natural energy field of the earth–all of these efforts can pay off.
Summary
Antoine Bechamp stated it best when he said, “We do not catch diseases, we build them.”
It may be easy to feel overwhelmed by the changes you may need to make to begin creating a healthier body through lifestyle, nutrition and interventions to reduce toxic exposure.
Don’t feel fear or anxiety about this! Instead, just start making small, incremental changes. Rome really wasn’t built in a day, and we find ourselves in a spot that has been years in the making.
So, take your time and celebrate the small, wonderful changes you make for yourself–and allow that energy to blossom and energize you for more change!
And when it comes to the discussion around illness, hopefully this letter has helped you to consider this from a different perspective. Instead of focusing on the fear of “catching” sickness, focus on the steps you can take to build a better terrain.
So how can you build a better terrain to support health in the body?
- Eat a clean and nutrient-dense diet
- Drink plenty of clean water
- Drink about ½ your body weight in ounces per day (i.e., 70 oz if you are 140 lbs)
- Move your body everyday
- Get out in the sunshine
- Breathe fresh air and do more deep breathing
- Reduce your exposure to toxicants
- Mitigate exposure to EMFs and other electrical disturbances that may impede your body’s energetic flow
In the article “Understanding the Terrain Theory of Disease,” author Matthew states, “Not only are we misguided in thinking that germs and viruses are the cause of disease, but our whole understanding of the nature of disease is inverted. We have been conditioned to fear disease and treat it as something to be combatted, whereas in truth, [symptoms and] disease [are] the body’s attempt to initiate a process of healing.”
Maybe it’s time to look at our health a little differently. Maybe it’s time for a collective paradigm shift.
Further Reading
Interested in learning more?
Check out the articles, videos, and books linked below.
- “The Contagion Myth” – Book by Thomas S. Cowan, MD & Sally Fallon Morell
- Understanding the Terrain Theory of Disease
- Germ Theory Versus Terrain: The Wrong Side Won the Day
- Is Coronavirus Contagious?
- Dr Thomas Cowan’s Coronavirus Virus Hypothesis – Video
- SPECIAL REPORT: Humanity is NOT a virus! – Video
SV2 Insight Technology & Energetic Wellness
Now that you have an awareness of what factors have the potential to create imbalance and dis-ease in the body, and the importance of preventative health practices, it is the perfect time to reintroduce the Spectravision™ 2 Insight and briefly mention why it is such an amazing tool—and how it can help you find and maintain your most vibrant health.
The SV2 is not a diagnostic tool and it is not designed to treat nor cure disease. Rather, it is a powerful ally, allowing us to approach your wellness with prevention in mind. As a next-generation biofeedback unit, it allows your body to express itself, revealing where shifts and changes may be needed to help you create a healthier terrain and more resiliency. With this insight, Dr. Sarica Cernohous, L.Ac., and I (Natalie Hewitt) are able to provide you with guidance and support to assist you on your journey to a greater state of energetic balance and overall wellness.
Every SV2 scan is unique, offering insight and assistance on how to support your body through:
- Identifying metabolic, hormonal, nutritional, energetic, and other imbalances in the body.
- Creating awareness of possible causes behind your physical, mental, and emotional stress.
- Determining the body’s preferred supplemental, botanical, and nutritional support.
- Assessing potential toxins and the best measures for mitigating the body’s toxic load.
- Practices for downgrading or reframing stress, anxiety, fear, or other challenges in your life.
- Low Level Laser Therapy treatment, specific to the needs of your body
- Stimulates the tissues and beneficial natural biological processes
- Encourages the production of cellular energy (ATP) & improves cellular communication
- Reduces pain & inflammation
- Supports tissue repair and can accelerate wound healing
- Can reduce appearance of scar tissue and wrinkles
- Sound light therapy, specific to your needs
- Reduces pain and inflammation
- Enhances circulation
- Assists in muscle recovery
- Improves skin tone and complexion
If you would like this unique, next-level of wellness support, we look forward to hearing from you! 928-856-0656
Thank you as always for tuning in. We hope that this edition has provided some insight, new awarenesses, and the opportunity to change the way you approach your journey to wellness.
We are so grateful to be a part of that journey.
Should you have any questions, feedback, or further suggestions, please don’t hesitate to email us.
With gratitude,
Natalie & the Harmonizing Healthcare team