According to the Merriman-Webster dictionary, immunity is
“a condition of being able to resist a particular disease especially through preventing development of a pathogenic microorganism or by counteracting the effects of its products.”
Germ Theory
Conventional modern medicine follows the germ theory of disease.
This theory was developed by Louis Pasteur. It basically says that microorganisms are all around us and will attack us and damage us if we don’t protect ourselves with pharmaceutical drugs or vaccines.
The current approach to the current pandemic, seems to follow this line of thought.
Social distancing!
Self-isolate!
Use hand sanitisers!
Wear masks!
Lockdown!
Vaccines are the only salvation!
Essentially you should try any means possible to avoid coming into contact with a microorganism, because if it gets you, you will get very sick and you may die!
If germ theory was true and validated, then everybody who would come into contact with any sort of virus or bacteria would be affected.
The reality, however, may not be the case.
Terrain Theory
A contemporary of Pasteur, Antoine Beauchamp, proposed a different theory at the time, based on his own research. From his observations, germs lived and proliferated in unhygienic and unfavourable conditions, and that exposure alone was not the only factor in becoming ill or contracting a disease.
From his point of view, it was the biological terrain was the cause of disease, not the germs themselves.
You can think of it this way: mosquitos will thrive and reproduce where there is stagnant water. It is not that they created the stagnant water.
The same goes with our body’s health. If we maintain it clean and healthy, it will be difficult for germs to create disease in it.
I think we have all experienced times when we are stressed and rundown and then we can easily catch a cold or flu.
Or times when we are happy, rested, and full of energy, and the latest bug going around bypasses us completely.
This is because the state of our immunity depends on the state of wellbeing of our bodies.
What do we need to have a strong immune system?
Most people know how important nutrition is to our health and well being. That’s why eating nutrient dense foods and getting adequate levels of vitamins and minerals is so important for immunity.
It also goes without saying that an inadequate diet, with high amounts of sugar, processed foods, and toxic chemicals (such as those found in pesticides or GMOs) will then cause damage to our immunity.
Our environment and emotional wellbeing are key to our overall health, including physical health.
We all need sunshine, fresh and clean air and water to maintain our health and immunity.
We need to move our bodies.
We also need love, connection, friendship, and a sense of purpose to be happy and healthy.
All these things help us build and strengthen our immune system, which in turn will help us to withstand any exposure to viruses or bacteria.
Apparently on his death bed, Pasteur actually admitted that Beauchamp was right, and that disease starts with the body, not the germ.
We are still unsure what role of bacteria and viruses play in our health and wellbeing. Are they there as the bad guys, making us ill? Or are they there as messengers telling us we need to clean ourselves up? Or are they there to actually do the cleaning up?
Until we know more, let’s not just rely only on outside measures to improve your immunity. Let’s take responsibility for ourselves, and feed our bodies with good food, clean water, get some fresh air and sunshine, rest and laughter, and lots of love and connection.
I’d love to know what immunity means to you. Let me know by commenting or send me a message!
I promised you on my newsletter I would write a bit more about the Corona Virus, aka Covid-19, on my blog, so here it is!
Now, my aim with this is to put things in perspective and avoid assumptions and hysteria. Neither of these things will help you.
The media seems to be hyping everything up. They only tell you about the spreading infection and the deaths increasing every day.
What this type of reporting usually does is send people into fear mode, which is the last thing you want if you want to boost your immune system.
Fear is a major immune system suppressor.
I’m all for the media telling us the facts, but without the hype. They are telling us hardly anything about the age and health conditions of the people who are suffering severely or dying from the virus.
You really need to dig deep to find out that most of them are either elderly, or already have a health condition which weakens their immune system.
The media is also not telling us much about the people who are recovering, and the people who suffered only mildly from the virus.
The other day I saw a meme on Facebook, which had the following statistics:
On the same day that 108 people in China died of the virus, more than 26,000 died of cancer, more than 24,000 died of heart disease, more that 4,000 of diabetes and more than 1,000 were murdered!
I’m not sure the source of these statistics but they sound pretty plausible to me. If you have time to dig these numbers (eg. How many people die or xyz per day), I’d love to know! But in a quick search, I found that in the US alone 1,660 people die of cancer each day! The worldwide murder number is pretty accurate after a quick search too!
Of course, we don’t know much yet about the virus, and I understand the caution we need to take around it. However, that does not mean that we need to be frightened to death about it.
Allopathic medicine is based on the germ theory, which see microorganisms as attacking us. In homeopathy we see things quite differently. It all starts with the terrain – the body and the immune system.
If your immune system is functioning well, you eat and hydrate well to keep your body strong and healthy, then you’ll be able to handle things better than someone who doesn’t look after themselves, is overly stressed, or has a suppressed immune system.
So start here.
Follow the advice being given by health authorities is with regards to basic hygiene: wash your hands, cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing, bin all used tissues as soon as possible, avoid contact with people who are unwell, keep your house clean, etc…
It was hygiene and sanitation which has been the major factor in our improved ability to prevent and deal with many diseases.
I already gave some tips in my newsletter about boosting your immunity with Vitamin C, D, iodine. You could also add zinc and selenium in there.
You could add antiviral foods to your diet, like garlic, fermented foods, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and many others.
Homeopathy has a great track record with regards to treating influenza in the past, and since we don’t treat particular disease but rather individual people and their own unique expression of symptoms, there are many remedies that could be used.
I was going to write here a bit more about some homeopathic remedies to have on hand, but the media seems to be on a witch hunt at the moment with homeopaths, so I will write a separate newsletter just with this info. Make sure you are subscribed if you want to know more! Click here to subscribe!
Most importantly, don’t stress too much about this. As I said earlier, fear and stress are immunosuppressive. Try to get adequate sleep and rest, get enough fresh air and exercise. Be happy and grateful everyday.
As usual, this doesn’t replace advice from your doctor or medical practitioner or health authorities.
And keep doing your own research.
In the meantime I leave you with the Corona virus Cumbia! (Only in Mexico 🇲🇽 !) If you understand Spanish, you can hear all about the common sense preventative measures while you dance!
Maybe it’s not the bleed itself, more what comes with it. The mood swings, the pain, the bloating, the sore boobs…. the weepiness, the food cravings, the spots on your face…. the rage, the headaches, the insomnia…
You are totally fed up, and sometimes it’s so bad you want to just curl up on the sofa with a hot water bottle all day.
Can you believe PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) / PMT (Premenstrual Tension) is something that around 80% of women suffer from, all the way from mild to severe symptoms?!
How can this be?
Is this the fault of our hormones? Did God/Mother Nature/Source get this wrong?
In the physical sense, our hormonal balance is certainly one of the factors – either excess or deficiency of estrogen, plus a deficiency of progesterone.
In addition to our lovely hormones being out of balance when we are suffering PMS, these factors also have a big role to play:
Inflammation
Stress
Trauma
High consumption of dairy, caffeine, sugar, alcohol.
Deficiency of certain minerals (magnesium, selenium) and vitamins (B complex, C, E)
Lack of exercise
Excess weight
Histamine intolerance
But if your PMS is chronic – you get it pretty much every month, year after year – or severe, then you need to look deeper.
Our female hormones communicate with us and guide us in our day to day life.
Premenstrually, they are telling us we need to rest, to look inward, nurture ourselves.
Our modern culture, however, is telling us the opposite. It’s telling us we need to keep active all the time, be productive members of society. We can and should do anything, anytime.
It is when we resist our cycles and rhythms, that we run into trouble. PMS is our body signalling us that we are not in tune with ourselves.
It’s screaming for us to look after ourselves and rest. It’s telling us that maybe we haven’t been kind to ourselves lately – too much stress, not enough nutrient dense foods, not enough exercise.
So what can you do to relieve PMS?
Getting rid of your hormonal fluctuations – which are normal by the way! – with a hormonal contraceptive will not solve the problem. It’s only patching it up, temporarily. In fact, it will most likely cause more problems (and that is a conversation for another time!).
The main problem or problems will still be there unless you address them.
Reducing stress is probably the most important thing and it goes hand in hand with inflammation. Stress affects the behaviours and communication of all our hormones, including estrogen and progesterone.
Avoiding foods that cause inflammation, like dairy, wheat, sugar, alcohol and vegetable oils, could also be important
You can start to look at your nutrition and exercise habits, and see where you need to change things up.
Do you need to reduce or avoid sugar, caffeine, alcohol, dairy?
Or maybe consume foods that contain magnesium, selenium, vitamin B6, B12, C and E.
Maybe you need to see if your meals are properly balanced, with enough protein and fat to balance your blood sugar and avoid sugar cravings.
Or if you think you have a histamine sensitivity or intolerance, then look at avoiding foods that could cause a histamine reaction – e.g. dairy, alcohol – or that contain histamine – e.g. cheese, red wine, fermented foods, smoked meats, nuts, beans and pulses.
Do you need to exercise more to reduce stress and inflammation and balance blood sugar.
Or maybe you just need to try to get more and better sleep. IF you do the above, your sleep will very likely improve anyway!
You don’t have to keep struggling month after month!
You can heal yourself. Homeopathy can help you deal with your PMS/PMT symptoms. It can also help you get to the deeper root cause, safely and effectively, so you don’t have to suffer any more!
Please get in touch if you need help. I’m here for you!
PMS, cramps, tender breasts, heavy periods, irregular periods… so many women seem to have at least one if not, several of these symptoms around their monthly cycles.
Homeopathy has many lovely remedies to help with menstrual issues, but I’m going to talk about what I think are the 3 most commonly used for this. These three remedies are available in any homeopathic first aid kit.
Lachesis (Lach)
This remedy is made from the venom of the Bushmaster snake. Women who may benefit from this remedy usually have the worst symptoms before their period; they have violent mood swings, insomnia, cramping pains, ovarian pains and headaches/migraines. Often these pains are left-sided or move from left to right. If they get too hot, or too cold they will feel worse, and they especially don’t like any tight clothing or feeling constricted.
Once their period starts, these symptoms get better. They also feel much better if they get fresh air and for movement. During their period, they can have heavy, dark menstrual bleeding or clotting.
In general, women who do well on this remedy can get over-excited or wound up over little things. They are usually quite talkative, and can be jealous or suspicious. And they really hate feeling constricted, especially around the neck.
Pulsatilla (Puls)
This remedy is made from the Pasque Flower. Women who may benefit from Pulsatilla during their period may feel very emotional and weepy, and need lots of support and reassurance. Before their period they may have nausea/vomiting and indigestion, headaches, and diarrhoea.
Their symptoms can be one-sided and/or changeable. Their cycles may be irregular and have changeable flow from month to month. They will feel worse if they are in stuffy hot room or if they get overheated, and especially if they feel neglected or abandoned. To feel better, fresh air, gentle exercise and crying will help, but especially attention and sympathy.
In general, women who need Pulsatilla will be shy but sociable, sometimes seem a bit clingy as they don’t want to be alone. They tend to get chilly and usually are not very thirsty. One-sided and changeable symptoms would point to this remedy.
Sepia
This remedy is made from the ink of the cuttlefish. Women who may need Sepia can be described as the worn out, fed up and irritable mother. Around their period, they are exhausted with moods alternative between violent screaming to weeping and emotional withdrawal. They usually get a bit down or depressed with PMT, and can have dragging or bearing down pains in the lower abdomen. Sometimes it feels as if all the genitals will fall out. Their periods can be irregular and heavy. Their symptoms will improve with eating, exercising or dancing.
In general women who need Sepia are so exhausted and irritable that they can be indifferent or lash out easily towards their loved ones, especially husband and children. They are not interested in sex, and prefer to be alone.
There are of course, many other remedies for menstrual problems, but these 3 should work for many women for acute menstrual problems. If you do have chronic issues with your cycle or any other hormonal problem, then please do see a professional homeopath or health practitioner. Feel free to get in touch with me to see if homeopathy can help. I offer a free 30-minute call where we can chat about how homeopathy can help you and see if we can work together.
Hi, I’m Stephanie!
I’m a registered Homeopath living in the small, beautiful rural county of Herefordshire in the UK. My passion is to help women balance their hormones in a natural, safe and effective way, so they can feel like themselves again.
Lachesis (Lach)
Pulsatilla (Puls)
Sepia