Let’s see. I’ve winterized my house, picked my apples and put my garden to sleep. I’ve stacked my firewood, and I even got out my snow blower. I guess I’m ready for winter. But what about my immune system? Is it ready for winter?

    Winter is a lot harder on my body than summer. I usually don’t get enough sunshine on my body, so I end up with a lack of vitamin D, which really can affect me, especially in the cold north country.  Not only does a lack of sun affect my ability to utilize calcium, which is the most abundant mineral in the body, but a lack of vitamin D usually makes me feel depressed. I love the sun.

    I think I should evaluate my own immune system this fall just like I did with the other things in my life, before I get sick.  Good idea. Then my body will not have any problems resisting disease, bacteria and viruses all winter long.

    First, do I have any unresolved health problems going on in my body that I need to resolve before going into winter? Boy that is really an important question, because if my body is still dealing with some health issue from the past, it will take away from the ability of my body to resist disease, bacteria and viruses now.

   So, if there are any unresolved health issues, I want to make sure that I am working at correcting the underlying causes, so my body can get on with keeping me healthy this winter. My digestive problems, for example, will have a big effect on my body’s ability to fight disease and other bugs. And everybody is sure worried about bugs this year, especially flu bugs. In addition to all the other germs that have been attacking us we now have much more to worry about.  What a bummer.

    But is that really how things work in the body?  Do bacteria, viruses and diseases attack healthy bodies? Nah. That’s not how it works at all.  These agents of disease can’t attack a healthy body, but only go after sick ones.  What a great perspective to have in place.  I won’t get sick unless my body starts to break down first, and my immune system becomes ineffective in its efforts to keep these foreign invaders out. That’s right, I remember now. Disease cannot exist in a healthy body.  Wow, why isn’t anyone talking about that? I think that this is the key concept to the understanding of all health and disease. It’s not the bugs at all, but the body’s ability to resist them. Awesome!

    I guess we have been missing the boat as far as our immunity is concerned. We spend all our time, energy and money fighting against viruses, bacteria and disease, when we should be spending that time building up our immune systems, so that our bodies can do a better job at keeping these critters at bay. The body knows best how to fight disease. I can see now that what I need to do is to support my body to do the best job it can.  Wow, what a difference a shift like this can make.  It changes everything. Instead of being afraid of bacteria or flu or swine viruses, I can focus all my effort on building up the health of my body.  What a breath of fresh air.

    So, how do I do that? I think it’s pretty simple, really. The first thing, and the most important thing to remember, is that my body is incredibly intelligent and has been telling me exactly what I need to do about my health for years. My body has been trying hard to communicate with me by way of my signs and symptoms, and my feelings, too. Unfortunately, I haven’t really been listening. Worse than that, I have been treating my symptoms with drugs and over the counter medications to get rid of those annoying symptoms. What a drag. Here is the most intelligent, most important resource in my life, trying to tell me how to change my ways for the better, and I shut down communication. I see. Treating symptoms is really the worst thing I can do for my health. Instead, I need to listen to what my body is saying to me and to discover for myself how to get back to a vibrant level of health.

    That’s right, the language of health is something that is vaguely familiar, and I can use my signs and symptoms to let me know which systems are involved. If I have digestive problems after eating, for example, I can tell by the symptoms and the time at which they occur, which part of my digestive system needs my help. From this important information, I will also know how to shift my eating habits. That really works for me.

   If, for example, I have smelly gas, it indicates that I’m not digesting my proteins very well and I need some digestive enzymes, especially hydrochloric acid. If I have gas that isn’t smelly, it means that my intestines need some help because they are too alkaline. If I take probiotics, these good bacteria secrete lactic acid and will lower the pH of my intestines.  When I do this, disease causing bacteria and yeasts can’t even live in my intestines anymore. And, if I start burping after a meal, it indicates that my gallbladder and liver need some nutritional help and that I need to thin the bile from my liver by using beet juice or beet juice supplements.  You know, that is simple. Millions of dollars spent each year on over the counter drugs to stamp out the great information that the body is giving to help me.  Why doesn’t everybody know about this?

    And what about the immune system? How does my body let me know what is going on there? Same thing, I guess. My symptoms will tell me what is going on and where the problems are. If I am having allergy symptoms, my intelligent body is telling me that my thymus gland is in a weakened condition and that I need to build up its strength by supporting it nutritionally. I can do that in several ways. I can use Thymex or Congaplex, which are thymus gland rebuilders. I remember that the thymus gland is the director of the immune system. If it is run down or I am under stress, my thymus won’t be able to direct the multitude of activities that are conducted every moment throughout my body, and bacteria and viruses can enter into my inner sanctum. I really don’t want that.

   If my immune system is run down, I need to build it up. If my elimination system is sluggish, I need to get things flowing again. If my digestion isn’t right, I need to get it right. I know, I’ll use the book Health Is SImple, Disease Is Complicated to help guide me through the fog.     Health Is simple. I love it.

    Let’s stay focused on building health instead of fighting against  bacteria, viruses or disease.  It is a much better strategy.  Fighting viruses and bacteria just makes for more virulent viruses and bacteria. Fighting against disease just makes more disease.  Let’s get it right. Health Is Simple, Disease Is Complicated.

Dr. Jim Forleo
                
Thymex ,Congaplex and Betafood (beet juice supplement) are nutritional supplements from Standard Process Labs and can be found in the Appendix of Health Is Simple, Disease Is Complicated. The book can be purchased from North Atlantic Books, Selene River Press or on the Home page of this site.