True Immunity
Updated: Aug 14, 2021
I saw an article awhile back about the "strange long term effects of Covid". I knew this would instill fear in the people, but the reality is that many viruses have long term effects. Another example could be how many prescription drugs given to patients have side effects and can negatively influence body functions long after one is off of them. This is not a new or strange occurrence.
There are many ways to fight off pathogens and build immunity. In this post, I am covering some of those topics and diving a little deeper into some of the point of views that are not as mainstream. Try to keep your mind open!
Some of the long term effects that were mentioned are symptoms and signs that come up as deficiencies in the perspective of Chinese Medicine. When it comes to TCM, there is a completely different view on the subject of health, and what it means to attain it. In TCM and other Eastern modalities, health can be defined as a state of balance or harmony in the body and mind, whereas in Western medicine health is only defined as the absence of disease. So it seems we only care about our health when we find it is missing. We care about our gut when we feel nauseous, about our head when we have a headache, our back when it aches. We don’t know why these things occur and when you go to the doctor they tell you its "normal" ( because it is not a major disease that can be treated with western approach) . The point is, why should we wait until we are ill to put effort into achieving health? We take our body for granted and run it down until something major comes up that is a lot harder to treat than before it got to that level of pain or suffering.
Back to the covid long term effects. This is not some strange phenomena. If your body has a weakened immune response to begin with, fighting off any virus will be hard and you will most likely suffer from deficiencies thereafter causing symptoms that are listed.
Someone who has a strong immune response will most likely experience strong symptoms to begin with and fight off a pathogen quickly, whereas someone with a weakened response will take much longer for it to pass through, leaving organ systems effected and harder to retain balance.
Within Chinese medicine is Daoist Tonic Herbalism. The Daosit Masters utilized tonics to help preserve their bodies and maintain radiant health, to be supremely protected. Many herbs and fungi build immunity more than any other supplements you will find. These are natural medicines made from the earth we inhabit. Wouldn’t you rather that be in your body than something man-made?
The key factor here is to utilize these amazing herbs and immunoceuticals when you are in a state of health to begin with. Don’t wait until you are ill. When pathogens have already entered the body, it is not the time to be taking strengthening herbs. It will only worsen your state. At that point you take only medicine that is detoxifying to rid the body of pathogens. So let's strengthen when we are already strong, build immunity so that when you are exposed to pathogens there is no need to worry. Your body can handle and fight it off more easily. This really is for any kind of disease since many of these herbs and fungi are beneficial as anti-cancer, hypertension, diabetes etc. Let's build a wealth of health so that later down the line of our lives we don’t have to suffer from major disease and fight that much harder to get back to balance.
Truly this is for anyone looking for a change in their energy levels. It can be hard to feel motivated to make changes for our health. Choosing a more balanced diet and exercise can be challenging. We fall into patterns and habits that are easy and comforting. But I can say from experience, and whether it is the placebo effect or not, when I re-uptake my herbs and tonics, I feel more energy and spark for life. I care more about my body to fuel it with the things that will increase my overall wellbeing. And once you feel good in your body, everything else can flow, you can think more clearly, have a more positive outlook, you begin to attract the things more in alignment, resonate to what is most true for you, without all of the static and toxins built up.
REAL immunity is found in the nature around you. Numerous studies showing the NK cell activity increase from alpha glucans and immunoceuticals, from polysaccharids in fungi, and all the vitamins and minerals needed to sustain life in the adaptogens and tonic herbs that have inhabited the earth for centuries. Start taking your health into your own hands, be a sovereign for the temple that is your body and understand that you can build a strong immune system without causing other health risks.
Look over time and the span of history. Much of what western medicine has done has come with consequence and the likely possibility of negative side effects. It is not a cure-all or the only answer to saving humanity and I beleive we need to stop putting so much belief and faith in this institution of one-sided science when we all know too well there has not always been success at the end of the road.
Some examples include:
-Drug companies created prescription drugs such as oxycontin that has now become an epidemic claiming 300,000 lives and could claim over another half million over then next decade. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7479783/)
-YAZ, a birth control pill recalled known to cause severe blood clotting, embolisms, stroke, and even death. (https://www.drugwatch.com/yaz/lawsuits/)
- Thalidomide, a sedative widely used in the late 50's and early 60's, only later to be found to cause birth defects. (https://helix.northwestern.edu/article/thalidomide-tragedy-lessons-drug-safety-and-regulation).
Why do we not look at these instances and understand that these implications are not isolated events. Man made and synthetic drugs are most likely going to have adverse effects. Why do we as humans take them so willingly into our body?
I do want to point out that allopathic treatments can, and have been useful in the past in extreme or severe cases of illness and disease. I believe modern medicine has its place when it comes to health. When penicillin was discovered saving thousands of lives in the end of WWII, or when someone is in need of a heart transplant. These are amazing acheivments in science and I am not disregarding that. Although, we can see how it has changed people's view on medicine, creating a rather dogmatic outlook. At best, I wish to bring a different perspective. Instead of solely relying on western medicine and allopathic treatments for care, we as humans need to start understanding that it's ability only goes so far. We have to take our health into our own hands.
Trust your intutition. Believe in the sovereignty of your body and your health as it is your choice to sustain life, and your choice in the way in which you do so.
