The Physical Body
The physical human body is truly remarkable, often able to heal itself of many illnesses that more severely affect other organisms. When we are sick with an infectious bug, such as a virus or certain bacteria, it is not the bug itself that makes us sick, but the body’s reaction to the bug. For example, when we are afflicted with a cold virus and we experience a cough, sore throat, runny nose and fever, these are all consequences of the body trying to defend itself against the virus, and not signs of the virus’s direct effect upon our bodies.
We are blessed to have medicines that can help with some of these infections, but the main mechanism for many of the drugs is to control the invading bug enough for the body to heal itself, and thus eventually eliminate our uncomfortable symptoms once the invader is killed off. As hard as we may try to keep ourselves healthy, by eating a good diet, exercising, washing our hands, and receiving vaccinations, we all experience these relatively mild infectious diseases from time to time. The way our body reacts to these infections, however, directly impacts our physical outcome.
Physical Body’s Response to Infectious Illness
When the physical body senses a foreign invader, such as a virus or bacteria, it has three possible responses: to under-react, to overreact, or to “properly” react. The body will under-react when it either does not recognize the invader, or it is simply unable to mount an immune response, from lack of strength (such as malnutrition), or the presence of other simultaneous diseases (such as AIDS). As a result, we do not experience the typical symptoms of a cold or other infection until it is often too late. The end result of this lack of response by the body will inevitably be death, as it cannot handle the invader.
Read the full article at Meridian Magazine.
