As quoted from Better Health through Natural Healing, Ross Trattler
The body is very well protected. Only when defenses are weakened can harmful bacteria gain a foothold. The factors that bring about reduced vitality are found in the basic causes of disease. When one or more of the causative factors predisposing to disease are present, the body is forced to act vigorously to reestablish proper equilibrium. The result is acute disease. The body is equipped with various avenues of action to free itself of these burdens.
Fever increases the body’s metabolic rate and circulation of the blood and lymph, thereby speeding the removal of toxins from the body, and nutrition to diseased areas. The increased circulation also acts as a carrier for the body’s more complicated defences such as white blood cells and antibodies. Fever also creates a less favourable environment for both bacteria and viruses, which generally have a very narrow temperature range for optimal growth. As fever increases, these organisms begin to die faster than they can reproduce, Hippocrates stated, “Give me fever and I will cure any disease.”
Sweating carries toxins out of the system through the skin. It helps keep the rising temperature within a range that will not endanger the long-term health of the body.
Mucous secretions also remove toxic material from the body. Cells of some mucous membranes protect against invasion by the action of the tiny cilia that move particles of foriegn matter and debris toward the nearest outlet. These cilia are stimulated by external irritants, bacteria, viruses or internal toxins.
Inflammation, swelling and edema are actions by the body to localise a problem. Inflammation indicates a local increase in metabolic activitie with increased blood and lymph supply, and an increased capillary supply to aid in transport of blood-borne defenses. Edema, or fluid accumulation, aids in diluting an undesirable, toxic or irritating substance.
Local infection results from breakdown of vital tissues into waste matter, which then provides a suitable environment for bacterial spread until the body’s forces can remove the waste material. The reduced vitality occurs first, the infection is secondary. Boils, acne, and other local infections may also be the result of an inner cleansing process.
Diarrhea and vomiting are obvious attempts by the body to rid itself of toxic substances. Local irritants may initiate this action as will systemic toxins.
Pain is a natural mechanism by which the body draws attention to a problem area. Pain indicates that the malfunction can no longer be tolerated or compensated for, and that further derangement may become injurious.
Sneezing and coughing are vigorous attempts by the body to rid the respiratory system of irritants and toxins. The coughing up of mucus can reduce the spread of infection by preventing morbid material from stagnating, and also can help prevent blockage of smaller respiratory passages of particles and irritants.
All these acute symptoms of “disease” are in fact the result of an intelligent action by the body to reestablish equilibrium and positive health. As such they are corrective and eliminative and should not be suppressed. What is commonly called acute disease is really the result of nature’s efforts to eliminate waste matter or poisons from the body and to repair injured tissues. If this acute condition is not allowed to run its natural course, or is treated with suppressive methods and therefore not allowed to fulfill its intended function of elimination, then eventually chronic disease will result.
As quoted from Better Health through Natural Healing, Ross Trattler
Accumulation of toxic material within the body due to improper diet, poor circulation, poor eliminations, and lack of demanding exercise is a major factor in almost all disease. While it is acknowledged that other causes do exist, most factors that predispose to disease result in an accumulation of poisonous substances in the body which, when the channels of elimination cannot adequately remove them, will invariably initiate a disease process. These accumulations ultimately lead to changes within the cell and eventually within the whole body.
Incorrect or unbalanced diets lead to reduced vitality, nutritional deficiency, toxemia, poor eliminations, and local tissue degeneration. Modern food processing and refining leads to an unbalanced, low fibre, unnatural diet which drastically decreases the nutrient value of food. High yeild fertiliser usage upsets the natural balance of the soil, producing nutritionally inferior and deficient food. Pesticides and additives place a further burden on the body to detoxify unwanted and poisonous substances. Improper diet is a major cause of nearly all forms of disease.
Improper posture and body mechanics due to habit, poor muscle tone, accident or injury may interfere with normal nervous activity or the circulation of blood and lymph, leading to tissue degeneration and defective function. As the normal curves of the spine are altered by weak abdominal muscles, high heels, spinal trauma, or poor body mechanics in sitting or standing, the normal relationship of internal organs and thier nervous, blood and lymph supply (and consequently thier nutrition) are severely affected. These changes may lead to poor local nutrition, reduced drainage, and reduced tissue vitality. The end result is congestion, toxic accumulation, and disease.
Destructive emotions such as fear, anxiety, hate, self pity and resentment can affect the body by upsetting digestion, blood flow, hormone balance, and the general biochemistry of the entire body. Psychological causes of disease are increasing as society itself places greater pressures on the individual.
The administration of suppressive drugs and vaccines which inhibit the eliminative efforts of the body and place further demands on it for drug detoxification are a growing cause of disease. Many drugs, and vaccines in particular, can cause allergic reactions, chronic allergies, and other long-term health problems. The incidence of drug induced illness is on the increase, especially in older age groups where multiple prescriptions may cause toxic interactions.
Excessive use of alcohol, coffee and tobacco are serious health threats. These social drugs, although widely accepted and used, are major factors in many disease processes. They can severely damage the liver, lungs, pancreas, thyroid, adrenal glands, and other parts of the body or mind.
Environmental causes of disease are becoming difficult to avoid. The air, water and soil are all becoming more susceptible to pollution as population increases and we continue to treat the earth without proper respect.
Occupational hazards may also help disease. Chemical contact and poor air quality are common factors in downgraded health. Some substances that have been in use for years, such as asbestos, have been found to be toxic, and are a severe health risk. Work related stress however, may be the greatest cause of illness amongst workers.
Certain inherited factors or tendencies, congenital predisposition, or abnormalities may also leave an individual more susceptible to disease or unstable conditions. Often however, these weaknesses only become manifest when the body comes under stress from one or more of the other causes of disease above.
Parasitic, virus, or germ infection is not a primary cause of disease but rather its result. Even Pasteur, the recognised father of germ theory, began to understand the true relationship of germs to disease late in his life when he stated "The germ is nothing, the soil is everything," meaning that a germ can only thrive in a suitable environment. The body normally is host of millions of microorganisms, some beneficial, others pathogenic. If "harmful" bacteria are allowed to multiply, then typical symptoms of disease result.
Filed under: The Philosophy of Nutrition and Naturopathic Medicine
“The natural therapeutic approach maintains that the constant effort of the body’s life force is always in the direction of self cleansing, self repairing and positive health. The philosophy maintains that even acute disease is a manifestation of the body’s efforts in the direction of self cure. Disease, or downgraded health, may be eliminated only by removing from the system the real cause and by raising the body’s general vitality so that its natural and inherent ability to sustain health is allowed to dominate. Natural therapeutic philosophy also maintains that chronic diseases are frequently the result of mistaken efforts to cure or attemped suppression of the physiological efforts of the body to cleanse itself.” – Henry Lindlahr, Philosophy of Natural Therapeutics
