Hello Natural Health Family. It was a great weekend and thanks to everyone who came out for the patient appreciation barbeque. It was a lot of fun getting to play games and talk to all who showed up. The topic that is still being brought up in many conversations is “virus”. Let’s see ways we can look at viruses and how the way we look at them can play a great influence on our health.
Let’s go back to a time where kids ventured off around town. They traveled far away from home having fun with whatever they thought of doing. They might play in the grass rolling down big hills. They may dig a hole and play in the dirt. When the kids got thirsty they drank out of the hose. They were having fun exploring new areas and not caring what they got into. Now of course today is a little different and maybe not to advise some of the things that kids did back then. However, much of this was done without the consideration of all the germs or viruses that they could be getting themselves into contact with. All the germs and bugs that we still have today. You may wonder why we have become so germ phobic or scared of germs, bugs, bacteria, viruses since then?
So why are there viruses at all in our lives? Many times when we think of viruses we immediately think of how deadly and dangerous they are. We think about how many people have died from the well known viruses in the past. This may be something to consider when given the correct information about it. However, we forget that without viruses we wouldn’t be here in the first place. We are walking ecosystems flowing with viruses, bacteria, and other organisms. Viruses help with many processes that our bodies perform. Many viruses help us including bacteriophages (eats bacteria) which help balance out the bacteria population in and outside of our bodies. Many life forms including plants, animals, and humans communicate via viruses. So although there may be viruses that can be harmful we can also see the benefits of them. However, if we go a step farther, we might ask the question, does a virus kill the host?
Viruses may be considered non-living and that they can’t replicate without a host. So a virus, when infecting a host, will try to replicate as fast as it can without being detected by the host. While all this is happening, our immune systems are on patrol 24/7 365. A healthy immune system is good at it’s job and can “sniff” out the invader (virus) before being able to infect too many cells. However, if the immune system is not working properly then it becomes not as suitable for the job. When the immune system is weak or not working optimally then it doesn’t spot the virus in a timely manner. Much like a sports game, if one team lets the other team score too many times then they may not be able to have enough time to catch up to win the game. So if the immune system is not quick to spot the virus then it has to implement the high alert, the “big guns”, or perhaps all it can do to “kill” the virus. This may lead to more damage to the body because in response to the overload of virus the host immune system will damage itself by using drastic measures. This response, although important to defend against the virus, may cause damage to itself which can ultimately lead to the body’s own death. So whether or not it is the virus that kills the host or the host’s own defense system that destroys itself we can consider both viewpoints relevant.
This topic leads people to look at it differently based on their own understanding of the context around it. When we reason, we can see it many different ways. However, we can use our reason to choose for ourselves which view is best for our own understanding. It shouldn’t be about making people think in a certain way but more importantly at least to think. It is good to ask questions more of the time so we all can learn. Then based on what we hear, we ourselves can reason what is best for us and take the steps in that direction. I hope this was helpful and that you take more time to consider the power of your own body, what it does for you everyday, and maybe what you are doing to help it along the way. Thanks for reading.
Dr. Chip
