Illness occurs in everyone—no one is immune, if you’ll pardon the expression. The way an illness expresses itself is through symptoms; symptoms are the way the body communicates when something is amiss. Too often, however, people see these symptoms as the disease itself, with the belief that removing the symptoms equals removing the disease. Unfortunately, that is not true. Look at anyone with a chronic disease whose symptoms are suppressed by medical or even natural means. Is the disease gone?
Luckily, people are beginning to look at preventing diseases instead of just treating the symptoms. We watch our diet, exercise, do yoga, take vacations and see our medical doctor for an annual physical. Some people take vitamins or drugs to prevent heart disease, diabetes, or whatever; some boost the immune system with juicing or vitamins. Disease prevention is on many peoples’ minds.
But in it all, the start of all diseases can be narrowed down to just 2 causes: the strength of (or lack of) the person’s Vital Force and the strength of the causative agent.
The Vital Force
Before I give examples, I will tell you about the Vital Force (VF), sometimes called Life Force. In general terms, the Vital Force is what keeps us healthy and gives us the ability to heal. I guess in easiest terms, think of it as the immune system. When the immune system is strong, it can deal with infections quickly. People with a strong immune system don’t get sick very often, and when they do get sick, they heal quickly without residual effects such as tiredness, lingering cough or malaise.
The Vital Force encompasses the immune system, but also the emotions and other body processes. When the mind and body are strong, healing of all maladies (from emotional upsets to physical ones) is quicker. Formation of chronic diseases is less-likely to occur in someone with a strong Vital Force because healing occurs in its entirety—there is no residual to become chronic.
Everyone who is alive has an active VF; however it can be very weak, almost to the point of depletion. Each of us can probably remember someone who we saw walking around like a zombie, almost as if they are unaware of their surroundings, just going through the motions of life. These people have a severely depleted Vital Force. Or perhaps you've had a time when you felt very depleted—exhausted.
If a person is alive, they have the potential to heal. All they need is to boost their Vital Force. Healing can occur when the VF is awakened within—but more about that later. First let’s look at some examples of the 2 causes of diseases (again, the weak Vital Force and the strength of the causative agent).
Examples
Viruses: when the flu comes around, only whose with compromised immune systems become ill (weak VF) whereas nearly everyone who gets HIV dies (strong agent).
Diet: small amounts of MSG will affect those sensitive to MSG (weak VF) whereas high levels of MSG will affect everyone no matter their sensitivity level (strong agent).
Air Quality: those with compromised respiratory systems (weak VF) will have difficulty breathing when the air quality is poor—in the yellow—whereas everyone will be affected on red days, when the air is severely laden with particulates and ozone (strong agent).
Pain: some people have increased blood pressure and heart rate from low levels of pain (weak VF) whereas everyone will have the same symptoms when confronted with severe pain as after a broken bone, when in labor or after surgery (strong agent).
Emotions: some people cry for trifle reasons (weak VF) whereas everyone is affected by the death of a loved one (strong agent).
Stress: some people become ill when having to give a presentation (weak VF) but everyone was affected in some way by 9/11 (strong agent).
Chemicals: some people die from taking a baby aspirin due to being allergic (weak VF) but everyone will die if taking an over-dose of the drug (strong agent).
Strengthening the Vital Force
So, to stave off illness, one must strengthen his/her Vital Force and avoid strong causative agents as much as possible. Some agents are obviously unavoidable; but the stronger the person’s Vital Force the smaller the impact from the causative agent, and recovery will be quicker without lingering effects of the illness (so less of a chance for a chronic disease to be formed).
There are a few key ways to strengthen and revitalize the Vital Force:
-->Eat a healthy diet:
++ If you have foods you react to, don’t eat them until you are stronger and they don’t affect you.
++ Avoid processed sugars/sweets.
++ Avoid artificial sweeteners. All artificial sweeteners are toxic to the body, especially to the nervous system.
++ Eat a diet as close to nature as possible, with as many colors as possible. Try to avoid processed foods as much as possible.
++ Avoid pork. Pork, even if cooked thoroughly, contains live parasites that will cause health problems in everyone.
-->Get fresh air and outside time: sunshine is necessary for life as it stimulates neurotransmitter formation as well as vitami
D production. Fresh air also helps clean out the lungs and sinuses. To monitor air quality in your area, visit
www.Ai
ow.gov.
-->Get good sleep: neurochemicals and immune cells form only during sleep. The estimated best number of hours of sleep is 8 hours for adults.
-->Exercise: exercise causes the release of “happy” chemicals in the brain as well as strengthens the body, both inside and out. Exercise also helps keep fluid in the joints and decrease weight.
-->Deal with emotional issues: all emotions are good—it’s what we do with them that makes them a problem, or if they are severe. If you feel you are having emotional difficulty, or if an emotion is on your mind a lot, seek help with a qualified mental health practitioner.
-->Have your Adrenal Glands checked: after an illness, pain, or emotional turmoil, the adrenal glands tend to become weaker. When weakened, the whole body suffers. Sometimes short-term adrenal gland support makes all the difference.
-->Don’t suppress symptoms of small illnesses: when a symptom is suppressed, it is like telling the VF to be quiet and not heal. When a symptom is suppressed, the VF “gets used to it” and will eventually accept it OR the illness will be driven deeper within. Suppressing symptoms is the key reason chronic diseases form. If the symptom is severe and must be suppressed for sanity sake, make sure you use the right homeopathic remedy after the illness has resolved to keep make sure a chronic disease is “nipped in the bud.” Also, when the VF heals the symptoms on its own, it is strengthened by the journey.
-->Use homeopathy: all homeopathic remedies work on the Vital Force to correct the imbalance and strengthen the VF.
Homeopathy
Although the best homeopathic remedy is selected based on individual characteristics, there are several general ones that are great for general weakness of the Vital Force, especially for those who have recently been weakened after a lengthy illness (such as
Influenzinum after the flu) or a recent shocking event (such as
Aconite). There is even one (
Carbo vegetabilis) touted as the “corpse reviver” because it has miraculously healed some on their death-bed—meaning a severely depleted VF. These special homeopathic remedies are reserved for those with an incredibly weak Vital Force
All homeopathic remedies work on the Vital Force to correct the imbalance in the body that is causing the illness. It works differently than medical drugs and supplements which cause chemical changes within the body. Homeopathy focuses on the Vital Force. When there is a disease, it is the VF that is ultimately affected and weakened. The homeopathic remedy, when selected properly, restores the VF to its full potential.
When the Vital Force is at its full potential, disease cannot remain in the body.
Best wishes,
Dr. Ronda Behnker
Homeopathic Centers of America
Disclaimer: The information provided by Dr. Ronda Behnke is for educational purposes only. It is important that you not make health decisions or stop any medication without first consulting your personal physician or health care provider.