What is the Immune System?
The immune system is a complex network of tissues and organs that defend the body against foreign invaders as well as changes within our bodies, such as cancer or other destructive issues.
Albert Einstein is reputed to have said that he studied science in order to āunderstand Godās thoughtsā as He created the world. As I have studied anatomy and physiology and the healing properties of āGodās pharmacyāāfor a lifetimeāI am always in awe of the genius of our Creator and His overwhelming love for each of us!
With plants, in either herb or essential oil form, we have been given wonderful ways to nourish and heal our bodies. And the energetic miracle that is Blessed Water/Homeopathic Remedies is almost beyond belief!
We are meant to be well and happy and energetic into our advanced years! Please do not accept pain and physical limitations as a normal part of the aging process! Eat right. live well, and use the wonderful and amazing remedies that God has provided for us everywhere in the world!
An allergy is an inappropriate response by the body to a substance that is not harmful to most people. The immune system, which is supposed to protect us from toxins and pathogens, wrongly identifies a substance as harmful to us and goes into action. The response can be anywhere from mildly annoying to symptoms severe enough to create anaphylactic shock. These types of allergies may begin with only mild symptoms but grow worse with each reaction; they are NOT something that a person typically grows out of.
When I saw this monthās topic I got very excited. Allergies can be devastating and have a nasty effect on trying to live life and enjoy it! I had so many allergiesāan unbelievable number and to a wide variety of substancesāduring my childhood and early adulthood. If it blew on the wind, if it was meant to be consumed in a raw or natural state such as watermelon or nearly every kind of vegetable or fruit, or if it was a drug of any sortāeven such things as antibiotics, dental deadening, and mouthwashesāI was going to react to it in some uncomfortable or dangerous way. Oh, the list could go on and on! I spent my life either in misery from one allergy or another or I was sleepy from the allergy pills I was taking. Trips to the dentist’s office became scary for me and for the dentist! Eventually, I even started to react to allergy pills of every variety.
As with all true allergies, the reactions to many of my ātriggersā got worse with timeāmuch worse, involving my heart in scary ways!
Who am I today as far as allergies are concerned? I have none and havenāt had for many years! I eat whatever I want. Do you have any idea how enjoyable a piece of watermelon or a raw carrot tastes these days? Or how fun it is to be outdoors. I donāt even worry about bee stings these days! If I feel the slightest itch in my throat or eyes or any other allergic-type reaction I simply go back to the things I know. Many of those things will be talked about in this article.
Side Note: Having had some scary reactions to antibiotics and other types of drugs in the past and having lived so many years without them, I canāt really say for sure whether they are still a problem or not. I suspect those allergies have also gone away. I took 2 antibiotic pills and 1 painkiller a while ago (the first of either in 40 years) after some extensive dental work. No reaction at all!
In December we will discuss Anxiety, Stress and Self-Reflection.Ā I would like to begin today by recounting a story told by one of my favorite authors, Bruce H. Lipton, in his book The Biology of Belief. I will paraphrase as best I can, in the interest of keeping this segment briefāwell, sort of.
Dr. Lipton uses the example of a track race to illustrate for his readers the effects of stress on the body. A well-trained and healthy group of sprinters steps up to the starting line. They hear the command, āOn your mark,ā and they drop to their hands and knees. Then the announcer barks, āGet set.ā Their muscles tighten as they prop themselves up on their fingers and toes. In a normal race, the strain and tension they are experiencing lasts only a second or two before the command, āGo!ā is heard.
But what if the āGoā command never came? These unfortunate athletes would be left at the starting blocks, their blood coursing with adrenaline, their bodies rapidly going into deep fatigue as they try to stay prepared for a race that never begins. No matter how healthy and toned their physical bodies are or how much they have prepared their minds for the race, every athlete would physically collapse from the strain.
Too many of us today live in a āGet setā world! Study after scientific study has shown that our hyper-vigilance is wreaking havoc on our physical health, mental stability, and emotional well-being.
So, whatās the solution? May I offer three quick pieces of advice, based on my own experience:
Count your blessings! A young son of mine, counseled during a family meeting to ācount his blessings,ā reported in churchāover the microphone at the pulpitāthe next week that he had counted his blessings and found 385 of them. (Iām not exactly sure of the number, but you get the gist.) There never was a happier, more contented, or more willing-to-serve child, nor man, than he has become.
Count your strengths instead of your weaknesses. Then get to work using your strengths in the service of others. Our suffering is too often more the result of our thoughts than our circumstances. We alone have control over our thoughts! Suffering because of our mindset is optional and up to us.
Replace fear with faith. It has been proven over and overāalso in scientific studiesāthat meeting tragedy and difficulties with calm assurance, knowing we (with Heaven as our partner) have overcome challenges before and can do so again, reduces the impact on our health and well-being when lifeās realities and obstacles inevitably come our way.
Anxiety is too often fear of the future and doubt in our ability to handle it.
The health benefits provided by proper nutrition, herbal remedies, and the impact of essential oils on our minds and bodies can have a tremendous effect on our ability to look to the future with courage and determination, helping us to be happy in the here and now. Ā See the full list of topics.