Keys to Health-Homotoxicology
In today’s information-overloaded world, it seems harder than ever to make informed decisions, especially when it relates to health issues. Parents particularly have a hard time as, understandably, there is a depth of concern to provide the very best for their families. However, it is increasingly difficult to know what that “best” would be. A lack of understanding about the miracle of the human body and a mass media exploitation of “parental concern” has led to a fear-based society, where the overuse and abuse of many pharmaceutical drugs is the norm.
How then does a parent know when to act or when not to act? When would nutritional supplements or homeopathics be the best course of action over an antibiotic or steroid and, if so, which one(s)? Can we trust the cashier at our local health food store with these decisions and recommend which of the hundreds of brands available would be the best to use? Many parents are proactive and spend hours on the internet doing their own research, but many do not have that luxury. What, then, is the solution?
First, we need to re-awaken the awareness of how the human body attempts to maintain health and work sensibly and practically with its innate intelligence. Watch and observe. Can the individual’s immune system handle the situation on its own? If so, that is usually the best course of action. If the immune system is healthy, it has the ability to combat even the most virulent of pathogens and, consequently, develop antibodies that offer lifelong immunity to that pathogen. Good nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy immune system. Plenty of organic fruits and vegetables and not too much sugar or processed foods are key factors. Something else that is key to making wise choices is how we view a fever. Watch the fever; it’s doing something vitally important in the body, and as long as it’s not too high (>102), it will do more good than harm.
A number of years ago, a medical doctor by the name of Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg (1905-1985) outlined very clearly how the body attempts to maintain health. Every health practitioner and parent should be aware of this process but, sadly, this is far from the case. Dr. Reckeweg documented how the body very deliberately and systematically attempts to heal itself after invasion from a pathogen, be it fungal, viral, parasitic or bacterial. Understanding this process is key to understanding the healing process and could help one to make more informed decisions when dealing with health challenges.
The body’s first attempt to maintain health is the Excretion Phase, where the body attempts to eliminate the problematic pathogen by expulsion—sneezing, coughing, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea. If this phase is not successful, either because we have inadvertently hampered its effectiveness with over-the-counter remedies like cough suppressants or the likes of Pepto Bismol, or because the immune system was just not able to expel the organism, then the body’s next line of defense is to attempt to burn the organism up by elevating the body temperature. This phase is called the Reaction/Inflammation Phase. There is an old saying in naturopathy that goes, “Give me a fever and I’ll give you a cure.” If the likes of Tylenol is administered in an attempt to reduce the fever, this vital phase of the healing process can be significantly exacerbated. Should this occur, the body does not just throw up its arms in despair; rather, it activates the third phase of the healing process called the Deposition Phase, which results in the body attempting to isolate the organism in a wart, or a cyst, or a polyp. Better to have the organism contained in one place rather than have it damaging vital organs like the heart, lungs or brain! Here is evidence of innate intelligence at its best, the wise and systematic protection offered time and time again.
In these first three phases of homotoxicology, which is what Dr. Reckeweg’s observations have subsequently been called, we’ve touched ever so briefly on the body’s ability to heal itself. Nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies can assist greatly in facilitating, rather than compounding, this healing process, offering support to the immune system rather than undermining it. Once an individual crosses over the biological divide into the last three phases of homotoxicology, we are looking at more complex and chronic situations, which we will address further at another time. But suffice it to say that if just these first three phases were comprehended and the body was given the opportunity to marshal its own resources, we would have less chronic illness and many more healthy people around as a result.
Millicent Holliday, R.N., C.T.N.
How then does a parent know when to act or when not to act? When would nutritional supplements or homeopathics be the best course of action over an antibiotic or steroid and, if so, which one(s)? Can we trust the cashier at our local health food store with these decisions and recommend which of the hundreds of brands available would be the best to use? Many parents are proactive and spend hours on the internet doing their own research, but many do not have that luxury. What, then, is the solution?
First, we need to re-awaken the awareness of how the human body attempts to maintain health and work sensibly and practically with its innate intelligence. Watch and observe. Can the individual’s immune system handle the situation on its own? If so, that is usually the best course of action. If the immune system is healthy, it has the ability to combat even the most virulent of pathogens and, consequently, develop antibodies that offer lifelong immunity to that pathogen. Good nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy immune system. Plenty of organic fruits and vegetables and not too much sugar or processed foods are key factors. Something else that is key to making wise choices is how we view a fever. Watch the fever; it’s doing something vitally important in the body, and as long as it’s not too high (>102), it will do more good than harm.
A number of years ago, a medical doctor by the name of Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg (1905-1985) outlined very clearly how the body attempts to maintain health. Every health practitioner and parent should be aware of this process but, sadly, this is far from the case. Dr. Reckeweg documented how the body very deliberately and systematically attempts to heal itself after invasion from a pathogen, be it fungal, viral, parasitic or bacterial. Understanding this process is key to understanding the healing process and could help one to make more informed decisions when dealing with health challenges.
The body’s first attempt to maintain health is the Excretion Phase, where the body attempts to eliminate the problematic pathogen by expulsion—sneezing, coughing, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea. If this phase is not successful, either because we have inadvertently hampered its effectiveness with over-the-counter remedies like cough suppressants or the likes of Pepto Bismol, or because the immune system was just not able to expel the organism, then the body’s next line of defense is to attempt to burn the organism up by elevating the body temperature. This phase is called the Reaction/Inflammation Phase. There is an old saying in naturopathy that goes, “Give me a fever and I’ll give you a cure.” If the likes of Tylenol is administered in an attempt to reduce the fever, this vital phase of the healing process can be significantly exacerbated. Should this occur, the body does not just throw up its arms in despair; rather, it activates the third phase of the healing process called the Deposition Phase, which results in the body attempting to isolate the organism in a wart, or a cyst, or a polyp. Better to have the organism contained in one place rather than have it damaging vital organs like the heart, lungs or brain! Here is evidence of innate intelligence at its best, the wise and systematic protection offered time and time again.
In these first three phases of homotoxicology, which is what Dr. Reckeweg’s observations have subsequently been called, we’ve touched ever so briefly on the body’s ability to heal itself. Nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies can assist greatly in facilitating, rather than compounding, this healing process, offering support to the immune system rather than undermining it. Once an individual crosses over the biological divide into the last three phases of homotoxicology, we are looking at more complex and chronic situations, which we will address further at another time. But suffice it to say that if just these first three phases were comprehended and the body was given the opportunity to marshal its own resources, we would have less chronic illness and many more healthy people around as a result.
Millicent Holliday, R.N., C.T.N.