You may not be familiar with germ theory in detail, but you probably have heard the general idea behind it. In fact, it is probably engrained into your everyday life even without you knowing it because modern medicine and pharmaceuticals are based on germ theory. Germ theory basically states that germs are the cause of certain diseases. However, it is still a theory rather than proven fact (as difficult as that may be to believe), and there is much more to sickness than just germs.
Louis Pasteur was one of the major individuals in developing germ theory. He spent most of his life advocating that germs were the cause of disease – often to the exclusion of any other factors. However, there were other scientists at the same time as Pasteur that had a different view on the cause of disease. They believed that the environment of the body was what determined disease. The idea was that germs are a result of an unhealthy internal environment and not the cause of disease. It is interesting to note that it is reported that Pasteur, on his death-bed, ‘confessed’ that the germ was nothing and that the internal environment was everything.
While I do not think either extreme is completely correct, the internal environment of the body has a bigger effect on health and sickness than germs alone. Think about it. When someone in a family gets sick, does everyone necessarily get sick? Yet they are all exposed to the same germs. Also there are a number of diseases that are not related to germs but lifestyle. These ‘lifestyle’ diseases in turn make a person more susceptible to infectious diseases. There is practical evidence that it is more than just germs that cause certain diseases. In fact, there have been researchers over the years that have taken different ‘germs’ into their bodies and not gotten sick with the disease those germs were supposed to cause (not generally a good idea though).
Modern medicine and pharmaceuticals has focused on the germ for years now, and we may be quickly reaching a point when antibiotics will no longer do any good. While antibiotics have saved many lives over the years, they have been overused and led to many germs becoming resistant to them. What do we do if we reach the point when antibiotics become useless? The only option I see will be to strengthen our natural immunity to prevent disease.
So how do we increase our body’s natural ability to fight disease or improve its internal environment to stay healthy? Well the answer will probably not be surprising: eat healthy, get adequate rest, regular exercise and keep your body functioning at its best. One thing needed to keep the body functioning at its best is regular chiropractic care.
When the bones of the spine are not aligned/moving properly it affects the nerves coming and going from the spinal cord. This basically causes interference with the normal function of the nerves and, in turn, everything else in the body since the nervous system controls everything in the body. This can lead to any number of problems, and may or may not cause pain as well. One thing that can be affected is the immune system, and a few studies have shown that after a chiropractic adjustment certain white blood cells have enhanced function at least for a short time. Other studies have also shown that people that regularly use chiropractic take less medication and visit the hospital less than those that do not.
So if you want to prevent disease, you are better off visiting the chiropractor than grabbing the disinfectant. Come give it a try!
References:
Louis Pasture Recants His Germ Theory
Immune Responses to Spinal Manipulation
Abstract-Clinical Utilization and Cost Outcomes From an Integrative Medicine Independent Physician Association: An Additional 3-Year Update
