The Inner Science of Disease and Healing: Part 1

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Harsha Vardhan (Founder Director & Trainer)

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It is an appropriate time to discuss the topic of health and wellness. Understanding of disease and healing is very relevant in these times. Not only Covid but any disease can be dealt with, if one has a deeper insight into it’s causes and possible remedies. We will cover the physiological factors in this blog. In part two of the same blog we will discuss the role of mind and the energy body in healing.

Understanding the Body:

The anatomy of a human body has approximately 37 trillion cells. For every cell there are ten numbers of bacteria and viruses present in us. So we are not alone. We have 37 trillion cells and 370 trillion germs on us. The numbers are variable but I wish to convey is that the germs outnumber our cells by ten fold. If we have survived despite these germs, they must be our friends. Especially our gut bacteria play the single largest role in maintaining health. Intestinal bacteria are called fauna or vegetation of the body.

There is an intimate balance between our metabolism and the gut bacteria. This balance is dynamic in nature and each individual has a unique composition of germs. These germs live and thrive on us in a mutually beneficial relation. They are our inner environment. The whole idea about good health is maintaining true germs within us. As a matter of fact, more than our genes, these microbes inside and outside of us, decide the destiny of our health.

Why Disease Happens:

This delicate balance between we hosts and the germs is often disturbed by our life style. What we eat, what we think, what our habits are, whether we exercise, whether we have stress, whether we cleanse ourselves and so on. No two bodies will ever have the same fauna. Due to transgression of good habits and attack from other pathogens we fall sick.

At any time we have several potential diseases in us. They remain dormant due to the immunity we have and the germs within us. It is like good and bad germs. When the good ones win, we thrive and the when the bad ones win we get diseased. We will save the spiritual explanation of it in the next blog.

Nocebo Effect:

So many time, it happens that if you don’t trust the doctor the treatment also doesn’t work. If you expect something negative, it happens. And you get the feeling, "See, I knew it".

Fear and apprehensions can very well induce diseases. Negativity can impair your immunity. It is a well known phenomenon that grief, anger, jealousy, hatred and stress can cause ailments. Fear can easily put you in jeopardy. It is very important that you do not fear.

Treatment of Disease:

In the event of a disease we go to a doctor. He has to be very judicious in use of antibiotics. Our impatience does not allow us to wait for the nature to take it’s own course of 3 to 4 days in which the body raises it’s temperature (fever) and fights off the infection. We first rush to bring down the temperature. We rely on the crutches of chemicals which indiscriminately kill most of our gut fauna. All the good and the bad germs are killed which explains diarrhea during medicine use. The balance is disturbed thereby further compromising the immunity. It takes about a month to achieve the natural fauna of the intestine. It is usually a good idea to keep patience for three days before eating medicines. The fever has to be kept from being too high. Otherwise fever is the sign that body is fighting off the invaders.

Role of Placebo in Healing:

Principally, what cures is the ‘placebo effect’. This is a well known phenomenon wherein the belief can cure. After the money is spent on a treatment and you have been patiently heard by a doctor you are convinced about the positive outcome: healing begins to happen. Faith is eventually that cures. Faith and belief release Endorphin hormone in the brain that removes pain and discomfort. That further strengthens our belief in the medicine. It is no wonder that modern medicine will not let you seek other areas where you may invest your belief and achieve the same placebo.

A popular quote goes like this, "It takes seven days to cure a cold with medicines and a week without it". In the next blog we will discuss the role of mental and spiritual power to remain healthy. Till then eat well - preferably more raw vegetables and fruits, sleep well, exercise well and meditate.