THE CHRONIC DISEASE PANDEMIC EMPHASIZES THE NEED FOR CHANGE
Paradigm: A widely accepted belief or concept that constitutes how we view reality (i.e., the Earth is round).
Paradigm shift: a significant change that happens when a new and different way replaces the usual way of thinking about or doing something.
“In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model that makes the old one obsolete.”
Buckminster Fuller
GEOCENTRISM VS. HELIOCENTRISM
My favorite example of a significant paradigm shift occurred hundreds of years ago. Before then, people assumed that the Sun revolved around the Earth. Although this belief lasted for thousands of years, Ptolemy (100 – 170 A.D.), an Egyptian astronomer, standardized the geocentric model of the universe. It stated that the Earth was the center of the universe and all the heavenly bodies, including the Sun, moon, and the stars, revolved around it. As I look up every day and night and see the movement of the Sun and stars through the sky, I can easily understand why people accepted that concept.
It wasn’t until 1400 years later that the first real challenge to that theory came from the Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473 – 1543). He wrote Through his observations about the heliocentric theory, claiming that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Although his ideas stirred up some controversy, Galileo (1564 – 1642), with his telescope, seriously challenged the geocentric theory. During an Inquisition trial, The Catholic Church, suspecting him of heresy, forced him to deny his findings. Although he did, he was placed on house arrest for the remainder of his life.
Although acceptance of Galileo’s findings took another century, it was, as Buckminster Fuller stated, “the creation of a new model that makes the old one obsolete.” Or, as Einstein put it, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
THE GERM THEORY PARADIGM
Biologist Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) is well known for creating vaccines for rabies and anthrax and is credited with the germ-killing process of pasteurization. In 1879, he wrote the book “The Germ Theory of Disease”. In it, he postulates that germs cause most diseases, and we can protect ourselves by finding ways to isolate and kill them. Almost 150 years later, germ theory is still accepted as the foundation of modern medicine.
A biologist colleague of Pasteur, Antoine Bechamp (1816 – 1908), came up with The Terrain Theory of Disease, which contradicted Pasteur’s theory. From Bechamp’s perspective, if the body is well and balanced, then the body will deal with germs that are a natural part of life without causing sickness.
For example, if you have a pile of garbage with flies hovering above it, there are two ways to remove the flies: Spray with a bug killer or remove the trash. With the first solution, you must come back and spray repeatedly. Why? Because you need to remove the problem’s source (the garbage pile).
Which theory prevailed? Have you heard of Antoine Bechamp?
IS THE GERM THEORY OBSOLETE?
It took 1400 years for the Ptolemaic viewpoint of the Sun revolving around the Earth to be disproved by the telescope. Pasteur’s theory on the germ-disease connection was based primarily on what he saw through his microscope, which could magnify several hundred times. Compare that to today’s electron microscopes that can magnify up to 50,000,000 times! It’s logical to conclude that because of this technology, our understanding of the microbial world today is far more advanced than what Pasteur understood 150 years ago. Pasteur’s knowledge of germs was far inferior to our knowledge today.
MY TAKE:
Because of the constant upgrading of the electron microscope, scientists can delve deeper into the human gut microbiome and observe that we have more microbial cells than human cells in our bodies. In that sense, we are more germs than humans. Research also reveals that a healthy body and a robust immune system depend on us having a healthy relationship with our microbes (i.e., bacteria, fungi, and viruses). They thrive, and we thrive when:
- We feed them fiber, their favorite food found only in plants.
- We avoid antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs, except as a last option.
- We reduce the amount of stressful situations in our lives.
- We eat organic foods as often as possible.
- We consume less animal products because they feed the unfriendly bacteria that can cause chronic diseases.
What would modern medicine be like today if we aligned with Bechamp’s Terrain Theory of disease, which favored cooperation with our microbes instead of isolating and destroying them?
In my opinion, we would:
- Focus more on keeping our bodies healthy through healthy lifestyle choices to be best prepared to deal with pathogens and pandemics.
- Rely less on antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs to solve our health problems.
- Prefer doctors who believe in and support the self-healing power of the body before prescribing pharmaceutical drugs as the first option.
- Ensure medical professionals and caretakers understand that the learning process does not end with schooling. Education, especially regarding health, should be a lifelong journey.
- Take more responsibility for our health and demand the information and guidance necessary to make conscious health decisions.
Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for governments and institutions to consider changing the paradigm. That may take decades. Each of us has the power to improve our relationship with our microbiome through proper nutrition and lifestyle choices. If you do that, the microbiome will thrive…and so will you.
