Homeostasis
by
Catharine J. Anderson
Homeostasis is the body's ability to remain
in balance and adapt to the stress we impose on it. Homeostasis is often
referred to as host resistance, susceptibility, coping, or tissue tolerance.
According to Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin, in his book Human Health & Homeostasis,
“The cells singly and collectively as a total organism survive when host
resistance can cope successfully with the innumerable and diverse environmental
threats.”
Our bodies are subjected to stress everyday of our life. Stress,
such as the chemical toxins in our air, water, food & drink and from the
toxins released from our thoughts and unexpressed emotions, all require our
body to make adjustments. If our body is not able to adjust to the stress
imposed upon it, host susceptibility replaces host resistance . If homeostatic
balance is not restored, disease and eventually death will follow.
Our
modern lifestyle is taking a toll on our health and our immune systems. Daily
exposure to chemical and electromagnetic toxins, mineral deficient soils
producing nutrient deficient food and chronic emotional stress from our hectic
lifestyles are all part of modern day life. It is therefore very important for
us as individuals to make a conscious effort to “stay in balance” and maintain a
homeostatic state.
Although each of us lives in what has become somewhat
of a “hostile environment,” in regard to pollution, over-population, demanding
work schedules, and other environmental stress agents that appear to be beyond
our personal control, there are things we can do help our bodies maintain a
steady state and ward off disease as our body's are designed to survive.
In my opinion, the best way to go about this is through education and
awareness. It is very important to make people aware of the fact that our foods
no longer supply the vitamins, minerals and oxygen stores we need for the
enzyme processes of metabolism and detoxification. The soil in which most of our
food is grown has been depleted of minerals. Processed and refined foods have
replaced raw and whole foods in most people’s diets. As a society, we consume
way too much sugar, which robs us of many of the nutrients we do manage to
consume. All of this presents a challenge our body, placing a heavy load on our
immune system, colon and liver. This can make us more susceptible to viral,
fungal and bacterial infections and other diseases.
The human body is
designed to maintain health and to cleanse itself of toxins that may cause
disease. The build up and accumulation of toxins in our body depletes our
energy as the body has to expend an enormous amount of energy in an attempt to
detoxify itself. On top of this, our food is not providing us with the energy
we need or may be of the type that uses more energy to metabolize itself than
it is providing. If the immunological defenses of the body are overburdened for
too long a time, the body loses its ability to maintain a state of health,
provide us energy and vitality, and resist disease. Over time, this process
begins to effect our health and leads to degenerative diseases.
On his
death bed, the famous French scientist, Louis Pasteur, is said to have said
"…The microbe is nothing. The terrain is everything.” Pasteur was referring to
the biological terrain. The biological terrain is the fluid inside and around
every cell and organ within the body. The biological terrain can be compared
to a garden. When the soil or "terrain" is rich with nutrients, then the
plants thrive. If on the other hand the "terrain" is devoid of nutrients, then
the plants dwindle and die. Our biological terrain is similar to the soil in
the garden in the sense that, when our biological terrain is properly
nourished, it remains healthy and thrives. If it is not well nourished , we
become diseased and may eventually die prematurely.
All physical,
emotional, mental and spiritual experiences directly affect the biological
terrain. The condition of the biological terrain is influenced by everything in
our environment which can affect us at a cellular level. This includes the food
we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, exposure to pathogens
(viruses, bacteria); exposure to allergens; physical and emotional stresses,
dietary abuse (too much sugar, caffeine, alcohol, etc.) as well as our emotional
and psychological sense of well-being The biological terrain is the "soil"
from which our health comes forth. It is constantly changing and adjusting to
the demands placed upon it. Just as in the garden when unhealthy soil leads to
unhealthy plants, an unhealthy biological terrain can lead to ill health. True
healing comes only when the biological terrain is in balance.
Measuring
the biological terrain is a method of monitoring your health. Although our
inner state, or biological terrain is in a constant state of flux, depending on
what we have been eating, drinking, thinking and feeling, it is possible to get
an idea as to one’s overall state at any given time through various types of
measurements. Homeostasis, or the biological terrain, can be checked through
analysis of temperature, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar,
respiration, fluid balance and hormones, to name a few. According to Dr.
Cheraskin, in his book Human Health & Homeostasis, pulse rate can be used as
a simple and inexpensive measure of homeostasis. in a healthy state, the pulse
remains in relatively narrow limits. under disease conditions, the pulse
increases.
If our terrain is out of balance due to an unhealthy
lifestyle or due to environmental toxins, we are prone to disease. Bacteria and
viruses usually can’t thrive in a healthy body. As Dr. Cheraskin points out in
his book, “The invasion by a respiratory germ may in one instance result in
pneumonia. In a second case, there may be only the sniffles; while in a third
instance the patient may remain unscathed.” Research has shown the difference
is in the terrain.
Maintaining a state of homeostasis is a complex
process. Not only do we have to make sure to eat and drink nutritious foods
that will provide us with a wide range of vitamins and minerals in the
quantities we need for optimal health, but we also have to avoid accumulating
toxins in our system. According to Hippocrates, "Diseases are crises of
purification, of toxic elimination.” Research shows that he was right.
We live in a polluted world in which both the air and water is often of poor
quality. The average American eats a diet that consists mostly of processed
foods that are full of additives. An increasing amount of people are taking
prescription drugs that have serious side effects and are not good for the
overall health of the body. The liver tries to dispose of these toxic
substances. It is the liver’s job to eliminate toxins, chemicals and unwanted
hormones from the system. Over time, we tend to accumulate more toxins and
other harmful substances than the liver is designed to process. As a result,
the liver becomes overburdened. Once the liver falls behind, we end up with an
unacceptable level of toxins in our bloodstream.
Accumulated toxins
stress our entire system and create a state of imbalance within the body.
Although homeostatic mechanisms are in place and serve to return the body to a
state of balance, their job becomes more difficult and we become more
susceptible to disease when these mechanisms are taxed and overburdened. It is
therefore important to make a conscious effort to eliminate all unnecessary
stress on the body.
In his book, Human Health & Homeostasis, Dr.
Cheraskin points out that there is a need “for greater emphasis on ecological
principles.” According to Dr. Cheraskin, we need to recognize that the external
world is a hostile world with its many physical, chemical, microbial, thermal,
and psychological challenges. Our ability to survive is dependent on our
ability to cope with this environment. Our inborn homeostatic mechanisms are
what allow us to cope with the stress we are subjected to in the course of
everyday living.
Lifestyle modifications are our best defense against
stress. In order to successfully eliminate unnecessary stress on our bodies, we
must first educate ourselves about our environment and its impact on our
bodies. Only then can we make the proper lifestyle changes which will promote
good health and help us maintain a state of homeostatic balance.
In
order to eliminate unnecessary stress on the body, we must first learn to
identify the cause of such stress. Stress can be defined as a state of
disharmony or imbalance which disrupts homeostasis. The major types of stress
we are subject to include physical stress, physiological stress, dietary stress,
disease stress, and environmental stress.
We are all subjected to physical
stress. Although some physical stress is unavoidable, we do have a certain
amount of control over this type of stress. Physical stress includes injury to
the body, any major trauma to the body resulting from major surgery, exercise,
physical activity, climate, and just about anything that impacts the body on a
physical level. Although it may be impossible to avoid some types of physical
injury, we can strive to maintain a healthy body weight and stay physically fit
through exercise and physical activity. While it is important to exercise and
stay active, we must also learn to balance this out with rest, relaxation, and a
sufficient amount of sleep.
Physiological stress includes work related
stress, family issues, health, trauma, worry, and fear, among others. In order
to keep this kind of stress to a minimum, we need to learn to balance our work
and family life. A negative aspect of the modern world is devoting too much
time to work and spending less time with ones friends and family. It is also
very important to allow oneself some alone time. We often get caught up in our
jobs and tend to rush around getting things done. If we do not take time out to
“play,” to enjoy nature, to socialize and to meditate, we are prone to suffer
from burnout. When we do not allow ourselves enough time to enjoy life and its
pleasures, we often tend toward negative thinking and anxiety. One thing often
leads to another. Much of this can be prevented by learning to balance one’s
time in a manner that allows us free time to simple enjoy things.
Dietary
stress can be caused by starvation, consumption of junk food, lack of essential
nutrients, and poor food choices. It is important to learn what is and isn’t
good to eat. We should all learn to read labels on food products and avoid
anything that is over-processed, full of chemical and additives and lacking
nutrients. It is also advisable to take vitamin and mineral supplements as much
of our food is grown in soil that has been depleted of minerals and other
nutrients that plants thrive on. Foods also lose nutrients during the time it
takes to ship and store them before they are purchased. Cooking causes further
nutrient loss. It is important to learn to eat simple whole foods and avoid
processed foods, excessive amounts of sugar, caffeine and the like.
Environmental stress results from pollution, toxic chemical exposure, free
radicals from pollution, and sun exposure. It is
advisable to avoid using pesticides and harmful household chemicals. There are
many ways we can cut down on our exposure to these chemicals. We need to learn
how to read labels and become more aware of what is actually in the products we
are using. We need to replace products that are toxic and with non toxic
products that do the same job. Although sunshine is good for us, and provides
us with vitamin D, too much time in the sun is dangerous and should be
avoided.
Disease stress can result from chronic illness, environmental
toxins, pesticides, chemicals, bacteria, and viruses.
Again, if our biological terrain is healthy, we can avoid becoming prone to
disease. But if we become run down, malnourished, burned out, whatever, we
become susceptible to disease which causes further stress on our bodies. The
best defense against disease stress is avoiding the other types of stress
mentioned. Eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep and enjoy life.
Although much can be done to prevent some types of stress and reduce others,
stress is a fact of life and cannot be avoided. Even if we eat a healthy diet,
exercise, get plenty of sleep, rest, relax and maintain a positive attitude, our
bodies are still going to become stressed from one thing or another.
Environmental toxins are a good example. We can avoid using harmful pesticides
and household cleaning agents, but as individuals, we cannot control the level
of pollutants in the air we breathe.
We live in a toxic world and it is
very difficult to avoid toxins altogether. Over time these toxins can
accumulate in our bodies and impair our health. On top of eating right,
exercising, and all of the other things mentioned earlier, we can help our
bodies rid themselves of toxins through detoxification. There are many ways in
which you can detoxify the body. Some involve using herbs, some involve going
on various types of fasts. All have the potential of aiding the body as it
tries to detoxify harmful substances from the system. The process can be
further enhanced by avoiding toxins, as much as possible, in the first
place.
The human body is a miraculous creation. It is designed to
rejuvenate itself. We live in a world in which the body has to overcome many
odds. Homeostatic balance ensures that the body is capable of overcoming the
forces that work against it. It is therefore critical that we learn to the
things we need to do in order to keep this balance. We have a choice: optimum
health or degenerative disease.
Threads - The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn by Nell Gavin is a fantasy which combines elements of historical fiction, metaphysics and eastern religion into one very interesting tale. Threads "opens with Anne's execution. Her fury at her husband's betrayal has enough
momentum to survive centuries, but in Threads she learns that she has been
assigned a hard task: she must review their history together through a number of
past lives, and find it within herself to forgive him." (Amazon book description). At the time I came across this book I was studying Evolutionary Astrology which delves into reincarnation and describes how one's past life experiences influence one's current life. Threads struck me as an Evolutionary Astrology book minus the astrology. It was a perfect example of the theory behind what evolutionary astrologers are taught - what happens after death, how past lives are the cause of the current life and how the soul determines what it needs to experience in future lives. In other words, this book was about the evolutionary journey of a soul. 
