When you get colds, what comes first in your mind as to the cause? “Ahh, it’s because I got wet in the rain.” Or “It was windy and I didn’t have a jacket.” And when you get a headache, you would attribute it to being exposed to the hot sun. But is it really the rain or the wind or the sun that day that caused you to get sick? But how about the others who got wet like you but they did not get sick? How about the farmer who gets wind-blown and sunburned but does not get colds?
Simple colds and cough, fever, headaches, other aches, are the body’s way of discharging excesses or poisons. They are warning signs to tell you that you are off balance. My favourite author on natural healing, Michio Kushi, says that these are “diseases of adjustment” and these conditions are meant to restore the balance in your body so you become well again. Di ba, you will notice that after a day or two of colds or flu, you are back to normal. Your body has healed itself just wi th rest, water or sabaw and little food! If the body does not burn off or excrete these toxic substances, then these will accumulate inside and will do more damage to the vital organs of the body. So you see how wonderfully designed our body is! Early on, it signals us to stop and reflect. Reflect on how we are living. How was your food and activities, not just yesterday but for the past weeks and years?
These excesses and poisons that we feed our body and mind were not placed there in a day. If you ate ice cream just once, it will not make you sick. Wait, it could give you sore throat if you have been living in harmony with nature for a long time. Meaning you are sensitive to the effects of food, which is how it should be so that we will be cautious about ice cream and other excessive foods. The problem is that we don’t heed these warning signals of colds, cough and aches and pimples. We just attribute them to the rains and the cold weather and “puyat” so our response is to stay indoors when it’s raining and put jackets on to keep warm and again stay indoors and sleep. Did you know that the response of our elders when they got colds is for them to continue farming so that they will sweat it out? They vouch that if they just stay home and sleep, they will get sicker. True enough, our grandparents would be well after a day in the farm. This is because they have excreted the excesses through sweat and activity. What about us at present? We ignore these warning signals and become lazy. And we become desensitized so we continue to eat and drink sweets and too much meat and junk. Then we accumulate more excesses and poisons in our body and then be surprised later when our cholesterol is high, when our blood sugar is high and when we have high blood pressure or rayuma. These are already categorized as “degenerative diseases”, meaning there has been a gradual deterioration of the body systems over a long period of time.
May I quote again my favorite author, Mr. Kushi, “If we don’t experience some type of reaction after eating bad food, we are accumulating excess and our condition is degenerating. The external symptoms of this may not appear for twenty years, but our bodily functions, including our judgment, are gradually becoming dull- the longer we eat in an unnatural manner. People in this condition often find it difficult to understand why they should eat properly.” Sad, isn’t it? They will even deny that their food is unhealthy and that they are not exercising enough. They will say “But I don’t use sugar or milk. I don’t even eat meat.” Perhaps you are abstaining now that you have high blood pressure. But how about then and what caused your high blood pressure?
It is not only the food in our mouth that we need to watch. How about the thoughts that we feed our minds? Actions start first as thoughts, no matter how quick your action is. Irritability, impatience, upset, anger,
anxiety, worry, fear and uneasiness are categorized as “emotional diseases” by Mr. Kushi and he says “A healthy person is not bothered by negative emotional states. If we become angry even once a year, we are not
completely healthy.” The good news is that what you eat greatly affects your thoughts and emotions. Those excessive foods and synthetic additives wreak havoc on all body systems. So once we straighten out our eating patterns, meaning that we become humble enough to recognize that our Creator has provided everything we need to live and so live in harmony with nature, then we will be well in body, mind and spirit.
It takes time for disease to manifest. It takes time for events to manifest. Just as Jesus wasn’t born a day after he was conceived. Just as Jesus wasn’t immediately shown to the Gentiles. Just as Jesus wasn’t born during the time of Moses. Just as covid manifested only in December 2019.
What then? We can look back and see where we have diverted from the pathway of nature and take the necessary steps to it. A blessed New Year to everyone! May the Universe direct our paths, as individuals and communities, to living in harmony with nature, to wholeness and holiness this 2021!
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“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
