GERM theory vs. TERRAIN theory
GERM Theory VS. TERRAIN Theory
Germtheory states that bacteria and viruses are the responsible agents for all infectious diseases - thatgermsare what ‘cause’ disease, and this concept continues as the prevailing medical model to-date.
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Terrain theory observes that it is the internal balance of the body, the health of the cells and the immune system and its unique individual susceptibility that determine a persons ability to navigate exposures to infectious agents and environmental toxins.
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Terrain theory explains why some people get sick when others exposed to the same environment and pathogens do not.
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Terrain - is referring to the landscape of the body, the ecosystem, and the microbiome, in the way agriculture (permaculture) speaks of the relationship between the seed and soil and the ecosystem at large.
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The persons body, or terrain, is the ubiquitous connective tissue of mesenchymal cells, leukocytes, nerve endings, blood and vast vascular networks and extracellular matrix.
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When the body terrain is in balance it can protect itself from pestilence, infections, recover from trauma or threat and determines one's ability to thrive. Just as in ALL nature and the grand ecosystem of life.
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Early germ theory was first developed and published by English physician, Dr. John Snow (1813-1858), considered the founder of modern epidemiology, in1855.
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Then in 1861, his contemporary French chemist, pharmacist and microbiologist, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), considered the 'father of bacteriology’, explained how microorganisms could cause disease.
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Pasteur postulated that, as bacteria are found at the sites of infection, they must be the ‘cause' of infections.
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Robert Koch (1843-1910), physician, microbiologist and another founder of bacteriology of the same era worked with methods of fixing, staining, and photographing bacteria.
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Koch developed what is known as “koch’s postulates.” He postulated that the blood from a diseased animal will make another animal sick and that the disease particles found in the first animal will be the same as those found in the second newly infected animal.
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Koch discovered the anthrax and tubercle bacilli which ignited a generation of ‘microbe hunters’ who identified and linked specific bacteria to the disease they were presumed to ‘cause’.
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To be sure, many people died from bacterial conditions before the development of antibiotics - notably correlating to a time before adequate hygiene and sewer system infrastructure was developed to separate fecal matter from drinking water. Also - before HOMEOPATHY was readily available.
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Koch developed his postulates based on pathogens that could be isolated using 19th century methods.
The thinking was that if you could kill the bacteria then an infection would not occur.
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Contemporary to Pasteur and Koch were French physiologist, Claude Bernard (1813-1878) and French Chemist, Antoine Bechamp (1816-1908) who believed that the organisms that already live in the body could not be the cause of illness.
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Bernard and Bechamp proposed that only when the body (terrain) became unbalanced and unable to maintain homeostasis did germ microbes become a toxic problem.
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Bernard and Bechamp argued that disease is the result of a disordered internal environment, a disordered terrain.
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Today we know chronic disease is fundamentally a metabolic problem.
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Homeopathy stimulates the living organism to improve the functioning of the metabolic processes as it supports and increases the eliminative activities and raises the overall level of health.
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Homeopathy treats the person (the whole person), rather than the disease.
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Homeopathic treatment of disease, is actually the byproduct of treating the person experiencing the symptoms of disease and in so doing the disease is cleared as the system recalibrates and corrects.
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Homeopathic treatment is a stimulus action that recalibrates the body to restore balance. Through this process the level of health is raised and the person becomes less susceptible to disease.
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SUSCEPTIBILITY -
Susceptibility is the degree to which a person is vulnerable to an outside influence.
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Susceptibility is unique and specific to each individual based on their own life exposures, stress/trauma levels, drugs, injections, environmental toxins, AND genetic inheritance of these same factors transmitted from parent to offspring directly or generationally, epigenetically (miasm theory in homeopathy).
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REACTIVE MECHANISM -
Susceptibility to disease is due to the reactive mechanism of the person rather than the contamination of the actual pathogen.
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The potential for a pathogen to cause harm relates to the quality of the persons reactive mechanism.
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DISEASE IS INFLUENCED BY -
The virulence of a pathogenic antigen in comparison with the reactive mechanism of the person, the terrain.
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HEALTH IS MEASURED BY -
One's ability to adapt to the external pressures of life and the environment.
One’s ability to bring physical action into the external environment to create a living situation that is conducive to life and health: socially, spiritually, culturally, politically and economically.
The quality of ones immune response will distinguish ones level of health.
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Pasteur and Bechamp debated their theories.
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Koch later became aware that a causative pathogenic agent could be found in both sick and HEALTHY people - as shown in cholera, Vibrio cholerae, which therefore invalidated his first postulate that a pathogen is the primary cause of disease.
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Koch’s postulates remain foundational in microbiology, yet they have limitations and are not universally applicable especially when considering the complexities of the human microbiome, or terrain.
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From the work of Koch and Pasteur … began the era of vaccine development with the concept to eradicate the problem of viruses and bacteria.
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Germ theory continues to form the basis of the conventional medical model treatment to-date with regard to most disease processes.
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Meanwhile, Terrain theory explains why some people get sick when others exposed to the same pathogens, do not, even in ‘epidemics’.
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For this reason, Louis Pasteur recanted on his deathbed his original theory of contagion to agree with Bernard and Bechamp agreeing
“Bernard was right: the pathogen is nothing, the terrain is everything.”
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HOMEOPATHY -
Homeopathic philosophy is based on observing and understanding terrain theory - that our terrain determines our response to virulence and pathogens.
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Homeopathy recognizes disease is less the result of an outside microbial force and more about a disruption of our inner response to that force that creates our susceptibility to disease.
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Contagion is due to susceptibility, rather than germ.
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In cases of bacterial infections, homeopathic treatment does not aim to directly kill the bacteria, understanding that this will not acutally provide an effective long term solution. It realizes that approach will lead to a recurring complaint of the same issue or be driven deeper into the organism creating a deeper problem.
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Rather the homeopathic treatment stimulates the immune system’s ability to produce the necessary energetic defense to eradicate the germ from the inside out, such as by developing a fever and discharges - mucosal, gastric, vomit, bowel, urine, sweat, or emotion - all are defenses that neutralize the offending agent and expel it from the body.
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This is true of food born bacteria and other external agents as well as for resident bacteria.
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In a state of HEALTH, the common bacteria of the body (staphylococcus, streptococcus, and others) remain in a non-pathological state. It is when the body becomes out of balance, disordered, that the bacteria become pathogenic.
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It is the inherent susceptibility of the individual as opposed to the relative strength of the pathogen, that a homeopathic treatment is aimed.
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Homeopathy understands that viruses and bacteria are evolving life forms and are therefore ESSENTIAL to our higher levels of health.
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Homeopathy is directed at restoring health rather than removing germ - bacteria or viruses. The result of this restoration project is that pathogens become uncomplicated in the body.
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In homeopathic treatment it is the underlying condition of one’s well-being that is supported to maintain the equilibrium alongside the common and very necessary bacteria of life.
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The study of homeopathy includes the study of infectious disease symptom pictures and energetic imprints associated with the microbial kingdom and utilizes well-established correlating remedy applications.
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Homeopathy helps us EVOLVE our perspective on disease and pathogenic organisms having a depth of observation and understanding and uses the stimulus effect of potentized remedies.
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Regarding the treatment and prevention of infectious contagious disease homeopathy offers the unique perspective of not aiming to kill a pathogen but focuses on treating the susceptibility of the individual to overcome the situation. By reducing the susceptibility the person naturally resolves the disease.
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Homeopathic remedies (nosodes) bring the body into balance teaching the body how to respond effectively to pathogens. It hints of Sun Tzu’s - The Art of War.
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The homeopathic approach is closely aligned with terrain theory, individual susceptibility and the concept that "the microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything”.
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References:
Birch, Kate. Vaccine Free Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Disease with Homeopathy.
Birch, Kate. The Solution. Homeopeoprophylaxis the Vaccine Alternative.
Hahnemann, Samuel. Organon of Medicine.
Hahnemann, Samuel. The Chronic Diseases.
PUBMED. Large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control. Gustavo Bracho, et al.
Shepherd, Dorothy. Homeopathy in Epidemic Diseases.
Strbac, Lisa. The Trailblazer’s Insight into Homeopathy.
Vermeulen, Frans. Monera, Kingom Bacteria and Viruses.
Vithoulkas, George. Science of Homoepathy.
Yasgur, Jay R. Ph. Dictionary of Homeopathic Medical Terminology.