Yoga In Health Care System

Yoga as an Integral Component of a
Whole Health System — Part 1

If you’ve been around yoga long enough to see it’s many positive results and near miracles, you'd think the idea of yoga as a component of health care would be more com-mon in such a progressive country as the United States. But old ideas die hard. New ideas take years, sometimes centuries, to take hold. Let’s get some background to build our foundation for why yoga should be an integral compo-nent, on the first line of defense, of modern health care.

Heroic/Allopathic vs Homeopathic Medicine

The older ideas of so-called “modern” health care are what used to be called Heroic Medicine. This meant some invad-ing entity — a germ — would enter a person's body, and it was the job of the a Hero — the medicine man or doctor — to somehow rid the victim's body of this entity. The entity could be an evil spirit or force from an angry god; later, a “bad humour;” or in more recent times, a virus or bacteria. All kinds of "medicine" was developed to facilitate getting rid of the Germ Invaders. … Some people got better. Most did not … until the 20th Century when germ killing became more scientific and effective. … But an important factor was missing. Like Good Internal Health! … Imagine That!

Around 1800, Samuel Hahnemann, founder of Homeo-pathy, named this heroic approach allopathic medicine, meaning treatment by DIS-similars. Substances & tech-niques such as toxic drugs, surgery, leeching, and such were the supposed “healing” agents of choice. Homeo-pathy, on the other hand, was considered treatment by similars, with medicines considered to be far more friendly to the body, including less likely to kill the patient! … 

The Heroic Germ Theory of Medicine

Mid-1800s, Louis Pasteur revived an old theory, refined and promoted it, thereby becoming the father of the Germ Theory of Medicine; a theory allegedly more scientifically valid than our ancient medicine men — the Heroic Practi-tioners — were able to prove. Yet with most chronic disease, modern medicine has not really improved on the results of real health care and sciences all that much. (1.)

The Host Theory of Medicine: The Inner-Bio-Terrain

At the time of Pasteur, Antoine Bechamp was a far better researcher & scientist than Pasteur, but not as good a pro-moter. He worked with what’s known as the Host Theory of Medicine. While he did not deny the existence of germs, he said most germs could only proliferate to excess when the Inner-Bio-Terrain had already become deficient and/or toxic, and normal detoxification was under-performing.

Yes, “germs” exist. But while vastly improved sanitation played a big part, in most chronic illness, germs are more the RESULT of poor inner-health, not the cause. Specific germs will produce specific symptoms, but reduced metabolic health creates a good home for — and reduces resistance to and detox of — germs in the first place.

When the Inner-Bio-Terrain — via nutritional deficiency & toxicity, or poison — degenerates, it becomes a breeding ground for germs, bacteria and other parasites, who go around consuming what they can find. But parasites have to poop, too. So they poop inside of (poisoning) their host. (This could be you!) These factors lead to excess nutrient consumption, toxic degeneration and decreasing metabolic resistance & immunity of the body. Then, each parasite or germ tends to cause its own unique symptoms. (2.)

For a better view of how “scientific” modern medicine actually is, or is not, please see Dr. Robert Mendelsohn’s classic 1979 book Confessions of a Medical Heretic, by Warner Books.

Physical & Mental Dis-Stress

Now we come to Hans Selye, in the 20th Century, who researched and wrote about the previously little known nor understood yet all pervasive phenomena of stress. (3.)

The body reacts in some way to nearly everything, so internal metabolic states are constantly changing to small or large degrees. Much of stress — EU-stress — is good & necessary for development and maintenance. However, too much “bad” stress — DIS-stress — leads to varying degrees of metabolic degeneration, tissue burnout and breakdown, eventually damaging the whole system.

Micro & Macro Stress events can stimulate the central nervous system (CNS), heightening overall brain stem activity. When such activity reaches chronic thresholds, a system-wide emergency response — hyper-irritation of CNS – is triggered, causing tensions, aches & pains, and other dysfunction throughout the nerves, body and brain.

C.E.M.&.N.T. ( www.dslyoga.com/core/cement )

Chronic, Excess Muscle & Nerve Tension (a term originated by your author) refers to long-term accumulation of neuro-muscular tensions which, left unaddressed, inevitably increase to higher levels. These tensions compress joints & spinal discs, irritate nerves, impinge on blood & lymph vessels, degrade or interfere with organ function, create antagonistic tensions between muscles, and so on. All this produces localized & overall structural degeneration on a wide scale. The possible list of symptoms emergent from too much C.E.M.&.N.T. and structural degeneration is far too long to list here, and surprisingly wide in its range.

Metabolic & Neuralgic Abnormality = Breakdown

Each abnormal neuromuscular event can, along with the dis-stress events mentioned above, further increase levels of irritation feeding into the CNS and brain stem. This adds to overall, centralized hyperactivity and irritation, in turn producing their own intensified stress reactions, further compounded by each other … a vicious cycle.

Chronically contracted muscles consume vital nutrients, produce toxic waste, and bring pathological changes in local & system-wide chemistry. Hyperactivity contributes to degeneration of the detoxification and immune functions.

All this systemic  tension, stress & degeneration adds to degenerative changes in the Inner-Bio-Terrain of the Host. Internal resistance goes down, the body of the host breaks down, allowing increased growth of toxic & pathogenic invaders: germs, bacteria & parasites. These in turn produce another wide range of specific symptoms. 

Physical/Mental Yoga As A Homeopathic Solution

The Healing Objective, then, is to reduce or eliminate the Central Cause, so the system normalizes. Conscious Stretching (yoga) — if done gently & slowly enough, NOT adding stress to the system — while lengthening muscles, activates certain nerve endings in the neuro-myo-fascial system, reaching upward and into the brain stem and body, beginning the often slow process of deactivating & relaxing hyperactivity of nerves & muscles. Local irritations can turn down or off, and the organs tend to follow suit, beginning their natural, parasympathetic-driven self-repair.

Four Yogic Principles of Homeopathy enhance this healing process: 1.) Removal of Obstacles to Cure;
2.) Diet & Detox; 3.) Reflecting current physical & mental states back to the Being doing Yoga (more conscious-ness). 4.) Low-intensity stretching & micro-movements.

For an excellent Primer on how parasites grow and work, see Hulda Clark’s books, such as The Cure for all Cancers.

Selye’s easy to read yet scientifically informative books include The Stress of Life and Stress Without Distress.

Yoga as Health Care: Continued Next Issue