Free Weekly Syndicated Advice Columns
Published Every Wednesday Afternoon (PST)

PHYSICAL AND SOCIETAL FACTORS
FOR DISEASE

"What is the cause of illness?"
(...continued from last week's column)

The mind is ultimately the key factor in everything that we experience or create. Our thoughts become our beliefs, which determine our experiences and cause our emotional responses and reactions (or the suppression thereof). What we truly believe about life and about ourselves is what we will experience.

If your vibration and belief system is strong enough, you can transmute the effects of anything. There have been yogis in India who could drink poisonous substances and not be harmed in any way, demonstrating the great power of the mind to direct will and intent. Those who can perform amazing feats such as lying on a bed of nails remain unharmed because their boundaries and beliefs are so strong. The mind is the most powerful tool in determining your health and wellbeing.

Wellness is our natural state; illness is an unnatural state that arises from imbalances that have not been corrected over time. It is easier to heal health issues as early as possible, rather than letting them set in (like a stain on the body). If left over time, the rest of the body readjusts to the imbalance and holds it there, making it more challenging to correct. It is similar to a chiropractic adjustment, which can take several times before the muscles readjust to maintaining proper alignment. Disease is most easily reversed and corrected at the onset of symptoms, but treating or masking symptoms is not healing. One must heal the root cause/core issue in order to create lasting change.

The following is a partial list of the physical factors that contribute to the creation of illness and disease, however, it will not address such topics as germs, bacteria or viruses. The bottom line is that everything in the Universe is energy, including the human body, and we are impacted by the energies and frequencies around us, especially if our own biofield/aura is weakened by trauma or negativity.

Energy vibrates at different frequencies: the higher the frequency, the more light and life-force it emits. The things that we ingest and surround ourselves with either have a high vibration that supports our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing, or have a low vibration that "brings us down", weakening us and leaving us vulnerable to all kinds of suffering. All factors for disease lower the vibration of the body to resonate at the frequency of disease, rather than at the frequency of health and wellness. Many of the following contributing factors to illness may be familiar, but what actually causes disease itself is a combination between a weakened aura and immune system, a negative belief system, and allowing the body to be impacted by lower frequencies of energy, such as:

Environmental Factors:

- We can be affected by the energies of those around us, particularly over long periods of time. Toxic emotions of other people surrounding you (family, spouse, coworkers, friends, even neighbors) who are abusers, rage-aholics, alcoholics, passive aggressors, etc. can bring you down and impact not only your joy and quality of life, but even your will to live, leaving you open to more suffering in the form of illness.

- Working with or living near toxic substances, including paints, chemicals for the garden, or house-hold cleaning products, not only poison the planet (and if the planet suffers, we suffer, because we are intrinsically dependent on the Earth for life itself), but leave poisonous fumes and residue that enter our body through the lungs and skin, disturbing the precious natural balance of our health.

- Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) emitted by electrical appliances and machinery, especially electrical power lines and transformers, as well as microwaves, all disturb and alter the natural flow and organization of the body's energy patterns, which can lead to illness if your auric biofield is not strong

- Noise Pollution disturbs our enegy field and our ability to relax. Sound vibrations can soothe and heal, or they can create tremendously discordant energy that disrupts our energy patterns and causes imbalance.

Chemical Factors:

- Drugs of any kind, including all prescription drugs, alter who you are; they alter your energy, frequency, mood, personality, and your body. We call them side effects, but you become a different, drugged person, especially over long-term exposure.

- Additives in food (including artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives, artificial flavors, MSG, pesticides and chemicals) alter the frequencies of the food itself, killing its life-promoting energies, and creating potential harm to the body. Many food allergies are not to the food itself, but to the pesticides and chemicals it absorbs. An allergy occurs when the body recognizes the food as a foreign organism and the immune system tries to fight it off.

- Any addiction creates a chemical reaction, whether it is to drugs, alcohol, sugar, coffee, cigarettes, even to sex or shopping. The reason it becomes an addiction is because it creates an altered state in the body, and the addiction is to the chemical "high" of the altered state, not to the act or substance that triggered it. Different substances generate different frequencies (e.g. there is a different high from wine than there is from vodka, and a different buzz from marijuana than there is from cocaine).

- Skin is the largest organ of the human body and it needs to breathe in order to receive life-force and release toxins. Skin absorbs energy and chemicals quickly and easily, which is why patches have become so effective in delivering chemicals to stop smoking or for birth control. Only put natural substances on your skin made of things that you could eat, including skin creams, powders, makeup, lipstick, deodorants (aluminum in deodorants is very toxic), etc. Also, synthetic fibers impede the skin's ability to breathe, and may contribute to asthma and SIDS in young children. Nature is designed to support life, so the more natural something is, the more life-giving energy it imparts, therefore, choose natural fibers and products as often as possible, particularly for children.

- Mercury in foods like fish and in dental fillings affects the brain, and provides poison in every bite.

Physical Factors:

- Improper nutrition comes from eating dead food that is mass produced, synthesized, chemicalized and denatured in order to make it last for months in the supermarket (the faster a food spoils, the more alive it is, and the more life-giving properties it has). The closer food is to the ground, the more life force and nutrients it contains, and the higher its frequency and life-promoting qualities.

- Sugar and caffeine are drugs. They are both highly addictive and impact the nervous system, which is the electrical system of the body. They both create artificial energy highs, and impede the body's ability to rest and relax (which is the state in which it self-repairs, such as in sleep). Over time, both sugar and caffeine will wear down the proper functioning of the nervous system, eventually leading to states of chronic nervousness, tension, and anxiety, as well as possible depression whenever the body is not on a chemically induced high. (However, sugar is better than artificial sweeteners, which are highly damaging chemicals - it is best to use unrefined "raw" sugars, or stevia, etc.)

- Lack of exercise impedes the body's ability to release toxins. The body needs to move in order for the lymphatic system to pump toxins out of the body, and to sweat in order to release toxins through the skin. Movement allows the Chi or life force to flow in the body. Exercise raises the vibration and frequency of the body, making it more vibrant and healthy, and elevates moods, which further raise the frequency of the body and prevent disease.

- We cannot survive without air or water, and the more polluted and impure they are, the lower the vibration they carry, and the less life-promoting qualities they contain (the highest concentration of oxygen is closest to the ocean). Breath is life. Most people are shallow breathers, which increases tension and anxiety, and deprives the brain of oxygen. The brain needs oxygen to think properly in order to make the best choices and decisions for life. Breath is also the first level of receiving from the Universe, so breathe deeply and receive abundantly, allowing yourself to relax and breathe life force into every cell in your body.

- Most people are chronically dehydrated, which causes all kinds of problems, including headaches, sore throat, etc. Clean water is necessary to cleanse the body of toxins, and lubricate bodily functions. Water is a great conductor of electricity, and we are electromagnetic beings comprised of around 70% water. Water helps maintain a high frequency in the body, and helps deliver electrical impulses to and from the brain. It is essential to drink plenty of water in order to maintain health and wellbeing. No other beverage is a substitute for the hydrating qualities of water (I have been told that a few drops of pure maple syrup increases the body's absorption of water). Remember that by the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated.

- Improper elimination contributes greatly to disease. If we do not drink enough water, we impede the elimination of toxins that build up and fester in the body, damming the flow of energy, and lowering our frequency and vibration. Also, not drinking enough water causes the body to reabsorb water from the colon, flooding the body with toxins. Everything in the body is meant to move and flow in order to promote and maintain health and vitality.

- Physical and emotional stress taxes the nervous system, which eventually short-circuits the body's electrical system. Joy and exercise release endorphins, which are chemicals that rejuvenate the body, and raise the frequency and vibration of the body's energy, promoting health and wellbeing. Stress produces chemicals that attack the cells, promoting the process of death, disease and decay, and age the body prematurely. Stress taxes the adrenal glands, which perceive a threat to life and release a constant flow of adrenaline, which contributes to tension and anxiety. In short, stress is a threat to life and to life-promoting energies.

- Functioning by the clock and against one's own natural rhythm and timing affects the flow of energy. Different people function differently at different times of the year, just as animals do (by hibernating or storing fat for the winter, for instance). By going against nature and our own natural timing, we distort the natural flow of our energy, creating imbalance, which provides an ideal environment for illness to flourish.

- Not listening to our own needs or our own pain makes the body speak louder and louder, until it has to scream in order to get our attention. The body knows what it needs all the time, and will even create cravings in order to drive you to give it what it needs. Our body and our intuition speak to us all the time, in an effort to keep us safe, happy and well. The body is designed to always maintain its natural state of wellness, and to create or draw whatever it needs in order to create balance on all levels. When we do not listen to our physical or emotional needs, this creates a block in our energy that manifests as pain in order to bring our attention to whatever is out of balance in our lives. If we ignore those painful signals, then the messages get louder, stronger and more painful until something must change.

- "When in doubt, cut it out" - dealing with symptoms is not healing, because it does not correct the imbalance that caused the pain or illness in the first place. If you do not address the cause but only fix the symptom, then the imbalance will simply manifest again. For instance, people who have gastric bypass surgery but who do not change their eating patterns and the underlying causes of them, will eventually gain back their weight. Modern medicine can be miraculous in its ability to treat life-threatening symptoms, but the cure for illness lies within you. The body is a natural pharmacy that can create anything it needs if the conditions are supportive of life and life-force. This is the divine design of the body, but you are in charge of the choices that affect your own internal environment.

- Not enough rest is an epidemic condition that is contributing to the illness of our society. The body is very resilient, but rest is essential for the body to repair itself. The conscious mind must be relaxed so that the subconscious mind can go to work regenerating and repairing cells, manufacturing chemicals, and taking care of the "automatic" functions of the body. Rest is also essential for the mind to be able to relax and be clear. You must listen to your body's need for rest, and follow your own natural rhythm as much as possible, or else risk disturbing the delicate balance necessary to maintain health and wellness.

- Lack of touch also affects our frequency and vibration. We are kinesthetic beings and we need to connect with each other in order to thrive. Children who are raised in orphanages where they are neglected and denied loving touch never learn to connect to another human being, and develop an imbalanced emotional system. The body needs to be touched in order to maintain balance emotionally, as well as physically. Loving touch raises our energy, increases passion and life force. Also, massage releases toxins and chemicals, allowing the body to relax, recharge and regenerate.

- Of course, a weakened immune system is a factor in being vulnerable to illness and disease. The immune system gets weakened physically through illness, trauma or poor nutrition, but the first line of defense for the immune system is the aura. Your aura, or biofield, as science is now choosing to call it, is your protective forcefield that surrounds you and protects you from external energies. When your auric field is intact, you cannot be affected by outside forces, and your system is focused on maintaining balance within your body and your personal space. However, your auric field can become damaged through accident, trauma, surgery, or negativity, leaving you vulnerable to imbalance. (My column on the aura tells you how you can repair these rips or tears in the aura for yourself or for someone else.)

Societal Factors:

- We hold collective belief systems about illness that promote disease more than they promote health. The very fact that we refer to our healthcare system as "Medicine" and our healers as "Medical Doctors" means that we must treat the symptoms of illness with medicine, rather than healing the core causal issues and imbalances. These collective belief systems are promoted and sold through propaganda in advertising, news and all forms of media.

- Medicine and pharmaceuticals are money-making machines. If we were to focus on prevention and maintaining health, how would the drug companies be able to thrive (and in some cases, to produce the chemicals and pesticides that contribute to illness in the first place)? Cuba supports preventative and alternative medicine because it cannot get many pharmaceuticals, and their population is generally healthier as a result.

- Synthetic drugs are synthesized from natural healing plants (many of which are now patented and owned by drug companies). Plants have a natural resonance with the frequency of the human body, which chemicals not only do not have, but they can actually distort and alter the frequency of the body, creating terrible side effects. Synthetic drugs also draw on only one element or compound of the plant, and render it highly potent, whereas the plant itself has natural balancing factors. The bottom line is that anything in its more natural form supports the natural life-promoting and life-enhancing functions of the body.

- We have lost our connection to the Earth, and have forgotten that we are of the Earth and one with nature. What we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves. The Earth provides everything we need to thrive and survive, and to create balance and healing for all afflictions. We just need to find and discover the right plants and sources of healing, many of which exist in tropical rainforests that are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Modern medicine is barely 100 years old and originated in barbershops (this gives new meaning to the word "barbaric"). In this short time, we have come to worship modern medicine, and have lost many of the secrets of true healing that have been passed down for generations through the knowledge of ancient healing techniques, herbs and plants.

- The politics of greed are such that companies are allowed to continue to make money while polluting the Earth. It is so ridiculous that we allow companies to produce toxins and chemicals that poison our environment in the name of promoting a "healthy" economy. Instead of being alarmed that the fish are poisoned with mercury and heavy metals, we are simply told to avoid eating certain fish, rather than fixing the problem!

Let us not forget that death is a part of life, and it is not a failure of health or medicine (however, suffering is optional). The Earth has a rhythm and cycle of its own, and it is a living entity that requires the death of living organisms in order to maintain balance for the whole, and avoid the problems of overpopulation that we now face. Forests require periodic forest fires in order to regenerate and thrive, and humanity is no different. Illness, whether for humans or for the Earth itself, is an unnatural state of imbalance, and the sooner the imbalance is corrected, the easier it is to heal and recover. Wellness is our natural state, and the key to maintaining wellness is in nature.

Next week's column will address the spiritual, karmic and emotional factors that contribute to illness and to healing. It will also address ways to raise one's frequency to that of wellbeing.