It often seems to me that the world at large is in a grip of fear when it comes to hygiene and infections. At any cost, whatever that might be to their health and to the world at large, there appears to be a war on infections.
The very word for the medical treatment shows the war – ANTI biotics. And there are countless other anti drugs, all showing that humanity is at war with life.
But this is the same old story of killing the messenger. When you get an infection, it means that the pathogen, for example bacteria, has increased its normal population out of natural balance. The bacteria are not the cause of the problem. They are simply opportunistic scavengers.
Pathogens can only increase their numbers when your immune system is low.
There are various ways your immune system becomes compromised. A poor diet is one. Suppressive medication is another. Strong emotions such as fear and anger are others.
In the north eastern desert of India, there is a city which has a temple devoted to the rat. Not only are rats revered and fed, people often eat from the same food the rats are feeding from.
In the west, this very idea spells disease, the black death, the plague, horror. There is a systematic killing policy in every town and city against the rat. Public policy has been so successful, few westerners have any compassion for the rat. The killing methods for rats would be in breach of cruelty acts, if they were used on any other animal.
Yet in Deshnok, not only are rats worshipped, but no disease, no outbreak has ever occurred.
A further mystery to the western mind, comes from the River Ganges, also in India. This is as polluted as many rivers in populated areas are throughout the world. Yet, unlike many rivers, the Ganges is thriving, with oxygen and life alongside the pollution. Although many people swim, bathe and wash in the Ganges, no outbreak of disease has occurred.
For me, this means that the western idea that rats and pollution spread disease is limited in the extreme.
Not for one moment am I suggesting that hygiene is not important (or that pollution is a good thing). But I feel hygiene has got way out of hand. There are other factors at work, that are far more important.
The temple in Deshnok is a Hindu temple. The Hindu religion reveres all life. It is at one with nature. There is no fear of nature or natural phenomena. This means that Hindu devotees are at peace with every animal, with nature. Being at peace with nature cannot inspire fear.
India is a very special country, with the greatest tolerance of religions of any other country. The spiritual nature of India attracts many westerns on such a journey.
I suggest that when you are at peace within yourself, with your environment, with nature itself, when you are not fearful of them, then your immune system is strong and healthy.
Restoring balance to a fear driven person is the job of good homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy is able to raise your immune system, to wash away fears, to prevent infections.
It is no coincidence that India is the only country in the world that has always maintained an unbroken, strong and thriving relationship with homeopathy over its 200 plus year history. India has enormous problems, as do all countries. But perhaps it has one of the rare examples of what we think democracy should be.