Homeopathy Papers

The Immune Powered Human Against Microbes

Written by Dr Chetna N shukla

Dr. Chetna N. Shukla shares her thoughts on our Inherent Immune Mechanism, including how to take responsibility for enhancing it

Summary:

In this article a strong case is built supporting the need to depend primarily on the Inherent Immune Mechanism (IIM). I have gathered materials from studies published in newspapers and internet that give credence to my belief in the IIM.

All medicines (homoeopathy, ayurveda, unani, siddha, allopathy with its vaccination) depend and work alongside the IIM. The SarsCov-2 19 virus situation has affected many people with symptoms of PTSD. But it has taught us the importance of good health and by leaving some susceptible individuals ‘gasping for air’, taught the value of ‘air’/ ‘breath’.

It has also proven to be fatal in susceptible individuals while many have been able to effectively defend themselves against it and develop antibodies.  When and only if your IIM is proven to be incapable of defending itself, should one seek help of external healing modalities or any medicines/vaccines to support it.

The foremost question on almost every mind regarding vaccines for Covid 19 – is to take or not to take. There is a lot of debate surrounding it.  The decision will depend on one’s philosophy and outlook towards health and disease and the mind-body need at that point of time.

This pandemic is a wake-up call for all.  I therefore urge everyone to accomplish effective self-care, and take charge of their own health for future pasthogen invasions if any.

Whether the sick choose to solely rely on IIM or choose to get vaccinated, as homoeopaths it is our responsibility to assist them in their journey towards health. We need to recognize signs of weakened IIM in our susceptible patients and work with our remedies to assist them to maintain its strength at all times. This susceptibility concept finds its likeness in the terrain theory of physiologist Claude Bernard, who said, ‘the germ is little – the terrain all’.

Key words: Inherent Immune Mechanism (IIM), Susceptibility -Terrain,  , Affective Immunology, Inflammatory markers,  EUA, Vaccine, Homoeopathy

START HERE

Our body and mind are the best apparatus gifted to us. When born healthy, we are born self-governing. All systems are in working order – the breathing apparatus exchanging air, the digestive apparatus absorbing nourishments, the nervous system integrating 5 senses, our skin and mucous membranes blocking harmful pathogens and the immune system identifying and eliminating germs and diseases.

The most wonderful aspect of all these apparatuses is that they are automatic and work in a synchronized manner and in complete co-operation with each other to defend the human body. We don’t have direct control over the systems that are automatic, but we do have a huge influence on how well these systems can operate through minding our mind’s role and maintaining a healthy life style.

The Inherent Immune mechanism is the healing center of our human body. It is a record-keeper of every germ it has ever defeated. This record keeping memory helps it recognize and destroy the microbe quickly if it enters the body again.

This process of generating a defense response is called immunization. The term Immunization thus denotes the body’s inherent/ innate ability to generate an immune response naturally on being exposed to a pathogen. Healing is a function of life itself and cannot be forced from outside the body. Therefore, good health and immunity to diseases is created by each individual for oneself by one’s lifestyle (the way one eats, lives, thinks, feels, conducts himself in alignment with Nature).

Immunization essentially happens naturally, when exposed to a germ in nature. When induced by injecting (into circulatory system) a live or inactive pathogen, it is called vaccination.

Even the concept of vaccine completely relies on the human body’s ability to generate an immune response naturally after the vaccine product is introduced into the body. If one’s immune system is inefficient, the vaccine will not be able to prime it against future invasion of that pathogen.

Vaccination is an idea that presumes to reorder the functioning of our inherent immune apparatus. Vaccines are based on the idea/ premise that when injected they stimulate the body’s IIM to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease.[1]

The process involves introducing a weakened / deactivated disease-causing microbe into a person. It is usually injected or may be administered orally. This is similar to enforced invasion. It is akin to a military drill[2] preparation/practice.

The idea and belief being that, a vaccinated person won’t get sick when exposed to the actual germ because their body is already primed priori and has the information to deal with that pathogen, so therefore it will recognise it and efficiently attack it.

Vaccines against viruses may be rendered ineffective because viruses mutate fast and erratically from year to year. This enforced invasion has its impact on the IIM. A study has found that influenza vaccination[3] resulted in a statistically significant CRP response of 0.35 mg/L (p<0.001) representing a 30.2% increase from baseline. The significance of CRP as an inflammatory marker representing susceptibility is mentioned later in this article.

Marc Lipsitch[4]  predicts that within the coming year, some 40 to 70 percent of people around the world will be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. But he clarifies emphatically, this does not mean that all will have severe illnesses.

“It’s likely that many will have mild disease, or may be asymptomatic.” Eventually all humans on this planet earth are going to have their rendezvous with this Sarscov-2 19 virus. In such a case putting all our hopes only in a EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) approved vaccine as being the only answer is believing that we are immunologically naïve, undeveloped and unexperienced.

An EUA is granted only after it has been determined that the “known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine[5]” (or medicine). This is granted only if phase 3 data showed it was at least 50% effective in preventing the disease.

Admittedly, these vaccines have ‘known and potential risks’ and are only 50% effective and have not undergone the full FDA-approval process. There is no course of action that has 100 % guarantee, and there is no course of action that does not have some drawbacks.

This dichotomy leaves the individual with a feeling of damned if you do, damned if you don’t!  The fear disallows them to trust their IIM and the EUA’s 50 % effectivity does not give a guarantee of full protection.

As of January 2021, 9 Covid 19 vaccines have been granted the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization)[6] around the globe that have been invented in fast-forward.  The Ministry of Health[7] in India has published this on its website in the section of FAQs about choice of being vaccinated:

“Is it mandatory to take the vaccine?

Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of COVID-19 vaccines for protecting oneself against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to the close contacts including family members, friends, relatives and co-workers”.

The MOH in India only advises and does not mandate to be vaccinated by Covid-19 vaccine. It is the government’s responsibility to provide health care measures for all, it is unto the democratic citizen to make an informed choice.

SUSCEPTIBILITY

The first step to staying healthy or regaining health is to stop giving power to the belief that microbes create diseases.  Microbes can only enter our bodies if we are susceptible[8]. Any microbe can cause disease only when it has found a hospitable home or a suitable terrain in a weakened body. The microbes cannot make their home in a body with a well-functioning IIM.

The assumption that everybody is susceptible to coronavirus may not be true as 80 to 90 per cent of people living in the same household where a member is diagnosed with COVID-19 do not get the disease, as per a study by the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar[9].

Some studies have gone into the details of transmission between husband and wife or vice versa, which is shown in the range of 45 to 65 per cent. Even in cases where people share beds, transmission is not 100 per cent,” the Institute’s director Dileep Mavalankar said.

He further added “the study is based on a review of 13 papers published globally on the topic of household family transmission of COVID-19, which shows nearly 80 to 90 per cent members of a family do not get infected even when one member is infected, indicating they may have developed some form of resistance or immunity and are not susceptible to the disease”. (Further confirming the autonomy of IIM that I support, he  said) “half of the population is not susceptible to the virus, as per a theory of “immunological black hole” propounded by Karl Friston, a neuro-scientist at the University College of London.

CDC[10], USA website under heading Infection Control writes about susceptibility:

“Germs are a part of everyday life and are found in our air, soil, water, and in and on our bodies. Some germs are helpful, others are harmful. Many germs live in and on our bodies without causing harm and some even help us to stay healthy. Only a small portion of germs are known to cause infection. An infection occurs when germs enter the body, increase in number and cause a reaction of the body. Three things are necessary for an infection to occur…

  1. Source: Places where infectious agents (germs) live (e.g. sinks, surfaces, human skin)
  2. Susceptible person with a way for germs to enter the body
  3. Transmission: way germs are moved into the susceptible person”

The science of ‘susceptibility’ instils confidence in the IIM. We can avoid all diseases when we keep ourselves in the finest or high state of health by ensuring that the terrain is inhospitable to microbes.

There is actually a lot you can do to strengthen the IIM. A healthy IIM assures of a health maintaining and restoring response to any disease-causing stimulus.

A Mumbai Mirror[11] article of November 28, 2020 reported…

“An astonishing 75 per cent of residents of six slums at Cuffe Parade tested positive for Covid antibodies, a sign of a past infection, in a recent sero survey. The survey was conducted over six days, from October 5 to October 10, and involved 806 residents of the six slums.”

The latest study[12] as of 25 May 2021 by Ali Ellebedy PhD, is evidence that a well-functioning healthy IIM protects the individual through long lasting immunity, at all given times of health.

The gist of the study is that, in a viral infection, antibody-producing immune cells multiply and circulate in the blood, pushing up antibody levels. Once the infection is cured, most such cells die off, and antibody levels drop. A small population of antibody-producing cells migrate to the bone marrow and settle in. The article further states that…

“There were reports that antibodies wane quickly after infection with the virus that causes Covid-19. But that’s a misinterpretation of the data. It’s normal for antibody levels to go down after acute infection, but they don’t go down to zero; they plateau. Here, we found antibody-producing cells in people 11 months after the first symptoms. These cells will live and produce antibodies for the rest of people’s lives. That’s strong evidence for long-lasting immunity,” (said by senior author Ali Ellebedy, PhD. an associate professor of pathology and immunology, of medicine and of molecular microbiology. )

AFFECTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, SUSCEPTIBILITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS

Affective Immunology[13] is a specialized branch of science that studies the dynamics of the fine interaction between emotions and immune response. Several human studies have confirmed the link between a state of immunosuppression and development of mental disorders – thus establishing a link between emotions and immune system[14].

It is also a recognized fact that the immune system is capable of distinguishing between acute stress and classical infectious pathogens by activating a specific class of immune cells.

Studies have proved that NK cells (natural killer of large granular lymphocytes) of healthy subjects that have watched humorous videos, watched their favorite person (love interest or actor/ actress) showed significant killing activity of NK cells 12 hours after watching the videos[15].

It has been easier to study disease conditions and challenging to study ‘wellness’, especially if there is no condition as ‘being well’; indeed, there are biomarkers that would indicate whether someone has a strong immune resilience or competence.

At best, scientists have so far measured a reduction of biomarkers of negative emotional state – that includes cortisol, catecholamines, various cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF- α), interleukin (IL)-1 β  and Interleukin -6(IL-6).

Studies on both children and adults with HIV have shown that massage therapy[16] can increase the blood cell count of CD-4 and result in an improvement in emotional state.

Susceptibility can be ascertained (to a great extent) by studying inflammatory markers.  Inflammation is the first sign of any dysfunction of the IIM that when left uncorrected would lead to disease in the body.

This merely indicates a susceptibility to disease.  The most common way to measure inflammation is to conduct a blood test for CRP ( C – Reactive Protein), ESR, Homocysteine, Fibrinogen, Ferritin, Procalcitonin levels and Plasma Viscosity.

This helps us identify a generalized inflammatory state in the body secondary to infection, autoimmune diseases, cancers etc. Having a normal CRP within normal range is a marker for absence of inflammation in the body and an indirect indicator that the immune system is working optimally.

In case of CRP being high (indicating pre-existing inflammation) in a patient who has decided to get the vaccine, it is advisable to ask the patient to postpone till the inflammation subsides.

TAKING CHARGE OF OUR HEALTH  

Our health is influenced by our day-to-day activities, our diatata[17], which means our day-to-day life, our lifestyle, our emotions (affected by fear, anxiety, repressive or defensive coping, being in abusive relationships, financial insecurities etc), our habits and our conduct towards our health.

Debilitating emotions (fear, anxiety etc) can be like a fire that is all consuming. They have to be disempowered by continuing all efforts to implement measures to strengthen our IIM that will gradually build our confidence, trust and faith in it.

Homeopathic medicines have an excellent scope in addressing debilitating emotional issues. Many other aspects are under complete autonomy of the individual.

Adhering to a healthy diet, improving one’s socio-economic conditions, developing a stable emotional intelligence and refraining from unhealthy habits and addictions (smoking, alcohol, narcotics, substance abuse etc) have beneficial effects on our immunological responses[18].

We have to judiciously use our reason-gifted mind to live a life that is well-aligned to nature, with our limitations and limitations of our environment. Our health maintenance has less to do with external factors and more to do with us (although factors like government medical authorities, socio-economic conditions, availability of uniform health care facilities etc. also have a bearing on our health). When each one of us on planet earth chooses to live a healthy lifestyle, we play a direct role in health care solutions at a larger level.

Disease is a state when we have missed several opportunities to take care of ourself (emotionally and physically), thus weakening our IIM. Health is a process and is essentially a do-it-yourself activity!

HOMOEOPATHIC APPLICATION  

We have several medicines in homoeopathic pharmacopeia that will assist the individual to reclaim one’s Inherent Immune Mechanism. They can help manage fear and anxiety, clear confusion, reduce trauma impact, clear inflammation and assist in deciding a definite path to reclaiming health.

The ideal medicine is the one selected after ascertaining the cause of this lack of confidence, fear, confusion etc and later deciding on the basis of law of similarity. The Sarscov-2 19 Nosode (SCN) will have in its therapeutic ability to address many derangements that classify as PTSD and also ill-effects of vaccination if any in susceptible patients (when chosen by our patients[19]). Below are examples of some medicines (mainly from the trauma category) whose therapeutic powers we can utilize in our practise:

Rubric for situations discussed in this article: The Complete Repertory Mind Generalities (I would add SCN to this list)
Fear Infection of Borax, Bufo, Caladium, Calcarea, Lachesis, Natrum-mur
Fear disease, impending of Acetic acid, Aconite, Aether, Agaricus, Alumina, Alumina-phos, Ammonium carb, Ambra, Anacardium, Antim-tart, Argentum nitricum, Arnica, Arsenic, Borax, Bovista, Bryonia, Bufo, Caladium, Calcarea, Calcarea-ars, Calcarea-flour, Calcarea- sulph, Calcarea-silicata, Carbolic- acid, Carbo-animalis, Carcinosin, China-ars, Chloralum, cicuta, Cimicifuga, drosera, Elaps, Elaterum, Eupatorium-pur, Hepar, Hydrastis, Igantia, Iodum, Iris, Kali-brom, Kali-carb, Kali-phos, Kali-telluricum, Kreosotum, Lac-can, Lachesis, Lilium-tig, Lycopodium, Magnetus-arctis, Medorrhinum, Mercurius, Morgan, Natrum-arsenicum, Natrum-carb, Natrum-mur, Natrum-phos, Nitric-acid, Nux-vomica, Paullinia-sorbillis, Phosphoric-acid, Phosphorous, Platina, Pneumococcus, Podophyllum, Psorinum, Pulsatilla, Sabadilla, SCN, Sepia, Spongia, Stannum, Staphysagria, Sulphur, Tabacum, Tarentula, Thuja, Trillium
Fear disease of, contagious, epidemic Baryta-carb, Borax, Bovista, Calcarea, Curare, Lachesis, SCN,  Silicea, Sulphur, Syphillinum
Vaccination after Aconite, Antim-tart, Apis, Arsenicum, Bacillium,  Belladonna, Bufo-rana, Carcinosinum,  Crotalus-h, Echinaceae, Graphites, Gun-powder, Hepar-sulph, Kali-chloralum, Kali-mur, Lac-vaccinum,    Malandrinum, Medorrhinum,  Merc-sulph, Mezereum, Nat- bich, Pediculus, Phosphorus, Psorinum, Rhus tox, Sabina, Sarracenia,   Sarsaparilla, SCN, Sepia, Silicea, Skookum,  Sulphur, Sycotic-co, Thuja, Tuberculinum, Vaccinum, Variolinum
Eye, inflammation vaccination after: Thuja
Rectum diarrhoea vaccination after: Apis, Sil, Thuja
Respiration asthmatic, vaccination after: Thuja
Extremities, paralysis, lower limbs, vaccination after: Thuja
Vaccination prophylactic SCN, Sulphur, Thuja, Variolinum

…and indicated medicine

Rubrics of some frequently indicated medicines that can be utilized to restore lost balance of the IIM after vaccination in susceptible individuals
Allium Cepa Excellent for Hay fever

Fear suffering will become unbearable

Fear of pain, of suffering

Foolish behaviour

Indescribable sensations

Painful old wounds (viewed metaphorically)

Arnica Ailments from; bad news, financial loss

Anxiety, hypochondriacal

Death presentiment of

Dreams; buried alive, sleeping back on, when

Dreams; death of, dead people

Fear of being hurt, injured or jarred

Fear of pain, aversion to being touched

Shock from Injuries

Ailments after Tetanus injections

Bellis-perennis Fear of impending infectious disease

Fear of something wrong

Confusion of Mind, slowness

Fastidious and Ritualistic (Ars-alb)

Hypericum Shock after injuries

Ailments after Tetanus injections[20]

Great pains in nerves

Insanity form intolerable pains

Natrum-mur Spring allergies

Ailments from anticipation

Anxiety, breathing difficult, anxious with

Compulsive disorders

Delusion, doomed being

Despair recovery

Discouraged; resignation

Fear; danger, impending of

Fear; bad news hearing

Fear death of

Inability to get over emotional injuries (Nitric-acid)

Sensitive steel points directed towards her (Sil, Spig)

Pneumococcus Ailments after Pneumococcal vaccine

Ailments after Lung infections

Anguish

Fear of impending disease

Fear of infection

Fear going out of

Sadness

Silicea Ailments anxiety, bad news from

Anguish sit cannot

Anxiety future about

Cautious anxiously

Delusion; die about to

Fear of pins, pointed objects

Fear driving him from place to place

Irresolution in action (Lack of grit)

Sensitive drugs from

Washing always hands her

Past history of painful vaccination or serious ill effects after vaccination

Nausea after vaccination

Thuja Anxiety vaccination after (Sil, Pneu)

Contrary

Inconstancy

Past history of bad effects of vaccination

[1] https://www.who.int/topics/immunization/en/

[2] In a practical sense, drill consolidates soldiers into battle formations and familiarizes them with their weapons.

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4386725/  and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15976761/

[4] Marc Lipsitch : American epidemiologist and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  Director of the CDC Dynamics, 28 February 2020

[5] https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained

[6] https://www.mohfw.gov.in › vaccination › faqs

[7] https://www.mohfw.gov.in/covid_vaccination/vaccination/faqs.html

[8] https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/spread/index.html

[9] https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/covid-19-pandemic-not-everyone-in-coronavirus-hit-family-prone-to-disease/story-giJk6wGD3dHMPu5YHXUVWO.html

[10] Center for Disease Control and prevention USA

[11] https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/coronavirus/news/3-in-4-residents-have-had-covid-survey-reveals/articleshowprint/79456418.cms?prtpage=1?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

[12] https://www.livemint.com/science/health/mild-covid-19-can-induce-antibodies-that-can-last-lifetime-suggests-study-11621943907795.html and

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/01/06/1015822/covid-19-immunity-likely-lasts-for-years/

[13]https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01818/full#:~:text=To%20understand%20the%20dynamics%20of,relationship%20between%20psychological%20processes%2C%20neuroendocrine

[14] https://www.affectiveimmunology.com/interesting-links-on-immunity.html

[15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442367/

[16] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6599823/

[17] Greek root word “diaita”, which means “to live one’s life,” and from the Latin root word, “diaeta,” meaning a “manner of living”.

[18] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442367/ Affective Immunology

[19]  Patients’ choices are psychologically significant because the ability to have choices, express those choices, and have others respect them is central to a sense of personal worth. This is important because the patient, already threatened by an illness, may have a principal need for some sense of control.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC5771520

[20] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hypericum-perforatum-picture-based-core-rubrics-david-kempson/

About the author

Dr Chetna N shukla

Chetna N Shukla is a homeopath with over 30 years of experience. Evidence based homeopathy has been her path. ‘Provings’ as a tool to recognize and experience the quintessence and also the individualizing qualities of the source has been her forte. She has conducted 30 provings, Lac assinum, Pavo Cristatus (Peacock), Python, Oxygen, Cedrus odorata, Corvus Splendens (Indian Crow), Rose, Snow-flakes, Sea-horse, Python, Indian gray Mongoose, Mangifera Indica, Ayahuasca, Armadillo hide, Sacrs-Cov 2 Nososde (SCN) are but some of them. Most of her provings are included in the RadarOpus. She has been collating Global provings- Himalayan Salt, Natural Silver, and Terra Indiana, already published in Homeolinks and Hpathy.com. She has been working on the book on her concept of ‘Curability Quotient’ in homeopathy. She has published her book on Food Similia: Individualized Diet that is about advising an individualized diet to a patient in alignment with their disposition to ensure rapid restoration to health along with the Simillimum.

5 Comments

  • A very nice article for the much-needed moment. Can you emphasize how soon a practitioner needs to administer a homeopathic dosage if the patient has been vaccinated and wants to use homeopathy as a prophylactic’s for ill effects (ex: Silicea/Thuja and the potency)?

  • Indicated medicine can be given as prophylaxis depending on susceptibility determined by individualizing examination. It can be administered even before receiving any inoculation. One can start with 30C single dose and later select higher dilutions .

  • Thanks for the article, Chetna, and for the emphasis on the IIM as the first line of defense – plus ways to enhance it!

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