Did you know that no one has ever proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that germs are the real cause of disease? Of course, it seems like they must be, and Louis Pasteur’s germ theory of disease has been accepted by the medical community long enough that most people assume that it is true. However, the germ theory is just that – a theory – and there are many reputable doctors and scientists out there who think it is totally ridiculous.

So what is the germ theory, and know do we know that it probably is not true? The excellent book Healing Our Children has some very interesting information on the subject:

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In essence, the germ theory states that microoorganisms like bacteria and viruses are the causes of disease. Each disease is said to have its own microorganisms, which can be passed from one person to the next via bodily fluids, sneezes, handshakes, contaminated surfaces and dirty toilet seats. It is an easy idea to believe, and it means that none of us are ever responsible for our own diseases as long as we wash our hands and take the medicine the doctor prescribes.

Most people simply accept this century-old theory as a fact, but the real fact is that it is still nothing more than a scientific theory. There is really no way to prove that germs are the true cause of disease.

The real cause of disease

Another perspective on the germ theory, developed by Antoine Bechamp and other qualified scientists and doctors, actually notes that germs are related to disease, but in the way most people think. Here’s how it works:

All of our bodies have germs in them at all times. You’re practically swimming in them right now, whether you’re reading this in the comfort of your own home, at the local park, or even at a hospital! We know that some germs are actually good. For example, the microorganisms in your intestines are necessary for your body to absorb nutrients fully. Without these good germs, you can experience a variety of digestive problems and other ailments.

So if your body is always full of germs, what makes you sick? This alternative theory says that you develop an illness when the landscape of your body – your internal environment – causes otherwise harmless or helpful germs to become the disease agents we think of when we hear the word “germs.”

However, the germs are not actually the source of the problem – they are merely one of many symptoms. The real problem is that your body is trying to clean up its interior landscape so that you can be whole and healthy again. This body cleanup involves disposing of various built-up toxins in the system. This happens by burning them out through fever, pushing them out through the skin as a rash, or expelling them forcefully through diarrhea or sneezing.

Our responsibility as patients

The theory of disease I just described has been shown in many cases by many excellent scientific minds to be the truth – so why don’t very many people accept it?

The main reason is that, as a whole, we do not want to accept personal responsibility for our diseases. According to Healing Our Children, “In this new paradigm for disease, there is a common thread. Our behaviors are the cause of disease. If our behaviors can cause or significantly contribute to disease, then how can one separate the diseased state from the patient who suffers from the disease, as if the patient has nothing at all to do with its creation?”

Patients and diseases cannot actually be separated. In our world where personal responsibility is a very rare quality, this is why the germ theory will probably persist in the mainstream medical community.

What can cure us?

But, our purpose here is to talk about parenting and raising healthy, whole, vibrant children. So what does the germ theory have to do with parenting? Everything!

Instead of protecting your children from the germs and pathogens that you have always been told would harm them without your knowledge, consent or responsibility, you can take back responsibility for your children’s health. You and you alone are responsible for shaping your child’s interior environment so that it will be whole and healthy and won’t need disease to cleanse it of toxins. When it comes to parenting healthy children, the germ theory simply leads to more and more mistakes and less and less responsibility. On the other hand, the truth helps to empower us to make the right decisions which enable our children to be vibrant, fully functional, and alive human beings who are completely perfect and healthy.

Healing Our Children is packed with information about how, exactly, you can take responsibility for the inner environment of your child and how you can grow a healthier, happy baby through simple means, like proper nutrition.