In the Harry Potter stories, Hogwarts were forbidden from verbalizing Voldemort’s name. It was taboo. One small utterance would invite unwanted attention of his death minions that would magically triangulate a character’s location to cause great harm. What shielded Harry through many perilous obstacles was an invisibility cloak.
How we feel can be influenced by what we intend or think about unconsciously. What we invoke can express itself into physical matter. What manifests in our bodies may have both conscious and unconscious roots of negative experiences that can cause blocks to our fully functioning wellbeing. In Molecules of Emotion, Candace Pert discusses how “when emotions are expressed…all systems are united and made whole. When emotions are repressed, denied, not allowed to be whatever they may be, our network pathways get blocked, stopping the flow of the vital feel-good, unifying chemicals that run both our biology and our behavior.”
As we continue to navigate isolation and social distancing there arises a cognitive dissonance to difficult oppositions for what we are not mentally or emotionally prepared for. Allowing the emotion of constant fear to over-ride happiness in the moment, weakens proactive responses to protect our immune system from diverse pathogenic invaders. Interdependent physiological functions depend on regulated traffic patterns to function properly.
In recent weeks, doctors have discovered variant patterns that patients present with COVID-19. For some there is little intervention needed to fight the virus; but others succumb with sudden disruption in healthy cytokine balance. Cytokines are microscopic proteins released by cells to communicate and defend the immune system. These proteins are triggered into an action by trauma, chronic imbalances of physiological chemistry and pathogenic invasion. Cytokines are key players in acute inflammation and problematic with chronic inflammation. According to Kathy Abascal, author of To Quiet Inflammation for Health and Weight Loss, “our immune system monitors everything that goes on in the body and will try to fix anything that is not working properly…every disease condition generates some inflammation” from the common cold to narrowing of the blood passage ways. Thus, patients who already have high inflammation markers as a part of their health picture, have increased vulnerability to “cytokine storms” that can produce lethal damage to the body.
“Inflammation” relates to Chinese medicine in terms of how patterns are observed by viewing the tongue and assessing qualities of the pulse. The tongue is a microsystem of the entire body and reveals locations of internal challenges. The pulse tells us about Qi (energy) and blood flow. Pivotal to immunity is the blood. It is the cellular fluid of life that intimately connects all parts of the body. Gregg Livingston, stated what this means succinctly: “Health in Chinese medicine can be defined as high quality blood, nutritious blood, highly oxygenated blood circulating completely unimpeded throughout the body.” As related to the opening of this article, healthy blood could be a provocative invitation to dinner for a vampire if left unguarded by sun light (vitamin D) and a garlic herbal alarm system.
What can you do to storm proof your immune system? Upgrade it to ninja mode by taking the time to examine your inner world and how that interfaces with the outer world. Ask yourself: What is this? Where are my boundaries? What disciplines can I do to help myself mentally and physically? Balanced spiritual, emotional and physical health are part of the equation for disguise from pernicious and insidious influences outside of our control. It takes loving patience and practice.
I am here to facilitate your health by giving you resources to help you to explore and reduce your risk of suffering from serious illness. As ancient Taoist sage once said, “Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself” like clouds.