Introduction

"Though it requires individual effort, self-discipline and personal responsibility, preventative health care is always a good investment, in time as well as money, because once you fall ill, it takes a lot more time and costs a lot more money to acquire vibrant health again.

Furthermore, every time you lose your health, the road to recovery gets longer and rougher, demanding a growing investment for diminishing returns. By investing in your immunity now, you insure your future health and guard your life at minimum cost.

Most modern maladies are caused by prolonged exposure to a combination of negative lifestyles and toxic environmental factors, including junk food and malnutrition, pesticides, antibiotics, microwaves, chemical pollution of food, water and air, lack of exercise and chronic stress.

These factors are further aggravated by the failure of modern medicine to recognize them as agents of dis-"ease" and death and the consequent failure to take preventative measures against them.

By rebuilding immunity, health is naturally restored and disease disappears. If health and immunity are thereafter conscientiously maintained, the individual is no longer vulnerable to disease.

Dr. Russ Jaffee, who specialized in the treatment of AIDS, categorically states: "I do not believe that healthy people will get AIDS".

This is heresy to the Western medical establishment, but there are significant external factors associated with the groups at high risk of AIDS.

Junkies, who do not usually lead healthy lives, have been dying of AIDS-like symptoms caused by blood poisoning ever since the hypodermic needle was invented.

Gay men often use immuno suppressive drugs such as amyl nitrite and antibiotics for venereal disease; anal sex is also a risk factor, because when semen is introduced into the anus, it triggers a heavy auto-immune response.

In central African countries, many pesticides and toxic pharmaceuticals, which are now banned in the West and many parts of Asia, are sold cheaply over the counter.

In the opinion of many traditional healers, AIDS is caused by a failure to guard the Three Treasures (essence, energy, sprit).

This does not mean that you need not bother with safe sex, because unsafe sex can lead to common VD, which requires heavy antibiotic treatment, which in turn is one of the main destroyers of immune function.

What it does mean is that the sort of health care required to restore immunity and prevent disease begins at home, not in the clinic, by eliminating factors which impair immunity and cultivating habits which boost it.

The allopathic (Western) approach to treating disease is at least partly responsible for the world's health crisis, because many of the chemical drugs widely prescribed have side effects which are cumulative and impair immunity.

The very fact that allopathic doctors dispense antagonistic drugs at the slightest sign of disease or dis-"comfort" indicates a basic lack of faith in the innate power of the human body to heal itself.

That power is what immunity is all about, so lets take a look at how it works and how you can immediately benefit from this.

Immunity: The body's defense department

Immunity is a manifold defense system which protects the body from external threats such as harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins, as well as from internal hazards such as cancerous cells, arteriosclerotic plaque, cholesterol deposits and free radicals.

This defense complex works on all three levels of essence, energy, sprit.

On the basic physiological level of essence, the body is endowed with numerous glands and tissues that produce immune factors when prompted by proper signals from the brain via the central nervous system.

Primary among these defense installations are the following:

Thymus Gland

Located behind the sternum near the heart, the thymus produces special immune factors cal T-cells, which roam constantly throughout the body in the bloodstream on search-and-destroy missions against foreign invaders.

Bone Marrow

The bone marrow is responsible for producing several varieties of white blood cells that attack, kill and digest foreign invaders as well as malfunctioning pre-cancerous cells. Bone marrow also products red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to all tissues of the body. The white blood cells generated by bone marrow also produce specific antibodies to fight specific bacteria and viruses.

Spleen and Pancreas

These organs are actually large glands which produce and secrete vital enzymes as required by the body. Diets consisting largely of overcooked and processed foods diverts so many enzymes into the stomach and intestines for digestion that immunity is compromised owing to insufficient supplies of enzymes for antioxidant and other immune functions.

Pituitary and Pineal Glands

These two tiny glands are located in the mid-brain and their secretions regulate most of the body's basic functions and biorhythms, including immunity. Especially important for immune functions is the growth hormone secreted by the pituitary gland.

Adrenals

Located on top of the kidneys, the adrenals secrete a wide range of vital hormones involved in sexual functions, immunity and the fight-or-flight response. The latter response is triggered by stress and severely impairs immune functions. When balanced and undisturbed by stress, adrenals secrete hormones that play important roles in immunity; they also function as "batteries" for storing the primordial energy which feeds the radiant shields of protective wei-chee around the body.

Lymph

Lymphatic fluids absorb toxins and wastes from tissues and blood, transporting them to the colon, lungs and pores for excretion.

Liver and Kidneys

These two organs are responsible for filtering toxins and metabolic wastes from the blood, thereby purifying it so that it can properly perform its nourishing and cleansing functions throughout the system. The liver is also responsible for manufacturing many enzymes that are essential for optimum immunity.

Cerebrospinal Fluids

The vital fluids of the spinal cord and brain regulate all communication within the human system and trigger either immunisupportive or immunosuppresive responses by mutual biofeedback with hormones, depending on one's state of mind and emotions. These fluids are the messengers through which mind and body communicate and cooperate to guard health in the cerebro-physical defense system knows as psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

On the level of energy, the body is protected by an aura of radiant energy that envelopes the entire body and shields it from invasion by aberrant environmental energies, including such natural elements as wind, heat and cold, as well as artificial sources such as microwaves, power lines and electrical appliances. The strength and protective power of this shield depends upon nutrition, breathing, purity of blood, regular exercise, supplements, emotional equilibrium, positive mental attitudes and other basic factors of health.

In addition, each of the 60 trillion cells in the human body generates its own electromagnetic field, which protects the cell from invasion by aberrant energies. When a cluster of cells in a particular tissue lose their electromagnetic shields through extreme toxicity, stress, injuries, heavy metal deposits, or other adverse factors, they become vulnerable to invasion not only by aberrant energies, but also by pathogens such as viruses and toxins.

If the cells are not promptly rebalanced by corrective measures, the cumulative harm eventually reaches their nuclei and causes genetic damage, which in turn can cause cancer and other cellular derangement's. While protective energy depends upon nutrition, emotions, mental attitudes and other factors of essence and spirit, the primary mechanism for enhancing it is deep abdominal breathing and internal energy circulation.

On the level of spirit, immunity is strongly influenced by thoughts, emotions and attitudes. These mental factors are mediated by biofeedback between the nervous and endocrine systems, which form the powerful immunological mechanisms of PNI.

Consistently ignored by orthodox allopathic physicians, who try to impose matter over mind with drugs but feel threatened by the innate powers of mind over matter, the mental factors which trigger the PNI system constitute the human body's most effective and most powerful defense mechanism.

By cultivating this innate psychophysiological healing response with meditation, chee-gung, and the power of positive thinking, individuals can learn how to cure and prevent disease at home."

How to maintain optimum immunity?

Maintaining optimum immunity revolves around the following primary factors:

Clean blood and lymph

Blood plays a front line defensive role by delivering nutrients and immune factors to diseased and toxic tissues and carrying away metabolic wastes, toxins and pathogens. Lymph in turn keeps the blood clean and also purifies cellular fluids. The efficiency of their defense functions depends entirely upon their degree of purity, including proper pH balance. Clean blood also depends upon proper maintenance of the liver and kidneys, which filter the blood.

Balanced endocrine function

In order to produce the hormones required for immunity, the entire endocrine system must be maintained in proper balance, for glandular secretions influence once another by biofeedback. Endocrine balance is achieved and maintained by the parasympathetic branch of the autonomous nervous system and excessive stimulation of the sympathetic branch throws the endocrine system off balance.

Active elimination

In order to keep the body clean, the immune system needs a place to dump all the garbage it dredges from the system. Therefore, all the excretory organs, including colon, lungs, kidneys and skin MUST be maintained in proper working order. Whenever excretory functions are impaired, the body dumps its garbage into joints, body fat, lymph nodes, colonic sacculations and other nooks and crannies seemingly isolated from the bloodstream.

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is absolutely essential for maintaining immunity, for nutrients are the building blocks of human defense installations. Nutrients are also required for antioxidant protection against free radical damage, rebuilding injured tissues and metabolic conversion of essence into energy.

Physiologically, the traditional Chinese view of the human immune system is remarkably similar to the modern Western model. In the Chinese system, the first line of defense is provided by the thymus, adrenals and spine, followed in order of priority by the bone marrow, blood, brain (pituitary, pineal and hypothalamus), liver and kidneys, spleen and pancreas.

The Chinese however, also attach great importance to the immunological powers of energy and spirit, which are factors consistently ignored and misunderstood by modern Western medicine, much to the peril of patients.

Traditional Chinese doctors and Taoist healers frequently prescribe chee-gung to boost immunological response and meditation to mobilize the immunological powers of the mind, usually in conjunction with herbal and dietary prescriptions that work synergistically with energy and spirit.

Without sufficient energy, neither drugs, herbs, nor nutrients can be properly utilized in defense of health and negative mental attitudes such as cynicism, doubt, fear, confusion and self-loathing can negate the therapeutic benefits of even the most potent medications.

While modern Western medicine has a firm grasp of the "essence" of immunity, it has much to learn from traditional Chinese medicine about the "energy" and "spirit" of the human immune system and the sooner it does so, the better the health of Western societies will become.

Traditional Chinese immunology attaches particular importance to the role of the adrenal glands in guarding health and recent Western research on the immunosuppressive effects of stress scientifically validated the Chinese view. The Chinese refer to the adrenals as the "Root of Life" and cite them as the primary source of pure primordial energy, sexual vitality and immunological resilience. Since they are attached to the kidneys, the technical Chinese term for the adrenals is "kidney glands" and their functions are directly influenced by kidney organ energy.

Fear, for example, is an aberrant emotional energy associated with the kidneys in the Chinese system and chronic fear is thus regarded as a major suppressant of immune functions. This view is confirmed by Western medical science, which cites fear as a form of stress that triggers adrenal secretions of adrenaline and cortisone, two hormones known to suppress immunity severely. When fear of any other source of stress becomes chronic, adrenal burnout soon follows and the victim acquires a chronic immune deficiency that renders the body easy prey to formerly harmless microbes in the environment.

Adrenal burnout and elevated levels of cortisone in the blood are major contribution factors in chronic fatigue syndrome, AIDS, cancer, sexual impotence and infertility, allergies, migraine and other debilitating conditions.

According to the Chinese system, weak adrenals not only impair immunity on the level of essence, they also weaken resistance by cutting the main source of energy which maintains the radiant shell of protective wei-chee round the body. And since kidney organ energy governs bone marrow and brain tissue, deficient kidney/adrenal function also impairs production of white blood cells, hormones and other immune factors in these vital tissue.

Therefore, the traditional Chinese view of the kidney/adrenal complex as a primary regulator of immunity functions on all three levels of essence, energy and spirit has been confirmed by modern medical science and provides adepts of Taoist alchemy with a powerful protective mechanism that can be cultivated with physical, energetic and spiritual practices.

Traditional Chinese medicine cites four major forms of immune deficiency, or "immune emptiness": blood, energy, yin and yang. The term "empty" refers to a condition of energy deficiency that impairs the vital functions of the organ, gland or tissue which that particular energy governs. In Western medicine, which does not recognize the roles of bio-energies, various forms of immune burn out, bone marrow impairment, cerebral insufficiency and so forth.

In order to gain a proper perspective on the rapidly growing problem of immune deficiency, we will now discuss some of the primary causes and most effective remedies in terms of essence, energy and spirit.

Immunity and Essence

"Until about 1960, the biggest killer of children under the age of fifteen in America was accidents, but now it is cancer.

Most cases of immune deficiency begin during childhood with the first glass of pasteurized cow's milk and the first bowl of processed cereal sprinkled with white sugar. The overall physical and mental health of American children has been declining at an alarming rate and the primary reason for this is their diet.

In adulthood, the debilitating effects are compounded by alcohol, drugs (medicinal as well as recreational), contaminated beef, artificial fats and other factors. Let's take a quick look at some of the most immunosuppressive elements that people routinely allow to enter the inner sanctum of their bodies.

Sugar

Refined white sugar triggers the release of insulin from the pancreas. With daily consumption of sugar, the bloodstream is always laced with insulin, which suppresses secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary. Growth hormone is a prime regulator of the immune system.

Hydrogenated vegetable oils

An ingredient in virtually all processed foods, baby formulas, non-dairy creamers, salad dressings etc., these artificial fasts rapidly oxidize in the human system, releasing a deadly barrage of free radicals which destroy cells and cause genetic damage. They impair the immune activity of white blood cells and have been conclusively linked to increased risks of cancer.

Beef and cow's milk

Steroid hormones, antibiotics and other drugs routinely fed to cattle are absorbed by the people who consume the meat and milk of such contaminated animals, throwing the endocrine system off balance and impairing immunity.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a primary cause of immune deficiency throughout the world, not only where people are starving. The most glaring deficiencies in modern diets are essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, both of which are required in the production of immune factors such as white blood cells and antibodies. The thymus gland and lymph tissues for example, immediately begin to shrink an atrophy when these nutrients are absent from the diet.

Heavy metals

Toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and aluminum suppress all branches of the immune system, inhibiting T-cells, B-cells and antibodies and depressing bone-marrow function. Cadmium also blocks assimilation of zinc, which is an essential element required by the body to manufacture the potent antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, one of the body's most important immune factors. Heavy metals enter our bodies in tap water, contaminated fish, polluted air, fresh produce grown with synthetic fertilizers and cigarette smoke.

Antibiotics

These commonly prescribed drugs are powerful immunosuppressors and also destroy the friendly lactobacteria in our intestinal tracts, thereby permitting candida and other harmful yeast's to proliferate throughout the system, where they further inhibit immune functions.

Recreational drugs

Coffee, alcohol, tobacco, opiates, barbiturates, amphetamines and other popular drugs, when used to excess, severely inhibit immunity by releasing toxic by-products into the bloodstream and suppressing liver function. Coffee has been specifically linked to increased risk of pancreas cancer; the offending agent is not caffeine, but other elements contained in coffee beans. When coffee is consumed with refined sugar and no-dairy creamer, the immune system gets battered with a triple blow.

Immune deficiency can be prevented and cured by first eliminating as many immunosuppressant elements as possible from your diet and lifestyle, then taking some or all of the following immunity-boosting foods and supplements daily."