“Alphabet soup I tell ya!”… that’s what a patient said to me the other day as I went to perform an Upper GI series. Alpha, Gamma, Delta, Omicron, BA.2 , BA2.12.1…. when is it gonna end? I had a mask on as per hospital policy. He had his mask on and lowered it for the exam. The exam proceeded as he drank the barium and I watched under the flouroscope. “Diagnose and Treat.” Thats what us docs do… find the problem and treat the problem… But here’s a twist on that… and that leads us to Today’s PrimalMed Prescription.. make yourself, make your terrain, make your inner garden (to quote my sister who quoted my dear father)…”Strong like Bull.”
Covid-19 subtypes and mitigation strategies?….a proverbial “alphabet soup.” New variants are coming along and being discovered, it seems, every few weeks. It’s becoming clear that almost ALL of us will be exposed and infected, to some degree, to some variant, whether or not we have been vaccinated, boosted, superboosted, hyperboosted and boosted again. The science is always evolving, as science is. No surprise there. We are dealing with a GERM. And we are always being exposed to germs. Exposure to germs is a fact of life unless we live in a bubble.
GERM theory, described by Louis Pasteur, was a monumental milestone in medicine. We can identify germs as a cause of disease and then effectively treat. Diagnose and Treat.. modern medicine at its best saving countless lives. Try to name all the monoclonal antibody treatments and antivirals out there now and you have another alphabet soup. But thankfully, if your terrain is strong, THAT alphabet soup ( I do say that a lot don’t I?) prevents a bad outcome. BUT, inquiring minds want to know…what is this terrain you speak of ?
TERRAIN …your inner garden. Germ theory argues that we need to worry about the germs, and diagnose and treat. Terrain theory, advanced by 19th century French scientist Antoine Bechamp, posits that germs will thrive only in diseased or compromised tissue. If you are healthy, METABOLICALLY healthy, then your inner garden is strong like bull, resilient, and THAT will determine whether the germ thrives or dies. Time for an analogy…Think of it like a mosquito in a swamp. A mosquito (germ) breeds and absolutely THRIVES in a swamp (terrain). What is YOUR terrain like? Are you a living in a metabolic swamp? Are you Swamp-thing or Superman?
Germ Theory vs Terrain theory.. its a debate going back well over a century… and like most things in science, the answer is..um, ahem…”BOTH.” There is nuance in all debates and context is king. It depends on everyone’s individual medical health, underlying co-morbidities and sadly, socioeconomic condition. (personal footnote: to be clear, the antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and other therapies are a testament to modern medicine and in my humble opinion have with no doubt prevented many hospitalizations and saved innumerable lives during the past 2 years).
We DO live in uncertain, uncomfortable times. The outcome of any exposure is not certain or guaranteed. Uncertainty is a stressor... so let’s step back and look at the proverbial “elephant in the room.” What is in our control?.. Our bodies terrain......our innate metabolic health. Tough to acknowledge for so many…but dietary and lifestyle choices DO matter. We cannot say this ENOUGH TIMES. Nutrition and other inputs, like meaningful movement and others we have discussed WILL have a significant impact on your bodies immune status and more importantly, help ensure that you have an appropriate and robust immunity rather than a disordered and dysregulated repsonse when challenged with any virus.. be it the never ending alphabet soup of Covid variants, the seasonal flu or any other little bugger that come our way.
Today’s random musing…your weekly PrimalMed Prescription….STRONG LIKE BULL !!! Mind your TERRAIN, so WHEN, not IF that nasty little germ knocks on your door… your inner Superman can swiftly escort it to the exit!
Carpe Diem my friend…Greetings to you and Michelle and all in Wyeth-country !!!
I’m enjoying the reading Ted, and if only we hadn’t moved, I would have been on my lower carb, no liquid carb, (unless it’s around 3 carbs in a Miller Lite, a boys gotta live) sooner.