In 1928,
Penicillin was discovered and caused
a worldwide excitement and relief.
But in 1947, the wonder drug lost its sheen. It could not kill
the same staphylococcus aureus bacterium it had once spelt doom
for. The microbes had developed
resistance to the antibiotics.
The Global Report of WHO April 2014
says that there is a serious threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria in
every region of the world, and has the potential to affect anyone of any age in
any country. When such bacteria invade a body, recovery takes a long time, and
the risk of death looms large. The
disturbing fact is, not only more and more types of bacteria are becoming drug resistant, many
new types of microbes are attacking human body
and causing serious diseases like
Ebola, which medical science is not able
to contain. And there may be other
deadly infectious diseases in
store for us in the future. But
apart from hoping and praying that we will be
spared, we do precise little.
Why
should we wait like sitting ducks to be attacked and killed by these tiny
organisms when nature has endowed us with the most powerful bug killer?
It is our own immune system that
can kill any invaders. The proof lies with the various types of vaccinations where weak or dead organisms are
introduced to the body; and the immune system, after recognizing the microbes, prepares antibodies
to destroy them. It is this mechanism
that has helped human beings to survive the epidemics of plagues and yellow
fevers of the past.
We can make our immune system invincible.
All we need to do is, give the system what it
requires to be really healthy and strong. And they are vitamins A and C,
plenty lot of fresh oxygen, abundant ‘prana’- the bio energy, and a stress free mind. The absence of any of
these factors can weaken the immune
cells.
Yoga, especially suryanamaskar and
pranayama are the best means to energize
the body
and strengthen the immune system while stress can be released most effectively by relaxation
techniques such as ‘yoganidra’ and meditation. For vitamin A, fish, egg,
leafy, dark green, and yellow vegetables are excellent, while amla (Indian gooseberry), rose, and oranges
are the best sources of vitamin C . This
vitamin should be taken in plentiful as it
is a water soluble vitamin that gets out of
the body continuously through urine and perspiration.
