The Guardians Within

Our health and vitality is, among many things, largely dependant on our ability to recognize SELF. Recognizing what is ‘me’ and what is ‘not me’ is essential in preserving our well being. As we enter cold-flu season, we can give thanks for a very complex system that helps us stay healthy. There are many guardians in our body that help maintain our health. A simplified overview includes the following: skin and mucosa (along with its low pH level, and normal bacterial flora) present a physical barrier to invading pathogens (‘not me’); organs such as spleen, liver, and kidneys act as janitors inside our bodies; lymphatic tissue including appendix, tonsils, and lymph nodes sometimes alert us to pathogens when they become swollen (and very active in fighting infection); the greater oementum is a very fancy apron that is suspended over our digestive organs and acts to fight and seal off internal infection; our bone marrow is always busy making red and white blood cells and along with our thymus gland is critical in producing infection fighting cells and memorizing who those invaders are.

Let’s look at a simple explanation of what happens when you get a cold: virus X manages to get past your respiratory mucosa and invades some of your cells. Virus X will use the inner working of your cells to replicate itself over and over… eventually bursting out of your cells to further infect more of your cells, Some of your macrophages will recognize that your cell has been infected and will eat up your own infected cells and present bits of the virus particles (antigens/Ag) on its surface to show what the invader looks like. [Macrophages will also release chemical signals in the body to tell the brain to increase your body temperature (fever makes life miserable for invading viruses), increase blood flow and permeability so more specialized cells can fight off ‘not me’ invaders.] This presentation of Ag bits is then brought to T helper cells (made in the thymus). The T helper cells do two things: (1) present these antigens to B cells (made in the bone marrow) who start to make antibodies (Ab) that are specific to that viral Ag. The antibodies surround other invading antigens, blocking their infectious ability AND alert more macrophages and other white blood cells to eat up those Ag-Ab complexes. The B cells will also make B memory cells so that two years down the road when virus X tries to invade again, they will be ready! (2) T helper cells also parade this antigen to T killer cells whose job is to destroy any ‘not me’ invasion of your cells.

Frequently we take our immune system for granted as the components thereof are ALWAYS sorting out ‘me’ vs ‘not me’ without us recognizing it. We become aware when we start to have a fever or swelling, redness, pain, or heat (key indicators of our already very active immune system). Unfortunately there are times when our immune system becomes compromised. The HIV virus, for example, incapacitates T helper cells, so that a basic infection can become lethal. And sometimes our immune system gets confused and recognizes self as invader…hence an autoimmune disease process begins. It is my experience that how we think about ourselves can also either boost or diminish our immune system on a psychophysical level. Negative self-talk can become a body-mind autoimmune disease…we are no longer recognizing the beauty of who we are. Second-guessing our ability diminishes the talents and gifts that we have. Approaching a task or an exercise from a negative mindset, or from excuses, sets us up to fall victim such that simple variables become insurmountable. Over time, these self-attacks will manifest in your physical being, leading to feeling unwell, becoming sick, and potentially worse. Below are two home practices that can support your psychophysical immune system.

Boosting your body-mind immunity (~ 10-20 minutes)

1. Set aside time daily to meditate: begin seated in an intentional comfortable position, eyes closed, inhale-exhale deeply for 1 minute to help you settle. Feel how your body is supported by the earth (floor/chair). Let sounds travel into and out of your awareness, without attaching to any one sound (1-2 min). Then with your internal eye, scan your body for areas of comfort/discomfort, and try to just notice without judgment (2-3 min). Bring your attention back to your breath: on your inhale silently say PEACE, on your exhale silently say, LOVE. (you can also recite your own two simple words). Continue this for 10 minutes and when your mind wanders, just notice what pulled your attention away, without judgement. To exit your meditation, deepen your breath once again, wiggle your fingers, toes, and face, then stretch gently as you open your eyes. Spend one minute noticing how you feel physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. ENJOY.
2. This second practice is about posting “T helper cell” notes and then reciting them aloud as you are engaged in an activity. Make your own, perhaps using a few of these suggestions: on your bathroom mirror, “I am beautiful”; in your office, “I am skilled at…”; on your car dash, “ I am kind” and so forth. Try this for 21 days and notice any changes in your body-mind. ENJOY.