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SARS has not only threatened our lives, but our way of life. It is both a risk and a nuisance. But this present SARS crisis does not need to be all bad. The good that SARS brings about is a reminder for all of us to return to a healthy and balanced way of life.
Understanding How Viruses Hurt Us
SARS is a virus, not a bacterium. Viruses and bacteria are different in several significant ways. Firstly, viruses are much smaller than bacteria, so small that they can pass through most filters. Secondly, bacteria are living organisms that can reproduce themselves. Viruses are only pieces of genetic material. They need to invade a cell in the body and use the cell’s genetic material to reproduce themselves. Because of this, antibiotics can only work against bacteria, but not against viruses. There are no effective drugs against viral infections. In order to get rid of viruses, some drugs target the infected cells in our body. When we do that, we are destroying our own cells along with the virus.
How Do We Fight Against Infections?
The best defense against viral infection is our own immune system. The immune system is like an army protecting the body from foreign invaders. Every organ in the body contains immune cells which are designed to prevent diseases, clean out toxins, and repair damages. Immune cells keep infection from reproducing and gather white blood cells to the infected area to fight the bacteria. Once the battle is over, healthy cells start reproducing again. These actions will keep the body healthy; and drugs cannot do this for us.
When our immune system is weakened, it is helpless against infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses. When we are in good health, our body has all the ammunition it needs to defend itself against most illnesses, including SARS. Unfortunately, many of us assume that if we don't look sick, we are healthy. But this is not always true. Some viruses, HIV for example, may be present in the body long before there are any outward symptoms.
The best prevention against virual infection is to avoid contact with the virus or the virus-carrier. Washing your hands with soap regularly will help to destroy viruses before they get a chance to invade your cells. It is not possible to be completely free from bacteria and viruses. In the end, we have to rely on our immune system to ensure a healthy life. Building up a strong immune system is a good step to help protect yourself from SARS and any other viruses you may come in contact with.
How Do We Build Up Our Immune System?
We can strengthen our immune system by living a balanced and healthy life. The first thing to recognize is that as humans, we are more than just physical beings. If we missed this most important point, it will be like a nation developing only one branch of its military, while neglecting the other branches. Think about an infantry trying defending a nation without naval and air support! To develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle, we must apply the following principles in a holistic way and consistently -- drinking green-bean soup for one night is not going to have a significant impact on our immune system.
1. Live Well by Eating Well
Dr. Rex Russell provides three simple principles to meet our nutritional needs:1
- Eat the foods that are designed to nourish us.
- Eat foods as they were created.
- Don’t be addicted to any food or drink.
- Our bodies are built to live on certain foods. A diesel engine will not run on petroleum. Nutritionists have found that a simple diet of nuts, grains, vegetables and legumes aids healthy living. What we put into our bodies as fuel impacts our health and our immune systems. It’s important to choose wisely and think about what we eat.
- Eat food as it was created. Our modern world is overrun with processed food that is full of additives and chemicals. Vitamins and minerals are often removed from food to extend its shelf-life. It is a healthy practice to choose foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.
- Do not allow any food or drink to control you. Addictive substances are hazardous to our health. Alcohol can cause cancers of the liver, esophagus, mouth and pancreas. Cigarettes can lead to lung and bladder cancers. Beyond food and drink, we can be addicted to education, relationships, sports, power, money, sex, shopping, etc. Something or someone can become an addiction when we are uncontrollably dependent on it.
2. Live Well by Exercising Regularly
Exercise builds muscle and improves body toning and strength. It helps to get more oxygen into the bloodstream and increases the mobility of white blood cells, which destroy bacteria and viruses. Exercise also increases our body temperature. Researchers have discovered that many harmful viruses do not multiply at temperatures much more than 38 C or 100 F.
We exercise mentally and spiritually when we keep our mind and spirit active. Our mind does not simply perceive things. It apprehends and seeks to understand. A healthy mind is one which is regularly stimulated and is hungry to know more.
Faith and trust are like spiritual muscles. They need to be stretched before they will grow. There are times when trust is relatively undemanding. SARS has surfaced the need to exercise trust on a daily basis. Exercising trust is not an easy task. But it will become easier when the object of our trust is right, or trustworthy. Our trust is only as good as the object of our trust. Therefore, we need to ask the most important question, “What or who is the object of our trust?”
3. Living Well by Resting Appropriately:
In our urban lifestyle, there is an unspoken competition to keep ourselves busier than the next person. The fallacy is that the one who is busier is more successful or more significant. We have lost the fine art of rest.
Rest is not the same as being idle. Regular and proper rest is absolutely necessary for our body to regulate itself to be fully functional. During the night, when we are resting, our body systems are still at work performing all the maintenance work they need to do so that we can be ready for the next day.
Our rest is also interrupted when we have unresolved conflicts with other people. Bitterness, anger, and other negative emotions will weaken our immune system by taking away our much needed rest. The root of a bitter spirit is often a lack of forgiveness. When we allow bitterness to grow in us, it will be like multiplying harmful viruses within our systems.
We can forgive only when we experience forgiveness first. Ultimately, we must first receive and experience forgiveness from God. Enjoy uninterrupted peace by accepting the abundant life offered by Jesus. He says, “I have come to that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) If you are not already resting in Him, and you want to accept His gift of rest and life, you can start your Journey of Joy today.
Threats like SARS will come and go, but none of this ever happens outside of God’s knowledge or power. Thus, we can be free to share our hope with others, knowing that whether we succumb to SARS or not. You can have the peace that you are looking for in the fear of the disease. Every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace and His protection through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simplytalking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of woman you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
1 Rex Russell, M.D., “What the Bible Says About Healthy Living”, Regal Books, Ventura, California, USA. 1999.