The scientific establishment is looking beyond the body’s natural healing process to discover new curative methods.  Researchers are attempting and succeeding at developing new healing modalities through the study and manipulation of viruses, such as gene therapy and stem cell research. 

On the surface, these medical breakthroughs are remarkable.  It seems as if these new approaches are pivotal to advancing human healthcare and therapeutic methodologies.  This article takes a deeper look at the effects of this pathway Science has chosen in the name of medical progress.

Scientists describe the virus as the smallest and simplest life form; it is 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria.  A bacterium has everything needed for its growth and multiplication without taking anything from the host it has infected so it can ultimately live and function by itself.  It can even survive on non-living surfaces.  Most people think of bacteria as those nasty germs that cause sickness.  This may be true, but this view only encompasses a small part bacteria play in the world.  

Bacterium is a natural digester or decomposer.  Many people eat yogurt with living bacteria to help their own digestion.  Based on this bacteria have the capacity to digest and renew substances.  The ecosystem is dependent on this ceaseless activity of bacteria.  It is constantly cycling nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur into the environment (BMW, 1996).       

On the other hand, a virus cannot live on its own; it must have a living host in order to survive and multiply which is why viruses are not considered living entities (Freudenrich, 2007).  It does not have its own life within its structure and is considered a parasite; it is considered somewhere between living and nonliving.  A virus is not able to digest, it only breaks down and destroys with no renewal or nutrient production.      

The physical life of a virus has been studied for some time.  Science indicates that a regular virus carries its own DNA and uses it to form RNA out of the materials purloined from the host cell (Null, 2002).   The virus usually begins attaching itself to the surface of a host cell through a binding protein.  The ability of a virus to bind itself to the exterior part of the host cell determines if the host is compatible for the virus to function and multiply.  Once the virus has attached itself and entered the cell, it inserts it’s a nucleic acid into the genetic material of the host cell.  The host cell is then fooled into using the viral DNA as the instructions for cell development and begins producing new infectious virions.   

Science has found that a virus has a great capacity for moving genetic material in and out of a host cell.  It can easily integrate foreign DNA from the host into its viral genome displaying its canny ability to function as an agent of genetic engineering.  The medical establishment has examined and adopted this very method in some gene therapies by attempting to cure so-called genetic defects by inserting undamaged copies of a mutated gene into a living entity (Gene Therapy, 2007). 

The scientific description offers a strong resonance of the role of the virus.  First, it is a quasi-living entity that can only function by exploiting the life of its hosts.  It can only breakdown and destroy.  Second, the virus is a genetic engineer; it is able to easily transport and integrate different DNA material between itself and another entity usually by trickery.  Third, it is a parasite; subsisting on the very life of its host.  We can get a real sense of the virus by listening to these qualities; it is genetically engineering destruction.  This leads to the question… What is it ultimately attempting to destroy during this process? The answer is…the immune system.  Viruses act like a parasite that wear down the immune system; slowly depleting its healing forces.   

The FDA compares bacteria infecting the body to soldiers mounting a pitched attack.  The body is overcome by bacteria; the immune system responds and works to heal the body.  The body becomes renewed as the state of health is restored.  The FDA describes a viral infection as guerilla fighters infiltrating the body.  They literally invade human cells and manipulate the cell’s genetic material so it no longer functions normally, but produces the virus itself (FDA/CFSAN Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide, 2001).  The virus wears down the immune system and slowly depletes the actual healing resources.  

The medical establishment is turning away from the healing force of the immune system as it searches for new curative processes.  The medical field has begun to reproduce what a virus does naturally to create new treatments for disease such as genetic engineering and stem cell therapies.   Our scientists are using the natural process and gesture of a quasi-living parasitic entity to create new so-called healing modalities.  This seems to be an oxymoron.  How can new curative processes be created by using methods based on destructive, parasitic and nonliving processes? 

The medical research establishment is achieving this by moving from supporting and enhancing the immune system as a healing force to cleverly manipulating genes or by-passing the natural healing process to force the restoration of so-called physical health. Researchers have recently sped up the evolution of a virus in away that can evade the immune system.  This is being done as a vehicle for gene therapy and to help drugs move quickly through the body without being hampered by its natural healing process.  The scientists do recognize a “potential” downside; this could be used to help deadly viruses evade the immune system (Britt, 2006).   

Stem cell therapy circumvents the immune system and focuses on developing tissues of a 3-to-5 day-old embryo called blastocytes to generate replacements for injured or diseased cell populations.  These unspecified tissues have great dexterity and can grow into many different cell types and can renew themselves during cell division.  They can be induced to become cells with specialized functions such as beating cells of the heart muscle or insulin-generating cells of the pancreas.  Some adult tissues in the muscle, brain, and bone marrow can also produce replacements, but are more limited than those of a developing fetus (Stem cell basics, 2006).   

A main objective of stem cell research is to learn how undifferentiated cells become differentiated and how to use genes to turn on or turn off this process.  Using genetic and molecular controls as a means to stop diseases manifesting in the body is also a main strategy for this therapy (Stem cell basics, 2006). 

This move away from the immune system is not just a change in medical research and healthcare, it has great impact to the human being as a whole.  The immune system is a vital aspect of our make-up.  It is more than a germ attacking system.  It plays a great role in healing and helping us to become who we really are. 

According to Dr. David Russell (n.d), the immune system penetrates all processes of the human being.  It works within the boundaries of self expression and is involved in governing the emergence of Identity. Dr. Russell has worked in the healing field for over 30 years.  He has studied and practiced with classical masters in Europe, Nepal, and the Middle East in Chinese, Tibetan, Ayurvedic, and Islamic medicine. He indicates the immune system’s motive is to integrate and establish a dynamic equilibrium within the body whether it be mental, physical or ecological.   

Dr. Russell indicates the lack of integration is the basis of all pathology.   He defines equilibrium as the process of integration, in which the organism meets the infinitely conditioning forces working upon it, and uses these forces to fulfill the potentials of its evolving identity.  Any internal or external stimuli that cannot be integrated into the developing person can turn into illness.    

The origin of the word immune comes from the Latin word, munis, meaning ‘ready to give service; adding the negative prefix in- produces the word immunis which means “exempt from a service, charge, etc. (Ayto, 1990). Illness does not just happen, there is a bodily wisdom within the immune system that determines if an illness is to manifest as a service.  The appearance of disease within the body is a service to aid us in the process of evolving into an Identity.  Illness is normally thought of as a condition to get rid of immediately, but it can actually help us to reach our destiny. 

If the immune system helps us form into our true identity then creating so-called healing modalities that circumvent it can be potentially disastrous for human evolution.  The medical establishment is moving quickly in this direction without any awareness or understanding of the deeper impacts to the human race. 

It is important for us to gain an understanding of the true nature of illness and the role it plays in our bodies.  We must strive to understand the events of the medical world on a deeper level because it is not only impacting us as individuals it is impacting human evolution.  Seeking out healthcare facilities and supporting practitioners that deeply understand the human make-up in a holistic way is critical to true human progress.  We must seek out healing modalities and medical care that truly works toward conscious and true healing processes.  It is vital to human development and destiny.  If we lose our immune system…we lose our identity as we know it…. 

Denise Rizzo is a freelance researcher and writer.  She discovered the works of Rudolf Steiner in 1995 and has studied at the School of Spiritual Psychology since 2001.  

Source List 

 Ayto, J. (1990). Dictionary of word origins. New York: Arcade Publishing. BMW (1996, Oct 15). Bacteria: Life history and ecology.  Info made available bythe University of California Museum Of Paleontology.  Retrieved on October 11, 2007 from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacterialh.html  

Britt, R.R. (2006, Feb 6). Scientists evolve virus to slip past immune system. LiveScience website. Retrieved on October 12, 2007 from http://www.livescience.com/health/060207_virus_evolution.html 

FDA/CFSAN food safety a to z reference guide. (2001, Sept).  Retrieved onOctober 12, 2007 from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-fdb38.html 

Freudenrich, C.G. (2007). How viruses work.  Retrieved on October 12, 2007from http://health.howstuffworks.com/virus-human1.htm 

Gene therapy. (2007, Oct.) Info from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Retrievedon October 12, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_therapy 

Null, G. (2002). AIDS a second opinion. New York: Seven Stories Press. 

Russell, D. (n.d). Immune system.  Information from his website.  Retrieved onOctober 27, 2006 from http://www.davidnrussell.com/articles/prac2.html 

Stem cell basics. (2006, Oct 6).  Information from the National Institutes of Health Website. Retrieved on November 19, 2006 from http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics1.asp  

Written article, Copyright © Denise Rizzo, 2007

Gene therapy photo. Credit: NIH part of the US Dept of Health and Human Servies copied from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gene_therapy.jpg

Salmonella typhimurium (red) invading cultured human cells photo. Credit: Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH copied from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SalmonellaNIAID.jpg 

Adenoviruses in human feces copied from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Enteric_Adenoviruses.jpg

Native American Mask Photo from the Native American Museum (Smithsonian). Photo taken by Denise Rizzo