Photo by turek, Article written by Dr. Michelle Strydom MD
A common fungal infection is candida. Parasitic infections include Malaria, Bilharzia (schistosomiasis), worms, liver flukes, filariasis, cysticerosis and many more. Whatever the type of infection – the physical and spiritual mechanisms behind it are the same.
Your immune system is the army of cells in your body that were created to protect you from harmful viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungus, toxins and cancer cells. When the cells of your immune system see these harmful substances floating around in your blood stream and body tissues, they kill or remove them, thus helping to protect you from becoming sick. Bacteria, parasites and fungi are only able to infect your body if your immune system is weakened. The HIV virus destroys the immune system and that is why AIDS patients are susceptible to developing any infection. The immune system can also be weakened by other diseases, for example people with diabetes often get bladder infections and fungus infections between their toes. People who have kidney disease (e.g. nephrotic syndrome) or protein losing enteropathy (protein leaks out and is lost through the gut wall) result in the immune system being weakened. This is because the cells of the immune system leak out and are lost through the kidney or the gut wall. As a result these people have no defense against infections. Some people have genetic defects that lead to abnormalities in the immune system so that it is not able to fight off infections properly. If this applies to you, read through the chapter on “Genetically Inherited Diseases” on page 153.
Bacteria, parasites and fungi are only able to infect your body if your immune system is weakened.
Certain medical drugs, for example corticosteroids and chemotherapy significantly weaken the immune system, thus increasing the risk of infections. If you are taking chronic medication, check the package insert to see if ‘immune suppression or immune compromise’ is a possible side effect. When people take too many antibiotics it kills the natural bacterial flora in your body and it predisposes you to Candida infections. Medical drugs are often necessary in the short term to bring a person into a place of safety. However, it is not God’s will for you to be taking medical drugs for the rest of your life – deal with the spiritual root behind the disease for which you are taking the drug.
Apart from the above scenarios, infections with bacteria, parasites or fungi are a result of your immune system being weakened or damaged during stage 2 and 3 of stress. To understand this you need to read the chapter on “Long Term Effects of Fear, Anxiety and Stress on Your Body” on page 180 which has important background information.
When your thought life is dominated by thoughts of fear, anxiety, stress, bitterness and unforgiveness or your life is filled with strife, your body is put into stage 2 and 3 of stress. In this toxic state, the hypothalamus in your brain stimulates the production of large quantities of stress hormones. One of these stress hormones is cortisol, which in excessive quantities directly kills and prevents the production of the different cells of the immune system. The result of this damaged immune system is that you have no defense against infections. The high levels of cortisol also damage the receptors on the surface of body cells, enabling bacteria, fungi and parasites to enter into the body cells and cause an infection.
Furthermore there is a specific cell called interleukin 2 in your immune system. This cell is like a policeman. It is able to recognize harmful bacteria, fungi and parasites by detecting the foreign proteins on the « 249 »HEALING BEGINS WITH SANCTIFICATION OF THE HEART cell wall. The high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in stage 2 and 3 of stress damages the interleukin 2 so that it is no longer able to recognize the cancer cells, bacteria and viruses as foreign harmful substances. Therefore instead of alerting the other cells of the immune system to kill these harmful cells, it says, “Hello Candida! Hello Mr. Bacteria and Miss Bilharzia, welcome to the body. Thank you for coming. Have a nice day!” The devil knows that if he can get you fearful, anxious, stressed or bitter spiritually, he can weaken your immune system and make you physically vulnerable to any infection he wants to bring upon you. cell wall. The high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in stage 2 and 3 of stress damages the interleukin 2 so that it is no longer able to recognize the cancer cells, bacteria and viruses as foreign harmful substances. Therefore instead of alerting the other cells of the immune system to kill these harmful cells, it says, “Hello Candida! Hello Mr. Bacteria and Miss Bilharzia, welcome to the body. Thank you for coming. Have a nice day!” The devil knows that if he can get you fearful, anxious, stressed or bitter spiritually, he can weaken your immune system and make you physically vulnerable to any infection he wants to bring upon you.
Improper care of your body through unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, over-working, and inadequate rest also puts your body into a toxic state of stress. The immune system is weakened by a poor diet which is deficient in vitamins and minerals (found in fresh fruit and vegetables) and high in sugar and processed carbohydrates. If you eat healthily, exercise and remove the fear, anxiety, stress, strife, bitterness and unforgiveness from your thought life, the stage 2 and 3 stress reaction will be broken. Therefore excessive quantities of cortisol will stop being produced and the cells of the immune system will be given a chance to re-multiply and come back to full strength. Then your immune system will be able to function as it was created by God ….and bacteria, parasites and fungal infections won’t stand a chance. The following chapters will help you: