The germs we have been washing off, drowning in disinfectant, and tossing away with disposable tissues, are not the cause of disease. Germs are microorganisms, viruses, bacteria, and probably other life forms we don’t even know about yet. Certainly, each can play a part in disease. But, they are not the cause of illness. When germs set up housekeeping in your body, they are merely exercising squatter’s rights in warm, moist, comfortable quarters that feature an unlimited supply of food. Germs set up residence when your body’s defenses are down.

Bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms are in and around us all the time. They don’t show up just on rainy days, during winter, or when you get your feet wet. We live in a world teeming with microscopic activity. It’s estimated that each of us carries about 1014 bacteria either internally or externally. That’s 100 trillion of the little rascals. We are exposed to potential disease producers constantly; yet most of us are symptom-free much of our lives. With the concentration of germs in our immediate surroundings and in or on our persons, if they were the cause of disease, all of us would be sick incessantly. You have probably witnessed or experienced the “flu-bug” or colds running rampant through several members of a family, while one or two stalwart souls escape the troublesome illness. If we were as susceptible to infection by germs as we have been led to believe, why is it that some members of the same household “catch” the current malady while others stay symptom free? Are some of us just luckier than others? What about the survivors of the great plagues of history? Thousands of people died while many who cared for the sick and dying weren’t infected. If each of us were to fall victim to every malevolent microorganism that came our way, none of us would have survived long enough to read (or write) these words.

When your body is really healthy – more than just symptom-free – disease-producing bacteria can’t penetrate your defenses. All of the bacteria in your body aren’t bad by a long shot. Germs don’t affect health unless they are able to penetrate the cells of an organism – really get into the working parts. Germs can’t penetrate cells until the body’s vitality and resistance are reduced. The strategy for avoiding infectious disease is not to kill off all bacteria to avoid illness. The best course is to make sure your cells are healthy enough to keep your vitality at its peak.