How to overcome the fear of serious illness
“The fear of disease has killed more people than the disease itself,” said Thomas Keller, an American expert on esotericism.
Fear causes stress, which literally changes our body chemistry. Every thought causes a bio-chemical reaction in the brain. The brain then sends a specific chemical signal to every cell in the body. This signal is essentially a messenger that informs the body about what is going on in the head.
The more negative our thoughts are, the more specific chemical reactions are formed in the brain… and the more stress we experience.
World-renowned cell biologist and former Stanford University lecturer Dr Bruce Lipton said that when the body is stressed, cells do not grow and renew themselves. Instead, the body is in shock and is literally preparing to fight for its life.
The cells do not know what triggered the chemical reaction that reached them from the brain. Or, they cannot distinguish between the fear that has arisen as a result of the fear of, for example, not being able to pay the bills, and the fear of being attacked by a wild beast.
In both cases, the body prepares to attack or flee… and during this time, normal cellular repair and healing processes come to a standstill.
If it happens for a few seconds or minutes here and there, it’s no problem, because our bodies are prepared for such situations. The problem arises when fear is present for a long time or occurs too often. Then the body’s natural processes are disrupted, including metabolism, digestion, the elimination of toxins and so on.
The biggest problem is that most of us are not even aware that we are living under almost constant stress, as doctors and scientists have found.
Dr Alex Loyd, an American physician, asked people in a survey whether they thought they were stressed. About half said no, and the other half said yes. Using a special device used to measure physical stress in hospitals – a procedure called the Heart Rate Variability Test – he measured the condition of the first half of people who thought they were not experiencing it.
He found that around 90% of them are living under stress… but they don’t even know it.
Do we do things for positive or negative motivation?
If we think carefully, we can get to the root cause. The key question is:
Do we do certain things because they bring us the greatest joy … or because we are afraid of what would happen if we didn’t do them?
A typical example is church-going, or belonging to religions and other societies that “lead us to God”. Why do people attend religious services and carry out other practices recommended by religious societies? Is it because it gives us great pleasure or makes us feel great (relaxation) or because we are afraid that if we don’t do it, we may not be safe or something bad may happen to us (stress)?
Why do we eat healthily – because we love the food, or because it makes us feel like we’ve taken good care of our bodies?
Looking deeper, we can see that we do many things to avoid responsibility or situations that we do not like or do not want to face. This may also be a sign of hiding from reality or a desire to maintain existing habits and patterns of life.
For example, we do not drive on the road by the rules because it makes us feel better or because we know the importance of safe driving, but purely to avoid dealing with a policeman.
Or perhaps an even more real-life example – we attend a family gathering just so that others don’t have a bad opinion of us, not because we really want to be there.
We do the same almost everywhere. At work, we are nice to our boss because we are afraid that if we speak up, we might jeopardise our jobs… We let our neighbour do things we don’t like – but we don’t say anything because we want to keep things nice… We dare not ask an acquaintance to whom we have lent money some time ago (even though we really need the money), for fear that he will deny us a favour that we will need from him in the near future. And so on.
These are not big things. But they are exactly the ones that cause stress in us, which causes health problems. Standing up for ourselves takes courage, but it is the only way to unburden ourselves.
How to overcome the fear of serious illness
This philosophy needs to be translated into the area of health and body care. There are quite a few things we can do in terms of health prevention, but the key is why we do a particular activity. Is it because it inspires us and gives us a feeling of loving care for our bodies… or is it because we are afraid of what might happen if we don’t do it?
In the latter case, we need to be aware that every thought and action we make in this direction may be reinforcing our fear. Although we think we are taking care of the body, we are in fact not behaving much like the fervent believer who fears “the hand of God” if he does not perform the rituals. We can see in him how his actions are veiled in fear, but when we ourselves diligently carry out a daily activity to maintain our health, it is much harder to notice.
Let’s look at some of the activities we can do to protect ourselves from disease. But let’s always keep in mind what drives us to do these activities. If you find that you want to do them more out of fear than through a sense of loving care, read especially carefully the sixth point, which is an effective solution to the fear of illness (without rubbing your eyes).
1. Real information and clear facts
Fear often arises simply because we have too little information. Or even the wrong information.
Don’t believe everything you hear or read … even if it’s on TV or written on paper.
We humans are prone to look for a strong emotional charge to take our eyes off the actual or real situation. The media know this well, and for them, good news is news that people respond to. It is, almost by default, bad or shocking news.
Or, ordinary or even trivial news, presented in a dramatic way.
A logical view of the situation can often help. Let’s forget the emotional impact and ask ourselves what is really happening, what is most realistic to actually happen and what can I do at this moment to improve the situation. The best tool against fear and strong emotional shocks is activity.
The next option is to check the information at several ends. In the medical field, this means making sure that our suspicions are confirmed or refuted – if we notice anything unusual on the body, for example – by a professional we trust. The more we trust him or her, or the more we perceive him or her as an authority in his or her field, the quicker we will be able to shed the burden.
If you still can’t calm down, the best thing to do is to get a specialist check-up. If a medical disorder has indeed developed, a check-up is a great way to find it as soon as possible. If it hasn’t developed, we’ll sleep soundly.
2. Planned action to improve health
One of the best ways to reduce fear is to actually work towards improving your health, whatever your current situation. This can be done on two levels, physical and energetic (thoughts and emotions).
The general formula is. Let’s ask ourselves: ‘If I had been diagnosed with a more serious illness, what would I have done differently? How would I change my habitual patterns? How would I help my body to provide more energy and favourable conditions in which to activate and accelerate the processes of self-healing?”
When we get answers, we work in the direction we set out. The impact is visible on two levels:
- actually helping your body,
- Psychological effect: knowing that we are constantly working towards better health means we don’t feel guilty or feel better.
Detoxification is a great way to help your body improve its processes, while also having a great effect on your thoughts and emotions. This is also because the effects can be very obvious or immediately noticeable. It gives us the confirmation that we have done something good for the body, and therefore also reduces the fear of possible illness.
In other words, we cannot go wrong by cleansing the body.
But how do we detoxify it? There are many ways, from the very gentle and simple – for example, drinking juices or more water, slightly changing your diet – to the more concrete: fasting, enemas, major dietary changes, a planned spiritual practice, and so on.
If we want to have an effect on reducing fear of illness, we should choose the way we believe in most. Above all, it is important that the process is done correctly, consistently and completely.
3. Intensified preventive procedures
One step further than detoxification is intensive preventive action, carried out under medical supervision. My (Boris) personal experience, which was very positive, was a visit to the Hungarian Gerson Clinic, where I put myself in the hands of experts.
It is a special diet programme combined with regular enemas, which have beneficial and rapid effects on the body. I have witnessed many remarkable changes, including in myself.
I have also done this at home, but I have slightly upgraded it and adapted it to the modern pace of Western society. I am happy to know that it has helped many people to resolve persistent health problems.
Of course, this is just one option for an intensive prevention process. As I said, choose the one that seems best to you and the one you believe in the most.
And don’t look too much at the price. A very affordable programme is worthless if it doesn’t deliver results…
4. Relax and rest
The body is constantly working to heal or improve the functioning of organs and processes. It wants to resolve any problems and function optimally. (Note: for simplicity and clarity of message, we have generalised the workings of the body and omitted karmic codes.)
But it can only work towards self-healing as much as we allow it to. Or as much capacity as it has available.
If we overload it – with rich or difficult-to-digest foods, for example – it will use precious energy for digestion and metabolism, instead of for something more useful.
The same applies to the brain’s use of energy. If we think intensely all the time and don’t give our bodies a chance to rest, we will be wasting a lot of energy unnecessarily. For example, the brain alone can use around 25% of the energy available to the whole body.
It is therefore highly recommended that we take time to relax, rest and, above all, get a restorative sleep. At night, the body does very demanding work, but this can only happen in a special state – when we are asleep. Denying sleep means literally depriving the body of time to carry out the necessary activity to maintain and repair organs, tissues, cells, etc.
How can this help us reduce or eliminate the fear of illness? Stress has been shown to be the biggest contributor to disease. The more often we take time to calm down and think pleasant, happy thoughts, the more we eliminate the biggest cause of illness.
So every time we close our eyes and take a deep breath – preferably in clean air – we literally reduce our chances of getting sick.
This works on two levels: directly helping the body to de-stress, and through awareness of what we are doing, also reducing the fear of illness.
5. Healthy lifestyles … and living a life of joy
Almost all studies show that a healthy lifestyle not only helps to alleviate health problems and improve overall health, but also prolongs life.
Here are just a few pointers and data:
- Some estimates suggest that at least a third of cancers could be prevented by dietary changes. Other sources put the figure even higher – between 50 and 60%.
- Drinking clean water in sufficient quantities can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 75% and bladder cancer by 50%, according to “Health Science Magazine” in its Spring 2001 issue.
- Exercise can prevent most chronic diseases and reduce the number of illnesses, while prolonging life, increasing vitality and reducing health costs in the billions, according to a 1992 report in the April 1992 issue of the prestigious British medical journal “British Medical Bulletin”.
- Just a daily 20-minute walk can reduce the risk of breast or prostate cancer by 20 to 44%, according to Dr Michael F. Roizen in his book “The RealAge Makeover”.
Let’s not forget, it’s not just about doing, it’s also about recognising that we are taking good care of ourselves. When we do something good for our bodies, let’s acknowledge it and congratulate ourselves. Feeling good about a useful action is just as important as the action itself.
Above all, let’s live relaxed. Let’s not get weighed down by things that don’t matter. Let’s forget old grudges and guilty feelings from the past and let go of fears of an uncertain future. Let’s fill each day with a few activities to look forward to in advance – whether it’s a hot bath, listening to nice music, going for a walk with a loved one, etc.
Rezime
Stress always comes from fear. If we ask ourselves honestly whether we are reassured or worried about our health, and answer the question truthfully, we are already halfway there. If we are worried, there is nothing wrong with that; we will just do a few more activities that will give us confidence.
Or we will get this new health care that gives us maximum support in case of illness – and then forget about any health problems in the sense of “What if…” The goal is to take care of ourselves so much that we don’t worry about health anymore, or so that we can focus on the things that fulfil us, make us happy and enrich our lives.
So let’s find ways to reinforce our belief in staying healthy, while filling our schedules with enjoyable things. Many times we dwell on certain things in our minds simply because we have allowed our thoughts to occupy our minds (read: we have not chosen an activity or at least diverted our attention elsewhere, to more important and enjoyable things).
Let’s take an active approach to life and set ourselves a joyful goal to look forward to every day. A sincere joyful expectation of something carries such a powerful charge that it can wash away worries and fears.
This article is based on the book “The Big Ugly Crisis”, by Boris Vene and Nikola Grubiša.