Are you afraid of bacteria and viruses around you?
Do you feel the need to shower every day?
Do you feel the need to wash your hands frequently?
Do your hands feel dirtier after a handshake?
Do you wash your clothes after wearing them once?
Do you eat fruit or vegetables with dirt on them?
Have you ever stepped barefoot in the mud?
This post aims to discuss the basic principles and differences between the Germ Theory and Terrain Theory, while also digging deeper into the current dominating yet illusory belief about the role of germs.
Ask yourself, “What is my relationship with “germs”?”
The basis of Germ Theory is that microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi), or “germs” are the cause of disease in the body. Major names such as Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, and Joseph Lister often come to mind when discussing its history. Robert Koch devised the Koch Postulates, a set of criteria used to describe the relationship between microorganisms and the human body, further demonstrating that certain disease erupts in the presence of a specific microbe. They are:
(1) The microbe is present in each case of the disease.
(2) The microbe can be taken from an infected host and grown independently.
(3) The disease can be produced by introducing a pure culture of the microbe into a healthy host.
(4) The microbe can be isolated and identified from the host infected in Step 3.
While these postulates created an improved system for the legitimacy of microbiological studies, there are exceptions such as microorganisms that aren’t able to replicate when isolated and certain diseases that can only replicate in humans and not animals.
Joseph Lister was a surgeon that first developed antiseptic (or antimicrobial) surgical techniques (using chemicals to kill microbes in a surgical setting) which greatly improved post-surgical infection rates. Louis Pasteur was a famous microbiologist and chemist known to contribute to the principles of Germ Theory with the development of vaccination and pasteurization. The logic behind vaccination is, assuming microorganisms cause disease, that by injecting a specific microbe, a weakened or killed version of it, or its known toxins or byproducts in the body, this will cause it to react and develop the proper immunity (ie. antibodies) to prevent future disease from exposure to the same microbe. The process of pasteurization is to use high temperatures on a food product, the most common example being milk, to kill potentially pathogenic microorganisms in order to make these foods safe to consume. These discoveries further confirmed the belief that microorganisms cause disease. Acceptance of the Germ Theory leads one to believe that microorganisms and the diseases they cause are “contagious”. In other words, anybody, no matter the condition of their body, is vulnerable to “catching” disease. This further demands the need for man-made interventions such as vaccines, pharmaceutical drugs, other chemical agents, and processes that attack and kill microorganisms in order to prevent and “eradicate” disease.
Strep throat, colds and flu symptoms, staphylococcus, C.diff, E.coli, salmonella, measles, meningitis, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, HIV, HPV, hepatitis A, B and C, Group B Streptococcus, and more are all examples of common infections we see today that are all nails to the hammer of pharmaceutical drugs. Any evidence of these microbes at the scene of inflammation and injury immediately demands a drug to kill it. This aligns with the current model used for modern medicine, which focuses on pharmaceutically-focused science as the answer to eradicating disease. We are made to believe that only antibiotics, antivirals, antipyretics and such will “cure” these infections. This could not be further from the truth.
The Terrain Theory was led primarily by two French scientists Claude Bernard and Antoine Be’champ. Claude Bernard’s work led to the understanding of homeostasis. Homeostasis is the process of self-regulation within biological systems, including the human body. Claude Bernard proposed the idea of the importance of the health and stability of the “internal environment” of the body, or “milieu interieur”, as a defining factor on whether the body can handle unwanted microorganisms. Antoine Be’champ was a well-known proponent of Pasteur’s ideas, especially his germ theory. Through his studies, he believed that germs do not cause disease. Instead, he believed disease is a result of an unfavorable environment (terrain) causing imbalanced “microzymas” and the host’s tissue to decompose creating bacteria. Microzymas, or “tiny enzymes”, are what he defined as the units of life in biological fluids.
The Terrain Theory is based on the belief that the condition of the internal body and its ability to maintain homeostasis in the presence of unfavorable microorganisms is what determines whether a body presents with disease (ie. symptoms). In other words, when a body’s internal environment is clean and its detoxification mechanisms are running well, unfavorable microorganisms, or “pathogens”, are efficiently dealt with and eliminated without the development of disease symptoms. Instead of the body being seen as vulnerable, Terrain Theory suggests that the body is resilient, self-regulating, and self-healing.
If a body is dirty and consists of a disrupted microbiome and poor functioning organs and fluid channels, the body is unable to deal with pathogens smoothly, and natural detoxification will manifest as disease symptoms. So when one develops cold and flu-like symptoms, Terrain Theory would suggest that the body is simply attempting to maintain homeostasis by detoxifying itself with these symptoms. Fevers and inflammation, in other words, are intentional by the body and should not be suppressed by toxins (ie. pharmaceutical drugs). Rashes, acne, drainage, and tumors are not a result of a mysterious microorganism but are simply an intentional defense mechanism of the body as it detoxifies itself of unwanted chemistry. This demands supportive therapy, not destructive therapy.
Belief in the Terrain Theory suggests that humans are in total control of whether we get sick or not. By getting sick, we mean developing symptoms. Understanding our body’s natural detoxification process means that disease is “a crisis of purification”, in the words of German naturopath and author Arnold Ehret. The more dirty and inefficient the body is, the worse it functions overall, immune function included, and the more one will see symptoms of detoxification. All disease is the body’s way of cleaning itself out once it’s reached a full saturation level of toxins to maintain homeostasis. A body consisting of poor functioning organs can only hold so many toxins, and eventually will need to let off some waste in any way that it can. A bowl can only hold so much liquid, and eventually, it will overflow.
What creates a dirty and inefficient body? Mucus-forming, acid-forming foods. These are all animal products and cooked foods, especially beans and grains. Instead of “catching” a disease, Terrain Theory says that we “consume” disease. When we consume the wrong chemistry for our body, it naturally reacts with physiological mechanisms (immediate and delayed) in order to purify itself. The key, then, is understanding our body’s needs and how to maintain proper functioning cells in order to keep our immune function working smoothly. Eating our species-specific diet is key to achieving this. Also, knowing the art of detoxification and supportive interventions when symptoms do arise is just as important.
Notice the dualistic energy behind each theory, one is pointing the finger at something outside of their control, “germs”, as the cause of suffering and sickness, while the other relies on personal responsibility and gives all the control to the person in the prevention of suffering and sickness. One promotes fear, violence, difference, separation, conquering, and profit while the other promotes harmony, neutrality, understanding, humility, simplicity, individual responsibility, and decision. One labels bacteria as “bad” the other labels bacteria as neither “good” nor “bad”. It’s easier to succumb to believing in theories that take away our personal responsibility and dig ourselves deep into denial of the other. When faced with constant repetition of one theory from so many aspects (social, cultural, political) and “trusted” references in our lives, no matter how confusing it is and its lack of logic, it’s easy to accept it as truth.
The truth is there is no such thing as a “cure” and preventing and healing disease is simply a result of abiding by the law of cause and effect. The word “cure” implies some magical, outer-known energy or substance is responsible for relieving our suffering. Other than our genetically passed down weaknesses (which can be healed) and trauma out of our control (ie. accidents), we are in total control of our suffering, we are the cause of it, we create it. Suffering is cause and effect in action. Suffering is also not our baseline way of living, it is a symptom of something wrong going on within ourselves, a message that our needs are not being met. Every allergy, itch, ache, pain, manic episode, seizure, sneeze, cough, dizzy spell, violent thought or behavior, predatorial tendency, etc. is a symptom of a bigger disconnection, or disease, inside of us. According to the law of cause and effect, when we meet our body’s needs with the proper food, water, air, sleep, movement, and healthy emotions and relationships, our bodies become resilient to suffering and we become one with microorganisms. Ignore these needs, and our bodies naturally become less resilient and more prone to stronger and painful detoxification. Unfortunately, when these allergies, aches, pains, lumps, and migraines come, people often don’t understand them or know how to support the body.
It’s important to remember that theories do not equal fact. Oxford Languages defines theory as “a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.”. Theories are simply a bundle of ideas and ideas come from our experiences and observations. In science, ideas are proved when one studies a specific hypothesis repetitively and gets the same outcome. In the case of immunology and pathophysiology, there are so many examples of this process. When scientists first discovered that a certain handful of symptoms erupted in the overbearing presence of a microorganism, they concluded that, confirmed by repetitive studies of the same pathogen being present at the site of injury (Koch’s Postulates), the pathogen was the cause of the symptoms. As you can see, this can easily lead one to think that microorganisms are harmful and ought to be avoided. This further justifies the need for toxic substances and vaccines which suppress the body’s natural detoxification processes and make the problem worse. This is bad science, bad detective work, and completely ignores and denies the body’s innate intelligence in maintaining homeostasis and stability. It’s blaming the tow truck at the scene of a car accident when the problem was the ice on the road. It’s pointing the finger at the clean-up crew when they’re simply doing their job. There have been so many examples in history of theories being debunked, why are we so sure of the Germ Theory?
The rise in belief and acceptance of the Germ Theory can be attributed to the Rockefeller family’s philanthropies. To some, this is not surprising as they know that philanthropy is often packaged with an agenda in mind. The philanthropies funded the push for a drastic change in America’s medical education to become based on Germ Theory and the scientific discovery of pharmaceuticals to combat disease. They funded the Flexner Report of 1910, which, inspired by German medical education, transformed the structure and philosophy of American medical education by establishing a Germ Theory-based medical model, eliminating one-third of American commercial schools that were deemed poor quality as they didn’t meet basic standards, and strengthening the affiliation between medical schools and hospitals to push scientific advances (and therefore, profit). Naturally, this killed homeopathic medicine and substituted its name for “alternative” medicine. “Allopathic medicine”, having philosophical roots in patient beneficence and the art of healing, then became “scientific medicine”, focused on treatment-based thinking.
The Terrain Theory is also a theory too, and therefore not fact. The theory is proved by those who decide to change their lifestyle habits starting with simple things like their diet. Terrain Theory is widely accepted among the natural hygiene community as it is most in harmony with nature. The lifestyle of natural hygienists proves that health comes from a clean, well-functioning body. The Terrain Theory is proved by those who understand human nature (not cooking food, eating our human-designed diet, getting movement, absorbing sunlight energy, proper sleep, clean air, respecting life, being stewards of the land) and faithfully abide by them. The most effective thing one can do is change their diet, and this plays a major role in the cleanliness of their terrain. By changing one’s diet, one can more easily create positive change in other aspects of their life. Even if we breathe dirty air, a well-functioning and clean body is better able to handle it versus a poor-functioning, mucus-filled body. What we feed our bodies creates the chemistry it runs on. This is the biggest mistake people are making these days, and once fixed, brings one to a new and bright level of health. When one moves more and more towards a raw, fruit-based diet, infections become a thing of the past and symptoms only arise as a result of the body eliminating old toxins or if it’s met with non-optimal chemistry again (ie. cooked food, animal flesh). The Terrain Theory focuses on understanding the role of bacteria, which is to clean dirty spaces. In nature, bacteria, viruses, and parasites are found in concentration where sewage and dead material are found. They are the garbage men of nature.
Remember, we are in total control of our suffering. Meet our needs with our anatomically designed diet, proper sleep, exercise, sunlight, a sense of community and healing will take place. The Terrain Theory suggests that instead of vaccinating the fish, one should clean the dirty water. This theory dominates what we see in nature, in the wild, as all wild animals eat their species-specific diet, and live aligned with nature. They don’t require man-made pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, or other chemical agents for disease. The average person believes we’re better off vaccinated and dependent on pharmaceuticals for our health. However, in fact, it’s the domesticated animals that we see today getting all of the same diseases humans get now, mostly because we don’t feed them their species-specific diet and add toxic vaccines and drugs to their systems. In the wild, if something happens and disease erupts, animals will fast. On the contrary, Germ Theory dominates man and the society we’ve built, and fasting is deemed too extreme.
It’s no surprise that searching “germ theory” in Google brings up articles authored by prestigious organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), Harvard University, and Encyclopedia Britannica, whereas searching “terrain theory” only brings up smaller blog articles and a few of the first articles that have “Germ theory denialism” in their titles. Articles of Louis Pasteur run long. For Claude Bernard, it’s difficult to find information from more well-known sources, and when presented with an article by Encyclopedia Britannica, the article mentions nothing of Terrain Theory, but instead his contribution to the understanding of homeostasis. The article later notes that his work in the “internal environment” of the body is still “germane” to modern science. Only one autobiographical article on Antoine Béchamp was decent for my liking, and it’s from Wikipedia. Nothing against these sources of information, but I must point out the contrast and bias in the access and presentation of information.
This is the problem we face today. We have too many trusted references that support the Germ Theory and there is little tolerance to anyone or thing that questions or denies it. When denialism is seen as a crime, it’s time to start questioning the truth. The Germ Theory is all around us. It’s obviously in our healthcare and public health system, but in our education system, in our economic system (pharmaceutical companies making a profit), political, and socio-cultural systems too. Children are required to be vaccinated in order to attend schools, jobs require vaccination for employment, countries require vaccinations in order for foreigners to travel, politicians are endorsed by pharmaceutical companies to further their agenda for profit, as children we are told that we “catch” colds and flus, philanthropists throw their money to third world countries to pass out drugs and vaccines that will “benefit” the population. Traveling to Tanzania? Fear those dirty mosquitos and get a yellow fever shot. Have a headache? Take Motrin. Have cancer? Inject acidic chemotherapy into your veins, and let’s start your first session tomorrow. Spike a fever during labor? Mom will need antibiotics, maybe her newborn too. There is no consideration for the law of cause and effect. There is a false belief that we are all vulnerable to disease and that drugs have our back. Remember, for every symptom of disease, there is a cause. Disease is not caused by genetics or any other mysterious source. In the case of genetics, we simply control whether they are expressed or not.
We cannot learn a new idea when our brains are full of references that oppose this new idea. We cannot have the open ears to listen to new information if we have selective hearing. Many of us are unfortunately still in Plato’s Cave of Ignorance, but there is hope for each of us to find our way out. We must go back to being a blank slate, a clean canvas for knowledge to be obtained by critical thinking and experience. There is nothing like a fact learned by experience. It’s easy to understand the beliefs behind the Germ Theory because the majority of humans (especially in the United States) live in that fear-based consciousness. Man can (and probably will) forever be intellectually engrossed in the study of the details of life and our physical world, the cells, atoms, energy, particles, disease, genes, on and on…but where is this leading us? It’s leading us to confusion. This is why our species is in trouble today. We are uptight, and desire order and control of Creation when it already has its own laws and rules that we ought to acknowledge and obey. In my personal life, the more I’ve lived with Creation and not against it, the more joy I’ve experienced.
What if you tested the idea of the Terrain Theory?
What if you tried eating a raw and natural diet, a fruitarian diet?
What if you tried a juice fast for 10 days and saw what came out of your digestive tract?
What if you abstained from antibiotic dependency?
What if you stopped eating when you felt sick instead of opening up the medicine cabinet?
Could something as major as achieving and maintaining health be so simple and clear?
The answer is yes.
Let’s not forget that on his deathbed, Louie Pasteur admitted “The germ is nothing. The Terrain is everything.”
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