(The following article contains scary images)

Two day’s ago, the World Health Organization attempted to scare the bacon out of us by declaring all processed and red meats as definitively carcinogenic. (Read my article “WHO meat and cancer link only half the story“) Perhaps we didn’t overreact enough, or they figure they have the developed world by the short-hairs…either way, today’s trending headlines are just about as ludicrous. From the WHO website:

“Globally, an estimated two-thirds of the population under 50 are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1”

Aaaaahhhhh! Run for your lives! The cold sore monster is coming to get you!

Really, what is Herpes Simplex and why should I care?

The first thing the World Health Organization wants us to know is that it is “highly infectious and incurable”. Reading further down the main article, however, reveals the fact that while 67% of the population may test positive for the virus, most cases will be asymptomatic. Typically, herpes manifests as a cold sore with the onset of cold or flu, when the immune system is depleted or overwhelmed, or simply when we are more stressed or fatigued than usual.

But what about genital herpes…eeeewwwwe!

There are plenty of OTC and prescription drugs to help suppress those annoying, itchy, sometimes painful outbreaks. Some docs tell us it’s only infectious if we engage in intimate contact during an active outbreak, other docs tell us we’re always putting our partners at risk (does this scenario ring bells for anyone?).

Holistically speaking, herpes is related to the sycotic miasm – which is a way of understanding our tendencies toward one illness or another. While 2/3 of the global population may be carriers of the herpes virus, a much smaller percentage will actually manifest symptoms, while an even smaller demographic will be bothered enough to seek treatment. The rest of the population simply does not have that particular susceptibility to develop symptoms related to herpes. Rather, they may be more prone to lung infections (tubercular miasm), or emotional weakness (malarial miasm), or skin diseases (psora or leprosy miasm), or simply accident prone (acute miasm).

*My understanding of miasms is based on the work of Dr. Rajan Sankran, through his development of the sensation method of case taking in Homeopathy. For a more in-depth look at his theory on miasms and how they relate to the history of human disease, I highly recommend this article: “Dr. Sankran’s concept of miasms” and this video:

Now that we’re sufficiently scared…

…the WHO would like us to give them money for more R&D into vaccines and pharmaceuticals to search for a desperately needed cure to this terrible disease:

“Given the lack of a permanent and curative treatment for both HSV-1 and HSV-2, WHO and partners are working to accelerate development of HSV vaccines and topical microbicides, which will have a crucial role in preventing these infections in the future. Several candidate vaccines and microbicides are currently being studied.” (From WHO.int)

Mind you – I AM NOT MEANING TO BELITTLE THE SUFFERING OF TWO-THIRDS OF THE POPULATION OF THIS PLANET. I truly, deeply, sincerely wish for all beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. As a holistic practitioner, I am equally as passionate and dedicated to searching for a cure that will negate the suffering caused by herpes simplex.

What is the holistic solution? I believe the human body has an innate intelligence about the bacteria and viruses that we live with every day. If we are “infected” with this “incurable disease” there are some simple and completely safe ways to “keep it at bay”:

• Lifestyle modifications: stop smoking and drinking, try meditation – anything to reduce stress
• Herbs for nutrition: bolster your immune system with natural remedies like garlic and increase your intake of nutritional vitamin C like rose hips and kale.
• Homeopathy for evolution: engage the energy of herpes, become intimate with the disease, seek a deeper understanding of what this virus has to teach you. Visit your local homeopath who will work with you to see the whole picture of who you are in relation to herpes. They will give you a specifically chosen homeopathic remedy that will teach your body how to energetically cure itself from the inside out.

Is the World Health Organization just getting into the spirit of Halloween with their scary headlines? Or is there a grander scheme at play (for my conspiracy theorist friends)? Or, is it just plain ol’ scare tactics – the tried and true marketing strategy to get us to dig a little deeper into our pockets?

My (not so) humble take: STOP IT, WHO. STOP TRYING TO SCARE US WITH SMALL FRIES LIKE BACON AND COLD SORES. GET BACK TO DOING YOUR REAL JOB CONSIDERING THE TRULY FRIGHTENING PROSPECTS THAT THREATEN GLOBAL HEALTH TODAY – OVERUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS, TOXIC POLLUTION IN OUR FOOD AND WATER, AIDS, HUNGER, LACK OF ADEQUATE HYGIENE AND ACCESS TO REASONABLE MEDICAL INTERVENTION.