Rethinking the Germ Theory

Written by Steve Tullius, D.C.

“Illnesses hover constantly above us, their seeds blown by the wind, but they do not set in the terrain unless the terrain is ready to receive them.”  -- Claude Bernard

In last month’s article I related the origins of chiropractic and the naturalistic and vitalistic approach to health. I touched on the supremacy of the nervous system function in relation to body regulation, control and homeostasis.

In this month’s article I would like to talk about disease and its origins. At the turn of the 19th century Louis Pasteur theorized that germs invaded the body and were the sole cause of disease. If one could somehow avoid these pathogens one would stay healthy. For more than 100 years this theory has dominated Western medicine. But at what cost? 

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, healthcare spending grew 4.4% to $2.3 trillion in 2008, $7,681 per person, and accounted for 16.2% of our Gross Domestic Product. Spending on prescription drugs grew 5.2% in 2009 to $246 billion. Despite record trillions spent on insurance and healthcare – more per capita than any other country in the world – the U.S. is far from the world’s healthiest nation. Ranked 15th in life expectancy, nearly 6% of our population, 16 million, is diabetic. One out of three will develop cancer. We are number one in a few categories: coronary bypass operations, breast cancer and snack food consumption.

We spend so much money on healthcare, how did we get here? Quite simply, we have been looking for the cause of disease in all the wrong places. Pasteur’s theory has caused over a century-long goose chase looking for the right weapons to destroy the in vogue germ of the day whether it be Bird Flu, Swine Flu, SARS or whatever pandemic the drug companies can think of next. Ultimately what this did was shift all responsibility for health and well-being away from the individual to the medical establishment.

So let me ask you this. If germs are indeed the cause of disease, why does one person exposed to a certain germ develop a disease when someone sitting in the same room does not?

The answer is simple. Germs do not cause disease any more than rats cause a pile of trash. Ask a farmer why a chicken has lice and he’ll tell you it’s a sick chicken. Germs are opportunistic. They are a contributing factor to disease but not the cause. They take advantage of a weak host and proliferate in a weakened system. A strong host, one with a properly functioning nervous system, which controls and regulates the immune system and every other function of the body, will rid itself of germs and not succumb to the attack.

You see, it is entirely up to you. How much sleep are you getting? How much water do you drink each day? Are you consuming several cups of coffee or soda a day? Are you consuming foods that you wouldn’t think of giving your dog? Do you take a food-based multi-vitamin daily? 

Germs should be feared no more than the boogey man. Believe in them and you have something to fear. Believe and have faith in your body’s natural self-healing, self-regulating system and germs will be a moot point. That is, of course, if you accept responsibility for your health and treat your body like the high performance vehicle you really are.

For further reading and empowerment on this subject, check out “The Curse of Louis Pasteur: Why Medicine is not Healing a Sick World” by Nancy Appleton, PhD.

Dr. Steve Tullius, D.C. practices in Grover Beach where his focus is on creating a healthier future by empowering and educating his practice members to become stewards of their health. He can be reached at 481-1566 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .