Welcome back to The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

January 2nd, 2025: Happy New Year from Chiang Rai, Thailand. I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Mine is being spent in a small village outside of the mountain town of Chiang Rai— on a large property with abundant trees, birds, silence, and amazing mountain views.

In today’s edition, I’ll make the case that we should think twice about suppressing symptoms.

After that, a profile of Robert E. Grant and some of his thoughts on the world and spirituality.

Then I’ll include some links to things I’ve found particularly interesting recently.

🤒 The Hidden Cost of Suppressing Symptoms

Modern medicine excels at emergency care and acute interventions, but our current medical paradigm's approach to chronic illness may be fundamentally flawed. The routine suppression of symptoms - from fever to inflammation to emotional distress - might be driving disease deeper into our bodies and creating more serious health issues down the line. Understanding this concept requires us to challenge some basic assumptions about health and healing.

The Natural Purpose of Symptoms

Symptoms aren't simply inconveniences to be eliminated - they're often crucial aspects of our body's healing process. Dr. Alexander Wunsch explains this fundamental principle: "Inflammation is the only way for the body to repair tissue... there is no tissue repair possible without controlled inflammation." When we suppress these natural healing responses, we interrupt essential biological processes.

This interruption can have serious consequences. As Wunsch elaborates, "Removing the signs of inflammation prepares the pathway into degeneration because degeneration is the endpoint of a lack of repair." This insight challenges our common practice of immediately suppressing any inflammatory response with medications.

The Progression of Disease: Acute vs. Chronic

Understanding the difference between acute and chronic conditions is paramount. Acute symptoms often represent the body's active attempt to heal, while chronic conditions can indicate that this natural healing process has been interrupted or suppressed.

Dr. Harvey Bigelsen explains this progression in his research: "All disease begins with an acute response. Acute disease is either bacterial or viral... Chronic disease is a fungal adaptation." This progression isn't random - it follows a predictable pattern when natural healing processes are suppressed.

The Intensification Phase

One of the least understood aspects of natural healing is that symptoms may need to intensify before they resolve. This concept, sometimes known as a healing crisis, suggests that temporary symptom intensification can be a positive sign of deeper healing.

Dr. Wunsch notes that "in integrative medicine... the first phase often involves an increase of symptoms, especially when someone is suffering from a chronic disorder." This is particularly important because many people interpret worsening symptoms as a treatment failure, leading them to suppress symptoms even more aggressively.

The Endobiont Concept and Adaptive Response

Endobionts are organisms that live within the body or cells of another organism, forming symbiotic relationships that affect health and disease. While this biological concept has been known for decades - for instance, mitochondria were once free-living bacteria that became cellular endobionts about 2.2 billion years ago - Bigelsen's work brings new insight into how these relationships affect chronic disease.

According to Bigelsen, "The 'germ' is an adaptation of the endobiont... The endobiont cannot die; it simply adapts." This adaptation process is key to understanding how disease develops when we suppress symptoms. As he explains, "What regulates the body's immunity? The very same microorganism observed by Béchamp, Bernard and others: Our friend, the endobiont. The endobiont's ability to adapt to conditions in the host terrain (body) enables symbiosis—peaceful, beneficial coexistence."

This understanding aligns with modern microbiome research. We now know that human cells are outnumbered by microbial cells in our bodies, and these microorganisms play crucial roles in:

• Immune system regulation

• Nutrient absorption and metabolism

• Protection against pathogenic organisms

• Hormone production and regulation

When we suppress symptoms through various interventions, we alter the environment these organisms live in. Bigelsen observed that disease progression follows a specific pattern: "All disease begins with an acute response. Acute disease is either bacterial or viral. A virus or viral disease is a higher valence adaptation of the endobiont. Chronic disease is a fungal adaptation."

This progression helps explain why suppressing acute symptoms often leads to chronic conditions. When we use antibiotics, for instance, we're not just killing harmful bacteria - we're fundamentally altering the terrain in which our endobiont communities exist. As Bigelsen notes, "We can use all that medical science has to offer to destroy symptoms, but ultimately, we must address the terrain if we want the body to heal."

Recent research supports this perspective. Studies have shown that early-life antibiotic exposure can lead to long-term metabolic changes and increased disease susceptibility by altering our microbial communities. A 2018 study in Nature Communications demonstrated how antibiotic use in infancy can create lasting changes in gut bacteria composition, potentially contributing to various health issues years later.

The endobiont concept helps us understand why:

1. Suppressing symptoms often leads to chronic conditions

2. Disease can appear to "move" from one system to another

3. Addressing the terrain (internal environment) is crucial for healing

4. Quick fixes often lead to longer-term health issues

The Problem with Corticosteroids: A Case Study in Suppression

Corticosteroids provide a perfect example of how symptom suppression can lead to longer-term health issues. While these medications can provide rapid relief from inflammation, their long-term use often creates new problems.

Dr. Wunsch explains the mechanism: "Corticoids remove the inflammation... but in many cases inflammation is the only way for the body to repair tissue." He further notes that by removing inflammation, we're not just masking symptoms - we're actively preventing necessary tissue repair.

Research supports this concern. A 2020 study in Rheumatology International found that long-term corticosteroid use was associated with increased risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other serious conditions. The short-term relief comes at a significant long-term cost.

The Time Factor in Healing

One of the most important yet overlooked aspects of healing is time. Dr. Wunsch emphasizes that "if a disorder developed over time let's say 5, 10, 20, 30 years you should never expect to bring back the system within a few days or so."

This patience is particularly crucial when dealing with chronic conditions. Natural healing processes often require:

• Time for the body to mobilize resources

• Periods of symptom intensification

• Gradual resolution of underlying issues

• Support rather than suppression of healing responses

The Terrain Theory Revisited

The concept of "terrain" - our internal biological environment - provides a framework for understanding why suppressing symptoms can be problematic. As Bigelsen notes, "Disease is a product of its terrain. Terrain is the underlying field."

Modern research supports this perspective. Studies in immunology and the microbiome show that our internal environment plays a crucial role in health and disease. Factors that influence our terrain include:

• Nutrition status

• Stress levels

• Sleep quality

• Environmental toxin exposure

• Emotional well-being

The Role of Emotional Suppression

The suppression of emotional responses can be just as damaging as the suppression of physical symptoms. Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer's German New Medicine provides a framework for understanding how emotional conflicts and their suppression can manifest as physical disease.

Hamer's research documented specific relationships between emotional traumas and disease manifestations, showing how unresolved emotional conflicts can create specific patterns of illness. This work has been supported by modern psychoneuroimmunology research showing direct connections between emotional stress and physical health outcomes.

A New Approach to Healing

Instead of automatically suppressing symptoms, we need a more nuanced approach that considers:

1. Whether the symptom represents a healing response

2. The appropriate timeline for resolution

3. Supporting rather than suppressing natural healing processes

4. Addressing underlying terrain issues

Supporting Natural Healing

Practical steps for supporting rather than suppressing healing include:

1. Understanding symptoms as information

• What is your body trying to accomplish?

• Is this an acute or chronic situation?

• What underlying factors might be contributing?

2. Supporting the healing environment

• Ensuring adequate rest

• Providing appropriate nutrition

• Managing stress levels

• Addressing emotional factors

3. Working with appropriate timelines

• Allowing acute conditions to resolve naturally when safe

• Understanding that chronic conditions require longer healing periods

• Recognizing that symptom intensification may be part of healing

When Suppression May Be Necessary

It's important to acknowledge that symptom suppression isn't always wrong. In certain situations, particularly acute emergencies or when symptoms are dangerous or unbearable, suppressive treatments may be necessary. The key is understanding the potential long-term consequences and making informed decisions about when suppression is truly needed.

The evidence suggests that our current medical paradigm of routine symptom suppression may be contributing to the rise in chronic diseases. By understanding how suppression can drive disease deeper into the organism and learning to support rather than suppress our body's natural healing processes, we may be able to achieve better long-term health outcomes.

This doesn't mean rejecting all modern medical interventions, but rather developing a more sophisticated understanding of when to suppress symptoms and when to support natural healing processes. The future of medicine likely lies in finding this balance - combining the best of modern medical knowledge with a deeper understanding of the body's innate healing capabilities.

🧍‍♂️ Robert Edward Grant

Robert Edward Grant is a mathematician, inventor, and spiritual philosopher known for exploring the intersection of ancient wisdom, sacred geometry, physics, and consciousness. He has given presentations at institutions including the Vatican and various scientific organizations, bringing together mathematical principles with metaphysical concepts.

His current work focuses on what he calls "the mathematics of divine love," exploring how mathematical patterns might help us understand consciousness and our relationship with the universe.

I found a recent podcast episode where Grant was interviewed to be full of gems that I’d like to share here:

On the Nature of Reality and Consciousness:

• We are "dimensionally limited avatars" experiencing reality through our current level of perception

• Our brains are "radio receivers" and our heart is the "tuning dial" - we can tune into different frequencies of future states and timelines

• The universe is mental - we live in a "u-inverse" of our own creation

• We are all divisions of "the one" source creator, divided so it can perceive itself through our unique perspectives

On Purpose and Learning:

• We're here to learn all the nuances and aspects of love through subjective experience

• The universe exists for us to understand itself through our unique perspectives

• Each person serves as a "validator node" contributing their unique experiences and perceptions

• We learn through experiencing opposites - to learn unconditional love, we must experience conditional love and betrayal

On Authenticity and Shadow Work:

• Authenticity is critical to awakening - we must confront and embrace our own darkness

• Until we accept our darkness, we'll keep projecting and judging it in the world around us

• What we judge negatively in others reflects what we can't accept in ourselves

• We must integrate our shadow aspects to achieve authentic love

On the Nature of Reality:

• Everything we perceive as chaos or randomness is actually just pattern we can't yet perceive

• There's no such thing as absolute nothingness - even in vacuum, something emerges

• The universe is entirely ordered, we just can't always perceive the patterns

• What limits our perception is our own judgment and inability to see aspects of ourselves

Cool Perspectives:

• "The heart never really breaks, it only expands. It's the ego that breaks."

• "We don't get what we deserve in life, we get what we believe we're going to get."

• "Fall completely in love with yourself and the world as it is."

• "The only real obstacles in life are the ones we persistently believe in."

• "Everything that happens is not happening to us, but for us."

For more on Grant, you can check out his YouTube channel, his Instagram, and his books.

𝕏 Thread of the Week

🥛 Calcium Protects Against Cadmium Toxicity: This study explores the relationship between dietary calcium intake and cadmium toxicity in the body. The research reveals that insufficient calcium in the diet leads to increased absorption and accumulation of cadmium, enhancing its toxic effects. Conversely, a high calcium intake protects against cadmium absorption, accumulation, and toxicity. Ensuring adequate calcium intake through diet or supplementation can serve as a protective measure against cadmium toxicity, particularly for individuals at risk of exposure. Since cadmium toxicity has serious negative effects, it is worth knowing how increasing calcium intake can help, especially if you live in any of the orange or red areas of this map:

🦵 The Hip, Shoulder, and Knee Are Connected: This prospective study examined 125 high school baseball pitchers to investigate the relationship between hip joint mobility and shoulder/elbow injuries. The research found that pitchers with limited external rotation range of motion in their plant-leg hip (when flexed at 90°) were more likely to develop shoulder or elbow injuries. Of the participants, 11 pitchers (9%) experienced injuries lasting 8 or more days during the season, suggesting hip mobility could be a risk factor for upper body injuries. In short, that shoulder issue you have could actually be stemming from poor hip mobility.

💰 America's Private Health Insurance Monopoly: This video from Scott Carney is a comprehensive analysis that reveals how America's healthcare system transformed from direct doctor-patient payments into today's complex insurance monopolies. The key shift occurred post-WWII when employer-provided health insurance became standard, creating powerful middlemen who drive up costs while diminishing care quality. Carney highlights how this system has reached a breaking point, exemplified by UnitedHealthcare's $22 billion profit last year and their 30% claim denial rate. While discussing alternatives like health-sharing programs, he discusses the growing public frustration with a system that prioritizes profits over patient care.

🔗 One Hitters

🎙️ Weird Performance Enhancing Supplements That Work With Jay Campbell (Podcast)

📚 Library Genesis: massive file sharing site that provides free access to millions of academic articles and books (Link)

🧠 Top foods and supplements for brain health (Video)

😤 Why grinding 24/7 is the worse advice you will ever hear (Video)

📚 Read my e-book, “Self-Development for Authentic Living” for free.

🔗 If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, send them this link!

📰 To read all past newsletters, go here.