German New Medicine
I Stopped Believing in Germ Theory to Improve My Health
Germs get a bad rap, but are they really as predatory as we think? I conquered my fear of the invisible boogey-man inside my child’s nose, and my health is better for it.
A health paradigm called German New Medicine (GNM) helped me stop being scared of things I can’t see.
Ah, cold season. It comes for us all, especially those with tiny human beings sneezing directly into our eyes, or so I thought before discovering GNM, a scientific theory as controversial as it is obscure. I used to feel defeated and hopeless when someone in my family got sick because I took it as a foregone conclusion that I would also get ill, due to the theory of contagion. Developing a body-positive mindset and separating my health from the people around me is helping me stave off illness this cold season.
So far I’ve made it through hosting our large events during the Christmas season without contracting anything yucky from my friends and relations. I attribute this to my new mindset: I refuse to see my body as prey.
Dr. Neal Robert Smookler, a GNM practitioner, describes a conflict shock as a “Biological Catch-22.” It’s an unexpected biological dilemma that threatens an individual’s self-preservation, but that cannot be resolved right now. The body enters “an emergency adaptation response” to aid the psyche in resolving the conflict.
Once the conflict shock is resolved, we experience “healing symptoms” or “disease” in our bodies. These “healing symptoms” are part of what Dr. Hamer calls a Special Biological Program of Nature designed to return our bodies to homeostasis.
Current medical practice views the body as something that constantly needs fixing and plays “whack-a-mole” with disease, seemingly causing another disease by “treating” the first. In contrast, Dr. Hamer stressed that the body has remarkable self-healing capabilities, that it is wise, and that nothing it does is meaningless.
Do Germs Always Mean I’m Going to Get Sick?
Dr. Hamer discovered that colds are the result of a “stink conflict,” i.e., an actual bad smell, a stressful situation (“this stinks!”), separation from a loved one (“losing their scent”), and/or fear of a predator (“needing to sniff out a predator”). A cough stemming from the lung alveoli is the result of a “death-fright conflict,” for example, a situation that “knocks the wind out of you,” or makes you “gasp.”
If this sounds ridiculously literal and cutesy that our bodies would assign smell issues to the nose and “gasp” issues to the lungs, it’s because our bodies are ridiculously literal. This is not the “mind” with all its highfalutin metaphors, this is the “lizard brain” we’re talking about here.
According to GNM, this also means that colds are not contagious! Dr. Hamer states that microscopic germs, rather than being the cause of illness, are the “clean-up crew.” Much like police, they are always on the scene at an accident, but they didn’t cause the crash.
Dr. Hamer isn’t alone in his insistence that bacteria and viruses are nothing to fear. Terrain Theory holds that the issue isn’t pathogens, but toxicity buildup. Even Western medicine, with its zealous overuse of the PCR test during the Covid-19 shutdowns, has glossed over the suspiciously large number of “asymptomatic carries” we’ve uncovered over the past three years. You know, people just chillin’ with some super deadly mini-beasts in their systems, walking around unfazed, often without even knowing!
It’s almost as if the virus doesn’t cause the illness.
While others are arguing over the origins of viruses, the inaccuracy of the PCR test, and whether or not masks, lockdowns, and vaccines are safe or effective, my main takeaway is that I don’t have to get sick from germs!
We can simply coexist, as millions of “asymptomatic carriers” around the world have already attested.
Dr. Melissa Sell, a GNM practitioner, says this on the subject of germs: “Bacteria and microorganisms are ubiquitous and vital aspects of nature. To fear them is to make an enemy of your own body and the whole world.” Dr. Sell describes bacteria, fungi, and other parasites as “microsurgeons” that decompose tissue that is no longer needed.
So, according to GNM, the bacteria and viruses that live inside us are always there, there are more of them inside us than there are people on this earth, and they are there to help clean up the damage from the conflict shock in the affected area of the body.
Bacteria and microorganisms are ubiquitous and vital aspects of nature. To fear them is to make an enemy of your own body and the whole world.
My Experiment
I realized that my fear and hopelessness in the face of the invisible germ predators in my children’s noses were putting me on high alert. After changing my mindset—recognizing when I was overwhelmed, and no longer believing that I must get sick because of a contagion— I stopped getting colds from my kids!
The first time I attempted this thought experiment was back in October, when my family was set to go on a whirlwind weekend road trip to my alma mater for my 10-year homecoming. Everyone knows you get sick after travel. With two preschoolers and a baby piled into the back of a compact car for 12 hours both ways, my husband and I knew that this was going to be hard, but we weren’t going to fight about it.
That mantra, as it turns out, was integral to my success in not getting sick after the road trip.
We calmly cared for kids in meltdown, we took being unable to check into our Airbnb at 1 a.m. in stride, we handled finding a babysitter on campus at the last minute with clear eyes and even tempers, we encouraged each other the whole way. We got home late on Sunday, dog tired, happy for the experience, and happy to be home. After a day of rest—because your body doesn’t initiate the healing symptoms until the conflict is over—my kids started getting the tell-tale runny noses.
But this time, I was prepared. Rather than go down the spiral of contagion fear, I told myself, “This is not my conflict. I handled this trip well. My kids took it rough and they are healing, but I do not need to be afraid of my kids’ boogers.”
Over and over, during the long, full days of caring for them, I reminded myself that I had fun, I was calm, and I don’t need to be afraid. The result was that I didn’t “catch” the sickness, something that has honestly never happened before in my five years of parenting.
Tips for Trying at Home
If you would like to try this thought experiment at home, I’ve compiled some helpful tips:
1. Recognize and reduce overwhelm
This cannot be overstated: Recognizing and removing environmental stressors whether they be things, people, or situations is essential for health. We, as a species, are not meant to be always “on,” always productive, always triggered, always emotional, or always performing. Adopting a good circadian rhythm, getting natural stimulation outdoors, expending physical energy, connecting with family, and eating nutritious food help keep us biologically grounded.
2. Downgrade your problem
If you’re unable to avoid an unexpected stinky, stressful, or predatory situation, like travel mishaps, prying family members over the holidays, or sudden government shutdowns that want to control everything you say, see, and do, try downgrading through partial resolutions, an attitude change, or distractions.
Downgrading should be done both during the conflict and after it has resolved for the best results. For instance, we recently got our hallway painted, and because our house was built in the 1960s we had to use oil paint on the chair molding, a super uncomfortable smell. We opened windows, circulated air, and went outside, but it was impossible to completely avoid the smell as it was drying. According to GNM, our bodies use our emotions as a GPS system to assess threats, so not letting our feelings spiral is actually helpful for our health. I talked to my body, “Yeah, that paint smells pretty bad. It will be over soon. I can move further away and shut the door.”
3. Believe in your body, and stop believing in snot
Dr. Sell says to “Speak empowering words over yourself. My body heals quickly. I’m strong and healthy. I’m good at what I do. I trust myself. Your inner words create your life.”
Protect your mindset. Your mind and your body have more control over your life than you realize, and that includes your health. If you’re looking for a calmer perspective to pandemic hysteria, GNM might be your antidote. Carolin Markolin’s online compilation of Dr. Hamer’s work is incredibly helpful, as is the index of diseases for perusing. If you’re on Facebook, look into Dr. Neal Robert Smookler’s GNM Facebook group. Or go follow Dr. Melissa Sell on Instagram. She’s known for her punchy, perceptive one-liners and makes easy-to-follow YouTube videos.
Protect your mindset. Your mind and your body have more control over your life than you realize, and that includes your health.
Closing Thoughts
Recognizing that my body has a dogged will and unfathomable capability to protect me has turned my understanding of health on its head. As a mom, I can’t help coming into contact with little coughs and baby sneezes, but choosing not to be afraid of them has made the winter a lot more tolerable. While I’m not about to ask someone to cough in my face, I don’t fear respiratory illnesses anymore. Now, my reaction to seeing someone sneeze is empathy, not fright.
