clock for several days before the cells and organs of your body were able to adjust themselves to the new
day and night cycles in that country. Before being your old self again, you might have felt hungry in the
middle of the night, tired in the morning, and totally awake in the early morning hours.
There is one basic rule that applies to the experience of jet lag: For every hour of time difference, you
require one day to adjust your biological rhythms to the circadian rhythm in the particular part of the
world to which you travel. After a maximum of ten days (for a 10-hour time difference), the cellular
functions in your body will return to normal, provided you adhere to the natural cycles of day and night
prevalent at the new location.
Many people in the developed world suffer from the side effects of an “artificial” jet lag in their lives
on a daily basis. They allow other factors such as working conditions, television or social commitments to
dictate to them when they should eat, sleep and wake up, thus disrupting the body’s intimate connection
with nature’s rhythms. This in itself may be one of the most energy-depleting influences of our time. I
strongly recommend to every person who suffers from any health issue to start living in harmony with all
the natural rhythms of the body, to whatever extent possible. This will greatly aid the healing process and
prevent illness from arising in the future. Being in tune with the natural rhythms of life is one of the best
insurance policies for healthy people to remain healthy. All it requires is that you listen to and act upon
the constant messages your body is sending you.
Listen To Your Body, And It Will Keep You Healthy!
Like a switched-on radio receiver, your body continuously receives a vast amount of data and
information from the external world. The earth, stars, sun and all life forms constantly emit radiation,
which your body registers and processes to ensure balanced functioning and a harmonious relationship
with the environment. Everything radiates, including light, warmth, air, earth-electrical fields,
microwaves, magnetic fields, radioactivity and the like In response to all these visible and invisible
influences, your body produces concrete messages, which try to let you know and feel what to do at any
given moment. Sleep, hunger, thirst and any other natural urges or occurrences in your body indicate that
your “radio” is switched on, and you are “in tune” with the natural world. All of us are constantly
challenged to listen to and act on the messages we receive.
When we are no longer in tune with the outer forces, such as the cycles of the sun and moon, we begin
to feel out of balance and perhaps fall ill. This means we need to take more self-responsibility, which
requires a commitment to self, self-appreciation and self-love. These are the qualities that an illness can
help reinforce in us. Most serious diseases result from a poor self-image or feelings of not being worthy.
As with all negative things, there is a positive reason behind disease, that is, to heal us and make us whole
again—not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually. Instead of merely trying to get rid of the
symptoms of a disease, we may instead learn something precious about ourselves and the way we live our
lives. Usually, by dealing with the origin(s) of disease, we accept and appreciate ourselves more than
before.
It is much more convenient to blame a virus for the cold you catch than to acknowledge that irregular
sleeping habits or eating a lot of junk food, and the reasons behind this lifestyle and behavior, may have
something to do with it. To repeat, everything negative has an equally positive opposite hidden within it.
Given the circumstances that you have created for yourself, it actually is not a stroke of bad luck or a form
of punishment that makes you fall ill. All forms of ill health serve as opportunities to learn more about
yourself, your body, your past actions and the way you choose to live your life right now. Illness can lead
you to a heightened state of awareness if you start seeing it as a challenge to move forward in your life
rather than as being only a nuisance.