The body's self-healing ability: the construction site inside you
Over the past few months, I've been diving deeper and deeper into the body's natural ability to heal itself. Both Haro and I have quite a long medical history, and we are still very much in the process of recovery.
That's also why I consciously choose my words: I say we are healing, instead of saying we are "sick". That small shift in language makes a huge difference in how you experience things mentally.
But beyond mindset, I also started looking deeper: what does your body physically need so your cells can actually activate that self-healing ability?
Your body as a construction site
Imagine you want to renovate a house, but the truck with bricks never arrives. The electrician has no cables, and the contractor is standing there empty-handed. That's exactly what happens when we try to activate our self-healing ability without the right micronutrients.
Did you know your body replaces millions of cells every second? Your gut lining renews every 2–4 days. Your red blood cells every 120 days.
For this process to run smoothly, your body needs a solid foundation of:
- Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): for flexible cell membranes (the "doors" of your cells).
- Polyphenols: the protectors that keep oxidative stress at bay.
- Vitamin D3: the conductor of your immune system.
The problem: the gate is locked
You can eat as healthy as you want, but if the "construction site" isn't accessible, nothing happens. Imagine there's a leak (inflammation), but the truck can't enter because the gate is locked.
In your body, your cell membranes are those gates. Due to our modern diet (often high in omega-6), cell membranes can become rigid and less permeable. The good nutrients can't get in, and waste products can't get out. Your self-healing ability gets blocked.
The solution: open the doors
Only when your cell membranes become fluid again can your body do what it's designed to do: heal itself.
I find this incredibly fascinating. It also gives us so much control over our own process. In the next blog post I'll share how you can find out whether your "gates" are currently open… or locked.