Self-Referral is the Basis of Life Itself

“Anything we notice in our lives has meaning for us - whether or not we do anything about these things is up to us.” - RICHARD BACH

Since you have been reading this series of essays, you should have a pretty good idea of what the term Self-Referral means. The idea of Self-Referral is simple: The brain has certain set-points that it uses to maintain normal body function. Nearly all body operations operate governed by Self-Referral. It is the gap between normal Self-Referral and its breakdown that causes the aging process and disease.

Because of this, we must reexamine fundamental assumptions in medical care. In the medical field, there is far too much focus on DISEASE and how to FIGHT DISEASE. What about HEALTH? Can we better identify and understand HEALTH, and through that better understanding, make a medical care model that is better than what we have now? We must somehow include Self-Referral in all of this. How do we clarify our thinking about this?

Self-Referral is the Basis of Life

I have recently published the book Self-Referral/Maximum Health. The central thesis is that Self-Referral is the body’s ability to govern itself. This is a simple yet complex communication that goes on between the brain and the body.

Self-Referral truly is the basis of life because interruption of it automatically creates disease – and even death. If our blood pressure gets too high or too low, disease results – and if it is bad enough it will kill us. Self-Referral is an idea - a principle that creates and maintains balance – and, through that balance, creates health and prevents disease. This is why Self-Referral is literally the arbiter of health or disease, life or death.

One such mechanism of Self-Referral is how our eyes respond to light. When the sun gets bright, we squint to protect our eyes. Our pupils squeeze down to a pinpoint to keep bright light out. If light becomes dim, our eyes open wider. Our pupils dilate to allow more light in dim surroundings.

Here we see a glimpse of Self-Referral. To illustrate the automatic nature of Self-Referral, consider this: how often did you blink your eyes while you read this page? Did you once have to think, “when did I last blink? Are my eyes getting dry? Should I blink to moisten them?” These mechanisms require no act of will; they are spontaneous and do not demand planning.

Many other body functions operate without conscious effort. We do not think to keep our heart beating or to breathe. We need no conscious effort to digest food or produce urine. These processes are natural and automatic. They require no effort or thinking. These body mechanisms take care of themselves. This is how Self-Referral works – and Self-Referral is truly the basis of life.

When we want to identify Self-Referral in the body, all we need to do is examine all processes that we depend on for life. This includes the obvious – regular heart at the right speed, blood pressure in normal range, ability to think and speak, and breathing easily. If you can think of such a process, Self-Referral doubtlessly lies behind it. We will be looking into this in subsequent essays. Remember - hold fast, stand firm, and persevere!