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This Is a Shame-Free Zone, or "I Get It, I Feel With You, and I’ve Been There"
When you walk into either of the Wellness of Life locations, be it in East Sacramento or in Davis, you should feel the warmth and grace of our motto: "We do everything with love." This is a shame-free zone, and as shame researcher Brene Brown tells us in her best-selling book The Gifts of Imperfection, what that really means is, "We get it. We feel with you. We’ve been there." Whether you are a model of health and fitness, are just mustering up the courage to begin a new wellness program, or are a veteran yo-yo dieter like myself, you are so very welcome here.
Few areas of the body carry with them as much shame, fear, and ignorance as the digestive tract, yet philosophers and doctors from the ancients to the present can locate no greater source of health (or illness) in the body than what we put into and how we care for these precious digestive organs. We also carry a "second brain" in the gut, a cluster of nerves that researchers are just now beginning to understand as a source not only of a secondary nervous system, but of many of the feelings we often refer to as our "intuition." So why are only 5% of most doctors’ training hours devoted to studying nutrition and how it relates to digestive health? And why are so many people in the dark about how to care for this part of the body until they are headed in for their first colonoscopy?
It has to do with shame, both physical and emotional. For the two are not separate. They are one.
Which means that caring for this part of the body begins not only with how we nourish ourselves physically, which would ideally include healthy eating, exercise, and a regular cleansing program that includes colonic hydrotherapy. It also begins with how we nourish ourselves emotionally and spiritually.
This means that, when we begin any health-promoting program, such as Wellness of Life’s upcoming "30 Day Happy Holiday Challenge," it is important to do so with an attitude of deep self-love and acceptance.
The truth is, we are all whole and perfect right now, here, in this very moment. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax. This is life. We are here for it. The sun is shining, or not. We are slender and healthy, or not. We have cancer, or not. This is it.
All deep, lasting change comes from this understanding that, as the spiritual teacher Byron Katie reminds us, the only thing wrong with this very moment is the story we’re making up about it in our heads. How do we know that our current challenges aren’t the gateway into a whole new life, much better than the old one? How do we know that the story we’re living and hating right now isn’t exactly the story that someone else will need to hear, ten years down the road, in order to muster up the courage to start making some positive and perhaps even life-saving course adjustments in their own journey? The answer is, we don’t. We just don’t know. And to pretend that we do is the very essence of arrogance.
Self-love, and love for this very moment is, by contrast, the very essence of humility. Are we brave enough to start loving and accepting this very body and this very moment right now?
As we venture together into the holiday season, a season of love and togetherness and also of many parties, many photographs, and many pressures to "show up" in ways that may or may not feel authentic to us, can we join hands in agreeing that, no matter how many Christmas cookies we eat, no matter if last year’s dress fits nicely this year or not, no matter if we get grumpy with Old Aunt May or not, we will pay attention to how we feel, take a moment to be still with ourselves, and remember that we are whole and perfect, right here and right now?
Can we all agree that the best foundation we can lay for improving our health lies in loving ourselves, right here, right now?
Wellness of Life founder and owner Angela Harris knows this, and this is why I’ve chosen to invest in expanding her business to include its new Davis location. Whether I’ve strayed from my healthy eating plan and my pants don’t fit or I’m running marathons and reveling in my body’s strength and power, Angela loves me – and all of us – unconditionally.
Welcome to Wellness of Life’s new newsletter, and welcome to your whole, perfect self. As meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche used to tell his students, "You are all whole and perfect. And you could use a little work. Let’s get busy!"
– Ellen Anderson Holt, Partner, Wellness of Life, Inc.
Category : Blog
Digestion begins with your mind
Contrary to popular belief, digestion begins in the brain and not the mouth. The sheer power of your thoughts, directed towards the foods you choose to consume, activate salivation and enzyme production in your mouth.
So, if our thoughts are powerful enough to activate the digestion process then could they also influence the way in which my body receives the food? Absolutely! Anger, fear, and stress are harmful emotions that cause biochemical changes and challenge the body’s efforts to maintain a balanced internal environment. When we allow poor quality thoughts to permeate our thinking, it triggers an area of the brain called the amygdala ( the brain’s central regulator of fear) which is directly linked to the stomach. Our thoughts have a direct impact on our digestion!
The emergence of negative thoughts sends a flood of toxic chemicals circulating throughout our bloodstream for approximately 72 hours. It is vital that we neutralize these thoughts and let them go, because holding onto negative emotions destroys optimal health.
Physical Symptoms of toxic thought:
- Exhaustion, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, aches/pains, decreased sex drive, constipation, weight loss, weight gain, and menstrual irregularities.
Behavioral Symptoms of toxic thought:
- Indecisive, difficulty setting goals and following through, inability to focus, low self-esteem, lack of self-respect and shyness.
Emotional Symptoms of toxic thought:
- Apathy, guilt, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, unrealistic fear, depression, pessimism, and suicidal thoughts.
Proverbs 17:1 says: “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.”
Control your thoughts, control your health
How do you neutralize negative thoughts? You make a conscious decision to stop focusing and/or reminiscing on the negative and replace it with thoughts of love, gratefulness, peace and harmony. Changing the direction of our thoughts directly effects the amygdala, which is activated by negative emotions, to switch off and allow the septum, which is directly connected to the heart, to light up and dispel the negative emotional toxins. You control your thoughts and whether they will serve you in a beneficial or hurtful manner.
Your gut is a second brain
In the beginning, I pointed out that digestion begins in the brain and originates from an individual’s thoughts and the emotions surrounding those thoughts play a significant role in the ability to digest effectively. This leads to the inevitable question – what is the relationship between the gut and brain?
Neurogastroenterology is the study of the brain, the gut and their interaction with relevance to the understanding and managing of gastrointestinal motility. Emphasis is placed on the upward (sensory) and downward (motor) neural connection, and also on endocrine influences on gut function. The Professor and Chair of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia, Michael Gershon, discovered nerve cells in the gut that act as a brain. The more technical term for his discovery was referred to as the Enteric Nervous System. “The gut can work independently of any control by the brain in your head – it’s functioning as a second brain.” Gershon determined that the brain in our head and the other in our gut must cooperate and if they were out of sync, chaos would erupt in the gut and misery in the head. The work of Gershon has shown that the ENS can work all on its own, without any input from the brain, to control the movement and absorption of food scattered throughout the intestines. All other body organs are dependent on the brain which stands on the dais above the neck.
The gut communicates with the brain
I have no doubt we have all heard naysayers declare, “It is all in your head!” But, is it really? Gershon recognized that, ” In fact, if you cut the vagus nerve- the major nerve between the brain and gut- the gut would soldier on”. During his extensive studying over a period of three decades, Gershon estimated that our second brain system is home to 100 million neurons (as many as the spinal cord) and approximately 40 neurotransmitters (equal to the number we have in our brain).
Jane Foster, a Canadian neuroscientist found that there is continual cross talk between gut bacteria and the brain, beginning from birth to this present moment and beyond. She makes the case that communication plays a significant role in shaping the wiring of the brain. This continual communication becomes more astounding when you recognize that 90% of serotonin produced in the body is located in the gut. This “feel good hormone” is a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating appetite, sex, sleep, relaxation and mood. Neurotransmitters are effectively brain chemicals that communicate information throughout your brain and body.
Foods that increase serotonin levels:
- Pineapple, avocados, asparagus, spinach, pecans, eggplant, walnuts, oats, bananas, flaxseed, turkey, wild salmon, sardines, cocoa and coffee.
Intestinal health influencing mental health?
Now, if our thoughts activate the digestion process and the quality of our thoughts directly affects our body’s ability to digest effectively, is there a link between our intestinal environment influencing our mental health?
The simple answer is YES! The condition of our intestinal ecosystem is essential to the quality of our overall health. It has been estimated that over 10,000 different types of bacteria live inside your second brain. Most of the bacteria is beneficial but when the bad bacteria overpowers and overpopulates the good bacteria, it creates an intestinal nightmare. Our gut requires a balance – too much of one bacteria or too little of another can negatively impinge on the status of our internal environment.
Food choices begin to matter when we realize the implication they have on our entire well-being. Facing the decision to choose between the highly processed chocolate bar or organic avocado – it is important to remember both choices will influence your digestive tract very differently, send opposite signals to your brain and directly affect your outward demeanor.
When our intestinal environment is balanced with no evidence of putrification or autointoxication, we can enjoy whole body health from a mental, emotional, and physical state.
Conclusion:
The power of your thoughts is related to the success of the digestion process as the gut and brain relate to each other, but yet work independent of each other; however, in order to achieve a harmonious internal environment, both must be cooperating as one.
Blog post courtesy of Emily Hart @ Mind-Body Connection
Photo courtesy of http://www.freeimages.co.uk/
Category : Blog
A cheap, simple, natural health remedy
One of the simplest health remedies you can start implementing in your diet is lemon water. Believe it or not, lemon water has many positive effects on the body.
In order to promote a healthy body, drinking a glass of water with some lemon juice will provide you with a wide array or health benefits. Think of it as a healthy alternative to your morning coffee, or kick your soda habit and replace it with lemon water.
How lemon juice heals
When thinking about lemons and pH, many people may assume that the pH of a lemon would be acidic since lemons are full of citric acid. But actually lemon juice is metabolized to create an alkalizing effect on the body. If you want, you can think about it this way. You eat food to energize your body. The energy in your food comes from atoms, and molecules of energy. The molecules of energy are charged positively and negatively. Lemons are considered to be anionic with more negatively charged electrons than positively charged electrons. Lemons are one of the few foods in the world that actually have more negatively charged electrons than positively charged electrons.
This is significant because many of your bodily fluids are negatively charged. Saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile, and your stomachs other digestive juices are anionic. So when you are drinking lemon juice, you are drinking something that helps your body and works harmony with it.
Full of bioflavonoids
Lemons are a great source of antioxidants. Interestingly lemons are naturally full of vitamin C, and they are also a great source of citrus bioflavonoids which some people are calling Vitamin P. Researchers have discovered that bioflavonoids, or Vitamin P, works complementary together with Vitamin C to enhance the antioxidant capabilities of Vitamin C.
The bioflavonoids help improve the capillary permeability and overall blood flow which is significant for oxygenating tissues and maintaining normal blood pressure. Bioflavonoids have also been shown to be anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-ageing, and promote function in the circulatory system. It is really quite fascinating that lemon juice naturally has these components, Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids, which work complementary to each other to bring your body healing power.
10 more significant health benefits
Because of the unique way lemons juice is metabolized by the body, there are many positive effects.
- Aids in digestion, its anionic nature makes it similar to saliva and digestive juices
- Lemon water helps relieve heartburn, bloating, and belching.
- Helps relieve dry mouth, increases saliva production
- Drinking lemon water regularly helps aid your bowels eliminate waste more efficiently
- Improves liver function, helps liver produce more enzymes
- Lowers blood pressure
- High in potassium, calcium, magnesium
- A great skin cleanser
- Lemon juice is antiviral, antibacterial, and immune boosting
- Reduces hunger cravings
Add lemon water to your routine
With so many health benefits, how could you not want to include lemon water into your routine? The best thing about this natural remedy is that it is cheap, and extremely easy.
In order to get the best affect, it’s recommended that you drink a glass of water with lemon juice when you first wake up. You can do this any way you’d like. Squeeze half a lemon in your water, add some lemon juice, or make a pitch of water with lemons in it.
Blog post courtesy of Alex West at Nutrition Volition
Category : Blog
