Solutions For Living Well

Control Anxiety With Food

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 00:01:00 +0000

In our country today, anxiety has passed depression as the number one mental health issue. As shown in the chart above, 18.1% of the US Adult population suffers from some sort of anxiety. Out of that population, 22.8% of the cases are classified as severe. Severe anxiety can result in not only feelings of heightened anxiety, but in panic attacks as well. The most used treatments revolve around medications which suppress the feelings of anxiety rather than dealing with any underlying causes for the anxiety.

Depression, whether it is one episode or recurring episodes, effects 6.9% of the population overall, and according to the National Institute of Mental Health, effects more females than males.

Depression can appear in different ways between the sexes, so in my opinion, it is debatable as to whether males suffer less depression. Male depression can exhibit in agitation, anger and frustration as well as somber mood and hopelessness. Unless a practitioner understands that, males may go untreated and are therefore not included in these statistics. Individuals with anxiety can also struggle with bouts of depression and vice versa.

How did we get to this place? In my opinion there may be several reasons. First, lack of personal identity is rampant in our society. We are taught that we are what we do. Whatever role we have, becomes who we are and when that role ceases, we become lost. We are told that a person has no value unless they are successful, nice looking, financially stable or hold a job with a distinguishable title. In order to achieve a feeling of worth and value, we tend to perform, work harder, do more and try our best to achieve that successful image. That lifestyle is very stressful and individuals tend to burnout after awhile.

Second, we are just too busy. People have sacrificed play time, rest time and face to face interaction with others for activities, social media and time in front of numerous screens. These screens, whether they be computers, iPads, or phones, tend to stimulate the brain in ways that interfere with good sleep patterns. especially if we look at them up until the time we go to bed.

Busyness interferes with our eating patterns as well. We catch a quick bite of something as we head out the door and eat it in the car on the way to dropping our kids off at school before work. We have traded the relatively peaceful breakfast, lunch and dinner at the family table for Starbucks and fast food. That takes a toll on what our bodies can handle.

So, how does food help us deal with anxiety? It helps to provide our brain with enough consistent glucose so it is able to function well. If we eat mostly or all carbohydrates at our meals, our brain has a good supply of glucose for 1.5 -2 hours after the meal. If we don't eat again for 4 or 5 hours, the glucose supply becomes low and our brain becomes concerned. According to Kristen Allot ND, "In order to continue to function well, the brain will tell the kidneys to release adrenaline in order to increase blood glucose. Although the brain now has some fuel, the amygdala has been stimulated by adrenaline. This can cause your concerns or irritations to become amplified into anxiety or anger." Usually, when adrenaline is released, there is a reason. We need it to function, to do something physically. When adrenaline is used to feed the brain, it is still in the system because it doesn't get used up with physical exertion and then contributes to anxiety levels.

It is interesting to understand that the symptoms of Anxiety or Anger are very similar to the signs for Hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can occur whenever our blood sugar levels drop. Often we think we have problems with anxiety, when we may not be eating enough protein with our meals, or eating often enough so that our brains have the fuel needed to function without adrenaline release. When a person eats at least 21 grams of protein with their main meals and eats at least every 4 hours, they should notice a decrease in anxiety. If meals cannot be eaten every 4 hours, then a snack with carbs and protein should be eaten in order to keep the body functioning well. Many of my clients notice a difference within 24 hours. Before modifying their eating habits, I often ask them to keep a food journal over 3-4 days. They note what they have eaten, when they have eaten and when their anxiety levels or anger issues increase. They often notice a change in their emotional health if they have gone two to four hours without eating and their previous meal was mostly carbohydrates.

Finally, if you have a snack before bed, just make sure it isn't sugary or full of carbohydrates. Again, give your body a dose of protein with your carbs and you may find that you sleep better.

What are some healthy protein sources? Quinoa has 11 grams of protein per half cup. Refried beans have 8 grams per half cup. A quarter cup of nuts has 8 grams of protein and 2 T of nut butter has the same. Seed butter, such as sunflower seed butter has 5 grams of protein per 2 T serving. Greek yogurt and pumpkin seeds are a good snack with plenty of protein as well as cottage cheese that has 12 grams per half cup. If you like eggs for breakfast, bear in mind that each egg only has 7 grams of protein so if you are shooting for 21 grams at breakfast, you either need 3 eggs or another source of protein with them. 3 ounces of wild fish, chicken, turkey, beef or pork will supply you with 21 grams of protein as well.

In closing, just a note. You don't see me adding soy to the list of healthy proteins. I don't recommend soy because it can create so many issues due to its estrogen content. Soy is not the best protein to eat, in my opinion. It is difficult to change your diet all at once, so give yourself some grace when starting a transition of this kind. You may find it difficult to begin to eat healthier so try one meal at a time. If you aren't a breakfast eater, try introducing the morning meal with a protein shake. These kinds of transitions need to fit into your lifestyle and food preferences or they don't work. The most important rule of thumb is to make sure you space your meals and snacks about 4 hours apart and make sure they contain at least 21 grams of protein for main meals and 6-7 grams of protein for snacks. You should see a drop in your anxiety level if you implement these simple practices.

Making a Case For Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:56:00 +0000

It seems that the world is getting busier, people have less time and we are constantly being challenged to become more efficient and get more things done in a shorter amount of time. As a result, stress has become a legitimate health concern. As many of us have discovered, stress and anxiety are not only problematic to our emotional lives, but in addition are destructive to our physical well being.

As a large number of natural health professionals have discovered, many of the physical ailments we contract have their roots in emotional distress. According to Dr. A.F. Beddoe, "our thoughts and emotions combine to form vibrations - frequencies - our 'line of resistance'. Our thoughts, mingled with either love or fear, will create our experiences that will then manifest in our lives physically, mentally, and spiritually, either as health or dis-ease." He goes on to state in his book "Biologic Ionization As Applied to Human Nutrition" that 80% of all illness begins with holding on to negative emotion. Negative emotion tends to create a more acidic environment in the body which leads to disease and the breakdown of healthy physical functioning. In essence, it isn't the exterior circumstances that create the stress, it is what we think about the exterior circumstances that creates stress. This is not to say that a person cannot push themselves beyond their physical limitations, creating stress from exhaustion. However, on many levels we tend to emotionally respond to life which often produces stress if those emotions are based on fear.

Love and fear are the basic motivators in life. Fear puts the body into fight or flight mode, releasing adrenaline and noradrenalin. These chemicals contract muscles as well as activate the sympathetic nervous system. When a person lives in even a low level of fear consistently, the body responds as if there is a consistent threat. Eventually we reach a level of adrenal fatigue, the body is no longer able to counteract the effects and we become tired, depressed and irritable. Over time, our neural net reacts to this chemistry by creating more receptor sites to accommodate the excess negative chemistry. As a result, when those neurotransmitters are not available we can be agitated in a similar way an addict is agitated when their drug of choice is not present in the body. In essence, we become addicted to our own body chemistry.

Love, on the other hand tends to enhance the emotional states of joy, happiness and well-being. When we are happy, we are not anxious. Our bodies are producing more calming types of chemicals such as PEA and Dopamine, and our cortisol levels are lower. When we are calm, thought processes are more coherent, we make better decisions and our bodies are not working so hard to maintain balance. Many people find this a much more desirable state in which to live. Additionally, the science of Positive Psychology confirms that happier people are more productive, live longer and have a healthier quality of life.

So, you ask....how do I live a more peaceful life? The short answer is balance. Everything in nature, including human beings, is designed to live in a state of balance. Our work life, family life, spiritual life, pleasure and rest all must balance out. If we rob from one area to give time to another area, we will pay the consequences by not receiving the full benefit from the area we have robbed. For example, if we rob from our time of rest to give to our time of work, our body will pay the price over time. If we spend too much time in pleasurable activities our work life and family life may suffer. Each time we make a decision to be out of balance, there are consequences.

If you are plagued by stress or anxiety, it would serve you well to take a look at your life and determine where you are out of balance:

· What makes you happy? If you are not including in your life the things that make you happy, you are not in balance.

· Look at your relationships. How many toxic people are in your life? You may want to make some changes

· How many hours a week are you working and for what return? Your life is worth investing in areas that will bring you the highest return...whether that be financially or emotionally.

· Are you resting? Down time gives us the opportunity to rejuvenate, both physically and emotionally. It is not an option.

Learn to take care of yourself and the result will be a happier, more productive and more peaceful life.

Being Calm Has Its Advantages

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia
A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy and wrath are as rottenness of the bones. Proverbs 14:30

It is interesting to note that there are many references in the bible to remaining calm. As a matter of health, stress and anxiety are very destructive to our physical well being. But one thing I find interesting here, beyond the idea of the effects of these emotions, is that the scripture makes a differentiation between having a calm and undisturbed mind as well as a calm and undisturbed heart.

If we look at the research that the HeartMath Institute has provided regarding the heart and mind, they found it very clear that the heart and mind are separate in function. They also have indicated that the heart has a "mini brain". It contains at least 40,000 neurons. It also has the capacity to control the brain rather than the brain controlling the heart. Electromagnetically speaking, the heart is much more powerful than the brain. This is one of the reasons that we find we can change our mind rather easily, but deep, heartfelt belief systems are much more difficult to change.

As this scripture tells us to make sure that we not only calm our stress levels with regard to our minds and hearts, it also tells us several emotions that have an effect on our bones. Envy, jealousy and anger have detrimental effects on our physical well being. Why? Dr. A.F. Beddoe states in his book "Biologic Ionization As Applied to Human Nutrition" that 80% of all illness begins with holding on to negative emotion. Negative emotion tends to create a more acidic environment in the body which leads to disease and the breakdown of healthy physical functioning. In this case, the Word specifies the bones.

We must always remember that we were created by a wise and compassionate Creator. In His instruction book, he would not leave out instructions pertaining to the health and functioning of the wonderful and complex physical bodies that he provided us with.

Soy Is Not Your Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaAlthough I once thought soy was a great alternative to meat products which often contribute to high cholesterol and other health problems, I have since decided that soy is not the protein substitute I thought it was. Having had some health issues that may have been linked to an increased soy intake, I decided to do some additional research on the subject and not take conventional wisdom and the idea that everyone in Asia eats soy and has no problems with it. What I found is that although people in Japan and China eat soy, they don't eat it in mega doses and they don't tend to eat it in the same form that we do in the West. The kicker for me was when I read that infant formulations containing soy are akin to giving your infant five birth control pills a day....information put out by the Weston A Price Foundation by the way. This kind of information tends to make one pause and reconsider the idea that soy may be beneficial in the ways that we are ingesting here.

Soy is in everything these days, from infant formula to coffee creamers to meat substitutes. We were told it was a safe product, that it is a miracle food and that we can eat it without thought to any side effects. However, I would caution any woman whose body tends to grow extraneous things like cysts, growths, tumors or the like....do your homework on soy and decide for yourself whether it is something you want to be eating. WAP indicates that soy inhibits pancreatic function and what happens when our pancreas doesn't work right? You got it....blood sugar issues. It also increases our need for Vitamin D which many people don't get a lot of as it is.

Image via WikipediaSo, in defense of my stance to nary let another soy product pass my lips, I will offer you the following information - again put out by the Weston A Price Foundation. As you read through the following material, pay close attention to the information indicating that soy actually blocks the uptake of certain B vitamins and lowers testosterone levels which is of concern to both men and women:

Myths & Truths About Soy

Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.

Truth: Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soy beans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari.

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.

Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.

Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.

Truth: Like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine.

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B₁₂ in vegetarian diets.

Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B₁₂ in soy cannot be used by the human body; in fact, soyfoods cause the body to require more B₁₂

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.

Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.

Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—notsoy foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.

Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.

Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol improves one's risk of having heart disease.

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.

Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.

Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause.

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.

Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.

Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS status for soyisoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.

Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu to their husbands frequently when they want to reduce his virility.

Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment.

Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soy beans are good for developing nations.

Truth: In third world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to multinational corporations.

Soy Infant Formula: Birth Control Pills for Babies

Babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day.

Male infants undergo a "testosterone surge" during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of their sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior.

In animals, soy feeding indicates that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine disrupters. Soy infant feeding reduces testosterone levels in male marmoset monkeys as much as 70% and cannot be ignored as a possible cause of disrupted development patterns in boys, including learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. Male children exposed to DES, a synthetic estrogen, had testes smaller than normal on maturation.

Almost 15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-American girls show signs of puberty, such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight. Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three. Premature development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to environmental estrogen-mimickers such as PCBs and DDE.

Animal studies indicate that consumption of more than minimal amounts of phytoestrogens during pregnancy may have adverse affects on the developing fetus, the timing of puberty later in life, and thinking and behavior patterns, especially in male offspring.

For a full list of references and further information on the dangers of modern soy products visit our Soy Alert! section or go to www.soyonlineservice.co.nz.

Confused About Soy?--Soy Dangers Summarized

High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin B₁₂ analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B₁₂.
Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D.
Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

You can go here to download a brochure containing this information to give to your friends and family:

http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/927-soy-alert-brochure?qh=YToxOntpOjA7czozOiJzb3kiO30%3D

Stand and Never Yield

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:47:00 +0000

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I ask that you indulge me today. A day that is sad for everyone but a day that I am learning is quickly being forgotten by individuals who are younger than myself. I have had conversations with these people who ask, why do we have to keep going through this, why do we need to keep looking at these pictures and hearing about this? I guess I would have to say that if you need to ask, that is reason enough.

The following is a story from a book entitled "Warriors" edited by Loren Christensen. It is a compilation of stories about heroes and bravery. Even though today is a day that we hear many heroic encounters of events, I believe this is one of the ones that has touched me and I would like to share it with you.

STAND AND NEVER YIELD

How Rick Rescorla Saved 2,700 Lives on 9-11

by Dan Hill

(as told to Fred McBee)

Rick Rescorla predicted 9-11. He also predicted the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It is a matter of record. Rescorla was the vice president for security for Dean Witter Corporation when he foresaw the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Two years before this first attack, he predicted it would be a truck bomb exploding in the unsecured basement parking area. He went to the New York/New Jersey Port Authority with his warnings and was told to "be concerned with the security of the 40 floors that Dean Witter leases from us and leave the rest to us". Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley received about one-quarter billion dollars in settlement fees for the Port Authority's negligence in failing to heed the informed warnings of the coming 1993 attack.

Still ignorant, arrogant, and flat-out stupid, the Port Authority and Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley refused to heed Rescorla's second warning - a very specific warning - that another attack was coming - this time from the air - in the form of commercial aircraft. Rescorla was a hair off. He thought it would be cargo aircraft out of Europe or the Middle East loaded with explosives.

Asked by his superiors what could be done to prevent such an attack, Rescorla replied, "Nothing. Get out of this building. It's nothing but a big, soft target. And they intend to hit us again. Move across the river to New Jersey. Build, buy, or rent a group of low-rise buildings. Spread out into smaller targets. In this computer age we could do our business from the middle of North Dakota. We don't need Wall Street anymore."

How does a man come to posses this ability to so accurately predict future events? He had no crystal ball. He was not clairvoyant. He was a professional in the arts of intelligence, security, and counterguerrilla warfare. He had spent his entire life centered on these things. Over a lifetime, Rescorla accumulated knowledge and experience that allowed him to know how, when, why, and where his enemy would strike.

Rescorla was born in May 1939 in Hayle, Cornwall, England. His childhood memories were of commando raids by British forces, OSS (Office of Strategic Services) operations, and the French Resistance. As a youth he read about these events, studied them, analyzed them, criticized them - like a Monday morning quarterback. He was virtually nurtured at the tit of war and special operations.

In his teens he joined the British army, became a paratrooper, and then went into intelligence and led a unit fighting guerillas and insurgents in Cyprus. Then he went to Africa Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), where he fought more guerrillas and insurgents. After that, he joined the London police force as a member of the Scotland Yard Flying Squad, where he was much involved in anti-IRA operations. In 1963, he came to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private. In April 1965 he was commissioned as a U.S. officer of infantry out of the OCS course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Five months later he was commanding a platoon of 44 men in Vietnam with the 2/7th Cavalry Battalion of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. Two months after that he was one of the most distinguised heroes of the battle of Ia Drang Valley (see the Joe Galloway/Lt Gen. Hal Moore book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young).

After the war, Rescorla left active army service (although he stayed in the National Guard until he retired as a colonel). In 1967 he became an American citizen. He had paid his dues. He went to college at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied literature and writing. Then he went to law school and became a lawyer. He taught criminal justice at the University of South Carolina in Columbia for a while, but the academic life was too tame for him. He went into the banking/financial security business and quickly advanced to the top ranks of his profession.

Over the course of his life, Rescorla developed a corps of men he could rely upon: thinkers, soldiers, politicians, writers, law enforcement officials - second class, politically incorrect, belligerent men who saw things as they actually were and not what they seem to be. From these he developed his own brain trust - his own intelligence unity, his own staff and group of counselors. He kept in contact with them by telephone. He posed questions - hypothetical situations concerning international developments and problems. He collected, consolidated, and analyzed the input from this net of agents and thus came to logical conclusions. Some he hired for short periods as consultants. One, a natural insurgent/guerrilla/warrior, he brought to New York to make an estimate of the situation and the likely plan of attack upon the World Trade Center. In 1990-91, all this produced the prediction of the 1993 bombing. In 1995-96, it predicted the 2001 air attack.

See? No horoscope, no crystal ball, no tarot cards, just plain and simple intelligence and professional expertise and logical projection, i.e., "If you want to know what a terrorist is likely to do, just ask a terrorist - or one whose mind works like that of a terrorist."

Now, why was Rick Rescorla a hero on 9-11? Because after being told by Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley that they could not relocate - that their lease ran to 2005 and maybe after that the move would be possible - Rescorla planned and drilled the Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley staff and employees in the evacuation of the World Trade Center offices that they occupied.

Despite criticism and intimidation, despite ridicule and denigration, Rescorla forced his people to drill. Without warning, he'd sound an alarm and then lead the entire company through a mandatory, rapid, efficient, and safe evacuation practice. They grumbled and they griped, but they did it.

Rescorla installed generators and stair lighting in case of power failure (which came to be). He assigned office and floor wardens to ensure control and accountability of personnel in evacuating. Rescorla insisted on buddy teams - people were to go two-y-two down the stairs in an orderly and rapid manner. Rescorla made sure that elderly and handicapped persons had three or four others to assist them. And he drilled them - over and over, again and again - until it became a conditioned response, like that of "a soldier going into an antiambush drill." as Rescorla put it.

On the day of the crisis, when the first tower was hit, the Port Authority ordered everyone in the second tower to stay at their desks. Rescorla made a command decision to countermand that order. "Bugger that!" he said. And then he initiated his conditioned response plan. Evacuation began immediately.

Trained, conditioned, the Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley employees responded. They implemented Rescorla's plan; 2,700 people followed his drill. Rescorla was everywhere - the halls, the stairwells - from the 10th to the 70th floor. His voice could be heard about the near mayhem, keeping everyone calm, responsive, moving in a controlled and orderly manner. At times he sang to them over his megaphone. He sang "God Bless America" in that booming deep baritone of his. And he sag the defiant "Men of Harlech," just as he'd done when the 7th Cavalry was surrounded in the Ia Drang Valley, just as the British army had done when surrounded by the Zulus at Rourke's Drift.

Men of Cornwall stop your dreaming;

Can't you see their spearpoints gleaming?

See their warriors' pennants streaming

To this battlefield.

Men of Cornwall stand ye steady;

It cannot be ever said ye

for the battle were not ready;

Stand and never yield!

All but six of Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley's employees survived. They got out - alive. They live today. They live because Rescorla was watching out for them.

Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley was not comprised of its equipment, computers, files, fixtures, furnishings, or potted plants. It was comprised of its people - those 2,700 individuals, their minds and talents and experience. When Rescorla saved their lives through his foresight and actions, he also saved the largest financial institution in the nation, in the world, on this earth.

But Rescorla did not survive. After shepherding the 2,700 out of the building, Rescorla knew there were still a few above - the confused, the disoriented, the inured. And as everyone who knew Rescorla knows, he would leave no man behind.

An so he went up into that tower of death in an attempt to save them. He knew it was a forlorn hope. He knew that he would probably die in his attempt. But Rescorla was a man who could never live with himself in the future if he did not try to save those few who were left. So he went up. And the tower came down. And Rescorla is no more.

I know this is true. I was Rescorla's best friend, confidant, and comrade-in-arms throughout our entire adult lives. I fought with him in Africa, went through OCS at the same time he did, fought in Vietnam with him. I am the guerrilla/insurgent/terrorist-at-heart he hired as a consultant. My children called him "Uncle Rick." My wife thought of him as the brother and sibling she'd never really had. I was best man at both of his weddings. From 1970 until his death, we spoke on the telephone three or four times a week. His children called me "Uncle Dan." Not by blood or birth but by choice we were brothers. (For a full account of Rescorla and Hill's legendary exploits and amazing friendship, read Heart of a Soldier by James B. Stewart.)

On 9-11, as he went through that trial, we spoke over the cell phone as things progressed from the initial aircraft hit until he went up looking for the few survivors who may have been left behind. After he started up, he called his wife, Susan. His last words to her were, "You made my life." Susan and I were both watching our TV when Rick's tower went down, taking him and his life with it.

I have wept only one time over the loss of my one true friend, brother, and companion - and that, unfortunately, was on national television while being interviewed by Jane Pauley. She asked me then if that was the first time I had cried over Rick. I replied, "Yeah. I've been too busy being proud of him. I've been too busy cheering."

I have vowed to never again cry over Rick Rescorla and his death. It was not an event to weep over. It was a noble ending for a noble man. I choose to rejoice in that. I will continue to cheer.

Such magnificent men are rare. They appear every few eons or so, and they are a gift to mankind. Rescorla died the death for which he was destined - standing for the principles of honor, integrity, and valor. He was a man who considered every man to be as important as himself. From bush natives in Africa to the barons of Wall Street, he considered every life as valuable as his own. In the end, he died as he lived - in service to his fellow man. Like the Good Book says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

There was no better man in history. There probably never will be better. I give you 2,700 survivors of the 9-11 World Trade Center disaster as witnesses.

Emotions, DNA and Physical Well Being

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:26:00 +0000

It has taken me some time to post another blog article as I've been studying some things about how the mind heals, the mechanics of how our beliefs effect us and trying to put it all together into some kind of coherent thought. This blog, as opposed to some of the others I've written, is not as easy as just regurgitating information so you can have another thing come to your inbox saying, Here's New Information for you! For me to pass on this kind of information, it needs to be something that I can put my stamp of approval on and say with some confidence that it is true and worth looking at.

In a book called "The Healing Mind" written by Dr. Irving Oyle, he makes a startling statement:

We can create the conditions which will allow the healing process to occur, but his autonomous healing factor is under the complete control of the psyche which, by varying its rate of vibration, can cause disease or initiate healing. The therapeutic efficacy of any healing system is directly proportional to the patient's inner faith in that system. The stronger the faith, the faster and surer the healing.

Image via WikipediaTo some extent, we can see this played out in something that every medical researcher has come to understand as a part of experimentation....the placebo effect. It is a very recognized and accepted affect when dealing with the healing arts. Often times, when a new medication is being developed or a new medical protocol is being tested, researchers have a test group which is given a placebo rather than the new item being researched. Many times, in this control group, there are individuals who get better. They have not been given any medication, any different treatment - they have simply been told that they have been. The conclusion then must be drawn that what helped them was not the placebo, but the belief in the placebo to help them.

Quantum physics is starting to identify the mechanics of why our thoughts effect our physical bodies as well as the world around us. One of the experiments I found very interesting was done by the Institute of HeartMath:

"In 1991 the Institute of HeartMath ( http://www.heartmath.org/ ) was formed for exploring the power that human feelings have over the body and the role those feelings play in our world. One of the most significant findings reported by HeartMath is the documentation of the doughnut shaped field of energy that surrounds the heart and extends beyond the body.

Knowing this field exists they went on to conduct further experiments between 1992 and '95 and began by isolating human DNA in a beaker and then exposing it to a powerful form of feeling known as coherant emotion.

They performed a series of tests involving up to 5 people trained in applying coherant emotion.
Using special techniques they analysed the DNA both chemically and visually, the results were undeniable and the implications unmistakable.....Human Emotion changed the shape of the DNA without physially touching it or doing anything other than creating precise feelings in their bodies!"

Image via WikipediaThey also found that positive emotions such as love, gratitude, joy and happiness decompress or relax the DNA, which they linked to increases in the physical immune system. Conversely, living in a state of stress, anger, rage or hate, the DNA constricts and our immune systems decrease. Personal experience might validate these findings in that when individuals find themselves under stress for long periods of time, they are often more susceptible to colds or flu.

Dr. Scott Walker, DC has developed a healing technique called "Neuro Emotional Technique" where he has found that underlying emotional components have significant effects on whether a chiropractic patient is able to resolve chronic back pain or not. When the chiropractor can locate where in the body the emotional issue is and resolve the emotional charge on the memory, the spine can be adjusted with lasting results. He has gone so far as to make a chart listing the organs of the body, where on the spine they are connected and the underlying emotions that affect those organs and the spinal connections. His technique is very effective in dealing with these underlying emotions.

In recent years, science has come to understand the truth of scripture in several ways having to do with joy and its effects as opposed to bitterness and its relation to diseases like cancer. Scripture tells us that a "merry heart doeth good like a medicine"; Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life; A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy and wrath are as rottenness of the bones.

After 9-11, Dr. Barbara Fredrickson of the University of Michigan found that many survivors of the Twin Towers disaster developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Understanding the traumatic volume of that day, it would be understandable to think that all of the survivors would have PTSD. However that was not true. All of the survivors did not show signs of PTSD. Why not?

What she found was this:

-- People high in happiness before the attack simply bounced back.

-- But those whose pre-attack happiness levels were lower didn’t do as well. Highly unhappy people developed PTSD much more frequently.

Dr. Lynn Johnson has a powerpoint presentation that can be downloaded, called Advanced Topics in Happiness, which outlines some of the science behind the field of Positive Psychology. It's fascinating stuff and it really works. For example...think about 4 or 5 people in your life who have been kind to you. Let yourself feel the emotions you feel about them - is it thankfulness, gratitude or perhaps thinking about these people makes you happy. Whatever the feeling happens to be - one a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most positive, did your state of emotion become more positive? Do you feel better? There is proof that if you can maintain a state of happiness the majority of the time in your life, you will be healthier, more successful and live longer. Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, and George Burns can't be wrong!

Thoughts are not to be our masters, but they are to serve us. If they do not serve us well, we don't need to pay attention to them. One of the things to understand is that just because a thought enters our head, we don't need to pay attention to it. There are many thoughts that we disregard every day. But many of the thoughts we pay attention to are given attention due to the emotions that are linked with them. Negative emotion is often linked to negative thought processes. If that negative thought process is producing negative fruit in your life, then what good is it? Perhaps you have had a very traumatic experience in your life - wouldn't you prefer to be like the 9-11 survivors who did not develop PTSD?

As human beings, we have the ability to inoculate ourselves against trauma with happiness and joy. Learn to see the positive in whatever situation you find yourself. Like Paul who wrote in Philippians 4:11, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Our circumstances do not dictate our emotional state. That may be news to some, but it is true. When Paul wrote those words, he was in a Roman prison. What is true is that some circumstances are more difficult than others, but if we can find something positive to hold on to through the circumstances, we will be inoculated against the more severe negative impacts. Hope is a powerful thing and it is one thing that more positive, happier individuals have in greater abundance.

This information might be seen to some as controversial so I am just bringing it to you and you can do your own research and make your own decisions. However, if you consider these things to be good evidence that your emotional life truly does effect your physical body and the world around you, you might consider making the changes that are needed to become a happier and more joyful person....not for anyone else, but for yourself.

Delta Brain Waves and Their Importance in Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sun, 01 May 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Last week I attended a seminar where the speaker was, in part, discussing our different brain wave patterns and the importance of each. I thought I would share with you some of the highlights of what he said with regard to each. In listening to all the information, I saw to a higher degree why problems with sleep can be debilitating to us and over time cause both emotional and physical problems.

Our brains create five different types of brain waves; Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. These brain waves have different functions and accomplish very different tasks in our bodies.

Delta waves are the slowest and are present in the very deepest of sleep. They operate at a rate of .5 and 4 Hz (cycles per second) and are found in late stage sleep. When we are in Image via Wikipedia this stage of sleep our brains produce the neurotransmitters that we need, such as seratonin, Melatonin, Dopamine, BTNF for memory function and HGH to name a few. As we know, healthy neurotransmitter levels have everything to do with our feelings of well being, how depressed we feel and how well our memory works.
Theta waves operate at a rate of between 4-8 Hz. The rate around 7.8 Hz is a very meditative state which is healing and restorative to the body. When the brain stays Image via Wikipedia on this level of operation, we get relaxed but can't focus very well, we feel slow and sluggish. If we are daydreaming or feel relaxed and our minds are wandering, we are in a Theta state.
Alpha waves operate between 8-12 Hz. When a person is lacking in Alpha brainwave activity, they are usually having trouble with racing thoughts, rapid thinking or over thinking. Image via Wikipedia They may also suffer from anxiety, nervousness, insomnia or other stress related problems. Experiencing a healthy dose of Alpha waves melts away stress, improves learning ability, memory as well as help in our social interaction.
Beta waves have the effect of keeping us focused. Beta waves operate between 12-38 Hz and are typically produced in the left Image via Wikipediahemisphere of the brain. Individuals who are primarily logical or analytical may have a predominance of beta wave activity. If we tend to stay in a beta state, we can become overly anxious and stressed. This is a brain wave state where people feel very motivated, focused and have a lot of energy and often we like to stay there because we feel very productive in a beta state.
Gamma waves operate from 40-70 Hz and has been thought to be the brain wave which is able to link and process information from all parts of the brain. Image via Wikipedia Gamma waves are linked with high intelligence levels, compassion, having high amounts of self control as well as natural feelings of happiness.

According to Brain Waves Blog, "If you are currently having difficulty remembering information like: names, dates, events, plans, etc. – you would likely benefit from increasing your Gamma Brainwave range."

When thinking about what scripture says when we think of joyful or positive things, or when we pray, we are actually changing our brain wave modulation. In a very simple way, if we do some research on how we react when we are in the different brain wave states, we can often tell what parts of the sleep process are limited or which of the different brain waves we might need to develop.

Giving the credit to Brain Waves Blog, here is some information on Delta waves. Again, this is the deepest part of our sleep cycle and may be one that is being shortened if our sleep is disturbed by stress, anxiety or racing thoughts. If this subject is one that catches your interest, you may want to talk to your doctor about having a sleep study done. During a sleep study, a sleep technologist records multiple biological functions during sleep, such as brain wave activity, eye movement, muscle tone, heart rhythm and breathing via electrodes and monitors placed on the head, chest and legs.

Outside of sleep studies, there are different forms of sleep aids that can help us become more relaxed. Chamomile tea is a relaxing herbal solution that can help enhance the sleep experience. Homeopathic aids such as Calms Forte can reduce some of the emotional background noise. Innate Response puts out a whole food supplement that I find useful :
Sleep Response - this supplement does not leave you groggy in the morning and is able to be used for elderly patients who struggle with disorientation using other types of prescription sleep aids.

What Are Delta Brain Waves?

Delta Brain Waves are the brain’s slowest frequency range cycling at a rate of 1-4 times per second (e.g. 1 Hz – 4 Hz). Delta Brain Waves become active in your brain when you are in the deeper stages of sleep (e.g. stage 3 and stage 4). They are associated with being completely unconscious (i.e. you usually won’t know or remember anything while Delta Waves are dominant). Delta Brain Waves have been known to oscillate throughout all parts of the brain and are not usually synchronized. Of all brainwave ranges, the Delta Waves have the greatest amplitude and are responsible for the slowest form of mental processing.

Having access to the Delta Brainwave state not only implies that we are in a deep stage of sleep though. In some cases, people can learn to increase their delta activity. People with high amounts of Delta Waves have been found to have increased empathy (or understanding of others’ emotions). Other interesting effects have been documented as a side-effect of having Delta Brainwaves.

Delta Brain Waves Benefits

Delta Brain Waves have been proven to have a number of beneficial side-effects. When Delta Brain Waves increase, so does your natural ability to: Release Anti-Aging hormones, tap an increased amount of empathy (understanding how others feel), heal the mind and repair your muscles, and access the deepest possible states of relaxation. Other side-effects as a result of Delta Brain Waves include: the release of natural growth hormone, the release of melatonin, connecting with your intuition and accessing deep states of spirituality.

Another great thing about Delta Brain Waves is that they have been known to reduce levels of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone released when you are under stress that basically kills off brain cells and can cause damage to parts of your body. Cortisol has been linked to quicker aging, while having less cortisol has been known to be associated with anti-aging. For some individuals with high amounts of stress, Delta Brain Waves may also work great at reducing adrenaline levels.

The great thing about Delta brainwaves is that they are able to connect you with deeper parts of your unconscious mind. Even though you must travel down throughAlpha Brain Waves and Theta Brain Waves before you can reach Delta, many people are able to greatly appreciate a Delta Brainwaves experience. If you spend too much time caught up in the higher ranges of brain waves, then chances are you may be able to benefit from Delta Waves, especially if you increase them right before you go to bed. Since Delta Brainwaves are associated with sleep, listening to a brainwave entrainment session in the Delta frequency range of 1 Hz to 4 Hz will do a nice job at helping you fall asleep.

Advanced monk meditators have also been known to access the Delta Brain Waves range when they practice meditation. The average, less experienced meditator usually is only able to acess the Alpha or Theta Brainwaves range. However, if you practice long enough and get proper training, you too will be able to tap into your Delta awareness. Having a brainwave pattern that is dominated by Delta Brainwaves is impossible if the person is awake. Many people have also reported having spiritual experiences and sometimes O.O.B.E. (Out-Of-Body-Experiences) while having Delta Brainwave activity. These paranormal experiences are more common if a person has access to slower levels of their Brain Waves.

People With Delta Brain Waves

Typically, Delta Brain Waves are most commonly documented in E.E.G. brain activity while a person is asleep. However, other individuals like: babies, very young children, monks/advanced meditators, people who have had Near-Death-Experiences, people suffering from brain damage, and people with brain damage have also been known to have higher than average amounts of Delta Brain Waves.

If you saw a boxer get K.O.’d (Knocked-Out), he would have been experiencing Delta Brain Waves. If you have ever been put to sleep with anesthesia, you were knocked into your Delta Brain Waves state. Other individuals who lack focus and suffer from attention-deficit can also have high amounts of Delta Brain Waves – even though having Theta Waves is more common.

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Bach Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 20:18:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaMost people have never heard of Bach flowers, but I use this homeopathic remedy quite often in my counseling practice. It is a very powerful remedy to use in dealing with the background noise of our emotions as we move through life. Homeopathic remedies have been around for many, many years but because we are so much more used to pharmaceuticals, when someone gives us a more natural kind of remedy we either don't understand it or we take it and expect it to work like an aspirin or an anti-depressant and when it doesn't we assume it didn't work. Bach flower remedies are similar to homeopathic remedies in many ways, however they are produced differently than homeopathics and are not depending on the theory of successive dilutions. Therefore, although they are considered homeopathic, they are not true homeopathic remedies.

Dr. Edward Bach is the man attributed to the development of this homeopathic treatment. Dr Bach received his formalized medical education at Birmingham University and at University College Hospital in London. However the more he practiced, the more he observed that there was a relationship between chronic disease and intestinal poisons. He also believed that a patient deserved individual treatment rather than a mass remedy for a certain disease. In 1924 he wrote a paper entitled "Intestinal toxemia and its Relations to Cancer" which is what eventually led to his interest in botanicals and finding natural substances to treat disease.

Image via Wikipedia"In 1928, Bach found the first of these remedies, noting that the vibrations of seaweed had almost the same vibrations of the dysentery-type of virus. He noted that using his remedies in a homeopathic potentizing method left the remedy with a positive polarity while a reverse polarity was required to be associated with the disease. After observing the dew on the plants he was using, Bach collected the dew and found that the sun had naturally potentized the dew and that it had the reverse polarity he needed. Thus, he had discovered the process to be used in most of his remedies-simple water, heat (sun) and a botanical flower. He noted that the strongest power of the plant was in the flower.......

.....Most amazing was his understanding of the mind and that the mind controlled the physical. By simply normalizing the mind, a sick body would correct its own infections. Bach was a student of people and an observer of the sick. His observations lead him to classify individuals into personality groups. Bach found that when the personality is treated, the body is able to correct physical problems in a natural way, without the aid of chemical medicines." (excerpt taken from Dr. Edward Bach: A History)

I find the most effective use of Bach Flower therapy is when someone is dealing with so many emotions that have built up over time and have not been resolved. It is much easier to deal with present day problems when you are only dealing with the emotions from present day. However, often we find ourselves dealing with emotions from past hurts, grief and loss that has been with us for awhile and it feels something like background noise. We get used to it, but it is hard to hear specifics through. Sometimes those emotions come to us from past trauma that we don't remember, but yet the emotional echo is still reverberating in our physical bodies. Finding the correct flower remedy that will treat those background emotions brings a lot of relief to an individual.

Image via WikipediaBach Flower therapies are also used with animals, especially shelter animals. Shelter animals have been subjected to a lot of trauma. They are suffering loss that can become depression if they have been lost, their owners have not been able to keep them or the trauma of being a stray - wandering, being hungry and dealing with human beings who don't want them on their property. Although in these cases, the therapies often need to be re-applied consistently, animals are among the best patients and respond quite well to these natural remedies. When I give them to my animals, I often put them in their water, or apply them topically on their paws or on the back of their necks.

Some of the best reasons to choose homeopathic remedies include:

Homeopathy has no side effects
These remedies have no drug or food interaction, are safe and gentle
Homeopathic remedies never interfere with presently taken medications
Homeopathic remedies are approved by the FDA and have never had any application taken off the market
Remedies have long shelf lives and can be used well beyond the expiration dates required by the FDA
Remedies have no allergic properties so can be taken by anyone
Remedies properly matched to the particular emotional responses are very effective. If not properly matched, they simply do nothing.

Bach Flower remedies can be taken in water, as mints, in cream form that is applied to the skin and work equally well in each format. Most remedies such as "Rescue Remedy" or "Calming Essence" are used to alleviate emotions dealing with fear or anxiety, but depending on what is causing the fear or anxiety, there can be more effective remedy compilations custom made which target the specific underlying emotional motivators.

In my experience dealing with the different emotions and where you find them in the physical body, then alleviating some of the underlying feelings can bring a certain amount of healing to the individual organs that are affected by the emotion. For example, in sexually abused females, we often find a higher occurrence of bladder infections. A correlation could be made between the emotion of feeling stuck, having a paralyzed will because of the control that comes from sexual abuse and the bladder because the bladder is where that emotion is often localized. It has been my observation that when this trauma is dealt with effectively, the number of bladder infections will tend to decrease or go away altogether. Effective therapy can come from a combination of spiritual comfort, counseling, trauma therapy and/or homeopathic remedies; however when I have combined counseling therapies with the Bach flower therapy I have often found it to be very effective.

There are 38 original Bach remedies plus the five flower remedy used for anxiety. Each of these remedies is prescribed for certain mental and emotional problems, forming a complete therapeutic system. If you have never tried these remedies, I would encourage you to speak with a knowledgeable person and find out more about how they could help you in your healing journey.

Water is More Important Than You Might Think

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:10:00 +0000

Image by Cayusa via FlickrOne of the things that I have been encouraged to do with this blog is to bring you information from resources that I have come across and found useful. I am the first one to admit that I don't know everything, but what I am good at is gathering information in the form of books, articles and studies that I often refer to if the topics warrant it. This is one of those references that I'd like to share with my readers. To begin, here are a few facts about water that I've found over the course of my study:

Approximately 85% of your brain, 80% of your blood and 70% of your muscle is water
At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant's body weight
A person deprived of water will die in 60 to 80 hours.
Our brain is over 80% water and controls each and every process that happens inside of our body.
The average adult must replace the ~10 cups (80 oz) of water it loses each day through perspiration, the kidney/bladder system, bowel movements and the respiratory system (which must be moist or breathing would be painful)
Water adjusts the body's temperature and assists in digestion.
Because of the neutral pH level of water, it assists in helping the body maintain a healthy pH level. The human blood has a natural pH of about 7.4. The human body cannot survive if the pH of their human blood drops to 7 or rises to 7.8! So the body has natural buffers it uses to keep the blood within these narrow limits. Hint: your bones (including your teeth) are mostly calcium--an alkaline substance. So if your body gets too acidic, it leaches the calcium from your bones creating tooth decay and bone loss. Increased storage of fat and water retention is also a way your body protects itself. To get to your ideal weight--alkalize.
Drink 1/2 your body weight of water in ounces, daily.
Use 1/4 tsp of salt for every quart of water you drink. As long as you drink the water, you can use the salt (non-refined, sea salt only - table salt or sodium chloride is undigestible)
Every 6 oz of caffeine or alcohol consumed requires an additional 10-12 oz of water to re-hydrate you. Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate the body.
If you have diabetes, sugar concentration happens to your blood when you're dehydrated. Because your blood is 83% water, when you lose water, the volume of blood decreases and the sugar remains the same. More concentrated blood sugar means higher blood sugars.
In the elderly, it is very important to make sure they remain hydrated. Dehydration can result in blood pressure problems, dizziness and falls.

Although there is a lot of information out there about how water is used in the body and why we need it, do we really understand what dehydration looks like. Yes, severe dehydration we can usually recognize, but what if we are a little dehydrated?

Cover of Your Body's Many Cries for WaterSeveral years ago I came across a book titled, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water". I thought it was a very good resource and I wanted to share some of its information with you. Although the book calls many of these things cures and preventions...which I don't quarrel with...I also see these different symptoms as what happens as our body experiences different levels of dehydration.

WATER PREVENTS AND RELIEVES HEARTBURN: Heartburn is a signal of water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a major thirst signal of the human body. The use of antacids or tablet medications in the treatment of this pain does not correct dehydration, and the body continues to suffer as a result of its water shortage.
WATER PREVENTS ARTHRITIS: rheumatoid joint pain - arthritis - is a signal of water shortage in the painful joint. It can affect the young as well as the old. The use of pain-killers does not cure the problem, but exposes the person to further damage from pain medications. Intake of water and small amounts of salt will cure this problem.
BACK PAIN: Low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are signs of water shortage in the spinal coumn and discs - the water cushions that support the weight of the body. These conditions should be treated with increased water intake - not a commercial treatment, but a very effective one. NOTE: This is one that I can personally acknowledge - I have had lower back pain for many years but once I increased my water intake significantly, the back pain disappeared.
ANGINA: Heart pain - angina - is a sign of water shortage in the heart/lung axis. It should be treated with increased water intake until the patient is free of pain and independent of medications. Medical supervision is prudent. However, increased water intake is angina's cure.
MIGRAINES: Migraine headache is a sign of water need by the brain and the eyes. It will totally clear up if dehydration is prevented from establishing in the body. The type of dehydration that causes migraine might eventually cause inflammation of the back of the eye and possibly loss of eye sight.
COLITIS: Colitis pain is a signal of water shortage in the large gut. It is associated with constipation because the large intestine constricts to squeeze the last drop of water from the excrements - thus the lack of water lubrication.
ASTHMA: Asthma, which also affects 14 million children and kills several thousand of them every year, is a complication of dehydration in the body. It is caused by the drought management programs of the body. In asthma, free passage of air is obstructed so that water does not leave the body in the form of vapor - the winter steam. Increased water intake will prevent asthma attacks. Asthmatics need also to take more salt to break the mucus plugs in the lungs that obstruct the free flow of air in and out of the air sacs.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into vital cells. As part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis, when water from the blood serum is filtered and injected into important cells through minute holes in their membraines, extra pressure is needed for the "injection process." Just as we inject I.V. "water" in hospitals, so the body injects water into tens of trillions of cells all at the same time. Water and some salt intake will bring blood pressure back to normal.
ADULT-ONSET DIABETES: Adult-onset diabetes is another adaptive state to severe dehydration of the human body. To have adequate water in circulation and for the brain's priority water needs, the release of insulin is inhibited to prevent insulin from pushing water into all body cells. In diabetes, only some cells get survival rations of water. Water and some salt will reverse adult-onset diabetes in its early stages.
CHOLESTEROL: High cholesterol levels are an indicator of early drought management by the body. Cholesterol is clay-like material that is poured in the gaps of some cell membraines to safeguard them against losing their vital water content to the osmotically more powerful blood circulating in their vicinity. Cholesterol, apart from being used to manufacture nerve cell membranes and hormones, is also used as a "shield" against water taxation of other vital cells that would normally exchange water through their cell membranes.
DEPRESSION, LOSS OF LIBIDO, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY are conditions caused by prolonged chronic dehydration. They will clear up once the body becomes well and regularly hydrated. In these conditions, exercising one's muscles should be part of the treatment program.

With this information, you can begin to do your own research regarding water and how increasing your intake significantly can benefit your health. More information can be found at www.watercure.com Dr. Batmanghelidj has researched this field of study for many years and I believe he is a reliable source of information. Please check out his website on your journeys around the web and see what you can learn. Clean, pure water is a very inexpensive way to improve and maintain health. It's worth looking in to!

Blessings to you as you seek out your health!

If you are looking for a good source for high quality and/or whole food supplements, please go to Supplements For Living Well on the web.

The Most Important Key in Maintaining Good Health

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 06:00:00 +0000

As I was taking my daily walk, I began thinking about some of the things that I wanted to share with my readers today. It always amazes me with regard to complexity and wondrous ability the physical body has to just go through its day to day functioning. I reflected back on all the studying that I have done over the last four or five years in the natural health field. I remembered different books that I've read, lessons that I've learned and people that I've learned from, but what has impressed me most is the incredible capacity that the human body has to simply live. Our bodies have been programmed on many levels to stay healthy...in fact there was a quote that I read at one point which stated that if the body is allowed to do what it is created to do, you can't beat health off with a stick! So if that is the case, then why do we get sick?

In all reality, our bodies are very complex chemical laboratories which have one purpose...to live and to do whatever is necessary in order to maintain homeostasis. Our bodies have redundant back up systems that kick in when our primary systems are compromised; they regulate minute changes in hormone levels, changes in brain chemistry and digestion...however even with that said, when our bodies have to go to those back up systems, it is not without a price.

But as I thought back over so much of my life and how often I never thought about the impact that certain behaviors would have on my health, in the whole scheme of things, the primary tool that I realized we have been given to remain in good health is something that we don't think about very often. It works behind the scenes and we hardly aware of its existence until it is overwhelmed....that tool is our IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Our immune system is as important to our good health and longevity as oil is to an automobile. It is the system the good Lord gave us to fight off the many germs, bacteria and viruses that are in the environment we live in. We don't think about it, but when we overload our bodies with toxins and negative emotions, don't give it the proper rest or nutrition, don't drink enough water or exercise enough, we begin to overload our immune system...creating an environment that it cannot overcome, resulting in disease and sickness. If our immune systems are operating at peak efficiency, we can fend off a host of diseases and stay healthy. Although you don't think that a public health organization would recognize something that the natural health community has been aware of for many years, I was amazed to read that even the Center for Disease Control has begun to link disease with the emotions related to stress. “Up to 90 percent of the doctor visits in the USA may be triggered by a stress-related illness.”

If we maintain a healthy immune system, we can avoid many of the diseases that lead to difficulty later in life. Diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease can be avoided if we do what we need to do to keep our immune system healthy. So...you may be asking...what are the things that I can watch for to maintain my immune system? Here is a list of things that you can research. I have provided the links to good articles and from there you can search in other places to increase your understanding of this subject. This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you a good start.

Stress -The body responds to stress by releasing stress hormones, such as epinephrine (also called adrenaline) and cortisol (also called hydrocortisone). The body produces these stress hormones to help a person react to a situation with more speed and strength. Stress hormones increase blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. Small amounts of stress are believed to be beneficial, but chronic (persisting or progressing over a long period of time) high levels of stress are thought to be harmful (1).

Image via WikipediaAnger - A study from Harvard School of Public Health studied hostility in men and found that those with higher rates of hostility not only had poorer pulmonary functioning (breathing problems), but experienced higher rates of decline as they aged.

Ruminating - Rumination is comprised of two separate variables - reflection and brooding. The reflection part of rumination can actually be somewhat helpful - reflecting on a problem can lead you to a solution. Also, reflecting on certain events can help you process strong emotions associated with the issue. however, rumination in general, and brooding in particular, are associated with less proactive behavior and more of a negative mood.

Vitamin D - Recent medical research indicates human daily requirements for vitamin D may be up to 10 times more than what is currently recommended. Proper vitamin D supplementation gives one a much better chance of preventing many major illnesses such as, but not limited to: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Arthritis, Chronic Pain, Depression, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, Premenstrual Syndrome, Muscular Weakness, Fibromyalgia, Crohns Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune Illness, and Cancer.

Image via WikipediaNon Processed Foods - Many high quality, non-processed foods are both inexpensive and highly nutritious, while others do cost a bit more but can go a long way toward healing your body of chronic inflammation and boosting your immune system naturally, without resorting to either supplements or drugs.

Chronic Inflammation: According to Donnie Yance, clinical master herbalist and certified nutritionist, chronic conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease have a strong link with chronic inflammation, which promotes the production of free radicals
Dietary Guidelines: a good diet that consists of whole food, low toxicity and promotes a more alkaline pH level will help to avoid many of the obstacles that lead to ill health. Eating smart and eating with the goal of good health in mind helps to minimize the obstacles many individuals build up over a lifetime of creating acidity in their bodies.

Scripture also has a lot to say about health and maintaining our bodies so that we can fulfill our life purpose. Here are a few scriptures taken from the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 14: 30 A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy and wrath are as rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs 13: 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Proverbs 3: 7-8

Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord, and turn [entirely] away from evil. It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.

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Proverbs 16: 24

Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

Proverbs 17: 22

A happy heart is a good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

I believe that the side of good health which can be gained from attitude and a hopeful, positive mental state can be summed up in this verse, which is one of my favorites:

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Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Hopefully this information has provided you a good start to an overall healthy lifestyle. Often, making changes like this is easier said than done, but it is important to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Small, consistent changes over time will result in reaching a goal of good health. I wish you all the best as you begin and maintain your journey.

Vitamin D3, It Just Isn't About Milk Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Now that we are approaching Spring, it seems that I am reading more and more articles about the benefits of Vitamin D. It makes me wonder why the articles are coming out now, rather than during the Fall or Winter months when most people really need to increase their intake of Vitamin D3. I suppose the answer to that would be that in Spring we tend to see more sunlight and sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluable vitamin, with its main role to help the body absorb calcium.

According to the Environmental Illness Resource (www.ei-resource.org):

"The less sunlight you are exposed to during the winter month, the more likely you are to develop SAD to some degree. This is because sunlight helps to regulate a multitude of hormones and neurotransmitters that control the body clock and have strong effects on mood and behaviour. Two of the main players are melatonin and serotonin. When the sun goes down the pineal gland signals the production of melatonin to increase, which in turn signals the body that it is time to sleep. In the morning when sunlight enters the eye, the pineal gland signals production of melatonin to decrease and that of serotonin to increase. Serotonin wakes us up and keeps us in a good mood, bringing emotional stability and allowing us to see the sunny side of life! Sunlight hitting bare skin is also very important. The body requires sunlight on the skin to be able to produce vitamin D, which has important mood modulating properties of its own, as well as playing a role in influencing other important chemicals."

Vitamin D therefore has a big part in regulating our emotional well being and in turn, our outlook on life. The farther away from the equator we live, the less sunlight we are exposed to. Yes, ordinarily when we grow up in a certain environment we become acclimated to that place but in this day and age people move frequently and often move great distances which has an effect on their bodies. For example, I had a friend once who moved to Eastern Washington from Georgia, where he had lived all his life. Within three years he decided to move back to Georgia because he could not acclimate to the dry climate. He didn't like the dry skin, his sinuses were dry and he was sick quite often. Now, when I go to Georgia or Florida or anywhere on the South Eastern coast, I literally suffer extensively from the high humidity and heat because I live and have grown up in a much more dry climate. I can't imagine that I would even last a year, let alone three years in a climate like that. It is the same with sunlight. There are those who need the sunlight extensively so migrate South in the wintertime if they live in the Northern parts of the United States. With the advancement of light technology, others purchase light boxes and spend time with them each day in order to increase their production of Vitamin D. The older we get, the more we need to pay attention to our exposure to sunlight since we tend to be inside more due to work, illness or disabilities as we age.

Healthy levels of Vitamin D help fight off depression and inadvertently help with anxiety as well. The reason I say inadvertently is due to its effects on blood sugar, which when high can increase levels of anxiety. Our bodies are extremely complex creations and the combination of what is necessary to keep them functioning precludes the idea that vitamins, minerals and other forms of supplementation tend to work in a vacuum. One thing effects another which effects another. Although I support the use of supplements, my main caution to my readers would be to ask this question: Why do I need the supplement? We tend to be a pill popping population and don't ask why we need to take them. In optimum health, our bodies work quite well and if they don't, there is a reason. Treating the symptom isn't always the first course of action. The first thing to ask is why is my body behaving like this?

Healthy blood calcium levels are also maintained through healthy levels of Vitamin D in the body. Blood calcium levels effect the nervous system, blood pH, bone density and enable the body to use calcium efficiently. Our bodies are programmed to live and they have many backup systems that kick in when things go wrong. For example, when we eat a diet high in the wrong kinds of fats, if we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, it puts stress on the liver and the gall bladder. If the gall bladder doesn't have the proper amount of plant sodium (not sodium chloride or table salt) it is unable to keep the pH levels in our digestive tract at the proper levels. The backup system for that is to pull calcium from the bones...which eventually leads to osteoporosis. So, when one has osteoporosis, it is not necessarily a lack of calcium, it can be a lack of plant sodium which we can get from any celery stick, which then results in calcium loss to the largest calcium holding organ in the body...the skeleton. The question of why is an important one because if you understand why something is happening, you can get to the appropriate cause and correct it.

As mentioned above, Vitamin D3 has an effect on blood sugar. Although it seems that more research needs to be done on this subject, it is suggested that there is a correlation between the level of vitamin D3 in a person's body and glucose tolerance and/or insulin secretion, especially when they are diabetic.

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography via FlickrSo where do we get Vitamin D3? The most obvious place is from the sun.  We want to work with our body's natural mechanisms as much as possible. When we are outside, we are exposed to the sun and most likely we are moving our bodies which is healthy as well. Why do you think that there is a correlation between how much we exercise and how strong our bones are? It is because when we have healthy Vitamin D3 levels promoted by sunlight, calcium is more efficiently appropriated by our body and our bones become healthier. Take a hint from our feline friends....they make an appointment with a sunny spot several times a day and you don't hear about cats with osteoporosis. I know, that may be simplistic but it makes the point!

Other places to get Vitamin D is from mackerel, salmon, tuna, cod liver oil and beef liver, however if liver is used as the solitary source you would have to eat eight slices a day according to the USDA. Just as a matter of personal opinion, I can't imagine doing that! Milk is another source, however it is only fortified with 100 IU per cup or 25% of the RDA. The National Institute of Health says only 29% of men and 17% of women are able to satisfy their daily Vitamin D needs through diet alone. Some of that could be because of the nutritional deficiency in our food these days, but that is a story for another time.

Image by lazybone83 via FlickrI would also suggest that in the place of natural sunlight, that you bring natural light, full spectrum light, into your home. Replace as many light bulbs as possible with full spectrum light bulbs...especially the bulbs over the bathroom vanity. Women especially tend to spend time at the vanity putting on their makeup, doing their hair and other necessary functions. Why not use that time being exposed to full spectrum light? If this doesn't do the job, then purchase a light box and use it daily. If you can't find one locally, a company called Full Spectrum Solutions has them. www.fullspectrumsolutions.com

According to Veggie Fitness:   Vitamin D Boosts Your Immune System.Not only does Vitamin D play a key role in our immune function, it also helps us fend off autoimmune diseases and illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis. Vitamin D helps keep the harmful T-helper 1 cells low, these cells attack our immune systems.

Although I realize that soy products have become a notable form of protein for individuals, I would caution their use because they also contain a large amount of plant estrogen. According to the Weston A Price Foundation:

"Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys."

Needless to day, Vitamin D3 levels need to be paid attention to. As a counselor, I work with individuals who suffer from depression as well as other forms of emotional disturbance so as part of their treatment, I tend to send them to their Primary Care Physicians asking that their Vitamin D levels be checked. When we are depressed, there is a darkness that settles over our lives and it is hard to peek around the curtain to see what life should be like. If our neurotransmitters are not functioning at optimal levels, it will be difficult for us to benefit from or even achieve a positive outlook on life. If you work indoors extensively, live in an area that doesn't get a lot of sunlight or you are not outdoors to get your 15 - 20 minutes of sun exposure daily, I would encourage you to check out your Vitamin D3 levels and see if you need some supplementation or a lifestyle change. Just remember that supplementing at levels approaching or exceeding 10,000 IU daily needs to be monitored by a healthcare professional.

For a high quality, whole food Vitamin D3 supplement, visit my website at www.supplements4livingwell.com

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What Do Emotions Do to our Liver?

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:40:00 +0000

I'm sure you have always wanted to know the answer to that question! Haha! More than likely it never even occurred to you that your emotional life could have any effect at all on your liver and even if it did...so what? According to Dr. A.F. Beddoe who wrote the book on biologic ionization, "over 80% of all illness begins within the mind. Hate, bitterness, anxiety, fear, greed, strife, lust, depression and guilt all interfere with the brain's electrical communication and proper stimulation of the vital organs, especially the liver." Before I go on, I need to say that this is a very complicated and large subject. There won't be any way I can write an exhaustive article on all the ways these things go together, but hopefully as you read this it will peak your interest enough to go find other information. I'm mainly hitting the highlights here, but perhaps in such a way that it will make sense and give you one of those "aha" moments.

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OK, emotion interferes....so why is that big news? It's big news because the liver is the "primary organ through which all the rest of the body's organs and tissues are maintained, either for better or for worse. The liver needs the right amount and type of water, oxygen and calcium, as well as the right electrical stimulus from the brain. If the brain's function is interfered with, by anxiety, hate, bitterness, frustration, turmoil, etc, then the liver sympathetically responds in such a way as to prevent proper uptake and utilization of water, oxygen and calcium in food energy. This usually means an upset indigestion, caused by an interference of liver function. Thus the digestive enzymes are weakened so that even good diets and foods turn to poor nutrition and toxicity. Just as Proverbs 17:1 says, 'Better a dry morsel and quietness..than feasting with strife.' The weaker the digestive enzymes and the longer their function is impaired, the greater the minieral deficiency will become. The greater the minieral deficiency from food, the more the body will erode away the vital force or reserve energy. This will eventually exhibit itself in an increasing number of symptoms as the "vital force" or reserve energy is depleted." (Biologic Ionization, Dr. Beddoe, pg xv)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

As stated before in some of my previous posts, Dr. Scott Walker developer of NET, indicates that the major emotion that stays with the liver is anger. Anger has a very large and negative effect on health and as our livers become more and more affected, sluggish and unable to filter through the toxins in our bodies, we may find ourselves dealing more with the emotion of anger. It is very important to understand that our bodies are effected on a holistic level, one system effects another system which effects another system. For example, did you know that one of the symptoms of declining liver function is thyroid problems? To some extent declining liver function can contribute to excess weight gain as well. In that case the liver works in concert with the pancreas to increase production of a thyroid enhancing enzyme that appears to influence the body's ability to successfully handle fat metabolism. In addition, fat cells wrap themselves around toxins in order to protect the body. If the liver isn't filtering the toxins or we are overwhelming our bodies with toxins, they make it past the liver and the body then deals with them by surrounding them with fat. The body is created to live and it will always do what it needs to do in order to accomplish that goal. That is why it is important to drink a lot of water when you are losing weight. As the fat cells are neutralized, more toxins are released into the system and it is important that those toxins be flushed away rather than reabsorbed into the body.

The liver also has a significant part in regulating blood sugar levels. Glucagon (produced by the pancreas) is responsible for making the liver convert more glycogen to simple carbohydrates. However, glucagon and insulin production are dependent on the proper conversion of glycogen in the liver, according to Dr. Beddoe. If the liver is not working properly, we have issues with blood sugar. We often associate night sweats with menopause, but night sweats can also be attributable to elevated blood sugar levels.

So, what do we do to maintain a healthy liver? First of all we need to deal with our emotional baggage....easier said than done, right. For the most part we just need to let go of the things that aggravate us...whether it be people, work or situations. Although this is a consistent battle through life, it depends on how we look at things and determining what we have control over and what we don't. What if we have a critical parent in our lives who we just don't ever seem to be able to please? That will usually keep us striving for more things or more success to prove to them that we are acceptable. In dealing with that, we have to understand that we are not the problem. The problem lies not in focusing on what we do, but rather focusing on who we are. Are you a person of good character, are you honest, do you have a good work ethic, do you treat your children well, are you responsible, are you a good wife or husband? Those are the important things and out of that comes everything else. If that critical person is unable to see that, that is their problem not yours. For most other things in life, it becomes important to understand what you can control and what you can't. If you can't control it, it becomes something you need to let go and that may alleviate a significant amount of stress in your life.

Image by mikebaird via Flickr

Once we are successfully dealing with the emotional side of life, we turn to other things. How much water are we drinking? Water is the most important element for good liver . It is a neutral pH level so it helps the body maintain good pH, it carries oxygen to the liver which is the second most necessary element for good liver function, it hydrates as well as carries away the toxins that are filtered out by the liver. Second is a good supply of oxygen. We help maintain good oxygen levels by drinking water and exercising. Again, according to Dr. Beddoe blood oxygen levels to the liver and blood carbohydrate levels are very closely related. If the blood carbohydrate is not within a proper range at all times, then the blood's ability to allow oxygen into the cell is impaired....a reduced supply of oxygen to liver cells means they are unable to pick up the full compliment of necessary calciums.

The third important component for good liver function is calcium. No, this does not mean go out to your closest drug store and buy all the calcium tablets you can find. What it does mean is that we need to keep an appropriate amount of calcium coming into our system through good food and a balanced diet. Dr. Beddoe explains that when calcium is lacking to the liver, then the oxygen and water are not utilized. Therefore, as we look at the big picture, we can see that all these things work together to help our bodies work toward optimum efficiency.

Our bodies take a lot of abuse until they begin to show signs of wear. However the road to a breakdown in health tends to cascade after we have indulged ourselves in many different directions. Sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets and emotional aggravations combine after three or four decades to become health problems that we hope to turn around in a few months as signs of disease come our way. If we start to move towards a more emotionally and physically healthy life, it will take some time to reverse the effects of what 40 years of abuse has brought on. It isn't about being perfect as much as it is about being consistent. Consistently take positive steps towards good health and you will get there.

As opposed to what our culture tells us, it isn't about the stuff and being successful, it is about living a peaceful life, loving those around us (including ourselves), moving our bodies and supplying them with good nutrition. If we can do these things, we will have our health which in the end is what allows us to live the life we choose.

Understanding Grief and Repressed Emotion

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:18:00 +0000

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Grief is a series of many thoughts and emotions in response to a loss. The extent the heart is connected to what is lost, affects how much grief is experienced. For individuals who are unable to adjust to a loss and move on, it may be necessary to look deeper to see what might be contributing to the prolonged grief. Unresolved past emotions may be triggered by a current loss. In such cases, the resolution of the current grief may be inhibited by a previous decision to either not think or not feel.

In her book, “Molecules of Emotion”, Dr. Candace Pert presents evidence that the experience of emotions are the result of neuropeptides released from the hypothalamus in response to a thought. Each emotion has a specific chemical makeup that flows throughout the body and is picked up by receptor sites in various organs. Each emotion will effect a unique combination of organs in a specific way, and hopefully this will trigger a resolving thought. Dr. Scott Walker has developed a process he calls Neural Emotional Technique which has helped to pinpoint where in the body and what organs are usually effected by each of the different emotions. For purposes of this article, we will choose the three emotions we have talked about here; fear, grief and bitterness. Dr. Walker says that fear is an emotion that effects the kidneys and grief effects the lungs. Scripture leads us to believe that bitterness effects the bones.

Two difficulties can occur in the processing of grief. If one refuses to think about the loss, unresolved energy remains in the brain, resulting in mental distress. Secondly, if the emotions are internalized, repressed, denied or transposed, rather than embraced and expressed, the chemistry of the emotion remains in the organ, and the natural mental processes do not continue to resolution. Since each organ shares a neural pathway with a specific set of muscles, the unresolved emotion will continue to affect both the organ function and the related muscle groups resulting in predictable disorders and pains. However, when the emotion is expressed, the thought processes continue toward resolution causing the release of new emotional chemistry that resolves and replaces the previous set. If each successive new emotion is embraced and expressed, this process finally results in the flow of the vital feel-good, unifying chemicals of a state of joy that facilitate both our biology and behavior.

A scriptural example of this connection between thought, emotion and body function is revealed in Psalm 73. Asaph is envying the apparent ease of the wicked, (vs. 3-12). In verses 13 and 14 he declares his judgment against his efforts for purity of heart and innocence. However, he then realizes the foolishness of that judgment and turns to God for His perspective. Verses 21-22 state, “When my heart was embittered, and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant ”. In the Hebrew, “within” is the word “Kilyah” which means kidneys. When he held onto bitterness in his heart, his kidneys were afflicted and his thinking was blocked. The conclusion of the Psalm in combination with verses 18 through 20 present a godly resolution of his dilemma. We can see this kind of connection when we look at individuals who have certain kinds of kidney failure. As the kidneys are unable to do their job filtering toxins from the body, the toxicity builds and thought processes begin to erode. In advanced stages people become delusional, they may lose their ability to comprehend time and their understanding of simple every day life declines.

Many children are told, “Big boys don’t cry”, or “You’re just too emotional”. These events can result in inner determinations of the heart not to express emotion. Therefore, as loss is experienced, a person may repress the grief and choose to just move on. Also, the processing of overwhelming experiences, especially in childhood, can be so traumatic that the subconscious defensive systems of the mind will shut it down until a time when the person has the capacity to handle the emotion. A person may also stop the processing of grief because they judge a particular thought or emotion within the process as unacceptable. If any of these patterns of repression continue through life, the mental tension and physical chemistry of grief will build. Each successive event can then trigger fresh waves of the chemistry of the unresolved previous events along with those appropriate to the present situation. As a result, they may experience excessive, inappropriate stages, or prolonged grief along with physical symptoms of pain in their bodies. This extreme and confusing response often leads to further repression.

It may be helpful to reconsider other losses in the life and explore how grief was handled in those situations. When a previous event is recalled, it should be meaningful information, but if a wave of emotional chemistry is released it indicates the emotions have not been allowed to resolve. Emotions, when allowed to come forward can resolve when we cry, as we talk and share with another safe person or during the night when we experience REM sleep and begin to dream. Dreams are a human being's way of working through the "baggage" of the day. If we don't dream, we don't process as effectively.

As suppressed emotion is faced, understand that for past experiences, that unresolved chemistry will feel exactly the same. However the good news is that if you are feeling emotion that was suppressed during childhood, what felt overwhelming at the time, may not be as overwhelming as an adult. Allow yourself to feel, work through the emotions and resolve the chemistry...that is the path to good emotional health.

OMG, I've Been Diagnosed With.....

noreply@blogger.com (Gr8mochas) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:53:00 +0000

Responses to a diagnosis, whether it is a mental disorder or a physical one can range from great fear to anger to denial. Most of the time we can't figure out why it has happened and aren't familiar with what it is.

Physical disorders can be very scary. How many times in your lifetime have you gone to the doctor and heard you just needed an antibiotic, you had the flu or a rash or needed something to help with indigestion? Then you have an annual physical, a blood test and the doctor calls back saying they need you to come in right away. You hear you have diabetes or heart disease, high cholesterol or some other frightening disease that you never thought you would hear. Your mind starts racing, you think, "This can't be happening to me!" Then, once it sinks in, you start learning everything you can about it, believing that it will be relatively easy to overcome and you'll be back to normal in no time. However after a short time we come to realize that overcoming 40 or 50 years of bad habits isn't so easy. Then we get discouraged, then we realize that if we don't make the changes that our life is at stake. Determination takes over and we begin again. Sometimes we are successful in finding alternative treatments that work, that are more compatible with our value systems. If we have caught the disease in time, it may be much more simple to turn around than if we have denied our symptoms and the disease has progressed.

Mental disorders are not the same, although many people are diagnosed with depression, bi-polar disorder or different forms of personality disorders every day, mental disorders come with more of a stigma. Once the person is diagnosed, although perhaps feeling relieved to know exactly what is going on, they then have to deal with learning about it and how to manage it. This kind of diagnosis is just as scary, but can come with a distinct weight and path that needs to be walked out individually. There are support groups for some of the more well known mental issues such as depression and grief, but many of the more severe disorders don't lend themselves to support groups as well. Usually by the time someone has been diagnosed they have alienated family and friends, finding themselves with little to no support.

As we age, the probability that we are going to hear something like this in our own lives becomes more real. How will we deal with it? That too is an individual response. As much as possible, attitude plays a huge part in whether we are successful in facing a distressing diagnosis or not. Joy, laughter, love and encouragement are just as essential in the path back to good health as medical science. Although we may not realize it, unaddressed emotion can effect us mentally as well as physically. It is my opinion that in the journey of life, the body is the last voice to speak when we continue to ignore our feelings and stuff our emotional responses to the problems we face in life. Feelings that are ignored don't die, they come up when we are exposed to similar events, people, sights or smells. If we continue to ignore them, they can develop into fears, social withdrawal, discouragement, depression or eating disorders. If we let them go long enough, the body becomes endangered.

For example, given enough time, the body will begin to interpret a consistent emotion of anger as a wound. The normal response to a wound is to release fibrin, the wound clots, scar tissue forms and the wound begins to heal. So what happens when there is no wound? The body releases that fibrin and it continues to build up and circulate in the blood stream. Clots can form and the person may be more susceptible to a stroke than s/he would have been if that emotion had been dealt with early on in life. Additionally, anything we do to turn the body more acidic will leave us more vulnerable to disease.

Cover of Bob Hope

So what can we do? I don't know about you, but in my opinion laughter and happiness is an easy way to address a part of good self care. I am old enough to remember some of the comedians of early television like George Burns, Sid Caesar, Bob Hope and others and have observed that these individuals lived well into their 90s, in relatively good health. Why? I would suggest that it is because they lived a life where they incorporated humor. They saw the funny side of life and they were able to laugh at themselves. If we look into scripture, we find verses that confirm it as well..."a merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones".

Human beings are very complex so understand I am not suggesting that this is the only way to stay healthy. However, in the long term, it does have its benefits. My encouragement to you would be to deal with your emotional baggage as soon as possible. Forgive where you need to, try to find the humor in things and enjoy the life that you have been given.

Kriss Mitchell is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Post Falls, Idaho. For more information, please visit www.livingwellcc.com or supplements4livingwell.com