Phases of digestion

1.       Digest –

Selecting a food that is biocompatible (compatible with the cells of our body) is the first stage of digestion.  Our genes dictate the types, ratio, and amounts of food that our body runs best on.  They are passed onto us from our ancestors to help ensure our survival, and research shows that genetic code changes only 0.1% every 100,000 years. So genetically we are very similar to our distant ancestors, and we run best on the organic whole foods  (meat, vegetables, fruit,  grains) that they ate. If we eat a food that is not biocompatible it will stress many of the systems of our body.

2.       Metabolise –

One of the primary functions of digestion is the provision of energy to each cell (metabolism), but if we provide too much energy (often sugar) then we will have problems with controlling blood sugar balance, and suffer with symptoms like energy highs and lows, headaches, inflammation,  inability to heal, and hormonal imbalances.

3.       Assimilate –

If the food is not recognised by the cells of the body then it can’t be assimilated (included), and it has to be dealt with by our immune system, just as it would any invader (like a virus, or bug).  Our immune system tries to surround it, bind it up, and then eventually kill it, but this causes inflammation, and many other symptoms like fatigue, muscle and joint soreness, and swelling and bloating.

4.       Eliminate –

The waste products (toxins) must be released from the body on a daily basis in order to detoxify. Chronic constipation can cause our body to become toxic, and cause symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, skin disorders, and other autoimmune disorders.

The process of digestion literally provides life and recreates all our cells, not only fuel, and building blocks, but it provides the fats and proteins for the production of hormones, that make our very thoughts and feelings a reality in our body. Each food emits a frequency of energy that our bodies cells seeks to harmonise with, but processed foods, additives, refined sugar, flour, salt, pasteurised milk will not harmonise and will cause stress in our body.

If you are interested in learning more, I will be running a series of workshops at The Therapy Room in Cambridge entitled- Own Your Health.

I will show you how to observe and assess your own health, and cover the four vital principles for your good health and vitality – Diet, sleep, movement, and thought.

For more details and to book your place please phone 01223 315400 or email damien@dcintegratedhealth.com

Stress – busting!

By Damien Clements – Integrated Health Consultant at The Therapy Room, Cambridge.

It is my opinion that the biggest cause of ill health in the 21^st century is Stress, and this often manifests itself as degenerative or fatigue related disease with associated spinal and joint pain. There are many types of stress, but our body does not distinguish the source of stress, and shares them amongst the control systems.

If the summation of all this stress is greater than our body can balance (homeostasis)  then the autonomic nervous system switches the sympathetic nervous system on and parasympathetic off, adversely  affecting digestion, repair, growth and breaking down our cells and we become dis-eased or chronically out of balance.

I believe the solution to this lack of balance (disease)  is the pursuit of good health rather than the treatment of disease, and we can look back to the ancient greek philosophy of consulting our internal doctors  to discover where we have a stress imbalance, and implement change–

Dr Diet – Food and water as building blocks and energy for life

Dr Quiet – sleep and quiet time, to manage our energy use, and allow for regeneration, repair and growth.

Dr Movement (this is a new dr, for our sedentary 21^st century lifestyle) – exercise and breathing to help digestion, blood flow, and energy flow.

Dr Thought – What we think feeds us in the same way as food.

The latest research by Deepak Chopra indicates  that all the cells of our body are replaced on an annual basis. We are literally recreated from the food we assimilate into our bodies, and shaped by the rest we take, the movement we make, and the thoughts we feed it with.

The pursuit of good health must always start with a consultation with our internal doctors.

Try it for yourself by taking  a lifestyle diary over the next 14 days – diet, exercise, sunlight, sleep, and note down how you feel each day. Ask yourself the following questions -

-Does my diet energise me?              

- Do I wake from sleep, rested and full of energy?

- Do I feel tired or sore all the time when I exercise? Do you never exercise?

- Do I know where I am going in life, and wake every day with a zest for life?

If you think you need some help to regain good health consulting with an Integrated Health consultant will help.

If you are a health professional from any discipline, I am running a 3 hour introductory course on ‘how to become an integrated health consultant’ at The Therapy Room in Cambridge on September 21^st  3pm – 6pm, cost £60. 

For more details visit http://www.thetherapyroomcambridge.co.uk/int_health_con.html  or Call 01223 315400 to reserve your place today.

Damien runs DC integrated Health from The Therapy Room in Cambridge, specialing in Integrated Health Consultancy, seeing clients with many different issues from back pain, chronic fatigue, to rheumatoid arthritis. He also holds workshops on back rehabilitation and Health rejuvenation for companies and individuals. He has ten years of experience as a Exercise, Diet and Lifestyle Coach and working in the exercise science field. 

The greeks had one the first stabs at this question, many thousands of years ago, explaining the source of stress or tiredness (and the solution) from one or more of the following sources -

1.Diet and hydration

2. Sleep and rest

3. Thought

Paul Chek in his ebook - ‘The last 4 doctors you’ll ever need..’, added one more, for our modern sedentary society

4. Exercise

Before reaching for a sleeping pill, an anti inflammatory, or to phone your GP, stop right now and review the articles that are linked to some of these four pillars of your health.

If you are ready to spend the time to do this, then you are already well on the way to making a choice, and taking the responsibility for your own health, rather than being drawn along under the illusion that it normal and healthy to be tired all the time, or there is a pill, potion or person who can ‘fix’ me. You are becoming the controller of your thoughts - choosing not to accept tiredness as the norm or the illusion of a quick fix, but choosing to tune into your own body and make the changes you need for vitality!

It is not easy, and like any change it will take a lot of energy, but remember the changes that you are making will generate the energy you need to sustain the change - so the net result will be more energy!

Good luck - and enjoy your new found energy!

If you need some help please call us on 01223 315400 for a FREE initial consultation.