Health starts in the gut

At least that is what I found out. Another aspect of Health is digestion. The digestive system is overlooked until we get constipated or have stomach upsets. Health begins in the gut and no amount of body work will make you healthy if you don't follow through with sound eating habits. Therapists need to hear this just as much as the clients they work on.

Recently, I had a conversation with Dorothy Chandler RN about my health habits. I had indigestion with the least bit of food, my allergies were out of control and I felt lethargic. While I was working on others I had begun to neglect myself. With Dorothy's help I could see that even though I made it a habit to drink water I wasn't drinking enough. She pointed out to me that my dry skin was a reflection of my intestinal state. I needed to hydrate more often. She also impressed on that I needed more greens because I wasn't getting enough of the enzymes they produce. She suggested 16 oz of a green drink, along with raw veggies, daily. I knew she she was right. So I made a conscious effort to change. I read a book on juicing greens to get some ideas and went grocery shopping.

Today I had 5 oz of raw Kale juice. I had been warned that it would be rough but actually it wasn't. It tasted mildly reminencent of wheatgrass. At this point I feel no juice could be as nasty as the medicine I take everyday. My plan is to juice one vegetable a day so that I get to know them all and then once I'm familiar with them combine them into exotic drinks. My goal it to work up to 16 oz of green juice a day.

Dr Chandler, Dorothy's partner and husband gave me a tip to keep me on aware of how much water I'm getting. Take 4oz's every 1/2 hour. Use a timer he suggests so that you don't forget. This is also handy for people who drink large amounts of water at a time and then don't drink any more. Drinking large amounts at one time can be undaunting. Breaking it up to a few oz's in short periods makes it a lot easier to be sure you are getting enough. At least it is that way for me.

While this is going on I'm gettng naprapathic adjustments and Asian bodywork. In Asian bodywork the system I'm working the most is the lung and the large instestine. They are brother and sister organs in Chinese medicine. They cover the area from the chest to the thumb on the red and white side of the skin. The lung affects the ability to generate energy by providing oxygen to the various organs. The large intestine is affected when removal of waste from the body is slowed or hampered. These waste make us sluggish and toxic. Another way to look at it is to also work the spleen which runs along the medial leg from the big to to the chest and the stomach meridians which from the toes along the lateral leg. Releasing points along those meridians can aide the process of healing. There are a couple of other meridians that would be useful in my case but I will discuss those later.

Since we're talking digestion which actually begins in the mouth, we should also talk about the Hara which is the area roughly btween the sternum and the pubic area surrounding the navel. Most people think of this entire area when they talk about digestion. An easy thing to do for overall for the body is to relax the Hara It is often affected by anxiety as well as digestive problems. Place your hands over the navel and close your eyes and just breathe. Take note of what you notice about your Hara but do nothing but breathe slowly and deeply. Do this for about 5 to 10 minutes a day or when every you feel like it. It is both a calming and refreshing thing to do. Another way to relax the Hara is to lie down on the floor and place a small sandbag, belly buddy or weighted pillow over the abdomen and and just breath. It encourages deep breathing from your core. Breathing this wasy your blood pressure lowers, anxiety lessens, and you become peaceful and at ease.