Health Essentials:
Movement, sensation, emotion, and thought all use energy and
nutrients for their processes. Neurotransmitter chemicals, hormones,
and simply regenerating tissues require nutrients. Even thinking relies
on biochemical processes. Everything we do or feel requires nutrients.
Tension magnifies these demands.
What we call stress is a reaction to excess demands. The more
demands the less our bodies are able to detoxify. The reason for this
is simple: we are designed so that running from lions is a much higher
priority than digestion and elimination. Housekeeping functions,
therefore, suffer when stress is intense. Nutrient stores are depleted
from taking in things that are not healthful, and they are diminished
by not getting what we need. Anything we eat, drink or breathe that we
must detoxify demands nutrients to do so. When these nutrients are not
available, the body is stressed. Over time, this physical stress can
cause mental and emotional stress. The building blocks for various
functions have been used up, and the body has to compensate by using
nutrients that may be needed somewhere else. The adrenal glands, for
instance, can use nutrients required by the thyroid. Stress of any sort
increases the need for excellent nutrition.
|
 Try our
"De-Stress" product.
It may help to lighten your load as you learn how to get out from under it. |
Total Load:
How many straws would it take to break your camel's back?
From a practical standpoint, every health concern is contributed to
by total load, that is, how much we have going on versus how much we
can handle. Everything that happens, in our bodies and in our lives,
happens in a context. Total load is that context.
Almost every physical problem boils down to two things, too much or
too little: We have what we shouldn't have (pathogens, excesses,
toxins, stress, etc.) or lack what we need (enzymes, vitamins,
minerals, hormones, etc.) Getting rid of what we have too much of and
building up what we have too little of both take place through
biochemical processes. Some nutrients for these processes are stored or
manufactured in the body. Other "essential" nutrients cannot be
manufactured and must be present in sufficient quantities in the diet
for optimum health to be possible. Outside of too much and too little,
our context or total load may include hereditary weaknesses, emotional
or relational strain, repetitive movement or postural stresses, social
or business pressures, sleep habits, and many other factors. The bottom
line is that the greater a load we are under, the more building blocks
we need for biochemical processes. It is a practical fact that because
we are an integrated unit, any healthy way that we can reduce our total
load benefits us in the arenas of life that we are less able to
influence directly.
Nutrition and Mental/Emotional Health
Getting optimal nutrition, avoiding things that cause a toxic build
up, and getting exercise are crucial elements that contribute to
feeling good. All emotional and mental disturbances become easier to
resolve when we have a basis for profound physical vitality and ease,
which are unlikely when the body lacks something critical or is toxic.
If you have mental and emotional distress, read through the symptoms in the product indications
that are associated with blood sugar imbalances, protein and mineral
deficiencies and consider the role deficiencies may play in your
distress.
Blood Sugar and Mental/Emotional Health
Blood sugar imbalances have become extremely common due to modern
lifestyle choices, causing mental and emotional distress, in addition
to organ problems over time. When blood sugar problems are corrected
through diet and supplements, many "emotional problems" simply
disappear. Even when more help is necessary, people tend to respond
much more quickly and easily with the foundation of correctly
functioning physiology.
Key organs affected: adrenals, pancreas, and liver.
Secondary organs affected: thyroid, ovary, kidney, heart and bone.
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Anxiety
Insomnia
Worrying
Depression
Lack of concentration
Craving for sweets
Carbohydrate sensitivity
Allergies
Constant hunger
Dizziness
Exhaustion
Fatigue |
Irritability
Mental confusion
Crying spells
Nervousness
Nightmares
Indecision
Inner trembling
Paranoia
Phobias
Sinus problems
Weight gain
Inflammation |
Sugar has been distilled away from the nutrients that occur with it
in nature and is extremely concentrated. It therefore has to pull out
nutrients from other foods or from the body to be metabolized. Sugar
has been intensified into crystals almost like a drug, so it is not
surprising that some people begin to crave it or become addicted to it,
or that excess sugar can lead to profound physiological problems.
Digestion and Stability
Proteins and essential fatty acids help to balance the metabolism
and stabilize both blood sugar and mood, keeping your energy level more
even throughout the day. If you read through the product indications
for amino acids
(look for the "L-" products on the Products page,) you can see how
essential to mental and emotional health proteins are, and understand
how poor protein uptake can therefore affect well-being.
Many people have digestive impairment without having obvious
symptoms. Many more have common symptoms that they are so used to
having that they do not see them as problems, for instance,
constipation, gas, or the inability to digest certain foods. When
digestion is poor, trace minerals as well as proteins will be
deficient. Mineral also impact mental and emotional health. Please read
the indications and notes on the Products page under HCL Plus for further understanding.
Basics
Avoiding sugar, alcohol and chemical exposure, eating fresh
vegetables and foods with fiber, and drinking plenty of pure water (not
unfiltered tap water) will go a long way to decrease toxicity in the
body, as will exercise. These basics are often overlooked because we
know about them and get in a habit of dismissing them. When put into
practice over a period of time, they will be of tremendous benefit to
mental and emotional health.
Simply Walking More
Walking is especially helpful for mental and emotional health.
Walking increases serotonin, also increasing energy while it reduces
stress, anxiety and insomnia. Getting adequate light--which also boosts
serotonin-- is a given while we walk. Walking helps to establish
rhythm, which evens us out and invites ease. It also gives us a chance
to step away from things, get a new view, and get more in touch with
life.
Walking reduces many if not most medical risks, partly because it
helps the lymphatic system and lungs to eliminate toxins. It raises
metabolism, cuts the risk of heart disease in half, and helps prevent
osteoporosis.
Make it simple. Just walk more.