Mental Clarity and Food Choices
With the close of the 20th century and the beginnings of the human genome project there was interest in the effects food had on the mind This was particularly the case for such health problems as obesity, diabetes, and "overnutrition"
The mind is not a matter or molecular field but rather thoughts are an energy field entity so the energy science can help us with choices Think about it Can we wet our thoughts? Is there any validity to the molecular expressions of thought? Yes, it's true that there are molecular traces of thought by PET scan after the thought but as yet no one has defined that thoughts have a molecular home
Even though we study the brain there are many researchers who would argue that the mind has "escaped" That mind is no longer relegated to the brain but is in every cell of the mindbody
Mind and Nutritional Choices
So why should we care about our thoughts and nutrition? Seems like a dead end
Bu what if I were to tell you that what you eat affects your future choices about food? What if the choices you're making right now are affecting your food choices in the future? That is, if you continue to make choices that blunt your decision making clarity then you'll continue to make the same bad choices as you have done in the past
From an energy science point of view the mind is the DNA of each and every cell of the mindbody Every cell is imbued with mind or DNA Molecularly and structurally our daily life choices impact DNA expression so we need guidance as to what are good choices This is what the energy science discipline provides
What Are Mind Supporting Nutritional Choices?
The energy science of Ayurveda states that there are foods that produce over time mental clarity These would be:
Mango pomegranite figs date peaches and pears(in general most fruit); sweet potato sprouts leafy greens zucchini yellow squash and asparagus; basmati rice quinoa blue corn tapioca barley; mung dal red and yellow lentils; fresh unprocessed cow's milk ghee soft cheese homemade yogurt goat's milk; almonds white sesame seeds fresh cashews; saffron tumeric cardamom coriander fennel cumin; fresh sugarcane juice jaggery raw sugar raw honey; herbal teas such as brahmi and licorice;
Foods that increase mind and thoughts(increase hyperactivity):
Sour fruits apples banana guava tamarind most citus; potatoes nightshades broccoli cauliflower broccoli spinach winter squash pickles; millet corn buckwheat; brown lentils lima and kidney beans adzuki beans tur dal small amounts of black pinto and pink beans; sour cream salted or sour butter cream cottage cheese ice cream; most nuts brown sesame seeds; curry chili cayenne black pepper; processed sugar artificial sweetners cooked honey; coffee black and green tea; fish most seafood chicken
Foods that decrease mental clarity and produce dullness:
Avocado watermelon plums apricots; mushrooms garlic onion pumpkin; wheat brown rice; urad dal and large amounts of black pinto and pink beans; hard processed cheese processed milk eggs; peanuts rancid nuts black sesame seeds; jalapeno pepper nutmeg; molasses soft drinks stevia extremely sweet tasting foods; alcohol marijuana most other drugs; beef pork lamb and venison
This latter group is particularly important and will produce over time obesity, metabolic syndrome, and dullness leading to continued poor food choices
Anyhow as they say "Food for Thought"
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Meditation and Chronic Pain
Probably one of the most challenging clinical conditions in medicine are those where physical pain plays a role in the chronic disease Although there is always a psychological or emotional component to this pain, it is the physical pain that becomes so daunting This is the case in any chronic disease associated with pain But what makes it so challenging? Is it really the pain? Or is it something else?
Anybody confronted with chronic pain will attest to the fact that it's the continuous physical discomfort that doesn't go away that leads to the challenge But what if the person is given things to do to help with the pain but won't do them because they make the assumption that it won't work This becomes a problem
Case Study
Let's talk about a middle aged woman with high Vata energy who has a 4 year history of sharp burning electrical pelvic symptoms that move up toward her head But over the last 6 months these pelvic symptoms progressed to severe bladder symptoms with burning pain during and after urination to the point of incapacitation so she cannot work or do normal daily activities She's given specific therapies that will indeed help her with the pain but is unable to do even a small part of them because she believes that they are making her symptoms worse In the end her mind is so strung out that she becomes confused with loss of ability to maintain direction in helping herself with healing
I know there will be some who would argue that this is just part of the problem and that is indeed true But what we have here is a mind that is interfering with the person getting better by preventing her from even using the therapies to begin with Physical pain freaks the mind out It produces enormous unsettling so that there is confusion, disarray, loss of ability to maintain direction, and lack of faith in any process
Role of Meditation
Obviously meditation does not eliminate pain but it has one very important attribute It settles the mind so that there is a potential for faith to peek its head in the door and nuture some calmness to the freaked out mind
We see a lot of people in the clinic with chronic disease who have perhaps underlying psychological or emotional pain but not obvious physical pain and so these people can also benefit from meditation
But it's one thing to deal with helping people with chronic disease but quite another to try to help those with chronic disease who have chronic physical pain
Meditation does not eliminate the pain It helps settle the mind so that it is not so anxious and is able to accept suggested therapies without freaking out There are times when pain is so commanding of our attention that a trial of a particular approach freaks us out Everything is uncertain and we just want the pain to go away This is specifically a very bad place for people with chronic disease
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Meditation and Healing
Healing is a process that is poorly understood in our Western culture From an energy science point of view it requires time because it's a release of accumulated toxicity which takes time The major interfering stumbling block in the process of healing is the mind
Seemingly time isn't a commodity that much of us have in this Vata whacked...ie excessive movement... society in which we live but if real healing is going to happen it will require that a person decides on the part of herself to spend time to do the work
Whether it's reading a blog or doing a healing activity for oneself, it's consistency that counts One may find that there doesn't seem to be anything there for them one day but when they keep coming back they continue to find value in their activity
How the Mind Interferes in Our Healing
The most influence in healing is the mind because it prevents us from trusting the process and moving ahead with treatment plans
Change Nor do we understand often what is required of us taking on energy science healing Change in nutrition, change in lifestyle behavior patterns, doing unusual therapies that are foreign to us...these make the mind unsettled and want to run away, distrusting the process being suggested
Unknown journey Healing is in and of itself an unknown This can be very unsettling for the mind and most of us because as we drop our toxicity and imbalances, new states present themselves The once comfortable steady state of disease is not so steady which can be a good thing New experiences will occur and because they are out of the realm of our day to day experiences it freaks us out At times we yearn for no change Having said this, this change is slow and not herky-jerky and once we settle into this new way of doing things it's exciting seeing our old disease state dissolve into new areas of comfort
Pain Another reason that the mind interferes is because of pain particularly if an accentuation of the pain occurs with treatment This is obviously a real problem that causes the person to freak out about the therapy but it's nothing but a release(below) This will immediately send a signal to the mind of distrust and anxiety It will make the mind run and distrust But if the practitioner is able make adjustments things will get better and healing can occur
Release Who hasn't done a yoga session without experiencing some element of discomfort in the stretch? But this experience is simply a release of old patterns of holding the body in space When we get used to this experience we are not so fearful of it
Real healing takes time Energy science healing is not like modern medicine healing(matter science healing) The latter gets us out of tight jams such as cancer, car wrecks, and suicidal tendencies But it doesn't answer the major problem of chronic disease The word chronic disease has a specific meaning here It relates to a significant amount of time that it has taken to develop and express itself If someone has vein distention seen on the legs(varicosities) it implies that the microscopic veins have been distended for a long period of time It also implies that it will take a long time of treatment to deal with the problem Most people realize this time relationship but the mind interferes
Meditation as a Resource
The mind is the fastest moving vehicle in the body If it is always moving fast, it makes us impatient, undecided, and upset If treatment is not progressing fast enough or things seem to get worse, the mind will stop us on our healing journey
The use of meditation is a way to quiet the mind It stabilizes the mind energy field and allows us to witness the mind as it really is...an petulant, impatient, and confused child Meditation quiets the mind so we can have better clarity and see what we are doing for the long haul
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Disease and Inflammation
It has been reported by many knowledgeable sources that inflammation(PItta imbalance) lies at the root of all diseases This is partly true from an energy science point of view but when dealing with inflammation one has to take into consideration the other two energy patterns, Vata and Kapha These energy patterns influence one another's expression in the mindbody
Ways to Reduce Inflammation
Rose petal jam…pacifies Pitta in the heart and prana Vata and cools the system
Rose is renown for its cooling effects and the energy science shows us why that's the case
Sesame crunch
Refined sugar cravings are addictions The body however is energetically looking for more energy substrate called soma Refined sugar provides the soma but at the price of addiction Sesame crunch provides soma without the addictive quality
Avoid onions/garlic…kills friendly bacteria, replace with cabbage and brussel sprouts
80/20 water/homemade yogurt with soma salt and Pitta masala
Green Composite Protein Recipe
This is an alkalinizing diet that reduces acidity in the GI tract which is the source fo inflammation It is a cornerstone to begin removing inflammatory sources for the GI tract
Early bedtime…go to bed 30m b4 anticipate going to bed…go at it slow
All products can be obtained at chandika.com
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