Mind and Body Are Intimately Spliced….You Cannot Separate Them
Yesterday I found myself talking to an elderly lady about digestion telling her how important it was for health.
"For optimal health, we have to have an optimal digestive fire," I began.
"But the intriguing thing about digestive fire, from an energy viewpoint, is that if we cultivate a rich digestive fire to digest broccoli, that same digestive fire helps you digest what I am saying right now!"
Amazing. So if I ramp up my digestive enzyme system by using a churan(collection of spices that improves digestion) it also improves my ability to digest thoughts?
Most certainly. From an energy science view, the mindbody are intimately spliced. We cannot separate them. What improves the mind, improves the body and what improves the body improves the mind.
It's important I think to note that the matter science model that is used today for healing when we go to the allopath MD cannot make this connection with its healing techniques
So if I digest broccoli better, I digest thoughts better. It is a conclusion that I naturally must come to if I adhere to the concepts of energy science.
Anybody for some churan? Go to foodsheal.com to find out how to make it Love DrBill
Read More
Agni and Its Importance
Agni is an important concept in the energy medical discipline of Ayurveda In this short video I'll discuss the important take home points about this biological energy topic There are other videos that talk about the fundamental Ayurvedic principles at my YouTube Channel at this link
Read More
Spices as Medicine: How to Use Them Effectively
The use of spices is the same as the use of herbs in the energy science model of nutrition and health A spice is considered a herb but not all herbs are spices The spice cabinet in your kitchen can be a medicine cabinet full of energetic remedies if you want to see it that way But just as medicines can help us, some can cause us dis-ease so we need to learn how to use spice for our benefit
Because most spices are used to help the digestive fire That is spices make it stronger so that our own digestive process is more effective in breaking down food, absorbing it, and assimilating it into our bodies as organ(eg, liver and brain) and tissue cells(eg muscle and blood)
Spices....Cooling or Heating?
Most of the commonly used spices in recipes today are heating Mediterranean recipes call for hot spices such as oregano, garlic, rosemary, and thyme These spices are not only heating but have the taste of pungent which is composed of the qualities of hot, dry, light, mobile. sharp, and rough This heating group of spices is particularly good during winter time when our mindbodies need extra heat for digestion of foods
However when your mindbody already shows signs of excess heat as in condition such as the IC bladder pain syndrome where the symptoms of the hot quality are present the above heating spices can be very problematic as most with IC can attest to
14 Cooling Spices
Among the spices there are a group that can be cooling and because of this can be medicinal when too much heat is present You're interested in improving your digestion, absorption, and assimilation but not at the expense of worsening your IC symptoms and risking a flare
There are 10 spices or herbs that you can use all the time and not risk too much heat They are balancing for everyone with high Pitta or too much heat
Use all the time
Cardamom Coriander Cumin Dill Fennel Mint Rosewater Saffron Turmeric Vanilla Do some of these sound familiar? Our common medicinal CCF tea is made from the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds Furthermore they are medicinal to the urinary tract Other herbs you may recognize are mint, dill, rosewater and vanilla Turmeric is on of the most powerful antiinflammatories in this group and saffron even though expensive can be another great alternative in this cooling group
Cooling but use with self evaluation
Cinnamon Fresh basil Fresh ginger Neem leaves Parsley These spices can be heating and cooling so should be used with some caution and awareness, testing the spice to see what effects it has on your own energetic physiology For example fresh ginger due to its liquid quality(dry ginger is really hot and should not be used) can have this heating quality reduced So ginger tea made with fresh ginger can be medicinal for some but in some situations with Pitta really out of whack, even fresh ginger can be too hot This is also true of fresh basil Of the group parsley is the hottest and probably least tolerated
Remember parsley's look a like in the store Cilantro which is an excellent cooling veggie since it is fresh coriander leaves
Read More
Meditation and Cancer
In November 2014 Canadian researchers reported that there are changes to DNA after just a 3 month period of practicing regular meditation This shouldn't really be surprising to us as other genetic studies involving lifestyle behavior patterns have shown shifts in multiple sites of the genetic material
What is interesting is that the changes noted in this study happen to be associated with longevity...that is those with cancer who were meditating for this brief period of time showed signs of increased longevity The tacit conclusion is that meditation can be good food for us and that taking time regularly as part of our daily schedule can have life sustaining benefits
Things to Know About Meditation
Meditation is a tool to quiet the mind You don't need any special gadgetry or tapes Just the ability to sit somewhere and close your eyes
You will have lots and lots of thoughts when you begin That's normal That's why you're meditating You can have 3 and only 3 types of experiences during meditation
Lots and lots of thoughts As above this is normal Recognize that these thoughts are meaningless and are releases of pentup stress which is good to be relieved of Whenever you find yourself on thoughts just gently bring yourself back to your technique, mantra or SoHum or the breath Whatever is your chosen vehicle simply return to the vehicle If you chose not to go back to the vehicle then you've decided to stop meditating
Fall asleep This just means that the mindbody needs rest
Experience silence Of course as soon as you become aware that your mind is silent, you're no longer silent These periods of silence between thoughts become longer and longer in the growth of meditation
To gain benefits from this type of behavior like any health promoting pattern of behavior means to do it and be pretty consistent with it It's been shown that DNA changes occur immediately but that the real changes occur after about 8 weeks in laboratory animals
Link for the cancer article http://goo.gl/v2tMJT
Read More
Detoxification and Pranayama
Last week I discussed why pranayama or breathing exercises can be helpful as part of the energy science solution in helping with all diseases As I have explained in the past, in contrast to the matter science approach to disease, the energy science approach uses a multimodality approach in treating all the qualitative imbalances such as mobile(V), rough(V), hot(P), dull(K) and often times heavy(K)
Pranayama as I explained last week burns ama which is a result of poor agni These breathing techniques each build on one another to enhance the agni of every tissue level in the body When ama is released from the tissues then the qualities can move back to the GI tract for elimination through various methods
The Pranayama Sequence
The sequence is important as it progressively mobilizes Kapha and ama by increasing tissue agni or heat in the tissues from the grossest(bone muscle) to most subtle tissue layers(nervous) Due to the removal of ama this sequence becomes a form of detoxification For those of you familiar with pranayama practices these terms will be familiar but the sequence and how the pranayamas are done is what makes this sequence energetically medicinal For those unfamiliar with these there are places on the internet you can view them or if interested we could set up a demonstration to get you started Start low and gradually build to maximum number
Bastrika forceful inhalation forceful exhalation 10-100(5 min)
Kapalabhati passive inhalation forceful exhalation 100-1000(10 min)
Anulom villom forceful inhalation forceful exhalation using alternate nostrils 10-60(5 min)
Agni sar retention with abdominal pumping 5-10 reps
Bhramari known as bumblebee breath this is done with a specific mudra to enhance attention and the process 5-17 reps
Utjayi inhalation with right arm raising coupled with forceful exhalation using only the chandra channel 5-17 reps
Shitali Shitkari breath to cool particularly the nervous system down after heat generation of the above 5-17 reps
Utgeet breath to seal the practice 5-17 reps
If you want a demonstration DVD you can get it at this link http://goo.gl/mO6BbT
Read More
Detoxification and the Breath
The use of breath exercises or pranayama is a longstanding health technique in the yoga tradition that is one of the fundamentals to help improve one's health And these breath techniques can even be foundational before beginning asana or posture practice that are guided by yoga teachers in studios across the country The question from an energy science perspective is how can breathing exercises give us such a physiologic advantage
The Elements and Tissue Layers
All the ancient healing traditions saw the mindbody as an energy field and spoke of the 5 great elements that were observed in Nature....space, air, fire, water, and earth Energetically the energy of space is nuclear energy, air electromagnetic energy, fire radiant energy, water chemical energy, and earth mechanical energy Each of these energies in the energy science of Ayurveda become Vata(space and air), Pitta(fire and water), and Kapha(water and earth)
The tissue layers are composed of these 5 elements in varying degrees...so the nervous tissue of the mindbody is mostly space and air while the muscle layer is mostly fire water and earth and the bone tissue is mostly earth due to its solidity So when you clear toxic load from the elements themselves you clear the toxicity from the elements that make up the tissues
Improving All Agnis Improves Detoxification of All the Tissues of the Mindbody
There is no energy science technique that can do so much for the overall health of the physiology than pranayama simply because there is no known technique available that can induce detoxification like it does for all the tissue layers This is due to its overall effect on agni
Not nutrition, not herbs, not changing lifestyle, not even panchakarma over time can beat the daily consistent practice of pranayama
Consistency in Practice Develops Strength Stamina and Endurance
Done on a consistent basis these breathing techniques gradually and slowly enhance the strength and stamina of the physiology One starts out with difficulty maintaining good posture during and creating strength during the exercise that gradually improves as one maintains consistency
Consistency also leads to better lung capacity and better posture This is played out over months of practice but the results can be nothing short of a miracle Another interesting thing that happens is that flexibility occurs particularly in the back muscles because fibrosis or scar is lost from around these particular muscles hence leading to better overall strength, better posture, and more ease at doing simple daily tasking
Done properly the techniques can lead to weight loss, reduction in cravings, improved mental clarity, and clearance of toxic load from the physiology leading to lightness and improved energy This is because each technique in this sequence improves the agni of each tissue layer of the mindbody Hence each tissue layer gets cleared of ama or toxic load This sets the stage for real healing to take place
Next week I'll cover the sequence that can change your life forever
Read More
The Noon Meal
Have you ever noticed that you feel better when you eat your biggest meal of the day early, say around 12 noon and 2pm?
The energy science nutrition of healing has an answer for why that occurs. The digestive fire which is a collective term for all the enzyme systems from the mouth to the lower colon is hottest between 10am and 2pm. This is to say that our mindbody's transformative energy is strongest at this time. Our digestion is optimal.
Previous human experience would bear this out. Before the industrial revolution and the information age there is evidence that people observed this lifestyle pattern of behavior. But as with habits we can pick up bad ones and this has become one of them due to our aggravated societal Vata energy.
Even though digestive fire is transformative it is part of the Pitta energy, but not Pitta itself. It's like container(Pitta) and contained(digestive fire).
From a matter science nutritional view we don't have a concept of digestive fire. We mechanically look at the GI tract as a tube that can be viewed with a scope looking for obvious dis-ease.
It is precisely this kind of information that is deviod in the healing of today. And why should it be there anyway, since there is no double blind study devoted to demonstrate this simple concept? And how easy would it be to prove? Yet energetically it is tantamount to good health. And provides a solid foundation for good nutrition.
Yet we don't talk about this in contemporary nutritional circles because there is no matter science proof and it's not high tech. Digestive fire-what a silly concept to use in high tech medicine. Right?
So that's where we are right now. Do we have to be here?
No, I believe we as consumers can create a different direction with respect to our lifestyle behavioral choices. It begins with us.
Hang what the nutritional "experts" say. Find out for yourself!
Read More
Seafood and Freshwater Fish
Freshwater fish will pacify everyone's physiology and promote energetic balance because the meat has not lived in salt water all its life Now shrimp is an exception to the saltwater rule but what if there were freshwater prawns Wow that would be hitting a home run! All of us could benefit from this novel animal food since freshwater fish can be used by everyone regardless of their energy pattern
A patient of mine told me about freshwater prawns that are farmed here locally. "What a great idea!", I said Then I began thinking of possible problems They'll probably have a weird taste "No", my patient explained, "they taste even better than the saltwater prawns." They're probably hard to find, I thought. "And they are locally available just off Lake street" My mindbody began searching for other possible reasons but having no more objections, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to try them
The next day I found myself ambitiously getting ready for my sojourn to the store to try this new found possible taste thrill "Maybe I won't have enough time," I thought to myself Nonsense, just go get them and if I don't like them, my daughter will eat them
So I get the prawns and they're delicious! And now I noticed the same process that my mindbody goes through when confronted with something new There is hesitancy about what might happen if I do something out of the ordinary Something that's not in my realm of comfort. I'll have the saltwater prawns, thanks very much
What gives? Why do I get so resistant to trying something new? I think the simple answer is the fear of the unknown The uncertainty of predicting what lies ahead prevents us from moving off center and doing something different For some the acceptance of change may be easy, for others it may be more difficult And for all of us, there will be guaranteed issues that we balk at and say to ourselves, not today
Freshwater prawns may be easy but perhaps changing our whole nutritional pattern may be something else But the key to any change is realizing the fear and stepping through it Everyone has their pet ways of resisting change Predominant Vata people run away from fear, Pitta criticizes and becomes judgmental, justifying their resistance by talking themselves out of whatever they're fearing to change And Kapha simply resists by inertia-just not going to do it. A sense of complacency becomes overwhelming
Knowing this resistance to the uncertainty and realizing that we will always express our resistance is unique ways allows us to watch ourselves in the midst of our resistance and perhaps walk through it But if not, it's OK There will always be another day
Read More
The Heavy Feeling and Toxicity
Have we ever felt physically heavy, sluggish, and just not wanting to move? And that's the groundstate for depression, isn't it? Because depression actually means to not move. Our mindbody energy has slowed down. When these qualities are felt they indicate either a buildup of the Kapha energy pattern or toxicity or both.
Energy that doesn't flow in the mindbody becomes like stagnant 
pools of water in a mountain stream or lake. The mobility of water is almost imperceptible. With less and less flow through the pool life begins to spawn. Small fish find a home, vegetative growth becomes obvious, and the quality of slow/dull overcomes the vibrational frequency of sharp/penetrating. The static quality has become more dominant over the mobile quality. And the pools of water become have less clarity and become cloudy because of the growth. So stagnant(static) energy in the mindbody promotes growth of debris.
"OK, so my mindbody energy flow is like a mountain stream. I can relate intellectually, but what is that like experientially? What does it feel like to have the mobile quality?"
In the realm of biological energy it's all about feeling. We feel slow/dull. We know our energy mindbody has become relatively reduced in mobility.
So mobility is sensed when we feel tingling in mindbody parts such as the extremities and we feel bright, "energized", and alive. Have we ever felt like that after a vigorous massage? The mindbody feels crisp and alert. Ask someone to give you a brisk massage and see if you can sense it.
As healing occurs stagnant pools of energy in the mindbody that have gone into a deep Rip VanWinkle sleep over literally years become awakened and alive again. To have mobility energetically is to be alive, rejuvenated, and participate.
Here's the deal. We can never know mobility unless we know static. So be grateful for those slow/dull times so you can feel the exhiliration of mobile and sharp/penetrating. But become addicted to neither. It's about balance. To good health DrBill
Read More
The Single Most Important Thing in Life
I think most would agree that health is the most important thing that we can have in life The issue is "How do we maintain if we have it and how do we get if we don't have it" The answer is not in a pill
And there are distractions to keep us off track
Foreclosures, environmental trashing, falling dollar, energy problems, unemployment, economic depression, failed relationships, bankruptcy.
These are pretty big problems that are confronting some of us, our society and planet today. But I would suggest that to focus on these issues distracts us from health.
When we get distracted we lose focus of what's really important in our life.
What's more important. A valuable dollar in our pocket or our health. If it's the former our conversation is over.
If it's health then how do we make health the focus of your attention. For sure it's not taking another pill; health does not come in supplement or pill form.
Health comes in the form of lifestyle choices. OK then what lifestyle choices are valuable? From an energy science view there are a number of choices that are valuable. And we are the sole decision maker here as to whether that happens.
Make health a full time job. Here's my list
Have a purpose for getting out of bed in the morning
Work toward getting balanced gastrointestinal function
Clear stagnant energy from the physiology
Balance the energy patterns of your mindbody
Eat appropriately for your mindbody constitution
Do a daily practice of yoga postures and/or meditation
This will keep you busy and undistracted from what's really important in life Love DrBill
Read More
Recent Comments