5 Ways to Assess Bowel Health
If you have good bowel health you won't need any medication but if you have poor bowel health all the herbs in
the world won't help you
The above aphorism says much about the importance of bowel health Unfortunately little is said about bowel health in the current matter science practice for many different reasons but one of the most salient is that the matter science medical model does not place much emphasis on the topic This may be changing as studies on bacterial systems and their importance evolve but for now, bowel health is really up to you
The energy science medical model of Ayurveda says that the origin of all disease is from the GI tract This is in great contrast to how we view the bowel Currently the bowel is a mechanical tube that takes what we give it, wholesome or not
A video I did some months ago on the GI tract discusses a healthy GI tract in reference to some well known chronic diseases such as IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia
Click on the link above to watch the video
5 Ways to Assess Bowel Health
1 Evaluation of the tongue This check in the morning after scraping your tongue is valuable in telling whether there is stagnant energy in the body by whether there is a coating or not
2 Strength of agni The digestive fire that I talk about in the video is the most important aspect to maintaining health We don't have this type of concept in the matter science medical discipline You can assess this by asking "How's my appetite?" If it's balanced and there is no challenge for overeating or snacking this is a good sign The second and more important question is "How do I feel after eating?" If you aren't satisfied or you have bloating or other complaints then you have problems with agni
3 Bowel elimination or regularity You should have a bowel movement each morning on awakening and usually within 2 hours after each meal Otherwise you are constipated or having too loose movements with diarrhea
4 Clarity or confusion This is sometimes a difficult symptom to assess since we all feel we have clarity But at times we become aware of the fact that we are having trouble figuring things out This is a directly related to poor bowel health
5 Frequency of nail trimming This may seem way out there but mineral absorption from the GI tract is related to good bowel health and if you're regularly trimming your nails then you're absorbing properly and bowel health is good
All the best To Health as a Skill Love DB
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5 Energy Science Ways to Deal With The Common Cold
When the qualities of Kapha(heavy, slow/dull, cool, slimy/smooth, oily, liquid, dense, static, gross, and sticky/cloudy) pile up during the winter months the mindbody naturally wants to shed these in the springtime to restore balance(eg too much heavy, liquid, dense, slimy smooth, sticky/cloudy qualites) If excessive these qualities are released in the form of mucous from the nose and airways(trachea, bronchi) It is the cool quality of Kapha that gives the name to this condition as the common "cold"
Qualities accumulate due to foods consumed with inadequate digestive fire, foods inappropriate for your body's energy makeup, and incompatible food combinations, with less accumulation due to wintertime's environmental factors, At other times there can be releases(cold, cough, and congestion) from past years if the individual is moving to higher states of health
Green Is Mean
The color of Pitta the energy of transformation is yellow to green The excess accumulated Pitta energy pattern is always present with inflammation so when these colors show up in the mucous you can be certain infection is present On the other hand the color of Kapha mucous is clear or white If just Kapha release is happening then no antibiotic is necessary
At the first sign of green or yellow mucous you should begin using antibiotics This is particularly the case when there have been previous bouts of bronchitis or not feeling strong during the wintertime season Green to yellow mucous implies that the body's immune status working to clear an infection And it doesn't make any difference if the green appears late or early For example if the green shows up in the first one or two days of mucous discharge antibiotics would still be the first choice in management Probiotics should be considered if you begin antibiotics to maintain a healthy gut bowel flora
Reducing Metabolic Load
You've heard of the common adage starve a cold, feed a fever Or is it the opposite feed a cold starve a fever? The energy science of Ayurveda can help us here Since Kapha is a hypometabolic state to begin with, it doesn't make sense to feed it more The digestive power is compromised
Therefore it makes sense to starve a cold and feed a fever Obvously I'm not talking about complete water fasting but doing juices is best eg apple and pomegranite or foods that are Kapha pacifying So chicken soup with rough(counters the slimy smooth quality) soda crackers becomes an excellent choice for the diet when going through Kapha release but not milky creamy soups
Remember Incompatible Food Combinations
If you are going to use foods be sure that the foods are compatible with one another Poor food combining can result in congestion and interfere with the Kapha release It makes complete sense that if you have excess heavy, slimy/smooth, cloudy/sticky being released you would not want to add more of these qualities in your nutritional format Examples include all dairy(cheees, yogurt, milk) almond milk is OK, nuts(heavy and oily), oils unless light, uncooked foods, heavy grains(oatmeal,wheat, yeasted breads) and of course no sugar Best to emphasize the tastes of pungent, bitter, and astringent
Buck Up Your Digestive Fire
Because Kapha is heavy, it takes a lot of energy to burn up Kapha molecules so the stronger your digestion through this process of Kapha release the better Of course the first rule of thumb is don't add any more Kapha molecules to the system in terms of food but at the same time by stoking your central digestive fire you strengthen all the digestive fires in the body including those that are trying to release these heavy qualities So for example the sweet taste is Kapha provoking so using sugary cough drops makes no sense
I mentioned probiotics above as intestinal bacteria are integral part of the concept of digestive fire I have covered other nutritional techniques in another post including ginger pickle which is a great way to enhance digestive fire
Herbal Remedies
The best remedy for colds is ginger and using it in combination with cinnamon, cardamom to make teas for a straightforward cold For colds with a productive cough making teas with dry powdered cloves, cinnamon, dry ginger is useful These heating spices(herbs) help with warming the cool quality of Kapha
Simple black pepper from the table is good to use since it burns off the Kapha qualities Pippali is a great herb to use for the lungs and should be considered when there are repeated bronchitis attacks in an individual's history Honey is heating and using this with or without ghee(in equal volumes) is useful as tissue buildup(improves immunity) but also aids in the clearance of Kapha qualities
Just remember you can take all the herbs in the world but if you haven't done anything about your nutritional choices you're wasting your time
Until next time To Health as a Skill Love DrBill
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Foods and Rejuvenative Therapy
One of the more profound aspects of the energy science of Ayurveda is the rehabilitation of tissues once debilitated or keeping the tissues strong and preventing disease from entering tissue spaces This is called rejuvenation or rasayana treatment
These rejuvenative therapies are more of a process than getting the fountain of youth but play an important role after detoxification procedures as well as recovery from illnesses, trauma, or treatments such as chemotherapy In health rasayan therapy maintains health of the tissues and balance of the mindbody
Nuturing Rejuvenative Therapies
Simply feeling contented about life is a rasayana in and of itself The space implies that whatever is happening is OK, without judgement, anxiety, or passivity
Food as I have written about in the past can be rasayan therapy and as below are merely extension of herbs which is another form of therapy According to the VPK paradigm there are foods that support Vata such as soaked and peeled almonds for Vata, rose petal jam for Pitta, and plums, peaches, and dark grapes for Kapha Milk and ghee can be supportive to tissues such as the nervous system, bone, and reproductive tissue
Lifestyle Behaviors as Rasayana
Appropriate lifestyle behaviors such as oil massage for Vata, staying out of the sun for Pitta, and deep massage or vigorous yoga asana practice(hot yoga) for Kapha can be rejuvenating choices to help bring about balance
Speaking to others in a nurturing and positive manner reflects the internal peace that one carries and this kind of behavior in your relationships, to the environment without expectations becomes another way of practicing rejuvenation in one's life
Herbal Rasayana
Since we live in a society where we obtain health in pill form the above rejuvenative therapies are overlooked but nonetheless important However there are many directed rasayana herbs that can be used to help support the tissues and their strength
The most commonly mentioned herbal compound is triphala which is used in almost every management situation because it does so much for the physiology Other rasayanas are used to promote health of damaged tissues, prevent further damage, or perhaps the most valuable but underutilized is to close off potential areas that are genetically prone to disease
For example the rasayana arjuna is a herb for the heart and if you have a history of heart disease in the family using such a herb would be beneficial Or is osteoporosis is a family issue then using guggulu or prawel panchamrit would be good to support healthy bone tissue before your bones become weak
Summary
There are many ways the energy science of Ayurveda provides help for us with respect to rebuilding our health or protecting it Rasayana therapy is a unique and fundamental to helping live a long life of courage and stamina
Until next time To Health as a Skill Love DrBill
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Kidney Stone Disease: A Nutritional and Herbal Solution
The body is simultaneously an energy and matter field based on your perspective
Inflammation can be viewed as either a molecular problem(matter science) or an imbalance in energy patterns in the urinary tract The predominant theory of the matter or molecular science is that the glycosoaminoglycan(GAG) layer becomes disrupted for unknown reasons and caused by a process of chronic inflammation in the urinary tract seen to be the basis for bladder cancer formation, interstitial cystitis, and now stone disease
The energy science of Ayurveda completely concurs that there is disruption due to acidic loading but notes it as an imbalance of too much of the hot quality(inflammation or high Pitta) rather than naming a molecule at fault The urinary frequency, urgency with or without incontinece due to the mobile quality of high Vata may occur in the bladder Since the energy science is a qualitative one there is no evaluation of molecules as in the matter science discipline
The endoscopic photos above show variations of crystalline formations on the renal papillae as a prodrome of stone disease of any form or size So it is inflammation that is at the heart of stone formation form an energy science view And as in so many identified diseases inflammation seems to be the common final pathway
GAG Layer Disruption and Stone Disease
I have long contended in my urological practice that the vast majority of patients with stone disease don't have a molecular reason for their stone disease Rather there is a GAG layer disruption on the kidney papillae that predisposes them to stone disease
And I have suggested to patients that they use aloe vera(cold) gel and a Pitta pacifying nutritional format or one used at foodsheal.com after taking the questionnaire
In this month's International Urogynecology Journal a group from Taipei reported on a study of a population of patients of painful bladder syndrome(PBS) and controlling for other associated diseases such as IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pelvic pain(CPPS). depression, and chronic pelvic pain found that those with prior stone disease were at higher risk for developing PBS or IC(interstitial cystitis)
There has been one other study suggesting an association but this is the first population based study to show the association between the chance of forming stones and suffering from IC or PBS
In PBS inflammation and resultant disruption of the GAG layer seems to be linked with the symptoms A GAG layer is secreted by all cellular tubes that communicate with the outside So the respiratory tree, the GI tract, and the urinary tract linings all produce GAG layers
So it would make complete sense that the deficient GAG layer in the urinary tract would not have to be necessarily located just singularly involving the bladder but could involve the kidney GAG layer as well If this occurs the faulty papillary GAG layer in the kidney would not be slimy/smooth enough to prevent papillary crystals to form to serve as a nidus for continued stone growth
If the hot quality of Pitta can break down the GAG layer in the bladder it can certainly do the same thing in the kidney leading to stone formation
The Treatment of Stone Disease and IC Are the Same Because They Are Both Inflammatory Diseases
So it comes as no surprise that a nutritional format reducing the Pitta energy pattern foods used is a solution not only for PBS but also for stone disease as well This would reduce those foods that are inflammatory and bring the hot quality in those patients who are predisposed to either stone disease or PBS
The use of aloe(cold) would begin to help restructure the deficient GAG layer and making it whole again would be the solution to preventing stones in the future There are other herbs such as CCF tea, gokshura, and ushira that also can be used for stone recurrence
What you are witnessing here is the unique interplay between the energy science and matter science disciplines where both support each other in a holistic way
Of course it goes without saying that PBS and a person with stone disease should be treated in the same way as the problem is from an energy science view Pitta and Vata imbalances in the urinary tract
All the best To Health as a Skill Love DrBill
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Star Trek: Science Fiction or Real?
Most of us are familiar with the concept that the body is an energy field. We can recall when Captain Kirk transformed his matter field into energy waves and beamed himself up to the starship Enterprise only to reappear again into his matter field body.
And when I talk to my patients about the energy field body, they intuitively understand that, yes, there is an energy body that is mine as well.
But what's the big deal? So I'm an energy body. Because if we accept this fact then the energy science medical sciences are valid ways of healing. There is sound foundation on the fact that there are disciplines that can heal us using different model.
The History of the Energy Sciences of Medicine
There are two scientific traditions of healing that treat the body as an energy field. Ayurveda, which is part of the Yoga tradition of India, and the Traditional Oriental Medicine discipline both built powerful healing systems around the concept of the body as an energy field. And with these traditions comes a vocabulary to help us discuss and understand the body in a different way than the way we currently see the body.
Currently in the matter field tradition, the evaluation and assessment of success in healing is done by measurment or quantitatively. If our blood count is low, we give iron and the blood count is measured as higher and we achieve success.
In the energy sciences of healing the evaluation and assessment of the energy field is done qualtitatively. And success in healing is determined by balance. The body is neither too hot or too cold, neither too heavy or too light, neither too dry or too oily.
In the accompanying table we can see how the two disciplines are different in how they do their scinece. It demonstrates through their differences how it becomes difficult to compare them using each other's science. That is, doing an matter science study evaluating an energy science question may be flawed. The scientific problings sometimes don't work very well. The key however is to understand and appreciate the inherent dissimilarities of the two sciences so that we can use them effectively when we need them.
Nutrition: A Platform To Understand Differences
Nutrition is one way we can quickly sample the value of the energy science tradition. Nutrition is one of the three traditional pillars of healing in the energy science of Ayurveda, and the focus of my work as a physician. I have personally seen transformations in healing with this simple approach to nutrition that have healed conditions that could not be solved by traditional or matter field approaches.
And nutrition is not only the way to treat disease but is the basis for prevention of disease and wellness. When we knowingly take in foods that resonate with our physiologies we automatically begin to experience balance and wellness. The value of the energy sciences to us is that the solutions to many health problems can occur by regaining balance. Stay tuned and I'll show you how in subsequent blog posts that are distilled from my book Foods Heal with the accompanying website.
Thanks for joining my emerging blog community. Drop me a comment and let me know what's on your mind. To Health as a Skill Love Dr Bill
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The Cold Quality and Microbrews
I was in Portland having a microbrew with a friend and the conversation drifted to the taste of beer. Is it better at room temperature or icy cold? For me personally, I can't taste the hops flavor as well if the beer is cold and the nuances of the after tastes are lessened too.
Here's what's interesting, the energy healing disciplines would totally concur and make the statement that everything ingested should be at room temperature. That indeed ice is not nice. The cold quality actually affects our ability to experience taste well, but also to digest what we are consuming. To put that another way, temperature of food or drink affects our ability to digest not only the taste experience but the food itself.
That's right, energetically we initially digest taste not food. Taste is a collection of vibrational frequencies that we assimilate into our physiologies when we consume anything. Yes, from a matter field perspective we use enzymes to break down the food, but this is a transformation of the food from one state to another. Eventually it becomes a matter field state that we assimilate into our bodies and make heart cells and brain cells from it.
But our microbrew experience led to a conversation about how taste improves digestion from an energy perspective. If I can taste the beer better then my awareness of the liquid and its vibrational frequencies that I am consuming is better. So the nature of the cold quality clouds my ability to sense the beer and its complex vibrational frequencies. If I eat something cold, it's never as good as if it has been heated on the stove. Or if I cook raw food, the taste of the cauliflower becomes much fuller than when it was not predigested by cooking. The tastes of the foods come alive when food is warm.
When the temperature of what I am ingesting is less than body temperature, my taste buds on the tongue don't sense the vibrational frequencies as well. My awareness is not as keen as to what I am eating. My required strength to digest has to be greater and it requires more energy for me to digest the experience. I have to expend more energy to heat the food with my own heat in order to get the full energy experience.
In short, I'm taxing my body over and over again requiring it to heat up my food which expends energy unnecessarily. Now that you know this, go ahead and do your own experimetation. Take a long sip of your favorite microbrew or sparkling water. Then ask yourself: Should it be warm or cold?
Leave a comment and let me know what you think. We'll pick up this topic again in future posts.
'Til next time To Health as a Skill Love Dr B
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9 Energy Science Remedies for Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a reduction in bone mineral density of the skeletal structure resulting in porous bones
It is felt that there is an imbalance in the bone structure such that osteoblastic activity(making new bone) is not as great as osteoclastic activity(breakdown of bone so as to supply minerals for the body) Like any disease there is a spectrum of presentation with minor loss to substantial loss with high risk for fracture
People are becoming more aware of this clinical problem which will become a major issue as the boomers come into their sunset years It was felt that the avatar for such a disease was the 80 year old frail thin female but it's now apparent that can come early and affect men probably in equal proportions
Matter Science Solution
The gold standard evaluation for those at risk is assessment of the bones by bone mineral denstiy(BMD) by a BMD scan This spots the femoral necks and the lumbar spine and compares the BMD of your scan with that of norms within a population and then determines normal, osteopenic, and osteoporotic which is defined as less than 2 standard deviations from the mean population
The primary matter science remedy is a drug that coats the trabecular or internal surface of the bone so that the bone cannot be eaten away by the osteoclastic activity The problem with this approach is that if someone would like to build up their bone by natural means, the coating may impair osteoblastic activity or the laying down of new bone Exercise is also important to create gravitational stress on the bones as well
This kind of solution is probably not the best for those who have borderline to osteopenic bone loss and the energy science has a lot to say about providing solutions that can help
Energy Science Evaluation
From an energy science view reduced bone density and/or osteoporosis is high Vata in the bones of the body leading to the excess qualities of light, dry, rough, subtle, and clear These qualities of Vata excess in the bones gradually reduce the strength of the bone structure
The teeth and nails are the extensions of the bone and hence can give us a lot of information about the progressive health or poor health of the bones So a healthy set of teeth is a healthy skeleton and how often you trim your nails is a good barometer as to the strength of the bones
Further people with strong Vata constitutions(remember the thin frail 80 year old) either predominantly Vata or Vata Pitta or Vata Kapha are more at risk for loss of bone mineralization Typically it is highly unusual for people with Kapha constitution to develop bone loss to any great degree
The absorption of minerals occurs all along the GI tract(bowel) but most activity is localized in the colon so if the health of the colon is poor(irregular stooling or constipation) then decreased absorption of calcium and other minerals can occur leading to reduced new bone being laid down
9 Energy Science Nuritional Solutions
1 Begin the process by improving the health of the gut You can take all the calcium, magnesium, and trace elements you can afford but if the gut is not healthy you just have expensive poop This is a major divergence from the matter science approach which has no concept of what bowel health means(If you eat it and it comes out the other end without symptoms in between then it must be OK) The most important way to start doing this is by doing a nutritional format appropriate for your energy makeup See foodsheal for direction
2 Increase consumption of calcium rich foods such as cow's milk(1 cup =300mg), swiss, gruyere, and paneer cheeses(3.5oz = 800mg to 200mg), fresh home made yogurt(1 cup = 400mg)in moderation, almond and coconut milk(1 cup = 450mg), broccoli, kale, spinach, collard and turnip greens(1 cup = 100-200mg), seaweeds, quinoa, black eyed peas,and arugula( 1 cup = 125mg) These should be used in frequency according to the nutritional formats at foodsheal.com
3 Avoid incompatible food combinations The list is available at foods heal
4 Shoot for 2,000 to 3,000mg calcium consumption per day and 1000 IU of Vit D3 if by BMD you have reduced bone density
5 Use a mineral supplement(New Chapter Bone Strength 6 small tabs worth 770mg calcium) The nice thing about this supplement is that appears to make the minerals more bioavailable and the Vit D3 is included in the formula
6 Use 2oz of sesame seeds(without the hulls) per day at night before bed chewing well before brushing teeth 4 oz is worth 1160mg calcium and 700mg of magnesium Tahini made from whole sesame seeds is another tasty way to get minerals from sesame seeds
7 2 cups of almond or coconut milk per day that is calcium fortified provides 900mg calcium Almond milk is particularly good as it nourishes bone tissue
8 Soaked and peeled almonds are a good source of protein, fat, and minerals and energetically build bone These should be used all the time but be sure to soak and peel In the future will produce a video showing you an easy way to peel a soaked almond
9 Exercise according to Vata Pitta make up
Until next week To Health as a Skill Love DrBill
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5 Guidelines for Yogurt Use
Pitta provoked diseases are any those that have an inflammatory component What would those be? The short answer is any disease since every disease has an inflammatory process associated with it
There is simply too much of the hot quality in the body which has an imbalance created by the foods consumed So the obvious first step is to reduce those foods that are Pitta provoking
One particular thread that I have seen come up is the question about inflammatory conditions and yogurt How should it be used and whether it is safe in such conditions, that is, whether it is Pitta provoking and causing disease and/or pain
Yogurt is an amazing food and many ethinic cultures on the planet use fresh yogurt and kefir as health promoting foods in their nutrition And there are very good reasons for doing so but due to the Pitta aggravating nature of yogurt, freshly made is the only way to go
The "Good" Guys
The value of yogurt is that it serves when freshly made as rich source of probiotic which is a population of "good bacteria" that reside in the bowel "Bad" bacteria at times overgrow the gut flora leading to poor digestion, absorption, and assimilation so it's important that the good flora flourishes and the bad are kept in check As I've alluded to in the past, bacterial growth is a major part of our digestive strength that needs to be nourished
This is particularly important if you have GERD, IBS, and inflammatory bowel disease(ie Crohn's disease) since the digestive fire is significantly compromised in these dual conditions
Regular use of freshly made yogurt insures that the "good" bacteria are consistently replenished
You may have heard of yeast overgrowth and this is yet another factor that can lead to poor digestive fire(eliminating yeast laden bread products is a good idea in that it gives us more than we need so flatbreads are best or at least toasting yeasted products)
Bowel flora is important in the concept of digestive fire and aids in bowel digestive function as well as providing important nutrients for our nutrition
Pasteurized yogurts should be avoided as pasteurization kills off the beneficial probiotic component of yogurt
Making Digestion Easy By Predigestion-Optimizing Digestive Strength
The value of yogurt comes in the predigestion of lactose and casein which we talked about a couple of days ago Hence the bacteria during the incubation phase of creating yogurt use the sugar lactose and break down the protein casein The lactose then doesn't bother the lactose intolerant and the casomorphin derivative from casein digestion can be less, hence affecting us less
Why freshly made? From an energy science view the build up of acidity occurs with aging yogurt even if refrigerated becomes inflammatory and thus Pitta provoking You also get the maximal amount of probiotic in the yogurt(some bacteria die off after 4-5 days)
Even though fresh yogurt is not very acidic(sour taste) it still can be Pitta provoking if used daily Hence home made yogurt has its consumption limitations
So 5 Guidelines
1 Based on the foodsheal.com food combining list, don't use fruit with yogurt
2 To really inhibit the negative sour effects of even freshly made yogurt, the use of Sucanat or Turbinado(crystallized cane sugars) can be important because the sweet taste helps balance the aggravating sour taste
3 Always use yogurt in moderation, that is, 2-3x per week
4 Store processed yogurt is too acidic and will provoke inflammation
5 Diluting the yogurt with water reduces its acidity
How to get started
Buy a yogurt maker(Donvier is a French brand and is in the Amazon store at the ic-solutions.tv website) Using fresh starter each time ensures that the bacterial count of the yogurt will be rich
And yes, this does take some time to make your own yogurt but after doing it, in a short time you can do a batch in about 15 minutes(total time; heating the milk and cooling it can be done while doing other things)
If the yogurt is curdly and clearly not smooth in texture it means that there's probably too much cooking going on and that the incubation times are too long So try 10 hours instead of 12 hours with the Donvier
YouTube has several videos on how to make your own yogurt
It's best not to use dry milk powder as the milk product as it is provoking to Vata Pitta
Here's a link for directions on making your own for trouble shooting
The greatest value is making your own yogurt is that you participate in your own health and this is a small but significant step in assuming responsibility for our health
Until next week To health as a Skill Love DrBill
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Carbonated Drinks: Not All Calories Are Created Equally
One of the sacred cows of the US diet indeed of the world's is the carbonated drink intake From Coke to Pepsi to "nutritious" mineral drinks the refreshment drink industry creates a huge market for the unsuspecting consumer One of the reasons that the drink industry can fly under the radar without addressing the health consequences of its products is due to our current dietary approach to foods in general
Diet: The Quantitative Healing Approach
Currently we do our medical healing using what I have termed the matter science In this model of healing everything is measured and the molecule is responsible for disease Cholesterol, fatty acids, hormones, vitamins, minerals You name it and its measured And this measurement gives us confidence that things are going in the right or wrong direction in terms of our healing For example, if the tumor measures 5cm before treatment and shrinks to 2cm then healing by measurement has occurred
Quite naturally we have translated this healing into other areas of life such as diet Everything is measured when it comes to diet as well Lycopene, potassium, fats, high fructose corn syrup
But the quantitative approach only measures calories but doesn't give us much understanding about the quality of the calories consumed This is a major problem with this dietary approach because NOT ALL CALORIES ARE CREATED EQUALLY The world is now addressing these drinks as injurious to health(see link and video)
Nutrition: The Qualitative Healing Approach
In the energy science model foods take on a qualitative aspect to them From a qualitative view carbonated drinks are unhealthy and not good for anyone because it produces an imbalance of qualities The energy science of Ayurveda sees qualitative imbalance in us as the source of disease and foods such as carbonated drinks produce such imbalances
There are 10 pairs of qualities that I have written about in earlier posts The reason for the nutritional formats at foodsheal.com is to help show you what foods will promote balance for you
According to this model's approach to healing it's the quality of the food that means something not the quantity This seemingly contradicts the current approach to diet What would it be like not to count calories anymore?
The Best of Both Worlds
I'm not saying that one model is better than another Each have their value and strengths in the information they provide us We all need to know what is in our foods and how much fructose corn syrup the manufacturer is using in his product that we're consuming But at the same time there are certain foods that we should best leave alone regardless of what appears nutritious about it if they don't harmonize with us from a qualitative view
For example, tomatoes should not be eaten by the combination energy pattern of Pitta Vata and dairy should be avoided by Pitta Kapha You can learn more about this at foodsheal.com
Until next time To Health as a Skill Love DB
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5 Ways to Promote a Nutritious Diet
OK we can all relax The Oscars are over Best picture actor actress director So back to the mundane day to day travails of ordinary living and being healthy This week it's about how to not only preserve but enhance your digestive strength and health
1 Snacking
This may seem strange but when there is a constant flow of food for your digestive system to handle this can lead to poor digestive strength overall This is particularly problematic for some who have low digestive power to begin with So eating the biggest meal at noon, small breakfast to tide you over until the big meal of the day, and a dinner that is smaller than the noon meal is a great eating pattern to adopt
2 Ice is not Nice
That is ice is not kind to our GI tracts and reduces our digestive strength since the digestive enzyme systems that digest our foods work best at 98.6 degrees F Not 94 or 100 but at this particular set point Using ice affects this set point and alters digestion When you use ice with eating on a regular basis you can affect your digestion
3 Drinking Too Much Water
Some people have too much fluid already whereas others use water a lot for their metabolic needs We are all different and so we should respect that From previous blogs you can see what I mean But the point is that too much fluid decreases out digestive strength And none of us need that Vata gets the most water per day 70 oz, Pitta 50-60 oz, and Kapha 40 oz Guess who has the most water on board most of the time!
4 Leftover Food
My mother was the Leftover Queen and there was always in the refrigerator things from days gone by But energetically leftovers more than a 48hours old are dead and have lost much of their nourishing capability much like the stuff that comes from cans
5 Overeating
When I overeat(more than what I can hold in my two hands) unfortunately it's like I'm throwing wet logs on my digestion strength and then I don't burn the foods I take in
So that's it These are great guidelines that will nourish our digestive systems and improve our health in the long run
Until next week Love DB
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