HIJACKED HEALTH BODY AND BRAIN

H ave you been hijacked? Do you find yourself feeling trapped in your own body, helpless to be freed from aches, discontent, and malaise? Wishing for freedom from your current condition, longing for the mind and body you once had?

Unfortunately, that is the story of many. So, what happened? It is no secret that we live in a toxic environment. It is no wonder then, that our inner environment [body and brain], are expressing that same toxicity. The daily assaults of stress [from many sources] deprive us of vital energy, and our bodies have more and more difficulty keeping up with damage and repair.

Some attacks on our systems are controllable and some are not.

Let’s bring that home for a moment. Here in the Central Valley, our poor air quality cannot be controlled [i.e. local fires], but breathing is still necessary to maintain life. We also farm much of the food that feeds the masses. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy sit right in our backyard. Foods that are beneficial to good health. Yet, how many of us still fill our grocery baskets with processed foods, or sit in our cars in the fast-food line? It is not necessarily the lack of access to nutritious food, nor the knowledge of what constitutes as healthy or not. No one ever picked up a stock of broccoli in one hand, and a bag of chips in the other, and wondered, “Hmm, which would be a better food choice?” We know what to eat, we just choose not to eat it. If knowledge is not what we lack, then what is? Price? I have heard this one for years “It is too expensive to eat healthy.” Really? We complain about the price of a head of lettuce but will pay more for the bag of chips. I believe our choices come down to two things—taste buds and convenience! Bad choices, bad air, and we are all in a hot mess.

Sometimes eating healthy can seem like a “swamp of confusion.” Though, not putting any effort into our choices has damaging effects. Even small changes can reap some good rewards.

Think about this; if our food choices lack nutrition, then how are we feeding our cells? Eating junk, makes junk. We can probably agree on the most obvious offenders. Still, there is another dilemma. Even foods that we deem “healthy” may not be what they seem. Most of us can pick out the “junk.” But fasttalking ads and fancy labels can get us into trouble. For example, grains have been linked to inflammation in the body—and Americans eat a lot of grains! We eat countless meals with our hands. Sandwiches, burgers, tacos, burritos, wraps…what happened to our knife and fork? Not only do we over consume these products, but grains today are not those of our ancestors. In David Perlmutter’s book, Grain Brain, he reveals the link between sugar and grains and brain dysfunction. He explains, “Brain dysfunction starts with our daily bread.” And goes on to say, “I am calling what is arguably our most beloved dietary staple a terrorist group that bullies our most precious organ, the brain.” Now that’s food for thought.

Stressors from food, air, or even negative thinking cause oxidative stress and that causes DNA damage [think of rusting from the inside out]. Our bodies replace 300 billion cells each day. If we are replicating new cells from old damaged cells, how can we maintain good health? The average life expectancy is age 70. But, our bodies were biologically designed to live to 120 years. People no longer die of “old age”, but of a diseased state. In my experience, we have been conditioned to think of our health as out of our control—a game of luck, or due to genetics. The chance of developing health issues is not a matter of “if” but of “when.” When is it “my” turn to join in the detrimental disease club?

Do not despair! There is good news. With the proper lifestyle changes, good food choices, healthy activity, effective supplementation [known as botanical regenerative nutrition], and stress management, the cells can learn to detox and repair.

For more information on freeing your health from being hijacked, contact me at Balance by Design, 109 N Main St. Porterville.

Move more, move better. Sylvia J. Harral is a digestive health specialist and Michele Stewartbuller is a pilates master trainer. They each have more than 15 years experience. Send your questions by e-mail to familyhelm@hotmail. com; by mail to Family HELM Health Center, 379 N. Hockett St., Porterville, CA, 93257; or by phone at 202-9105.