addional information: Your Body Was Designed to Heal Itself

YOUR BODY WAS DESIGNED TO HEAL ITSELF

From My Experience

March 20, 2010

Your body will naturally heal itself when given the right fuel and exercise. Therefore, with the right information---you can heal anything! There are many tools available to you without spending a lot of money.

When you notice that your body is not functioning well in certain areas or maybe you have a “diagnosis”---it is time to pay attention to what you put into your body, the air quality around you and cosmetics and household products you use.

It is easy to overlook how much our food has changed from the farmer to the distributer. It all happens gradually. More and more preservative type ingredients are added to our manufactured foods---some of them are not even food and were never intended to be introduced into the body. They are added to make the shelf life longer so they can stay in the grocery stores for extended periods without spoilage. Others are added to enhance the flavor so that in many cases a person finds the flavor addictive without realizing it and therefore continues to buy the product.

Most of those flavors are bad news! MSG has an addictive effect and you may not even find it listed on the label. Products labeled as “natural flavors” sound safe enough and induce you to believe that the manufacturers have your best interest at heart. MSG may be disguised as “natural flavors" on the label. Also suspect ingredients such as: monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed oat flour, etc.

MSG is another whole article in itself as well as unnatural sweeteners such as aspartame, Splenda (sucralose), saccharin, etc. Even in health food stores and natural foods sections of grocery stores you will find products sweetened with evaporated cane juice which has been found to contain parasites from the countries where the cane juice is grown.

Some lower glycemic and therefore more body useable forms of sweeteners are honey, real maple syrup, agave nectar and the herb, stevia. If you have a very threatening diagnosis try leaving off even the natural sweeteners until you correct the imbalance with more alkaline (ph) foods such as vegetables. Avoid even fruit for a few weeks or months until your body is back on a more even keel.

If you have a life threatening diagnosis consider making huge changes in your food habits. A machine that makes alkaline water may be needed to keep your body in an alkaline condition so that disease can’t survive. Find the most naturally raised vegetables you can or even grow them youself. If you choose to use meat find grass fed animals that are raised without hormones or anti-biotics. If you use dairy products use only raw milk products since the homogenizing and pasteurizing processes destroy the enzymes and render it unusable by the body.

Let’s think back to that diagnosis. Do you really want to live with that all of your life---probably in misery? An important beginning step is to detox your body. There are many ways. Buy a juicer and make only green juices at first because they do not have as high content of natural sugar as some vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beets, etc.) and then graduate to carrot juice mixed with green apple juice and any other vegetables.

Herbal detoxes work very well also when done periodically. These can be done along with having lightly steamed vegetables during the day to avoid having hunger. Most natural healers suggest that you do not fast by drinking only water for any extended period. The herbs and natural juices allow you to detox and still receive adequate nutrition until you go back to eating normally. Take it easy at first---3 to 5 day cleanses and consult a natural health practitioner to answer your questions.

That brings up another point. When you have experienced a more natural way of living you will not ever want to descend back to your previous diet choices like whipped toppings in a can that are not even food or margarine (one molecule away from being plastic---shares 27 ingredients with paint!).

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EXERCISE

Other ways to work on eliminating that diagnosis are exercise and related body work. The best exercise is walking because it works the whole body and most people can do that one by starting with distances they can achieve and gradually building up. Some people choose to jog or run. You may want to check with your health practitioner on that one before you start and allow them to monitor it along the way.

Other forms of exercise could be weight training, mini-trampoline jogging, step deck exercise, yoga, pilates, sports and just plain physical labor such as gardening to produce beauty around you or to grow your own food.

If you are presently in a condition that will not allow you to do most of these exercises, start where you are. If you are in bed---start with stretching exercises and lifting of limbs or rotating joints to gradually feel more strength to advance to other forms of exercise.

Massage

There are many different types of massage available depending on the desired result.

1. Swedish massage---long smooth strokes and working in circular motion around muscle groups

2. Aromatherapy massage---using scented plant oils on the skin

3. Hot Stone massage---heated , smooth stones are placed on accupressure points to warm and loosen tight muscles. Pressure may be applied.

4. Deep Tissue massage---targets deep layers of muscles and connective tissue

5. Shiatsu massage---a Japanese technique using finger pressure in rhythmic sequence on accupuncture meridians

6. Thai massage---therapist moves your body in a series of postures. Similar to yoga but no work on your part

7. Pregnancy massage---tailored to specific needs such as reducing stress, decreasing swelling, reducing anxiety or depression or soothing aches and pains

8. Reflexology---pressure is applied to points in the feet that relate to organs and systems of the body. Pressure points on the hands may be used instead of the feet.

9. Sports massage---to prevent and treat injury for people who are very active or work out often

10. Back massage---for neck and back pain

SLANT BOARD

A slant board is used to increase the flow of blood and lymph fluid to all areas of the body. This improves the body’s ability to heal itself. The board is padded and inclined to allow the head to be placed at the lowest point and the feet at the top. A weight bench serves the purpose if it can be slanted. Even an area of your lawn, padded by grass or moss may be used if there is sufficient slope.

While on the board you may do exercises such as lifting and lowering legs alternately or kicking feet in fast rhythm. Tighten abdominal muscles and hold to a count of 10 and repeat several times. You can see an improvement in structure after working on this for a period of time. Ten minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night is suggested.

DRY SKIN BRUSHING

Dry skin brushing is done before a shower or bath to loosen dead skin cells and open pores so the skin can breathe. The skin is the largest organ of elimination. Toxins are eliminated from the body through the pores of the skin, improving blood circulation and healing.

Wooden long handled brushes made of natural bristles such as boar bristles are good for the purpose and can be purchased in health food stores and other places. Smaller brushes with much softer bristles are available to use on face and neck.

HOT AND COLD WATER THERAPY

When taking a shower the water temperature is switched back and forth from hot to cold for 5 to 7 times ending with cold to close the pores. The changes in temporature activate the flow of blood circulation for improved healing ability.

This is a good technique to use before lying on the slant board.