YOU MAY NOT BE SICK BUT ARE YOU HEALTHY?

There is a large continuum when it comes to health or illness.

We all have our own picture of where we fit on this scale.

Just because people are not sick that they assume they have health.

We are like a plant that can survive in a bit of dry old soil or a weed pushing through the concrete. However, that is just survival; getting by and not flourishing with radiant health and abundant energy.

Most people are programmed to know their physical and mental health will start declining from about 40 years old.  To me this is nonsense; I am nearly 50 yet I am fitter, stronger, healthier and smarter than in any early years.

So what does real health look like?      

         Physically, mentally and spiritually fit
• ·      No pain
• ·      Emotionally balanced
• ·      Good reproductive health
• ·      Freedom from disease
• ·      Great energy and motivation
• ·      Radiant skin, hair and nails
• ·      No symptoms
• ·      Happy
• ·      Slow ageing
• ·      On a growth path of some sort.

Health is defiantly a three-legged stool of body, mind and soul.

We all need to take responsibility for our futures and have strong daily health routines in place to make this happen.

Most of us have been taught that when something is wrong we go to the doctor, who will give us a pill to make us better.

Of course, there are times when we need the skills of a good doctor – such as for an infection.

But using drugs to treat symptoms may only suppress the underlying problems until bigger ones occur.

Many of these drugs cause other severe health issues, creating more trouble.

Whenever possible, it is best to look at natural alternatives and lifestyle changes. (See below for a comparison of the “allopathic” or remedy-based approach with an holistic one.)

Get educated, motivated and inspired to create optimal health for a happy future.

Check out my other blogs for more information or my website
www.michelleowen.co.nz

Allopathic

• Is done to you
• Happens from the outside in – surgery, injections, pills
• Is passive – laying on a bed or table
• Treats the symptoms
• Singles out a part of you, just the part that hurts.
• Is quick – but short-lived
• May restore you to where you where before
• Focuses on the ailment

Holistic

• Is done by you – changing your thoughts or deep emotional issues or re-correct body structure through skilled exercise
• Happens from the inside out – detoxification, digestion, hydration, healthy food, deep stabilisation of internal musculature
• Is active – you have to do the work
• Addresses the underlying cause
• Encompasses all of you, looks at the big picture.
• Takes time – can be slow to start but lasts for the longer term
• Improves you on many levels to be better than you were
• Focuses on you as a whole

BOOST BLOOD FLOW FOR A BETTER BRAIN

The brain is one of the body’s most important organs.  

Although the skull is hard, the brain’s consistency is soft and custardy. It floats around in cerebral spinal fluid, which acts like the blood of the brain and nervous system.

Although the brain is only about 2% of body weight, it uses about 20% of the body’s blood flow and oxygen supply.

Blood flow is essential for brain health. Blood brings oxygen, glucose or blood sugar, vitamins and other nutrients and gets rid of carbon dioxide and other toxic waste.
Caring for the brain
Limits to blood flow

Anything that limits blood flow is extremely ageing to the brain and to other organs.

The brain needs the same things to be healthy as the rest of the body, such as good clean water, quality nutrition, sleep, movement and deep breathing.

It is made up of 60% fat so good quality fats should be an essential part of the diet.  Walnuts are a great brain food and they even look like a brain hemisphere.

Other good fats for the brain are olive and coconut oil, oily fish and clean lean protein sources.  Lean protein is essential at every meal.  Omega 3 fatty acids help the brain function properly.

Use low glycemic vegetables with lots of fibre. Phytonutrients in highly coloured fruit and vegetables are a must for healthy brain nutrition.

The brain is about 80% water so dehydration makes it a lot harder to think – staying hydrated is a must. Imagine a plump grape versus a dried raisin when you are not hydrated.

Exercise not only increases blood flow but it raises serotonin levels. This is great for the limbic (emotional) part of the brain because it relies on serotonin to function properly.

It is desirable to do exercise that requires right and left brain activity and coordination with both sides of the body working well. Skilled weight training on cable systems is ideal.

The prefrontal cortex is the front part of the brain that helps in judgment, learning and planning. The lack of good sleep lowers the blood flow and can lead to bad decisions.

Smoking is a powerful constrictor of blood flow.

Too much stress – an overflow of adrenalin constricts blood flow to many areas of the body.

Too much caffeine can restrict blood to brain, disrupt sleep and cause dehydration.

Avoid toxic substances whenever possible.

Not enough movement – it is essential to get blood pumping enough to get nourishment to vital organs.

Heart disease and diabetes both limit blood flow and make blood vessels brittle, which prevents healing of tissue.

Learning is good for the brain. Become a life-long learner; just like muscles, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

AVOIDING THE DOWAGERS HUMP!

A dowagers hump is just one of the many conditions that can occur if we don’t have optimal alignment of our body. This can lead to an unsightly and painful condition. 

   

Many women are familiar with this hump and have concerns they will end up buckled over looking at the ground with a pack on their shoulders. This also happens to men.

Quite often friends and family can be more aware of the hump than the person themselves.

In medical terms, the dowager's hump is called hyperkyphosis. It is an increase in the forward curvature of the spine – usually in the lower neck and upper back areas where spinal joints have glided forward and have got stuck there.

• Symptoms Poor quality breathing, neck, shoulder and arm pain, nerve impingement, headaches, continual strain to muscles ligaments and joints.

• How it occurs: Lack of awareness of correct body position and weakness in the upper back and core muscles allowing the body to collapse. When the head is sitting forward of the upper back over time the body builds up a fatty deposit to try to stabilize the weight of the head, which becomes the hump.

• What can be done The optimal position for the head is directly on top of the shoulders. The ear should be in line with the shoulder, or the cheekbone in line with the color bone. The neck needs to be strong enough to hold the head in position as we sit at work, run around and play sports or do general chores.

Rather than the regular cues of pulling your shoulders back, try lifting your chest to come into a more optimal position.

I have helped many people reduce or rid their hump with specific postural correction exercises and awareness. It takes a bit of time but the rewards are many.

• An exercise to help:  Lie face up on the floor with a 10cm diameter foam roller placed horizontally below your upper back. With your fingers interlaced behind your neck slowly bend backward over the roller without moving your lower back. This will only be a small movement. You may perform a gentle rocking movement to assist mobilising your spine. Perform a few repetitions then roll to the next joint and repeat – working through the shoulder blade area. Do this daily.
Call or email for more assistance.

Michelle Owen Wellness: THE SECRETS TO BUILDING GOOD IMMUNITY!

Michelle Owen Wellness: THE SECRETS TO BUILDING GOOD IMMUNITY!: The cold weather is here and it’s the perfect time to bump up immunity Immune health is highly influenced by stress so look at...

THE SECRETS TO BUILDING GOOD IMMUNITY!

The cold weather is here and it’s the perfect time to bump up immunity

Immune health is highly influenced by stress so look at where you can take the load off. Stress can be emotional, nutritional, physical, chemical and more.

The body does not know the difference; it just has a stress response and over-produces hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin. This can lead to fatigue, muscle breakdown and poor digestion.

If the immune system is over-worked it will make the body feel tired in a bid to conserve energy and try to recover.

Some 80% of the immune system is housed in the gut, so if you have problems there you will suppress immunity. Taking a high quality probiotic will help you in many ways.

If you are eating poor quality or processed foods, or foods that you are intolerant to, this will over stimulate the immune system and can lead to chronic fatigue. This makes it hard to recover from injuries, exercise or other stresses.

 

Ways to help

• The slow cooker is one of the most convenient and nourishing ways to prepare winter soups and casseroles. You can use cheaper cuts of meat such as neck, shoulder bones or shanks.

The bones are full of minerals, marrow and glucosamine, which in turn is great for your bones and gut health. Boiling up bones into a broth is the perfect way to make soups and stews. Any left over can be frozen for next time.

• Vitamin C is a well-known remedy for the common cold and immune health. In his book Doctor Yourself, Dr Andrew Saul treats just about every ill with large doses of vitamin C, among other vitamins and minerals.

His mantra is “Take enough ‘C’ to be symptom free, what ever that amount may be.” He goes on to say this is to bowel tolerance – as much as you can take before loose stools. Whole food vitamins A to E and zinc all help immune health.

• Try fresh lemon, ginger or both in boiling water with a touch of honey as a hot drink and winter health booster.

• This is the time for saunas; treat yourself to a regular massage and then sit in the sauna and drink lots of clean filtered water.

• Putting a pinch of sea salt in water can help with electrolyte replacement. This is a great way to clean up your body. The solution for pollution is dilution.

• Hibernate – get more rest in the winter months. Early to bed is a good way to ensure quality sleep. Magnesium will help you sleep deeply.

• Throw out your microwave: this method of food preparation is devastating to immune health

• Put a filter on your bath or shower – the chlorine in a hot steamy bath or shower is absorbed straight through your skin and into your organs.