Stressed digestion is the least acknowledged and yet possibly the greatest cause of disease in our modern world. Since most medical practices don’t meaningfully address digestive health or stress, but instead prescribe medicine for the symptoms of stress (like diabetes, fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia), the root causes of stressed digestion persist, worsening the symptoms over time.In other words, while one tentacle of stress is zapped by medications, another two grow in its place, and thus is born the dis-eased state. What Exactly is Stressed Digestion?Stressed digestion is eating under stress. Eating under stress means many things like:
- Eating while you are in worry/anger/fear/grief.
- Eating foods that stress your system.
- Having a lack of digestive secretions.
- Eating without proper breakdown of foods.
- Eating out of tune with the environment - time of day/season.
- Eating improper food combinations.
- Dieting and trying out diets that may appear healthy but is/are not healthy for your unique body type.
- Eating foods that don't honor your genetic/ancestral memory.
- Eating out of habit and not from hunger.
- Environmental toxins.
- etc.
What are the Consequences of a Stressed Digestion? Repetition of the cause/s that stress your digestion can lead to a myriad of health concerns:
- Pre-diabetes, diabetes.
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Fatigue.
- Obesity.
- Insomnia.
- Irritable bowel syndrome - including chronic diarrhea/constipation.
- Malnutrition/vitamin deficiencies.
- Eczema.
- Infertility.
- Moodiness.
- Osteoporosis.
- etc.
Many alternative health models suffer from similar blanket approaches, with a single minded focus on just diet, or just exercise, or just massage, or just needles. When they are integrated, there is often still a one size fits all approach. But, every one is different, and a high-protein diet or a swedish massage that may work well for one may be harmful for another.On the client's end, they grow frustrated by expecting quick results. Not getting this from conventional medicine, they may seek out alternatives, Often growing disenchanted by not getting immediate results there either. True healing takes time. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are doing you a dis-service. There is no such thing as a quick-fix. It may appear that way with some medications, injections, etc, but over time, they only amplify the issue. Addressing impaired digestion requires a combination of nutrition, movement, herbs, therapeutic massage treatments, and counsel. Through over a decade of study, i provide this from the single unified perspective of Ayurveda, an ancient holistic medical science. This process involves a collaboration between us, in which i use Ayurveda (counsel/nutrition/herbs/yoga therapy/massage) to support your transformation. Ayurveda recognizes that you are truly unique and part of a larger universe. Thus the interactions between you and your world shape who you are.Lets look at a scenario as to how this may play out: you may be under tight deadlines at work, have a major presentation or event coming up, and you default on eating poorly.Eating poorly doesn’t just mean eating donuts and pizza on the go; it’s also how you eat,when you eat, what’s preoccupying your mind as you eat, and what’s missing from your food intake.You may eat all the right foods, but they may not be the right foods for you. this increases your anxiety, it spikes your blood sugar, impacts your sleep, troubles your bowels, causes pain, and keeps you in a state of exhaustion. In our sessions we will uncover the roots of your issue, explore the causes of stress, and give your stress a healthy outlet. We will make some adjustments to your diet, including building a menu and trying out simple recipes that work for you. We will formulate herbs and herbal supplements that work with your unique bio-chemistry. We will work on some yoga and breathing techniques, do massage, and if necessary, explore the next stage of balance - panchakarma. Panchakarma is an Ayurvedic detoxification process. Some common health issues that you may not think are related to digestive-stress and that can be resolved through the regimen that i design specifically for you are: pre-diabetes, diabetes ii, obesity, depression, anxiety, hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, respiratory issues, infertility, peri-monopause, skin conditions, and arthritis. If you are interested in genuinely improving your health, contact me for an appointment.
You're hungry, and slightly hunched over with the world of food choices on your shoulders. Amidst your hope to just pluck some greens and a slab of meat for yourself and possibly other family members for the evening, you are confronted with imminent danger.
Between you and the lean venison steak you were salivating over is a 700 pound, muscle ripped, orange and black striped tiger with fangs that look like the spurting needles of a heroin addict.
Your heart immediately beats like the tablas under the blurring hands of Zakir Hussein. Sweat like salt water pumps out of the molecular pores of your forehead, armpits and thighs. Your lungs heave. the tiger notices you; its mouth growls like a war cry. In fright, you start beating your chest, as if you're going to go into a toe to paw fight, But you decide to take flight instead.
Fight or flight. The stress juncture - the duality of the autonomic nervous system. Which nervous system do we choose to respond with - the chilled out parasympathetic or the adrenalin rushing sympathetic? Is it even relevant in the modern world?
We are no longer in the jungle, confronted by lions, and tigers (and bears), But that primitive survival part of our brain, the limbic system, is still on alert, ready at the drop of a dime, a word, to swing with amplified words, fists, or to flail arms and legs in flight.
Someone says a word, which has just enough of the kind of hue that irks you, that drums on your nerves. What did they mean? Was it an insult? Do they disapprove of me?
You notice a gesture your way that is unpleasant. Your heart sinks. You have a deadline coming up, your head races in thought. Later that night at 2am you are analyzing all of this. Your eyes wide shut, without a wink of sleep. What to do?
How do we get rid of the stress? Can't we just zap the limbic system? Tell it we are no longer in need of the fight and flight. That we're in a modern world. Can't we just a pop a pill and shut it off? Or is there a more natural alternative, like some green smoothie that will act on the lever?
At every moment we are provided with an opportunity to get to the next level of life, like a video game, or a choose your own adventure book, or Sante's The Inferno, or Homer's, The Odyssey. That is, we choose how we respond.
Ayurveda is the science of life. Literally. The word Ayu means life and veda means science. It is a 5000 year old holistic medical system that originated in India and continues to be practiced there. That is, Ayurveda has stood the test of time, because it works. Ayurveda keeps the healthy healthy and restores the sick to wellness.
Ayurveda is not just concerned with the cure, but addressing the deeper issues that have caused the dis ease in the first place. Unlike many more modern medical modalities which treat the symptom, Ayurveda deals with the branch and the root.
Ayurveda recognizes the mind as the cause of all disease, and identifies the digestive system as being the physiological seat of the mind. In this way, there is a profound relationship between the brain and the gut. What may appear to be an issue, may just be a symptom of a larger issue. Ayurveda addresses both.
The basic premise of Ayurveda is – as without, so within. That is, we as individuals are inextricably tied to nature. In this way, Ayurveda understands all life to consist of five energies/elements.
The five energies/elements in Ayurveda are: 1. Space 2. Air 3. Fire 4. Water 5. Earth. I say “energies/elements” because the Sanskrit terms in the context of the Vedas, don’t exactly translate to elements. That is fire, isn’t exactly fire, but that which is heating and has the power to transform.
These five energies/elements manifest as three in the body: Vata (space/air); Pita (fire/water); Kapha (earth/water). All of us have our unique combination of these doshas. Even two people who may have similar elements, may have them in variable amounts. Thus, Ayurveda recognizes that there is no such thing as a standardized approach. That is, there is no one-size-fits-all medicine, and each person is treated for the unique being that they are.
Essentially, Ayurveda states that the key to health is balance. Whether it’s in nature or in our bodies, when the elements are imbalanced, there is a state of dis ease. Balance, or homeostasis is achieved through a proper diet, proper lifestyle, proper movement, all based on your unique constitution.
