Lifestyle Modification and Enhancement Suggestions

The best things in life are free. For starters, take advantage of the outdoors. The benefits of a leisurely hike cannot be substituted by the best supplements.

Some of the following information has been extracted from a book called The Whole Way To Natural Detoxification by Jacqueline Krohn, M.D.

To have good health, we must be balanced:

1) Allergically: Allergic reactions imbalance the body by placing stress on the immune system. Our response to allergies is mediated by inflammation somewhere in the body. However, note that inflammation is an attempt by the body to heal itself, and simply taking an anti-inflammatory medication is not addressing the cause.

2) Biochemically: Hundreds of biochemical reactions take place in our bodies each second. Toxic exposure can interrupt these processes, causing sub-optimal health, disease, or even death. PH or acid-base balance in the body is of crucial importance so that detoxification pathways in the body can function properly.

3) Electrically: Our bodies contain both alternating (AC) and direct (DC) electrical current. An electrical imbalance in the body can cause acute sensitivity to weather changes as well as symptoms upon exposure to electrical equipments.

4) Emotionally: For optimal health, you need to be balanced emotionally. Love must be given and received. Anger should not be suppressed as it can cause nervous system related disorders, digestive disturbances as well as just about any kind of disease. If you have an anger problem, seek out professional help. Seeing a therapist along with consumption of natural medicines, including homeopathic medicines as well as various nutritional supplements (such as B vitamins) and herbals can be quite helpful. Do NOT self diagnose and self prescribe for yourself as you may, at best, mask your symptoms but the underlying cause of your emotional imbalance could go unrecognized and untreated. Additionally, supplements can be toxic if taken at higher doses than the recommended amounts.

5) Energetically: Craniosacral therapy, Reiki, and other forms of energetic, hands-on modalities can be helpful for bringing energetic balance to the body.

6) Environmentally: A safe, clean, and uncluttered home is highly recommended for optimal health. Clutter can affect the mind, and consequently the body.

7) Enzymatically: Enzymes are essential for the biochemical reactions that take place in the body. If you are run down, under stress, living in a very hot or very cold climate, pregnant, or are a frequent air traveler, enormous quantities of extra enzymes are required by your body. Because our entire system functions through enzymatic action, we must supplement our enzymes. Aging deprives us of our ability to produce necessary enzymes. Scientists have identified at least 2,800 different enzymes. It takes 1300 enzymes to make one cell! Plant enzyme supplements can be purchased in health food stores. However, the ultimate way to get enzymes into your body is by drinking fresh, organic vegetable juices of various kinds. Make a habit of drinking fresh, vegetable juices at least once a week if not more.

8) Hormonally: Hormones play a critical role in metabolism, circulation, water and electrolyte balance, reproduction, and stress. For example, let’s take the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Changes of menopause as a result of decreased female hormones can include any combination of the following symptoms: Depression, disturbed sleep, poor memory, heart disease, hot flashes, osteoporosis, irregular menstruation, vaginal thinning, slow healing, and reduced libido.

9) Magnetically: Our brains produce a steady magnetic field and project that field out into the space around our bodies. A magnetic imbalance affects our biological cycles, such as sleep cycle. Therefore, it is not recommended that you place your electronic alarm clock next to your bed at nights.

10) Mentally: A balance between work and play is absolutely essential for mental health. Too much of either one can adversely affect the mind, which can then affect the body.

11) Microbiologically: Our bodies contain normal bacteria and other microbiological flora that aid in various processes including digestion. A deficiency or excess of such microflora can cause an imbalance, and ultimately disease. For example, chronic use of antibiotics can definitely decrease the number of such friendly bacteria in the intestines. This is a well-known phenomenon amongst conventional practitioners as well as naturopathic physicians. Supplementation of friendly bacteria (lactobacillus acidophilus, and others) is highly recommended for such situations. Conventional medical practitioners do not typically recommend taking supplementation of friendly bacteria, however. Naturopathic physicians are very keen on this subject as they believe a healthy gut is absolutely essential for health maintenance as well as treatment of various diseases.

12) Nutritionally: The body must have a certain optimum, balanced amount of nutrients for proper functioning and good health. A continued deficiency of any one vitamin, mineral, or amino acid can lead to serious health problems.

13) Psychologically: Psychological health depends on the proper balance between emotions and the mind. An imbalance of any of these health factors listed can ultimately affect psychological health.

14) Spiritually: Spiritual balance is necessary for health. The soul, as our higher being, must be nurtured by prayer, worship, or meditation, depending on the beliefs of the person. To neglect this aspect can cause a serious imbalance in the body.

15) Structurally: The skeleton (including the vertebral column) must be healthy and balanced to keep the body aligned properly. If the vertebral column is not balanced, it places stress on the spinal cord, which runs through it. Our brain communicates with the rest of the body through the spinal cord. Therefore, it is important that we keep our spine in alignment using one or any combination of the following forms of bodywork such as chiropractic, naturopathic manipulation, craniosacral therapy, Rolfing, shiatsu, watsu, massage, reflexology, Reiki, and therapeutic touch. Aside from our skeletal system, alignment of our internal organs is also important if we want to have good health. Sometimes our internal organs might get displaced as a result of trauma, improper body mechanics and various disease processes. Visceral manipulation is used to manually move internal organs. A great example of the use of visceral manipulation is in the treatment of hiatal hernia.