energy

Being a salmon

Being a salmon

 

Sometimes life needs us to be a little different.

When everyone else is “going with the flow”, sometimes you need to swim upstream.

When everyone else is taking it easy, sometimes you need to be putting in the effort. Even if it means you miss out on the fun.

When other people are believing what they see and hear, doing things without thinking, maybe you know that you need to be learning things more deeply. This might be the time for you to really question things.

If it looks like the whole world can just do what they like without ramifications, while you need to take extra care with every step just to keep on an even keel, then maybe you’re feeling a little lonely about that.

The journey to health can be a long, twisting path. Some of that time you might feel like the only person on the planet who’s saying no, slowing down, lightening your load or listening to your body.

You’ve been tuning in for a little while now, and you know that your life depends on it. Your health, wellbeing and sense of stability is calling you to be super mindful and conscious about your choices.

And it looks like maybe you’re the only one?

Until…

One day you look to the left…

or you look to the right…

then you realise that you’re not alone.

There are other salmon out here! Swimming upstream, putting in the work, listening to the call of the wild, heading for the source.

There’s no Salmon Club. There’s no hashtag or Youtube channel or box to tick on a form that says you’re one of us.

But if you’re reading this, and it resonates, then you’re a salmon too.

The more you honour yourself, the more you swim, the more you’ll find your fellow salmon. Then the journey to the source will be shared among likeminded travellers. The journey home.

 

 

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash
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Earthing – free, feel-good medicine

 

Being grounded

What do you think of when you hear someone described as being “grounded“? What is that person like?

When you’re feeling grounded, how does it feel?

We would probably answer with something like – feeling calm, able to face difficulties without being overly swayed, having clarity

We can also talk about being “down to earth“. This quality embodies openness, warmth, honesty, integrity – maybe also an “earthy” sense of humour.

 

Feeling good

These traits feel good, and people who have these traits are good to be around. While some of them may be traits that are moulded into our character through our life experiences, you may not realise that we can take these phrases really literally, and enjoy some of these feelings immediately.

 

A simple practice…

Earthing” refers to the very simple practice of making direct physical contact with the Earth. Walking barefoot on the beach, going for a barefoot run in the park, reading a book with your feet on the grass…

Being in contact with the Earth is how we are made to be. Being insulated from the Earth – by shoes, cars, floors, bitumen, concrete – separates us from an incredibly important source of nourishment.

The Earth is a massive generator of free electrons with a negative charge. These electrons are continuously flowing out of the Earth and – when we make direct contact with it – through us as well. We have evolved to be in direct contact with this source of electrons, and it could be that this is an important way that we can protect ourselves from the charged particles that are created when cells generate energy.

 

Nature’s free, feel-good, always-available medicine

The beautiful side effect of taking our “Vitamin G” – for Ground – is that we actually can feel more calm, centred, clear and joyful after a session of going barefoot. Try it for 30 mintutes and see for yourself!

If you have pain such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, endometriosis or tension headaches then try a session of Earthing every day for a couple of weeks and see how you feel at the end of it. If you feel some benefit, and it’s not doing you harm, then why not add some Vitamin G to your self-care regime.

 

More information

To learn the quirky story of how the Earthing idea started, go to www.earthing.com

 

Nothing to lose!

The beautiful thing about Earthing is that there’s nothing to lose, and potentially lots to gain.

A barefoot beach walk? Sounds like good medicine!

 

 

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Red and processed meat – cancer, health and fertility

 

Evidence has been building for some time linking consumption of animal protein, and red meat in particular, to negative health outcomes such as increased risk of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke.

A recent review by the cancer branch of the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates that processed meats in particular pose a significant risk and should be considered carcinogenic (bacon, lunch meats etc). They concluded that ordinary ie unprocessed red meat is probably carcinogenic, with increased risk of colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Harvard Chan School of Public Health released a review study in 2012 citing evidence from two large-scale longitudinal studies linking red and processed meats to adverse health outcomes as above, and recommending replacing protein from red meat with other sources such as:

Nuts (19%)
Poultry (14%)
Whole grains (14%)
Legumes (10%)
Low-fat dairy (10%)*
Fish (7%)

The numbers in parentheses () above indicate the estimated reduced risk from using these protein sources as compared with red or processed meat.

 

Diet and fertility

* For optimising fertility, studies suggest whole milk rather than low-fat milk

The diet recommendations for general good health and prevention of chronic diseases such as those listed above tend to match quite closely with advice for optimising fertility (see below – what is a good diet).

The way I look at this is that it’s not a coincidence:

  1. When the body is working harmoniously, the intelligence of nature is in place to re-create this optimum state via procreation
  2. When the body is working harmoniously, all of the intricate and inter-related systems of the body work in a self-supporting manner, allowing us to reach our full lifespan’s potential
  3. Making changes to “get pregnant” should not be the point. Diet and lifestyle measures that sustain life grant you both 1. and 2. above. You can procreate – create new life, and you can enjoy your family into your old age. It’s very well worth taking on these measures wholeheartedly and enjoying the feeling of living well. It is a gift to you and to your children.

 

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How to start

There are plenty of delicious recipes available online, from vegetarian-only sites to others such as Teresa Cutter Healthy Chef. If you find a site you like, remember to bookmark it so you can return for new ideas – some will let you sign up to receive fresh recipes to keep you inspired. Many sites such as AllRecipes, Taste or BBC Good Food will let you search for vegetarian options or by specific ingredient.

The team at Harvard recommends consuming red meat as you would lobster – just for special occasions, a couple of times per year.

 

What about iron?

One of the mechanisms of red meat and risk of disease could be haem iron. For a description of the way the body handles haem iron versus non-haem iron (animal vs plant sources), see the Huntly Centre article on Iron. The body’s regulating mechanisms to keep iron levels within safe limits are much more sensitive to non-haem (plant) iron than haem (animal) iron. This article will also help you identify plentiful sources of iron, often the biggest worry for people who are reducing their meat intake.

 

What about B12?

Vitamin B12 is essential for health and is needed in very small amounts in the human body. It is produced by bacteria, and from there makes its way into certain foods. While meat, fish and poultry are good sources of B12, it is also available in eggs and dairy. For those following a vegan diet (no animal foods), fortified foods are available, such as cereals fortified with B12. This, however, is still a processed food. A better option is savoury yeast/ nutritional yeast, which is a natural whole food high in certain B vitamins and Lotus brand Savoury Yeast Flakes is grown with B12-generating organisms, a good dietary source of B12. Vegans can also supplement with B12  – on an optimal diet and with normal health, this is the only supplement needed by vegans.

 

What about my energy?

People who cut down on meat intake often feel as though their energy levels drop. There can be a period of adjustment as your body switches on the systems that gather life energy from a primarily plant-based diet. The feeling of living with a plant-focused diet is lightness, and this lightness can be an unfamiliar feeling – lacking a familiar heaviness associated with high meat intake, people can sometimes think they are feeling light-headed or tired.

If tiredness continues, however, this is an indication that the body needs help “recharging”. This is a crucial aspect of how we connect to life, maintaining the flow of life energy and material into and out of the body. The Hunyuan form of Chinese medicine is ideal for recalibrating our “recharging instrument” so that we sleep soundly, wake refreshed and have ample energy throughout the day, feeling clear and calm.

 

So what is a “good diet”?

It’s low-tech and simple: a plant-based, whole-food diet.

Plant-based means loads of fruit and veggies as the bulk of each meal, with lots of colour (varied colour means you’ll be getting a good spread of micronutrients).

Whole-food means as close to its natural state as possible. If it could grow, you’re on the right path – for example, you could plant a tomato and get some seedlings but you couldn’t get this from a tinned tomato. You could plant brown rice and get shoots but you couldn’t get the same from white rice (as the germ/seed has been removed). Get your oils from seeds, nuts and avocado (and whole-milk dairy if you choose) rather than adding oils and fats.

Whole-food is the opposite of processed food. For an eye-opening account of the food processing industry, see this article from the Huntly Centre. Also from the Huntly Centre, the human’s anatomical features that strongly suggest we are configured for a plant-based diet and explanation of the meat-colorectal cancer relationship.

Eat to Live is a great book that outlines the nutrient-dense plant-based diet and how it supports optimal health.

Remember the food pyramid, with bread and grains at the bottom? Nutrition organisations throughout the world are slowly revising this image, based on decades of mounting evidence. See the revised Healthy Eating Pyramid below from Nutrition Australia – click the image to go to their site for further information.

 

Healthy Eating Pyramid | Nutrition Australia

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Energy goes deep in Winter

A funny thing happened on May 31st…

I was in the clinic and had felt the fifth person’s pulse for the day.  The position of the pulse that relates to “Kidney” energy had been sunken and low on all of those people.  Young pregnant women, elderly people – same feeling on the Kidney pulse.

Then I realised it was one day until Winter, when the Kidney and Water element dominate.  At this time it’s said that energy turns inward, contracting and shrinking away from the outside world.

Acupuncturists two thousand years ago wrote about this – the connection between the movement of energy in nature and corresponding movement of energy in the body.  In Winter, everything slows, sinks down, condenses and goes into storage.  The exact same energetic tendency can be felt in the body, because we are a microcosm of the outer natural world.

I was amazed that those ancient observations still held true in modern people, with all our artificial heating and lighting, unseasonal food, sedentary indoor jobs and so on.  That the Kidney pulse can respond to Winter’s onset (albeit one day early!) – in human bodies that have so many weird artificial conditions imposed on them – suggests to me that the natural forces that surround, support and nurture us are more powerful and subtle than we give them credit.

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