Basic Human Needs - Vitality part I

The word Qi in Chinese

The fourth part of our basic needs according to the Naturopathic perspective is Vitality. 

Can being tired be resolved? What do I need to do to feel livelier like 10 years ago?

Chinese call this Qi, in Ayurveda it is called Prana and the more common name in most modern cultures is Life force. We all know what it feels like to be low on vitality; it is our most common state... Most do not know what it is and what makes it tick.

The Chinese say that there are three sources to our vitality;

1. Internal: We are born with a basic "Qi Battery" - when it runs out, we die...

2. Air: when we breath in air we take some of the Heavenly Qi into our body (aka Oxygen ;) )

3. Food: Nourishment gives us not only building blocks for our body, it gives us the materials for creating our vitality.

To this basic formula one can add emotional and mental vitality and of course spiritual vitality. Another aspect is motion as a source of vitality (We all know that being physically active makes us more vital).

A tool that is important to understanding vitality is sleep. We all need sleep. Sleep is the mode of consciousness most useful for regenerating vitality. Without enough sleep we are like an uncharged battery - with potential vitality that is unavailable for long...

Naturally, our vitality depends on both how much we charge up as well as how much we discharge / use up as we go about our lives. Spending our vitality wisely is crucial for at times we can have great vitality building habits and still feel exhausted because we spend it all and more on a daily basis...

The above may seem rather simple - and it can be. Then again we tend to make our lives a lot more complicated then they need to be - and with vitality more than ever. My goal in this blog entry is to clarify some of the above so as to help you understand the basics. I hope that after reading this you will know where to turn to next time your feel tired.

The first thing I ask a tired person is: "How many hours of night sleep do you get?" And "When do you go to sleep?". 

The Chinese claim that sleeping 23:00-3:00 is crucial thus going to sleep at 22:00 makes for a good night. Sleep studies show that most adults need around 8 hours of sleep. My simpler answer to this is - sleep till you don't need an alarm clock! For many this solution sounds hilarious - they just go out on the town at 22:00 so how can they possibly get to bed by then? Others claim they only get their children to bed by 21:00 so this leave only an hour with their husband or wife. Bottom line is simple - either you sleep well and enough or the quality of your life drops accordingly since your vitality drops. It's all about prioritization.

The funny thing is many tired people say they have no idea why they are so tired and then tell me they sleep 5-6 hours a night......

The second thing I pay attention to with tired people is to how they breathe. Very few people breathe optimally now-a-days. It's amazing how shallow and erratic the average breath taken is. And worst - people don't normally notice it! Exercising your breathing muscles is just as needed as any other muscle. More so, no other exercise is efficient when you breathe badly.

The third aspect I focus on is food. Nourishment allows for vitality. It is the basic relationship between the basic human needs. Each sustains the others. What people eat today on average has very little vitality in it. It is overly processed, made from low grade materials and the additives that are inserted take away the last of its value. Whole grains, unrefined oils, non-roasted nuts and seeds, fresh vegetables, sprouted legumes - all these are examples of wholesome foods that, when prepared wisely, can contribute a lot to our vitality.

Food preparations can radically alter the vital value of our foods. Steaming, gentle cooking and stir frying are all good examples of food preparation that retains a lot of the vitality. Raw is very often the best but here there is a catch - digesting raw food consumes more energy by the digestive system then cooked food. If our vitality is low this can actually cause us to feel more tired and even at times to fail with the digestion all together. Such situations benefit from gentle cooking more. The opposite can be said about the following cooking methods: Deep frying, microwave cooking, grilling over live coals (Barbecue...) and the likes. These techniques kill the food vitality leaving it devoid of any real value and otherwise damaging our health. A simple alternative for barbecue is using a stone based gas grill. Heat up the stones well, turn off the gas and barbecue to your hearts delight :) .

A lesser known aspect of food and vitality is food intolerance. If we over consume foods (Like we often do with wheat) our body can develop food intolerance to it. It is not the classical allergy response but behaves somewhat similarly by creating a myriad of symptoms in response. The most basic common response is low vitality. Varying your eating habits and going to a professional Naturopath or Holistic Nutritionist for an elimination diet can save you from this predicament.

We don't have to be tired. If you are tired (Or if someone says you are - but that's for the next blog post) go through the check list and do something about it. Your life is never going to be the same again.

[End of part I]

Focusing your life

How focused are you?

How many times of late have you realized your thoughts are chasing their own tails? Jumbling and confusing you or just shifting your attention one way when your intention is trying and failing to think of other things? Can you keep a line of thought through? How about when you are tense or tired?

More and more children and adults are given drugs to help them concentrate. Is there an alternative? Are we malfunctioning or simply lacking the tools to live out a focused life?

There are many tools out there that claim they can help with ADD and other "syndromes" of attention issues. In order for one to know which are effective and good and which are detrimental there are two ways to go: Try them out or ask the right questions and you will know in advance...

Let me suggest a few questions :)

1. Are you living right? is your lifestyle promoting focus or disrupting it?
2. Are you toxic? Lead poisoning (for example) can lead to deteriorated attention capacities.
3. Are you in the habit of promoting your attentive abilities naturally? For example are you meditating regularly?

Many more questions can be asked here and every question above raises ten more on the same issues. Allow me to suggest a few ideas on the matter:

A. When you are tired, undernourished, toxic, stressed out (etc.) you are bound to have  

     issues with you focus.

B. When you tire your mind out but don't take the time to give it a good rest (a.k.a. 

     meditation) your mind is bound to function less efficiently...

A is easy to understand - If you are tired from lack of sleep your mind is less effective. Deficiency in vitamins and minerals cause dysfunctions depending on the deficiency but as a rule effect the mind greatly. My blog series on basic human needs covers this well.

B is somewhat illusive to the western mind. In the east it is common knowledge. So what is it about meditation and other mental practices that can make the difference so much?

Meditation practices are numerous and can be divided into two for the sake of this explanation: Mindful meditation that observes the mind and thoughts and Zen like meditations that seek to achieve a quiet mind. Achieving the goal of a focused and clear mind can be done using both types for different situations but my experience shows that for the main goal of focusing and clarity the Zen type is stronger. It helps us connect with the here and now and put aside the past and the future. It stops the noise of relentless thinking and allows for our thoughts of choice to emerge unhindered and clear.

Whether you are a teenager mid exams or a college student - your studies will improve greatly with a healthy lifestyle combined with meditation training and habit. It is just as valuable to any adult coping with financial / marital / social ordeals. As a matter of fact anyone will benefit from this combination.

So you finished a chapter of healing with us, now what?

Most people understand how to follow our instructions during therapy. It is after a chapter of therapy is done that they enter a state of "Limbo" where the rules can appear unclear. Allow me to suggest a few tips for this stage:

1st thing - don't forget we are here :)

Whether you find yourself dealing with more of the same health issues or a new symptom: Talk to us ASAP. Don't wait "a few weeks" to see if it goes away... Small symptoms (And especially new ones) tend to be much easier to heal earlier rather than later.

Don't stop our recommendations without first talking to us.

Unlike many drugs, stopping most natural therapies will not cause harsh symptoms but that doesn't mean there isn't a "right" and "wrong" way to do it. Also, not all therapies need be stopped once you are well. Prevention is a very good idea. Talk to us and we will help you maintain good preventative measures. Not all you got from us during therapy need be used on the long run and some things are not used for active phases but are great for prevention.

Technical updates

If you have a new email (!), phone number, address, online kupat holim code, child (Mazal Tov!), or have gone through any other major change, its probably a good idea to update us. In this way we can remain effectively at your service in the future.

Long term followup

If you are suffering an illness that has yet to heal or is in remission and are taking a break from our therapy, Don't wait too long for the next appointment. If more then a month goes by the time it will take to get us up to speed will leave little time for new suggestions and therapy and advancement will be slower.

Qi Gong sessions

If you are in an on-going therapy in the present you are welcome to join us for our Qi Gong sessions (+ Breathing exercises and meditation) for FREE. If you are not in therapy at the present you are still welcome to join us for a symbolic fee.

Seasonal sessions

If you are done healing what you came to us for and have ended this chapter - don't disappear till you need us again. Coming once to twice a year for seasonal checkups will keep us in the loop with your life events and changing health so we can better intervene if your health drops and practice prevention where possible and help you stay healthy. It is also an opportunity to work on bad habits one at a time over time.

Inflammation in Holistic Eyes

There is a great gap between Allopathic and Holistic approaches to inflammation. Since most of us grew up with conventional medicine, it seems important to open your eyes to the Natural view-point so you can choose your approach in such a common situation.

Conventional definition:
 "Inflammation is an immune reaction to wounds, certain irritations and toxic invaders such as viruses, bacteria or fungi."

The holistic definition is somewhat different. Inflammation is a process initiated by the body to serve its needs. Indeed sometimes an inflammation can lose control and risk our lives but in most cases it doesn't.
 The idea in treating inflammation holistically is to monitor it and make sure it is not life-threatening but by no means to supress it or stop it before it reaches its goal.

If it is a short or one-time non-violent inflammation like a light eye sore, usually easing the symptoms can suffice. The problem begins when it is more severe, long-lasting or recurrent. In such cases we deal with a situation which requires deep inquiry and treatment in order to help the body finish its task and break the inflammatory cycle.

In order to understand how we do this in Natural Medicine, here is some useful information regarding inflammation, from a Naturopathic perspective:

1. Usually inflammation flourishes in acidic tissue environment. Not the extreme acidity like in the stomach while digesting protein, but rather a slight change in acidity in the body tissues.
2. The body uses several materials in order to limit the activity of the inflammation it creates. Among these are vitamin C, vitamin A and zinc. Lack in one or more of them can make it hard for the body to complete the job and/or to heal the tissues afterwards.
3. In inflammation, like in all life processes in life, the engine behind the body's work is our life force. If we are vital enough, these processes work better, and if we are tired and worn, body systems don't function that well. According to Naturopathic approach, the difference between an acute disease (short, powerful and efficient) and a chronic disease (longer lasting, less effective and often doesn't end without help) is due to the person's vitality. One who is not vital enough to end the inflammation will stay with it until vitality is restored.

From these three points come a few simple and very helpful recommendations:

1. Increase plant-source foods (preferably organic since most of the pesticides are very acidic) and decrease animal foods. Veganism or vegetarianism is not always required for healing but it can definitely help ease and shorten suffering from long or severe inflammations.
2. Stress management can help a lot in improving the body's abilities and thus shortens inflammation processes accordingly.
3. Natural dietary supplements, adjusted by a professional naturopath or holistic nutritionist according to personal needs, are highly recommended.
4. Sufficient rest is highly vital for our health, so get enough sleep (around 8 hours a night, preferably starting at 10pm or no later than 11pm), and do not test your body's limits by spending too much energy over a long period of time.

Holistic therapy during crisis – on the mind plane

What tools does the holistic school of medicine have for treating mind based crisis?

As a society we are used to thinking of mind based crisis as a job for psychologists and psychiatrists. The familiar arsenal of tools are talks and drugs. What does Natural Medicine have to offer for these situations? What tools can compete with the familiar models? This will be the subject of this article.

Let’s begin with the common ground:

• Psychologists are not the only ones that can use Talks as a therapeutic tool. As a Naturopath part of my daily routine is to have long talks with some of my patients. Many of the “body-mind” practices within the Holistic school scope of therapy are talk based or start with a talk and then use the information for therapies of various kinds. We use talks to train patients in tools that can help them such as stress management (Always useful and twice so in periods of crsis), positive thinking, talks as a destressor and much more. I still find that many patients are surprised when we start talking and they realize this is part of holistic medicine too… It is high time the general public got to know the larger holistic perspective and scope of naturopathy and the other holistic modalities..
• Using drugs is a way to force the brain to “function better” on the mental and emotional planes of the mind. Suppression of anger, the blurring of sadness and depression and the nullification of our awareness to our anxieties. The equivalent tools of Natural Medicine chooses a very different approach. The closest holistic tool is Herbology. There are uplifting herbs, relaxers, stimulators etc. All allow the patient to function better without mind games and illusions (Such as feeling relaxed but underneath the surface bubbling with suppressed stress). One of the greatest advantages of herbs is a unique quality I have yet to find in other tools: Adaptogenic. Adaptogenic herbs help us to better adapt to stressful situations – especially such as one encounters during crisis. The holistic perspective makes use of herbs during crisis in a plethora of other ways: Healing anemia, blood sugar imbalances, general stress reduction, sleep disturbances etc. All these other aspects make coping with a crisis much harder and once healed allow for an easier coping with the crisis itself. This is an example of how important the holistic perspective that approaches the patient as a whole is in crisis management.

Other tools that Natural Medicine has to offer in this case:

• Manual therapies: Holistic massage, Reflexology, Chinese massage, Shiatsu, Thai massage – all these and more in professional hands have the ability to change a lot on the physical and mental planes. You can adapt to the needs of the patient (Fully clothed / oil based / feet only and dry or with cream for the last. Combining Aromatic oils can amplify the effects of the Massage or Reflexology and add the qualities of the oils we choose – relaxing / uplifting / stimulating etc.
• Aromatic oils: Even without the Manual therapies, using oils in a bath or burner or a drop on ones shirt will add a wonderfully scented effect.
• Bach Flowers: This fascinating tool in known for its ability to help alter patterns of human behavior. Most of its focus is on the emotional plane and it allows the patient better emotional coping with the crisis.
• Jin Shin Do: This is a gentle Manual tool that allows emotional and mental work through subtle physical manipulations of 30 of the 365 basic Chinese Acupuncture points. The release this tool enables is a treasure for the person in crisis.
• Chinese Acupuncture: It is common knowledge by now that Needling can assist in anemia, tonification, breaking stagnations and sedation etc. It is less known that Acupuncture can work directly on the emotional plane! There are points that assist in fear, anger and the other emotions directly.
• Meditation: Whether Zen (For the sake of quieting the mind) or Mindfulness (For expanding self-awareness) meditation is an important tool in the understanding of and better coping with a crisis.
• Healing: Balancing the appropriate chakras can do a lot for balancing out mind based crisis situations. Cleaning the aura can remove some of the mental and emotional baggage in a very gentle and effective way. Crystal healing can also be very effective and useful here and can be carried around at all times.
• Art therapy: Using arts / music / dance as therapy can be a wonderful bridge between the mind and the emotions. It has been around and in use since the beginning of human culture. Very important in times of crisis.

This wide array of tools is just the tip of the iceberg and is meant to stress the fact that “yes there are good tools out there in the Holistic field quite useful in times of crisis.

The challenges still facing us in this field are:

1. Raising social awareness to these tools and their value.
2. Integrating the various tools of Natural Medicine.
3. Integrating Natural and Conventional Medicine – or at least to stop the silent battle…
4. Developing protocols for situations yet untested or resolved.

My intention in this series of articles is to address the above challenges and widen public awareness comes first.