What goes up must come down. For every action there is a reaction. The pendulum swings strongly one way and will equally swing the other way until it finally comes to rest in the centre. Within Yin there is Yang, and within Yang there is Yin.
We all know the concept, and we all know what it feels like when balance is affected. Unbalanced hormones, unbalanced emotions, unbalanced digestion, unbalanced energy levels, unbalanced thinking. And when we find ourselves out of balance we often lose our ability to manage our life situations, to feel in control, to make rational decisions, and to see clearly a way to get back into balance. So how can we help to maintain balance in our lives, just as the pendulum, Yin and Yang, nature and natural order does. We can apply moderation, look outside ourselves and consider the perspective of others, we can let go and understand that all that we can control is our own words, behaviour, actions and choices. We can eat healthy, nutrient dense food and keep “treats” to a minimum. We can exercise without exhausting ourselves but too energise and detoxify. We can limit harmful chemicals in our food, lifestyles and environment and find natural alternatives. We can limit negative media and chose thought provoking, positive things to read and watch. I like to use the analogy of the bucket, we have two buckets, one with all the things we would consider bad and unhealthy for us. And one that is full of good and healthy choices. We begin to fill the good and healthy bucket with things that nourish and uplift us, and slowly drop away some of the things in the bad and unhealthy bucket, eventually and easily the buckets will balance, and so too will our ability to function well in all areas of our lives. When we find balance within ourselves, then so too will our environment. Try the task today, write out two lists, what could you add to your healthy list, and what could you take away from your unhealthy list, what do YOU need to adjust to help bring yourself back into balance?
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As I write this the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I feel as though I could be in a Disney movie. But then I remember the reality is quite different, it is more like being in some kind of doomsday Hollywood blockbuster, except there is no Bruce Willis racing to save the day.
At this point in time, as fear grows, we are more at risk of sinking into a depressive state than we are of a virus with a 1-2 percent fatality rate. So what can we do, to keep our immune systems strong and to lift our spirits high and stay sane in an insane world? We can make sure that every day we get a minimum of 20 minutes of sunshine, onto our bare skin. Our bodies have the remarkable ability to convert sunlight into vitamin D, just 20 mins per day, more if you have dark skin, will convert to 20,000iu of usable Vitamin D in the body. We have Vitamin D receptors in our brain, that will respond accordingly to improve your mood, help stave off depression as well as Alzheimer’s. Albeit we may want to forget the past 18 months and imagine a world that once was. Vitamin D also helps your body make its own antibiotics and antivirals, so win/win. Another thing we can do is exercise, get your body moving, walking, gardening, dancing, whatever you enjoy, but turn off Netflix and move. The body releases endorphins when we exercise and endorphins also keep feelings of depression at bay. Avoid negative media, it’s only natural to watch the 1pm daily tally, but remember modern media is designed to be click bait, not true journalism. It’s designed to evoke a reaction, more often a negative one. Instead, pick up a good book, do a puzzle, draw, write, listen to music, bake and create, this will fill you with more joy than the latest shocking headline. And finally, take time to connect with family and friends, check in on those less fortunate than yourself, or those on their own. We are naturally village people, loneliness will take a person faster into depression than anything else. We are stronger as a whole, than in individual parts. Kia Kaha, Stay Strong. Did you know your body can create its own antibiotic and antiviral medicine? How incredible is that!
Vitamin D is known to stimulate your immune system into producing natural antibiotics. This vitamin supports you in a multitude of ways, including immune health, mental health, prenatal and pregnancy growth and cancer prevention. The active form of Vitamin D, D3 - Calciferol, increases the production of antimicrobial peptides which are self-made antibiotics. Their actions include protecting your body against microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. They can block viral infection by directly acting on the virus or by indirectly interfering with viral infection. One of these peptides specifically inhibits influenza virus infection. So, here we are in the last part of winter (written in August 2021), the days have been shorter, overcast, and wet, the amount of direct sun we receive is less due to layers of clothing and just not getting outside enough. And even then when we are able to time outside in the sun, we are covered to avoid sunburn or lathered in sunscreen, this puts us in a continuous cycle of deficiency. Is it any wonder that we fall sick with colds and flu once the winter season begins. During the past 18 months of global health crisis studies have shown that as high as 80% of seriously affected patients were Vitamin D deficient. So how can we correct this? Get outside, enjoy the sunshine, eat Vitamin D rich foods such as fish liver oils, egg yolks, non-homogenised, organic dairy products, and take a supplement daily, some suggestions have been that 2000iu every day will correct a deficiency over a long period of time, or ask your Doctor about prescribed Vitamin D, it can be given in doses as high as 50,000iu when prescribed. If you are on cholesterol lowering medications, corticosteroids and anti-convulsant then this is even more critical. We all would benefit from boosting our Vitamin D levels, it will support our body’s ability to combat any viruses that find their way to us. Unsure about what dose to take or if you need supplementation then get in touch today. Recommended reading: Ian Wishart. Vitamin D. Is this the miracle vitamin? |
AuthorRebecca Wood is a Herbalist, Acupuncturist, nature lover, mother and grandmother. She enjoys all aspects of Natural Medicine, Learning, Teaching and being Human. Archives
November 2021
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