<![CDATA[Asheville Holistic Health

<![CDATA[Asheville Holistic Health - Blog]]>Wed, 04 Dec 2024 21:40:20 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[4 Surefire Ways To Cleanse Your Body Inside and Out]]>Tue, 05 Apr 2022 17:42:00 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/4-surefire-ways-to-cleanse-your-body-inside-and-out

Your Organs of Detoxification

Your body is an incredible biological organism capable of regenerating itself, eliminating toxins and healing. However, modern life has handicapped some of these abilities making it more difficult than ever to stay healthy. It is a bit of a paradox that we are in a world that is safer from threats than ever before but simultaneously so removed from the natural world that the real threats hide within us.

We are exposed to countless environmental chemicals on a daily basis ranging from parabens, phthalates, toluene, xylene and styrene to name a few. These are extremely toxic and can be found in body care products, fuel additives, paints, carpet glue and so on. The effects include neurological damage, endocrine (hormone) disruption, DNA damage (free radical/oxidative damage), kidney and digestive damage.

Your primary organs of detoxification are:

Liver - Phase 1: neutralize substances and convert chemicals into forms that are more readily removed. Phase 2: transform the intermediate substances and conjugate them for removal.
Colon - gut bacteria break down toxins, molecules and medications as well as a role in removal of heavy metals.
Skin - skin aids in the removal of waste via sweat and is particularly helpful for the excretion of the heavy metal Aluminum.

Below are 4 ways that you can effectively support your body's ability to detoxify from our modern world. Of course be sure to check with your doctor before trying any of these methods.

1. Infrared Sauna

One of the most effective ways to detoxify your body is to use an infrared sauna. The optimum infrared sauna uses the full spectrum including near infrared, middle infrared and far infrared light. Near-infrared (NIR) is the shortest infrared wavelength and penetrates the skin’s surface most effectively. When delivered through an infrared sauna, NIR promotes skin renewal, cell health, wound healing, and tissue growth. Middle-infrared (MIR) is a longer wavelength that can penetrate deeper into the body’s soft tissue where inflammation occurs. MIR helps expand blood vessels and increases circulation, so more oxygen can reach injured areas of the body. This reduces pain and speeds up the healing process. Far-infrared (FIR) is the longest wavelength. It can reach deepest into the body where toxins are stored. FIR stimulates the sweat glands, resulting in a deep, detoxifying sweat.

Below are some benefits of using an infrared sauna:

Detoxification
Decrease inflammation
Increase circulation
Relieve pain
Burn calories
Sleep better
Collagen production; cellulite reduction

You can find a spa near you that offers infrared sauna or you can buy your own home infrared sauna.

2. Dry Skin Brushing

A primary function of the skin occurs through the activities of its pores. Every square inch contains hundreds of these pores, all of which are made up of tiny muscles that must be exercises to assist the body in getting rid of these toxins. Below are some of the benefits of skin brushing:

Remove dead skin cells
Cleanse the pores
Stimulate the hormones and oil-producing glands of the skin
Keep the skin soft, supple and youthful
Improve circulation
Help control cellulite
Assist the body in the removal of toxins

Download Skin Brushing Protocol

3. Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is the use of pure filtered water to flush out the colon of compacted waste and undigested food in order to improve the health of the tissues of the colon as well as increase detoxification capacity and improve nutrient uptake. Hydrotherapy can be done in a number of ways and of course you should check with your doctor first. Certain conditions of the colon such as colon cancer, hemorrhoids and diverticulitis are possibly unsafe to perform this type of therapy.

Colon Hydrotherapist: this is the best place to start for anyone who has never done anything like this because it provides professional support as well as high end equipment to ensure the most effective cleanse possible. I recommend this to many of my clients when they embark on a healing program.

Colema: This is a do-it-yourself at-home procedure which is a combination of a colonic and an enema. It gets the water deeper than a basic enema but requires more equipment to perform. Many find this to be an effective procedure to be done 3-4 times per year. Here is an example of a colema board used over your toilet.

Coffee Enema: while it may seem a bit out there to insert coffee instead of water, this process was first used in the early 1900's and was found to have so many benefits that it made into the Lahey Clinic in Boston. There are a number of potential benefits from using coffee enemas including: pain relief, bile flow stimulation, dilation of blood vessels of colon, promotes peristalsis and enhance glutathione s-transferase production. You can read more about the origins and benefit of coffee enemas here.

4. Laboratory Testing for Detox Supplement Recommendations

One question that might be on your mind is whether or not you have any toxins in your system. The quick answer is yes, of course you do but how much, which ones and are you capable of mobilizing and removing them are the more relevant questions. It can't hurt to try any of the above methods for supporting your body's natural detoxification capacity but to really maximize detoxification it is necessary to test and determine which toxins need to be removed. This is where functional lab testing can be extremely beneficial so that you can know which supplements or detoxification procedures will be the most beneficial.

Here are 4 of the most important detoxification tests that I recommend. They are all tests that can be completed in the comfort of your own home with the exception of one which requires a blood draw:

GPL-Tox from Great Plains Laboratory - a toxic non-metal chemical profile that screens for the presence of 173 different toxic chemicals including organophosphate pesticides, phthalates, benzene, xylene, vinyl chloride, pyrethroid insecticides, acrylamide, perchlorate, diphenyl phosphate, ethylene oxide, acrylonitrile, and more. This profile also includes Tiglylglycine (TG), a marker for mitochondrial disorders resulting from mutations of mitochondrial DNA. These mutations can be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, infections, inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies.
Mercury Tri-Test & Blood Metals from Quicksilver Scientific - The Mercury Tri-Test is the only clinical test that utilizes blood, hair, and urine to measure excretion abilities and exposure of inorganic and methyl mercury. Unlike common “Challenge Testing”, the Mercury Tri-Test separates methyl mercury (mostly from seafood or amalgam-based mercury) from inorganic mercury (the most toxic form) and measures each directly.The Blood Metals Panel screens for a broad range of elements to show elevated exposure to toxic metals or imbalances of nutrient elements in whole blood.Nutrient Elements: Calcium, Copper, Lithium, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Selenium, Zinc. Potentially Toxic Metals: Antimony, Arsenic, Cadmium, Cobalt, Lead, Mercury, Silver, Strontium
Organix Comprehensive Profile from Genova Diagnostics - Organic acids are metabolic intermediates that are produced in pathways of central energy production, detoxification, neurotransmitter breakdown, or intestinal microbial activity. Marked accumulation of specific organic acids detected in urine often signals a metabolic inhibition or block. The metabolic block may be due to a nutrient deficiency, an inherited enzyme deficit, toxic build-up or drug effect. Several of the biomarkers are markers of intestinal bacterial or yeast overgrowth. The reason I recommend this one is because it help identify nutritional gaps which can play a major role in your body's ability to detoxify itself.
GI-Map from Diagnostic Solutions- The Gastrointestinal Microbial Assay Plus (GI-MAP) is an innovative clinical tool that measures gastrointestinal microbiota DNA from a single stool sample with state of the art, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology. The GI-MAP was designed to detect microbes that may be disturbing normal microbial balance or contributing to illness as well as indicators of digestion, absorption, inflammation, and immune function.

Having the right information about what is going on in your body will set the stage for making the most informed decisions about which supplements and detoxification strategies may be best for you. Take a look at the special offer below to save money on your own customized detoxification program.

]]><![CDATA[Rhythm Is Life and Life Is Rhythm]]>Tue, 15 Feb 2022 18:24:10 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/rhythm-is-life-and-life-is-rhythm

**note: if you have not ready the previous articles in this series then begin with The 4 Needs of Your 2 Bodies

Principle #3: The body requires Homeostasis, Coherence and Rhythm

Human beings inherently prefer the path of predictability and efficiency and as such our bodies are designed with several means to optimize for these preferences. The presence of the innate dynamics of these systems results in our ability as a species to be adaptive and resilient in the face of unpredictability and the inevitable onslaughts from our environment.

The scientific term for the state of this efficiency, adaptability and balance is homeostasis. Homeostasis is defined as the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function. We are in fact never in pure balance but rather are in a state of constantly attempting to adapt to stimuli.

In its efforts to maintain homeostasis the body and its systems are also seeking states of coherence and rhythm. Rhythm equates to predictability in some sense and Coherence is an alignment of systems with one another resulting in optimal functioning, much like the crew team in the image above.

Dualism and Homeostasis

As a part of the inherent dualistic nature of our physical reality, our bodies are designed with numerous systems of organs and glands that are diphasic and dualistic. Most commonly recognized is the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which extends throughout the entire body and operates primarily in either a stimulatory or inhibitory capacity with those organs and glands to which it is connected. These two parts of this system are called the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS. For instance, when activated into stimulation the sympathetic branch signals your adrenal glands to produce adreno-corticoids and it signals your liver to release glycogen which then turns into glucose (fuel) in your blood stream. Conversely, your parasympathetic system has an opposing response which is to trigger the release of hormones such as DHEA and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to slow heart rate and stimulate growth and repair amongst numerous other bodily responses.

This dynamic between these two systems is an ongoing and continuous interaction. Your heart rate for instance will subtly increase on inhalation and decrease on exhalation. The ANS is only one system that functions in a checks and balances manner. Other examples of biology continuously pursuing balance include the acid/alkaline balance system, neurotransmitter balancing system and lipo-oxidative balancing system (anabolic/catabolic) to name a few.

Without the continual function of these dualistic systems, our bodies would quickly begin to fail. Adaptability and resilience would be non-existent. And so in order to meet the needs of these balancing systems and stay resilient and healthy you must:

Recognize that every nutrient has specific stimulatory and inhibitory (read: pushes you one way or the other) effects on one ore more of these, and other, bodily systems
Eat appropriately for you Metabolic Type in order to balance the stimulating/inhibiting effects of the nutrients you consume
Manage the spiritual, mental/emotional, structural, biochemical and environmental influences on these balancing systems. This means among your stressors in all areas of life so that your body has the capacity to adapt. Too many stressors equates to overwhelm and loss of resilience.

Rhythm

As creatures of the natural world we are designed to fit in with the natural rhythms of this planet and other planetary bodies. We have circadian (24 hour) rhythms, monthly lunar rhythms, seasonal rhythms and solar maximum and minimum rhythms and possibly even rhythms that extend well beyond a single lifespan. It is in these rhythms that our bodies find a degree of predictability within a world and environment of relative unpredictability. Our bodies know that the sun will rise each morning, and our bodies know that the moon will have an increasing pull effect on us as we move towards full moon.

These regular rhythms provide our bodies with the ability to rest and repair itself. In the night as we sleep and in the winter as we slow down we have the opportunity, if we listen to our bodies, to reset the system in order to maintain homeostasis and resilience. If we separate ourselves from these natural rhythms then we will increasingly lose our ability to adapt and maintain homeostasis. Take these steps to maintain your natural rhythms:

Go to sleep by 10pm and awaken between 6am and 7am.
For women, acknowledge your body's cycles and go within and slow down during menstruation. Adjust your diet during this time to meet the shift of your metabolic needs as well and increase your water intake.
Take a hint from the new age folks and bring some awareness to your body and mind during full and new moon cycles. Learn when to slow down and when it's okay to speed up or push yourself.
Choose food that is seasonally appropriate and spend as much time outside as possible.
Expose your bare and un-blocked skin and shielded eyes to the sun daily during the first hours of the sun rise and as the sun begins to set

Coherence

"Coherence in ordinary language means correlation, a sticking together or connectedness; also, a consistency in the system. So we refer to people’s speech or thought as coherent, if the parts fit together well, and incoherent if they are uttering meaningless nonsense, or presenting ideas that don’t make sense as a whole. Thus, coherence in this context refers to wholeness and a global order: This is coherence as a distinctive organization of parts, the relations among which generate an emergent whole that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

When coherence is increased in a single system that is coupled to other systems, it can pull the other systems into coherence or entrainment, resulting in increased cross-coherence in the activity of the other systems, even across different time scales of activity. An example of this is in the increased heart-brain synchronization that occurs in a heart coherent mode." (Heartmath Clinical Certification Manual, pp 3-4)

Much like the crew team that works synchronously to move the boat through the water, our body systems need to achieve an alignment that optimizes function. The best way to achieve this coherence is through this heart-brain connection using breath, mind and emotions. By achieving heart coherence, which is a physiological state, we are able to shift our brains into a coherent and optimal states which then signals to the rest of the body to shift into a homeostatic state. Below is the Heart Focused Breathing technique that you can do to shift into this coherent state and further support your body's pursuit of homeostasis and rhythm:

Focus your attention on the area of your heart
Imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest area
Breathe a little slower and deeper than you normally would
You may also add in a positive emotion such as appreciation, peace or love by thinking of a pet or a loved one

In the next article of this series I will be exploring the 4th need of the body which is a sense of safety and connection.

]]><![CDATA[Powerful Ways To Manage Your Vital Energy]]>Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:38:45 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/powerful-ways-to-manage-your-vital-energy

*Read: if you haven't read my previous posts on my 4 needs of your 2 body's or Accessing New levels of energy, then please check them out.

Principle #2: The body needs free flow of energy to the entire body and field.

We are made of energy at the most basic level. The body is a hierarchical system of systems with energy being the initial level and then physical matter eventually being built upon those energies. Below is an illustration of this hierarchy:

When you follow my first principle, the body requires adequate and compatible sources of energy, you are converting energy around you into physical energy and doing so in a coherent way in which the frequencies (energy) of the food, water, sun match the needed frequencies of your body. This creates coherence which in turn creates order.

Energy of course comes in many forms including light energy, heat energy, mechanical energy, gravitational energy, electrical energy, sound energy, chemical energy, nuclear or atomic energy and so on. There is also something called ‘subtle energy’ or chi that runs through the body. In the physical body, energy exists and moves within your blood circulation, nerve conduction, fluid matrix, fascia and in other ways. In the energetic body your chi flows along meridians, Nadis as well as deeper more subtle levels of your energy body which expands even a bit beyond your physical body.

Due to the hierarchical nature of the human body the lowest levels have an impact up the chain. Meaning that these subtle energies, affect electrical energies which affect cells and then tissues and then organs/glands, then body systems and finally the human organism as a whole.

In a past article, as I first introduced my four principle needs of your two bodies, I revealed the 3 areas in which restrictions of your energy flow can occur. Below I’ll provide some solutions for how to manage these disruptions in your vital energy:

Energy Stagnation

Tai Chi is extremely effective at moving energy that is stuck or excessively built-up. Two keys in Tai Chi practice are your breath and attention, which when combined with the various movements will start to move that stuck energy. A simple video search for Tai Chi will give you all you need to begin a basic practice.
Stretching as a practice of physical health has fallen in and out of favor over the years for various reasons but the fact remains that your fascia seems to have a significant role in your health and likely in my opinion is a medium through which energy can flow. To steal the old chiropractic analogy of a hose for a minute, imagine that the flow of energy is the water running through the hose. If you put a kink in that hose there will be a build up of energy at that spot. You need to un-kink the hose to allow the water (energy) to flow again. Stretching will affect the fascia and release the stuck energy. This could be yoga but it could also just be a static stretch or a gentle ballistic stretch moving in and out of a stretched position slowly. The easiest way to feel this release of energy is to do a back-bend over an exercise ball and breathe deeply into your belly. You may feel the need to make a sound or even cry, which are both a release of energy.
Acupuncture is well-known for its ability to move stagnant energy and since I am not an expert on the topic I will leave that to your nearest acupuncturist. If you have symptoms or issues as described in my previous article related to stagnation then take a visit to your acupuncturist and I am certain you will get some relief.
Drinking adequate water is surprisingly an effective way to move stagnant energy. Your blood is made of a significant portion of water, your cells and tissues also contain a lot of water. As such if you are dehydrated or your mineral levels are out of balance then you will have stagnation of some kind. Referring back to my last article, you should make sure that you have enough of this life giving and energy supporting gift. *Constipation could be either an energy stagnation issue or it could fall in the next category of an energy void.

Energy Voids

Breath-work is one of the best ways to draw energy to a part of the body. When combined with focused attention you can bring a significant amount of energy to that area. As an example, doing the Heart Focused Breathing technique from HeartMath is a great way to start to bring energy to the area of your heart and abate depressed feelings. This is done by simply breathing in slowly for 5-6 seconds through your nose and focusing your attention on the area of your heart. Feel the sensations in your heart and chest as you do this. Then exhale through your nose for another 5-6 seconds and feel the energy go out from your chest and heart. Continue this for 5 minutes and to really increase the effects, bring up a positive feeling as you do the exercise.
Nauli breathing is another form of breath work combined with an abdominal vacuum maneuver. The is especially helpful with voids in the gut and lower abdomen area (constipation, low self esteem, low libido). Here’s a simple video for doing this exercise.

Physical exercise even as simple as walking can help to bring energy to areas of void. Specifically if you have poor blood flow to your legs and feet, this can be helped greatly by just moving your body. Try walking, jump roping, jogging, sprinting, lunging or whatever feels appropriate for your fitness level.
The word void is just a simple vowel away from avoid. And often there is something in your life that you are avoiding when there is an energy void showing up in your body. Examine what from your past or present you are not addressing but has been calling your attention for a long time. You can find that avoided ‘thing’ in your body as well simply by bringing it to mind and scanning your body to see where it is stored. When you do find it try one of my favorite healing mantras and speak to that part of your body. Say, “Dear soul, mind, body of my ___________ (body part/organ etc.), you do a good job, I love you, thank you, thank you thank you.” Repeat this until you feel a relaxing sensation or an emotional release. I learned this practice from Dr. Zhi Gang Sha.

Energy Leaks

Supplements are a blessing and curse in our world. We are lacking so much in food quality and nutrient density that they really are a necessity but in a free market world with information overload, there are just far too many to choose from, many of which are either ineffective or actually have the opposite of the desired effect. That being said, leaky gut as well as other barrier tissues can be greatly helped by the right supplements. Supporting healthy collagen production and the use of certain amino acids such as L-Glutamine and a quality collagen can help a lot with leaky gut. Herbs such as marshmallow root, licorice root and fiber are also quite helpful. Of course it’s not this simple and you also need to remove reactive foods, and other inflammatory agents such as over the counter medications that damage the stomach and gut lining.
Postural improvement through chiropractic, Rolfing massage and corrective exercises for your movement leaks can dramatically increase your energy. Just get a good structural massage and feel how different your energy is the following day (after you’ve recovered ;) Do this for 3 months and you’ll be an entirely different person. The same can be said for quality chiropractic care or physical therapy.

Holographic Memory Resolution and Hypnotherapy are effective ways to plug leaks of your energy to past events. Past traumatic events stick in your subconscious and even though you aren’t thinking of them, there are defenses that are activated, thought patterns that persist and even actions that result from these traumas. All of these are wasted energies that are no longer necessary since the event has already past. If you are interested in working on some of these leaks in your life please reach out and I will help you to call all of your energy back to the present moment.

Conclusion

Supporting the free flow of energy to your entire body and energy field may be one of the easiest, yet most impactful ways to start generating vital energy. Choose 3-4 of these that appeal to you and get started right away. Let me know what you discover about yourself and about your bodies energies.

In my next article I’ll address the body’s requirement for homeostasis, coherence and rhythm.

Schedule A Consultation

]]><![CDATA[Accessing New Levels of Energy]]>Fri, 14 Jan 2022 01:27:28 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/accessing-energy-previously-thought-impossible

*Read: if you haven't read my previous post on my 4 needs of your 2 body's then please check it out.

Principle #1: “The body requires adequate and compatible sources of energy”

When discussing sources or our supply of energy I like to look at it through the lens of the classical 5 elements of earth, air, water, fire and ether. On a basic biological level we synthesize earth (food) along with air (oxygen) to produce ATP (cellular energy) and water is the medium in which this takes place and finally fire (sunlight) is necessary in mitochondrial function. So in essence 4 of the 5 elements are scientifically known to support cellular energy production.

The 5th element of ether or chi will also be discussed briefly in this module but since there is overlap across all 4 of my principles of a vital body it will be considered in greater detail in other articles.

EARTH

As humans we are made of the same materials as the earth (and cosmos). The Sun provides an energy source that plants utilize through photosynthesis to be able to grow. Animals then consume those plants and convert that to energy to grow their own bodies. Humans then are able to consume both plants and animals as sources of energy to be able to grow and sustain their own lives. In turn, I am of the opinion that it is the responsibility of humans to then cultivate and look over the cycle of energy that sustains it, which means taking care of the earth, plants and animals.
As beings made from the earth, the more we disconnect ourselves from it and from this energy cycle and the responsibility therein, the more our physical body suffers. To connect to your body and to meet its needs you must supply it with foods that are a part of this inherent cycle of energy. This means that processed foods and synthetic supplements do not meet the body’s needs.

It should be stated that there is no perfect diet for all humans as each of us is dynamic and metabolically unique. That is why understanding and effectively listening to the call of your metabolic requirements becomes a key aspect to cultivating your health and well-being.

Your cellular energy requirements (Metabolic Type) represent the way you are presently functioning metabolically on your cellular level. Your unique metabolism has changing needs for food in order to produce energy in its cells. This is defined by both the types of foods as well as the balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat in a given meal. The potential requirements exist on a continuum and as such there are no perfectly clear boundaries of a “type” because as I mentioned earlier we are each unique individuals. As a starting point and initial template however we can say there are 3 types:

Fast Oxidizer
Mixed Oxidizer
Slow Oxidizer

See the chart below to understand the needs of each along the continuum. It should go without saying that the quality of your food is paramount to your health and success. This means organically grown foods, pasture-raised & humanely treated animal meats are very important. Any processed foods that didn’t exist 10,000 years ago do not support optimal energy production, energy flow, homeostasis or even a sense of bodily safety.

AIR

The air element in many ways is the highest priority for cultivating health. To solidify the importance of air in your mind, imagine not breathing for 10 minutes. You can survive weeks without food, days without water but if you deny your body oxygen for too long you will die.

In order to convert the energy stored in your earth-given foods you must have adequate oxygen. Besides airs’ contribution to metabolic energy production the act of doing breath work will also cultivate another type of energy for your Energy Body that is commonly called Chi or Prana. The use of breath work will be covered in later posts but for the time being it’s important to begin the process of learning to breathe fully and to ensure that the quality of your air is supportive to your health and the production of cellular energy.

Air, oxygen in particular, plays a crucial role in cellular energy production. Cellular respiration (energy production) is heavily dependent on oxygen. Without oxygen you don’t have energy production taking place in the electron transport chain.
Your musculoskeletal system functions along with your lungs and airways to facilitate the delivery of oxygen to your blood stream. Your breathing pattern, how you habitually use your muscles and skeleton to breathe, can either support or inhibit optimal intake of air and oxygen. And while breathing is an autonomous activity we also can consciously take control of our breath and retrain our brains to create new optimal breathing patterns.

Before walking you through how to breathe optimally, let’s first identify a couple of areas that you may not be aware could be contributing to a faulty breathing pattern for you.

Poor posture - a “closed off” posture will limit the expansion of your pharynx, shoulder girdle, rib cage and diaphragm, resulting in less oxygen into your system. This is specifically covered in more detail in BodySense: Energy Flow.
Fear and Trauma - if you’ve ever been extremely startled by something then you know that for a moment you stop breathing and afterwards your breathing remains fairly shallow. If this pattern stays, as is often the case with severe trauma or persistent fear states then your breathing and consequently energy levels will suffer. This will be discussed in more detail with another of my Principles: Safety, Anchoring and Connection.

Here are some important points on proper breathing:

Breathe only through your nose unless absolutely necessary to breathe through you mouth; mouths are for eating, drinking and communication, not breathing.
The first 2/3 of your in breath should involve expansion of the diaphragm and rib cage laterally and front to back; The final 1/3 of your inhalation is the expansion of your chest.
Relax your shoulders, neck and face. If you are using those accessory muscles of respiration excessively then you are wasting energy as well as contributing to muscular trigger points and neck and shoulder dysfunction.
The balance of your exhalation to inhalation is both dependent on and contributory to the balance of your autonomic nervous system. At rest when you inhale your heart rate slightly increases and when you exhale it decreases. If you spend more time in inhalation then you are shifting yourself into a sympathetic state (fight/flight/freeze). If you spend more time in the exhalation phase then you are stimulating the parasympathetic system (rest/repair/relax).

WATER

Water molecule blessed with words of love

Second only to air in it’s hierarchical importance to survival is the element of water. Our bodies are upwards of 90% water. This is an incredible realization and the roles that water plays in sustaining life is remarkable. Water allows for biological electrical conduction, water serves as both solute and solvent, it carries messages and information, provides fluidity to our tissues and organs and so much more.

If you are familiar with the research of Massaru Emoto with water then you know that toxic water, toxic emotions, toxic thoughts can all affect the quality of water within our bodies and consequently our health and energetic field.

Water is vital for all life. Its versatility and adaptability help perform important chemical reactions. Its simple molecular structure helps maintain important shapes for cells’ inner components and outer membrane. No other molecule matches water when it comes to unique properties that support life.
Here are some important points on water:

Clean water is critical. This means you must filter your water with a high quality filtration system. Fluoride is neurotoxic and chlorine, while it does an effective job at killing bacteria in water systems, does not belong in your body, so you must filter it out.
You can find a broad recommendation in terms of how much water to drink. Some say 1/2 of your body weight in ounces (200lb man drinks 100oz), others say to monitor the color of your urine (tea colored pee is not good) and others suggest that if you are juicing or eating lots of vegetables/fruits that you are getting enough (not true). I recommend the 1/2 your body weight rule but then monitor urination frequency. If you are peeing much more than 6 times a day then you are either drinking too much or you are not getting adequate minerals/electrolytes
Structured water is something that I have not sufficiently researched to comment on but the little research that I have done supports the concept.
Add a pinch of sea salt to your water to return the natural minerals to water to better match your bodies needs. This can reduce frequent urination if that is an issue.

FIRE

Fire in this case refers to sunlight as well as another form of light that we will talk about. Vitamin D (produced in the body after exposure to sunlight) is necessary for mitochondrial activity. It is know that Vitamin D supplementation in those deficient in D improves mitochondrial oxidative capacity in muscles. So this 4th element also proves to be critical in energy production.

In addition to sunlight, red and near-infrared light can penetrate the skin and act on mitochondria through stimulation of a molecule called cytochrome c oxidase. So exposing yourself to this unique band of light is a great way to increase energy.

Considerations with sunlight:

Expose your bare skin to the sunlight every day but do it during the times that the sun is lower in the sky. Depending on the time of year this is at sunrise until 10-11am and in the late afternoon until sunset.
Do not use sunscreen during the above times as it will block all of the benefits.
Daily exposure to sunlight will help signal your body in its production of melatonin in the evening.
Use red-light therapy daily to enhance your well-being (I personally even built my own infrared sauna (see picture below)

Homemade infrared sauna light

CONCLUSION

You are fundamentally energy at your core. It is your job as a conscious being, in my opinion, to be the manager and director of this energy. You can plug the leaks, move the stagnation and fill the emptiness all on your own. And if you do you are rewarded with an incredible God-given vital force running through your body and being.

If you are feeling lost when it comes to your health, like you don't know what to do or are overwhelmed by so much information out there, let me simplify it for you and guide you to your best health. Click the button below to schedule a no-charge consultation to learn how you really can transform your health far beyond what you thought was possible.

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]]><![CDATA[The 4 Needs of Your 2 Bodies]]>Wed, 24 Nov 2021 19:03:26 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/the-4-needs-of-your-2-bodies

Nearly a century ago the common understanding of the makeup of physical reality was one of matter. It was ‘known’ that we are made up of smaller pieces known as atoms. This Newtonian view of physical matter meant that there was a predictable cause and effect of physical reality. Anatomy, Physiology and Chemistry of the body evolved through this same lens of perception which is reflected in the science of biology. Physical systems of organs made up of tissues which in turn are made up of cells are the model of the physical body. Chemistry or the interaction of molecules of elements is recognized as the signaling system of this biology which instructs the cells as to their activities.

This science of biology from a Newtonian or matter based perspective is in fact very true insofar as we interact with the body on that matter based level. However, the science of physics has evolved well past this Newtonian model of a material reality into what is known as Quantum Physics. Unfortunately commonplace education, including that within nearly all medical schools has remained stuck in the view that the human body is merely made of matter. As such we are treated and continue to treat our own bodies purely on the level of matter.

The truth is that you have more than a physical body. In fact, there is now plenty of science to support the energetic and electromagnetic nature of the human body. Electromagnetic fields (energy) can be measured around the body. Your heart emits an energetic field 100 times greater than that of your brain. Your gut has 500 million neurons similar to your brain and emits it’s own electromagnetic field. Kirlian photography can detect the field around your body also known as an aura in mystic traditions. In fact modern science is continuing to prove what many ancient teachings have said for centuries, that we are made of energy.

So instead of thinking of yourself as having just one body it’s time to look at things a bit more deeply and entertain the idea that in a simple sense you actually have two bodies. Your energetic body which is made of, you guessed it, energy and your physical body which is made of physical matter. Your energetic body serves as a template for your physical body to exist upon. Changes on an energy level can be detected before they occur on a physical level. You can almost think of it like a set of Russian dolls within one another. Your physical body is the outer shell so to speak and the energy body resides within that, completely unnoticed with the physical eye.

Now that we have discussed the combined material and energetic nature of the body, let’s talk about what your two bodies require in order to sustain them and support optimal vitality.

Note: the term body and bodies may be used interchangeably throughout this course unless it is necessary to indicate which body is being discussed.

Principle #1

The body requires adequate and compatible sources of energy.

On a basic biological level we synthesize earth (food) along with air (oxygen) to produce ATP (cellular energy) and water is the medium in which this takes place and finally fire (sunlight) is necessary in mitochondrial function. So in essence 4 of the 5 elements are scientifically known to support cellular energy production. The 5th element of ether or chi or ether is the vital force energy that flows through your energetic body and is of equal necessity to sustaining a vital body.

If you are lacking in quantity of energy or sources of energy that are compatible with your unique frequency and biochemistry then your body will struggle to sustain itself optimally.

Principle #2

The body needs free flow of energy to the entire body and field

The movement of energy within and throughout the body can be seen in both the physical and energetic bodies. In the physical body, energy exists and moves within your blood circulation, nerve conduction, fluid matrix, fascia and in other ways. In the energetic body your chi flows along meridians, Nadis as well as deeper more subtle levels of your energy body.

In my experience there are 3 ways in which restrictions of energy flow can show up.

Stagnation - in the physical this can show up as edema, fascial restrictions, brain fog from dehydration, ischemia (lack of blood flow) and in other ways. Another common way for energy stagnation to show up is through weight gain, as body fat is effectively unused energy. On an energetic level stagnation can show up as a sense of disconnection from a part of the body, or an excess focus on an area or part of the body. It may also show up as a sense of ‘heaviness’ within an area of the body or the body as a whole.
Voids - in the physical this may appear as areas of numbness, poor bowel motility, cancer or loss of hair growth (not male pattern baldness), just as examples. On an energetic level this can create a sense of loss of self, depression when present in the heart area, dizziness when the void is in the head area or spaciness and excessive spirituality when the void is in the lower half of the body.
Leaks - in the physical body this may appear as leaky gut, leaky lung or leaky brain in which the protective barriers are no longer doing their job. Another physical expression of a an energy leak is in poor movement patterns in which you are losing energy due to inefficient movement patterns. On an energetic level this can show up as leaks of energy to past traumas, leaks or energetic cords to individuals, institutions or other entities. Energetically a leak could also be precipitated by incessant thoughts about something not aligned with your highest good.

Principle #3

The body requires Homeostasis, Coherence and Rhythm

Undeniably we are creatures that prefer a sense of predictability in order to garner a sense of safety and security, which will be addressed in the next principle. Predictability however is not inherent to our reality. And so we have to be resilient and adaptive to our environment and relationships. It is from a healthy ability to adapt and maintain some sense of rhythm that we are able to function well physiologically and to ground our psyche in our experience. If we are unable to maintain homeostasis, coherence and rhythm then the result is discord and dysfunction.

The physical body is effectively a system of systems which are each diphasic and dualistic in nature. Some examples of these systems that are constantly negotiating with the environment and the elements (see Principle 1) that we consume are the Autonomic Nervous system, Carbo-Oxidative System, Neurotransmitter Balance, Electrolyte Fluid Balance and Acid-Alkaline Balance. Looking more closely at one of these, the Autonomic Nervous System has 2 sides to it which serve as the ‘gas pedal’ and the ‘brakes’ causing organs and glands in the body to increase or decrease activity. Each of these systems, and others, are constantly working to maintain balance and efficiency. True and perfect homeostasis is not possible but the ability to respond quickly and correctly in the direction of balance is key.

In addition to homeostasis we need to have sustained rhythms in our body. The heart and brain each have their own rhythms that are responding to our environment as well as our emotional state. When we are experiencing or creating positive uplifting emotions then our heart and brain enter into a state of coherence. The result of this coherence is improved function and when maintained long-term improved health-span.

On a larger scale our bodies are naturally entrained to rhythms of nature such as seasonal rhythms and monthly lunar rhythms. When we are out of sync with these rhythms due to inadequate and poorly timed sleep then it creates dysfunction in our body. Time in nature with your bare feet on the ground and sun on your skin is the absolute best way to reset your entire bodily rhythms.

In a later article on the Mind and its needs, I will address how coherence of beliefs, thoughts and emotions affects our interaction with the world as a whole on the invisible but very real level of energy.

Principle #4

The body needs a sense of safety and connection

We entered into this world wired to connect. From our first breath we begin a quest to feel safe in our body, environment and in relationships with others. Our Autonomic Nervous System which was mentioned previously has within it an aspect that is always assessing the environment to determine whether it is safe or not. This is a completely unconscious mechanism which Dr. Stephen Porges terms “neuroception”.

The anatomy of this process occurs within a nerve bundle called the vagus (for ‘wandering’) nerve. The vagus nerve runs from the 12th cranial nerve all the way down to your gut, and upwards to connect to your sense organs of eyes, ears and throat. There are also two distinct parts of this nerve bundle, the ventral (front) vagal pathway and the dorsal (back/rear) vagal pathway. The ventral supports our social selves including feelings of being safely engaged and socially connected. The dorsal vagal pathway however, responds to extreme danger and takes us out of awareness and collapses us inward so to speak.

The two pathways remind me of an old toy that I like to use as an illustrative example. The toy collapses into a small ball or if you pull outward it will expand into a larger and open sphere. Many people are in this contracted state the majority of the time resulting in a further sense of isolation and a perpetual sense of survive or die attitude. Lost in this state is the beautiful felt sense of experiencing the world around us. You no longer notice what is good, right and beautiful in the world and your body has an increasingly difficult time adapting and functioning.

There are countless techniques that you can add into your daily experience to foster the ventral vagal pathway (safety and social connection) which I will share with you in later articles. But it may be worth considering that in addition to ‘adding a positive’ you start looking at how you can ‘remove a negative’. For instance, watching the news with 24 hour death toll tickers is clearly a message of impending doom to your body and will surely put you immediately into the dorsal vagal pathway. Its probably not a threat to your survival to simply turn off the news for a month and see what happens. What are some other ways that you can remove a negative that is shifting you into this dorsal state of feeling threatened?

Conclusion

The above is the initial model and conclusions that I have personally come to through my own experiences and through the research of many great thinkers, researchers and leaders. In subsequent articles I will expand on each of these principles as well as delve into what I feel are the major “needs” of the Mind.

If you have questions as always feel free to email me!

]]><![CDATA[Top 5 Food Sensitivities Wrecking Your Body]]>Thu, 18 Mar 2021 18:26:17 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/5-common-food-sensitivities

What Is A Food Sensitivity?

It’s a common mistake to confuse a food allergy with a food sensitivity or autoimmune food response. In this post I’ll attempt to break down the three diet-induced inflammatory interactions and provide you with the top 5 food sensitivities based on my experience looking at hundreds of blood tests.

A food sensitivity primarily includes Type III and Type IV immune mediated reactions to foods and affects roughly 30-40% of the population. Contrast this to Food Allergies which affect only about 4-6% of the population and finally autoimmunity towards food which affects 3-5% of the population.

Food allergies involve an anaphylactic response with near immediate symptoms including nausea, vomiting, hives and swelling. Food sensitivities, which as mentioned affect far more people, can take up to 72 hours to elicit symptoms and can manifest in nearly any area or system of the body ranging from digestive irritation (diarrhea, constipation etc.) to neurological inflammatory responses (depression, anxiety, migraines etc.).

The final category of food reaction involves a response to attack the body tissues with immune cells of which includes the condition of Celiac Disease.

While a blood test like the Mediator Release Test that is included in 2 of my Health Coaching programs is the best way to identify food sensitivities, there are some common food sensitivities that you can try to simply eliminate for a period of 60 days while monitoring your main health complaints to see if there is any improvement.

Conditions Related To Food Sensitivities

Migraine
Depression
Epilepsy
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Urticaria (chronic)
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Ulcerative Colitis
Crohns Disease

Atopic dermatitis
ADD/ADHD
GERD
Asthma
PCOS
IBS
Interstitial Cystitis
Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
Otitis Media

Subclinical Symptoms of Food Sensitivities

Constipation
Diarrhea
Low Energy
Headaches
Anxiousness
Sleeplessness

Joint aches
Stiff muscles
Inability to focus
Rapid heart rate
Drowsiness

Below are the top 5 foods that I've seen clients reacting to in my practice and the ones that can easily be eliminated without having to spend a dime on any testing:

#1 : Wheat

As with many of these most common food sensitivities wheat is commonly reactive at least in part to its prevalence within the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) It is the protein portions of all of these foods that triggers the immune mediated response resulting in inflammation in the body’s tissues. The most well-known of these proteins is Gluten but there are other proteins present to which one could be reacting. Additionally because wheat is such a large part of most diets (think cereals, breads, pastries, thickeners, soy sauce etc.) one can also develop cross-reactivity with other foods as the immune system broadens its response. This leads us to the second most common food sensitivity of dairy.

#2 : Dairy

Dairy is a very common food sensitivity and again it is the protein portion of the dairy that our immune systems may be responding. Specifically whey and casein are the main proteins and can be found to varying degrees in different types of dairy with butter for instance having virtually no whey but containing casein. A food sensitivity to dairy shouldn’t be confused with an intolerance to dairy which involves inadequate enzyme activity in digesting the sugar component of dairy known as lactose. Some people may have an intolerance to lactose but have no issues with their immune system responding to the casein or whey and simply by switching to raw dairy and using some added enzymes can consume dairy completely symptom free.

#3 : Soy

Once again the S.A.D. Diet rears its ugly head with this extremely damaging mono-crop that along with corn, wheat and mass farming practices has also managed to destroy our soil. The more that you consume a food the increased likelihood that you will develop a sensitivity to that food. This is known as a loss of oral tolerance and is amplified by other factors which either irritate or suppress immune function. Soy is a food that is found in nearly every single processed food you can find at a grocery or convenience store. It’s hidden in such ingredients as soy lecithin (a thickener), partially hydrogenated soybean oil, hydrolyzed plant protein, textured vegetable protein, soy sauce and so on. Soy is one that I see on probably 70% of blood test results in clients who have active health complaints and especially those with autoimmune conditions.

#4 : Corn

Corn is another hidden ingredient found in countless forms in processed foods. Here is a list of some of the common sources of corn: corn syrup, HFCS, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, dextrin, corn flour, corn starch, hydrolyzed corn, vegetable oil, corn meal and even in some medications. As is the case with all of these commonly reactive foods the reactions are not limited to one system of your body and can affect neurological tissue, intestinal tissues, and connective tissues just to name a few. In practice I have seen fewer blood test results showing a response to corn than I have to soy and dairy but without doing a blood test I would recommend trying to just them all out for a period and then add them back in one at a time.

#5 : Eggs

The final food that I recommend eliminating to see if it is contributing to your health complaints are eggs. Eggs are also found in processed foods but not to the degree of corn and soy. Eggs are used in breads and baked goods, cookies, some protein bars and powders to name a few. Eggs is probably the easier of these to keep out but still requires paying close attention to what you are putting in your body.

How To Eliminate

If you suspect you may have a food sensitivity then you can get started right away on trying an elimination diet by removing these top 5 reactive foods. Begin by making a list of your main health complaints and ranking them in terms of their severity from 1-10. Keep that list accessible so you can monitor and track changes in those symptoms as you keep the foods out. Now for 60 days keep each of these foods out completely without fail. Most likely you will not be able to eat out at restaurants during this period of time unless you know for certain the ingredients that are used. Given the power of the internet search (use www.duckduckgo.com and not G@@Gle) you can easily find recipes that are free of each of these ingredients.

After the end of the 60 days, rate your health complaints again and then choose one of the foods you would like to test first by adding it back in and keeping out the others. Wait for 72 hours to monitor for any reactions before adding in the next of the 5 foods. If you still have a reaction to one or more of the foods then keep it out for another 30 days. Food sensitivities are not a lifetime thing but do require some healing of the gut and immune system to overcome.

Come back to this blog after 60 days and let me know what you discovered!

]]><![CDATA[Depression, Anxiety & Personality: Flip The Switch With Your Diet]]>Fri, 15 Jan 2021 18:51:57 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/depression-anxiety-mood-swings-flip-the-switch-with-your-diet

For many of us personality is a way in which we define ourselves, attributing our different character traits and behaviors to this broad definition we call personality. Not only is it the way that we define ourselves but at times we create stereotypes and expectations of others based on assumptions about their personality. “Oh it’s just the way she is…” or “I can’t help it it’s just a part of my personality. I’ve always been this way.”

But what would you say if we told you that you could change your personality, resolve a ‘disorder’ or even just optimize the expression of your inherited and learned personality?

It may be hard to believe but your diet, vitamins, minerals and amino acids can play an extremely powerful role in your personality and behavior.

Energy production in your cells plays a central role in a wide range of behaviors that would often be categorized as a part of your personality. Your brain for example depends on energy from your brain cells and if you are not being fueled properly then it is a foregone conclusion that your behaviors and mood will be affected. This is why consuming the right foods and supplements for your Metabolic Type® is so critical to your mental well-being.

Someone who is dealing with depression for example, even outwardly appears to have “low energy”. They appear listless, uninterested, unmotivated, mentally slow and so on. And since it’s an energy problem it can be impacted by addressing the fuel for that individual’s Metabolic Type®. Once the body is fueled adequately and efficiently the energy that is created in the cells will naturally rise to the surface creating a more outwardly energetic, mentally alert and motivated personality. Quite often dramatic changes can happen in depression simply by eating correctly for one’s type.

In addition to energy production, the foods and supplements you consume also will have an affect on your systemic pH (acid/alkaline). Anxiousness for example, is an emotional state defined as being full of mental distress or uneasiness. In terms of pH this state is related to a more acidic pH and is a trait of Fast Oxidizer Metabolic Types® and Sympathetic Dominant Metabolic Types® when they are out of balance. When these types eat incorrectly for their biochemistry, they will experience an increase in anxiousness, hyperactivity and mood swings. But these “acid” traits can be normalized simply by eating the right foods for their given Metabolic Type®.

What’s most interesting is that the diet and nutrients for these two types need to be different in order to calm them down and reduce the anxiety and mood swings. The Sympathetic Dominant Metabolic Type® would have their anxiety and hyperactivity worsened by eating a diet that was higher in fat and animal meats while a Fast Oxidizer Dominant Metabolic Type® would be calmed by that same diet. The reverse is also true such that the Fast Oxidizer would feel worse on a diet higher in vegetables, fruits and grains but the Sympathetic Metabolic Type® would be more balanced with it.

The difference in Metabolic Types and personality is really quite interesting to observe. Here are a few of the traits of some of the Metabolic Types. These are just two of the Metabolic Types but maybe you can relate to some of these character traits:

Sympathetic Dominant - cool, aloof, quick witted, logical, rational, left brain, emotionally reactive, quick to anger, nervous, irritable, hard to make friends, driven, highly motivated, accomplishments and achievement are important (goal oriented), neat, orderly, list makers, obsessive, excellent focus and concentration.

Parasympathetic Dominant - open, warm, approachable, intuitive, emotionally oriented, takes life as it comes, spacey, right brain, slow to anger, depressed, sad, melancholy, not punctual, scattered, good endurance, wears heart on sleeve, ‘good time Charleys’, loyal, disorganized, messy, and lackadaisical.

Vitamins & Minerals
The wrong foods for a person’s type can certainly contribute to anxiety, depression and mood swings but what about the supplements you are taking? It is fairly commonly accepted that many people have a quantitative Magnesium deficiency due to excess processed foods. Magnesium is generally considered to be a calming nutrient but for some, too much Magnesium actually becomes excitatory and should only be taken in smaller amounts. Fast Oxidizer Metabolic Types are inherently acidic as mentioned earlier and Magnesium will further push them into a more acid state. The result of too much Magnesium for a Fast Oxidizer could be increased anxiousness, jitteriness and hunger. Meanwhile a Parasympathetic who takes too much supplemental Magnesium would actually be pushed further into a parasympathetic state and could become lethargic and depressed as a result.

Supplements can have an amazing impact on how we feel but the wrong supplements for the wrong person can at best cause minimal changes and at worst worsen an existing imbalance such as depression or anxiety.

Neurotransmitter Balancing Act
Another factor that can greatly influence your personality and behavior is the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters (NT) circulating and being used by your brain. An inhibitory neurotransmitter called Serotonin plays a role in sleep cycle, depression, anxiety, carbohydrate cravings and PMS. And another inhibitory NT called GABA is considered to be natures valium-like substance.

Then there are the excitatory NT’s such as Epinephrine and Norepinephrine which are responsible for the stimulatory and fight-or-flight processes in the body. Finally a last major NT is Dopamine which is uniquely considered to be both excitatory and inhibitory.

Depression, anxiety and mood swings will nearly always correlate with poor cellular energy production, imbalance from the wrong foods or nutrients or with a specific imbalance in these excitatory and inhibitory NT’s. Using targeted amino acids to replenish your NT’s and carefully balance them can often create rapid improvements in mood and energy. Two examples of amino acids that are effective at raising serotonin and dopamine levels are 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine. 5-HTP will convert to Serotonin and L-Tyrosine will convert to Dopamine and as we mentioned these two neurotransmitters are inhibitory and excitatory respectively. For some this can happen within minutes of taking the correct amino acids (AA’s) but the amount of time that you will need to continue taking those AA’s will vary from person to person.

Words of warning regarding supplementing with AA’s: Some of these many cause stomach upset so most who take them choose to take with a small amount of food. Always talk to your doctor before taking any supplements and do not take any of these if you are currently taking a prescription for a mood disorder unless you have discussed with your doctor.

]]><![CDATA[A Path To Transmuting Limiting Beliefs]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2020 17:49:08 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/a-path-to-transmuting-limiting-beliefs

In my early twenties I was in a desperate and agonizing state of feeling like my life was worthless and that I would be stuck to a limited existence of living with my parents for the rest of my life. The state of my health and all of the ideas and beliefs that circulated within my mind about my state of health were painting a picture of hopelessness and worthlessness. Yet still in the midst of this, within my being there was a drive toward something better, something fulfilling and purposeful.

It would take some time to begin to shift out of those limiting beliefs that I was holding onto but eventually I was able to transcend them and shift out of that state of victim consciousness and into one of empowerment and even at rare times one of connection to the source of All That Is.

For so many of us we are voluntary victims of our own beliefs. Unconsciously choosing the same patterns and lessons for decades. We see the entire world around us through the lens of our beliefs and the world mirrors them back to us in large and small ways. It’s incredibly difficult to change your life experience and the world around you when the foundation upon which it is all built are limiting beliefs.

This is especially so when those limiting beliefs are unconscious. How can you possibly change something that you don’t even know is there? Maybe some outside force can help to bring the light of awareness to that belief but until that happens the feeling is one of a billiard ball being knocked around by a chaotic world.

But even for those that are doing “the work” and are conscious of their beliefs it doesn’t seem to be much easier. Certainly being aware that you have a belief and that it is shaping your reality is having an impact on that belief. However, fundamentally our awareness is filtered through our beliefs and will affect how we engage with that belief, potentially creating a limited belief loop of sorts.

Over the last several years I have been sorting through different philosophies and models of body, mind and soul and have come to my own conclusions resulting in the beginnings of my own model. Within this model I have 3 Principles of a Conscious Mind, which are as follows:

Maxim: All is energy and our minds are consciousness mediating energy.

Coherence of values, beliefs, thoughts and intentions
Coherence of heart (emotions)
Alignment of values, beliefs, thoughts and intentions with the Greatest Good of All

From this model of understanding we can recognize that a belief is a frequency of energy and that a limiting belief is an incoherent and lower consciousness frequency. In order for any system to produce any function or action it must have a property of global coherence. Stated another way, coherence is a consistency in the system or connectedness. A limiting belief is inconsistent with the greater order of your being and will only produce more disorder and attract other incoherent frequencies or energies.

So take for example a belief that you are not smart. However you came to this conclusion, be it through perceived experience or an inherited belief, it is a frequency unto itself. You hold this frequency within your physical body and energetic field. Even if you are aware of this belief and even if you at least partly believe that it isn’t true or doesn’t have to be true you will likely still have difficulty changing that belief. The reason is that you are trying to change the belief with another incoherent frequency. If the effort to change it is from a place of shame, frustration or anger then you are bringing another incoherent and lower level of consciousness frequency to this belief.

The result of combing two incoherent frequencies together is not one of coherence or higher consciousness but instead more of the same. You will find yourself more frustrated, hopeless and shameful and perpetually unable to change that limiting belief and the resulting life experience that emerges.

The solution on one level is incredibly simple and can be found in so many spiritual teachings. You must raise the frequency of that belief and transmute it into a coherent frequency. As the Beetles said, “all you need is love”. By surrounding that belief and the initiating trauma with love, appreciation and forgiveness you simultaneously disconnect yourself from identifying with it and bring it into alignment with the global order of your true Self’s nature.

(I will be recording a guided technique for doing this in the near future but if you are interested in learning it please reach out to me.)

]]><![CDATA[Making Room for Your Self]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2020 15:32:51 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/making-room-for-your-self

Nearly every religion and cultural mythology has within its texts a story of a Great Flood. From the well-known story of Noah within Judaic texts to the story of Manu from the Hindu Puranas and even ancient Sumerian and Babylonian texts, there has existed this story of humanity being overtaken by a Great Flood. Whether the flood stories all point to one particular event or not isn’t completely clear but there is geologic and archeologic evidence that points to a major physical flood.

Of course some religious writings are taken literally and others as metaphor so there very well could be multiple levels to this idea of a flood both within our collective psyche and our physical history. In my own life experience I have actually had a recurring dream spanning over at least 2 decades of me standing on the roof of a building and witnessing an unimaginably immense wave coming towards me. In that dream I somewhat surprisingly wasn’t afraid but instead just stood in awe at the power that was so much greater than me.

There’s really something to be said for yielding to a power greater than you as most truly religious people will likely attest. I would argue that a big part of what really happens when you yield to that greater power is that you are in a state of letting go. And when you let go, you create space. One of my favorite spiritual quotes is from the late Wayne Dyer who frequently stated, “let go and let God”.

At this point, given the title of this article, to some it may appear like a contradiction. A title that talks about making room for your Self (note capitalization) but then seems to shift right into a humble recognition of smallness. However, I think that paradox is inherent to the human condition and the duality within which we exist. So I’ll do my best to share the ways in which I think we can both yield to that greater power and simultaneously take control as the director of our own experience.

It occurred to me recently that we are in the midst of a Great Flood of our own and it has been swelling towards this inevitable deluge for perhaps the last century. This flood is of course different from the biblical one but I believe there are some parallels. This flood is one of energy and information. We have over the last half century been exponentially bombarded with news stories, polarized opinions, EMF’s, radio waves and toxic chemicals not to mention cosmic energies of which very few are consciously aware. Our physical bodies, minds and psyche’s are struggling to survive as the overwhelm of energy (all energy = information) floods over us. This energetic wave may even be noticed by the changes to the Earth’s resonant frequency which over the last few years especially has seen spikes as much as six to eight times its baseline frequency.

Clearly many are becoming more and more overwhelmed in todays’ world. What happens when we are overwhelmed by something is that there is a fundamental challenge that arises and that is an inability to discern and differentiate information and energies. And this I believe is where letting go and creating space needs to occur. To make use of another biblical water analogy, the way I feel that we can gain clarity in the midst of it all is to metaphorically part the Sea. To me this means embarking on a paradoxical practice that is one part letting go and letting God and one part taking control.

Letting go can be in whatever way feels best to you but I think it has to be a true letting go at a fundamental level. Buddhist tradition leans strongly on the idea of non-attachment and in that practice you are acknowledging the chaos around you but also acknowledging the futile nature of trying to change the outer world. So in effect you are completely letting go. Within Christianity the idea of trusting God’s plan stands as a strong pillar of the faith. If no religious perspective aligns with your current view then even without a specific ideology it seems to me crucial that you let go.

The second part as I mentioned is taking control. This means you are humble but you are not a victim. Victimhood, based on my research and perspective lays at the lowest level of consciousness at which you view that “life happens to you”. And this is not to be preachy because we are all capable of sinking into that lower state of consciousness at any given moment. But when it comes to creating a life with less or no suffering and to living in accordance with a Mission or Dream greater than yourself, this type of consciousness will not get you there because you will perpetually get tossed around by the chaos.

Given that we are inundated within countless stimuli 24 hours a day, it’s no wonder we feel like we can’t take control. Could you imagine not being able to filter out some of the information coming in through your senses? Every single smell, every change in breeze across your skin, every sound within perceivable decibel range, every gurgle of your stomach and every beat of your heart would be coming into your brain all at once. It’s no surprise that when you add on top of this the toxic information and energies coming our way we feel overwhelmed.

Luckily our brains are extremely effective at filtering out much of the input and determining what is of importance and what is less important. There is even a system in your brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) which is a filter that focuses your attention on things that are important to your survival, things that you’ve been focusing on already, what you believe and think about. Put simply you have 2 parts that make up this system, the Thinker and the Prover. The Thinker functions just as it sounds by generating thoughts about your experiences. The Prover shows you what you are thinking and believing within your environment.

The RAS is not just some system that needs to stay on auto-pilot but actually an incredible tool for us to be able to consciously shift and change our experience as well as make adjustments to create more of what we want and need. In order to consciously make use of your RAS and to start having more aligned values, beliefs, thoughts and actions, we need to have mental space to do this. I call these mental and energetic bubbles, Clear Spaces. These are spaces between you and what you are trying to change or observe. Within a clear space you are effectively allowing perspective and perception to occur where you otherwise might unconsciously act or think. Again, imagine having the power to create a bubble of space as a wave is rushing over you. Your fear and emotional reactions disappear allowing you to think clearly and act with conscious intention. As you begin to consciously use them you can make sense of the world, your body and relationships so that you become the co-creator of your life experience.

]]><![CDATA[Trance-Ending The Great Pause]]>Mon, 15 Jun 2020 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.ashevilleholistichealth.com/blog/trance-ending-the-great-pause

Movies have always fascinated me with their ability to pull you in emotionally and to elicit a sense of identification with a character or situation. One of my favorite films of all time is the Matrix movies in which, as many of you know, the lead character Neo wakes up to the fact that his entire experience is just a simulation.

That movie, while radically innovative with its special effects, was more importantly an existential paradigm shift for a lot of people, myself included. It genuinely caused me to stop and consider the nature of reality.

When you think about it, watching any movie is itself a sort of plugging in to an alternate reality. All you do is hit the play button and in just a short period of time you can find that your heart starts racing, your muscles tense up or you’re in complete tears. The experience on screen becomes, on some level, your own experience.

Why is it that we are so easily affected by what is put in front of our eyes? Is it because we are hard-wired to be empathetic creatures with mirror neurons always on the ready…or because our nervous system simply craves input and experience?

I believe that yes of course it is these things but that they are actually just the hardware that supports the true capacity of the human mind. We CAN learn to move our bodies just by watching someone dance in front of us. We DO feel the sadness when our friend has lost someone close to them.

But the real question is WHY? Why do we have this capacity and even more importantly how do we use this capacity to effect the trajectory of our lives or to change a present experience?

Before getting into the mind’s role in our experience, were you aware that according to quantum physics we are actually 99% energy and not made up of hard physical matter as was previously thought? Much like in the Matrix movies, when you look at your hand, is it really a hand or is it actually just frozen light energy? As surprising as it may be the latter is the real truth.

Another profound consideration is the idea that many scientists increasingly believe that the universe is a hologram. To keep this simple, imagine a single cell within your body. That single cell contains the information for you as an entire organism, otherwise known as your DNA. Each of your trillions of cells contain this same information. In holograms all divided parts contain the whole. Our DNA and consequently our physical makeup is in fact an analog for our energetic and holographic self. That’s quite a spoon-bending concept if you ask me.
When you think about it, energy is information and while your brain is the hardware it is actually your mind that manages this information and energy. Much of your mind operates subconsciously and unconsciously and it does this by managing programs holographically. These are your movie scenes or your past experiences that summate to create your beliefs and then elicit an automatic action or reaction from you.

When you think of it in these terms, the movie you watched that scared the living day lights out of you is stored somewhere within your body/mind as a hologram. It also means that the time you were stranded alone at the mall as a child is stored holographically within you. All of the scenes of your life are stored within you.

If you are unconsciously going through the motions of life, it is likely that in any given situation you are literally functioning in a trance state. You find out that your boss wants to have a meeting with you and immediately you hit the play button of that holographic movie where you were yelled at by an old boss. Your body tightens, your blood pressure rises and all of those same emotions start to show up again. Your actions that follow are then very predictably part of that same old scene.

You and your spouse have an argument about how to parent your child and you go on the defensive getting angry as you press play on the ‘old movie’ of hearing your parents argue about you as a child. This replaying of old movies can go on for a lifetime if you let it.

But in these unprecedented times we have been given a Great Pause. An opportunity to step out of the matrix and to become conscious of our patterns and perpetual trances. As the entire planet has been told to stop what they are doing and sit at home in time-out, you have been given a choice. The blue pill or the red pill?
You take the blue pill and you continue to be unknowingly tossed around by the chaos of the world, repeating the same patterns and old scenes that have carried you to this moment in history.

Or you can take the red pill and step out of the movie and become the director of your life, deleting old scenes and rewriting the script of your future life. I can tell you from my own experience that if you do decide to start using your conscious mind to author a new chapter in your story that you will discover a world of infinite possibilities and a new sense of self empowerment.

If you’re ready to stop the unwanted trances you’re experiencing, here are 3 simple steps that I use for myself:

Identify Your Patterns
Grab a journal and write down all of your repeated patterns. Do you always end up in a relationship with the same type of person? Do you always run into the same glass ceiling no matter where you work? Do you have a fear or phobia? Do you have the same friend ‘drama’ over and over?
Examine these closely because they are hints at the original programming that you have been operating within for all of these years. After identifying the patterns, spend some time going back to determine when you had the first instance of that action, reaction or drama. This first step is kind of like realizing that you have been in the Matrix. It allows you to start identifying the programs as they are running which opens the door for a rewrite.

Monitor & Change Your Thoughts
Now that you are aware of some of your trances, you can begin to catch them in the act. It’s estimated that we have upwards of 60,000 thoughts per day, the majority of which are the same thoughts we have been having for days or even decades. However, armed with the awareness of your patterns and their origin, you can begin to change your unconscious thought patterns as they occur.
Specifically pay attention to the negative thoughts that seem to be linked to a past story. For example you might catch an unconscious thought like “I can’t believe she didn’t call me back after all I’ve done for her”. You can then quickly realize that this thought has more to do with you than her because you’re already aware of your childhood induced trance of not feeling acknowledged. So instead you acknowledge your own self worth and start to have thoughts more like, “she must be really busy and overwhelmed right now”.
Bringing the light of awareness to your thoughts will always give you the power to change them.

Clear Your Past Traumas & Dramas
This final step is a bit more involved but will really have a profound effect because you are essentially going to delete and rewrite the holographic program from which you have been operating. Due to the fact that we are made of energy and so are these holographic programs, there are actually a number of different methods for doing this. But what follows is process I’ve adapted from other methods that you can do yourself without the need for a practitioner of any type.

Re-State - this is a shift in your state of consciousness. Eyes closed, slowly breathe in through your nose for 6 seconds, out through your mouth for 6 seconds and focus your attention on the space behind your eyes. Continue for 20 breath cycles. This will shift you into an alpha-theta brainwave state.
Reveal - scan your body and your past. Bring to mind the specific trance-inducing stressful event that started your pattern. (*disclaimer: if you feel unsafe do not do this without support) Notice where you feel this in your body when you think about it. Explore that part of your body because that is where the hologram is stored. Does it have a shape, size or color? A weight, temperature or texture? Observe as the metaphor reveals itself within your body. Do you now have a clear ‘movie’ from your past that is revealing itself? Identify the strongest emotion from the climax of that ‘movie’. Give the intensity of that emotion a number from 1-10.
Re-frame & Reconnect - you will now rewrite the energetic signature of this hologram. What would you have liked to have seen happen differently? Whatever change needs to happen to give you what you needed but didn’t receive in that moment in time. Perhaps the event never happened, or someone responded differently and gave you what you needed. Whatever it is, spend time now seeing that new movie and directing it the way that you needed it to happen at that time. Now see that past version of yourself in the completed scene reconnecting to a sense of safety and well-being by imagining a grounding cord from your tailbone and feet going down into the center of the earth. See it as a beam of white light and follow it all the way down.
Receive - receive the missing colors and energy from that scene within your body. Now that you are grounded in this new scene, connect once again to that part of your body that held this holographic trauma. And then connect to the center of your heart and imagine a color coming from your heart to that other area of your body. If your heart is the area that housed the hologram then simply see it glowing with the color. You should choose whatever color comes to mind. There is no wrong color to see. Do this as long as you feel it is needed and then you may open your eyes. Finally check back in with the intensity of the emotion when you think of the original event. Did it improve or maybe even completely dissipate?

Enjoy the process and embrace being the director of your own life!

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