In last months article we described the triad of health and looked at how structural balance is very important in our overall health. The triad of health relates to equal balance of the structure, the physiology, and the psychological aspects of the body. Each aspect of the triad of health is connected through the nervous system, which is the underlying factor in our overall health. The triad keeps our body balanced and allows for good communication within our body so we can function optimally. However if the communication breaks down that’s when dis-ease sets in.

When it comes right down to it, our bodies are just walking test tubes. We have thousands of reactions taking place simultaneously to keep our bodies functioning and alive. Each reaction that takes place has a specific purpose and allows for specific physiological processes to take place. The body works on a paradoxical system. We are simultaneously taking things in to help our body grow and repair itself and produce energy, while at the same time eliminating waist products from different metabolism and chemical reactions as well as environmental toxins and pollutants that have accumulated in our bodies over time.

Our bodies systems of good things in and bad things out works very well as long as our organs are functioning properly. When an organ can no longer work properly and allow the chemical reactions it normally does to take place, the organ then becomes dis-eased and our body becomes sick. Dis-ease and disease may sound very similar but in fact they are not. Dis-ease means lack of ease which is what happens when an organ can no longer do its job due to lack of nutrients, vitamins or minerals. Disease without the hyphen means a pathological state in which there has been cellular changes or infection in a tissue. Dis-ease can be corrected easily by giving the body back what it needs.

The thing about biochemistry is it does not work independently in the body. Biochemistry is affected by the nervous system, by the structural system and by the psychological and acupuncture/energy system of the body too. There is a very important rule in physiology that structure determines function. That can mean the shape and size of a cell or the organelles within the cell itself to the structure of the whole organ or the body as a whole too. Structure can be damaged by trauma, but it can also be damaged by repetitive stresses and inflammation from within the body.  Keeping inflammation down is vital to health and longevity. The most important thing to do to keep inflammation down is to avoid eating inflammatory foods such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated fats like margarine and Crisco, and overly processed foods. It is also helpful to eat foods that are high in essential fatty acids (Omega 3’s) like fish, grass fed meat, avocados and nuts. Spices like ginger and turmeric can be used in cooking too to help increase natural anti-inflammatories in the body. 

Regulating our physiology starts in one place; that’s our digestive tract. Stop and think for one second about what it takes to grow a garden. It takes seeds, soil, water and sun. The soil is what feeds the plants and provides the nutrients the plants need to grow. Plants are special, they can take the minerals directly out of the soil and incorporate them into their physiology. We as humans are not so lucky to be able to pull minerals directly out of the ground and incorporate them into our bodies. We must eat the plant that has the mineral in it to nourish our bodies.

Think of our digestive tract as the soil we use to grow. Just like the soil of a garden we must prepare the soil of our digestive tract to help us grow healthy and strong. Preparing the soil comes from eating the proper foods. We must eat fruits and vegetables to provide fiber to our bowels, and we must eat fermented foods or probiotics to have the right bacteria and organisms in our digestive tract too. If our digestive tract becomes unhealthy because we eat too much candy and sugar, processed foods, bad fats, etc. then we change the internal environment of our digestive tract and we can no longer absorb nutrients out of the bowel as easily and in turn we become malnourished or dis-eased. If a tissue of the body is dis-eased for too long it will eventually become diseased.  

We have a very important communication tool in our physiology, which are our hormones. Hormones are chemical signals secreted by glands in our body that cause physiological reactions to take place. Hormones are very small molecules but they can have big effects. We have all heard stories about a person lifting a car off another person during an accident and wonder where they got their super human strength. There is no wondering, it’s adrenalin, and it’s a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands during stressful situations.

The hormonal glands in the body; the pituitary, hypothalamus, thyroid, adrenals and depending on your gender; testicals or ovaries, must all work together and each gland will have an affect on the other glands. It is a lot like an orchestra that all has to play together. There are many different instruments in the orchestra but if they play together there is beautiful music. If they do not play together then there is terrible dissonance and noise, which is very unenjoyably.

Keeping physiological balance is a constant process and takes constant effort to maintain optimal health. Our diet is the most important thing we can consider and control to help our body stay healthy. Every time we put something in our mouth to eat it we are making a choice. If you choose good healthy foods, your body will be healthy too. If you choose unhealthy foods your body will have to deal with the dis-ease caused by those foods. If you make healthy eating habits you will be on your way to a long healthy life. Remember good habits are hard to make and easy to break, and bad habits are easy to make and hard to break. If you jump on the wagon and start eating a healthier diet, don’t be worried if you occasionally fall off the wagon too. The problem with wagons is they don’t have seat belts. Just pick yourself back up and get back on the wagon and you will live your life healthy, naturally, and optimally.