How to Put Your Stomach on a Regular Schedule

Millions of people suffer from digestive problems in the U.S. We spend millions of dollars annually on digestive supplements, which has become a huge industry. Some people even grew to believe that digestive uneasiness is a normal state of being. While Eastern medicine strongly believes that digestion is a cornerstone of health and daily bowel movements are one of the indicators of good health, modern doctors consider two a week to be acceptable. Basically, most doctors are not concerned that you carry around a bag of toxic waste that gets re-absorbed into your blood stream five days out of seven.

In Chinese medicine and ayurveda, fewer than one bowel movement a day is considered constipation and requires serious attention. Unsupervised and untreated, it can lead to fatigue, unhealthy skin color, bad breath and headaches, in addition to general uneasiness in the stomach area.

Two years ago, before I dived into studying ayurveda and natural healing methods, my stomach was not exactly cooperating with me. Partially because of polycystic ovary syndrome and in a huge part because of my diet, I felt perpetually bloated (bye-bye sexy going out dresses!), often irregular and gassy. My stomach often looked like I was five months pregnant, even if ate very light. Sometimes it made me so angry and depressed that I wanted to cry. “How is it possible that I can’t control my own body?” I asked myself.

Two years and many books, workshops and kitchen experiments later, my stomach and I are in a very happy place. We made friends and our relationship soared to a new level of intimacy. Yes, being regular and bloat-free takes intimacy because you can’t do it without truly getting to know your body.

As I already mentioned, getting to know your body is a key to discovering digestive health. No matter where you are right now and how unhappy you might be with your digestion/elimination, you can make it 100 percent better with mindfulness and compassionate listening. It takes time to observe and to learn from your body. For now, I will share what worked for me in the hope that some of it might work for you as well.

Add it to your routine. Yes, I know it sounds funny, but it is one of the most profound things you can try. It should be a part of your morning cleansing routine. You brush your teeth, wash your eyes, shower. So why not cleanse your bowels first thing in the morning as well? In our crazy busy life, a lot of things have to be scheduled in advance to get done. Meetings? check. Laundry? check. Lunch with friends? check. Emails, classes, groceries and doctor checkups all need to be planned in advance. Going to the bathroom is no exception! Making it a habit is similar to training a puppy to go out at the same times each day. It takes some practice, but then it works like magic. We are creatures of habit and our body thrives in a familiar routine. Start by waking up 15 minutes earlier and slowly sip a cup of warm water with lemon or some herbal tea. I usually drink lemon/ginger Tulsi tea with a slice of lemon. While you drink this cleansing nectar, don’t play with your phone or check emails. This is your time to breathe and check in with your stomach. If your knees allow it, sit in Virasana and do several rounds of deep abdominal breathing. I find it to be a panacea for my digestive troubles. It increases blood flow to the digestive system, while breathing calms your nervous system and warm water stimulates peristaltic movement. Even if you don’t feel an urge to go to the bathroom right away, sit on the toilet and focus on breathing again (still no BlackBerry or iPhone in the hands, though!). Over time, your body will connect the dots, appreciate your non-hurried effort and start cooperating.

Give your belly some love. We take care of our nails, pamper our face and fuss over our hair, but our internal organs rarely get as much attention. If you’ve ever been in a managing role, you know that one of the easiest ways to get productive cooperation is to provide rewards and be nice. Our belly appreciates warmth, love and attention, as well. Abhyanga or a general whole body massage improves regularity due to its calming effects on the nervous system. Nervous stomach and irritable bowels need some calm and peace. If a whole body oil massage is an unreachable luxury, try gently rubbing your belly with your palm. Lie on your back, bring your feet into a butterfly (soles of the feet together and knees out to the sides) and gently massage the stomach clockwise.

Slow down. This one was huge for me, especially because I used to eat a lot while walking or in the back of a cab rushing somewhere. Now, I would rather skip a meal than eat in a rush. The stomach is closely connected to the nervous system. If you are in an overdrive rushed mental state, digestion can’t function properly. Good digestion and stress are on different ends of the spectrum. You need to slow down both your thoughts and your breath when food enters your body and when it leaves it. Both processes need to be mindful. If there is one thing you are ready to change today, don’t eat on the run. Don’t eat while moving, talking or rushing. When you eat, just eat. When you poop, just poop.

Have you noticed that your mood and mental state are affected by your regularity or irregularity? What makes your belly happy?

Nadya Andreeva is a yoga instructor and ayurveda enthusiast who grew up in Russia. She teaches yoga at Strala Yoga in New York City and leads workshops on Healthy Grocery Shopping at Lifethyme Natural Market in NYC.

Photo credit: cheekycrows3

The Gut-Brain Connection

The digestive tract, or the gastrointestinal tract, or even the gut, as it is sometimes called, is the basis of digestion. The health of the digestive system affects the health of the body physically emotionally, mentally and spiritually. In the book “The Second Brain,” Dr. Mark Gershon identifies the connection between the gut and the brain. The digestive system and the brain first came from the same connective tissue. Did you know that the digestive system has more nerve endings than the central nervous system? Yes, it does. How does this affect the emotional connection between the gut and the brain? The nervous system is able to handle reflexes in the digestive system without any input from the central nervous system. How cool is that?

As an oriental medicine practitioner, the physical and emotional components of the organs are a big part of my practice.

Heart: The principle organ is sensitive to emotional states. The heart governs the blood vessels, stores the spirit and opens to the tongue. The positive feelings of the heart are joy, expansiveness, uplifting emotions, courage and valor. The negative emotions are sadness, constrictiveness, guilt and deceit. They all weaken the heart. Its taste is bitter and its element is fire.

Lungs: The lungs are the canopy of the viscera. The lungs and the large intestines are intertwined (sisters). The emotions of the lungs are sadness, bereavement and grief. The lungs need their “breathing room” or psychic space. If the lungs felt smothered, denied or invalidated, then asthma or other respiratory illness would arise.

Stomach/Spleen: The stomach governs energy flow throughout the gut. The stomach and spleen are intertwined. The spleen deals with worrying, pensiveness. Its flavor is sweet and its element is earth.

Liver/Gallbladder: The liver is free coursing, stores the blood and governs the sinews. The liver’s element is wood and its flavor is sour. Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. These two organs are vulnerable to choleric emotions, such as anger, anxiety, irritability, frustration, jealousy and resentment. These negative emotions are stored in these organs and slowly eat away at them. An example is anger and rage that move upward to the head, causing hot head, red eyes, headache or migraine and bloodshot eyes. There may also be a pressure-like feeling around the ribcage.

Kidneys: The kidneys are responsible for the reproductive organs. Their color is blue/black and their element is water. The emotions associated with the kidneys are fear and shock. If someone is overcome with fear, they may lose control of their bladder, causing spontaneous urination. Positive emotions of the kidneys are self-esteem, security and willpower.

Colon: The colon is sensitive to all the emotions going on in the other organs. As a colon therapist, I have seen many people with digestive disorders clear them up not only with colon hydrotherapy, but also by becoming aware of suppressed emotions. I have worked with many people with various types of digestive disorders. One that is most common is constipation. Constipation tends to be emotionally linked to not being able to let go, or as a child feeling ashamed of going to the bathroom because someone might have been anal about bathroom matters, or being called “stinky” when they had a bowel movement.

These emotions get trapped deep inside the colon, and the person at times doesn’t even know they are there. During colon therapy sessions, sometimes the colonic may be uncomfortable as the emotions are being uprooted. As the emotions come to the surface, the discomfort subsides and the fecal matter really flows out of the body. At times, someone may become very emotional, either crying, melancholy or angry. This is all good for the client to move forward in their life.

I asked a client if I could share this story because I thought it was so interesting. A client with chronic constipation that I have been working with for a while doing emotional release colonics mentioned a story that triggered an amazing colonic release. In an emotional release colonic, I find a subject that creates a trigger in the client. For this client, it was going through old wedding videos of her kids’ weddings one weekend. She got to one in particular that she started to talk about. In the beginning of the session, I could hardly get a full release until the subject came up. I noticed the water changing color and the client voiced slight cramping (peristalsis). I asked her to continue with the story. The events and anxiety of the day unfolded: one of her children went out on the balcony after the wedding to jump (attempting to commit suicide), and she talked him off the ledge. She then had to push this aside and return to the wedding party, and not let the newlyweds know what had just transpired. Reviewing this, she realized that the wedding was not filled with only joy in the beginning but fear and horror in the end. This event happened 10 years ago and still had a severe effect on her colon health. At times, going over past events may be emotional for the client. When that happens, I just hold space with them to help them get through it. If necessary, they are referred to a psychologist.

As Bernard Jensen states, “Success, health and happiness lie within me, they do not come from the outside.” The proper balance of our physical and emotional life is important to our everyday lives. To understand the connection between mind and body, we must realize that total health includes mind, body and soul.

What if there’s a disorder in any of the organs mentioned? What do you do? Acupuncture alone may be administered to address excess or deficiency using traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture or my famous AcuColonic, which combines acupuncture and colonics to increase circulation and release within the gastrointestinal system. This treatment is geared toward not only physical release but also emotional release. Having acupuncture either before but more effectively during a colonic is beneficial to the circulatory system and healing of these organs. When a client tells me their chief complaint, the client is assessed, a TCM diagnosis is rendered and the acupuncture points are chosen. The organs that are out of balance decide which points are chosen to accompany the colonic. Sadness, grief, anger or fear may be addressed and the client will express and release these emotions during the colonic session.

You see, when the bowels become overloaded with fecal matter, there is an increased load on other organs of the body, especially the eliminative organs. Most of the time, the organs are unable to handle this load due to suppression of the organs functions from “civilized living.” So the body stores the toxins in the joints, connective tissue and fat cells. If the bowels are unable to function at optimal capacity, the liquid waste matter will be reabsorbed into the body. When this occurs, the blood carries it through the circulation system, where toxins are deposited into the other eliminative organs, such as the skin (the largest eliminative organ), the lungs, kidneys, liver and gallbladder. Even though the heart is not an eliminative organ, the toxic load puts a lot of stress on it and thus it is compromised as well.

Then the skin gets involved. The skin tries hard to get rid of the toxins and we see it first by dull complexion, grayish undertone, pimples and acne. The sweat and sebaceous glands of the skin work overtime to release these toxins. In Chinese medicine, the skin is part of the lungs, so of course the lungs come to the rescue, “grieving” from the toxic load it has to overcome. The lungs do their part by cleansing the blood of the byproduct of respiration, carbon dioxide.

As you remember, the lungs and the skin are intertwined, so you must know that the lungs and the colon are sisters, making up the metal element of Chinese medicine. So if the lungs are overburdened or congested, then of course its sister will be the same. If the lungs are dealing with grief, then it is stored in the colon. A perfect example is when someone has halitosis, this is not from a dirty mouth, but from the stagnant matter in the colon riding upward and being expressed in the breath.

How do you feel physically when you’re toxic? How is your temperament? I hope this article shows you how toxins in the body not only affect you physically but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Mind, body and soul are one.

Tracy Piper, Colon Girl

Photo credit: gravakadavra

The 411 on Probiotics

Probiotics – sometimes called “good bacteria” – help to keep a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract. There are many strains that come together to allow this, but the two most prevalent are Lactobacillus, which make up the majority of the probiotics living in the small intestines, and Bifidobacterium, which is more prevalent in the large intestines (colon). They help to maintain healthy colon cells as well as promote bowel regularity.

Recently, a lovely client of mine was suffering from constipation. She did not like taking fiber and saw no use for it. I explained how important it is to get at least 35 grams of fiber a day. She looked at me like I was insane. I asked her to at least try to increase her fiber intake to help her bowel contract (peristalsis). There are two basic types of fiber: soluble (pectin, mucilage) and insoluble (cellulose, hemicellulose). The insoluble type is considered roughage, does not break down in the digestive tract and does not dissolve in water.

In addition to the fiber, I also had her increase her probiotics. Why you may ask? Well, good bacteria love to eat soluble fiber. When probiotics eat soluble fiber, they multiply enormously. They then can beat out the bad bacteria by crowding them out of the large intestines. This helps to maintain the proper balance of bacteria in the colon and strengthens the immune system as probiotics make up three-quarters of the immune system.

Around the holidays, we encounter more and more sweets. These delectable sweets not only help to cause cavities but also increase one type of yeast (Candida albicans) in our colon. This particular yeast can spread throughout the body and cause health problems if we don’t take care of the situation. Candidiasis is very common with our sugar addiction these days. Besides eliminating simple carbohydrates, sugar products, fruits, caffeine, soda, etc, I also suggest my clients increase probiotics to 50 billion twice a day on an empty stomach. This particular issue takes longer to resolve, but if you stick with it diligently, the results will come.

So what else can these good guys do?

Promote better digestion: Probiotics support production of proteases (protein-digesting enzymes) and lipases (fat-digesting enzymes).

Create essential vitamins: In the gastroinstestinal (GI) tract, probiotics manufacture several B vitamins and vitamin K.

Balance intestinal bacteria after antibiotic therapy: Antibiotics disrupt probiotic populations in the lower GI tract, potentially causing unpleasant side effects during and after antbiotic therapy. Studies show that the large intestinal ecosystem returns to its prebiotic balance more quickly following antibiotic therapy when probiotics are administered.

Competitively inhibit “bad bugs”: Good bacteria compete with bad ones for fuel and space, making it difficult for harmful bacteria to gain presence in the GI tract. Some probiotics produce natural antibiotic substances (like acidophilin, in the case of L. acidophilus DDS-1) that directly attack harmful bacteria. Today’s growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria makes the need for alternatives all the more urgent.

Balance immune response: Probiotics impact the immune system, stimulating the production of immunoglobulins (antibodies) and cytokines (chemicals made by the body that modulate inflammation) that promote greater resistance to infection and inflammatory disorders of the GI tract such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Affect pathogenic gene expression: Just like you and me, harmful bacteria have genes that control their function. Probiotics appear to have the capacity to affect the expression of those genes in ways that reduce pathogens’ virulence.

A good probiotic is vital for our well-being. Find a good probiotic, preferably with an enteric coat so it opens in the intestines. Although L. acidophilus is more pronounced in the small intestines and L. bifidophilus in the large intestines, a wide variety is key.

You Cannot Live Without Bacteria!

As you might already know, digestion (and good healthy poops!) is one of my favorite topics. “Probiotics” are all the rage these days but with so many to choose from what’s a crazy sexy gal or dude to do? I’ve found that Dr. Ohirra’s blend gives me perky and productive bowels (that’s why they are in our online shop!). I’ve ask Martie (an expert at Ohirra headquarters) to share the nuts and bolts of bacteria in our bellies and explain why bacteria help keep our digestive track healthy. Whether you choose to explore Ohirra’s or another good brand, this is a must-read blog. Peace and happy poo- Kris

By Martie Whittekin

Really? Yes, bacteria are critical to our health. Of course, I’m not talking about the kind that develop when you leave potato salad out too long, or those on your kitchen sponge. Those can be nasty. However, we routinely have as many as 1,000 times more personal bacterial cells than even our own body cells. There are so many bacteria in our intestinal tracts that they weigh three to four pounds! Good bacteria are so important that if our gut was sterile for long, we would die. Experts believe that an imbalance of bugs precedes most degenerative health conditions..†

What do probiotics do? Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria. They create vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, K, and Biotin); feed the gut lining; help digest food (e.g. reduce lactose intolerance); detoxify dangerous substances; help remove hormone excess; crowd out harmful bacteria and fungi and produce substances to fight them; help maintain healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels; increase the number of immune cells; help cells reproduce normally; and reduce inflammatory response and stimulate cell repair mechanisms. You don’t have to be a doctor to realize how many aspects of health are helped by probiotics. You can imagine that all heck breaks loose if the probiotics become weakened and/or taken over by bad organisms (pathogens).

How do the good guys get weakened? Perhaps the biggest threat to probiotics (which incidentally means “for life”) is antibiotics (which means “against life”). Antibiotics are drugs intended to kill disease-causing bacteria but can kill the good guys as well. Millions of pounds of antibiotics are used in agriculture, leaving residue in meat and dairy products.

Modern life is full of threats to our good bacteria: chlorinated and fluoridated water; diets high in sugar and other simple carbohydrates; and drugs such as hormones, stomach acid blockers, and steroids. Stress and environmental toxins are problems as well.

What can happen then? When the good bacteria no longer have the upper hand and illness-producing bacteria and yeasts thrive instead, the condition is called “dysbiosis.” Symptoms include: allergies, heartburn, skin problems (like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea), bad breath and gum disease, chronic unexplained fatigue, yeast infections, difficulty losing weight, gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, bone thinning, frequent colds and other infections, joint pain/inflammation, insomnia, and extreme menstrual or menopausal symptoms. In fact, virtually any risk factor (e.g. cholesterol), system (e.g. problems of the nervous system, like headaches or depression), organ (e.g. the liver), or disease (e.g. asthma) is worsened by a digestive system that isn’t working correctly due to insufficient friendly bugs.

How can we strengthen them? First, avoid the threats to probiotics listed above. Reduce sugar intake and increase fiber (food for the bugs) in your diet. Take a probiotic supplement to replenish the supply of good guys.

Does brand make a difference? Absolutely. It simply isn’t possible to supplement our hundreds of probiotic strains, especially when you consider that each person’s strains are unique. Therefore, select a product that improves the gut environment and supports all beneficial bacteria. If you have heartburn or signs of dysbiosis, look for a brand that contains the potent TH10 strain, which is an enemy of H. pylori and several strains of bacteria that cause disease.

The actual quantity of bacteria (CFU count) is not nearly as important as using a complete product. A complete system contains:
· Many bacterial strains—delivered live, not as a white powder
· The food supply the bacteria were grown upon
· The substances the bacteria make that help control bad organisms. (This includes various bacteriocins and organic acids that may actually be the most important part of the product.)
· In an IDEAL product:
· The several strains are fermented together, avoiding the territorial competition that is a major downside of combining freeze-dried strains.
· Will contain the proprietary TH10 strain.
· The culture medium will contain NO dairy, soy, or gluten, but rather fruits, vegetables, herbs, and seaweeds.
· If the bacteria are fermented at natural temperatures and packaged properly, the product will not require refrigeration.
· The product is backed by extensive scientific research.

I suggest Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics 12+, which meet the above criteria. This product also has the advantages of being vegan and packed in convenient-to-carry blister packs.

Martie Whittekin is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and author of Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec and other Acid Blockers. She hosts the nationally-syndicated talk radio show, Healthy by Nature, now in its 13th year and writes a weekly electronic newsletter, Health e-Notes. Martie is a leader in the nutrition industry trade associations, a long time health freedom activist, lecturer and a popular guest on a variety of health-focused TV and radio shows.

† Gazella, Karolyn, Fred Pescatore, et al. Boost Your Health with Bacteria. El Segundo: Active Interest Media Inc, 2009. 7-25. Print.

How To Activate the “Rest and Digest” System

By Giuliana Torre

The key for optimum health is operating from the parasympathetic nervous system as opposed to the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The sympathetic nervous system is what activates the flight or fight response. It is triggered by stress, fear, caffeine, and just about anything else that causes the heart rate to increase and keeps us living on an adrenaline rush. For many of us, this is a state that is sustained all day long by information overload, stressful relationships, demanding work schedules, children and anything else that might be draining our energy.

The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), on the other hand, is called the “rest and digest” system. It conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and glandular activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. Essentially, diseases and chronic conditions initiate when the body is operating predominantly from the SNS; healing and regeneration can only occur when the body is operating from the PSNS. Have you ever noticed that when you take off for a vacation, it takes you anywhere from 1 to 3 days to relax? That is your body shifting from the SNS to the PSNS. True rest and relaxation can only occur once this happens, and the body is then able to begin the process of self-healing, which it is absolutely designed to do.

Scientists have known this for quite some time… so, why is it that most of us are always rushing and stressing even though we know it’s not good for our health? Do we need a 10-year clinical study to link chronic stress to every disease known to man? If you are not willing to wait for that, here are some easy steps you can take to keep your body in a state of relaxation.

1. Slow down the breath; it can be as simple as this:

Inhale for 10 counts, hold for 10 counts, exhale for 10 counts. This three point breath will relax the body and mind instantly, and when done consistently, can bring you back to center. Practice for 3 to 11 minutes.

-Inhale Love
-Hold Peace
-Exhale Light

2. Chanting Naam (chanting meditation); just a few minutes a day will change your vibration and therefore your health.

Chanting specific mantra stimulates the meridian points on the roof of the mouth and is like performing accu-pressure on yourself. It is very important to be able to heal yourself; no one else can do it for you.

-3 minutes of Naam purifies the blood;
-11 minutes of Naam purifies the pituitary gland;
-22 minutes of Naam allows protective, projective, and intuitive intelligence:

-Projective: you will see the good in the bad
-Protective: you will see the bad in good
-Intuitive: combines both to find the best course of action

3. Give the body a rest from food; fasting has been known to almost instantly bring the body into a relaxed (“rest and digest”) state.

Fasting has been shown to suppress SNS activity, lower blood pressure, and activate opiates. Furthermore, it corrects unbalanced psycho-physiological systems and restores health by stabilizing the nervous system. The alpha waves are slowed and synchronized and theta waves are increased, leading to a more relaxed and introspective state of awareness, a reduction in neurosis, and less focus on the superficial that normally characterize the waking state. The results are similar to those achieved by chanting meditation or Naam Simran.

4. Harmonyum Healing; the fastest way to cross over to the PSNS.

Based in the science of Kabbalah, the Harmonyum Healing System was created by Joseph Michael Levry (Gurunam) to help facilitate healing on the planet. A Harmonyum session instantly relaxes the nervous systems and brings tremendous amounts of light into the heart. In doing so, it helps us moves through our Body of Pain by allowing us to slow down long enough to realize what our unhealthy patterns are, whether they are in the physical, emotional or spiritual plane.

Giuliana Torre is the founder of The Juicy Naam, an organic juice bar and healing center with locations in Sag Harbor and East Hampton, New York. After a successful career on Wall Street, Giuliana traded in the stressful life and founded the juice bar, now a premier place on Long Island’s East End to experience the most healing juices, superfoods, yoga and bodywork. The Juicy Naam Cleanse incorporates the principles of Universal Kabbalah and is customized to each client.