It’s ALL Connected!
In the realm of holistic health, we profoundly understand the interconnectedness of all body systems. Our bodies operate as a complex, integrated network where each system is not isolated, but rather woven into the tapestry of our overall health.
Digestive, endocrine, cardiovascular, nervous, immune, respiratory, musculoskeletal, integumentary, reproductive, and urinary systems do not exist in silos. They are intertwined, each affecting and being affected by the others. A disturbance in one can have a ripple effect, causing imbalances throughout the body.
For instance, chronic stress (a psychological factor primarily managed by the nervous system) can lead to hormonal imbalances (endocrine system), digestive issues (digestive system), and immune suppression (immune system). Similarly, a poor diet can influence cardiovascular health, which in turn affects every cell in the body.
This interconnectedness underscores the importance of a holistic approach to health and wellness. Rather than treating isolated symptoms, we need to understand their root causes, often located in another, seemingly unrelated system. We must nourish, support, and balance all our body's systems for optimum health. Our bodies, like ecosystems, thrive on balance and harmony.
Two of the main factors in Dis-ease or Health?
Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn (FFFF) = Stress Response
The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. The perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight, freeze, fawn or flee.
When we live in a prolonged stress response, our bodies, flooded with stress hormones, begin to deteriorate and degenerate and this is when dis-ease and illness take root. The SNS and PNS are mutually exclusive.
Rest and Digest (RD) = Rest Response
The opposite response of FFFF, often called, rest and digest, and it activates what is known as the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). This is the automatic response that tells the body it is safe to focus on recovery and involves lowering blood pressure, breathing rate and heart rate as well as triggering other functions like digestion.
During the Rest Response, our bodies naturally return to a state of regeneration and recovery and they begin to heal. The SNS and PNS are mutually exclusive.
What NORMAL looks like…
It all begins with getting our “ducks in a row” and learning about our incredible body systems and their needs for nutrition, rest, exercise, hydration and support. It isn’t just about falling within the “normal ranges” our bodies can only function properly when we reach optimal levels. Normal ranges support a dis-ease management system, not a health care one.
We want to be OPTIMAL!
“We are not only what we eat we are what we absorb.”
Absorption matters!
“Naturopathy is a distinct school of healing, employing the beneficent agency of Nature’s forces of water, air, sunlight, earth power, electricity, magnetism, exercise, rest, proper diet, various kinds of mechanical treatment such as massage, osteopathy and chiropractor and mental and moral science”
- Benedict Lust, 1905
“A healthy soul cannot live in a dry body.” — French Proverb
Hydration matters!
