The first line of defense in health and nutrition is learning to understand what your body communicates prior to illness which means paying attention to physical and emotional symptoms. There is an old saying you are what you eat, feel and think.

We are always given learning opportunities weather it be painful or blissful it's what you do with those experiences that define our outcome. I received a jolt in the summer of 1994 when I became ill at work. An ambulance was called and when all tests were completed at the hospital I was told I had no potassium in my body. Potassium is one of the electrolytes or salts within our bodies. With a blank stare on my face the attending physician explained you can die without potassium however the specifics of what that really meant were never conveyed to me. By late winter of 1997 a similar episode once again occurred this time my doctor arranged for a glucose test to determine if I had hypoglycemia also called low blood sugar which is the opposite end of diabetes. The test results came back positive and my doctor at that time gave me reading material related to nutrition, a bill and sent me on my merry way. No referrals to a nutritionist were ever offered. However back then I really did not know what it meant to be hypoglycemic. All I knew was that I was experiencing constant headaches for years and nobody knew why. And my family kept telling me they were migraines.

After much research I learned hypoglycemia can be passed on through family DNA but it can also be created and being no one in my immediate family or any other relatives had it. I began looking at my family's eating habits as well as my own and discovered a pattern. Apparently excessive exercise, emotional stress along with improper eating habits can deplete electrolytes and over time create hypoglycemia. One of the main remedies for this is by simply eating six tiny meals throughout the day to keep the blood sugar level stabilized along with a high fiber diet which is necessary but even if you don't have hypoglycemia it is also much healthier because it assists in keeping foods within our stomachs consistently for basic reasons it eliminates hunger pains, gas and helps to maintain energy. This is actually a proven fact. However while most individuals do not eat this way simple due to family learned traits and life styles the long term affects of dysfunctional eating habits and stress on our physical bodies plays host to the eventual break down of our vitality especially when an individual constantly skips meals and relies on fast and fried foods as well as candy bars for sustenance. And as resilient as our physical bodies are they will always provide symptomatic signals of on coming illness but it is also your responsibilities to recognize what you're feeling prior to the illness. And if you're eating junk food all the time you really are leaving yourself open to multiple levels of illness to occur. Some basic things to look for even when you think everything is ok. Darkness under the eyes often signifies the colon requires cleansing, discoloration of skin and eye floaters are just some of the symptom traits.

Incorporating supplements into your diet such as digestive enzymes which helps your body break down all types of proteins such as beef, chicken and turkey just to name a few. Acidophilus is also very important because it replenishes the flora within our intestines which assists with proper absorption of nutrients it also helps with keeping your insides clean, preventing bad breath, body odor and flatulence which is created from foods fermenting within the intestines. There are however unfriendly bacteria's such as yeast also living within the intestines and occasionally an overflow of the yeast occurs under normally circumstances they usually keep each other in check like a Ying Yang type balance but when instability does occur there are a host of other supporting supplements that should be utilized along with the digestive enzymes and acidophilus such as cleansing teas, green phyto foods and black walnut hulls which will kill off the yeast and help to restore a balance, some of the physical symptoms caused by a yeast infection are headaches, bloating and diarrhea. However everyone is different consulting with your doctor and nutritionists is always recommended but it would also be in your best interest to ask a lot of questions. And don't just go in and ask the questions and think that is the end of it.

Learn what's being conveyed to you, push yourself to understand, implement the information given. Because whatever may be occurring within you is because you are eating, drinking and emotional keeping within you. Basically you are creating the imbalance. Being conscious of what you consume on a daily basis is the first step in any healing regime. We ingest food, emotions and thought forms continuously. The quality and essence of what we are ingesting or filtering out is under our domain. Are we aware of the quality of air we breathe, food we eat, music we listen to, people and situations we relate to, thoughts we have and finally programs we watch because that's exactly what we are doing programming our brains and bodies into either illness or health.

We are labeled a society of CONSUMERS we are programmed to consume. That says a lot right there. The word consume is to use up, eat, waste, this is the energetic the American society is resonating with. Can we move from being consumers into sustaining ourselves? Imagine what we can manifest if we become a sustainable society. Sustaining ourselves nutritionally is more than food alone it is infilling ourselves with love in all forms, through our foods, friends, thoughts, actions, and emotions

(The information presented in this article is based on personal experiences. We are not doctor's nor do we make that claim in any particular way. We simple choose to share methods we have discovered that work for ourselves. If you are experiencing health discomfort please consult with your doctor. We offer examples not cures, however being consciously aware is a start.)

By Ron Flatow Comments(0) 2008-07-05 00:30:03