September/October 2005 Alternative Health
The Body Talks

by Steven A. Bailey, N.D.

We are a society disconnected from our own natural voices. When we have an ache, the symptoms are quieted with an anti-inflammatory drug. In response to the discomforts of acid reflux, we buffer or block the protein digesting acids of the stomach with any of a number of medicines. We stifle, cut, irradiate, drug or otherwise overrule the voice of the mother within, until it falls silent. And we call this living? Numb and dumber, we seek to not feel our bodies, stifling the wisdom within while minimizing the rich potential of this life experience.

The inflammatory response is actually a vital component of the healing processes of the body. These voices we seek to quiet: pain, swelling, fever and redness are the reflections of a dynamic system at work. From the Latin origins of dolor (pain), tumor (swelling), calor (fever) and rubor (redness), these classic signs of inflammation are long revered in medicine. They serve both in the understanding and diagnosis of disease. They are to be embraced, not stifled. True curative healing requires these changes to progress and for the body to move past the inflammation in a return to health. Suppressing these inflammatory changes invites chronic problems into our daily lives.

Pain is probably the least tolerated characteristic of inflammation. It should lead us into an awareness of injury and thus a change of behavior. A sprained ankle will make us favor that joint or cease using it until it is repaired. Swelling from an injury helps to splint the region, limiting range of motion and therein reducing further injury. Swelling also engorges the region of inflammation, thus allowing the white blood cells to migrate to the area of concern and help normalize the region. Fever is actually produced by our own bodies to increase white blood cell activity and function. Our bodies kill more bacterium and viruses at an elevated temperature, while artificially reducing a fever, limits our own healing powers. Redness is a visible indication of inflammation and represents the chemical changes inherent with localized immune responses. Anytime we block or limit natural inflammatory response we are reducing our own natural healing potentials.

There are times when we need to intervene for survival, to control excessive inflammation (as in autoimmune conditions or allergic reactions), or to mask the discomfort by taking a pain medication just to get through an important day or event, therein prioritizing a situation over the body’s own intelligence. Most of the time it is best to listen to the body and support its own natural responses. But how do we know if it is the body talking, or just plain fantasy? Read on.

There is no question that the current environment is overwhelming us with stimulation. We suffer with static from our own nervous irritation, cravings associated with underlying problems, constant noise, electric fields, artificial light, excessive negativity from the media and irrational behavior by our own populations. Our bodies are filled with pollutants and toxins from the air, water and most foods. These are all perceived on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. This over stimulation makes it difficult to process and interpret our inner voices. Fortunately the knowledge of these factors may help us to navigate through the chatter and move to reclaim our natural wisdom.

It is probably easiest to be aware of the physical symptoms of distress. Pain is a very loud communicator and hard to ignore, while the lack of pain may still not represent an optimum state of health. Anger and sadness are likewise easier to access than depression, shame or other complicated emotions. While western medicine isolates the physical symptoms in an organic model of life, many people feel that the physical voice is often conveying spiritual and emotional messages that lie at the root of one’s health problems. Addressing the physical needs of the body is important, but we must neither suppress emotions nor fail to read between the lines.

Intuition is a neglected skill in our modern medical approach, yet it serves us incredibly well when we regard it. Often we have to get healthier to tap into our own intuition. This "getting healthier" includes such consideration as "right thinking", diet and life style changes, detoxification and fasting.

We have to tip the scales from allowing these multiple insults to allowing the bodies own powers to emerge. With time and the right environment, the body will work to restore health:

  • "Right thinking" requires that we be conscious of our thoughts. The many forms of the golden rule easily guide us to what is "right thinking". Our hearts always know what is kindness and what is not. Our thoughts are as important to our own health as our words (if you wouldn’t say something to a person then don’t think it!). When these negative thoughts arise, identify them as such and let them go. Get your mind back on track and you will find your newfound clarity pays huge dividends in your physical and emotional well-being.
  • Start eating organic, whole foods. Give thanks for your abundance, your many opportunities. Remove as many artificial chemicals and processed foods from your diet as possible. We should be energized when we eat, and we should have easy elimination. Drink distilled, spring or filtered water and plenty of it. Use herbs and spices so that you like the taste of your foods as this helps our digestion and processing of our meals. Good tasting foods stimulate our digestive juices and allow us to completely digest the foods into absorbable nutrients. Don’t eat on the run, or when you are upset. When we incompletely digest foods we feed microbial overgrowth and increase absorbable toxins in the gut. Take time to chew and relax for your meals. If you can’t do this, eat lightly, emphasizing fresh fruits, soups, steamed vegetables or vegetable juices, as these require much less time and energy for complete digestion.
  • Consider fasting. It is one of the oldest and most revered health practices on our planet. It awakens the spirit and quiets the static of our day-to-day lives. I have taken thousands of people through juice fasting programs, and every year there are participants who profoundly change their lives, change their way of thinking, their ways of eating and their overall outlook on life.

As important as food is, it is only one component of good health. We must also be aware of our environments. Avoid loud and negative people as much as possible. Limit how many times you expose yourself to the negative stimulation of our news and other media outlets. Practice random acts of kindness and loving words. Treat yourself to kind and loving thoughts. Value all life and limit your unnecessary consumptions. Take walks in natural settings and tune in to these natural surroundings. Find an enjoyable form of exercise and reawaken your creativity. Play, laugh and love.

Remember every journey begins with the first step. It doesn’t matter how large the step is or how fast we walk. What matters is the direction we take and our awareness of our travel. Stop and listen to your inner voice. It is speaking and guiding even now!

Steven A. Bailey, N.D. runs a Naturopathic Clinic in NW Portland. The fasting protocol he recommends is outlined in his book The Fasting Diet, and is offered at his clinic every spring and fall as a group program.