Toward A Better Life Let's Journey Together – Toward A Better Life

Detox, a term found on boxes of herbal teas, recipes for healthier living, or even titles of dietary workshops. Detoxing, in a fundamental sense, is the process of eliminating the unnecessary or unwanted, typically from our bodies.  The term becomes more popular in the fall and Spring encouraging people to do so in preparation for the coming change in a season.

Let’s start with when.  Generally, we should detoxify our bodies at least twice a year as a preparation for new activities associated with a change of seasons.  Fall and Spring prepare our bodies for the next season’s demands on our bodies, namely, Winter and Fall.  A Fall detox flushes our bodies of unnecessary substances adapting it for consuming fats to warm the body during winter.  The Spring detox eliminates accumulated fat used to fortify us in the winter season.  Our four-footed friends, particularly those that hibernate, do this naturally while we need to be reminded.  Why? We’ve forgotten how to listen to and hear our bodies, like so many other aspects of our life.

A standard method for detoxification utilizes clearing herbs in a tea taken from once to three times daily.  Several commercially prepared blends offer recommended consumption methods for good results.  If you do have questions or concerns, an herbalist or your doctor should help to identify the most beneficial process for you since we may respond differently to certain herbs.

    Another method uses foods.  Certain foods, like dandelion and burdock, may aid in detoxification.  It’s fascinating to consider the first plants that typically sprout through snow-covered grounds are ideal for detoxing, namely the dandelion and burdock.  It’s almost like the earth is trying to tell us something…    

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Now, let’s look at how often we should detoxify.  A good rule of thumb is the suggested seasonal approach, but you can detoxify your body most anytime… within reason.  Again, if in doubt, seek counsel from a nutritionist, herbalist, or your doctor, since certain times would not be good choices for detoxification.  Some of those times may include when your system is compromised such as pregnancy like a condition resulting from sickness or disease.  Under those conditions, detoxification would not be recommended, unless under strict supervision.  The detoxification could be counterproductive and debilitating when the body needs nutrients for strength.  It’s usually advisable to nourish the body first, then consider detoxification.

How long should the detoxification last?  A good detox can take seven to ten days.  That length should give the body enough time to adjust to the herbs or supplement used, then rid itself of the unnecessary accumulated “stuff.”  There are those that simply detox from time to time when it “feels right”; also acceptable as long as they exercise moderation and recognize when to seek guidance.

What are the tangible results besides elimination?  Many people experience feelings of empowerment and clarity.  Weight loss may occur from a Detox too, but losing weight should not be the motivation for this form of cleansing.  It can also help settle emotional issues.  Since the focus of detoxifying is elimination, we may find ourselves eliminating emotional baggage during the process, including sadness, anger, or fear, to name a few.  Since some may seem more emotionally sensitive during a Detox, meditation and other methods of working with one’s inner self may be a worthy pursuit when combined with detoxification to create even more positive results, not only physically, but emotionally.

    One last time, if you have never experienced detoxification and/or if you have any questions or concerns, seek an herbalist, nutritionist, or the advice of your doctor.

    Detoxification can be an enjoyable experience and a method to promote holistic living.

When we exercise, receive a massage, or see our doctor we may hear, “Drink plenty of fluids,” or “Keep yourself hydrated.”  

Try an experiment.  Take a glass of water and hold it at arm’s length.  While holding the glass, consider this, how much does it weigh?  Depending on the weight and size of the glass, it can weight from perhaps eight to twenty-four or more ounces.  (Still holding the glass?)  Here’s a fact, regardless of the absolute weight, it will become “heavier” the longer you hold on to it.

Holding the glass for a few seconds, no big deal; but after only a few minutes, the glass begins to wear on you causing stress in muscles.  After several minutes, you may begin to feel an ache in your arm right up to your shoulder.  If you held it for an hour, you may develop a headache or exhibit some other form of exhaustion, but you would know the cause.  Holding on to the glass of water causes pain and discomfort.  Just put it down for relief.

Holding on to a simple, and potentially refreshing, glass of water has caused your body and muscles to stress to the point of debilitation.  The level of discomfort is directly proportional to the time span we hold on to the glass of water.   The longer we hold on to it the more discomfort it causes and that’s the way stress affects our lives.

We know a little stress keeps us sharp, but too much can cause us to snap just like a guitar string, not stretched enough, the string sounds dull and raspy, too much and it becomes irritating with a potential of breaking.  If stretched enough, it turns out a great sound.  Stress is also subjective because we all handle stress differently, but too much is just like the glass of water or the guitar string, too much will eventually have a negative affect on us physically, mentally, or emotionally.  Just like you know when to stop holding on to your water glass, stop holding your stress before you break.

As for positive stress, identify the right amount of stress for you that creates refreshment and pleasant music in your daily life. Utilizing and transforming stress can make you more productive and less self-destructive.  Like so many other factors of life, utilizing the proper amount of stress is all about balance.  Know when to stretch and when to loosen to create your personal sense of bliss.

There are many ways to relieve stress.  Pick one that works for you, but most important relieve your stress daily.  Some ways to loosen up and relieve and transform stress include regular exercise, massage, walking, meditation, playing music, reading, or just sitting in comfortable shady spot with a cool refreshing glass of water.

Next time you pick up a glass of water, ask yourself, “Am I holding on to any unnecessary stress?”

You are what you think.  If you think about being sick continually, you either are or will become sick.  You can place yourself in that state of being.  If these statements are true then their opposites must also be true.  We really are what we think.  These statements ultimately relate to a state of mind, and attitude.  Our attitude can dictate or at the very least influence the result of a given situation or circumstance.

There is a sacred order of survival in survival skills, meaning when we are faced with hazardous and potentially fatal odds, we begin to think and react from a primal state of mind… to survive, to overcome the odds.  Primitive skills teach a sacred order of survival; shelter, water, fire, and food.  But without the proper attitude the chances of our survival are greatly diminished.  Simply put, if we believe we will not survive or give up trying, we will most likely perish.  If, however, we believe we will survive, we just increased our chances of living several times over.  So, even to survive we should maintain an attitude that we will do just that, survive.

Our wellness and the desire to live holistically depends on our attitude, our belief that we can and will live our lives better than we have in the past.  If the desire is great enough, we will make this goal a reality, but it involves the necessity of change.  We need to change a portion or portions of our lifestyle to create change in our life and our state of wellness.  And change takes effort.

Many speak of New Year’s Resolutions in the sense of needing to begin in January.If they don’t begin in January, they believe they have failed and given up trying.  When we seek to improve our state of being, physical, emotional, or spiritual, we can begin the process of change anytime, as long as we actually begin.

Once we begin, we must continue the journey and not give up part way through.  If our goal is to lose weight, lower cholesterol, and become healthier, begin with the proper attitude that you will do your best to accomplish the task.  You will do it to survive and this will create a new way of living, living healthy, living holistically.  To begin the process is a noble cause.  To accomplish the goal is a fundamental victory that can lead to even greater accomplishments in life.  Healing and seeking a healthier lifestyle doesn’t begin with which program, which diet, what club to join, or how much weight to lose, it begins by having a survivor’s attitude, a winner’s attitude, that you will finish what you started.  See yourself, visualize yourself both healthy and well.

Whether you begin in January or April, begin, begin, begin.  Once the commitment is made don’t give up your journey to wellness, claim the state of mind of living holistically.

As the winter cold arrives and the snow begins to blow, it’s time to embrace what Native Americans call Bear Medicine, a time to go within.  Introspection can be both rewarding and challenging.

Bears embrace myths, legends, movies, cartoons, ageless stories.  Even Smokey Bear, has brought awareness to the public to protect forests from careless fires.  By the way, Wikipedia says Smokey Bear is the longest running public service campaign in the United States.  But, what can we learn spiritually from bear?  I’ve known people with spirit names that included “bear” as part of their “name” like Quiet Bear, Gentle Bear, Big Bear, and Sleeping Bear.  The names say certain bear-like qualities are attributed these people.  I’d like to focus on those bear qualities and see how they can improve our lives.

A basic quality of Bear Medicine teaches us to go within and examine our inner being.  This is drawn from the bear’s instinct to hibernate in the winter.  It typically eats more than in the fall, storing up fat reserves to endure the cold months of winter.  Bear lives through the winter off the stored reserves from within.  

The spiritual lesson says we should store up enough spiritual energy and well-being within to prepare for life’s lessons, that often feel cold and cruel.  Instead of evading the lesson, stop, go within and tap into the much needed spiritual reserves.  The normal way of life is to externalize.  When a lesson enters one’s life efforts are made to cover it through expressing through anger, frustration, stress, fear, or over indulgence instead of going within to identify the reason and lesson to be learned.  Be like bear and try going within

Evaluation is another quality Bear Medicine.  Consider this.  A mother bear gives birth during the winter and brings her cub(s) out when she feels and knows they are ready to face the outside world.  She does not allow them out until they are ready.  She has evaluated them closely in the den, watching their subtle actions, reactions, emerging personalities, and frailties.  If she senses crucial short comings the cubs remain in the den.  She remains there as well, only venturing out long enough to feed herself and close enough to keep a watchful eye on the den.  

We can learn a great deal from mother bear.  Evaluate our lives and pay close attention to the fruits of our lives, including our children.  Are there parts that are weak needing strengths?  Are there ways we can evaluate our children, instead of criticize them?  Do we need to add more to the project before it’s presented for all to see?  Do we throw something together in a haphazard manner just to get it out or do we take our time, doing the best we can before its presentation.  If there is a good side of pride, this would qualify.  Be like bear and evaluate our life and our offspring.

Finally, consider nurturing as a quality of bear medicine.  Return to the analogy of mother bear and her cubs.  She not only evaluates she nurtures her offspring.  She accepts the responsibility of having offspring.  She cares for the cub’s growth.  She encourages its development.  Nurture includes seeing to the cub’s physical needs or nourishment which is the origin of the word “nurture” which means to feed.  The origin also means to cherish.  Just as the mother bear cherishes her cub or cubs enough to defend them with her life if necessary. 

The bear medicine of nurturing in application to us as human beings would include not only how we care about all our projects and efforts, but, just like evaluation, our children as well.  Care over the growth and well-being of children whether as parents or teachers.  Encourage the growth, encouraging them to do their best and help them when they fall short of our or their expectations.  See to the physical needs of the children in proper nutrition for the body and soul.  Above all else, cherish the children.

When bear is seen either in real life, through stories, myths, legends, or a Smokey Bear poster think of the medicine of bear and how we can venture within to become better brothers and sisters to bear.