Nirvana Nature Cure, Talegaon

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Nestled away from the noise and buzz of the city, Nirvana is a naturopathy-focused wellness centre. A drivable distance from Mumbai and Pune, this sprawling property with its lush green surroundings is the picture of tranquillity. Somehow, the centre has managed to strike that delicate balance between nature and the luxurious comfort that we city-dwellers have come to expect.

Here’s what we experienced during our stay at Nirvana.

Healing… from the word go

The moment you enter the premises, you know that you’re at a place where people take their work seriously. We checked in around 10am and, after filling a form at the reception, we were promptly ushered in for consultation with the in-house doctor. Soon we realised that we had a packed schedule for the day, so the staff wanted us to get started pronto.

We met Dr S Subhash, a naturopath who also specializes in Ayurveda. The health consultation was pretty elaborate, with a lot of pauses and pensive moments thrown in – not the speedy ‘token’ health check that we’ve come to expect at some places!

At the end of the consultation though, Dr Subhash didn’t say much; he simply wrote down an exhaustive prescription for therapies that we had to go through that day. Initially his paucity of words felt a bit strange but we soon understood that he is a man of few words but his command over his area of expertise is impressive.

As the therapies began, both of us began to make a mental list of all the health queries we needed to ask Dr Subhash at our follow up meeting the next day. We found, to our delight, that he was a lot more communicative during our follow up consultation, responding to all our queries patiently and to our satisfaction.

Settling into the routine

Apart from the quality of professional guidance and counselling, what we loved about Nirvana is the ease with which one settles into a healthy routine. If you’re struggling to make that transition to a healthy lifestyle, this place can help you bring yourself on track.

A typical day at the centre starts at around 5 in the morning, with yogic kriyas under the guidance of Ravi Dewal, a lively yoga teacher. If this sounds intimidating, rest assured  that it’s quite a breeze to adjust to the routine once you’re here. Ravi was quite a resourceful and knowledgeable teacher of yoga and his recommendations for kriyas are personalised based on your body type and health conditions/ailments, if any.

As yoga enthusiasts, these early morning sessions were among the highlights of our stay, but there’s a lot more to the place.

The therapies — the USP

Your therapies begin after a light breakfast. We were treated to Swedish massages, water enemas, mud packs, hot stone massages, hydrotherapy, salt scrubs and also a soak in turmeric and rice flour water among other things. We felt pampered for sure, but above all, it was therapeutic.

Most of the day is interspersed with therapies, rest, meditation, yoga, wholesome organic meals, juices, and a follow-up with your therapist before you retire for the night. By the end of day one, we were already feeling a difference, in body and mind. Oh, did we mention the sunset yoga sessions held outdoors? These were pure bliss!

Despite the fact that Nirvana is a state of the art centre with every modern comfort, it is imbibed with a warmth and welcoming atmosphere that makes you feel at home. From our experience, we’d say it’s the therapists and staff who give it this personal and welcoming touch.

The therapists aren’t just skilled at administering fantastic massages; they know how to put you at ease and make you feel comfortable. We learned later that they are all adequately qualified with a proper understanding of therapies. Not surprisingly, the massages were among the best we’ve had so far.

The ambience of the therapy room and the high levels of hygiene made us feel safe and relaxed. The massage oils used are of the highest quality, made with organic natural ingredients only.

During our chat with the founder Mr Paresh Parekh, we also learned that the mud for the mud bath and other treatments is excavated exclusively for Nirvana’s therapies from sites that are rich in minerals and natural salts. Parekh, we observed, is passionate about delivering the best of naturopathy and wellness at affordable costs.

Beyond naturopathy

While the primary focus remains therapies based on naturopathy, Nirvana also has a gym, a yoga room and a well-equipped physiotherapy centre under a trained physiotherapist. The lush green lawns invite you to walk with your bare feet, a practice called “earthing” which is known to provide several benefits to your body and mind. Or you could simply sit under the shade of one of the many trees in the premises.

You could also try your hand at gardening—a large part of the sprawling property is dedicated solely to the cultivation of organic produce. The gardeners inspired us to go home and try growing my little kitchen garden. For now, we have decided to stick to growing herbs, as they’re easier to manage.

We didn’t try out the other activities, but if you’re up for it, you can also enjoy sports like football, cricket, and table tennis, as well as indoor games of chess and pool.

Sustainability with luxury

When you go on a wellness retreat, a good accommodation is paramount. Nirvana puts you up in beautifully designed cottages that are at once down-to-earth and luxurious. The interiors are tasteful, with a blend of rustic charm and modern design. What is impressive is that in spite of an overarching importance given to sustainability—achieved by following eco-friendly practices—there is no compromise on luxury and comfort of the guests. Nirvana proves that living sustainably and in communion with nature doesn’t mean having to tough it out.

Eating for health

The food at Nirvana is a key component of its offering. Whatever you eat at their vegan restaurant Indriya is aligned with naturopathic principles. As is the case with every service at Nirvana, there’s plenty of thought that goes into your meals and your diet is personalised by the doctor as per your body type and health condition. The guiding principle is to serve alkaline foods and minimise or exclude acidic ones.

You might find the first couple of days challenging especially because many of the staples of Indian cuisine such as wheat, rice, night shade vegetables, tea, and coffee are excluded. But patience is richly rewarded because, by the third day you’ll begin to notice the beneficial effects. Which is why a minimum of three-day stay in necessary if you want your retreat to be worthwhile. Besides, when you go on a detox, withdrawal symptoms like headaches and lethargy can be hard to cope with. However, it’s a lot easier when the doctor and therapists stay on the premises.

A word of caution for any fussy eaters out there. The chefs will adhere to your doctor’s prescription like the Holy Grail. So, if you have any allergies or if you do not like specific foods, make sure to inform the doctor during your consultation.

Do a holistic detox

There are no real restrictions at Nirvana, with the exception of your dietary choices. You’ll still have all the luxuries and comforts you could ask for, including flat screen TVs in your room. You’ll also be allowed to keep your mobile phones with you and use it whenever you feel like. However, to get the most of the experience it’s best if you resist the temptation to switch on the TV. Better still, switch off your mobile phones too. A digital detox is just as helpful and perhaps one the most important aspects of an effective retreat.

We recommend that you dive into the various activities and socialise with the other guests. We had the good fortune of interacting with a few guests, some of whom were repeat visitors; others were undergoing treatment for lifestyle diseases like diabetes and stroke; there were those who wished to lose weight in a natural way; there was also a guest recuperating from cancer! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much you can learn and be inspired just from a little friendly chatter!

To summarise then, if you want to heal from the enormous physical and emotional stresses of modern living, try a retreat at Nirvana. Not only will you come back feeling rejuvenated inside-out, you will likely leave behind some harmful habits and pick up a few healthy ones.

The post Experience the healing power of nature at Nirvana appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

But there was a time not so long ago when life looked very different for me. I loved playing poker and the only time that people in Mumbai like to play that game is ‘late-night-through-the-morning’. As a result, I would have dinner at midnight, go to sleep at 6am, wake up at 1pm, have breakfast at 2pm, lunch at 5pm and basically lived a life as decadent as one can imagine. Then I was diagnosed with arthritis, followed by high cholesterol. The doctor who saw my reports said that with the level of cholesterol that I had, I should have been dead. That was my wake up call. I decided to make some changes in my life.

I had to start by giving up smoking. Even if you eat healthy, sleep on time, exercise and do all the other good things for your health, as soon as you light a cigarette, you deflate your motivation to do all those things and soon you go back to the debauchery. There is an inherent mismatch in detoxifying your body and smoking. It did not make any sense to me. So I decided to kick the butt. It was precisely then that the phrase “Easier said than done” took on a whole new meaning for me.

‘Valid’ reasons to smoke

I realised soon enough that quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things to do. I also read somewhere that it is easier to give up cocaine than to give up smoking. It is just so hard to not ‘light up’. When you’re trying to give up, the kind of excuses your mind makes up for smoking that cigarette are sometimes hilarious and at other times downright pathetic. I’ve listed a few that my fellow smokers will identify with. [I smoked so much and for so long that I still consider myself a member of the smokers club!]

Stressful situations

Any kind of stress is a reason to light up immediately. Stress at home [especially if you’re married], stress at work, stress at the poker table, not to forget the massive stress while you’re on the pot early in the morning and can’t do the job. Happy situations: Exhilaration, great news, reasons to celebrate, winning the lottery… Must smoke, and NOW!

Beautiful locations

How can you be in the countryside, admiring a gorgeous sunset and not have a smoke in your hand? How can you even think of walking along Darling Harbour, breathing in the fresh, clean air of Sydney without a cigarette to relish the moment?

After sex

To prolong the pleasure.

With friends

That’s how you celebrate with your friends, by being one of them. When they all light up, you light up.

Without friends

When you’re lonely, who do you have with you, except your loneliness and your Marlboro Man?

When you’re drinking

How do you enjoy a nice chai or a cappuccino without lighting up? And when you’re having alcohol you need an ashtray, right? Anyone who smokes creates these mountains of blockages. These are like chains that tie us to the habit. Am I about to give you a formula that will break these shackles away and make you give up smoking?

You bet I am.

Don’t be fooled, go for the real thing

With all of the different methods that I have tried in my life I finally found a foolproof one that works like magic. Before I tell you the magic formula, I have to first tell you the other so called magic formulas that did not work.

• Nicotine patches
• Electronic cigarettes
• Hypnosis
• Self-help books
• Psychological consultations
• Punching myself in the stomach and making myself believe that the cigarette that I was about to have was worse than 30 of those punches. [Some clown suggested this and like a desperate monkey I followed even this idea!]

As you’ve probably guessed by now, none of them worked. So this here is the foolproof guide to giving up smoking, coming from someone who used to smoke up to three packs a day.

Rule #1

Bring yourself mentally up to the point where you really want to quit smoking

If you try to give up smoking at a time when you relish each drag you take and every circle you blow out resembles a beautiful painting by Rothko to you, it ain’t gonna happen. I would try to give up smoking, fail and then try again and fail again. What worked for me finally is when I brought myself to a state of mind when I knew that I simply had to quit. I began to hate cigarettes and what they were doing to my body. You need to psyche yourself into hating smoking more than you really do; when you are disgusted by it, that’s when you can undertake the exercise to give it up.

Rule #2

Cold turkey is the only way

There’s so much out there on how to give up smoking. There are programmes that suggest you to reduce your intake, write down your progress and reward yourself for your achievement one day at a time. I tried it and it didn’t work. Not the first time. Not the tenth.

The only style of quitting that works effectively is ‘cold turkey’. Just throw away the pack and the lighter and say “I QUIT”. You may need to buy a fresh pack and a new lighter after an hour, but that’s okay. Out of the 15 times that you say, “I Quit”, only one needs to work out for you. That’s it.

Rule #3

Train your mind to love yourself and accept your body as a temple

This fundamental truth not only forms the backbone of your attempt to give up smoking but is also the basic tenet of all spiritual teachings: ‘Love thyself’. This is the root or the Mool Mantra of the theory of happiness itself. How can you do anything nice for your body if you don’t love yourself? Why would you sacrifice junk food or drinking yourself to liver failure unless you first see God living in your own soul?

This is not only the first step towards giving up smoking but also the first step towards living a life of bliss and joy.

Rule #4

Rectify your lifestyle

Don’t even bother to read ahead if you think that you cannot adhere to this one. You’d be wasting your time.

To start with, you must follow a disciplined lifestyle and timetable. This one is absolutely non-negotiable. You must wake up early and by early I mean latest is 6.30am. Maintain a fixed time for your breakfast and lunch as per your convenience but follow the timing for your dinner and sleep time as per my suggestion. Your dinner must be before 7pm and you must go to bed before 10.30pm. The domino effect of bad habits and bad health emanates from not following this rule completely.

When you sleep late, you wake up late. Your body automatically craves junk food. When you eat junk food, you poison yourself with bad food and drink, and you begin to love the additional toxicity that the nicotine in a cigarette provides.

But the opposite is also true. Good habits and a detox regimen also has a domino effect on you. When you are on a detox, you automatically start to develop a natural dislike for junk food. There came a time in my life that from being a hard core non-vegetarian [wherein I could and did eat anything that once ‘lived’], I went on to becoming a pure vegetarian. My body and soul both rejected any form of meat. By rectifying your lifestyle, you pave the way for a positive mindset that is weary of toxins and craves for a positive outlook towards life.

Rule #5

Flush, flush, flush

The nicotine that is currently in your body must go. It needs to be flushed out. If not, it will keep giving you withdrawal systems.

Drink plain warm water, ginger water, juices, green teas, lemonades with a pinch of organic turmeric added to it. Consume anything else that is organic and healthy and does not come out of a box or a packaged bottle. The other way of flushing toxins is eating loads of fresh organic fruits and steamed vegetables. The more you eat these, the more nicotine you will be able to flush out. The last—my favourite one—is pure ghee, preferably homemade; include it in your diet. What I advise is to have two teaspoons on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. To all those who led you to believe that ghee is fattening and adds to your cholesterol, please tell them [nicely] to shut up.

Rule #6

Mentally prepare yourself to put on some weight

When you give up smoking, you start to actually taste food. You start relishing it. Nicotine can cut down your hunger, so giving it up can increase your appetite. You will start eating more than you used to. Just let it happen. Remember that it is more important to give up smoking at this stage than to look sexy and slim [if you are that].

Rule #7

When you go off it, STAY off it

This is where most smokers goof up. After successfully pushing through the initial 25 days or so, we actually believe we are in total control and allow ourselves a drag or two thinking that we have given up and it cannot lure us back. I once gave up smoking for an entire year before I stumbled upon a night of raucous frenzy. In a state of mindlessness, I ‘allowed’ myself a puff [or maybe it was two]. The next morning I was smoking a pack a day and graduated to my two packs a few days after.

After all the effort that you make to giving up this habit, it is absolutely imperative that you do not give in to a weak moment and fight it like you have fought for nothing else in you entire life.

And now for the good news

When you succeed in giving up smoking, the first thing that you gain is your confidence and your self-respect. You know that you have conquered one of the most ruthless chemicals known to man. You know that you’ve quit an addiction that would have killed you like it has killed millions before. There’s more:

• You will be able to taste those sumptuous meals you eat—priceless!
• Your sex-life improves dramatically. I’d imagine this to be one of the most compelling reasons for a lot of men to give up.
• You glow. The detoxification process clears your skin of toxins and infuses fresh oxygen into your cells, healing them, rejuvenating them and making your skin radiate and shine.
• You get your life back.

Give it up and experience how it feels to live a complete, healthy and a joyous life full of love, positivity and fulfillment.

The post 7 rules that helped me successfully quit smoking appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Most of the nutrition is lost

Take the example of this chart from Food Revolution by John Robbins, which shows the percentage of nutrients lost when whole-wheat flour is refined into white flour. During this process that removes the outer skin, we lose 25 per cent of protein and 90 per cent of fibre, but also more than 50 per cent of most other nutrients.

Remember that nutrients help in healing, while fibre cleanses. Eating whole foods helps keeps the nutrition in our body intact. The fibre helps us feel satiated longer and cleans the digestive tract. When we refine our food, we strip it of nutrients and fibre. As a result, we are forced to consume more.

No fibre and hence less filling

Have you noticed that when you eat whole foods you feel full faster? For example, two slices of real whole-wheat bread may fill you as much as four slices of white bread, though each of the slices contain the same amount of calories. So you end up consuming more calories when you eat white bread because you need to eat twice the amount to feel full. The same is true of rice. A bowl of whole rice is about as filling as two bowls of white rice. But one bowl of whole rice contains almost the same amount of calories as a bowl of white rice.

For manufacturers, this spells profits, because you are consuming twice the amount of food when it is refined or processed. For you, it translates into calories and weight gain without the benefit of good health. It’s also important to note that when you eat whole foods, say whole rice instead of white rice, you stay full longer. This translates into reducing your urge to snack, making your daily calorie intake even lower.

Fibre provides bulk without calories. In our bodies, fibre also has a specific function. It creates bulk in the intestines, preventing constipation and maintaining smooth movements of the bowels. Constipation is very common today because of the high consumption of refined and animal-based foods, but it’s almost impossible to be constipated on a whole-food, plant-based diet.

Sometimes we refine food in ways that may not be as damaging but these are not as healthy as the whole food from which they are derived. For example, fruit juice. It has a distinct flavour, which means many nutrients are still available, and it’s tasty. But the problem is that we may be able to drink large amounts of it, because the fibre is removed and it is now easier to consume. Thus we get more calories than we would if we stuck to eating the whole fruit. This may be useful in a situation where it’s difficult to eat or when we need a large amount of nutrients quickly, as in the case of cancer, but is especially detrimental for diabetics because of its high caloric values.

Refined foods become tasteless

Nutrition and palatability go hand-in-hand. Nutrients have flavours of their own. Whole rice, whole wheat, beetroot, sugar cane and fruit and oilseeds like peanuts, sesame and coconut have their own distinct flavours. The refined products that come from them are stripped of these flavours. This is also one of the reasons they are so popular. White rice provides a good base, because it hardly has a taste of its own, so it doesn’t alter the taste of the gravy that it is served with. Compare this with the rich wholesome taste of brown rice. Similarly white bread serves as a packaging for the filling of the sandwich. Unlike whole bread, it hardly has a flavour. Sugar added to anything only increases the sweetness and does not change the taste. But dates, raisins or beetroot have their own flavours. Foods fried in refined oil bear no resemblance to the oilseeds from which the oil was derived. You cannot tell which oil a food has been fried in just by tasting it. You cannot even differentiate one refined oil from another by its taste.

Refined foods last longer

Sugar, oil, white flour and white rice have a much longer shelf life than do the plants from which they have been manufactured. But we should not be interested in this. We should rather be interested in increasing our own lifespan, which these foods do not help with because of their high caloric content and lack of nutrients.

In nature, no animal will eat stale food. Even insects are not interested in food without nutritional value. But for businesses, this means additional profit because stocks can be preserved much longer. The implications of eating whole foods are twofold:

• Until our body’s nutritional needs are met, we will remain hungry. If we eat nutrient-dense foods, we need to eat less to get satiated.
• Our stomachs have a fixed capacity. If we consume more fibre, we will feel full while consuming fewer calories.

Think about it. There may have been a time when you had a bag of potato chips for lunch. Although these give you a large number of calories, when you finished one bag, you may have opened another. But if on another day you had a large salad for lunch, it is highly unlikely that you would order a second one. Although the salad may give you less calories than the bag of potato chips, it gives you many more nutrients and fibre and so it’s more satisfying. It’s also not addictive like fried food.

In south India, I often see people eating large quantities of white rice accompanied by small amounts of sambhar or vegetables. Because white rice is nutritionally deficient, they make up for it by eating it in large quantities. But if they were to increase their intake of vegetables and lentils while substituting white rice with whole rice (i.e., unpolished rice), the quantity needed by the body would reduce considerably.

Peeling

One of the most difficult things to change is the habit of peeling fruits and vegetables even though we lose a lot of nutrients when we do so. Almost no vegetable, except perhaps onions and garlic, should be peeled. Rather, nothing that needs a tool to peel should be peeled. Vegetables like knol khol [ganth gobi], where the skin is thick and fibrous and sometimes not edible, can be peeled with our teeth and fingers. Our body does have the tools to peel even these. Pineapple is one fruit that does need peeling. Jackfruit may be another. Interestingly, both these fruits have a higher glycaemic index than most fruits.

 What if the produce is not organic?

A question that often arises when we talk about peeling is, ‘What if the fruits and vegetables are not organic? Should they be peeled then?’ There is a misconception that pesticides only reside in the skin of the produce when, in fact, the opposite is true. For example, when pesticides are sprayed at the bottom of a coconut tree, you will find it in the water of the coconuts as well. You are not escaping the pesticides by peeling, but you may just be under the false perception that you are. Although it’s much better to use organic produce, in case you don’t, it’s still better to not peel and wash it well instead.

Wash before you chop

Another important rule is to wash the produce well before chopping in order to not lose nutrients. Chopping followed by washing leaches nutrients out. Here is an experiment that demonstrates this well. Take a fresh organic carrot and wash it well. Divide it into three parts. Now grate the first part without peeling. Taste it. Now peel the second part, grate it and taste it. Finally peel the last part, grate it and drop it into a glass of drinking water. Leave it there for a minute and take it out and taste it. You will find that the taste and therefore, the nutritional value, reduces at every step.

The post The real reasons why refined foods are bad for you appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

But how much is too much? Nutritionist John Berardi says that, “For an average person, any meal over 750kcal (not including pre- and post-workout nutrition) results in fat storage”. I don’t agree completely, as for an athlete it would vary greatly and would also depend on the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the meal. A high protein meal may not get readily converted to fats as a high carb meal. However, when an average person eats 500+ calories from a candy snack bar, it is going to lead to fat gain. What’s worse, while we know how to stop it, we are still helpless.

Tips to deal with binge eating

Here are some simple tips to help you overcome the damage of binge eating:-

1. Treadmill counters are misleading

Many people I know compare the calories they burn on a treadmill or cross trainer with the calories they consumed in their meals. This is not a sound strategy. Firstly, on a treadmill, the calories shown include your BMR [the calories you burn at rest]. Say your body burns 2400kcal/day i.e. 100 kcal/hr. These calories are burnt by your body just to maintain your normal body functions. So if you run for an hour on the treadmill, the treadmill will show that you have burnt around 500kcal. But this 500kcal is including your BMR [basal metabolic rate]. So actual calories burnt would be 500 – 100 = 400kcal. Now a kilo of fat has around 7000kcal. At this rate, you need to run for over 17 days at the same intensity every day to burn just a kilo of fat—that too if your intake of calories is equal to your calorie output. This is why weight training and HIIT [high intensity interval training] are the best forms of exercises to target fat loss.

2. Make use of your “anabolic window”

After a hard and intense workout session, your metabolism sky rockets. Your body is like a furnace ready to burn whatever you put in it. This furnace is at its hottest for 45 minutes post workout, also called the “anabolic window”. When you know you are going to a party or will be gorging on foods that are likely to be unhealthy and high in sugar and full of empty calories, then working out before that meal is the best way to offset the negative effects of that meal. Though the 45 min window is the optimal time, the furnace is hot enough to burn your cheat foods even three hours after of your workout.

If for whatever reasons it is not possible to workout before you eat this meal then another way is to increase your exercise volume and intensity for a week before and after the binge day. Now the exercise I am talking about are intense weight training sessions and HIIT workouts, not leisurely strolls on the treadmill or pleasant rides on the cross trainer.

3. Eat before bingeing

It happens with all of us sometimes where we eat something just before our meals and then don’t feel hungry enough to have our main meal. This is a simple trick that dieticians refer to as the “Second Meal Effect”. Having something just before the main meal or an hour or so before it, would suppress hunger which automatically make you eat less of your cheat meal. The best bet is a big salad plate or a high protein, low glycaemic index food an hour before the main binge meal.

4. Cleanse after indulging

If you have eaten more than you should have and now need to detox, here’s an excellent way to do it. At night before sleep take two tablespoon of isabgol or Psyllium seed husks with three glasses of water. In the morning, have three glasses of water again as soon as you wake up. After you have emptied your bowels, add two capful of bitter gourd [karela] and gooseberry [amla] juice, each in less than half a glass of water and drink it. This will help stabilise your insulin levels and also provide you with powerful antioxidants. Thereafter, have a cup of green tea with lemon or 500mg vitamin C. Work out hard and eat clean that day and the next.

Remember, these techniques only help overcome the side effects of occasional binge eating. Do not make this a regular way of life.

The post Help!! I just had a week of binge eating appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

1. Food Storage Containers

Plastic storage containers are an economical way of storing food. However, they contain chemicals that negatively affect our health. Two of the most toxic chemical compounds found in plastics are bisphenol A [BPA] and phthalates, both of which act as endocrine disruptors. This means they obstruct proper hormone function. As a result, your body’s reproductive, developmental and neurological function can be adversely affected.

Alternatives

Always choose glass jars, bottles and other items whenever possible. Moreover, you can also use stainless steel containers for food storage

2. Furniture

Flame retardants like PBDEs are so pervasive in today’s furniture that they are difficult to avoid. These chemicals are well-known endocrine disruptors that have shown to raise a person’s risk for infertility, cancer, and thyroid suppression. Many flame retardants may actually be implicated in weight gain. PBDEs are breathed in and can accumulate in the blood, making them highly pervasive.

Alternatives

Always purchase furniture that is clearly labelled “PBDE-free” label. Slowly replace old furniture with healthier, perhaps natural varieties, like bamboo or wood. Many retailers are beginning to offer eco-friendly furniture alternatives; you can keep an eye out for these when doing furniture shopping. Also, opt for natural upholstery fabrics, like cotton or wool.

3. Shampoo

Many people don’t realize the toxic toll that shampoo takes on the body. Most conventional shampoos contain harmful chemicals like parabens, sulfates and polyethylene glycol. Parabens and sulfates are highly toxic and have been linked to certain types of cancer, as well as neurological and development disorders. Moreover, polyethylene glycol can cause skin irritations, liver abnormalities and signs of kidney disease.

Alternatives

Fortunately today, there are a number of natural and organic shampoo alternatives that don’t contain any chemical additives whatsoever.

4. Clothes

It may surprise you to know that your favorite pair of jeans could be decreasing your health and vitality. Clothes made with non-organic materials, like polyester, are a major source of hidden toxins in your home and everyday life. Azo dyes are often used to color jeans, and these toxic chemicals have been banned in certain parts of the world.

Alternatives

Opt to buy clothes that are made from 100 per cent organic or natural fibers like cotton, wool, or hemp. It may be challenging to find jeans that are completely organic, but look for those that are made with 100 per cent cotton and contain no artificial dyes. Contact your favorite retailers and ask them what they use to manufacture their products.

5. Holiday Decorations

Holiday season generally involves decorating our homes with various, colorful things. However, many decorative items sold in shops and markets can actually create a toxic environment in your home. Most of these items are made from harmful chemicals, like lead and phthalates, which permeate the air and enter your body through the nose and mouth.

Alternatives

Homemade holiday decorations are simple to make, provide memories for years to come, and usually don’t contain any harmful chemicals. The Internet is filled with recipes for holiday decorations, often consisting of natural foods like cinnamon and applesauce. Plus, they give you an opportunity to recycle waste products! Alternatively, you can ask retailers for decorations that are free of lead, phthalates and BPA.

6. Garden Pesticides and Fertilizers

One of the most toxic areas in your home can be your garden soil. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been known to cause a whole host of illnesses, including neurological disorders and cancer. Additionally, once they infiltrate the soil, they take a long time to degrade. Daily exposure to this toxicity is a definite health hazard.

Alternatives

Learn about incorporating sustainable, organic practices in your garden, even if it is just a windowsill garden. Slowly replace chemical additives you use on a daily basis for natural ones to reduce your toxic load.

Related » 8 Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Gardening

7. Carpet

That new carpet smell is actually a host of chemicals that are being released into your home. Many carpet manufacturers use perfluorinated compounds or PFCs that are highly toxic and have been known to cause many illnesses, including thyroid problems, infertility and high cholesterol. Triclosan, which is often used in carpet backings, has been linked to health problems, like asthma, hormone imbalance and eczema.

Alternatives

Find retailers who specialize in carpets made with organic fibers that are not treated with any type of chemicals. You can find carpets made from wool, coconut husks [coir], jute, and sisal.

8. WiFi

Wireless Internet is a controversial health issue because modern business has yet to fully embrace its health concerns. Some research has shown that WiFi could affect certain sensitive individuals by interfering with mood and cognition.

Alternatives

The best defense against WiFi is protection and limited exposure. Some manufacturers produce WiFi-blocking curtains and clothing that can reduce radiation exposure. If possible, use a wired Internet system in your home, or, at the very least, place the router far away from your sleeping and living quarters.

9. Laundry Detergent

Most laundry detergents contain surfactants, compounds that strip away oils, irritate the skin, and contribute to respiratory conditions. Some detergents also contain chemicals that can increase estrogen levels in the body and lead to things like infertility, depression, and increased breast cancer risk.

Alternatives

Always purchase natural or organic laundry detergents whenever possible. You can find biodegradable laundry soap and powder at most organic stores or markets. Also, instead of adding fabric softener, try adding a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to your clothes.

10. Paints

Most people keep cans or tins of paint in the storeroom or garage. However, long periods of exposure to conventional paint can lead to health problems. Paints give off fumes called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Some research links VOCs to liver damage and neurological disorders. Using these paints in your home will also provide a route of exposure.

Alternatives

Choose paint varieties that are VOC-free. Consult the paint company’s website to see if they have VOC-free paint.

Related » Hidden Dangers of Indoor Pollution

Conclusion

Unfortunately, our world is full of toxins that we just can’t always control. Even the mental and emotional toxins we experience in our lives are not completely avoidable. However, you can start with what you know and work your way up. Begin with making your home toxin-free, and then you can move onto detoxifying your body, mind and spirit.

The post These 10 Common Things in Your Home That Pose a Serious Risk to Your Health appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Hence, detox diets—and even weight loss diets—require us to forgo some food groups. While some diets restrict carbohydrates, others say no to sugar or salt, still others forbid caffeine intake.

But evidence suggests that whenever our body observes the lack of supply of a particular ingredient, it reacts in a certain way, sometimes even violently. Let us have a look at the withdrawal symptoms of various food categories.

Withdrawal symptoms of a detox diet

Caffeine detox

Tea/coffee are the most targeted food group in a diet. A lot of people are addicted to tea and coffee and sometimes have several cups a day. On completely discontinuing tea or coffee, some changes take place in the nervous and vascular system, as the body tries to get rid of the poisons and realign its systems according to the new regime.

“Caffeine in coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks is habit-forming. It therefore creates dependability and withdrawal signs show up when it is stopped,” says Sheela Krishnaswamy, an independent diet, nutrition and wellness consultant.

Withdrawal symptoms of caffeine

The first symptom to manifest is a headache that stays for 2 – 3 days. You may also experience pain in the stomach and joints, which subsides after 3 – 4 days [the time taken by the receptors in the brain to be free of caffeine consumption]. Clogged sinuses and a running nose are other symptoms. For many people, tea and coffee work as a laxative, so constipation too is a common occurrence. Besides that, you may feel irritable and drowsy.

Cure: Take a couple of analgesics and ample rest. Having a very small amount of tea or coffee may also alleviate the symptoms. Switch to herbal teas or decaffeinated brews.

Cola detox

Soft drinks can be the primary source of calories and sugar for you. According to dietician Joanne Larsen of dietitian.com, there are nine teaspoons of sugar in each 12 ounce [355 ml] can of soda.

Caffeinated soda and energy drinks may contain other stimulants too, which may make you feel nervous. Reducing or eliminating caffeinated soda and energy drinks with stimulants should reduce feelings of nervousness.

Withdrawal symptoms of cola

Strong cravings and headaches are common symptoms. Dehydration may occur if soda is your main source of water for the body.

Cure: Switch to natural juices and decaffeinated drinks. Drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration.

Simple Carbs detox

Food items made of refined flour such as bread, cake, candy, pasta, noodles, and white rice are associated with a higher incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even breast cancer. And eating refined carbs, over time, results in almost certain weight gain.

Withdrawal symptoms of refined carbs

The first week is miserable, with a feeling of fatigue and acute craving for carbohydrate-rich food. You may feel constantly hungry and irritable or even experience nausea.

S K Thakur, a senior gastroenterologist, explains, “When your source of income dries up, you utilise assets like gold and silver. Similarly, when the intake of carbohydrates gets restricted, the body starts using the stored fats.” This process is called ketosis. As a result, the insulin levels in the blood drops, stabilising the blood sugar and the body loses weight. After the first week, the person starts to feel better and the craving pangs reduce.

Cure: Drink plenty of water to enable fat metabolism. Eat protein-rich foods like eggs and dal. You can take a teaspoon of good quality MCT oil or even pure coconut oil — it helps ease your cravings for carbs. If you feel nauseous, take adequate rest. “Substitute refined flour with complex carbs such as jowar, bajra or nachni to help you feel fuller without the negative effects,” suggests Mukerjee.

Salt detox

Salt is a chemical compound consisting of sodium, which is detrimental to health. While reducing salt intake is good, when a person drastically restricts his intake of salt for an extended period of time, the old accumulations in the body are excreted through the skin and kidneys.

Withdrawal symptoms of salt

In the initial days, there may be a salty taste in the mouth. “Cramps are initially experienced as salt is removed from the diet or rapidly excreted from the body,” adds nutritionist Honey Khanna. Other withdrawal symptoms include high blood pressure, lethargy and drowsiness, and excessive urination [as salt is water retentive]. In extreme cases, you may experience hypernatremia [electrolyte disturbance in the body] and fits.

Cure: Reduce salt intake slowly. Replace regular salt with rock salt or low-sodium salt.

Meat detox

Meat eaters have a high acid content in their body. When they stop eating meat, the body attempts to revert to the healthier, alkaline condition.

Withdrawal symptoms of meat

As the acids leave the body through the pores, they leave behind a disagreeable smell, foul breath and a bitter taste in the mouth. You may also experience some hair loss and muscular weakness. Once all the acid has been neutralised, these symptoms disappear.

Cure: Consume lots of fruits, vegetables and fluids.

Dairy detox

Milk is considered by many as a complete meal in itself. However, some people become lactose-intolerant and have to cut down on milk. Milk contains tryptophan [essential amino acid], which is sleep-inducing.

Withdrawal symptoms of dairy

Lack of sleep, lethargy, grogginess, mood swing, and headaches are common. You may also experience ailments like multiple bowel syndrome and chronic constipation.

Cure: Replace regular milk [cow or buffalo milk] by soy milk. “By completely eliminating dairy products from our diet, we deprive ourselves of calcium, a mineral that’s imperative for strong bones and teeth. This is an open invitation for diseases like osteoporosis at a later stage in life,” explains Deepika Malik, executive director, LifeCentury, and a qualified Ayurveda practitioner. You can also meet your calcium requirements with the help of supplements.

Sugar detox

Many dieticians treat sugar as slow poison. Not only does it promote weight gain, but it is also deadly for a person with diabetic tendencies. In many ways, what seems harmless is actually a cause of diabetes, obesity, and a variety of other problems.

“We take sugar withdrawal as seriously as addictions to substances like alcohol or drugs,” says Malik.

Withdrawal symptoms of sugar

Due to low blood sugar levels, the first symptom is acute craving for sugar and sugar products. Next is fatigue, in the absence of the energy boost sugar gives.

Depression, anxiety and mood swings may be experienced as sugar enhances these emotions too. It is also common to experience headaches, similar to the ones experienced in caffeine withdrawal. Other withdrawal symptoms include drowsiness, skin rashes and throat discomfort. In extreme cases, fever with tremors, unconsciousness and seizures are observed.

Cure: Cut off sugar slowly instead on stopping all at once. Switch to fresh fruits, salads and nuts.

Fat detox

A major chunk of our population suffers from obesity. The prime suspects are our fat-intensive diet and sedentary lifestyle. However, fats also provide many of the necessary vitamins. Embarking on a fat less or low-fat diet, reduces the level of vitamins like A, D, E and K in the body.

Withdrawal symptoms of fat

All problems related to the deficiencies of vitamins A, D, E and K manifest. You may also suffer from dryness of skin and hair, itching, weakness of bones, and night blindness.

Cure: Eat good fats like almonds and walnuts and fresh fruits.

A word of caution about detox diets

While going on any type of diet, reduce in stages instead of imposing a total stop on the consumption of any food item. “If you are cutting down on the consumption of above foods, you can avoid some of the symptoms by doing it slowly. If the craving persists, substitutes can be used,” suggests Khanna. Some withdrawal symptoms like that associated with wheat/caffeine withdrawal might require medical management.

■ This article was last updated on 18^th February 2021

The post Parting pangs: Withdrawal symptoms of detox appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

—Amanda Hamilton

Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to cope with a whole host of threats; yet, our recent history has changed the landscape of our lives completely. Billions of kilos of man-made chemicals make their way into the eco-system of the planet 24 hours a day, which means that the average man and woman are absorbing a multitude of chemicals, every day.

Until 150 years ago, these chemicals did not exist, but now they are found in food, drugs [both social and medical], water, air, cosmetics, the soil, and household goods.

If you are like the majority of people I see in my clinics or on my detox retreats, your body could be struggling with a range of basic functions such as digestion, immunity and weight control that can be traced back to a lifestyle that is continually putting your body under toxic stress. Your skin, too, is a reflection of your internal health, so if it is not glowing, then it’s time to take action.

» People and problems

The majority of people will fall into one of the following two categories:

Type 1

You eat according to healthy guidelines most of the time, you go to the gym or take regular exercise. Basically, you do most things ‘right’ according to what you have read and watched on television, and yet you don’t look or feel amazing.

It could be an irritating problem that just won’t go away: perhaps a few pounds that just won’t shift, or skin that suffers from outbreaks of spots or rashes every now and then. It could be any niggling issue—it does not mean that you are ill, but that you have not yet reached your full, healthy potential.

Type 2

You are suffering from a 21st-century condition that, no matter what medication you have taken or advice you have followed, just won’t go away. By 21st-century condition, I mean that the symptoms you are experiencing, are lifestyle related.

Here’s a short list of the most common problems: Irritable Bowel Syndrome [IBS] or other digestive complaints; weight gain; Candida [thrush]; fungal infections; cystitis; headaches; mood swings; fatigue; allergies; hormone imbalances; infertility or recurring miscarriages; chronic fatigue; high blood pressure; Type II diabetes or hypoglycaemia [low blood sugar]; skin problems; high cholesterol; emotional eating; stress; addictions [to sugar, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol]; insomnia; and painful joints.

» Detox, not diet is the answer

A toxic body will be sluggish, prone to cellulite and often seems to retain excess weight no matter how little you eat. The chemicals in processed foods are now known to interfere with hormones that are vital for weight control, the link between ‘diet’ sodas and long term weight gain is a good example of this.

If you consume a lot of processed foods, chances are your body is also too acidic. This doesn’t mean you are suffering from heartburn [although that is also possible], but rather that the delicate pH balance of the blood is out of sync, leaving you more prone to developing disease. This toxic state is well-known within the wisdom of ayurveda. Of course, ayurveda has always preached a balanced approach to eating. When I lived in India, I devoured local cuisine across many regions—the flavours, density and texture ‘hits’ of a typical freshly cooked Indian meal so far beyond the bland or over-sweet nature of processed foods. However, even with the wisdom of Indian cuisine, the body can become toxic due to environmental exposure.

Detox need not mean going without some of your familiar or favourite foods

» The inside-out solution

The real solution is to help our body from inside-out. Your main fat burning organ is the liver. If you have a diet high in chemicals, or indeed are exposed to excess chemicals in other ways [for example medication, drugs, pollution] then you need to detox your liver for long-term weight loss and increased energy. Detox need not mean going without some of your familiar or favourite foods. In fact, many people find detox to be the easiest ‘diet’ they have ever been on. My approach is to combine a nutritional plan with a specialist supplement programme. However, there is much that can be done within the home.

This is a two-week home detox plan that helps to make improvements in the body’s internal biochemistry so that your body works better and you feel and look better too.

» Rejuvenate detox, week 1

The body needs to cleanse first before it can absorb the benefits of good nutrition. There are two steps needed to guide you body through a successful detox—hydration and diet. To ensure that you get the most out of the programme, stock up on healthy foods before the fortnight begins, or identify restaurants where it is easy to eat out healthy, rather than falling into the trap of half-hearted attempts at shopping for fast food when you are tired or hungry.

In the first week, you are focusing on the break down of fat and toxins and for this process, you need to hydrate the body. Dehydration is not just a hangover problem, a huge number of us suffer from chronic low energy, constipation and fluid retention that can be directly related to a dehydrated body. Is it any wonder we don’t feel like getting out of bed sometimes? There are two stages to re-hydrating the body. The first, and most obvious, is to drink a minimum of 1.5 – 2.0 litres of water every day, You will need more, if you exercise. Secondly, you should cut out diuretic drinks such as coffee, tea, cola, and alcohol.

Your detox day starts with a glass of warm or hot water with a slice of lemon. This is an ideal way to help your body cleanse before you even start eating. For the rest of the day, it’s all about ingredients. This is not a calorie-counting diet. A detox works by sorting the body out on the inside although the effects show remarkably well on the outside. Weight loss, improvement in skin, better digestion, improved sleeps patterns and energy levels are just a few of the benefits you will see.

Look at the Table. For the first week, 70 – 80 per cent of your diet should be in the Dos column, rather than those listed in the Don’ts column. The diet suits a saatvik vegetarian India diet very well. Remember, you are trying to change the pH of your body from too acidic to alkaline. This is not about obsessively weighing portion sizes, eat more slowly and enjoy savouring the food. Getting in tune with your natural appetite is essential for long term healthy eating.

Note: This is not a long-term diet, but a temporary measure for detox purposes only.

A word of warning about a detox. During the early stages of the seven day plan, you may well feel the ‘cold turkey’ effects of coming off the food and drinks that have propped up the festive period. Caffeine, alcohol and sugar are the worst offenders and cravings or feelings of fatigue are common—it is simply a sign that the body is losing its dependence on the artificial high and is getting back to being well again. Stick with it and by the end of the first week, you will begin to feel like a different person.

» Rejuvenate detox, week 2

This second stage of detox is focusing on boosting and re-balancing the body by continuing with a nutrition plan and introducing exercise at a rate suitable to your level of fitness—aim for a minimum of three half hour workouts in the week. In addition to the well-known mental and physical benefits of exercise, working out boosts the functioning of the lymphatic system, one of the ways the body removes toxic waste.

By now you should have tried out new foods, re-hydrated the body and you should be starting to feel more energetic. Sleep patterns should be normalising and your overall wellbeing should be improving. Weight loss on a detox plan can be dramatic because of the improvement in the body’s underlying biochemistry. Health problems such as water retention can really start to shift. You need to keep up the hydration of the body by drinking 1.5 – 2 litres of water every day. Coffee, tea, cola and alcohol should still be cut out of the diet.

Rebuilding the body with good nutrition requires quality proteins. Proteins are made of amino acids, the building blocks of the body. Most people associate protein with meat, and yes, good quality meat is good for you. Cheap, mass-produced meat can contain alarming quantities of fat, not to mention the chemicals in the meat itself so it is better to spend a bit more on the type of meat and eat it less often. You should alternate your meat intake with more vegetable proteins. Aim to include a serving of protein at lunchtime and dinnertime, but no more than one portion of meat per day. This will force you to be more creative with food and can open up a whole new set of tastes to be enjoyed!

Look at the Table. For the second week of the detox, your diet should still be 70 – 80 per cent in the Dos column, rather than in the Don’ts column. However, you should now consume more protein, a fist sized serving at two meals per day.

By the end of the two-week period, you should have achieved real change in the body. A detox works on all levels, physical, mental and emotional and it can be a real time of personal change, if you put your heart into it. Writing a diary to keep a track of your progress is often a good way to make the most of the process.

Detox has never been just a marketing slogan; it is a way to nourish your body so you can live life to the fullest. Give it a try and your body will thank you!

Vacuum-clean your mind

—Sandy Newbigging

Do you get stressed easily? Do you have low self-confidence? Do you feel that you just have to look at a bar of chocolate to wear it on your hips? These are all examples of toxic conclusions that can prevent you creating and enjoying the body and life you want.

Although your mind, like your body, is incredible, it can, nevertheless, become toxic. The average person has as many as 100,000 thoughts every day. Some of these thoughts pass through your mind with little or no impact upon your body or life. The rest fall into two categories: thoughts that help you and thoughts that hinder you.

The ratio between these positive and negative [toxic] thoughts depends largely upon the beliefs you’ve come to during your life. These are beliefs you’ve made about who you are and what you can and cannot be, do and have, and also conclusions about other people and the world you live in.

» Freely flowing emotions

Emotions can become toxic, too. Emotions are in effect, ‘energy in motion’ within your body. They are designed to flow around your body without obstruction. However, it is possible for them to become stuck in your system. Negative emotions, such as anger, sadness, fear, guilt, hurt and grief, are the most common emotions to become stuck, because most people resist feeling them. These stuck emotions are energy that has become stagnant in your system. If emotions remain stagnant, over time they may become toxic. By clearing them, you can reduce the toxic load on your mind and body.

» Mind detox benefits

If you’re carrying around a truckload of toxic thoughts about who you are, what you can’t be, or what you can’t do or have, you will severely limit your enjoyment in life and your success. Also, if you’re holding onto a lifetime [or more!] of unresolved negative emotions, you can experience dis-ease within your body and mind.

By detoxifying your mind, you can:

• Let go of negative emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, guilt and grief.
• Stop bad habits and change conclusions that corrode your life enjoyment and success.
• Reduce stress and feel calm, confident and content in any situation.
• Resolve conflict with your family, friends and colleagues.
• Enhance mental clarity and creativity for massively improved results.
• Easily create the results you want in your personal and business life.

» The conscious and unconscious mind

Tune into your mind for a moment by noticing your thoughts. The ones you can ‘hear’ have made their way up to your conscious awareness. They exist in what’s called your conscious mind. However, there is also a level of your mind that operates below the surface of consciousness, and you are unconscious of this during your day-to-day life. Your unconscious mind performs many remarkable tasks without you having to be aware of them. It helps you make sense of life events, stores your memories, heals your body, creates your emotions and drives your habits and behaviours.

Knowing how your unconscious mind works is the equivalent of getting your hands on the user manual for your body and life! You are able to clear your ‘emotional baggage’, improve your mental alertness, live without stress and anxiety more easily, become like a magnet to your goals and more.

Case Study: Alex from ‘Spa of Embarrassing Illnesses’ TV programme [As seen in 30 countries around the world]

When I met Alex, he worked as a Royal Marine. His body was the example of the perfect male specimen. He could run for miles, ate only the best foods and looked after his body extremely well. However, he had an embarrassing illness that was ruining his life. He suffered from hyperhydrosis, a condition that meant he sweated profusely, drenching the clothes he wore and the sheets he slept upon. He had always to take a change of clothes everywhere he went and even had to sleep on a towel. Despite him being successful at anything he turned his hand to, the condition was making him feel like a failure. It had an impact on all areas of his life. His time out with his friends was constantly overshadowed by his condition. He was even planning to leave his job because he was up for promotion but felt he couldn’t attend the formal events due to his excessive sweating.

He had tried everything, including an operation, which had only made the condition worse. Then he did a Mind Detox. During our time together, he became aware that for many years, he had been carrying around a massive amount of anxiety about what people thought of him. He would worry all the time and feel nervous anytime the spotlight was on him. The mind detox exercises helped him to stop worrying about what other people thought of him. As a result, he became more comfortable in his own skin. On day five of the retreat, after suffering from hyperhydrosis for many years, he finally stopped sweating heavily—and to this date, has successfully been able to control it.

Alex is not an isolated case. We have repeatedly found through our work at our clinics and international retreats that people’s physical conditions often improve when they deal with their unresolved emotional issues. These blocked emotions can become toxic and play a role in creating dis-ease within the person’s body, and illustrate that if you want to change your body or your life, cleansing your mind is as important as any physical clearout.

Your mind has the power to influence the size, shape, look, feel and overall health of your body and life

» Our mind affects our body

The mind-body connection has been known for centuries, but it is only in recent years that scientists have been able to prove that our thoughts and feelings affect our body. When we speak to ourselves, the 50-70 trillion cells that make up our body hear and respond accordingly. Our body has an influence on our mind and, equally, our mind affects our body. And it does so seamlessly and subtly, every moment of every day. Mind detox works because it takes into account that our mind, body and lifestyle all influence each other.

Your mind has the power to influence the size, shape, look, feel and overall health of your body and life. When you think and feel positive, your body responds by creating positive physical conditions. However, the opposite also happens when you think and feel negatively. It is for this reason that taking account of your mental and emotional wellness is vital when making changes to any physical conditions.

» Mental problems, physical manifestations

Our unconscious mind is linked with our Autonomic Nervous System [ANS], which regulates our heartbeat, blood pressure, digestion, metabolism, along with many more bodily functions. Due to this connection, whatever our mind believes, perceives and experiences has the potential of getting sent to the rest of our body causing physical responses.

Another way our mind impacts our body is through our emotions. Neuropeptides [often referred to as “molecules of emotion”] are released into the bloodstream, which in turn affects the functions of our entire body by communicating with our individual cells.

Immediate mind-body connection responses include getting a red face when embarrassed, your mouth watering when you think of a food you love or experiencing butterflies in your stomach when you’re anxious about something. But the impacts of the mind-body connection don’t stop there.

» Beliefs become biology

Your beliefs are the conclusions you’ve come to about yourself [including your body], other people and world you live in. Your beliefs exist in your unconscious mind, automatically guiding you through your day-to-day life. They help you to make sense of and respond to the events and environments you encounter. Most of your beliefs are formed in your mind by age 6, which is incredible, considering how much they can impact your body for the rest of your life!

The mind directs the body

Your beliefs determine what messages are sent between your brain and your body. Amazingly, it has been found that your beliefs have the power to influence every aspect of your physical functioning, including digestion, immune system, blood pressure and even your DNA. In a very real way, your beliefs become your biology.

How beliefs affect our system

One study found that after just five minutes of ‘caring and compassionate’ thoughts, volunteers’ immune systems had risen significantly, taking five hours to return to the levels they were before the experiment. Furthermore, the same study found that thoughts of ‘anger and frustration’ reduced the levels of the volunteers’ immune systems for the same period. Again, the impact of your mind doesn’t stop there!

In another scientific study, patients were given morphine for serious pain for three days and on the fourth day, the morphine was secretly swapped for a simple saltwater solution. However, despite not receiving any morphine whatsoever, the patients experienced the same levels of pain relief as they had during the previous three days. The patient’s belief alone had stopped the pain.

There have also been well-documented cases of multiple-personality individuals whereby one of the occupying personalities believed s/he had perfect eye sight and required no glasses and the other believed that s/he could not see properly and was nearly blind without artificial correction. In such cases, the personality in dominance at any given time determined how well the person’s physical eyes work. The same has also been true in other cases where one personality is seriously allergic to oranges, whereby the other personality can drink orange juice without any adverse physical affects.

Without a memory you would never recognise anything and you would have to re-learn everything from scratch all the time

How beliefs shape our body

Apparent miracles like these are possible because our body is designed to follow the orders given to it by our brain. In fact, the individual cells that make up our body [all 50 – 70 trillion of them] are highly intelligent and are able to adjust themselves to the environment in which they exist. Our brain interprets the external environment based upon our beliefs, and then tells our individual cells what adjustments they need to make in order to best survive in the environment.

The implications of this are massive when it comes to you taking charge of the shape and weight of your body. If you want to change your body, you need to discover and change the beliefs that are causing your body to be its current size. For instance, if you believe you cannot lose weight easily, then your brain will order your body to store weight. Or if you believe thin people get ill easier, then your mind, which is designed to preserve your body, will do everything in its power to keep you healthier by carrying extra weight.

How beliefs impact stress

One of the key ways that your beliefs impact your body is through stress. It has been suggested that 90 per cent of all diseases are caused by stress and 100 per cent of all stress is caused by ‘bad’ beliefs. This is because our beliefs impact the way we perceive and respond physically and emotionally to everything that happens in our life.

Have you ever noticed how when the exact same event happens to two different people—giving a presentation or missing a flight—one person gets very stressed over it, whilst the other takes it in his stride? The fundamental difference between the two people is simply their beliefs.

» Body and stress

As human beings we have an internal safety response mechanism often referred to as the ‘fight/flight’ response to help us survive threatening [i.e. stressful] situations. The flight/flight response [also known as ‘survival mode’] is taken care of in the body by the HPA axis, which works like this: The amygdale [in the brain] stores emotional memory and when triggered, sends a signal to the hypothalamus [located just above the brain step]. Through a series of hormonal messages between the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenals, there is a release of adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream.

» The unconscious manager

What if you could let go of a lifetime of negative beliefs and stress in only a few minutes? Such a claim is possible due to the way the unconscious mind works. Without a memory, we would never recognise anything and we would have to re-learn everything from scratch all the time. Thank goodness that our unconscious mind is in charge of our memory and works tirelessly behind the scenes to help us recognise people, places, events and things we encounter during our day-to-day life. Our unconscious mind helps us do this by constantly asking, “Where have I seen this before?” and then searching our entire mind for similar memories. It stores our memories by linking similar memories together. One of the ways it does this is by linking memories with similar emotions together [using the law of association]. Angry memories are linked with other angry memories or sad memories are linked with other sad memories and so on.

If you have negative emotions associated with past events, then you will access these old unresolved emotions when faced with similar events today. This is why when you hear a particular song it might remind you of a particular person, place or event and before you know it you can be taking a jaunt down memory lane. This is also why it can be so emotionally difficult after a break-up if you’ve been many places and done many things with that special someone. Everywhere you look can end up reminding you of the very person you’re trying to forget!

Emotionally connected memories can lead to you experiencing inappropriately high levels of emotional response to the events happening in your life today and, as a natural consequence, cause unnecessary stress and suffering for your body-mind.

» The emotional domino effect

The great news is that because your memories are tied together with emotions, you can benefit from what I call the ‘emotional domino effect’. By clearing the emotion associated with the earliest memory, you can clear the emotions from all associated memories in your mind too. This way you can clear a huge amount of emotional baggage, in a very short amount of time!

The post Mind-Body Detoxification appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.