Learning. . .

It's always amazed me that the human body, with so many complex systems and organs, not to mention the human soul, arrives in this world with no user manual. No instructions, no warning labels, no guidelines attached. As each of my siblings has become a parent, I've watched in awe as they care for these tiny infants with no defined rules. How do you know why they're crying? What are you supposed to feed them, and how soon? How sick do they have to be to take them to the doctor? How do you teach them everything they need to know to care for themselves? It's a fascinating study, and everyone's parenting style is so different.

For me, the questions don't stop at childhood. How do you care for an adult person properly? What comprises good nutrition? How do you make sure that you, personally, are getting the right mixture of sleep, relaxation, work, play, food, water, exercise, fresh air, spiritual interaction, social interaction, intellectual stimulation, etc, in your life to ensure your happiness, health, survival, and passion for life? And why don't we come with user manuals?

My latest chiropractor, who specializes in NUCCA, which involves adjusting just the atlas bone, is also someone with an extraordinary passion for exploring the way the body functions. He's been hosting a radio show for years now that, every Wednesday morning, discusses health, and he gives copies of his shows away at his office. Very interesting stuff. He's entertaining and informative, and I've been listening to some of the CD's at work lately.

Random things I never knew: the bloodstream is the body's number one priority. Your body will put toxins anywhere but the blood, so medical bloodtests will only detect problems after they've been there for a while and gotten quite serious. A clean liver is a happy body. Your liver is your first filtration system, and once the enzymes are gone, your health will fail. An improperly working liver is what causes sluggishness and general apathy. The typical American diet destroys your enzymes. The best foods for general digestive health: broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, egg yolks, red pepper, garlic, onions, cabbage, shallots, and scallions. Your body requires salt, and not for the added iodine. Good fats are essential. Since the low-fat diet was introduced, cancer rates have skyrocketed. Cancer cells have the highest concentration of two elements: ascorbic acid and sugars. Any antacids that you take are artificially opening a valve and depositing toxins into the next area, where the problem will just get worse. If your digestion isn't working properly, your body will not absorb any nutrients from your food (assuming there is any there to begin with). There are a few stages of how your body deals with toxins: the first stage involves the body attempting to excrete it (snot, puke, sweat, rashes, acne, diarrhea, etc), the second stage is inflammation where the body will try and burn it out. In the third stage the body will temporarily deposit the toxins in a non-vital fat tissue area to store for later cleanup, and it will encase the toxin in a covering. Once the body is unable to continue with the energy and resources necessary to keep the covering, it will dissolve and the toxins will spread again. Once the toxins are running rampant, it's pretty much all over. That's why children get "sick" (runny noses, coughs, fevers, etc) more often than adults, because their bodies are still working properly and trying to expel the toxins. As we age we may get sick less and assume that we're therefore healthier, without realizing that our bodies have just given up. The stored toxins will contribute to the tired feeling of "aging".

I've also learned how to say "yes" and "no" in Hindi, but that's something different entirely.