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Over twenty years and what sometimes seems like a lifetime ago, I attended a Functional Medicine meeting and met the man who was to become an important mentor for me, Dr. Jeffrey Bland. An internationally recognized leader in the nutritional medicine field, Dr. Bland co-founded The Institute for Functional Medicine in 1991 and is often called the “father of Functional Medicine.” I will never forget that, as he began speaking, he held his hands together as if he was reading from a book and said, “In the beginning we all receive a “Book of Life”, our own unique 23 pairs of chromosomes. But the stories ultimately told in that “Book” are not simply a result of those genes. The stories greatly depend on what bathes those genes, including . . .
What we eat, What we drink, What we think, and How we move. All of these determine how our individual stories will unfold!”
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How important is water to your life? Your brain and your heart are 73% water and your lungs are 83% of that precious liquid. Collectively, more than 75% of our bodies are made up of water. Water literally bathes our cells and our DNA, so that our optimal intracellular metabolism and physiology can flourish. How long can you live without water? It varies between people, but the Rule of Survival is quoted in threes: three minutes without air, three days without water; three weeks without food. If an adequate intake of water is not maintained, dehydration results, presenting with symptoms like headaches, reduced mental clarity, muscle cramps, sore muscles, constipation, fatigue, and increased sensitivity to toxic substances.
Easy to see that water is incredibly important. What should we drink to support our anti-inflammatory lifestyle … a lifestyle that will have positive effects on how our “Book of Life “will read? Clean water with all the right minerals is the obvious first choice among beverages, but it is harder to find than you might think! “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” Positive thinking is the idea that you can change your life by thinking positive thoughts. It is like planting flower seeds that eventually grow into beautiful blooms.
Positive thinking can have very beneficial effects on your entire life. A positive mind set is capable of overriding all sorts of good or bad personal efforts regarding diet, supplements and exercise. Both the spiritual and the scientific communities regard for positive versus negative thinking has grown dramatically in the last few decades. At a personal level each of us knows at least a few positive and very successful people. They tend to be innately charismatic and optimistic, seeing the benefits and blessings in what some interpret as negative events. We are all very attracted to them. Being mindful about your attitude and cultivating awareness of what may be a conditioned response, you may want to cultivate a fresh look with compassion and curiosity rather than judgement. Perhaps think positively and see with the eyes of gratitude. We are all born with the seeds of every possibility within us. What we each choose to nurture and grow inside ultimately determines everything about what and who we will be. We are all incessantly worried about Covid-19. How could we not be? Daily we are pelted with reminders from media and from friends. Just like the virus, fear is contagious. A big part of the problem with fear is the feeling of being out of control. Why not take some of that control back? Physical distancing and washing hands are critical right now, but a strong immune system is the best defense available to protect your body from infection. Let’s focus on those things that make your defense possible: proper nutrition, sleep, stress management and gut health.
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AuthorDr. Barbara Maddoux, RN, DOM, IFMCP is a Functional Medicine Doctor & a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Archives
December 2022
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Please consult your physician or healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or beginning any treatment for any health problem.
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