Off-Balance

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I was having trouble the last few days getting into this part of the website so I could not post until now. I have had a lot of issues I wanted to comment on this week starting with-- the conversation of balance and staying on track came up several times this week. Its started with a patient who, was among my hardest over the years. She was so awful. It seemed impossible to get her to improve. After time, her progress increased until her improvements became clear. She was able to get her body well balanced and pain no longer was the driving force in her life. 

But, as it is, life happens sometimes and it is easy to not have time to eat as well as you want to because of immediate stresses. It sometimes can feel like there is no choice but to grab that quick fast food package on the run, or throw some chips or a cookie in your mouth until you can get to the kitchen to prepare a proper meal. And, maybe you dipped into the kids Halloween bag seems like it wont be so bad. Before you know it, these things add up and suddenly...the body you had that was in-balance is now, out of balance. And this is what happened to this person. DOn't worry, she will be OK, and she is one of two people I spoke to this week this happened to. I mention her only because she was so awful before that it seemed implausible she would steer away from a perfect diet. But, we are all human and sometimes doing things the way we should is not what we find ourselves doing.

I want to make it sound awful--eating well and freely is very doable when your body is in a healthy balance. It becomes easy to order out and you will find you do not need to worry and focus on every ingredient or what you are putting in your mouth. And truthfully, I know that many of our patients do drink some alcohol (some more than a little) and indulge in sugar here and there. However, knowing what your limit is and LIMITING it is really important in my opinion and not pushing your body further than you feel you should helps to keep you healthy. Looking for the signs of the ill effects of poor eating by watching out for things like mood, energy, vaginal health and so forth helps to keep you focused on what you should be doing for your body. Finding ways to eat healthy wonderfully tasty snacks is not as hard as it seems. And, eating in this way makes you feel so amazing and wonderful. It also helps keep your mood even, which can be a huge plus.

The patient that I was speaking of above and another patient both got off track over the last period of time and they will get back no question. But, it reminded me to remind each of you that eating well is something that a person needs to do for life. Embracing a new way of thinking about food is what it is all about and creating wonderful food with these new ideas helps to keep the variety. Health is about homeodynamics, not homeostasis. Stasis-meaning a state-dynamic meaning constant change. Keeping that balance within the movement of the change is the key. Your body is changing everyday. Not being a static thing, one must take care of it in that manner and move with it. People who have experienced IC have those symptoms as obvious barometers for their body becoming imbalanced. People who have not experienced something like IC may be imbalanced but may not have that experience to reference the signs. The signs, in my opinion, are a gift because they keep you from going too far off track. Without that, I think the body can be pushed and one may not know until something very serious has taken place.

There are a few big foods that are wise to steer clear of--processed sugar, fungal foods such as mushrooms, very aged cheeses, etc.., coconut, soy, alcohol-most especially beer. That list is not long and does not mean you can never ever have these things, but, we advise far and few between. Personally, in our family, we never eat mushrooms or blue cheese. We do have the occasional soy sauce when out for sushi and we choose not to drink alcohol for many reasons. It isn't very hard at all to exclude these foods in this manner.

When something like this occurs, reversing your eating habits back to where they should be will get you back to where you want to be. Supplement intervention may also be necessary. But, things will get back on track. The message here is--embrace a healthy way of eating because it makes you feel well and stay healthy! This keeps that homedynamic body in the balance of health and not disease. It is not that hard at all if you are focused on it and make it a part of how your family functions. If all of you are doing it-it is a way of life. And, if you surround yourself with people who are like minded, it is even easier. And for those friends you have that eat at McDonald's everyday and drink many glasses of alcohol on the weekends-well, just find a way to be with your friends for who they are and hope that they accept you for who you are. And, if they don't...then I suppose deciding who you want in your life will become an important decision to make. But finding a new healthy way of being that supports your body can be life changing-let it change you and your family. It will be the best thing you ever do!

Dr.M

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

headley.patty@gmail.com's picture
headley.patty@g...

Wonderful blog!!! Thank you so much. I rarely crave sugar any more at all but now it is more situational. I relate sugar to certain holidays for example. I have learned to treat myself at these times with fruit desserts. The funny thing is my family or friends usually want what I am having even though they may have cake or pir nearby. I tell them if they touch mine I will have to kill them. Lol. Every now and then I still think it would be nice to have that sugared dessert and then I remember how hard I have worked and how much better I feel. I remember how that sugar created so many awful symptoms including the cravings. So NOT worth it. We are only human and must forgive ourselves if we fall down - pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start over again. Thank you Dr. M. I hope your enjoy your Mothers day with your sweet family. Blessings to you all!

deir's picture
deir

I am surprised at how much i still miss alcohol! But like Patty said- it is situational. Last night, i was at my 11 year old's  wonderful fun baseball game and the weather was just absolute perfection. I found myself thinking how nice it would be to pour a cold glass of white wine when i got home and sit with my husband on the deck. Of course, I haven't had alcohol for 4 plus years and I won't but I have to admit, the ritual aspect of sharing a drink is something I miss.

drbrizman's picture
drbrizman

You know-alcohol ages you so much though. Another big perk not drinking is it helps you age more slowly!

deir's picture
deir

I hope so! I feel like the past year or 2 has aged me so much. Today is actually my 41st birthday. People do tend to say I look  younger but I am not sure if they are telling the truth. To me, i feel like I have suddenly started looking my age.

drbrizman's picture
drbrizman

Oh I missed this yesterday. HAppy Birthday!!!! I bet they are telling you the truth. Of course age catches up eventually but if you can delay aging as much as possible, to e this is a sign of aging well on the inside too. I have noticed so many many people look so much younger than I think they would have or actually look better now than they did back when they were sick. I think it is a great trade off! Much better than botox!