Rather than just say glibly "get serious about quitting sugar" - I want to define WHY we should kick the sugar habit. Not just for weight adjustment but also for our health.
I started researching the implications of our modern day, sugar laden lives. I didn't discover anything new but I was reminded of something that becomes more important with the increase in our sugar, meat, diary and chemical consumption - both obvious and hidden. Inaccurate advice, clever advertising/marketing and poor lifestyle choices all contribute to what is becoming a Western epidemic.
I read somewhere that type 2 Diabetes (we used to call it Adult Onset, I wonder if they changed it because it is now developing in kids) is often called The Black Death of the 21st century!
Diabetes UK estimate that over the next decade 5.5 million people will be Type 2. In the USA, numbers have more than tripled and one in four of the population live with Diabetes. It is predicted that within the decade one in three of the population will suffer. This is something that's not going away, in fact it's quite chilling.
It develops slowly and the symptoms are not always obvious, so the figures could end up higher. However, with proper self-care 3 out of 5 Type 2 cases can be prevented ..... it really is in your own hands.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/preventing-type-2-diabetes is an interesting site to explore.
Suffice to say 90% of Type 2 Diabetics are overweight - so that has got to be your first port of call: release, say adios to the excess pounds. Following the recent Weight class that Kim and I did, my blogs for a while will have a definite bias towards 'weight adjustment'. So if you haven't already, join my website newsletter so you don't miss out.
Diabetes: the word is derived from Greek for 'to pass through/to siphon' and Melitus the Latin for honey/sweet.
So we have the Pancreas and it's secreted Insulin on one hand and sugar that needs to be processed on the other.
Two things can go wrong:
the Pancreas does not make enough Insulin - this is Type 1
the Pancreas makes enough but the body becomes resistant to Insulin's effects - Type 2
The body then tries to eliminate the excess sugar in the blood through the kidneys and urine (it will be 'sweet'). So immediately we can see that the symptoms of excessive urination and tiredness make sense. (compromised Kidney energy normally manifests in tiredness, if not exhaustion).
So in my mind: Insulin is the 'bridge' that Glucose can use to fuel a cell. If there is any problem with that 'bridge' then glucose can't get into the cells efficiently and builds up in the blood causing damage to the vessels themselves, eyes, kidneys, heart. It can hinder circulation and increase the risk of stroke.
I'm not a doctor, so this is a highly simplified version and of course there are myriad nuances. But it creates a vision for me, of why healthy Blood Sugar Level (BSL) is so crucial to maintain.
Another 'bridge blocker' is a direct result of 'obesity'/what you eat. If your diet and lifestyle choices are not good for you, fat can accumulate in the muscles and Liver (I think of it as a 'toxic plaque') and this in turn interferes with the action of insulin. Doesn't matter how much you produce, it just won't be efficiently utilised.
HOWEVER, the good news is that you cause it = you can prevent it and sometimes even cure it! Just start making the right diet and lifestyle choices, an overhaul of both can reap immediate rewards, it may literally change your life.
Your bridge may still be intact but perhaps, it needs a bit of attention and support to make it truly strong and functional again. It's in YOUR hands, are you ready to take responsibility? do it now while you still have a choice. You are investing in your future.
DIET WISE:
Lower your intake of 'bad' fat and you'll lower your insulin resistance = everything will function more efficiently.
Be sensible with the obvious sugars, refined foods, in fact anything white and chemically rich.
Foods and saturated fats such as meat and dairy (did you know that cheese actually is as addictive as heroin! well not quite but it can make you cheese-holic, so that's a tall order, but try, I am).
Mono-unsaturated fats like olives, flax seed oil (can help regulate insulin), nuts and avocados can be more easily processed by the body.
Emerging studies are suggesting that a PLANT BASED DIET can be of great use in clearing excess glucose in the blood. It can literally reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by as much as 50%.
Start reading labels, you'll be amazed to see that sugar is often in the first three ingredients for foods you'd never dream contained sugar!
Start thinking about where your foods come from. Try and go for the best 'organic' quality you can afford or find.
Particularly polluted are chickens and some fish.
It's getting harder to eat healthily BUT if you get wise and creative, you find your way through the confusing labyrinth of research reports, marketing, PR and advertising.
You move from doubt to clarity.
I'm not here to make a judgement on the veggie/vegan question. We make our own choices, just make sure it's an informed choice. I do personally eat occasional meat when:
I go for a meal that someone has prepared for me, often with great attention and thought. If it's meat, I just bless it in my mind and eat it, confident that my body is strong enough to metabolise that meal with ease. I don't stress about it. If you do stress, you immediately activate the Triple Warmer meridian which in turn decreases the Spleen's ability to process the food. So eat with a smile.
When I know the source, it's local, healthy and organic and I feel my body needs it.
Here is a sensible site for nutritional advice. https://nutritionfacts.org/
Do it in your own time and in your own way.
It HAS to suit you and your lifestyle.
MOVE YOUR BODY: inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle will contribute to a blocked bridge. The very best is a 20 minute brisk walk daily. I'll be posting a number of blogs throughout the year on different ways to move the body.
RELEASE ANY EXCESS POUNDS: it's not just about aesthetics anymore, it's about health and enjoyment in your life, whatever your age. Those bloated fat cells are full of toxins and will clog up your bridge. Pay particular attention to this if you are an 'apple' shape - we need to reduce belly fat.
I read somewhere that your waist measurement should be half or less of your height. If it's more, start paying attention.
STRESS: we'll look at this in another blog but obviously stress/adrenals /cortisol etc., play a part in this.
ENERGETICALLY: Obviously we would work Spleen and Pancreas by tracing/flushing the meridian (I like flushing because of the blocked bridge visual in my head) -
Source Points (work Liver 3 Source Point too on the top of the foot) - hold and then massage on both feet (at the same time). About a minute each.
Spleen Neurolymphatic Reflex Point - tap it!
I always favour the Spleen 3 point acupressure holding technique with the idea of clearing out that old plaque and bringing in and stabilising new energies in the organ.
CLEAR out that old energy by holding Spleen 5 on the medial foot and Lung 8 on the wrist. diagrams below
BRING IN fresh new energy by holding - see on my Spleen Video above
STABILISE the change by holding - see on my Spleen Video above
Hold points until you feel a pulse under your fingertips - continue for 30 seconds or so to consolidate the flow of energy into the points.
Support with the Extraordinary Vessel called Bridge Flow. Diagram below.
THE BRIDGE FLOW
The front part of the flow is Yin. The back is Yang
This flow is the true communicator of the entire system – it literally bridges systems, people, worlds, emotions, healings, Yin Yang – anything and everything and in my opinion it helps the bridge that you are trying to keep clear.
It connects the sides of the body
It connects the front and back [yin and yang] of the body
It enhances polarities
It heightens intuition
It improves communications with others
It always works for the ‘highest good’
It enables ‘stuck’ energy to move
It helps you regain your ‘get up and go’
It’s the bridge between stored energy and the areas that need nourishment
An important bridge in the body is that of the nerve synapses so anything to do with the brain and nervous system will benefit from working Bridge Flow.
Rub your hands together to clean them of any old stale energy and then trace the Yin flow ...
· Start at the back of the head on the base of the skull on the occipital bone
· Trace up over the head to the inner edges of the eyebrows – pause slightly
· Down over Bladder one on the inner edge of the eyes themselves
· Down either side of the bridge of the nose
· Down to the cheekbone – the middle of the plump bit that is formed when you smile
· Down to the jawline
· Cross over the throat to K27 – the points located in the right angle between the collar bone and the breast bone
· Buzz K27 for a couple of seconds
· Move down to the bottom of the sternum [breastbone] and from that point ..
· Trace a huge heart over your torso x 3
· After the 3rd heart trace down the front of the legs
· Shift your weight slightly to the outside of your feet so that you can ..
· Wrap your fingers underneath your feet [soles] and stretch arms, feel the stretch in your back.
Tracing the Yang flow on your back is virtually impossible even if you are an Olympic gymnast! (Actually, talking about athletes, because of its association with the heel, it is said to improve the performance of runners. Another name for the flow is WALKER Vessel) So, use your imagination: put your hand out in front of you, either one will do. Fingers form a triad, [thumb, index and middle finger bunch together] close your eyes and trace horizontal Figure 8’s in front of your fact – imagine they are actually moving down your back from head to foot and back up to the head. Titanya Dahlin (EEM) devised a nifty way: trace the 8s in front of your, turn around and back into them, go through the energetic imprint.
Other meridians to explore and balance are Liver (on the control cycle of Spleen and is the diagram on the left) and Stomach (the Yang partner to Yin Spleen sitting in Earth Element - see diagram on the right.
Start off by just tracing them. The Spleen starts at the big toe on the inside and moves UP the body (as do all Yin pathways) and Stomach starts just below the eye and ends on the second toe, so it travels DOWN the body.
SP 4 – ST 40 This is probably one my favourite pair! ST 40 is great to balance blood sugar assisting SP function to transform and transport food, SP 4 calms the mind (due to its connection to the Chong Vessel & Blood). Hold and massage them together (on both sides of the body).
In addition, the Spleen 21 point is the Major LUO point to optimise the Spleen Stomach relationship and it also influences the blood vessels of the entire body,
Be aware of the 'politics of information' and always take what you read on the Internet and see on You Tube with a 'pinch of salt' but if only half of what is said about processed meat, dairy, sugars etc., is true - well, you'll want to give up.
WARNING - don't watch any of these three films unless you are seriously considering changing your eating habits! They can be disturbing. But if you ARE serious, they'll motivate you.
At the end of the day EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR DIET TO FIND ONE THAT SUITS YOU AND YOUR UNIQUE BODY CHEMISTRY. The ideal is to master the art of self testing your foods (see my free self testing instruction booklet at the front of my website).
There is no need to get obsessive,
but there is a need to get wise!
I have already written a blog on quitting sugar (you'll find it on my website) and the role of your new best friend, Chromium Picolinate, as an aid to get your blood sugar levels under control. It also can help in bringing your appetite into the realms of normality - relevant at this time of year when we are full of good intentions for the year ahead. This essential mineral can become deficient as a result of stress, ageing or poor diet.
Energy test to see if it suits your body chemistry and what dose is beneficial to you (RDA is 200mcg and if you are in any doubt, seek advice of a nutritionist. In the meantime, here is what Patrick Holford[1] I studied with him way back in the 80's he was then, and still is, a nutritional pioneer. He says:
If there was undeniable proof that a nutrient reduced hunger, cut cravings for sugar, helped you lose weight, prevented and reversed diabetes and improved your mood, with no possible toxicity, would you take it? Well there is and that nutrient is the mineral chromium.
Chromium works by improving sensitivity to insulin, which in turn reduces appetite, energy dips and sugar and fat cravings, thereby helping weight loss. That’s the conclusion of a recent study published in the journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics.
Insulin resistance is thought to affect one in four non-obese people in Britain, and the vast majority of overweight people. But chromium has been found to be so effective at improving insulin sensitivity that it’s given to diabetics, with amazing results – in some studies it has even reversed diabetes.
I recommend taking chromium in the morning and at lunch, as it can be over-stimulating if taken in the evening.
There is some debate about the best form of chromium. Both chromium picolinate and chromium polynicotinate (which contains vitamin B3 as this works in synergy with chromium) appear to be effective and better than chromium chloride, used in some cheaper supplements.
So, the proof IS out there – the question is why isn’t everybody taking it?