Thursday, March 17, 2011

Maintenance or Major Repair

When it comes to maintaining your physical body, most individuals take less thought than we do in maintaining our autos or homes. Yet, no vehicle or possession in life is even close to the importance of a healthy body. We can buy a new car, truck or home; but we only receive one body to transport us through this life.



Often we have checklists for vehicle maintenance and reminders to change the oil, replace the oil, air and fuel filters, rotate the tires, lubricate the chassis, etc. We clean, wax, polish and baby this important means of transportation. Many wise individuals have checklists for home maintenance. They remind us to change heat and a/c filters, clean gutters, seal windows, spring cleaning and fall winterizing. I also have a checklist for my RV to check each time we prepare it for a trip and then again to prepare it for months of storage.

DO YOU HAVE A CHECKLIST FOR YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH MAINTENANCE?

Many take little thought for regular maintenance of our bodies. We drive them, push them, punish them, taking little thought of the magnificent vehicle we have been given to transport us through this life. Many abuse their bodies with drugs, alcohol, huge amounts of refined sugars, processed and packaged foods. It's like putting mud and dirt in your gas tanks!!

Many overload our bodies with excess weight, huge amounts of fat that our bodies were never designed to carry! There are weigh stations for trucks on our roadways because over-loading our vehicles causes tires to blow, an inability to brake in a reasonable distance causing accidents, etc. As vehicles have weight restrictions to function successfully, so our bodies have weight restrictions to function successfully. The number one preventable cause of death in America to day is obesity! It contributes to heart disease, cancer and diabetes; the top three killers of americans today.

Have you considered lately how you are maintaining your physical health? A regular check up with a physician can tell you if you have any disease present, much like diagnostics on a vehicle will tell you if the systems are functioning correctly. Many never even consider their health until a major breakdown occurs!! Would you drive your vehicle all year and never change the oil, replace air, oil and fuel filters, etc.? You will first have a sluggish or poor performing vehicle, then total breakdown. The large repair bill, if it is even possible to repair, will be far greater than the time and investment would have been had you practiced proper maintenance! MAJOR REPAIRS!!

There are so many intricate systems in the human body that must function correctly for us to maintain optimal health, but there are a few simple, regular maintenance steps that can be followed and are invaluable to optimal health!

It is interesting to note that sometimes we become so focused on the outward appearance that we neglect the inner support system that is so necessary, much like washing, waxing and polishing while never changing the oil!! Many of us workout to develop our muscles, sculpt and tone our bodies. Many go further and focus on clean, healthy eating and fueling our bodies correctly. Beyond that some focus on removing the excess load of fat and maintaining a proper weight. All of this is so important for optimal health! We also cleanse, nourish and hydrate our skin and keep the exterior layer looking very appealing

FUEL AND FILTER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

The critical area of maintenance for our autos is the fuel and filtering system. By changing oil and keeping the air, fuel and oil clean with new filters, we protect the engine and moving parts that power and drive our vehicles. In our bodies, the fuel and filtering systems are critical to a smoothly functioning machine. The fuel and filter system in the body that supports everything else is the digestive system from mouth to colon and the liver and kidneys.

According to Dr. Bruce West "most disease is linked to a toxic liver or poorly functioning digestive tract". The liver does hundreds of functions in our body to remove toxins and keep our systems operating at optimal levels. Dr. West in Health Alerts, says "the liver is designed to detoxify and cleanse itself, but i can be overwhelmed and kept from performing its own self-detoxifying procedures. Additionally, your liver needs certain foods to perform this minor miracle. These foods are not the ones most people eat".

Periodic fasting, practiced since ancient times, and eating cleansing foods like; onions, garlic, beets, red peppers, asparagus and cruciferous veggies like cabbage, broccoli, brussel spouts and kale help support the livers function and detoxifying work. Eat as much raw or lightly cooked veggies. Waterless at very low heat is best for cooking veggies and maintaining the nutrition. Living foods, not cooked, processed and packaged foods that destroy nutrition. Enjoy couple of servings of fish (salmon, tuna, etc.) per week and minimal animal protein, avoiding as much as possible foods and meats that are not organic. According to The China Study, by T Colin Campbell, the most comprehensive study ever conducted on nutrition, a diet emphasizing this type of diet is best for long term optimal health and gives the best chance of protection from heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

We personally follow Dr. Bruce West's protocol outlined in his Health Alerts periodical on the subject of "Indigestion - The Secret Link to Disease". We have found it to be very cleansing and healing. Regular fasting is also an important cleansing practice for long term maintenance of your bodies fuel and filtering system. There are many types and durations of fasts. We will share more with you in upcoming blog posts! Take time today to schedule your next oil, filter and lube job for your body. As I have said many times in this blog. What we share is our own personal journey of optimal health and is not to be considered medical advice or to replace the counsel or advice of your physician.