The Speed of Life

In the course of my day to day interactions as a Nutritional Balancing practitioner and holistic chiropractor I have the good fortune to interact, work and communicate with people face to face on a regular basis. Within these conversations it has become very clear that while they may describe their problems in different ways, there is almost always a common thread. What I am hearing all too often, is that people feel that they are living their lives at an incredibly fast pace. Too many people feel that they are like the proverbial hamster on the exercise wheel.... going round and round wanting to get off but not knowing how! There truly is more to life than just increasing its speed. Perhaps we need to slow down. A lot. So the question we need to ask is what direction are we going....... faster or slower in 2011?

The consequences of "fast" living became clear to me some time ago and I'd like to point out some of them. The conclusion you ultimately come to is that regardless of HOW you choose to live "fast" the consequences are the same as they create STRESS. Physical, emotional and biochemical stress within the body.

Here is the nitty gritty about your stress physiology, and remember this is inclusive of all emotional, physical and biochemical stress. The medically accepted stress response includes the following INCREASED stress hormones, heart rate, blood vessel narrowing, blood pressure, blood sugar levels blood lipid (fat) levels, cholesterol levels (LDL) clotting factors, bone loss, protein breakdown of muscle and connective tissue, insulin resistance, feelings of stress, fear, anxiety and depression. It also includes a DECREASE in short term memory, ability to concentrate and learn new material, serotonin levels, cellular immunity and body building growth hormones.

Please be aware that this stress response in the body is a GOOD and ESSENTIAL thing. It is your body's way of helping you deal with the stressful environment you are putting yourself into by choosing to live "fast". If you could not produce these changes you could not deal with stress and you would die.

It is pretty clear however that we would not want these things happening in our body year in and year out and yet this is what is happening when we live "fast". The CAUSES of chronic degenerative disease are found within this framework. But let's stop and call a spade a spade. The dis-ease (stress) you might have is not the pathology! What is pathological is the lifestyle and NOT the body's response to it. Fix the lifestyle.

So what do we do? Do we simply drop off the grid, write off technology and go back to a hunter gatherer existence. No, this is not the answer. Technology is not the bad guy, it's how we choose to use it. The time it can free up must simply not be put back into trying to accomplish more. Also it is not realistic for everyone to suddenly quit their jobs (no matter how badly they might want to). What we need are some coping strategies. These are best used in conjunction with a longer term plan where you learn how to live slower and gradually implement these changes over months and years.

It is connection we crave and it is this very connection that is lost with speed. We need to learn how to live slow with respect to our family, town, community, food, job, money, travel etc. In the meantime here are my top 5 recommendations for how to cope and best deal with the stress response we bring on ourselves by our choice in lifestyle. All of these suggestions will calm your autonomic nervous system down and shift it from the sympathetic (breaking down part) to the parasympathetic (building up)

5. Exercise.

The key here is to use it to relax, not stimulate you. Mild exercise that is NOT done to exhaustion is the critical component. Another critical factor is to do your exercise in nature to reconnect.

4. Chiropractic.

Contrary to what you might think the neurology of chiropractic works to calm the nervous system and allow it to function without "electrical short circuits".

3. Nutritional Balancing.

This combines diet, supplements and lifestyle choices and is what I do. For example stress is better dealt with when your metabolism is functioning correctly. Depending on if you are fast or slow certain food choices become critical to help you deal with stress. The body's individual cells require the right amount and balance of nutrients as well. If you are low or OUT OF BALANCE in the sedative elements such as calcium, magnesium and zinc the sympathetic (tearing down) nervous system will dominate. It also helps people to deal with their adrenal health, sleep, diet and thoughts, all of which help with stress.

2. Meditate.

The benefits here are pretty clear and conclusive. If you are not currently meditating NOW is a good time to start.

1. Infra red Sauna.

That's right my number one recommendation is to use an infra-red sauna. The reason is that because it heats your body from the inside (penetrates) and since heat production done by you is sympathetic (tearing down) the net result is that your body will SHUT DOWN your sympathetic nervous system and allow the parasympathetics to dominate. Anyone who has used one will likely attest to how relaxed they felt after a session. In addition you will detox many toxic metals and chemicals, increase your circulation, potentially kill of latent infections, and speed up healing amongst many others. This combination is why it tops my list. For free build it yourself plans that anyone could build for under $300 please contact me.

For more information contact Dr. Todd Lizon.