What a strange question that is Rex?
Yes, I know and for most people reading that headline, most would say, “what a ridiculous idea!” Should you be attached to its ridiculousness; then I guess this is just a click away before you go to another page.
Anyhow for those who are curious and wondering what about my gut that I did not know that could be useful to know? Then you are into having some very interesting information that can make a major difference to your mental health, emotional wellbeing plus a major force if not the major power in optimizing your Immune system.
Interesting how in the last six months or so I have seen Vagus Nerve trending with major interest on the internet. Yes, this all connects with the gut and I will share my take about accessing that domain. When you activate your Vagus Nerve, you immediately activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers stress levels.
What many people don’t realize is that the gut has more hormones and neuroactive substances than anywhere else in the human body. These substances can create inhibitory actions or excitatory responses in the brain. Obviously, when there is inflammation in the gut, like irritated bowel syndrome this has a big impact on brain function and also mental stability.
The other buzzword that we are hearing more and more about is a key to our health is the microbiomes. Readers if you put that query on YouTube; you will discover that there are many experts sharing their experiences about it.
Rex, your approach has always been outside the box. Plus the people who have been your teachers or have inspired you have tended to be outside the box people.
Very true, blame that on both my parents. A mother who kept reminding me anytime the thirteenth of the month came around that number-13 is lucky. Whereas everyone in Trinidad was saying that is an unlucky number and should be avoided. Yet she constantly was lucky on Friday 13th of any month. Then a father who was constantly with the mantra “Rex, you believe that?” By the way, you can hear me chat about them in my audiobook Rex Lassalle & The Alchemy of TIME.
What is different with what you have to share Rex? I am not sure it is different; as I have not listened to everyone’s take about it, impossible to do that these days.
First point is food. We hear it all the time, “You are what you eat.” Food comes from the domain of the earth, yes, it can be from the sea but the sea is part of planet earth. The microbiomes are these critters from the earth, the good, the bad and the ugly. They occupy the entire length of your digestive; from your mouth to your anus.
We need to cultivate the good guys and they are many, which means their needs to be diversity in your selections of foods. Folks I am not going to get into promoting this and that diet, as there are endless approaches to eating habits. What is very clear though when we look back to ancient societies, whole grains were always part of their eating habits of these civilizations. The corn of the Americas, the brown rice of Asia, millet of Africa, quinoa and amaranth of South America, barley and einkorn in Europe. Whole grains have played their part in who we are and if even you have not eaten any. The ancestral cells of your gut memory will recognize them and it will not be too long, that they will contribute to a feel-good experience at mealtimes.
You will need a bit of patience, slowing your life down, this happens anyway when you have whole grains in your diet. You can’t eat them quickly; you have to chew them well which supports brain function. Moving those jaws do immediately link you to the core habits of being human. Your tongue and how you started to taste life. You did that from the breast milk of your mother, the sucking of your thumb at times even tasting the earth when you played in it. All these are core memories of being here and exploring life, immediately returning you to a curiosity about this thing called life. That was how you started to experience and taste what this thing call life is all about. To add some skilful approaches to cooking and the use of condiments can make those grains a feel-good factor in your life. Yes, those items from the earth need fire to be digested; cultivating habits that keep that warmth in your belly means what you eat will get digested. Common sense will tell you that it is better to have hot water or warm drinks at the start of a meal, which can be soup. Miso soup is an excellent item to have on a regular basis; it is a fermented product, which keeps the good microbiomes very happy with great smiles that will register on your face. That grin will dissolve and a warm smile will soon become present with soft eyes returning a joyful feeling to your being.
Yes, there are certain foods that really bring a lot of joy and excitement to those good critters. Inulin is a complex of sugar that is present in the roots of various plants; foods containing these create joyful times for the guts. For some initially, it can create some gas but as your body engages with this change, things will stabilize with your digestive system. By the way before I forget, great gut health will increase your energy levels plus it will bring new levels of motivation to your being.
What are these inulin rich foods?
They are onions, garlic, bananas, artichokes along with Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus and chicory.
My tip that can fast forward an upgrade of your good critters is to have a cup of chicory coffee daily as a warm drink. You will find that your nails get thicker and stronger; your eating habits will start changing. I am sharing this from my personal experience in the last 2 months plus sharing it with some friends and listening to their feedback.
I am not one who is looking for quick fixes with our bodies. My experience is that it takes time yet I was pleasantly surprised how this manifested in my body and I heard the same from certain friends who I have shared this. That is the good news about the microbiomes and how to look after them.
There is also some bad news that you need to know about.
- Antibiotics are really bad news for those critters and sometimes they are that badly damaged that your digestive system can become very compromised. If you have to take them, please look at approaches to restore them as much as you can and as soon as you can.
- Stress experiences do not create happy feelings with your critters. Managing those moments are very important in supporting your well-being. Otherwise, it can create a big dent that can impact your well-being at numerous levels. Your gut and central nervous system are in constant communication hence the havoc that stress can create on your system if it is not well managed.
What are your recovery approaches for those whose gut health has been dented? Before I answer that, let me expand your question as there is a key factor that is literally woven with poor gut health. Depressions, moodiness, lethargy with a feeling of being stuck in the mud, are all dysfunctions related to the gut.
GUT RESCUE PROTOCOL
- The Young Living Life 9 product in my experience is the best probiotic that is out there. Taking one capsule each evening before bedtime over a three month period will surely help your gut recovery.
- Avoid gluten products; this truly messes with gut health.
- Do a salt pack each night for ten nights straight, immediately after your antibiotic spell. In my book Spa Massage for Shoulders, Neck and Face, the instructions for doing it are on page 24. After that ten days intensive with it. You can do it a few times each week. Your intuition will start being amplified with this ritual.
- Start your day with a Miso soup every morning over that 3-month period.
- Take a daily walk of at least thirty minutes.
VAGUS NERVE RITUAL
You need to get a bottle of DIGIZE, this is a Young Living essential oil blend. This is what you do with it.
FIRST STEP.
When you open and that fragrance fills the air have a sense of sending thoughts of thanks of deep gratitude to the trees wherever they are in the world that went to create this blend of oils. In your imagination sense that wave, that quantum wave going back to those trees wherever they are in the world and that acknowledgement is now returning to you as you hold the bottle.
I hear you with your fix-it requests and that is why you have the problem; I am encouraging you to step away from that attitude and for you to cultivate a Relatedness to those trees and the spirit of those trees that are in that bottle of blended oils that you are holding. That relatedness would immediately expand your auric field.
STEP 2
With a touch of coconut oil or sesame oil or even olive oil, massage a bit around your navel for about a minute. You could rest the Digize bottle down near to you on a chair or table as you do this. Keeping the Digize close is important to keep that field of energy around you.
STEP 3
Turn the bottle of Digize onto your middle finger and massage it onto your navel onto the oil that you have on your navel, spend about a minute as you do this. Be gentle with yourself.
STEP 4
Hold the bottle of Digize in both hands as if you are holding it in a prayer position in a relaxed effortless manner. Now slowly smell the Digize with your left nostril then your right. Do this slowly with gentle soft breaths three times with each nostril.
STEP 5
Hold the bottle next to your navel region and again take 3 soft gentle breaths. If you can smell the fragrance fine, if you don’t no problem.
STEP 6
As you look straight ahead, allow yourself to be more present and aware of your peripheral vision. As that becomes present you would have activated your parasympathetic nervous system. Your stress levels would have dissolved and your Vagus nerve would be very happy, as would your microbiomes also.
This is an excellent ritual to create some spaciousness in your day and also to change your rhythm and to take you far away from your computer to another domain of experience. Yet your computer would be right there and in ten to fifteen minutes you would return to it with fresh uplifting energy and your gut will also express that joy in your life.
Enjoy.