Don’t worry, be happy.

How to soothe your nervous system:

• Take a cold shower or plunge
• Splash cold water on face & neck
• Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug
• Restore the microbe of the gut
• Relax jaw tension
• Meditate on loving kindness
• Positive Social Connect
  

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Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The word “vagus” translates to “wandering” in Latin, and the vagus nerve certainly does that. As the longest and most complex of all the cranial nerves, it starts at the stem of the brain, behind the ears before it meanders down the sides of the neck, through the chest, and eventually ends in the abdomen linking the brain to the heart, lungs, throat, and gut.

When we are in parasympathetic dominance we are able to rest and digest, rest and heal.

Vagus Nerve Connects the Brain and Gut

The vegas nerve is the sensory network that informs the brain of what’s going on in our organs, most specially the digestive tract (stomach and intestines), lungs and heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.

People with good vagal tone can relax faster after a stress and are more capable of regulating blood glucose levels, reducing chances of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Poor vagal tone, however, is associated with chronic inflammation and basket load of subsequent health issues. Recent research presented by the European League Against Rheumatism indicate that vagus nerve stimulation significantly reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Significant and important research has been making the news about a microbiota-gut-brain axis. Read up on this fascinating subject here. Also this article discusses the science behind gut microbiota, brain function and stress related disorders.

Relevant to Earth element health, I’ve collected these research links for you:

• Vagal mechanisms as neuromodulatory targets for the treatment of metabolic disease.
• Impact of blood glucose control on sympathetic and vagus nerve functional status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Vagal afferents contribute to sympathoexcitation–driven metabolic dysfunctions.
• Role of the vagus nerve in the development and treatment of diet-induced diabetes.

Love Heals. Period.

In Memoriam

In a recent post about Fire pericardium, I introducted you to Dr. Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc.  Rachel passed from this world into the light on the autumn equinox. Her body was diseased with cancer. I’ve included the last message she sent out to her community/tribe below. Rachel was a wayshower of how to reflect and transmute beauty in any situation; she was a beacon of light, a gatherer of women to heal together.

I was recently gifted a very special Love Qigong from my dear colleague Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc, when we gathered in Hara Mara, Mexico this past February during my first ever women’s retreat. It was a magical jungle meeting ocean, organic, fresh eats from the sea fest ~ full of love, support, opening, ritual, sunsets, qigong and play!  I encourage you to visit her site, explore her story of Love Heals. Period., and be inspired by her love notes and medicine. I will be offering her heart focused sequence, which acknowledges the directions and activates our chakras in a form filled with her deep connections and love of dance. Dr. Rachel Eppinga’s Love Qigong sequence, which she blessed for me to teach to our community, is briefly shown in the film clip linked below. This heart opening move is repeated throughout a sequence that honors direction, energy, ourselves, and each other.

VIDEO LINK

Dr. Rachel Eppinga is Board Certified in the state of Oregon. She attended the National University of Natural Medicine to acquire her Doctorate in Naturopathy and Masters of Science in Classical Chinese Medicine. She holds a B.S. in mathematics and physics from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. Her list of certifications and continuing education is long.

As a Naturopathic Physician, Acupuncturist, Integrative Life and Wellness Coach, Intuitive and an individual who lives her teachings; her unique approach offers new perspectives of wellness through the ancient teachings that remind us that our bodies are sacred and deserve our attention and appreciation. She believes by prioritizing our own health and self care, we contribute to the healing of our communities and the planet.

Earth is a grounding force during this time of transition between the seasons. After all of the activity of spring and summer, the Earth element helps us to get centered and balanced during late summer as we prepare for the autumn harvest and for winter, the season of rest and restore.

Nature moves from the joy and blossoming of Summer to the harvest and returnings of Late Summer.  As the days grow shorter, the temperatures begin to decrease. Earth transforms into Metal as the Season of Autumn arrives with downward momentum of the generative cycles of the seasons.

The Chinese associate the concept of “decrease” with late summer while simultaneously referring to it as the period of abundance ~ both are true as the complexity of truth often is. Physically and spiritually, this period of late summer is a time for slowing down and gathering. It is a time when we realize and harvest the fruits of our labor. In our spiritual lives, the Earth element allows us to internalize and learn to nourish and care for ourselves, slowing down toward the decline of fall and pause of winter.

Tips for living in harmony with the late summer EARTH season

• • Practice gratitude for the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Autumn is the season of harvest, when we reap what we planted in the spring and what bears fruit from our perennial crops. It is the time to gather nature’s bounty from our gardens. We eat with gratitude and preserve nourishment for the coming winter months. Here at the AOW, the green kiwis are building their sugar content for picking, and the persimmons are also ripening with their blush of orange. Stay tuned for information about U-pick opportunities coming up at AOW.
    
    

    Persimmons are ripening at AOW.

  • Be thoughtful of how you can nourish ourselves and others. In this bountiful, harvest season, be sure to enjoy the benefits of giving. It doesn’t have to be a  great or elaborate gift or act. A simple gesture, kind deed, or word of encouragement given today is beyond measure to someone in need.

• • Be aware of your life’s harvest. Think about yourself, your relationships, and your work, you legacy. What parts of your life are yielding fruit? Where is the harvest poor and stunted? What is  rich in harvest? A positive affirmation for transition: Don’t Worry. Be Happy. When feeling filled with worry and self doubt, remember that this too can pass along with the season. If not, it is an opportunity to concentrate self-care toward your Earth element!
  • Consider what you need to “let go” during the coming autumn season. It is the time to reflect on the past year and critically examine what in our lives we choose to nourish, and those habits and behaviors that are negative or destructive, which we should want to eliminate. Release old resentments or hurts.  Practice letting go of the old so that the new can be born. Start anew.
  • Go Unprocessed October.  For several years now, I’ve taken the ‘pledge’ to eat only unprocessed foods during the month of October.  It helps me bypass the slippery sugary slope of Halloween to Christmas treats and affirms my commitment to a  lifestyle of real food.  Join me this year in a community of tips, recipes, kitchen hacks, support, and inspiration. Click here to learn more and scroll to take the pledge of a month of unprocessed foods!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is the season of the Metal element. Metal represents our core issues, the most basic parts of ourselves. The energy connected with Metal is attracted to beauty and symmetry. The emotion connected with Metal is grief and sadness as well as courage and catharsis. Themes of Metal include:  boundaries, integrity, persistence, judgment, competition, transmutation, value, patriarchy, the divine masculine and our spiritual connect to heaven. In autumn, we say goodbye to the abundance of summer and prepare for the winter. Metal connects us with the ability to let go of the past and allow space for the new.

Let go of stress by shaking it out!

Release tensions and revive yourself naturally. The simple movement of shaking is a powerful and effective qigong technique. Qigong shaking cleans and clears blockages. You’ll feel relaxed and energized with just one session of shaking.

What is Qigong? (pronounced Chee-Gung)

Qigong opens the flow of energy in the acupuncture meridians.

Qigong is a mind-body-spirit practice that combines posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intent. Qigong opens the flow of energy in the acupuncture meridians. Qigong movements condition tendons, ligaments, and muscles; tone our vital organs and connective tissues; and promote circulation of body fluids. Numerous studies show that qigong is effective in helping to heal health issues ranging from high blood pressure and chronic illness to emotional conditions, mental stress, and spiritual unrest.

Qigong is considered an ‘internal’ tai chi.  Meaning, that the focus is on balancing the internal meridian, organs, and body systems. There is evidence for acute physiological and psychological effects of qigong exercise in older practitioners.

Qigong Shaking Introduction:

Set up in Universal Stance: Place feet hip distance apart with toes pointing slightly inwards, in partial universal or horse stance, weight slightly on the outside of the foot. Check posture: tail bone slightly tucked, chin slightly tucked, knees bent like riding a horses, feet parallel, arms hanging . Relax.

Shake body, relax and shake. Shake open the pores of the skin, Shake into the tendons, into the muscle layer, then the tendons and ligaments, connective tissue, deep into the organs, the bones, and the nervous system. You can use the sounds of the elements, the organs, color. 

Notice the body and any blockages.  Shake into them. Start with three minutes building up to five minutes.Become aware of your breath as you shake shake. Sound/vocalization helps release tensions and blockages. Continue shaking also lifting and dropping on your heels. Now continue shaking.  Shake into your skin, your muscles, your bones, your organs. Shake free form, what into what ever feels stuck or tense. Shake like no one is watching!

Feel your body, feel the dynamism within. Settle into yourself, the space around you.  Feel your breath.  Find your universal self, stance (above) then let your arms float up, elbows bent slightly, arms relaxed, with a small weighted string pulling your elbows ever so slightly downward, hands in front, gathering the light energy in front of you, recognizing the the source of it all ~ the  universe within.  Feel beyond your skin, into the space outside yourself. Listen to the sounds around you. Feel the boundries, the edges and the boundlessness and the lack of edges. Notice your aliveness.

Notice the parts of your body that are tense or inflammed and shake it out. Be mindful of your body and focus on the areas in need of attention and stress release. Have fun with it and your body will thank you!

Here’s a video with a quick and easy shaking demonstration that I think you will enjoy! I am inspired and feel the need to get to video-ing for y’all!

http://www.naturehealth.com.au/what-is-qi-gong/tiandi-qigong-basic-routine/qigong-shaking/

Qigong Earth Sequence; Heaven & Earth Rotation

You can continue to cultivate wellness during this Earth season by practicing exercises for healing the spleen with Qigong support. Stand with your feet touching the earth (or visualize this if indoors) in the universal stance, emulating a horse riding posture, with a relaxed yet dignified upright spine. Wake up the meridian and organ networks with three to five minutes of qigong shaking then relax and feel the energy of the earth support and heavenly flow within your body. Wake the organ spleen by tapping and repeating eight times the sound of the spleen: whooooo  (like the wise owl calling to us). Open the gates of heaven (top of head ~ meeting of ten thousand things) and earth (bottom of feet ~ bubbling spring) again.  Pivot from the lower back with smooth and continuous action. The left palm, facing earth, pushes downward while the right palm, faces heaven, pulls upward.  At the end of the pivot, alternate hand positions.  Repeat 40 times while imagining healing, golden light internally healing and balancing your spleen, stomach and pancreas.

Group Qigong Session at AOW

More on letting go of stress and anxiety for the Return of Earth!

Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The word “vagus” translates to “wandering” in Latin, and the vagus nerve certainly does that. As the longest and most complex of all the cranial nerves, it starts at the stem of the brain, behind the ears before it meanders down the sides of the neck, through the chest, and eventually ends in the abdomen linking the brain to the heart, lungs, throat, and gut.

Vagus Nerve Connects the Brain and Gut

This nerve is the sensory network that informs the brain of what’s going on in our organs, most specially the digestive tract (stomach and intestines), lungs and heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys. 

Significant and important research has been making the news about a microbiota-gut-brain axis. Read up on this fascinating subject here. Also this article discusses the science behind gut microbiota, brain function and stress related disorders.

People with good vagal tone can relax faster after a stress and are more capable of regulating blood glucose levels, reducing chances of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Poor vagal tone, however, is associated with chronic inflammation and basket load of subsequent health issues. Recent research presented by the European League Against Rheumatism indicate that vagus nerve stimulation significantly reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Relevant to Earth element health, I’ve collected these research links for you:

• Vagal mechanisms as neuromodulatory targets for the treatment of metabolic disease.
• Impact of blood glucose control on sympathetic and vagus nerve functional status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Vagal afferents contribute to sympathoexcitation–driven metabolic dysfunctions.
• Role of the vagus nerve in the development and treatment of diet-induced diabetes.

How to practically soothe your nervous system:

• Take a cold shower or plunge
• Splash cold water on face & neck
• Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug
• Restore the microbe of the gut
• Relax jaw tension
• Meditate on loving kindness
• Positive Social Connect

HEALING SOUNDS FOR THE EARTH ELEMENT

The healing sounds are one of the most effective medical qigong practices. They clear heat and toxins, cool the body, release unfavorable energy and emotional qi, and build the connection to the natural virtue of the shen…The healing sounds are a powerful emotional transforming qi gong.

Click here for a discussion of the Six Healing Sounds: Chinese Mantras for Healing the Body, Mind, and Soul.

Sound is such a powerful way to heal!  Find a routine which invites healing vibration and sound into your world.  What would it be like to play background sound as you get ready for work in the mornings or when you are preparing dinner?  Maybe to celebrate the weekend upon waking? Seriously y’all let’s find a bit more play in our routines!

IN CASE YOU MISSED LAST WEEK’S POST (SOUNDS OF EARTH FROM SPACE)  AND BECAUSE WE LOVE IT SO MUCH, CLICK HERE! 

Shanren kan wo xinshi?  Wo xin shi!

Do I posses the earth attributes of integrity and deep trust?  Yes I do!

THE SEPARATOR OF PURE FROM IMPURE

            As most of the planet is enduring and even setting heat records during the peak of the fiery summer season, in the Southern U.S., we are experiencing an unseasonably cool period this week.  Here we continue with our seasonal theme of the fire element and the elemental organ system. The element of fire embodies the bright, light, energetic essence of yang. However, fire without the grounding influence of Earth easily flares out of control.  The 2nd century dictionary Shuowen jiezi defines the heart as an Earth element, predating the concept of Heart as Fire in the modern Five Element construct.  Anxiety, from the perspective of heart, is most effectively remedied with a counterbalance of downward energy and therapy to settle, calm, stabilize and return to its original nature of yin. Think ‘talking some one down off the cliff’, down time’, and even coming back ‘down to earth’.  The earth provides a multiplicity of glorious medicines for supporting our hearts like

HIBISCUS AND HAWTHORN

Click the link above to learn how modern research supports the use of these traditional plants in cardiovascular health by Dr Tori Hudson, ND

Take a couple of minutes and watch this video from Bennett Nurseries in Huntsville, Alabama about growing native hibiscus in Alabama! 

At Alberta Orchard Wellness, we have successfully grown Red Thai Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa)  last summer and Gongura (Hibiscus cannabinus) this summer in our hugelkulture mound. Both are edible and showy plants, requiring little water. From our gardens, we save and replant their seeds yearly as these Hibiscus varieties are annuals in our climate . These flowers may look familiar to you as they are in the mallow (Malvaceae) family, like okra and cotton, and thrive in similar climates. So if you already grow okra, also plant Hibiscus next time!

Supplemental HAWTHORNE is available online at fullscript, our electronic pharmacy, that delivers professional grade supplements directly to your doors (free shipping $50+). It just takes just a minute to create a new account or log into your existing account:

My favorite Hawthorne supplement is Wise Woman’s solid extract 

Small Intestine Meridian

The small intestine meridian is the yang meridian paired with the heart yin meridian.  Like the heart, the small intestine is also associated with the emotions of joy or agitation. The heart is responsible for almost all mental functions, including emotions, thoughts, consciousness, and sleep patterns. These mental and emotional activities rely on our ability to make sound judgments, which is controlled by the small intestine. The small intestine is where most of the physical nutrition of our food gets absorbed into our body.  Likewise, the small intestine asks you to be aware of what is surrounding you. What you are absorbing? What company do you keep? What nourishes you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?

Much like references to the heart as an emotional organ, the small intestines are also referenced similarly, such as the common expressions of “having a gut feeling” or “butterflies in the stomach”, which indicate a mental and emotional connection.

The Small Intestine Meridian starts from the tip of the little finger and crosses the wrist. It runs up along the back side of the forearm up to the back of shoulder, traversing our “wings” or scapula then crossing the neck and cheek as it reaches the outer corner of the eye, finally ending at the ear.

Image Sourced from Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation

Examples of acupuncture/acupressure for the small intestine include:

SI17 – Tianrong – Tinnitus, deafness, sore throat, swelling and pain of the neck

SI16 – Sore throat, sudden loss of voice, pain and stiffness of the neck, tinnitus, deafness

SI15 – Jianzhongshu – Cough, asthma, shoulder and back pain

SI13 – Quyuan – Shoulder and scapular pain

SI12 – Bingfeng – Shoulder and scapular pain as well as aching and numbness in the upper extremities

Separator of the Pure from the Impure

As the small intestine is responsible for separating clear from turbid on a physiological level, it also governs the mental ability to separate what is right and wrong on a mental level.  Physiologically speaking, the small intestine

• Receives bile from the gallbladder, fluid from the pancreas which includes enzymes and enzyme precursors: anylase, nucleases and enzyme precursors, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen
• Breaks down and digests carbohydrates and proteins
• Converts fats to fatty acids
• Orders secretions from gall bladder and pancreas
• Kills microbes via lymph follicles
• Absorbs nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and water
• Moves digested food by peristalsis obtaining rhythm commands from the migrating motor complex and mediated by the Vegas nerve during parasympathy (rest and digest)

The small intestine sorts the pure from the impure

When the small intestine is injured with food poisonings or is compromised with low acid,  pharmaceutical acid blockers, weak sphincters, or chronic constipation, parasites may set up housekeeping and we become sick (SIBO). In other instances, the small intestine loses its ability to absorb when the microvilli fingers are flattened as in celiac disease.  Damage or decreased tone of the vagal nerve intervention of the small intestine can manifest as depression, PTSD (gut-brain axis mechanism), as well as inflammatory bowel disease. Hyper reactivity, increased histamine, and food allergies occur when intestinal permeability is present, increasing exposure and response to foreign particles during the digestion process. In my clinical practice, I find small intestine disease very often overlooked and under diagnosed as a culprit of digestive based physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.  So much so that I have categorized these as “mystery diseases” ~ patients still suffer after having been to loads of doctors and yet received no definitive diagnosis or successful treatments.

Ayurveda – Digestive Fire

In Ayurveda, the small intestine and stomach are ruled by the fire element ~ Pitta and is also known as the body’s digestive fire.  While it is the most well known ‘agni’, the digestive agni is just one of the 40 subtypes.  Angi is the divine intelligence present in each and every cell, every process in the body. Agni is any activity involving heat, light, transformation, transmutation, or conversion. Agni is the creative flame of intelligence. Agni is the spark of life, the sparkle in the eye, the light of the heart. The body’s ability to transform external items into fuel, energy and vitality depends on the health and balance of the digestive fire as it physically transforms the food into energy and power.

Keys to keeping your digestive fire healthy:

• Eat moderate amounts based on your constitution, mindfully
• Eat routinely with 90-240 minutes between meals to allow a complete cycle of the migrating motor complex 
• Eat fruit away from other foods
• Avoid cold drinks and minime water with meals to allow for best concentration of digestive enzymes and fluids
• Drink warm herbal teas like ginger, chamomile, peppermint, fennel tea to support digestion
• Eat in a relaxed state 
• Use digestive spices in cooking:  ginger, cardamom, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, turmeric and black pepper.
• Eat like a queen/king for breakfast, a prince/princess for lunch, and a pauper for dinner

Nauli Kriya – fire washing the intestines is an incredibly powerful practice to strengthen the digestive fire and release toxins and negative patterning to encourage unrestricted, natural movement of the internal organs. These videos break the exercise into basic steps that can be developed over time. Note:  not for use during pregnancy, with hernias or intestinal ulcers due to increased abdominal pressure. I have linked both a female and male example of the practice with slight variations that may work for you:

youtube.com/watch?v=wYYGj544mPEhow-to-do-nauli-kriya

youtube.com/watch?v=wYYGj544mPE

Three Levels of Sorting

The small intestine sorts on three levels: physically, mentally, and spiritually; 1) physically, it draws out the nutrients from the food we eat by separating the pure from the impure; 2) it mentally sorts the constant bombardment of our modern environment by eliminating aspects of life such as crime, violence, hatred, and aggression that cause our minds to be impure with negativity; 3) on a spiritual level, our small intestine sorts the deep and dark elements of life that overwhelm the essence of love and joy. The small intestine has the power to separate the goodness from the evil and nasty aspects of life.

FIRE OF THE HEART HEATS UP THE SMALL INTESTINES!

The Small Intestine is indirectly affected by emotions such as anger that causes Qi to stagnate. The fire of the heart heats up the small intestine and signs of excess heat in the small intestine include:

   Abdominal pain

   Small Intestine heat

   Tongue ulcers

   Scanty, dark, painful, or bloody urination

   Heated fluids

   Insomnia, mental restlessness, throat pain, thirst

   Sudden hearing loss

   Red tongue with a swollen red tip and a yellow coat

   Rapid pulse

SMALL INTESTINE DEFICIENCY AND COLD

   Abdominal Pain, relieved by warm and pressure

   Cold obstructing intestines

   Diarrhea

   Weak spleen yang

   Pale and scant urination

   Desire for warm liquids

   Pale tongue with a white coat

   Deep, slow, and weak pulse

SUPPORT YOUR Small Intestine BY TRYING BONE BROTH

Follow this link to a delicious bone broth recipe by Dr Allison Siebecker, ND

for her full text article about bone broth click here

Rich in nutrients, bone broth contains protein, cartilage (remove before cooking if SIBO), calcium and minerals. Our bodies easily digest bone broth, its yummy, and brings a calming and restorative energy to our homes and minds all while repairing our gut lining.

Try bone broth to support the small intestine