The layers of a physical issue

The body talks. When emotions and trauma are not acknowledged, processed and released in a healthy way, they manifest as pain and or disease. The body expresses stored stress (anger, fear, frustration), our control issues and our grief and sadness. This may take the form of an illness, an injury or a skeletal imbalance. When a kinesiologist addresses the presenting complaint, all aspects are explored including the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. In this way, a complete picture is created in order to facilitate understanding.

Facilitated healing

Kinesiology is not a modality where the practitioner “fixes” the person. It is an empowering model where the client is allowed the space to explore all aspects of an issue in order to release and move through unresolved issues with greater understanding. This allows the person to evolve and move foreword, bringing not only physical relief and healing but also allowing space for more joy and more energy and motivation for goals and projects.

Tools used by a kinesiologist

Any of the following may be used in the exploration and or healing phase of a session:

• Counselling
• Chinese meridian system and 5 elements
• Chakra system
• Sound healing
• Nutritional and herbal medicines
• Flower essences

When the lymphatic system becomes congested, there is a build-up of waste products in the body which can result in illness, particularly colds and flus.

How a naturopath can help

Part of a naturopathic assessment is identifying diet and lifestyle factors that contribute to lymphatic congestion and providing suggested changes that work in with an individuals’ ability to alter behaviours.

There are also herbal medicines known as lymphatic or depurative herbs that help to clear waste in the lymphatic system.

• Storage of fat soluble vitamins and glycogen (glucose) for energy.
• Manufacturing of blood plasma proteins and cholesterol.
• Creation of vitamin D, hormones and bile for fat digestion.
• Elimination of internal and external waste products (which are then sent to the kidneys and intestines).

If you are a visual learner, this is a great video to watch. It only goes for a few minutes and will give you an idea as to why it is so important to support your liver in daily life and especially during periods where your body needs to eliminate more waste than usual (for eg after excess alcohol or junk food intake, illness or increased exposure to environmental toxins).

How to help your liver

1. Avoid or reduce alcohol intake.
2. Avoid or reduce white sugar and trans fats which burden the liver.
3. Avoid excess fruit juice, especially pulp-free. The liver doesn’t know what to do with concentrated fructose. When you consume a piece of fruit, the fructose is part of the whole and the body knows how to process and absorb what it needs and discard the rest.
4. Exercise regularly– at least 30 minutes per day including 5 sessions of increased heartrate – inducing sweat.
5. Drink filtered water.
6. Eat plenty of plants, (mostly cooked if you have digestive problems).
7. Avoid processed foods as much as possible.

How a naturopath can help

There are a number of wonderful herbal medicines that help the liver to function more efficiently. In turn, this increases the quality and quantity of bile which enables you to digest fats and assimilate fat soluble vitamins. It also allows the liver to more efficiently eliminate waste products.

There are also important nutrients required for the liver to function correctly. They include vitamin C, iron, B vitamins, magnesium, glutamine, alpha lipoic acid, to name a few. This emphasises the need for a well balanced diet and occasional supplementation during periods of increased load on the liver.

Signs that your liver may need assistance

·      Menstrual issues

·      Skin problems; acne, eczema, psoriasis, fungal
infections

·      Low morning appetite

·      Nausea

·      Gallstones

The body doesn’t ever want to be sick, in fact it is always trying to move toward balance. There are a number of systems in place that seek to achieve this; the elimination pathways of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and lymphatic systems work all day to clear waste products from external and internal sources. However today’s world increases the load on these pathways via environmental toxins from food, air and water as well as in increase in lifestyle stress. Health now is about mitigating these factors.

Naturopathy provides education and tools to the individual to identify the root cause of illness and support implementation of the fundamentals of health. In this way, chronic conditions as well as acute are well suited to naturopathic treatment.

In the image below, note the roots at the bottom of the tree which provide the foundation for health. This is what a naturopath will help a person work on in order to heal and to stay healthy.