Autumn 2021
Greetings from Faiz Healing!
Within the Phoenix Teachings Newsletter you will find our seasonal reflections and offerings for how to align with healthy choices and create support for self-care in the body, heart, and mind.
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General Health Update:
Considering the Acid/Alkaline Balance for Health
Science has revealed that the body’s pH differs for certain organ systems and is an important part of maintaining healthy organ function. This includes musculoskeletal, endocrine, immune, and neurologic systems. The digestive system is the primary path for nutrient break down and absorption. What we eat and how much we use and move our bodies directly affects detoxification and pH balance. The most important part of pH balance relates to lymphatic flow and elimination for detoxification. The more acidic the body is, the longer it takes to detoxify, causing harmful build-up of local inflammation from oxidative body processes. This may be due to poor diet, low or excessive exercise, poor organ function and disease, or become the underlying cause of disfunction and disease. When the body is able to fully purge digested foods and by-products of digestion and lymphatic movement from organ and muscle activity, the result is increased energy, better concentration and comprehension, stronger muscle tone activation and elasticity, and vital immune system defense or repair. Reducing acidity in the body has also been shown to help increase restorative sleep, activate natural endorphin responses, and improve hormone regulation.
How does the idea of balancing pH work? The body tends toward a slight acidity on the pH scale. How we treat our body through foods and exercise can shift one’s pH to higher or lower acidity. The body produces acids and alkaline excretions that serve to keep the organs and tissues functional and protected from harmful toxins or nutrient deficiency. The concept of eating alkaline foods and drinking alkalinized water are readily accepted in the healthcare field as direct factors in the outcomes of health for patients with a variety of health concerns. High Acid pH balance has been correlated to increased susceptibility for Diabetes, Metabolic Syndromes, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Anxiety, Depression, Degenerative Diseases of the bone, muscle, organs, and brain, and increased risk for Cancers. The more inflammation means the more energy is needed to resolve the inflammation, but that energy is hard to produce in an inflammatory environment with lessening organ function and reduced circulation. This causes increased fatigue, malnourishment from poor absorption, and fight or flight activation of the adrenal response affecting mental-emotional states.
Lifestyle, Diet, and Exercise are the primary factors that influence pH when within our control. Choosing supplements and foods rich in anti-oxidants and nutrients that support elimination and detoxification are helpful to reduce and prevent inflammatory conditions in the body systems. Moderate exercise daily that aims to tone muscle and joint tendons, lengthen connective tissue, move blood and lymph, and clear the mental-emotional stresses of life offer a multifaceted approach to naturally supporting circulation, digestive processes in the organs and tissues, gut motility and kidney regulation for elimination, as well as sweating for detoxification. Mental- emotional stress is a large indicator of health status and outcomes. Finding body positive ways to relieve stress is essential to healthy brain and body function. Lifestyle choices that include substance use such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or other prescription and recreational drugs also factor into how affected bodily functions and inflammatory build up become. It is important to review how we compensate and decompress from life around us, listening to bodily disfunction and stress as a clue to how those choices are affecting our body’s pH balance and perceived sense of wellness.
Common Processed and Natural Foods that increase acidity when eaten in high frequency and quantity
High Fat/ Sugary Foods- cookies, potato chips, peanut butter, crackers, cakes, ice cream etc.
Beef, Pork, Bacon, Chicken Skin, Shellfish
Melon, Banana, Strawberries, Onions, Garlic, Russet/Nu Potatoes, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers (not peppercorn)
Alcohol, Soda, Carbonated Water, Artificial Sweeteners, Juices from Concentrate with added sugar
Alkalinizing Practices for balancing pH to consider
High quantity and frequency (3-4 servings a day) of Fresh vegetables and some fruits specifically dark pigmented green, purple, red, and orange plants
Cold Water Fish and Skinless Chicken (1x daily or 3-4 x a week)
6-8 16oz glasses of Fresh Spring water a day
Cardiovascular exercise, Yoga, and/ or Cross training daily ((30-40 minutes for active lifestyles or 2 hours (abridged or consecutive) for sedentary lifestyles))
Restorative Sleep- 6-8 hours nightly (uninterrupted if possible)
Meditation for 20-30 min 1-2 times a day to actively decompress the mind (may help improve sleep and may also be incorporated into movement meditation as exercise)
Fasting Diets have also shown effective reduction of inflammation and acidity to support bodily function. This approach is best undertaken as an assessment of your own bodily needs and health history with a licensed healthcare professional to ensure safe application.
Please Note: All of the commentary and health considerations in this article are subject to discussion for individual healthcare appropriation. If you have questions or concerns regarding personal lifestyle changes or natural treatment, seeking out a professional healthcare practitioner that specializes in Holistic Wellness is recommended.
Life Hacks:
#1 Vinegar is Vastly Vigilant
Did you know that Household Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar are power pack all stars when it comes to multi-everyday use?? Take a look at these options for the next time you get a bug bite, want to kill weeds, clean the house, or preserve canned foods.
FruitFly Trap: ½ cup ACV + 2-3 slices banana peel (mashed) + ½ cup H2O in a cup or bowl covered with Cling wrap and a few toothpick poked holes. Leave on the counter near fruits and vegetables where they often lurk.
Revitalize and Deodorize your Dishwasher or Washing Machine by adding 1 cup White Vinegar to the detergent reservoir and running a cycle.
Unclog and Clean Shower heads or Sink Faucets by Soaking them in ½ cup White Vinegar mixed with ½ cup boiling H2O for 10 min
General Sanitizing Cleaning Spray: 1 Cup White Vinegar: 1 Cup H2O, Add 2-4 drops Lemon, Rosemary, and/or Lavender Essential Oil
Extend the Life of Cut Flowers: Add 2 Tbsp ACV + White Sugar to a standard vase
Weed Killer: 1 Cup Vinegar: ½ Cup Salt and 1 Tbsp Dish Soap. Expand the formula proportionately as needed for your sprayer.
Insect Bite or Sting? Use ACV or White Vinegar to take away redness, swelling, and itch by compressing a soaked paper towel onto the area for 5-10minutes.
Hives or Poison Oak/Ivy? Add 2 Cups ACV or White Vinegar to a Lukewarm Bath with 3-4 drops Lavender or Lemon Essential Oil to cleanse the offending agent, soothe the skin from redness and itching. Use ¼ Cup Oatmeal moistened in a sock to coat the rash for further soothing and astringing redness, swelling, and weeping.
#2 Boastful Baking Soda on its Soap Box!
Another Natural Household Product great for many uses for cleansing, scrubbing and alkalinizing!
Having Heartburn, Bloating, or Cramping after eating? Try 1 Tbsp Baking Soda in 8oz cup of warm water for Heartburn and up to ¼ cup for moderate to intense bloating/cramping in the upper abdomen.
((Note: This method should not be used excessively due to the strong alkalinizing nature of Baking Soda. 1x a day for most individuals or only as needed is suggested. If you are suffering from a chronic condition it is essential to discuss this with your healthcare provider.))
Nightly Mouthwash as a dental antiseptic and pH balancer for the oral environment: ½ Tsp Baking Soda to 4oz warm water with 1 drop Peppermint, Spearmint, or Clove Essential Oil. Swish for 30-60 sec and discard in the sink.
Bodily and Environmental Deodorant: Pat dry on the armpits or moist areas of the body that sweat. Can place in shoes, closets, clothes hamper, trash cans, or the fridge. May add 1-2 drops essential oil of your choice and whisk together in a bowl prior to use.
General Scrubbing Cleaner as needed with Vinegar Sanitizing Spray Recipe for ovens, stained cups or surfaces, grease stains, tarnished silver, bathroom or kitchen surfaces.
Surface Pesticide Remover for Fresh Produce: Soak 12-15 minutes in warm H2O with 2 Tbsp Baking Soda
Self-Care at Home:
Autumn is a time of harvest, a time of going within and preparing for winter. Chinese philosophy aligns the organs of Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine to this transitional season of earth to metal. As we begin to curl inward and relax for natural cycles of hibernation, movement and meditation that open the spine and invoke the breath support cleansing and restorative functions in our holistic being. Here are some links to these practices for your own exploration and release during this time of deepening metamorphosis.