YOUNG BLOOD - CLEAN BLOOD CLEAN MIND 10 MINS READ
Author: Datin Eileen Unwin - “Intention is more than wishful thinking; it’s wilful direction”
“Youth has no age” Pablo Picasso
The secret to youth; an enigma we forever strive but one that continues to constantly trip us up. Cosmetics companies may make promises of achieving a vibrantly youthful complexion but the reality is it is a deceptive mask. What lies within our bloodstream is the real key to aging.
With our bodies consisting of between 1.2 - 1.5 gallons of blood, we have a responsibility to clean it up in order to maintain the juvenility we so crave.
This article is aimed to map out, in layman’s terms, the key elements that control our blood cleanliness and flow as well as highlight how they manifest as illnesses due to “dirty’ blood syndrome. The indicators that lie within our bloodstream showcase ailments that can be improved upon and often resolved, if only we look towards more consistent holistic methods of keeping our blood clean.
1. Drink - Firstly, and most simply, we bathe and shower our external bodies. We use water as cleaning tools and it is, therefore, common sense to appreciate that our internal body requires the same care and attention. Fresh hydration is integral in cleansing blood and drinking 1-2 litres of water together with herbal tea can and will support your health in more ways than quenching thirst. It flushes out toxins from pollution and medication as well as food, sweetened drinks and alcohol, each one having made it’s way into the blood stream with a sugar overload. Here starts the cycle of high blood toxin and sugar levels together with a depletion of nutrition if it is not addressed through hydration.
2. Food - A well balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals will support the condition of your blood. Fresh fruit and vegetables with a high water content are the go-to blood supporting friends we need. If on the other hand, a diet is full of high fat, processed enemies your blood, over time, will become thick and clogged. The imbalances of a bad diet have a direct correlation to the equilibrium of our blood. High sugar content in food has implications on blood sugar level spikes and the manifestation of many life threatening diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart conditions and strokes. Go-to nutritionist, Amelia Freer author of Eat. Nourish. Glow. (https://ameliafreer.com) keeps the science simple when explaining what happens to our blood when we eat sugar. She runs blood tests on all her clients to identify exposure and management of sugar levels. Amelia tells us “our body is designed to only allow a very small amount of sugar in the bloodstream at any one time - about 1-2 teaspoons. Anything more and the hormone insulin is produced to transport this sugar out of the bloodstream. Through several mechanisms, this sugar gets converted into fat that is stored either around the waistline or the organs”.
3. Exercise - Whilst we consider cardiovascular exercise a necessity to support our heart, it is the pumping of the blood flow that actually maintains health. It need not be excessive high impact sports but consistent body movement is the key. Yoga, pilates and stretching work directly with blood flow as a sequence of twists, bends, binds and folds assist the body in reducing blockages. In all forms of exercise, blood is regenerated most especially around vital organs and joints whilst releasing healthy vitamins and minerals on it’s path.
4. Alternative Therapies - Acupuncture, cupping, massage, reflexology and breath therapy target dirty blood and detect muscle tension and mental stress. Wet Cupping draws blood from the body, removing old blood but all therapies have the ability to eliminate toxins, clear blockages, release injuries and restore circulation. Blood pressure elevates through our brain’s response to stress but it really can be ‘mind over matter’ when we begin to connect our brains with our bodies whereby neural transmissions can be restored alongside efficient blood circulation.
5. Sunlight - Vitamin D is not only an integral mineral for the absorption of bones but also for the blood. A healthy dose feeds the blood stream sending positive feel-good vitamins but also emotions to the brain resulting in a healthy mental state. The abundance of sunlight in Malaysia is a free gift of wellbeing we should all take advantage of. Dr James DiNicolantonio (drjamesdinic.com) teaches us to optimize vitamin D and antioxidant defense with sunlight and tells us “light is not only wavelengths of light hitting your body, it can also be considered a signalling molecule that triggers many crucial processes in the body”.
6. Medications - Medicines are prescribed by the bucket load for every ailment under the sun. Antibiotics, the most common of medications are an over-prescribed, often unnecessary and unwarranted option. Their absorption into the blood stream may channel their way to necessary points of pain or infection within but on their path, they deposit chemicals and stagnate the blood. If you are able to consider alternative options within the herbal spectrum, use food as medicine or even look towards holistic therapies, then not only are you assisting your gut’s flora and fauna, your vital blood health but also your long term health.
7. Toxins - inhaling toxins from the air or consuming toxins within food are culprits we often ignore. Recognising the source of meat & fish you may eat whilst educating yourself on possible growth hormones and/or antibotics that may have been injected into the food sources that consequently make their way into your own bloodstream. Be mindful that fruit & vegetables are locally produced not using pesticide sprays. These pesky little intruders can access our bloodstream with little or no thought from us.
8. Allergies - indications that something is amiss within your body are often showcased through either gut or skin conditions, all of which are manifested within the blood. The first port of call when trying to heal and pinpoint allergies is to look at the food and drink we consume in order to work towards eliminating the root cause affects that may be present. Lactose, gluten and wheat intolerances are the most common and FARE (Food, Allergy & Research Education) estimate that 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 13 children suffer in the USA alone (https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/facts-and-statistics)
9. Hormones and Aging - The average woman (aged 12-50) is affected by menstruation on a monthly basis but stress, hormonal fluctuations and ageing factors can interrupt the cycle. Focusing on balancing blood sugar levels has had proven positive results on maintaining regular monthly flow patterns for longer, warding off the onset of the menopause as well as maintaining skin cell hydration. A natural decline in estrogen means that our bodies increase visceral fat, decrease in bone density and deplete in muscle mass and strength. Hormone replacements and anti-aging skin creams can never undo the damage that an overload of sugar, fat and toxins in the bloodstream causes from the inside which is reflected through menstrual imbalance and dehydration of the skin.
8. Injuries and inflammation - Damage within our bodies is supported by blood flow. The role it takes in protecting our muscles, ligaments and tendons during an injury is integral. Alternative therapies (see point 4) have high success rates of encouraging our bodies to heal by releasing old blood which can and will free us of pain. They are a much less intrusive solution than medication which will numb the pain but only serves as a short term solution. Long term goals should be the focus in maintaining blood health in order to repair old and new injuries.
Attempting to maintain clean blood starts with using initiative in supporting it’s quality and youthfulness. If we value, care and focus on our blood health as much as we do about self care and body maintenance with less emphasis on expensive false promises, the rewards will be externally evident. This article gives a clearer idea that whilst blood is our life source it is also our source of life.
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YOUNG BLOOD - CLEAN BLOOD EQUALS CLEAN MIND 10 MINS READ OFFERING AN ABUNDANCE OF LIFE
