Lost Wisdom

For most people, the body has become less wise because of unwise things done to it on every level, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The body can only make wise choices when exposed to healthy relationships, nutrition, and joyful practices. Otherwise we put toxic garbage in and toxic garbage works its way out. If all your body knows is high-fat junk food, nutritionally depleted processed foods, then that's all it will ask for. The same goes with relationships. Whether it is an abusive boss, colleague, family member, spouse, pet, etc., if that's all your heart knows then that's all your heart will get.
The challenge for many individuals is that we have confused our bodies with years of poor eating, so much so that the body no longer knows what is good and what is toxic. There is a chemical that is released when we take in toxic substances and energy that gives us a high or rush. This is one of the contributing factors to why we are so addicted to toxic foods and relationships.
Desires or cravings are the body's biological signal, the inner voice saying what is needed. The skin is also an amazing tool that acts as a barometer and thus mirrors deficiencies and imbalances that exist within the body. Our bodies have not developed the ability to assimilate the radical chemicals and psychological onslaught that our current culture imposes on us. Our bodies are crying out for healing and our skin is revealing the truth about our internal conflicts.

Digesting On Many Levels
We digest things on many levels: Food: to feed the physical, emotions/feelings: to feed our spirit/energy and spirit: to feed our soul. When things go wrong, its called indigestion. Eating while under stress or under emotional distress will interfere with the digestive process. The same occurs when challenges that confront our truth will throw our world into " an unsettled existence ".
Asian philosophy is that each organ holds specific emotional energy. The stomach is connected to the third charka, which is related to self-esteem, self worth, I am. The liver holds the emotion of anger and the gallbladder relates to standing up for what one believes. The "gull of that person" in folk medicine comes from the connection of the gallbladder processing anger brought down from the liver and demanding it stands up for what it believes in.

Look at the various component of the digestive track.
Digestion is the process of things breaking down big food particles into individual molecules, tiny enough to squeeze through the intestinal lining into the bloodstream. The high and lows of emotions are also broken down so they too can leave the body. Digestion begins with your eyes and your nose. They get your body ready and your mind in the mood for food, and just the thought of food gets your digestive juices flowing. If you close your eyes and think about a big piece of chocolate cake or chips and dip you will notice that your mouth begins to water. Saliva not only helps with digestion, but contains a recently-discovered substance called epidermal growth factor (EGF), which facilitates the growth and repair of injured or inflamed intestinal tissue. Perhaps this is why animals will lick their wounds.
Emotionally when hurt we lick our wounds, thus aiding in the digestive process. In Folk medicine closing your eyes and "saying grace" is a quiet way to center yourself and to create anticipation for eating your meal. This process gets the intestinal tract ready for the job coming its way.
Chewing continues the digestive process by breaking up the fibers that hold the food together. "I just have to chew it over," reminds us that it is a process, which allows us to break down what is presented to us in life and then allow what remains to just move through us.
It then moves next to the stomach where mechanical and chemical processing takes place. The lining of the stomach secretes gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid, which dissolves the food, a protein- splitting enzyme called pepsin, and a fat-digesting enzyme called lipase. Hydrochloric acid is strong enough to eat through meat and potent enough to kill most of the harmful bacteria that may be in food. So the stomach not only digests, it disinfects. It is the body's food processor and the body's food purifier, much like the skin.
The food is churned and mixed with the digestive juices until it resembles thick soup. This soup is called chyme. Once the food is chewed and churned, it is ready to be pushed into the small intestines, yet the fat remains in the stomach. This is why you feel fuller longer after a high fat meal than you do after a carbohydrate or high protein meal.
In order for food to assimilate and become part of you, it has to get through the intestinal lining. The small intestines secrete its own antacids – bicarbonates – to neutralize the food. As food moves down the intestines it receives squirts of digestive juices that further break down the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into molecules small enough to seep into the bloodstream. The intestinal lining is only one cell thick, which means the lining is thin enough for nutrients to be absorbed, but irritants and infection easily injure this delicate lining.
The liver is responsible for moving toxins from your systems, as well as making the hormones and enzymes required for digestion of foods. It aids in the release of toxins from your blood. As the liver becomes congested it has difficulty removing these toxins. Slowly these toxins build up throughout your physical body. People often develop digestive food sensitivities, fatigue, low-grade depression, as well as many other physical discomforts as a result of a toxic build-up. Skin eruption can also be a direct cause of the liver not being able to expel waste properly.
Fats that were in a holding tank in the stomach are released into the small intestines. As they enter the small intestines, bile is secreted from the gallbladder. The bile emulsifies the fat. Similar to the liver, the gallbladder becomes congested with toxins. The result of which is poorly digested food that leads to poor nutrient deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, and can contribute to physical health problems and reveal itself on the complexion as rosacea and/or sensitive skin.
Once food has completed its 20 –foot – long 10 hour journey through the small intestines, most of the nutrients have been absorbed. The leftovers enter the final five feet of large intestines, or colon. Little digestion occurs in the colon. Its main job is to act as a waste collector and eliminator. It is one of four systems in the body, which provides elimination for the body. The others include the kidneys, the lungs, and the skin. If one of these systems is deteriorating, then the skins function is at a decline.
The skins epidermal layer is a completely cellular layer and receives what is vital for life and regeneration from blood; it is only clear that if blood is toxic then skin will become toxic. If waste is not expelled through the bowels it will seep into the blood stream, then into the tissue and then to the cell.

Excesses vs. Deficiencies

Learning to compensate for deficiencies caused by toxic processing is how mainstream addresses the effects of our poor choices. Preferably we would benefit more completely by getting in touch with are excessive and creating balance.
For example rosacea is a disease of the blood tissue and can take 2-3 weeks before it appears in the skin tissue. The blood becomes toxic when the digestive system becomes too acidic, thereby creating an environment for fungus, mold, and yeast to breed. These toxins enter the bloodstream, which then travels to the skin cells feeding them with inflammatory waste. Fungus, mold, and yeast breed best where there is an inflammatory condition.
Acne is another condition that is caused from excesses. In addition to reducing inflammation, oiliness, improving flora, etc, the individual should address their intake of carbohydrates, refined sugars, processed foods, and hormone-induced foods as well as reducing excessive addictions to stress related activities.
A healthy body is cleansed inside and out, kept warm, properly feed, adequately exercised, adequately rested, follows the natural rhythms of the land and the seasons, behaves in a moral manner, and maintains a spiritual connections to a higher power.
Learning to decelerate in order to regain our physical and mental intuition/wisdom is a dire necessity in order to live in our current culture. In addition to treatments that offset the deficiencies that the body is experiencing, it would serve us to cut back on the excesses that are at the root of the cause. Instead of creating more time create more energy – create relaxation vs. spontaneous reaction.

Anne Willis has been a contributor to the aesthetic industry since 1976. In the 80s she designed some of the first protocols for cosmetic surgery patients, which were utilized by more than 20 plastic surgeons in South Florida. Willis opened her own Spa in 1986 continuing to treat plastic surgery patients as well as offer holistic facial treatments to the general public. Willis currently travels internationally as a Spa Educator and Consultant. The State Boards of Georgia and North Carolina approve her educational courses for CEU credits. For more information, please call 828-230-5125, or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..