Are you throwing a “monkey wrench” into your natural health program?
After working with patients for 20 years, I have found that some do better than others, why?
I’ve asked myself this question many times over the years, and one reason that keeps popping up has to do with what we put into our mouth. The reason this is such an issue is simply this; our body must deal with what we consume. It’s either helping or hurting - there is no other option. Nothing just “passes through” our digestive system. AND, your digestive system starts in your mouth.
So, one way to throw that “monkey wrench” into your program could be hidden in your purse or pocket. Why does this need to be addressed? Well, if you look at what natural medicine therapies do, they all, regardless of the discipline, are trying to stimulate your body’s ability to heal, mend and repair - all by itself. Now, there are a variety of methods used to naturally stimulate this, but the reality is, if you are not paying close attention to your daily behavior regarding what you put into your mouth, you might not get the results you were expecting.
Patient responsibility, at the very least, is to not throw a “monkey wrench” into the process.
Low doses of poisons (aka food chemicals) found in chewing gum, can inhibit the heal/mend/ repair process. This is because instead of working on healing your body, it has to deal with the chemicals you introduced. This ends up taking away from your body’s work at healing itself. Do you have chewing gum in your purse or pocket? Or maybe you take a piece when its offered by a co-worker. Think twice before you do this!
Here’s the thing, most chewing gums contain a variety of food chemicals, artificial sweeteners, vague additives, and even ingredient names that contain numbers! Now, the last time I looked, I couldn’t find any “numbers” or vague items like “natural flavors” on the farm. If it’s not real food by definition, which means it should help to nourish and sustain you, it could be doing more harm than good. Also, it’s not very attractive (chomp, chomp, chomp) or healthy for your teeth or jaw (chewing gum could aggravate TMJ.)
A good rule of thumb is to ALWAYS read the labels on EVERYTHING before putting it into your mouth. Here’s the quick-look method:
If you can’t find it on the farm - put it back.
If you can’t recognize the items - put it back.
Numbers are not food - put it back.
Chemicals are not food - put it back.
Sugar, unless unrefined and organic, and if you don’t have trouble with weight or diabetes, is okay. But, keep it in moderation and limited (not daily).
6. Chewing gum tends to fall into the category of “not a food” and just something you do - to that I say, make a new habit. It’s loaded with chemicals that low-dose your body, sublingually, with chemicals, for hours. If you need to refresh your breath, get mints from the health food store. (read labels - see above)
Until next time;
Eat well every day to Heal, Mend and Repair!
Dr. Mary Riggin, LAc, DAc, AP, DOM
www.healingtouchom.com
