SEASONAL INSIGHTS
TO YOUR HEALTH Breaking Down Digestion...
Wheel of the Year... ...continued from page 18
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connects us to those we love, nature, ourselves, and to the primal lifeforce energy existing in all living things. Reveling in the beauty of nature and enjoying it through all our senses is a wonderful way to experience more joy and have fun. Nature knows exactly how to make work playful. Here are some grounded ways to observe the Wheel of the Year this summer: • Whatever you’re doing in each moment, can you metaphor - ically apply that activity to your spiritual intentions? (There were examples above such as weeding and pruning.) What if every time you accomplished a mundane task, you were also creating spiritual wellbeing? • Take time to assess how your intentions are progressing. What would make them better? Do you need to change your plan a bit or a lot? What ongoing activities are bringing your intention to fruition? Are more or different ones needed? • Embrace paradox and find the sweet spot in the middle of two worlds. For example: how can you make work more like play? Seems a great way to work smarter, not harder. • Focus on your five senses. Close your eyes and notice what you hear, smell, taste, feel. Does Summer have its own “feel”? • Watch the sun rise and set. • Spend time outside allowing the sun to shine directly on your belly and back to charge your “solar (plexus) battery.” (Be mindful of overexposure – know your limits.) • Sit or lie on the earth. Get your hands dirty. • Engage in physical labor such as gardening or yard work, then celebrate your toil with dear ones through dancing, music, sharing a meal together. • Eat fresh, local summer fruits and veggies. • Take time to consider all the living beings that made it pos- sible for you to eat. The plants, animals (if you eat them), in- sects, humans… this Collective Toil feeds you every day. • Look up at the night sky and gaze at the moon and stars. • Go for a hike, swim in a natural body of water — notice how it feels in your body. • Listen to birdsong, watch bees do their dance as they collect pollen. What are nature’s creatures doing? • Light a ceremonial bonfire in honor of the Sun on Solstice (June 21.) All these principles can be applied at any time during the year. The Wheel of the Year is a cycle that rules the natural world. Know - ing where you and your projects are within the cycle informs how and when to act for the highest and best outcomes. When we live in accor- dance with nature’s cycles, we are closer to our own true essence, the world around us makes more intuitive sense, and life takes on deeper meaning. Lisa Adams is a Spiritual Teacher, Wise Woman, Ritual Artist, and Transformation Mentor. She excels at guiding people through transitional periods of life with compassion and wisdom. You can find her sitting by a bonfire, gazing up at the stars with loved ones, or drumming to her ancestors. www.therenegademystic.com
1. Eat anti-inflammatory herbs and spices to reduce inflamma - tion that damages the intestinal lining, or mucosa. Foods in- clude garlic, ginger, turmeric and those rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, avocados, and nuts and seeds. 2. Consume bone broth, a type of protein rich in collagen. 3. Supplement with L-glutamine, a type of amino acid that re- pairs and maintains the intestinal mucosa. 4. Increase your consumption of probiotics, which introduce healthy bacteria in the digestive tract, and prebiotics, which are food sources for the bacteria to help them thrive and sup- port the gut ecosystem. 5. Work to manage your stress! Chronic stress can disrupt the brain-gut connection that has shown to lead to inflammation in the digestive tract. Practice stress-reducing activities, such as Yoga, meditation and breathwork. The body’s digestive system is multilayered, so it should come as no surprise that treatments for any number of the symptoms that can arise may not be straightforward or discernable right away. In my clin- ic, for example, we use a Bioscan to analyze meridians and organs to determine the source of digestive dysfunction (stomach, small intes- tine, colon, pancreas, or gallbladder), and then create both short- and long-term treatment plans for a client’s specific issue(s); often such a plan will include acupuncture. It’s important to treat the whole person — body-mind-spirit. A natural medicine practitioner can also run a comprehensive GI test, evaluate for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), and more, all to develop a complete picture. But understanding how the system works, knowing all the components involved, and exploring underlying causes goes a long way both to tackling GI issues when they occur, or promoting good habits from the start so misunderstanding and misdiagnosis are kept to a minimum. Helena Amos, M.Ac., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist, European physician and Functional Medicine practitioner with 30+ years of clinical experience combining modern Functional Medicine with the ancient wisdom of Traditional Oriental Medi - cine. She is Founder/Owner of the Acupuncture and Natural Medicine Clinic in Rock - ville, MD, and is available for free 20-minute in-office and telehealth consultations. Visit rockvilleacupuncturemd.com for appointments and to see her list of services of - fered and conditions treated. GLUT FOOD CO-OP • Open to the public — No membership required • Open 7 days / week: Tues-Fri 10 am–8 pm • Sat, Sun, Mon 9 am–7 pm • Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri 9 am–8 pm • Natural foods at the best prices in town • Not for profit and cooperative • More than 40 varieties of cheeses • Nuts, dried fruits, spices & organic produce 301-779-1978 4005 34th Street, Mt. Rainer, Maryland
64—PATHWAYS—Summer 23
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