So, I've had a revelation of sorts--I think. At least, it's the glimmer of a revelation. It has to do with assuming that we have an enemy, due to all the propaganda and real evidence against this enemy. And in this instance, I believe that moderation may indeed be the key. Oh, how I love the concept of moderation--and I've been sad that it too often doesn't apply. But perhaps here it does.
So, our enemy? Bacteria. We have been brought up in the era of public sanitation, refrigeration, and antibiotics. We are so grateful that we aren't dying of cholera and the bubonic plague, right? We are grateful that we can store and keep our food in the refrigerator. Anyhow, I even saw a joke in my naturopathic medical school one day where a student had written a letter arguing against sanitation--signing it 'S. aureus'. While the students obviously got the joke, one of our administrators was quite upset with it--I think he probably wasn't aware that S. aureus is one of the well-known pathogens.
I listened to a nutritional conference and was impressed by the importance of healthy bacteria in our gut. They protect the lining of the gut and manufacture nutrients, even as they help with nutrient absorption. The speakers pointed out how, traditionally, our ancestors ate fermented foods. They had yogurt, clabbered milk, sauerkraut... Before refrigerators there were iceboxes, and before those were simply no refrigeration at all. That steady stream of fermented foods were what our ancestors ate--and it is rather extreme that within a couple of generations we've completely subtracted that important dietary element. Many wonder if the disrupted gut flora is associated with the skyrocketing incidences of food sensitivities/allergies.
Of course, pesticides, such as RoundUp, also disrupt the gut flora--so we have a double whammy there. Triple if you add rampant use of antibiotics (such as in animal feed--which trickles down to us) or especially our own prescriptions of antibiotics.
So...while I knew that probiotics could be helpful, I had never considered the drastic upheaval that was caused by the advent of refrigeration. We are supposed to have a steady stream of dietary, healthy bacteria. I truly hadn't really gotten this concept before. Therefore, I have begun making soy yogurt and sauerkraut. Perhaps I wouldn't need the soy version if my GI tract had been healthier to begin with, but I do react significantly to dairy.
Okay, so that's where I was a week ago, when the urge struck me to look up macrobiotic diets. I read some of the basic tenets of the macrobiotic lifestyle system, and I was struck by a recommendation to 'avoid taking long, hot baths in order to preserve your minerals'. What? This sounded silly, right? But wait...we know and have known for ages that boiling vegetables causes them to leach their vitamins and minerals into the water--hence the steam recommendations. What if...you got it...yep, we are in effect soaking out our nutrients into the clean, pure water? Osmosis is a very real phenomenon, and folks have gone to the mineral springs for health benefits for centuries, if not millenia. And guess what? Yours truly has been a glutton for taking long, hot soaks--often daily. The shower is only utilized if I'm in a big hurry.
So...I'm not saying I won't indulge in those long, hot soaks, but I did go to the store and buy some Epsom salts to add to the bath. I plan to limit my temp, water level and soaking time if I'm not using those salts. And, probably, I'll take showers instead more often--I can be in and out in no time flat if I'm not washing my hair.
Anyhow, I have often wondered why I seem to benefit so much from adding minerals to my supplementary regime, and why my mother didn't seem to have some of the same issues as me. It may have nothing to do with it, but my mother has never been a hot bath soaker. I've been that way since I was a tween--I'd sneak a book in there and stay for hours, refreshing the hot water as needed!
Here I'd considered this practice beneficial and hygienic. All those baths seem purifying, right? Well, I'm going to give this epsom salt thing and pure water hot soak restriction thing a go and see if I start to feel an improvement.
So, anyhow, my argument is that we need to stop being so racist against the small, wee critters. Just because a couple of them are big-time troublemakers doesn't mean they're all bad. Quite the contrary, as we need them for our very survival!
So, our enemy? Bacteria. We have been brought up in the era of public sanitation, refrigeration, and antibiotics. We are so grateful that we aren't dying of cholera and the bubonic plague, right? We are grateful that we can store and keep our food in the refrigerator. Anyhow, I even saw a joke in my naturopathic medical school one day where a student had written a letter arguing against sanitation--signing it 'S. aureus'. While the students obviously got the joke, one of our administrators was quite upset with it--I think he probably wasn't aware that S. aureus is one of the well-known pathogens.
I listened to a nutritional conference and was impressed by the importance of healthy bacteria in our gut. They protect the lining of the gut and manufacture nutrients, even as they help with nutrient absorption. The speakers pointed out how, traditionally, our ancestors ate fermented foods. They had yogurt, clabbered milk, sauerkraut... Before refrigerators there were iceboxes, and before those were simply no refrigeration at all. That steady stream of fermented foods were what our ancestors ate--and it is rather extreme that within a couple of generations we've completely subtracted that important dietary element. Many wonder if the disrupted gut flora is associated with the skyrocketing incidences of food sensitivities/allergies.
Of course, pesticides, such as RoundUp, also disrupt the gut flora--so we have a double whammy there. Triple if you add rampant use of antibiotics (such as in animal feed--which trickles down to us) or especially our own prescriptions of antibiotics.
So...while I knew that probiotics could be helpful, I had never considered the drastic upheaval that was caused by the advent of refrigeration. We are supposed to have a steady stream of dietary, healthy bacteria. I truly hadn't really gotten this concept before. Therefore, I have begun making soy yogurt and sauerkraut. Perhaps I wouldn't need the soy version if my GI tract had been healthier to begin with, but I do react significantly to dairy.
Okay, so that's where I was a week ago, when the urge struck me to look up macrobiotic diets. I read some of the basic tenets of the macrobiotic lifestyle system, and I was struck by a recommendation to 'avoid taking long, hot baths in order to preserve your minerals'. What? This sounded silly, right? But wait...we know and have known for ages that boiling vegetables causes them to leach their vitamins and minerals into the water--hence the steam recommendations. What if...you got it...yep, we are in effect soaking out our nutrients into the clean, pure water? Osmosis is a very real phenomenon, and folks have gone to the mineral springs for health benefits for centuries, if not millenia. And guess what? Yours truly has been a glutton for taking long, hot soaks--often daily. The shower is only utilized if I'm in a big hurry.
So...I'm not saying I won't indulge in those long, hot soaks, but I did go to the store and buy some Epsom salts to add to the bath. I plan to limit my temp, water level and soaking time if I'm not using those salts. And, probably, I'll take showers instead more often--I can be in and out in no time flat if I'm not washing my hair.
Anyhow, I have often wondered why I seem to benefit so much from adding minerals to my supplementary regime, and why my mother didn't seem to have some of the same issues as me. It may have nothing to do with it, but my mother has never been a hot bath soaker. I've been that way since I was a tween--I'd sneak a book in there and stay for hours, refreshing the hot water as needed!
Here I'd considered this practice beneficial and hygienic. All those baths seem purifying, right? Well, I'm going to give this epsom salt thing and pure water hot soak restriction thing a go and see if I start to feel an improvement.
So, anyhow, my argument is that we need to stop being so racist against the small, wee critters. Just because a couple of them are big-time troublemakers doesn't mean they're all bad. Quite the contrary, as we need them for our very survival!
