Life Under Prescription

Nowadays it seems that we live perpetually ill, suffering from a myriad of different ailments and conditions that continually threaten our style and (most importantly) quality of life. Our body has stopped talking and is now screaming for our attention, or so it would seem: depression, anxiety, stress, stiffness, shoulder pain, aching muscles, head aches, migraines, respiratory problems, allergies and the list goes on to the more severe conditions that seem to plague us everyday.

Living in such a sea of discomfort we turn to medicine and open the tabs for a miraculous cocktail of science finest meads to save us from disease. And many times science saves the day, thanks to the effort of many talented individuals and the profits of a few huge pharmaceutical companies. But what happens when we live under a routine meal of drugs and vaccines?, what happens to the delicate chemical balance of our body when we recklessly mix and match in order to cure every possible annoyance?

Take a step back.

I had a curious case of a person that came to see me about a particularly problematic case of frozen shoulder that had been causing pain for a few months. The gentleman was desperate for some sort of medicine, some magical concoction that could instantaneously cure him of this mysterious body problem and in fact he had tried a number of them already. His desperation was perhaps understandable, but what was completely mind boggling was the fact that at no point had occurred to him to try a physical treatment or recuperation program to address what was happening to him.

Drugs and medicine in general have been a great ally for us enabling us to overcome dangerous diseases and improve our quality of life. Our modern break-neck-speed style of life, however, has turned what can be an impressive tool to another form of addiction and we don't even notice. I believe we need to have a deeper understanding of how our body works and about all the things that we do on a day to day basis that (more or less violently) harm us in very real ways. It is almost unbelievable that we continue to function after we put ourselves through the regular big city environment or attend any barbeques or fast food restaurants. We also need to realize that there are things that we can do, simple everyday things, that can allow us to greatly improve the quality of our lives and our general health.

Breathing for health

Life is a continual and uninterrupted series of breaths. Longer, shorter, closer together or further apart. Breath is the most important of our bodily functions and proper breathing is one of the best things you can do to maintain and improve your health. Proper breathing, deep breathing from the diaphragm as opposed to shallow breathing from the chest, helps the lymph system work much better. The lymph system is a cleaning or sewage system of sorts that makes sure that all unneeded substances are disposed of, and it is activated through deep breathing. Problems in the lymph system can be very serious, as it produces substances that can help us filter out toxic material, deal with bacteria and viruses and even get rid of abnormal cells, like the ones that cause cancer.