A Healing Protocol and a Lifestyle

How the Parasympathetic & Sympathetic Nervous Systems Affect Your Body, and Your Gut.

The Parasympathetic Mode

How's your digestion? Libido? Are you stuck in fight or flight? Anxious? We all know how important it is to relax and eat, and yet we feed on the go as if getting in nutrients is the only goal. We have two dominant gears that play a major role in our ability to either digest and assimilate our food properly or not. Feeling “full” is just a sensation, actually nourishing our body is an entirely different science.

The parasympathetic system is responsible for our "rest-and-digest" aka "feed and breed" response that occurs when the body is relaxed, especially during and after a meal. Low libido? The relaxed state of the parasympathetic is also responsible for sexual arousal. Ever notice you are more inclined to do the sideways bambo while on vacation? Yep, that. Stress aka sympathetic response is partially to blame for your subpar sexuality and digestive distress. Most who struggle from gut issues are usually stuck in fight or flight and if not, they are inducing it by using stimulants that directly affect their nervous system. Unfortunately, this parasympathetic state does nothing for your digestion, the body doesn't prioritize digestion when it’s in this state, it prioritizes the the heart, the muscles and the get up and go mechanism in our body. This state of “fight or flight’ isn’t a state we humans were supposed to stay in, it was just for life or death and yet, these days if we are feeling mellow we quickly ramp ourselves into overdrive for that “boost” of energy. A crutch that slowly debilitates the body, sapping it of much needed nutrients over time. I hope you can see how these choices are part of the disease story. It’s ok to feel tired, life can be intense, it’s ok to sleep, your body needs a rest. This course is all about giving up the “crutches” that prop up your nutrient starved, amazing body. Healing is a marathon, not a sprint. 

The Sympathetic Mode

This mode = Stress. Whatever the physical, mental or emotional stress it can trigger the alarm (fight or flight) response and the two-part response team of the adrenal medulla release catecholamines and adrenal gland release glucocorticoids resulting in a rise of blood sugar and adrenaline putting a strain on our thyroid, immune system, hormonal balance, enzymatic response, and gastrointestinal functions. Stress also increases the secretion of several essential water-soluble vitamins like B vitamins, minerals magnesium, zinc, and calcium. Excessive levels of cortisol caused by the stress response can have extremely detrimental effects on the entire body. A constant state of fight or flight creates an imbalance with estrogen and progesterone, leading to thyroid malfunctions. Overtaxed adrenals can actually be a cause of hypothyroidism. Remember, the endocrine system works as a team. One directly affects the other, so being mindful about emotional stress and foods that stress the body will help keep a healthy adrenal system, which in turn will help support healthy thyroid functions.

How to manage Stress

Reducing emotional stress in your life is the companion to eating for gut health kinda lifestyle. This approach will, in turn, support a  functional endocrine system and a healthy thyroid. Creating a “self-care” practice and setting aside time to connect, appreciate, and calm your system is priceless to your health as a human being. Here are some ways to not only manage stress, but love your beautiful body.

Stress is a fact of life, learning how to ride the wave and adjust as you go will help maintain inner balance. What happens to us happens for us. 

What is Toxic Load?

Having unexplained health issues? Maybe it’s time to contemplate your total toxic load. Believe it or not our bodies detoxification pathways may not be able to handle the cumulative amount of harmful chemicals we ingest. Many chemicals and their metabolites are stored in fat cells and other tissues and released or used for energy in a time of exercise, weight loss or fasting. From the quality of the food we eat, personal products that go on our skin, our hair, or the makeup on our face, the water we drink, the products we clean our house with, the air we breathe, the medications we take or the toxic habits we partake in such drinking and smoking all add to the total toxic load. Our body uses the food we eat to support homeostasis, and without proper nutrition Phase one or Phase two detox can become impaired, and toxins can get backed up and roam free in the bloodstream wreaking havoc with inflammation and if prolonged, creating autoimmune reactions. We hear a lot about how our genes load the gun, and our lifestyle pulls the trigger, and this is indeed one such example. A lot of the pollutants we take in will come with a side of heavy metals, heavy metals can cause all sorts of imbalances in the body ranging from mental, emotional and physical. A lot of the toxins we ingest albeit, through our mouth, air or skin can go unnoticed because it will be a dye in food, food additive or something the animal is fed. Antibiotics can impair detox by causing dysbiosis, creating toxic buildup. Sometimes the toxicity comes from natural sources like an allergy or sensitivity to the alkaloids in nightshades, the salicylates in fruits and veggies or the theobromine in chocolate, caffeine in teas, coffee or the amines in fermented foods, tyramine in cheeses or the oxalic in leafy greens.

Set Yourself Up For Success

1. SCHEDULE YOUR MEAL PREP DAY EVERY WEEK.

2. WATCH HOW TO MEAL PREP VIDEO.

3. VIEW RECIPES.

4. VIEW RESOURCES.

5. JOIN THE Exclusive BEAN PROTOCOL Community FOR SUPPORT & ACCOUNTABILITY!

How to Share About this Program

Don’t feel the need to tell friends or coworkers, the moment you share you are silently  inviting looks, giggles and judgement. Although seemingly innocent, these simple acts can derail your internal belief in the process. If someone asks you why you are eating so many beans, shrug and say “don’t worry about it” or I have a lot of health issues I am working on and trying another crazy diet” or because I love beans, got a problem with that?