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Got "Natural High"?
Why brain nourishment (or the lack thereof) has everything to do with how we feel in our bodies and extending beyond our physical body as well.
Date: 11/15/2014 5:39:41 AM ( 10 y ) ... viewed 1899 times This blog can be considered as being "all about brain nourishment" as well as the general futility in omitting this nutritional factor.
To do this topic justice several "murals" need to be painted in order to get the multi-dimensional picture properly communicated.
One of the first characterizations of the 60s comes under the term: "drugs". If nothing else, this apparent component of the 60s culture did at least allow the subject matter of getting "high" to begin entering into conversations across most every American state. Although quite a range of opinions were germinated (including plenty of negative legal "opinions" penetrating the legal realm and impacting the lives of what has now become a very large portion of the prison population) it is now realized that there are a number of biological truths that have begun to be identified and that offer understanding about the "impulse" activating many individuals toward seeking a "high" and/or possibly some genuinely transcendent states.
This is my very first blog on this subject. I have a life-time of experience/s relating in one way or another to this subject and I have endless gratitude for everything that I have survived over the course of my journey through many different "states" - high and low.
There is no way getting around the fact that life conditions us. I am most certain that it is inescapable, that the conditioning begins the moment we were born and that it does not matter where, when or how the birth took place. Because (now more than ever before) we can see that the world is an interconnected whole. We can see that Nature is an interconnected whole and that we are all part of Nature whether or not we consider ourselves "nature lovers", "natural", "green" or whatever. Nature/Life does not and can not "think" in separating from its true nature as humans appear to be capable of at least with imagining their separateness. That capability is because we all have been conditioned to believe in a separation even though it is a false belief.
Some of us call this conditioning being "civilized". Some of us may think we are more "cultured". With whatever terms we may use (including "educated", "brought up right", etc.) the common ground is that societal pressures (starting with whatever "family of origin" we had) made it's impression upon us and in a sense it molded/shaped/conformed us into becoming a more-or-less "acceptable" member of the world as we had known it.
This is just one kind of "conditioning" that takes place in the "social sphere". Additional conditioning occurs for virtually every individual having any involvement with the "financial sphere", "legal sphere" and/or the "religious sphere" regardless of the "class" even though it may appear that the "upper class" has it better then the "lower class". All the "classes" have been conditioned. There is a world of conditioning that is constantly active and impressing itself upon everyone of us.
In light of the above is it any wonder that people (possibly especially with certain increases in the 60s) attempted to rise up from their pre-conditioning and with some also having a need to discover who they truly are beyond their conditioning?
During the 60s there were subcultures that arose that shared a diverse range of perspectives on the use of certain substances (primarily either of a plant origin or synthesized in a "lab") that held some "hope" to cause a shift in one's consciousness. This "hope" appealed to a lot of people (not just "kids"). It appeared to me that there were consequences of "conditioning" that became intense enough and that increased the need in certain individuals to access a greater sense of self. The "mindset" of the conditioning was no longer acceptable among individuals who were somewhat compelled to experiment with a "mind-altering" substance and were willing to take the proverbial "red pill" so to possibly step outside of that mindset.
The act of ingesting a "substance" to possibly "feed your head" (Jefferson Airplane) extends from ancient practices possibly more common or at least more accessible when most of us had a truly intimate relationship with our environment - one that included ingesting of both nourishing substances as well as medicinal and "re-creational". During the 60s many of us realized more acutely that we had lost that intimate relationship with our environment and that it was imperative for us to "get back to where we once belonged". Through the eyes of the media the sub-culture was presented as "hippies" and "party animals". However, there was an additional and more formidable conditioning influence during this time - the universe itself!
It has only been since the 60s that science has verified the actual nature of the smallest particle in the universe: neutrinos - most of which comes from the stars (including our own local sun) and which penetrate everything (including our DNA). We live in a Neutrino ocean!
According to Zeno & Chaitanyo of Zen Human Design: "The conditioning neutrino stream is central to how and why the planets impact us." Hence the scientific validation of the basis for astrology! They say: "From what we were told, the Human Design System was received as a revelation. Ra tells us that in January 1987 he heard a voice that instructed him to take notes. The result included the detailed and complete mechanics of the Human Design System. ... During the revelation, it was told that science would soon prove that neutrinos have mass, which happened 11 years later in 1998. Neutrinos are sub-atomic particles emitted in abundance by stars (including our sun). They penetrate everything at near the speed of light, changing what they pass through and also being changed at the same time. As the neutrino stream passes through our solar system, it picks up the planetary information that then conditions life on earth."
Read Cosmos and Psyche (section IV: Epochs of Revolution - From the French Revolution to the 1960s; A Larger View of the Sixties; Section VII: Awakenings of Spirit and Soul - Utopian Social Visions and Section VIII: Towards a New Heaven and a New Earth) as additional "murals" toward getting the big picture regarding "conditioning" and how virtually all of us are included, regardless of any "mind-altering experience" or absence thereof!
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January 13, 2015 -
Continuing with "Natural High" which I concur at least includes having the right brain chemistry. I have a special interest now in addressing what it takes to have the right brain chemistry after an individual has completed their withdrawal from heroin addiction. "Phase II: Rebalancing Brain Chemistry"[1]
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March 17, 2018 - Vagus Nerve -
Started researching what is online regarding the vagus nerve from a nourishing traditional perspective. The following is the first article from the initial search results:
"The brain and gut communicate via the vagus nerve and the enteric (intestinal) nervous system, also called 'the second brain.' The vagus nerve is the primary channel of information between the central nervous system and the intestinal nervous system, extending from the brain to the abdomen. The second brain and central nervous systems are created from the same fetal tissue and are connected via the vagus nerve. Scientists have found that the kinds of bacteria in the gut 'directly affect the stimulation and function of the cells along the vagus nerve.' The second brain makes 80-90 percent of the body’s supply of the hormone serotonin, the feel-good chemical—much more than the brain produces. This may be the reason that dietary adjustments rather than antidepressant drugs are so effective in treating depression."[16]
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March 4, 2015 -
"... drugs of abuse that raise dopamine levels dramatically, such as amphetamines and cocaine, have potent appetite-killing effects."[2]
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January 14th, 2015 -
The following quote is spot on with just the kind of brain chemistry I'm searching for here.
"Neuroscientists have shown, using MRI to scan the brain‘s activity in real-time, that sugar leads to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens – an area associated with motivation, novelty, and reward. This is the same brain region implicated in response to cocaine and heroin."[3]
I attempted to post the following comment at the psychology today site and it triggered a "filter" that I'll just have to see if it will resolve itself.:
Thank you very much for this article, Melanie!
I have a big appetite for understanding brain chemistry and especially as part of a holistic view on every kind of drug addiction (of which I will generally include sugar). Ever since I learned that: "The Glories of The Renaissance Were Created With An Average Intake Of One Teaspoon of Sugar Per Head Per Year":
http://www.curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1454564
I've had a core "thought reversal" about sugar consumption and especially in the u.s. of A. I'm personally completely resolved about the matter as I have proven to myself it is possible to eliminate sugar from my diet. A most helpful adjunct for me has been minimizing the refined carbohydrates as well.
As a result of the complete withdrawal of all sugar my tastes were transformed to the extent that sugar no longer tempts me in any way, as it is unappealing to my taste! (That doesn't mean I don't enjoy sweetness in my life.)
My understanding of the two different kinds of fuel that out body can operate on one sugar/carbohydrate-based and the other healthy fat-based also supported my dietary transformation. My most rewarding discovery was that I am much more satisfied on a fat-based fuel system! The operative word here is satiety. I'm convinced that healthy fats (especially the healthy animal fats) are required in order to experience genuine satiety.
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February 28, 2015 -
The anti-satiety factor:
"... fructose has a detrimental impact on two hormones involved with satiety and hunger, namely leptin and ghrelin, and that this influence sets in motion a vicious cycle of hunger, increased food intake, and increased fat storage."[4]
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March 4th, 2015 -
The whole concept of satiety came to me by way of Dr. Tom Cowan's book: "The Fourfold Path to Healing" (see the first four pages of Chapter 11). Thank you Dr. Cowan! He writes: "One of the most important food components the body needs to feel satisfied is animal fat. That is why I never recommend lowfat diets for weight loss, even though the vast majority of books on weight loss promote a lowfat regimen. Our brain is specifically designed to sense the fat content of our food and to tell us to stop eating when the proper amount of fat content has been ingested. ... The body's requirements for fats is so great, and the appetite that spurs the body to obtain those fats is so strong, that binge eating is likely to occur if fats are omitted from regular meals. Those who have the will power to avoid fats often exhibit lack of control in other areas ..."
"Are you deficient in brain nutrition due to low-calorie dieting? Julia Ross calls this situation 'dieter’s malnutrition' and says it can be an underlying cause of food cravings. When our body assimilates vital nutrients well, it requires less food to satisfy its basic nutrient needs, and a lasting feeling of satiety is effectively achieved. If we don’t assimilate nutrients well or don’t eat nutrient-dense food, our body will be constantly asking for more food, because it needs nutrients to survive. As Dr. Cowan explains, modern processed food is high in calories and low in nutrients. It satisfies the appetite only momentarily because the body continues to send signals to the brain that it needs more nourishment. The 'appestat' never receives the signal to turn off."[5]
I'm sure having a fabulous time researching about brain chemistry! I am grateful to my friend Holly Beardsley who first introduced me to the work of Dr. Gant starting as of about seven years ago. I am so grateful that I am not a "straw man" in search of (or in need of) a brain! (Having just wrote that now at 1:10 PM I recognize that there is a grain of truth in the "straw man" character portrayed in "The Wizard of Oz" and the consequences of a "brainless" state (which would be better restated as "not thinking for yourself").
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One of the possible consequences of having low serotonin is a short attention span. One of the possible consequences of having low beta-endorphin is the feeling of having been "done to" by others. Both of these brain chemistry imbalances are exasperated in individuals with sugar sensitivity.[6]
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June 30, 2015 -
From my current research regarding "satiety":
"... most meals are initiated at times that are convenient or habitual and thus are based on social or learned factors as opposed to adjustments of energy within the body."[7]
The "social factor" referred to[7] can have adverse conditioning effects on some individuals - depending on the mechanics of their Human Design. On the other hand some configurations are very well-suited for the social factor.
Also - "Building neurotransmitters for healthy eating behavior" By James Greenblatt, M.D. and Kelly Heim, Ph.D.[8]
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April 11, 2018 - Article on the Liver by Dr. Carolyn Dean: "Feel the Hunger!" - Is Also Related to "... Brain Nourishment" -
Several people who read my Completement Now! module called “Liver Snacking” told me that they never thought of extending the time between their meals. One gentleman said that he’d never truly experienced hunger in his life because he ate and snacked his way through the day.
... I’m talking about snacking on your liver’s natural storehouse of nutrients. One of your liver’s most important jobs is to regulate energy in your body: the burning of fat and the balancing of your blood sugar. It does that by storing energy as glycogen (a form of glucose).
Most people’s livers aren’t doing a good job at regulating energy. That’s why so many people find their blood sugars are all over the place. They eat a meal and feel good. Two hours later they feel low and think they need to reach for a snack just to get through the afternoon.
Next thing you know, they become insulin resistant – they still feel low, but have super-high blood sugar after meals. This happens to people who eat perfectly healthy food – including vegetarians, raw foodies and juice feasters.
These symptoms are classic signs that your liver isn’t working properly. Your liver is supposed to deliver the snacks. After you finish digesting your food, it’s your liver’s job to start maintaining your blood sugar by using calories it has stashed away and also by burning fat when the glucose stored as glycogen runs out.
Liver snacking is the basis of the Ketogenic diet and hopefully this explanation helps you understand the mechanism of action.
I actually love the feeling of my stomach feeling flat and hollow and gurgling and grumbling a bit on my weekly fasting day. And when I eat the next day I truly enjoy my food and have a greater mindfulness and appreciation of my food and the whole eating experience.
Carolyn Dean MD ND -
The Doctor of the Future®[17]
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April 23, 2018 -
"The realm of the soul is infinite space. Thus, when a being’s soul feels restricted, it seeks to escape at all costs and presses its host to provide the means. Those who are incapable of providing their soul with elements of a spiritual nature will be driven to seek material substances, that is to say alcohol or drugs. For alcohol and drugs have the ability to release the soul from the physical body giving it, if only briefly, the illusion of freedom and space. However, alcohol and drugs are but chemical substances given to the body.[19] Yet the body itself has no need to escape; the need to escape comes from the soul. Drinking or drug use is a sign that the soul is seeking to travel in infinite space. But as this means of escape can never satisfy it, not only does the soul continue to languish, the body itself is also destroyed. Only spiritual means can meet the soul’s need to swell freely in space.[18]
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July 7, 2015 -
Another "mural" that still needs to be "painted" in order to get the "big picture" on the whole terrain of our brain is the issue of toxicity and the brain. I just watched a Ted Talks video by Dave Asprey who has a remarkable personal testimonial that largely addresses the effects of brain toxicity and how he overcame that.[9]
Some of the factors that Dave mentions are presented in greater detail under such topics as lectins, phytates, and gluten - at the WestonAPrice.org
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July 22, 2015 -
Artificial Happiness
"A lot of people get addicted to chemicals - alcohol, cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, and nicotine (not to mention sugar, refined carbs and the "excitotoxins"[10] added to processed foods). Why do they do that, and why aren't they happy? It is because brains have a variety of chemical systems that regulate their electrical activities in waking and sleeping, and the addictive drugs artificially stimulate those systems, but the feelings are not those of joy. [11]
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November 19th -
Happy birthday Leslie Goldman "Your Enchanted Gardener" of "Plant Your Dream" fame!
Endorphins are probably one of the best ways to enjoy a biologically-based natural high. I'm very interested in researching this further!
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February 5th, 2016 -
“Although we do not know the exact and complete mechanisms by which psychedelics work, we do know that they are all chemically related. One point of consensus is that, as for LSD, the primary effect of psychedelics is on the brain's serotonergic neurons, specifically the 2A receptors ... To some degree psychedelics probably also affect the dopaminergic neurons .... More than others I know, McNamara ... emphasizes the role of dopamine in transcendent experience – perhaps because of his focus on the 'religious circuit,' which is supposed to explain most religious phenomena, not just transcendent experiences … The dopaminergic circuits of the brain are involved in action of addictive drugs (e.g., alcohol, nicotibe, and especially cocaine and ampetamines), which produce a very different kind of 'high' ...” - Brain, Consciousness, and God: A Lonerganian Integration, By Daniel A. Helminiak.[12]
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November 6, 2017 -
Five Reasons Not to Take SSRIs
[13]
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December 16, 2017 -
"...When a drug is treated not only as a legal medicine but as a virtually harmless one, it is difficult to make a convincing case that the same drug is terribly harmful if used nonmedically. This is what happened in the 1960s and is presumably happening today. Thus, to end their rampant abuse, amphetamines had to be made strictly controlled substances and their prescription sharply curtailed. Today, amphetamines are widely accepted as safe even for small children, and this return of medical normalization inevitably undermines public health efforts to limit amphetamine abuse. We have not yet reached the point where up to 90% of the amphetamines sold on the street are products of US pharmaceutical firms, as the federal narcotics chief reluctantly admitted before Congress in 1970.[i] But with half the nation’s nonmedical users evidently consuming pharmaceutical amphetamines only, the comments made by Senator Thomas Dodd in those hearings echo strongly today. America’s drug problems were no accidental development, Dodd observed; the pharmaceutical industry’s 'multihundred million dollar advertising budgets, frequently the most costly ingredient in the price of a pill, have pill by pill, led, coaxed and seduced post–World War II generations into the "freaked out" drug culture' plaguing the nation.[ii] Any effort to deal harshly with methamphetamine users today in the name of epidemic control, without touching medical stimulant production and prescription, is as impossible practically as in 1970—and given historical experience, even more hypocritical.
[i] Graham, “Amphetamine Politics on Capitol Hill.”
[ii] Ibid.[14]
The mention of "controlled substances" is of course a legal classification and the enforcement of the pertinent Act of Congress is probably about all that a government can do in this instance. (Where the enforcement can Lawfully take place is another matter that is not being addressed here at this time.) If we realize that the purpose of government is only concerned with the protection of Rights then virtually the whole realm of actual "brain nourishment" lies in the "social sphere" where it belongs. In a "Threefold Social Order" perspective government relates to "The Rights Sphere". That leave "The Economic Sphere" where "the pharmaceutical industry" is primarily oriented.
What got be into this was reading: "A 2008 paper titled 'America’s First Amphetamine Epidemic 1929–1971'” at Dr. Carolyn Dean's site.[15] I especially got alerted reading how: "...candy-flavored amphetamine released by the FDA in Jan 2016 is being fed to our children."
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Footnotes:
[1] http://opiateaddictionsupport.com/the-4-phases-of-heroin-recovery/
[2] http://www.dana.org/News/Details.aspx?id=43008#sthash.RtHcHcdm.dpuf
[3]
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201302/why-our-brains-love-sugar-and-why-our-bodies-dont
[4]
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/28/new-study-confirms-fructose-affects-your-brain-very-differently-than-glucose.aspx
[5]
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/why-we-crave/
[6]
http://www.radiantrecovery.com/chemistry.htm
http://nourishingbroth.com/recipes/boning-up-on-bone-marrow-custard/
[7] http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/286/1/G7
[8] http://www.pureencapsulations.com/education-research/newscaps/newscap-02-12-2013
Also at my CureZone Blog: "Evolving Nutrition Awareness" posted as: "A Higher Evolution in Nutritional Awareness" -
http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2261546
[9] See Dave here:
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Hacking-Yourself-Dave-Asprey-at
(Video of May 30, 2014)
[10] "chemicals known as excitotoxins are used in high levels in all processed foods (fast foods are processed) as flavor-enhancers, and because of their makeup are also highly addictive ...":
http://www.drramsey.com/excitotoxins-cause-brain-cells-to-fire-uncontrollably/
[11] http://preventdisease.com/news/14/050414-This-Is-What-Happens-To-Your-Cells-When-You-Experience-Happiness.shtml
[12] https://books.google.com/books?id=Xqs0CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=%22tranquilizing+mind%22&source=bl&ots=QqlkoV4ebm&sig=55mSwwC2cmwKm_vj7i7ynLfS7Ic&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinicrRnOLKAhVL6GMKHULSDDoQ6AEISjAI#v=onepage&q=%22tranquilizing%20mind%22&f=false
[13] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/obsessively-yours/201001/five-reasons-not-take-ssris
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2377281/#r98
[15] https://drcarolyndean.com/2017/12/history-loves-repeating-itself/
[16] https://www.westonaprice.org/brain-maker-by-perlmutter-loberg/
[17] https://drcarolyndean.com/2018/04/feel-the-hunger/
[18] https://www.prosveta-usa.com/soul-the-only-spiritual-means-can-meet-its-need-for-immensity_2018-04-23
[19] The "body" naturally includes the brain.
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Keywords:
brain food, getting high, higher states, Nature, social sphere, financial sphere, legal sphere, consciousness, authentic self, The Matrix, Cosmos and Psyche, Epochs of Revolution, Utopia, Brain Chemistry, endorphin, dopamine, satiety, tom cowan, healing, appetite, toxins, phytates, neurotransmitters, excitotoxins, serotonergic neurons, liver
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