- Going Within Pt. 2 RN by thomas
19 y
3,804 2 Messages Shown
Blog: Journey of Light
Another lesson we can learn from our cells is that we are not victims of our genetics. In his great chapter called, It’s the Environment, Stupid. We learn how important the environment is in shaping our daily realities. While DNA can provide a blueprint for life, the genes carrying that blueprint can be modified and altered according to environmental signals picked up and then responded to by the inner workings of the cell. So if a cell is greatly affected by its environment, I wonder what could be the environmental impact on organisms such as humans which contain trillions of cells? Well Lipton gives us an idea:
“diabetes, heart disease and cancer… are not the result of a single gene, but of complex interactions among multiple genes and environmental factors.” (Lipton, pg. 51)
“In fact, only 5% of cancer and cardiovascular patients can attribute their disease to heredity… The malignancies in a significant number of cancer patients are derived from environmentally-induced epigenetic alterations and not defective genes”. (Lipton, pg. 72)
Lipton tells us that epigenetics is a relatively new science which studies environmental factors affecting genes such as nutrition, stress and emotions. Well I find it very fascinating that the science of epigenetics finally brings our attention to the necessity for a holistic approach to medicine. Once we begin to realize that illness and disease are not solely linked to aberrations or disharmony within our physical bodies and genes, we can open up to the reality of the mind, body and spirit approach. Negative thoughts, emotions and beliefs are translated into negative energy and stimuli which is then picked up by the protein receptor/effector complexes in all of our cells. These cells as a matter of practice react to these negative energies. Many of us have known about the power of negative thoughts from a spiritual and an experiential point of you, but now we can see that science is providing us with the how’s and why’s behind this belief.
These cells react to this negative environment by going into protective mode. Which may sound good at first, but there is a problem. According to Lipton, cells cannot protect themselves and allow for growth at the same time. Here are some of his thoughts on the matter:
“It turns out that the mechanisms that support growth and protection cannot operate optimally at the same time… In a response similar to that displayed by cells, humans unavoidably restrict their growth behaviors when they shift into a protective mode… a sustained protection response inhibits the creation of life-sustaining energy. The longer you stay in protection, the more you compromise your growth.” (Lipton, pg. 147)
When in protective mode our bodies may activate what is called the HPA axis which stands for the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Activation of this axis while beneficial in short term life or death situations can be harmful when continually stimulated by today’s ever present stresses and fears. The fears and stresses of the modern human being are not caused by the lion chasing after us in the hopes of having a tasty dinner, but instead usually come from the illusions and fears we create within our own minds. According to Lipton, prolonged activation of the HPA axis and the release of stress hormones can cause a cascading harmful affect over the long run throughout your body. Lipton describes these affects in this passage:
“Stress hormones released into the blood constrict the blood vessels of the digestive tract, forcing the energy-providing blood to preferentially nourish the tissues of the arms and legs that enable us to get out of harm’s way. Before the blood was sent to the extremities, it was concentrated in the visceral organs. Redistributing the viscera’s blood to the limbs in the fight or flight response results in an inhibition of growth-related functions; without the blood’s nourishment the visceral organs cannot function properly. The visceral organs stop doing their life-sustaining work of digestion, absorption, excretion and other functions that provide for the growth of the cells and the production of the body’s energy reserves.” (Lipton, pg. 150)
Another negative effect of stress hormones is that they, “directly repress the action of the immune system to conserve energy reserves. In fact, stress hormones are so effective at curtailing immune system function that doctors provided them to recipients of transplants so that their immune systems wouldn’t reject the foreign tissues.” (Lipton, pg. 150)
Isn’t this just amazing? Here is clear undeniable proof that stress can and does damage our bodies. And so this begs the question of what is causing all this stress in people’s lives. I believe part of the cause is our unending obsession with stuff. Yup. People too often work their entire lives to accumulate more and more stuff. We define ourselves by our stuff. My things are better than your things, so I must be better than you. Again this goes along the lines of constant competition. We want to make sure we have the best stuff and we want to make sure that no one else can get it. This is keeping up with the Joneses in its most extreme form. We attach ourselves to these outwardly notions of beauty and worth as we are unwilling to recognize our own inner worth and beauty. And all the while, secretly behind the scenes we are inherently destroying ourselves. We operate on a level and at a pace that our bodies were never meant to operate at and no wonder we are finding more and more that they are breaking down. Lipton says it perfectly:
“We live in a “Get Set” world and an increasing body of research suggests that our hyper-vigilant lifestyle is severely impacting the health of our bodies. Our daily stressors are constantly activating the HPA axis, priming our bodies for action. Unlike competitive athletes, the stresses in our bodies are not released from the pressures generated by our chronic fears and concerns. Almost every major illness that people acquire has been linked to chronic stress.” (Lipton, pg. 152)
Here are some interesting articles on stress and its effects on the human body:
http://webcenter.health.webmd.netscape.com/content/pages/7/1674_52147.htm?z=1...
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
The following link comes from the web site for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It is a great article that explains the HPA axis and how the constant release of stress hormones can affect every important system in our body.
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/new/releases/stress.cfm
My next and final blog message regarding Bruce Lipton’s book, Biology of Belief will talk about what we can do to get rid of the stress and begin to live healthier and happier lives. Yes, there is hope. Actually there is a lot of hope out there for all of us.
As another note, this subject reminds me of a blog message I wrote called heart dis-ease. In this message, I talk about the heart disease that has plagued three generations of my family. I was pondering the question as to whether my families problems with their hearts and arteries was simple a genetic weakness or if there were other factors involved such as stress and the lack of emotional expression. I now see that my belief that there were behavioral patterns that were passed down through the generations which caused tremendous amounts of stress which in turn created heart problems has a scientific basis.
This is an important revelation for my family as we have only up until this point taken care of our physical bodies. We all make sure that we don’t smoke, or drink too much, or eat too much and we all try and get exercise. However, this is only half the equation. To make sure that these heart problems don’t cross over into a fourth generation, we must also concentrate on the health of our minds and our souls as I believe that daily stresses occur through imbalances originating in either one of these areas.
My Heart Dis-ease blog can be found here:
http://www.curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=355&i=14
|
|
|
thomas
|
|
- loved your most informative post... reminds me... by drofinnah
19 y
1,667
there was a song years ago...
can't remember the title...
the artist... or the year...
but i do remember a part of the lyrics...
which went something like this...
"as they while away the hours...
in their ivory towers...
and are covered up with flowers...
in the back of a black limosine"...
so it's been obvious to some of us for a long time i think...
that our life styles have been killing us...
maybe science is just beginning to catch up...
thanks for posting...
keep up the good work...
it's a wonderful day in the neighborhood...
lol...
;-)
|
|
|
drofinnah
|
|
|
|
CureZone