Your Liver- Your Female Problems - Part 1 - What to Avoid

Your Liver -

Your Female Problems – Part 1-- What to Avoid

If you have any “female problems” like
-menstrual cramps
-PMS
-heavy menses
-hot flashes

-fibroids

-endometriosis

you’ll want to make friends with your liver.

Estrogen dominance can play a big role in all of these conditions.  And the liver is important in ridding your body of estrogens. (Hint: A high fiber diet also helps bind them and excrete them from the colon.)

To be friends with your liver –

Avoid these things may damage or overload it:

• ·         Yoyo dieting can stress the liver
• ·         Being overweight is associated with fatty liver disease – regular exercise can help prevent it
• ·         More than one alcohol drink per day
• ·         Marijuana or other street drugs
• ·         Excess vitamins, especially vitamin A - For adults, the safe daily intake of vitamin A is around 3,000 micrograms – this is much lower for children and adolescents or people with high alcohol intake, pre-existing liver disease, high cholesterol or severe protein malnutrition. Be aware that some fish oil contains high levels of vitamin A.
• ·         Some prescription drugs – check for warnings.
• ·         Excess over the counter drugs, especially acetaminophen. Alcohol consumption substantially increases the risk of acute liver failure from acetaminophen overdose. According to the National Institutes of Health, liver damage may occur with consumption of only 2,600 mg of acetaminophen in the course of a day in people who have consumed varying amounts of alcohol. It is strongly recommended that people who consume alcohol on a regular basis limit acetaminophen intake to a maximum of 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day. The preference is to stay at the lower end of that range. Always remember that a huge number of products contain acetominophen. To protect the liver, it is crucial to never combine acetaminophen-containing products. Carefully read the labels of all over-the-counter medications, as well as all prescription medications, in order to be certain that you never consume more than 1,000 to 2,000 mg of acetaminophen in any 24 hour period.

(Hint:  N-acetylcysteine (NAC) boosts the liver’s production of glutathione, the antioxidant used by the liver to safely detoxify acetaminophen and many other chemicals. By consuming NAC (500 mg, three times daily) on days you take acetaminophen, you can decrease the risk for serious liver toxicity. Never exceed the recommended daily limit of acetaminophen - even when taking NAC.)

• Hepatitis, of all kinds – some kinds are sexually transmitted so use a condom.  Tattoos and piercings not done hygienically could cause Hepatitis infections as well.

                                        Sources:  LoveYourLiver.com.au                     
                                                        UC San Diego Health System - Liver Center

NEXT TIME:  Liver-loving foods and habits

Wrestling with Raspberry

Her long prickly limbs, green with leaves

Bow down to the Earth, ends heavy laden with bunches of berries

Which I hope to intercept before the rabbits or the rot.

I prop her up.

The ripe berries surrender to my tender touch,

Gracefully letting go into the palm of my hand.

Berries-

Earlier you blossomed into flowers for the bees,

Now blossom into flavor for me—

Feed me & I will water you—

Together, sisters,

Wrapped in each others arms.

by Terra Rafael

Knowing Life by the Heart

Knowing Life by the Heart
is challenging in this domain of physical.com.
So many pop-ups
Interrupting.
But Re-member-
It's All Light
when viewed through the Ultimate ISP of LOVE.

Even Shadows

Even Shadows show us the Light-
Their pathways directed by the Source of Brilliance 
Behind every mishap, hurt & meanness.
Look past that darkness into Love
Until you Remember that You Too Shine
And Shadows dissolve before you in the Shimmering of Heart.

Practicing to be Crones During the Fertile Years

The Monthly Cronehood of the Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle contains the experiences of Maiden, Mother, & Crone within it.  We can experience a mini- Cronehood when our premenstrual hormones plummet in those cycles in which pregnancy doesn’t occur. We empty of juice, being low in estrogen and progesterone, while filling with intuitive potential.  These mini-Cronehoods, when fully experienced, can prepare us for the wisewoman, menopausal years and teach us about the power of Knowing.

What are the practices to help us prepare for Cronehood?

-First, be aware.  Notice how your body, emotions, and mind react to this premenstrual time.  If you are feeling to many symptoms, it is good to work on gently cleansing and supporting your liver.  When the hormones are building up in your liver the detoxing that starts to occur premenstrual times can be more harsh---as they can during the menopausal stage as well. 

-Take time for yourself.  Yes, I know how difficult that can be.  But it must be a priority.  In this way you can increase your awareness of what is happening in your body and how to care for it.  You don’t need to take the whole day off—just give yourself ½ hour a day to be free of responsibility to others.  Moms can do this when kids are in bed—mornings &/or evenings.

-Pay extra attention to your inner promptings.  It could be your dreams.  Or your intuition might be telling you what to do. BELIEVE YOURSELF!

-Practice letting go.  This time in your cycle is excellent for getting rid of what is no longer living for you. 

Cultivating Our Native Intelligence - Ayurvedic Wisdom of the Gunas

by Terra Rafael, Ayurvedic Practitioner

There are three main sources of "seeds" for the mind which we have some control over:

     the focus of the mind itself on thoughts & emotions

     the focus of the senses on the sensations

     the balance of energy created in the body and mind by the things we eat & drink.

 Whatever kind of seeds we plant in the soil of our mind will grow there, unless we let them wither, without our attention.  This is what meditation & other spiritual practices can do.  Psychotherapy usually focuses attention on less uplifting aspects to pluck them out. Either method when done without right understanding may actually add energy to seeds which will cloud the mind and spread them in the field of the mind.

Ayurvedic treatment of the mind uses the ancient understanding that all of creation evolves through the interplay of the three gunas or attributes of the Primal Matter (or Primal Mother).  These three attributes are:

            sattva = light, intelligence, clarity, perception, peacefulness, focus

            rajas = movement & action

            tamas = inertia, darkness, dullness and resistance.

Everything in creation has a mixture of these three qualities.  The mind is by nature more sattvic, so that if rajas or tamas become predominant the mind does not perform its tasks according to its inherent nature. 

The mind may be clouded by tamas and therefore the person does not see the proper thing way to behave or relate to others. Delusion may reign, the person being lost in negative or destructive thoughts. 

Or the mind may be agitated by rajas and thus be so active that clarity & intelligence is lost --even though the person knows what is proper, s/he still can not act in accord with it because of distraction from the quiet source of inner wisdom. Thoughtless violence may occur.

Unlike the ayurvedic doshas, rajas & tamas do not balance each other out.  So following one quality after another will just add to agitation. ( Occasionally a tamasic situation will require rajasic means to move it out of tamas.  After that, moving it to sattva would be the most uplifting.)

By avoiding the planting of seeds of tamas and rajas in the mind and by cultivating sattva, the native intelligence called buddhi can shine forth.  This native intelligence can inform us of the proper course of action in the moment -- such as the right foods to eat, the proper way to relate to someone in a given situation.  In this way the light of cosmic intelligence is reflected in our daily life through our own native intelligence.

Ayurveda and Yoga recommend methods to work with these gunas. As your native intelligence grows you will see even more ways to increase it within yourself.  I believe native intelligence is not only the key to spiritual upliftment to the individual, but also the way to harmony between people, with other species, and with the Earth herself.  By its cultivation, we are truly serving all of humanity.

To reduce Rajas guna:

Avoid routinely eating  these foods & substances:

            Stimulants         Coffee  Caffeinated beverages  Hot, spicy or fried foods

            Excess sweets  Garlic    Onions                          Hot peppers

            Tomatoes         Radishes                                  Corn

            Eggs                Fish                  Poultry              Especially red meat

Avoid routine participation in these activities:

            Over exercising             Over work         TV & action-oriented or sexual movies

            Loud stimulating music  Excessive thinking or emoting

            Eating too fast

To reduce Tamas guna:

Avoid routinely eating these foods :

            Aged Cheese    Pickles             Tamari              Vinegar

            Wine, other alcohol                    Drugs               Red meat

            Stale foods, leftovers                Mushrooms       Microwaved food

            Processed foods                      Frozen foods    Fried foods

Avoid Over fatigue

To increase Sattva guna:

            Follow Rajas & Tamas reducing regimes

Regularly include the following in your diet: generally, foods that are light to digest and nourishing

            Fresh foods                  Almonds           Pure Milk          Ghee

            Fresh fruits                   Most vegies      Vegetarianism

            Grains, esp. wheat & brown basmati rice, whole wheat, oats

Maintaining your doshic balance - Vata, Pitta, Kapha is also helpful, so follow the proper doshic diet as well.

Regularly include the following in your lifestyle:

            daily meditation             yoga asanas     pranayama        chanting/uplifting singing

            nonviolence                  work in moderation        keep good company

            enjoy activities & environments which are conducive to positivity and joy

           

            As my Ayurvedic Nutrition teacher Amadea Morningstar says, " These particular categories of sattwa, rajas & tamas are core, essential .. but they are only categories.  Let them be your friends rather than your masters."  In other words - take this with a sattvic attitude.

May the blessings of your own Native Intelligence shine forth in your life!

           

Sources:    David Frawley, Ayurveda Correspondence Course for Health Professionals, American Vedic Institute

                Amadea Morningstar, Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners

                Sarasvati Buhrman, Ayurveda & Yoga Courses, Rocky Mtn Institute of Yoga & Ayurveda

Wise Womanhood   

wisewomanhood@gmail.com www.wisewomanhood.com     720.628.5015

Terra Rafael - Ayurveda Practitioner, & Maya Abdominal Therapist

Breathing to Relieve Stress- a free way to be healthier

If you are habitually excitable, anxious, or just speeding around in a Type A manner you are acting like a tiger is chasing you all the time. By using your breath in a conscious way you can turn off your adrenal glands and move out of fight-or-flight and into the relaxed mode that allows for good digestion, tuned in sex, and a healthier life in general.  Blood pressure can be reduced. Not to mention the mental pressure.

Daily practice:

Lie on your back, with knees bent up and feet on the floor to relax your lower belly.  Gently place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest to help you gauge where your breath is going. Just breath naturally in this position for a few breaths, becoming aware of the speed, depth, and location of your normal breath.

Now, breathing through your nose, take a DEEP, slow breath in that fills up your belly like a balloon. The hand on your belly should go up first, then filling the lungs all the way up to the top, your chest hand will go up too.

When it’s time to exhale gently and slowly(don’t hold your breath!) letting the air out of your chest first, feeling that hand sink down as it empties and then, the belly hand goes down at the end of the full exhale.

Don’t force the breath, so much as open up to it coming in and then let the natural force of the air let it move itself back out, in its own time. If you force the breath out you may hyperventilate and feel dizzy or tingling in the fingers. ( If that happens, cup your hands around your nose and mouth and rebreathe your air to bring the balance back to your O2/CO2 levels.)

Continue the gentle, deep breathing for about five minutes—or longer if you want.

Throughout the day:

Whenever you start to notice you’re “revving up” , take a short breathing break.  You don’t have to lie down, just do it sitting or standing upright.  Take at least 3 deep slow gentle breaths—you’ll turn down the adrenals and relax.  YOU DON”T HAVE TO BE TENSE TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS!!!

More helps:

Maya Abdominal Therapy can be helpful in relaxing the upper and lower abdomen and making it easier to take deep breaths.  Other helps to turning off the adrenals can be Rescue Remedy or herbs that Terra can recommend.  Adrenal health is important for overall health, hormonal balance, and healthy menopause.

WiseWomanhood

 women’s holistic health throughout the female lifecycle

Terra Rafael, Registered Midwife & Ayurvedic Practitioner

Ayurveda – Maya Abdominal Therapy – Reiki – Flower Essences – Fertility Awareness

720.628.5015    wisewomanhood@gmail.com