Naturally Healthy: Can We Become Stronger and Smarter?

Were People More Naturally Healthy Years Ago?
I was just telling my husband a story about Grandpa, who was born before the turn of the century. He grew up with horse and buggys, no electricity, and no processed foods! When I was in my teens, Grandpa, then in his 80's, would occasionally stay with us in our Rockland County, New York suburban home.

Grandpa was somewhat proud and independent, and insisted on making his own way. Despite concern from my Mom and aunt, he refused to use a cane to aid him in getting around. This frequently resulted in scenarios like this:

Grandpa is at the top of the six-foot high wooden stairs in our split-level home. He misses a step, and in a loud crashing of bones and groans, tumbles down the stairs and lands in a heap at the bottom. Mom comes running from the kitchen, hysterical, yelling, 'Pa, oh my God,' etc. Grandpa is already pulling himself upright, brushing Mom's worry off with, 'Ahhh, I'm fine, leave me alone!' Mom wants to take him to the hospital to make sure he's alright. Grandpa is adamant - no way!

Old man in his 80's, with a bad hip, falls down a flight of hard wooden stairs and gets up off the floor, nothing broken - not even a sprain! Hmmm...

In his last decade of life, Grandpa also sprung some other surprises on us:

Mom is upset because she called Grandpa on the phone repeatedly since early morning. No answer. Usually, Grandpa can be reached sometime during the day. By evening, Mom is beside herself with worry. She is ready to get in the car and drive to the other side of the Bronx to see what's the matter.

One more call and... It turns out Grandpa decided to take himself out to Shea Stadium - alone! He walked the mile or so to the bus, enjoyed a day of sitting on the bleachers in the hot sun eating hot dogs, then returned home after a nice dinner in a delicatessen.

Grandpa can't understand all the commotion - no big deal to enjoy a day at the ball park...!

OK, one more story. This one from when Grandpa was in his 70's.

We are visiting some relatives who have a summer house in Long Beach. Late afternoon, we are by the ocean. Grandpa decides to go for a swim. He wades into the waves and makes a beeline for the open sea, swimming a strong crawl stroke. Soon, all we can see of him is his arms lifting beyond the breakers as he churns through the rough waters. Mom is already in a state, and Grandma is not too happy, either.

Grandpa stays out there a good long time, swimming back and forth so far out we can hardly see him. By the time he saunters back across the sand, calling the Coast Guard has been seriously considered and funeral plans made.

They just don't make 'em like they used to...

Young People With Old Bodies?
Fast forward to the last few years...

I am doing a health history intake with a new Rolfing client. She is a dance student at a local college.

'I injured a muscle in my right groin about a year ago - I think it was from doing too many plieies,' she tells me. 'I rested it, used heat, stretched, but it is still painful and I can't move like I used to.'

As the intake discussion proceeds, I also learn that she has been on antidepressants and thyroid medication since high school. Growing up, her diet included a mixture of whole foods and generous amounts of processed foods. She has trouble sleeping, and gets very nervous when under pressure of taking an exam or when faced with other challenges.

She is only eighteen years old...!

What is Happening to Us?
Where are all the 'hale and hearty' individuals of bygone eras? My Grandpa and the college girl are simply examples of what I observe to be a widespread phenomenon; a progressive decline of health in successive generations.

Driving four hours straight on the New York State Thruway to visit my Mom in western New York, I take frequent breaks at rest stops along the way. Many of them have kiosks with photos of the history of the local area. Late one night, I need a longer break from driving, so I take a long look at some of the old photos adorning the kiosk.

One photo in particular stops me in my tracks, capturing my intense interest. It is an old black and white photo depicting a scene at a soda fountain from around the time of WWII. The men wear army uniforms of the era. All the people in the photo are black.

Sitting at the counter, three young women with gorgeous cheekbones and lovely large dark eyes share a soda. Their bodies are trim, yet voluptuous and sturdy, exuding glorious femaleness. It is rare to see women of any race with bodies like that these days.

And the men! They exude male vigor and presence. Strong-boned, well-muscled, and vibrant - no lack of testosterone there!

I stand there a long time, transfixed by the magnificent presence of the men and women in the photo. And these are AVERAGE people of that day!...

Continuing this article, I will explore why we have lost our vigor and how to reclaim it. To be continued...

OK, I'm back. First question - what has caused recent generations to become less vigorous than people from bygone eras? Here, we will keep the discussion focused mostly on physical causes - spiritual and emotional aspects are an involved subject and require much more elaboration than I can do in one article.

What Things are Damaging Our Bodies?
1 - Stress
How it damages the body and what you can do about it.
Ongoing stress damages any and all body tissues.

* Stress damages the brain! Stress over-excites brain neurons, same as excitotoxin additives in processed foods. Neurons eventually die when highly overstimulated over a period of time.

* Stress stimulates the adrenal glands to flood the bloodstream with corticosteroids. While corticosteroids give us a surge of strength in emergency situations, they damage any and all body tissues over time if stress is chronic. Also, when the demand on the adrenals is greater than their ability to supply emsrgency hormones, the adrenals become depleted. Then, when we really need corticosteroids for an emergency, the adrenals can't supply them. When the demand for adrenal hormones exceeds ability of the body to supply them, a person will feel weak and shaky in an emergency situation.

* Stress increases the body's susceptibility to damage from microorganisms. They reproduce faster, and become more aggressive - eating away at body tissues. If they are in the joints, they destroy joint cartilage, if in the blood vessels, they cause inflammation that attracts cholesterol deposits in an attempt by the body to strengthen damaged blood vessel walls. If they are in the gut, they can take the form of a fungal infection.

Protein requirements for stress:
As you may surmise, this article is being written and revised over a period of time. Just a few days ago, in a conversation with the president of the top amino acid company in the world, I learned more about the importance of having enough protein during stressful times, and how to go about that...

During stressful times, it is especially important to eat high-quality protein at every meal. The adrenal glands, especially, and many other areas of the body need more protein to repair and mantain them when greater demand is placed on the body.

Excellent sources of high-quality protein include free-range naturally raised eggs, poultry, beef, and lamb. Wild-caught salmon is also a good option, but stay away from farm-raised fish - in most cases such fish is not much better than factory-farmed meat and eggs.

2 - Excititoxins such as MSG damage brain neurons by overstimulating, and eventually killing them. Such substances are implicated in speeding the onset and progress of Alzheimer's and other neuro-degenerative conditions. Virtually all processed foods contain excitotoxins. The sad part is that these harmful substances are not preservatives - their only purpose is to mask bad tastes and enhance desireable tastes in processed foods.

MSG has been implicated in depression, fatigue, headaches, eye damage, and disorientation.

Research: mice were exposed to doses of MSG equal to what is typically added to foods for both adults and babies. The young of the MSG exposed mice were grossly overweight and deficient in height, and exhibited damaged organs throughout their bodies, deficient reproductive functioning, and brain lesions. The same problems are becoming more and more common in children. The prevalence of obesity in children and teens has tripled in the last decade! Obesity in adults has more than doubled in the last 30 years.

MSG and related substances are ubiquitous in nearly all processed foods. Here are some of the names it goes under:
MSG
Monosodium glutamate
Monopotassium glutamate
Vegetable Protein Extract
Textured Protein
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)
Autolyzed Plant Protein
Autolyzed Yeast
Yeast Extract
Yeast food or nutrient
Malted Barley
Calcium Caseinate
Sodium Caseinate
Gelatin
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid

So-Called 'Foods' MSG is Found In:
Soy Protein
Soy Sauce or Extract
Soy Protein Isolate or Concentrate
Stock
Broth
Boullion
Whey
Whey Protein
Whey Protein Isolate or Concentrate
Malt Extract or Flavoring
Maltodextrin, dextrose, dextrates
Caramel Flavoring or Coloring
Pectin
Anything 'enriched' or 'vitamin enriched'
Anything 'protein fortified'
Anything 'enzyme modified'
Rice Syrup
Brown Rice Syrup
'Low' or 'No Fat' foods
Milk Powder
Dry Milk Solids
Protein Fortified Milk
Spice
Vegetable Gum
Guar Gum
Anything 'Ultra-Pasteurized'
Artificial flavoring
Dough conditioners
Protein powders: whey, soy, rice, oat
Etc.

As I write this, I am amazed how many kinds of processed food substances contain MSG. I actually had to stop making the list because there are too many and I got tired of listing them.

You are best off avoiding ALL processed foods!

3 - Environmental Toxins:
The plethora of toxic substances we are exposed to is so vast that I cannot begin to list them. Because of the toxic load in our environment, it is important to have a very proactive approach to our self-care. Detoxification methods can take many forms; choose some that feel right to you:

To be continued shortly...