I shared a blog from a colleague this week on my Facebook page and the quote she used that really struck a chord with me is as follows...
“The colon is a sewage system, but by neglect and abuse it becomes a cesspool. When it is clean and normal we are well and happy; let it stagnate and it will distil the poisons of decay, fermentation and putrefaction into the blood, poisoning the brain and nervous system so that we become mentally depressed and irritable; it will poison the heart so that we are weak and listless; poison the lungs so that the breath is foul; poison the digestive organs so that we are distressed and bloated; and poison the blood so that the skin is sallow and unhealthy. In short, every organ of the body is poisoned, and we age prematurely, look and feel old, the joints are stiff and painful, neuritis, dull eyes and a sluggish brain overtake us; the pleasure of living is gone.”
It is credited to many people including Bernard Jensen, Arbuthnot Lane, Charles Jacques Bouchard, or Elie Metchnikoff, a pioneer in germ theory, who advocated the consumption of lactic acid bacteria to improve longevity. Is it possible that a part of the reason we have such high rates of burn out, and mental health issues, is because our gut health is so poor?
Over Christmas I just ate whatever was on the go
I had 3 full Christmas dinners with ham and turkey, pudding and cream and an endless selection of chocolates and sweets. I even drank a few bottles of wine over the period which is not my normal at all. By New Year’s Eve I was in a right slump. I was totally miserable and didn’t want to engage with anyone. I even had a go at my hubby for attempting to open a bottle of sparkle to ring in the New Year because what was the point!!!!
On January 1 all I wanted was to stay in bed. I couldn’t see the point of getting up and doing anything, my life was shit, I was going nowhere and getting old! I should just give up. Most people who know me will say I try and see the positive and bright side in everything and yet here I was after 1 week of indulgent foods and stimulants feeling like my life was pointless.
Given what I ate and drank my liver was under pressure from sugars and alcohol, my poor bowel was having to deal with so much meat and bread and cakes that it was barely functioning. I had to take herbal supplements to make sure I pooped every day. Now, I was able to get back on track because I recognised what was happening and my gut just needed some relief to get back on track. I ate less and more lightly, stopped the alcohol and treats (mostly) and of course had a colonic.
Now I’m out walking everyday, I joined a yoga class and I am brimming with new ideas. This is the effect of only 1 week of celebration food and drink on me, imagine what continuous consumption of these foods could be doing to our bodies and minds.
What if eating and drinking to improve and clean our gut is a piece of the puzzle to help boost our mental health too! Maybe instead of helping us feel good those wind down glasses of wine or meals out are actually ending up making us feels worse.
Make bowel movements a priority
Clearing out the waste from our bodies is so much more important than we realise and I believe it is a top priority for all of us every day. It is so much better for every system in our body and our minds if we clear out the waste on a daily basis, at least once but preferably as often as we have meals. Imagine you start with an empty gut on Monday, then you eat 3 meals. It will take these 3 meals approx. 24 hours to pass through the system so on Tuesday morning you will be getting rid of Monday’s breakfast. Then later in the day after Tuesdays lunch you get rid of Mondays lunch and so on.
So what happens if you only get rid of one meals worth of waste per day?
Monday 3 meals Tuesday 3 meals -1 = 5 Wednesday 3 meals -1 =7 Thursday 3 meals -1 = 9 Friday 3 meals -1 = 11.
Add it up and by Friday you could possibly have 11 meals worth of waste still in your bowel!!!!! And what if you don’t go everyday!! How much is sitting in your bowel then? To me this is obvious that it can only lead to health issues that show up in different ways for everybody. There will always be waste in our bowel because we never start from zero Waste creates methane as part of the digestion process and that’s natural and part of the process, so despite what we were told as kids, it is better to let the gas out!!!
What happens to the waste left sitting in the gut?
If the waste continues to sit in the gut too long and continues to putrefy then it begins to produce other gases that can put more of a burden on our livers to filter and change, so they can be eliminated, such and indican and ammonia. This uses up energy which means we have less capacity to deal with day to day living. Things become more difficult to deal with. Weariness and fatigue set in. The mindset takes a nosedive and suddenly things seem insurmountable. These substances can irritate our nervous system and may lead to anxiety and problems sleeping. This can make a difficult situation even worse.
So make time every day to have a bowel movement at least once a day! Believe me it is good for your mental and as well as physical health.
And if you would like more help to get your gut back on track get in touch to receive my tips on ways to improve your daily movements and how colonics can help, email me at sarah@sarahbreslinwellness.
Sarah
Helping you be your best self!
P.S. Hit the pause button and take a week out to really rest and feel restored at the REST RESTORE SOAR Retreat this March in Donegal https://www.sarahbreslinwellness.com/retreat