Emotions

EMOTIONS AND YOUR HEALING SYSTEM by Art Brownstein, M.D.

Emotions are packets of mental and physical energy that move through and attempt to move out of your body, much like a river whose water steadily moves toward its greater destiny the ocean. The word emotion comes from the root emote, which means to move out.

Your emotions have a profound impact on your physical health, and they play an integral role in the functioning of your healing system. Your emotions are connected to your endocrine system, which includes your pineal, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands as well as your pancreas and reproductive organs. During emotional experiences, powerful hormones are released into your bloodstream from these various organs, and these hormones have far-reaching effects on your body and your healing system.

For example, when you are in a highly excitable state, either feeling of exuberant joy or intense fear, your adrenal glands release epinephrine (adrenaline) which constrict blood vessels, accelerate heart rate, increase blood pressure, and affect lung and kidney function. Cortisol, which can suppress your immune function, is also released at these times. All of these functions are critical to your healing system. Insulin, which regulates sugar metabolism, is also produced in response to certain emotions, especially when you are feeling frightened, angry, or under stress. These are just a few of the more commonly known hormones associated with your emotions, but you can see what a profound effect they can have on your healing system.

Being in touch with your feelings, understanding what they are and what they mean, is important for your health of your healing system. When you are in touch with how you feel, you usually feel energized and alive. When you are out of touch with your emotions, you tend to feel separated from life, isolated and lonely. Feelings of loneliness and isolation create stress, which, if sustained can have harmful repercussions on your healing system.

Clear evidence now exists that suppressing emotions can be damaging to your health and your body’s healing system. Repressing emotions goes against the natural laws of the universe that require the natural energy of emotions to move out of your body to see conscious expression. Numerous studies have shown that people who continuously suppress their emotions are more likely to fall prey to serious illnesses, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic conditions. Other studies have shown that people who are able to access their feelings and express themselves enjoy better health and greater longevity. Rather then suppressing your feelings and emotions, most medical experts are now recommending that, to prevent illness, it is important to get in touch with your feelings, whatever they are, and then learn to express them in healthy ways.

Healthy feelings create sensations of comfort and ease in your body. Some healthy feelings are joy, happiness, peace, contentment, serenity, satisfaction, and love. Because they release powerful hormones, these feelings are extremely beneficial to the health of your body’s internal environment, and they can keep your healing system vibrant and strong for many years. Of course, the most powerful healthy feeling of all is love.

Because feelings are located in our bodies, there are really no negative feelings or emotions, though this probably sounds like a contradiction. Feelings just are, and they cannot be judged on any level by anyone. Even anger, pain, and sadness, generally considered to be “negative” emotions, can be appropriate and beneficial, especially when we acknowledge and release them from our bodies in a timely and sensible manner. The problem occurs when we do not release these emotions, but rather, as we discussed before, we hold onto and contain or suppress them. Under these circumstances, suppression of so-called negative emotions can be harmful. Healing often occurs when the roots of the unhealthy emotions are exposed and then released from your body.

Thoughts

   Growing up my mother asked me to do things that I thought were hard, I'd exclaim with frustration,"I can't do it." My mother would always reply, "Can't can't do anything." 
I never thought that made any sense but with age and wisdom the truth finally shines through. When we believe that tasks are impossible to do our mind limits our ability to accomplish them. Our own thoughts prevent us from succeeding. What we think manifests itself in our lives, "We become what we think we are." 
   One valuable tool that I have learned that has improved my life is to think positively. I've always been the "half empty" kind-of-gal and I've had to retrain myself to see things "half-full." By doing this my life have become richer. One important steps to helping me redirect my thinking was by taking on an attitude of gratitude. I first carried a gratitude rock in my pocket and every time that I touched or moved the rock I had to say something I was grateful for. This helped me think of all my many blessings. (I don't believe I was ever ungrateful, its just that I focused more on the bad things in my life instead of the good. This helped with that.) When a negative thought creeps in my mind I try to replace them with something positive instead. (This is a on going task but I do so much better) I also had to make a conscious effort to not complain. Complaining about the things I don't like has always been easy for me (its what kept me in the pessimist category all these years) I now try to think of the things I do like and focus more on them. This skill has brought me so much more happiness as well as better health. 
     In the book, Extraordinary Healing written by Art Brownstein he states, All mental activity, whether conscious or unconscious, has a powerful influence on your healing system and can enhance or interfere with its performance. For example, when your mind is in a positive state, immersed in thoughts of love and affection, caring and compassion, enthusiasm, health, happiness, joy and peace, beneficial chemicals known as neurotransmitters or neuropeptides that are secreted by your brain can actually infuse your body with positive energy, strengthening your healing system and improving your health. Alternatively, when your mind is in a negative state, with thoughts of pessimism, cynicism, jealousy, anger, hatred, fear, revenge, self-criticism, blame, shame, guilt, and despair, you are sending negative messages to your body via equally powerful neuro-chemcials that can weaken your healing system and interfere with its ability to do its job effectively. In other words of Robert Eliot, M.D., “The brain writes prescriptions for the body." 
      When you understand the power of your mind, and its enormous ability to work either for you or against you, you will no longer wast valuable time or energy blaming outside forces, including “fate,”  “bad genes,” “evil microbes,” a polluted environment, or other people for your illnesses, diseases, or lack of good health. Outside forces can certainly play a role in disease processes, but, in the final analysis, your health is bases more on the personal choices you make for yourself, moment by moment, each day of your life, and your ability to optimize the incredible power of your mind to aid your healing system. You are the one who is ultimately responsible for your health, and so it is imperative that you understand this principle. More than any other power or force in this world, your own mind can serve as your healing system’s most qualified and capable partner."
     As I have learned my responsibility in my life and my health I have made (still making) the changes that I need to improve. One of the ways to help stay positive is by practicing FOUR BASIC POSITIVE BELIEFS outlined by Brownstein. 

1. I am lovable just as I am.
2. I deserve to be happy, healthy, and fulfilled in my life.
3. My body has a healing system, and it knows how to heal itself.
4. My body wants to be healthy.

     Accepting and loving ourself is essential to health and wellness, bringing that added peace and happiness into our lives. A friend once advised me (when I complained about something in my life), "If you don't like it --then do something about it!" What wisdom. 
Make a plan to change your life for the better. Spell out what will help and commit to make that change for good!!

What sparked my interest in Foot Zoning

About a year ago I struggled with ailments of my own. I sought the wisdom of a doctor to find none, or should I say that he didn't have time for me, there were others with more pressing issues. I knew of a wonderful lady who was well known for her talents in the Foot Zoning World. I figured I had nothing to lose. Boy, was I right. She could read my feet like a book. She give me wonderful advice for better health both physically and emotionally. (Not to mention she had great spiritual advise as well.)
The changes I started to feel were astonishing. As I worked on improving my diet and my thoughts my pains eased. I then had a knowledgable, friendly, lady whom my mother knew come into my home to zone my sister and brother-in-law.(all of them from out of town) I was so impressed with the things she could tell each one. Out of the graciousness of her heart she zoned me as well. (mind you she did this all for free at about 8 at night---with it taking an hour for each zone which means she didn't leave my house until 11pm and she still had an hours drive to get to her nightly destination=gracious) Her analysis was similar to the first zone I had previously. It was then I knew that there was something spectacular about this modality.  After being zoned a few more times I was shocked at the energy I had and for the first time in a long time I felt content with my life. (actually it was more like -- I was so stinkin' happy I couldn't stand it!) Thats when I decided I wanted to become a Certified Foot Zoner. I want to help others experience the positive, rewarding results that I did.