Lent: Patterns

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Blessing #23 - Knowing my body.

Every year before spring and fall, my allergies kick up.  I'm pretty sure it has to do with leaf birth and death.  However frustrating it may be, though, it's sure as the sunrise.  So, even though I'm hacking and wheezing now, it's nice to know pretty confidently that, assuming I don't let anything drain into my ears, I'll be over this in a couple days.  Just like clockwork, the mucus glob broke open today, with some help from an early dose of an antihistamine and a steaming hot shower as the medicine wore off.  Now that I can get it all to drain outside my body, all I have to do is keep blowing my nose and I should be good.  :)  It's nice being able to know that.  It's nice being able to self-diagnose.

So, here's my suggestion for how to get to know your body better:  Start by fasting from as many synthetics as you can for a couple weeks.  Drink water and milk only (although, with what they do to American milk, you may be better off with not drinking milk).  Feel free to drink juice if you juice it yourself.  Cut out milk and white chocolate.  A little dark chocolate a day is actually good for you, so get the darkest percentage you can and nibble daily.  Load up on fruits and veggies, cut back on carbs and meats.  After a couple weeks of this, your body will stop craving all those processed things you've addicted it to and start craving what it needs.  Then, just give it what you're craving.

Next: Stop medicating so much.  Seriously, lay off.  Got a headache?  Drink a lot of water and employ pressure points, rather than aspirin.  Stomach upset?  Eat some ginger or yogurt (or take ginger or acidopholis pills)  to calm it.  Every time we feel a little pain, we jump to numb it, but, here's the thing:  Pain is your body's way of telling you that something's wrong.  If you numb it, you can't tell if it's getting better or worse, and you certainly can't figure out where it's coming from.  You're not fixing it; you're making it worse.

If you do those two things, you'll be well on your way to knowing your body (something that people ask me how to do quite frequently).  Then, maybe, you'll start noticing your patterns, too.

If you have any questions about this stuff, fire away; I'd be happy to answer.

Until then, I'll leave you with this question:

Did G-d give us pain to help us learn to understand our bodies or did He give us medicine to learn to deal with the pain?