Wow! The topic picked for this month is HUGE!
The body is such a complicated and mind boggling creation! There is such an amazing interplay between the various organs and systems of the body. Perhaps that is why I love the study of anatomy and physiology so much! I love trying to understand, as once expressed by Einstein, what God was thinking during the creation process. The study of the body, its organs and systems, and how they work together has consumed a great deal of my life, and almost every bit of knowledge and understanding has been a blessing in my life!
The liver is responsible for, to the best of my knowledge, over 500 different functions in the body. (No, I won’t be attempting to describe each one of them here! Rather, I will group them together a bit and try to highlight the most important ones. Most important? Eh.) The most important one, obviously, is the one that is creating havoc in your own life or in the life of someone you love.
IMMUNITY AND IMMUNE BUILDING
Energetic Responses During a Zone Session
I love learning myself! I simply can’t get enough of it on any topic at all . . . AND . . . I am, and have always been a teacher. (I began with my first class of 4-year-olds in a church setting when I was only an eleven-year-old myself! Shortly after that, I was asked to be the music leader in the weekly children’s meeting.) I love writing these newsletters and trying to share with you things that I have found useful in my own life and my years doing Foot Zones. And Butterfly Expressions, LLC is about sharing and educating!
This month’s topic and sale items for the general Butterfly Express, LLC Newsletter are “Immunity and Immune Building”. As Foot Zone therapists, I am making the assumption that each of you understands how critical an understanding of anatomy is to the work you do! I am also assuming that you have made your own study of anatomy and how the Immune System works, so as to enable you to better recognize and understand those things that the feet can reveal about the physical and emotional health of those people you work with.
I have been informed that the majority of you (Foot Zone Therapists) also receive the general Butterfly Express Newsletter. I have gone into quite a lot of detail about the Immune System in that newsletter, and I have also discussed some of the properties of this month’s ‘on sale’ Immune Building products at Butterfly Express, LLC there. I will not be taking the time or space to re-discuss those items here. If you do not get that newsletter sent to you and you are interested, the monthly general Newsletter may be accessed online at ButterflyExpressions.org.
Additional items, more specific and chosen by myself, based on my favorites for possible use during a Foot Zone treatment, will be the topics of this article. I will, however, be including a slightly shorter summation of the General Newsletter here along with a list of those ‘on sale’ items at the end of this article/newsletter. (The promised summary of the Butterfly Expressions General Newsletter can be found at the very end of this article, if you are interested in accessing it that way.)
The Zone, although very ‘energetic’ in nature, brings about real changes in the physical body. Of course, you have all seen both the physical and energetic balancing and healing that the Foot Zone treatment is capable of bringing about! As you can see from the title of this article/newsletter, I will be focusing on energetic responses during a Foot Zone session and how those responses may affect the body’s physical immune system.
What is the Immune System?
The immune system is a complex network of tissues and organs that defend the body against foreign invaders as well as changes within our bodies, such as cancer or other destructive issues.
The Adrenal Glands and That Important Hormone Cortisol
Albert Einstein is reputed to have said that he studied science in order to better ‘understand God’s thoughts’ as He created this wonderful world. As I have studied anatomy and physiology and the healing properties of ‘God’s pharmacy’—for a lifetime—I am, like Einstein, absolutely in awe of the genius of our Creator and of His overwhelming love for each of us!
With plants, in either herb or essential oil form, we have been given wonderful ways to nourish and heal our bodies. I have also been fascinated by and love the study of anatomy (where things are placed in the body) and physiology (what their functions are and why they are where they are)! Placing those little adrenal glands right on top of the kidneys makes perfect, beautiful, harmonious sense! Because of their importance to survival, they are placed with each other in a well-protected spot in the body!
Most of this perhaps too-long article is taken directly from part of what I teach about the Endocrine System during Foot Zone Therapy classes at Butterfly Expressions, LLC in Clifton, Idaho.
Throughout my life, it has become apparent that when I am healthy and happy, my hair and, certainly, my finger and toe nails, have reflected this positive state by being healthy and happy also. If I become vitamin or mineral deficient or when my heart or kidneys—my two weak spots during some phases of my life—were struggling, these states quickly became reflected in the health and strength of my hair and, very quickly, in the health and strength of my nails! I eventually came to believe/realize that if my emotions were in a whirl for any length of time at all, this unsettled state of mine would impact my hair and nails as well.
Of course, being the curious person that I am, I began research to see if thoughts along these lines were my imagination or a real phenomenon! Guess what I very quickly learned! And then, being me and being involved in a ‘health care and improvement’ world, I began to research herbs, essential oils, homeopathics, supplements, and the connection between general nutrition and optimum health as reflected in my hair and nails.
There is absolutely no question that the condition of our hair and nails often (always?) serves as an outward indicator of our internal health. The condition of the hair and nails can be (No, is!) a reliable signaling system for conditions ranging from nutrient deficiencies to hormonal imbalances and can even be an early indicator of a chronic illness.
‘Grounding’, in some circles and descriptions, refers to the mental, spiritual, and emotional effect of having direct contact with the Earth, such as by walking barefoot or lying on the ground. Research has shown that such grounding can reduce inflammation in the body and repair free radical damage. When a person becomes properly ‘grounded’ as a regular part of their lives, they can expect improvement in blood pressure numbers, sleep quality, pain and stress levels, and wound healing. Improved mental acuity and overall emotional balance are part of their lives.
However, it is believed—I would call it known—that there are many other ways to achieve the positive effects of “grounding” to the earth than walking around barefoot. As you probably know, there are many types of ‘grounding mats’ on the market today. Although I have a couple of these mats, they are not the topic of this article today.
In my opinion—and in the opinions of many people who use various alternative methods of wellness every day—many other ways to feel emotionally and physically centered and balanced were built right into this earth’s creation and in the things created and made available to us. Many of the products produced and sold at Butterfly Express are useful in ways that improve the ‘grounding’ of the individuals who make use of them on a regular (daily) basis. The following products, with accompanying special pricing, are the focus of this newsletter.
Of course, the things mentioned here are only a few of the wonderful things available to us in God’s Pharmacy.
The heart is an incredible muscle—yes, muscle. The amount of work done by the heart each day is almost too incredible to even believe. The body contains approximately six quarts of blood. This blood is pushed through the blood vessels over 1000 times in a day. The heart, incredibly, pumps about 6000 quarts (about 1,500 gallons) of blood in a single day for all the days of one’s life!
There is simply no way that I can cover the complicated workings and anatomy of the heart in this article. (I certainly do try during Foot Zone Therapy classes, as some of you can probably attest, to do my best with pages and pages of information—possibly too much information—in the material provided.
Two systems regulate heart activity. One involves the nerves of the autonomic nervous system and acts as an accelerator and as brakes for the heart rate. The other is the intrinsic conduction system—nodes which are built right into the heart tissue. This system sets the basic rhythm of the heart. For this article, let me stress firmly (very firmly) that when a person is under either physical or emotional stress, the heart works much too hard, pumping faster and more forcefully, in order to make more oxygen and glucose available to the systems of the body. The good news: For people who know how to handle stress more calmly or know how to rest and rejuvenate between periods of stress or hard work, the heart will slow down and beat steadily. This gives the heart a period of rest when the crisis is over.
Stress Cardiomyopathy – Broken Heart Syndrome
A troubled mind may lead to a broken heart in a very literal and physical sense.
Many patients arriving at emergency rooms and doctors’ offices with symptoms of a heart attack have just experienced the death or loss of a loved one. Traumatic experiences such as a car accident or mugging are also recognized as triggers for heart attack-type symptoms.
Intense emotional events can trigger your sympathetic nervous system, unleashing a flood of chemicals. This sudden surge of chemicals can stun the heart’s muscle and leave it temporarily, and sometimes permanently, unable to pump properly. In medical speak, this is referred to as ‘Stress Cardiomyopathy’. Energy workers often refer to this situation as ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’. It is very real!
My point? If we insist on living our lives in real or imaginary stress, we will be increasing, daily, the stress on our hearts.
A second point? Anything that strengthens you emotionally—whether oils, herbs, exercise, faith, or anything else—will benefit your heart. . . and the heart certainly needs all the help that we can give it. Statistically speaking, heart disease of various types is the leading cause of death for both men and women and has been for more than a century!
When the words ‘self-care’ or ‘self-improvement’ are heard, people tend to conjure up different trains of thought, especially if they apply them immediately to themselves. For some of us, the idea of ‘caring for ourselves’ may get confused with ‘caring too much for self” and/or “caring too little for others”. But failing to look out for your own health can result in a decline in physical and/or mental health in so many gradual and insidious ways! And your poor health, or even lack of optimal health, can impact those around you in so many ways.