At home care to optimize your wellness
At home care that optimizes your wellness follows the concept of natural laws for all humans in how the body functions from the perspectives of physiology and biochemistry. These are universally applicable and inherent to human existence irrespective of cultural, religious or societal differences.
BioMed drainage practitioners typically recommend the following at-home therapies to enhance their specific recommendations made for each patient’s individual challenges.
These therapies follow what nature has taught us over the course of our existence, and have evolved and proved to be essential for achieving optimal wellness.
Sunshine and natural vitamin D
Play, fun, laughter daily
Deep Breathing
Water
Movement (10-minute rule)
Lymph
Castor oil packs, dry skin brushing
Hydrotherapy
Grounding – bare feet, grass, sand
Nebulizer
Sleep hygiene
Meditation
Gratitude
Diet / nutrition
Any journey towards self-renewal and healing must begin somewhere. Why not begin with one of nature’s most incredible gifts: the sun? In the quest for health, the sun wields incredible power. Most notably, natural Vitamin D, a.k.a. Vitamin Sun, can help our body absorb calcium and is thought to regulate at least 1,000 different genes governing nearly every tissue in the body. Not only that, Vitamin D plays a sentinel role, which means that it’s used by the immune system to fight infection, help control the immune response, and limit inflammation. By tempering the immune system in this way, it can keep it from overworking and wearing down.
Getting adequate sunlight and Vitamin D are vital to better sleep, stress reduction, the maintenance of strong bones, and the production of serotonin to support a calm and focused mood. When you think about it, the sun is as integral to our wellbeing as water and air, so bask in its glow!
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Spend 10 – 30 minutes around midday several times a week exposing the arms, hands, and face to the sun. Just this short length of time will give you the dose of Vitamin D your body needs. Even on overcast and cloudy days, some exposure is better than no exposure at all.
Sunshine and natural Vitamin D:
Playfulness. Connection. Flow. According researcher and author Catherine Price, these three ingredients are essential to having “true” fun. But how often do we prioritize play? Do we set aside time each day or is it relegated to one vacation per year? Frivolity is a vital aspect of our humanity, as much today as it has been throughout human history. This is true of children, certainly, but it is no less true of adults. Having fun is not only beneficial for our social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development, it is a key ally in stress reduction and overall well-being. When we are deprived of play, we are less able to cope with stress, more likely to grow irritable, less creative, and less productive. The message here is simple: Play every day.
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Before getting out of bed, crack a smile for no reason. Take a dance break at work, jump rope, sit on a swing, submit to a tickle fight, try a cannonball in the pool. Break some rules! Just. Have. Fun.
Have real fun!
Oxygen is fundamental for life. Controlled by our autonomic nervous system, we don’t need to think about breathing unless something inhibits it. However, we should think about how we breathe and form new habits that will allow us to breathe deeply every day. Shallow breathing can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, sending a signal to the brain to stay in fight or flight. While deeper breathing (letting each breath fill the abdomen), triggers the relaxation response sending a signal to the brain to slow down. One way to do this is to practice belly breathing, or abdominal breathing. Think of your inhalation as your gas pedal and your exhalation as your brake pedal.
As you breathe, does your body rise and fall or move out and in?
Try practicing belly breathing using a four-four-eight rhythm: Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, then exhale for a count of eight. Repeat the cycle four times until it becomes a habit.
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Spend 5 minutes each day consciously breathing. Out of the 20,000 breaths you’ll breathe today, try to make 100 of them conscious. For the long-term, select a breathing exercise that gives you something you need!
Conscious, deep breathing:
Water is the single most important and miraculous nutrient available to humans. And for the most part, it’s absolutely free. Water makes up a high percentage of the body’s composition--each of us is an average of 60% water. Yet we don’t have the ability to produce a necessary quantity for survival on our own, which is why hydration is a requirement for life. Water plays a starring role in every function of the human body, including maintenance of the body’s structures, energy production, temperature regulation, digestion, healing, detoxification, and mental acuity. In terms of quality of life, it can be said that when we consume adequate amounts of water, we support the body’s propensity for wellness. So, if you changed nothing about your daily routine except increasing your daily intake of water, that alone would dramatically shift your health in a positive direction. How do you feel when you embrace this life-giving element?
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Calculate the approximate minimum amount of water you need to remain hydrated. For most people, the formula is: body weight (pounds) ÷ 2 = water (ounces). When we consume adequate amounts of water, we support the body’s own propensity towards healing.
Drinking water
Movement is key to health and staving off a host of illnesses. We all know the body needs to move, and the good news is that we don’t have to spend hours at the gym in order to gain the benefits of movement such as increased endurance, better mobility, balance, and flexibility.
Functional fitness, or functional movement, simply means moving your body in ways that make everyday activities safer and easier; things like carrying the groceries, picking up small children, walking on natural landscapes, climbing steps, or lifting your roller bag into the overhead compartment. The best way to achieve health with these so- called “primal” movements is to elevate your heart rate, which will increase blood circulation thereby increasing the heart’s demand for oxygen. Putting your focus on becoming functionally fit lowers the mental barriers to health and is good for the body. There is no substitute for the basics!
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Start with 10 minutes of stretching on the floor before beginning your day. Then, take a 15-minute walk as a break from the computer or work task. Finish with 5 minutes of deep knee bends on a commercial break when the TV is on. That’s 30 minutes of movement! Exercise in the ways your body moves naturally: bending, twisting, stretching, squatting, reaching, etc.
Functional fitness / Movement
The importance of the lymphatic system for health cannot be overstated. The lymphatic system is one of the body’s most essential systems, playing a key role in waste removal, fat absorption, and immune response. It’s the silent workhorse of elimination. In fact, for many, familiarity with the lymph begins with the experience of the nodes in the neck or groin swelling in response to infection. Unlike blood, which circulates throughout the body, lymph flows towards the neck, then to the heart, eventually ending in our elimination organs. Over the course of its journey, lymph transports white blood cells (lymphocytes), proteins, lipids, cellular debris, viruses, and bacteria. As lymph passes through the body’s 600 to 700 lymph nodes, macrophages consume the debris, viruses, and bacteria, purging as it goes to be reabsorbed into the body.
Unlike other systems in the body with pumps and valves, our lymphatic system cannot pump out the waste on its own. This is where breathing, hydration, and daily movement come in. These powerful tools provide many benefits: they help lymph move through the body, fight infection, remove waste, and assist in digestion. In the days ahead, we’ll dig deeper into the use of castor oil packs and dry skin brushing, two additional methods for stimulating the lymph.
Fun fact! Lymph exists in the cranium, too! In 2012, the glymphatic system was discovered and is an even teenier waste disposal system in the head that feeds into the larger lymphatic system.
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Endeavor to assist the lymph in any way you can. Try performing manual lymph massage in the morning, drinking plenty of water, exercising, eating fruits and vegetables, and avoiding adding to the muck by eating clean.
Lymphatic system
Castor oil is widely considered to be the oldest herbal medicine. Before we had any of the modern health technologies or experimentation we do today, we had plants. In the ancient world (and the modern one), plants were key components of the healing arts. And while some had properties more ‘mystical’ in nature, castor oil is among those with applications well-studied and documented over millennia. Castor oil, a byproduct of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), appears in Arabic medical texts under the name “Dohn el-Khirwa”, Biblically (in Hebrew) as “kikaion”, in Roman texts as “Palma Christi”, and in ancient Egypt as “kiki”. That the healing properties of this plant are mentioned across time, cultures, and continents underscores the point: castor oil offers powerful medicinal potential.
Nowadays, a growing body of research supports the practice of applying castor oil packs to parts of the body, particularly the abdomen, to stimulate the liver, colon, and lymphatic system and support their immunological function.
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To try a castor oil pack, you can purchase a complete pack online for about $45. Position the castor oil-soaked linen or cotton flannel cloth on the abdomen, and slightly to the right side, to detoxify the liver. Be sure to protect any surfaces with old clothes or a drop cloth. To realize desired benefits, a once-daily application for a minimum of 30-40 minutes is recommended over a series of consecutive days (three or more).
Castor oil packs (COP)
Dry skin brushing (like castor oil) has been around since the dawn of civilization. Dry skin brushing helps eliminate toxins two ways. First, it encourages dilation of the skin’s capillaries which allow the venting of toxins. When the capillaries are fully dilated, the skin has six times the toxin-eliminating potential of the lungs. Dry skin brushing is also significant for its ability to stimulate the circulatory system. Through the application of quick, feather-light strokes applied with a short-bristle brush, the interstitial fluid in the body is able to effectively move toxins into the lymph. As brush strokes progress upwards toward the thoracic and lymphatic ducts, circulation of the lymph is encouraged, allowing the body to move toxins into eliminating organs. Deep breathing and gentle movement at the joints further stimulate this process.
While dry skin brushing is often recommended as part of a morning exfoliation regimen, consider trying this practice out before bed as part of a detox plan instead. This allows the body’s toxin-eliminating organs to take advantage of the decreased metabolic activity to more effectively remove unwanted waste during the night.
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If dry skin brushing is new to you, do a little research to better understand this practice and how it can benefit your health. A good dry brush costs about $35. When you’re ready to give it a try, find a set time each day to integrate dry skin brushing into your self-care routine.
Dry skin brushing
The practice of using water in a therapeutic way, also called hydrotherapy, is an approach to healing so ancient that it predates Hippocrates, the O.G. of medicine. (Hippocrates himself was an advocate for bathing as a restorative ritual). Many different therapies fall under the heading of hydrotherapy and are all accessible and affordable: steam bath, sitz bath, sauna, moist compresses, hot fomentation, steam inhalation, and wet sock therapy for sinus congestion. These techniques all employ water in its various forms (solid, liquid, or gas) to stimulate the physiology of the body and encourage physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Have you ever enjoyed the soothing effect of a warm eucalyptus bath on sore muscles? If so, then you have experienced the benefits of hydrotherapy.
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Start with a hot-to-cold-water shift at the end your next shower (contrast hydrotherapy). If you have a handheld shower head, take it slow: start with just the feet one day, then move up to the feet and lower legs the next day, gradually increasing your time in the cold water until you can brave a head-to-toe submersion.
Hydrotherapy
Electricity is all around us. And whether or not we’re conscious of it, it’s within us, playing a part in the everyday functions of our bodies. The human body is a fabulous conductor. And for thousands of years, we evolved in regular connection with the Earth’s surface, which sustains a negative charge thanks to phenomena like lightning. When we are physically connected to Earth’s surface and unimpeded by non-conductors like asphalt or rubber, we experience the equalizing effects of electron transfer from the negative charge of the Earth’s surface. Disconnected from the earth, we become electrified as we absorb the electricity in our environment, including our positively-charged atmosphere under normal weather conditions and ambient electric and electromagnetic fields.
Today, research suggests that connection with the earth isn’t just for beach- goers and barefoot runners; it’s good for all of our health.
Grounding, or ‘earthing’, is a therapeutic technique that restores that connection between the Earth’s surface and the human body, allowing for the transfer of free electrons. It includes a variety of activities and technologies; but at its simplest, grounding involves sitting or standing on natural earth, ideally for 30 minutes or more a day.
Research, such as this, has shown that restoring the connection between the earth and the human body helps fight inflammation, improves sleep, and neutralizes free radicals which have been linked to illness and aging. Additional studies suggest grounding may also help alleviate pain and stress. At the very least, it’s doing a small part to reverse our culture’s so-called “nature deficit disorder.”
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Outdoor Grounding: Walk on the soil barefoot, lie on a sandy beach, sit on the grass, place your hands and bare skin on the ground.
Indoor Grounding: If weather isn’t cooperating, try indoor grounding! This involves using devices that mimic the earth’s negative charge. You can stand on a grounding mat or sleep in grounding sheets.
Grounding and earthing
The air we breathe contains amounts of toxins that we inhale throughout the day in varying degrees. While air is mostly gas, it also contains millions of tiny particles such as viruses, dust, pollen, soot, car exhaust, chemicals, fumes, and other nasty toxins. An at- home nebulizer is an electric-powered machine that administers liquids automatically in a mist form. The word “nebulize” simply means to convert a liquid into a fine spray, especially when administering medicine or a supplement. Nebulizing can be used with certain supplements to increase the body’s respiratory and cleansing faculties and has been used for decades in order to support patients with chronic asthma, sinusitis, or COPD. However, everyone can benefit from nebulizing a common element called glutathione, nature’s Master Antioxidant. A nebulizer transforms the glutathione powder within saline liquid into a mist that is then inhaled so particles can be deposited directly in to the nasal mucosa, sinuses, brain, bronchi, and lungs. While the body does a good job at filtering the nasty toxins we ingest every day, why not help it out by making nebulizing a part of your wellness routine?
Nebulizing
Biologically, sleep allows many of the body’s most significant processes to occur. As we sleep, the body’s parasympathetic - “rest and digest” - system takes over, encouraging healing and repair and counteracting the physiological effects of stress on the body. Simultaneously, other systems are synthesizing hormones, growing muscle, repairing tissue, and restoring energy. And let’s not overlook the brain. As we sleep, the brain transitions our memories, moving them from short- to long-term storage in a process called “consolidation”.
Getting good sleep and practicing good sleep hygiene is among the most significant contributors to optimal health.
It is pretty remarkable that our bodies have been designed with their own in- house repair mechanisms; we have an obligation to give those mechanisms the time they need to do a quality job. How much sleep time do we need every day? This depends on several factors, including age. It is recommended that school-age children, for instance, get between 9 and 11 hours each night, while adults typically require between 7 and 9 hours. When we don’t get quality sleep, we not only deprive the body of recovery time, we actually inflict more stress to the body, which only sleep or other parasympathetic rituals, like prayer and meditation, can undo.
Establishing an individualized sleep hygiene routine to guarantee quality sleep is among the best things we can do for ourselves. Start with getting sunshine as soon as you wake up in the morning. This will get you in sync with your circadian rhythm. Practice following these ground rules: keep your room cool and dark, banish any light-emitting or Wi-Fi devices, and wake up and go to bed at more or less the same time every day (including weekends!).
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Turn off your devices. Don’t eat late at night, especially sugary foods or caffeine. Tune in to your circadian rhythm. Keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and as dark as possible. Do your best to start (and stick to) a wind-down ritual that helps you get quality rest every day. First thing in the morning, look in the direction of natural sunlight if you can.
Sleep
While any path to long-term health must include care for the physical body and its many organ systems, it is also essential to include care for the mind. And not to distinguish too much between the two, there is clear evidence that the well-being of the mind has major implications for physiological health.
Meditation is a technique for focusing the mind and attaining consciousness inwardly that is known to produce desirable physiological effects. Mindfulness meditation can be used to gain a sense of calm and relaxation, for the purpose of inner self-reflection and transformation, or as part of a prayer practice.
Specifically, the word mindfulness has now become part of our everyday vernacular and suffused within our culture. In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, founded the eight-week program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and since then more than 25,000 people have completed the evidence-based program. It is from the MBSR course that data collection on the resultant effects of meditation has emerged. New technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging have also shown us how we can literally alter the brain's structure and function with consistent meditative practice. In other words, we can literally rewire our brains.
Whatever inroad you take, whatever time you have to devote, whether standing or seated, make an effort to incorporate some form of meditative practice into your self-care routine. Remember that the beauty of the practice lies within the premise that one can always begin again. No matter how far or how long the mind has been lost in thought, we can always start over with this moment.
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Start small, taking five minutes per day to simply sit and be with yourself just as you are, whole and complete. Try five minutes per day for one week, then up it to 10 minutes the next week, and 15 minutes for the week after that. It’s important not to try to “fix” anything or “make” something happen when you’re meditating. Simply sit and experience how everything is constantly changing. After three weeks, assess how it has affected your connection to those around you and your reactivity.
Meditation
Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation, an affirmation of value or goodness. Feelings of gratitude can come upon us spontaneously; they can also be nurtured.
Whether expressing gratitude is a daily habit or one to be developed for you, we can all deepen this process over time through regular practice. There is compelling evidence that expressing gratitude has a positive effect on our physiology, our relationships, and our mental well-being. People who express gratitude regularly have been found to generally be less irritable, more emotionally resilient, sleep better, and have quality relationships.
Facing obstacles in our lives is a mark of the human condition, but that does not mean that we cannot be happy. How we talk to ourselves and others - whether we choose to see the glass half-full or half-empty - is something we can exercise control over. Gratitude is the key.
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Write down things that you are grateful for or simply share them with your friends. Or, start a group text thread that includes simple daily gratitude text messages or fill a gratitude jar with notes of what you’re grateful for throughout the year. (HINT: having prompts from a gratitude journal are a great way to jump start this habit).
Gratitude
Food is a hallmark of the human experience. And as diverse as humans are, the human diet - what we eat and drink - is a reflection of many factors: family upbringing, culture, age, geography, availability, preferences and aversions, individual biology, and more. It should not come as a surprise, then, that there is no panacea when it comes to diet and long-term health.
But there are basic guidelines we can follow, substantiated by science and human experience. Research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, for example, links a daily intake of 800 grams of fruits and vegetables (10 servings) with significant risk reductions in terms of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and stroke as well as premature death. Further research encourages a diet rich in the following: essential fatty acids (seeds, oils), probiotics, a diversity of vitamins including Vitamin B (fish, grains, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens) and Vitamin D (fish/fish oil), and phytosterols (nuts, seeds, legumes).
And it’s not just about what we eat, it’s also about how we eat. Much like a mechanical engine, our digestive system performs optimally under certain conditions. If our body could offer an operating manual, it would encourage us to eat slowly and to build in extra minutes for digestion, to allow cold foods to warm before consuming, and to chew a lot. It would also encourage us to avoid liquids while eating (these can dilute nutrient absorption) and advise us to use apple cider vinegar to prime the digestive pump.
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Reflect on your dietary habits in terms of the foods you eat as well as how you eat. Try to incorporate 10 servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet each day and to chew 30 - 50 times with each bite.
