"The more we accept our darkness as one part of the picture, the more easily we can also allow and accept our light."
Each of us has a dark side. Some are darker than others. The darkness might be the bad personality traits, your addictive habits, and even your fears. For each of us to grow we need to do the three A's--awareness, acknowledgment and acceptance. You can be aware and acknowledge a fault, but you must accept it in order to move forward. I have to accept my character trait of expectations. I had to learn to give without expectation.
There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind-you are only the one who hears it. If you do not understand this you will try to figure it out. You will search which of the many things the voice says is really you. I have seen people go through so many changes in the name of 'trying to find myself'. Everyone including me at one time wants to discover which of these voices, which aspects of their personality is who they really are. This is the answer: None of them.
Much of what the voice is saying and what you are hearing is meaningless. Listening to most of what the voice in the mind says is wasting energy. The definition of an addiction for me is an 'energy thief'.
The truth is that most of life will begin to unfold in accordance with forces outside your control. In the same vain, you cannot control others actions, only your own. This is regardless of what your mind is thinking. Can you sit down at night and determine if the moon will shine through? The bottom line is that the moon will come up and shine. You can think of so many things that might, what if...but life is going to happen no matter what. Your thoughts have little impact on the world. Start letting go...accept your dark sides, and then you can accept the light. Remember this --Your thoughts have no effect on anything or anybody except YOU. They might be making you feel better or sometimes worse about what is actually going on. It is the commotion (committee in your head) that really causes most problems.
Today is the Constipation of the Mind contrasting to Diarrhea of the Mouth. If you think constipation is an easy topic, think again.
Constipation refers to bowel movements that are infrequent and hard to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful defecation. Severe constipation includes obstipation and fecal impaction. Constipation is common. In the general population incidence of constipation varies from 2 to 30%.Constipation means different things to different people. For many people, it simply means infrequent stools. For others, however, constipation means hard stools, difficulty passing stools (straining), or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. The cause of each of these "types" of constipation probably is different, and the approach to each should be tailored to the specific type of constipation.
Constipation also can alternate with diarrhea. This pattern commonly occurs as part of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). At the extreme end of the constipation spectrum is fecal impaction, a condition in which stool hardens in the rectum and prevents the passage of any stool. There was a time as a hospital resident that an elderly patient came to the emergency room with severe constipation. The resident would have to do digital fecal disimpaction. The number of bowel movements generally decreases with age. Ninety-five percent of adults have bowel movements between three and 21 times per week, and this would be considered normal. The most common pattern is one bowel movement a day, but this pattern is seen in less than 50% of people. Moreover, most people are irregular and do not have bowel movements every day or the same number of bowel movements each day.
A medical definition of constipation usually is defined as fewer than three bowel movements per week. Severe constipation is defined as less than one bowel movement per week. There is no medical reason to have a bowel movement every day. Going without a bowel movement for two or three days does not cause physical discomfort, only mental distress for some people. The mental distress is a lot worse than the physical discomfort.
The causes of constipation are numerous. A frequently over-looked cause of constipation is medications. The most common offending medications include:
Narcotic pain medications such as codeine (for example, Tylenol #3), oxycodone (for example, Percocet), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid); The antidepressants such as
amitriptyline (Elavil) and imipramine (Tofranil); iron supplements; heart medications like the calcium channel blocking agents cardizem and verapamil; Aluminum-containing antacids.
So do you have to stop these medications to relieve the constipation? This is usually not necessary providing you add fiber and more liquids to your diet.
Fiber is important in maintaining a soft, bulky stool. Diets that are low in fiber can therefore, cause constipation. The best natural sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Although laxatives are a treatment for constipation, the over-use of stimulant laxatives [for example, senna (Senokot), castor oil, and certain herbs] can also be a cause of constipation. An association has been shown between the chronic use of stimulant laxatives and damage to the nerves and muscles of the colon, and it is believed by some that the damage is responsible for the constipation. Hormones can affect bowel movements. I usually see the following symptoms in an elderly patient. These include cold hand and feet, hair thinning and hair loss, fatigue, weight gain and constipation. Although not of all these symptoms are necessary I have made the diagnosis. You are suffering from an underactive thyroid (Hypothyroidism).
The treatment if not overused would be a laxative. I usually tell the patient to increase their dietary fiber and water intake. I ask them to take magnesium oxide 500mg , two at bedtime.Be sure to obtain magnesium oxide, not magnesium taurate, aspartate or orotate. Some people do use Magnesium citrate. Since I love plants,let's discuss plant /herbal treatments.
The most frequently used herb is Yellow Dock. Curled Dock (Rumex crispus), also known as Curly Dock, Yellow Dock, Sour Dock, Narrow Dock, sometimes as "narrow-leaved dock" (which properly refers to a variant of Sorrel), and ambiguously as "garden patience", is a perennial flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to Europe and western Asia.
I have much success with Yellow Dock. The only problem I have with Yellow Dock is the bitter taste as the plant matures. Some people use yellow dock as a wild vegetable and add it to their salad. The young leaves should be boiled in several changes of water to remove as much of the oxalic acid in the leaves as possible. Dock leaves are an excellent source of both vitamin A and protein, and are rich in iron and potassium. Curly Dock leaves are somewhat tart due to the presence of high levels of oxalic acid, and although quite palatable, this plant should only be consumed in moderation as it can irritate the urinary tract and increase the risk of developing kidney stones. I have never used it for a urinary tract infection. I prefer to use a supplement called D-mannose, or the herb, uva ursi and cranberry.
The roots have also been used medicinally as an astringent, tonic, and laxative. Compounds contained in the plant's roots have been clinically verified to bind with heavy metals such as lead and arsenic and expel them from the body by stimulating biliary function in the liver. I have not used it to remove heavy metals from the body but I commonly use three other herbs: astragalus, cucurmin and hops. I will start adding yellow dock to my metal detoxifying herbs. I know some herbalists who have used yellow dock as a liver (hepaticx) cleanser.
The other commonly used product is Cascara. Did you know that cascara is an herb ?
Well it is. Cascara, Rhamnus purshiana (Cascara Buckthorn, Cascara, Bearberry, and in the Chinook Jargon, Chittam or Chitticum; syn. Frangula purshiana, Rhamnus purshianus) is a species of buckthorn native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to central California, and inland to western Montana.
It is the largest species of buckthorn, occasionally growing up to 15 m tall, though more commonly a large shrub or small tree 5–10 m tall, with a trunk 20–50 cm in diameter. The bark is brownish to silver-grey with light splotching. The leaves are deciduous, alternate, clustered near the ends of twigs; they are oval, 5–15 cm long and 2–5 cm broad with a 0.6–2 cm petiole, dark shiny green on top, fuzzy and paler green below.
The use of cascara is not new. The dried, aged bark of this tree has been used continually for at least 1,000 years by both native and immigrant Americans as a laxative natural medicine, commercially called "Cascara Sagrada", but old timers call it "chitticum bark". Cascara Sagrada means "sacred bark" in Spanish.
Cascara Sagrada was accepted in medical practice in the United States in 1877, and by 1890 had replaced the berries of the European Buckthorn (R. catharticus) as a commonly used laxative. It was the principal ingredient in many commercial, over-the-counter laxatives in North American pharmacies until 9 May 2002, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule banning the use of aloe and cascara sagrada as laxative ingredients in over-the-counter drug products.
Another product used for constipation is Senokot. Did you ever think Senna is derived from a plant. Well, senna is derived from a genus of flowering plants. Senna ,the sennas, is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. This diverse genus is native throughout the tropics, with a small number of species reaching into temperate regions. The number of species is usually estimated to be about 260, but some authors believe that there are as many as 350. The type species for the genus is Senna alexandrina. About 50 species of Senna are known in cultivation.
There are many species of Senna for a variety of purposes. Siamese Senna (S. siamea) leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. Senna species make good ornamental plants and are used for landscape gardening. Cassia gum, a commonly-used thickening agent despite its name is actually from Chinese Senna (S. obtusifolia) seeds. Another senna, Senna italica ssp. italica (= Cassia obovata), often called "neutral henna", is used as a hair treatment with effects similar to henna but without the red color.
Sennas have for millennia played a major role in herbalism and folk medicine. Alexandrian Senna (S. alexandrina) was and still is a significant item of trans-national trade. Sennas act as purgatives and are similar to aloe and rhubarb in having as active ingredients anthraquinone derivatives and their glucosides. The latter are called sennosides or senna glycosides. Senna alexandrina is used in modern medicine as a laxative; acting on the lower bowel, it is especially useful in alleviating constipation. It increases the peristaltic movements of the colon by irritating the colonic mucosa.
Resveratrol was first isolated from Senna quinquangulata, [citation needed] and Siamese Senna. The long-standing use of (mainly) Alexandrian Senna is reflected by its presence in many herbal remedies and tonics.
Senna is also the primary ingredient found in most "dieter's teas". The combination of acting as a stimulant which reduces a dieter's appetite, and the laxative properties that cause food to move through their system before as many calories can be absorbed is a combination that can lead to rapid and even dangerous weight loss.
The major side effect of taking Senna medication regularly is Melanosis coli, a brown discoloration of the colon wall.
Top Photograph: YELLOW DOCK
Middle Photograph: CASCARA
Bottom Photograph: SENNA
Until tomorrow...
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