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How to Holistically Heal the Body with Herbs
In this video I will talk about how to holistically heal the body? What is holistic health? Why is this approach important when practicing herbalism?
What is holistic health holistic healing?
Holistic Healing is a mind, body and spirit approach because we know from an African perspective that all diseases actually have an emotional component to them. All the little things that we do each day is actually what causes diseases is not a one-time thing. African cultures have always held beliefs that spiritual aspects are important part of healing the body and even now Pewresearch.org noted that Black Americans are the most religious of any group in the U.S.
Intrinsically, we have this spiritual connection that is stronger than other groups and that's because we saw this component being so paramount in the manifestation of disease and then the answer for rehabilitation or bringing balance back to the body in the system.
Let's talk about some ways in which we can go back to a holistic approach.
I know that it'll be tempting to skip past this part, but you don't want to use herbs as a Band-Aid. You want to get to the root cause. You have to do these things first before you take herbs because you're going to be working against the action of the herb if you don't even have the prerequisites covered. You can't expect your body to be healthy unless you do the things that it requires just to function on a minimal basis.
Physical
Are you eating right?
We know that you are what you eat, so if you're not eating the right, your body is not going to function at its optimal level. Three to four servings of fruits and vegetables; this is as it was modeled to us in Genesis so that's going to be what's ideal for us and for our bodies to function. We want to make sure we have the adequate amount of vitamins, nutrients and phytonutrients as well.
What about cutting out the wrong food?
Many common issues affecting Black children such as asthma or eczema, can be lessened from simple dietary changes. Large amounts of the population have an intolerance for dairy and wheat. About 70 percent of the African American Community is lactose intolerant, Native Americans have a high chance of being lactose intolerant as well.
Wheat is hard to digest, especially the hybridized, bleached wheat that is found in processed foods. Taking wheat out or changing to sourdough might be a little bit better on the stomach and you may find that you have less flare-ups as well.
Are you drinking eight cups of water a day? It could be more or less depending on your weight, half your weight or half the amount of pounds in ounces each day. You want to make sure that you have that you're flushing out all of the toxins and waste from your body. Not only are you what you eat but you also are what you excrete; if you're not able to get these things out of the body then they attach and find a way you know to stay in your body and can change your whole health.
It is really important to make sure you're getting adequate amount of sunlight which help our bodies synthesize vitamin D. Sunlight is linked to the Pineal gland and other parts of the body. It's important to get sunlight by being outside, not only is it beneficial for health but it's also beneficial for mental health.
Are you getting enough sleep? It's hard enough dealing with the stress on a daily basis but if you don't have the adequate amount of sleep, you shouldn't expect yourself to function as if it's at full capacity. We can't overlook any of these things we have to make sure we're taking care of that first. right so the first part of it is dealing with the basics getting the basic requirements met so that your body is functioning properly if you are weakened in any way, even sleep, that can weaken your immune system so you want to make sure your defense mechanism is strong, intact and fully fortified as much as it can be.
Emotional
Learning about your body
How are you going to know about the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the body if you don't have the intuition to be able to understand what your body is trying to tell you?
A lot of times as herbalists we think herbalism is about only herbs. We have to learn about the body so we can understand how the body demonstrates symptoms which is just the way that it communicates with us that something is out of alignment. We also need to learn about the body so we can understand how work how herbs are going to shift the body's metabolism and the action of the body in a way that's going to be positive. You want to look internally, what is the reason you crave a certain food? You find that for a lot of things like stomach pains or constipation, often times it is caused from anxiety, stress and nervousness- so you need to know what causes it.
You can take an herb that might help you one time, or you can take nervines and that might improve your nerve health over time. That's good but if it doesn't address what's the actual trigger the problem will return. You're putting a Band-Aid or a quick fix on something when it's going to take many healthy actions done over time to return to equilibrium. Anxiety-that's more spiritual than it is physical, so you want to make sure that you address it as such.
There's many other examples, high blood pressure is very common. It can be due to stress, we have really stressful lives on a daily basis. Whether it is a long commute, road rage, people cutting you off or whatever stressors that happen before you even get to work. While at work you have to deal with customers, employees and bosses that may work on your nerves as well. As a society we think all of us should take medicinal mushrooms and adaptogens to help us adapt to stress but don't forget to address the stress too. That might entail learning to manage your emotions better. All of those things coming together is what we can consider healing.
This translates to all areas of life. If I'm having cravings for something I'm thinking what's going on in my life why am I seeking this out? If I want ice cream is it because I possibly you know need a hug or emotional support. Am I self-medicating with ice cream or whatever makes me feel good temporarily? I need to make sure that I feel better with longevity.
Spiritual
We've already addressed understanding your basic needs and understanding how the herbs can thus suit your needs. The last recommendation I have is not to look at herbs like an inanimate object. When you understand the herbs better, you understand your body better and you understand your emotions better, you're really tapping into that spiritual aspect. For me that's making sure that I'm doing my devotions every day, praying and meditating on the word. So many times, people think on the surface level-when I don't feel well I take this herb. It's much more than that, it is a relationship with the planet, which grounds us spiritually.
In many different cultures, more than exclusively in African herbalism cultures and traditions, herbalists don't get to choose their calling, it's chosen for you and ordained by birth. In Creole Traditions you have to study under a healer. We have a privilege to be able to choose to become an herbalist, so we really have to get deep, we have to go to the root to be able to heal holistically.