Well played, Winter!

Congratulations, you made it!

If you’re reading this, you are fortunate enough to have survived this recent Ohio winter. This should be celebrated. Temperatures well below freezing, more snow than we’ve seen here in the Miami Valley for awhile and enough news hype about it to last us a good long time. Complete strangers will talk about the weather. “Cold enough for ya?” “More weather coming this weekend.” The planet we’re on, the 3rd rock from the sun provides us with valuable lessons about how the universe is wired. While this will not be a debate about “climate change”, I would like to share some predictable observations.

Seasonal change and the accompanying weather patterns are very predictable here in Ohio. If you don’t like the weather here, wait a day or two. It’ll change. If they’d had our winter in the Caribbean, that would have been strange. But here, winter brings some very predictable changes, as do spring, summer and fall. It’s always in that order. Ecosystems are like that. Predictable. It doesn’t snow in a rainforest. The amount of salt in the ocean is just right to support life there. Plant and animal life in the desert would never survive in the arctic. There’s an order to things.

Time, energy and resources

Another thing I’ve noticed about this rock we’re hurtling through space on is that all of the processes that are beneficial for the planet’s ecosystems take more time, more energy and more resources than the processes that are seemingly not. For instance, how long does it take to grow a forest? How much sunlight, wind, rain, soil nutrients have to be just right for hundreds of years to create a forest? It’s really amazing to think about. Now, how long does it take to burn it down? Certainly not hundreds of years! See what I mean?

What happens to the forest once the fire is out? Given the right time, energy and resources it begins to heal and regenerate! What happens to the ocean once the oil spill is contained? What took millennia to be established can be devastated in hours, but it recovers, within the limitations of time, energy and resources available. The planet’s ecosystems are literally programmed for success.

Things that are beneficial just simply take more time and energy than things that are not. How long and how much to build a house/town/car/boat/? How long for a fire/ flood/ tornado/crash to take it down? It’s just that way.

You are an ecosystem

Here’s another observation. You are an ecosystem! Think on that for just a minute. From just the right conditions you came. A seed from dad and an egg from mom, under just the right conditions and 9 months later they got you. The intelligence that guided that process didn’t stop when you were born. The same intelligence that grows a forest allowed you to grow and develop, given the circumstances of your life to this point. From food, air, sunlight, and water your body has continued to manufacture cells and chemicals that govern all life functions. You are also programmed intricately for success. Heart cells only do heart stuff. Liver cells, produced in the same body, only do liver stuff. Incredible, right? The list goes on. Bone, blood, hair, skin all produced by the same body for different functions.

What takes years to create and develop can also be taken away very quickly. But when the body is injured, it is programmed to heal and recover. Breaking a bone takes a split second. Healing a bone takes weeks or months. Skinning your knee happens fast and healing a knee…well, you get the idea. Too much to drink changes behavior, speech and coordination. Stop drinking and sobriety comes, eventually. The body is a great piece of technology when it’s doing its thing. Until it isn’t.

Just no interference

Have you noticed that when man gets involved, ecosystems suffer? Every time we think we’re smarter, things go south for the systems. I’ve heard of scientists who say, “The planet would be just fine if it weren’t for the people.” It’s the same with your body. It really needs no help to do its normal thing. It just needs no interference. Nerve impulses, air, water, food and are required. In that order. Everything else is optional. If you’re not sure, see how long you can hold your breath. Great, now compare that to how long you can go without water and food. By the way, air, food and water are useless without nerve impulses. The signals from brain to body are the most vital of the 4. In other words, air, food and water are of no use to a corpse.

Dis-ease is simply an interruption of ease of distribution of one or more of those 4 things. Leave it interrupted long enough and you can just remove the hyphen. Disease.  “Why haven’t I ever thought of that?” Because, you’ve been encouraged not to. Thinking is not popular when it comes to managing sickness. You’ve actually been lead to believe sickness should be managed with substances so toxic and complicated that they require a prescription. All disease, however, can be chalked up to too much or too little of these 4 things. Too much equals “toxicity” and too little equals “deficiency”.

The key to health and aging beautifully is to balance each of the 4 in a way that is appropriate for your ecosystem. The thing missing in our nation’s “health care” conversation is the importance of mental impulses. Neglecting the importance of healthy nerve function has sabotaged our lives. Yes, we want clean air, water and food. But they are less beneficial in a body that struggles because the system that controls and coordinates the other systems is being compromised. No use putting high-test fuel into a racecar with an electrical short circuit.

Evidence of body imbalance

Too much/little nerve stimulation creates muscular imbalance. Evidence here would include postural distortion in the form of a higher shoulder on one side, a higher hip on one side and a head that isn’t centered over the body. It may actually create the appearance of a “short” leg. There may or may not be pain, yet, but the resulting imbalance versus gravity is stealing energy, promoting fatigue and uneven joint wear. If it’s been there for years, one hip/knee/shoulder is likely wearing out faster.

Too much/little signal to organs and glands means they cannot produce there designated chemistry in a balanced way. Could this interrupt the ease of body function? You bet. All healthy ecosystems rely on balance. The good news is nerve impulses are measurable. Painlessly, effectively and affordably measurable. The not-so-good news is that your primary care doctor may not have a desire or understanding of the technology. Remember though, it’s your ecosystem to manage. Do your homework and get the answers necessary to satisfy your desire to learn.

As the season changes and the planet comes out of hibernation, let it be a signal of regeneration for you and your family. Commit to taking better care of your own ecosystems. Reducing what’s been “toxic” and enhancing things that create sufficiency are wonderful ways to enjoy the passing of time and changing of your seasons. Remember, you’re geared for success!