Blog #163: Keep Moving
One of the most supportive things you can do for health is to keep moving. Exercise, especially of the appropriate type, duration and intensity, can help in many ways. Muscle relaxation and contraction helps the heart move blood and lymph through the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Blood circulation helps nourish and heal injuries in all different body systems: digestive, neurological, musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory, eliminative, immunological, reproductive, urinary, sensory, integumentary and more. Blood brings life to cells and, along with lymph, also carries away waste from these cells. Red blood cells are more nurturing and fortifying and white blood cells help with immune protection and support. Platelets, another component of blood, helps with clotting and prevents excessive or fatal hemorrhage or blood loss. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) has also shown that a substance called “Qi” moves in meridians in the body, and Qi also helps influence health. “Stuck Qi” can result in trigger points, joint pain, and eventually cysts, fatigue and depression. If not corrected, “stuck Qi” can progress to “stuck blood”, which is a more serious problem, that can involve blood clots and even tumors.
It is possible to over-exercise and suffer an injury, or to under-exercise and get sub-optimal benefit. Be gentle and at the same time, slightly challenge your body during exercise. You may feel mild aches, but you should not feel pain that lasts longer than about 20 minutes. While doing therapeutic and strengthening exercises, moving slowly is safer and also can be more challenging and beneficial.
Sitting at a computer or other screen can harm health on many levels. The longer a person sits, the longer they are exposed to problematic electromagnetic radiation (ELF – extremely low frequency and RF – radio frequency). This kind of radiation can drain your energy, suppress your immune system, confuse the endocrine system, including the pineal gland, and create problems with mood and sleep patterns. Sometimes, standing workstations and even walking workstations provide relief from prolonged sitting, which can negatively impact the reproductive system, the kidneys and bladder, and many joints, including knees, lumbosacral area, the cervical and upper thoracic spine, and more. Vision can be negatively impacted, headaches can become more frequent and severe, and neurological, vascular and muscular problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome and thoracic outlet syndrome can develop. These last two conditions can negatively impact shoulders, upper trapezius, upper arms, forearms, and wrists and hands.
In addition to staying active, therapeutic measures, such as Chiropractic, Massage, Acupuncture, Ultrasound, Physical Therapy, walking in Nature, and specific, therapeutic exercises all can help relieve symptoms from the above syndromes (thoracic outlet and carpal tunnel) and even sometimes reverse these conditions altogether. The above therapeutic modalities are especially important and effective for people as they reach their 50’s, 60’s and beyond. As people age, they become deficient in Qi, and this can eventually result in poor blood quality and circulation. Not only can this situation lead to fatigue and mood imbalance, it also can result in autoimmune issues, particularly those involving food and environmental allergies and joint pain, swelling and malformation.
Of course, sufficient hydration, healthful nutrition, stress reduction, meaningful social interaction and positive contribution to society through work, volunteerism and more all can give a healing boost to a person. Positive, constructive lifestyle choices and attitudes are important factors in recovery and staying healthy.
This blog’s offer: if you are looking for helpful, healing exercises that you can do daily, feel free to contact me, since I know plenty. Have a good Autumn.
Dr. Elaine Wagner Holistic Health 