- Anger, hate, unhappiness and depression are only a few
of the emotions that often invade our lives, harming ourselves and the
ones we love, as well as limiting our unique ability to grow and to evolve.
Unfortunately, the clouds of depression and other so-called "emotional
disorders" that canvas America today have led many to believe that
it is acceptable to numb the pains and symptoms of our "illnesses"
with drugs and other harmful therapies rather than addressing the root
causes.
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- Decades ago, negative thinking was referred to as "stinkin
thinkin", the reason for this being depression's link to constipation.
Our brains are programmed for happiness, as there are several types of
neurotransmitters which are made by the brain that facilitate and induce
various feelings. Happiness is one of these feelings, and in order for
the body to make neurotransmitters, it needs enough B-vitamins and minerals
(only a few of the many key nutrients). If the human body goes without
the necessary supply of B-vitamins and minerals, it cannot utilize glucose,
often resulting in wide mood swings and depression, and if the brain has
no access to any glucose or minerals, plain old depression will more than
likely develop.
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- When someone is constipated, much of the residue from
yesterday's meals remains in the intestines, hampering the absorption of
nutrients ingested in today's meal as well as leading to toxicity. Regardless
of how nutritious the meal is or how expensive the vitamins are, the nutrients
needed for the brain to function optimally are not fully absorbed when
the body is constipated. In addition, long standing constipation can result
in an impermeable layer of toxins that line the small intestine, preventing
nutrients from getting to the rest of the body.
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- If we delve deeper, looking to our brains and the interactions
that lead to certain feelings and moods, we begin to realize how influential
constipation can be in our everyday lives and that it isn't irrational
to believe that the lack of frequent bowel movements can lead to negative
emotions. When an emotion is experienced, neurotransmitters are released,
and seconds later, the cell reabsorbs it and another chemical comes along
to destroy what was not reabsorbed. The emotional system of the body naturally
"resets" after each emotion as enzymes in the cell replenish
the neurotransmitters to pre-emotion levels, readying the brain for the
next emotion. This activity or mechanism of spontaneously resetting consumes
a lot of B-vitamins and energy, and thus when B-vitamins are in short supply,
it can lead to people having "mixed" emotions, due to the neurotransmitter
from the last emotion still hanging around.
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- When someone is constipated, some of the chemicals in
the intestine that are unable to exit into the toilet, are reabsorbed into
the blood, which can spur depression and irritability. Furthermore, food
that is eaten and not absorbed becomes food for bad bacteria.
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- Depression is a special case of constipation. While moving
the bowels is very helpful, many people have enhanced their results by
taking activated charcoal once the goal of 3 bowel movements a day has
been reached. The charcoal can actually augment the effectiveness of bowel
movements by soaking up toxins that would otherwise get absorbed into the
body and cause depression.
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- Depression is also without a doubt very sensitive to
the foods we eat. Food additives of any kind, such as artificial coloring,
artificial flavoring, preservatives, pesticides and herbicides can all
worsen depression. While the first step to improving depression is resolving
constipation and having 3 bowel movements a day, further improvement can
be achieved by reducing the amount of chemicals we ingest, increasing the
amount of organic unprocessed foods in our diets and reducing the processed
ones.
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- Much research still needs to be conducted in this field,
and hopefully with an ever-increasing number of people who refuse to wade
blindfolded in a sea of ignorance, together we will shed more light on
this and other issues of great importance in our lives.
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- Recipe to combat depression:
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- This recipe involves several ingredients. But it is well
worth it! A few bites of this dissipates negative moods and comfortably
conquers constipation it can be frozen in 2X2 squares and eaten whenever
the need arises. It makes 4 dozen muffins, 3 loaf pans or two 9x13 cake
pans. Since it is wheat, egg and dairy free, it is well tolerated.
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- Banana Bread
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- 6 large bananas, peeled
- 4 cups water or rice milk
- 1 cup packed brown sugar or evaporated cane juice
- 6 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1/4 cups rice bran
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 6 cups oat flour
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom, ground
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbs baking soda
- 2 tbs baking powder
- 1 cup shelled walnuts or pecans
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- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
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- Place bananas, brown sugar, and flax seed in a blender.
Blend until mixed well. Add as much of the 4 cups of water as needed
to make it pour easily from blender. Pour into a large bowl. Add remaining
water and oil and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add 4 cups of oats and
set aside.
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- In another bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the
wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
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- Cooking time varies with the container used. Pick the
time that matches the container you use.
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- Spoon into well greased muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes.
Check for doneness and cook for additional time as needed.
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- Pour into well greased 9x 13 inch baking pan and cook
for 45 minutes. Check for doneness and cook for additional time as needed.
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- Pour into well greased 9 inch bread pan and cook for
1 hour. Check for doneness and cook for additional time as needed.
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- If you prefer sweeter bread, spread honey on the top.
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- Bon appetite!
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- Please visit VitalityCapsules.com and join my mailing
list to receive free weekly recipes and health advice. I have also just
recently created my own blog dedicated to constipation. Check it out at
ConstipationBlog.com!
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- Jennifer Daniels, M.D., M.B.A is a graduate of Harvard
University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the
Wharton School of Business. Dr. Daniels loves receiving email, so feel
free to drop her a line at jennifer@vitalitycapsules.com
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