Waking the Child for Change

The sugar culprit begins its destructive work early in life. Even small infants are treated to sugary treats by doting parents who often have no idea that they are setting up a life long addiction in their precious offspring. In fact, most parents would deny that they do this at all. Many would insist that they only provide the very best nutrition for their children. In addition, young children are learning every day by food-example....Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht

Parents bring children to my office for a myraid of problems, but rarely because of eating issues. I meet up with nail biters, skin pickers, attention-deficit, temper tantrums & those that don't want to go to sleep at night. After the parent has finished filling me in on the problem of the moment, I begin my exploration of the food-connection. Over & over again I hear that these kids eat healthy foods & balanced meals. Then the truth is uncovered as we discuss what truly goes into the mouth of the youngster over a twenty-four hour period. This is why knowledge, coupled with heightened awareness is so very important.

MEET SARAH

I’d like to share a patient history here with you. Sarah was only five when she came to my office. As she was fair skinned & blonde, I had to look closely to notice that she had no eyebrows or eyelashes. In fact, a good portion of the hair on her head was also missing. Her Mother had cleverly combed it so it wasn't so noticeable. Sarah suffers from trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling. Although there have been no epidemiological studies to identify the actual number of people with this condition yet, it is estimated that in the United States alone, there are probably between 6 to 8 million sufferers of trichotillomania.

According to Dr. Doris Rapp, the author of Is This Your Child, children with tricotillomania respond well to dietary change including reduced sugar intake. Sarah's mother maintained that her nutrition was healthy, but my assessment didn't agree. Over 85% of Sarah's intake was in the form of very high-glycemic or refined sugars. On a side-note, her mother confessed to eating sugar out of the sugar bowl !

The first order of business to help Sarah was to redesign her eating plan, as well as eliminate a good number of the sugar foods. While it's a true challenge to clean up a child's diet, it is possible. It helps to allow the child to participate in the planning & shopping. Self-hypnosis etches new mind programs, helping the child manage the left-over stress, once the food stress is in control.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Learning to listen to your body is one of our most important holistic tools. The cell managers communicate with you through body sensations. The process of body listening is known by many names including mental biofeedback. We choose to take messages through the practice of body scanning. This technique is taught in the top stress reduction clinics of the world & is a way of re-training the body to release stress chemicals. The body and mind often have much to say about the food connection.

You will be learning more about working with body sensations later on in this program. For now, let us focus on the food connection to body sensations. If you are not eating a balanced or sufficient diet, your body will produce stress hormones that will communicate with you through body sensations. These stress chemicals include insulin, adrenaline, nor-epinephrine and cortisol. Some corresponding body sensations could include headache, muscle spasms, weakness, lightheadedness, poor vision, nervousness, exhaustion, fatigue, mood swings, as well as a variety of tension related symptoms.

Most of us tend to eat on automatic pilot, without any concern for the resulting mind & body chemistry. As we travel through our day, we might have a tendency to pick up small snacks, cookies, candy, pretzels, coffee, soda or juice. Perhaps a coffee mug lives on your desk. Each time you eat or drink, your body must perform its chemical balancing act, making special effort to keep the body in balance. If you continue along in this way, day after day, the body often develops food stress, or the inability to manage, especially if the rest of the nutritional intake is poor or inadequate.

INNER MOTIVATION EXERCISE

Take a moment to elicit your relaxation response. Tilt your eyes up slightly, placing one of your cells up on your mind screen. It doesn't matter where it comes from. Each & every time you eat something, the food rings the doorbell of the cell & the cell manager cannot say no to the delivery. If the delivery is healthy & timely, the manager is delighted, but if it is unhealthy & untimely, the manager is in trouble.

Feel how good it is to know that you do know this now and that you have powers beyond what you thought before you had this knowledge. We are motivated towards and away from. This imagery exercise is a good example of both. Be sure to place it in a place of honor on your road map.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Boosting the immune system is another important focus of living holistically. The immune system is the defense system of the mind & body against microorganisms. One of the most negative results of excessive levels of stress, or poor body management is its effect on the immune response. This is often seen is someone who has frequent colds & other infections. There is much research in progress regarding how stress affects the immune system, especially regarding autoimmune diseases including allergies and cancer.

There is also the psychological aspect of seeing oneself as a frequently ill person. This can be potentially damaging to the self-image & self-esteem, thereby directing outcomes not in keeping with high level functioning.

How you choose to eat directly affects your immune system. There is little discussion about this fact of life. The problem is that we tend to be asleep to the needs of the body in the now, but more so in the needs of the body in the future. What you eat today has an outcome down the road as well. Imagery and self-hypnosis will help you to wake up & place permanent wellness programs into your subconscious mind. The work you are doing here is not difficult, but it is awake-work & this is where the difficulty lies for most people.

INNER MOTIVATION EXERCISE

Relax as before and bring forth one of your cells. This time I want you to go inside, observing the manager fighting an invader. This one happens to be a bacteria delivered at the water cooler. Notice the manager is looking for supplies in the way of deliveries of food & beverage. You know what you delivered today, so notice this & how the manager responds to what is available.

Notice the state of affairs in the cell based on the deliveries of the past week. Notice the response of the cell manager. Open the door & notice that healthy supplies have arrived. Observe the cell manager in action as the bacteria invasion is managed. Know how important your behaviors and habits are to outcomes. Take this moment to make a commitment to a better relationship with your body.

KNOWLEDGE HOOK

Food allergies & sensitivities are not uncommon especially in those with sugar addiction & eating disorders. Common ones include wheat, corn & dairy. If there is a history of alcohol problems in a family, even if that individual does not drink or is a child, it is not uncommon to have grain allergies. These often surface with accompanying personality or behavioral changes including compulsions, anxiety and depression.

You are working to be aware of how your mind & body react to what you eat & drink. As awareness develops connections may become clearer, an allergist may need to be consulted. Sometimes it is as simple as removing a particular food group, then reintroducing it later on. Otherwise the food group may need to be removed permanently to manage the symptoms. In the long run, even though this may not be poplar, the end results will far outweigh the enjoyment of the offending food or food group.

INNER MOTIVATION EXERCISE

The subconscious mind remembers & will pull information together for you. If you have lots of body communications, ask your subconscious mind to remind you to observe particular foods in relation to these outcomes. Ask to be alerted with flags.

Sometimes we are so lost in automatic pilot that we simply forget about what happened the last time we had problems with a food. As you learn what you body has to say about something you eat or drink, you will be able to study it more carefully. It's amazing how common food sensitivities are. Relax for a moment, seeing yourself requesting this service offered by your own subconscious mind.

You are learning to observe yourself in relation to food "as if" you were under your own microscope. You will get very good at self-observation & this will take you to safety, to higher health, as well as to optimum performance. Sometimes you will have to begin again, returning back to basics. This is not failure, but re-structuring. Whether you come back once, or a hundred times, this is where you come. It helps to know this. This way you won't be left wandering through life not knowing what to do or where to go. After all, you are only human!