Vim & Vitality Blog

Bi-monthly blog posts on a variety of health topics from a biblical & wholistic perspective.

Learn how the body is like a car and what it takes to maintain your Human Machine in perfect working order.

Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis

Part 5C Is Your “Oil Light” Flashing? Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis (cont'd) Do you have slick, raw patches on your tongue?Does the coating on your tongue have a yellow, white, or greenish tint to it?What about the color of your tongue itself-- is it purplish or reddish?Do you have lines or cracks in your tongue?Does your tongue quiver when you try to hold it out nice and still?   The analogy being made in this installment of "Under the Hood" is between the tongue and the oil light of a car. If your car runs low on oil, the engine can burn up in a matter of seconds, so when...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Traditional Chinese Medicine Nail Analysis

Part 5B: Are You Running on Fumes? Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis (cont'd) Last time we talked about our facial characteristics being similar to the odometer reading on a car. The lines, coloring, and skin qualities of our faces all indicate what is going on below the surface of our skin. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), they reveal the condition of our organs, glands and systems. We learned that you can actually appear younger and virtually turn back your “odometer” or biological clock by working on specific organ systems! Today we will be talking about what your...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis

Part 5A: What Is Your “Odometer Reading?” Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis Do you believe that lines and wrinkles on your face are inevitable as you age? Much like an odometer indicates the mileage driven in an automobile, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), lines on the face are an indicator of “wear and tear” on the Human Machine.  Ancient Chinese healers were not allowed to touch female patients, so they had to master the art of observation. Up until the 1940’s, doctors used tongue analysis to assess the health of patients. Much can be learned from observ...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

rewiring your brain

 Part 4C: "Rewiring" Your Main Computer The Thalamus & Limbic System (cont'd) In Parts 4A & 4B of this blog series, we talked about how smell and taste are linked to memories and emotions, and how these two senses can enhance learning, memory and healing, both emotionally and physically. We also learned about the power of our own voices being used to overcome negative thought and behavioral patterns. This is what is referred to in the Bible as “renewing our minds”(1). In this blog, we are going to delve more deeply into how how hearing, sight, and touch can be engaged in the r...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

is it time to reset your co sensor?

Part 4B: Is it Time to Reset "Your CO Sensor?" The Thalamus & Limbic System (cont'd) In Part 4A of this blog series, we talked about the connection between our sense of smell and memories, and we learned that scent is the most powerful memory trigger. The thalamus is likened to the hard drive in a car computer because it holds the "software" for our brains, ie- it was programmed by our Creator with a knowledge of the truth as well as how to process sensory input.  The thalamus works together with the amygdala as a storage device for our memories and emotions, also called the “limbic...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

thalamus & limbic system

Part 4A: How to Do a “Factory Reset” on Your Brain The Thalamus & Limbic System Modern vehicles contain at least one computer, such as the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which I likened to the endocrine system in Part 3A of this blog series. As cars become more complex, additional computers are added to manage the many controls available to the driver, such as modules containing a microprocessor to consolidate all of the functions in the driver's side door: power locks, power windows, power mirrors, power seats, seat warmers, etc. Older vehicles utilized one wire for each component which r...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Adrenals

Part 3B: Is Your "Accelerator" Stuck? The Adrenals As Americans we jam-pack our schedules so that we are always running here and there, and this stress can put our adrenals into a state of “fight or flight.” In fact, most Americans live in a constant state of “fight or flight,” much like when the accelerator on a car gets stuck. Eventually the adrenals become fatigued from pumping out all of that adrenaline for day-to-day life, and they quit producing the proper amounts of hormones to balance other bodily functions. In addition to adrenaline and cortisol production, the adrenals contri...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

The Endocrine System

 Part 3A: Is Your “Check Engine” Light On? The Endocrine System Just as the spark plugs in an automobile must fire in perfect timing, bodily chemicals must be present in the precise quantities at the proper times for metabolic processes to take place. Utilization of fuel in a vehicle with a combustion engine is governed by the Engine Control Unit, or ECU. During my research, I was amazed at the complexity of the ECU because it monitors at least seven input sensors, many times utilizing over 100 different lookup tables to mathematically calculate over 100 engine performance parameters ...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Enzymes & Co-Enzymes

 Part 2B: The “Key” in Your “Ignition” The Exocrine System (continued) Additional non-digestive enzymes, or metabolic enzymes, and hormones are required to complete this conversion process. Enzymes are simply proteins that act as catalysts for chemical reactions within the body; they are chemicals that facilitate other chemical reactions. The human machine manufactures over 22 enzymes for digestion alone in addition to hundreds of other metabolic enzymes. We cannot utilize nutrients from our foods without enzymes to transport them throughout the body and “unlock” the benefits ...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Under the Hood Part 2A The Exocrine System

 Part 2A: Is Your “Ignition Switch” Faulty? The Exocrine System In a sense, the ignition of an automobile can be likened to the many enzymes that begin the process of digestion. “Digestive enzymes break down the food we eat so that it can be used as a source of nutrients and a source of energy.”(1) If you lack digestive enzymes, it is like putting gas into your car but never turning the key to ignite that fuel in order to start the engine. Our bodies are unable to utilize the foods we eat unless they are first processed by digestive enzymes through digestion. As we age, our human ...

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Under the Hood: The Mechanics of the Human Machine

Under the Hood Paint Job Blog

 Part 1: Has Your “Paint Job” Lost Its Luster & Shine? The Integumentary System Comparing the human body to a machine is like comparing G-d to the internet in that no matter how sophisticated and complicated a machine or the world-wide web may become, these man-made inventions will always fall short of the real thing. Utilizing analogies and metaphors allows us to understand a new and less familiar concept by relating it to a subject with which we are already familiar, however, it would be an oversimplification to say that any single organ in the human body has only one functionâ€...

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