Staying Youthful Longer: A Holistic Approach to Aging

Part III: The Chemistry of Oxygenation

What happens when you put a lid on a candle? Just as wood and a a heat will not start a fire in the absence of oxygen, our bodies need oxygen to spark the metabolic process (heat) of utilizing the food we eat (wood).If you requested your FREE Sleep Quiz from Part IIB: The Chemistry of Stress in this blog series, you likely discovered what is preventing you from getting the quality and quantity of sleep that you need to be healthy. We learned that in addition to managing stress through mindset and adapagenic herbs, sleep is yet another factor that influences pH in the body. pH is important for overall health, and what keeps us healthy is also what slows down and prevents aging; the principles are the same!

Metabolic processes require oxygen: digestion, absorption, burning calories, the production of neurotransmitters and hormones, etc. Without adequate oxygen, these processes produce acid in the body, and this acid is what fuels the disease process. Cancer grows in the absence of oxygen; a healthy body is full of oxygen. More than simply breathing, we need large quantities of oxygen to keep our bodies running efficiently and clean! This is one reason of the many reasons why exercise is so important! Exercising 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes at your target heart rate is sufficient. To calculate your target heart rate, use this simple equation:

As Americans, we tend to think that if a little is good, then more is better…..not so with exercise! Excess cardiovascular exercise can scar the heart muscle and leave you in the same or shape as someone who doesn’t exercise at all. See the article from Dr. Mercola called Beware! New Study Finds Too Much Cardio Can Hurt Your Heart which gives details as well as an explanation of a balanced exercise plan. Exercise is the best way to increase oxygen flow into the body, and the pumping action of your legs also helps to move the lymph and cleanse the body. I guess you could say: “Not exercising is like not taking out the trash!”

I understand that there are some people who simply cannot exercise due to various limitations, or there may be seasons when it is difficult to fit it into your schedule. This was the case for me when my children were very young—I didn’t get a great workout when I had four little ones in tow who needed shoes tied, noses wiped, and couldn’t make it around the block without needing to visit the potty! But as long as it is only a season, not a lifestyle! For those who are limited, here are two suggestions on how to increase oxygen in your body:

1)  Deep Breathing Exercises—I know, it sounds very “Eastern Religious” to many people, but even so, it is G-d who breathed the breath of life into Man. When He is angered, He is “long-nosed” or “slow to anger” with us and breathes deeply (according to the Hebrew meaning of the word for patience-- “arek” spelled alef-resh-khaf). How many of us as parents have taken a deep breath to gain composure vs. pouring our wrath on our children when they misbehave? Take the part that is truth and throw out the rest—after all, it is NOT pagan to breathe, pray, fast or meditate-- the Object of our affection is the key!    Personally, I have found that stopping what I am doing to “take a breather” greatly reduces stress, and by doing so, I am choosing life—improved pH and health!

Click Hereto download a FREE summary of my research on THREE deep breathing exercises that are quick and simple.

More than 50% of the population over age 40 has a hiatal hernia. If you suffer from a hiatal hernia, you will struggle with breathing deeply, and this will affect your oxygenation. This is when your stomach pushes upward through the diaphragm (hiatus) and protrudes into the chest cavity. The esophageal sphincter opens up and digestive juices and food flow up the throat, causing acid reflux.  Have no fear!

Click Hereto download a FREE eResource on how to correct this problem naturally and without surgery if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Shallow breathing
• Tension in the solar plexus region
• Difficulty swallowing pills
• Sensation of a lump in the throat
• Over-stimulated thyroid (high metabolism)
• Chronic intestinal gas
• Acid reflux

2) Chlorophyll— "the life force" or blood of a plant, and like our red blood cells, chlorophyll carries oxygen to the cells of a plant. It also prevents agglutination or clumping of red blood cells. When blood cells are clumped together, the total surface area is reduced, and thus the oxygen-carrying capacity of those cells is reduced as well.   Did you know that the only difference between chlorophyll and hemoglobin is the central molecule?  The human body only needs to trade out a molecule of magnesium from chlorophyll for a molecule of iron to make hemoglobin.  Because of this fact, chlorophyll is a great blood cleanser and builder for anemia, low energy and detoxification. 

NOTE: Be sure to use only a high quality FAT SOLUBLE chlorophyll such as the one from Standard Process because water-soluble chlorophylls have been stripped of the the beneficial healthy fats in Vitamins A, D, E, F & K as well as the synergistic factors of copper and magnesium; water-soluble is nothing more than a deodorizer.  Standard Process Chlorophyll Complex is beneficial for pain relief (it neutralizes guanidine on contact) for burns, arthritis, injury; blood building, to heal skin (internally, including ulcers and lesions, and externally, including cuts, surgical wounds, burns, etc.).  Chlorophyll and/ or Wheat Germ Oil has been used to successfully protect against spontaneous abortion and miscarriage.

In the next installment of this blog series, I will discuss the fourth important factor in balancing your pH and slowing down the aging process. Stay tuned, and be sure to comment on my blog if you find this information helpful! You can also make suggestions for future topics—I would love to hear from you!

L'chaim-- To Life!