By Dr. Matsen

(This article, except for the first paragraph, is excerpted from my first book, Eating Alive, which was written in 1987.)

My Eating Alive Program is based on getting the digestive system, particularly the liver, working properly because I have found that virtually all diseases are related to sluggish or inefficient digestion. The digestive system gets its nerve energy primarily from the parasympathetic nervous system.

There is another part of the body that is energized primarily by a different nervous system. This is the skeletal muscle system, which gets its nerve energy from the sympathetic nervous system. While the stomach juices are the “spark” for proper digestion, the “sparkplugs” of the sympathetic nervous system are the adrenal glands. The adrenals normally secrete hormones which help maintain mineral and sugar levels. In emergencies, however, they secrete a powerful hormone called adrenalin or epinephrine which shunts energy away from the parasympathetic nervous system (digestive and lymphatic systems), and sends it outwards via the sympathetic nervous system to the skeletal muscles so that you can fight or flee from danger. Obviously, this is call the fight or flight response.

To see how this works in action, picture a zebra out in an open grassland. He can see that there is no danger in the vicinity, so his main energy is concentrated in the central core of his body. The parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, so the digestive and lymph systems are fully activated. He is chewing and the grass goes down into the stomach, which makes digestive juices that stimulate the intestinal tract. In the intestine, the friendly bacteria are busy baking little grass pies. In the lymph system, the thymus gland is orchestrating the white blood cells which quickly deal with any viruses, yeast, fungi, bacteria, parasites or abnormal cells. The skeletal muscles of the legs are used at the moment for little more than props.

Now picture that same zebra with a massive lion barrelling through the tall grass directly towards the zebra, drool pouring from his jaws and a hungry glint in his eyes. Does this zebra care whether there’s a little undigested grass in his intestine? Does he care if there’s a virus or two hiding out somewhere in the lymph system? Emphatically, NO! Forget about those trivialities, let’s get these legs moving, fast! So the adrenal glands fire up, and the energy switches from the central core of the body to the skeletal muscles, and the zebra either kicks the lion in the chops or “hightails” it out of there.

Within minutes, it’s almost all over one way or the other. Either the zebra made good his getaway, or he’s become dinner for Leo and friends. If he got away, within a short time the adrenal glands would stop making fight or flight hormones. The adrenal hormones in the blood would be broken down and the energy would slowly shift away from the skeletal muscles and back to the digestive and lymph system. Within a short time he would be back to grazing. Even if the lion was still within sight, as long as he was outside the zebra’s “safety zone,” the zebra would continue peacefully grazing.

Real physical danger is a rarity in our society. The wild beasts have long since been exterminated from populated areas or locked up in zoos.

However, we have a built-in video screen in our minds on which we are constantly projecting pictures. This has great uses for we can take experiences from the past and present and then project them into the future on our mental screen. From this information we can then anticipate what problems and/or opportunities might arise in the future so that we can best prepare for them.

The problem is that when you project a picture of a potential problem in your mind your body doesn’t know that it is not a real problem, that it is merely an imaginary potential problem. The body reacts exactly as if you were in extreme physical danger. The body energy shifts away from the digestive organs and lymph system and out to the skeletal muscles so that you can run from or fight with this “roaring lion” of the mind. In nature a real situation like this would usually be resolved within minutes. However, our minds have the incredible ability to create more and more and more potential problems.

We spend a great deal of time trying to avoid these problem pictures. We can temporarily obliterate them by using drugs and alcohol. We can avoid them briefly by taking holidays, going fishing, playing cards, sports or other games, watching TV, sleeping in, being too busy, etc., but often as soon as we stop these activities the mind begins to fill again with all the potential troubles that might occur.

Outside sources often contribute to a sense of danger and trouble. Newspapers and TV news exaggerates the amount of real danger that exists in our communities.

Also, we even pride ourselves when we use our minds to our best advantage. If we use our mind to see a situation sooner or clearer than someone else so that we can make a quicker or better deal, then this is something that we boast or brag about. There is, however, a very fine line between practical use of the mind’s creative abilities and using it as a scheming machine.

Even a small real problem can turn into a major health problem by constantly thinking about it rather than doing something constructive to resolve it. Problems should be quickly and decisively dealt with or, if they can’t be dealt with summarily, they should be consciously put aside until they can be dealt with.

Talking about a problem with a good friend or a counsellor may help to shrink it back to its proper size after a runaway mind has exaggerated it out of proportion.

Since during stress the body is shunting energy into the skeletal muscle system for fight or flight, why not follow through with some vigorous exercise. Running, aerobics, cycling, martial arts, swimming, etc., are good ways to burn up accumulated stress and help remove the sense of powerlessness that often accompanies it.

There are softer forms such as tai-chi and yoga, relaxation classes, meditation and breathing exercises that can help rebalance the mind and body.

Water therapy can be very effective at de-stressing. Since the skin is the major sense organ of the body, immersing it in water can give a sense of nurture. Water temperature above body temperature is relaxing for a short period of time. Excess heat can be weakening however, so heat is best followed by cold.

There is a simple technique that can be used to disengage the mental activity from having a negative impact on the body. You touch three fingers from each hand on the corners of the forehead and then pull the skin lightly apart so the skin in the center of the forehead is slightly stretched. With muscle testing it has been found that if you now think about a particular problem it won’t weaken the body. Holding these points seems to work as a clutch to effectively disengage the mental activity from the physical body. If these points are held for a few minutes it takes the “sharper edges” off the problem for hours.

If having a “bad” picture in the mind has a bad effect on the body, even if the picture is not real, then a good picture in the mind should have a good effect on the body, even if it’s not real. This has proven true in many clinical studies. Children with cancer play a game like Pac-Man but on the screen it uses white blood cells chasing cancer  cells. The result is increased activity of their own white blood cells.

Creative visualization is a rapidly growing form of therapy and can be done easily. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. You can start by thinking about a particular problem. However, you have unlimited tools available. You can visualize anything from a machine gun and hand grenades to a magic wand and fairy dust to change the picture on your mind’s video screen from that of a problem into one with a happy ending. If you create an improved picture in you mind your subconscious will immediately swing all its powers into having that picture expressed into physical reality.

Positive thinking is a form of creative visualization. If what comes out of our mouths is indicative of what goes on in our minds then let us speak words of support and encouragement. This is especially important with young children as they are forming much of their self image from feedback from those around them. Everything seen and heard is recorded as reality so until the ability to discriminate is learned it’s especially important to avoid continually berating a child.