This is everything that happens to your body when you take an autoimmune drug

This amazing post was written by Dr. Terry Wahls, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa. She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine and the cookbook The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life: The Revolutionary Modern Paleo Plan to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions. You can learn more about her work from her website, www.terrywahls.com.

The standard treatment for multiple sclerosis is disease-modifying drug therapy. But does it delay the transition to walker or wheelchair dependence? Does it help patients become well?

Multiple sclerosis is like most autoimmune conditions: a progressive illness. Damage accumulates over time, as does disability. That is why conventional neurologists push their patients so hard to take disease-modifying drugs–they know that within ten years of diagnosis, half of those newly diagnosed will be unable to work due to severe fatigue and that one-third will have difficulty with walking and will require a cane, walker, or wheelchair. 

But do the drugs really lengthen the time between diagnosis and becoming wheelchair dependent or bedbound? That is an incredibly important question to ask and more importantly to answer.

Do Multiple Sclerosis Drugs Work?

The newest biologic drugs – such as Tysabri, Tecfidera, Gylenia, Plegridy, Aubagio, Lemtrade – are designed to block specific steps in immune pathways. These drugs have been tested and found to be twice as effective as older drugs at reducing the rate at which new lesions appear on the brain and spinal cord MRIs. They also reduce the number of acute hospitalizations.Neurologists hoped that reducing the number of relapses and new lesions as seen in MRIs would lengthen the time to becoming wheelchair dependent or bedbound. But do these drugs – which often cost $50,000 to $100,000 per year and are prescribed for life — change the long-term outlook for the patient?

Do they affect the pace of decline or prevent patients from becoming wheelchair bound and or bedridden? That is the real goal of therapy, not reducing the number of lesions in the brain, but rather maintaining function.

The Research: Drugs Don’t Prevent Becoming Wheelchair Dependent

In a study of patients who used the interferon drug Betaseron over a 16-year period, scientists found that taking the drug had no effect on how long it took for a patient to become walker or wheelchair dependent or bedbound. Dr. George Ebers, an MS researcher at John Radcliff Hospital, discussed the issue of drug therapy related to clinical outcomes and MS research and observed that there are no studies that demonstrate that drugs change the rate or severity of the disability.

He further noted that the FDA does not require long-term monitoring of disability status, including time to a walker, wheelchair dependence, or bedridden state. He called on the government to require after-market surveillance and force the drug companies to report how these drugs impact time to needing a walker or wheelchair or becoming bedbound. So far that has not happened.

Other Autoimmune Disease: Do the Treatments Work?

What about other autoimmune diseases? What can we learn about how well these potent biologic drugs help with those diseases? Four million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which has been treated since the 1990s with biologic drugs such as Remicade, Enbrel, and Humira (these are also used to treat inflammatory bowel disease).

What about other autoimmune diseases? What can we learn about how well these potent biologic drugs help with those diseases? Four million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which has been treated since the 1990s with biologic drugs such as Remicade, Enbrel, and Humira (these are also used to treat inflammatory bowel disease).

Though the goal of these drug treatments is remission, the actual remission rate remains quite low–about 8% (Predictors and persistence of new-onset clinical remission in rheumatoid arthritis patients). Furthermore, 50% of patients discontinue the biologic therapy within five years because of disease progression or adverse drug events (Long-Term Drug Survival of TNF Inhibitor Therapy in RA Patients: A Systematic Review of European National Drug Registers).

Autoimmune Drug Side Effects

The side effects of biologic drugs are extensive. When we block the immune function so effectively that we can turn serious autoimmune diseases off, we are also turning off the immune cells that repair and maintain our bodies. The adverse effects — you can find them listed on drug inserts or recited in TV ads — range from mildly annoying to life-threatening.

Here are just a few: infections, heart problems, skin problems, kidney damage, liver damage, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML. PML is the activation of a virus that destroys brain tissue, leading to serious and rapid brain problems and even more severe and profound disability.

Should You Stop The Drug?

The longer you are on a biologic, the higher the risk of developing PML. The risk is highest with Tysabri, but is still a concern for other biologics as well, including lemtrada, aubagio, Gilenya, and tecfidera. It will also occur, but much less frequently, with interferons and Copaxone.   

If you are on disease-modifying drugs, don’t stop them abruptly – this can worsen the disease state and lead to a severe flare. The same thing can happen if you have a “cheat meal” after successfully quieting your disease with diet and lifestyle changes.

I have seen this happen with many children. They use diet and lifestyle to quiet their disease activity without the disease-modifying drugs. Their improvement surprises the family and physician: Symptoms are steadily diminished, energy is better, the mood is better, pain is less, and the inflammatory bowel disease or rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis go into remission.

This improvement can last a long time, so long that the family may grow complacent. Everything is going so well — the autoimmune problems are in the past, or so it seems – and the parents start to feel bad about all the fun foods the child is being “deprived” of.

Since the child is doing well, it no longer seems critical to be so stringent on the diet and lifestyle program. Then a special event comes along, like a birthday party or holiday, and the parents agree it’s OK for the child to eat cake and ice cream or pizza that the other children are enjoying.

Using Diet and Lifestyle to Manage Autoimmune Disease Flare-ups

The result is always a severe flare of the autoimmune disease. The next MRI often shows a brain filled with new lesions; the colonoscopy shows active bleeding in the bowels or the joints are hot and swollen. The physician’s explanation to the family is that the diet and lifestyle changes don’t work.

I have a different perspective. A disease flare that occurs when you have “cheat meals” is evidence that diet and lifestyle changes do work. Stopping the therapy that was reducing or removing the symptoms your disease causes a flare. For this reason, I do not advise abruptly stopping disease-modifying drugs.

If you aren’t on medication, the best option is starting 100% on diet and lifestyle changes. If you are already taking disease-modifying drugs, the situation is more complicated. We discuss how to approach this at the seminar.

The biologic drug business is huge, and the proof of its efficacy is small. Every year, the number of people with MS and autoimmune diseases grows, and they are younger and younger at diagnosis. We cannot afford the drug-only approach as individuals, family, state, or national governments.

Instead, we must help people improve their health and vitality, lower their symptoms, lessen their disability, and decrease the need for these high-cost drugs.

Eating home-cooked meals based on a plan designed specifically for your brain is the most powerful next step you can take. My book, The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life, gives you that plan and teaches you how easy it can be to prepare delicious meals in less than 30 minutes.

You learn the Wahls™ Diet food plan and get terrific recipes and menus to get you started on this new way of eating. Use this link to order the book now, and then go here for some free gifts to immediately help you change the way you eat and feel.

If you want to learn even more about the protocols I used to restore my health, the protocols we study in our clinical trials, and what I used in the Therapeutic Lifestyle Clinic, come to the Wahls Protocol® Seminar that I conduct each August.

Source:http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/autoimmune-conditions.html

Foods and Lifestyle Strategies for Seasonal Allergy Relief

I know many of you suffer from seasonal allergies this time of year. I get letters from readers like you all the time sharing your lengthy list of medications and how they don’t work, how you are still suffering.  For years, I was allergic to cats and pollen but by the time I was 31, it all completely went away. Today, at 52, I wipe down the car and outdoor porch furniture from pollen, and play with my friends’ cats all the time. But in my younger years, when my immunity was weak, I dealt with allergies from all kinds of triggers.  So I feel for you!

Medicine?
Some health practitioners don’t like antihistamines at all, but I do for seasonal allergies, and not long term. I understand why you would want quick relief from incessant sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat, watery eyes and congestion. You feel miserable!  Some popular “allergy meds” include:

• antihistamines (to inhibit the body’s histamine reaction, which causes inflammation of airways and mucus membranes)
• corticosteroids (to also reduce inflammation)
• bronchodilators (to open airways)
• decongestants (to thin and dry up mucus)

While helpful for a few days, these medications all come with side effects, the most common of which are drowsiness; impaired performance; dryness of the eyes, nose and mouth; restlessness; abdominal distress, unusual bleeding and bruising; heart palpitations; and insomnia. Insomnia can be severe with steroids, and when used long term or with benzodiazepines, can lead to personality changes, aggression and psychosis.

Some of these medications have the potential to cause mental or cognitive side effects that can make you feel slightly drunk or “out of it”, fuzzy-headed, and zombie-like. I’m sure you’ve experienced this effect if you’ve taken a “first generation” allergy drug such as diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine. These drugs get in your brain by crossing your blood-brain barrier, and interacting with a number of unintended receptor sites. This annoys specific neurons in your brain causing you to feel depersonalized, or hungover, or like you’re drunk. You may begin to bump into furniture, feel jelly-legged, forget things or get sleepy… almost as if you’re drugged up. That’s because you are! You got drugged up, since some of these drugs act on the same neurotransmitters that regulate cognition, sleep and mood.

How ’bout the kiddos?Seasonal allergies in kids is rather common. The side effects of “allergy drugs” are slightly different in children, including nightmares and overexcitability in addition to the upset stomach, diarrhea, ADHD-like symptoms and impaired cognitive function that adults also frequently experience.

I guess I’m trying to say that as much as I personally approve of the pharmaceuticals for short-term relief and instant gratification, allergy medicines simply aren’t for everyone.  If you’ve taken them before you know what I mean.  The dry mouth and dry eyes alone are pure misery, not to mention the rapid heart rate and/or constipation.

Furthermore, some of the drugs aren’t recommended for everyone due to past medical history. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need to be careful, as well as those with high blood pressure heart disease, kidney or liver disease, glaucoma, or with thyroid problems. That rules out a lot of you, doesn’t it?

Do you want to cover it up or fix it once and for all?

To top it all off, allergy medications don’t even treat the root of the problem—they only manage symptoms. For all these reasons, they should only be one part of a bigger plan that includes practical dietary strategies for minimizing your exposure to the allergens that trigger you and priming your digestive system by choosing foods that empower your body to be better equipped to process allergens without an allergic response.

I want to take just a minute to explain what an allergic response is. When your body is exposed to allergens, it reacts by releasing histamine compounds that attack cells in your body, causing them to swell up and leak some of their fluid. This histamine response is what triggers common allergy symptoms like watery, itchy eyes, sinus congestion, swollen nasal passages, itchy skin, runny nose and incessant sneezing.

I don’t want to make it seem like histamine is all bad. It’s not. You need some histamine because it functions as a neurotransmitter, and it plays a role in sleep and memory. Histamine is also an indicator of dehydration, and when it spikes during an allergic fit, it’s a red flag that you’re dehydrated.

Note: If and when you do take allergy medication, make sure to take it at the right time. Some of them are stimulating due to the inclusion of a decongestant like pseudoephedrine and should be taken in the day, others cause drowsiness like Benadryl or Zyrtec. These are individual reactions. Also, make sure to stay extra hydrated as histamine itself as well as decongestant medications are very drying to the mucus membranes.  Claritin is considered neutral and non-sedating but each person reacts differently so over time, you’ll be able to determine how it works for you.

So, what’s my alternative to prescription meds?Believe it or not, it’s the food you eat!  Most people, probably 9 out of 10 people have complete control over the strength of their immune system, and level of reactivity, at least at first. Your immune system is in your gut and you can control how reactive it is to external allergies, as well as food allergies.  It takes time and it’s not something people like to hear. Most people will say, “Ah whatever, I’ll eat what I want to, and just take this pill, it’s a lot easier.”

No worries, go right ahead. But there are a subset of you reading this today that are ready to make a change and ready to feel better, and get off the expensive pills and more than that, heal your body. You absolutely can, and it is YOU who I am talking to right now!

Immune BasicsYour GI tract is the site of a large portion of your immune system. If you are consistently eating low-quality, highly processed foods, your GI tract is busy processing those foods that don’t offer a lot of nutrition in return. When spring is sprung and large amounts of pollen start entering your already taxed GI tract, it simply can’t handle it and as a result, your digestion gets backed up and those allergens stick around longer making it more likely that your body will have an immune response to them.

Congestion in your colon absolutely is tied to congestion in your sinuses! While this may seem like a bad thing, it’s not, because it means that you can have a big effect on your allergies by eating a whole food, high-fiber diet. Green superfood drinks and smoothies could offer detoxification and improve allergies, without the need for medicine. How’s that for simple?

EAT THESE:Organic fruits and vegetables. While there are a couple of fruits and veggies that you want to avoid (I’ll cover those in just a bit), for the most part, fresh produce is loaded with compounds that help regulate the histamine response—meaning, you can essentially eat your anti-histamines. Also, fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which will help keep your digestion moving. Prioritize eating more of them than you normally do—especially cooked. You can steam, saute or boil but eat as many vegetables as you can.  Cooking them reduces goitrogens, which are compounds which can hinder your thyroid function. Also, cooked vegetables are easier to digest and the goal here is that you’re trying to give your gut a break!

Warming spices and aromatics. Garlic, ginger, onions, cinnamon and cayenne pepper help to thin mucous so it can be passed out of your body more easily. Many of these foods also help stimulate digestion and have immune-boosting properties of their own. Definitely, use a heavy hand with these healing helpers when your allergies are getting triggered!

Local honey. It has long been held that eating small amounts of locally-produced honey, which bees create by ingesting pollen and then regurgitating it, helps your body acclimate to the particular strains of pollen that are floating around your area. You can often buy locally grown honey at a Farmer’s Market, or sometimes at your local health food store. The point of eating honey grown locally is that when you breathe in the air where you live, your body doesn’t have as strong an immune response as it otherwise would. Try a teaspoon of locally grown honey every day beginning in February each year and continue it through allergy season.  You can even chop up a raw garlic clove or coin of fresh ginger and take it with the honey to make it more palatable.

Bone broth. A broth made by boiling the bones of beef or chicken contains many compounds that help reduce inflammation and promote digestion, which then helps soothe respiratory problems.  I prefer pasture-raised because these animals have the healthiest diets and thus more mineral-rich bones.  You can add your warming spices to bone broth for a delicious soup that also makes you feel pampered!  Don’t try bone broth if you are in benzo withdrawal or sensitive to things like MSG, as the increased glutamate is going to set you back. Bone broth is high in free glutamate.

Pineapple. I know I already mentioned eating extra fruits, but make sure to prioritize pineapple, as it contains an enzyme called bromelain that reduces swelling and mucous production. Bromelain is a common proteolytic enzyme used to help break down inflammatory compounds and is also sold as a supplement.

Apple cider vinegar. This type of vinegar, sold “with the mother”, contains natural probiotics that help boost the immune system. You can mix one tablespoon in a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon for a little extra vitamin C and drink it down, one to three times a day. You could also add your local honey to it to make it more palatable and to kill three birds with one stone! 

AVOID THESE:Dairy. Dairy products contain casein, which has been tied to allergies and asthma, and avoiding dairy seems to offer relief for many chronic sufferers. Also, dairy is associated with mucous production, and at this time of year, you certainly don’t need any more of that!

Wheat and soy. These foods are common allergens, so by removing them from your diet you allow your body to focus more on processing the pollen and other airborne allergens that are floating around. If you want to be more thorough about removing common allergens from your diet, also skip eggs, tree nuts, shellfish, peanuts and strawberries.

Preservative-heavy foods. Many food preservatives, such as sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite, can trigger asthma-like symptoms, which you definitely don’t need if you are also experiencing the respiratory problems associated with seasonal allergies. For this reason, avoid these common sources of preservatives: farmed shrimp, smoked meats, bologna, dried fruits, and vinegar-containing foods like salad dressing, pickles and relish.

Spinach. This is a highly pesticide-laden food and also high in oxalates, which can contribute to kidney stones. If you’re going to eat spinach, make sure it’s organic and eat it only in moderation – don’t make it your main source of extra vegetables and don’t juice it every day. Be careful, because it’s a goitrogen too.

Kale, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. I know, people hail kale as the healthiest of all greens, but in its raw form it contains high amounts of goitrogens, which can impair thyroid function. Same goes for broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous veggies.  You can still eat them, just please cook them first as this removes their goitrogenic tendencies! Don’t slurp down a bunch of kale juice in an effort to protect yourself from allergies because then you could be dealing with the fatigue and brain fog that comes not from anti-allergy medication but from a sluggish thyroid!

A few lifestyle simple changesA lot of people don’t think of these common sense steps, but they can go a long way toward reducing your exposure to allergens in the first place:

• Take your clothes off before you get in the bedroom, so that any pollens that may have fallen on you while you were outside don’t get into your bedroom, where you spend the most time.
• Keep bedroom windows closed.
• Change sheets and pillowcases often.
• Take a shower before bed, or run a wet brush through your hair before you go to sleep to remove pollen from your hair.

I hope that these strategies will help you have a far better experience of spring this year!

Related articles:

10 Natural Solutions for Allergies and Sinusitis

The Case Against Kale

Allergies and Your Genes

Source: http://suzycohen.com/articles/foods-lifestyle-strategies-seasonal-allergy-relief/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Physical Pains And Their Metaphysical Meanings

Everything on the Physical plane is a manifestation of something on the Metaphysical plane. When we speak of abundance, what we are really talking about is an abundance of emotional, mental and spiritual energy. We fill ourselves to the brim with these energies and it is the overflow that is manifest on the physical plane.

The signs and symptoms that are apparent on the Physical plane lead us to inquire, ultimately, more deeply into ourselves as energetic and spiritual beings.

We tend not to worry too much about this sort of thing when our body is working well, we are not feeling pain, or we are not in the throes of some chronic disease. But when our body feels pain or becomes disabled by disease or accident we tend to start reaching out for answers. We want to know why. Or maybe we don’t even want to know why we just want to fix something we perceive is broken.

Realistically, when our body refuses to do what we want it to, metaphysically, it is not actually broken. It is doing its job. One of its functions is to carry messages from the higher energetic planes to us. It is then up to us to interpret these messages and take action.

Western medicine takes the position that we feel pain because we can. Western approaches to pain, as the main symptom of any disease, are pretty much limited to drugs and surgery. Treatment consists of numbing or diverting pain receptors in the body or cutting off the offending organ. While this approach does have its place in acute situations, it is at best a temporary and often harmful way to approach pain or other disharmonies we feel in our bodies. Most often, western medicine has little to offer most of us and incredibly makes us wait until our symptoms become unbearably acute before it can even acknowledge a disharmony.

The trend today, as much for economic reasons, as1 for reasons of spirit and human development is to encourage people to take responsibility for their own lives. This is the approach of ancient wisdom. We use our bodies to communicate with our selves and with others. We use our bodies to work out emotional, mental and spiritual questions. While we do tend to judge a diseased body negatively, there really is no right or wrong about it.

The ancient Taoists theorized that good and bad, right and wrong, yin and yang, were just different points of view that we all adopt at one time or another. Because the earth plane is dualistic in nature we all view, at one time or another from both the Yin and the Yang ends of the telescope. There does not seem to be a point in judging one good and one bad or judging one good and one evil. These just are the symptoms of being human.

Still, there is such a thing as being well, and there is such a thing as being sick. When we get sick we tend to want to do something about it.

Enter the healer.

A healer is trained in the observation and interpretation of signs and symptoms, and in methods for dealing with them.

Wholistic Healing of the individual occurs at different energetic levels. These are the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. For those on the path, there are a great many more levels and sublevels identified in various cultural, religious and philosophical tr1aditions. But for our purposes we can look at the individual in these four broad realms to at least begin the process of healing.

Healing by the way occurs not only at the individual level, but also at the family, community and global level. When one heals ‘mindfully’, as the Buddhists say, these other aspects of individual healing may become apparent.

There are healers operating today at all these levels. Still, a good place to begin is in the individual body. With this in mind, the following is a list of physical symptoms and the metaphysical disharmonies they may reflect.

Louise Hay, in her book, ‘You Can Heal Your Life,’ has done some interesting work in this area. I use her book occasionally in my Reiki II work. Other references are; Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnostic principals, my own Reiki teacher, Denise Crundall, and my own experience.

Please note that these are only general observations, serving hopefully to illuminate areas that you can look at more closely in yourself or with the help of a healer. You are the one who knows you best. As you go through these observations, try to expand your awareness beyond your own life to see also how these disharmonies are reflected in your own family, community, country and in the world. Ultimately it is our own choice to heal or not to heal and it is our own innate healing ability that is activated.

Head Pains

Headaches; Pain always indicates a separation of some sort from something. Usually we say separation from what is the Truth. The greater the pain the more important that something is. Depending on which part of the head is afflicted the meaning changes. Louise Hay suggests that Headaches indicate invalidating the Self out of Fear. In Chinese Medicine there are several different kinds of headaches according to the quality of the pain and the location on the head. Read on.

Vertex; The top of the head is associated with our connection to the Universe or God. Pain here is associated with separation from that higher power. It is also associated with the Kidneys and the emotion is Fear. Both the Gallbladder and Urinary Bladder channels traverse the top of the head. The Gallbladder is associated with Courage, and the Urinary Bladder through its associate with the Kidneys is associated with Fear. Du 20 (Baihui) located at the top of the head is used extensively to ‘calm the spirit’ in Chinese Medicine.

Forehead; The forehead is associated with the 3rd eye, both in Chakra Theory and Traditional Chinese Medical theory. The 3rd eye is associated with introspection and illumination of your own Inner Being. Pain here is associated with separation from your own Inner Being. In Chinese Medicine, Yintang, which is located midway between the inner ends of the eyebrows, Du 23 (Shangxing), Du 24 ( Shenting) which are located at the hairline directly above Yintang and Du 20 (Baihui) located at the top of the head, all have the action of ‘calming the spirit.’ Yintang is associated with the eyes; not only the eyes that look outward but the eyes that look inward and is indicated in some emotional disorders.

Temporal; The sides of the head are associated with courage, especially courage to face your world. Migraine Headaches, usually located in the front quadrants, right or left, indicates a separation from your world. The involvement of the eyes in Migraines indicate not only an unwillingness to look without, but to look within. Most Migraine sufferers report, not only severe pain behind the eye, but also acute sensitivity to light. In Chinese Medicine, a number of Meridians run through this area. The Gallbladder Channel is associated with courage. The San Jiao channel is involved with processing of water (the elixir of Life), and the Small Intestine Channel is involved with deriving nourishment from the world. Both the San Jiao Channel and the Small Intestine Channel are connected to the Heart, whose emotion is Joy and where the Mind is located. Lack of Joy (with one’s self) is strongly indicated by pain in this area. There is also Anger indicated by the Gallbladder channel’s link with the Liver.

Occipital; The back of the head represents your past. Some say also this is an area of spirituality. Pain here represents something in your past that is not complete and remains unforgiven. The back of the head is traversed by the Gallbladder Channel and the Urinary Bladder Channels indicating Anger born of Fear. The Back of the Head is thought to be the seat of Spiritual Experiences. The only way to see them is through inner sight. Pain in the back of the head represents an unwillingness to look deep within for the source of Light & Truth.

Back Pain

Spine; The Spine Represents the support you think you have in Life and your alignment with those supportive forces. Curved spine, or Scoliosis represents a misalignment with Life. Spasms represent an unwillingness to accept the support that is there.

Shoulders; Shoulders represent burdens and responsibilities. Frozen Shoulder for example represents a complete unwillingness to shoulder your responsibilities in Life, especially your own Life. Pain and dysfunction to varying degrees represents varying degrees of unwillingness to be responsible. Moving forward in Life sometimes requires that you ‘put your shoulder to the wheel’ to overcome inertia. the Gallbladder channel traverses the shoulders and indicates Courage ( or lack of…).

The back, in Chinese Medicine, is considered to be your Yang side; the active, aggressive, lighted side. The back also represents that which is behind you. Very often we do not see clearly that which is behind us. Back problems generally represent conflict between the urge to move forward and the inertia of an unforgiven past that holds us back. This tension very often separates us from both and pain is the result. Louse Hay suggests that backs generally represent support.

Mid back; The mid back is the link between the shoulder and the lower back. It can be a weak link. As we firm up our shoulders and become willing to take on the responsibilities of Life, and we have gathered around us the financial and emotional support we need (lower back), something sneaks up and stabs us in the back. This is a blind spot. Not only can we not see it, but is very difficult to reach. The weak link crumbles. It is the saboteur or seducer that takes us off our path. Located in this area are the Tonification points (called ‘Shu’ points) for the Liver, the Stomach, and the Spleen. These organs are responsible for the transformation and transportation of Qi, and the free flow of Qi in the body. Blockages here affect the entire body and can stop you dead in your tracks. The Spleen represents Worry or Overthinking and the Liver represents Anger or base emotions. Both of these can sabotage even the best laid plans. Louse Hay suggests that the mid-back represents Guilt and stuck in the past stuff.

Lower Back; The Lower Back represents support; financial support, emotional support of family and friends, and support of God or the Universe. The Kidneys are located in this area and Kidney dysfunction results in Fear/Fright/Phobias. A sore lower back may indicate that we have taken on more than we think we can handle. This is a dysfunction, only if it is not the Truth. If we have indeed taken on too much, that would be indicated by a physical trauma to the back and all we need to do is lighten the load. Chronic low back ache, though, not associated with any trauma is the one with the Metaphysical application, and the one related to Kidney depletion. Kidneys are considered to have a central function relative to other organs since it is where Yuan Qi or our Primary Essence is stored. Yuan Qi is also known as Primary Qi or Congenital Qi. It is the Qi you are born with and determines your relative strength in the world. It is considered to be quite difficult to strengthen an already weak Yuan Qi, but it can be done. Low back pain is often diminished by strengthening the Kidneys. In short, Low back pain, generally refers to a lack of trust in the Universe to protect and support. Louise Hay suggests Fear of money is indicated.

Coccyx; The Coccyx/Sacrum is the seat of Self-pity. There is a fear of asking for help. One would rather sit and feel sorry for one’s self than get of one’s ass and do something.

Legs Pain

Hips; Hips represent decisions in Life, especially decisions about moving forward. Pain in the hips is a sign of being ‘stuck’, unable to make a decision, or see clearly what is needed to be done next. The process of walking requires that we first thrust the hip forward and the leg etc. follows. This is actually, an act of faith on our part, since we are quite literally initiating a fall to the ground and trusting that our legs will save us. The Gallbladder Channel traverses the hip which again represents Courage and confidence to move forward. Louise Hay suggests that hip problems represent fear of going forward with major decisions. Hips represent the idea that the next step in your life is important. Pain or discomfort advises you to slow down or stop, look around, buy a map, or ask someone for directions.

Upper Thighs; Thighs are the link between the Hips & decisions, and the Knees & pride. Very often, when we have made a decision and take the next step, Pride gets in the way. “What if I look stupid? What if it’s not right? What if it doesn’t work out?” Our knees lock up or turn to jelly, and we are prevented from moving forward. The pain that begins in the Hips and shoots down the Thigh (Sciatic Nerve), is the separation from our desire and decision to move forward and our Fear of falling flat on our ass. Louse Hay suggests that Upper Thigh problems represent retaining childhood trauma.

Knees; Knees represent Pride. In spiritual practice it is suggested that one must go down before one can rise up, as Jesus did before John the Baptist, before taking up his own ministry. Pride or Ego keeps us from surrendering to the Will of God or the Universe. In practice, every time we move forward in Life or approach change, we approach the unknown. We may feel vulnerable or unsure. We may stand still, stiff kneed resisting the winds of change. It is interesting to note that stiff, sore knees are a symptom of Kidney deficiency, whose emotion is Fear. Rather than admit our fear, we resist it until it overwhelms us. While knees represent Pride, and it is said that ‘Pride goes before the fall’, knees can also represent Humility which is the wisdom to be yielding in the face of change.

Briefly, Knee problems may be said to indicate being stuck in the Ego, too proud to bend. Louise Hay also suggests that Knees represent Pride and the Ego.

Shins; The Shins represent another weak link. Although the Shins are mostly bone, the hardest substance in the body, the Shins are actually quite sensitive and brittle. A slight whack on the Shins is not only painful, it weakens the entire body and stops it cold. When we have organized ourselves to move forward, to take the next step towards the goal we have set, and are in the process of taking it, something comes along and sends you tumbling. It is something we trip over because we don’t see it, even though it is right there in front of us. In ancient times the shin pads that worriers wore were called greaves. Very often what trips us up is something, the loss of which we haven’t properly grieved. Moving forward always means something gets left behind. Interesting to note is that the three Yin channels of the foot all criss cross at Spleen 6 (Sanyinjiao), representing a confluence of Worry, Anger, and Fear. Moving forward is often marked by a jumble of emotional responses which need to be sorted out, especially if we are resisting it. Louise Hay suggests that problems are fear of the future; not wanting to move ahead.

Ankles; Ankles represent flexibility, which is important as one navigates the twists and turns of Life. Stiff, painful ankles means that change is difficult for you. Maybe you are one who digs in your heels and resists moving forward. The more Life forces change upon you, the deeper you dig in. A broken ankle is a good sign to develop some flexibility in your Life. Louise Hay suggests that ankles represent mobility and direction.

Feet; Our feet represent our connection with Mother Earth. Sore, swollen, numb or painful feet represent the state of our relation with our Mother. Mother Earth, and our base energies. While it is legs that carry us forward into Life, it is the feet that actually make contact with the ground and can stop any advance, or at least make it difficult. In modern society with its asphalt, concrete and High Rises, we lose touch with the Earth and its energies. This may be reflected in our relationship to the one who gave birth to us. Separation can cause real pain.

All the Leg Yin & Yang channels meet and flow into each other in the toes. This is an area of high energy and strong effect on the body. This is an area where strong energies are in transition, so our contact with Mothers, Mother Earth and our base energies is always ambivalent. We want to draw closer to that love, but at the same time move away on our own course.

In my experience, the feet often store toxic energies (as often to do with grief or resentments as not), as far away from the Heart as possible. This means, in the feet. Often, these are issues that go all the way back to childhood. Lacking the tools to effectively release grief or resentment the body stores it, like it stores fat. Over time, more and more toxic energies are stored here and fill up the receptacle. In many cases, the entire leg can become involved and the waste starts leaking back into the system. This is a very serious situation indeed, that can lead to amputations, blood disorders and even death, as the body struggles to protect the Heart. Metaphysically, it becomes clear that the space you are standing in is painful. The key is to move on. Stop dwelling on the past, release or transform whatever it is that keeps you emotionally standing still. Louise Hay suggests that feet represent our understanding of ourselves, of Life, and others, and toes represent minor details of the future.

Throat; The Throat represents our Will, and our ability to communicate, both with others and with ourselves. Sore throats, lumps in the throat, tumours all represent difficulties in saying what we want to say. Lumps, both physical tumours and those that are non-manifest (Hystericus Globus) are our willful attempts to block free expression of emotion and of our identity. The Throat is another one of those weak links that can seduce or sabotage you from your path. The Throat is the channel between the Head and the Heart. In Chinese Medicine it is said the Heart houses the Mind, especially in its connection with the emotion of Joy and the expression of Love for ourselves and for others. Have you ever had a great idea, gotten your body motivated, put your Heart into it, only to say something completely stupid which makes a mess of things? Have you ever felt the urge to say something complimentary and suppressed it? Have you ever just blurted out something that just seemed to by-pass the brain? How often does a careless or ill chosen word create havoc in your Life? Where this comes from is all the things you have not said over the years that get stuck in the throat, needing to get out, and out they come, one way or the other.

All emotions are designed to be expressed, even the ones we judge to be negative and especially the ones we judge to be positive. Louise Hay calls the the Throat an avenue of expression and a channel of creativity. Problems indicate an inability to speak up for one’s self, swallowed anger , stifled creativity and refusal to change. Thyroid problems indicate difficulty in analyzing, digesting and assimilating the communication between the Head and the Heart.

Chest/Breasts; The chest area represents the Feminine principal of nurturing and nourishing the connection with the ‘breath of Life’ as it flows through the Lungs. In men, pain or discomfort, not associated with any organ or vessel represents a disconnection from the Feminine principal. Breast envy, may exist in men; the desire to connect with the feminine side, the same way penis envy is said to exist in women; the desire to connect with the masculine side. In Chinese Medicine, the front is considered Yin. The chest is the confluence of the three most important kinds of Qi, that nourish the body; Zhong Qi, from the Lungs, Jing Qi, from the Spleen, and Yuan Qi from the Kidneys. Breast problems represents a denial of the Mother/feminine principal to nourish the self and to nourish others. Louise Hay suggest also that the breasts represent mothering and nurturing. Cysts, lumps etc. represents over mothering.

Solar Plexus; Is said to the be the seat of the Ego and Individuation. Some call this the Negative Ego. In general this area represents the conflicts in your life. Pain or discomfort in the Diaphragm area represents unresolved conflicts. In Chinese Medicine, pain in this area indicates Liver Qi Stagnation, usually associated with Anger.

Stomach; The stomach represents digestion, not only of food and physical nutrients, but of new ideas, new ways of doing things, and accepting change of any kind. The Stomach is nothing more than a big flexible bag of muscle whose job it is to ripen and rot whatever is put into it. That is, its job is to break down what is put into it into a form that the body can deal with. This it does by adding Hydrochloric Acid, Hormones, Enzymes and Bile which reduces every sold morsel into an undifferentiated mass called Chyme. Simultaneously it rocks back and forth swishing and swilling this mess until it is liquefied and able to pass through the small Pyloric Valve into the Small Intestine where the actual absorption of nutrients mostly takes place. Metaphysically, when we come upon a new idea or a new way of doing things, the process is similar. First we must swallow the idea, either whole or in handy bite sized morsels, break it down into a form we can handle and finally absorb that which we need to nourish ourselves. In the same way that a bad diet poisons the body, toxic ideas, suppressed emotions and resistance to change can have a poisoning effect. In traditional Chinese Medicine, long standing emotional disharmony is seen as a primary cause of disease. Strengthening the Spleen/Stomach which between them are responsible for transforming food and water into Qi, and transporting it throughout the body, is seen as a key strategy to deal with almost any disease. Metaphysically we need to nourish ourselves every day, just as we need to eat nourishing foods. Just as the physical body needs nourishment to grow and carry on its day to day activities, so do the Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual bodies. Metaphysically, ‘wellness’ is not accomplished by a change in diet alone. Louise Hay suggests that the stomach holds nourishment, digests ideas. Problems indicate dread, fear of the new, and an inability to assimilate the new.

Source: http://gostica.com/spiritual-lifestile/physical-pains-metaphysical-meanings/