My whole premise in this blog is the connection between our Minds, Bodies, and Spirits, and how that affects our living and our aging. That connection is present from the moment the baby leaves its mother’s body and takes that first gasp of air as a separate physical being. In Genesis, God is said to breathe the fullness and animation (meaning of the particular Hebrew word used) of life and spirit into the human’s nostrils.
I’m not trying to preach a sermon here or say that that breath went only into Christian nostrils. I’m trying to get to the very root of who we are as human beings and using our traditions to do it. I’m writing in this essay about Body, but I’m talking about things of the Mind and Spirit. This breath animated life. With it the Baby cries out.
From there on breath is the animating force of life. If you were athletic at all you learned somewhere along the way the strength that breathing properly – of exhaling or inhaling at the right time – brings to an action. Do you want to lift something? Breathe in and exhale strongly as you heave to lift, or to punch a bag, or stand up from a chair. Standing up can be an action that gets harder as we get older. Other than doing some work strengthening our hips, a well-placed exhale is the next tool in the box. Well, another is tightening the core. I’m still working on understanding how tightening the core can give more strength to my hands trying to open a jar, to my steps when walking, and all kinds of other muscles in my body. I have a feeling it has something to do with the force of that contained breath.
The body and how it works is fascinating. If we’re older, or younger, we need to realize that it is our vehicle through this life. It needs care and maintenance to carry us into an older age. Some of that care is keeping our bodies strong. Some is staying informed and aware of treatments. I have RA, Rheumatoid Arthritis, as I’ve mentioned. I was diagnosed a long time ago and have been on medication for it ever since then. I am thankful that I live in a time where those medicines are available. I have been able to continue with my life normally. But the medications carry their own risks and problems.
This year my son told me he had seen that there was a new procedure approved by the FDA for the treatment of RA. He works in a related field and keeps up with this kind of thing. This treatment involves implanting a small electronic device in the neck that stimulates the Vagus nerve once a day. This is like a pacemaker perhaps – something we’re familiar with already. It has made it possible for those who have it implanted to do without the RA medications or perhaps much reduced doses. On my next visit with my rheumatologist, I asked about this. He said that his practice had met to discuss it, and it was being “rolled out” in the state. I got on a waiting list. The roll out procedure is slow and only in one part of the state presently. This info is for anyone else out there who might want to consider and learn about this new treatment. More information is available by searching web for Set Point Medical.
As people with physical problems and as aging people, it is important to stay informed of developments in conditions or diseases that affect you. It is important to ask questions and take responsibility for your health.
What does the Vagus nerve do? It helps reduce inflammation in our bodies. I’m beginning to think the word inflammation should always be written in red ink. It seems to be responsible for a whole lot of unpleasantness. (I am not a health care professional. I’m sharing so that you might investigate for yourself.)
To come full circle, along with the Set Point device, do you know what else affects the Vagus nerve – Yoga and Meditation. That is the reason they are effective tools over time and for many. Do you know what is very important in both yoga and meditation? It is using breathing in a controlled way. Our bodies are built to respond to that very first breath – the one breathed into the nostrils, the one that comes out as the baby’s cry.