One of the basic tenants of diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is to pay attention to any strong likes or dislikes the patient has - especially to foods.  Strong likes or dislikes are red flags highlighting imbalances within the patient.  Chinese doctors wisely understood that health is all about balance.  Any strong attachment to anything produces an imbalance within our nervous system.  A balanced system delights in and enjoys foods, but does not crave or become overly stimulated by particular foods.
 
A little discussed fact of biology is the evolutionary purpose for the brain circuits for being "in love".  These circuits stimulate the part of the brain that cocaine affects.  They are motivational circuits that are designed to get us to take risks.  These pathways are designed to be in service to the larger needs of the species and opposed to our needs as individuals.  Nature knows that the survival of the species is more important than our individual survival so it equipped us with crazy making brain parts that push us to disregard our own safety in order to make babies.

Romeo and Juliet are a perfect example of that "in love" drive at work.  When we think about the play we tend to only look at how romantic the drive to reproduce is and ignore how everybody in the play dies in the end.  Mother Nature is harsh and does not care if you die in the attempt to make babies.  Not taking the risk means the end of the human species.

So what does that have to do with food?  We have learned to stimulate those same pleasure motivation centers of our brains with food.  This is done through chemicals called excitotoxins (MSG and the chemicals formed during browning of breads and meats are examples), and through excess consumption.  And just like chasing after a mate, they cause us to ignore risk.  We ignore the fact that 99% of the foods we really really love are killing us.  Every bite is like a little paper cut.  Eventually we will bleed to death.  But we don't care because we are "in love".   We are Romeo and we want our high sugar, deep fried, chemically enhanced, fast food Juliet.  We have little control over it.  Powerful food drugs are manipulating our brains.

Well, being Romeo is not such a good idea.  Hopefully, when we have suffered enough, maybe then we will look past the rose colored glasses and see what we have actually been eating.  I have tried for years to use moderation in consuming these food "drugs".  Unfortunately the chemical control they exert over my brain overwhelms my self-control most of the time.  This should not surprise me as we are dealing with the same drug brain pathways that any street drug uses.  Addiction is addiction - it is ugly any way you look at it.  The price of addiction is loosing your health.

I am afraid that abstinence is the only answer I have at this point in time.  These "drugs" are just too powerful.  My answer is to find healthy replacements that I can enjoy just as much.  That is what I am doing in creating recipes each month.

 Enjoy and delight in your food, but be very suspicious of any food you really really love.  The part of your brain telling you how good it is does not care if you live or die.  It is addicted to the feelings it gets from those foods.  We are just addicted to love - junk food love.


Good Journey,

David

 

 

david@fairoakshealth.com

About Dr. DeLapp

Dr. DeLapp has been a philosopher, non-force Chiropractor, medical intuitive, and health innovator for over 30 years.  He began experimenting with  medical intuition in 1972 while studying physics at UC Davis.  In addition to physics he designed and completed an individual major in the philosophy and psychology of education.  Shortly after he choose to pursue a career in the only truly health oriented profession available at that time, Chiropractic.  He graduated with honors in 1981 with his doctorate and opened a private practice. 
Since that time he has continued his research into the effects of consciousness and learning on health. 
He developed the Biomagnetic Retraining system for correcting movement abnormalities. 
Since 1991 he has focused on developing a powerful system for uncovering and assisting the mind-body connection in health and personal growth.  The in-depth coaching, guided by the subconscious direction from the body, is called Heartflow and the simpler mind-body retraining for health and unfoldment he has named Gracework.  Both are available at Fair Oaks Health.

Dr David DeLapp DC
Chiropractor

Ellen Flowers FGM
Spiritual Life Coach

 

Vita-Mix

Somatic Therapies

 

Lorena Morales