A Disturbing Conversation

by Manny Aragon

Last week my family and I did what we have done in the past couple of years and went up to the beautiful Sierra Mountains (Sequoia Park to be exact) with two of our favorite families and their children. Two of the dads are fairly active- myself included, and one is about 10 years older (early 50s) and, although active regularly, obviously less physically fit.

On the last morning of our weeklong trip, while eating breakfast in the dining hall of the lodge, the conversation between my older friend and I came around to the occasional physical demands of child discipline-(ie. We sometimes have to exert ourselves a bit to catch up with our kids when we want their attention and they are oblivious).

At that point, my friend confided in me that he sometimes suffered from shortness of breath (worsening over time) and found the logistics of using an asthma inhaler to be untimely and cumbersome at best. Now, given his propensity for sitting and related overall stiffness of his spine, trunk, and pelvis, one would assume that I would first propose that he go through the Basic Series of Structural Integration- as that process is designed to remedy that specific type of problem. But I took a different tack.

I then proposed that although lung volume and function was directly tied to the elasticity and functionality of the surrounding tissues of the trunk, spine, and pelvis- that another factor, one more easily addressed with less invasive methods, would also improve his cardio/pulmonary function.

You see, the body is not a system of independent systems operating in relative isolation from one another as traditional medicine would have you believe (because this fits their solution model…but I digress), rather, the body is a elegant, sophisticated, synergistic organism comprised of multiple overlapping and inter-related systems that all work TOGETHER to produce a functionality that is greater than the additive sum of its constituent parts.

That is why when one or several of your body’s systems are not working at full functionality, other systems can partially make up for that lack of capacity. In this case, my friends shortness of breath stems from several problems involving getting oxygen distributed to the cells throughout his body. A couple of the likely problems involved are: 1) lower lung capacity, 2) lower blood oxygen carrying efficiency, 3) diminished muscular metabolic capacity, and 4) Impaired structural movement efficiency (bad posture and tight musculature), and 5) chronic low level systemic inflammation.

Although there are likely more issues here- lets look at these four and what the most practical methods to deal with these issues involve.

1)   Lower lung capacity. Lung capacity can be increased by expanding the lung. Its pretty simple. Diminished lung capacity, although there can be many possible causes, in my experience, is generally caused by range of motion issues related to the inelasticity of the tissues of the trunk, neck, and pelvis, AND general lack of regular exercise, AND excessive sitting causing the body to stiffen into the shape of a chair- restricting breathing. Don’t laugh- this is very typical as folks age. They sit more and stiffen up.

To address this issue, I generally recommend folks move to a standing desk- to eliminate or greatly reduce sitting. Getting the body moving is the goal here- even small movements used in standing will start to melt the solidified and compacted tissues over time. Additionally, specific yogic exercises tailored to the individual will directly address and diminish the stiffness in the body leading to a more elastic trunk and more efficient breathing.

2)   Lower blood oxygen carrying efficiency. There are several pathways to improving this factor- a) if iron deficient either supplement with food based iron supplements like Ferrofood or eat more iron rich foods like red meat, organ meat, and leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, chard, and collard greens. Additionally, one can supplement like I do with one or a combination of the following: Chlorophyll Complex (to boost blood oxygen carrying capability), Cataplex E2 ( to boost heart muscle uptake and efficiency of blood oxygen), and Oxypower (designed to boost lung function and blood oxygen carrying capability combined with the free radical fighting Superoxide dismutase).

3)   Diminished muscular metabolic capacity. Muscular metabolic capacity is a reflection of how efficiently your muscles process oxygen and produce energy (or ATP) in the Mitochondria (cellular power stations). Not only can you improve your efficiency but you can also multiply the number of Mitochondria (with specific exercise regimens as well as with proper supplementation). Cellular Vitality is a fabulous tool in this regard, helping both boost Mitochondrial ATP production, boost heart and lung function, and support the immune system.

4)   Impaired structural movement efficiency (caused by poor posture and muscular and joint tissue stiffness). The Structural Integration Basic 10 Series is the hero here. Not only does Dr. Rolfs work help to “delaminate” muscular adhesions that stifle tissue elasticity and ease of movement (breath) but it also greatly improves the ease and efficiency of breathing (improving vital capacity or lung volume), efficiency and gracefullness of movement, balance, circulation (blood oxygen carrying capability) and overall well being and physical performance.

5)   Chronic low level systemic inflammation. This is a big one and is so common that just about 100% of the folks who show up in my office have this problem. Inflammation is a response to stressors- whether they be physical, emotional, or food stressors. Typically emotional and food stress are the most common ones here. Starting with an Anti Inflammatory Diet Program (such as the upcoming 21 Day Purification Program) comprised of whole foods and highly effective targeted liquid emulsified herbal anti inflammatory supplements such as Tumero and Resvero will generally get you back to an inflammation neutral . and deflame the lungs, throat, and circulatory systems- facilitating the process of getting oxygen into the cells.

In summary, any and all of these solutions will help to improve the situation my friend described to me in our conversation. If any of these seem to apply to your situation, feel free to contact the front desk  at (949) 954-6225 to schedule a complimentary evaluation and customized program design.

Now to finish up this section of the story- my friend did not take my advice and what you hear next week is even more disturbing than what I wrote about today- stay tuned…