"The stomach is the house of illness, and abstinence is the most important medicine.  The cause of every illness is poor digestion"  (Ibn Kaltum)

Introduction:

I am observing current mental health awareness campaigns with a pinch of salt. It is difficult not to appreciate the advances and shifts in global perception about importance of emotional and cognitive wellbeing. However, what I find myself awaiting for is the realisation of the connection, synchrony and interactions between holistic sense of our existence. I find myself in dilemma as a counsellor whenever I hear patients complaint about GI track but contracting with me for work related to their anger issues only. On the other hand, my work as naturopath has more to do with trapped emotional shocks than physical and somatic ailments to surprise of my clients.

Have you ever considered what exactly is happening with your 3-dimensional body during the 30 days fasting in Ramadan? Have you always linked you trabiya progress with behavioural restrictions imposed by blessed month only? Did you ascribe the spiritual uplifts to the miracle of 10 last days of Ramadan? Have you found yourself celebrating 2nd week of fasting as the headaches, lethargy or GI complaints are no longer prevalent in your body? Or maybe you actually have to stop fasting every Ramadan because your body produces inflammations in lungs, colic in liver, allergy reaction on your skin? Sounds familiar?

Your bacterial flora in gut and in more details your microbe could be potentially responsible for all your recoveries and healing crises on emotional, behavioural and spiritual levels. The interactions between your gut and rest of your being had been clearly indicate in hadith: "the stomach is the house of illness, and abstinence is the most important medicine.  The cause of every illness is poor digestion"  (Ibn Kaltum). How many of us however, understand this hadith for multi-dimensional meanings? Islamic traditional healing teachings recognise health holistically, they mentioned spiritual diseases, behavioural issues as well as somatic dysfunctions as one interconnected part. Do we?

As mentioned already, science provide us tangible proves (or reminder for some of) us about gut microbes communication ability with the brain. In simple words the food we choose to nourish our body and the individual ability to metabolise has a potential to change our behaviour and emotional processing. Our gut has marked spots, which are connected to different organs and systems in our body by means of receptor communicating with nervous system. The current speculations suggest that our food bacterial flora is communicating with our gut microbial language. As host we are prompted to produce the environment needed for the bacterial survival of our food.

This human miracle of self-adaptability had always been on the tongue of indigenous cultures in a form of one sentence: You are what you eat. If you diet is predominantly vegetarian or even vegan your gut will be prompt to communicate with brain on a level of plant kingdom, which is emotionally and relationship based. Similarly, diet filled with meat or protein like products would influence our microbe to communicate with our brain on survival and competition level.

Start your own healing Journey with AJ!

Here is a quick checklist to get you started with free therapy session. Remember imperfect action beats inaction, get started and keep re investing in your growth for Khair!

• Create your vision board

• Reflect on things which you know Must Go in order for your life to change

• Start planning your therapy sessions topics by Identifying what resonates with your Heart.

• Create an outline the list of your Eternal Life goals.

• Write down the conversations you normally have with your self, like if you were telling a story to a friend

• Pick the most disturbing sentences and connect them with emotions you feeling when you hear them

• Perform several Ibadah types consciously (taddabur, dua, prayers, sadaka, fasting) and Honestly reflect on what is it you experiencing and what is it that you were hoping to experience

• Write down reasons why some of your relationships broke down and be clear on your ways about it as well

• Have a courage to name things you appreciate about your self, or are proud of - or ask you family and friends to remind you

• Take 10 minutes to edit your list and BOOK A CALL WITH AJ !