Principle of Health #1: The Brain Controls The Body

We are continuing our look at the body – the first of man’s three parts, and five of its outstanding qualities.

 Quality # 1: The Brain Controls The Body

The body has one huge communications system. It’s called the nervous system, and it comes in two parts: 1) The Central Nervous System [CNS], which includes the brain and spinal cord, and 2) The Peripheral Nervous System [PNS], which includes the nerves that run from the brain and spinal cord throughout the body. The PNS also comes in two parts.

The brain is a delicate organ that can be easily injured. Helping to protect it are the skull bones, 3 membranes [meninges], and cerebrospinal fluid. It does a lot of work, but it’s not that big. It weighs between 3 and 4 lbs for average adults. And it’s wrinkled like a walnut. But this funny-looking organ is literally at the ‘head’ of the body’s complex nervous system.

The brain is the ‘master computer’ that controls the entire body, and our ability to have quality of life. By its nerve cells [neurons] information is collected from all parts of the body and brought to the brain. Then instructions, for how the body is to respond and function, are delivered back to the various areas.

Brain cells speak to each other through chemical messengers [neurotransmitters]. There is also constant communication going on between the brain and the body by high-speed electrical and chemical messages. This allows the brain to be always aware of what is going on both inside and outside the body.

We only get one brain and it controls everything in our bodies, including our thinking and personalities. We can’t afford to have it damaged in any way, although some of our choices do. So, how do we take care of the brain?  By taking good care of our bodies.  What we do for our bodies – either care or abuse, automatically affects our brain power.

Here are 4 basic things the brain needs to make energy, work well, and stay alive:
1. Constant fresh air [for oxygen];
2. Constant glucose [sugar] that comes from high fiber, plant-based, complex carbohydrates like apples, pears, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, brown rice, whole wheat, and much more;
3. Regular exercise pulls in more oxygen, increases blood flow, and gets rid of wastes;
4. Enough water [for faster nerve transmissions].

MS Tip: I’ve learned that how I treat my body has a direct effect on how my brain works. For example, when my thinking is foggy, dull, or slow, or I’m dizzy or too sleepy, it’s not always cognitive impairment from MS.

I can usually [and quickly] trace problems back to eating foods with too much sugar [dulls thinking] or saturated fat from animal products [slows nerve transmissions]; eating gluten [I have a sensitivity]; not drinking enough water; or not getting enough sleep or exercise. Cutting out or correcting these wrong choices usually brings improvement. But relief also comes in minutes when I drink wheatgrass juice, or eat 2 Red Delicious apples, or eat salads with Romaine Lettuce [salads also help me sleep better].

Stay tuned for the next Post when we look at Quality # 2.

Copyright © 2013 Regina Spence