To review the subject of the Endocrine System:

The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as “everything being connected to everything else in the body” that it is pure joy to share the information.

We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:

(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye’s stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) “deadly sins”

The Thymus is the next endocrine gland to discuss. The Thymus, in yoga and energy circles is often referred to as “the heart” chakra. The Thymus is a primary source of all immune cells being formed through the stimulation of “T” (thymus) cells and “B” (bird – because they were first discovered in birds) cells. From the very early stages of our embryology the Thymus is the primary mover in the development of our immune systems. It shrinks after early childhood but still plays a roll in communicating with the early T and B cells it populated back when we were still in our mother’s uterus.

The Thymus is the self-esteem component of Maslow’s Hierarchy. This is evident in as much as our immune function is an expression of how we care for and think about ourselves. To see this at work, the observation of HIV positive patients, who have a high self-esteem and self worth, rarely manifest AIDS; sometimes never does it manifest, or only when the individual is confronted with profound stress such as loss or grief which lowers the immune system function. Less than 50% of HIV positive patients ever develop AIDS and much of this is contributed to the individual’s self-esteem level. Physically the Thymus is intimately connected to our Immune System and Neurotransmitters.

Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Thymus can express Infections/Compromised Immunity – which is a loss of self protection. The Thymus is the environmental (internal and response to the external) component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.

So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last three, as we saw with the reproductive glands, the adrenals and pancreas, clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each specific endocrine gland.

The VIRTUE of the Thymus is HOPE – the individual who sees the world as good and holding promise for the future has hope and feels positive about life and what is to come. This also creates a positive sense of self and self-esteem. Hope fills our life with thinking about the future and that we can fulfill our dreams and goals, rather than directing our attention to what others have and we don’t have. With hope comes the belief that we can be valued, loved and belong in this world – which is an important component to being healthy and having a strong immune system.

The DEADLY SIN of the Thymus is very opposite of the virtue of the Thymus – hope and belief in the future, seeing the world as good and abundant; the sin of the Thymus is that of ENVY – resentment towards what others have; feeling diminished and less valued because another may be perceived as having more than us. Envy, jealously and resentment are poison to the heart, the mind and the body. Envious thoughts send messages to the cell membranes of our immune system that are toxic to the body’s health and function.

Once again we can see the value and importance in understanding how the body works a whole integrated being. The Thymus is a major player in the endocrine system, disabling or empowering the immune system to keep us healthy or make us sick.

The outcome of our Thymus function is up to us – out thoughts, behaviors, virtues and negative actions all play a role in this amazing gland’s function.

Next Endocrine: The Thyroid Gland

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

To review the subject of the Endocrine System:

The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as “everything being connected to everything else in the body” that it is pure joy to share the information.

We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:

(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye’s stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) “deadly sins”

The Pancreas is the next endocrine gland to discuss. The Pancreas, in yoga and energy circles is often referred to as “the solar plexus” chakra. The Pancreas is one of the hardest working digestive and metabolic organs of the body. Both an endocrine AND exocrine gland, this truly amazing organ/gland is the “end organ” of all digestive activity in the upper intestines. The health and function of your pancreas is of the utmost importance to your overall health and is probably the most abused gland/organ in the body.

The Pancreas works 24/7, deals with digestion as well as stress adaptation, reproduction needs, cellular nutrition needs and brain glucose imperatives. The Pancreas is the belonging component of Maslow’s Hierarchy and is evident that it expresses “the sweetness of our lives” (or not) when we look at its function and malfunctions and how intimately it is connected to our body’s glucose regulation. Like the adrenals, which we could not live without for long, without a properly working pancreas we would fall into a coma and die within days. Physically, it is intimately connected to our digestion, absorption and assimilation functions.

Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Pancreas is “the proper or improper nutrition of our body” and all of its systems. It is the nutritional component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.

So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two, as we saw with the reproductive glands and the adrenals, clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each specific endocrine gland.

The VIRTUE of the Pancreas is TEMPERANCE or Balance – not too much or too little consumption. This means not eating too much food, especially carbohydrates, which lead to hypertrophy of the beta cells of the pancreas. This leads to hyper-secretion of insulin which is the main disturbance in many chronic diseases.

The DEADLY SIN of the Pancreas is very similar to that of the adrenals (greed). For the Pancreas the deadly sin is GLUTTONY. Gluttony is when we eat too much, consume too much and create imbalance in our pancreatic function and whole body nutrition and chemistry. It is the act of gluttony, or taking in more than is appropriate or necessary that leads to most of the digestive problems and pathologies we see today.

I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of a comprehensive, whole person understanding of the digestive system. If there was one course and only one I could teach for the rest of my career it would be the Digestive System, because to understand its anatomy, physiology and the whole picture of its function and integration with the rest of the body is utterly magnificent – and absolutely essential if you wish to facilitate authentic Whole Health with your patients or clients.

Next Endocrine: The Thymus Gland

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved

To review the subject of the Endocrine System:

The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as “everything being connected to everything else in the body” that it is pure joy to share the information.

We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:

(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye’s stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) “deadly sins”

The Adrenals comes next (we are working our way UP the chain from the bottom endocrine gland (reproductive glands) to the top = pineal gland)

The Adrenals, in yoga and energy circles are called the “sacral” chakra. They are specific to adaptation in our environment. They are the safety and security component of Maslow’s Hierarchy and are imperative to our own personal survival as they allow us to fight, flight or adapt. We would only live for 24 hours without our Adrenal Glands. Physically they are intimately connected to the nervous and cardiac systems.

Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Adrenals are representative of the positive or negative emotional responses that cause either u-stress; (good stress) or distress; (the bad kind), that elicit an adrenal response. They are the emotional component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.

So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two as we saw with the reproductive gland clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each endocrine gland.

The VIRTUE of the Adrenal glands is BALANCE (or Justice). This means not being too over stimulated or too non-productive; it means keeping a healthy balance to the nervous system and it is this virtue that is the focus of many practices, such as yoga, meditation, visualization, chanting and other centering practices.

The DEADLY SIN of the Adrenal Glands is Avarice or GREED. It is the greed impulse, or wanting more for one self than is appropriate, that drives people to push themselves excessively and “burn out” their adrenal glands; which are like the battery of our body. When your battery runs down, you run out of the spark that starts your engine and keeps it going.

Understanding the Adrenals is truly critical to understanding how to prevent disease and maintain wellness. As with all of the endocrines, the adrenals are very important when we look at a person’s physical presentation or their dis-ease state from a Whole Person perspective. What are the cause and effect factors at play that create disease? What is out of balance in the person’s seven aspects that is creating problems in this particular part of the body?

It will be very exciting to understand the Adrenal Glands from a metaphorical perspective. For more details about how the Adrenals function in relationship to the whole body, and their specific effect on the nervous system, heart and immune system, put “adrenal function” into the search box at the top of the blog page, to read the Adrenal
Function blog.

With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved