Principle Four: The Clock Principle

Our bodies -- plain and simple -- do not appreciate a hectic, erratic lifestyle.

Like a thoroughbred horse, or the lounging beagle you come home to every evening, certain things are expected: meals on time, regular exercise, and a quiet place to sleep. The meals should provide the right amount of calories and nutrients. The exercise has to be sufficient, and the sleep, adequate.

When the clock principle is respected, our bodies will function optimally because we depend upon proper “body rhythms.” These rhythms may include the daily secretion of needed hormones and the weekly stress patterns that must be balanced by reasonable weekend activity.

Meals must include some breakfast. If this meal is skipped, the body finds its needed sugar only by stimulating the adrenals, which get it from the liver. If you skip breakfast, you then are living on margin. Lunch, though less important, needs to be tailored according to your expected activity. Dinners should be eaten fairly early in the evening; they should not include a lot of red meat and alcohol. These adversely affect your liver and gall bladder late into the night when these organs need to be resting.

Exercise should be long enough (20 minutes), hard enough (enough to sweat), uninterrupted and at least four times per week. (It should also be reasonably enjoyable).

Most of us need about seven hours of sleep. Yes, we all learned in our history classes that Thomas Jefferson only slept four hours a night. But my response to this is that sometimes history is just wrong. One cannot live on this little sleep, at least for weeks at a time.

For your body’s sake, pay close attention to “The Clock Principle.” Your life depends on it.

• Eat properly
• Exercise intelligently
• Sleep on schedule

If digestion is a problem, consider digestive enzymes. If your muscles and bones hurt, supplement with magnesium and flax. Be sure your Vitamin D intake is what it needs to be. And get a little sun. Don’t get burned, but be outside sometimes.

For sleep, melatonin can help, as can magnesium. If needed, take 5-hydroxy-tryptophane (5HTP). Sometimes, an over-the-counter antihistamine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can help. It might improve breathing and cut down nighttime allergies.  Oh, yes, do not let your cat in your bed!

Back to the Ten Principles and Laws of Healing