How a small imbalance can make a big difference

If you’ve ever ridden in a car with a tire out of balance, you know what big difference a small imbalance can make. The entire car will shake. The faster you drive, the more it will vibrate. Your car may weigh 4000 pounds and suffer from significant shaking that could be corrected by a 1 oz piece of lead on the appropriate tire.

The same thing can occur in your body. A small imbalance can have effects that severely impact your quality of life. Much like a car, the faster you go -  the more active you are - the more you’re going to feel that imbalance. 

Here’s an example. Say your body is excessively dry. That can lead to myriad issues. Examples include constipation, inflammation, poor immune function, joint pain, brain fog, a dry cough, and dry skin and eyes, to name a few.

How do you correct excessive dryness? Staying well hydrated is one way but some people could drink a gallon of water per day and still have dryness. You may have heard of people who start on an essential fatty acid supplement and find their health improves immensely. They were almost certainly oil-dry. Correcting that imbalance allowed their body to begin to function properly and heal. Despite their subsequent testimonials, or what you might read elsewhere, not everyone will have the same amazing results. Not everyone is oil-dry.

To throw a slight curveball at this otherwise simple concept, you could be consuming plenty of water and oils and still suffer from dryness. If you have too much lax tissue in your body, you might need an astringent herb to tone up tissues from time to time. Properly toned tissues retain moisture better.

This foundational herbalism - addressing tissue states in the body - is a simple complex. Working with a skilled provider, it can boost your health in a very powerful way.

I’m not saying that excessive dryness will lead to all these issues in every person. Nor are all these issues always caused by dryness. Let’s look at constipation as an example. Lack of moisture in your intestines can lead to less frequent or painful bowel movements but there are other imbalances that can cause similar symptoms. Tension in the intestines can be a cause, with or without dryness, and that could be a sign of a magnesium deficiency. You could have a microbiome imbalance. You may need some herbs to stimulate the pancreas and/or gallbladder. Diet plays a significant role in your bowel function. None of this will show up on routine lab work. All of these can make a huge difference in the way your body functions and how you feel. These imbalances often respond well to the right herbs. 

None of this above is meant to replace medical advice or diagnosis. As an herbalist, I don’t replace your doctor. My job is to help your body function as well as it can. By examining imbalances in your tissue states, we can address issues that conventional medicine simply can’t. 

This allows us to work on your health at the most foundational level, which is the best place to improve wellness in those with afflictions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, and digestive issues.

(Credit where credit is due. The tissue state information was largely synthesized from the thoughts of herbalist jim mcdonald @ https://www.herbcraft.org/)