How to Start Healing in a Sensitive Body
If you’ve been on a healing and cleansing journey for some time, you’ve likely come to realize that taking a natural approach to health and wellness is an enterprise that is not for the faint of heart. Setting out to take personal responsibility for our healing takes enormous courage, faith, patience, and persistence. Navigating the ups and downs of cleansing can sometimes be confusing and exhausting.
And what if, on top of all of that, we find ourselves up against sensitivity issues? When we try to incorporate more healing foods and supplements, we notice our body reacts strongly, and we generally feel worse. This can add an element of challenge to our healing journey, but it does not mean all is lost. I’m here to tell you that navigating wellness in a sensitive body is more than possible, and there is a bright and luminous light at the end of the tunnel!
You may be surprised to know that when I first began working with Anthony William from Medical Medium at the very beginning of my own healing journey, I was very sensitive to the point where I could only handle supplements, one drop at a time. And what you may find even more shocking is that being sensitive is much more common than you may think. I can guarantee you aren’t alone. In my practice, I work with many women who have experienced being sensitive to natural healing tools.
What Causes the Body to be Sensitive?
Let’s take a step back to clarify what it means to be sensitive and why it happens.
When we are sensitive, we generally feel worse when we try to incorporate more and more healing foods and supplements. After taking these tools, our existing or pre-existing symptoms may flare. We may experience more fatigue, insomnia, depression and anxiety. We may get a fuzzy feeling on our tongue, blurry eyes or weakness. This isn’t an exhaustive list of what we may experience when we are sensitive. Each body is unique, so one person’s experience will differ.
Asking Ourselves the Right Questions
Even more important than focusing on what it means to be sensitive is WHY this challenge develops. Knowing the “why” is half the battle won.
There are two sides to the story of being sensitive. To understand what’s behind this issue, we need to focus on two primary areas of the body: the liver and the central nervous system (CNS).
To begin with, a prerequisite to becoming sensitive is a stagnant and sluggish liver. The liver has many functions in the human body, but one crucial role is acting as a filter. It’s no longer a secret that we live in a toxic world. Every day, we are exposed to several chemicals and pathogens that are incompatible with and hard on the body. Luckily, however, our livers protect and keep us functioning well- despite exposures. As troublemakers enter our bodies, they eventually end up in our bloodstream. Our circulatory system then carries them towards our livers, where the blood is filtered. This is where toxins and pathogens are neutralized and eventually removed from the body or stored within the liver (to be removed later on).
The problem, however, is that most people’s livers have become so full and saturated with troublemakers (due to increasing toxicity within our world) that the organ has become stagnant and sluggish. Once the liver reaches this point, it has a hard time processing toxins, and they start to float around rogue in the body.
This is where the role of the CNS within someone sensitive comes into play. These rogue troublemakers overload the CNS and can cause physical damage to it, causing nerves to become raw and exposed, eventually leading to issues with sensitivity.
Feeling Worse After Adding Healing Tools
But why is it that when we try to do good for our bodies and add healing foods and supplements, it can make us feel worse?
The important thing to remember here is that the foods and supplements are not causing the issue. What we are dealing with lies deeper than that.
Healing foods and supplements can be very cleansing to the body. They are astringent and pull on and remove troublemakers, which is great for healing any symptom or condition. However, as these troublemakers make their way out of the body, they can temporarily come in contact with the nerves of the CNS and cause inflammation. This short-term inflammation manifests as increased symptoms after adding more healing tools.
Cleansing in a Sensitive Body
So, with all of that to consider, how do we navigate our way through our healing journey if we are in a sensitive body?
The first thing to remember is to respect our body’s boundaries. This is a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with our bodies deeply. To listen to it and learn what it needs. And when we are sensitive, it’s important not to push the body past what it can tolerate. Forcing more healing tools when sensitivity is experienced can backfire and cause the CNS to destabilize further- putting stress on the body and potentially causing greater sensitivity down the road. We want the CNS to be as stable as possible throughout our healing journeys because this also helps to keep the adrenals happy and calm.
Go slow to go fast is a great mantra to hold in your mind while on your healing journey. Doing more is not always beneficial, especially when we are sensitive.
How to Start Healing in a Sensitive Body
There are several approaches to take when navigating the healing journey in a sensitive body, but the following are a few you may find very helpful.
Consume Soothing Foods
Since sensitivity arises from a sensitive CNS, consuming foods that calm the CNS can be very beneficial. Bananas, mango, aloe leaf, lemon balm, avocado, and potatoes are all grounding and calming.
Eat More Cooked Foods
If you are finding that the healing protocol you are on is getting too much and you are experiencing sensitivity, try replacing some of the raw food you’re eating with cooked foods. Raw foods are very healing but can be a bit too much, initially, for someone sensitive. Cooked foods help slow down cleansing and take a load off your CNS. Potatoes are a great option here; adding more neutral foods like beans, lentils, millet, and oats can also be helpful.
Start with Herbal Teas
If you are finding that you are too sensitive to supplements, try consuming teas instead. Do not underestimate the healing power of herbal tea. When taken consistently, it can move the healing needle.
Supplements to Consider
If you want to take supplements, start slowly and work your way up. This may mean only taking one drop of the supplement for a while and working your way up drop by drop. Consider lemon balm or propolis, which are both powerful and healing but also very gentle on the body and CNS.
Find more tips for healing a highly sensitive body from our Holistic Nutritionist and Women’s Health Specialist, Sonja, who has battled chronic illness for years.
As you can see, we can take plenty of steps when experiencing sensitivity to help us reach our healing goals and get us to where we want to be within our wellness. If you would like to learn more about navigating healing in a sensitive body while connecting with other like-minded women, sign up for our Empowered Wellness Circle Monthly Membership.
See you there!
