Shifa

Back to basics

2008-09-01T21:44:00.001-07:00

"Hamd"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8BKMgoV9c&feature=related

Working out during Ramadan

2007-09-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

*The Ramadan Nutrition and Workout Plan for Success*
By: Rehan Jalali

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is how can I workout and eat properly while I am fasting? Most people see the blessed month ofRamadhan as a time when they will surely lose strength and or muscle massand some people think they can only "maintain" during this month. Thiscannot be further from the truth. In fact, if you use some of the strategies I am about to share with you, you can make some of your best gains during this month! It's all about maximizing nutrient uptake, maintaining properhydration, and modifying key fat burning/muscle building hormones in yourfavor during this month.

First of all, let's look at what happens to your body during Ramadhan. While you are fasting, obviously you become more dehydrated at rest--butactually less than if you had exercised aerobically for over an hour (soexercise causes greater dehydration for that time period versus fasting).Your main metabolic fuel source for bodily function during fasting is mainlyfat, which is a good thing. There is a great advantage fasting when thedays are shorter as more meals can be eaten during the night. So the goals during Ramadhan are to maximize metabolism (even though your metabolism will slow down due to less frequent meals), preserve and enhance as much leanmuscle mass as possible (which will inherently increase metabolic rate andallow you to burn more calories at rest), and maximize your workout (both cardio and weight training). During Ramadhan, depending on your goals, I really recommend that you limit cardio to 2 days a week at the most. This is again to preserve as much lean muscle tissue as possible. There is actually research showing the health benefits of fasting. It is truly aphysical purification.

Training Times
Ok, enough of the background, let's get to the meat of it! I am going toset the record straight here. The best time to do a weight training workout is NOT while fasting. This can create way too much muscle breakdown and cause a significant rise in the catabolic hormone cortisol.Training while in a state of dehydration can decrease strength significantly. In fact, research indicates that dehydrating a muscle by aslittle as 3% can cause a 12% loss in strength. Training while you are fasting can actually be more detrimental than beneficial! The best time toweight train during Ramadhan is after Taraweh prayers at night. This will insure that you will have several meals and plenty of water in your system before going to the gym. This will also allow you to consume your all-important post workout meal or shake which is essential to muscle growth and even fat loss. If this is too late then the next best time to weight train is about 1 hour after Iftar before taraweh prayer. The best time todo cardio work for maximum fat loss is before suhur—yep that's the truth. Of course, most people I know will not want to get up at around 3: 30 AM and do cardio! If you CAN pull this off then the best thing to do is get up and drink plenty of water with a cup of coffee or green tea, wait 30 minutes andperform 30-45 minutes of moderate intensity cardio work like a brisk walk ona treadmill. If this is out of the question for you, then the next besttime to do cardio is approximately 30-45 minutes after a "light" iftar (Iwill define this shortly).So now you know when to train, it's time to learn what to eat and drink(think water, water, and more water!).

Suhur meal (morning/pre- dawn)
For suhur, it is imperitive to drink plenty of water, eat a good blend of protein, carbohydrates, and essential fat—that's right "good fats" have manyfat burning and muscle building properties and their importance is evengreater during Ramadhan. Some good "suhur" foods include:
Egg whites (1 yolk)
Chicken breast
Oatmeal
Cream of wheat
Protein shake
Bananas
Dark HoneyRaisins or dates
Fibrous vegetables [this will help increase the feeling of fullness as well]
All natural peanut butter, flax seed oil, plive oil – preferably extra virgin (which means it's cold processed and the essential fatty acids are preserved)
Plenty of water

It is important to take a solid Multi-Vitamin/ multi-mineral supplement with suhur as well to make sure daily minimum requirements of key nutrients are met. One good one is Opti-Pack by Super Nutrition. Taking extra vitamin C and vitamin E can also be helpful. It is very important to watch your sodium intake at this time as high sodium can cause greater dehydration plus increase thirst during the day—not good for fasters. Avoid high sodiumfoods like soups, sauces, condiments, gravies, high sodium bread products, and canned meats.

Iftar meal
This is a key time for rehydration. The wisdom in Islam is never ending.We break our fast with dates and water but if you investigate this nutritionally, you will see that dates are very unique in their nutrientcontent. They contain very high levels of potassium, a key re-hydrationmineral and a special carbohydrate blend that enhance hydration above andbeyond water alone. So basically when you eat a date and water for iftaryour body gets hydrated again much faster than with water alone (this is acomplex topic but I don't want to bore you with the details—You can think of dates and water as a very advanced form of Gatorade(r)) . You should also eat some quality protein at this time as well. I recommend three dates and ameal replacement protein powder like ZI Diet MRP from VPX Sports, Lean Bodyby Labrada, or Myoplex from EAS. Of course, drink plenty of water. Then 1-1.5 hours later have a food meal (or follow the schedule above for cardio).Then during taraweh, depending if you pray 8 or 20 rakahs, have a protein bar in the middle (not while you are praying of course!) or have another small protein and complex carbohydrate meal after the 8 rakahs—drink plentyof water if you have a protein bar. Then go train about 30-45 minutes aftereating the bar. After the workout, have another nutrition shake (asmentioned a few lines ago) with plenty of water. Eating small meals at night can trick your body into speeding up metabolic rate (not to mention increase nutrient absorption and stabilize insulin and blood sugar levels). Your body loves homeostasis and wants to maintain a certain balance—you literally have to shock it constantly to lose fat and gain muscle over thelong run! There is so much wisdom in "Eat and drink but not to excess" and we should try and follow that especially during Ramadhan.

SAMPLE Ramadhan MEAL PLAN for fat loss and muscle gain
(*This plan is for a 170 lb male, please adjust amounts for bodyweight)

Suhur: Eat 6-8 egg whites (one yolk), one bowl of plain oatmeal w/ cinammon, raisins and a banana1 teaspoon all-natural peanut butter or olive oil or flax seed oil
Plenty of water (16-24 oz.)
Opti-pack by Super Nutrition (one pack) –multi-vitamin/ mineral

Iftar (the evening opening of the fast):
Three Dates and a Nutrition Shake (ZI Diet MRP from VPX Sports, Lean Body byLabrada, or Myoplex from EAS)
Plenty of water

For cardio workouts --Do cardio 45 minutes after this meal for 30-45 minutes at a moderate pace or do a sprint workout if you have less time and then have the next meal before taraweh. (Have a cup of green tea with Iftar on cardio days)

For weight training days: Eat another food meal before Taraweh like chickenbreast (or baked salmon), brown rice and some veggies OR Baked Fish (Salmon, Tuna, Orange Roughy, or Mahi mahi), sweet potato, and a garden salad or some steamed vegetables. Drink plenty of water during taraweh--Go to the gym after taraweh. (If you pray 20 rakahs, then have a protein bar in the middle of taraweh). Drink plenty of water during the workout and you can even have Powerade™ or a sports drink during the workout.

After the workout, have another Nutrition Shake --lots of water of course.Then sleep 45 minutes later or stay up all night eating and working like I do!Following these simple workout and nutrition tips can really help you make great gains during this blessed month.

May God help give us patience and strength in this month and throughout the year and make us strong mentally, internally, spiritually, and physically!

Green Ramadan

2007-09-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Assalamalaykum

Ramadan is a time for holistic healing which includes re-building our relationship with the environment. As khalifas on this earth, we have a responsibility to take care of it. A friend sent a inspiring e-mail with great ideas [see below] and as she put it "reduce your footprint- it's Sunnah".

plant a tree/chlorophyll producing plant
consume less water ie. try to do wudhu & brush teeth/wash face without the water running!! get a bucket, jug or whatever and fill it with enough water to get the job done.
buy only local and organic food/produce
walk if you can, or take the bus, or car pool
turn off lights you're not using
unplug your hairdryer/laptops/chargers/irons/phones etc at night when you go to sleep (or as soon as you've stopped using it)
try replace your lights with eco-friendly, energy saving lights
try to buy less food and use it all up (In North America, 14$ billion dollars worth of food goes to waste every year)
try to get at least one household cleaner that's biodegradeable/phosphate-free!
put your dish detergent in a small spray bottle & dilute it with some water (to make the detergent last longer)--this works and also, detergents are grossly concentrated and chances are you'll ingest residue off of your plates and utensils if you don't dilute.
use vinegar and baking soda for surface cleaning
if you use make-up, use one product that is all natural or preservative-free. La Roch Posay is a good product.
don't buy margarine!! stick to butter
eat less meat, especially red meat
GIVE sadaqa to a good environmental organization or NGO
say no to privatized water
don't buy bottled water if you can help it
if you see litter, pick it up. sounds lame, but we all pass by and don't do nothin' sometimes. don't even front.
don't throw recycling in the trash
take your own bags grocery shopping
don't buy fruit that isn't in season! especially exotic fruit if you can help it.
VOTE!!! please register yourself if you are over 18
Use rechargable batteries
try to use less toilet paper, napkins, etc and buy phosphate-free paper
buy recycled paper
turn left-over food into a delicious soup .it works marvelously. one of the best meals i ever had was soup at a friend's house and she made it with leftovers.
burn beeswax candles or incense (not white-wax, it's toxic!)

..and anything else you can think of, these are just ideas.

Insha'Allah if we all do at least one of the above, we can help lessen the impact of our footprints on this earth

"Rooting" for Allah

2007-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

by Hakim Archuletta
September 13, 2007

What an amazing time, Ramadan. I still marvel at how different the experience is every year and how so many people observe with such commitment, a practice that is in some ways so strange and maybe even crazy to anyone looking from the outside. And even for those who find it difficult, no one denies the blessings they always find in Ramadan.

There are such secrets in Ramadan, so much happens in us and such lessons from Allah SWTA for us. One aspect I find unique is the fact that while we can say it is something we do every year; it is, more interestingly, something we do not do. This particular aspect, of it being a unique non –action in some way begins to approximate a truth of our relationship with Allah SWTA. All of our acts of worship and purification are actions, things we do and this one, by not doing in some ways indicates the impossibility of worship as truly befits Allah SWTA. The fact that we express this by not doing, somehow speaks our complete inability to meet such an awesome Reality appropriately. And yet, having said this, at the same time it so very personal! Only Allah in His Wisdom could design such a practice with such perfection for us. In some ways, this represents an essence of our condition - of being created and weak, and yet with the mandate of worship as our only reason for being.

We understand that Ramadan is another practice to purify and cleanse our body spiritually and physically. “The year is a disease and Ramadan is its cure” The Prophet, SAWS said. How is it that? How does it cure? To understand is to help the medicine do its work even though there may be healing simply in the taking of it. If we see healing as a process of becoming whole, then we see it as discovery, change, knowledge and transformation.

Allah is teaching us in Ramadan.

Turning to Him, instead of material things, is an obvious aspect of what we can learn in Ramadan. Turning to remembrance of Him, happens every time we feel hunger and rather than eat, abstain from it. We can look even more closely at what this is might mean. When experiences are particularly meaningful or repeated and we adapt to them accordingly, we call it conditioning or patterning. Immediately after our birth in this world, we experience some major events, instrumental in patterning by virtue of being so primary. First, there is breathing itself, a monumental task we must complete. Depending on its ease or difficulty, it may dramatically affect us and play greatly in our conditioning. All mammals take part in this activity and all have varying degrees of difficulty or ease in it. After the birth and breathing are accomplished, the next impulse designed in us By Allah SWTA is what is called the “rooting” impulse, the drive to find the breast. It happens for us as a kind of sideways, swimming movement naturally towards the breast. We know where it is and even have the impulses in the nerves and muscles to make that journey. Even if the baby is assisted and taken to the breast, or even if taken away, the rooting impulse is there. Some midwives and birthing experts say that the rooting impulse is best allowed to play out to some degree and see it as a valuable developmental experience. Many believe that all of the natural impulses designed in us By Allah, SWTA are best kept as intact as possible, respected and that when thwarted can, by offence to His design, create problems. The rooting experience is a first task in this world, one of seeking and finding! What a primary drive for us all, what an elemental one played out ever after in so many ways.

This impulse, and the pattern in this of i)want, ii) get and iii) ok in suckling then becomes a major part of our life, for those first days, weeks, months and a great part of all we know, and who we are. Along with being held, being cleaned, the new sounds, smells and all else that affect these most primary impulses and feelings, the pattern is begun. Want- Get –OK, three aspects of the pattern that will be with us for years to come.

In Ramadan, this infantile pattern is, ideally, broken and a new pattern allowed to emerge, a new seeking and finding. We no longer need the breast, we no longer need food, no longer need but very little of the material world and we find satisfaction in the closeness of Allah for whom we are fasting in the first place. The fast then becomes for Allah and “for Allah” in the direction in which we turn.

Jalaludin Rumi said “the world is a breast” and for many, the infantile wanting, needing of a breast in the form of someone, something, anything, outside of ourselves continues. This finds its way into such sophisticated, complex and usually confused ways of acting out in which we, at best, only find partial or temporary relief. The seeking of knowledge can even be a seeking of the breast if we hope for its support other than that of Allah SWTA in gaining it.

If we are successful in this turning, we begin to see how the stuff of this world, be it milk, wealth, sex or success, whatever, is not what sustains us, what does is Allah’s Command. At every moment without which we would, in our very bodies with all its complex and miraculous ways of maintaining balance and function, move into annihilation and out of what we call existence. Anyone who studies the body or medicine knows this even if they do not recognize the implications of it. It is not food that sustains us; it is not the material of this world at all. His Protection and Rahmah holds us closer than our mother did to her breast, it continues, and is ongoing, be it in states of hunger, difficulty, ease or pleasure, in conditions of abundance or poverty. “He is closer to you than your carotid artery” Qur’an. How do we forget this?

Want, Get, and feel OK, this is what we start Ramadan with, the “disease of the year”.
One sheikh said, that even the poor are greedy and only for bits of string and beans, beans or Mercedes, string or kingdoms, none bring peace in themselves. We so often speak about “materialism” as Muslims and we preach against it but when it comes down to it, we quickly rush to explain that material wealth is not in conflict with being “spiritual” and that is true, but have you made the courageous journey in turning to Allah, really, and not substituted the things of this world for that turning in yourself? Have you truly found peace in yourself, whatever your material status?

Insha Allah we gain more than hunger and simply “getting through” the month of Ramadan. And when you break your fast, observe how beautiful, how delicious and how satisfying that single date and a small sip of water, taken with family or a dear brother or sister, is. And ask your self: “What is Allah SWTA teaching me here and what is it I really need?”

I recommend, at anytime and as frequent or infrequent as you can (not necessarily during Ramadan) as a lesson, the meal of a simple piece of bread and maybe a few small sips of water. I recommend that this meal be taken with the condiment of reflection and as much recognition and presence of awareness of the incredible reality in this simple action as a means to awaken the sense in ourselves of the truth of our reality. This is presence with the self, with what Allah SWAT has created in ourselves, presence with the awesome process that took place in the growth of the plant that gave the seed that produced the flour that was made into bread and that by His command and as a portion of our rizq arrives before us with our name on it. As seasoning I suggest an awareness of the thousands and thousands of nerves, in place by His Design, enabling such taste and smell in that experience, knowing that this simple piece of bread is so much more than that so we might then say, with genuine honesty, maybe in a way that once and for all we truly mean, by certainty, Alhamdulillah!

Grains of the Prophet

2007-05-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

by Karima Burns, MH, ND
24/01/2001

There is a famous Hadith reported by Abu Hurairah that, "Allah never inflicts a disease unless he makes a cure for it..." (Sahih Bukhari). While some of us may assume that this cure is always in the form of a medicine or herbs, the Hadith does not state that. In fact, two of the greatest cures Allah has given us for heart disease are foods that the Prophet (SAW) ate: whole wheat and barley. Both provide multiple benefits in the fight against heart disease as they both lower cholesterol, increase proper elimination of wastes by the body, facilitate proper blood clotting, and improve general circulation and cellular health.

When Sahl bin Sad was asked, "Did Allah's Apostle ever eat white flour?" he replied, "Allah's Apostle never saw white flour [from the time] Allah sent him as an Apostle till He took him unto Him." Modern science has long been against processed breads, even when they are supposedly "enriched." E. Cheraskin, in his book Diet and Disease, compares enriching white flour with "robbing someone in a dark alley of their clothes and wallet, and then giving them back their underclothes and bus money to get home." In addition to the fact that white flour has no nutritional value, it can leech vitamins and minerals from the body as well. This is because nutrient-void foods do not supply all of the nutrients that are needed for their digestion; hence, they must take the nutrients that are lacking from the body.

White flour can even mimic white sugar, creating problems for the hypoglycemic or diabetic person (Pritchard, Healing with Whole Foods). According to nutritionists Jean Anderson and Barbara Deskin, whole-wheat flour, high in protein and fiber, is far superior in nutrition to white flour. Whole grain wheat contains a large amount of Vitamin E, mostly concentrated in its germ layer. Research on the Vitamin E found in wheat discovered that of 31,000 people studied, those who ate whole wheat bread had a much lower risk of heart disease than those who ate white bread. Michael H. Davidson, MD, president of the Chicago Center for Clinical Research, says that this is because the Vitamin E in wheat causes the liver to produce less cholesterol. He found that subjects in his study who consumed ½-cup of wheat germ daily for 14 weeks saw their cholesterol levels drop by seven percent.

Although wheat has undeniable health benefits, we need to be aware of the dangers of its overuse. Eaten daily, whole wheat can be detrimental to the health as it causes bloating in many people and often encourages the growth of unfriendly (candida albicanus) bacteria in the colon. It can also encourage weight gain and cause allergic reactions in many people when overeaten.It is revealing that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did not indulge in regular wheat consumption, but ate instead mostly barley and bread made from barley flour. Abu Hazim narrated (in Sahih Bukhari) that he asked the Prophet (SAW), "Did you use to sift barley flour?" The Prophet answered, "No, but we used to blow off the husk (of the barley)." Barley is so easily digested that the Prophet even recommended that barley soup (talbiyah) be used for all stomach ailments (Sahih Bukhari).

Possessing even more health benefits than wheat, barley is extremely high in calcium and protein, and is far less allergenic. It does not encourage bloating or unhealthy bacterial growth; therefore, while wheat is healthful, barley is better for daily consumption. One of the richest sources of tocotrienols, powerful antioxidants that help reduce damage to the body from dangerous oxygen molecules called free radicals, barley also reduces the body’s production of cholesterol in the liver. David Jenkins, MD, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto says, “Tocotrienols are potentially more powerful antioxidants than other chemical versions of vitamin E.” Barley is also a lot more affordable than most vitamin E supplements on the market. Furthermore, it contains lignana, found to prevent tiny blood clots from forming – perhaps providing a similar benefit to the recently popular “daily dose of aspirin” against heart disease. Just one-half cup of barley contains half the daily requirement for selenium in the diet and almost twenty-percent of the USRDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of Vitamin E. Both of these have been found to be powerful allies in the fight against cancer.

Barley also contains beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that forms a gel in the small intestine to which cholesterol binds and is then excreted from the body. This gel forming action also prevents constipation and colon cancer. To get barley’s healing benefits, it is recommended by health experts that it be eaten in the same way that the Prophet (SAW) did. Hulled barley (the husk loosely intact or “blown off”) is superior to processed barley which has been cleaned and scrubbed more than five times to create a quicker-cooking version that lacks most of barley’s healthful fiber, minerals and thiamin.

Spring Cleaning

2007-04-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

by Hakim Archuletta

Spring Cleaning

It’s happening here in New Mexico.

When it does it’s truly an ecstatic time. Nature, after long months of sobriety, of containment and reserve can no longer keep it in. Branches and twigs become tumescent first, swell and finally burst forth their green ejaculate and eventually, seed. All life behaves by such similar patterns, no wonder it’s a time that represents youth, joy, love, blood, awakening and sexual exuberance.

The first signs happen when the air temperature raises enough to heat the ground and it brings smells from the earth, from the leaves and humus that has lain, set and decayed, quietly waiting for this time. Whether we are conscious of it or not or whether we are in a place in which this takes place in a way that we can recognize easily, our body responds to the smells and the fumes that envelop us.

For those fortunate to be where these natural events happen easily, that is, where an overabundance of concrete or asphalt or harsh structures does not interrupt this awakening, not only does our nose responds but our ears, skin and senses in general, all do exactly as the world around us does. And as always there is a perfect correspondence. All we find outside of us and what happens inside of us, the more we are in tune and aware with genuine Hamd (praise), the more perfect it is the mirror of ourselves.

Here in hew Mexico it’s all very exposed; lots of natural earth surface to bathe us in fragrance, but even in Los Angeles with most of the ground covered over to accommodate autos, even there, the asphalt sends out it attar, after all, it too was pulled up from the ground, juice, thick and blood like from the earth. And even though it sits in bizarre strips across our landscape like scabs, it too feels the spring.

And even though we may not stop to drink in these phenomena of season change or even be able to sense it, we are affected, and we should be. It sets into action the processes in our bodies needed to deal with the warmth and quality of our new world that will be filled with more activity, with flowers and eventually fruit. Our blood knows it, our liver knows it. Our lungs send the subtle smells into the blood and they awaken all they reach and the same process is enacted within, tulips of hormones, and grass blades of enzymes on the inner landscape. This in turn even changes our speech, our appetites, even our gait. One Hakim said “our senses write our impressions on our blood and our blood in turn on our perceptions”

As this happens our body fluids need to change. This is a time that our bodies no longer need the same kind of fluids as in fall and winter. Our oils and other body fluids will flow more easily and thin out, like olive oil that congeals in the fridge and becomes fluid in the warmth
Our ability to manage this change was traditionally looked upon as an indication of our resilience in health and the “colds” and flu’s that come at this time are for many simply the struggle to make the changes and with some minor “colds” only the change of fluids natural to the season.

There is also the trickery that challenges our wisdom, especially here in New Mexico yesterday, 78 degrees and maybe more, the motorcycles out cruising, people in shorts and light clothing, windows now open. At last! They think. The challenge is that while it’s spring, it is more of a giving of notice first and the wise will keep warm clothes and not fall prey to a false security and suffer the cold of winter that still remains.

This is time for spring cleaning, more light, more color, more activity, incentive to sweep out the back room, the shed. It’s also a time to do the same for our bodies. One of my wiser friends is already on a spring “cleansing fast” and there many ways to do this.
A Chinese practice in the spring I learned from a family I knew was to make, in the spring, greens soup, any three greens in a broth and eat only that for a day, or more. The entire family would take part and it was a yearly thing that also bonded them, even more so if it was difficult at all. They looked forward to it because they knew they would feel well from it. It can be made with any three greens they say and in a chicken or meat broth and with ginger as well but is basically only greens. My friend who is more inclined to strict discipline is making his spring fast ten days!

My teacher was inclined to caution against being too tough so as not to cause a negative result. The point is to respond to the spirit of the season, to get everything moving, flowing, not to starve. Although, for so many in this country, unfortunately , there is an enormous amount of toxic materials that have built up from poor food, overeating and complacency, stagnant too long, Still, it’s wise also to be moderate unless , like my friend, you have done it and know how much you can manage.

As the season moves further along and fruits begin to come in, it gets better! Hippocrates said fruit was medicine. In the “Mono Fast”, you take only the one fruit as it comes in and only that, for one day, even half a day, or for the ones who are sure they can manage it, one day on one day off for three full days. The fruit needed for the specific cleansing and rejuvenating of different parts comes in one by one by Allah’s design. And you eat a good amount, a bowl at a meal and only that. They must all be grown as soundly as possible, organic as they say and preferably locally grown. From the back yard is ideal of course.

First come the cherries, for the blood, then the peaches, yellow ones first and then the fragrant, almost intoxicating white ones, for the liver and digestive tract. Then come the apricots for the lower intestines and bowels. The generosity of Allah’s design here is that these medicines are not only effective, they are delicious! They should be tree ripened. This is an important point in a time where many have never eaten a ripened fruit, the result of supermarkets and a profit oriented big food business as well as a culture that has lost it senses in more way than one.

By the way if you should try this greens soup, one day, half day or even three, feel adventurous and want to get optimal benefit, try drinking it from the bowl without a spoon getting in the way. Don’t ask why but it’s a secret that makes it more effective.

The Manners of Eating

2007-01-07T02:26:00.000-08:00

Imam al-Ghazali on the Manners of Eating
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=3&ID=4959&CATE=351&redirect=yes

Islamic Manners: The Proper Manners of Eating
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=1949&CATE=111&redirect=yes

The Sunna of Food & Drink
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=3922&CATE=111&redirect=yes

Depression: A bio-psycho-social-spiritual analysis

2007-01-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

by Ibrahim Kreps
Islamica Magazine
Issue #12

http://www.islamicamagazine.com/issue-12/depression-a-bio-psycho-social-spiritual-analysis.html

Sh. Nuh on Spirituality and Health

2007-01-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

This website has talks by Sh. Nuh on very interesting topics including mood swings, over eating, the body and means to attaining good health.

http://www.mysticmedicine.com/health/11.html

Some interesting websites

2007-01-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

www.hakimaonline.com
www.islamicreiki.com
www.islamicaccupuncture.com
www.theavicennainstitute.com

It's official: shared mealtimes mean healthier, happier families

2006-12-28T01:58:00.000-08:00

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article358007.ece

Finding your natural state

2006-10-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.biconews.com/article/view/1433

Natural Remedies of Arabia

2006-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Beautiful article, even more beautiful pictures

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200605/natural.remedies.of.arabia.htm

The “Yoga” of Islamic Prayer

2006-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

The “Yoga” of Islamic Prayer
By Karima Burns, MH, ND
11/01/2001

Called “one of the oldest systems of personal development encompassing body, mind and spirit” by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, yoga has become one of the fastest growing health trends today. It has been renowned for centuries for its curative powers of movement.

Yoga consists of a number of “asnas,” or body positions, which one retains for a desired length of time while either reciting “mantras” or breathing in a rhythmic manner. Its benefits have been researched by many doctors who now recommend it to their patients, by many medical schools such as Harvard, and by many foundations such as the Menninger Foundation. In fact, yoga has become so popular that secretaries have developed a simplified sitting version that they can do at their desks. The elderly, pregnant women and athletes also have their own versions.

Interestingly, for the millions of people enrolled in yoga classes, the Islamic form of prayer has provided Muslims for fourteen centuries with some of yoga’s same (and even superior) benefits. This simple form of “yoga” offers physical, mental, and spiritual benefits five times a day as Muslims assume certain positions while reciting Qur’an and athkar (remembrances). Of course, not all the yoga positions are found in the Islamic prayer. However, hospital researchers have concluded that patients benefit from even a simplified version of yoga, and most hospital yoga programs, such as those at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Massachusetts, consist of only five to seven positions.

The Muslim prayer has five positions, and they all (as well as the recitations we make while performing the prayer) have a corresponding relationship with our spiritual and mental well being, according to modern scientific research. The benefits of performing specific movements and recitations each day come from the correct rendition of the position or action itself, the length of time the position is held, and from careful and correct recitation techniques.Each of the five prayer positions has a corresponding yoga position, and the positions together “activate” all seven “chakras” (energy fields) in the body.

The idea of activating a chakra may sound linguistically strange, but it is easier to understand once one translates that word into more familiar language. Eastern healers believe that each of the chakras correlate to major nerve ganglia that branch forth from the spinal column. Thus, the concept of activating these nerve centers is akin to getting a chiropractic adjustment or installing a medical stimulating device on the spine to correct corresponding bodily malfunctions.

In layman’s terms, the idea of chakras can be understood by thinking about how the sense of “feeling” functions. One notices, when touching any part of the body, that that part responds by being more “awake” and aware. Another part of the body that was not touched, but is along the same nerve pathway, may also respond. When a person is sitting, for instance, they may not be thinking about their legs, which are momentarily at rest; however, if someone touches them, they will again be “aware” of them. Chakras work in much the same way. Studies have found that varying areas of the body, when activated by touch, movement or thought, evoke specific emotional and physical responses in much the same way that a smile can evoke the feeling of happiness, and actually increase circulation – even if one was feeling sluggish and unhappy before smiling. This is one of the reasons that it is so important to perfectly perform all of the movements of the Islamic prayer, rather than haphazardly rushing through them.

The Takbir and Al Qiyyam together are very similar to the Mountain Pose in yoga, which has been found to improve posture, balance, and self-awareness. This position also normalizes blood pressure and breathing, thus providing many benefits to asthma and heart patients. The placement of the hands on the chest during the Qiyyam position are said to activate the solar plexus “chakra,” or nerve pathway, which directs our awareness of self in the world and controls the health of the muscular system, skin, intestines, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and eyes. When the hands are held open for du’a, they activate the heart “chakra,” said to be the center of the feelings of love, harmony, and peace, and to control love and compassion. It also governs the health of the heart, lungs, thymus, immune system, and circulatory system.

Muslim researchers have shown that when Muslims recite the Qur’an, old thoughts, feelings, fears and guilt are released or healed, and blood pressure and stress levels are reduced. Virtually all of the sounds of the Arabic language are uttered while reciting Qur’an, creating a balance in all affected areas of the body. Some specific sounds, in fact, correspond to major organs in the body. In his research and creation of eurhythmy, Rudolph Steiner (founder of the Waldorf Schools), , found that vibrations made when pronouncing the long vowels, 'A', 'E' and 'U,' stimulated the heart, lungs, and the thyroid, pineal, pituitary, and adrenal glands during laboratory tests.

The position of Ruku is very similar to the Forward Bend Position in yoga. Ruku stretches the muscles of the lower back, thighs, legs and calves, and allows blood to be pumped down into the upper torso. It tones the muscles of the stomach, abdomen, and kidneys. Forming a right angle allows the stomach muscles to develop, and prevents flabbiness in the mid-section. This position also promotes a greater flow of blood into the upper regions of body – particularly to the head, eyes, ears, nose, brain, and lungs – allowing mental toxins to be released. Over time, this improves brain function and ones personality, and is an excellent stance to maintain the proper position of the fetus in pregnant women.

The Sujud is said to activate the “crown chakra,” which is related to a person’s spiritual connection with the universe around them and their enthusiasm for spiritual pursuits. This nerve pathway is also correlated to the health of the brain, nervous system, and pineal gland. Its healthy function balances ones interior and exterior energies. In Sujud, we also bend; thus activating the “base chakra,” which controls basic human survival instincts and provides essential grounding. This helps to develop levelheaded and positive thinking along with a highly motivated view of life, and maintains the health of the lymph and skeletal systems, the prostate, bladder, and the adrenal glands. We also bend the “sacral chakra” during Sujud, thus benefiting and toning the reproductive organs.The position of Al Qaadah, (or Julus) is similar to the Thunderbolt Pose in yoga, which firms the toes, knees, thighs, and legs. It is said to be good for those prone to excessive sleep, and those who like to keep long hours. Furthermore, this position assists in speedy digestion, aids the detoxification of the liver, and stimulates peristaltic action in the large intestine.

Last, but not least, the “throat chakra” is activated by turning the head towards first the right and then the left shoulder in the closing of the prayer. This nerve path is linked to the throat, neck, arms, hands, bronchials, and hearing – effecting individual creativity and communication. It is believed that a person who activates all seven nerve pathways at least once a day can remain well balanced emotionally, physically and spiritually. Since this is the goal of all sincere Muslims, we all should strive to attain the perfection of stance, recitation, and breathing recommended in the Hadith while performing our prayers – the very same techniques of perfection taught in popular yoga, Tai Chi, and many other exercise classes.

Fasting and Diabetes

2006-08-31T23:37:00.000-07:00

A very common question in preparation for Ramadan.

www.servier.co.uk/pdfs/english_Patient_Leaflet.pdf

Beyond Stereotypes

2006-08-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

Rebuilding the Foundations of Beauty Beliefs

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat4.asp?id=6126

90% of all women 15-64 worldwide want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (with body weight ranking the highest).

67% of all women 15 to 64 withdraw from life-engaging activities due to feeling badly about their looks (among them things like giving an opinion, going to school, going to the doctor).

61% of all women and 69% of girls (15 to 17) feel that their mother has had a positive influence on their feelings about themselves and their beauty.

Poor Patients who are Healthy

2006-08-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Poor Patients Who Are Healthy?
The so-called Latino paradox puzzles medical experts, who seek the answer in diet, lifestyles and support networks.
By Juliet Chung, Times Staff WriterAugust 28, 2006

Thousands of Latino patients stream though the East Los Angeles practice of Dr. Hector Flores and his partners each year.The older ones go to the family practice with arthritis and hypertension, the younger ones with diabetes and asthma.

What surprises Flores, however, is not how sick they are, it is how sick they are not. Overall, Flores said, his patients are much healthier than one would expect given their low levels of income and education, factors epidemiologists long have known are linked to poor health."You can predict in the African American population, for example, a high infant mortality rate," he said recently, "so we would think a [similarly] poor minority would have the same health outcomes."But they don't. They're not there," he said, referring to outcomes among Latinos.

Why Latinos aren't sicker — a phenomenon known to health experts as the Latino paradox — is puzzling to public health experts, given the link between disadvantage and high disease and mortality rates.

To read the rest of the article: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-paradox28aug28,0,4731321.story?col

Traditional Diets

2006-08-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem

The diet of the beloved Rasul sallahu alayhi wassalam was simple and little. Yet he and his noble community were of the healthiest people. Where then does the modern idea of the Food Guide fit in?

The following is an excerpt from Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions.
The rest is available on: http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/June05/empower.htm
I think this article gives proof that traditional diets, that do not necessarily adhere to modern guidelines, are in fact healthy.

........Hearty Gallic fishermen living off the coast of Scotland consumed no dairy products. Fish formed the mainstay of the diet, along with oats made into porridge and oatcakes. Fishheads stuffed with oats and chopped fish liver was a traditional dish, and one considered very important for growing children. The Eskimo diet, composed largely of fish, fish roe and marine animals, including seal oil and blubber, allowed Eskimo mothers to produce one sturdy baby after another without suffering any health problems or tooth decay.

Well-muscled hunter-gatherers in Canada, the Everglades, the Amazon, Australia and Africa consumed game animals, particularly the parts that civilized folk tend to avoid—organ meats, blood, marrow and glands, particularly the adrenal glands—and a variety of grains, tubers, vegetables and fruits that were available. African cattle-keeping tribes like the Masai consumed no plant foods at all—just meat, blood and milk.

Southsea islanders and the Maori of New Zealand ate seafood of every sort—fish, shark, octopus, shellfish, sea worms—along with pork meat and fat, and a variety of plant foods including coconut, manioc and fruit. Whenever these isolated peoples could obtain sea foods they did so—even Indian tribes living high in the Andes.

Dr. Price's trip to Africa gave him the opportunity to compare primitive groups composed largely of meat eaters, with those of similar racial stock that were mostly vegetarian.5 The Masai of Tanganyika, Chewya of Kenya, Muhima of Uganda, Watusi of Ruanda and the Neurs tribes on the western side of the Nile in the Sudan were all cattle-keeping people. Their diets consisted largely of milk, blood and meat, supplemented in some cases with fish and with small amounts of grains, fruits and vegetables.

The Neurs especially valued the livers of animals, considered so sacred "that it may not be touched by human hands. . . It is eaten both raw and cooked." These tribes were noted for their fine physiques and great height-in some groups the women averaged over 6 feet tall, and many men reached almost seven feet. Until his Africa trip, Price had not found groups that had no cavities at all, yet Dr. Price found six cattle-herding tribes that were completely free of dental decay. Furthermore, all members of these tribes exhibited straight, uncrowded teeth.

Bantu tribes such as the Kikuyu and Wakamba were agriculturists. Their diet consisted of sweet potatoes, corn, beans, bananas, millet and kaffir corn or sorghum. They were less robust than their meat-eating neighbors, and tended to be dominated by them. Price found that largely vegetarian groups had some tooth decay-usually around 5% or 6% of all teeth, still small numbers compared to Whites living off store-bought foods.......

Standing, Breathing

2006-07-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

www.hakimarchuletta.com

Grounding means connecting to the earth. The nervous system naturally activates, charges up, and discharges. This is a constant rising and falling of activation, ongoing, with the taking in of information and charge and expressing of it accordingly, it is in the breath, in the heartbeat in all processes of life in the body. Rise and fall, waves. This is an ongoing principle found in all of creation, "In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of night and day... there are signs for those who reflect" Qur'an. This is a great ayah for understanding both the hikmah of the body and movement in the entire creation. Our body charges and discharges in various ways.

When this discharge is disabled the charge remains, seeking an outlet, or if the discharge continues to be disabled, the system begins to shut down to manage what would be a destructive, overcharged system. Grounding happens to an "earth" of any kind. For the nervous system, the earth itself it an excellent ground and nature, an extended earth, serves this purpose well. We all know how a walk in the forest can be so calming and healing. Connection is necessary for "earthing" and connecting to something solid is the other requirement for the grounding experience. Connection to Allah in our deen is practiced by actually using water and then earth, ground itself to do this. "For those who do the salat on them there shall be no fear and no anxiety". While this physiological benefit is not the reason for prayer, Allah in His perfection of our deen has designed it so for these last days of hyper-charge and the resulting anxiety, violence, or the shutting down modes of depression, dissociation and hopelessness that follows on it.

The integrity of Islam from practice in form, consistent, to meaning and belief, is what distinguishes it from all other ways in this time. We are Muslim in the outward by prescription in physical form, action and shariah to Mu'min in belief by the inward in Haqiqah and meaning. They are consistent and point always to our basic stance in recognition of tauhid, oneness, and wholeness. Health, after all, is nothing other than Islam. We can speak of black seed and honey or eating habits, but the reality is, the Medicine of the Prophet, May Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, was, Islam.

After connection to Allah, Mother is, for us, the next perfect ground and we seek her as well in many things for this release and ability to regulate the charge and discharge for a sense of wholeness, completion. Unresolved discharge is not wholeness. With the mother and child there is constant charge and discharge. Connection and disconnection. There is a natural rhythm to this in all healthy relationships but if the natural flow of this rhythm is disrupted and connection and disconnection is not made accordingly, there will be either the need of charge, from disconnection, seeking "her" even to obsession, or aversion, even hatred, from too much connection and over-charge not successfully released. So much of our culture and our pathologies rest on this fact. After mother there is father, and siblings, friends and neighbors, neighborhoods, house and home, even the house of cardboard and mud, family and familiar, all serve to ground, clubs, gangs, place, country, affiliations, tariqas, cults, race and ethnicity, foods clothing and cultural artifacts, from anywhere and anything to which one feels connected, works.

When a person feels this connection, with his senses, the grounding happens. The feeling is necessary for the nervous system to take part, whether it is conscious or unconscious. When feeling connected has diminished, grounding is diminished. This need for connection is worth remembering when someone expresses a loyalty beyond reason to a group. Remember that if they identify themselves with that group and find a grounding in that, the issue can be then, one of survival on some level. In the cult the leader often pushes the envelope beyond not only all reason but to the limits of well being. The need for the connection to both the leader and the group is so great that the person may create a situation of great hardship or even pervertedly, destroy themselves in order to sustain this elemental root need. In our presnntv times, the traditional means of connection, to family, friends, neighbors, land animals, culture, in conversation and all that would connect us has been so disturbed that this becomes an issue not only in our social and spiritual health but immedietly in the functions and helth of our bodies.

One Shaykh said that the flood in the time of Nuh was one of water and in this age it is one of disconnection. The exercises represent methods for reconnecting on our individual experiential level, for reconnecting on a very primitive level in our own bodies to our own selves and a means for integrity that can, insha Allah, God willing, extend from there outward in our lives and actions.

The exercises:

The first step in grounding is to remember the natural way to stand, with the knees slightly bent, unlocked.

1. When standing at any time, in line at the market, whenever, observe your knees and legs, how you are standing.
Are your knees locked? If so, recognize that this is NOT a natural way to stand as the entire lower half of the body becomes immobilized. Unlock your knees and observe what this feels like. If it feels unnatural, simply recognize this as your habit and that to stand in a natural way seems strange and unfamiliar to you.

2. Stand with your knees unlocked, slightly bent and feet about six inches apart, almost parallel.Balance between the balls and heels of your feet and let your upper body relax but remain upright.Bend more at the knees until you feel the weight of your body on your legs, keeping your upper body upright and relaxed.Keep this position for two to three minutes.Observe any shakiness, trembling, pain or burning of any kind. If you feel unsteadiness, or trembling recognize this as not as weakness, but as the strength of the vital force returning to your legs.*Now straighten up, keeping your knees unlocked.Observe now how you feel the weight of your body on your legs and feet. Observe how your legs feel.

Is there more of a sense of weight, fullness, solidity? Do you feel more connected to the ground? Try shifting your weight from foot to foot and see if you can better sense the full weight of your body on the pad of each foot. Pay some attention to how your entire body feels, how you feel on the whole. Spend some time and notice what sensations are present.Consider how you might remember these sensations at another time without the exercise and how to become more familiar with them in your body.Try raising yourself on the toes of one foot. Notice how easy it is to perform such a delicately balanced task. Realize that this is only possibly by the awesome interaction of sensation, involuntary and voluntary aspects of the nervous system and the muscles and mechanisms of the body. This interaction, input and output is with us every moment in our lives.

Breathing and feeling go together. You will not find a depressed person fully breathing. We shut down our feelings by limiting our breathing in order to manage overwhelming experiences. To regain our full experience of life we must breathe. It is said in a tradition that Sayiddina Musa Alayhi salam, asked Allah what His greatest hidden secret was and Allah replied: "Breath" Remember also that we have to some degree shut down this part of ourselves for survival and adaptation to the experience of trauma and our particular social setting and to awaken it we may face some sense of fear or danger. Awakening feeling means to experience both joy and pain. If any of these exercises seem too much or overwhelming, relax and leave them off or return to the standing exercise. If the experience seems too much you may want to find a practitioner of somatic therapy to assist you with more work.

1. At any time or place stop and pay attention to your breathing.How full is it? How shallow?What parts, how much of your body moves in response to the movement of your breath? Can you sense it in your belly, chest, arms, neck, head? What do you notice that may obstruct the breath, tightness or tension? How about your posture? Does it disable your ability to breath deeply and fully. Just observe this.Do you recognize any impulses for movement as you recognize any tension? If so, simply recognize them. See if you can identify any movements of your back shoulders, spine or any stretches of arms shoulders, neck that could fulfill the impulses. Take some time with this to see how closely the movements match the impulses.Take some time to just observe and reflect before making any movement. Let you body guide you and begin to make the movements but very very slowly, as if in slow motion. Let your body move however it wants. See if you can let your body guide itself , not with your mind.

Observe very closely your felt sensations as you do this and keep it very, very slow to enable you to fully experience all sensations. Know that your body can guide you; it knows how to do this, let it.

If you have found the movements that your body wants to make, explore, let it continue as long as it wants, let it move however it likes. Continue moving and stretching for as long as you like until you come to a state of repose. Take some time and pay close attention to all sensations you are experiencing in this state, take your time.Notice your breathing again. Observe how your body feels with each in breath and out breath. Notice the quality of the sensations.

Consider how you might, in the future, remember this experience, the physical sensations of it. (At any time to simply stop and carefully pay attention to the breath and to feel it as it moves the shoulders and even the neck [it's actually the opposite, they move the breath!] can be a rich awareness experience, a building and meditative but relaxing, healing, and integrating process that should not be underestimated).2. See if, by repeating this, your breathing becomes deeper or larger and if more of your body takes part in response to the breathing.Notice how your whole body feels if you're breathing is deeper and more of your body takes part.Notice how your arms and hands feel with more breathing.

Notice if any emotions arise as you do this.If so, does any sound seem appropriate to make with feelings that arise; this can be an "ahh" or "uhh..."Make the sounds with the breathing and see if you can do so with the emotion that has come up.Notice how your body feels and what sensations come as you continue this.

3. Using an exercise ball or a short padded stool, lie back with the ball just under your shoulder blades. Relax and stretch back opening your chest and expanding your ribcage, arching your back. Relax into this position and let your chest expand. If you are able, raise your arms above your head and let them fall back making the arch even greater and lifting and expanding the chest even more. Be gentle at first and carefully observe the felt sensations and the stretching of the chest that occurs. If there is pain try breathing and relaxing with each exhalation. See if this gradually lets the tension causing the pain to go. If this is difficult, try doing it little by little and day by day, increasing the stretch. Doing this easily and gently daily can bring surprising results.

4. Observe at various times in the day, your breathing. Remember the exercises and respond accordingly. It knows what to do, give it its due with appreciation of its wisdom. Sitting in your car, on a sofa, a chair, notice if the position you are in facilitates or obstructs your breathing, adjust your position and observe with your felt sense your overall experience. Make this practice a habit and it will become automatic. Stretching and adjusting slowly with awareness will teach your nervous system to remember what it once knew so well. By Allah.

* Some may find even this, resourceful for most, somewhat overwhelming. If so, finding a well informed somatic therapist can help in the first steps of this work.

Healing in Harmony with Nature

2006-07-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

New MeccaOne Radio Podcast
Healing in Harmony With Nature
With Dr. Karim Abdullah, ND
www.meccaone.org

Excerpts

2006-07-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

A few important points from a post by Sidi Hakim on the IslamicNaturalHealing yahoogroup

.....Healing should always be as gentle as possible, in fact the organism recoils, if you will, if there is too much to deal with and cure then cannot take place..........

.......Remember that even the mechanism of denial can be a Mercy of the design ofthe system to enable limited function until such time as the person can undertake the task of facing and dealing with or renegotiating all parts tobe completely integrated into the whole of their being.......

....I look to the Muslims to begin integrating all of this in an understanding based in their deen and making use of all the Generous Hikma coming forth to become healers of ourselves.The Hadith that the Hikmah is the lost riding beast of the Mu'min and that he has a right to it wherever he may find it is relevant as well as the counsel of the Shaykh who said that the path is all based in the act of istinjaa, I mean by this that we take in for nourishment much and we make use of the best parts and aspects of all we take in, adding them to rebuild, nourish and fuel the body, our system separating out the valuable, the best and let the rest go, without delay and without undue attention and then wash accordingly. Insha'Allah....

Is the Prophet, peace be upon him, a healer of sicknesses?

2006-07-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

From: Sunnipath

Question ID: 4765
Date Published : July 03, 2005
Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed

Know that the school of the Ahl al-Sunna takes the position that it is obligatory to ascribe all actions to Allah the Exalted. The Quranic text is clear about this when it says, “Allah is the Creator of everything.” “And Allah created you and what you do.” “Say everything is from Allah.”

So the one who creates healing is Allah, the Exalted and no one else. And the one who creates sickness is also Allah the Exalted, and no one else. Every believer must be sure of this principle.
In the blessings that mention the Prophet, peace be upon, as healer of sicknesses, if the intent is to say that he alone can heal, then this is a false belief, as you know. What we have understood from our teachers is that this type of blessing does not denote this particular meaning. Instead, it is a way of imploring the Prophet to ask Allah to heal us. And imploring the Prophet [for intercession] is permissible by consensus of the Ahl al-Sunna according to rigorously authenticated hadiths. For when the one who implores Allah is the Prophet himself, his request is almost always fulfilled because of the esteemed position he holds with his Lord.
So when the Prophet, peace be upon him, is described as such, this description is metaphorical, not literal. And this is not a problem, because what you are doing here is begging Allah to heal your illness through the intercession of the Prophet. By doing so, there is greater cause for this to happen.

There is a well-authenticated hadith from Tirmidhi and others that Ubayy bin Ka’b said to the Prophet, peace be upon him, “I reserve all the blessings I send for you.” The Prophet replied, “Then your concerns will be taken care of and your sins forgiven.” There is no doubt that the sicknesses of the heart and the body cause a person much concern and turmoil. Sending blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, can be a guarantor for relief from that, Allah willing.

Based upon this, sending blessings upon the Prophet is a factor in healing. The particular wording that you have mentioned is not very different from the words of the famous Salat al-Tibbiyya, which says, “O Allah, send blessings on our master Muhammad, the medicine of hearts and their cure, the health of bodies and their healing.”

[I found on Sunnipath as well that the Salat al-Tibiyya is also a very effective dhikr for depression: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=2528&CATE=17]

A Weekend with Sidi Hakim

2006-07-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

An excellent post from Salikah: A Student's Digest [March 13, 2006]
http://salikah.blogspot.com/

Looking for Cures

2006-07-01T23:13:00.000-07:00

In the next few posts, inshallah, I will share some of Sidi Hakim's teachings

Sidi Hakim teaches that often the remedy or cure that we are searching for is, infact in front of us. When he was in England many years ago, he set up a small hospital in his home since there was a Hepatitis A outbreak. While researching the remedy for this illness, he found out that there was a certain plant that was the appropriate remedy. After that, when he returned back to his place, strangely enough he found that the very plant was growing in the cracks of the house.

Along the same line, he also teaches that sometimes the remedy appears before the illness. The story he tells to illustrate this goes back to when he was in Pakistan studying with his teacher [a hakim]. People from all over Pakistan would come to see his teacher and would bring plants indigenous to their area of origin. The plant that the previous client would bring would turn out to be the remedy for the next client! Another story he shares is once he was picking saw palmetto berries [good for prostrate problems] with a friend who wanted to learn about natural medicine and to whom he mentioned the concept of remedies arriving before the illness. On the way back, they picked up a hitchiker who upon learning that they dealt with natural medicine asked if they could suggest a remedy for his prostrate problems. Sidi Hakim's friend awestruck handed over the berries they had picked.

The Doctrine of Signatures is one that I find particularly amazing. This doctrine states the purpose of a plant/food is "written" on it, i.e. it has a signature. For example, walnuts that look like the two hemispheres of the brain are infact good for the nervous system. Watermelons grow on thin stalks resembling the kidneys is good for the kidney/genitourinary system. Pulsatila, a homeopathic remedy indicated for insecurity, attachment issues and emotional swings, is a plant that "moves with every wind" much like how it is indicated for people whose emotions swing and change rapidly.

Social Isolation Growing in U.S., Study Says

2006-06-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Number of People Who Say They Have No One to Confide In Has Risen

By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 23, 2006

Americans are far more socially isolated today than they were two decades ago, and a sharply growing number of people say they have no one in whom they can confide, according to a comprehensive new evaluation of the decline of social ties in the United States.

A quarter of Americans say they have no one with whom they can discuss personal troubles, more than double the number who were similarly isolated in 1985. Overall, the number of people Americans have in their closest circle of confidants has dropped from around three to about two.

The comprehensive new study paints a sobering picture of an increasingly fragmented America, where intimate social ties -- once seen as an integral part of daily life and associated with a host of psychological and civic benefits -- are shrinking or nonexistent. In bad times, far more people
appear to suffer alone.

"That image of people on roofs after Katrina resonates with me, because those people did not know someone with a car," said Lynn Smith-Lovin, a Duke University sociologist who helped conduct the study. "There really is less of a safety net of close friends and confidants."

If close social relationships support people in the same way that beams hold up buildings, more and more Americans appear to be dependent on a single beam.

Compared with 1985, nearly 50 percent more people in 2004 reported that their spouse is the only person they can confide in. But if people face trouble in that relationship, or if a spouse falls sick, that means these people have no one to turn to for help, Smith-Lovin said.

"We know these close ties are what people depend on in bad times," she said. "We're not saying people are completely isolated. They may have 600 friends on Facebook.com [a popular networking Web site] and e-mail 25 people a day, but they are not discussing matters that are personally important."

The new research is based on a high-quality random survey of nearly 1,500 Americans. Telephone surveys miss people who are not home, but the General Social Survey, funded by the National Science Foundation, has a high response rate and conducts detailed face-to-face interviews, in which respondents are pressed to confirm they mean what they say.

Whereas nearly three-quarters of people in 1985 reported they had a friend in whom they could confide, only half in 2004 said they could count on such support. The number of people who said they counted a neighbor as a confidant dropped by more than half, from about 19 percent to about 8
percent.

The results, being published today in the American Sociological Review, took researchers by surprise because they had not expected to see such a steep decline in close social ties.

Smith-Lovin said increased professional responsibilities, including working two or more jobs to make ends meet, and long commutes leave many people too exhausted to seek social -- as well as family -- connections: "Maybe sitting around watching 'Desperate Housewives' . . . is what counts for family interaction."

Robert D. Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard and the author of "Bowling Alone," a book about increasing social isolation in the United States, said the new study supports what he has been saying for years to skeptical audiences in the academy.

"For most of the 20th century, Americans were becoming more connected with family and friends, and there was more giving of blood and money, and all of those trend lines turn sharply in the middle '60s and have gone in the other direction ever since," he said.

Americans go on 60 percent fewer picnics today and families eat dinner together 40 percent less often compared with 1965, he said. They are less likely to meet at clubs or go bowling in groups. Putnam has estimated that every 10-minute increase in commutes makes it 10 percent less likely that people will establish and maintain close social ties.

Television is a big part of the problem, he contends. Whereas 5 percent of U.S. households in 1950 owned television sets, 95 percent did a decade later.

But University of Toronto sociologist Barry Wellman questioned whether the study's focus on intimate ties means that social ties in general are fraying. He said people's overall ties are actually growing, compared with previous decades, thanks in part to the Internet. Wellman has calculated that the average person today has about 250 ties with friends and relatives.

Wellman praised the quality of the new study and said its results are surprising, but he said it does not address how core ties change in the context of other relationships.

"I don't see this as the end of the world but part of a larger puzzle," he said. "My guess is people only have so much energy, and right now they are switching around a number of networks. . . . We are getting a division of labor in relationships. Some people give emotional aid, some people give financial aid."

Putnam and Smith-Lovin said Americans may be well advised to consciously build more relationships. But they also said social institutions and social-policy makers need to pay more attention.

"The current structure of workplace regulations assumes everyone works from 9 to 5, five days a week," Putnam said. "If we gave people much more flexibility in their work life, they would use that time to spend more time with their aging mom or best friend."

C 2006 The Washington Post Company

Journal of Muslim Mental Health

2006-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Journal of Muslim Mental Health
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/15564908.asp

Article:Islamic beliefs and mental health http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/conferences/shift/islam_mental_health.pdf

Planned Home Births vs. Hospital Births

2006-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

The following is the abstract from a study conducted by Dr. Patricia Janssen. I have worked with Patti over the last 5 years and she is an amazing, innovative researcher.

Disclaimer: This study represents only low-risk/ uncomplicated births

Outcomes of planned home births versus planned hospital births after regulation of midwifery in British Columbia

CMAJ • February 5, 2002; 166 (3)

Background: The choice to give birth at home with a regulated midwife in attendance became available to expectant women in British Columbia in 1998. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of home birth by comparing perinatal outcomes for planned home births attended by regulated midwives with those for planned hospital births.

Methods: We compared the outcomes of 862 planned home births attended by midwives with those of planned hospital births attended by either midwives (n = 571) or physicians (n = 743). Comparison subjects who were similar in their obstetric risk status were selected from hospitals in which the midwives who were conducting the home births had hospital privileges. Our study population included all home births that occurred between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 1999.

Results: Women who gave birth at home attended by a midwife had fewer procedures during labour compared with women who gave birth in hospital attended by a physician. After adjustment for maternal age, lone parent status, income quintile, use of any versus no substances and parity, women in the home birth group were less likely to have epidural analgesia (odds ratio 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14–0.27), be induced, have their labours augmented with oxytocin or prostaglandins, or have an episiotomy. Comparison of home births with hospital births attended by a midwife showed very similar and equally significant differences. The adjusted odds ratio for cesarean section in the home birth group compared with physician-attended hospital births was 0.3 (95% CI 0.22–0.43). Rates of perinatal mortality, 5-minute Apgar scores, meconium aspiration syndrome or need for transfer to a different hospital for specialized newborn care were very similar for the home birth group and for births in hospital attended by a physician. The adjusted odds ratio for Apgar scores lower than 7 at 5 minutes in the home birth group compared with physician-attended hospital births was 0.84 (95% CI 0.32–2.19).

Interpretation: There was no increased maternal or neonatal risk associated with planned home birth under the care of a regulated midwife. The rates of some adverse outcomes were too low for us to draw statistical comparisons, and ongoing evaluation of home birth is warranted.

Springing back to Health

2006-05-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

by Nabila Hanson

This article is from the Zaytuna Institute Seasons Journal Spring/Summer 2003 issue.

Nabila Hanson is a licensed acupuncturist and homeopath.

In traditional Chinese Medicine, the Five Element Theory states that each organ of the body relates to a particular season. The liver and gall bladder are the organs that relate to spring. The liver has many functions, some of which are to store and distribute nourishment for the body, to form and breakdown blood, and to filter toxins from the blood and break them down for elimination. When the liver is overburdened, it is less able to detoxify the body, and poisons remain which can potentially lead to chronic and debilitating illnesses, including cancer.

The emotion related to the liver is the emotion of “anger” which can include feelings of frustration, repressed anger, resentment, and irritation. If the liver energy is flowing smoothly, the emotional state will be happy and optimistic; conversely, a poor emotional state will affect the smooth flow of the liver energy. In the fast pace of American life, many people experience much stress in their daily lives. It is important to preserve the harmonic balance of the body by finding ways to balance these stresses through prayer, meditation, exercise (yoga is excellent), and enjoyable, relaxing activities.

Diet plays a large role in maintaining the integrity of the body. Taking a moment to relax before you eat allows the body to preserve its energy and ensures that food is eaten slowly and chewed well, which is the first step in good digestion. Never eat when you are tense, upset, or in a stressful environment. The foods that benefit our bodies are called “whole foods,”which include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains (millet, cracked wheat, rye, oats, quinoa, etc.), seeds (raw sesame and sunflower), and nuts (especially raw almonds, pecans, and walnuts). Dairy foods may be consumed but should be consumed in moderation due to their tendency to cause mucus in the body, and meat should be eaten in moderation (once or twice a week). It is important to protect the body from products that will harm the body such as white flour, white sugar, caffeine, processed foods, and food with added chemicals.

We live in a very toxic age, and it is advisable to support the liver on a daily basis with herbs that tonify and support the liver energy. Milk Thistle and Dandelion are an excellent herb combination that can be taken in liquid form. There are many teas that aid in liver function such as dandelion root tea, sassafras bark (especially useful during the springtime), chamomile flowers, bupleurum, and Oregon grape root.

Many health experts consider annual or biannual body cleanses and fasts to be an essential practice if one is to avoid chronic disease and maintain good health. A very effective and popular cleanse that gives most people energy while cleansing is the “master cleanse,” sometimes referred to as the “lemonade diet.” To prepare the lemonade, use 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed organic lemon or lime juice; 1–4 tablespoons of pure organic maple syrup; and 1/10 teaspoon of non-radiated cayenne pepper. Mix all the ingredients with eight ounces of pure spring water. Drink at least six glasses a day for one to two weeks. Also, it is important tokeep the intestines clean in order to clear the toxins, so one tablespoon of coldpressed olive oil should be taken twice a day. In addition, laxative teas such as senna leaf should be taken in the morning and before going to bed.

For more advice on fasting, Staying Healthy with the Seasons by Elson M. Hass, M.D., and Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford are excellent books. They provide information necessary for successful cleanses and good physical and mental health. Happy Spring!

nb: If you are pregnant, nursing, or have a chronic health condition, please seek the advice of a professional health care provider before considering a cleansing fast or a major dietary change.

The Female Spirit

2006-05-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have recently realized that Sidi Hakim and Shaykh Abdullah Adhami have very similar messages with regards to certain issues, one of which is the nature of women. One of the interesting things that Sidi Hakim says is that the reason jamat is recommended for men is so that they can establish a connection with other people. The character of men is such that they need it to be set out for them. Women, on the other hand, by their intrinsic nature will seek out that connection and therefore, they do not need to be prescribed jamat.

The excerpt below is from http://www.sakeenah.org/. It is from a collaborative venture with Star Jones Reynolds in a book titled Shine: A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Journey to Finding Love(New York: Harper Collins, January 6, 2006) where Shaykh Adhami writes about women and their spirituality. It is beautiful, eloquent and it reminded me of what Sidi Hakim says about women.

Women are endowed with a spiritual preeminence that stems from their devotion to genuineness and belonging. It is a yearning for what is viscerally authentic in all their connections and relationships especially with God. It is this very essence that makes woman profoundly soulful in her giving and at once so insatiable in her yearning. It is also what makes her so bewilderingly enigmatic, so disarmingly incomprehensible even to herself. Ironically, it is also this gift that makes her appear tentative, often uncertain when all that she wishes is for everything that she ever does to be meaningful, authentic and pure. Women usually need privacy when they pray to replenish their formidable repertoire of giving, though their very essence is a form of prayer; their speech is prayer; and (as distinct from their whims) their feelings are prayer too. Devotion is the secret behind a woman's eloquence and the essence of her virtue. This is epitomized by Mary in the Quran, and Fatimah in the prophetic tradition.

Deenport Interview with Sidi Hakim

2006-05-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from the interview. The full transcript can be accessed at www.deenport.com

How does Islam's concept and application of medicine differ from other methods?

Islam and being Muslim should color all we do whether it be carpentry, medicine or politics. This was true in China. They say that the Muslim traders going there in the early days spread Islam by their scruples in business, it was recognized, the honesty and integrity.
We are very off balance and very asleep to what we have done to the world and our people. All people are our people and the animals, our animals as well. It is so, so out of balance it's become hard to see what is really important. Hard to have a sensible, objective, if you will, picture of what is needed .

Health is wholeness and this means integrity from the innermost spiritual to the outermost physical and that extends right on out to our greater body of family community, the whole world. All must have integrity and so Islamic medicine means, as it does in politics or any other profession that all parts of our being must have this wholeness and connectedness with integrity. Islam itself is nothing other than holistic medicine.The medicine of the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa salam, was Islam.

What then is health in a holistic sense and how do we attain it?

Honesty is not a minor thing. Not always an easy thing to achieve but a core piece in wholeness. 'True to thine own self and the rest follows' is a universal wisdom. From this, maybe more than anything, health can proceed.

Being connected to God allows for a sense of well being , fullness, safety and being OK. This informs the body and our organs, our dealings with others and whatever the circumstances Allah places us in. This doesn't mean we avoid the pain and grief of life, nor the joy, but we are OK with it and... thankful.

After many years of practice in medicine I have seen so clearly that attitude lies embedded in so much physical, chronic and even fatal illness. What a thing it is to see someone on their death bed and for them to finally see and speak this and still hold to the lie in themselves that takes them finally to their death! This is a hard truth to see and also must not be confused or twisted into a puritanical "it's my fault I'm sick, I've been bad " or any other shortsighted understanding of this, it's all opportunity by Allah's Rahmah. And Allah says in His Qur'an that He wants for us purification.

What is trauma therapy and what makes modern life so traumatic?

There are numerous methods emerging for dealing with trauma that are somatic or body based, that, along with the spiritual or psychological aspects, work primarily through the body or nervous system. These new therapies are seriously changing the current way of dealing with trauma. The method I find most valuable was developed greatly by the study of animals in nature and how they release trauma. We have the same capabilities but these have been sorely debilitated by modern life with its disconnection from nature and each other.

Life has always had trauma, big trauma. In modern times it becomes different as we are disconnected from the very bodies that enable natural release: our senses, our families, physically, neighbors and community. These are all natural connections that enable our own nervous system to function and release in the same way that animals in nature can release severe trauma and be perfectly OK. This disconnection disables function.

The trauma of modern times is insidious, in past times a war, or a city being torn apart by battle or nature, the trauma of it was clear, we knew we had gone through a terrible experience . Today trauma lurks in so many things that we do not see as such. Birthing by caesarian section without the physical experience of struggle through the birth canal, bottle feeding, absent moms, anesthesia, and more dramatic maybe, the avoidance and disassociation strategies built into our lifestyle in so much of our technology, television, abstract, so called virtual life, which disables the natural nervous system function and we have a spiraling situation of trauma upon unresolved trauma. More attempts to release unsuccessfully through violence and more and more disassociation to deal with the charge that we cannot manage.

We become walking zombies (not even walking), hiding our heads and bodies as if it will go away or, not really caring, but posturing caring, in our state of shut-down.

What are your views regarding our responsibilities as Muslims towards our environment?

We have been placed uniquely in Allah's Creation and have the great trust of being able to mess up or care for the creation in all its aspects from our own selves to the trees, animals, even the stones and all the beauty that Allah has given it all. We talk of pollution if we're aware, or if we've been raised with some environmental awareness but it's more than that - it's desecration!
If we are not fully present we don't really see it, we will not really feel what we should about it and even though we may say it's wrong, real feeling initiates action. When actions are unfulfilled, we then additionally live with the yoke of these actions being suppressed and have more trauma. It also seems too much for us and we don't feel its possible to change, another natural strategy to manage it all. We're doing nothing, nothing even with what we know.

Thank you for allowing us to benefit from your knowledge. We pray Allah increase you in it and bless your work with success in this life and the hereafter. Ameen. As we conclude now, could you give us some nasiha insha'Allah. Jazakum Allah Khayrun.

Knowledge from the cradle to the grave does not mean more info. Knowledge means growth, change. The biggest nasihaa I can give is to keep good company!

One shaykh said the flood in the time of Nuh was one of water and in our times it is the flood of separation between each other. Make it a jihad to battle against the forces that conspire to keep you separate, to isolate, and these forces are pervasive, recognize this and however difficult. Eat together, travel together, talk, TALK!, read poetry to each other, laugh, cry, pray together remember Allah with enthusiasm together. Share your pain and your joy with each other while you can. Drink in your differences! When your red flag goes up with the stranger you've met, give it some time, some patience, don't tune out or walk out, see who he is. Give and take from each other and be with each other. Listen to your wives and your children, just listen to them! This is medicine, insha'Allah.

Thank you. I ask for Blessings and peace upon our Noble Prophet, his family, companions and all those who aspire to be as he was, ameen.

Nourishing the Soul

2006-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Sidi Hakim teaches that an essential part of good health is our connection to Allah. This connection opens our eyes and hearts to hamd and shukr. It enables us to recognize the pattern of Allah's creation and to accept the natural flow of creation.

I find that our lives are busy and complicated, and therefore, establishing a meaningful connection with our Rabb can often be difficult. In response to an e-mail I once sent Sidi Hakim about feeling far from Allah because of the demands of a schedule, he wrote me the following.I have returned to it for inspiration and solace time and again.

.....As a far as staying close to Allah, this is the question for us all. Once one finds a closeness, if it is genuine, there is nothng that will take you away, all situations are informed by that way of being. Insha'Allah, Allah guides us by our sincerity in this.

Shaykh al Akbar Ibn al Arabi said arrival is in setting out on the journey. Remember that closeness to yourself and being authentic so that you can be trusted-by yourself!- is the road to sidq. This means being honest at all times until you can be trusted (by yourself) then you can take counsel with yourself at all times.

Most people it seems don't believe they can be trusted in the first place and while we need nasiha and counsel from others , we also need to see that we are OK, just that, Ok , but most feel they are not, they're bad, or incompetent, or fake or not up to what they should be by the expectations put on them in the past to succeed, usually.

Rumi speaks of the fish seeking water as our situation. You are always close to Allah , or: "He is closer to you than your carotid artery.." In the same way we are beloved by Allah swt by virtue of our staying alive, breathing, sight, the Table spread before us each new day , cleaned from the previous and new with the birds announcing that. Our challenge is to awaken to this truth. Insha'Allah......

Sunna and Health

2006-04-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

Sunna and Health is an excellent article written by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf that appeared in Guidance Magazine in the Spring 2003 issue. It is one of my favourite works because it is concise and conveys essential information.

The article can be accessed on Alhambra Productions Weblog:

Excerpt:
http://www.alhambraproductions.com/blog/archives/article-archive-the-sunnah-and-health

Full article:
http://alhambraproductions.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=193

Resources

2006-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Sidi Hakim's Recommended Booklist

Traditional Islamic Medicine:
Tibb-ul Nabbi or Medicine of the ProphetA translation of two works of the same name
1. Al-Suyyuti
2. Mahmud bin Mohamed al-ChaghhayniCurrent publisher unknown [Good for basic principles and foundational concepts]

Medicine of the ProphetIbn Qayyim Al Jawziyya Translated by Penelope Johnstone , Islamic Texts Society. [Beautifully produced but difficult for application. Needs a teacher to glean that which is practical from some archaic material and some misleading prescriptions]

Nutrition:

Nourishing Traditions Sally Fallon, New Trends publishing
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration Weston A. Price

Homeopathy, Medicine:

The Science of Homeopathy George Vithoulkas
Lecture on Homeopathic Philosophy James Tyler Kent
Love and Survival Dean Ornish
Boerickes Repertory William Boericke
Desktop Guide Roger Morrisson
Vaccination Randall Neustadter
Wisdom of the Body Walter B. Cannon

Trauma, Relations, Bioenergetics:

Waking the Tiger Peter A. Levine
My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization Chellis Glendenning
I Don't Want to Talk About It Terrance Real, Scribner
How Do I Get Through to You Terrance Real, Simon and Schuster
Time Wars Jeremy Rifkin
Bioenergetics Alexander Lowen
Depression and the Body Alexander Lowen
Spirituality and the Body Alexander Lowen
The Conscious Ear Alfred A. Tomatis
The Paradigm Conspiracy Denise Breton and Christopher Largent

Websites:
www.traumahealing.com
http://www.terryreal.com
www.westonaprice.org
www. hakimarchuletta.com
www.wisdommedicine.org

Islamic Natural Healing yahoogroups [discussion group]

Recovering Sensation

2006-04-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hakim Archuletta, 2005

RECOVERING SENSATION

These exercises make use of the Felt Sense to awaken, or put more accurately, to recover, the natural ability to be "present in the body."Recovery of sensation enhances our feeling and experience of being present in the world.

Reflection, awareness and attention to what we are experiencing in our bodywith all its qualities while moving through the world is likebeing aware of the smells, colors and beauty of a forest as we travel through it. This can awaken or bring to life our feelings of "hamd"(praise) and "shukr" (thankfulness), to experience life less in a realm of abstract thought or ideas and more as an experiential reality.

Grounding our experiences and ourselves in the world by sensation enables usto automatically carry an awareness of a physical boundary, of how andwhere we actually are at all times in relation to all things around us. We thenunconsciously carry with us a sense of that subtle limit of where we end and the restof the world begins. To always have this awareness can bring more to our lives than we may realize.

Allah subhana wa ta'ala has placed us inour bodies and in this physical world, and while we may be aware of theworld to come and live with that in our hearts and minds, we also acceptthat we do this, by Allah subhana wa ta'ala's design, while being present in the world around us.

Being present in our bodies was more natural when we were children, and for most of us this "being present" was gradually programmed out of ourconsciousness or shut down by trauma, feelings that were overwhelming, or bya lifestyle in which we learned to live outside of ourselves altogether.Placing a three year old in front of a TV, finding something that will"occupy" her so that mom can get on with all the work she has to do, or soshe can find a moment to talk with her friends, is an example of the kind offoundational training that teaches us to live outside ourselves. Successwith occupying a child in this way is a prime way to teach her to avoidpersonal, live contact or action in the world in favor of abstract andseemingly "real" distraction. Most children will feel some sense ofloss or separation in this reoriented focus, but they will eventually learnto "live" in this artificial world rather than the actual one. At the sametime, many children object strongly to this and begin to act out theirdispleasure at being left alone. Abandonment to television becomes one ofthe most compelling foundations for behavior in our world today, thehypnotic trance-like state, the pain and false pleasure embeddedin it helps account for much of the energy that drives the industry itself.

From these kinds of foundations, we begin to learn and develop more elaborate systems of distraction derived from feelings of separation, andbecome addicted to their use when facing overwhelming events, or even thevery simple events of everyday life. In the case of most men, as aresult of their particular training and upbringing, distraction is used as astrategy for avoidance and survival in the face of any feeling at all. Our addiction todistraction and avoidance takes us from the act of fully experiencing pleasure or pain and eventually from the real experience of life itself. For those people who have experienced or are experiencing severe trauma, abuse and more obvious neglect these needs of distraction are evenmore compelling. The abstraction from experiencing life on a feeling level takes us further and further from the ability to know what our actual needs are. We become lost in superficial experience and lost in superficialremedies as well.

Western and American culture and society is rife with many more such examples. Our modern age from theturn of the 20th century onward is marked by an enormous proliferation of images and the development of a plethora of abstract experiences outside ourselves. Photo albums have replaced the extended family, movies and TV have replaced adventure and friendship. All this has created a narcissistic culture in which we live in the space of an image of how we are supposed tolive and not how we actually feel. All of this entails being divorced fromsensation and feeling. Eventually whole parts and layers of our being becomesenseless and abstracted until we no longer really able tocare about things verymuch at all. We continue to go through the motions and postures of "caring,"since we think and believe this is our responsibility, yet somewhere insideus we know how things really are, even if we are no longer able to embodythis in our lives. This creates a terrible disconnect and feeds the sense of hopelessness.

All this in turn impacts our physical emotional and spiritual well being.These widespread needs to be distracted from being fully present are no moredramatically represented than they are by the largest growth industry in theworld, illicit drugs, and the other enormous industries that supply prescription mind-and-emotion altering drugs, as well as the legal drugworld of alcohol and tobacco. TV, of course, fulfills this same need on a massive and profound scale. The list goes on and on of popular distractionsthat enable us to feel we can survive in a state of separation from our feelings, but just surviving means not living our lives to their fullest.The irony of this is that our need for connection, the loss of which is assuaged by distraction, chooses a strategy that ends up creating even more separation.

There are countless ways to explore and awaken the felt sense, and there aremany that we can discover directly for ourselves. Remember, these are exercises to recover that which is innate within us by Allah subhana wa ta'ala's design at the inception of our creation, and something that was at onetime more easily and naturally available to us-something original in us thatwas intact and fully operative. But we recognize that the ability to shut down feelings when things are too much for us to handle emotionally is alsoa Mercy from God to us, enabling us to continue functioning even if it maybe on a less conscious level.

They do work, by Allah, even though it seems small the result, if there is intention , can be someting amazing, insha'Allah.

THE EXERCISES

(If you have difficulty with any of these exercises and find them to betoo much, consider finding a well informed somatic therapist for additionalwork and support. These kinds of exercises, if practiced regularly andexplored in various ways, eventually become natural and do not have to bedone as exercises at all. Your body is a complex whole system that hasmemory on many levels. By reprogramming your system towards its naturalstate, your nervous system will gradually begin to remember and theexperience of feeling grounded in your sensations will naturally increase.)
There's a lot here so take your time with each one, one at a time.

1. Recall the last time you felt a strong emotion. Was it anger, joy,sorrow? How did you know you were angry or sad? We don't think sadness oranger, we feel sad or angry. We feel with our body, a simple truth oftenoverlooked. Recall the experience of that strong emotion and pay attentionto your felt sense, to what you feel in your body. Can you recall where inyour body you felt angry or sad? What was the sensation that youinterpreted as sad or angry? What do you feel now in your body?

2. Using both hands, begin slapping your skin, alternating each hand using arhythm as in clapping hands, right, left, right, left. Moving from neck tolegs, cover as much of your body as you can. Slap hard enough to elicit somewarmth and even some tingling without it being painful. Do this for aboutthree minutes. Cover as much of the surface of your body as you can. Stopslapping and pay attention to the overall sensations and experience what youare feeling. Take some time in simply observing. See what you can discover.Doing this daily can bring about surprising results.

3. When in the shower, pay attention to the sensation of the water as itstrikes your body. Focus on the physical sensations you experience. Examinethem closely. Do the same in the wind, rain. Eventually you might noticecarefully the feeling of different cloth materials on your body as you move.Try walking barefoot and observing what your feet are experiencing on different surfaces.

4. Observe your sensations in different settings. When you enter a room orstep into the outdoors, when you are in traffic, in a crowd or alone, or inthe forest, overlooking a vast landscape or any other environment, closely observe differences in the sensations of your body. Compare the differencesin relation to the different settings. Notice where the sensations aremostly taking place: chest, arms, head, neck, etc. Observe and explore thequality of your sensations. If the sensations are pleasant, see if you can identify specifically what it is you are actually physically feeling that enables you to consider it "pleasant." If unpleasant, do the same. Make note of the two kinds of sensations if you can. Then, compare them andrecognize that these different sensations all occur in YOUR BODY with specific physical qualities. Recognize that these sensations occur asphysical experiences, with specific qualities, although they may also beassociated with a judgment, memory, analysis or thought. Simply doing thisis a big step toward grounding our experiences in bodily sensation.

5. Look at some old photos, one at a time. Spend some time to see if yourbody experiences differing sensations from different photos from differenttimes and of different people. Observe what the sensations are, where theyoccur and what the qualities of the sensations are.

6. When you are passing time such as waiting, observe what sensations arepresent in your body. Experiment with shifting attention to various parts ofyour body and observe the differences and how the part you are attending to may come into and out of focus. Note the strength of the sensory experience.

7. After some practice with the above, try observing your sensations invarious circumstances, meeting an old friend, dealing with a difficultperson or an old problem, when some good news comes to you. Notice if paying attention to the physical experience makes it any easier to manage a difficult experience or to make a pleasant experience more so.

With some practice you will find that chronically difficult exchanges or experiences are almost always made easier by being "grounded in your body." This grounding will make it easier to have a choice in how you react in different circumstances.

Remedies and Cures

2006-04-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

by Hakim Archuletta

Its an old basic that one must grasp the essence and the core of the whole subject and not go by "give this for this" In many texts, descriptions of foods in terms of their hot cold wet and dry qualities, for example, you will find conflicting information . I'm not sure of the origins or reason for this.-sometimes from country to country , honey may, for example, be described as hot and dry and even hot and wet in another text. Everything you find, however, that is not in conflict and that makes sense should be stored as a-possible- and you will find prescriptions that are consistent from across the world and through time -these we need to know for our patients as it indicates something sound.

It is an interesting phenomen the "cure-alls that come and go and sometimes stick. Often this is from something other than the virtues of the remedy itself and maybe more from the social attitude about it, Chamomile is an example. Chemically there is no indication of any calming properties. If you study it from a homeopathic point of view it resembles coffee in its actionon the body and nervous system and contains stomach irritants from a modern scientific point of view. It does have a pleasant taste for some and the commonly accepted idea of it being calming combined with that may be why itis useful at all.. Of the many fads that come and go and the cure-alls CocaCola and Ketchup are the most interesting. Originally presented as medicines they have held their popularity to say the least even though the medicine aspect has mostly been forgotten. This does indicate a powerful personality for them and that points to a healing possibility as well. This was demonstrated by the homeopaths , that anyhing with a strong personalityor that represents a kind of archetypal peak in the spectrum of things in the creation have a strong presence you might say and a potential healing power. This is true of remarkable substances such as gold, sulfur, calcium,carbon, arsenic all with strong personalitites or nafs as it was describedin the old arab texts (ar-Razi).

I use Coca Cola as a GI remedy often withgood results and often to the surprise of many. Noni juice, colloidial silver, tea tree oil, pomegranite juice are some recent things and anmongst the high priced things on the whole fooods market there are some that probably have real benefit and some that are hypes driven by those who sell the products. The green algaes are an example. Pomegranite extract has a history however in the middle east and china and needs consideration.The biggest hype to come along is the 8 by 8(eight glasses of eight ounces aday) idea of drinking water. This has been debunked by the leading expert in hydration in the mainstream and some investigation has shown that many of the supporting studies were funded by the comapanies that sell water inlittle plastic bottles. Almost all of the traditional approaches to medicine recommend to drink little( Hippocrates : "eat little, drink little, or thepopular wisdom in Pakistan: "go to sleep thirsty, wake up healthy"- thereare times of course that water is the great medicine) Sometimes too much water does nothing but overwork the kidney-urine system. I have presentedthis idea to some who actually become insensed and angry in disbelief as if I have offende their belief system itself-and they are Muslims. It must beconsidered that this has another piece in that many of those who choose tocarry around the plastic bottle in the interest of good health also did thasame as infants.The companies who promoted this market are aware of this-you can be sure.

There was a book some time ago called "Are You Confused?" written by a kindof naturopath-supplement-doc. This book sold a lot because in the self help health field there were so many conflicting ideas and info for the anyone wanting to read and take on some responsibility for their own health. Ofcourse his answers to the confusion was his own take as a supplement person.I have tried to find, search out, opinion that has consistancy, building a case for the particular remedy or advice,that has confirmation, for example,in many times and places, according to the Greeks, the Chinese and evenmodern "scientific" medicine as well as from my own personal experience.I have read in many old texts things that I could not possibly agree with or prescribe and the shortcomings this may indicate leaves a big question. Many older texts from Muslims or even in those from non Muslims in this country,recommend, for example, the use of toxic metals, mercury or lead, and not ina way that the homeopaths or the older masters of the lost art of pharmacywould use to render them non toxic.

Plant Growing Medicine

2006-04-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

by Hakim Archuletta

I'm working on my garden again today, at getting the irrigation more effective.Several years ago, in Abiquiu, I felt badly that I had not planted a garden of any kind for several years. The usual conspiracy of schedule and time seemed to not allow me to do that. I was determined, however, and purchased thirty five small tomato plants. My son and I spent about half an hour using a pick as the ground was so hard a shovel could do nothing and there were so many rocks embedded in the ground as well. We took turns, one swinging into the dry, rock hard earth with the pick, the other pouring in some water and placing a plant as deeply as possible.This of course is not the way it's usually done. No soil prep no compost no double digging. It looked like those plants might have a hard time even surviving. We managed to water them most days and missed some.

A few months later we had yellow tomatoes, roma tomatoes, giant beefsteak, cherry tomatoes others I didn't know the names of. We ate fresh tomatoes, we gave tomatoes away, we piled up huge metal platters of them for visitors, we ate them fried and green we pickled some, we used them in meats and with other veggies, ate them fresh from the plant. That rock hard seemingly dead ground poured forth so many tomatoes we could hardly handle it! Ma'sha'Allah.

Not only is this sort of thing a healing, a connecting to the earth, but also such a metaphor. All genuine engagement with Allah's Creation is such. In short, I reccomend this, wherever you are; find even such a short time as we did to plant something, even if it be in a pot on your windowsill or as my daughter did some years past, in pots on her roof in the city.

It's not too late in the season and the rewards in terms of barakah are greater than the countable nutriments in the food and that's where real nourishment is! Even a small piece of nurturing as with a plant that produces food nurtures oneself more than the food.

The Importance of Emotional Wellness

2006-04-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

By Ather Ali, ND

The World Health Organization defines health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This comprehensive definition is consistent with the Old English meaning of wholeness.

Traditional medical systems, such as Indian Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Islamic medicine have always recognized the importance of emotional health. It was understood that the health of the mind, body, and soul were intricately related, and that an imbalance or disease in either component can adversely affect the entire being. The modern era has largely lost this consciousness, though a tremendous volume of cutting-edge research in the field of ‘mind-body medicine’ is corroborating ancient wisdom.

It is well known that negative emotional states, such as anger and hostility, can predict future disease. Our traditional sages and scholars have long warned of anger killing the spiritual heart, and this warning is just as applicable to the physical heart. In the past two decades, numerous studies have shown anger and hostility to predict high blood pressure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and heart disease. Anger has been shown to be an independent risk factor, like high LDL cholesterol, for heart disease. Those who express more anger have nearly a 300% higher risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death. Other ‘negative emotions’ have been shown to be associated with many disease states: Asthma, arthritis, headache, and chronic pain are associated, to varying degrees, with anxiety, anger, hostility, and depression.

On the other hand, ‘positive emotions’ are associated with a number of health benefits.
Optimistic people have been shown to live 19% longer than pessimists. People with high levels of social involvement and social support demonstrate better wound healing, less susceptibility to colds, and shortened recovery times. A Stanford University study demonstrated a doubling of survival time for women with metastatic breast cancer in women involved in weekly support groups where they expressed their feelings about their illness and its effect on their lives.

The act of forgiveness, a mainstay of our spiritual tradition, been shown to be a powerful healing tool. People with high levels of forgiveness report lower levels of pain, anger, and psychological distress.

Releasing negative emotions in healthy ways is also beneficial. In one study, patients with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis were asked to write about the most stressful event of their lives. Four months later, the asthma patients showed improvements in lung function and the arthritis patients showed improvements in pain scores.

As eating well and regular exercise are rightly promoted as mainstays of preserving health and preventing future disuse, the value of emotional health must also be emphasized. Unlike many advanced chronic diseases, our emotional diseases are easily ‘cured.’ The first step in the process is to recognize and reflect on the problem, followed by seeking appropriate help.

Ather Ali is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Integrative Medicine and MPH candidate at Yale University, and assistant professor at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine in Connecticut.

Shifa

2006-04-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Shifa healing (arabic)

Assalamalaykum and welcome to this blog. The blog is dedicated to exploring ideas and concepts around health and healing in the context of Islamic teachings. Sidi Hakim Archuletta has been my main inspiration and much of what I plan to discuss inshallah will follow from his work. This blog will be a record of what I have learned so far. I pray that it will be beneficial and useful to others.