Digestion? What a great system!

Working on women, mainly, we always finish to talk about uterus and pelvis 80% of the time, but sometimes some men wants to try my sessions and definitely the argument change! This time a dear friend was really interested about the digestive system and how ATMAT can work on it, so I thought it was really good to change subject for this newsletter! 

Digestion is a very complex process, like any other process in our body, is perfectly made to serve us the best way possible. Basically is the mechanical and chemical process that transform the food in such a way that we can absorb the nutrients. The big molecules of any food is transformed to become a way smaller one. To accomplish this great work there are 3 different phases:
- The first one starts in your brain, the idea, the sight, the smell, the sound of the food stimulate saliva and gastric juices that start being secreted.
- The second phase takes place in the stomach, that become bigger in order to contain all the food. The chemical juices contained in this important organ break down the food giving it the consistence of a liquid matter. Food can remain in your stomach from 2 to 12 hours according to what is your diet. 
- The last passage is in your intestine. The food that is now a liquid juice can be finally absorbed by the small intestine, meantime the water and the minerals are absorbed in the last part that is called colon. What is no longer useful will excreted via the rectum. 

From the first to the second phase the food pass by a tube called esophagus, as you can see in the image the esophagus pass by the diaphragm, which is a dome shape muscle that divides the pelvis organ from the ribcage ones.

When we are very stress out, the diaphragm is contracted and the esophagus become squeezed. Some people needs to eat more, when stress is there, in order to force this parachute muscle to relax or, sometimes, the appetite seems to be gone (not in my case!!!!). 

When we apply the upper abdomen ATMAT massage we are relaxing the diaphragm 'causing' a better transit of the food and than a better digestion. When we apply the intestine massage we help the transit of our transformed food, allowing a better transfer of the nutrients. 

One reason that many of us are not at a healthy weight is because this great system have some blockage in the communication with ourself. We know now that all the emotions are stored in our abdomen, it is than easy to understand why digestion is not always working the way it should, causing all sorts of symptoms. If you'd like to know more find an ATMAT practitioner, she/he will treat you and teach you how to do your self care at home, plus a number of supportive modalities to get your digestion back on track !  

Some symptoms that ATMAT can help:

• Headaches/migraines
• Digestive disorders
• Low energy
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Lower back ache
• Restricted breathing due to diaphragmatic tension
Click here for more informations.

A couple of tips for helping your digestion:

• Try not to drink too much liquids while eating, this can dilute your stomach juices.
• If you are stressed or in an emotional moment, try to calm down before eating. The stress take the blood away from the stomach making your digestion more difficult!
• If you eat meat, limit the intake and try to find a good organic product, to avoid chemicals and antibiotics.
•  Try to put more vegetables (organic better) in your diet.

*** for my dutch friends, I know you love milk very much, but maybe drinking milk or cappuccino's with your food is not the best for your digestion. 
*** for my english friend, adding custard cream everywhere is not the best either (THIS IS A JOKE, don't take me seriously…). 
This is serious though… 
•  Try to put love in every food you eat, being grateful to all that allowed that food to be on your plate and enjoy! Oxytocin is the best hormone for feeling great and happy, when we eat in company, good food and good laughter make your digestion a very great way to Celebrate Life!