The power of the invisible

Jefferson Breland

(9/2022) This is the third installment on the influences of "context" on our health. What is the "context" of our health? It is nothing less than all of our relationships with everything in the world.

Our health is very often influenced by "invisible" forces. These "invisible" forces are all around us. They are even inside us.

When I say "invisible," I mean outside of our awareness or consciousness. I am specifically referring to the daily, the moment to moment, the everyday of our lives "invisible" forces. These forces may personal, familial, economic, and cultural. I am speaking of beliefs.

I know we may be aware of some of our beliefs like religion, politics, ideas about right and wrong, the weather, personal preferences, love, sports, cars and trucks to name a few.

Often our beliefs are invisible to us. We can be unaware of our beliefs because we have had no reference points for differing beliefs. Life is just the way it is. It’s the way things have always been and always will be. The never thought about what it is and why it is I believe something.

We often take these ideas to be truths without having examined them. Are they true? Are they really true? Examining our beliefs is simply waking up to how our beliefs influence the way we move in the world. For me, what is most important is waking up to how our beliefs influence our health.

How does this relate to health? It is our beliefs, which inform our thoughts. Our thoughts in the presence of people, things, and events in our life are the basis for our emotions. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), our emotions when out of balance are the root cause of 90-95% of all disease. Curiously, TCM calls the out of balance emotions the "Internal Causes of Disease." These imbalances can lead to all manner of illness, both physical and emotional. These illnesses can range from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, allergies, stroke, asthma, generalized pain such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, so on and so forth.

When we encounter different ways of thinking, doing, being, or speaking, we sometimes choose to be frustrated. We may choose to suffer unnecessarily. This unnecessary suffering can have a dramatic effect on our health. We may not even realize that this suffering is optional, i.e., unnecessary. This frustration has an effect on the body. If we are often frustrated by life this can lead to illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, and autoimmune conditions.

When I researched (Googled) possible topics for discussion for this article, I found a wide variety. Many beliefs can lead to amazing disagreements or wars.

I decided to look up (Google) topics less triggering. A common belief is to never bring up certain topics at the dinner table for the sake of civility and healthier digestion. Four often agreed-upon topics to not discuss are religion, politics, money, and sex.

These topics are chock-full of beliefs not always agreed upon. If I tackled these beliefs, I would fill a very thick book, and have to go into a witness protection program. In order to not "poke too many bears," I made a relatively neutral (safe) decision to discuss instead, table manners, yes, table manners.

Something as seemingly innocuous as table manners can be a source of frustration and a good example of beliefs that may not be true and may contribute to unnecessary suffering.

In researching (again Googling) this topic, I ran across a curious article on the business insider website which describes a host of things to never do at a dinner party. It was written by a "long-time" butler. Let the beliefs/opinions begin.

The list includes:

• Never use your napkin as a bib.

• Never use the table as an elbow rest.

• Never overreact if you spill something on yourself (or someone else).

• Never talk with your hands while holding cutlery.

• Never reach over the table for the salt.

• Never hover over your plate to shovel food into your mouth.

• Never talk with a mouth full of food.

• Never turn your nose up to the food being served.

• Never attempt to discretely blow your nose at the table.

• Never leave your napkin on the chair after dinner.

Take a look at this list and observe your thoughts. All of your thoughts are based on your beliefs. Wow, I never knew I had such strong opinions about table manners. What was So-and-so thinking when they left their napkin on their chair?! How rude!

The great thing about these dinner party beliefs is that they are very specific to the culture of people who hire butlers and have dinner parties.

There are a number of assumptions made. One example is, what defines a dinner party? How many people are in attendance? Are there multiple courses of food? Are butlers always involved? What about which glass and fork to use when? Oh my God, that butler left out so many other possible embarrassments. Who decides what is proper?

It may appear I have lost my mind using dinner party manners as an example of beliefs that may affect our health. How many of you said, "Number 9, that’s stupid" or "number 7 is just plain common sense" or "number 2 is just plain rude"?

Any of these opinions is based on beliefs. Beliefs that we learned somewhere along the road of our lives. Beliefs are learned. Beliefs are not found in nature. Beliefs are our human way of interacting with each other and the world around us.

Curiously, not doing at least two of the above rules would be considered rude at any meal in at least a handful of countries which have different beliefs about what is proper and respectful. Who is right? Who is wrong? It all comes back to context.

A search on amazon.com for books about table manners came back with over 2,000 results. Really? I mean, Really? Do we need 2,000 books to tell us how to eat "politely? What is "politely" anyhow? (Now my beliefs are showing.)

If there is enough interest in the world to produce at least 2,000 books written in English about table manners, imagine how much physical and emotional energy is spent teaching, correcting, explaining the value of, getting upset by, and being embarrassed by the actions of eating a meal.

Don’t even get me started on what (to me) is the funny idea that humans are the only species that has to be taught how and what to eat food what is beneficial to them. A quick search of amazon.com results in a list of over 50,000 books.

50,000 books by humans, for humans, about how and what humans should eat. Maybe it’s just me… that’s ridiculous. I know. I know. That’s my beliefs talking. I am a little riled up now, and that just about table manners and diets!!

Imagine how our beliefs around more passionate issues effect our well-being. It is not a stretch to imagine that beliefs are the number one cause of death in the US. If you look at root cause (according to TCM) of the deaths from heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancers, and violence, you may find a correlation to beliefs.

The quickest way to improve your health is to change your beliefs. What beliefs shake you up emotionally when you encounter different ones? What are the unexamined ideas about life that cause your life to be out of balance emotionally and physically?

I realize that I have rambled a bit here. I have asked a bunch of questions and not offered any answers or practices to help you have better health. I realize that I may have opened Pandora’s box. Remember what was left in the box. Hope.

As always, if you have any questions, give me a call, write me an email or a letter and keep paying attention and be well.

Jefferson Breland is a board-certified acupuncturists licensed in Pennsylvania
 and Maryland with offices in Gettysburg and Towson, respectively.
He can be reached at 410-336-5876.

Read past editions of Complementy Corner