Southern Folk Medicine

by Phyllis D. Light

  Dominant-air people are prone to anxiety in social situations and performance anxiety while in school or at work. As air folk master their chosen area of study or profession, the anxiety is greatly reduced and replaced by expert knowledge and skills. Still, the self-esteem of an air person is often bound in what they know. Knowledge is an important asset to air folk.

  Our Senses

  The smell of baking bread; the memory of an exceptional moment; or the soft touch of a baby’s skin. These experiences are possible because of one organ—the brain. Take a moment to experience your own senses. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Keep your eyes closed and concentrate on your fingertips. What do you feel? Take a deep breath. What do you smell? Now open your eyes. What do you see? Pour yourself a glass of juice or make a cup of herbal tea. What do you taste?

  In today’s modern world, our senses are constantly being bombarded with auditory and visual signals. How does our brain pick and choose what is important and what is trivial? Sometimes it can’t or has trouble doing so, and problems result.

  Our senses are classified into two categories: general senses and special senses. Receptors that are spread throughout the body, such as in the skin, give rise to general senses. Specialized receptors limited to certain sites give rise to special senses. General senses monitor touch, pressure, temperature, and pain. Other general receptors provide information about the position of the body and the length and tension of skeletal muscles.

  The special senses include smell, taste, hearing, equilibrium, and sight. Each of the special senses correlates with specific structures in the body, for example, taste with taste buds or hearing and equilibrium with the ears. Each sense also has a particular mechanism for action and multiple aspects to its function.

  In air folk, the senses are acutely tuned for fight-or-flight, especially hearing and smell. Both these senses are carried on the wind. Sound would not exist without the molecules in the air to carry it, and therefore there is no sound in empty space. Smell is a different kettle of fish. Smell can travel through space on gaseous molecules that move by diffusion across the emptiness, making it not empty anymore. Gases and physical particles can exist in a vacuum but tend to dilute across the vastness. Astronauts have reported a distinct smell of cooking meat after a spacewalk, and, reportedly, the moon has its own smell. Interesting.

  The Nature of Air

  Air is associated with the humor or body fluid of blood, the color of red, and the taste of sour or acid. Moving air is called wind, and the two terms, air and wind, are often used interchangeably in Southern Folk Medicine, though have somewhat different meanings. Air governs the brain, nervous system, lymph, lungs, shoulders, kidneys, bladder, lower back, legs, ankles, and circulation. It is responsible for the movement of fluids, gases, and nerve impulses through the body. It is also responsible for thought and the movement of neurons and neurotransmitters. The air element is also known as sour blood in the Southern blood types.

  To understand the nature of the air element, it is important to understand the taste of sour and the digestion of protein. It’s also important to understand the nature of stress. Because air governs the nervous system, it influences how we react to stress and our neurotransmitter activity, and has an especially strong effect on the sympathetic nervous system, which governs fight or flight.

  Let’s start with how the body digests protein and the taste of sour. Protein cannot be absorbed in the complex state in which it appears in food. Once we take in a protein food, our body must break it down into its constituent amino acids for utilization. Unlike carbohydrate digestion, which begins in the mouth, protein digestion begins in the stomach. Therefore, to digest animal protein, adequate hydrochloric acid is required. If you have normal stomach acid, this isn’t an issue. If stomach acid is low, then protein digestion is going to be impaired. Some people have naturally low stomach acid, but many folks have low stomach acid due to antacid prescription medications designed to soothe acid reflux. These medications impair protein digestion and synthesis, as well as mineral absorption.

  Until fire became common, our ancestors ate their food raw, including animal protein. Raw meat is fibrous and tough, and just doesn’t pack the nutritional punch our brains and bodies needed to evolve. Our early ancestors spent hours and hours pounding their food with rocks and then chewing and chewing in order to receive enough nutrition to survive. But luckily, someone, most likely a raw meat eater, discovered fire and decided to throw some food on it. Or, more likely, decided to eat the cooked carcass of an animal left behind after a natural brush fire.

  Eating raw meat with its inherent fatty acids made our ancestors smarter and allowed them to expand their territory and migrate across the land. But eating cooked meat was even better. Cooking meat liberates energy, makes it softer and easier to digest, and releases the protein in muscle tissue. Fire also allowed meat to be cut into strips and dried for future use, so the whole animal didn’t have to be consumed within a short span of a few days.

  As humans ate more meat, the body developed muscle for hunting, the brain grew bigger, and the digestive tract grew smaller. A longer digestive tract is needed to digest grains and plant materials; a shorter one works fine for meat-eating. This is most obvious in the animal world. Herbivores have the longest digestive tract, omnivores a shorter one, and carnivores a very short one. Think cow, black bear, and tiger. Modern man definitely has a shorter digestive tract than these animals, not as short as a true carnivore but longer than a true herbivore. We are somewhere in the middle.

  For ancient man, enhancing the digestion and assimilation of protein, whether from plant or animal sources, improved repair from injury, recovery from illness, and overall longevity. Protein comprises the building blocks of most of our cells, including organ tissue, blood cells, bones, skin, hair, immune system, and muscle. We tend to use protein as we take it in. If we don’t need the protein, then it’s not broken down into amino acids, but rather, the calories are sent to storage as fat. The only storage site for protein is muscle, and that storage form is limited. This is why you lose muscle mass during an illness such as the flu. If you’re sick and can’t eat, then the body will cannibalize muscle tissue as a source of the vital amino acids needed for healing.

  In addition to repair and rebuilding activities, protein is also used to manufacture enzymes, the sparks of life. Enzymes help break down our food, gobble up bacteria, and function as catalysts in many metabolic processes. They are also required to modulate the production of energy by mitochondria. Enzymes are only catalysts; they are not changed nor consumed in any reactions. They are so specific that only one enzyme can perform one specific function. There are no generalized enzymes; therefore, we need lots and lots of them. And this means that we need a sustained protein source to fund their manufacture.

  Air people have a high requirement for good-quality protein whether from animal or plant sources, and it’s important that it’s available in the diet. They also do well with beans, whole grains, eggs, and fresh vegetables. Dairy may not be readily digested, and so its addition to daily protein may be limited.

  The Taste of Sour

  When we eat something sour, it makes our mouth pucker and we immediately start salivating. Our tongue will curl to funnel the spit-laden sourness from our mouths. Our lips pucker and we cringe. The reaction protects us from spoiled or unripe foods, and the taste is enhanced in certain fruit acids and fermented foods.

  Food preparation techniques involving sour marinades partially evolved to help render tough animal tissue more tender, moist, and easily digested, plus they add flavor and mask the strong taste of wild game and aged meat. Marinades typically contain something sour, such as vinegar, sour milk, fruit juices, herbs, or wine, to help soften the tissue and bring moisture. Because marinades penetrate slowly, they may take several hours to be effective, and then the outside of the meat may be more sour and tender than the inside.

  Another traditional foodway to help digest protein is to
cook meat with fruits and herbs to increase tenderness. Think about tomatoes and beef, pork and apples, pineapple and pork, lemon and fish, and cheese and tomato. Chicken seems to go with almost any fruit. Mango, pineapple, and papaya, while sour fruits, are also especially helpful in tenderizing meat or aiding in the digestion of fish due to their enzyme content. Papaya contains papain; pineapple contains bromelain; and mango contains mangiferin. These are all enzymes that specialize in breaking down protein. Salsa, chow-chow, and other condiments also function as digestive aids for meats, beans, and peas.

  Fermentation provides another type of sour taste. Nature ferments fruits and dairy products as a matter of course, but the earliest intentionally fermented foods were beer, wine, and cultured dairy products. Fermented vegetables provide a sour taste, good bacteria, and enzymes that aid in the digestion of meats and grains. For example, cabbage is fermented in several cultures around the world. In Germany, sauerkraut is eaten with heavy meats such as pork and beef. On the other hand, in Korea, kimchi is eaten with rice. If we look at traditional foodways, we can find many other examples such as pickles with cheese, chutney with either cheese, beans, or meat, and chow-chow with peas and beans.

  It’s important for the air-dominant person to take in adequate amounts of protein, and that requires adequate digestive juices. Sour foods can help improve digestion capability and food breakdown, which helps increase absorption of nutrients. Air folk should also try to avoid eating spoiled food, food that has been sitting out too long, and too many fermented foods. While fermented foods can be useful for digestive health, too many can overwhelm the small intestines with bacteria. Even good bacteria can cause issues in excess.

  Neurotransmitters and Hormones

  Protein is used in the manufacture of some hormones and neurotransmitters, such as thyroid hormone, adrenaline, endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. Of particular importance to air people are the hormones linked to fight-or-flight, the stress hormones—adrenaline, cortisol, norepinephrine—and the role of the sympathetic nervous system in fight-or-flight. Air folk are especially susceptible to the effects of stress and are quick to react to stressful situations. They are prone to adrenal exhaustion, also called nervous exhaustion or cortisol dominance.

  Early man dealt with many environmental stresses to survival that triggered fight-or-flight, such as facing a threatening animal, protecting hunting grounds or the tribe, or the uncertainty of food gathering and storage. There was also the thrill of the hunt itself. These are examples of acute stress, the stress of the moment.

  For modern man, acute stressors still happen, but not as often and from very different sources. Chronic stress is more common, from too many hours at the office with too many deadlines, unattainable expectations in personal relationships, or how to make enough money to support a family. These examples of chronic stress have no clear endpoint. We don’t know when that particular stress might end. Regardless of the source, whether acute or chronic, the body’s reaction is the same.

  In fight-or-flight, our body must decide whether to stand and fight, flee, or freeze. Which action is best for survival? That’s a key question. If the threat is viewed as a challenge, then fight is the decision. If the threat is viewed as loss of control, then flight is the decision. Both are utilized in acute types of stress. On the other hand, if the situation is viewed as hopeless and unending, then freeze is the decision. The freeze mechanism is based on the belief of defeat and is the most common in chronic stress. Both fight and flight activate the release of adrenaline, but freeze also activates the release of cortisol. Let’s look at this a bit closer.

  When adrenaline is released, our heart rate goes up. Blood moves into our extremities and away from the digestive tract, readying our body for the physical action of fight or flight. All of our five senses intensify, especially sight and hearing. After the first rush of adrenaline and in order to maintain the stress reaction, the body releases cortisol to maintain the high-alert status.

  All of this is taking place with the aid of the nervous system. It’s the sympathetic nervous system that senses the danger and signals the brain to start the fight-or-flight process. This is wind in action. In acute stress, the sympathetic nervous system engages and stays on alert until the danger has passed, and then the parasympathetic nervous system aids in relaxing the body and mind. The stimulation to the sympathetic nervous system directly releases the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.

  In chronic stress, the sympathetic nervous system stays on continual alert; it never takes a break—ever. Even when the danger has passed, it is still on alert thanks to cortisol. Cortisol takes longer to be secreted than the other stress hormones because it is released by the brain. It may take months for the mind to receive the signal that the threat is no longer there and reduce the levels of cortisol and stress hormones, and then the body must recover and repair.

  Air people under stress often find it hard to eat; the appetite just goes away. Here they must be careful to continue eating some protein, or the body will begin using muscle for its needs.

  During the stress cascade, glycogen is the preferred fuel. Once the stored glycogen from the liver and muscles is depleted, the body looks around for another source of fuel. That would be either fat or protein. It picks the one that converts the quickest because during stress the body needs energy quickly. The body would like to burn fat, but chronic stress stimulates production of a protein that reduces the body’s ability to break down fat and so it uses protein instead.

  Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that reduces protein synthesis, lowers the immune system, and prevents tissue growth. In other words, cortisol breaks down muscle for energy. Initially, the burning of muscle and the release of stress hormones will reduce the appetite and speed metabolism. Over time, in a chronic stress situation, cortisol will actually increase appetite and reduce metabolism, which causes weight gain. You can see this in air-dominant folks. First they lose weight and as the stress continues and they don’t feel that it will ever end, then they start putting on weight, which often gives them a blown-up look. Thin air bones weren’t meant to carry all that weight.

  On a normal day, cortisol helps regulate our energy by selecting which type of fuel to burn, carbohydrates, fats, or protein. On a normal day, cortisol will signal the burning of fat, in the form of triglycerides, for fuel. But this isn’t a normal day; this is another chronic stress day. Remember, cortisol is made from fat. And, the enzyme that converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol is found in fat tissue. The storage form of energy is fat, and cortisol directs fat storage deep into the abdomen to lay up fuel for the future—the future that has an uncertainty due to chronic stress. Cortisol is in complete control.

  Air people are very susceptible to the effects of chronic stress because of the sensitivity of their nervous systems. Situations that wouldn’t necessarily stress anyone else can send air into a stress cascade that lasts for days. In chronic stress, air folk are prone to emotionally blow up, yell, and say things they don’t mean—in other words, throw a hissy fit. It’s like letting the pressure off a valve. They’ve got to let it out and then it blows over.

  Because of their sensitive natures and nervous systems, air people may appear standoffish, egotistical, or self-important. It’s really the way that air people have of protecting themselves from the never-ending assault on their nervous systems. If it’s out in the airways, air folk can pick it up, and for this reason, often appear psychic. They hum the song that’s playing on the radio as they turn on the radio. They flip on the light switch and blow a bulb. They know what you are going to say as you say it.

  Going to the mall or being around large crowds of people frazzles their nerves. They do better in smaller groups or in groups over which they have some control. For this reason, air folks make good professors, researchers, and writers.

  Think about the role of stress and protein and the nervous system and the mind/body connection as we discuss the traits of air p
eople. Chronic stress causes the body to burn protein for energy and store fat. Air people have a very sensitive nervous system and mind/body connection. For air people, any type of stress can quickly send them into an emotional tailspin.

  Air Traits

  Air people carry and move things too. They like to gather information and disperse it to the world in some manner. They analyze. They put their thoughts and ideas into words and send them out in the form of writing, research, poetry, or song. They want to know how people think and spend time thinking about this.

  Air people are extremely concerned about what is fair and right. Often they advocate for social justice; they want to help make the world a better place. As rabble rousers or social analysts, air people help create the reform movements that make changes in society. They don’t tend to be the leaders of the movement. but prefer to work in more supportive roles, cranking out the words, the writings, or the speeches that support the cause. Think Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Yeats, Sartre, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Air at its finest working for change. However, air people who really believe that change is needed and that they can help effect that change may become politicians. When the air is up but controlled, these folks can be very charismatic.

  Air folks are smart and intellectual, and do well in their chosen professions as long as they stay on track. Sometimes, their intellect creates a barrier between them and others, and they often purposely create this barrier in order to protect their sensitive nature. Air folk are so sensitive and highly strung that it’s very easy to hurt their feelings. Remember, they are running on nervous energy. Behind the facade of self-importance that is used as a defense is a quiet, lonely, sensitive soul who both loves and hates people at the same time. Who both needs and is repulsed by people at the same time. Who doesn’t mind spending time alone to avoid making deeper emotional connections. These are the folks who treasure their true friends deeply and will be loyal even in times of adversity or absence.