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98 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 1 8 Can I really be allergic to white bread but not darker varieties of wheat breadstuffs? Yes, because the enteric nervous system is composed of 500 million total neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters produce hormonal, biochemical, and electromagnetic patterns and responses. In other words, it makes perfect sense that an emotionally triggering food can stimulate anything from an illness to a stomachache. What about the brain? In general, our brain responds to foods based on memory associations. Specifically, conclusions about a certain substance are stored in the hypothalamus, which links our cerebral cortex and limbic system. Our hypothalamus actually determines our subtle or subconscious reactions to a food. While a food might need to land in our digestive tract before our enteric system reacts, not so when the brain is involved. For instance, I felt closest to my dad when we ate chocolate-covered cherries together. I often crave them, because my brain associates that particular candy with love. Guess what? There isn't a chocolate- covered cherry in the world that will make me gain weight. When a positive memory is associated with a food, the hypothalamus will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. The food—even the thought of it— will relax us. In turn, our enteric system will cheerily metabolize the food. We'll burn off the calories and feel great. What if my father had shamed me while indulging in chocolate cherries? Negative correlations with a food activate the sympathetic nervous system, which is excitatory in nature. That particular food will now be harder to digest. Not only that, but the extra calories will more easily be stored as body fat, the healthy gut bacteria will diminish in count, the body will become more toxic, and the resulting stress will raise the heart rate and the body's production of cortisol and insulin. 1 Over time, the consumption of negatively charged foods can cause chronic inflammation, disease-processes, allergies, sensitivities, and autoimmune dysfunctions. The final emotional frontier is the heart. While the heart is a physical powerhouse of electromagnetic and hormonal activity, it is also the center of the spiritual self. In general, foods perceived to reflect spiritual qualities are more life enhancing and those associated with harmful spiritual norms are more destructive. In other words, foods can carry spiritual blessings. Consider Intentional Chocolate, a chocolate infused with good intentions by monks. A study published in 2007 showed that this chocolate increased a subject's well-being, vigor, and energy between 67 and 1,000 percent. 2 There is a reason most spiritual traditions recommend that we pray over our food. SUBTLE ENERGIES IN FOOD One reason the subtle energies associated with a food can create palpable reactions is that all substances reduce to frequencies of sound and light. This is true of subtle and physical energies, as well as the subtle and physical anatomies. Take sound. Every tangible and intangible substance vibrates at a unique frequency, causing all living cells to generate a distinct sound, which is usually too low or too high to hear. The tone of yeast cells, for instance, lies between a C-sharp and a D. Bone cells are lower in pitch. 3 Cells, organs, and body parts also generate—and are affected by—specific frequencies of light. 4 Cells giving off the same gradients of light congregate together, creating recognizable and distinct bands of energy. 5 For instance, the stomach emits a certain set of frequencies, or color and sound, and the small intestine a different set. Just as cells, body parts, and even emotions and memories pulsate at different frequencies, so do different foods. If you eat a tomato, its subtle energy will support a bodily part that matches the tomato's frequency. Processed foods, like white flours and sugars, are considered "dead" or unhealthy because they emanate a frequency that is so weak they don't support any particular body region. Foods that don't match any of the body's energetic signatures can actually be harmful or dangerous. The immune system will attack the mismatched foods, thus establishing the conditions for food sensitivities and allergies, and in turn, inflammation and erratic digestion. While foods naturally reflect their unique frequencies, they can also carry others' energies. If that extra subtle energy is desirable or helpful, the food will create healthy physical reactions. If these energies are perceived as harmful, they might disrupt the digestive system. There are also foods that we psychologically think should carry an extra-special boost of subtle energy. For instance, mother's milk should contain mother's love. If a related food, like ice cream or cheese, fails to deliver, the immune system will react. In order to best explain that last paragraph, I need to give you a quick lesson on forces. A force is a wave of moving energy that produces an effect. We are constantly impacted by forces, but most people don't realize that the majority of forces are unseen, or subtle. And while your client might be seeing you to repair the effects of a physical force, such as those delivered by a fall or injury, they might inadvertently need assistance with the effects of a subtle force. Subtle energies determine what shows up in our body, causing the conditions for food cravings, dislikes, issues, and reactions.