Help Your Body Help Itself
I was born and raised in rural North Eastern Arizona on old Route 66. Just about dead middle between Flagstaff and the New Mexico border. One of the many unique things about living in Arizona is the lack of falling back and springing forward. I’m talking about daylight savings time of course. We did not participate.
I bring this up because as I am sitting down typing this we are coming up on the “spring forward” edition of daylight savings time. This seems to be the one that folks like the least. Is it the loss of one hour of sleep? Or is it the staying darker longer in the mornings that is problematic? Imagine if we didn’t spring forward though and sunrise started at like 4:00 am in July.
I really think it’s just bad timing. We just survived the hardest part of winter when the sun doesn’t come out until eight. We’ve watched it get earlier and earlier, before 7:00 even, only to see it go back to almost eight again. We should spring forward in May but what do I know, I’m just a dentist.
If you all didn’t know a Dentist is a Doctor. A Doctor of the Oral Cavity. And just like all other pseudo doctors, you know who you are, podiatrists, optometrists, chiropractors, we also have a pretty thorough knowledge of the entire human body. I happen to have a B.S. in Biology which required me to complete Human Anatomy and Physiology at an undergraduate level. Then in Dental School, we did it all over again at a graduate school level which involved dissecting our own cadavers.
What can I say about the Human Body after all that education and years of practice in the field of Dentistry? That it has a incredible capacity that only a small percentage of the human population has even glimpsed. A capacity to endure, to heal, to survive. It really is a vessel for our spirit, soul, essence, whatever you want to call it. A vessel that should be used and cared for in the pursuit of purpose, happiness, and meaning in this life.
Let’s talk about endurance. I may have mentioned in one of my 70+ earlier 406 Women articles that when I moved to the Flathead Valley I was astounded when I saw, let’s call them “BadAsses,” riding their bikes up Going to the Sun Road, or climbing Big Mountain on their skis. In my head I was like, “good for them but hell no.” I was never ever ever going to do that.
It didn’t take long until a neighbor of mine said, “hey man you know we ride our bikes up Going to the Sun road during the full moon, you should come it’s only 8 miles.” Yeah, 8 miles uphill. But I consented and it was HARD. But, eventually I found myself rounding the final turns and leveling off next to a sign that read “Welcome to Logan’s Pass.” It was then I began to realize that it’s not the body that will limit us, but the mind.
Now, ten years later, I find myself biking up the road as often as I can, often starting at Avalanche instead of the loop doubling the distance. I find myself regularly skinning up Big Mountain at 5:30 am because it allows me to see some amazing sunrises, get some amazing exercise, get some amazing time to think and reflect, and get some amazing turns on an empty slope. I have learned that if I care for this physical body it will be obedient to the desires of the mind.
Before I write my next installment in this magazine, I will have traveled to Alaska for my first time in order to do 5 days of touring in mountains only accessible by bush plane and my legs. Do I know it’s going to be the hardest thing I have ever done physically? Yes. Do I know that my body is capable? Yes. Do I know that I have the mental fortitude to push through? There’s only one way to find out.
Let’s talk about the body’s amazing ability to heal itself. What we might not actually consider is the body is in a constant state of healing and renewal. There is a term that us biology majors are very familiar with and that term is Homeostasis. Put simply it’s the body’s systems that maintain internal stability in response to variable external conditions.
These systems are very sensitive and specific and are regulated chemically. Our bodies have sensors everywhere always collecting data and tweaking levels to keep us in our optimal zones. Why do our wounds need to form a blood clot? To reduce the loss of blood which would lead to a loss in blood pressure which would reduce the efficiency of every function our cardiovascular system carries out which would lead to us “clocking out.” Why do our hands and feet get cold first when we’re out skiing? Because Our body is maintaining an optimal temperature around our vital organs and has to sacrifice somewhere. Fingers and toes are not vital to survival in the body's eyes.
Sometimes as I start writing I have a point I’m trying to make and maybe don’t know for sure how I’m going to get there. It should always relate to dentistry in some way right? So the point I want to drive home is to ask ourselves, Are we caring for our physical bodies in a manner that assists in the bodies ability to maintain homeostasis? Are we helping it help itself? I’m talking physically, nutritionally, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, etc.
Inflammation is a hot button topic in health and nutrition over the last couple decades. We have learned that excess sugar causes chronic internal inflammation in addition to other things that certain individuals might be sensitive to, like lactose or gluten and so many other allergens. What does chronic inflammation mean to us? It means a constant elevated immune response that can increase the frequency of illness in addition to zapping us of energy.
One area of the body that is very susceptible to inflammation is our gingiva, or gums. Almost all of us have a spot or two that bleeds when we floss or brush. If we don’t have impeccable dental hygiene techniques at home it’s inevitable that we will develop a build-up of plaque between the gums and the teeth. This creates a rough surface and the body will start to identify the “rough” teeth as foreign objects and initiate an inflammatory response with the intended goal of eliminating this “foreign” tooth from the body.
How is this accomplished, by dissolving the jawbone that holds our teeth tightly in place. This unfortunately increases the depths of our gingival pockets making it even harder to clean only making the inflammation greater. To put it in perspective, if you have generalized gum inflammation (aka gingivitis) it’s the equivalent of having a bleeding sore the size of your hand on your body. It can be a major source of inflammation in your body and has a big impact on your overall health and homeostasis. A whole body health and wellness goal should absolutely consider your oral health.
This is a dental hygienist's main purpose to clean the areas of your teeth that your toothbrush and floss simply can’t do very well in order to prevent inflammation and bone loss. I’m not saying you’re not doing a good job but every once in a while you need to get that car detailed. Get the quarters and french fries out from under the passenger seat.
I can safely sit here and claim at the end of this article that I'm in the best physical condition of my life. Not for any vanity or aesthetic purpose, but because it’s what is necessary to endure the recreational activities that I enjoy. I owe this to so many inspirational humans in my close circle who are examples of what is possible when both the mind and the body are strong, and I hope that in turn I might be somewhat inspiring to someone else. I’m just trying to keep up.
Thanks for Reading.
Read Help Your Body Help Itself by Dr. John F. Miller, DDS, in 406 Woman magazine.