Biological Reset

Resetting the body’s natural rhythm is central to good health. The biological clock is located in the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a tiny region within the hypothalamus – a section of the brain that controls hormone production. The SCN maintains a 24-hour cycle of rest and activity that helps our body’s to establish when to eat and when to sleep. The cycle is also linked to biological activities such as hormone regulating, brain wave activity and cell regeneration. While these rhythms are regulated in the brain, they are affected by external cues such as light and temperature.

Our circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow this 24-hour cycle.

TIME	MERIDIAN	FUNCTION
01:00 to 03:00	Liver	The liver gets down to the work of apportioning the day’s nutrients and detoxifying the day’s toxin load. Deep resting and dreaming also occurs during this time and it is the worst time to eat as the Small Intestine meridian is at its lowest ebb. Anger, frustration and rage reach a peak.
03:00 to 05:00	Lung	The respiratory tract, lungs and sinuses are cleansed and maintained. Gentle breathing occurs and sleep becomes shallower in preparation for waking. Grief and sadness may be experienced at this time.
05:00 to 07:00	Large Intestine	The large intestine packs the stool for excretion ideally at 7 am so it is important to allow time for elimination in the early morning. Drinking water and avoiding caffeine during this time helps promote defecation. Guilt and defensiveness may occur at this time.
07:00 to 09:00	Stomach	The peak time of the day for digestion. For this reason, TCM advocates suggest having the main meal including protein at breakfast. The emotions of disgust and despair may be experienced at this time.
09:00 to 11.00	Spleen	Said to be the most important digestive organ in TCM, the Spleen meridian directs the processes of digestion, transforming foods into Chi and blood. The Spleen also governs the immune system and allergies may be most pronounced at this time. This time window is good for thinking and working, although jealousy, worry and low self-esteem may also be experienced.
11:00 to 13:00	Heart	Palpitations may be noticed during this time and the majority of heart attacks are said to occur during the late morning. This is not a time to place the heart under additional stress by exercising or being exposed to excessive heat. A good time for meeting, talking and eating, although joy and sadness may also occur.
13:00 to 15:00	Small Intestine	The small intestine is busy digesting lunch and this may be the time when symptoms such as indigestion, abdominal pain and bloating most occur. This time window is good for sorting and organising, although insecurity, vulnerability and abandonment may also be experienced.
15:00 to 17:00	Bladder	The Bladder meridian is associated with the skin and skin irritations and eczema may be noticed during this time. Many people may feel tired and want a nap mid-afternoon and a salty snack is said to strengthen the Bladder meridian. Good for storing and reserving, although this time may be associated with timidity.
17:00 to 19:00	Kidney	Tiredness may carry over from Bladder time if the adrenals are depleted (also governed by the Kidney meridian). However, if the adrenals are strong, there may be a second wind of energy. Good for driving and consolidating, although fear and terror may reach a peak.
19:00 to 21:00	Circulation-Sex	This meridian governs the master glands and reproductive organs. If depleted, low back pain may result arising from the kidneys. Good for socialising, flirting and intercourse. Negative aspects include being unresponsive and unable to express emotions, feeling hurt, or extremes of joy.
21:00 to 23:00	Triple Warmer	The Triple Warmer meridian governs the endocrine system and the blood vessels. Headaches or feeling tired and weak during this time may indicate significant arterial repair taking place. Good for relaxing, although may be associated with feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and paranoia.
23:00 to 01:00	Gall Bladder	This meridian is associated with regeneration and sleep which is why we are told that the hours before midnight are important! If restless during this time, this indicates that the gallbladder and liver are overwhelmed and the toxins remaining in circulation are acting as an irritant to the brain. Emotions associated with this time window include bitterness and resentment.

What It Means to Keep to a Circadian Rhythm

If your circadian rhythm is off, your sleep will be disrupted. The circadian rhythm is the key to health and weight loss. Hence, why this is more important than sleep.

For more information on Your Body’s Rhythms, follow this link.

DBM Protocol – Adjunct Therapy – Biological Reset

For gut repair and biological reset, you should be fasting 16 hours daily (evening and nights from after lunch [i.e. no solids at night]) for 7-10 days to give the gut the time to recover every day is highly recommended.

Clean filtered water: A minimum of 2.5 – 2.7 litres of fluid needs to be consumed daily to relieve bowel problems; water and teas/tisanes can be drunk throughout the day; broths are more ideal when fasting starts in the late afternoons.

When the system is burdened with chemicals (even “natural” supplements become toxic to the body if one is taking too many things at the same time), which the system can no longer deal with, then many other things go wrong. Stress is a killer, as the amounts of adrenalin released into the body (for fight or flight), burdens the system tremendously, even leading to more inflammatory responses and of course chemical imbalances. Exercise will help to get rid of some of that.

In short: CLEAN Nourish, replenish, rest and get mind and spirit in a better state.

This directly involves getting the gut into a better state. The gut is an underestimated cause of many neurological challenges and mood, depression, seizures and motivation troubles, as the gut is directly connected to the nervous system (more neurons than in the spinal cord) and medications and toxic foods can wreak havoc on how the gut transfers nutrients to the rest of the body, affecting mood, brain function and many other things.

Recommendations To Reset Your Body’s Timing

Dark green vegetables contain magnesium, vitamin B’s, iron and chlorophyll — good for the gut, brain, liver and blood and should be part of one’s daily intake. In addition, hydration and replenishment of electrolytes through broths will recover and correct many of the imbalances of electrolytes in the “water” of the body, which should speed up recovery and plasma cellular constitution to be more normal again.
Hydration throughout the day is crucial (the body is 70% water, get the water and electrolytes right and everything else functions better again!).
Where possible, we recommend (3mg) melatonin an hour to 90 minutes before going to bed and be sure to the bedroom is completely dark, so as to ensure proper exchange of serotonin to melatonin. Even fluorescent light, TV or computer screens or exposure to that within an hour prior to going to bed, can prevent the melatonin exchange. Melatonin is also responsible for shrinking tumours and is necessary for brain as gut health. Melatonin is not readily available OTC, so you will require a prescription in South Africa.
The food recommendations (other than the hydrating broths mentioned above for having in the afternoons and evenings) should help get the balance in the gut restored, along with natural sources of probiotics.
Probiotics should be taken 6 x per day, half an hour before and after meals.
Ensure sufficient Zinc as part of the daily eating program when formulating a program for patients as sufficient Zinc intake is fundamental to good health.

The eating program should provide sufficient essential fatty acids – in this case Omega-3’s in the form of flaxseed. Add 1 teaspoon of flaxseed to your meals ( grind or bruise the seeds in a mortar and pestle) prior to adding it to your food, so as to provide more of its nutrition to the system.
Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of fibre and will benefit the body at many levels to excrete toxins over and above providing omega-3 essential fatty acids, to balance out the natural intake of omega-6’s.
To aid digestion for those encountering problems in this area, we suggest ginger, lemon and mint in diluted or extracted form can be added to warm water prior to eating meals. Patients with digestive problems should avoid drinking cold foods prior to the intake of foods or with meals.
To start the digestive process off, drink either a glass of warm Lemon Water – Hydration Recipe #3 or put two crystals of Himalayan Salt under your tongue about ten minutes or so before eating.
Digestive enzymes in the form of raw fruits and vegetables, should form a crucial part of the eating program. However, raw vegetables can often be taxing on the digestive system, so when the gut feels over sensitive, patient should rely for a few days on lightly steamed, boiled or baked vegetables or soups for easy digestion, whilst all along ensuring proper hydration as recommended.

See Nutrition for Life on this website for foods that reset the Biological Clock or download the Advanced Therapies PDF