Episode 289: Gathering Personal Health Insights from Human Design: The Root and Throat Centers
Human Design offers profound unique insights into our health, uncovering both our inherent strengths and areas of vulnerability.
In this episode, we dive deep into the energies of the Root and Throat centers, exploring how they influence our overall well-being.
I share personal stories of my own health journey, revealing the powerful connections I discovered between these centers and my physical and emotional health.
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“Your Human Design can guide you as to what preemptive actions you can take to beat health issues before they arise based on inherent predispositions you may have.”
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Welcome back to the show!
I find it really interesting that my work is centered around health and wellness, as a health coach, because so much of my consistent energy comes from the Spleen, one of my two defined centers - and the Spleen is literally the center of health and well-being!
So, it's no wonder that I was so drawn to the health aspects of Human Design. Now, of course, there's the Primary Health System, which my “Digestion 101” program dives into, but what deeply resonated with me is how each of the nine energy centers is embodied by a part of the body, which is what my “Energy Management and Nine Centers” program is about.
While there are countless areas where Human Design can provide personal insights and recommendations into your health, today, I wanted to look at two of them. I bet you think I'm going to talk about the Sacral Center, which is important for energy balancing, but no, today is not about the Sacral Center.
Let’s have a little story time. Back in 2013, I was told that I had Adrenal Fatigue, which is also known as Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis dysfunction. It’s a collection of symptoms that occur when the adrenal glands aren't functioning properly, usually the result of being under intense, chronic stress for a prolonged period. It’s more than fatigue and burnout.
Me being me, I thought, “Okay, now I know what it is, how do I recover from it? What kind of timeline am I looking at – 4-6 weeks? I need numbers.”
But the reality was, nothing’s set in stone. The prescription for Adrenal Fatigue is rest, and to what degree we need it varies with each person.
I was already trying to prioritize sleep, but I was waking up feeling tired, not rested and rejuvenated which meant I was starting each day already worn out. While some people rely on caffeine to get them going, I’m not a coffee drinker. Some people have to start their day with a cup of coffee, I have to start my morning with a smoothie. I enjoy coffee ice cream, but I don't depend on caffeine for energy boosts. Instead, I was subconsciously relying on sugar to get me through the day. But as typically happens, I had sugar highs followed by the crash and burn that comes with depending on sugar, which is what my “Eating for Energy” program is on. So, when the Adrenal Fatigue diagnosis came and my doctor prescribed rest, I was faced with the eye-opening realization that I didn’t know how to rest, which opened a whole ‘nother can of worms about why don’t I know how to rest?
I took a step back to look at the big picture. Was I practicing the non-negotiables? Was I feeding myself nutrient-rich foods that had the macro and the micronutrients that my body needs to function optimally? Or was my body having to waste energy by trying to make up for those deficiencies?
Was I balancing my energy about workouts and movement? Having Undefined Sacral Center, I don't know when enough is enough, so especially with exercise, I’ll either go full out, which then leads to overtraining, or the opposite and not do anything, turning into a couch potato.
While I was trying to prioritize sleep, I wasn’t very successful at it and still woke up tired.
Was I sufficiently hydrating?
These are basic non-negotiables that we all know about. This is not new information for you, but I do believe that we take them for granted because if you take a step back, are we really giving these things attention and taking care of them?
So much of the health and wellness space is about getting into the weeds and biohacking but how about taking a step back and observing how you’re doing with these basic non-negotiables? They’re not glamorous, they’re not sexy, they’re not cutting edge, but they'll make big impacts – huge!
So back to me trying to figure out why I didn’t know how to rest and trying to solve my relaxation puzzle which went through ebbs and flows for years.
Well, when I learned that the Human Design Root Center a light bulb went off in my head. My adrenal glands were dysfunctional, and the Root Center is embodied by the adrenal glands. Could it be that I wasn’t aligning to the energy of the Root Center and specifically, how my Root Center energy functions?
The Root Center is a pressure center, and it’s the energy of momentum, drive, and forward progress.
A Defined Root Center means that this momentum and drive energy is consistent within you. It means that you handle pressure well – you’re calm under pressure.
Remember, earlier I said that I only have two Defined Centers- the Spleen and the Throat Centers, which means I have an Undefined Root Center. For those of us with this center undefined, we don't handle pressure well.
Listen, we all want to believe that we’re great under pressure. I did – for a long time. I always waited until the last minute to do homework or study for an exam, especially in college.
But remember the past two episodes on influence, conditioning, and how we came to form our beliefs? What made us think we’re best under pressure? What made me think that?
For as long as I can remember, I believed that I thrived under pressure, but the reality is, I didn't. I don't.
I remember an instance from elementary school, I always rushed through my math assignments because I wasn't good at math. I'm still not good at math. When I play blackjack, I still have to use my fingers to count to 21.
There was a particularly difficult math assignment that I was uncomfortable with. I felt anxiety about it, so I did what people with Undefined Root Centers do and rushed through the assignment - anything to get rid of the pressure as quickly as possible.
When the assignment came back, it was covered in red marks and my teacher wrote at the top of it, “haste makes waste.”
As I grew older, the narrative only grew stronger.
I've spent almost 25 years working in the tech world, where the pressure to be the fastest to market and beat your competitors is brutal. It’s the culture and mentality of the tech industry because tech evolves so quickly, if you fall behind, you’ll be left behind.
Being in this environment for as long as I have, it’s no wonder that the conditioning was so strong that I didn’t know how to rest. My sympathetic nervous system was constantly activated which kept me in a “fight or flight state.”
I didn't know how to tap into my parasympathetic nervous system and get into a rested and digested state. I didn't know how to rest and relax, which kept my adrenals working overtime.
Now that I know about Undefined Root Centers, I understand that we're not meant to put too much pressure on ourselves - it doesn't lead to better results.
This understanding has shifted how I approach things and I’m more equipped to manage pressure. The context has taught me to have grace for myself. It’s been a relief – like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m able to let go of the need for control, release pressure and that’s been a huge step into learning how to practice deep rest.
I’ve learned what boundaries to establish, protect, balance, and manage my Undefined Root Center energy so that I can still contribute and be productive but without the pressure, burn out and be in adrenal chaos all the time.
Next, let’s talk about the Throat Center.
The Throat Center is central to the Human Design system, and it has the most gates. It’s the center for communication and with that – manifestation. It’s embodied by the thyroid gland.
For a long time, I suspected that I had thyroid issues. There’s some family history with it and I had some of the classic symptoms. I went to see my PCP - primary care physician – and they ran a TSH blood test. When the results came back, I was told that I was in the “normal range” and my thyroid was fine.
Fast forward a few years, I was still struggling with some of the classic symptoms, along with a few others. I found another doctor who ran a complete thyroid panel which is made up of several different blood tests, in addition to a TSH test, showing the different ways the thyroid functions.
The thyroid is considered the “master” gland in the human body and is tied to many critical functions in your body so there’s several tests to consider when examining thyroid function. Additionally, “normal range” doesn’t mean “optimal performance.”
Long story short, I did have a thyroid problem – hypothyroidism – specifically my body wasn’t converting the T4 hormone to T3.
Of course, I’ve treated it with specific medication to boost the T4 to T3 conversion, but like adrenal dysfunction, I took a further step back to truly see what else could be contributing to it. I used a Food Mood Poop Journal – a tool I’ve mentioned often and have included in my free “Healthy x Human Design” program to correlate what I'm eating with how I'm feeling, and how my body is functioning.
I used nutritional therapy and reduced eating inflammatory foods, like sugar and other foods based upon my personal evidence, presented as being reactionary for me. I focused on my daily habits and non-negotiables, but what else?
While the body is a full system where all parts of it work together, this includes our mental and emotional well-being.
So when asking, “Why is the thyroid not functioning optimally?” We have to consider how aligned we are with the energy of the Throat Center. One of the holistic treatments for thyroid dysfunction is to share your voice and speak your truth. In order words, speak up for yourself and/or others.
The Throat Center is the energy center for communication and manifestation. Are you aligned with how your Throat Center energy is meant to be expressed?
Earlier I mentioned that I have two of the nine energy centers defined – the Spleen and the Throat Centers.
So, I asked myself, “Am I using my voice? Am I expressing myself in a consistent way?”
I haven’t always done so. I haven’t always felt empowered to use my voice and express myself. And not doing so created discontent in me – tension, low-grade, but always present and chronic stress that manifested through thyroid dysfunction.
This podcast has been one of my medications for that. It gives me a space to share my thoughts, my perspectives, my voice. And every time someone listens to an episode, it’s an invitation to share what I have to say, bringing me more into alignment with my Human Design as a Projector who waits for invitations.
And yes, my thyroid function has improved where now I’m in maintenance mode. I still see my integrative doctor 2-3 times a year and before each visit, I have the thyroid panel of lab tests done to monitor how things are going.
So, whether you have a Defined or Undefined Throat Center, not honoring its energy by using your voice to speak up for yourself and/or for others, has a physical impact on you.
This is how your Human Design can offer you insights into your individual health and shed light on vulnerabilities you have and what lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments or wellness practices you can adopt for optimal health.
Your Human Design can guide you as to what preemptive actions you can take to beat health issues before they arise based on inherent predispositions you may have.
My Human Design becomes the framework of how I can step into how I can step into my full potential and a supplemental yet critical tool in supporting my health, helping me make shifts to address existing health issues, like I’ve shared today around the Root and Throat Centers.
It’s given me freedom by shedding deep-rooted conditioning and with that freedom comes empowerment.
Have you considered how your Human Design can be a tool in how you manage your health and well-being?
I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the show notes for this episode at www.livefablife.com/289 for Episode 289 or find me on Instagram at @livefablifewithnaomi.
Our time together this week has come to a close – as always, thank you so much for being here, and I'll see you right back here again next time. Bye for now!
Naomi Nakamura is a Health x Human Design coach who’s creating a healthier society through aligned energy.
She blends a bespoke mix of Functional Nutrition and Human Design to help others shift into alignment to leverage and correctly manage their energy to support their body, mind, and spirit.
She believes that when we embrace our authenticity and lean into our bio-individuality, we naturally live a life of freedom, empowerment, and optimal health.
Naomi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and can often be found exploring the area with her puppy girl, Coco Pop!
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