You're strolling down a paved walkway alongside the woods as it starts to get dark. Suddenly, you get an eerie feeling that you should turn around and go back to your car. Later you discover that a bear was spotted in that same area.

 

You go out on a first date and instantly feel that the person you are with will be someone special in your life. The following year, you are tying the knot with your soulmate. 

You are searching for a new job and getting offers from multiple companies, but the company offering you the most money just doesn't feel right. Then, months after you have chosen another company, the one you turned down goes bankrupt.

You commute an hour to work on the same route daily. One day, you decide to take the back road. You later hear from a coworker that drives the same way you usually do: there was an accident, and traffic was backed up an additional thirty minutes. 

These are the kinds of decisions, big or small, that are made intuitively without always knowing why we make them. This sort of mysterious insight or inner sense is what some might attribute to The Third Eye. This phenomenon is also referred to as the sixth sense, the third eye chakra or 6th chakra known as Ajna (a Sanskrit name meaning “to perceive” or “to command”). It is known as the mind's eye, the inner eye, and second sight. It is believed to be linked to unexplained competence in the following areas:

• Clarity 
• Focus
• Spiritual guidance and divine connection
• Imagination and creativity
• Discernment
• Deeper understanding 
• Clairvoyant abilities

In the yoga world, the third eye is something we can open deeper to access these abilities through yoga practice, meditation, opening and harmonizing other chakras, and diet. Surprisingly, an organ linked to the third eye can help us better understand this deeper insight: the pineal gland. 

The Pineal Gland

The pineal gland is a tiny organ located in the center of the brain. It is part of the endocrine system. Its entire function is still somewhat scientifically unknown, and it is still being studied. Embryologically, the pineal gland is derived from a third eye developing early in the embryo that later degenerates. (1) Its primary known function is to produce and release melatonin (a hormone that helps the body to enter the sleep-wake cycle), maintain a circadian rhythm, regulate reproductive hormones and protect specific cells in the body. Light plays a vital role with this gland, and it acts as a gauge for different types of light that are translated into hormonal messages passed through the body by way of the autonomic nervous system.

Over 100 body functions have daily rhythms which are influenced by exposure to light. (2) Besides sleep, some of these include mood, body temperature, functionality, blood pressure, mental clarity, and hunger. While this gland is still being understood, we know it plays an essential role in our health and well-being.

Unfortunately, this gland is known to be highly vulnerable to calcification of fluoride, amongst other minerals. In the 1990s, a British scientist, Jennifer Luke, discovered that fluoride accumulates to strikingly high levels in the pineal gland. (3) This accumulation may lead to lower amounts of melatonin production and have other effects on the body’s mental and emotional well-being. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to detoxify and support the pineal gland that include dietary, supplemental, and other lifestyle changes. Many online resources available provide ideas and information about this. One, titled “Why You Should Detox Your Pineal Gland”(4) by Christiane Northrup, MD, is an essential read. It provides information on how to nourish and strengthen the pineal gland.

Having a healthy pineal gland will help restore the Third Eye to its natural functions physically and metaphysically. In theory, it will help us reach a higher potential and status of well-being. 

References/citations: 

1. Guyton, Arthur G. Textbook of Medical Physiology. W. B. Saunders, 1986. 
2. Liberman, Jacob. Light, Medicine of the Future: How We Can Use It to Heal Ourselves  Now. Bear & Co. Pub, 1991. 
3. “Pineal Gland.” Fluoride Action Network, 16 Aug. 2012, fluoridealert.org/issues/health/pineal-gland/. 

Posted by Christiane Northrup, M.D. “Why You Should Detox Your Pineal Gland.” Christiane Northrup, M.D., 20 Oct. 2020, www.drnorthrup.com/why-you-should-detox-your-pineal-gland/.