What is Health?
Seriously, ask yourself the question and think on it for a few moments.
What are the things that one considers when they think of good health and a healthy lifestyle?
Usually, the criteria are:
- maintaining a healthy weight
- physically strong
- physically mobile
- active
- sharp in the mind
These are outward appearances and can be pretty deceiving.
Lifestyle
As a society, we have fallen into the trap of allowing ourselves to lose the responsibility of our lifestyle. We then wait for a health crisis so that the doctors can “fix” us. Thankfully, we live in a modern world where we can afford to do so, but it comes at a cost.
Recovery time can be LONG, you may never even get back to the state of “health” you were in before the crisis occurred. Or, any warning signs your body was trying to give you were ignored, and by the time the crisis hit, disease had set in. Now a whole new situation is upon you. You’ll need to work around a treatment schedule, endless cycles of doctor visits, and potentially numerous pharmaceuticals.
At the other end of the spectrum, when an accident occurs, we need all the tools the medical world has to be able to get us on a path to recovery.
For as much as we need modern medical science, we need to appreciate its power. We should treat it as if it should be the last resort and not the first. We are truly lucky to have the powerful technologies and life-saving drugs that we do. However, we forget that part of a healthy and fulfilling life is to not suffer. Why not invest in your future by doing your best to prevent these types of crises from happening? And if they do, be in the best position to use your body’s innate healing power to help in the process of repair and recovery? The key here is a healthy lifestyle centered around nutrition, some level of activity, and a connection to your higher power.
Toxins
The physical body can become toxic, and we need to be mindful of this.
If you are in a constant cycle of illness, hospital or doctor visits, infections, prescriptions, side effects, back to the doctor, more antibiotics, another prescription, you are becoming TOXIC. These toxins will take over your system and become very stubborn to get rid of.
We are seeing this in our children as well. Too many kids are getting steroid treatments and allergy shots. We are trained to want the fast fix. Of course, symptoms really suck, so it makes sense to alleviate them. But when we stop there, we’ve missed the lesson.
Not one of those “fixes” treat the cause. I’m sure I am not the first person you have heard this from, but it is important to touch on. A symptom is what the body uses to sound an alarm of a problem– we know that. When we have a system overreacting within the body, if all we do is suppress the symptom, we fall into this way of living with the hope that it just won’t happen again. We live with the fear of the next migraine, reflux attack, gout flare-up, IBS incident, etc. happening again. We rely on the OTC relief or Rx but the cause is still unaddressed.
To put it another way, if your car is leaking transmission fluid, you can just keep buying lots of transmission fluid. You’ll have to keep it on you at all times, and refill it as needed. Over time, that won’t be sustainable.
That transmission was telling you there was a problem and you fed it fluid, treated the symptom, and got to your destination. Repeated the process over and over. Then one day, it just stopped working altogether. Finally. No matter how much fluid you gave it, it gave out. It tried to warn you. Your CAR even had a light telling you to get it repaired. You just treated that leaky symptom. Never addressed the need for repair.
It is worth it in every case to find out what the actual cause of the symptom or set of symptoms is. Then you have a chance to get that system back into a state of repair. The symptoms should resolve as that happens.
More Toxins
Switching gears, our mental and emotional states can also create a toxic environment in the system. Negative thoughts and emotions, high anxiety levels, excessive worry: these all create a chain reaction within the body. This sets off a series of chemical reactions that surge the system. We overload the system with these chemicals and can become stuck in a subconscious state of constant overload, unable to calm the system. Again, there are ways to treat the symptoms, but if the deeper work is left undone, the chemical reactions will continue and the elevated levels of hormones (specifically cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine)) will continue and potentially put the person at risk of illness and disease. Things like autoimmune disease, infertility, metabolic disorders, and much more. In this case, for a car analogy, let’s just say that you are constantly driving in a cloud of a massive oil leak (potentially even someone else’s mess, the car in front of you). That cloud of dirty oil is accumulating in your system, gunking everything up and making it impossible to function or see clearly.
Learning how to regulate your emotions and reactions to things in everyday life is a critical first step. This is done by getting rid of deep-rooted subconscious emotional interference. Also, a daily meditation practice that is suitable to your personality and schedule is important here. Combining breath techniques with this is equally important.
Solutions
In this day and age, we are all learning that what people project into the world can be far from the real situation. This hard look into mental health has been around for the past few years, but what about the rest of the bodily systems, and beyond that, the energy field and the soul?
In my practice, I utilize a variety of treatment techniques as well as nutritional & herbal recommendations and applications to allow you to open that door into a healthy state in every aspect of your being. Physically, through the understanding of the systems of the body and nutrition. Mentally and emotionally, through the removal of subconscious interference and mindset/perspective coaching. Spiritually, through meditation, breathing techniques, and energy healing. All of those factors are included in a healthy lifestyle. Meaning, the truest sense of a holistic approach: The truth of who you are, your spiritual self, must be included in this process, without that, you’re going to be missing out big time.
Spiritual Connection Matters
If you are not being spiritually fed, in whatever way that looks to you, then feelings of loneliness and isolation can take over. We need a connection to the Divine; it is part of the reason we are here— spiritual evolution. Faith that you can be connected to and walk with.
Through this connection, we can work that Divine connection into our physical realm and use that spiritual food as the life force that is within us, no matter what we are going through health-wise.
Building Your Lifestyle
Committing to be truly invested in your well-being is a beautiful gift. Small things along the way can lead to a greater understanding of how your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies are connected. These systems are designed to work together as a unified force in health and wellness. Ultimately, diet and lifestyle, (herbal remedies and whole food supplementation mixed in) along with the subtle aspects of a spiritual practice that you resonate with, will combine to be your health bank account.
If the term “diet” makes you cringe, it does not have to be that complicated. The key may just be to get to understand what your body’s specific needs are and work from there. Then you build it into a lifestyle. You will be glad you did on so many levels. Investing in your health at any stage in the game will far outweigh the costs (both financially and physically) of a health crisis. Yes, supplements and preventative alternative medicine appointments cost money; usually these are self-pay. But it is nothing like what millions of Americans are faced with every single day with hospital bills and out-of-pocket prescription costs.
Connect
Reach out to me if you are looking to chart your course towards feeling better and getting your health on track. I’ll meet you where you are. We will find out what your specific needs are and develop a plan that will help you create the lifestyle you are aiming for.
You can learn more about my approach to nutrition specifically HERE
You can reach me at humansoundcheck@gmail.com or book a free consultation.
In the meantime, here are some articles that got me thinking about writing this blog post:
