It’s happening. What has been so obvious to natural therapy practitioners all along, the essential need take a holistic approach for holistic health, of treating the person and the body as a whole, is progressively being acknowledged and validated by universities, scientists and researchers. Health comes with respect for the whole person, the physical, biochemical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, and better education to understand and meet needs holistically.
Medical interventions have focused on symptoms and block those with drugs, and they see detrimental side effects as an acceptable payoff, which they countered with further drugs. This does not create a healthy population, just drug dependant people. Side effects of multiple drugs are creating as many problems as they relieve. There is no possibility of cure or wellness in this.
Lifestyle diseases remain the leading cause of death in Australia. These are the diseases that are largely preventable by changing lifestyle factors. Australian Bureau of Statistics lists heart disease as the most prevalent, followed by strokes. Diabetes 2 has increased dramatically, and liver disease is climbing the ranks as cause of death.
Research is showing some cancers too are related to life style. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. Poor diet is associated with bowel cancer. High blood pressure increases chance of heart attacks, stroke, and kidney disease. Being obese doubles your chances of developing all these diseases. Excessive alcohol consumption is leading cause of liver disease. The list goes on. Lifestyle diseases are on the increase world-wide.
I read, “The University of Sydney’s new centre will deliver coordinated education and research in basic sciences, biomedical sciences, nutrition and exercise science, coupled with clinical and community studies. ”
The University of Sydney is taking a more holistic approach for holistic health insights, and acknowledges, “Environmental, social, economic, and behavioural factors are all involved in the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, all against a background of biologic mechanisms and genetic susceptibilities.” This is quoted from the website of University of Sydney.
As human beings it is essential we to take a holistic approach for holistic health, and take care of all health issues by integrating knowledge from all areas of understanding, traditional and modern. Scientists are providing more and more research to prove what we logically and instinctively already know and that natural therapies have always encouraged.
The physical body is designed for movement and functions at its best when we exercise, and it willingly responds with increased circulation and oxygen uptake, and increased muscle tone and mass, and increased physical fitness. Exercise enhances mental fitness too.
The biochemical body thrives on nourishing food, including water, with abundant energy at cell level for organ function and increased sense of wellbeing.
Holistic Approach for Holistic Health
Just exercising and eating well is not enough without also including how we think and feel. We also need to care for the mental, emotional and spiritual body. The brain generously builds brand new neural networks when we engage in new interests, in new learning of any kind, and effectively maintains the networks we actively engage regularly. Brain networks fall apart, actually disintegrate, when they are not stimulated by regular activation. Use it or lose it is a fact, not just a game with words.
Emotionally satisfying relationships in our personal world and our work world, with family, friends and colleagues, are essential to our emotional wellbeing. A life of meaning and opportunity to contribute our strengths, skills, knowledge, insights and energy is a basic emotional and spiritual need.
We know that constant, unrelieved stress is energy sapping and soul destroying. It squeezes the life out of our dreams and de-motivates and de-presses. Stress relieving strategies are important in our tool box for daily life.
(see links to previous articles giving stress reducing strategies at end of article)
The Emotional Body
Learn to communicate with your important people, your spouse, siblings, children, and extended family in a way that nurtures relationships. Become fascinated by how different we all are, even coming from the same parents and raised in the same environment. Discover the strengths in each person and explore what each holds dear. Doing a course like The Dynamic Communication Program can introduce you to ways to see and understand the world through your own eyes and through the eyes of those your value.
Socialize to keep your emotional brain healthy. We are designed to interact with our own species. Interacting with people opens doors to new experiences, fresh ideas, and different worlds. This builds new brain networks as face-to-face discussions and connections link parts of the brain and touch the heart in very special ways.
There is an energy exchange that can boost your wellbeing in ways a text message or email cannot. This is already showing up now as a lack of empathy and compassion in our up-coming generation of computer and mobile obsessed youngsters. Reduced focus of learning with and through others allows disregard for their impact on others wellbeing. This disregard leads to bullying, physical aggression, to criminal activity, and harm to others property. Only people with no interest, concern, or regard for others, no feeling of connection to others, can deliberately harm another. Socializing, sharing interests, being a part of interacting circles keeps us aware and mindful of behaviours and the ongoing impact. Only self centered, unconnected people can plot to cause distress.
The Mental Body
Learn something new. Take up a sport, learn to play a musical instrument, plan a trip where you will be exposed to new language and customs, learn the language basics. Learn a craft. Start tracing your family tree. Get curious and explore something new.
All these will build new brain networks ands stimulate new brain cell production. Your brain does regularly birth new cells, but with no new activity they have nowhere to belong. With no “family” to include them, to train them for a task and include them in an active circuit, they die. (see links at end to my articles on new brain cells)
Relax and rejuvenate – breathe, meditate, spin and weave, do pottery, paint, garden, sing, walk, dance – all reduce stress, change gear, shift thought patterns, quieten the Left brain chatter and allow the Right brain to dominate for a little while. Peace lives in the right brain.
Words live in left brain hemisphere so when you shift to right brain focus you find greater awareness of colours, shapes, textures, patterns, rhythms, relationships, connections, within your self and with nature. Enjoy and absorb the right brain experience. If you are engaged in brain chatter, self talk, you are engaging in Left brain.
Singing will engage more R brain, toning, singing non-word sounds, puts you further into Right Brain. Here is where you experience peace, joy, belonging in a world of vibrational energy, in sync with self and your world, present in the moment.
You Can Do It
You are not doomed to dis-ease nor do you have to “lose your marbles”. You can honour the amazing service your body and brain provide, and keep all your marbles and even add to them.
Take a holistic approach for holistic health. To enhance and maintain wellness of body and soul: exercise to improve circulation, breathe, drink water, be grateful, eat colourful foods, communicate and connect with family, socialize, learn something new, relax and rejuvenate, exercise, sleep and let your body recover from the day’s wear and tear.
You can do it. Create and live a holistic wellness life style.
Cheers
Anna
PS.
See http://annamcrobertblog.com/?p=118 Stress Release Process
and http://annamcrobertblog.com/?p=336 Shift Your Focus
See http://annamcrobertblog.com/?p=271 New Brain Cells On Demand
and http://annamcrobertblog.com/?p=278 Exercise Rescues Baby Brain Cells