Holistic Health: Getting Back To Nature
THERE IS MORE THAN JUST THE PHYSICAL
When we think of health, typically we think of the body. How is my physical health? We go into a doctor to take tests and see how our physical health measures up. If we are sick we assume that it is a physical problem, and it certainly seems so. The body is always dealing with some ailment. There are numerous causes in the physical system as to why symptoms are presenting themselves. The medical community is solely focused on these biological factors because that is mostly what they are taught. There are some practitioners today incorporating other holistic approaches, but the vast majority of them are focused on physical causes for physical problems. When you are in need of a solution physically, it is the place most people turn to. If the body is ailing see a doctor. If you are strugging mentally, you will be encouraged to see a therapist, psychiatrist, or someone trained specifically in the mind. Rarely, do you ever go to one practitioner for all of your health concerns. It seems that health, at least in the western world, has become compartmentalized.
However, are all physical problems caused by something physical? Is there more to the story? Is there more happening in our energetic make-up that contributes to our overall health. Is everything working together to create our current state of overall health, or are they separate? If we are all essentially living in a field of energy, and individually we are living in our own energy field, then it makes sense that this field influences the physical body. The physical body might be the last manifestation of a multitude of other contributing factors. Our mental stability, emotional disturbances, diet, stress, lifestyle, connections with other people, habitual behaviors, relationship health, and environmental factors all effect the body.
Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at this holistic approach and is well over 2,000 years old. It has identified specific meridian pathways within the body that energy, or qi, flows. In this system it is believed that when these pathways are blocked, or the energy is stuck and stagnant, that physical symptoms occur, and overall health begins to deteriorate. Moving and clearing this energy is the preferred method of healing the body. This is in direct contradiction to Western medicine’s treatment of physical disease. The west focuses on symptom relief, whereas Chinese medicine looks at a different cause and works with different modalities such as acupuncture, herbal therapies, cupping, etc. to revitalize the body’s energy system to a state of health. The chakra system is also based on the same principle of energy being the main cause of physical disturbances in the body.
HEALTH MOVEMENTS
It seems today there is a huge movement to achieving perfect health. There are researchers, campaigns, health gurus, you name it and you will discover a large part of the population seeking for the body’s perfection. They don’t all agree either. There are countless diets, diets in total contradiction to one another, exercise recommendations ranging from extreme to simple, sleep recommendation, water intake discrepancies, mental and emotional health, some claim you’re a product of your trauma and environment, so too bad for you, the list is endless. The one thing that binds all of this together is the desire for many to live a long healthy balanced life. How to do that is debated all the time. People are willing to try numerous things to see what works best for them.
The health movements you see are in large part due to the horrendous health statistics exploding throughout the world. People are developing more chronic illnesses than ever before, even the youth is experiencing poor health, which directly affects a person’s quality of life. Since we are only here for a selective period of time, many people work to keep the body in a healthy thriving state to avoid the limitations illness brings on. If most of health is a choice, why not treat the body well in order to live a life of vibrance free from endless doctor visits, surgeries, recoveries, high health care costs, medications, and eventual overall deterioration. There are simple eating solutions, exercise options, and other wellness therapies that can absolutely make a world of difference to your health, and it doesn’t have to be that complicated.
The idea that wealthier countries have better health, is simply not true. Look at the United States for example. The US is one of the leaders of the free world and has been an economic power house for years. The health care costs in the US in 2021 were 18% of the national GDP, according to a January 2023 issue of US Health Care From a Global Perspective, almost double the average of other leading nations in the world. If you take a look at the diet and lifestyle of wealthier nations, there tends to be more chemically produced fast food, high stress environments, polluted air, and much higher rates of obesity.
In the recent Netflix series “Live to 100: The Secrets of the Blue Zones,” Nicoya, Costa Rica is one of the poorest areas in all of Costa Rica. You would assume the life expectancy would be lower. Not true! They have the highest rate of centenarrians in the entire county, more folks living to be 100 than anywhere else, and none of them are in a nursing home or a hospital bed. Why is that? Because they are living in a natural environment, eating simple natural food, and getting plenty of movement through gardening, farming, building, taking care of the animals, food preparation, the basic things to keep the village functioning. They are truly living amongst the natural world, and it seems to improve their overall health and longevity.
SLOWING DOWN
One way to improve your overall health and vitality is to slow down, take a step back and breathe already. Getting caught in the day-to-day grind, with all of the pressures to earn a living, pay your skyrocketing bills, and over inflated food, water, gas, and energy costs is enough to make you pull all of your hair out, change your name, and hitch hike to the first serene place outside of all the chaos! It certainly makes you wonder if this is really how you want to spend your life. Many people are over it. They no longer wish to participate in a system that works against them at every corner. People are leaving the city in droves, leaving states with exceedingly high taxes and cost of living, and retreating to the country for a simpler life.
And why not? The country life sounds lovely. Slower pace of life, people are generally very friendly, there’s a sense of community, you can grow your own food, hook up to your own well water, figure out how to put in some affordable energy system, and voila, you are an independent thriving individual or family. The question many people ask, which keeps them from actually pulling the trigger is, “What will I do for work?” Good question. Many small towns do not have large businesses for many employees or other places to work. However, decades ago, small towns had manufacturing plants that employed the entire town. Those towns were thriving, great places to live and raise a family, yet now, since most corporations sent manufacturing overseas, these towns have all but been abandoned. If they are still there, they look very different then during previous years.
Working from home seems to be a popular option, creating your own business, or if you have a talent of sorts, you can offer it to the new community you live in. As this mass exodus from cities begins, it will be interesting to see if small towns are reborn and energized once again. Even the old concept of trade and barter could come back as a viable way to live. Everyone in the community has a unique offering for all the others. It seems this could happen again, especially with the corrupt governments and banking system running circles around all of us. Why not start creating something entirely new? Why not create environments that work, are focused on happy healthy people, and provide a sense of purpose for those that choose to live in this way? Anything is possible, it’s simply a matter of getting organized and making it happen.
GETTING BACK TO NATURE
Speaking of getting back to the country, getting back to the natural world is beneficial to both your physical and mental health. Even if you can’t pack up everything you own, sell your home, homeschool your kids, and head to the rural parts, you can certainly connect with nature and get reacquainted with your natural state of being. Getting outside, breathing fresh air, allowing the sun to warm your skin, putting your bare feet on the ground, working in the soil, taking a long walk, sitting and just being in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature can work magic into your soul. Allowing yourself to unpack the stresses of the day, release them into nature, become electrically revitalized by the earth and the sun’s rays, and breathing the fresh oxygen intake will be all you need to head back into whatever life event you are dealing with.
Eating according to nature also makes a world of difference. Eating the fruits of the trees, the berries from the bushes, the vegetables and leafy greens from the soil, nuts and seeds, legumes, and grains, or any other food found in nature makes all the difference to your overall health. Eating foods as close to their natural state as possible will provide greater health benefits to you. What you choose to consume is all up to you, so why not include foods that provide vitality into your life.
One other thing to think about concerning diet is time. Whether you realize it or not, you have been conditioned to eat three meals per day at specific times, decided by whom exactly? Does anyone know who decided breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and oh by the way incorporate snacks in between those times to keep yourself alive! Really? Do we really need to eat at these times? Doesn’t that disconnect us from listening to when our bodies are actually in need of food or water?
Look at what happens the second a baby is born. They tell you the baby needs to be nursed every three hours, and to wake that baby up no matter what to feed them. So, from the second we are born we are programmed to eat constantly. But is this really necessary? Does the body really need that much food? Try listening to your own body and see when it is actually hungry or thirsty. Then watch the mind and see when it dictates your needs. These two probably aren’t even close to being on the same page. Using your intuitive self to hear when your body is in need of food or water can alter everything about your health and your life. You might find that you lose your obsession about food and eating. It doesn’t mean you stop eating, it just means you do so when you feel hungry, not just because it’s 7am and you were told it’s breakfast time.
ACCESSING YOUR SPIRITUAL SIDE
Lastly, the spiritual connection and component you create in your life is by far one of the most beneficial aspects of your overall health. Developing your own relationship with spirit, or the larger field of consciousness, is vital to how you live your life. Going into a deeper place, below the surface if you will, to experience the real you, the you beyond all the petty dramas with others, and the fictional mental stories that block you from this awareness, will open up an entirely new world to you. It will quite literally change your life for the better. No matter what happens in your physical body, or what emotional and mental disturbances you may encounter, discovering your truest nature is a feeling no one can take from you. It is your sacred place of peace within, and you can take it with you everywhere you go.
When you are focused on your health, it’s easy to just look at the body and the mind, after all they seem to dominate our life. They are good at that, aren’t they? But, the real you is something much more than a body and a mind. In fact, the body and mind work together to distract you from reaching this vast essence within. It’s like they don’t really want you to abort ship and choose another “director” for this play of life. The spirit residing within is always there. It never waivers. It’s up to us to see what’s been awaiting us the entire time, and it has nothing to do with the body and the mind.
The truth is, when the body falls ill, or the mind spins out of control, it’s the spiritual side we want to bring forth. We need the connection to All That Is because it is the most powerful companion we can ever have while living in this world. As much as we can strive for health, and to keep the mind sound and stable, these two components will eventually fail us, and having this stronger relationship with your highest self is the strength that will pull you through anything. It is this strength that will guide you back to health. Or if it is time to move on from this world, it too will be your guiding light as you transition to the divine eternal world of peace.