ronyel's blog: "Optimal Health"

Optimal health. We all want to have it, but very few of us are anywhere close to achieving it. This is because, sadly, health is not a high priority for most of us. Even more so, most of us don't even know how to define optimal health. Our medical model teaches us that health is the absence of disease. I can guarantee you that health is much more than this. There are millions of people who don't have a diagnosable disease, but are still in poor or mediocre health. Interestingly, there are also many people who do have a disease but are in good to excellent health. And how is this possible? Because I define health in a much uncommon way than our medical model does. I define health as the absence of addiction, not disease. Health is about living spontaneously. In Chinese medicine, the character ziran symbolizes both health and spontaneity. Now, this may seem strange to you. But think about it. People who are free of destructive habits and addictions generally radiate peace and contentment. I am referring to both inner and outer habits here. For instance, coffee, sex, gambling, food, cocaine, etc. are external habits. Inner habits include belief systems and perceptions that are habitual, rote, and stuck. We get lost in what we think we know about ourselves and our lives. To achieve optimal health, we must be free of addictions of all kinds. The day by day habits are what get us in trouble. Sometimes we wonder if there really is something wrong with us. Symptoms such as these show us that the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, especially if there is a family history of degenerative illness or cardiovascular disease. If we look at the following statistics, it is obvious that, as a society, we have a ways to go before most of us are optimally healthy. Sixteen million people in USA have diabetes - Over 30% of America are obese, 4 million Americans carry over 300 pounds - We each have a 1 in 3 lifetime risk of getting some form of cancer - 23 million Americans have some kind of heart disease (1 in 12), 44 million have arthritis (1 in 6) - 38 million have anxiety and depression - 5 million have Alzheimer’s The following three foundations of optimal health have become obvious to me after working with such a diverse array of people and health concerns. These five foundations have spiritual, emotional, and physical connotations, each of which is an integral part of healing. Each of these must be met with this quality of spontaneity that optimal health depends upon. 1. Mindfulness, Passion, and Purpose: For most of us, embarking on the path to optimal health will entail making some lifestyle changes that are conducive to this pursuit. To do this realistically, we have to start with a healthy psychological orientation toward making changes. This means that we initiate our healing without using will power. Instead, we use mindfulness, passion, and purpose to guide us through change. We identify with the deepest part of ourselves what is already complete and we set an unwavering intention to allow this to surface as we embark on healthy living. We are not making changes out of guilt or 'should'. This will always backfire because will power comes in limited supply. Contrarily, we have a burning desire to discover who we are and to fulfill our potential. Our health is crucial to and inseparable from this process. This is the most important foundation because it is crucial for the success of any of these other foundations. 2. Nutrition: Ok, now that we have identified what we are seeking out to do, we need to eat in a certain way to be healthy. Food is an exceedingly important influence in our mood, attitude, energy level, and how comfortable we feel in our skin. The key is to strip away what you have been taught about food through your upbringing, the media, or what you see around you. Food is either poison or medicine and we have to start working with it medicinally if we wish to use it as a gateway to optimal health. Eating an organic whole food diet is a superb first step to take in this regard. 3. Chinese medicine: Consequently, how does alternative medicine fit into achieving optimal health? Well, I think it plays a big role even if we aren't suffering with explicit health problems. In China, acupuncture is considered to be a primary part of the average person's lifestyle. It keeps the internal workings of the body balanced and often improve one's mental well being as well. The truth is, unless you are already optimally healthy, acupuncture and herbs can take you very far in that direction. Other forms of medicine such as Ayurveda can also be included in this category, as can the skillful application of drugs and surgery in Western medicine. In order to initiate the lifestyle choices that reflect a high degree of wellness, it is important that you take action NOW. We are incredibly gifted when it comes to putting off things of this nature. We convince ourselves that it's simply not a good time to even think about this. Each of us has a passion for self-care and optimal living that is masked within us. How are you going to find it in this moment? Perhaps the first step is making a personal responsibility to live in accordance with health and balance rather than stress, drama, and denial. Yes, it's easier said than done, but it can certainly be done. The choice is yours and yours to decide upon. To learn more about my boulder acupuncture clinic, please visit my website. Kevin Doherty is a licensed acupuncturist practicing in Superior, CO. a small town between Boulder and Denver. He is the author of the Purpose Principle and a practice building coach for acupuncturists around the world.Welcome to Karmaholistic.com. Looking for healthcare proper good care of homeopathy, Center for optimal health and organic formula? We offer homeopathy and organic drugs in a beneficial.