We live in a society where the phrase "in good health" can mean many things. Does it mean you are disease-free? Able to move and participate in daily activities without pain or discomfort? Full of energy and vitality? What about our mental health? Or perhaps our emotional and social health?
Good health is individualistic, and how well you perceive your health to be is usually dependant on past experiences and your attitude to health. Perhaps someone who has been suffering a chronic disease their entire life has never felt "good health" and a good day without a flare-up of their condition might be the best they’ve ever felt. Often we just learn to push through and not address those niggly symptoms until they are really quite bad. Do we just take the pain killer for the headache and keep of doing all the things that might be causing it under the false pretence that everything is ok?
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It brings me to ask the question which I have been thinking about for some time.
What is your health philosophy?
Health philosophy are the beliefs/attitudes that guide your decisions on how you treat your body, mind and soul? Is your health important to you? Are you taking care of yourself or would you prefer to; as some might say "sleep when you're dead"?
Our bodies are quite resilient, more so in our younger years. We often don’t notice until later on, and sometimes we ignore it; thinking we can just soldier on. I have to admit I haven't always taken good care of my health, burning the candle at both ends with too much work, not enough physical activity, not eating properly, too many late nights, not enough sunlight and fresh air, not drinking enough water (*note to pause for a sip of water!). Not realising until my health began to suffer.
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I believe a good health philosophy is missing from mainstream medicine, Governments already acknowledge that preventative medicine can play a huge part in reducing the burden of disease yet we don't see much support in this area. Luckily, preventative health is a crucial part of what Naturopaths do. Prevention is a core part of Naturopathic philosophy and forms part of the treatment plan. Prevention also allows for balance in our lives, a bit of 80:20 so that we can still enjoy life with a bit of flexibility.
Remember, the body is wise speaks to us through signs and symptoms. Make sure you stop, listen and give it the attention it needs. If you need support getting your health on track please get in touch :).
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