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Dear Doctor,
How can I improve my health?
D.A., Laurel
Dear D.A.,
When you look at the some of the world’s healing systems that
have been present
for thousands of years, one
of the keynotes for good health is living a life that is
in
balance; balanced work, play, and rest, along with
a balanced healthy diet
and plenty of clean drinking water. In
addition, having a balanced outlook on
life,
along with healthy relationships with family and/or friends, as
well as
plentiful opportunities for fresh air, sunshine
and exercise can assist your
health. Another suggestion for
health is maintaining a way of
spirituality that
sustains you in life.
One
way of reviewing these different aspects of health includes
asking the
question: “Am I happy”? If the
answer is “no” in any of the above categories,
then an
opportunity to increase happiness exists. If unhappiness in
life is
great enough and not addressed, in time, it would not be
unusual for that
unhappiness to begin to eventually
appear as physical symptoms of “dis-ease”.
It can be useful to
ask yourself the question about
happiness periodically,
and check in with yourself as you seek
to improve (or maintain) health.
Sometimes it seems
easier to just put up with an unhappy situation, because
it is
simpler or more expedient, or less frightening,
than to deal with it.
Yet, people frequently find that once the
unhappy situation is dealt with
in a positive manner
that their health and well-being improve immensely.
One
approach would be to ask the “happiness” question for each of
the
above mentioned categories.
-
Are you engaged
in work that is stimulating for you? Work that gives you an
opportunity to grow and/or work that you can be proud of?
-
Are you playing
enough in life - do you have recreations or creative activities that give you pleasure, and make life worth living?
-
Are you engaged
in something larger than yourself as part of your spiritual
life?
-
Do you take
enough “down-time” or rest time to allow your body
and mind the time that they need
to do maintenance and repair?
-
Are you spending
enough time connecting with nature?
-
Are you getting
sufficient exercise for your body (and mind) to feel alive
and healthy?
-
Are you getting
enough of a healthy diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein sources along with fresh, clean water for your body
to operate optimally?
-
Are you giving
enough time and attention to your family and friends as a
source of joy and comfort in your life?
-
Are you being
sustained and nurtured in your current relationships? Are
you available for others to come to in times of need?
-
Are you engaged
in aiding to better your community?
If
the honest answer is yes to each of the above…GREAT! If you
were unable to
answer yes to all of the questions,
however, don’t despair. What an opportunity
exists to change
unhappiness to happiness! Sometimes, just asking
oneself
the question “am I happy” is sufficient to point out that
perhaps additional
attention needs to be given to a part of
life to bring it more into balance.
Sometimes that little bit
of extra attention being placed on different areas of life
can
make a large difference. Sometimes, too, we find that we need a
little more
help to make a change towards
happiness - perhaps some additional education is needed, or
support services
or asking your doctor to provide that
extra helping hand can help change things for the positive.
Health defined one way means “freedom from disease”. A
different definition
might include one that means
“complete
well-being”. I think that the second definition gives more of a
fulfilling guide for wellness, since happiness
and health frequently tend to go
hand in hand. I hope that
this gives you some more ideas towards
improving your health for the better.
Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic
720 N. 30th St.
Billings, MT 59101
PHONE 406·259·5096/FAX 406·248·5655
ync@180com.net
Dispensary
406·254·9682
dispensary@yncnaturally.com
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