Why is Good Health So Elusive to Most People?

We believe once a person can grasp the concept of whole person health – whole person therapy-gaining and maintaining good health becomes simple.
It is impossible to separate mind and body – each must be fed – The mind with a positive and nurturing environment – The body with nutritious foods, exercise and sunshine. A sick mind does not live in a healthy body.
Many people are still locked into a belief system that keeps them stuck in sickness. They continue to use prescription drugs to treat symptoms of their illness with out seeking the underlying causes. The root causes may be an incongruency between the mind and body. To give an example– a person presenting with swollen ankles and legs would usually be given a diuretic to remove the fluid. Unfortunately they often need to stay on the medication indefinitely and in time the medication itself may cause other side effects further compromising health. However if we search for the root cause we may find the kidneys are being affected by major fear issues. So addressing the underlying fear and gently supporting kidney function with foods, herbs and bach flower essences, total wellness may be recovered.
A question we ask the people who seem unable to achieve a state of wellness no matter how much they try using diet, exercise and supplement (or medication)is ‘What is the pay off to staying sick’.  You can just imagine the response we get – it does sound a strange question. However often they will think deeply about the question and eventually find some answers. Perhaps it’s the sympathy they receive that they enjoy at some level, maybe it’s the reason they use as an excuse to always stay in their comfort zone. With some people even negative attention is better than no attention at all.
Mind/Body Connection: How Your Emotions Affect Your Health
What is good emotional health?
People with good emotional health are aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. They have learned healthy ways to cope with the stress and problems that are a normal part of life.  They feel good about themselves and have healthy relationships. ??However, many things that happen in your life can disrupt your emotional health and lead to strong feelings of sadness, stress or anxiety. These things include:
  • Being laid off from your job
  • Having a child leave or return home
  • Dealing with the death of a loved one
  • Getting divorced or married
  • Suffering an illness or an injury
  • Getting a job promotion
  • Experiencing money problems
  • Moving to a new home or having a baby.
“Good” changes can be just as stressful as “bad” changes.
How can my emotions affect my health?
Your body responds to the way you think, feel and act. This is often called the   “mind/body connection.” When you are stressed, anxious or upset, your body tries to tell you that something isn’t right. For example, high blood pressure or a stomach ulcer might develop after a particularly stressful event, such as the death of a loved one. The following may be physical signs that your emotional health is out of balance:
  • Back pain
  • Change in appetite
  • Chest pain
  • Constipation or diarrhoea
  • Dry mouth
  • Extreme tiredness
  • General aches and pains
  • Headaches
  • High blood pressure
  • Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
  • Light headedness
  • Palpitations (the feeling that your heart is racing)
  • Sexual problems
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sweating
  • Upset stomach
  • Weight gain or loss
Poor emotional health can weaken your body’s immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should. You may not feel like exercising, eating nutritious foods or taking your prescribed supplements. Abuse of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs may also be a sign of poor emotional health.
SEVEN POINTS TO MIND/ BODY HEALTH
  • FORGIVENESS – Of yourself, parents and siblings. Forgiveness frees you and allows healing.
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – Of areas you would like to change in yourself or your life. Being brave enough to accept the things about ourselves that don’t serve us well and then embark on the work to bring positive change is truly empowering.
  • REPROGRAM – Build a new program you would like to install in yourself. Work with a counsellor who will help you to achieve this goal.
  • LIFESTYLE – Create a lifestyle plan that will incorporate fitness, healthy food choices, rest, relaxation, spiritual development and fun…..
  • PERSISTENCE –  Simply never give up. If you don’t produce the result you want – just do it again until you get it right. Never give up.
  • AFFIRMATIONS – Feed your mind with positive thoughts. Read good books – associate with like-minded people – tell yourself you can rather than you cannot. A good thought to reflect on is ‘whether you think you can or you think you cannot’ – your right!  So what’s stopping you – start making changes towards that person you really want to be.
  • HAPPINESS – Choose to be happy – another statement that requires some thought. Some of the most amazing people, who have walked this earth, lived very difficult lives, but chose to be happy – like Mother Teresa. Most of us have so much to be happy about but we allow ourselves to focus on areas of lack. Life is short and it will have its dark times, but if we do what we can to be happy and spread happiness to others with a smile, a kind word or a helping hand – it’s amazing how it will come back to us.

(c) Maxine Wright:  Advanced Dip Naturopathy – Medical Herbalist – Nutritionalist – Iridologist – Hemaview Tech - Health Coach – Weight Loss counsellor – Massage Therapist – Beauty Therapist – Speaker.  Step Into Health Wellness Centre - facebook - twitter.