Responsibility for your health exists in tiers

What does it take to be healthy? That depends who you ask.

Let’s start with family physicians. To cover the basics you need to exercise regularly, get fresh air, eat a balanced diet including a decent amount of fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, keep regular sleep habits, refrain from smoking, limit alcohol and stimulants to moderate levels, find ways to manage your mental stress, maintain social relationships, keep up with your vaccinations, come for regular check-ups and age appropriate screening. Those are the generic medical health suggestions.

If patients continue searching through other medical models, they might find the broader health beliefs of functional medicine and naturopathic medicine.

In those paradigms, gut health is a top priority. Minimize sugar intake, increase probiotic foods and eat living foods that will help you thrive. Reduce or eliminate highly processed foods. Read all your food labels. Consider your food sensitivities and eat alkalizing foods to lower the inflammation in your body. Consciously choose what kind of water you drink.

Reduce your toxic load by avoiding environmental toxins in personal-care products, cleaning supplies, cookware and food storage containers. Pay attention to air quality and any possible exposure to moulds, lead, mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum etc.

Manage your EMF exposure by turning off Wifi at night, keeping your cell phone away from your head and away from young children.

Beyond the physical and environmental care, engage in a mindfulness practice to manage your stress and increase your resilience. That practice can be formal meditation or any analogue solitary activity.

Beyond the physical and emotional care, I see the next level of responsibility as the willingness to consciously see past the apparent randomness of your symptoms. Seek within to uncover the endless layers of connections. Your symptoms hold the story of your life. When you are ready to see your health through that lens, you are ready for ultimate responsibility..

Please cultivate compassion for yourself wherever you are in your journey to personal health responsibility. This list is intense. We need to grow into it over time.

I welcome your questions and comments.