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RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
How can living consciously apply to my
state of health?
About 2400 years ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be your medicine and
medicine be your food.” Is maintaining good health really this simple in our
current day?
We’ve known for years that the nutritional value of foods grown in our
now-depleted soils is greatly reduced. We know our modern environment is
laden with toxins. The plastic containers we’ve become accustomed to using
are no longer recommended for food use. The liners in canned foods are also
suspect. Add to this the debate between buying local and buying organic. The
list goes on.
Of course, health refers to more than our physical body. In 1948, the World
Health Organization defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
We all want to experience optimum health for as long as possible. And even
with the frightening warnings we’re being bombarded with daily, particularly
on television, we do have a choice. We can choose to ignore the messages
that focus on sickness. We can stop buying into the idea that sickness is
inevitable. If we already have a health issue, we can choose to explore the
healing options available to us. Perhaps we need a health advocate to help
us make important healthcare decisions.
What are you focusing on? Health or illness? We’re blessed to have access to
many diverse practitioners and resource people, allopathic medical providers
included, to help us focus on wellness. We need them all! In this day and
age, it’s impossible for one person, no matter how highly trained, to know
everything about all the health ramifications of living in our modern world.
Statistics indicate we are healthier when we’re happy, when our
relationships are mutually respectful, and when we engage in a cause bigger
than ourselves.
Wellness is our natural state. The more we focus on maintaining good health
- physically, mentally and socially - the less likely we’ll be in the
position of having to make drastic changes to our lifestyle after a health
issue has surfaced. Listen to your body. Pay attention to what it’s telling
you. Follow your intuition. Have your concerns checked out. Maya Angelou,
respected author, poet, speaker, and activist, said, “If you don’t like
something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about
it.” Be conscious. Be well.
Linda Magnuson is the owner of Kairos Guest Suite & Keeper of the
Labyrinth at Kairos in Comox, Vancouver Island. Visit
www.kairosbb.ca to
learn more! |
