Being healthy means being energetic, alive, and a sparkle in our eyes. It is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, but a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing. When we think of restoring health, we have to think back to what we used to feel like. Then, want it so bad that we’ll do whatever it takes to be well. But there is an order to things.
First of all, handling digestive health is a must. That sounds odd to most people, however, health practitioners agree that unless and until the digestive system is functioning properly, you will always be chasing tails to get well. This is because if you are unable to utilize the nutrients in your foods or supplements, the organs being fed, well, aren’t. Every organ in your body needs nutrients (especially minerals) in order to function. All tissues in the body breakdown daily and rebuild themselves daily – a few hundred thousand cells per organ per day ongoingly throughout your life. If they don’t have the raw materials daily with which to rebuild, degeneration (defined as something which breaks down faster than it rebuilds) occurs. So healthy digestion is the first target.
A healthy eliminative system is also crucial. If the body is overloaded with trying to deal with these deteriorated cells and other metabolic wastes, health is hampered. When overloaded, this overloads the immune system as well. Most people think their immune system is okay if they rarely get sick. The immune system takes on the load of other systems that are not functioning well, and illness isn’t always a great indicator of its ability to handle everything it has to do effectively.
The endocrine system, the system responsible for all hormonal functions, must be balanced. If you are fatigued, are carrying around excess weight, have blood sugar problems such as hypoglycemia or diabetes, or have male or female hormone issues, your endocrine system is out of whack. The endocrine system is the director of all organ function in the body, and because of its incredible interdependence of one gland to another, if even one gland is stressed, the whole system tries to compensate, creating a whole range of illnesses.
Don’t neglect other systems such as the cardiovascular, nervous system or musculo-skeletal systems, because they too are equally important. In fact, there is not a single organ in the body that isn’t a part of this highly refined, incredible system we call the human body! Even the so-called “not needed” organs such as the gallbladder, tonsils and appendix have important functions, that without them, a load is put on other systems.
To be healthy we must restore function, bring balance and eliminate physiological stressors. There is much we can do to take the burden off the body, and supply the nutrients necessary for the body to call on its innate ability to heal itself.
© 2009 Holly A. Carling, O.M.D., L.Ac., Ph.D.
