Helping Yourself with Preventative Medicine

Preventative medicine really doesn't use any medicine at all. It is a phrase that refers to an approach to health where, instead of waiting until you are sick to treat your illness, you do what is necessary to keep your self healthy so you just don't get sick.

I have read that this is the approach that was used as a part of traditional medicine in China. The Doctor's job was to keep you well; if you got sick he had failed! What an amazing, refreshing approach to wellness! Wise healers in Western medicine who have the humility recognize that we have a lot to learn from these different approaches to wellness.

Basically what is required is to eat right, get adequate rest, drink a lot of pure water, get adequate exercise, and do what is necessary to keep yourself healthy emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Obviously, we cannot do justice to such a vast subject in the context of an article such as this. Let's just touch on a few of the basics.

Eating right is a subject that has filled libraries all by itself. But most of us already know the basics of what comprises eating right. Regardless of whether you are a vegetarian or a carnivore, it is wise to use food that has been grown or prepared to be food, rather than commercially produced food which is made to be a product to be sold.

In other words, organically grown produce and meat that has been produced with the same consciousness is the starting point. By ingesting foods that are free of chemicals and pesticides and antibiotics and all the other stuff they put in commercially produced food products, you have a head start on good health.

I am not going to get into food theories; you can decide that for yourself. But there is a general agreement among most nutritionists that whole grains and seeds, lots of fruits and vegetables, preferably raw are a great foundation for a healthy diet.

Wise nutritionists also recognize that no diet is right for everyone. Because of individual differences in our body chemistries, it is really up to each individual to find out what his particular needs are and to learn how to answer them.

Many folks object to the cost of high quality foods. The approach of preventative medicine is to invest in the best quality of nutrients to keep yourself healthy, making the expense of doctors unnecessary and mostly irrelevant. Think of how much you will save in doctor bills if you stay healthy!

This is why the whole health care debate misses the boat. It is all oriented toward conventional medicine, doctors and insurance. If there were a reorientation toward preventative medicine, this paradigm shift would save countless lives and equally countless dollars.

It does take some courage to take responsibility for your own health, but this is what is required if you really want to be healthy and free yourself of your dependence on doctors and the whole approach of conventional Western medicine.

I started to write an article about natural alternatives to Antibiotics, but I realized that people who were not already committed to preventative medicine would be too scared by infection to even consider alternatives. In fact, if you have an infection, you have already failed somewhat in your preventative medicine. There are some viable alternatives to Antibiotics, but we will save that subject for later.

Tap water in most places is not healthy water to drink. It has been chlorinated and fluoridated and although some filters can remove some of the former, they can't remove the latter. Please do your own research on this subject. I know I used to get recurrent kidney infections until I stopped drinking tap water. Your own well water or bottled water from a good source are two viable solutions. From the research I have done, I would not recommend drinking distilled water as a steady source of hydration.

Adequate rest is not rocket science, but it is still difficult for many of us to achieve. Preventative medicine sometimes does require adjustments in our life style. If there is too much stress in our lives, we might want to look at our priorities. If good health is a top priority, some adjustments may need to be made.

Getting adequate exercise does not necessarily require a trip to the gym. It's ironic that our modern labor saving devices had made life so easy that most people's bodies are starved for more movement and activity. Talking a walk can still work wonders. Even doing housework can provide healthy exercise. No need for Stairmasters at the gym; just use the stairs that you normally encounter.

Inadequate exercise is another reflection of poor lifestyle choices. As soon as our health becomes a higher priority, it is easy to find ways to take care of ourselves.

Finding emotional, mental and spiritual health are all part of the greater picture. It is our birthright to be healthy and happy. As Captain Picard was wont to say, "Make it So!".