A state of health is more than the absence of disease. Health is defined in the dictionary as “a general condition of body and mind with reference to soundness and vigor”. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO Preamble). Being in a state of health is so much more than the perceived condition of the physical body. Good health is not just the absence of symptoms. To determine if you are in good health, ask yourself, do you feel at peace? Do you have a sense of well-being? Is there balance in all areas of your life? Do you eat wholesome foods and get daily exercise? Do you drink half your weight in water on a daily basis? Do you have a regular spiritual practice that nurtures your soul? Do you express your emotions freely? Do you get up each day looking forward to living it with joyful anticipation?
It is important to remember that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We are so much more than bodies. Do not confuse your physical body with your spiritual essence. Your body is a vehicle with senses through which we, as spiritual beings, can experience life in many different ways. Our senses give our spirit the capacity to see, hear, touch, feel, and connect with the world around us. Just like a car, the body can get run down, or it might need repairs from time to time. Eventually it will wear out no matter what you eat or how well you care for it. Our spirit is eternal though. So, health refers to the overall balance between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves. It is a state of being. When you are in good health, there is balance in your life. You experience a state of wholeness in relationship to yourself, your body, and the world around you.
We make choices every day that either contribute to our health and well-being or diminish it. When we learn to recognize the interconnectedness of our body, mind, and spirit, we learn to consciously make better choices that promote and maintain our sense of well-being. These choices are then reflected in our overall state of health. Our bodies are sacred temples and need to be treated as such. The food we choose to eat plays a key role in our physical health but it is no more important than the thoughts we think, the beliefs we hold in our minds, and the day to day activities we participate in. How we care for ourselves, the activities we engage in, and the people we associate with either contribute to our state of health or diminish it if we are not discriminating in our choices. Good health is not something that happens to people, it is the product of conscious, deliberate choices that we make on a personal level every day of our lives.
We hold a belief in this culture that drugs cure. Medicine has been considered a healing profession but it cannot explain the process of healing beyond the physiological processes related to curing. Science and medicine have joined to create the intention of healing through the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Curing or finding a cure has been the primary focus of medicine. Curing is a very passive state where a person gives their power to an external source believing their symptoms will go away. You may think a physical illness has been cured when the symptoms have been eliminated with a drug or other medical treatment, however, unless the emotional and psychological stresses that have played a part in the illness have been addressed, it is highly probable that illness will recur is some form again in the future. You can take a drug for just about anything you have a physical complaint for, but do the drugs really heal or are they exchanging one set of symptoms for another?
Healing has a very different definition from curing as it involves an active participation of the individual. There is an external process of addressing the physical symptoms but then there is also an internal process of exploring one’s attitudes, emotions, beliefs, and experiences with the intention of identifying and releasing all the patterns that stand in the way of true healing. The goal in healing is to restore the whole person to a state of optimal health and well being so the person can enjoy life to the fullest.
This does not suggest that one shouldn’t use the external support of medicine when it is needed, but rather that a person should not rely completely on outside influences to resolve health issues that originate from within. Almost every discomfort or symptom starts out as an energetic imbalance with very subtle cues from the body that something is out of harmony. Maybe it is a persistent headache or stiff neck. Maybe the symptom is chronic heartburn or indigestion. I have noticed that many people accept discomfort as a normal part of their existence. They reach for an aspirin or acid blocking drug to eliminate the symptom. What is really happening in this situation is the drug creates the opposite symptom of what the body is demonstrating. The symptom disappears and the person believes he or she is cured. But are they really?
Much has been written over the years about the connection between body, mind, and spirit. Years of research into energy medicine have proven there is a direct link between what we think, feel, believe, and the health of our physical body. To truly heal from a condition, one must consider all the possible contributing factors that may lie at the root of the problem causing the symptoms. When a condition becomes chronic, it is a message from the body that the core underlying issue has not been resolved. Incurable illnesses only mean that the illness cannot be “cured” through outer means alone and we must go within to discover what is needed for true and lasting healing.
We are living, breathing history novels that have a complete cellular recording of everything we think, feel, and experience in our daily lives. You cannot separate your emotions or your mind from your body. Everything is intricately interwoven together and manifests as a single entity. As we move through our lives, your physical body becomes a testimony of your beliefs, strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears, thoughts, and experiences. In essence, “your biography becomes your biology”.
Everyone is responsible for the creation and maintenance of their health and well being. You cannot enlist the aid of medicine, doctors, healers, and the like, expecting to be healed, without your own honest inventory and active participation. True “healing” involves being an active participant, engaging in an internal process of exploration, with a desire to release any and all old patterns and beliefs that have contributed to a health problem.
Health implies a state of balance between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our being. Healing is the journey that can ultimately lead you back to your essence and the source of all life, restoring optimal health and well being in your body and in your life.
If you have been dealing with some health challenges and are interested in discovering how to restore your body to a state of health and well-being, feel free to reach to me. I would love to chat with you!
