With the pace of life today and the multitude of unhealthy choices surrounding us, maintaining optimal health and wellness in body, mind, and spirit is usually put on our “get-around-to-it” list. As difficult as it may seem to implement optimum health strategies, there is absolutely no reason that optimum health and wellness can’t be yours. However, it does require making a deep-rooted decision to change — one fueled by desire, determination, and discipline. In order to climb your health success ladder, you must have a clearly defined motivation, such as realizing that becoming healthier will improve your relationships, reduce doctor and med costs, reduce or eliminate pain or give you the energy and vitality you need to accomplish your life’s goals. What’s YOUR motivation?
Guess what? The natural state of your body is – HEALTHY! Unfortunately, we are often told by conventional medicine that certain illnesses and diseases are expected as we age. This is a facility designed to keep you sick and a patient. Doesn’t it make more sense to actually invest the time it takes to support optimum health than to continually pay to repair something fixable? YOU always have the power to take charge of your health and dedicate yourself to work on a new you by using some or all of the optimum health keys below.
DID YOU KNOW? ‘Healthcare is a growth industry, growing at your expense. Sickness is not the enemy of the healthcare system—healthy people are. If everyone was healthy, we would have no need for much of the gargantuan for-profit healthcare system. Most money spent in healthcare is not for transplanting livers or treating leukemia; it’s spent on much more common, though less dramatic, “diseases of lifestyle.” How about the $7 billion spent every year on statin cholesterol drugs, or the $20 billion for stomach acid-blocking drugs, or the $11 billion for injectable inflammatory drugs. This trillion dollar, $10,000 per American per year burden, growing every year, is unsustainable, now consuming an unprecedented 18% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).’
Dr. William Davis – Undoctored: Why the Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor.
Ten Keys to Optimum Health and Wellness
1. Sleep.
Americans are some of the most sleep-deprived people on the planet. At least 40 million Americans each year suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping concerns. With the invention of the electric light, we have not only seen sleep deprivation soar but also disease and illness. Your body requires sleep to repair, heal, and restore itself and performs the most healing between the hours of 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM. If one is not sleeping during these optimum healing times, there is no way to play catch-up. Scientists tell us that the body is made up of 750 trillion cells and replaces every cell every seven years by building 300 billion new cells every night. According to The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “neurons that control sleep interact closely with the immune system. As anyone who has had the flu knows, infectious diseases tend to make us feel sleepy. This probably happens because cytokines, chemicals our immune systems produce while fighting an infection, are powerful sleep-inducing chemicals. Sleep may help the body conserve energy and other resources that the immune system needs to mount an attack.” Sleep deprivation may result in memory concerns, weight gain and metabolism issues, increased irritability and moodiness, hormone imbalance, hypertension, and altered immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep requirements may also help fight cancer. To improve your sleep for optimum health and wellness, see 101 Tips for Getting Healthy Sleep.
2. Cleansing and Detoxification.
Toxins from our air, water, food, and personal care products can build up in the liver, kidneys, and at the cellular level, causing the body to underperform. Think of your car and the regular maintenance it needs to run properly; your body is similar, but much more intricate. We are fooling ourselves if we think that body maintenance is unnecessary. Because the liver is the main filter in your body, keeping it supported and functioning properly is very important to your body’s overall ability to fight disease and stay healthy. With my clients, I recommend performing the Optimum Wellness Liver Cleanse three times (one every 10-14 days) and then 2-3 yearly. The focal product of the Optimum Wellness Liver Cleanse is Livatrex™. Livatrex™ is a whole herb formula specially created to support detoxification, cleansing, and strengthening of the liver. If you have never cleansed before, I also recommend performing the Optimum Wellness Harmful Organism Cleanse according to directions. Cleansing and detoxification are very important steps toward optimum health and wellness.
3. Heavy Metal Cleansing.
Today, we face more exposure to heavy metal pollutants than at any other time in history. Lead, mercury, and aluminum can all be found in everyday products such as deodorant, cosmetics, vaccines, prescription medicines, and fish. Many studies are now linking exposure to heavy metals to symptoms such as speech disorders, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, aggressive behavior, chronic fatigue, and cancer. Your liver, kidneys, gallbladder, and lymphatic system are all major filters of the blood system which eliminate toxic waste from the body. When these filters become clogged or sluggish, your blood can become congested with toxins and heavy metals which can then be carried to the brain causing other health issues. Chelation is a process recommended by many healthcare practitioners which aid in improving liver and kidney function as well as relieving symptoms of memory loss by increasing circulation to the brain. Using products such as Medicardium, Advanced Cellular Zeolite, and Advanced Cellular Silver 200 Extra Strength can help to detoxify your body from heavy metal issues.
4. Healthy Diet.
The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry but yet Americans are some of the most over-weight and unhealthy people in the world. This should indicate that, in the long run, most fad diets just do not work. Why? Because fad diets teach dieters to eat the Standard American Diet of nutrient-deficient prepackaged and processed foods or they teach an unhealthy balance in food groups. With over 14,000 chemicals being added to our food supply today, being conscious of the food you eat has never been more important. Your diet directly affects your vitality, how well your immune system functions, your emotional health, and most of all, how well you feel. It’s true that we are what we eat, and if we only knew for sure what it was that we were eating, there’s a greater chance we would be making huge changes. Your body wasn’t designed to eat cooked foods all the time and was never made to digest processed, artificial and chemical-laden foods. Investing a little time in researching a healthy plant-based diet for yourself will pay huge health dividends further down the road. I highly recommend switching to organic and/or locally grown foods as well as purchasing a good water filtration system for your home and office. Water consumption is important to your cellular health. Ditch the prepackaged and fast foods as well as sugar-laden drinks. Consuming more plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables can give your body the nutrient-dense food it needs to function properly at both the physical and cellular levels. Remember that your diet is foundational in achieving optimum health and wellness!
5. Exercise.
Regular exercise can help promote psychological well-being by reducing feelings of depression and anxiety while improving your mood. In addition to this, weight control and protection from heart disease are other common benefits of regular exercise. I often hear the statement – “I just don’t have enough time for exercise.” Simply put, this is only an excuse — we all make time for things that are a priority for us such as eating, working, and sleeping. If exercise becomes a health priority, then you’ll magically have time for it. The good news is that there’s no need to spend large amounts of time exercising; 15-20 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week is sufficient enough to receive the health benefits. Nor do you need to purchase expensive equipment or a health club membership. Walking and/or rebounding are two of the best exercises you can perform and the cost is minimal.
6. Lymphatic Drainage.
The lymphatic system works with the circulatory system to deliver nutrients and oxygen from the blood to the cells as well as removing toxins and waste from these cells. When this system becomes blocked, we become defenseless against attacks by viruses and bacteria. Lymphatic drainage improves the functioning of the lymphatic system, which plays an important role in the body’s immune system response. This can be achieved through gentle, rhythmical, circling movements of the skin which stimulate the contractions of the lymphatic vessels. Dry skin brushing, rebounding and mindful breathing exercises will activate lymph and interstitial fluid circulation as well as stimulate the functioning of the immune and parasympathetic nervous systems. The benefits of these gentle therapies include reducing insomnia, detoxification of the entire body, and relief from chronic pain, and can be compared to using a plunger on a slow or stopped up drain.
7. Sunshine.
The so-called experts have been telling us for years to stay out of the sun, that it will only cause us harm. While it’s recommended to avoid direct sunlight for extended periods of time or to use a non-toxic sunscreen when outside for long periods of time, the results of avoiding the sun altogether can actually cause serious health concerns. More people are becoming aware of the mounting scientific research which shows sunlight promotes vitamin D-3 generation in skin cells, which is essential for calcium absorption and the prevention of osteoporosis. Other benefits include the prevention of chronic diseases such as lung and breast cancer, heart disease, depression, and the regulation of the immune system. So get out and get some Superman Sunshine; if that’s not always possible then take a quality Vitamin D-3 Supplement.
8. High-Quality Supplementation.
Most of the food we eat today is nutrient deficient due to irradiation, questionable soil preparation, and farming methods using harmful chemicals, toxins, etc. Irradiation breaks down the molecular structure of foods creating harmful free radicals and destroying up to 80% of vitamin and mineral value. In order to receive the full range of nutrients the body needs to function properly, there’s a definite need to supplement our food with high-quality vitamins and minerals. The body can only absorb approximately 10-30% of the nutrients from hard tablets, so look for an organic liquid multi-vitamin supplement, such as intraMAX and intraKID, with a higher absorption and usability rate as well as supplements packaged in vegetable capsules. Nutritional supplements can definitely be a tool to help you achieve optimal health and reduce the risk of disease by boosting your immune system in conjunction with eliminating harmful toxins. However, supplements should never be compared to prescription drugs that promise alleviation of symptoms within a certain amount of days. Supplements and vitamins are foundational to any natural health protocol. Consider supplements to be supportive toward optimum health – they are definitely needed but are not the end-all.
9. Stress Reduction.
Stress is known as a silent killer and must be effectively managed in order to achieve optimum health and wellness. Your body experiences stress when your mind perceives a threat. This stress can often be self-induced with negative attitudes, ill feelings for someone, anger, or unrealistic expectations. Many times there is no real physical threat or danger, yet your mind perceives otherwise. Your environment can have a huge impact on your state of mind. Fast-paced, stress-filled environments often make the body tense causing aches and pains as well as contributing to weight gain and heart attacks. A stressful lifestyle also has a negative impact on your ability to maintain healthy relationships. It has been shown to lower the immune system, making the body weak and vulnerable to illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, depression, and even colds and flu. You can eliminate much of your day-to-day stress by simply taking a step back, breathing, and putting things into perspective. Developing healthy coping skills to deal with stress is vital to your wellness in body and mind. A few healthy ways to reduce your stress levels include exercise, meditation to clear your mind, focusing on your breathing, and removing negative/toxic thoughts, people, and situations from your life.
10. Emotional Cleansing.
Emotional Cleansing is the release of toxic thought patterns, which can cause one to feel sluggish or down. These toxic thought patterns are usually learned from previous experiences. Due to the fact that much of this is subconscious, many of us are unaware of the process that is taking place and the effects it has on our life. The positive effects of total-body-cleansing are not completed until we heal ourselves of poisonous thoughts and emotions. Research has shown that unresolved issues such as anger, fear, negativity, past wrongs, self-pity, and victim mentality can often lead to devastating physical effects, including chronic back pain, migraines, fatigue, insomnia, and low immune response. Emotional detoxification often leads to a mental and physical sense of revitalization because the energy that was used to harbor negative emotions is now available for more positive, creative options such as healing and repair. Some of the first steps in this process include accepting responsibility for your emotions, identifying them, and begin working on positive change; a good Naturopathic practitioner can guide you along in the rest of this process. The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is very helpful with emotional cleansing. You can find an experienced EFT practitioner in your area by searching EFT online.
If you currently suffer from a lack of optimum health and wellness, I highly encourage you to look for things you can change to get your lifestyle under better control. Just take it one step at a time. Are you incorporating exercise and a healthy diet in your life every day? Are you drinking enough purified water every day to stay hydrated? Would making some important lifestyle changes put you in better health? When was the last time you cleansed your body? Often these are important factors in experiencing optimum health and wellness, but not always. At any rate, if your current lifestyle choices aren’t giving you desirable results in your health, I suggest making a decision right now to try the health keys in this article. Dealing with feelings of being unhealthy and unwell is not always easy, but the good news is that any health situation can be improved, and improving your health is always only one decision away!
Resources
http://www.nutristrategy.com/health.htm
http://www.incrediblehorizons.com/toxicity%20&%20Autistic-symtoms.chelating.htm
http://www.healingdaily.com/liver-detoxification.htm<
http://www.health-n-energy.com/heavymetal.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Irrad/irradfact.cfm
http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/
http://healthmad.com/health/health-benefits-of-sunshine
http://www.healingyourbody.net/index_files/Page322.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/020513_Vitamin_D_calcium_cancer.html
http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/wellness_concerns/stress/effects_of_stress.php
