So you're new to the Holistic Approach? Or you just wanted to pop in and get a better understanding of my take on the matter.
Either way, THIS IS YOUR STARTING POINT! If you are trying to transition into a holistic lifestyle, there are a couple of key concepts that you’ll need to understand. If you aren’t new to this, well you may still learn something, so approach with humility.
In order to be successful on your Holistic health journey, the biggest obstacle you will have to overcome is learning how to:
Analyze and bring your subconscious thoughts and beliefs into question
Learn how to "reprogram" those subconscious thoughts and beliefs
...without sounding like a technical prig about it, this essentially means you will have to actively engage in "changing your mind" in regards to how you view and manage "health".
Addressing ALL Of You
This is our foundation. You are a spiritual being, living in a physical body, with a mind and nervous system that allows you to experience emotions.
Identify the old thought: my mind, body and spirit are 3 separate things.
Changing your mind: every time you think of yourself (no matter what the context is, whether talking about your health, your goals, your struggled etc.) picture this triangle in your mind, re-training your mind to think of "you" as 3 parts that make the whole
Understanding Symtoms
The problem doesn't necessarily stem from an incorrect view of symptoms, rather it comes from an incorrect view of the body. There are a couple of key points that we need to understand.
The first is related to the first concept of the Holistic Approach. That is: Just as we can't separate our mind, body and spirit (because they all create one unit that works fluidly together) we can't separate our organs and systems. When one organ system is affected this puts added stress or pressure on all of the other organ systems.
The second thing we have to understand is that our body is incredibly proficient at doing its job. God designed your body with all kinds of built-in defence systems, and backup wires so to speak, to ensure that as long as the body is being treated and cared for appropriately, all the cells and organs will beautifully handle their tasks and work as they were designed to... the problem, therefore, lies with us, how we care for and treat this temple.
If we can change our minds to remember that the body is one proficient system working together we can easily wrap our head around the proper understanding of symptoms which is this:
All symptoms are the body's way of saying, "I've been placed under too much of a toxic load for far too long, and I just can't keep up with how you are treating me (or not treating me) anymore."
Think of your organs as a sink and drain, when there is too much sludge (hair, debris etc) being poured into the sink it clogs ups and the drain can't perform its normal job. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the drain itself, but rather there's an issue with what's being put in it. View your organs the same way. There isn't necessarily a problem with the system itself, rather we are placing too much or a burdensome load on it, and just like that drain, they start to back up and can't keep up with their normal physiological tasks, which eventually "spills over" and creates the same scenario in the other organs.
Our job: identify and replace the lifestyle habits that are clogging up the sink, then facilitate drainage so the organ's load can be lifted and they return to normal, healthy, physiological function!
Identify the old thought: there can be a couple here
Our bodies don't know how to do their job
I can have an "illness" or issue in one isolated area
My physical body is just not working right
Changing your mind: From now on, in order to retrain yourself to see the body correctly, imagine your body as a system of sinks, if the correct things are being poured down the sink, the sink will function as it should.
Time - It's Not Wasted
It took time for that clog in the drain to build up to a point that the sink started to overflow. Despite the feelings or appearance, your symptoms didn’t pop up overnight, they are the result of months or years of toxic accumulation in your organs.
Now, this is where our sink analogy breaks down. Unlike pulling out the wab of hair or pouring some concoction down the sink to clean out the problem, it takes equal amounts of time to facilitate slow, safe drainage in your organ systems so that their burden is lifted and they return to healthy function.
Identify the old thought:
I can take a pill, do a treatment and make it all better Immediately.
My symptoms/ illness/ condition just popped up.
Change your mind: It took time for my organs to get overwhelmed to the point of expressing symptoms, it will take equal if not longer to safely facilitate drainage, and get the organs working like they should again so the symptoms/ condition/ illness goes away.
From A Foundation Up
Imagine you are in a room, its pitch dark… how would you light the room?
I’m sure your answers included some of the following: light a candle, open a window, turn on the light, get a flashlight etc.
Now, did any of you answer: we should just take the darkness out?
I’m guessing it’s a fat NO. Because we know that's ridiculous, you don’t take the darkness out, you put light in. It is the same concept with your health. You don’t try different methods to get disease/ illness/ symptoms out of the body. Rather, you have a whole arsolol of things you do in order to put health in, so you can build up a strong, healthy you.
Treatments, therapies, supplements etc. are all tools you use in order to do that building work, but like any good building project, you first have to lay the foundation upon which you start building!
Only when you’ve laid a strong foundation can your therapies, treatments, expensive supplements and such actually have the desired effect.
Identify the old thought: I can just rely on the tools (therapies, treatment, medications, supplements etc.) to get me well. (Without making foundational changes to my lifestyle.)
Change your mind: It’s real simple, and as usual, it goes back to God’s word: you wouldn’t build a house on sand or clay. Drill it into your mind that you need to lay a foundation before you start building!
You Aren't A Victim Of Your Genes
This next one seems pretty specific but it is again very foundational. This concept will really require you to challenge and change your beliefs because we were all taught that our genes dictate our health, but thanks to ever-progressing science, we now know that is not the case!
I also think this point so extravagantly points to the talented, intentional brushstroke of God in creating us.
The genes that make us who we are, are blueprints, and their expression can be CHANGED by proteins that act kind of like switches. The things that dictate what switches get turned on and off are not the genes themselves, it is your environment!
Identify the old thought: my health is completely dependent upon my genes.
Note: I want to be clear that there are genetic defects that influence people's health, what I am saying here is that those cases make up a very small % of western diseases. And again, genetic expression can to some extent be changed by environment.
Change your mind: I will not get into a lengthy explanation on this because that’s not the point of the article. Instead, I strongly encourage you to read Biology of Belief or Who Turned My Brain Off to understand the real up-to-date science behind this topic that will free you from the bondage of believing that you are going to get cancer because it “runs in the family.” THAT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE TRUE!
Holistic Aging
Because we have strayed so far from the holistic, ancestral way of life, we have run ourselves into the ground, emotionally, spiritually and physically. To the point of living suboptimal lives filled with dis-ease and emotional/spiritual turmoil. it is therefore no surprise that we are now aging in a way that illustrates this dysfunction.
Let me make this clear: the image you have of aging is completely manufactured from our suboptimal, toxic western lifestyle.
Traditional, ancestral, holistic living meant still being active, virile, energetic, sharp thinking and able up until the day or point of death. If you think I’m exaggerating then here’s where I want to challenge you and help free you from the bondage of living with a western view of aging….
Identify the old thought: aging is a horrible process in which we steadily decline and grow decrepit.
Changing your mind: Pick up the book Healthy At 100. Just one of many resources you can turn to in order to reshape your mental picture of aging... which will ultimately reshape the way you yourself age!
Getting Started
So it seems you have some work to do. After all, we’ve covered 6 fundamental concepts that make up the Holistic Approach, and I’m sure each has challenged you to stop and think about the beliefs you’ve been holding about your health.
If you are ready to start this holistic journey your next step is here: building a solid foundation.
Thank you so much for having the humility, curiosity and open-mindedness to see this article through to the end! If that’s you, I have no doubt you’ll be able to successfully transition into this holistic way of life!