Somewhere I read, “No disease – short life, One disease – long life.” I think it was in a book about Chinese herbal medicine. Anyway, the concept at first confused me, and I thought about it for a while until I figured that it means if we do not observe and recognize our own personal weakness, we cannot focus on it to strengthen and protect ourselves. By admitting and seeing one’s own personal weakness can lead to overcoming and winning out over it with a plan to action.
I have always felt badly when I see people desperate and ailing, who only took action after the damage had become very great. Treating disease can be very difficult and depressing. This is why I suggest treating health instead of disease. That’s right. The best health care is preventive health care. To boost one’s body with healthy food, air, and life style seems to be more and more important as we move into a more crowded and polluted world.
If the kind folk over at the NCI and American Cancer Society predict that one out of every two Americans will have cancer in their life time, it is a good indicator that it is time to treat the healthy, and do our best to keep them that way.
Studies on how our polluted environment effects our lives are hard to conduct. I don’t believe that we will ever see much information on these subjects that is considered conclusive. I try to avoid chemicals in my day to day life, especially chemicals in my every day life. It is amazing how many toxic chemicals people live with in their home. Honestly think about it. If you have a can of spray paint, floor cleaner, and oven cleaner under your sink, you are also living with their fumes in your living space. Even worse if you live on the East Coast, as you are inside with the windows closed all winter breathing the Freon from your refrigerator, the petroleum from the oil heat, ash from a fireplace or wood stove, and the laundry belt in your dryer may actually be made of asbestos, sending that into your air every time you do a load of wash.
I am fanatical about keeping my home as non-toxic as I can. All our cleaning products are food grade, so nothing is toxic. Our soaps, cleaning supply, shampoo, body products are all made from edible ingredients. I figure if it goes on your skin, it’s going through one’s liver after it absorbs through the skin. It’s also cheaper than store bought products. We use 20 Mule Team Borax for all our soap needs. We just mix it with warm water and shake. It’s great shampoo, soap, floor wash, and a cup of the powder cleans our laundry. To sanitize counter tops, hands etc. I fill a spray bottle with 5 parts water to 1 part vodka. We do not use isopropyl rubbing alcohol because it is a petroleum based alcohol, and not food grade. Vodka is drinkable, so it is food grade. I bought a decorative bottle that I transfer my vodka into so my friends don’t drink it on me, as I only use it for cleaning!
The earth is 2/3 water, your body is 2/3 water, and your food should be 2/3 water. Fruits and vegetables are the trick to a healthy life. Although it is thought one should drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day, I believe that we actually hydrate from eating fruits and vegetables more than from drinking water. Drinking water seems to flush out the body, but digesting fruits and vegetables brings the water into the cellular level, and keeps our body lubricated and youthful.
I don’t seem to worry about food as much as I do chemical avoidance. At my home we cook two meals a day from scratch with organic vegetables from the farmers’ market. We also have produce delivered. Check in your area if you have a local organic farm with a website, as there is nothing better than receiving a weekly box of farm fresh organic vegetables and fruits on your door stoop once a week to keep one eating healthy. Because I have good eating habits, I do not deprive myself of any yummy snack, cake, cookie, or chip. I eat what I want, and sometimes I want Chocolate Ring-Dings, so I indulge. I think I get away with this because of all the other healthy habits I have.
I love to walk for some fresh air. I come up with errands just so I can go out for a daily walk. It’s my “creative healthstyle”. Be sure to invent one task a day that involves a 15 minute walk or more. I have never had a drivers license. I walk a lot. Bring a bottle of water with you, and drink some.
Define the things you hate in your life, and figure out a creative strategy to remove them. If you hate your job, do one thing every day to get out of it. It could be finding another. It could be starting a small home business or dot com. Work at it a little every day. You’d be amazed at how much gets done if you do just a little every day. Being happy is the most important thing to do for your health. Make your life the one you want to live, and live it you will.
So these are some of the ways I treat health. I suggest that everyone that is feeling healthy to take good care of their health. Do not wait until you are ill to learn about healthy living. It is so difficult to read and research when one is ill. Many people are afraid of change. I say do not do anything drastic over night. Take it slower. Add one new healthy habit to your life every week, and pretty soon you will have made some major changes. After all, there is no hurry when one is treating health.
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