A Life of Health & Harmony
Are you getting the nutrients you need? Are you exposed to environmental toxins? Are you stressed? Harmony is a concept used to describe how the body’s physiology is genetically programmed to integrate and function as a unified system. To understand these further, consider for a minute your body as an automobile. The modern car is designed to run on certain raw materials. Once each individual system has been given the components it uses to do its job, then the end goal is for the car to be driven from point A to point B. But for the car to actually start, run and be driven, all of its systems must work together in “HARMONY”.
For example: If you fill the gas tank, but the gasoline is
never delivered to the engine, then the car simply isn’t going anywhere.
Fortunately, the car comes from the factory designed to do
this on its own; therefore, we simply need to make sure it gets what it needs
as well as perform the routine maintenance. The car is “preprogrammed” to do
the rest.
Can you see how this concept of “HARMONY” applies to the human
body and its systems (respiratory system, gastrointestinal system,
cardiovascular system, urinary system, hormonal system, muscular system,
nervous system, etc.)?
The human body is considerably more complex than your average
automobile. But much like the car, the body’s systems must work in harmony for
us to actually function properly. Fortunately, the body is naturally programmed
within the DNA to perform in this manner. Therefore, although it may seem
arbitrary to highlight this concept in such detail, understanding this “HARMONY”
is paramount because it illustrates the fact that all systems in the body must
be properly supported.
No individual system is necessarily more or less important
than another. One system’s task may even rely directly upon the proper function
of another system. This interconnected
nature of how the human functions should always be considered when making
wellness choices.
For example: Vitamin/mineral and antioxidant supplements
have become commonplace today. But these alone provide only two categories of
the nutrients our bodies require. Would
you supply your car with only the gas and oil and expect it to run properly? Of
course not, and your body certainly deserves the same respect. The point is this: To attain this harmony, we
cannot be selective about which systems we choose to support and which we do
not.
Each of us is empowered with the ability to make healthy
choices for ourselves and some of us even have the power to make healthy
choices for our families as well. Start today by designing your wellness plan.
The body has trillions of cells so feeding the body at the cellular level is by
no means an overnight process. This process builds over time until the whole
body has been replenished. Therefore, give your body enough time to naturally
begin to function with the nutrition provided in your Wellness Plan. By
committing to following your Wellness Plan for at least 6 months you are giving
yourself the best chance of success. A Wellness Plan can be organized into 3 main
categories:
· Lifestyle
·
Environmental Intake
·
Dietary Supplementation
Lifestyle
·
What is the quality, quantity and consistency of
your sleep?
·
How much exercise did you really get today—enough
to raise your heart rate or make you sweat?
·
How much time did you really devote to yourself
today?
Now add some questions that have more specific significance
to you and post this list in a place where you will see it to serve as a
constant reminder to answer them on a regular basis.
Environmental Intake
A wellness plan is not only about what we put in but, also,
what we try to leave out. Things like artificial sweeteners, pesticides and
other man-made chemicals are detrimental to the body and they may accumulate
over time. Unfortunately, some toxins are simply unavoidable in today’s
environment. A good rule of thumb is: “If it is man-made or isn’t available
from nature, then avoid or limit its use to a minimum”.
·
Eat whole, vine ripened, unprocessed foods
·
Choose natural beverages or water over
carbonated sodas
·
Prepare foods using options like natural sugar
or unbleached flour as opposed to their counterparts.
·
Incorporate raw fruits and vegetables to
preserve the nutrients lost during cooking.
Dietary Supplementation
Research is increasingly showing that no matter how well we
eat, we should not rely on food alone for our nutritional needs. We should
supplement our diet. Dietary supplements are without a doubt the most efficient
way to provide the body with the nutrition lacking from our modern diets. But
don’t be fooled! Not all supplements are created equal! Today’s health food
store shelves are flooded with an overwhelming number of dietary supplement
products and there is no clear way to discern which products are actually
useful or which are even safe! Here is a short overview of the information needed
for you to make educated decisions when designing a Supplementation Plan.
·
What is the quality of the nutrient source?
·
Is it plant based?
·
What are the plants’ growing conditions?
·
How are the nutrients derived from the source?
·
How are they stabilized and standardized?
·
What is the nutrient complex or combination of
ingredients in the product?
·
Has the complex been tested to identify if the
nutrients play well together?
·
Is the nutrient content consistent from one unit
to the next?
·
Does the product actually contain what the label
on the bottle suggests?
·
How does the manufacturer test to ensure product
safety and efficacy?
·
There are many other factors to consider
including, Standardization, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines, NSF Certification,
Gluten Free, Kosher etc.
Manufacturing safe and effective supplements is a
complicated and demanding assignment. Nutrition is a science. If a company truly intends to deliver a
quality product to the consumer, these as well as many other factors must be considered
priority.
Here are some questions to ask in order to determine how
trustworthy a nutritional company is.
·
Does the company adhere to GMP’s?
·
What priority does the company put on Research
and Development (R&D)?
·
Does the company have a dedicated
laboratory/research budget?
·
Does the company have published studies?
·
Does the company have published research on
product absorption rates/efficacy?
·
Does the company have published “third party”
research on their products?
·
Is the research subject to “peer review”?
·
What is their reputation within the scientific
community?
·
Does the company employ a dedicated Science
Board?
·
How reputable/qualified are the company’s
doctors and researchers?
None of the above points can be overlooked. Not all science is good science.
Government agencies are making great progress at raising industry standards but
ultimately, your health is YOUR responsibility. Become an informed consumer.
Choose only whole-food supplements that you are supremely confident will meet
your body’s nutritional needs.
Paracelsus and Hippocrates, both
considered fathers of medical science, believed that good health relied upon
the “HARMONY” of man and nature. Over the past 2,000 years, science and
technology have evolved, but this principle remains as true today as it was then.
Advances in science have recently been able to shed new light on how the human
body functions at the cellular level. And through this, science is now beginning
to fulfill these scholar’s age-old philosophy of wellness. Hopefully, you have
a greater understanding of how to maintain this harmony between man and nature
as you continue in your quest for optimal health.
