We all want to maintain the best health we possibly can, regardless of whatever else might be going on in our lives. As we become older, the importance of health often becomes that much more evident, as nagging chronic issues rear their ugly heads more prominently.
There is a very large medical industry out there, which provides all sort of benefits, and is largely responsible for the fact that many of us are even alive today at all, to enjoy the various blessings of life. But the medical industry isn’t perfect. Doctors and surgeon are human, drugs have side effects, and operations often take their toll.
Since the dawn of medicine, it’s been known that “prevention is the best cure”, with even the father of modern medicine himself — Hippocrates — having apparently said words to that effect.
So, what can you do to correct health issues, and maintain your health, with as little need as possible for drugs and drugs and surgery?
Here are holistic health suggestions that might help.
Do yoga, Pilates, or some other regular stretching routine
We often think of yoga as being the kind of thing people do when they want to learn how to perform the splits, and, although it’s widely known to be a beneficial practice for health, it can be easy to underestimate just what a powerful impact muscular tightness and imbalances can have on the body overall.
When your muscles are imbalanced and tight, your organs may be compressed in unnatural ways, due in large part to your bad posture. Your joints and bones will have pressure exerted on them unevenly from different angles, which can cause all kinds of pain, irritation, and injury.
Even your spine may be misaligned as a result of muscle tightness, and your nerves trapped.
The bottom line is basically that muscle tension and imbalance can ruin your health in all kinds of ways that are difficult even to grasp, ranging from unexplained aches and pains, hormonal issues, potentially worsened organ health, and maybe even neurological issues.
Doing yoga, Pilates, or some other regular stretching routines can, therefore, have a major and positive impact on your overall health and wellbeing.
Find qualified medical professionals who are able to suggest appropriate exercises rather than to go straight for prescriptions and surgery
Many medical professionals are, unfortunately, overly hasty to prescribe drugs or propose surgery, when softer therapeutic solutions might be a better bet.
At times, though, you’ll be lucky enough to find qualified medical professionals who take a more nuanced view of things, and who are able to suggest appropriate exercises and lifestyle suggestions, rather than feeling the need to go straight for prescriptions and surgery.
You might find a good optometrist who can suggest lifestyle changes that can contribute significantly to preventing your eyesight from getting worse; rather than just issuing you with stronger glasses every year or two. Maybe you could look for a physician that incorporates eastern and western medicine for a holistic approach to health care.
Keeping an eye out for these types of helpful, open-minded professionals can be a great idea.
Focus on the basics that your grandparents would have recognized — eat a whole foods diet, get plenty of fresh air, and sleep enough
There’s a lot of health advice out there on the internet, and in the world at large, that makes it very difficult — to say the least — to figure out what the best course of action to take is in any given instance. In fact, even trying to work out the best routine to follow can become immensely stressful and confusing.
Often, instead of trying to figure out the ideal combination of the latest and greatest exercise routines and vitamin supplements to take, you might be better off taking a deep breath and focusing on the basics.
Ask yourself, what would your grandparents have recommended and recognized as healthy advice? There’s likely some wisdom there if you’re willing to heed it.
Maybe the first step on your path to holistic health should be to focus on eating a healthy, balanced, whole foods diet, getting plenty of fresh air, and sleeping enough.
Keep a journal to track what you’re doing and how you feel
There are many good reasons why you might want to keep a journal — and the recent popularity of the Bullet Journal indicates that many people are still drawn to this classic analog medium.
One of the benefits of keeping a journal is that you can record what you’re doing with regards to your lifestyle, exercise, diet, etc., and also track how you feel as a result.
Over time, this can help you to observe different trends, and isolate certain practices that seem to have the most positive overall effect.
