(Image by Ralf Kunze from Pixabay)
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” -World Health Organization
Well~Being is contingent on the state of body, mind, emotion, and spirit. True health is attainable when all of the systems are in harmony and supported as a whole.
I would like to re-introduce a Zen philosophy that allows us to look at information beyond duality. That new ideas and old ideas can exist together without one being right, and the other wrong. That they are more like pieces of a puzzle that fit together.
The foundation concept I wish to express here is that there is a deeply interwoven relationship between the previously known and possibly unknown areas we focus on concerning health and wellness.
Image by John Hain from Pixabay
These are not separate from one another, they are integral to each other. Each needing its own nourishment and constantly seeking balance with the other while existing in a harmonious dance. The body, mind, emotions, and spirit all have unique needs.
Our bodies speak to us on many levels, from physical symptoms to emotional and mental symptoms of imbalance. Some also believe (myself included), that our interactions with others are profound messages about our Psyche.
One of the original tasks of the physician or healer is to decipher these messages and work with the body on all levels to restore balance.
The science of “treating” symptoms in what I will refer to as Western Medicine takes the path of listening to compartmentalized sections of the body's messages and tends to focus primarily on providing relief and comfort from the physical messages being communicated. This system will suppress the symptoms, while at the same time chase them deeper into the body and completely ignore the origin. If they do address the initial condition, the medicines are created so out of harmony with the body and nature that they invariably (as listed in the common side effects), do damage to other systems of the body. Western Medicine is absolutely brilliant for emergency treatment and advancements in surgery, I have to give them credit.
Eastern Medicine tends to look at the body with the knowledge that each system must be in balance, to work towards supporting the whole body. Environment, emotions, and mental state are all included in the diagnosis. This style of medicine works more towards preventative health and supporting the body's own immune system to heal itself with the assistance of herbs, acupuncture, massage, diet and individually created health and wellness plans.
Image by Devanath from Pixabay
Both paths of medicine are brilliant in the science and discovery of how the body works. Each seemingly coming from the opposite perspective, to interpret the bodies messages. When they come together, we will have the benefit of a truly advanced health and wellness system. Ideally, a team of medical professionals trained in both eastern and western techniques, supported by a complete holistic healing center will be a wonderful evolution in Medicine.
Until then, we are the ones who must take responsibility for our Health and Wellness. And we must be vigilant in our research of seeking new ways to nourish our Mind, Body, Emotions, and Spirit on every level.
What is Body, Mind, Emotional and Spiritual Well Being?
Volumes have been written just about the physical aspects of health, and only recently with pioneers like Freud and Jung have mental and emotional wellbeing played an integral part of the whole.
"One in six U.S. adults reported taking a psychiatric drug, such as an antidepressant or a sedative, in 2013, a new study found. *
The new data comes from an analysis of the 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which gathered information on the cost and use of health care in the United States." *
That number was up from one in ten adults in 2011. I imagine this number continues to increase.
Just as our body will communicate our state of wellness with symptoms and physical clues, our mental and emotional state is also sending us information all of the time. Our sense of happiness or sadness, interactions with others, thoughts that cross our minds and situations we find ourselves in daily are deep communications from different levels of our consciousness.
Image by beate bachmann from Pixabay
The information we will find on these subjects is infinite, so the most important thing to know is that they are all interconnected on the deepest level. Mental and emotional states of Be-ing will chemically affect the body, changing the biology. Everything we eat, breathe, put on our bodies and even think or feel is a key component to our total health.
The Harmony of Well~Being is something we are seeking whether we are aware of it or not...as everything seeks balance. Sometimes so simple as craving a certain food, and sometimes so complicated we cannot comprehend the vastness alone.
***This is adapted and expanded on from a previous publication, which you can find here.
Nicely done. See you caught a whale. Yeah.
Respect s-irie.
Posted using Partiko iOS
Thank you! <3 I am not sure what you mean by "caught a whale," yet I feel it is some sort of compliment so I am going to go with that. I really appreciate you commenting and following my writings. :-)
Whale on steem is someone who owns a lot of steem. So that account upvoted your initial intro with a huge upvote and gave you huge $ vote.
Posted using Partiko iOS
Oh! Thank you for explaining! I am very happy that my topics and writing appeal to them! This place is truly awe-inspiring!
Beautifully put!
Now I think of it... the reason I ended up in the Natural Medicine corner of Steemit, does actually have to do with the fact that I ( with a Western background ) have been looking for guidance from the East for the last couple of years. From Taoism to meditation and mindfulness to natural and Eastern medicine. Even my move from The Netherlands to Portugal, last year, in order to cure my depression ( if that's what I was suffering from? ), is linked to this search. Besides that, I have always felt that it's all about balance and energy.
As mentioned on Discord, I'm happy to have found you(r words) on here. You are a truly gifted writer / messenger and I am looking forward to your future content.
Um abraco!
Thank you @vincentnijman! I am very touched by your words and intentions. I believe everything is for a reason, and you ending up here is the Cosmo's way of answering some questions and providing a signpost, if you will. The writers I have come in contact with so far in the Natural Medicine community are truly talented and have such wisdom to share.
I feel that depression can come from not healing or acknowledging previous trauma, or even from trying to fit into a piece of the world that your heart and your unique gift aren't allowed. Those are just a couple of examples that come to mind and from personal experience. It is affecting a huge percent of our population too. Definitely a topic I will write further about.
You're very welcome and yes I believe in the law of attraction too, everything happens for a reason. You are an awesome addition to the natural medicine / mindful life community and I can't wait to hear more from you.
Um abraco and overall good vibes from me to you
Congratulations, you've been UpLotus'ed! We loved your post and gave it a small upvote with the native token for @naturalmedicine, LOTUS COIN.
LOTUS is a social coin for enthusiasts of natural health - from herbalism and essential oils, to food as medicine, meditation and spirituality, as well as the relationship of human beings to the natural world through wild-crafting, permaculture and other 'healthy' earth centred practices. Earn LOTUS by publishing or interacting with others on our front end here. You can find out much more about @naturalmedicine by joining our Discord or following others posting under the #naturalmedicine tag!
Wow! Thank you!! I am honored.
We are going to pin your post on the front end for a few days too as an extra little promo for you. x
We burnt some LOTUS and popped it in Promoted Post for you, it really is a great post! Well written and put together. xx
Thank you so much! I appreciate your support deeply! xx
$trdo
Excellent post.
Congratulations @a1-shroom-spores, you are successfuly trended the post that shared by @agiftoflove!
@agiftoflove got 0.21171600 TRDO & @a1-shroom-spores got 0.14114400 TRDO!
"Call TRDO, Your Comment Worth Something!"
To view or trade TRDO go to steem-engine.com
Join TRDO Discord Channel or Join TRDO Web Site
Thank You!
Beautiful
Posted using Partiko Android
Thank you so much! I hope it resonates with you. I plan to write a series covering these topics. :-)
Congratulations @agiftoflove! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the upvote! I am not really sure I understand the whole witness premiss, yet you seem to be on your game and have interacted with me a couple of times in less than a week. So you get one of my votes. I tried to read a little about what you do, and it went so over my head that I am glad someone competent in that area is handing it! :-)
@agiftoflove, thank you for supporting @steemitboard as a witness.
Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
Once again, thanks for your support!
Beautiful post! Hopefully more and more people will start looking at the whole picture rather than on the pieces 🙏🏼
Thank you @Kawoq! I really hope so, as the average health and wellbeing of people are seriously compromised in today's world. My biggest wish is to empower people with the knowledge of what affects wellness so they can truly take it into their own hands. <3
yes modern medicine is all about isolating an illness and focusing on the symptoms, but we are made up of many parts and if one is in dis ease then so is the other. It is so important to spread awareness about our whole well being, to bring together the many beautiful pieces of who we are. We need to trust our intuition, to remember how to listen to our bodies , to reconnect and trust in our own self healing. I look forward to reading more of your wisdom @agiftoflove xx
Yes yes yes! You absolutely understand! Thank you for the beautiful comment. :-)
Yep. I knew you’d fit right in here. 😉
Great post. Looking forward to seeing more of your creativity emerge on this platform.
😊🙏🏽☯️
Thank you so much @Metemetheus! Everyone is so supportive here, I appreciate that so much.