What Is Real Healthcare?
Our human condition has overcome and adapted to many challenges. That adaptive capacity is our gift. I view the human body as a miraculous vehicle that has managed to get our species to this place in time and space. Yes! allopathic medicine (what can go wrong with the human body) has propelled us forward with such things as antibiotics, surgery, and testing to find issues while they are still manageable. Those gifts have been with us for only a brief time. Prior to their emergence we had to rely upon our ability to take care of ourselves.
Kototama/Inochi Meridian Therapy ( a natural medical system utilizing the energy medical tools of acupuncture, Oriental styles of massage, and advice on health enhancing lifestyle changes) works to support natural tendencies toward health. Now with the need to hold back new antibiotics until they are absolutely necessary and the lack of funding for the development of new and more powerful or different acting antibiotics, the human condition requires each of us to take responsibility for our own health and its maintenance. What does that look like?
Preparing for the worst with the purchasing of health insurance may indeed be an aspect of your overall health picture. But it is small potatoes to the remainder of our responsibilities toward healthcare. Investing in daily practices that support health is key.
Diet is a physical solution to a physical issue. While it is not the only answer, it can do a great deal toward enhancing our immune system and keeping the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects cooperating with each other. Nakazono O'Sensei said "put me in charge of prisoner's diets and I'll clear out the prisons". A healthy diet rich in color, flavor, and a preponderance of vegetable matter can support all three aspects of our being. The presentation supports our spirit. Certain vegetables and fruits can help to calm the system thus aiding our brain/consciousness. Balanced diet helps keep the physical system running smoothly with less inflammation to impede smooth flowing vital energy.
Exercise moves the system so that blockages to energy flow can be reduced or eliminated. Thus the vital energy that courses through, nourishes, and animates us can flow smoothly, empowering us.
Spiritual practices (i.e. meditation, prayer, mindfulness) empower us to be compassionate, understanding, humble, and vital.
Investing in these capacities either through practice and/or financially helps us to avoid needing the "rainy day" option of health insurance. So, how does one invest in natural?
My husband and I eat predominantly organic food that has little to no processing. Do I get a pizza now and again? Sure. But processed foods are not my mainstay. While I eat gluten and my husband is gluten free, I make my own bread so as to avoid the processing that occurs with mass produced food. We eat home much more and the food is actually prepared at home. My husband is the main cook which is good as he is quite disciplined. We invest in organic as I feel it is overall better for us. We also use grass fed beef and dairy. However, if you can not afford organic, buy local conventional produce. It has the energy from your region which better supports you in that climate. Minimize your beef and dairy. Reduce sugar consumption overall.
William rides his bike often and takes walks. I follow a specialized exercise program that involves a trainer and is called Gyrotonic. My friend Anne Thomasson, L.M.T., has built her business around this specialization. When my low back decided to scream for attention, I added Gyro to my rehab program. Two years ago I worried that I might have to move to another type of profession. With the aid of Gyrotonic and the homework of Gyrokinesis, along with the many other natural rehab avenues I have at my disposal, I have healed enough to see my future continue with my passion as a physician of energy medicine. I had spent almost three decades leaning over a treatment table without proper considerations to posture, etc.. Lesson learned.
Sound meditation, prayer, and experiences in nature are my "go to" for the support of my spirit and consciousness. A quiet mind frees spirit. Breathing deep into one's center (the area just below the navel) and from there filling up the lungs, aids the mind's ability to quiet/calm. Some do this meditation in the form of singing. Kototama sound meditation (more like chanting) lifts my spirit and quiets my mind. And it helps me remember to breathe from center. Deep relaxed breathing is very important to any meditative and or mindful practice.
Embrace the responsibility of taking care of one's own health. Start with baby steps and allow time to help you merge the practices into a sustainable program. Do what your economics allow. Realize that the body heals from within and that each of us has the ability to better our health naturally with patience and resolve. That in my opinion is "real healthcare".
Mary S. Wallis, L.Ac., NCCAOM Acupuncture Diplomate, L.M.T., C.N.M.T.
Energy Medicine Practitioner in the Japanese styles of Kototama/Inochi Medicine and Usui Reiki
President Improved Performance Inc.
895 rue St. Francois
Florissant, MO 63031
www.HealingStLouis.com
www.ImprovedHealing.com