!i f t 24! 'It is much more important to know what sort of patient has the disease, than what sort of disease the patient has'
!f o n! - Sir William Osler, 19th Century Canadian Physician.
With the enormous strides in medical science, today's approach to health education is heavily based on physical causes of illness. Sophisticated drugs, open heart surgery & organ replacement are now commonplace. However, recent medical opinion reflects the change in emphasis to the !i! preventive !n! aspects of medicine, concerned with treating !i! causes !n! of ill health, rather than its symptoms.
#health care
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The physical aspects of health care are easy to identify:
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exercise & diet
stop smoking
avoid alcohol
take more vitamins & fiber, whilst avoiding artificial additives & preservatives
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All these components contribute to good health, but today's medical research confirms that a !i! healthy mental attitude !n! is the single most significant component. It is far too easy to take drugs to overcome current problems - sleeping pills, valium, etc., may offer short-term relief, but fail to address the fundamental underlying problem.
The body purposely presents these symptoms to warn something is amiss. It has become fashionable to believe that where science & medicine have created problems, it is only more scientific understanding & better medicine that can carry us past them. In other words, the cure for bad management is more management.
!i! So, what are the ingredients of a healthy mind?
#mask
!n! Our emotions - {anxiety}, greed, anger, guilt, resentment, frustration & so on. Any of these emotions in moderation are perfectly healthy, but if they are dramatically increased they can develop into depression, obesity, anorexia, stress, etc. Short term {stress} is good, it sharpens the mind & focuses the body but excessive or repetitive stress is very damaging.
{Heart attacks} are common in people who are aggressive, competitive & obsessed with time. {Ulcers} are associated with {anxiety} or repressed hostility. Suppressed despair has an adverse effect upon the body's immune system. Excess worrying often leads to {insomnia}.
Everyone has moments when they feel angry, helpless, lonely, resentful or frustrated. The occasional experience of these emotions is both natural & healthy, since it alerts us to problems in our environment & motivates us to make lifestyle changes.
Serious problems only arise when these passing emotions persist. Taking drugs (pain-killers, valium, etc.) only relieves the symptoms, without attacking the real problem. A sense of fun is undoubtedly a fundamental attribute which contributes to a healthy philosophy of life.
Remember, if you are planning on having children, they learn most effectively from example - by emulation (they are twice as likely to smoke, if you smoke). Education today concentrates on vocational achievement, training children to become lawyers, physicians, dentists & so on.
!i b! Teach them to make a good life, not just to make a good living.
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!n! To understand the needs of your body & mind, it is important to understand your history, the history of mankind & how we evolved.
#stoneage man
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The evolution of mankind reflected the environment in which he had to survive, prepared for the highly physical activity of roaming primeval forests. When faced with danger, the ability to survive was paramount, man was able to switch into 'overdrive' for short periods to escape life threatening danger.
#commuter man
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The finely tuned human body obviously worked well, since mankind became the most successful survivor in the entire animal kingdom. However, confined to the concrete cities 20th century man is expected to lead a very different lifestyle. Our bodies are simply not designed for passive contemporary life.
With modern technology & labor saving devices, we have little need for {strength} & {stamina}. Our society provides food, accommodation, law enforcement, healthcare & education. Even physical fitness is institutionalized into health clubs & YMCA's. We have no life-threatening forces against us, but for the pressures of work & competitiveness of lifestyles.
#product line
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Emphasized by television & radio, the 'work-ethic' is indoctrinated into us & into our society. We have little satisfaction when idle or unemployed. Today's over-programming has transformed the world into a treatment ward, in which people are continually taught, socialized, normalized, tested & reformed.
