Ideal Health- What are you Waiting for?

Many of us wish to live a long and healthy life. In our society of convenience, endless distractions and over and under achievers, how many of us are truly healthy? Most of us are living with multiple symptoms as a result of chronic stress, poor nutrition and lack of exercise. We consider these symptoms "normal", or believe they are all just part of aging or can be "fixed" with a pill. We ignore these warning signs telling us that something is out of balance, and then it's too late. After many years of ignoring our bodies, we get cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, autoimmune disease, dementia and hundreds of other conditions that are difficult to manage, physically, emotionally and financially. We need to stop ignoring our bodies if we truly value health and longevity. We need to take more personal responsibility to prevent disease from taking root in our bodies.

This is what an ideal picture of health looks like:

• You fall asleep easily, stay asleep all night and wake up refreshed and ready to start the day
• You have sustained energy all day and are able to focus easily
• You eat a wide variety of healthy food with no reactions, and have daily, formed bowel movements without digestive symptoms
• You feel empowered to have a fun and active lifestyle, and you have a healthy desire for sex
• You have no chronic pain or discomfort
• Your urination is normal, and you do not wake up to urinate
• Your emotions are appropriate to the situation and you can easily adapt to any situation
• If you are a woman, you have regular, pain free menstrual cycles and transition through life changes (pregnancy, post-partum, menopause) with ease
• If you are a child, you transition through developmental stages in good health

If this is not your reality, it's time to listen and heal your body. This is the ideal we are working towards with acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatment. This is how our bodies are meant to function, and we can get back to this state of well-being. If you already have chronic disease, you can move in this direction and discover your best self under your unique circumstances. 

It does take effort. It takes being present, showing up for your life and paying attention to your mind, body and spirit. It takes making healthy food choices, and falling in love with your farmers and kitchen. It takes daily active movement, and stepping away from the couch and the computer. It takes a compassionate team of health care providers, who will help your body find its natural balance again and truly listen to you, while causing no harm.

Nothing is holding you back from achieving your ideal picture of health, except YOU. No more excuses. I hope you all will live the life you want. We can all find a truly fulfilling job, loving and passionate relationships, causes worth supporting in our community and society, and a healthy life. What are you waiting for?

-Clinical ideal health adopted from my colleague Tansy Brigg's website
-Pictures from www.unsplash.com