Mind Body Edge - Think Health

Alternative Health - A Paradigm Shift!

Sun, May 18, 2008

Tags: alternative health, degenerative diseases, health paradigm, healthy lifestyle, natural health
Posted in: General Health, Holistic Health

From my observation, Society as a whole, has a quick fix mentality.

Maybe you are a little like me and try not to approach life from that perspective Still I think it is a very strong principle permeating the thinking of the masses!

Traditionally people have trusted their Doctor implicitly, and while there has been some change with that, I think the underlying trust of the Western Medical Approach is still ingrained in our thinking, as a body of humanity is concerned.

Of course, I can only speak from a Western perspective, so if I lived in India or Africa I would no doubt have a different world view.

So, here’s the point. We (used in a generalized sense), want to be able to live exactly how we want, but really don’t want the consequences of what that can bring.

We eat fast food, get very little rest, drink little water, get little exercise, depend on stimulants and alcohol to get us through, or maybe we just seek pleasure at every level of our existence. The problem here is, for a lot of Western society, what is seen to be ‘pleasurable‘ is not necessarily what is healthful, and in a lot of cases downright damaging.

Of course this is all subject to opinion, and indeed we are all entitled to have our own, however, what is really interesting, is those that adhere to less than healthy lifestyle pursuits, frequently don’t want to accept the consequences of their choices. Most often, they will make silly statements, like ‘My grandfather smoked till he was 95, so it can’t be that bad for you‘!

That is quite probably true, but of course there is so much more to the story that is chosen to be ignored. I guess it is a form of self delusion, where we really want to turn a blind eye to the obvious, and cling to anything that can support us choosing the course we choose.

When consequences show up we, in the form of health problems, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, or cancer we head off to the Dr for the quick fix. Pharmaceuticals are prescribed in order to manage the symptoms, and in some cases surgical procedures are undertaken to deal with the consequences of our lifestyle choices.

Now before someone starts taking offence; I am fully aware of inherited problems, some of which cannot be avoided. There are also those subjected to external environmental factors that have caused a disease. I am primarily addressing those who fit the category of self choice, however, even for those that have been dealt a rough hand, there is a lot that can be done to either improve one’s lot, or in some cases avoid the problem altogether.

When a disease like cancer strikes, people are immediately afraid, and at that time it is even harder to make a fully informed decision, so most will take the Traditional Western Medical approach.

I am not suggesting that no one should choose this option, because for many, at that point to try anything else would be most likely doomed to failure. It is just that by educating ourselves, by making different choices we could very well find that there might just be a better approach.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting you ignore your Doctor, far from it. I am suggesting that people make a choice to educate themselves as to how our bodies function, and realize there is a huge amount we can do to preferably prevent these horrible degenerative diseases.

In other words, we need to learn how to work with our biology and humanity, rather than against it, or to manipulate it.

If we find ourselves in the unfortunate position that we are struggling with these conditions, then again, there is much can be done, but one would have to be prepared and able to take on a paradigm shift in their thinking.

I suspect, here-in lies the real problem.

Yours for better health and wellbeing,

Lynne