The Power of Prevention
If health is the greatest wealth, building wealth depends on the health of its builders. And, we are coming to realize that for most of us staying healthy and maintaining a level of body fitness, is a reasonable and achievable goal.The good news is that when we stay healthy, many of life’s simple pleasures will be ours to enjoy. As our efforts show some signs of success, our belief in and resolve to make some smart choices in the ways we think and the paths we choose as our lifestyles become unshakable.
You are your own best medicine. This statement may sound philosophical yet it is very pragmatic. It emboldens your resolve to take charge of your health yourself. It takes its origin from a new paradigm in health care called Holistic Integrative Medicine. The six salient features in this approach can be summarized as follows:
1. The Holistic Approach
This calls for a change in our line of thinking. It forces healthcare givers to focus their care on the whole person– his body, mind, emotions and spirit and not exclusively on the ailment or the affected body part. Attempts are made to understand the underlying cause of the illness besides making a diagnosis and offer treatment through medicine and/or surgery. It is equally important to have a plan of action to reverse the disease process. This new paradigm strongly supports the notion that prevention is the best intervention in health care. It is effective and economical.
2. Identification and Use of Five Key Components for Optimal Health
Understanding the role played by food (both micro and macronutrients), moving and exercise, sleep and stress reduction by making use of prayer and meditation, love and touch as needed, and lastly the type and extent of every individual’s connection with his own living world and his environment are essential. Each one of these five can make or break our health status.
3. Building a bridge between traditional Western Medicine and the best of global healing traditions.
In order to produce the best results, attempts must be made to combine yoga, meditation, vegetarian diet etc. which are key components of India’s age-old Ayurvedic medicine along with all other treatment options available in modern medicine today.
4. Human Body: The Great Healer
This is an important physiological fact that is central to this new thinking. Human body possesses an innate ability to heal. We as people and physicians as well as other care givers owe it to ourselves and to our patients to tap into this in born power of our body. We must make full use of it to benefit all who need it. In other words, all caregivers must strive to help people to make use of their own innate power and place them at right space which enables and enhances natural healing.
5. Sharing the Belief That Healing Will Occur
This is the flipside of what was stated above. Both the caregiver and the patient must believe that healing will take a place as a result of their joint efforts. This expectancy of healing is an important ingredient. What we expect will indeed occur. Optimism does help. Yes, healing does require hope. On the contrary, pessimistic beliefs and expectations produce negative consequences.
6. The Power of Persuasion in Healing
This is another important factor in understanding what makes people heal. Research has revealed that patients whose caregivers are caring and empathetic, do better than those caregivers who are less caring.
The core principles or scientific facts which form the basis for Holistic Integrative Medicine as explained above, are very pertinent to our pursuit for a healthy life.
India International Health Foundation 