September/October 1998
Articles on the theme "Health Consciousness"
A Matter of Life and Death
by Sylvia Jackson
The writer, who is dying of brain cancer,
gives some advice concerning prevention and medical exams.
Magic Tea Plus
by Constance Felos
How an attorney and her client created an adventurous new paradism of health
consciousness. The recipe for a special herbal tea.
Health-Minded Living
by Bob Gonzalez
Some tips from the manager of a health
food store how to achieve and maintain optimum physical health.
Miracle Consciousness
by JoAnne Gregory
Miracles, fake or real? What is it
that makes miracles possible?
How's Your Subconscious?
by Patrick Plaskett
Habits and their effect on our health.
Changing bad habits. Creating a different future.
True Health Consciousness
by Carol L. Roberts, MD
A doctor talks about what you can do
to avoid visits to the doctor.
Becoming Health Conscious
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
The importance of our words and thoughts.
Becoming food conscious. Our attitude to things, especially money. Counting
our blessings. Awareness of others and the environment.
A Simple Clay Bath!
by Lauana Lei
How the writer, suffering from heavy
chemical/metal poisoning, recovered her health by taking a clay bath.
A Healing Education
by Barbara Bedingfield
An account by a Waldorf teacher of
the basic educational requirements for maintaining the health of a child.
Our Spiritual Source
by Rev. Pat Cross
On connecting with our spiritual source
to realize a true health consciousness. Using our spiritual powers to heal
ourselves.
Other Feature Articles
What's Newz?
by Dee J. Findlay
2000 and Beyond!
by David Findlay
Natural Health Q&A
by Dr. Scott Rubin
Parasites and allergies -- some natural
remedies.
What is . . . A Course In Miracles?
by Mary Barbara
How "A Course In Miracles"
came to be and some of its basic teachings.
Your Astro Guide
by Weiss Kelly
Mineral Kingdom
by Judy Power
Featured stones for September and October:
Labrodorite and Opalized Quartz
Health-Minded Living
by Bob Gonzalez
When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless and reason is powerless. -- Herophiles 300 B.C.
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone? -- Joni Mitchell
In one sense, the term "health consciousness" is almost an oxymoron. When our health is functioning, we are least aware of it and free to concentrate on other things. It is when we lose our health that we are forced to become self-centered enough to concentrate on restoring it. Yet health always should be on our minds. Most of the time when we speak of health, we are referring to soundness of the physical body. Although mind and spirit are also vital aspects of our health, experience will demonstrate that physical health is truly fundamental to one's overall well-being. One's mind and spirit become stronger and more resilient when the body is functioning at its best. Since I make my living paying attention to physical health, let me offer some suggestions to help you do the same.
Strive for optimum health, elusive as it may be.
Are we really healthy just because we're not sick in bed? It is virtually
impossible to know optimum health. We can really only know the best health
we have experienced. Nevertheless, it behooves us to work to maintain the
greatest state of health we've ever known while continuing to improve it
as much as possible. We can do this by always monitoring how we feel as
we go about our day and experimenting with diet and lifestyle practices
that we believe might improve our state of well-being.
Eat food with as little processing as possible.
The less food is tampered with, the better it is. Minimal processing is
better than extensive processing and best is no processing at all. Raw vegetables
and fruits far outdistance cooked foods in enzymes, antioxidants, fiber
and vitamins. Also, as a rule, raw foods, being more alkaline-forming than
cooked foods, increase energy and natural resistance to disease.
Know what you are eating.
This seems so obvious that it is tempting not to mention. However, it continues
to be a common practice for people blindly to pop something in their mouth
entirely on the recommendation of friends. Many people do not read food
labels, as if taste is their only concern when choosing what to consume.
In the health food store I manage, I love to observe that most of my customers
read every label of every product they buy and insist on products free of
preservatives, pesticides, food coloring, known carcinogens and ingredients
to which they are allergic.
Learn and practice food combining.
The digestive system uses entirely different juices to digest fat, protein,
and carbohydrates. Each of these categories of food digests at a different
rate. To indiscriminately mix these foods in one meal, especially in large
quantities, is to ask for digestive disaster. The simpler the meal, the
easier to digest. The easier to digest, the more it will be assimilated
and the more the body will be able to use the nutrients present in the food.
Remember the updated maxim: "You are what you assimilate, not just
what you eat."
Hydrate yourself.
We are all aware from elementary science that the body is mostly water.
All bodily fluids thrive on the water we ingest. The more we take in, the
better. Pure, unadulterated water nourishes the glands and tissues, works
as the solvent of the body and serves as a transport vehicle to shuttle
toxins out of the body.
Take regular, gentle exercise.
One of the ways to help water remove toxins is by increasing perspiring
through the pores of the skin, often referred to as the third kidney. Also,
of course, exercise is a simple means of keeping excess weight off the body.
Simple fast-paced walking is excellent, especially if you can get your heartrate
accelerating and your pores perspiring. Swimming, non-impact aerobics and
trampolining are also excellent forms of exercise.
Listen to your body.
At the risk of encouraging hypochondria, I suggest we all pay more attention
to physical signals. It is easier to nip an illness in the bud than to ignore
it until it puts us in the sickbed. For example, at the first sign of sniffles,
bombard yourself with all-natural immune system fortifiers such as powdered,
buffered Vitamin C. Also, take a clue from the animals and don't eat when
you are sick. Refuse solid food and take only light liquids such as water
and fresh juices. Give the body a chance to rally to its own defense. Don't
distract the life force by demanding that it digest all sorts of heavy foods.
If your appetite has left you, don't force food down your throat. You can
live easily without food for several days.
These elementary suggestions are simply reminders to all of us, including myself, that health is the best way to experience life. Let's not wait until we lose our health to become concerned about it. Let's activate our minds and spirits to prevent illness and maintain a high level of wellness by continually learning and practicing as much as we can about how the body works and what it needs to help it do its job in maintaining and regenerating itself.
Bob Gonzalez is a freelance writer who also, with his family, manages Ansley's Natural Marketplaces in Tampa, FL. (813) 239-2700. E-mail: lopergon@gte.net.
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