I think the number one health concern is . . .

[Marylou]

out of control inflammation due to poor diet and lack of physical wellness (fitness).

 

What do you think the number one concern is as it relates to good health?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Have you read The Anti-Inflammation Zone by Dr. Barry Sears? He agrees with you.

[mcconnellboys]

I think this relates to the silent auto-immune epidemic in this country....

[joannqn]

Have you read The Anti-Inflammation Zone by Dr. Barry Sears? He agrees with you.

 

 

Ooh...I think I'll look for that at the library. I seem to have a lot of inflammatory issues and wondered what was causing them.

[Joanne]

What do you think the number one concern is as it relates to good health?

 

Mental Health:

 

 

 

1. self care

2. service

3. community

4. gratitude

5. appropriate accountability

6. meditation/prayer/solitude

7. Playfulness

 

[Marylou]

Have you read The Anti-Inflammation Zone by Dr. Barry Sears? He agrees with you.

 

 

Yes, I have read his book and am hearing more and more about inflammation. I am trying to get my CRP level down.

[3littlekeets]

Mental Health:

 

 

 

1. self care

2. service

3. community

4. gratitude

5. appropriate accountability

6. meditation/prayer/solitude

7. Playfulness

 

 

:iagree: So much of our weight and physical health issues (at least in middle class communities) stems from the above.

[Nestof3]

Great list, Joanne.

 

Mental Health:

 

 

 

1. self care
   
2. service
   
3. community
   
4. gratitude
   
5. appropriate accountability
   
6. meditation/prayer/solitude
   
7. Playfulness
   

 

[Greta]

What do you think the number one concern is as it relates to good health?

 

Chronically elevated blood-sugar levels due to the modern diet being far, far higher in carbohydrate than our bodies were designed to handle (often combined with relatively little physical activity). . . leading to obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, emotional distress, and other problems.

[KidsHappen]

As a person with both chronic pain and mental health issues, I honestly can't say which is worse.

[melissel]

Chronically elevated blood-sugar levels due to the modern diet being far, far higher in carbohydrate than our bodies were designed to handle (often combined with relatively little physical activity). . . leading to obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, emotional distress, and other problems.

 

:iagree:

[Food4Thought]

out of control inflammation due to poor diet and lack of physical wellness (fitness).

 

 

I think poor diet is the cause of far too many of our current ills. Apart from genetically modified grains (extra gluten, anyone?) that show up in every pre-packaged food, we in the US are also poisoning ourselves with food colorings (Red 40, Yellow 5) and preservatives (BHT, TBHQ) that are banned in most other civilized countries.

 

If our food pyramid was based on what human beings should actually eat, and not what the government chose to subsidize that year, we would all be a lot healthier. Don't even get me started. Food gets me seriously fired up! :rant:

[Amy loves Bud]

the corn subsidy.

[IsabelC]

I would have to say attitude: too much stress, not enough fun, victim mentality where people will not take responsibility for their own health.

(Sure, I do realize that some people suffer from health problems they can do little or nothing about. But I know that I could feel about 150% better if I just did all the no brainer stuff like eating more healthy unprocessed food, getting more exercise, having enough sleep etc, however I'm too lazy and would rather somebody else fixed it all for me!)

Edited August 8, 2010 by Hotdrink

[AlaskaGrownFamily]

Severe lack of physical activity and time spent outdoors.

[6packofun]

I also agree, but add in uncontrolled stress/anxiety and untreated depression to what dmmosher said.

[Negin]

Not much time to post, but I find this whole topic absolutely fascinating and have been doing LOTS of research, which can get quite scary.

Yes, inflammation is the underlying cause for most health concerns.

Maintaining a good pH balance and a healthy lymphatic system are key also.

Have not read the other posts yet.

I hope that Peela chimes in if she hasn't already. Peela is my hero. :grouphug:

I will add more here later if anyone's interested. :)

Thank you for starting this thread. :grouphug:

[Peela]

Well, I dont know :) Thats my theme at the moment. :001_smile:

 

I didnt respond to the thread before because I dont know what the number one problem is. I could perhaps say that we have separated ourselves so far from nature, from seeing ourselves as part of nature, and subject to her laws...we see ourselves as beyond nature and superior to her....that we have lost perspective, and contact with what is real and naturally healthy. And thats never a good thing. We live in a healing energy field all the time- if you cut yourself, what happens? It heals, like magic, because the tendency of life is toward wholeness.

ALl the symptoms we suffer from are nature's warning signs. We see them as separate problems and tend to try to want to get rid of the symptoms- whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual....rather than see them as warning signs that nature will always win and being a servant to the laws of nature is a good idea. The alternative is what we have now- quite likely a dying, infertile human race. (Fortunately there is also a counter movement developing at grass roots level).

Thats why I love storms and things like volcanoes- I dont celebrate the suffering they cause, but I do celebrate that nature is showing us her awesome power again. We are specks in the universe- beautiful, valuable, but we think ourselves too important and trust that our science and politicians have it all under control. They dont. Our trust is misplaced. We cant trust the food in our supermarkets.

If we could get back in touch with the seasons, the earth under our feet, the weather, the tees and plants and animals as living beings rather than objectifying them to expolit them, if we could get in contact with the food cycles, with food, with listening to nature's messages, in contact with our own bodies and its messages.....we would heal. We would heal drastically.

(practical ideas: wear bare feet on the grass regularly, eat seasonally and locally and freshly, preferably organically, learn how to treat minor illnesses naturally, spend time in nature, keep your life in balance, do not stress or worry unecessarily, look within for happiness, cultivate a deep respect for nature....we all know this stuff.)

When we humble ourselves as a species, recognise our place in the universe, our lives will work better and happier and healthier.

Thats my 2 cents. In other words, the problem is much deeper than any one disease or issue you can name. The solution needs to come from a more intelligent and deeper place than the same level as any single problem. Fighting single problems all the time, even health ones, is great, but unless we go deeper, it won't work. Cancer, heart disease, infertility, mental illnesses, inflammation, diabetes...these are symptoms of an unhealthy society out of touch with what is real and natural. Nature has laws. We ignore them at our peril, and balance is inevitable. It is a sign of overall lack of balance. I like taking the bird's eye view sometimes rather than the ground view where it all breaks down into separate problems and issues.

It doesnt involve a lot of knowledge. It involves getting back in touch with nature on many levels.

OK, I could rave for hours on this subject, so I will stop there.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Peela

[Annabel Lee]

If we could get back in touch with the seasons, the earth under our feet, the weather, the tees and plants and animals as living beings rather than objectifying them to expolit them, if we could get in contact with the food cycles, with food, with listening to nature's messages, in contact with our own bodies and its messages.....we would heal.

 

But how? How do we regain knowledge that stopped being passed down ages ago? How do we find out which tees and which plants to use, and then, which to use together or not? By "food cycles", do you mean eating with the seasons? Natural weather prediction (if that's what you meant by getting back in touch w/ weather) was done in ancient China(?) and is really interesting to read about.

 

Is my assumption that much of it is lost wrong? Is the knowledge still out there, reachable & available? I know there are herbalists and naturopathic Dr.s that know much of this stuff, so obviously some is still around. I mean the more obscure stuff that surely civilizations of old had to have known to keep the species going.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

the corn subsidy.

 

:iagree:

[Onceuponatime]

out of control inflammation due to poor diet and lack of physical wellness (fitness).

 

What do you think the number one concern is as it relates to good health?

 

Number 1? I don't know if there is a number one.

 

If there is, maybe it is just "progress": industrialization, synthetic everything, chemical alteration of natural products, labor saving devices. Of course all those things contribute heavily to the awful modern diet as well.

 

Add that to the fact that we are never happy with what we have and we feel the need to fix people who are.

[Parrothead]

I started typing out a big long explanation of what I think the problem is. Turns out it is what Peela said just worded differently. ;)

 

The messing about with our food

Big Pharma and a pill for everything

Messing about with nature

Modern conveniences that keep us more indoors than out.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Parrothead

[Peela]

But how? How do we regain knowledge that stopped being passed down ages ago? How do we find out which tees and which plants to use, and then, which to use together or not? By "food cycles", do you mean eating with the seasons? Natural weather prediction (if that's what you meant by getting back in touch w/ weather) was done in ancient China(?) and is really interesting to read about.

 

Is my assumption that much of it is lost wrong? Is the knowledge still out there, reachable & available? I know there are herbalists and naturopathic Dr.s that know much of this stuff, so obviously some is still around. I mean the more obscure stuff that surely civilizations of old had to have known to keep the species going.

 

We can only start where we are, and we have a lot of knowledge available. Our native cultures- Australian aborigines, Native Americans...have a lot to teach us. There is a lot of knowledge. And why not use science to learn rather than destroy, to find out these things, rather than pull things apart?

 

As a trained naturopath...there are just some fundamental rules- you dont have to study for years. You just have to be willing. First, do no harm.(That means, dont take poisons to fix symptoms, and dont ingest poisons like too much coffee, sodas, chemicals etc- these are not foods). Eat living foods, as close to their natural state as possible. Get enough exercise. Drink enough water. These are the basics and barely anyone actually does them- including me at times.

I am sure a lot has been lost, but there is so much that is still available. There are huge health movements, back to nature movements, live simply movements, raw food movements, etc. I frequently go into information overload.

You just start where you are and make baby steps in the direction you want to go. You dont need to know it all to get started or progress. When you need some information, such as a herbal interaction with a medication you still need to be on, or which tree bark is good for something, or which mushrooms are poisonous....you can find the information- on the internet, in books, from local people, from Native peoples...the information will be there. We live in an information rich culture.

You can read a book or do a short course on something that interests you- how to make home made products, or local plants and their properties, or eating better....anything. And then from there, you keep going, following your interests, what you want to learn next. Thats how I learn. I like to read and sometimes do courses. I have recently been through a raw food phase. At the moment I am learning some more about chinese medicine because I am learning a type of tai chi dance. I have spent a year or two passionate about Indian medicine. But obviously it is my area of interest. Many people here on these boards have areas they have learned about...how to cook from scratch, how to bake bread, how to make a vegetable garden, how to take care of chooks, what herbs are good for women instead of using artificial hormones....all these things are little pieces of the whole pie- and we have internet communities to share this information.

Yes, I was referring to seasons. In Chinese medicine, in winter, which it is where I live...you rest more, you conserve your energy. In spring, you detoxify and start moving. In summer you are in full bloom. In autumn, you start storing and preparing for winter. Since we can go to the supermarket and buy unseasonal produce from all the over world at any times of the year...we have lost touch with these natural rythms and flows of life. Just having your own vegetable garden can put you right back in touch.

 

But yes, to answer your question....I reckon a lot has been lost...but to compensate, we have access to information from all over the world through the internet. Wheras in the past, you only had access to certain information, passed down by word of mouth...we have information passing at a phenomenal rate all over the world every second. So...we have advantages. We have science. We have technology that we can use to capture the sun or wind's energy and power our cars and houses. So...its all ok and all balanced, IMO. And we can only start where we are- there is SO much we can do that we are not doing. We need to go forwards, not backwards. We can use what we know from the past, integrate it with technology, and live beautifully and in harmony with our beautiful planet and ourselves and each other. What is lost is lost....but the future could be so amazing! One baby step at a time.

[Moxie]

Chronically elevated blood-sugar levels due to the modern diet being far, far higher in carbohydrate than our bodies were designed to handle (often combined with relatively little physical activity). . . leading to obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, emotional distress, and other problems.

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

I STRONGLY agree with that statement!!

[angela in ohio]

hi,

this is really very good thread on health point of view. it can helps me and other's also.

 

If you're going to SPAM a homeschool board, at least have the decency to use correct English. :D

 

(reported, btw)

[Impish]

For me? Pain.

 

Amazingly, I don't remember what its like NOT to hurt, even though, intellectually, I *know* its only been 2 yrs of it.

 

The spectre of decades more is enough to have me completely insensible.

 

Sure boils things down in a hurry, to 'possible' and 'not'.

[cathmom]

lack of movement

[jld]

I agree that it is poor diet, but people disagree so much about what a healthy diet is. I think a healthy diet is devoid of dairy products and flesh, rich in fruits and vegetables, and high in fiber. Other people vehemently argue the opposite. Both sides claim they feel best when they eat their diet. Agreeing to disagree is the only thing to do, I think.

[Gooblink]

I agree it's a pulling away from nature and reliance on man-made.

 

I had to laugh once when we stayed in a hotel in Dallas that touted it's "green construction" as a maketing point. A big concrete building and parking lot now sit where were once grass and trees.

 

We seem to have this never ending need to improve on what God made and it's killing us.

 

When manufactured food costs less than natural...that just seems wrong, to me.