Holistic Health-- the 4 Compass Points: Physical

The Physical compass point concerns our bodies. Physical health promotes a sense of well-being. Develop life-long habits to take care of your health. Learn to eat moderately but wisely and avoid harmful substances. Get enough sleep. Be active and get some exercise on a daily basis— take walks, play a sport, or work out on machines at the gym. No time? You can build in exercise by taking the stairs rather than elevators or getting a parking place that gives you a little hike. Just as your body can be a target organ for stress, producing physical symptoms without a medical basis, it can also help you to relieve stress through exercise.

Get regular medical checkups and pay attention to symptoms that may need medical attention. If you are unsure if a symptom is serious or not, it will not hurt to have it checked out. It may save your life, as occurred with the following young man, in whose life I happened to intervene:

At the age of 25, John started having unusual headaches that he had never had before. He had a high pressure job and thought the headaches were related to stress, but when exercise and relaxation did not relieve them, his girlfriend mentioned the problem to me. I suggested that he see his regular doctor and arrange to get a CT scan to rule out a serious condition I feared, a type of ballooning of an artery in his brain. He did, and the scan confirmed this condition, which is so rare that is often not diagnosed before it suddenly ruptures and results in death. This young man was lucky. Paying attention to his headaches rather than ignoring them led to an evaluation, diagnosis, and an uncomplicated surgery that saved his life.

In future blogs, we will discuss more ways to approach our whole health picture holistically. For now, however, take care of this important part of life, your body, by providing what it needs as well as heeding any warning signals.For more information, see my first book, Keep Your Eye on the Prize! (www.keepyoureyeontheprize.org).

Holistic Health-- Introducing the 4 Compass Points

The New Year is a good time to introduce a simple way to view your health holistically— the 4 Compass Points of Life:

1. Mental

2. Physical

3. Spiritual

4. Emotional 

Each day, strive to take care of the needs of each of these areas, and you will go far in achieving balance in your life. Neglecting any of them can lead to imbalance and possibly medical or emotional problems, but overdoing it in any one area can also cause problems, so strive for both balance and moderation. In this series of postings, we will talk about each compass point in turn. For even more information, see my first book, Keep Your Eye on the Prize! (www.keepyoureyeontheprize.org) 

Anxiety Aid

Jay and Mary Ann have had life-long free-floating anxiety, which presents with vague physical symptoms without medical basis. They have tried various medications but dislike the side-effects. They asked, “Is there any hope for handling it without drugs?” Indeed there is! After checking in with your physician to ensure there are no medical problems that account for the anxiety (including medications you might be taking), try these simple strategies for at least one month to see if they help: (1) Diet— Eliminate sources of stimulants such as caffeine, including that in sodas, chocolate, coffee, tea, and substances, like nicotine, drugs, and alcohol. Boost your body’s level of tryptophan by increasing your intake of turkey breast and dairy. Consider taking melatonin, a naturally-occurring hormone that regulates the sleep cycle and works as a sleep and anxiety-reducing aid for many people. Doses above 3 mg. have not been shown to give additional benefit. Chamomile and passion flower have anxiety-relieving effects for some people. (2) Exercise— Try to get in at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day in order to increase your body’s level of endorphins— naturally-occurring brain chemicals that relieve pain, anxiety, and depression. (3) Social Support—Some anxious people withdraw from others, but the isolation can intensify rather than diminish the anxiety. Try getting out in low-keyed social environments, like the gym, which can help you stay fit as well as provide camaraderie. (4) Work on your thinking— Are you obsessive compulsive and perfectionistic? If so, dare to be average! Lower your expectations of perfection for yourself (and others) and you may find your anxiety decreases while your relationships benefit too. (5) Asian techniques—Alternate Channel Breathing (ACB) and meditation are relaxation methods that have been used for thousands of years by the Hindus. When you feel anxious or panicky, find a quiet place (even a public restroom will do if you are at an event) to do ACB for a few minutes or until you feel calmer. There is neurobiological evidence that this technique can break an episode of panic by equilibrating the airflow across the sphenopalatine ganglion. Here is the technique: 

1. Inhale from Side 1 nostril while covering Side 2 nostril, but don’t press so hard that you interfere with the air flow into Side 1. (In 1)

2. Exhale from Side 2 while covering Side 1 (Out 2)

3. Inhale from Side 2 while keeping Side 1 covered (In 2)

4. Exhale from Side 1 while covering Side 2 (Out 1)

Try these five strategies and you may get the breakthrough you seek. Let me know how they work for you. More  tips in my book: www.keepyoureyeontheprize.org