Holistic Health 3.0

Holistic Health 3.0

holistic health

“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” B.K.S. Iyengar “

 What is holistic health?

The best way to describe holistic health is to show that the body, mind, and soul are intimately interconnected, and when one part suffers it has a direct impact on the rest of our wellbeing.  It is statistically proven that happy, emotionally balanced people that are spiritually and socially fulfilled, live healthier and longer lives. The conclusion has to be – anything that angers, stresses, and agitates you will ultimately take its toll on your health. My grandmother had a saying `’ If it does not matter in 5 years from now, it does not matter”. This can’t be taken 100% at face value, but the overriding principle is correct. Let’s not get angry and stressed about ‘little things that don’t actually matter a few months from now. 

One of the first doctors to recognize the interconnection between body, mind, and soul was the Ancient Greek Hippocrates (460 – 370 BC, Kos, Greece). His way of ‘whole body medicine’ was practiced up until the Middle Ages and beyond. But towards the end of the 19th century, medical specialism became the norm. Patients no longer sought the help of doctors who practiced an overall level of healthcare and relied heavily on natural remedies and the prevention of illness. 

The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet, and the cause and prevention of disease. Thomas A. Edison

The specialist is just concerned with a specific organ or cure, mostly disregarding the origin of the illness and its wider implication. This way of healthcare is great for infection control and acute health problems. It is also not very individual and prevention-led and  I refer to it for this purpose as healthcare 2.0

Holistic Healthcare 3.0

Quite recently doctors are reverting back to a more individualistic approach. With the official discovery of the microbiome  (Rudolf Steiner already knew about the connection between food grown in healthy soil and gut health over 100 years ago, but was ridiculed until this discovery) doctors have gone back to champion more individualistic therapies, the connection between food and health and the overall strategy of good health as the best prevention of disease. 

Smashing a glass and gluing it back together again, will never be as effective as taking care that it is not smashed in the first place.


We have to start taking responsibility for our own health by doing regular blood work, individual health tests, and following a healthy diet that is suited to our body type and temperament. This is healthcare 3.0. It takes the Hippocratic approach but is updated with modern health screening techniques to give us a unique health experience and cure. Because we are all different with different body types, blood groups, and resilience. 

Hippocrates and the start of holistic medicine

Hippocrates and the start of holistic medicine

Hippocrates

Most of you will be familiar with the ‘Hippocratic Oath’.  A practice where young doctors swear before to uphold an ethical code that won’t harm the patient and will keep all medical history confidential. But few know more about this Ancient Greek doctor. So let’s look at why Hippocrates’  work is still so influential almost 2400 years after his death?

Hippocrates of Kos (who lived around 460-370B.C.) is often referred to as the ‘Father of Modern Medicine.  He was the first physician to diagnose disease based on a medical condition rather than seeing it as a punishment from the Gods, separating biological medicine from religion for the first time. He was also the first doctor to make a valid link between health and adequate, healthy nutrition,  exercise, and environmental factors such as a good standard of hygiene and a balanced mental state. This was ground-breaking work in then effectively rural Ancient Greece.

Observing various stages of illness, he came up with a systematic categorization of diseases and founded the Hippocratic School of Medicine. Although the human anatomy was then not well-researched (in fact we know now that some methods described were clearly wrong), many observations survived and are still a valid part of modern medicine. What made Hippocrates’ approach so appealing is the fact that he was the first doctor to have a ‘whole-body approach’ to medicine. Once a disease is diagnosed it is of course priority to deal with the acute illness.  But Hippocrates believed that prevention and keeping an overall balanced state of health before and after an acute illness is the ultimate goal. A concept that we are slowly losing in our current medical system.

 How is this relevant to the LWTM Lifestyle?

We believe that keeping a healthy body-mind-soul balance is key to a happy and healthy life. Hippocrates borrowed some concepts from the Babylonians (check out this article about their calendar system) who linked body regions with positions in the sky. This meant that within 28 days all the organs/body parts are highlighted for at least 2-3 days at each time.  This may be an outdated concept medically speaking, but it is a great way of working on your body in an equilibrant way within a whole moon cycle. We have therefore added the body symbols to the LWTM lifestyle calendar and called this series ‘ Keep Fit and Healthy From Head to Toe’. 

Astroman 

keep fit and healthy from head to toe

 Here is Astroman, a depiction of how surgeons operated until the 19th century. Today we of course aim for the best surgical procedure when diagnosed with an acute illness. This could even mean robots operating and other high-end technical procedures, regardless of what the stars are doing. But working on each body area for 2-3 days each month will make sure that you pay equal attention to the whole body.  The aim is to prevent diseases from forming in the first place. If you have certain problem areas, then of course spend more time treating that specific body region. 

 

Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from small daily sins against nature. When enough sins have accumulated, illnesses will suddenly appear

Hippocrates

 Keep fit and healthy from top to toe 

With this program, we hope that you can do your fair share to prevent disease and correct ‘these little sins against nature’ as and when they occur. Look after your overall health by: 

  • Keeping a well-nourished body and a healthy weight
  • Having an optimistic, can-do outlook and being kind to others
  • Keep well-balanced mind
  • Look after your environment (your home and nature) 

Remember – you alone are the master of your own destiny. Have a look at the LWTM lifestyle calendar by clicking the link below and check out the recommended suggestions and tips. 

Have a look at the LWTM Lifestyle Calendar.  What body part is highlighted today?

 

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Here is a link where you can download all our free resources to start building your new holistic life 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invigorate your body with hydrotherapy

Invigorate your body with hydrotherapy

What is Hydrotherapy?

Detoxifying Treatments

This article is part of the symbol that deals with detoxifying body treatments

 

In essence, hydrotherapy describes a way to cure or invigorate your body via all kinds of water therapies.

This could be extra warm or cold water or a combination of both.

This is not a new concept. The Egyptian pharaohs and priests used hydrotherapy to their advantage. They also added perfumed oils to the water.
The Romans used it in the form of public baths, where ‘heated water’ caused a ‘steam bath’.

Hippocrates advocated a bath in a cold spring to invigorate the spirit and to harden the body and strengthen the immune response.

Over the centuries bathing in hot springs or ‘taking to the waters’ was a natural way of curing many ailments. One man has taken this principle even further and he was called Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897)

He was the son of a poor weaver with an early ambition to become a priest. This was quite an uphill struggle for a poos weaver’s son. Kneipp studied so hard that it took a toll on his health and he suffered from lung problems.

One day he read a book about hydrotherapy and decided to cure himself with this knowledge. After recovering his full health,  he experimented with many methods and finally published a book that explained all this knowledge involving water therapies and plant medicine.

How can you use hydrotherapy at home?

Here are a few tips. Kneipp saw strengthening the immune system and cleansing the blood and bowl as the pillars of a healthy body.
Varying cold and warm water, helps the blood to circulate and get rid of toxins.

It is important that you don’t feel cold when you start this program. If you do, have a hot shower first.

Exercise 1: Walking barefoot for a couple of minutes on a morning lawn, even in the winter. This sounds absurd at first, but it is cheap, easy, and invigorates your whole body. It is important to warm up your feet immediately after the walk with a hot water bottle or warm socks.

Exercise 2: Another method is walking in cold water. Take a big bucket of cold water (you could also do this in the bath, but make sure it is not slippery) and walk like a stork (one foot in the water, the other leg with knees bend and outside the water. Walk for a minute or two, alternating. This helps with tired feet, headaches, feeling tired, and helping you with better sleep. Again, warm your feet up after the exercise.

Exercise 3: Start your day with this exercise for good circulation, good sleep, and tired legs. When you are in the shower, turn the temperature down to 18 degrees (like a cold swimming pool) and with a hand shower direct the stream onto the little toe on the left leg, move the showerhead up the leg, over the knee to the middle of the thigh and stay there, counting to 3. Then move the stream down again, this time in the line of the big toe. Repeat with the other leg and warm up the legs.

Exercise 4: Take a bucket of cold water and put it on a table. Take a seat and immerse your hand and arms (up to chest height) into the cold water. Leave for up to a minute or until you feel very cold. Take them out and warm up with a warm towel and the jumper. This will strengthen your heart and will make up feel alert and alive.

There are many more exercises to choose from but start with these 4 ones. They are all quick and cheap to do. But you need to do it over some time to experience the real benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A time for healing

A time for healing

Finding Balance

 THIS SYMBOL REPRESENTS HEALING & HAPPINESS 

 

I recently had so many inquiries about healing-related subjects. So I decided to make  HEALING – TOPIC OF THIS MONTH. As we can all do with an ‘extra dose of healing’ right now. 

Although Living With The Moon is all about practical advice, I have many books and recipes left from my grandmother which deal with healing, mostly for preventative medical care. Of course, physical health is very important. This year showed us more than ever how we take our health for granted and that just a few changes can cause mayhem with our lives.

But I also want to include emotional and mental healing. This is sadly still seen as a bit of a taboo subject. When somebody openly admits that they find their current situation difficult to cope with – it could be because of love problems, a bereavement, work stress (including lack of work), children, menopause, etc. – whatever the reason, it is not taken as seriously as if you fall down and break your leg or have a bruised arm. Because physically harm is visible, emotional harm is not! But the hurt is the same.

The Ancient Chinese tradition saw doctors as ‘keepers of health’ rather than ‘fixers of health’. A respected doctor had happy, healthy clients, not sick ones. The main aspect of the doctor’s work was preventative. When the body started to display minor signs, like feeling unwell, insomnia, tensions, headaches, spots and so on, the doctor cured these early signs with herbal remedies, acupuncture, massages, cupping, meditation and exercise.

Traditional Chinese doctors believed that the body is full of life energy, also called Qi (pronounced chi). If it is in perfect flow, we are happy and healthy. However, if it gets stagnant and is blocked then problems appear. At first, these are subtle. But when not resolved and neglected over time, these can turn into full-blown diseases. This works for the body and mind alike.

Like early Western medicine, the Ancient Chinese medicine connected our bodies to the surrounding energy of the universe – a mantra I keep repeating as it comes up again and again in every civilization that I have studied.

So what can we do to keep our bodies in an energetic balance and to keep happy and healthy?

The answer is simple, but not simplistic!

  • A healthy body (good, nutritious food, enough sleep, a healthy weight, looking after your appearance)
  • A peaceful, calm environment to live in (garden, home, neigbhourhood)
  • A happy relationship, friendships, and harmony within your wider family
  • A career that fulfills you and financial stability
  • A spiritually fulfilled life. A belief (which could be religion, but does not have to be) that is about leaving a legacy and bringing extra harmony/joy/charity/conservation to the world. In short, you want to leave the world in a better place than you found it.

These are the fundamental pillars of a holistic lifestyle and I will soon introduce you to new LWTM lifestyle planning guide I am currently working on.

As my lovely husband always says – Something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to! Make sure that you always have these three in your life!

 An Introduction to LWTM

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