Health
Your Health is Everything
The human body is a living breathing chemical plant with legs…
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The human body is a complex organism that functions due to a balance of chemical processes contained within itself.
Our brain responds to and produces a number of chemicals, making us feel happy or sad, exhilarated or tired. Through the production and release of other chemicals it communicates to our muscles and organs, which in turn create chemicals and host chemical reactions of their own.
We can feel elated from strenuous exercise by the production and release of endorphins; our senses can be keened and readied by adrenalin.
Once we have a basic understanding that we are a chemical being, we can realise that it is important to maintain a healthy chemical balance. Help our bodies to function and respond properly to the chemical changes within, so that we are always ready to face life’s challenges and stay healthy.
This is done by avoiding and eliminating chemicals which are counter-productive or harmful, and ingesting or stimulating the production of those which keep us healthy and full of energy.
Drugs
The use of illegal drugs and the abuse of some prescription medicines can be harmful to the human body, and should be avoided if a person wants to remain healthy, positive and full of energy.
For the sake of simplicity we shall refer to them here as “drugs” although in reality there are many more commonly occuring chemicals which also qualify as drugs such as caffeine in coffee,tea and cola drinks.
Drugs are harmful to the human brain because they over-stimulate parts of the brain that make us feel “good,” then leave the brain craving more stimulation once the level of the drug in the body has dropped.
After a while the brain can no longer be properly stimulated by “normal” life experiences, and the drug user feels compelled to take drugs again in order to reach the same “high” – often requiring more powerful doses to get the same effect.
The chemical processes happening in the body when drugs are used are mostly counter-productive, and often lead to a reduction in motivation and coordination, and can increase lethargy, anxiety and lead to ongoing health problems of many kinds. Many people develop addictions to drugs, some experience acute anxiety attacks, and others can become very aggressive.
To say that trying drugs is ok because everyone else does it is nonsense – many people never take drugs and many families are very careful not to allow their children to be exposed to drugs.
When people say taking drugs is ok because it makes them feel happy – that is one of the immediate effects of drugs but it is not true happiness because it is caused by over-stimulation of parts of the brain. In the long run, the person who takes drugs is more likely to be unhappy with their life than the person who never takes drugs.
Natural Chemicals in the Body
In our daily lives, certain chemicals are produced by the brain and other organs, and are released into the bloodstream at times in order to trigger certain actions or activities in other parts of the body.
For example, adrenalin is released into the bloodstream by the brain when the brain thinks the body needs to be extra-alert, such as when the person becomes very scared or very excited. The adrenalin signals to other parts of the body to be “ready for anything”, such as, “be ready to run or fight for your life”, or “here comes a great opportunity, be ready to seize it”.
Other chemicals which naturally occur in the body help us to deal with different parts of life, and it is by understanding them and living in accord with them that we achieve balance.
Sex
Chemicals related to sexual attraction, function and pleasure play a part in making us seek out a suitable mate. Pheromones are released by the body so others will find us attractive. Testosterone gives men (mainly) a sense of urgency to copulate, and the sex act itself triggers a release of chemicals which make the body feel relaxed and calm, thereby letting the person know that what they have done is good, and it is now time for sleep.
Water
In order to for our bodies to function efficiently and be able to respond to its own chemical releases, it is important to maintain a clean and healthy bloodstream.
Drinking plenty of clean water is vital, and the purity of the water is important too. In many parts of the world, the water supply contains a multitude of chemicals and minerals.
Absolutely pure water is very hard to come by and usually people don’t have much choice but to drink water which is less than ideal. For example, the municipal water supply in most cities contains traces of many metals, calcium, chlorine, fluoride and a host of other chemicals, some of which can actually be quite toxic in large doses.
In smaller doses such as usually found in drinking water, these chemicals can reduce energy and alertness, and their levels can build up in the body over time, causing a deterioration in the overall health and wellbeing of the person.
It is for this reason that some people will only drink purified water, or bottled water taken from a source known to be relatively free of chemicals and heavy metals. It must be noted that some bottled water is taken directly from a city’s general water supply and still contains many or all of the toxins present in water drawn from any faucet in that city. Always read the label on your bottled water to ensure you are getting clean water from a known good source.
Food
Our body needs a range of nutrients in order to function properly. Vitamins, trace amounts of metals and other minerals are necessary for certain bodily processes, and we get most of these from our food.
Vegetables, grains, nuts, fruit and meat. Getting the balance right is vital. Plenty of green leafy vegetables and a little red meat for iron; root vegetables and grains for carbohydrates and fibre; nuts for valuable protein and fruit for essential sugars.
Of course, each food group contains other nutrients for example, meat is also high in protein but also fat, so eating a sensible amount does matter. The most important thing is to have a varied diet which covers all the bases. By doing this you will give your body a bloodstream rich in nutrients so that you can live and grow healthier.
Sleep
All this living and growing can take its toll on your body’s energy. Even the digestion of good food takes quite a lot of effort. It is essential that we give our body plenty of rest so it can recover from our busy lives. Sleep is therefore vital to our proper balance and maintaining good health and wellbeing.
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep however. Some people find they cannot function properly unless they get a full eight hours sleep every night, some others sleep less; maybe 5-6 hours a night, and a few people only sleep around 3-4 hours per night or even less. The amount of sleep a person needs can be related to metabolism, age, climate as well as all-around health and vitality.
Growing children and young adults generally need a full eight hours sleep every night in order to function properly during the daytime, and it can be easy to tell sometimes when a child becomes overtired due to a lack of sleep.
In adulthood people become more aware as to the amount of sleep they need and this is where the greatest variance is. Many people find they are unable to sleep before midnight or later, others can find they need to be in bed by 9 o’clock at night or they know they will wake up still feeling tired the next morning. The important thing is to find a person’s balance.
If you find you cannot sleep before midnight but need a full eight hours of sleep each night, then having a job that starts at 5am is not going to be suitable, as you will become increasingly tired and your health and wellbeing will suffer. Conversely, if you are always ready for bed at 9 o’clock at night and wake up at 7 am, then you might find a job working from 8.30 to 4.30 works in nicely.
It is about understanding your own body and being mindful of what it needs. Then adapt your lifestyle to suit.
Quite often people can become so busy in their lives that their need for sleep becomes neglected. These people can refuse their body’s natural signals that they need sleep – yawning and a lack of concentration, and may well go on working late into the night, but sooner or later the imbalance catches up with them and can manifest itself in a number of ways such as grumpiness, irritability and an inability to function “normally” for part of the day. This condition is known as sleep-deprivation, and is unhealthy.
Relationships
Developing and maintaining good relationships is a necessary part of life as well. We all need interaction with others to keep us grounded, and when that interaction is with someone we already have an established relationship with, our interactions can be easier.
Conversations with familiar people in familiar environments can allow us to be more comfortable than those with strangers and in unfamiliar settings where we are often on-guard to unknown dangers and events. It is important to have someone to talk to in a setting where you are both comfortable to share and interact.
The importance of information sharing can be secondary to the importance of the calmness we experience in the conversation process.
Discussing issues and ideas in a relaxed manner gives our minds a chance to settle – to take a break from the sometimes hectic scramble of our daily lives. Large companies often call meetings to allow busy executives the chance to relax together and discuss issues relevant to the company as a whole as well as giving them a chance to strengthen the relationships between all the people present. It is often joked about that nothing gets done in meetings but actually they can be vital in creating a relaxed atmosphere in a workplace.
Families can operate in a similar way by having meals together, especially large traditional meals such as a sunday roast. Everyone talks and relaxes together, builds their relationships and often greivances can be aired and issues sorted out.
More intimate relationships can take relaxation to an entirely new level, but can also introduce other factors such as inspiration, commitment and co-dependance. Knowing that you and another person share a special relationship can give a person great peace and lead to an increase in overall wellbeing.
Relationships can go sour however, and intimacy can be replaced with hostility and aggression, which can adversely affect a person’s wellbeing, so it is important that relationships be fed and nurtured the same as any other important aspect of life.
Summary
As well as the issues discussed here, other aspects of life affect overall health and wellbeing also. The type of job or vocation someone chooses, or the type of hobbies they have, pets and other lifestyle choices can all have a large effect on a person’s state of mind which transfers to health through the chemical balance and processes in the brain.
You cannot properly address health by treating it as separate from other parts of someone’s lifestlye. A bad lifestyle will culminate in poor health the same as a good lifestyle will manifest itself as good health and overall wellbeing.
Finding a balance between food, work, relationships, hobbies and sex, and avoiding negative influences such as drugs, stressful relationships, contaminated water and a poor diet will ensure someone has the best chance at a long and healthy life.
Healthy life equals happy life. Endure, inspire, educate.
