Based on the current healthcare paradigm, when we think of being sick or having a disease, what we often think about is a specific case caused by a specific factor (or small set of factors).
This approach can be useful because it helps us seek treatment. For example, if we know we have type II diabetes, we know that we need to receive insulin from external sources (an injection) or we will likely enter into a life-threatening situation.
Or, if we know that there is a virus that is significantly threatening the health of the population, we can develop a vaccine that (hopefully) significantly decreases our chances of being infected by the virus.
However, when we label disease and view it as caused by one or two specific factors (genes, bad luck, consuming too much saturated fat, etc.) then we approach the problem with a certain mindset that often leads to poor decision making.
For example, we tend to view disease as something we may or may not get, and whether we do depends on a fair amount of luck.
This is a problem, because disease isn’t something that just happens when we are dealt the wrong hand.
Rather, disease arises from a complex mix of many factors, some of which may be based on luck, but most of which has to do with much more.
Disease arises from a state of poor health
Occasionally, a rare gene mutation or another form of serious misfortune leads directly to a disease. I don’t mean to claim that this cannot happen, but that it is the rare case.
The common case is that of the individual spending years in an unhealthy body that progresses towards a disease diagnosis.
Let’s look at that progression
Health exists on a spectrum
Health is not binary. We aren’t existing as either “healthy” or “having a disease.” Instead, our health exists on a spectrum.
To get an idea of this spectrum, we can think about different factors describing good health vs. poor health.
A healthy body is one that has:
- stable energy throughout the day
- the physical ability to perform daily tasks
- mental clarity
An unhealthy body is one that:
- goes through many periods of time with low energy each day
- needs continuous consumption of sugar to produce energy
- has a challenging time performing daily physical tasks
- has a challenging time performing mental tasks due to brain fog or headaches
- has chronic pain
I could continue writing out these lists, but the idea is not to describe every descriptor of good vs. poor health. The lists would go on indefinitely…
To which I say we could use a different way of looking at the difference between good vs. poor health.
One term to capture the spectrum of good vs. poor health
As we move from left to right along the spectrum, we can visualize an individual moving from good health to poorer health, which remember, is the path that most individuals follow along in our modern world.
Instead of thinking about all the specific markers of good vs. poor health that could accompany this path, let’s establish one basic principle that we can plot along an axis to create a spectrum.
So, what is one good description of good health?
Balance.
The ability of the system’s supporting the human body to maintain balance is a key determinant of health.
Here’s why:
The human body has been designed such that there is a complex, dynamic network of systems in place to perform innumerable functions that keep us moving, breathing, thinking, and all the many other incredible functions that the human body performs in every single moment.
The complexity of these functions is completely beyond the scope of our comprehension. And, this is okay, because thanks to the amazing powers of nature, the body is perfectly capable of taking care of itself.
That is, as long as we provide it with the resources it needs to function and do not overload it with too significant of a burden from all the novel factors of the industrial world (stress, chemicals, dense energy, etc.).
Given all of this, how can we think about good vs. poor health and the progression of modern disease?
We can think about the ability of these systems to perform their functions such that an overall balance is maintained. Because, if they can perform their functions effectively, then the body will continue to function as designed.
- blood sugar levels remain between 80-120 mg/dL
- fat is tucked away into adipose tissue in amounts that provide a steady supply of energy for the body without becoming a burden
- mitochondria utilize this energy to synthesize ATP at a rate that provides the body with a stable supply of useable energy
- reactive oxygen species created during ATP synthesis are cleaned up by antioxidants
And the show goes on from there… a constant flow of countless processes that we can only begin to understand.
The show begins to slow down as the body’s ability to maintain balance sets in
If, however, the systems supporting the body lose their ability to function, then those symptoms that we are familiar with (low energy, brain fog, pain, etc.) may arise.
There are two ways we can think about moving along the spectrum from good to poorer health. Both are correct ways of thinking, but one may be more a more useful way of thining than the other.
Let’s take a look.
First, is that we become more likely to receive a clinical diagnosis:
- Modern disease – modern disease is the result of the progressive decline of the systems supporting the human body. Once any one of these systems declines far enough such that the individual’s life is significantly impaired or threatened, then the individual is given a clinical diagnosis. At this point, we recognize the disease.
- Infection – the unhealthier a body is, the more likely a foreign invader (a virus or bacteria) will infect the body and cause harm.
This first case is one way we can think about poor health and disease. We can think about how the decline in the health of the body makes us more likely to one day receive a clinical diagnosis describing symptoms that significantly impair the ability for us to live our lives.
Personally, I think this is a poor way to think about the entire problem, and here’s why:
When we live out our lives thinking that our unhealthy actions may one day lead to problems, we separate ourselves from responsibility and repercussions. We end up coming up with excuses or telling ourselves lies about how any life-threatening disease could never happen to us.
And this is a problem, because these life-threatening diseases do happen to us. And it’s not like they happen in small numbers.
The norm in this day and age is to receive a modern disease diagnosis in middle age, and then to spend the next decade or two battling that diagnosis. Along the way, additional diagnoses will likely arise, along with the long list of hospital visits and medications that are required to stay alive.
And, as we are witnessing in the 2020 pandemic, it is far too easy to be infected by a virus, and for far too many, this infection can become seriously debilitating or even life-threatening.
As I was saying, this is a problem, because I don’t want us to have to live our one and only lives in this way – separating ourselves from the problem until the one day the knock becomes so loud that we can no longer ignore it.
Instead, I want us to tune in right now – to listen to what our bodies are telling us given their current health-state. I want us to take responsibility for our health so that we make healthy decisions that keep us as far to the left on this spectrum as possible.
When this is the case, we get a maximum number of years supported by bodies that are capable of providing us with the energy, mental clarity, and physical ability to do all that we desire.
This is why I believe that we should approach the good vs. poor health spectrum from this second perspective:
As we move from left to right along the spectrum, we lose the ability to live out the lives that we desire to be living.
How do we move left along the spectrum towards better health?
At this point, you may be thinking, “Sounds great, Katie, but how do I actually get myself to stay (or move towards) the left side of the spectrum when this world seems to be set up to tear down our health at every turn?”
To which, I have a good answer for you.
The long answer can be found over here – because unfortunately, becoming a healthy individual is not a process that happens overnight with a single blog post.
The short answer that you can use to get you going: by helping the systems supporting your body to maintain balance.
As we discussed above, we can think about health as the ability of the systems supporting the human body to maintain their functions. However, when we make decisions that impair the ability of these systems to maintain balance, then they begin to break down.
How this is not accomplished: By trying to do all of the hard work and the computations for our bodies.
If you look at the common threads of advice in the diet and health industries, what you will find is specific advice about how you can use your brain to make the body what it wants.
But here’s the reality: while you may have control over your body in the short term (sure, I can cut calories for the next few weeks and force my body to drop 15 pounds), when you look at the long term (which is the whole idea here), what you will find is that your body is going to do what it wants based off of what it has to work with.
And, if it is working in a resource depleted state because it receives poor quality nutrition, and if it is put under too high of a burden from environmental stressors, then the systems supporting the body will not be able to maintain a state of good health.
How this is accomplished: By understanding what the body, as a whole, needs to be able to function optimally such that an overall balance of the workings of its sub-systems is achieved.
When we take the time to understand how the systems supporting the body work together to maintain an overall balance, then we can take action aligned with these inner workings.
Where can you get started?
Here are 3 Key Principles to put into practice in your life:
- Eat a diet based on real, whole foods
- Move your body regularly and dynamically
- Practice a balance of stress and rest