Like It or Not, You Are the Steward of Your Own Health

As a lifestyle learning lab, Azoki is dedicated to helping the world stand up for its health.  We’re trying to help the world learn to live well.  To do that, we’re building a health hub that will connect individuals who are worried about their health to the coaches and advisors who can help them find it.  Because, sadly, our health isn’t guaranteed.  It’s something that we have to actually think about, prioritise, and work at. 

Perhaps your grandparents lived without thinking much about their health.  They ate, slept, worked, and loved their families and were, generally, well.   Doctors were there to help them in the case of an accident or emergency.  I’m sure your grandparents tried to keep up with their checkups and care for themselves, but health was something that they could just expect naturally.   

The world doesn’t work like that anymore.  Our health isn’t a given.  It’s no one’s fault . . . or maybe it’s everyone’s fault. . . . like the climate crisis.  In fact, to me, our health situation seems exactly like the climate crisis.   Our choices about how and where we live, and how we feed ourselves, and how we do business have had unintended consequences.  Our air and food and water aren’t pristine and ‘natural’ anymore.  Like our planet, our bodies are somewhat overwhelmed by all of this artificial stuff we are producing. We eat a lot of ‘artificial’ foods, in homes that are lovely but are definitely artificial, and in kitchens with pots and pans that are certainly artificial.  Even our days and nights are artificial. 

There are too many days when I don’t even go outside and see the sun. Think about the couch you are sitting on or the mattress you are sleeping on.  Is it ‘natural?’  Probably not, and it’s very likely filled with chemicals about which we know almost nothing.  But there is no question that many of these chemicals are impacting our bodies.   It’s true, each artificial toxin probably impacts us only a little bit.  But, sadly, we face a mountain of little bits each day - not just from our furniture, but from our cleaning products, our beauty and skin care products, our food, water, and air.  Everything we touch and interact with affects us.   And, everything we don’t do impacts us . . .  like not moving or not sleeping enough.  Collectively, these little bits of things we do and don’t do have an impact on us:  gut disorders, unbalanced hormones, skin issues, cognitive issues, loss of energy, loss of the sex drive, loss of muscle and bone health.  On and on. 

The result is chronic illness.  According to the World Health Organisation, 74% of global deaths are from non-communicable diseases (aka chronic illnesses), the majority of which are preventable.  How?  With lifestyle change. 

Here’s a big truth:  only we can change our lifestyle.

We can’t expect a lot of help from our doctors.  Chronic illness isn’t what most of our doctors were trained to heal.  Western-trained physicians or ‘allopathic’ physicians are superb at delivering acute care, i.e., the care we need when we have a heart attack, a broken leg, or a complicated birth.  They’re also quite good at responding to illness that arises from a single, specific source, like a bacteria, especially now that physicians have such a tremendous array of antibiotics to use.  There’s no question that the discovery of antibiotics has transformed our lives.  Indeed, allopathic medicine is one of the great accomplishments of our modern age.  Today, with the training and pharmaceuticals they have available, our doctors can prevent so many needless deaths. 

Unfortunately, they can’t do much to treat the chronic illnesses we have.  Again, our doctors weren’t trained to treat or to prevent chronic illness.   The vast majority of chronic illnesses are lifestyle diseases.  Preventing or reversing these diseases requires lifestyle change.  But lifestyle change isn’t part of the allopathic medical approach.  Did you know that the average physician trained in a US school receives only about twenty (20) hours of nutrition instruction during their time at medical school?  And sadly, the number has gone down recently.  So, no, Western trained physicians generally can’t provide the type of medicine we need now, because what we need is lifestyle medicine. And, in truth, only we can change our lifestyle.

So, like it or not, you are the steward of your health.  With simple choices about how you spend your day, what you eat, and how you move, you can prevent so many illnesses and so much pain and distress.  If you are careful and thorough and have knowledgeable advisors, you can also soothe or reverse many diseases with lifestyle change.  The medical literature has documented the reversal of cases of diabetes type 2, high blood pressure, and heart disease.  There is evidence that even some cases of multiple sclerosis, autism, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s can be reversed or put into remission. 

As I am writing this blog, I’m trolling around PubMed to collect all of the references I need to support the above statements. It’s exciting to be reminded of the work that’s been done.  It’s even more exciting to think of the lives that have been changed!   This is medicine at its best!  But, again, the reversals or remissions that are documented in the studies above aren’t occurring because of some magic pill.  They are all the result of lifestyle change.  Patients have changed what and how they eat, and how and how often they move.  They’ve improved how and how much they sleep.  They’ve become better at managing their stress.  They are eliminating many of the toxins in their home and are breathing cleaner air.  They are outside more and feeling the power of nature around them.  They are living more natural, supportive lives.

I hope when you read these words you feel empowered.  We have such power in our hands!  If you are suffering from a chronic illness now, there is such tremendous hope that life can improve.   But maybe you’re feeling nervous or scared about the challenge.  It’s true, changing your lifestyle isn’t something you do overnight.  It’s not easy.  If it were, virtually everyone would be fit, healthy, and happy.  Lifestyle change is a challenge, but it doesn’t need to be hard.  Hard isn’t right word to describe lifestyle change. It just takes time.   The approach to lifestyle change should be slow and steady, and quite delightful.  Of course, you need to make a bit of an effort but all of the steps can be tiny.  And, the rewards will be tremendous.  And, they’ll come quickly - not the entire cure or remission, but an improvement in your skin, in your energy, or in your mood. Imagine a lifetime of well-being, waking every morning not with aches and pains or fatigue but with energy and happiness.  That’s the way life should be.

So, step up; become the steward of your health.  After all, you are the one who knows yourself best.

If you need any help, Azoki will be there for you. 

Yours in health and happiness,

Sarah