Ask The Naturopath
August 29th, 2010This section of my blog is devoted to common questions that our newest naturopathic colleague, Marcus Webb ND in the UK, can respond to. Please feel free to comment on the question or his reply, or visit his blog at http://hadleywoodhealthcare.wordpress.com or www.hadleywoodhealthcare.co.uk.
This month’s question: What motivates people to slow down and live a more simple lifestyle with good nutrition & whole foods, exercise, and meditation to stay healthy, all of which take time and effort when the work place demands so much of our time and energy?
Marcus’s Answer: What motivates people to make change in their life… that’s a good question! Sadly, in many cases it’s a health crisis; a brush with illness or the realisation that they are burning the candle at three ends and they only actually have two ends and only one of these should be lit! We are all working at break neck speed these days. How many times do you hear people saying that there are “just not enough hours in the day” or “is that the time?”. Twenty first century living promised to deliver greater freedom with the advent of technology such as computers, email and mobile devices but we have become salves to them rather than the other way around. Just take a look at the way many of these products are marketed to us along side images of people sipping coffee reclining with their laptops; how far from reality is that! We must move forward and technology is an unavoidable aspect of our life but we can soon loose sight of what really matters; our health.Our bodies are ingenious things. When was the last time you even thought of your big toe? I guess not until I mentioned it. This is, of course, unless you have a flare of gout where the joint of the big toe can become swollen, inflamed and acutely painful, then it becomes an all consuming problem and your big toe is in the forefront of your mind. When the gout settles and the toe pain stops its not long until for forget it again… sound like a familiar story. Lets replace toe for heart when you get the news that there’s a clogged artery, or gut when you discover you have colitis. It’s only then that you seriously wish you could turn the clock back.
So, to answer this simply; very few of us will ever make strides to change life for the healthier option unless we really have to or unless we take time to consider the long term consequences of poor diet, nutrition and emotional imbalances. Our bodies can, and do, compensate very well but there is a threshold and in some cases a breaking point where disease or illness ensues. As a naturopath it’s my duty to talk openly about health and wellbeing and how to make the best of life and the genetics hand of cards we are dealt at birth. For some this means a lot of work but or others there is only some fine tuning to do. The motivation to keep well should be simple but in our modern life it can get lost in the buzz of keeping going.
I hope this gives some food for thought and I am happy to offer help and tips if needed.
Best of health,
Marcus