Ancient Wisdom

by Keli MacIntosh

I doubt that cavemen spent much time worrying about their health – the situation then was basically a survival of the fittest. Most people alive at that time probably died in battle or from falling prey to some large carnivore. But, as civilizations grew and folks gathered into cities, staying alive had new challenges; the more crowded environment set the stage for diseases and plagues. Then, as nutritional intake became more reliable and better sanitation was implemented, these problems were mostly controllable; but still there remained many health challenges.

Through the years there was an interesting division in how practitioners in various regions and times dealt with these challenges. Those in the East concentrated their efforts to maintain wellness by utilizing internal strengths, a mind/spirit approach. They used meditation, acupuncture, and energy work; spiritual awareness was a large part of their daily lives. Many in the West relied on what they put into their bodies and developed herbal and homeopathic remedies. They used what they found in nature to support a balanced lifestyle.

As technology brought about advancements in health care, and pharmaceuticals were introduced, the idea of maintaining a state of wellness has been abandoned by many. Now that there are easy ways to “cure” diseases, some people believe that they need not worry about wellness; there will always be some pill to makes things better again. Personal knowledge about caring for ourselves has been traded for relying on our family doctor. Today there is truly a blatant ignorance of how to maintain the balance that is necessary for optimal health.

Studies show that many of the wealthier nations are unable to maintain the quality of health often enjoyed in some of the less sophisticated nations. It is a well-known fact that the U.S. does not rank among the healthiest of countries. Clearly, the availability of Western medicine is not the only factor in having a high quality of health.

Dr. Phillip F. Incoa can point us in the right direction with his thought, “Succumbing to illness is not so much dependent on the virulence of the invading microorganism as it is on the condition of the host. If you have a strong immune system you are less likely to get sick.” So why aren’t we investing our efforts in ways to keep people healthy rather than waiting for them to get sick and then trying to fix them? It seems to me that the ancient practitioners were truly the wiser. Personally, I like the idea of making wellness the answer to the problem of the rising cost of health care!

“Prevention is so much better than healing because it saves the labor of being sick.” This comment was made by Thomas Adams, a 17th-century physician. I liked this so much that I put it on my business cards. Doesn’t it make you wonder why it has taken the medical profession so long to accept this philosophy?

May your lifestyle be a healthy one!

Keli MacIntosh has over 40 years of experience in the medical field as a Registered Nurse. She is also a Certified Nutritional Consultant and manager of Natural Health Specialists. For a health consultation, call Keli at (231) 946-3872.