Health: The What, Why and How of It

Before we know how to achieve something we should know why it is worth achieving. And before we know why to achieve something we should know what its is that we are striving to achieve. So let’s begin with a clear and concise definition of health. We will then move on to the why and how of it.

Simply put, health may be defined as having fullness of function; complete well-being, inner and outer harmony, vigor, strength, and sharpness of mind. When we achieve health we experience total fitness. Knowing what health is also tells us what health is not. Bouncing out of bed in the morning, partaking of a healthy breakfast, and taking on the day with great excitement is not the same as crawling out of bed, drinking two cups of coffee, followed by two aspirins, before we are awake enough and brave enough to face the day.  I will leave you to contemplate other examples.

Why health is worth achieving probably has as many answers as there are people who care to ask the question. The most obvious reason is to feel good and to have all the necessary energy and enthusiasm it takes to become all that you can and want to be. Again, I leave you to ponder why health is important to you.

How we achieve health leads us to that branch of biology that studies, investigates, and applies all the conditions and circumstances that life depends upon. We’ll call this subject Life Science or Natural Health.  It enumerates the following essentials of health:

  1. Pure air
  2. Pure water
  3. Comfortable temperature
  4. Cleanliness of body, both inside and out
  5. Adequate sleep
  6. Rest and relaxation
  7. A diet of whole, mostly raw, nontoxic plant food
  8. Adequate sunshine and natural light
  9. Regular exercise
  10. Creative play and recreation
  11. Emotional stability
  12. Security of life and its means
  13. Pleasant and safe environment
  14. Creative, useful work
  15. Self-mastery, self-reliance, self-esteem
  16. Belonging to a group or fellowship
  17. Inspiration, motivation, meaningful goals, commitment
  18. Appreciation for beauty
  19. Spiritual strength expressed as love; appreciation; respect for self, all living creatures and the planet

A body that is provided with what it needs and deserves, enjoys a high level of health. When it is deprived of these essentials and/or is subjected to harmful influences, the stage for disease is set. A health-promoting plant based diet combined with fresh air and sunlight; adequate exercise, rest and sleep; along with a positive outlook on life, constitutes nature’s recipe for health. And that’s the what, why, and how of it.

As a natural health consultant for over 25 years Mark Houllif has been teaching the scientific principles of health promotion. The goal is to guide the individual back to health using natural and nutritonal methods. By removing the causes of disease and establishing conditions of health we allow the body to most powerfully manifest its natural healing tendencies.