Good Health Is Easy ... Acceptance Is the Tough Part
by Morgan Jones
30 August
2002
Wherever I go these days, I meet folks with
health problems. Allergies, arthritis, weight issues, immune system dysfunction,
high blood pressure, hypoglycemia (and accompanying low energy), arrhythmia,
candida, back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, thyroid problems,
constipation, acid reflux, chronic sinus infections, migraines, osteoporosis ...
you name it. And the ones who aren't suffering so much from a physical ailment
often are dealing with depression, an eating disorder, a bipolar condition, or
another emotional/mental/spiritual challenge.
Sometimes I feel like the vast majority of people in our land are sick. This
makes me sad, because I don't think this is the natural order of life. But
what's even sadder, most people seem ready to accept these diseases as
inevitable or hereditary or controllable (with a lifetime regimen of daily
medications that always produces nasty side-effects) or ________ (pick another
rationalization for staying sick).
But here's the happiest thing I have discovered: It is absolutely possible to
heal from all of these degenerative conditions. And it's not that hard to do.
How do I know this? Well, for starters, I've done it for myself. And I have had
the great good fortune to share the similar experiences of many other folks who
have healed themselves from the very serious conditions I listed.
After more than two decades of searching for the way to optimum health (which I
define as my personal bestnot
someone else's standard), I have come to believe that good health and plentiful
happiness are our birthright. All creatureshuman
and otherwiseare
designed by our creator to be reliable, self-repairing, and smooth running.
Pretty cool, no? But if this is true, then why are so many of us so darn sick?
I think I figured that out, too. I believe that when we change the way we
maintain our bodies and mindsby
eating food that in no way resembles what came out of the earth and by living
and working in toxic environments and by breathing air and drinking water filled
with chemicalswe
change nature's rules and the self-repairing thing stops working. Our bodies
start to decay prematurely and because our internal chemistry is out of whack,
our minds don't work as effectively as they should. We hurt, we experience a
lack of energy and enthusiasm, we accomplish less (personally and
professionally), and we just don't find much joy in daily life. Herman Aihara,
on of my favorite teachers, calls this ignoring
our physiological limitations.
So who wouldn't want to do whatever it takes to be healthier? Well, it seems to
me that in our society we are trained from an early age to go to a doctor at the
first sign of discomfort and say (in effect), My
body is broken. Please fix me.
And then we take some medicine to make the symptoms go away without doing much
to change the underlying cause of the problem. Given that this programming is a
cradle-to-grave experience, it is not surprising that many of us find it tough
to accept the idea that we would achieve better results if we were to take
personal responsibility for our healing rather than delegating this task to a
doctor or a drug company. I have come to believe that we each have to personally
do all the study and all the work to heal ourselves. Yes, many of us believe
that good health is achievable, but too many of us are still wishing someone
else could do the heavy lifting.
And even sensitive, new-age guys (like me!) mostly go to acupuncturists or
naturopaths or chiropractors and say, I'm
broken. Fix me.
Same song, second verse. It could get better but it's gonna get worse. Worse,
that is, unless we decide to invest the time to learn what the AMA and McDonalds
and the pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know. We can regain and
preserve good health ifand
it's a big ifif
we are ready to learn how our bodies work, if we are ready to doeverydaythat
which will help us heal, and if we choose to avoidalmost
every daythat
which works against healing. With study, we can learn when and how to let our
bodies heal themselves. And we can also learn when and how to work with other
healers and teachersacupuncturists
and naturopaths and chiropractors and even medical doctors. We can learn to
filter diagnoses and prescriptions that others give us through the wisdom of our
own bodies and our own experiences.
Good health is a cumulative thing. And so is bad health. What you do everyday
defines you. Easy to say, not too difficult to believe, but I find it can be
tough to accept on a hot afternoon when that cold beer is calling my nameoh,
and all of my friends want to go eat chips and salsa and cheese enchiladas at
Guerro's (a local Mexican food Mecca.).
But then I remember how bad I felt, how much my back ached, how poor my mental
concentration was, how my energy would sink every afternoon when chips and salsa
and cold beer and cheese enchiladas (and rum raisin ice cream) were dietary
staples for me. And then it seems easy to make the choices that made all these
problems disappear in a matter of months.
What do you think? Do you believe good health is yours (and everyone's) for the
taking? Do you think I am a well-intentioned but obviously misguided nut? Are
you curious to explore the subjects? If you fall into this last category, then
here's your chance:
Please come and join us at One Part Harmony for our conference called
The Origins of DiseaseThe
Road to Recovery. Or join Dawn Steinborn at
The Natural Epicurean
for her Fundamentals of Cooking for Disease Prevention & Reversal course.
It' won't cost you much to participate in one of these eventsnot counting, of course, all the work you're going to have to do down the road
if you happen to find yourself vibrating sympathetically with what we have to
share with you. Can you accept that?
I sincerely hope to see you at one of these events very soon. And to those of
you who have already studied with us: Please come and share what you have
learned with us.
I know I have much to learn from all of you.
Peace, love, and brown rice,