Unlock Fabulous Health With These Wholly Natural Remedies
Most of us aren’t aware of it, but there are several paradigms of modern medicine. Western mainstream medical practice comes out of the allopathic, reductionist worldview. It’s the idea that researchers can isolate the mechanisms that lead to illness and health and then target them. Many modern medicines are individual compounds or chemicals designed to interrupt specific body pathways, stopping disease processes in their tracks.
But there’s another world view you might call “holistic” or “naturopathic.” The idea here is that the body isn’t a simple machine and that all interactions are necessarily many-to-many. In other words, you can’t prod one part of the system with drug molecules and not expect it to have ramifications on different parts of the body.
Unlocking fabulous health is something that we can all do. But ask yourself how many people managed to do it with traditional medicine? Modern medicine is all about keeping people alive after they develop serious diseases. But no matter how many drugs you take, you can never achieve the pinnacle of health. That always requires natural methods. No amount of statins or diabetes pills are ever going to give you a fit, healthy, youthful, and athletic body.
So what natural remedies are out there that could complement your existing health regimen? Check out the following:
Eat Nuts
Eating nuts is something that is becoming less and less common as people fear allergies and other adverse reactions. But nutrition science shows that nuts are among the healthiest things that we can eat to support our long-term health. They’re high in a bunch of chemicals and nutrients. Plus, they interact with our metabolism to produce weight loss and even slimmer waistlines.
Nuts are also a great way to control hunger levels. People who eat them tend to eat fewer calories throughout the day, cutting their energy intake dramatically.
Drink Coffee
Coffee got a bit of a bad reputation in the past because of some flawed science. But in recent years, investigators have found that coffee actually offers a range of health benefits, including putting off conditions like dementia.
If you’re worried about the caffeine content, then just buy decaf. Nutritionally, it is virtually identical to its caffeinated counterpart. When it comes to coffee, what you want are all those polyphenols in the beans that give them their flavor. Barista coffee is better than instant – but you knew that already!
Eat High-Fiber Foods
We all know that we should eat high-fiber foods, but many of us don’t understand why. The reason comes down to how our bodies and stomachs interact with the indigestible matter in food. Historically, researchers just thought it was “roughage” and didn’t serve a purpose at all. Now, though, they believe that it fosters the growth of bacteria that provide health benefits. There’s evidence, for instance, that when we eat enough fiber, we feed bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids that reduce the risk of developing heart disease. There’s also ample data showing that when we eat fiber, we select the kind of bacteria that will protect us from conditions like colitis and colon cancer, instead of encouraging them.
At the very least, a high-fiber diet can help counteract the scourge of constipation – something that affects a large number of people in our culture.
Lift Heavy Weights
It might sound like a strange thing to say, but lifting heavy weights is a great way to improve your health naturally, so long as you do it safely.
The reason for this again comes down to ancient mechanisms in our biology. It turns out that our cells are a little Jeykll and Hyde. Sometimes, they’re conscientious and do the right thing, protecting themselves from damage and repairing misfolded proteins. Other times, they throw caution to the wind and slob out, not bothering to clean house at all.
Researchers believe that lifting heavy weights can make them more conscientious and willing to do the right thing. They perceive stress, which motivates them to start doing the metaphorical dishes, change the bedding, and generally get their act together.
Lifting heavy weights is one of the best ways to improve overall body composition. It increases muscle mass and reduces the amount of fat distributed throughout the average person’s physique.
Use Herbs To Modify Your Cycle
Most women experience some form of pain, discomfort, or mood irregularities related to their periods. Researchers believe that the reason for this has to do with estrogen exposure in the modern diet. If you’re eating mountains of meat and dairy daily, then you’re more likely to disrupt the natural hormonal balance.
Fortunately, there are ways you can fight back. The chaste tree herb, for instance, may offer relief from many menstrual symptoms and help avoid days spent in bed in pain. The herb has been around for thousands of years and is an essential pillar of alternative medicine.
Zap Stress
Do you have dry patches of skin on your body? It could be related to stress levels.
According to research, levels of the hormone cortisol rise in response to stress. As it goes up, it interrupts the production of collagen – a substance that our bodies need to produce supple, beautiful skin. If anxieties and worries continue for too long, flaky skin begins to emerge. And if it continues long-term, you get wrinkles and other disorders.
Zapping stress, though, is something that we can all do. Things like exercise can help; so too can changing the way you think about stress, seeing it as something that you can choose to “let in.” Rethinking your life and your priorities is another tactic. Does your work matter as much as you think it does? Be super critical of the sources of stress in your life and ask yourself whether they are worth it. If you’re on a mission to change the world, then stress is probably worth it. If you’re trying to pay the bills, then maybe it isn’t.
Use Heat Therapy
You might think that going to a sauna is a nice thing to do – like something you’d indulge in on a spa day. But evidence suggests that something as simple as heat therapy can really make a massive difference in your overall health.
Again, the reasons for this come back to what we said about the cell’s Jekyll and Hyde nature before. When they experience an adverse experience, such as uncomfortably high temperatures, they go into survival mode. They think that conditions are harsh and begin hunkering down, preparing for trouble ahead.
Of course, that’s not what’s happening at all, but the cell doesn’t know this and can’t afford to take the chance. So when you go to the sauna, you’re often doing something that is profoundly beneficial to your health.
The same applies to cooling the skin and the body. Evidence suggests that being cold is actually good for you. When you’re shivering, your cells are again preparing themselves for hard times ahead and going into maintenance mode to weather the storm.
Why does everything that is good for you have to be so unpleasant? Well, there’s your reason.
Focus On Contentment
We live in a culture that tells us that the purpose of our lives is to seek happiness. The notion is even enshrined in the American constitution.
But happiness is a fleeting thing. It doesn’t last. Life necessarily contains elements that make us sad.
A more realistic ambition, therefore, should be to achieve contentment. Here, you accept that life has its ups and downs, but overall, you’re satisfied with the way things are for you right now.
Being content doesn’t mean the same as being happy. It just means that you’re satisfied with your battles. You know that some things in your world will always be challenging, such as your money situation or relationships. But you’ve found peace with that because part of you has learned to love the struggle.
Being content is actually a very natural state to be in. Our ancestors didn’t chase after the monetary rewards that we do as a culture. For them, life was much more straightforward. Their internal narrative would have been more peaceful. Ideally, we should find ways to strive for the same.
Drink Hibiscus Tea
Most people haven’t heard about hibiscus tea, but it is actually the primary ingredient in most fruit teas. If you’re not sure, just take a look at the ingredients list on the back.
Hibiscus is healthy for people because it contains natural factors that help the blood vessels dilate and reduce blood pressure. In fact, it’s so good at what it does that patients on beta-blockers can see their blood pressure drop too low.
Before going on hibiscus tea, speak to your doctor. If they give you the go-ahead, try having a couple of cups per day. If you don’t like it as tea, you can also put it in a blender with ice, lemon, and artificial sweetener and make it into a kind of lemonade. It tastes super refreshing and is a good way to start your day.
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