Do We Really Care About our Health?

In all the talk about health care, few are asking the question:

“Why are we getting sick?”

The first chakra is related to the element earth and to the aspect of consciousness oriented to survival. Denying the first chakra is a denial of our bodies, our environment, and the path to abundance. No wonder we are suffering from a health care crisis, an environmental crisis of global proportions, and an economic crisis. All of these effect our survival, yet all are an issue of health. We want healthy bodies, a healthy planet, and a healthy economy. These are all intricately related.

While it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the immensity of the problems, the area we have the most control over is our personal health. I write this as one who has struggled with my health for most of my adult life. Due to an undiagnosed case of Lyme disease that nearly crippled me two decades ago, my health has never been taken for granted, and requires dedicated work and attention. It has been a great teacher and guide along my path as a healer and teacher. But what brought me to my health did not come from the Health Care System, but from my own efforts toward cultivating wholeness.

Our current Health Care System is neither about health nor care, nor is it a functioning system. It is a system designed to rescue us from the inevitable result of denying our bodies, our feelings, our planet, and our needs. We look to modern medicine as the remedy for a lifetime of unhealthy food, exposure to toxins, and lack of exercise, touch, fresh air, free time, and the simple pleasures of life.
Just as a co-dependent enabler of an alcoholic becomes exhausted by their efforts to remedy an addictive situation, our “health care system” has become the fixer or enabler to unhealthy lifestyles, and is bound to fail sooner or later. To remedy this important system, we must look deeper at what really needs healing. In all the talk about health care, few are asking the question: “why are so many getting sick?” Cancer, heart disease, chronic illnesses, and expensive surgeries are draining demands on our health care system. If we do not address the causes of our illnesses, these costs will only continue to rise.
True health care means caring for your health. Caring what you put in your body, caring for yourself when you are tired, hungry, thirsty, caring enough to make sure you get fresh air, sunlight, and exercise. Health means listening to your body, engaging in practices, like yoga, aerobics, dance, chi gong, or anything that develops your body’s strength, flexibility, intelligence, and capacity.
A healthy “health care system” keeps us from getting sick in the first place. It teaches practices that promote health, gets them into schools and businesses so they become part of society. It addresses environmental toxins, promotes organic food, looks at a way to reduce stress and find more enjoyment in life. Such a system spends more of its money on prevention than adaptation. Such a system saves money and improves what is around us at the same time. It is a win-win approach.
We can begin by caring for our own health, engaging in practices and watching what we eat, breathe, see, and hear. To heal means to make whole. Wholeness is a powerful force in the world.
(For a great morning exercise routine, check out the audio CD of the seven chakra based Sun Salutations included the Chakra Balancing kit.)