Your body is not a series of parts.
As a Pilates teacher I have a real interest in anatomy and have had the privilege to witness a dissection of a human body. I instinctively knew that everything is connected, that when we divide it up into parts we are ignoring the beautiful harmony of the whole. This experience really crystallised what I had learnt and felt in my own body. Everything we’re made of is perfectly designed to work together. What we have classified as for example, the liver, the skin, muscle and so on is as a result of where historically a dissector decided one part ended and the other part began. It is through this lens of parts and systems that we see our bodies. To some extent this division was pure artistic license.
We divided up the body so we could categorise it and understand it. In conventional medicine, we see for example, a dermatologist for skin, a gastroenterologist for our gut, a psychiatrist for our mental health. There is little communication between them all. Does this serve us and lead to healing? From our bodies perspective, there is no division. We are an interconnected whole.
The mind is not separate from the body.
The body is a perfectly designed ecosystem. Over time, it has been discovered that there is a gut - brain connection among countless others. We also know that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes can positively or negatively affect our biological functioning. Simply put, our thoughts can contribute to illness or wellness. On the other hand, what we do with our physical body (what we eat, how much we exercise, what we expose our body to in the environment) can impact our mental state (again positively or negatively). This results in a complex interrelationship between our minds and bodies.
"the brain and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune systems, and indeed, all the organs of our body and all the emotional responses we have, share a common chemical language and are constantly communicating with one another."
Dr. James Gordon (founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine)
Your environment determines your health.
Has your doctor asked you about your toxin exposure? Your mothers health at conception? How much sunlight you get? Didn’t think so… These things matter when it comes to health.
At one time scientists believed our DNA held the key to preventing and reversing disease. But we now know that our environment—not our genes—is the primary driver of health and longevity.
Chris Kresser
What is meant by our environment? Scientists use the term “exposome” to refer to the sum of all non-genetic exposures of our lives from the moment of conception. It is the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the social interactions we have and more. We are affected by and part of our environment.
Genes load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.
Dr. Francis Collins
We now know that the choices we make in our lifetime predict 90 percent of our risk of disease… What does this mean for those of us struggling with lifestyle impacted diseases like auto-immunity, infertility, food sensitives, IBS, skin disorders and more? It means we have options and are not doomed to a life of symptoms and suffering.
What does this mean?
Understanding the connections in your body means you can take a smarter and more effective approach to help yourself heal or simply feel good.
Taking care of your body helps with mental health and vice versa. Win-win.
Steps you take in improving your exposome for example, removing toxic products, getting more sunshine etc have far reaching effects on your physical and mental health and longevity.
We must consider the individual elements and the overall picture. A holistic approach is the key to transformative results.
There are many approaches and variables we can adjust through lifestyle that are accessible to us. The power is in our hands.
Does this confirm what you felt intuitively?
Are you looking for a holistic approach?
Need help in connecting the dots?
Book a complimentary, no obligation discovery call to find how Functional Health Coaching can help you start your journey to better health. Regardless of whether we go on to work together, I can signpost you to relevant books, practitioners or other support that can help start your journey to better health.
