HOW HOLISTICALLY HEALTHY ARE YOU?

In his great classic book on homeopathic medicine, The Science of Homeopathy, author George Vithoulkas outlines the basic laws of health. He states that there are laws and principles according to which a disease arises in a person, and that there are laws and principles governing a cure.

The homeopathic approach is a holistic approach seeing human beings as having three main levels for the manifestation of health or disease: the mental/spiritual, the emotional and the physical.

A DEFINITION OF COMPLETE HEALTH
Complete health is health on all of these three levels, the mental/spiritual, the emotional, and the physical. Vithoulkas's definition of health of the whole being is as follows: "health is freedom from pain in the physical body, having attained a state of well-being; freedom from passion on the emotional level, having as a result a dynamic state of serenity and calm; and freedom from selfishness in the mental sphere, having as a result total unification with Truth."

WORLD FULL OF DISEASE ON ALL LEVELS
Now, there are very few people in the world today who experience complete health. In fact, we see disease at every level, the physical, emotional and mental/spiritual. We see selfishness, emotional fanaticism and turbulence, anger, rage, hatred, anxiety, depression and an epidemic of chronic physical diseases causing untold suffering in the lives of millions.

STRIVING FOR HEALTH ON ALL LEVELS
At the same time, we see an increasing interest in fitness, health, wellness, self-help psychology, and the interaction of body and mind. People are striving for better health, physically and mentally and emotionally. We also see what has been called a spiritual revolution, with more and more people actively seeking spiritual meaning in their lives.

We live in a time which reminds me of what Charles Dickens stated in the opening of his great novel, A Tale of Two Cities "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Amidst the crime and violence, the terrible diseases, and the suffering, we live in a time of great enlightenment and positive self-development.

STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
According to the great psychologist Dr. Alfred Adler, men and women are goal-striving organisms, and the striving is for perfection. Since we can never perfect the human this striving never ceases. Consequently, when we are truly alive, we are in a process of change and self-transcendence.

PAIN AND PROBLEMS STIMULATE US TO CHANGE
We overcome one problem only to find another. We move onward and upward in growth. We seek health and well-being on all levels. As Dr. Scott Peck stated in his best-selling book The Road Less Traveled "It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn." He also stated that the "tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them is the primary basis of all human mental illness." Discomfort and pain at any level can be the prods to move us forward in our growth, forcing us to change when we would rather not. The human resists change. However, when the pain or discomfort becomes great enough people become receptive to making changes in order to get themselves out of the pain. It has been said that the only thing constant in the universe is change, and it has also been said that the only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of a few feet. Think about it, if you are in a rut, do you really feel truly alive?

EVALUATE YOUR LEVEL OF HEALTH
As we strive for health, the homeopathic view of health can help us to evaluate our condition on all levels.

Health On The Mental Level
The mental state of being is the most crucial in the existence of an individual. One should have the following qualities in order to be considered mentally healthy: clarity, coherence and creativity. If any of these qualities are missing or reduced, the person is ill at the mental level. A completely diseased mind is characterized by confusion, disunity and distraction.

Health On The Emotional Level
A person is ill on the emotional level to the extent he or she continually experiences, is trapped by, and expresses negative feelings such as anger, jealousy, sadness, hatred, fanaticism. All human beings of course, experience negative feelings. However, there is a difference between a person occasionally having these negative feelings and identifying them and then processing and releasing them, and a person who continually contains and/or expresses negative feelings.

Health On The Physical Level
Health in the physical body is freedom from pain, discomfort, and weakness. None of the organs are limited and there is no sense of negative awareness of the body.

BEING MENTALLY POSITIVE IS A KEY TO HEALTH
It is important to use mental discipline to stay positive no matter what obstacle, catastophe, hardship and sorrow comes our way; although this takes determination and self-control, it is an essential habit for maintaining mental health.

REPLACE A NEGATIVE WITH A POSITIVE
As a once practicing psychotherapist, I know the importance of acknowledging and not suppressing negativity at the mental and emotional levels when they manifest in us. However, we can immediately replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts. I do not advocate suppression. I advocate the development of mental, emotional and physical habit patterns that lead to health. We know in order to be physically fit, we must exercise regularly. To be emotionally and mentally healthy we must use the same discipline on the mental and emotional levels as we do on the physical level.


EIGHT KEYS TO HEALTH
These are just a few of the keys to health:

1. Exercise regularly.
2. Have a disciplined diet, eating foods that are healthy and nutritious.
3. Be open to the many alternative methods of healing that are available today.
4. Also value the contributions of traditional medicine.
5. Don't suppress negative thoughts, but replace them with positive thoughts.
6. Surround yourself with positive thinking people, and people who are striving to be positive. You can do this through friendships, groups, books, audiotapes, and with carefully selected television programs, videos, and movies.
7. Get in touch with your feelings. Be able to identify what you are feeling, positive or negative.
8. Don't suppress negative emotions, but don't vent them inappropriately either. Learn to process these emotions and release them in therapy, in support groups or with good friends. Do not condemn and judge your negative emotions, they are normal to the human condition.