Who Is Responsible For Your Health?
by Sue Staropoli, M.A.

Who is responsible for our health and well-being? Our doctor? Our insurance company? Ourselves?

Though genetics plays a part in predispositions for certain illnesses, studies are showing that many illnesses (heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes…) may be preventable - by us! Our health is clearly affected by what we eat, what we drink, our level of stress, how well we sleep, and how much we exercise. It is also affected by how we think, our attitude and our choices of lifestyle and environment. This is a shift in how health care is being perceived.

One significant aspect of the field of wellness is the growing understanding of the connection between the mind and the body. Our thinking and attitude (our way of seeing and experiencing the world) affects our physical health. Our emotional and mental stress manifests in our body in the form of "dis-ease." While our external environment plays a significant role in our health, an equally important factor is how we respond to it. Happiness is not about a set of circumstances but about a set of attitudes. Two people can be in the same situation and respond completely differently based on their attitudes, beliefs and past experience.

In western medicine our focus has been on sickness, rather than wellness. Our "health plans" are sometimes experienced as "sickness plans," since we use them most often when we're sick. We focus on treating symptoms and looking for cures for sickness, rather than staying well and preventing illness in the first place. Natural healing practitioners have a basic assumption that our bodies are designed to heal themselves, and that disease happens when our bodies and lifestyles are out of balance. A proactive approach to wellness, then, includes prevention and education for the development of a truly preventive health plan, with a focus on staying well and maintaining a balanced lifestyle.