"Real" health consciousness:
Last edit: 7/8/24
"Real" health consciousness starts with a basic premise: The human body is amazing - our "engineer" is of significantly higher intelligence than we are, yet we humans continue to think that we can out think it. The body needs things to be able to function the way it is intended to function. The first and biggest thing we can do to accommodate health is to assist the body in doing what it already knows how to do - not over-ride it. That innate "health" intelligence is built into our beings, yet most of us tend to ignore it.
Quality nutrition: There is lots of confusing and conflicting information out there on what this actually means. And its different for different people - different bodies process nutrients differently, including genetic variances in enzymes that make processing nutrients very individualized. Ayurvedic medicine acknowledges different body types that each have different basic diet needs. We have tough choices to make nutritionally - and real effort into determining what that means for each of us - its not at all a one size fits all concept. Its not about doing what Susie does. And its not just about the latest fad that we hear people talking about - just because everyone else is doing it does not make it a good idea, maybe even the opposite...
It is generally agreed across the board that we need to eliminate toxins from our food, water, and air (including indoor air quality from our homes). Part of this is a well functioning elimination system in our bodies - help the body move the toxins out instead of toxins sitting there to be reabsorbed in the intestine.
Chemically free as much as possible: I'm chemically sensitive. This does not mean that I'm defective. Our bodies are not supposed to be poisoned. My system is more tuned in to alerting me of a dangerous environment. Most people seem to have some sort of assumption that because they can be in a toxic environment and have survived so far, that their bodies must be immune to the toxins (not concerned about it - until we are diagnosed with cancer...) Likely that everyone who has cancer would agree that chemicals were involved. Most bodies have some ability to expel toxins, but to a large extent, we quickly store it internally to get it out of circulation - until our internal storage facilities (bones, fat, & organs) are overburdened and it starts leaking out causing high internal levels which then start causing harm (aging, unexplained disease, cancers, mental health issues like Alzheimer's... ). Cancer occurrence is epidemic, and the increase has paralleled the chemical revolution. I'm pretty sure that chemicals are our biggest link to cancer, as are many health advocates.
Minimize EMF where possible - a source of harm that is barely understood, and largely deemed harmless by government authorities (largely based on the lobbying of industry which profits by it being allowed). Unfortunately, we can't eliminate it and industry continues to increase it. (5G is a huge mistake!) The best we can do is to try to block out what we can. And... there is a field produced by the planet that is likely needed to assist our bodies which themselves have internal electrical fields. (The man made fields override/ block the natural field.) Can we block harmful EMF and maintain exposure the the beneficial earth generated fields?
Organic food is a good place to start with keeping chemicals out of our food. However, "Big Ag" has soiled the organic food industry. Like most other things, it started out as a good idea, and has become a label that is used to make a profit. (As is the potential for "green building" and "permaculture", and "healthy homes".) Organic is still the best option we have for the most part. Or is it? Maybe the best option is to grow our food ourselves (and of course to keep it clean). Or at least know the farm and the farmer. Then and only then, do we actually know if our food is clean. And the "lifestyle" around growing food is a healthy lifestyle. The health benefits of having our hands in dirt, getting out from behind a desk, meditative qualities... Most people don't feel like they have the time to grow their own food (or some portion of it). Its perceived as a major undertaking, and not an option for most people - including having a place to do it, or time to do it with all the other necessary tasks that we are committed to in order to maintain our toxic lifestyle. (Maybe its mostly about lack of experience?) And there are skills involved. Hence this community based homesteading idea - others nearby for assistance (a hired "farmer" overseer?).
Contact with nature? Contact with soil? Interaction with plants and animals? As a whole we spend our time trying to learn skills to control life, not in learning to connect with Life. Unlike chemicals, we need contact with living organisms/ microbes in order to coexist with them. Being more connected to the life cycle and the production of our own food has major health benefits beyond the quality of the food itself. If we're spending all of our time working at an exhausting job to "get ahead" and pay the mortgage, we likely don't have time or energy to devote to food production. We think its "cheaper" to buy food.
Mental health: Modern society is in a epidemic of rising physical health issues. We are also in an epidemic of rising mental health issues. Part of this is again that different bodies are different. Modern society demands that everyone fits the same mold. Temple Grandin, a spokesperson for autism (she is autistic), says that if she could choose to not have autism, she would not make that choice. Her autism has societal dysfunction, but it also comes with major gifts that neurotypical people don't have. She's not defective, she's just different. Sometimes (maybe most of the time...) there are genetics involved (like in autism - with lots of overlap w/ ADHD, OCD, etc.), and sometimes there are ways to minimize some of the dysfunctions through tailored nutrition & detox, and techniques to minimize that vague "stress" word. Different bodies cannot process various nutrients properly. With some effort, there are ways to determine nutrient processing deficiencies in individuals and then focus more attention in ways to get those specific nutrients into that specific body - in order to get those nutrients to the cells - which is something that all cells need.
Neurochemicals control every aspect of every bodily process. Each individual neurochemical process is incredibly simple, but the interconnectedness of all the different processes is incredibly complex. One shift in one process has a chain reaction in many other processes. There is real science to understanding health care through understanding neurochemical pathways and neurochemical balance (chemical balance/ chemical imbalance), and the nutritional and enzyme issues that interfere. This research is not very profitable, so its a very slow moving industry but its moving forward. Even though they've barely scratched the surface, its already very revealing of real health care potential.
Mental and emotional health effects of doing what we know is right? For the environment (the planet that supports our health)? Connecting with and relating to others? Compared to what it feels like to use people and take advantage of them to get "more" for yourself? Not being entrapped and allowing other people to use us and take advantage of us?
Exercise: Humans were not designed to be sedentary. Blood flow is important... Sweating is important... Mitochondria... Metabolic processes... Many neurochemicals (processes we need to be healthy) are generated by our bodies being active. We are designed to be active. We need to be active...
Social interaction: Even introverts need some sort of social interaction - actual in person human interaction. Technology is not our friend - community/ belonging is. Humans have an innate need to "belong".
Stress? Urgency? Is everything really life or death? How does debt for large home affect health? (What we have to do with our lives to pay the mortgage...) What if we weren't "trapped" in a job (or anything else) because we "have to" - have to have the income to make ends meet? What would living and working in "Life sustaining" work do for our health? (As opposed to some undesirable job where we spend most of our lives in order to earn an income.) What if "work" (and everything else) was a "get to" rather than a "have to"? What if there was faith in some sort of higher intelligence - or something that makes it okay if we don't currently see how a current circumstance fits into a greater good for the whole?
Aesthetics - a living space that “feels” nice is more supportive of health. Clutter? Art? Color? Light? (Other senses are important too - sounds of nature are generally good, but sounds of wind chimes can be disturbing for some people - don't do it if your neighbor has to hear it too.)
Environmental consciousness at its core is very much linked to health. After we totally annihilate the entire planet with all of our stupid human tricks, the planet itself will actually still be here - humans won't.
Home/ Living situation variables / Basic housing needs (somewhat related to heirarchy of needs):
The thought behind this part is that some folks get in over their heads with housing costs when they could get by with less, so I'm laying out some housing considerations. Conversely, my thought when moving onto my property without facilities was that primitive camping was a viable option for me... a word of note for others trying this - it takes a lot more time and energy to function in life without the modern amenities of conventional housing. However, it has worked for me to get out of the rent rut and onto the land, so that I could channel my time and finances to my project rather than rent elsewhere.
"Existing/Surviving" vs "Accommodating mainstream employment to live more comfortably and conveniently" vs "Actually Living" (not just living life to earn an income to pay a mortgage).
Comfort, Peace/tranquility, Security - both physical & mental (ex: will I lose my housing).
Affordability/ sustainability
A place to sleep
Accommodate a mate? Children? Elderly?
Place to relax / retreat to?
Privacy?
Electricity?
Heat? (cooling?)
Water? Running water? Hot & cold?
Waste disposal? (sewer/septic)
Toilet (all weather - cold, rain, mosquitoes...)
Bathing (Gym membership can be an option for this? But a bucket of water can be more efficient...) I've learned to bathe with less than 2 gallons of water (but I would love a long hot shower, or a good soak in a hot bath.)
Nutritious food? - Cooking, cleanup, food prep, food preservation & storage, farming...
Transportation - not really housing, but closely tied to housing options.
- Is mode of transportation dependable? Plan B when its not?
- What do we need to be closer to? (Jobs, Schools, Entertainment?) What do we want to be farther from?
- Cost of transportation, maintenance, and fuel can be a significant part of expenses
- Living in a car/van? What happens if it breaks down? Gets stolen?
- Bike? (or is it a backup option?)
- Mopeds get really good gas mileage.
Less is More
Debt: Often times, "wants" override actual "needs" (as outlined above), and we may actually need much less, and therefore have to pay much less. Status/ impressing others was not part of the list above. It may be worth considering "less" that meets your needs, and not "more" that is more about "wants". In most cases in mortgaged living situations, the cost of the mortgage itself (interest & fees) over time costs significantly more than the actual real property being purchased. The cost of insuring it? (Based on the fear of losing it.) Paying for what you can afford (without debt) may net much more "investment" value in the long run. Or as a second best, as little debt as possible so it can be paid off faster. (Maybe better than paying rent and not making progress on eliminating a payment via full ownership.) And not "too" valuable - we never get out of paying taxes on that value. Again... What are the health effects (and real cost of our lives) of what we have to do with our lives in order to pay debt?
Affordability: What can you "afford" to pay for housing based on what you earn? What are you willing to do with your life in order to earn what it takes to pay for housing (and everything else). What is the "real" cost of housing? (Your soul?) Even if you have more financial resources available to start with, how would doing something more soul enriching with your resources benefit you?
American Dream: This is a concept we seem to just get swept up in (American or not). We tend to want more, bigger, better... to impress our neighbors/ peers, to attract a mate. Furthermore, we want our "piece of the pie" and we don't care what we do to others to get it. We're taught to climb the ladder of success - and its okay to use the heads of those below us as stepping stones. So, we somehow even unknowingly enter the rat race - the objective just being to be further ahead of the rest of the rats, take down the ones in front of us, and to hell with the ones behind us, just don't let them take you out... There is an illusion that we'll get to some place and "arrive" and then we'll be happy. Its a very accepted statement that most people with money are not happy, but we still keep doing the same things to get there ourselves (just in case...). Maybe its because we don't see another option and we get sucked into the race (we get the partner, buy the house, start the family, get the job to pay for it all...) Is it community/ belonging/ real purpose that are more of the keys to happiness? Often its poorer people and even poor societies that have a better sense of community, or societies that don't even have a monetary system (don't even know they are poor) and in fact feel wealthy because they actually have what is important. Human beings are innately social beings with a need to belong. The money thing is often about competition and it isolates.
"Investment": Sometimes "Investments" can become burdens - which translates to "it wasn't actually such a good investment." Maybe the "investment" needs to be sold in a market that will not even pay back the initial cost of purchase. It can be inherent in the cost of the product - like a car which depreciates over time. Sometimes its a tiny house (presumably more of a "durable" product) that becomes a burden because there is no where to park it, or your family size increases and you outgrow it, or you need to move far away and its too expensive to transport - now you need to sell it in a very limited market. What is the resale market like? How long can you hold out before you have to dump it?
Durability: Part of the appeal of a "THOW" (Tiny House on Wheels) or "THOF" (Tiny House on Foundation) is that they are built like a conventional home - higher quality and more durable than RV's or mobile homes. RV's are built with a primary objective of lowering the weight for towing - not always the best structurally. Its very common for RV's/ Travel Trailers to get leaks in the roof, and the interiors are made of materials that do not hold up well when wet... They are not really intended to be investments that "appreciate" but rather a "disposable" asset that depreciates. Many THOW's are built by first time builders so there is some reason to question the higher quality of the build. Others are built by companies building with primary motivation being profit - with a product that does not have to meet minimum building codes, and they are not living in them - again, some reason to question the higher quality of the build. Even conventional housing is largely built with the primary motivation being profit - minimum required by code & to get through a one year warranty period and after that its your problem, not theirs. And of course there are plenty of well designed and well built products out there, its just a matter of the buyer either getting lucky or actually having some knowledge about what they are getting. What you see in a finished product is only the finishes, not the infrastructure that is covered up by the finishes. Most "flippers" (buy and quickly resell real estate to make a profit) are only doing cosmetic work to increase the sale value.
Stuff: The concept of "Less is More" goes far beyond finances. I can't claim to be a minimalist regarding "stuff", but there is much to be gained in moving in that direction. More stuff requires more structure to contain it, more mortgage, and more time and energy to manage it, maintain it, protect it... "Less" offers more opportunity to focus time, energy and resources on things that are more important - like quality connections with important people in our lives, nature, and our passions we want to pursue. Even if there is "stuff" that you can't seem to let go of, maybe it doesn't have to be stored in the house which is generally "higher cost to build" living space rather than storage space. (And clutter in your living environment.) You see the value/ lack of real value of stuff much more clearly when you are paying storage fees and know what it cost to keep that specific stuff for the last year...