Pillars of Healing: Gazette
Pillars of Healing
La Pointe Community Clinic Health Tips March 2023
Written by Marnie Sanborn Myhre
We all have the ability to take steps to maximize our health, minimize illness and improve our ability to heal after a challenging injury or disease. Much of our health care is reactive, addressing a problem that has developed, but it is more effective to prevent problems before they develop or get worse. I was recently loaned the book The Four Pillars of Healing by Leo Galland, MD, written 25 years ago and full of gems of wellness advice that are still valuable today. He offers up a recipe for healing focused on what patients can do to advance the healing process even when faced with complex chronic disorders. Then this week I received the Harvard Medical School’s HealthBeat newsletter which listed their pillars of self-care, and that coincidence prompted me to put together this simple guide for preventing injuries and maximizing personal health.
Pillars of Health and Healing:
Community
Movement
Nutrition
Sleep
Calming activity
Community: Most studies of health and healing support the significance of community and relationships as important components of health and healing. Sharing a meal with family or friends; laughing, dancing or playing games with good buddies; walking with a partner or a dear companion (often Odin for me!); Tai Chi or yoga with a group, all are common examples of how community can promote the process of healing.
Movement is essential to keeping us healthy! The joints get stiff and sore with immobility. If a certain part of the body needs to be braced or immobile due to injury there are other parts of the body that need to move to keep the blood flowing, the joints limber and the bones strong. Aerobic exercise every day for thirty minutes is best, but even small pain-free movements can be key to promoting healing. Aim for 3 1/2 hours of moderate to vigorous exercise each week.
Nutrition is the fuel for your body. Think of the grocery store as your FARMacy. Buy foods rich in antioxidants such as colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. It’s also important to avoid sugary drinks, too much red meat, trans fat, sodium, and processed foods like chips, cereals, and lunch meats. Work to minimize alcohol consumption and eliminate smoking tobacco.
Included in nutrition is hydration - drink water throughout the day. Try to drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water. The amount of water the body needs varies with activity and roughly 6-9 cups of water is required every day.
Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours a night for restful sleep. Sleep scientist Matt Walker calls sleep our life-support system and Mother Nature's best effort yet at immortality. Sleep promotes learning and memory, it allows our immune system to do its work, and sleep can even affect the body’s genetic code.
Restorative practice: A calming activity that taps into self-compassion can be as simple as focused breathing, a walk in nature, focused movement, or meditation. Trying to devote 30 minutes a day to positive calming thoughts can have a subtle but profound effect on healing. Weaving, knitting, a walk in the woods and tai chi/yoga can all be calming activities if you stay focused.
Harvard Medical School’s Healthbeat states that adopting a healthier lifestyle can add 10 years to your life. It also states that scientists know that the mind and body are linked and your thoughts and emotions affect your health. Stress can make your blood pressure spike and depression lowers your pain tolerance. Taking the steps in self-care listed above can improve not just your physical but also your mental health. Those steps can make a big difference in not only how long you live, but, more importantly, how well you live.