You are part of a greater plan. Conscious awareness whispers, "everything is interconnected." You are a part of nature and nature is a part of you. Nature fuels your body-mind-spirit through the food that you eat, through the air that you breathe and the water that you drink. Nature provides plants whose chemical constituents are used for healing and health. Nature sustains your life and keeps you healthy as she continues to generously give of herself...while you continue to take from nature and take her for granted. Conscious awareness now shouts, "nature has been a caretaker for your entire life; it is your responsibility to be a caretaker of nature." Think about:
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being mindful of the resources you use for daily living: disposables (razors, plastic bags) can be replaced with long-term-use items
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recycling and/or donating items not regularly used
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cleaning up clutter in your living/working space, your back yard, your neighbor's back yard, and your local community
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car-pooling, down-sizing vehicles you own, riding bicycles, walking or skate-boarding
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planting a garden in your own back yard or joining with others to plant a community garden
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purchasing produce from local small independent food producers such as small farmers, fishermen, bakers, cheese makers, bee keepers, etc., which supports these generously gifted people as they cannot compete with the lower prices offered by mass-market, industrial food producers
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seeking foods that are organic, farm-raised or artisanal, which allows you to consume better quality and healthier, natural foods that benefit your well-being; it also supports the hard-working people who bring this bounty to your table
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eating seasonal foods, which offer an advantage because your body absorbs the nutrients in harmony with the rhythm of the growing season of the environment you live in
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consuming local or regional foods which allows your body-mind-spirit to be "tuned in" to your local environment
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getting rid of the "quick, fast and easy" mentality of obtaining and consuming food; fast foods are out, slow foods are in
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becoming informed about how food items are produced, where they are produced and what they contain (fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and other chemicals) will effect healthy food choices and promotes health
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finding a community supported agriculture chapter near you and joining their shopping network or shopping regularly at your local farmer's market to promote sustainable food sources and quality-based food standards
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lobbying and participating in supportive endeavors related to clean air, food, water
Nature cannot continue to hold you up much longer. There has been a steady decline in the amount and quality of available resources -air, food, and water- on this planet. The lack of the number and quality of these resources contribute largely to ill-health in America and in the world. Ill-health has become big business. United States health costs now constitute 14.9 percent of our gross domestic product (G.D.P.); advanced nations comparable to America spend roughly an average of 9% of their G.D.P. and have populations healthier than Americans. Sky-rocketing healthcare spending is primarily attributed to prescription drugs, which rose almost twice as fast as spending on all health services. Overall, medical care spending has risen in part, due to two factors: the quantity of medical care used and the quantity of prescription drugs used. At the same time, there is a politically-motivated movement to eliminate the dissemination of life-saving health information and the benefits of vitamins, minerals, essential nutrients, enzymes, botanical or plant-based medicines and other natural non-patentable therapies to the American public.
Things may continue to change, hopefully for the better. Future generations will continue the increasing self-care trend profile (American Medical News, 2002). Researching health information on the Internet before seeking an appointment with a health professional is a significant driving factor behind self-care and making informed choices. An easily accessible computer system designed for coupling of health problems with medical knowledge is available to both consumers and health professionals (www.pkc.com). Consumer HealthCare Products Association (2001) reported that 73% of Americans prefer to treat themselves, and 62% plan on doing so more in the future. By the time a physician is seen, 80% have diagnosed themselves.
Self-responsible health care means active involvement in your health. What you do with the precious gift of health and of life is your choice. You can embrace it, take care of it, and grow beyond it, or you can take life and health for granted, haphazardly moving through time, unaware, until the gift of life deteriorates or vanishes. You have a choice. If you choose to take responsibility for your life and health but do not understand your health issues or what action you need to take to stay well, contact an integrative healthcare professional who has the education, knowledge, skill and caring wisdom to guide you to wellness and healthy living.
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